#colonel strickland

[kwebtv]

Season 2 Episode 1*

Colonel Humphrey Flack - Lady Bluebeard - Syndication - October 5, 1958

Sitcom

Running Time: 30 minutes

Written by Paul West

Produced by Wilbur Stark and Jerry Layton

Directed by John Rich

Stars:

Alan Mowbray as Colonel Humphrey J. Flack

Frank Jenks as Uthas P. ("Patsy") Garvey

Hillary Brooke as the Countess (Margo)

Phyllis Avery as Gloria Osborne

Mark Roberts as Bob Meadow

Amzie Strickland as Secretary

Dan Barton as Hotel Clerk

Ray Walker as Car Salesman

Leon Tyler as Bellhop

Jan Arvan as Waiter

Tom Palmer as Benny

Joe Devlin as Cab Driver

*Season One aired live on the DuMont network from 1953-1954. Season Two was filmed and ran in Syndication from 1958-1959.

[scotianostra]

Prince Charles Edward Stuart, landed in Eriskay with his “Seven men of Moidart" on 23rd July 1745.

The Seven Men of Moidart consisted of four Irishmen, two Scots and one Englishman. Three of the group were elderly men, Sir Thomas Sheridan (the Prince’s under-governor/tutor and a veteran cavalry officer), Sir John MacDonald (a former French cavalry officer) and the Scot William Murray (Marquis of Tullibardine). These were accompanied by the Irish Colonel, John William O’ Sullivan (French army) and Irish Episcopalian clergyman, Reverend George Kelly, the Englishman, Francis Strickland ( a former royal tutor), as well the Scot, Aeneas MacDonald ( a Paris banker).

Having lost their arms and ammunition, as I told you in my post about the encounter with a british ship enroute, his companions besought the Prince to return to Nantes, but he refused and after a chase by a British man-of-war, La Doutelle anchored off the island of Eriskay, in the Outer Hebrides, on 2nd August, 1745. An eagle hovered round the ship, and Tullibardine exclaimed "Here is the king of birds come to welcome your Royal Highness to Scotland."

Clanranald to whom the cluster of islands belonged, was on the mainland. Charles proceeded, and entered the bay of Loch-nan-nuah between Moidart and Arisaig. Here Clanranald, Kinloch Moidart, and several of their clansmen came on board. But to the Prince's pleas, they answered that to take up arms without concert or support from France could only end in ruin. After a long interview and a personal appeal to young Kinloch Moidart, the brother of the chief, Charles at length prevailed, perhaps shoeing the charm if the man the Government labelled, The Young Pretender.

The pics include two memorial cairns on the island.

[sarcasticsciencefictionwriter]

List of Actors in Sanctuary who Also Appeared in Stargate (Spanning Entire Franchise).

Main Cast (Counting Regular Major Appearances):

Amanda Tapping. Sanctuary: Helen Magnus. Stargate: Sam Carter.

Christopher Heyerdahl. Sanctuary: John Druitt, Bigfoot. Stargate SG-1: Pallin. Stargate Atlantis: Halling and Todd the Wraith.

Ryan Robbins. Sanctuary: Henry Foss. Stargate Atlantis: Ladon Radim.

Agam Darshi. Sanctuary; Kate Freelander. Stargates Atlantis: Novo and Athosian 2.

Jonathon Young. Sanctuary: Nikola Tesla. Stargate Atlantis: Dr. Parrish.

Peter Wingfield. Sanctuary: James Watson. Stargate SG-1: Hebron and Taneth.

Jim Byrnes. Sanctuary: Gregory Magnus. Stargate SG-1: Documentary Narrator (Heroes Part 2). Stargate Infinity: voice (no character listed).

Significant Stargate Actors Not in Main Cast of Sanctuary:

Michael Shanks. Sanctuary: Jimmy (one episode). Stargate: Daniel Jackson.

Tom McBeath. Sanctuary: General Villanova. Stargate SG-1: Colonel Harry Maybourne.

Vincent Gale. Sanctuary: Nigel Griffin. Stargate SG-1: Deputy - Agent Cross. Stargate Universe: Morrison. (he was significant in Sanctuary and had a high episode list for Stargate, so no arguing)

Colin Cunnigham. Sanctuary: Gerald (one episode). Stargate: Major Paul Davis.

Paul McGillion. Sanctuary: Terrance Wexford (four eps + webisodes). Stargate Atlantis: Carson Beckett.

David Hewlett. Sanctuary: Larry Tolson (webisodes). Stargate: Rodney McKay.

Kavan Smith. Sanctuary: Joe Kavanaugh (two episodes + webisodes). Stargate: Evan Lorne.

David Nykl. Sanctuary: Strickland (one episode). Stargate Atlantis: Radek Zelenka.

Sarah Strange. Sanctuary: Allison Grant (one episode). Stargate: Morgan Le Fey.

Dan Shea. Sanctuary: Transit Cop 2 (one episode). Stargate: Sergeant Siler.

Gary Jones. Sanctuary: George (one episode). Stargate: Walter Harriman.

Peter Flemming. Sanctuary: FBI Agent Bruce Tanner (one episode). Stargate: Agent Barret.

Martin Christopher. Sanctuary: False Priest/Father Clark. Stargate: Kevin Marks.

Barclay Hope. Sanctuary: Security Force Commander (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Col. Lionel Pendergast.

Peter DeLuise. Sanctuary: Ernie Watts (one episode/webisodes). Stargate SG-1: Sal's Diner Customer, Wormhole X-treme Replacement Actor, plus 20 other roles. Stargate Atlantis: Dr. P. Smith (uncredited). Stargate Universe: Peter. (<- also directed all four shows)

Significant in Sanctuary but not Stargate:

Shekhar Paleja (Credited in both as Shaker Paleja). Sanctuary: Ravi Ganapathiraman. Stargate SG-1: Jaffa. Stargate Atlantis: Doctor (uncredited, six episodes).

Ian Tracey. Sanctuary: Adam Worth. Stargate SG-1: Smith.

Pascale Hutton. Sanctuary: Abby Corrigan. Stargate Atlantis: First Officer Trebel. (<- almost/should have been main cast in Sanctuary)

Carlo Rota. Sanctuary: Richard Feliz. Stargate Universe: Carl Strom.

Other Actors in Mostly Minor Roles in Both (but often more significant in Sanctuary, for obvious reasons) Listed in Order of Sanctuary Appearance:

Lauren K. Robek (Credited as Kirsten Robeck in both). Sanctuary: Maryanne Zimmerman (three episodes). Stargate SG-1: Lieutenant Astor.

Sheri Rabold (credited as Sheri Noel in all). Sanctuary: Molly (two episodes/webisodes), Helen Magnus Stand-in. Stargate SG-1: Physiotherapist. Stargate Atlantis: Scientist, Lab assistant.

Laura Mennel. Sanctuary: Caird (one episode/webisodes). Stargate SG-1: Mary. Stargate Atlantis: Sanir.

Alex Zahara. Sanctuary: Carver (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Motion Capture Warrior, Warrick Finn, Iron Shirt, Eggar, Shy One, Alien Leader, Alien #1, Micahel Xe'ls.

Peter Bryant. Sanctuary: Cabal Team Leader (two episodes). Stargate SG-1: Hoskins and Fro'tak.

MacKenzie Gray. Sanctuary: Mr. Jones (one episode). Stargate Infinity: Pahk'kal, Napoleon Bonaparte (voices).

Matthew Walker. Sanctuary: Oliver Braithewaite (one episode). Stargate SG-1/The Ark of Truth: Merlin/Roham.

David Richmond-Peck. Sanctuary: Jake Polanski (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Jaffa Leader. Stargate Atlantis: Toran.

Panou. Sanctuary: Sylvio (two episodes). Stargate SG-1: Lt. Fisher.

Katherine Isabelle. Sanctuary: Sophie (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Valencia.

Chuck Campell. Sanctuary: Two-Faced Guy. Stargate: Chuck the Technician.

Gabrielle Rose. Sanctuary: Ruth Meyers (one episode). Stargate: The Ark of Truth: Alterean Woman #2.

Daryl Shuttleworth. Sanctuary: (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Commander Tegar, Commander Rigar.

Rukiya Bernard. Sanctuary: Kayla Bradley (one episode). Stargate Universe: Airman Richmond.

Alex Diakun. Sanctuary: Doctor (three episodes). Stargate SG-1: Tarek Solaman.

Chris Gauthier. Sanctuary: Walter (two episodes). Stargate: Mattas and Hertis.

Anne Marie DeLuise. Sanctuary: Rachel (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Amy Vandenberg, Farrell.

Aleks Paunovic. Sanctuary: Duke (one episode). Stargate Atlantis: Rakai.

Ryan Kennedy. Sanctuary: Darrin Wilson (one episode). Stargate Universe: Dr. Williams.

Terry Chen. Sanctuary: Charles (three episodes). Stargate SG-1: Monk.

Nimet Kanji. Sanctuary: Pili (two episodes). Stargate Atlantis: Doctor.

Ron Selmour. Sanctuary: Kanaan (three episodes). Stargate Atlantis: Jannick.

Raquel Riskin. Sanctuary: Cheryl (one episode). Stargate Universe: Mindy.

Eric Keenleyside. Sanctuary: Det. Michael Bronson (one episodes). Stargate SG-1: Fred.

Michael J Rogers. Sanctuary: Stanley O'Farrel (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Major Escher, Col. Richard Kendrick, Colonel John Michaels.

Fabrice Grover. Sanctuary: Father Nathaniel Jensen (one episode). Stargate: The Ark of Truth: Amelius.

Allison Hossack. Sanctuary: Lillian (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Zerina Valk. Stargate Atlantis: Perna.

Scott McNeil. Sanctuary: Birot (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Kefflin, Townsperson.

Jody Thompson. Sanctuary: Fallon (three episodes). Stargate Atlantis: Hospital Nurse.

Nels Lannarson. Sanctuary: Commander Tollan, Praxian Guardsman. (two episodes). Stargate SG-1: Major Green. Stargate Atlantis: Captain Holland.

Sean Rogerson. Sanctuary: Castor (one episode). Stargate Atlantis: Nevik.

Richard de Klerk. Sanctuary: U.S. Sergeant (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Dominic, Joe.

Aaron Brooks. Sanctuary: Lieutenant Hallman (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Nisal.

Collen Winton. Sanctuary: Anna (one episode). Stargate SG-1: National Security Advisor, Dr. Greene.

David Milchard. Sanctuary: Garris. Stargate Atlantis: SGC Technician.

Greyston Holt. Sanctuary: Lt. Coxswell (two episodes). Stargate Universe: Corporal Reynolds.

Brian Markinson. Sanctuary: Greg Addison. Stargate SG-1: Lotan.

Lara Gilchrist. Sanctuary: Cassidy (one episode). Stargate Atlantis: Dr. Hewston.

John Novak. Sanctuary: Thug Boss (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Colonel William Ronson.

Martin Cummins. Sanctuary: Brad Sylvester (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Aiden Corso.

Kurt Evans. Sanctuary: Agent Gavin Crealy (two episodes). Stargate SG-1: Col. Johnson.

Sage Brocklebank. Sanctuary: Canadian Press Photographer (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Rand Protectorate Tech.

Kwesi Ameyaw. Sanctuary: Colonel Bosh (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Olokun. Stargate Atlantis: Technical Sergeant.

J.C. Williams. Sanctuary: SCIU Agent (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Jaffa (uncredited), Stargate Universe: Marine (uncredited).

Caroline Cave. Sanctuary: Sheila Delacourt (one episode). Stargate Atlantis: Dr. Cole. Stargate Universe: Dana.

Brent Stait. Sanctuary: Finn Noland (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Major Louis Ferretti.

Richard Stroh. Sanctuary: Orin (one episode). Stargate Atlantis: Genii Soldier #2.

Venus Terzo. Sanctuary: Capt. Franklin (one episode). Stargate SG-1: Dr. Francine Michaels.

I spent entirely too much time on this, but I really got going. I also probably missed a few people (and didn't even start on the crew because of so much overlap). I'm not sure if this is just Vancouver film industry at work or what, but I am done.

[grandmaster-anne]

Court Circular | 9th February 2023

Buckingham Palace

Her Excellency Mrs Hélène Duchêne was received in audience by The King today and presented the Letters of Recall of her predecessor and her own Letters of Credence as Ambassador from the French Republic to the Court of St James’s. Mr Remi Duchêne was also received by His Majesty. Her Excellency Ms Francella Strickland was received in audience by The King and presented the Letters of Recall of her predecessor and her own Letters of Commission as High Commissioner for the Independent State of Samoa in London. Ms Juliet Chua (Director General for Finance and Corporate, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) was present. His Majesty this afternoon visited Leighton House, 12 Holland Park Road, London W14. Later Miss Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam was received in audience by The King and kissed hands upon her appointment as His Majesty’s Governor of Turks and Caicos Islands. The following were received in audience by The King and kissed hands upon their appointment as His Majesty’s Ambassadors: Mr Edward Ferguson (the Republic of Serbia), Mr Vinay Talwar (the Republic of Djibouti) and Mr Simon Walters (the State of Israel). Mrs Ferguson was also received by His Majesty. The King subsequently received Colonel Chris Hadfield (former Canadian Astronaut, Commander of the International Space Station). The Queen Consort this morning visited Storm Family Centre, Strasburg Road, Doddington Estate, Battersea, London SW11, and was received by Mrs Colleen Harris (Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London).

Kensington Palace

The Prince and Princess of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Cornwall this afternoon visited the National Maritime Museum Falmouth, Discovery Quay, Falmouth, and were received by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall (Colonel Edward Bolitho). Their Royal Highnesses afterwards visited the Dracaena Centre, Dracaena Avenue, Falmouth.

St James’s Palace

The Earl of Wessex, Patron, the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, this afternoon attended a Luncheon at Coutts and Company, 440 Strand, London WC2, and afterwards attended a performance of Much Ado About Nothing at the Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2. The Countess of Wessex, Chairman, Women’s Network Forum, this afternoon chaired a Meeting at Buckingham Palace. Her Royal Highness, Patron, Chartered Management Institute, later attended a Conference to mark National Apprenticeship Week at County Hall, Belvedere Road, London SE1.

St James’s Palace

The Princess Royal this morning opened the renovated David Livingstone Birthplace in Station Road, Blantyre, and was received by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Lanarkshire (the Lady Haughey). Her Royal Highness this afternoon visited the South Lanarkshire Council housing regeneration project at Rona Terrace, Whitlawburn, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire. The Princess Royal, Royal Patron, Friends of TS Queen Mary, later attended a Ninetieth Anniversary Reception at Voco Grand Central Hotel, 99 Gordon Street, Glasgow, and was received by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the City of Glasgow (Councillor Jacqueline McLaren, the Rt Hon the Lord Provost).

Kensington Palace

The Duke of Gloucester, President, the Britain-Nepal Society, this afternoon received Mr Andrew Sparkes (Chairman) and Colonel Nicholas Hinton (Chairman, Britain-Nepal Non-Governmental Organisation Network).

St James’s Palace

The Duke of Kent, President, Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, this morning attended a Memorial Service to commemorate the anniversary of the death of the Viscount Trenchard OM which was held in the Royal Air Force Chapel, Westminster Abbey, London SW1.

[the-anarcho-occultist]

Tracy Turnblad

Tracy Turnblad Larkin (February 16, 1945-July 10, 2007), better known by her birth name Tracy Turnblad, was an American singer, dancer, actress, producer and activist. Turnblad was born in 1945 to Wilbur and Edna Turnblad. Wilbur Turnblad was enlisted in the US Army and had been deployed to Europe, before being injured in a Velociraptor attack during the D-Day landings and subsequently being honorably discharged. In the postwar era, the Turnblads struggled financially, with Wilbur working in various jobs including as a construction worker, a delivery person for the local office of the Worldwide Wicket Company, and a mailman. The couple also faced marital strife after Edna Turnblad donated a large sum of money to Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of the cult movement known as The Cause. However, by the time Tracy was 8, the family’s luck took a turn for the better when George reconnected with a friend from the war, James Francis Ryan who had enjoyed some success after writing war memoirs and publishing them in 1949. Ryan gave Wilbur a loan that enabled him to buy a storefront with an apartment above for his family to live in, which Wilbur was able to turn into a decently successful novelty shop during the 1950’s, allowing his family to at last gain a degree of financial stability.

It was in this more stable atmosphere that Turnblad began to move in the direction that would earn her celebrity status. From a young age, her parents were by no means lax, but were reasonably willing to indulge their daughter’s desire to engage with even controversial forms of entertainment–most notably the music of the likes of Conrad Birdie, Nick Rivers and Tommy Johnson. This exposure to music would prove immensely formative for Turnblad and would drive her broader media consumption, becoming an avid viewer of programs such as National Bandstand and The Corny Collins Show, the latter of which was produced in Baltimore itself. In 1962, Turnblad made the fateful decision to audition for the show, which ultimately added her to the cast despite controversy surrounding her expressing support for racial integration and the fact that she, unlike other dancers on the show, was noticeably overweight. Turnblad participated in a protest to integrate the show, during which she faced criminal charges for assaulting a police officer with a sign. However, she managed to avoid arrest (thanks in part to the Baltimore Police Department being called upon by Colonel Richard Strickland to help recover an escaped Deep One) and ultimately her efforts succeeded in getting the program racially integrated.

This chain of events-alongside Turnblad entering a relationship with her costar Link Larkin-helped make her much more famous. In addition to continuing as a dancer, Turnblad began a music career with Polymer Records, with her first album You Can’t Stop the Beat just barely falling short of sales for the Rutles’ album All You Need is Cash in 1965. This album was followed two years later by Avalanche, which compared to her first album was much more politically charged. Turnblad had always been sympathetic to left-wing causes but as the Vietnam and Sarkhan Wars escalated, she became increasingly vocal about issues besides civil rights. Her friend Maria Vazquez-who she met through her music career-helped expose Turnblad to left-wing thought that was rapidly gaining popularity with younger generations. Turnblad began interacting with many prominent figures within the New Left including Sal Paradise, Jim Stark, and Raoul Duke. This radicalization caused something of a rift between her and Larkin, leading to a brief separation in 1968.

In 1968, Turnblad would end up endorsing the ‘14 or Fight’ campaign spearheaded by rock star Max Frost. However, Turnblad ended up continuing to support the campaign of Johnny Fergus in that year’s presidential race even when the Republicans nominated Frost himself for the presidency. Turnblad had acquaintance with Frost from earlier in her career and thus did not trust him, her fears being vindicated when on taking office he converted America into an ageist dictatorship. Frost filled his administration with many unsavory characters-for instance, Horace Bones and Tom Weathers acted as his enforcers in DC. Turnblad, meanwhile, was aligned to more moderate left-wingers such as Philip Banks and Judy Burke who opposed Frost and, ultimately, reluctantly cooperated with the Syndicate of the Men in Black to remove him from power. Turnblad after this chain of events drifted more towards the center-though still remaining firmly liberal and endorsing the campaign of Prez Rickard in the 1975 special presidential election. She would remain active in advocacy for the rest of her life, denouncing the Cyclops administration’s response to the AIDS epidemic, performing at a benefit concert for Tectonese refugees and supporting groups dedicated to women’s rights.

The bulk of her life, however, would remain dedicated to her entertainment career. After reuniting with Larkin, she recorded another album titled Without Love in 1972, which ended up doing less well than her earlier work. Turnblad had began her career in an era where the distinction between pop and rock was blurry. Now, however, with the rise of stars like Daisy Jones, Dewey Cox and Eddie Wilson helped make the rock genre more distinct. Turnblad’s music, meanwhile, was more bubbly and didn’t hold the same appeal as contemporary rock. Still, Turnblad and Larkin maintained a distinct following, even being invited to perform ahead of the inauguration of Charles Palantine in 1977. In the 1980’s, however, Turnblad’s career as a singer began to decline. The emergence of bands like the Hex Girls, The Queen Haters and Crisis of Conformity heralded the rise of the punk and metal genres, which while some long-time bands made a jump into (Josie and the Pussycats being the most notable success), Turnblad was unable to do. While she maintained a core following, she was rapidly eclipsed by newcomers to music.

Turnblad ultimately accepted this with grace, moving towards producing instead of performing. She would serve as a point of contact between several new artists and various record labels-the most notable beneficiaries being Ziggy Stardust, Cassandra Wong, the band Love Handel and Maddie Vidal. In doing so, Turnblad eventually met the young but ambitious Gustavo Rocque, who aspired to form a label of his own. Leveraging her contacts, Turnblad played a key role in founding Rocque Records and helping the label find its footing in the 1990’s. In 1996, Turnblad’s husband Link Larkin was killed during the Harvester invasion while visiting his parents in Washington DC. Turnblad, heartbroken, nonetheless lived more than a decade past that point, even resuming a music career in 1998 with a more mournful style than previously. Turnblad ultimately died in 2007 during the invasion of Earth by a parallel world’s Cybermen. She was survived by her son Bryce Larkin, who died in 2009. The Tracy Turnblad Conference Room in Rocque Records’ headquarters is named in her honor.

References

Hairspray, Dino D-Day, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Master, Saving Private Ryan, Bye Bye Birdie, Top Secret!, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Grease, The Shape of Water, Cthulhu Mythos, This Is Spinal Tap, The Rutles, The Ugly American, West Side Story, On the Road, Rebel Without a Cause, Fear and Loathing, Wild in the Streets, I Drink Your Blood, Wild Cards, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Bridge to Teribithia, The X Files, Men in Black, Prez, Whoops Apocalypse!, Alien Nation, Daisy Jones and the Six, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Eddie and the Cruisers, Taxi Driver, Scooby Doo, SCTV, Saturday Night Live, Archie Comics, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, Wayne’s World, Phineas and Ferb, Freaky Friday, Big Time Rush, Independence Day, Doctor Who (Army of Ghosts), Chuck

[rjdavies]

Celebrating International and Inspirational Women for the Month of March

This is just a short list of women who are inspirational that we highlighted this month.  International Women’s Day was March 8th. 

If you see something in someone that you admire, just tell them. It might not seem like much but it could make their day! 

Cheers to the amazing women who raised us, the ones who are in our lives, and the daughters and granddaughters that we are raising. 

March 1 - Roberta Bondar

March 2 -  Avye Couloute

March 3 -  Kenojuak Ashevak

March 4 -  Jaime Black

March 5 - Michelle Yeoh

March 6 - Ada Lovelace

March 7 - Mary Shelley

March 8 -  Malala Yousafzai

March 9 - Marie Curie

March 10 - Hedy Lamarr

March 11 - Donna Strickland

March 12 -  Jocelyn Bell Burnell

March 13 -  Elsie MacGill

March 14 -  Harriet Brooks

March 15 -  Rosalind Franklin

March 16 -  Dr. Indira Vasanti Samarasekera

March 17 -  Dr. Lindsay LeBlanc

March 18 -  Kimberly Bryant

March 19 -  Limor Fried

March 20 -  Margaret Atwood

March 21 -  Dr. Heather McNairn

March 22 -  Lucy Li

March 23 - Marina Nemat

March 24 - Autumn Peltier

March 25 - Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard

March 26 - Lieutenant Colonel Maryse Carmichael 

March 27 - Dr. Lillian Eva Dyck

March 28 - Dr. Buffy Sainte-Marie

March 29 - Tanya Tagaq

March 30 -  Dr. Samantha Yammine

March 31 -  Lyn Slater

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[the-dream-beyond]

January 25th, 2023

Making Every Moment Intentional with Chris Stricklin

Nik: Everybody has a perfect fit somewhere. Too many people are in an inappropriate job in an inappropriate position and an inappropriate relationship that doesn't align with their why we have to have the courage to stand up and go, nope. This is my why in life. And I'm going to I'm going to adhere to.

See, you would think if I told you about US Air Force Thunderbird pilot, who experienced absolutely traumatic accident and an airshow in front of 1000s and 1000s of people, which is the worst nightmare for a pilot, you'd think that that would be the most interesting thing about a person and reality today. The person we're going to be talking to is so much more interesting than that, not for what happened to him, but for what instead came out of that the way he reacted to it the way he grew from it and reframed his life on the backside of this traumatic catastrophic event. So that's what we're going to be talking about today.

Welcome to the dream beyond. I'm your host, Nik Tarascio. I'm a CEO, musician and overall seeker of Truth, inspiration, and simply put, how to live the most fulfilling life possible. Growing up surrounded by extremely wealthy and successful people gave me unique and unfiltered perspectives of those who have seemingly made it through on the dream beyond, we're letting you in on what it really takes to achieve your dreams. What happens when it turns out your destination isn't the promised land you are expecting? How to process the lessons from your past while mapping a course to true fulfillment. Let's get started.

Nik: All right. Hey, everybody. coming to you today with Chris Strickland. He's a retired Air Force Colonel two time best selling author, company president and chief technology officer. More importantly, proud father and dedicated husband to his high school sweetheart, and man, oh, man, I saw this guy speak at a YPO. That's Young Presidents Organization. It's a business group. And part of I saw him speak a couple weeks back for me, and man, it just moved me it was probably the first time in a long time I saw someone speak. And I did not know what was coming next. I just had no idea. And when it hit me, it really affected me. And I'll tell you partly, the reason is that Chris lived one of my earliest dreams that I don't talk about much. And I always had this love for the F 16. I remember seeing that plane, something about the scoop under the nose. Just even the fact that it was just one engine, it felt a little more dangerous. I was like all the other guys, they need to we got one, we're gonna crush it. So there was something about that I just found so sexy. And he lived that dream, he really got to live that dream in a way and even lived the nightmare that I think all of us as pilots have to have to think about and hope never happened to us. So I was very much affected by his share what he's come out of that with, I think it's just a testament to the integrity and the quality of Chris and how he has turned challenging situations into a gift. And again, I'm just so grateful that Chris has come off timeout for us today. And I'm just really excited to dive in. I don't even want to preamble that much here, because I just want to hear more from you. And again, just really happy that that you're here with us today.

Chris: Nik, I appreciate it. Thanks for having me on your show here. And I will tell your listeners out there that I have already gotten a tremendous amount from our conversations we've had since we met at that event. And that's part of what I challenge other people to do is put yourself around people that challenge you in different ways, sometimes in uncomfortable ways. And you have I you and I have had some really open and honest conversations. And that's amazing. Because everybody you put around you you should grow from and you should challenge them to be better. And that's what I thank you for is in our short time being together. And I'm looking forward to the future of our conversations. You have challenged me in that way. And talked about my story from a viewers perspective, which allowed me to grow it from the presenters and livres perspective. So thank you very much.

Nik: It's amazing to hear again, I'm honored in whatever way I can be of service to your story growing and just your friendship again, I think at the end of the day, what is this really all about? It's about friendship and connection. So, what life's about in general, it really is. And that's I mean, that's the hope with this podcast as a chance for people to say, you know, I feel connected to some really extraordinary people and their stories and I find a little bit of myself in that story. And so that's really what this was all about. So I'd love to kick it off with kind of transitioning from my first dream which by the way, when I heard I had to shave my head to go to the military game over that's how weak I am. That's how weak my constitution is like, Oh, I gotta shave my head and I won't be able to how I think I had someone tell me I couldn't have a radio in my in my dorm for the first year or something like that. I couldn't listen to music and my I have no idea if that was true. But someone knew how to get me not to go cut your hair and you can't listen to music loud. It's like done. I'm not going to the Air Force.

Chris: So, I am to hear tell you that is the soft side of the sale of the Air Force Academy. That's the easy stuff. It's so much harder and it's worth every bit and that's what I tell people. If you if you think It's not worth it flying, the F 16 is fine and F 15 is going supersonic is going into low space is. And those are all small prices to pay. But it's no different than when you became a pilot, right? Pilot Training is hard wherever you do it military or civilian, you're learning new things, you're challenging yourself in new ways. And it, the prize has to be worth it, it has to be internally worth it. And it's about that intrinsic satisfaction. It really is. And we'll talk about this, I'm sure as we go through, as we set goals, if they're ever about title or money. Let's talk about one of those are unfulfilling, in my opinion, and why those are very shallow goals. And I'll talk about it from my perspective of somebody that did that in my wife. But the journey has got to be worth the prize at the end. And sometimes the prize at the end is finding another journey to go on. Because we never make, in my opinion, we never make it where we're going. We always have to be continually learning every single day and growing every single day. Because if you're not, you're going backwards.

Nik: Well now this feeling in my belly might be a little bit of regret for never getting to fly the F 16. So thank you, thank you for that great way to start it out.

Chris: Hey, we always agreed to have honest conversation.

Nik: No, I appreciate it. I'm gonna find a way. I'm gonna find a way even if it's just the best flight simulators I can find. But so yeah, it really kind of starting there. I am curious to understand how your dream unfolded, how that first dream for you was about getting into that airplane.

Chris: You know, you know, I'm passionate about telling the story. I love it. So I'm small town, Alabama boy, my dad was in construction, no military, my family. In my hometown, I went to my I went to my counselor and told her I wanted to go to the Air Force Academy. And if I remember, right, the response is what's that? We're gonna have to figure this out. So you have to go back even further than that. And I'm a little bit older than you. And I will tell you I was greatly influenced by Top Gun and you won't find any air force people that will admit that. Right, we have iron Eagle instead, which we won't talk about.

But Top Gun came out in 1986. I was 14 years old. And as soon as I saw it, I loved it. But that's not what motivated me to the path that I ultimately took and literally drove every ounce of my dedication. It was actually a magazine, it was Popular Mechanics, and one of the reporters had the opportunity to fly in and fit. And the title of his article was like begins at Mach two. And this came out right around the time of Top Gun. But I read this article, and it was not an article about how awesome it is. It was an article about how horrible it is about what it does to your body about how brutal it is on your body, of how he threw up of how he almost passed out of all the demands of fighter pilots body goes through. And I went, I want that. I want to do that. I think that's awesome. I want adrenaline, adrenaline junkie, like most pilots are. And so I took that magazine back in 1986. And I cut the title out. And I took a stick pan and I put it on my court board. And it was the last thing I saw every night before I close my eyes. And the first thing I saw every morning was Life begins at Mach two. And I truly dedicated every waking moment to that journey to becoming a fighter pilot, a combat pilot and instructor pilot. That is all I focused on. I was fortunate in that I had a high school sweetheart, that was awesome. And we were married just after I graduated from the Air Force Academy. We're about to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. But she was also very patient with me. Because I was so focused on that goal. That's all I did. I got up went to work early, I stayed late. If there was ever a flight, I took it to make sure I was ready to go.

So life begins at Mach two. And the first time I went supersonic, it was the first hurdle into that goal of okay, I'm getting there, right, I just hit the speed of sound. Now I got one more month ago. And so that's what I devoted and to translate this out now that I've retired from the Air Force and I work in business. I truly find that we're not special in the military. And we're we're not the only ones that move around like the military makes us do. Because in corporate America, a lot of people in big corporate America move as often as the military people do. There's different things changing as you progress through positions as you go. But my goal remained no matter what I did was like begins at Mach two. And then what sparked our conversation from that keynote is in the opening part of it. I talk about that goal and how important it was to me. And then I show a picture. Remember that picture? I'm flying the F 15. It's looking backwards. You see the crystal blue water of Key West Florida, you see little contrails coming up my wings to telling you I'm pulling really hard on that aircraft and putting a G load on that aircraft. And I took that picture over my shoulder. And I use it to say that was the moment I knew for the rest of my life. I would always remember because it was the moment I achieved my dreams. So, what I had worked for for so many years what I had dedicated every effort to, I finally achieved.

And then you remember the back to your I don't know what's coming. That's not a proud moment. That is not a bragging moment. It's actually one of my low points. It's one of my first traumas. Because when I woke up the next day, and I had been focused on this goal, I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know what I was going to focus on, I didn't know what I was aiming for. Because the problem with that picture is it happened when I was 29 years old. And I achieved my life dream at 29. And so for the next three months, I was like a lost puppy, stumbling around the squadron still flying, but all of a sudden, I don't feel the satisfaction I used to get when I was on that journey to climb. It's autopilot. It's a plateau of my body knows how to do this. I just came back from my racking combat, I've been instructor pilot of the year. All those things I shot for, I found that were very shallow. Because it passed the day after I achieved them. It was The what now what next? What am I going to be when I grow up.

And for me, luckily, I have always surrounded myself with incredible mentors. And I had a mentor that pulled me into a room one day and said, What is going on? I haven't seen you like this and your whole career. And I opened up to him, and I said, You know what, I don't know what I want to be when I grew up, and I told him the story. And he goes, you just have to pick the next hurdle that gets you towards success as you define it. Don't define it lightly. Don't define it topical.

But know that each one of these individual successes continue on the journey of your life because it has to be bigger than just your professional life. And he inspired me to go try out for the Thunderbirds. And it was because of his mentorship that I went to be a Thunderbird for the United States Air Force. So that's kind of my journey to bring everybody into what Nick and I have talked about that that inspired our conversations was that I worked really hard for something, I got it. And all of a sudden, I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

Nik: Do you think it was an is necessary for most people? And again, not not many people achieve their childhood dreams? I think that is a rare circumstance. And in the case that you did, does it feel like it's necessary to have that aimlessness that feeling of being lost on the other side of that so that you can find what the next one is? Or could you have mapped a course farther out in your life?

Chris: That's a great question. And I think it is incredibly necessary. And when you look at whether military are starting out in business life, or whatever you're doing, people always talk about work life balance, right? 5050, whatever you put to work life balance, I agree you need work life balance, but it's not a daily balance. You know what, today I came to work at 4:45am because I have a lot to do. And I'm trying to get caught up on work so that I can actually take a day off with my family tomorrow. Today, it's probably 80% work and 20% family. But guess what tomorrow is it's 100% family and no work. The work life balance has to be a longer term view. And I find that most of us in the first 10 years of our our life first 10 years of our professional life. We work way too much, especially for Type A people like us, we work very, very too hard.

We have to establish ourselves, establish our credibility, but you need to be deliberate after that. And make sure you get back to your family just as hard. So the reason I think it's a necessary goal is it allowed a small town Alabama boy to achieve what I never Well, I was confident it was possible. But now that I'm older and I know what the chances of going to the Air Force Academy are, I know that we only make 3515 pilots a year out of 1100 pilots chosen. It's just an insurmountable odds that it's just so unachievable, that why would you start, you can take that view in the beginning.

Luckily, ignorance is bliss. And it never crossed my mind that I wouldn't make it that I wouldn't get the Air Force Academy that I that I wouldn't fly at fifteens. So that's why I think it goes back to us talking about the academy when we joked at the start. I've been out of Academy quite a few years. And I am proud of what it did for me. I love the US military. I loved every day of my career. And to this day, I still hate every moment I was at the Air Force Academy. It was miserable. There were people yelling at me. I did not enjoy a single moment I was there. But I enjoyed everything it gave me the opportunity to do and I respect the Air Force Academy in that the reason I went is because I was an immature teenager that did not have discipline and I knew that I needed somebody else helped me get it and that's what they gave me.

Nik: So imagining someone else who comes out on the backside of their dream and has that bit of like a it's like a hangover on some level is the way I've experienced that when I come down off of a really amazing moment in my life. Coming into that space, when you imagine someone there what is the piece of advice you'd give to them? When they're in that moment of aimlessness, and again, I think I've heard the stories of astronauts that came back from the moon. And then, you know, they ended up becoming alcoholics, or they ended up going like what's left? What What can you and I'm curious for myself, I hope to someday achieve my dream of playing music in front of 18,000 people in an arena. What's the advice for someone like that on the next day?

Chris: My advice is to define your level of success differently, to define your perception of success completely differently, because when I first started consulting, when I was in the military, people would always say, Well, I'm different at home than I am at work. Bull, that is not true. In my opinion, you are the exact same person 24 hours a day. That means that you can't have personal goals and professional goals, you have to have life goals. So I'll tell you one of the things I did when I was consulting the company, I work for consultant with most of the Fortune 100 companies. And I had the amazing opportunity to sit in the C suite of a lot of these and have conversations and the way I started off those presentations, is I give out a little note card and it has some questions on it, I go, What do you want in life, and 80% of the people would write down success, just the word success. 20% would write something different, but then I would take that and go okay, for the 80% that wrote success. I want everybody to flip it over and write your measurement of success. What makes you successful? What does that mean to you? And I'll tell you, what I found was more than three quarters of those people could not write their definite their personal definition of success. What they would write is what society has taught them what popular readings have taught them what came out in Forbes magazine recently, they write other people's vision of success as a whole as a broad brush, but it's not specific to them. So my goal of flying the F 15. And going supersonic like begins at Mach two, was a very superficial goal. It didn't truly allow me intrinsic satisfaction of my entire life. Because as soon as I achieved it, I wanted more, there's more to life, what am I going to be when I grow up. And so that's what I always challenge people with is write your definition of success. Now, here's the key, I have a worksheet, I give out my presentations. And I say you have to write your definition of success. And I will tell you, I don't share mine, it's very personal. It should be no more than three to five words, three to five words, because words mean things. And it has to apply to every aspect of your life. Not I want to be a fighter pilot in the military, it has to apply when I'm in church on Sunday, when I'm home with my family, when I'm raising my four kids, it has to apply to every waking moment. Because it needs to align with both the success, which is a an effect, and the why?

Because you and I have talked about this, what is your why in life, you have to be able to answer that. And when I wake up in the morning, if I do something during the day, I asked myself, does this align with my why? And if it does, I hard charging? If it doesn't, I have to ask myself, why am I doing it? Why am I devoting my time to it? Because I have to look at the expense of everything I do in my life and expenses, not just the checkbook expenses, your effort, your passion, your time, and we only have so much time in this life. So if it don't align with my wine, everybody has a perfect fit somewhere. Too many people are in an inappropriate job in an inappropriate position and an inappropriate relationship that doesn't align with their wine. We have to have the courage to stand up and go nope, this is my wine life. And I'm going to I'm going to adhere to.

Nik: That's big advice. That's big advice. And I think it's I think it's hard sometimes to know if it's the right way, and you spoke about the fact that you don't really share it. Do you share that with your wife? Do you share that with other people in your life you do share some of the why and some of the life purpose and mission with?

Chris: I do I share it with two people? Because as you know, you've gotten to know me over recent months, I'm very deliberate in everything I do. And I share it with my wife. Because we share everything right? I've been with her since since we were 15 years old. And we're not now for those of you audible listening only I'm a little bit older than that. And I share it with a mentor, my closest mentor, because I need somebody to hold me accountable. I need somebody to challenge me on it. I can't just talk about it with myself. So I have one person and I will tell you I've shared it for the first time with my mentor two months ago, wow. Two months ago, and the reason I shared it with him is it's peer mentorship. I don't find somebody that that is better than me and only going to mentor down I find peer mentors where we connect on a phone call. We're going to challenge each other we're gonna be sounding boards for each other.

And he knows I've always used that I don't share my wine with anybody. I don't share my success with anybody. And the reason I shared it with them is I challenged him that same thing I just gave you three to five words every aspect of your Life. And he called me I was driving down the road one day, and he calls me and he goes, Hey, I want to share it with you. And I want you to poke holes in it. I want you to throw spears at, I want you to help me know why it's not exactly right. Because that's what you'll find. It'll be a paragraph, it'll be a sentence. And you slowly have to challenge every word in it. And he had given me five words. And I immediately challenged it. And I said, Okay, how does this apply with your spouse? How does this apply with your you know, when you're at church, and I shot the questions to him, and he explained how it applied to him. And he goes, okay, there is no way I can make this better. And I sent my challenge to us to cut one word off, and he's like, I can't, it's just debilitating. I can. And I said, Okay, I said, What if I say it this way, and I removed one of the extra words he added, and read it back to him. And he goes, that's why we talk, because we challenge each other. So there's my answer is two people know it. And it's because I have to be held accountable for somebody other than just myself.

Nik: Fantastic. Well, offline, I would love to share with you my mind is six words. And as you were talking, I was half listening, and then half going, like, what's the word I would pull out? I could see it on your face. Yeah, I was just like, Man, I don't know. I think I know the word. I think I know the word. But I would love to share that with you. offline. And yeah, that's a it's a beautiful invitation. It's so you know, I forgot who said it. But he said, If I had more time, I would have written less.

Chris: And and I don't know if I've shared this with you, but survivors obligation. It took us less than six months to write this book for me and my co author. So my co author survived stage four cancer, we share a survivor's obligation. So a short version of that is when you go through trauma, a lot of people that survive have a have a remorse, survivor's remorse, survivor's guilt, and nothing against the people that do but the two of us didn't, we felt an obligation to make it mean something to make every moment mean something to be more intentional with our lives. And it took us six months to write this book, it took us two years to cut it from 400 pages, to the low hundreds, because I'm a fighter pilot, I have a short attention span, anything more than about 120 pages, I lose interest no matter how good it is. So that goes with your theory. I'm sorry, I didn't have time to read your short one. Because it killed us to wait two years. And it killed us to cut some of the sections out. But it made it a good palatable, quick, impactful read, I hope.

Nik: Yeah, I think I share that sentiment with the podcast where in reality, I know, we could talk for hours and hours and go, you know, to our Joe Rogan format. But I'm like, how do we do it in 30 minutes for high achievers that are like I don't have the time nor attention span. So very much. I understand that I appreciate the fact that you guys were able to pare it down. Really, I'll say this too. I mean, this is not puffery, beautiful book. So succinct, and lots of nuggets in there that I just very much connected to. And it that's where a lot of my questions came out of today.

Chris: Well, thank you, I appreciate that. And one other thing I would like to throw out, you know, this, but all of the books, I write all of the books, I partner with other people on the only agreement, and I will tell you, we kicked off our new book last night with a new set of authors. And the first thing I say is, Nobody's allowed to make a penny off the books, there's no profit. Because we're people who serve were people who give. And that allows you to talk about the book without trying to think it's selfish because Joel and I don't care if we sell any more books don't tell my publisher, I said that.

But the reality is, we're only trying to make a difference in people's lives. And it's much more liberating. When you can all profits go to charity, the charity is chosen by the the authors that are contributors and influencers in the books, just like your podcast here. We hopefully you don't mind me sharing this ahead of time. But we start with why are we doing this podcast, which goes back to the power of wine. And the beauty of our connection is we're not trying to sell anything. We're not trying to drive them anywhere. We're just trying to open a conversation that makes you and I better and hopefully inspires other people to have follow on conversations just like you reached out after my keynote. This is what we're building is a is a group of people who peer mentor each other, connect with each other and are comfortable enough. Our new books are called the mentorship mastermind. And we have very clear rules when you come into it. You're it's very private, it's very close hold its military classified, and whatever said in there doesn't go outside the group. Because that's the trust you need. Is that what you and I talked about offline, I will never share it anywhere else. And I trust you the same way.

Nik: I appreciate that. And yeah, it is interesting to talk about this idea of creating content telling stories, sharing these things outwardly in one I do think it's very admirable the way that you're handling the book sales and making pure pure art. To me that's art, right? If it's something that's created just to make something, think Jamie Weil says more true, beautiful or good. I like those words, right? It's just, it's about like, I don't have an agenda. I'm not trying to make you do anything for my own benefit. I really love that. And that's, again, I think, why we connected so well. I'm stepping into this space of, you know, I run a private jet company, and I've been on stage and played a bunch of songs and, you know, spoke other people's words through cover songs when I've played them. What I'm curious about is on the other side of your traumatic experiences, what was there any fear of telling your stories of like, Is this really the thing that anyone wants to hear from? Am I actually helping? Or does it? Is it self serving? When people look at me funny, will I be judged for it? I'm curious to hear your process and that of kind of turning to that place of I'm in service by telling my story, I feel confident and clear that I'm in service,

Chris: That, you see me smile a little bit, because that's a hard one for me to talk about. And I will tell you, the way I related is for those that don't know, I ejected during the Thunderbird Air Show, half second for impact, I'm two and a half inches shorter, I landed in the fireball, there's a million different. That's not possible for me to be standing here. And that's a conversation for another day. But for for almost 15 years, my wife and I didn't talk about. We didn't talk about it at all. Remember, I married my high school sweetheart, we share everything we grew up together, we know everything about each other. And she received a call. And she heard that I was that.

So both of us went to drama with this situation. So the easiest way to deal with it, which I put my disclaimer on do not do this for anybody is we just didn't talk about it. Until it mounted up to the point that what I say is I put all that trauma in a closet. And one day the closet door opened and I couldn't control it coming out. And it was not a pretty sight. It was not I had a rough year dealing with it.

So then, the short version of this story is a friend of mine who's happens to be in the medical field that I went to the Air Force Academy with after it happened, he was in my wedding, he always wanted me to share my story. And I said, you know, easy out, I won't talk about it when I'm active duty Air Force, I'll talk about it when I retire. Because as a young fighter pilot that is so far away, it will never happen in my mind. And when he found out I was retiring, he called me and said, Hey, remember you said you talked about it when you retire. I'm a part of this organization. And we want you to come in and be a speaker. It was actually YPO Young Presidents Organization that you just talked about. And he said, I'm going to I'm going to give you a contract, a legally binding contract, and you're going to sign it and I'm going to sign it. And your wife is going to be included on it to be in the audience.

And I flew out he was at San Antonio, I flew out and met him and his wife, who also went to the Air Force Academy with us. And we talked about the details of this. And I said I had never the first time I ever shared my story was sitting at a hamburger joint in in San Antonio and the three of us were just squalling like babies, it was not a pretty sight of a fighter pilot. Because it was the emotion coming out. So I went home, I told my wife, this is what I'm going to do. And like a good supportive wife. She said, You're crazy. And I wrote the book. And I mean, I wrote the book, I'm I'm a morning person. So I wrote the entire book four to 6am. And it went to the point that the night before publication, it was a Sunday, the night before publication, we killed it. We call the publisher, we call the editor we called our publishing house and said, I think we want to pull it I think we don't want to publish it.

And for anybody that's ever been in that venue, there's a lot of money, time and effort that go into a launch. And it was the most it was more emotional to write and publish the book than it was to survive an objection. Because in the words of my wife, you are about to publish internationally, and go on stage to tell a story that for so many years we didn't even talk about in our house. So basically you're kicking up in the front and back door and inviting everybody in. And so it, it was Trump it. We go through trauma every day. People think of trauma as major things and just like you heard me in my presentation, if you walked away from that presentation thinking it was about being a fighter pilot or ejected from an aircraft. You didn't listen to what I was saying, because that's just what gets you to listen to me. That's just what picture attention so that we can open a conversation.

But publishing the book, The I will tell you the first six months of speaking engagements, I did not allow people to pre buy the book, because I said I couldn't sit in the audience and see this book. I couldn't sit on stage and see this book sitting in the audience and keep it together. Because it still had so much emotion and you saw that in the presentation. I go a different direction with every presentation. Because as I tell my story more and more, I can dive a little bit deeper into the trauma of what me and my family went through of how we're dealing with it. So I had a presentation last week, and during the q&a section, somebody said, Well tell me how you dealt with this. And I said, I'm gonna have to redirect your question, because you said in the past tense, and I'm not dealing with it in the past tense, you deal with trauma every single day, with every waking moment, you deal with a different aspect of it. And the last thing I'll finish with, and you hear this a lot from the post traumatic stress communities, triggers. When we use it with a negative connotation.

You know what my wife knows what my triggers are, and she's helped steer me away from them. She helps protect me from them. But think about it's coming up on the holiday season. And last night, we started making a holiday dinner, and my wife went, it smells like my house when I was a kid. Well, you know what, that's a trigger. It's just a positive trigger. So you have to be aware of both good and bad triggers that take you down these things on the journey. They're surviving trauma of any magnitude.

Nik: So going into the trauma conversation, one of the pieces I really anchored in the book was listening to the or reading the paragraphs about how your wife started to respond to you sharing this stuff, and are having to take time to keep listening and watching you speak about it until she could finally be there with your presentation. And I've, I've heard in my life, people say some things are better left unsaid. And I'm curious after having had to subject yourself through this process of what I now know is healing on the other side of it, but at the time, it may not feel like healing and may feel like poking a wound. What advice would you give to people that do sometimes say just stuff that down, hold it in there, it's better left unsaid because it's not caring to to open that back up.

Chris: So I'll pull on a string that I talked about a little bit earlier. Because fighter pilots pilots in general are incredibly good at compartmentalizing what's going on. Because you want your pilot to be able to put everything else in their life out of that cockpit when they're dealing with something airborne. We're very good at compartmentalizing, it makes us good at what we do. The problem is when we get out of the cockpit, I can still prioritize and compartmentalize in the rest of my life. And that's what my answer was, why we're not dealing with it is I'm just going to lock it away.

But the problem is, the trauma kept growing like a snowball rolling down the hill. And eventually, eventually the door open when I wasn't ready to deal with it. When I was in public. When I had no, I didn't have any armor to deal with it. Because my armor had always been not talking about it. I hadn't built up my strengths of who I relied on who I hugged on who I talked to. And so I'm a firm believer that not talking about it is not the way to deal with it. And one of the hardest things for me was when I like you said, when I said you have to watch the videos, you have to listen to communications, you have to read the book, and I'll tell you, she said I want to be taken out the book. I don't want to be in the book at all, I don't want to talk about it. And I said, our lives are so intertwined that I have no life without you. I can't tell my story without you being in it. Because you are my story. Right.

And it was hard for us because it took us four months before she could even make it through a one minute video. Because every time we started it, we lost. But I will tell you, I have the greatest marriage in the world. I truly believe that. But when we started talking about this, it made it even better. Because it was the only thing that I thought we didn't share with each other that that I thought we were hiding from each other. In the first time I ever talked to her about it. It was it was traumatic for me, because I brought it up to her and her answer was I know, I thought we just didn't talk about it. And for me, that's just amazing when you have somebody you can share everything with. And I mean, I will tell you, I have a service dog. I have a PTSD dog that is with me most of the time. But now not only does my dog help me see my triggers. My wife can openly help me see me go, hey, you need to go talk to your dog, cleverly named sky by the way. I'm not that creative.

Nik: And I had a dog named jet at one point. So I totally get

Chris: It has to take a secure fighter pilot to stand on stage and say I have problems. It also has to take a secure adult to walk in in one of my jobs. I work in a construction company. And when I walk into the construction company with a with a big black female poodle, hey, that really lays it out there of okay, somebody's going to ask why I have a poodle. But it's just it's been life changing for me to be able to share with you to share on stage to share with my wife to grow from it because everybody has trauma.

Everybody has trauma in their life. And not everybody grow is from trauma. So if I could share real quick, what I see is as I start talking about this, first of all, when I get my keynote have one of these, I always have one to two people, if not more reach out and say, I've never told anybody this but and they share with me some life trauma that they've never told anybody about. And that tells me it's worth what I'm doing. Because that's the reason I talk about this. It has nothing to do with me. I'm retired Air Force, I could go sit fishing on the boat go walking on the beach. And, but I don't, because I share my story that is painful for me, because it allows others to share their story that they may not have dealt with. And when you have trauma, you ask yourself three things. Why did it happen? Why did it happen? Now? Why did it happen to me? And if you think about every trauma in your life, you've probably asked yourself some version of those three questions.

But becoming on the other side better than you were before is about embracing it, how you act react in it, the decisions you make in decisions you make in decision is a decision, decide not to deal with it is a decision on how to deal with it. And like, you know, from my story, my problem, what and the why did it happen? Why did it happen? Now? Why did it happen to me? For me, I added a fourth one, and Joel did two of why did I survive? Why was I left here? What am I meant to do? And am I ready for it? Am I on the right path of life? And that's when I develop my why and my success? And and I continually ask myself what I'm going to be when I grew up?

Nik: Do you have a sense of, you know, again, the podcast is called the dream beyond for this reason, once you've achieved the first dream, what is that dream beyond for you? Do you have a sense of that? And is it your why in some way?

Chris: It is exactly my why. Because once you achieve that dream, that is just one stepping stone, it's not the journey to the finish line, that's a stepping stone for you to get to your bigger thing in life, whatever it is. And either you can be deliberate about controlling your life as much as you can and pushing it that direction. Or you can let life react around you and unfold.

You know one of the examples I use in my keynote, and if I could, I'll share it here is I tell everybody that here's the exercise when you wake up tomorrow, I mean give you $86,400. And here's the rules. You have 24 hours to spend at the end of 24 hours you give anything left back to me and the only thing you carry into the next day are the memories and experiences generated from $86,400.

And usually at that point, I have to pause for a minute on the stage because I can see on the faces of everybody in the audience. They're already buying them a boat buying an airplane, right? They're planning out what they're going to do. Okay, very deliberate with every penny. Imagine that. But live the fact that each day has 86,400 seconds. Why are we not just as intentional with every second as we work those pennies. Because there are no do overs there are no redos. There are no carry overs. At the end of the day, you have what you made it. And it's your book to write each and every day.

Nik: So is that the life for you really making making every moment count

Chris: Every moment live intentionally you'll see me hashtag that on everything I post live intentionally. And making a difference. I mean, I hope that you and I had this conversation, it's already made a difference in me. Because you, you took me down a little bit different path of things I don't normally share on a podcast. I hope I've challenged you to think about some things differently. I will tell you my big success from what I've learned today is you came up with your six words that define your why and life. I take that as a big win that I may have influenced that since the first time we talked and I challenge you to do that.

We're also going to hold that thing down to three to five words in the near future since you're willing to buy. But that is the making the difference. Right? Yeah, no matter how much I go out and speak, it impacts the life of one person. It's worth everything I do. Everything I do same thing with you with this podcast. If you're impacted one person out there, one of my favorite authors and speakers and influencers, Jim Hunter, he wrote about servant leadership. And one of the stories he tells I've been with him since 2012. He's a huge mentor in my life, a great human being.

And one of the stories he tells is that you die twice in this life, twice one time when you leave your body, which everybody thinks is the trauma of dying. And the second time is the influence on the earth the last time anybody speaks your name. And before he presented that to me, I had never thought of it that way. If you just hit it, it's heavy. I think about that sometimes, and it's heavy in a negative way.

I'm like, Oh my gosh. Apparently I'm not worried about what I always talk about when you take your last breath. You heard me say that on stage. The real challenge of life every night when you close your eyes. Ask yourself if this was my last day on this earth would I live it the same way or would I live it differently? If you would live it the same way. Do it again tomorrow. If you would live it different differently, fix it tomorrow. Because if you ask yourself that Every night, unfortunately one time, you're gonna be right. But then Jim gave me his version. I'm like, crap, I gotta change everything. Now it goes back into the influence of extending beyond you in this body of you die for the final time, the last time anybody utters your name or your influence?

Nik: Yeah, I mean, I hearing that hearing that what? It's a little bit of freedom, it's a lot of humility to hear that statement, because I think so many of us and it's so prevalent, YPO legacy legacy legacy legacy, what happens when the legacy ends on some level, like what happens when no one even knows you're ever here? That's a big thought. And again, it is a little bit liberating, because like, as you're saying that what I'm thinking is, why do I care so much what people think about this for me, or anything I do? At the end of the day? It's really not that it doesn't matter that much.

Chris: Doesn't matter. It don't matter how many dollars you have in your checking account. Yeah, right. It's about legacy. My wife during COVID, she took a class, she took a class at Yale on the on the definition of happiness. And my wife don't want to take classes, she, you know, she was doing it, because 2020 was a challenging time for all of us.

And the one takeaway She reminds me of all the time is that life is not about dollars, or salary. That money allows you opportunity to generate memories. And that's what it's about. It's about the memories that evolved into the legacy. And, you know, as a parent, I told you, I have four kids, I have a very specific mission with my children, as a dad and my wife, as a mom, and I'll share that with you. Our definition of success with our kids is to give them a higher launching platform than we had. And I don't mean that as a negative against our parents. But that's our stated goal. We talk about them the whole time.

Because once we launch them out of the house, we may still influence them, but but your life is your own. It's not your parents. So as a parent, we just want to give you a higher launching platform than we had. And everything in my life, I am intentional about what is the goal? If you ever sit in the meeting with me, the first thing I'll start off with is why are we here today? And what are we trying to get out of this time together? You have to be intentional in everything. Otherwise, life gets in the way and somebody else writes your book for you?

Nik: Well, I gotta tell you, I often want to land airplanes and get out and go to my destination where you know where I was hoping to be. But in this case, I wish we could stay in flight for the whole time and not have to land this one. It's, again, you're just an endless resource of wisdom and grace in the way you talk about things that I think we're very hard and humility, be in that you could walk around like King Kong and say, you know, I've done more than most, but I really appreciate that you lift others up. And that is your driving force. So thank you for all that you do. And you know, there's a lot, there's a lot to think about it today. For me.

Chris: I appreciate that Nik and I it's been inspirational for me. And for anybody that listens out there, I would encourage you to connect with me on LinkedIn, I run my LinkedIn account, there's not a there's not a machine behind that account. And like you just said, that's the biggest success that I will take away from this is making an impact.

This story is not about me, it's not about you. It's about the people we're influencing. And so reach out and connect with both of us to keep this conversation going. Because that's what we are in the flight of our life. Right. And we have to have these conversations to challenge us to make us better to encourage us to inspire us. Because that's how we're better tomorrow than we are today.

Nik: Yeah, I think my biggest takeaways from this man, I heard a lot of there was a lot of things that I want to touch on real quick just to really anchor and make sure I had it right was I heard this idea of beyond that first dream, which is often for people about external success, and looking and appearing a certain way in the world or whatever that may be for each individual. It's about really having a life goal. It's about having a life goal that it will be with you no matter what you achieve something that can never actually be fully completed. Right? T

here is no moment of achievement. It's about striving towards that thing forever. And I really want to think more about that and get those words honed, and I'm grateful that you'll help me do so at some point because that's it's a big task. The other thing I really heard here was really speaking to that question of that some things are better left unsaid and I think you spoke to it in a beautiful way of it's gonna come out somehow. And it may come out at a time that is even worse than the time if you had at least intentionally dealt with the reality of that situation. And I think that that's a that's a really powerful lesson.

And I think the other big takeaway for me, is, you know, really around that idea of i It's it seems silly to say it this way, but almost not taking oneself so seriously. That idea Have like we're gonna be forgotten at some point, we're gonna die twice. I think that's a really powerful concept if you're going to die twice anyway. So what are you holding on to Exactly? What's the thing that you think is going to happen? If you don't, you know, be a little bit more humble have the humility of like, it's a short ride, it's the 86,400 seconds a day, that is such a powerful concept. And I've been very guilty of being, at times very irresponsible with that. So I really appreciate those. Those are kind of the three big things I really hope everyone takes from that.

And speaking to what Chris said earlier, my hope is that for each person who listen that you think about something that maybe you've been holding on to what's the thing you haven't said, haven't shared that you're in the darkness alone with it? And, you know, again, I've I've been going through this process myself of like, what are those deep traumas or secrets that I've held that have forced me to feel alone, even moving through a crowd, even being around other people, I can feel very alone at a table full of other people if I'm not being authentic. So Chris, thank you for inspiring that. And, you know, Chris, you shared before as a call to action. That really, this is, most importantly, about one little nugget for each person, whatever that is, whatever you heard here, that inspired action in some way. And in fact, Chris, I'll invite you to say it the way you said it, because it was just so beautifully stated, as you know, what do you hope for all the listeners?

Chris: So thanks, first, Thanks, Nik, for all of our conversations, but I've had a blast with this one today. And as we get to that call of action, I would like to share one more thing from my wife. When I talked about the night before publication, we almost pulled the plug. And her words to me was what guides me in all of this. Because I was worried people are always going to pick your story apart, people are only going to throw spears at your story. Right? Nothing, nothing is not subject to public opinion out there. And I was worried about my story being treated like fact of, well, nope, this is court of law, this don't work. And what she shared with me that made us go forward with publication is this is not how the world is. The stories we talked about are not the facts, as the entire world sees them. This is my perception of drama. This is how it impacted my family. Your story is your perception of life. And that's the reason I taught with very deliberate words.

I never say what you told me was always say what I heard was, and she said, No matter whatever happens, it's your story and your perception. And nobody can say you're wrong about your perception. And that's what allowed us to push forward. And as we did talk about call to action before we before we started this here today, and I go back to this isn't about me, and it's not about Nick, today is not about us, it's about each of you. And our call to action for you is to find what parts of this either inspire you to do more to do something differently. Or let us know how you think we're wrong, detect that conversation in a different way. But we want each person live in today that listens to this to improve some aspect of their life to relook some aspect of their life. And it goes back to the goal of be better tomorrow than you are today. And if we achieve that call to action, already feel personal satisfaction out of their time together. And I hope that all of you guys grow from this as well.

Nik: Awesome. I couldn't say it better. So I just want to thank you for your friendship, more than anything and thank you for sharing today. And yeah, happy, happy holiday season as we as we come into this over the next couple of weeks. Thanks. Thank you for listening to the dream beyond. I hope that you received whatever message or inspiration you were meant to get from today's episode. I had a great time recording it for you. If you love the show, please take 30 seconds to subscribe rate and review. It really helps get the word out. And if you want to connect with me, you can find me at:

instagram.com/nik Tarascio

linkedin.com/in/nik Tarascio

youtube.com/n Tarascio

Listen on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts

[briangroth27]

The Shape of Water Review

The Shape of Water is an enchanting 1960s-set fairy tale told very well; a powerful, expertly-made work of art about the marginalized in our society. Director Guillermo del Toro got outstanding performances out of his stars while capturing the style and feel of the era perfectly, then used the time period to comment on today’s social issues through a story about the downtrodden rallying together against the establishment to preserve life and love.

Full Spoilers…

Sally Hawkins brilliantly conveyed character and emotion entirely through her expressions and sign language as Elisa Espostio (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaning lady at a top-secret government laboratory who falls in love with an amphibian man (Doug Jones) captured in Latin America. It’s great to see a mute lead character and even better that the film doesn’t allow it hold her back at all, despite what those in power might think of her capabilities. Conveying the romance with and genuine love for the Amphibian Man was mostly on Elisa’s shoulders and Hawkins absolutely sold every bit of it. A wonderful moment late in the film includes an unexpected musical sequence that perfectly illustrates the impact he has on her heart, showing love can transcend even the strangest of barriers. That said, I don’t think Elisa is fully human herself, but the product of an earlier romance between a human and a different aquatic cryptid: her mysterious “scars” and backstory of being found by a river felt like a classic superhero secret origin. If that’s the case and the Amphibian Man healed her gills instead of creating them, then their relationship not only fuels her voice, but allows her to discover her truest self.

I also liked the easy friendships Elisa shared with her coworker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) and next-door neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins). It was a nice and all-too-rare touch that these platonic relationships were just as important to Elisa’s life as her burgeoning romance with the Amphibian Man. It was a relief to find Elisa living a fully-functioning life even while she was longing for romantic love. I loved Zelda’s reactions to the Amphibian Man and to updates about Elisa’s love life. In addition to comic relief, Zelda brought common sense to Elisa’s interest in the Amphibian Man, at first keeping her friend’s head level and later recognizing that risking her life and career to help Elisa save him was something they had to do, even though she was greatly concerned for her best friend’s safety. Zelda being so dismissed in her marriage and having her decisions undercut (even if it was to save her life) by her husband (Martin Roach) was a solid mirror to Elisa and the Amphibian Man’s more mutually respectful relationship and to Strickland’s (Michael Shannon) domineering, controlling marriage. While Zelda was a fully-formed character, it would’ve been nice if she had a subplot of some kind of her own, like Giles did. His failed advertising posters (and failed interest in a guy (Morgan Kelly) working at a not-so-great pie shop) gave the movie a glimpse of the world and society outside the lab that we didn’t get from many other characters. Then again, perhaps it’s the fact that Zelda and Elisa work together and Giles doesn’t that made his world feel bigger than hers. It may also be that his ability to pass as an “acceptable” member of society grants him the ability to travel a wider world than Zelda can, as exemplified by the Pie Guy kicking an African-American family out of the pie shop. Despite his long reach, the sadness and rejection encompassing so much of his world, be it from the Pie Guy or the ad agency he was trying to sell to, painted a haunting picture of the world inhabited by those who “proper” society ignored or—at best—used, and I hope the world Elisa gets to travel to at the end of the film is happier and more equal. Still, I liked that Giles had a sense of hope to him; even if the world was clearly weighing on him, he still believes in the possibility of “happily ever after.”

The make-up for the Amphibian Man was mind-blowing and the movie deserved the Best Costume Design Oscar for it, while Doug Jones did an amazing job of conveying emotion and a sympathetic nature under all those prosthetics. The biggest thing I would’ve liked to see more of in the movie was his backstory. Actual god or not, I wanted to know what he wanted (beyond freedom and to love Elisa), what he thought of the world of men, etc. Who were his followers in South America and what “primitive” rituals did they use to worship him? What did he give them in return? Did he even register that he was worshiped as a god, or do his thoughts transcend those labels? What was his thought process as he went from worshiped to imprisoned? I wish he could’ve communicated better to give us some grander idea of his opinion on things, because his actions made him seem torn between gentle emotions and instinct-driven outbursts, like killing one of Giles’ cats. Perhaps it would be an interesting comment on society if this “god” were really just a different sort of animal and the people who worshiped it had simply projected their need for a god onto him, but I’m almost always against “grounding” half-measures in stories like this (if you’re gonna go there, go there), so I interpreted him as truly a god and would’ve liked to know more. That said, having Elisa fall in love with someone so outlandish was a strong metaphor for how those in power at the time (and honestly, in the present as well) saw homosexual and interracial love.

Michael Shannon’s Colonel Richard Strickland was a great villain and I loved how his control-freak nature demanded everyone around him become subservient, much like the paranoid American government he works for and represents demanded conformity. This made him simultaneously threatening and weak, hiding behind a thin veneer of socially-acceptable power. I especially liked his reaction when he found out just how replaceable he could become if he didn’t find the Amphibian Man; his easy dismissal in the event of his failure also contrasted nicely with how Zelda was always willing to cover for Elisa, from rescuing the Amphibian Man to simply holding her place in line to ensure she clocked in on time. Clearly there’s no friendship, loyalty, or leeway among the conformists, only control or destruction. Watching him break down as many people around him as he could—even his wife (Lauren Lee Smith), forcing her to be quiet while he focused on what he wanted out of their sex life—was very uncomfortable, so it was great to see his frustrated reaction to his inability to intimidate or break Elisa and Zelda. Not allowing his wife to speak was a great contrast to the Amphibian Man, who helped Elisa to not just talk, but to sing. The whimsical, silver screen nature of their classic Hollywood dance sequence also contrasted perfectly with the rot just under the “idealized” surface of 1960s America that Strickland upheld. Though the dance sequence is pure fantasy, it’s the only place where “the good old days” were actually good.

Another aspect that perfectly utilized the era was Dimitri Mosenkov/Robert Hoffstetler (Michael Stuhlbarg), a Soviet spy embedded in the lab. Like the threat of the Other found in African-Americans, the gay community, and a sea god, the Red Scare epitomized America’s desperate drive to destroy what it couldn’t control or understand. As I’ve seen noted elsewhere, it was very cool that the film subverted expectations and had Mosenkov not only help Elisa save the Amphibian Man from vivisection at the hands of the Americans, but that he gave Elisa information on how to keep him alive once she’d extracted him. That he cared more about the Amphibian Man as a living thing than as a means to attain Soviet superiority by vivisecting it was great; I definitely expected him to try to give him to his spymasters, where the South American god would’ve met the same fate the American military planned for it. It’s certainly a powerful indictment of our government that this spy sent to undermine us had more humanity than our people, who are only concerned with being “the best” no matter what that does to their souls. The fact that Mosenkov literally had a secret identity is also a nice thematic tie to Giles’ closeted homosexuality, Elisa’s mysterious origins, and the hidden power and passion the oppressed in this time concealed from their conformity-demanding government.

Universal’s classic Creature from the Black Lagoon was an inspiration for this film, and The Shape of Water is an excellent sort of remake, touching on similar themes while updating them and making them relevant to a modern audience. It was very smart of del Toro to explore the limitations of social mores of 1962 by focusing on a cast made up of those without power back then (who are still facing under-representation and lack of power today). However, I would argue that while setting this in the past has the desired effect of getting the audience to let its guard down, it also allows the audience to distance themselves too much, letting us say “those problems have been solved” and never forcing us to inspect ourselves. Still, I absolutely loved the score and the entire 1960s aesthetic del Toro achieved! I could easily have seen this taking the Best Cinematography Oscar. 

The Shape of Water looks beautiful, has an excellent cast who are all on point, and has a very strong love story at the center of a powerful tale of those without power subverting the accepted system. I definitely recommend it!

 Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

[gondagss]

[scotianostra]

On 23 July 1745 Prince Charles Edward Stuart, "The Young Pretender", landed in Eriskay with only seven men.

We know the story about Bonnie Prince Charlie but what of these seven men? They became known as the Seven Men of Moidart.

As with all the people who fought on both sides during the '45 they were not all Scot's in fact only two were, William Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine and the expedition's banker, Æneas Macdonald alias Angus Macdonald. The others were four Irishmen, Clergyman, Reverend George Kelly, Sir Thomas Sheridan, a veteran of the Battle of the Boyne; Sir John Macdonald, an elderly man, fond of the bottle, who had served in the French cavalry in Spain; and Colonel John William O'Sullivan, who had fought in the French arm.The seventh was an Englishman by the name of Colonel Francis Strickland.

Of these men William Murray fled north after Culloden with an Italian, he sought refuge near Ross Priory at the house of William Buchanan, a justice of the peace, who betrayed him,

giving him over to King George's men. Tullibardine cursed them with the utterance: "There will be Murrays on the Braes of Atholl land when there’s ne���er a Buchanan at the Ross.”

The Marquess's curse came to pass when, in 1925 Buchanan's male line finally died out. He was sent to Dumbarton Castle,then to the Tower of London, where he died on the July 9th 1747, aged 58.

Æneas Macdonald surrendered himself to General Campbell on May 13th, he spent time as a prisoner at Dumbarton and Edinburgh Castles, he ended up at Newgate in London and was tried for treason in July 1747. He plead that he was actually born in France and therefor an enemy combatant, this was dismissed and he was found guilty, on 18th of December he was sentenced to death. The case was, however, considered a hard one, as Aeneas was virtually a French subject, and he therefore received the King’s pardon under the Great Seal on condition of his retiring from His Majesty’s dominions, and continuing abroad during his life. It was only, however, on December 11th, 1749, that he regained his liberty, a creditor having brought an action against him for debt whilst under sentence, which resulted in his being detained a prisoner for two years. He subsequently returned to France, and was killed during the French Revolution.

George Kelly did not remain too long in Scotland as he was sent back to France after the battle of Prestonpans to spread the word of the stunning Jacobite victory. Likewise Sheridan, who had been the tutor of Prince Charles and was over seventy when the expedition launched. His age would have made campaigning difficult and he was soon sent back to Rome to keep Prince James informed of the progress of the uprising.

Sir John Macdonald was involved throughout the war, though in a fairly nominal capacity. He was a veteran officer of the French cavalry and Prince Charles appointed Sir John “Instructor of Cavalry” in the Jacobite army. However, since the Jacobites had so few cavalry as to be little better off than if they had none at all, there was very little for Macdonald to do. Still, he was involved in all the top-level activities of the Jacobite camp and kept a journal that has proved invaluable to historians. Taken prisoner at the battle of Culloden he escaped execution by virtue of his French commission and was so was ultimately released in a prisoner exchange for English troops being held in France.

Sir John O’Sullivan was the most involved and most highly placed of the Irishmen fighting for “Bonnie Prince Charlie” and probably one of the most controversial as well. To this day some go so far as to blame much of the failure of the uprising on O’Sullivan while those inclined to trust the judgment of Prince Charles usually have a more sympathetic view of the man and his contribution.

O’Sullivan was Quartermaster for the Jacobite army and was very close to Charles, he was said to "have the prince's ear" he has been credited with helping to arrange the safe escape of Prince Charles back into exile. The colonel himself escaped on a French frigate (which also had an Irish captain) and was later knighted by Prince James (King James III to the Jacobites) for his part in saving the life of his son.

Francis Strickland was with the Prince when the Jacobite army marched south, the Stricklands were staunch Jacobites and most of the family were exiled to France after the '15, all I can find of his fate is that he died "of a dropsy" at Carlisle three or four days after its surrender to Cumberland. I assume he was with Francis Towneley and the Manchester Regiment left as a rearguard there on the retreat back to Scotland.

Near Kinlochmoidart there is a memorial to the Seven Men of Moidart close by seven beech trees planted about 200 years ago to commemorate them. According to the information board these original trees were damaged in a storm prior to 1988.

Seven replacement trees were planted in 1988 but did not flourish.

Seven more saplings were planted in 2002 at right angles to the original trees but it is not obvious which these are, there is a small group in the foreground which could be them though visibility from the lay-by is restricted because of growth at the roadside.

[sinnaminie]

Here is the complete set of The Shape of Water plushies.

Also, the Shape of Water finally releases in India this week. Yay!

[polarhoid]

Monstruo y fantasma

Me gustó The Shape of Water; es una buena película que adquiere cierta complejidad y consistencia si se lee como un retorno a la 'inocencia' y al romanticismo blanco-y-negro del cine análogo 'clásico' y de los seriales de tv [norteamericanos]. Del Toro es un cineasta inteligentísimo y sabe cómo labrar filmes que disfrutan en varios niveles; y éste no es la excepción: su fábula es clásica porque 'recupera' las estructuras y recursos estilísticos [decorados, encuadres e iluminación, y hasta coreografías] de esas producciones sobre las que fija su 'homenaje' [aquellas que construían sus historias casi artesanalmente: cuadro a cuadro-escena a escena]; pero también gana su signo y vitalidad en tanto que esa 'forma' es también el fondo y vehículo de sus obsesiones: el cine y el monstruo como prismas fantasmales que refractan las luces y oscuridades de lo humano. La anomalía de la comunión, lo extraño de la belleza: eso inaprensible [como un fantasma o un monstruo] que nos hace únicos, pero que nos ata a una condición sensible, a una forma-o-categoría con la cual padecemos y experimentamos el mundo.

Sin embargo, me quedo con El Laberinto del fauno*; que para mí es su película más redonda y contundente porque: 1] ya condensa y articula a la perfección sus propuestas como cineasta; y, 2] no falla en donde The Shape sí comete su más pronunciado desatino; y esto es: un primer acto inconsistente y en ocasiones poco verosímil. Faltó elipsis en la presentación de los personajes y, sobre todo, pausa y precisión para construir y proyectar la naciente afinidad entre la mujer y el monstruo. Y si tomamos en cuenta que toda la historia gira alrededor de la pertinencia de esa relación, pues estamos ante un error remarcable.

Afortunadamente ese traspié es superado y, gracias a la pericia de los co-protagonistas, el segundo y tercer acto corren como agua: Octavia Spencer, como la parlanchina Zelda Fuller [Del Toro la utiliza magistralmente para 'llenar' los silencios de Elisa]; y Richard Jenkins como Giles, vecino-confidente, y que es el Watson de la protagonista; es decir, el espejo-interlocutor que ayuda a revelar la naturaleza y carácter de la 'heroína'.

Mención aparte se merece Michael Shannon y su imponente Coronel Richard Strickland: un villano formal, fuerte y retorcido que resplandece por su lenguaje siniestro y por su personalidad exaltada a base de encuadres aberrantes y de iluminación enfebrecida. Shannon prácticamente sostiene todo el filme, y es gracias a él que The Shape despunta y cierra con pulcritud y suficiencia. Y, claro, también se lleva su parte Del Toro: si algo hay que reconocerle es su capacidad para dibujar villanos inolvidables [el Capitán Vidal/El hombre pálido, por ejemplo].

A pesar de que no sea mi cinta favorita de Del Toro, el reconocimiento por The Shape le llega a tiempo [debió llegar antes, de hecho] y con justicia; y, aunque de ruido de fondo surja ese dejo chovinista de los norteamericanos [premian cuando la glosa se trata de ellos mismos, de su cultura], él se lo merece por su trayectoria y por su talento, y porque, para fortuna de todos, este premio le permitirá ampliar su colección de monstruos y fantasmas; ese laberinto de espejismos [que es el cine] donde el espectador se desconoce y re-conoce.

[*luego pondría a El espinazo del diablo; y después La forma del agua; y, al final, La cumbre escarlata y Cronos]

[catholichousew1fe]

James, Duke of Monmouth

Captain John Churchill

Hans Bentinck

Prince Rupert

James, Duke of York

Earl of Chesterfield

Earl of Rochester

Duke of Buckingham

Duke of Richmond and Lennox

Lieutenant Louis Morel

Monsieur de Rohan

William Nassau de Zuylestein

Colonel James Hamilton

Sir Thomas Bridge

Earl of Arran

Earl of Sussex

Captain Strickland

Marquis de Demaret

Lord Braxton

Lord Cavendish

Earl of Pembroke

Earl of Dorset

Sir George Etherege

Earl of Mulgrave

I’ll let you guess what this list entails…

[hadescavedish]

S1 Toby: jealous, insecure, sadistic little bastard (kind of funny), showing occasional stupidity. Got chopped a lot.

S2 Toby: reliable (yeah I'm not kidding), loyal, still mean and dangerous but matured. Occasionally slipped his intense but otherwise reserved emotions.

S4 Toby: (I wish there was S3 but dude was busy in Washington) very matured comparing to 27 yro him, shamelessly flirty, uncharacteristically capable of showing tenderness. Occasionally helping out. But still smug.

(for the record, I think Colonel Leslie was a bad influence anyway, all he wants is setting his agents against each other and exploitting them as far as he can, Strickland and Miller from lost episode scripts were both his victims I think. But in S2 when he appeared again, Toby wasn't like he was in S1)

[ao3feed-staja]

by jennykai31_fp

Words: 593, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters, The 100 (TV)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death

Characters: Toby Domzalski, Jim Lake Jr. (Tales of Arcadia), Claire Nuñez, Steve Palchuk, Changelings (Tales of Arcadia), Barbara Lake, Eli Pepperjack, Krel Tarron, Aja Tarron, Colonel Kubritz (Tales of Arcadia), The Others, Mary Wang, The Diaz family, Alex

Relationships: Toby Domzalski/Jim Lake Jr., Jim Lake Jr./Claire Nuñez, Barbara Lake/Walter Strickler | Stricklander, Steve Palchuk/Aja Tarron, Eli Pepperjack/Krel Tarron

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Jim Lake Jr. Is Not the Trollhunter, Toby Domzalski is a Good Friend, Changelings (Trollhunters) Have Issues, Praimfaya | Radiation Wave, Night Terrors, boys night out, Trans Jim Lake Jr. (Tales of Arcadia), Alternate Universe - Space, sleeping in a bunker, Bunkers, Year 2025, Panic, Character Death, Fluff and Angst, Comfort/Angst, Newborn Children, Secret Children, Child Death, Childhood Trauma, Childhood Friends, Childbirth, Teen Pregnancy, Underage Driving, Loss of Parent(s), Kissing, Making Out, Breakfast in Bed, Sharing a Bed, Falling In Love, Nuclear Weapons, Maid dress, Truth or Dare, Seven Minutes In Heaven Game

[ebonyfirewolf]

Chapters: 23/? Fandom: Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro, Wizards - Fandom, 3 Below, Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Steve Palchuk/Eli Pepperjack, Jim Lake Jr./Claire Nuñez, Toby Domzalski/Darci Scott, Mary Wang/ Shannon Longhannon, Krel Tarron/Seamus Johnson, Aaarrrgghh/Blinkous "Blinky" Galadrigal Characters: Eli Pepperjack, Steve Palchuk, Mary Wang, Jim Lake Jr, Claire Nuñez, Toby Domzalski, Krel Tarron, Aja Tarron, Shannon Longhannon, elijah pepperjack, Coach Lawrence, Original Characters, Walter Strickler | Stricklander, Barbara Lake, Colonel Kubritz (Tales of Arcadia), Sargent Costas, Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan Additional Tags: Superheros, Sequel, Wings, Creepslayerz (Tales of Arcadia), Trolls don't exist, Blinky is still the school councellor, Aaarrrgghh is still a florist., time skip, 4 year time skip, Fighting, Gore, Blood, Eli is still trying to recover, Steve is there to help., PTSD Series: Part 2 of Guts Of Steel Summary:

Eli and Steve have been superheroes for the last 4 years and now something big is happening again. Something worse then Gunmar. Something that could tear everything they love and know apart. Will Eli be able to stop it or will the life he's built for himself crumble between his fingers.