#culver city art shows

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

A Curse [Chapter 2: Harbor Gateway]

A/N: Thank you for the warm welcome you have given this series!!! I am sick with bronchitis currently so this has been a big bright spot in an otherwise miserable week 😅 I can't wait to show you where this story is going, I hope you're ready for it 🥰💜

Series summary: You are an aspiring actress. Aegon is a washed-up and disenchanted agent...at least until he sees something special in you. But within paradisical seaside Los Angeles you find terrible dangers and temptations, secrets and lies. Maybe Aegon's right; maybe the City of Angels really is a curse.

Chapter warnings: Language, a tiny bit of sexual content (18+ readers only), age-gap relationship, entertainment industry misogyny, some body dissatisfaction/dysmorphia, ice cream, judgmental parents, aggressive Akitas, we're literally in Minnesota!!!

Word count: 6.1k

💜 All my writing can be found HERE! 💜

Tagging: @lauraneedstochill @mrs-starkgaryen @chattylurker @neithriddle @ecstaticactus, more in comments! 🥰

🏝️ Let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist 🏝️

Afterwards, Mason pulls his clothes back on as you are absentmindedly drawing stars in the steam on the windows of his Chevy Silverado. On the other side of the glass is inky Minnesota night, a full moon dissolving away, glowing freckles of constellations. You’re staying with your parents and Mason has roommates, so the truck was the expedient choice. It was good, not that you finished; you didn’t say anything, he didn’t ask, but even if he had you would have told him not to worry about it. It can take forever, especially with an audience. You’d rather wait until you’re alone.

Mason glances down at the used condom on the floor of his Silverado, hastily discarded, viscerally slick in a way that becomes sickening in the letdown, as the endorphins and the adrenaline slip away and the blood pumps slow and unclouded. He smirks as he asks: “You sure you don’t want to get back on the pill?”

You sigh, drawing another star. You are still naked and sprawled across the back seat, glistening with sweat in the moonlight. “Well I tried three different prescriptions and had three miserable experiences, and I’m really not interested in playing side effect roulette again. And I can’t risk my skin going insane and random bleeding when I’m running around all over L.A. trying to get parts.”

“What about that little sperm assassin T-shaped thing?”

You look at him. “An IUD?”

“Yeah.”

You wince, engraving another star into the steam on the window. “I don’t think I like the idea of having a piece of metal shoved up inside me.”

He laughs. “But you’ll get silicone implants?”

You shrug; you can’t deny the irony. “I don’t need an IUD to be an actress.”

“Look, I’m not complaining about the tits thing,” Mason says, holding up his hands. “Obviously I’d enjoy them too. And you’d still have them when you move home, so it’s not a waste even if the acting thing doesn’t work out.”

You already know he feels this way, and yet still, it hurts. “When I move home?”

He smiles and crawls back on top of you, his Carleton College hoodie whispering against your belly and chest, soft royal blue cotton on damp skin. He had been a Political Science and International Relations major who took Theater Arts 195: Acting Shakespeare for an arts credit. He was beyond terrible and had no appreciation for the field whatsoever, but he was tall and strong and jolly, an earnest corn-fed Midwestern boy, and when one day after class he’d asked if he could take you to Culver’s for a burger and frozen custard, you’d said yes.

Here and now, in the back seat of his Chevy Silverado, Mason kisses your forehead. Then he ghosts his thumb over the ridge of your orbital socket and cheekbone, where your dark glittery eyeshadow has smudged like a spreading bruise: Galaxy by Anastasia Beverly Hills, Elysian by Natasha Denona. “I’m not saying you aren’t good. But how many people on this planet get to be movie stars? It’s just not realistic. And it’s about so much more than talent. It’s about who you know, and luck, and chemistry, and looks, and a bunch of other things that are mostly out of your control. You’re never going to be the type of girl who’s an influencer or winning Miss America, you’re just not. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t very, very pretty. And I loved you anyway.”

Loved, past tense. You and Mason stopped using that word a year ago; now the nostalgia is painting memories like the walls of an old house. His memories, anyway. You sit up and start yanking on your clothes: oversized yellow Santa Monica crewneck, black sweatpants with elastic cuffs at the ankles. “I think I’m going to get the gummy bear implants.”

Mason licks his lips. “Yum.”

“They’re a type of silicone, but they’re supposed to feel more natural and be less dangerous if they rupture.”

“Will you have scars?” he says as if the notion has just occurred to him, troubled, perhaps a little revolted.

“Well yeah, they have to end up under my skin somehow.”

Mason shudders, then he has another thought. “Who’s going to take care of you after surgery when you’re all sore and zonked out on opioids?”

“My roommate Baela said she would. She’s had friends who have gone through it already.”

“Okay, good. I wouldn’t want you to be alone out there.” Mason touches the back of your head, a quick fond gesture. He’s the only man you’ve ever been with, and even that took a while, months of trying to envision him undressing you before you were sure you could do it without flinching, without being afraid or shy or bewildered. But in the end it had been easy, always easy, which is why you keep coming back to him like a comet. Your elliptical orbit takes you far away and then close again, and such natural patterns are effortless to keep.

You say, the edges of your lips curling into a furtive smile: “I’m definitely not alone.”

Mason groans. “You’re going to hook up with that new agent guy, aren’t you?”

“What? No! No way, he has a fiancée.”

He rolls his eyes, but he’s more amused than annoyed. “Okay, whatever.”

“You know I don’t date anyone.” Which is why each time you’re home visiting, Mason gets a text: Want to get lunch at Culver’s? or Can you drive me to Target? or Pick me up around 9 p.m.?

Mason smirks and taunts: “I don’t know, with the way you talk about him you sound kind of obsessed.”

“I’m just grateful. Someone finally gave me a chance.” You look to the window; the steam and your hand-drawn stars have evaporated away. “And yeah, he’s interesting and he’s cute, and he’s kind of mean but then unexpectedly caring sometimes, and I think he’s one of those people who are really good at what they do but only when they’re inspired…but that doesn’t mean I’m into him romantically.” A pause. “And even if I was, there’s no harm in a super-secret, one-sided crush.”

“Okay. Have fun with all the adulterous sex.”

You chuckle. “Thanks, but that is not the plan.” You slip on your flip-flops, shimmy out of the back seat, and trot around the Silverado to the passenger’s door. Mason climbs into the driver’s seat and turns his key in the ignition. You ask: “What happened to that ballerina girl who was in your Instagram stories for a while?”

“Had to ghost her, she got super clingy and controlling. She was texting me at work all the time and got pissed off when I was putting a ton of hours into that election thing for CNN.” Mason is a political analyst. He turns to you. “You ever feel like people are the best versions of themselves before you really know them? Then you get too close and all the cracks start showing.”

“I think people are wonderful. You just have to find the ones you click with.”

“I should have figured you’d say something like that.” He steers his truck out of the otherwise empty parking lot in Lac Lavon Park. “I’m looking forward to you being home again.”

“I’m not.”

You both laugh, and then Mason drives you to your parents’ house.

At the dining room table, Mom and Clara are researching wedding venues, vast countryside estates and metropolitan historic hotels. Clara got engaged two weeks ago during a vacation to Turks and Caicos. In the living room, Dad and Tripp are watching commentary on the NBA Finals. Tripp’s name isn’t really Tripp; he is the third James in a row, named after your father and grandfather, and Tripp is short for triple. All over the house, there are Akitas lolling in plush dog beds and clicking around on Brazilian Cherry hardwood floors. They have faces like teddy bears, but their dark eyes track you mistrustfully, as if you are an intruder.

No one asks where you have been. They barely acknowledge that you are back. “Hello, dear,” your mother calls distractedly from the dining room, and that’s all. You jog upstairs to the bathroom you share with Clara before anyone can notice your smeared makeup and the unsavory post-car-sex sweat gleaming on your skin. You get into the shower, turn on water so hot it is nearly scalding, and close your eyes. With your back pressed to the jade green tiles, your hand wanders down over your belly and stops between your legs. Your mind cycles through fantasies, but nothing seems to be working.

It’s not real. It can’t hurt anybody.

You imagine that Aegon is the one touching you, and in under a minute it’s over.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I want there to be horses,” Clara says, scrolling through her phone and ignoring the food on her plate: roast chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans sauteed in garlic and olive oil, panzanella salad. Mom prepared it all herself, not because there was no help available—your parents have a housekeeper named Angela who comes by several days per week—but to prove she could. In the living room are shelves heavy with books by Martha Stewart, Ina Garten, Cat Cora, Julia Child, Nigella Lawson. You hear echoes of ambient clicking, Akitas meandering down hallways and staircases.

“Horses?!” Tripp replies with a mouthful of mashed potatoes, gesturing to the sliding glass door. “Don’t you get enough horses in your everyday life? Don’t you have like five right out there?” Your parents’ house sits on ten acres of land, including a barn and several paddocks for Clara’s rescued Thoroughbreds.

“I want beautiful horses,” Clara insists. “Unusual, photogenic, so they can be in the background of all the photos. Maybe Friesians or Haflingers?”

“I’m not sure we can sort the venues by types of horses available, dear,” Mom says. All that’s on her own plate is a heap of green beans and a few pieces of skinless white meat chicken.

Clara moans and drops her face into her hands. “It’s so overwhelming!”

“You’ll find a place you like, Clara Bear,” Dad says mildly, painstakingly slicing meat off a drumstick with his fork and knife.

“And Owen is no help at all. Every time I ask for his opinion he just tells me to do whatever I think is best, but I don’t know what’s best, that’s why I’m asking him!”

Your mother pats Clara’s shoulder reassuringly. “Guys don’t care about weddings,” Tripp says, twisting around in his chair to see the television in the living room. On a rerun of E! News, the hosts are discussing Chris Hemsworth’s rigorous fitness regime and Meghan Trainor’s “mommy makeover.” You peek under the tablecloth. One of the Akitas, Yuki, is glaring as she waits for you to drop something for her to eat.

“You could do something like that,” Mom says to you, and you realize you haven’t been listening to the conversation.

“Sorry, do what?”

“You could be a wedding planner or a real estate agent. Those are actual careers, but there’s more creativity involved, isn’t there? And didn’t you take a design class in college? That would certainly come in handy.”

“Hm,” your father says with a frown, still dissecting his chicken. He would rather you go to law school like Tripp. You would rather lie down in traffic.

“I took a set design class, Mom. Because I was studying how to be an actress. And that’s what I’m doing right now in Los Angeles, trying to be an actress.”

“You could become an architect!” Mom bursts out with sudden enthusiasm. “Wouldn’t that be fun?”

You titter evasively. “I can’t draw, Mom. Or use the modeling software, or do math.”

“You know, you don’t need any specific degree to get into law school,” Tripp says, and your father gives him a nod of approval. “You could have majored in dance or bagpiping or Egyptology, it doesn’t matter. All they want is a high undergrad GPA and a 168+ LSAT score, and I bet you could get that if you studied. You can even retake the test a few times if you need to.”

“Why do you do that?” Clara snaps at him. You eat your panzanella salad and pretend not to be listening. Beneath the tablecloth, Yuki growls. You toss her a few cubes of Italian bread so she won’t bite you.

Tripp shovels mashed potatoes into his mouth. “Do what?”

“Why are you always wasting your time trying to convince her to grow up and get a real job? If she wants to embarrass herself, let her. I have problems that I’m trying to solve, so how about applying yourself to those instead?”

“Are you serious? You think I should be calling around to wedding venues asking about their selection of exotic draft horses?”

Clara aggressively stabs at her green beans with her fork. “Fuck off, Tripp.”

“Hey, hey, kids, no swearing,” your mother says. “It’s Father’s Day. Be respectful.”

Dad turns to you. “You could be an entertainment lawyer, how about that? You could work in intellectual property or negotiating contracts.”

You smile warily. “I’ll think about it, Dad.”

Clara says to your parents: “Well I hope all the money you’re throwing out the window to support her in California isn’t coming out of my wedding fund.”

You close your eyes and think: I can’t spend my life in a cubical. I can’t spend every minute of every day trying to forget who I am.

“Shh, shh,” your mother pleads, rubbing the back of Clara’s clenched hand. “You will get exactly what we promised you, that amount is still set aside for your wedding. Nothing she does affects you.”

“And it’s only until the end of the year,” your father adds. “Then the vacation is over.” Then the meager allowance they are funneling to you will stop and you will be ordered to return home to pursue an honorable course of existence. You have six months to succeed in Hollywood, or the dream dies.

Your father is now asking Tripp about his summer associate position at Latham & Watkins in Chicago. Your mother is advising Clara to get a wedding dress with a corset back so it can be adjusted in the event she gains or loses weight at the last minute. Underneath the table, Yuki is growling again; she noses your knees threateningly.

“I got an agent,” you say, and everyone looks at you.

“Really?” Mom asks, sounding a little perplexed.

“Who is it?” Dad says.

“Aegon Targaryen. He has a small office in Elysian Park.”

“Oh, I think I recognize the last name.”

“His family is in the industry.” You are beaming; you can feel the heat rising in your face. “But Aegon kind of does his own thing and tries to stay out of the limelight. He was an actor when he was my age. And I guess he thinks I can get roles, so that’s really exciting.”

Your mother seems concerned as she nibbles at a shred of white meat. “Is he an older man?”

“Not that much older. He’s thirty-five.”

“Well, be careful, darling,” your father says gravely. “Who knows what his intentions are.”

Clara evidently agrees. “Men can be so creepy. I had this one professor in pharmacy school who cheated on his wife with one student, then cheated on her six months later with a different student. And then he retired to Boca Raton and was never heard from again.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Tripp says to your father. “We read about Clinton v. Jones in torts class, it was wild, I didn’t know he was such a freak even before the Monica Lewinsky thing…”

After dinner, while your father and Tripp are flipping through television channels in the living room and Clara is upstairs on the phone with Owen, you go to the kitchen where your mother is washing dishes in a bubble-filled sink. Again, she doesn’t have to do this; Angela will be here to clean the house tomorrow. But it’s part of being a perfect homemaker, and if she’s not good at this then she’s not good at anything.

She glances over when she hears you come in. “Did you get an appointment with one of the doctors your father recommended?”

“I did, yeah. I have a consultation on Friday.” You lean against the marble countertop and cross your arms so you don’t fidget nervously. From a dog bed on the floor, Mochi glowers at you. “Do you think I should get the surgery?”

She shrugs; you’re not certain if she is more indecisive or apathetic. “Your cousin Madison had a nose job the summer before college. Your old classmate Emma got a blepharoplasty and then met her husband three months later. Practically all of my friends have had breast augmentations, and I’ve certainly never regretted mine. I think if you’re going to get anything fixed, it makes sense to pick that.”

You try again to elicit a strong opinion, whether an endorsement or objection. “I don’t think I’d want to do it if I didn’t feel like it was necessary to be an actress.”

“Well, regardless of whatever you have going on in California, you’ll either have to get them done now or after you have children,” Mom says. “I love you and Clara and Tripp, but you destroyed my body. At least doctors can repair breasts. My bladder is still useless.”

You stare at Mochi distractedly. The dog huffs, unwelcoming. “What was the recovery like?”

“Oh, hell,” your mother says. “But once you heal up it’s worth it. I can wear square necklines and strapless dresses again.”

“Technically, you could have worn whatever you wanted.”

She gives you an impatient look, a you’re too old for that sort of frustration. “No one wants to see some sad flabby woman.” She is including your father in this statement. You remember being home for Thanksgiving Break during your freshman year at Carleton and inadvertently stumbling upon emails from one of the hospital interns when you used his laptop to buy movie tickets: indecent inuendoes, flirtatious photos, no smoking gun but certainly more than was appropriate between colleagues. You had tried to tell your mother, and she had deflected over and over again until you realized that she didn’t want to know; it was easier to be carried by the currents of momentum than to rock the boat until it sank. “This agent of yours…is he celebrating Father’s Day with his family?”

“No, Aegon lost his dad when he was in college.”

“That must have been difficult,” she says vaguely as she scrubs a pot with a green Scotch-Brite dish wand. Your parents are now at the age when their friends have begun to succumb to strokes and heart disease and cancers, and the lurking specter of mortality both horrifies and fascinates them. “What did he die of?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Mom?!” Clara shouts from upstairs. “Osaka is puking in the hallway!”

Your mother sighs and dries her hands on a dish towel, then leaves you alone in the kitchen. You linger there for a while, listening to the faint drone of CNN from the living room television, then leave the house through the sliding glass door in the dining room. Outside the sun is setting, and you gaze westward as the aging daylight turns the tall green grass and silhouettes of horses to gold like the mines that first brought settlers to California. You slide your phone out of the pocket of your denim shorts and take a photo, then post it to your Instagram story with the caption Home and a smiley face emoji.

A minute later, you receive a DM. Aegon has typed: This explains the big horse girl energy

You laugh and respond: They belong to my sister, I am personally very anti-horse

You hope he’ll continue the conversation. You don’t have to wait long. How’s Minnesota? Aegon asks.

You stop and consider how to answer, then decide not to overshare. Devoid of palm trees…but good!

There is a pause—perhaps thirty seconds—and then Aegon types: How’s the ex-boyfriend?

Is he curious or jealous? You smile. Still not standing in the way of anything :)

Aegon reacts with a heart emoji, then immediately switches it to a thumbs-up. You cannot ignore the wave of warmth and fondness and exhilaration that overwhelms you. Logically, you know he’s engaged to another woman. Emotionally, it doesn’t seem relevant.

You think: It’s just a crush. It can’t hurt anybody.

Then you remember what your mother asked, and as you stand outside in the fading dusk light you Google Aegon’s father Viserys Targaryen. He has his own Wikipedia page. You scroll to the bottom, where it reads in nondescript black letters: On October 27, 2009, Targaryen passed away at his Malibu residence after a long illness.

~~~~~~~~~~

You have just finished ringing up a Like It-sized Apple Pie A La Cold Stone when Josh says: “Hey, there’s an old guy asking for you.”

“What?” You look towards the ice cream freezer and there he is, dark jeans, green Nike Killshots, a yellow Hawaiian shirt that’s too big for him. “It’s my agent!” you shout as you rush over to meet him, loud enough that everyone in the shop turns to stare.

“Shh,” Aegon says, but he’s laughing.

“What are you doing here?” you ask from behind the counter.

“I got some good news, and I wanted to tell you in person.”

“Cool! Should I make you ice cream first?”

“Um, sure.” Aegon surveys the menu of Signature Creations. He seems overwhelmed; he actually looks a little panicked.

“Are you usually a chocolate or vanilla person? Or peanut butter, or coffee? Or mint?”

“Strawberry,” Aegon says.

“Strawberry,” you echo, surprised. “Okay, I think you’ll like Our Strawberry Blonde.”

“Neat.”

“Because, you know, it has strawberries and you’re blonde.”

“Sounds literally perfect for me,” Aegon says, smiling.

“What size?”

“Uh…” He reads the labels on the cups in the display case. “The big one.”

“No, you have to say the real name.”

He chuckles. His cheeks are pink, his turbulent blue eyes sparkling. “I’m not saying that.”

“Then I’m not making you ice cream!”

He groans. “I want an Our Strawberry Blonde in the size Gotta Have It.”

“Cup, cone, or waffle cone bowl?”

“Stop asking me questions or you’re fired.”

“Waffle cone bowl,” you decide. Aegon studies you as you work, his head tilted thoughtfully to the side: scraping a mound of strawberry ice cream out of the freezer with your metal spatulas, taking it to the cold countertop, and smashing in graham cracker pie crust, caramel, fluffy whipped topping, and fresh strawberries. You use one of the spatulas to expertly scoop the mixture into a waffle cone bowl, not spilling a drop. Then you hand Aegon his ice cream and ring him up at the cash register. He pays in cash.

You ask Josh, the manager on duty, if you can take your fifteen-minute break now. He frowns. “I thought you were going to refill the yellow cake and Oreo cookie mix-ins first.”

“Hey,” Aegon says. He waves a ten-dollar bill in the air to show it to Josh and then dunks it in the tip jar. “Do it yourself.”

“Fine,” Josh mutters to you. “But you don’t get a second over fifteen minutes.”

There’s no time to waste. You hurry to a small table by the window. It’s 8:30 p.m., and outside the world is indigo-dark and threaded with inorganic sparks of headlights, streetlights, kaleidoscopic neon signs. Your eyeshadow is vibrant and pink, because no one cares about that when you work at an ice cream shop: Push by Natasha Denona, Coax by Urban Decay.

Aegon takes his first taste of his ice cream as he sits down in the chair across from you. “You were right, this is delicious. A bop, not a flop.” Then he notices the bruise on your right wrist. “What the hell happened to your hand?”

“Oh. One of the Akitas bit me. Don’t worry, I can cover it up with concealer.”

Aegon is irritated. “Why is your mother letting her Akitas bite you?”

“It was my fault. I forgot that Oni doesn’t like when people pet his feet.”

Aegon sighs, stirring his Our Strawberry Blonde. “You want some of this?”

“I can’t,” you say reluctantly.

He raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean you can’t?”

“I already had a little cup when I got here this afternoon so I have regrettably hit my ice cream quota for the day.” And then, when Aegon clearly does not approve: “I try not to restrict too much but obviously staying the same size takes effort. That’s not a disorder, it’s just reality.”

Aegon seems to debate arguing, then instead scoops up a heaping spoonful of ice cream and holds it out across the table. “Come on. It doesn’t count if it’s on my spoon.”

You smile sheepishly and open your mouth for him. Your lips close around the plastic spoon: coldness, sweetness, the grit of pulverized graham cracker pie crust, the infinitesimal black seeds of strawberries that catch between your teeth. When Aegon begins to pull it away, you grab his hand and don’t let go until you’ve licked the spoon clean. He laughs hysterically as he watches you. “I haven’t had strawberry ice cream in forever,” you say.

“Don’t tell me you’re a vanilla girl.”

“I am,” you confess. “I know the joke. But I really do always get the vanilla-adjacent flavors. Cookie dough, French vanilla, sweet cream, cheesecake…”

Aegon smirks playfully. “Pathetic.”

“So you’re an enlightened being because you eat strawberry ice cream.”

“Boring people like vanilla. Kids like chocolate. Interesting adults like strawberry.”

“Do you actually have good news for me or did you just come here to be a ghoul?”

“I got you a part.”

“What?!” you squeal, and people are gawking again. This time, Aegon doesn’t tell you to be quiet. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” he replies, grinning like he can’t help it.

“A part in what?”

“It’s small,” Aegon warns. “It’s an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.”

You scream; Josh scowls at you from behind the counter. “Oh my God, no way, no way!”

“You’re going to be the wife of a guy the doctors kill with negligence. Three scenes, two are pretty short and unremarkable but then you get to yell at the surgeon in the last one. Gives you the opportunity to show some range and make an impression.”

You can’t believe this is happening. “They aren’t going to make me audition first?”

“Well…it’s very last-minute,” Aegon says. “The actress who was supposed to do it has a drug problem or something, I guess, so she ghosted and they were scrambling for a replacement. And I completely fabricated your credentials.”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah, I typed up a resume and sent it over and they loved it. So try not to talk about your actual experience because none of it will match.”

You shake your head, stunned, amazed. “What if they try to contact one of my alleged former employers?”

“Then they’ll be talking to Aemond, and he will lie and say you were an absolute pleasure to work with.”

Aemond Targaryen: Aegon’s younger brother, a screenwriter, a philanthropist, a well-respected entity in Hollywood, and you know this from the Googling that preceded your first meeting with Aegon last week. “And Aemond doesn’t mind helping you commit fraud?”

“It’s not a favor I call in very often.” Aegon finishes his ice cream, then begins breaking apart the waffle cone bowl and shoving shard-like pieces into his mouth.

“When’s the shoot?”

“Very very early on Thursday, that’s the bad news.” Thursday is two days from now. “So I’ll have to pick you up at your apartment at like 5 a.m.”

“That’s fine. I’ll be ready.”

He smiles, gnawing on a chunk of his waffle cone bowl. “I figured.”

“You’re going too?” The hope is unmistakable in your voice.

“Of course I’m going.”

“I didn’t think agents usually went to film shoots.”

“Well, fortunately for you, your agent is imminently fleeing Los Angeles and has already parted ways with most of his clients and really has nothing else going on besides hiding in his office and playing a Nintendo 64, so I figured I could make it. And also if I’m going to be enthusiastically recommending you to people, I should probably see you work at some point.”

You wiggle your eyebrows flirtatiously. “Do I get to make out with my fake husband?”

Aegon is amused. “From what I understand, you get to chastely kiss him once. They’re sending the script over to my office first thing in the morning, so you’ll only have a day to learn your lines.”

“That’s enough time. I’ll make it work.”

“Always so agreeable,” Aegon muses. So desperate is more like it.

Thursday. “Is the shoot just one day?”

“Yeah, they should be able to get everything they need from you on Thursday morning. Why?”

“I have a doctor’s appointment on Friday and I was just wondering if I’d have to reschedule it.”

Aegon is immediately vigilant. “What kind of appointment?”

“Uh…” You smirk guiltily. “It’s just a consultation. No slicing yet.”

“And you’re going to cancel that,” Aegon says flatly.

“Seriously?”

“Do you want implants because you want them or because you think other people want you to have them?”

You hesitate. “Both.” That’s probably a lie.

Aegon leans back in his chair and studies you. “Yeah, you’re cancelling that appointment.”

“Why?”

“Because when I agreed to sign you, you told me that you’d do anything I say. And I’m telling you to cancel it.”

“But why don’t you want me to get implants? Everyone gets implants.”

“Because once you begin to treat scalpels and needles as prescriptions for everything you don’t like about yourself—or everything that other people don’t like about you—it’s very difficult to stop. First it’s your tits, then it’s your eyes and your nose, then it’s your chin and your cheeks and your neck and your ass, and it’s just this revolving door of painful, dangerous, unnecessary procedures that are condemning you for being mortal, that are carving away your humanity one incision at a time. I’ve seen it happen to more people than I could count, and I don’t want it to happen to you. Because you seem very, very human, and I’d like you to stay that way. Which means you don’t cut yourself up because some agent or producer or casting director told you to.” Then he adds, perhaps as an afterthought: “And anyway, you don’t need implants.”

You smile, then reply quietly: “You’ve never seen me.”

Aegon grins. “I don’t care if you have twelve nipples under there like a fucking beagle, you don’t need plastic surgery.”

You both laugh, and the tension evaporates, and even if you don’t cancel the appointment—Aegon is one person, the entertainment industry is omnipotent and eternal—you are glad he seems to like you the way you are. Behind the counter, Josh is waving manically to get your attention and summon you to return to work. You pretend not to see him.

Aegon asks: “Why don’t you like horses?”

“They freak me out. They’re all teeth and legs and they’re huge, I’m always scared they’ll step on me.”

“Your dad’s a doctor, right? I thought all rich girls had horses.”

“Where I’m from, a lot of women ride horses to distract themselves from the fact that their husbands are riding their receptionists or interns. I’d rather have no horse and no awful cheating husband.” And Aegon stares at you and turns serious, because perhaps you’ve inadvertently addressed the elephant in the room: he has a fiancée, and neither of you are acting like she exists. You swiftly pivot. “I’ll make an exception for you, though.”

He appears startled. “What?”

“The Chinese zodiac. You’re a horse. So you’re the only horse I like.”

“Oh, yeah. Right.” Aegon chuckles uneasily and gets up to throw his trash away, then stands under the florescent lights with his hands in his pockets, his blonde hair falling out of its gel and hanging over his forehead. He gazes down at you pensively; you are still seated at the table. “When does your shift end?”

“I’m closing tonight, so I’ll be done around 10:30 or 11.”

“Okay. Can I come back to pick you up and drive you home?”

You are puzzled. “Why?”

He gestures to the inky dark window, incredulous. “Because obviously you shouldn’t be walking alone in Harbor Gateway at midnight? You know there was a shooting a block from here last week. I looked it up.”

“I walk home all the time.”

“You really need to stop doing that.”

“You are being very dramatic for a non-actor.”

“Listen, I can’t go to my house and try to fall asleep while I’m wondering if you’re getting mugged or murdered.”

You look at Aegon. He does seem genuinely worried. “You can drive me home.”

“Great. See you in two hours.” He strides away and shoves open the glass door; the little metal bells hanging there jingle.

“Aegon?”

He halts mid-step and turns around. “Yeah?”

“Does Becca know where you are right now?”

His face is some amalgamation of emotions you can’t read, and this is unusual.“Why do you think I paid in cash?”

And before you can reply, he’s gone.

~~~~~~~~~~

On Thursday, June 19th, Aegon picks you up in his white Chrysler Sebring convertible while the city is still asleep. The sky is dark, the streetlights passing by overhead, infinite pinpoint supernovas. There are hardly any other cars on the road. Aegon’s hair is a mess and his eyes are bleary; he’s sipping a Starbucks coffee with one hand and holding the steering wheel with the other. He is wearing a suit, but he still manages to look unpolished, his white shirt half-untucked and his black tie too skinny. He sets his coffee down in one of the cup holders and passes you something venti-sized and iced.

“I got you a vanilla latte, vanilla girl.”

“Aw, thanks! Skim milk?”

“Nope,” he says, smiling. You smile back and take a gulp of it, cold and sweet and bracing. “What’s your hype song?”

“I can’t tell you,” you say, embarrassed.

“Why not?”

“You’re going to terrorize me.”

“Don’t Stop Believing? Don’t Stop Me Now? I Gotta Feeling?”

“Lose Yourself.”

Aegon throws back his head and cackles, his hair flying in the wind. “That’s definitely a fireable offense. I’m ditching you the second we finish this shoot.” But he taps around on his phone and plugs in the aux, and then Eminem is thudding through the speakers as the Sebring sails north and the red-gold dawn rises on the horizon, a celestial message from the East Coast, an omen from the future.

Aegon drives you to Prospect Studios in Los Feliz, just east of Hollywood. Filming will be indoors on a soundstage. You spend what feels like forever in hair and makeup, and the costume designer—who had prepared for a different actress—dresses and redresses you over and over again, frowning at your chest and waist and thighs, and you have a sudden pang of nauseating panic and dread: I don’t belong here. What the fuck was I thinking?

Then you are in the scenes under intensely radiant artificial light, and just like it did in your roles back in Minnesota, the real world vanishes and all that exists are these characters, these moments, and your body and mind become theirs, and perhaps even your soul too. Your husband is handsome and kind, and here in this liminal fictional space you love him, and when the surgeons wheel him off to the operating room you are full of blind naïve surety. Then the doctors update you on his condition and you are still hopeful, but it becomes a fragile thing, like something that shatters when it’s dropped from a height. And then he is dead, he has been taken away from you, he has been stolen, and you are eclipsed by a blood-red wrath that is animalistic and unforgiving. After each take when you are ripped back through the veil and into reality, you can’t remember exactly what you did or said, and the director doesn’t have many critiques so you aren’t sure how it’s going.

But when it’s over, while you are still standing on the soundstage with the other actors, Aegon puts on his sunglasses and smiles at you from across the room; and you remember what he said outside his office on the day you first met—you are so bright, sunshine—and you know you’ve done a good job.

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

The Amazon Good Omens Press Release! :)

In a special celebration for fans, Neil Gaiman collaborated with superfans Hilly & Hannah Hindi of the The Hillywood Show to reveal the ineffable premiere date in their original video “Good Omens Parody”

Official Teaser Art Available HERE Fan-Created Parody Video Viewable HERE 

*NOTE TO EDITORS: Please refer to our streaming service as Prime Video and not Amazon Prime Video*

CULVER CITY, California—May 10, 2023—This summer, something’s going down in the up!Good Omens Season Two will  premiere July 28 on Prime Video. After the global success and enthusiastic response to the first season, co-creator Neil Gaiman is satisfying fans’ hunger for more on-screen  adventures of the beloved unholy duo with an entirely original story. The ineffable Season Two premiere date was revealed on the 33rd anniversary of the publishing of the original novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Gaiman, which was the basis for the first season of the television series. As a special celebration for fans, Gaiman collaborated with superfans Hilly & Hannah Hindi of the The Hillywood Show to reveal the date in a fan-funded video, “Good Omens Parody,” which can be viewed HERE. The six-episode season will be released exclusively on Prime Video on July 28 in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Fans can catch up on the first season of Good Omens streaming now on Prime Video, part of the savings, convenience, and entertainment that Prime members enjoy in a single membership.

Season Two of Good Omens explores storylines that go beyond the original source material to illuminate the uncanny friendship between Aziraphale, a fussy angel and rare book dealer, and the fast-living demon Crowley. Having been on Earth since The Beginning, and with the Apocalypse thwarted, Aziraphale and Crowley are getting back to easy living amongst mortals in London’s Soho when an unexpected messenger presents a surprising mystery.

Good Omens Season Twostars Michael Sheen and David Tennant as angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley, respectively. Also reprising their roles are Jon Hamm as archangel Gabriel, Doon Mackichan as archangel Michael, and Gloria Obianyo as archangel Uriel. Returning this season in new roles are Miranda Richardson as demon Shax, Maggie Service as Maggie, and Nina Sosanya as Nina, with new faces joining the misfits in Heaven and Hell: Liz Carr as angel Saraqael, Quelin Sepulveda as angel Muriel, and Shelley Conn as demon Beelzebub.

Neil Gaiman continues as executive producer and co-showrunner along with executive producer Douglas Mackinnon, who also returned to direct all six episodes. Rob Wilkins of Narrativia, representing Terry Pratchett’s estate, John Finnemore, and BBC Studios Productions’ head of comedy Josh Cole also executive produce, with Finnemore serving as co-writer alongside Gaiman. Good Omens is based on the well-loved and internationally best-selling novel by Pratchett and Gaiman. The new season is produced by Amazon Studios, BBC Studios Productions, The Blank Corporation, and Narrativia.

ALL THE EPIZODES WILL BE RELEASED AT ONCE!!! 🥰🥳 WAHOO!

[princesssarisa]

"Faerie Tale Theatre" Posthumous Reunion: The Stars' Final Resting Places

Some people might think I'm obsessed with death. A minor hobby of mine is to research celebrities' final resting places, via the website Find a Grave and the YouTube channel Hollywood Graveyard. And I like perusing themed guides to famous graves. For example, Hollywood Graveyard's videos themed to Christmas, Halloween, the cast and crew of The Wizard of Oz, cast and crew members of The Twilight Zone, etc., or Find A Grave's "Posthumous Reunion" pages for famous movie and TV show casts, sports teams, etc.

I decided to create a similar guide for the cast of Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. Sadly, all too many stars of that cult classic series are no longer with us. Here's a guide (with links to Find a Grave pages) to the various places where those stars are buried, in case anyone here might like to visit a few someday.

@ariel-seagull-wings, @thealmightyemprex

Aughaval Cemetery – Westport, Ireland

*Joseph Maher (Narrator, Cinderella/Sultan, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp)

Blue Grass Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum – Nicholasville, Kentucky, USA

*Harry Dean Stanton (Rip van Winkle, Rip van Winkle)

Eternal Hills Memorial Park – Oceanside, California, USA

*Karen Black (The Sea Witch, The Little Mermaid)

Fairview Cemetery – Linden, Michigan, USA

*Max Wright (Prince Heinrick, The Dancing Princesses)

Fir Grove Cemetery – Ada, Oregon, USA

*Bridgette Andersen (Gretel, Hansel and Gretel)

Forest Cemetery – Circleville, Ohio, USA

*Conchata Ferrell (Mother, Thumbelina)

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Carrie Fisher (Thumbelina, Thumbelina)

*Fred Willard (Paul Pig, The Three Little Pigs)

*Brock Peters (The Ogre, Puss in Boots)

*Pat McCormick (King Fredrico, The Princess and the Pea)

Genola Rural Cemetery – Los Angeles, California, USA

John P. Ryan (Hendrick Hudson, Rip Van Winkle)

Green Hill Cemetery – Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA

*James Noble (King Rupert, Cinderella)

Hillside Memorial Park – Culver City, California, USA

*Leonard Nimoy (The Evil Magician, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp)

*Dick Shawn (The Emperor, The Emperor’s New Clothes)

Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Paul Reubens (Pinocchio, Pinocchio)

Holy Cross Cemetery – Culver City, California, USA

*Chris Penn (Will Tussenbrook, Rip Van Winkle)

Lake Lawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum – New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

*Severn Darden (Farmer Silas, The Princess Who Had Never Laughed)

Lincoln Cemetery – Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, USA

*Jean Stapleton (The Giantess, Jack and the Beanstalk/The Fairy Godmother, Cinderella)

Mount Shasta Memorial Park – Mount Shasta, California, USA

*Brandis Kemp (Mama Bear, Goldilocks and the Three Bears/voice of Nadine Wolf, The Three Little Pigs)

Mount Sinai Memorial Park – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Frances Bay (Granny, Little Red Riding Hood)

*Georgia Brown (Maggie, The Emperor’s New Clothes)

Mountain View Cemetery – Oakland, California, USA

*Jack Fletcher (The Wizard, Rumpelstiltskin)

Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery – Hillside, Illinois, USA

*George Kirby (The King, Puss in Boots)

Polizzi Generosa Cemetery – Palermo, Sicily, Italy

*Vincent Sciavelli (The Priest, Pinocchio)

Riverside Cemetery – Old Saybrook, Connecticut, USA

*Art Carney (Morty, The Emperor’s New Clothes)

Riverview Cemetery – Hamilton, Montana, USA

*Hoyt Axton (The Ranger, Goldilocks and the Three Bears)

Rose Hills Memorial Park – Whittier, California, USA

*Keye Luke (Imperial Doctor, The Nightingale)

Saint Charles Cemetery – East Farmingdale, New York, USA

*Ray Sharkey (Grand Vizier, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp)

Saint Peter Churchyard – Blackland, Wiltshire, England

*David Hemmings (Narrator, Thumbelina/The Reindeer, The Snow Queen)

Saint Voldoldymyr Ukrainian Cemetery – Oakville, Ontario, Canada

*Gregory Hines (Edgar, Puss in Boots)

Valley Oaks Memorial Park – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Stephen Furst (Peter Pig, The Three Little Pigs)

Westwood Village Memorial Park – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Eve Arden (The Stepmother, Cinderella)

*James Coburn (The G**sy, Pinocchio)

*Doris Roberts (Mother Pig, The Three Little Pigs)

*Tim Conway (The Mayoral Candidate, Rip Van Winkle)

*Frank Zappa (Attila, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Lu Leonard (Mrs. Toad, Thumbelina)

*Gena Rowlands (The Witch, Rapunzel)

William Henry Lee Memorial Cemetery – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Beatrice Straight (Queen Veronica, The Princess and the Pea)

Cremated, Ashes Held Privately or Scattered

*Shelley Duvall (series creator and hostess/The Miller's Daughter, Rumpelstiltskin/Rapunzel, Rapunzel/voice of the Nightingale, The Nightingale/Snow White's Mother, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

*Robin Williams (Prince Robin, The Tale of the Frog Prince)

*Hervé Villechaize (Rumpelstiltskin, Rumpelstiltskin)

*Christopher Reeve (The Prince, Sleeping Beauty)

*Treat Williams (Prince Andrew, The Little Mermaid)

*Brian Dennehy (King Neptune, The Little Mermaid)

*Klaus Kinski (The Beast, Beauty and the Beast)

*Roddy McDowell (Narrator, Rapunzel)

*Christopher Lee (King Vladimir, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Dana Hill (Princess Amanda, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Vincent Price (The Magic Mirror, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs/Narrator, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*David Warner (The Innkeeper, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Jeff Corey (Father, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Jack Riley (Sexton, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Ned Beatty (The King, Rumpelstiltskin)

*Roy Dotrice (Peter Vanderdonk, Rip Van Winkle/The King, The Dancing Princesses)

*Zelda Rubinstein (Old Woman, The Dancing Princesses)

*Burgess Meredith (Mr. Mole, Thumbelina)

*Lee Remick (The Snow Queen, The Snow Queen)

*Lance Kerwin (Kai, The Snow Queen)

*Linda Manz (The Robber Girl, The Snow Queen)

*René Auberjonois (King Ulrich, The Tale of the Frog Prince/King Boris, Sleeping Beauty)

*Sally Kellerman (Queen Natasha, Sleeping Beauty)

*Barrie Ingham (Finance Minister, The Emperor’s New Clothes/Tutor, The Princess Who Had Never Laughed)

*Richard Libertini (King Murray, Sleeping Beauty)

*Alex Karras (Papa Bear, Goldilocks and the Three Bears)

*Katherine Helmond (Jack’s Mother, Jack and the Beanstalk)

*John Vernon (Father, Little Red Riding Hood)

*Mako (Gardener/Minister, The Nightingale)

*Billy Curtis (Barnaby, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

*Rae Allen (Aladdin’s Mother, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp)

*Howard Hesseman (The King, The Princess Who Had Never Laughed)

*Jackie Vernon (Phlegmatic Jack, The Princess Who Had Never Laughed)

*Albert Hague (Nicholas Vedder, Rip Van Winkle)

*James Earl Jones (Genies of the Lamp and the Ring, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp)

Donated to Medical Science

*Ian Abercrombie (The Royal Cobbler, The Dancing Princesses)

Unknown (Not Publicly Revealed or No Information Online)

*Carl Reiner (Geppetto, Pinocchio)

*Alan Arkin (Bo, The Emperor’s New Clothes)

*Peter Risch (Bruno, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs/Herald, Puss in Boots)

*Lou Carry (Bertram, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

*Stephen Elliott (Father, Beauty and the Beast)

[kalamatagreen]

Hisashiburi

I was listening to a podcast called "You Do You," a Japanese language podcast that features two best friends, one in Australia. The one in Australia mentioned that she had revisited her old blog posts and was quite impressed with what she had written, and that the last one was in 2017! Much the same with me. I just logged on here to see that my last post had been in October-ish 2017. I had written about the wrap party in Santa Rosa for the WWE2K video games.

I don't think I'm ready to make this private, but it's a big deal to be sitting at my desk at all typing out my life. Some folks are smoking cigs outside and apparently celebrating a 21st birthday and it is really grinding my gears with this period-induced headache I've been nursing.

The Australian in the Japanese podcast said she had been ruminating on the quote, "If you think that sunshine brings you happiness, then you haven't danced in the rain." The quote hit her differently when she first blogged about it, thinking simply that it was a nod to having a shift in perspective to think more positively. But after experiencing more tragedy and loss and such, she's realized the deeper meaning of being able to find joy and meaning even within sad moments or pain or a state of tragedy.

Today, I asked my 6th period Japanese Language Arts 6th grade class what they had done during Thanksgiving. One student Enzo had gone to Austin and Houston, visiting his dad's cousin's family, as well as NASA headquarters. I immediately thought of my dad visiting NASA headquarters for his work but didn't mention that, just asked if Enzo had any family working for NASA, which he didn't. I did say that I'd also been to Austin over the Thanksgiving break. What a coincidence and small world. Enzo cracks me up because he talks in a stream-of-consciousness way in both his speaking up in class and his storyboards. I know his style of writing now.

At the AirBNB in Austin, there was a book in my bedroom titled "Write your novel in a month." I combed through it a bit. I believe the target was to get down on paper 50,000 words. I guess that's 500 times as much as 500 words, which is one to three pages? Doesn't sound insane. I think about all of the characters I've come across in my life, from my elementary, secondary school days, college life, JET Program life, Monterey Institute torture, 2K Games adventures, Tonko House stint, freelance and freeloading days back at my dad's, and now working as a full-time Japanese language teacher at Culver City Middle School in the immersion program! What are the odds??

I watched "The Gospel of John" on youtube for the second night in a row, and my roommate Jaspreet caught me watching it as I sat in my workout clothes (burgundy ribbed tank top and black pants). I felt a little self-conscious about it so I watched a few more minutes and then switched over to "Komi Can't Communicate," watching the last few minutes of the first episode. So you can see that I don't watch TV for extended periods of time, not since moving to this branch of Category/Common - Matteson, where I have two male roommates in their 20s, versus the rotating band of adventurers at Centinela, except for Terri who stayed firm through to the end, although she had moved in a couple of months after me originally. At Centinela, I had faithful TV-watching buddies in Terri and Ariel.

Lord, I find it hard to orient myself. The kids were singing "Country Roads," the English version, along to the Japanese version that I was showing them through an EdPuzzle. My favorite Ghibli movie of all time, though I usually publicly say it's "Princess Mononoke," is actually "Whisper of the Heart" - "Mimi wo Sumaseba." The theme song in that is "Country Roads," sung by the lead character and accompanied by her boyfriend on violin and his grandpa's string quartet. I found it so charming that the 6th graders knew "Country Roads." I asked them how they knew it, and they said they simply just did, because it's a song that people know, and that it's a classic. That means so much in this age where shared culture has been fragmented by the internet.

I was thinking that I've had the privilege to re-live my adolescence every half generation or so. I re-lived it once in Fukuyama, Japan, as I taught 5th- 9th graders as an assistant language on the JET Program, and now I'm re-living it in a more removed, reluctant way... I pretend I'm so much more experienced and wise than the kiddos, but really my most vulnerable experience happened in 8th grade, and that was losing my mom.

"Mimi wo Sumaseba" was a Studio Ghibli VHS tape that was part of a collection that Masayuki Ojisan, my mom's younger brother gave to us on our summer trip to Japan, probably between 5th and 6th grade. I remember watching that video tape and feeling so connected to the story - a young girl coming of age and falling in love and trying to find her gift of writing, and being inspired by the boy who made violins, and them performing "Country Roads" together and her following a random fat cat on a train and through town, and how charming it all was. I showed this to my Japanese classes last year, and my Japanese 1 class in particular seemed similarly charmed by it.

[captainderyn]

Get To Know Me

Tagged by @tiredassmage, @elveny, and @anchanted-one thank you <3

--

Share Your Wallpaper:

My current laptop background is the art of Ryn I commissioned from @sbeep

And my current phone lock screen is this really cool piece of the Normandy:

I won't share my home screen but its a picture of my partner and one of our cats <3

Last Song Listened To: It was either Bite Me by Avril Lavigne or Tantrum by Charlotte Sands, can't remember lol.

Last Movie: I thiiink it was John Wick 3? We've been watching the John Wick movies after my partner learned I'd never seen them.

Craving: More sleep. I don't need more sleep but I really want more sleep. Also been really wanting some pickles/salty stuff the last few days.

What are you wearing rn? PJs/lounge clothes still! Flannel pj pants, black sweatshirt, and fluffy white blanket.

How tall are you? 5'6!

Piercings: I have my ears pierced, which only happened over the summer lol. I'd love to maybe get another piercing in each ear but don't feel inclined enough to go do it yet.

Tattoos: I have one! It's on my inner left bicep and its Mt Washington/the presidential range of the White Mountains with the Orion constellation above the peak. It's got some personal meaning to it but also just liked the way it looked. In theory I want at least one more tattoo, I want to shards of Narsil somewhere on my body but I can't decide where (Well, it makes most sense in my brain to get it on my inner forearm but I don't know if I want it there).

Glasses/contacts: Neither!

Last Drink: Technically water but I'm going to go make myself some earl grey tea with a splash of coffee (its really good, saw it on MorganDrinksCoffee's youtube channel).

Last Show: Uhh...I think it was an episode of The Circle on Netflix over dinner Sunday night because it was a stressful weekend and we just needed something super chill and ridiculous to watch.

Last thing you ate: I got dinner at Culvers last night because I wanted a salted caramel milkshake lol. And their cheese curds (Thank you midwest/south for introducing me to Culvers)

Favorite Color: Kinda swings around between a deep plum purple and a burgundy color.

Current Obsession: Still teetering on the obsession edge of Cyberpunk 2077, though its not got as much of a choke hold on me as it has the last like...two months. Elden Ring is lurking in the background menacingly.

Unrelated Obsession: The Exiled Fleet series by JS Dewes has taken root once again because her new book Rubicon comes out today. So I've been consuming a lot of recorded interviews/con panels/ect in anticipation.

Any Pets: In this household: one menace tuxedo cat pulled from a dumpster in Texas (Blasto) and my poor cinnamon roll of an orange maine coon mix (Atlas).

Honorary mention is Zeke, the 120lbs golden german shepard mix that was a stray down here last summer and I fell in absolute love with but couldn't feasibly adopt, who now lives with my parents up in New England lol.

Do you have a crush on anyone? My partner :P Also fictional characters/OCs

Favorite Fictional Character: HMM way too many to count tbh. Aragorn is probably the longest running fictional character because hooo boy. Can I say female V from Cyberpunk? I think the voice acting for her was done phenomenally. But if I had to choose from not toeing the OC line, probably Adequin Rake from the Last Watch (Js Dewes).

Last Place Traveled: Not counting the city for work or like...~moving~ out here probably to the other side of Kentucky to visit in-laws before I moved out of state. Or maybe back home to NH over the summer? Depends on technicalities of "travel" lol.

Tagging: @greyias annnd....anyone else who sees this and is inclined to do it!

[fightforthesoulofthecities]

Join Strategy & Soul Theater At the Pan African Film & Arts Festival on February 11th for a film showing of Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Join Strategy & Soul Theater At the Pan African Film & Arts Festival on February 11th for a film showing of Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat directed by Johan Grimonprez

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1738882125809{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”] Join Strategy & Soul Theater at the Pan African Film & Arts Festival Film showing of Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat Directed by Johan Grimonprez February 11th 2025 @ 8:30pm The Culver Theater – Auditorium #6     |     9500 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA…

[biographygen]

Kiernan Shipka Biography, Height, Age, Family, Boyfriend, Net Worth and Career

Kiernan Shipka is a popular American actress who is best known for her role as Sally Draper in the AMC drama series Mad Men. On November 10, 1999, Kiernan was born in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Erin Ann Brennan and John Young Shipka are her parents. Her dad is a developer of real estate. Nothing further is known about her siblings. Shipka eventually completed the online courses at Laurel Springs School and earned his degree. She took ballroom dancing lessons as well. Kiernan began performing at the age of 5 months. In the medical drama series ER, she made an appearance. At an early age, she also performed some modeling.

Who is Kiernan Shipka?

Kiernan is a well-known voice actor and a young, gifted American actress. Her most well-known roles are those of Sabrina Spellman in the Netflix fantasy series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018–2020) and the sixth season of The CW series Riverdale (2021–2022), and Sally Draper in the AMC drama series Mad Men (2007–2015).

Kiernan Shipka Wiki

Real NameKiernan Brennan ShipkaNick Name Kiernan ShipkaNationalityAmericanProfession Model,  Actress,  Voice Artist, Years active2006–presentBirth PlaceChicago, Illinois, United StatesDate of Birth10 November 1999Age25 Years Old Heightin Feet Inches- 5’ 6”in centimeters: 168 cmin meters: 1.68 mWeight54 Kgs (119 lbs)Zodiac signScorpioMarital statusUnmarriedBoyfriendCharlie John Oldman (2019)Christian Coppola (current)John Mayer (rumored)Home TownLos Angeles, California, United StatesTV Show DebutMonk (2006)Film DebutDimension (2007)School NameLaurel Springs School (Online Classes)University NameN/AEducationHigh School GraduateEye ColorHazelHair ColorBlondeSkin ToneFairFigureHourglassBody measurement33-23-33BuildSlimShoe Size6 (US)Dress Size2 (US) or 34 (EU)ReligionChristianityEthnicity WhiteFather’s NameJohn Young Shipka Mother’s NameErin Ann BrennanSister’s NameAddisonNet WorthUS $4 MillionCurrently lives in8501, Washington Blvd, Culver City, California, United StatesCar CollectionMercedes-Benz S-ClassAudi Q7Range RoverLexus LXBMW 5-SeriesFavorite colorBlack, PinkFavorite foodPastrami SandwichHobbiesDancing, Singing, Cooking Kiernan Shipka Age Kiernan Shipka is 25 years old, was born on November 10, 1999, and her horoscope. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, and her nationality is American. Kiernan Shipka Height, Weight and Body Statistics and Measurements

Kiernan Shipka physique is flawless, and her breasts are nicely shaped. The stunning actress stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 54 kg. Her physical dimensions are 33-23-33 in, with a waist size of 23 inches and a hip size of 33 inches. The bra cup size that she wears is 33A. She follows a rigorous diet and training regimen to keep her attractive physique in good condition. She has dark eyes, blonde hair, an hourglass body shape, a slim build, and a dress size of 2 (US). Her shoe and foot sizes are 6 (US). Her nationality is American, her ethnicity is White, her religion is Christian, and her sun sign is Scorpio. Kiernan Shipka Early Life Shipka was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 10, 1999. Erin Ann Brennan is her mother, and John Young Shipka, a real estate entrepreneur, is her father. From an early age, Shipka developed an interest in entertainment and the arts. At age five, she started attending ballroom dancing courses. Although she had previously been in numerous print ads, commercials, and television shows as a baby, her family opted to move to Los Angeles, California, when she was six years old so that she could pursue a career in acting. Kiernan Shipka Personal Life

In 2019, Shipka was seen having dinner with Charlie Oldman, which led to rumors that the two were dating. By 2020, though, she was associated with Christian Coppola. Shipka has shared photos of herself with him along with remarks that imply they are dating, and the two have been spotted together at a number of high-profile events.

Kiernan Shipka Education

Shipka was a bright youngster who was constantly aware of her creative potential. She was raised and educated in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. At an early age, Kiernan began studying professionally as a dancer and actor while still attending school. She was unable to attend regular school because of her hectic schedule. She went to Laurel Springs School, an online school, at a young age. At the age of five, she began taking ballroom dance lessons. She has been gifted since she was a young child; she is proficient in martial arts and plays the piano. In order to assist Kiernan's acting aspirations, her parents relocated to Los Angeles when she was six years old.

Kiernan Shipka Family and Relationship

Park was born to two devoted parents and a sweet sister in a cozy Chicago house. John Young Shipka is her father, and he works as a real estate developer. Erin Ann Brennan is her mother, and she is a homemaker. Shipka's family moved to Los Angeles when she was six years old so she could pursue her acting career. In addition, she has a younger sister, Addison, who is also a beautiful actress. Regarding her romantic life, this stunning woman began dating Charlie John Oldman in 2019. She began dating Christian Coppola after this relationship ended. Kiernan Shipka Boyfriend The stunning actress does not currently have a partner. She is currently concentrating on her career. She has not publicly acknowledged her relationship with Kierman, despite rumors that she was in a relationship with him. Christian Coppola, Charlie Oldman, Gavin Leatherwood, and Ross Lynch are all close friends of hers.

Kiernan Shipka Fact About

- In her own time, Kiernan likes to experiment with various musical genres and is an enthusiastic vinyl record collector. - She is an accomplished calligrapher who frequently uses her craft as a calming pastime. - As a devoted yogi, Kiernan uses yoga as part of her daily regimen to maintain her attention and sense of groundedness. - She regularly supports eco-friendly clothing products on her social media platforms since she is passionate about sustainable fashion. - A gifted baker,Shipka enjoys trying out new recipes in the kitchen and frequently shares her creations with loved ones. - She was five years old, she started taking ballroom dance lessons. - Actress Grace Kelly is an inspiration to her. - She is a black belt in taekwondo, a Korean martial art. - She was listed as one of the "16 Most Influential Teens of 2013" by TIME magazine. She was even listed as one of "The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014" by TIME magazine. - It wears her out and eventually puts her to sleep, she prefers to read at night. https://youtu.be/Zg6_3xKfF6g?si=fZxu65vjWgZnIkzN Kiernan Hobbies Kiernan is a charming and affectionate person. She frequently hangs out with her numerous buddies. She spends time with her family because she loves them. She enjoys singing and dancing in her free time to provide enjoyment to her moments. Cooking, traveling, and playing golf are some of her favorite activities.

Kiernan Shipka Career

Kiernan Shipka made her television debut at 5 months of age on the hospital drama ER. She was a baby, she also started posing for commercial prints. Her first significant job was in the 2007–2015 TV series Mad Men, where she played Sally Draper, the daughter of the main character Don Draper, after taking on a number of lesser roles. After two tryouts, she was cast. For the first three seasons of the show, she appeared as a recurring guest star; in season four, she was promoted to series regular. Time magazine named Shipka one of "The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014." She was listed as one of the "20 Actors To Watch That Are Under 20" by IndieWire in the same year. Shipka costarred opposite Emma Roberts in the 2015 Oz Perkins horror film The Blackcoat's Daughter and appeared in the 2014 Lifetime film Flowers in the Attic. She played Bette Davis's daughter, B.D. Hyman, in the 2017 season of Feud: Bette and Joan on FX. Shipka's role as Sabrina Spellman in Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina series, which is based on the comic series of the same name, was revealed in January 2018. Netflix broadcast the first installment on October 26, 2018, followed by an episode in December of the same year. The series proceeded for three more seasons before ending on December 31, 2020, with 36 episodes in all. On December 7, 2021, Shipka will return to the character in Riverdale's sixth season episode, "Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Witching Hour(s)". Kiernan TV Series & Films

Kiernan Shipka made her on-screen debut in the medical drama "ER" at the tender age of five months. She had previously modeled for commercial prints. She didn't, however, formally make her acting debut until 2006, when she appeared in an episode of the detective series "Monk." She also starred in the television film "The Angriest Man in Suburbia" that year. She has since built a successful career for herself in the field. In the movie Dimension, she played Molly in her debut motion picture role. - Mad Men (2007 — 2015) as Sally Draper - Carriers (2009) as Jodie - Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010) as Little Girl - Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 (2012) as herself - The Legend of Korra (2012 – 2014) as Jinora (voice) - Sofia the First (2013 – 2018) as Oona (voice) - Flowers in the Attic (2014) as Cathy Dollanganger - When Marnie Was There (2014; English dub) as Marnie - Avengers Academy (2016) as Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman (voice) - Feud: Betty & Joan (2017) as B. D. Hyman - Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018 — 2020) as Sabrina Spellman - Riverdale (2021) - Let It Snow (2019) as The Duke (Angie) https://youtu.be/Hht1WOPXQXI?si=QMaFiIcxt71sKWkc Breakthrough Role in Mad Men We then take a close look at Kiernan Shipka, who plays Sally Draper, the daughter of the main character Don Draper, in the critically acclaimed television series "Upset Men." Shipka received a lot of praise for her portrayal of Sally Draper, a knowledgeable and independent young woman growing up in the 1960s, and established herself as a talented young actress. If they so want, one can wonder how Shipka's pivotal performance in "Upset Men" actually paved the way for her subsequent parts. The conclusion of this entire article is that Shipka's portrayal of Sally Draper in "Upset Men" was really impressive. Her acting was incredibly mature for her age, as is readily apparent. Despite her seeming quietness, you can tell she's acting like she's feeling a lot. Her heroine in the play had to deal with the tumultuous marriage of her parents and the expectations placed on girls at the time. The way she depicted Sally growing stronger captivated both viewers and reviewers. Television - Monk (2006) - Heroes (2007) - Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2007) - Cory in the House (2007) - MADtv (2007) - Squeaky Clean (2008) - The Angriest Man in Suburbia (2009) - Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 (2012) - Mad Men (2007-2015) - The Legend of Korra (2014) - Feud: Bette and Joan (2017) - Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-2020) - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2019) - Riverdale (2021) - Swimming with Sharks (2022) - White House Plumbers (2023) Film and Other Television Projects

Following her success in "Upset Men," Kiernan demonstrated to the world the breadth and depth of her acting abilities by landing roles in a variety of films and television series. You might find it hard to believe that she could go from one success to another, but it's clear that her talent and diligence allowed her to play a variety of roles, which increased her notoriety and esteem. Shipka featured in the horror movie "February," which was directed by Oz Perkins, in 2015. She received praise from critics for her portrayal of a disturbed young girl attending a Catholic boarding school because of her capacity to show vulnerability and nuanced emotions. Shipka performance proved that she could perform well in roles that were emotionally and physically taxing. Awards & Nominations - 2010Actor-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: winner - 2009Actor-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: winner - 2009Young Artist Award-Best Performance in a TV Series - Recurring Young Actress: nominated - 2010Young Artist Award-Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress: nominated - 2011Actor-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: nominated - 2011Young Artist Award-Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress Ten and Under: nominated - 2011Young Artist Award-Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Supporting Young Actress: nominated - 2012Young Artist Award-Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special - Leading Young Actress: nominated - 2013Actor-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: nominated - 2013Young Artist Award-Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role - Television - Young Actress: nominated - 2013Lucy Award-: winner - 2013Young Artist Award-Best Performance in a TV Series - Recurring Young Actress: winner - 2014OFTA Television Award-Best Voice-Over Performance: nominated - 2014OFTA Television Award-Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: nominated - 2014OFTA Television Award-Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries: nominated - 2010OFTA Television Award-Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series: nominated - 2013BTVA People's Choice Voice Acting Award-Best Vocal Ensemble in a New Television Series: winner - 2013BTVA Television Voice Acting Award-Best Vocal Ensemble in a New Television Series: winner - 2016Actor-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: nominated - 2010Gold Derby TV Award-Ensemble of the Year: nominated - 2015Gold Derby TV Award-Drama Guest Actress: nominated - 2016BTVA Anime Dub Movie/Special Voice Acting Award-Best Vocal Ensemble in an Anime Feature Film/Special: nominated - 2016BTVA Anime Dub Movie/Special Voice Acting Award-Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in an Anime Feature Film/Special: nominated - 2013Young Artist Award-Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actress 11-13: nominated - 2019MTV Movie + TV Award-Best Performance in a Show: nominated - 2019Teen Choice Award-Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi: nominated - 2019Saturn Award-Best Actress in Streaming Presentation: nominated - 2015INOCA TV-Best Guest Actress in a Drama or Comedy Series: winner - 2014INOCA TV-Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: nominated - 2012INOCA TV-Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: nominated - 2011INOCA TV-Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: nominated - 2010INOCA TV-Best Guest Actress in a Drama or Comedy Series: winner

Kiernan Shipka Net Worth

Kiernan Shipka is an American actress who has a net worth of $4 million. Kiernan was a newborn, her career in entertainment began. Before her family relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles to further her acting career, she began to appear in print ads. As a little child, Shipka appeared on TV for the first time in a few episodes of "Monk" in 2006. She also starred in the television shows "Dimension," The Angriest Man in Suburbia, "Cory in the House," "MADtv," Heroes, and Jimmy Kimmel Live before securing the role of Sally Draper on the popular television show "Mad Men." Of Mad Men's 92 episodes, Kiernan made an appearance in 89 of them. Future Projects and Continued Rise to Stardom

Reviewers and spectators alike have been forced to pay attention by Shipka's amazing acting abilities and ability to captivate the audience. She is rapidly emerging as one of Hollywood's biggest young stars as a result. She has a promising future in the entertainment industry, As seen by the increasing number of projects she is working on and the fact that her fame is only growing. If they so want, one can wonder how Kiernan journey is just beginning and where it will lead her. Shipka will play Sabrina Spellman in the Netflix series "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," which is a huge role for her. This show, which is based on a comic book that a large percentage of people adore, is all about growing up and is grim. Further more, as you and I can see, this will highlight Shipka's acting prowess and further solidify her status as a celebrity. Social Media Account

In addition to her acting profession, Shipka is well-known on a variety of social media sites, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Kiernan's clips and eye-catching photos are abundant on her official Instagram feed. Her account contains 565 posts. She has 7.4M followers on Instagram. She has 233.4 K followers on Twitter, where she is also accessible. On Facebook, she has 942 K followers. Read the full article

[lokalokas]

October 7, 1966, Man From U.N.C.L.E television show. The episode was entitled, "The Pop Art Affair". It was aired October 21, 1966. This photo is from a scene with stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum where I play a tied up hippie chick too stoned to give them a clue ...or get one. — with Lynn Carey, Robert Vaughn and David McCallum at MGM Studios, Culver City, CA.

[los--angeles-ca-first]

Living in Los Angeles, CA

There are plenty of good reasons to live in Los Angeles, California. First of all, the weather is usually nice and sunny, which is excellent for people who like to be outside. Los Angeles is also known for its many different kinds of culture; it's diverse. Then, Los Angeles offers world-class restaurants and fun nightlife and amazing co-living spaces. Also, LA is home to many big companies and businesses, making it a great place to work. You can find the job you've ever wanted and get a high-paying job for your talents. There are many things to look into here, whether you're interested in culture, technology, or something else. LA has everything to offer. So it's never a losing end if you pick Los Angeles as your home. 

West Adams Co-Living

if you're looking for West Adams co-living, you can find the best homes in Co/Relate in West Adams. Co-living lets you have your own bed place without paying the price of a studio or entire apartment. So you can rent by the bed, and only have to pay for your own lease and never have to worry about your roommate's rent. In addition to your fully furnished space, they offer all-inclusive services, co-working places with amenities, events for residents, and more! At Co/Relate, their goal is to build community, connect the residents with new people, help them make lasting friendships, and create a place where people can work and live! I like this setup because you can economize with your home expenses while getting all the amenities and enjoying the facilities. This is perfect if you want a co-living setup without worrying so much about your monthly home rent. For inquiries, call (213) 328-5969. 

Best Co-Living Homes in Los Angeles

The best co-living homes in Los Angeles are found at Co/Relate. Co/Relate is the newest way to live with other people in Los Angeles. Enjoy amenities like a high-end exercise center, pool, co-working lounge, rooftop deck, and more. It's just a few minutes from the Culver City Arts District, where you can find your own paradise. This co-living space also has co-working and study places to do your work alone or with others. With co-living places, you get a sense of community and make it easy to get to the things you need. To make your time at Co/Relate even easier, they offer fully furnished, all-inclusive units, storage choices, and a monthly cleaning service. This way, you can cross one thing off your list of things to do! They also have several monthly events for residents, so you can meet your neighbors, make new friends, and get to know the people around you better. Community is what co-living is. Co-living is a way to meet. Co-living is the same as Co/Relate. For inquiries, call (213) 328-5969. 

Universal Studios Hollywood

The famous theme park Universal Studios Hollywood has rides and attractions based on well-known movies and TV shows. Here are a few things you can do at Universal Studios Hollywood: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: This part of the park is based on the famous Harry Potter books and movies. You can explore Hogwarts Castle, ride the Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster, and enjoy the exciting Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. Also, visit the Studio Walk. This guided walk lets you see the real sets, props, and costumes from many popular movies and TV shows. Then, Jurassic World. The Ride is a thrilling water ride that takes you through Jurassic Park and Jurassic World worlds. It has lifelike monsters and exciting special effects. Aside from all these, you can explore other rides which will make your world turn. 

Amazon Driver Pilfers Check: Video Shows

We're used to seeing porch pirates steal packages on videos, but it's usually not your Amazon driver who does the stealing. But now, a family says an Amazon driver stole a check from their porch after making a delivery. The family says he put the check in the bank and got cash from an ATM. All of it was caught on video by their doorbell camera. The family says the check was left on the door for a family member's employee to pick up. Based on the video, the man filled out some delivery information on his phone while standing on the porch. He then kicks an envelope off the porch again before picking it up off the ground and running down the road. They told Amazon about the driver and are still waiting to fill out a police report until they hear more from Amazon. The driver came to deliver her son a $10 box of crayons, but he left with a nice check. Shina said she got the money back and gave it to her helper, which is good. Read more. 

Link to maps

Universal Studios Hollywood 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608, United States Get on US-101 S in Los Angeles 3 min (0.4 mi) Continue on US-101 S. Take I-10 W to Washington Blvd. Take exit 7B from I-10 W 22 min (15.5 mi) Continue on Washington Blvd. Drive to Hauser Blvd 2 min (0.8 mi) Co/Relate West Adams 2405 Hauser Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016, United States

[shananys]

Hard to pick favorites but… just look at the magnificent, narrative pattern riot in “The Unexpected Visitor” by Jean-Guerly Petion at 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel’s booth at Spring/Break Art Show! 🔲🔳🐍💐 ♥️ @springbreakartshow @532gallery_thomasjaeckel (at Culver City) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co3EWrNPlWg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[longlistshort]

Blum & Poe in Los Angeles is currently showing two very different exhibitions. In the main gallery is a selected survey of work by Harvey Quaytman spanning three decades.

From the press release-

Harvey Quaytman (b. 1937, Rockaway, NY; d. 2002, New York, NY) came of age in the downtown art scene of 1960s New York, living and working in SoHo studios first on Grand Street and later at 231 Bowery, where he would remain through the late ’90s. Long considered an artist’s artist, the painter enjoyed a close-knit and vibrant artistic and social milieu, over the years sharing studio addresses with Brice Marden, Ron Gorchov, and James Rosenquist, among others. Quaytman’s emerging career as a young painter began in the heyday of Ab Ex with a marked allegiance to Gorky and de Kooning. This approach was slowly shed as the decade unfolded, as his work began to lean towards sculpture—compositions with curvilinear shaped canvases and rectilinear U-shaped bases that inhabited a newfound objecthood. This was followed by a forty-year engagement with geometric abstraction, his approach to painting in contradistinction to the prevailing trends of the era—first with Pop Art and later Neo Expressionism. Despite painting being declared “dead” by Minimalist and Conceptual artists of the time, Quaytman maintained a commitment to the medium and to his vision throughout, helping to shape an alternate trajectory for American painting.

The artist’s work in the ‘70s developed into shield-like forms that balance on curved platforms, conjuring a motion that would result in a critic calling them “rocking rectangles”—the body of work later known simply as “rocker” paintings. These eccentrically shaped works were hand-crafted (he would steam and bend the wooden stretchers himself), and inherently related to movement—inspired by Islamic calligraphy, rocking chairs, and the flight patterns of airplanes and birds. His experiments with shape continued in the late ‘70s, and through the manipulation of geometric intersections and overlapping forms that all the while imply motion, a unique group of paintings resembling anchors or pendulums emerged. In the 1980s, Quaytman began his cruciform paintings, investigations of the cross shape not as emblem but as two meeting vectors; Constructivist, perpendicular geometric compositions that focused on the reduced palette of black, white, red, rusted iron, and metallic gold. While these paintings represented a stark departure from his previous work, Quaytman continued to pursue visual movement as he conjured an interplay of symmetry and asymmetry.

Many of the works become even more intriguing up close.  His use of different materials to achieve varying tones and textures makes them come alive.

The press release discusses a bit about his process in creating them-

As his paintings evolved in form and shape, variously touching upon Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Process Art, and Constructivism, Quaytman simultaneously developed a rigorous practice of experimentation with pigment. He was interested in the history, alchemy, and chromatic effects of color, seeking out unique tonalities at specialty stores at home and abroad, becoming a master of color and texture. He skillfully poured paint, spreading Rhoplex over canvas with broad wallpaper brushes after dusting it with pure pigment that settled in thick, unpredictable strata. He later flecked canvas with glass or iron filings and used additives such as marble dust in paint he always mixed himself. On this subject, he said: “It is very important to me to be reminded that I am not an alchemist but a man engaged in coded, layered conversation with my fellow man on what I hope to be (on another) level than words or music.”

On the second floor are Matt Johnson’s delightful sculptures whose familiar materials seem to defy gravity as they balance on each other in the compositions.

From the press release–

In an ever-expanding practice in search of the peculiar and the sublime, Johnson elevates the mundane to the exceptional. With a new body of work in carved and polychromed wood sculpture, Johnson depicts configurations of raw industrial materials from cinder block, brick, rebar, to traffic cones—permutations of information composed according to gravity, balance, and primitive instinct. A crude horse, a procession of block figures, cantilevered props, and fragile towers make reference to the concept of knowledge with small gestures—a lighter, a match book, a lightbulb, an atlas, and a monograph on Matisse. The doweled joints of glue and/or epoxy between bricks, blocks, and bars exist here not to defy gravity but to freeze balance and preserve delicate moments of experimental groupings. Like a still life, these works are organized information, like subatomic particles, atoms and elements, molecules and compounds, glued by gravity, and magnetic polarity, surfing in a sea of electrical conductivity.

Both of these exhibitions close 1/11/20.

[jolenelaiart]

Here it is, the finished 'Wayland Girl', an oil painting for the '15 Years of Thinkspace' anniversary group show that's currently on display at Thinkspace Projects. All featured works are painted on custom made wood panels sponsored by Trekell Art Supplies

Show runs till Jan 25th, check out all the amazing works if you're in town!

[giantrobotcomedy-blog]

This show is tomorrow. Great lineup, good times, etc. 

We hope to see you there! 

[kalamatagreen]

Making a habit

I started yesterday after 7 years of silence and decided to keep this going. I just looked up "Culver City Middle School Japanese teacher" just to see what would come up, and I do come up first in the search results, followed by a posting for the job that I replied to two years ago! At first I got scared that they were looking for someone to replace me! Ahaha. Sheesh.

Highlights from today...seeing one of my favorite Spanish immersion teachers at the electives department meeting, as the electives teachers are required to administer a Youth Truth survey to their classes to gauge how students are doing, mental health wise, most likely. I'll be administering this Friday, which will be nice since I won't have to fill the class with the usual review activities, and only need to supervise minimally. Teachers sure need that break. I asked that teacher Raul which class was his favorite to teach, and he replied eighth grade because he gets to teach subjects and clauses in detail, and I complimented him for how in detail he went even just teaching grammar to his 6th grade students, when I observed him as part of my new teacher induction program (I'm in the 2nd year of it). He parted ways with me just salivating over how much he likes teaching grammar, "yesss, yesss..." his eyes gleamed. He is a crack-up. He has long hair that he usually wears up, and he is normally wearing a mask.

Another highlight was in my 7th grade Japanese Language Arts class where one of the female students asked if they could teach the class if they came up with a lesson plan. My first gut reaction was annoyance at their being so supremely confident that they could teach the class. So half-sarcastically, I said they could do so, as long as they came up with a lesson plan. There were two of them, and their eyes lit up. "Really? really?" they asked repeatedly. Then sure enough, during the brain break, they came up to me showing me their plan. And to my pleasant surprise, it was a well-thought out plan, bringing together elements that I regularly incorporate into my classes, but putting more of the fun ones together in the same class. They had put in the Marugoto coursebook listening exercises, but adding time to go over it a second time, then Listen and Draw (which is something I do on Fridays as review and never grade, shhh), and Running Dictation (which they called "Run and Write"), where there's a runner who runs to a sentence on the wall, memorizes it, and says it to their partner who writes it down. I was heart-warmed that they paid homage to my activities and had paid enough attention to realize these were regular activities in my classes. I told them that they could do this next Monday and they genuinely seemed excited. These kids are the ones that seem to sometimes not take notes, or are extra chatty, and they did cheerleading last year. I believe one of them still plays soccer now. I had both of their older sisters in my 8th grade class in my first year of teaching.

I am currently baking sweet potato in slices in the oven, and the apartment is filling up with the smell of nutmeg, ginger, and cloves... I did NOT add cinnamon because I sprinkle that every day into my yogurt. <3

Planning on going to my mid-week gathering at the Culver-Palms United Methodist Church. Pastor CJ said he would give the Part 2 of his lesson that he started on Sunday. "Repent and to the things you did at first." He talked about how many Christians have come to think of their relationship with God as transactional, as "under," "over," "from", and "for" God, rather than "with" God. He asked us in closing to consider the "Ephesian"/transactional vs. "love" lens of quiet times, midweeks, pursuit of holiness, spiritual growth, and financial giving in small groups/pairs. Michele talked about how she could improve in her "love" lens of her quiet times, as she can think of it as a checklist item and not put in as much time as she would like. I said that I find quiet times to be fulfilling, but that I could improve in my view of "spiritual growth," whereby sometimes it can turn in an egotistical mission rather than for God. Alieze said that she wanted to make sure that she used what God gifted her with.

[thedaddycomplex]

We showed the boys the Exit Through The Gift Shop documentary last night, then took them to the Banksy Expo in Culver City today to see how art (and dissent) can be a tool for change.

[lumber]

❤️💙💚💛💜🧡♥️ #KayfabeTober Day 3: #Moebius! #JeauxJanovsky #JeauxJanovskyArt #JeauxJ ••• This is yet another one of my #PopCulture/#PopArt cartoon art study exploration of #TodaysSpecial, a #Canadian 🇨🇦🍁 childrens show I loved as a kid and watched religiously! #HocusPocusAlimagocus!!! #Ink, #Markers, #PaintMarkers, and #WaterColors on 6" x 6" #Strathmore #Bristol (#VellumSurface) Artist Tiles. This was borrowed from a shot of #MotherGoose riding her goose with a #Rainbow trailing behind them in the animated opening intro to the show. Only my spin on this piece was to try and ink it close to a Moebius style- and his pterodactyl riding silent warrior character #Arzach. Was it successful? I dunno, but sometimes you just gotta follow those weird late night ideas down their individual rabbit holes. 😁😁😁 #CliveVanderBurgh #TVOntario ••• @cartoonist.kayfabe #CartoonistKayfabe #ArtChallenge #CartoonistKayfabeTober #CartoonistKayfabeTober2022 #KayfaybeTober2022 #JimRugg @jimruggart @ed_piskor #EdPiskor #ReadMoreComics (at Culver City, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjPhfw3u3i7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=