#gumps department store

[recentlyheardcom]

'San Francisco is like a failed state': Joe Rogan hammers the 'next level' crime in the Golden Gate City — which is fast 'becoming a ghost town.' Is he right?Podcaster Joe Rogan has taken a shot at San Francisco, calling out the California city for its “next level” lawlessness and disorder.In conversation with stand-up comedian and actor Gabriel Iglesias on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan said: “San Francisco is like a failed state."Don't missThe two men agreed that crime in the city is “next level.”“No one’s stopping anybody from doing anything,” Rogan added. “It’s crazy how quick San Francisco has [declined]. Everyone’s pulling out of there. Hotels are pulling out. Chains like Walgreens are pulling out.”Businesses have been fleeing downtown San Francisco to the extent that “it’s becoming a ghost town,” according to Iglesias, who added: “And they’re not pumping the breaks on it.”Now, the pair did make these comments from the comfort of Rogan’s podcast studio in Austin, Texas. But is San Francisco as bad as they make it out to be?Retail crimeOne type of crime that has apparently been on the rise in San Francisco is retail crime.In a brazen example, CNN Senior National Correspondent Kyung Lah claimed to witness three thefts in 30 minutes while filming a television report on July 24 at the Walgreens in San Francisco’s Richmond neighborhood. News cameras captured at least one individual walking out of the pharmacy without paying for any items. Many products at the store are kept under lock and key.Read more: Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now use $100 to cash in on prime real estate — without the headache of being a landlord. Here's howStory continuesIn recent months, several retail giants — including Nordstrom, H&M, Marshall's, Gap, Banana Republic, Anthropologie and Office Depot — have announced they’re pulling out of some San Francisco locations. Crime levels were cited as playing a role in some of these decisions.Rising concern over retail crime is not isolated to the Golden Gate City. According to a report from the National Retail Federation, a majority of retailers surveyed between 2020 and 2022 reported annual increases in organized retail crime activity at their stores.To combat the problem, Home Depot CEO Ted Decker announced in June that the home improvement company would be “investing in more security guards” to protect the safety of its employees and customers. This decision sadly followed the deaths of two Home Depot employees during theft incidents.'A ghost town'To call downtown San Francisco a “ghost town” may be a bit of an exaggeration, but there are several factors playing into this perception.When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the city’s tech-heavy workforce embraced remote work and its return to the office has been slow. According to real estate company Savills, San Francisco had one of the lowest office availability rates in the U.S. before the pandemic at 9.5%; however, vacancy is now 30%, a 30-year high.This major drop in in-office workers has contributed to the diminishment of the city’s once-buzzing downtown core. Even hotels are cutting their losses and bidding farewell to the city.John Chachas, the CEO of Gump’s, a 166-year-old department store in San Francisco, recently penned a chilling review of the current state of play.“As we prepare for our 166th holiday season at 250 Post Street, we fear this may be our last,” Chacas wrote in an open letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor London Breed, and the city’s Board of Supervisors, published as a paid advertisement in the San Francisco Chronicle.“San Francisco now suffers from a ‘tyranny of the minority’ — behavior and actions of the few that jeopardize the livelihood of the many.“The ramifications of COVID policies advising people to abandon their offices are only beginning to be understood. Equally devastating have been a litany of destructive San Francisco strategies, including allowing the homeless to occupy our sidewalks, to

openly distribute and use illegal drugs, to harass the public and to defile the city’s streets.”What to read nextThis article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

[joekellyotcglobalholdings]

A 166-Year-Old Luxury Retailer Says This Might Be Its 'Last' Holiday Season Due to the 'Profound Erosion' of San Francisco

A 166-Year-Old Luxury Retailer Says This Might Be Its 'Last' Holiday Season Due to the 'Profound Erosion' of San Francisco https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/166-year-old-store-gumps-holiday-season-may-be-our-last/457564 The owner of San Francisco luxury department store Gumps took out a full-page ad in "The San Francisco Chronicle" to express concern over the city's current state and call on city officials to clean up the streets. via Entrepreneur: Latest Articles https://www.entrepreneur.com/latest August 16, 2023 at 12:56PM

[kusandrabuythismaybe]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Vintage 1990s Designer Rob Turner Teapot for Gump's San Francisco.

[studioahead]

Mark Adams: Northern California Legacy

There is a moment -- when you are alone in the house, and you sit at the kitchen table as the daylight begins to fade and each passing second brings forth a new color with the motion of the shadows--when it seems you have caught light in its private life. This briefness is a type of intimacy. And before you can take a photo, or find the right words so that later you can describe to friends a scene that words cannot describe, the moment is gone, and you are left with a memory already fading into the same darkness that fills the room.

Mark Adams, who died in Noe Valley in 2006, spent the latter half of his career painting this moment. In a series of watercolors from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, he captured the fleeting effects of light on plain objects (a glass of water, a metallic bowl) with vivid expanses of color segmented by a shadow that stretches across the canvas, as if to remind us of the encroaching dark. These quiet, reflective paintings had a public start. In 1948, Adams moved to San Francisco and began designing window displays for Gump's Department Store. He left the city in 1955 to spend four months apprenticing under Jean Lurçat in France. Lurçat was a renowned artist and weaver instrumental in the mid-century tapestry revival; his Paris was that of Matisse and Renoir, and it was into this intellectual tradition Adams was brought during Lurçat's tutelage. In the use of bold contrasts and strong shadows, one can see the influence of Lurçat's tapestry designs on Adams' later watercolors. When Adams returned to San Francisco, a series of large-scale public art commissions followed, including tapestries for the international terminal at SFO, the Fine Arts Museum, and the Public Library. Many of these feature large floral scenes in bright colors; later he pared these gardens down to a single stem floating in a still life vase.

In the mid-1960s, as city planners began laying down tracks for the subway system, they envisioned what might be called a Museum of Modern (B)ART. Each station was to have art selected by that station's architect, and the stations were to cover the entire Bay Area. As funds ran out, the plan was never fully realized, but Adams contributed a mosaic to MacArthur station with Matisse-like cut outs. Increasingly popular and sought-after, Adams turned away from public works in 1976 to focus on watercolors. If any of his commissioned pieces hint at this sudden shift, it would be the stained glass designs for Temple Emanu-El and Grace Cathedral. In these, one glimpses the poetry of his later watercolors, where inner clarity allows light to shine through.

Adams, 1979 Tapestry,
 From the Collection of the Stanford Library of Art and Architecture.

Adams, originally done in the 1960′s and added onto in the 1990′s, Painted Mural,
 MacArthur Bart Station.

Adams, 1972 to 1975, stained glass, Temple Emanu-el.

[ledenews]

DeFelice Reveals His Biggest Decisions Over 40 Years of Pizza

Opening a pizza shop with his brother T.J. was a big decision, sure, but it had nothing to do with creating a lifetime in the food business. A career in photography, yes. Pepperoni and cheese, no. “I wanted to be a photographer and the only reason I opened a pizza shop was to save money to go to school about photography,” Dominic DeFelice explained. “My father told me I couldn’t go into the pizza business without my brother, so me and T.J. opened the shop and I never went to photography school. “Since we opened that store in 1982, life's been about pizza and food ever since,” he said with a smile. “But I can still take a nice photo, trust me.” DeFelice Bros. Pizza now has nine locations throughout the Upper Ohio Valley and the co-founder now is concentrating on expanding even more. He does not own or operate any of the locations these days but instead is concentrated on refining operations, customer service, and even the menu items served at each. “You can always improve. That’s something I’ve heard my entire life and it’s something I believe,” DeFelice insisted. “Even after 40 years of business, we can get better and we can expand even more. At least that’s the goal, but it takes the right people and the right location, so we’ll see.” He staged a month-long contest to celebrate the 40th anniversary that soon will send Janice Harris and a guest to Italy. Second prize winner, Valerie Yang, won pizza for a year, and Kathy Gump claimed third prize and received a DeFelice Prize Pack. The first shop opened in Shadyside in the early 1980s, of course, as the “pizza worth going after,” and then the business grew on both sides of the Ohio River. Along the way, though, DeFelice has encountered the tough calls, the make-or-break choices, the do-or-die decisions. “And with each difficult decision, it could have gone either way, but we’ve been blessed that everything has worked out in our favor,” he said. “We’ve been very lucky.” Consistency of product is very important to DeFelice and everyone connected to the business. THE COMMISSARY Consistency was the goal. DeFelice wanted his oven-fried pizza in Wintersville to taste exactly the same as it did in Shadyside, and the same was true once a third location opened in Bridgeport in 1994. The co-founder believed the only way to accomplish such a goal was to centralize product availability. “One of our toughest decisions involved our commissary that we started when we were planning to expand beyond a few stores,” DeFelice explained. “The objective was consistency in the stores so our product would look and taste the same no matter what location a customer was at, and it worked for a while until the federal government came to visit.” The Feds? “Well, we had three stores in 1984, and we were making our own sauce, so it was important each store had the same,” he said. “But then the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Transportation came to see me and they convinced me that I didn’t want to have that commissary anymore.” There were interstate laws and refrigeration standards to consider, apparently, so DeFelice discovered a new direction. “But at the time, it felt like the end of the world,” he recalled. “But it turned out to be a Godsend because that’s when we took it all to the next level without products and ingredients, and it’s worked out very well.” It was 1982 when the very first DeFelice Bros. Pizza opened in Shadyside, Ohio. DELIVERY So, the pizza, sandwiches, calzones, and such were worth going after, right? That’s because Italy is too far away, right? Right, but those facts did not discount the fact other pizza shops started delivering, including the chain monster known as Dominos.    “We didn’t want to be in the delivery business, but yeah, we felt we had to because that’s what was happening in the business back then (in the late-1980s). Delivery is a very difficult part of the pizza business because you can make the pizza and have it ready, but then it’s up to the driver and everyone knows about the roads in Ohio and West Virginia,” DeFelice said. “You know never know what could make our driver late, but it happens and most of the time it’s unavoidable. “Delivery is a separate monster that really can’t be tamed because it’s an uncontrollable aspect,” he said. “If we have an issue with an ingredient, we can fix it, but there’s very little we can do about the roads and traffic. We wish we could, trust me.” A tower of pizza boxes can be seen at each DeFelice location. FRANCHISING There was a time during the company’s 40-year history when DeFelice was running from store to store because it was his name on the deed, but that changed once he was approached by potential investors who wanted in on the action. “At first, it caught me off guard,” DeFelice admitted. “But then I started to think about it; what it would take; and I had to wonder if someone else could do it the same.” These days, though, DeFelice Bros. Pizza shops operate in Bethlehem, Wheeling, Martins Ferry, Moundsville, St. Clairsville, Follansbee, Wintersville, Shadyside, and most recently, Newark, and the co-founder owns not a one. “Deciding to get into franchising was big for us because all a sudden we had a DeFelice Brothers Pizza in Wintersville,” the co-founder recalled. “The learning curve was huge, and we’ve continued through the year to grow into other communities. Now, I am concentrating on franchising even more because I believe more growth is possible. “It means a lot to us when we are contacted by people who are looking into a possible franchise because that means they love our food enough to think about making it a part of their future. I don’t know if there is a bigger compliment in the food business,” DeFelice said. “So, I am looking forward to building for the future because I think it’s going to be an exciting time for all of us.” DeFelice works with franchise director Tammy Selmon and his beautiful bride to draw the winners for the recent anniversary giveaway. Bless Beyond Belief DeFelice now is contemplating a resurrection of his photography career. No, it’s not because he finds he has more time on his hands, but instead because his company is in need of his skills. “I’ve never lost my love for photography, and I believe our food is beautiful, so why not?” Snapping the photos, though, is just one of several parts of his grand plan moving forward.   “I’ve had a blast through the years, and I have many more ahead of me, too,” DeFelice said. “I count my blessings every day because I know how lucky a person I am. I’m truly a blessed man. “If you work hard and you listen to your customers, I believe you’re going to be successful,” he added. “That’s what we have tried to do during our first 40 years, and it’s what we’ll continue doing for the next 40 years.” Read the full article

[lookingbackatfashionhistory]

• Ensemble (blouse and skirt).

Designer: Frederick Gibson Bayh

Retailer: Gump's Department Store

Date: ca. 1945

Medium: Silk

[mrsterlingusa]

“This is Gump’s. You will like it here.”

That is what my mother said to me the first time I visited  Gump’s. Of course, as a little boy I wasn’t aware of being the fifth generation of my family to pass through the doors of Gump’s. I remember walking through this store containing every kind of beautiful thing one can imagine. My mother was greeted by name by a salesperson in each department with an attentive “Hello Mrs. Sterling.”  When my mother made a purchase she was seated on a gold gilt chair.  I stood silently beside her listening to every word and inflection.

The mantle garniture pictured above was acquired by my great-great grandparents in the late 19th Century. The clock dial is signed S & G Gump Co San Francisco and the iconic Gump’s Buddha is a prominent feature. This garniture has survived countless earthquakes and vagaries of fashion. Alas, the same cannot be said of Gump’s department store and I bid you a fond farewell.

Photography by Mr. Sterling

[mia-decorative]

Teapot, Marguerite Wildenhain, 1930, Minneapolis Institute of Art: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture

Cream colored teapot with flat lid Marguerite Wildenhain trained in ceramics at the Bauhaus in Weimar, a center for modernist design education founded by architect Walter Gropius. The Bauhaus championed a rational approach to design, an aesthetic clearly visible in a handful of industrial prototypes - including this teapot - created for the Royal Porcelain Factory in Berlin. The teapot's solid white glaze and clean surface resulted in a design both elegant and modern. Form and function are superbly resolved in three essential areas: an angled spout pours easily without dripping; the countersunk lid does not fall out when tilted; and the large handle facilitates easy pouring. Simplicity of form and timeless design well-adapted to industrial manufacture are the hallmarks of this teapot, one of the finest designs to emanate from the Bauhaus. In 1940, under increased pressure from the Nazis, Wildenhain fled Germany and relocated to the Guerneville, California communal retreat, Pond Farm. Her Pond Farm works employed the same principles she developed in Europe and were sold in department stores such as Gump's in San Francisco. Size: 5 x 11 x 7 in. (12.7 x 27.94 x 17.78 cm) Medium: Hard-paste porcelain

https://collections.artsmia.org/art/40594/

[nancypullen]

Last Lap

Today is our last day here in Damariscotta.  Tomorrow morning we’ll throw our bags in the car and drive up to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.  I’m not sure Mickey will sleep tonight, he’s like a kid on Christmas Eve.  He loves Acadia.  I’m a big fan of Bar Harbor, it’s captivating little town.  I will not be tromping through the woods before dawn to see the sunrise over the pines.  I will, however, happily tromp around town and peruse art galleries, book stores, and the occasional chocolate shop.  I am who I am.  I love nature and beautiful vistas, I just don’t need to see ten thousand pine trees per day. The mister will be in paradise and I will not take one minute of that away from him.  I’ll do a bit of hiking with him, but I’ll let him do the sunrises and late night Milky Way shots solo.  Isn’t that generous of me?  I’m a giver. Because today is our final day in this area we used it as a chance for Mickey to revisit places and get shots in better light, weather, etc.  We ended up at one of my favorite spots - Marshall Point Light.  It makes me want to don Victorian garb and drink tea on the porch.

Recognize that lighthouse?  Forrest Gump ran up that cat walk on his long run in the movie.  They couldn’t have found a prettier spot.  Built in 1832,  it’s been updated - that light is “new” from1858.  Then the keeper’s house was struck by lightning and burned in 1895 and rebuilt the same year.  It sits in Port Clyde Harbor and given the chance I’d move right in and live happily ever after.  Looks like a good place for cats to nap in the sun. So we ran around, he snapped away and I sketched and pushed some paint around on paper.  We masked up and popped into another favorite site.

The Port Clyde General Store is fun and has a wonderful lunch counter.  I had a killer lobster roll there once upon a time.  We arrived mid-afternoon and not really hungry so we picked up a couple of snacks for the road. I grabbed a bag of pretzels and Mickey chose a freshly baked whoopie pie as big as his head.  My teeth hurt just looking at it.  We poked around and saw this souvenir tee.  It made me laugh. Any Lionel Ritchie fans in the house?

We made it back to our little apartment around dinner time and had a weird meal trying to finish off the food in the frig.  We’ve got a full kitchen and I insisted that we take advantage of it - mostly because of COVID, but also because I’m cheap  frugal.  It’s also healthier.  Restaurant food is delicious but, geez, even their salads are high in calories.  I liked being able to have a frig full of fruits and veggies.  Packing lunches is a breeze, and a quick dinner of rotisserie chicken and roasted broccoli is no trouble. I feel better when we eat right.  That said, and you knew I was going somewhere with this, now my vacation starts.  I’ve been washing dang dishes since we got here and if I wanted to do that I could have stayed home.  Again, I was the one who insisted we dine in while we have this apartment.  I’m still glad that we did, but mama is ready for maid service and takeout. We’ll depart Damariscotta around 8am and wind our way to Bar Harbor, no doubt stopping for every photo op and scenic overlook along the way.  Any way you slice it I won’t be ending my day with my hands in dishwater.  Can I get an amen? I’ll check in from the hotel tomorrow night. Ta-ta for now! Stay safe, stay well, stay groovy. XOXO, Nancy

[vinesofthoughts]

2015-05-13

2 nights of the sin city

Las Vegas was awesome and I think it’ll still be awesome even if I revisit it later with my girls. My two nights in Vegas was exhausting but exhilarating. This short vacation with people I love perfectly describes the term “living in the moment”. Three young ladies who can’t even drive, going off to another state for the first time by bus and spending two whole nights just cruising the sin city by themselves —what better way to describe a first all-girls short vacation? Day 1: Downtown Las Vegas We departed from Union Station, LA at 9.15 in the morning and arrived on 500 S 1st Street at about 2.30 in the evening. We walked a bit to The Plaza, the hotel we were staying at, and checked in. Luckily, we got a promotional discount for the hotel during our dance for Tourism Malaysia, so our stay for two nights only costed $15 per room, but there was an additional resort fee or whatever for $16 per night. In conclusion, total cost for the hotel was $47. Our hotel is strategically located at a walking distance to downtown which is a big relief. Downtown Las Vegas is very, very different from downtown LA. It's more lively and crowded during the night. There were a lot of weird, interesting people. By weird and interesting, I mean half-naked women and men walking around proudly, showing off their bodies even though some may not be that pleasing to the eyes, but mostly women though. There were also different singers performing on different stages that night. The voice of the first singer that I watched was really good. I wasn't sure if they were indie singers or established singers trying to make their names known. Souvenirs were quite expensive, but I guess that's normal for a touristy place like Las Vegas.

Day 2: Las Vegas Strip The Strip is amazing. It's a stretch of tourist attractions along the Las Vegas Blvd. I don't think words are enough to describe how awestruck we were when we first arrived there. Each hotel and casino there have their own appeals. New York-New York Hotel & Casino displays a New York atmosphere like the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and other tall skyscrapers in New York. There is a roller coaster that's supposed to be the attraction there, but it was too expensive for us students. The Venetian reveals a captivating air of Italy. There are canals situated both indoor and outdoor. The shopping mall of the hotel is created to look similar to how real Italy would look like. The entire ceiling looks like a sky full of clouds and the exterior appearance for every shop are all victorian style. Last but not least, Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino exhibits the Eiffel Tower. The tower looks more spectacular during the night due to its lights. We had lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and received a Bubba Gump glass each along with our drinks. We also visited several stores of world famous brands such as Harley Davidson Cafe, Hard Rock Cafe, Coca-Cola Store, Hershey's Chocolate World and M&M's World. The most memorable incident was at the Coca-Cola Store, where we bought two trays of Coca-Cola samples from around the world. The worst coke we tasted was from Italy called Beverly. The others tasted alright but we still prefer the original coke any day. When the sun already set, we watched two impressive fountain shows —one by The Mirage and another one in front of Bellagio Hotel & Casino.

Day 3: Back to Los Angeles We departed from the exact spot the bus had dropped us at 9.15 a.m. and arrived at Union Station at about the same time we had arrived Las Vegas two days ago. I have to admit that I slept almost the entire journey —I always sleep during long journeys, but just before we reached downtown, I got to witness green mountains and tracks of cargos along the road, accompanied by the open, azure sky. It was a mesmerizing sight. We stopped by the Grand Central Market to have lunch. We ate at a Thai kiosk called Sticky Rice. We ordered tom yum goong and rice. Their tom yum was the best tom yum we've ever eaten since we've arrived at the states. It really reminded us of Malaysia.

[southernartcritic-blog]

Some Delights Lost within the Hodgepodge: A Moment of Reflection Upon Viewing the new Elvis film

Elvis wouldn’t have liked the way they made his mamma look…mother-clucker.

In many ways the new film “Elvis” produced by Warner Bros was a cliché of an already well established cliché to the point that it felt more like an official rewriting of history that blended disinformation with select accurate representation–half truths at best. More money has been made on Elvis’ namesake after his death than he ever saw during his tragically short life. Elvis at his core was the farthest a person’s spirit could get from something so vain as money; the man was a thunderbolt of warmth and love who touched many lives. He was special.

There was a little too much of a new world order spin embedded within this Elvis movie that felt sacrilege in contrast to the actual aura cast by the real Elvis, furthermore something felt out of place hearing both Elvis and his mother use God’s name in vain in the film. The real Elvis was not as slimy or dim-witted as this film’s attempt to scrape off some of his superhuman patina would like the viewer to believe.

The scenes rebuilt from Elvis’ public performances were very well done and top notch on many levels. However, the film lacks the more personal side of Elvis that made him the most intriguing and iconic figure that he was publicly. The film has a sort of attention deficit created by trying to cram too many world happening news events that occurred in the same time span as Elvis’ life, yet within delving deep enough to tie that key events such as the MLK or RFK assassinations into the story of Elvis in a relevant way. It was nearly a Forest Gump hodgepodge without the magical chemistry and timing that allowed the Forest Gump film to succeed the Elvis film failed. However, like in Forest Gump, Nathan Bedford Forest does make an appearance in the film. There was a hollow feeling throughout the Elvis film that left me constantly seeing it introduce more and more threads and potential story arcs that never fulfilled their promises by completing their journeys. In short the film tried to throw in the elements to tie Elvis to the woke narrative in ways that detracted from the one area that made the most sense, which the plot began with surrounding Elvis’ blues roots inspiration. That area is very important to Elvis’ transformation into the people’s champion and legend he became. However, that subject alone could have better served as a unifying arc throughout the entire film, rather than adding more and more extraneous content that serves merely as filler instead of soul reaching methodology.

What disappointed me most about the new Elvis film was not what was in the film, but what was left out. The areas that really made the enigma that was Elvis was that he was a seeker in addition to being a generous beyond normal considerate soul. Elvis was heavily into researching the esoteric writings of Helena Blavatsky among a wide array of other sources. That is a part of Elvis that gets the least attention in the main stream productions that have been made over the years about his life. Another area I wish had been given some screen time were moments such as when Elvis would rent out Liberty Land in the evening and that quiet nocturnal side of his life, also when Elvis would shop at Goldsmith’s department store. Furthermore, I wanted to see Elvis exploring Memphis on his motorcycle, or cruising down Highland in one of his awesome black cars in the 70’s. I also wanted to see Elvis pulling Memphis motorists over for speeding just for fun, and his getting scolded gently by real law enforcement for doing so. Having been conceived in Tupelo and born and raised in Memphis, I have always had a special spot in my heart for Elvis lore, along with Johnny Cash, W.C. Handy, B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Richard, and all others who left part of their ghosts in Memphis. It has been many years since I lived in Memphis, so I had high hopes that this Elvis film would have had a more personal touch that was divergent from the mainstream narrative that lightly touched on way too much to be very meaningful more than only a few times.

So in regards to where I feel the film shines brightest, I’d say the closing scene featuring “Unchained Melody” and some of Hank’s portrayals of the Colonel Tom Parker. I always felt that their could have been an FBI or CIA or Scientology component to the mystery of Elvis’ life and even a connection to the spook world for Parker himself, but as William Colby said, “If it’s done right, one will never know the who or why.” Both “Elvis Meets Nixon” films interested me more than this more mainstream version. Films have the dangerous ability to rewrite history and shape narratives by presenting fiction as truth and omitting certain facts to alter public perception. The most dangerous form of censorship is the clever art of erasing who a person really was and replacing them with a lucrative commodity that is a faint shadow of who is said to be represented.

There is an abundance of actual footage from Elvis’ life ranging from the home movies recreated in the aforementioned Elvis film, numerous documentaries and performances, and even a great 1980’s interview from the 80’s featuring Colonel Parker the is a real treat to observe.

John Singleton tried to warn about the misdirection of the Tupac biopic and he wound up near death anonymously dropped off in front of a hospital where he died shortly thereafter. The Elvis film misshapes history in a similar way as does the 2017 “All Eyes on Me” Tupac film. Misinformation and disinformation abounds in this technologically driven realm of chatterbots, paranoid sheep dipped operatives, and community based agents. Nearly everything has been tainted with phoniness in this artificial construct where more and more animals are driven to extinction everyday, where our weather and money system is manipulated, and where we are kept under constant surveillance and mind control. More and more of us crave something real, something genuine; well, this Elvis film ain’t it.

The film “Elvis” is now streaming on HBOMAX.

–Sir Clodhopper the 14th

[100yearoldcomics]

February 25, 1922 The Gumps by Sid Smith: "Do Tell!"

[ID: Aunt Martha unpacks her suitcase while Min stands and watches. /end] Martha: Oh, I slept wonderfully last night. I was so tired, I overslept myself. I didn't get up till after six o'clock. Oh Min, I've got so much to tell you, I don't know where to start. You know the Joneses that lived up on the county line?

[ID: Min unpacks a clutch bag that sits on an armchair. Behind the chair, Min and Andy stand, listening to her talk. /end] Martha: They've had lots of trouble. His oldest daughter ran away with a clerk in a drygoods store. They're in the city now. He's good for nothing. I understand she's working in a department store. And that boy of theirs that was so smart, they sent him away to college. Came home with an education and a wife. Now his father has to support the two of them. The second son that everybody thought was no good is vice president of the bank in town now. You can't tell how far a frog can jump from where he's sitting.

[ID: Martha sits in the armchair and knits a sock. Min and Andy sit opposite her on a couch. /end] Martha: Farmers are not getting anything for their oats at all this year. We got less than $5.00 for all that two horses could haul. The seed costs more than the crop brings. And corn. Don't pay to put scarecrows out in the corn fields. Corn ain't worth it. Can't affort to put the old clothes on 'em. We hang crow houses on the corn stalks to keep 'em away from the corn crib. They're getting so lazy, they want you to come out and shell it for them.

[danakin-skywalker]

ho ho happy december 10th !!!

ive never been into community, but i see that you are👀 so today i hope that you had a very happy december 10th and didnt get smacked with a giant candy cane

also it does NOT sound lame AT ALL to be excited to get to go to record stores and browse!!! i went to a new store yesterday and spent an hour and a half there exploring the shop and digging through their collection. its SUCH a fun hobby and im excited you get to start!! and since youre around nyc theres probably so many cool shops around you and im JEALOUS

i love your combination houses, its so fun to see how people are sorted, especially when they get consistently different answers AND why they relate to the aspects of each. also, i can already tell you are MORE than smart enough to be a ravenclaw, and talented as well.

to answer YOUR question im a gryffindor! i self-identified as a slytherin for a long time before actually taking the pottermore sorting quiz, and other quizzes several times, annnnnd ive never not gotten gryffindor, which as ive gotten older has made a ton of sense. i dont consider myself to be hugely courageous, but im die-hard loyal, compassionate, and tenacious in most every part of my life.

but enough about me... im here for you my dear ☺️

sooooo lets get into todays questions!!

so you like community... and harry potter... what are your favorite shows and movies?

to build onto that, since harry potter was one of your first hyperfixations, what other hyperfixations do you have/love? (this is hard for me to even ask myself bc i love them all but cant remember them when asked... but its so important !!!)

remember santa loves u, my ravenpuff

🎅🏼

#26

SANTA u rlly be looking at my reblogs and tags I love u for the dedication!! I did manage to avoid a candy cane so thank you for that. I have such a soft spot for community I got into it because I really liked Donald Glover’s netflix comedy special and I just really fell in love with the ensemble group of main characters and the creator is the same one as the show Rick & Morty (Dan Harmon) so for the seasons he was writing for the show I really loved the dialogue and episode premises he was coming up with. It felt so different from other sitcoms I was seeing.

Also YES I’m so excited to go shopping for records especially in the city and to learn about how to take care of them and my new player! Last night I was watching unboxing videos for the player I got and I’m so pumped.

I love that you’re a gryffindor, I also always thought I could never be one because I wasn’t “brave enough,” but you’re right, there’s plenty more to being a gryffindor than being brave.

WELL Santa to get to your questions, I have a few answers for different genres so that I don’t lose my absolute mind trying to pick just one. However, my back pocket answer for my favorite movie of all time has always been Forrest Gump. I could watch that movie a million times and still thoroughly enjoy it. I used to give this answer all the time when I was studying in the film department at college and I would get the funniest looks from the “citizen-Kane-is-the-best-movie-ever-created” boys, which was a treat in and of itself bc those guys were the WORST. I just really love how it feels like it could be three or four different movies combined into one, and I love the historical context they throw in. I’m also just an absolute sucker for deadpan humor. My favorite comedy movie is unironically Napoleon Dynamite, I will spend that entire movie giggling no matter how many times I’ve seen it. I also really truly love Monty Python & the Holy Grail for similar reasons. My favorite horror movie is Midsommar, I just really love movies with a lot of small details that lead to something bigger in the end, so when you watch a second time it’s like a completely different movie. I also loved Hereditary, which is by the same writer/director Ari Aster. Love him. My favorite action movie is probably Fight Club, I love the way it’s shot and edited and the twist at the end. And my favorite international movie is this one I saw in college called Capernaum, it was really beautifully shot and it made me sob in the theaters.

In terms of shows, I’m a little less diverse. I don’t really get into the hour-long dramas, I’m much more of a half-hour comedy girl. Recently, I’ve started watching Seinfeld for the first time and I’m enjoying it so far! However, besides Community I also loved How I Met Your Mother, What We Do In The Shadows, Arrested Development, It’s Always Sunny and Big Mouth. There are probably more I can’t think of off the top of my head, but I really am a sitcom gal. That being said, I did also really really love Black Mirror, but I’m not sure if that really falls under the category of a traditional TV show.

Oh boy. Oh boy. Strap yourself in Santa. I started hyperfixating shortly after I started getting medicated for my ADHD, which was the 3rd grade thankfully. I wasn’t falling behind or anything persay, I was actually ahead of my class in reading comprehension and word recognition. For this reason, I literally tried to read the twilight books as an 8 year old in 3rd grade. Then my mom took them away when she realized what they were about, but that’s what started it all. I read all the Harry Potter books between 3rd and 5th grade, and then by the time 5th grade was over I had read all the Percy Jackson books. Then I found a lovely little long-gone website called Quizilla.

I think quizilla was run by teen Nick or something but it was this site where you could post stuff like homemade quizzes, hand-typed lyrics to popular songs, personal polls, and stories. The first fanfiction I ever wrote was I’m pretty sure Percy Jackson fanfiction, but once I discovered the world of fanfic I basically just jumped from one hyperfixation to the next. I started with Percy Jackson, then rounded back to Harry Potter because I didn’t know about writing for them back when I read them, then I think I jumped to big time rush in 6th grade (I was also really into the show Doctor Who around this time) and by 7th grade One Direction had taken over my life in such a real way. Then by high school One Direction turned into 5 Seconds of Summer, then that turned into Fall Out Boy and Panic! At the Disco. Then I went to college and hyperfixated on that in general, and here we are landing at Greta Van Fleet. There were definitely some smaller hyperfixations I missed, I was reading and writing fucking Pietro Maximoff fics somewhere between 5 seconds of summer and fall out boy but I can’t remember when.

Anyway, I hope that was what you were looking for, I got a little carried away there lmao you asked me some of my FAVORITE questions to talk about!! I really am glad I got a secret Santa like you I feel so seen and heard truly ily Santa

[mia-decorative]

Teapot, Beatrice Wood, 1952, Minneapolis Institute of Art: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture

blue green; wide flat handle; raised figures on both sides; tall foot; lids are round with small circle on top of each By the mid-1940s, Beatrice Wood's work was reaching the American public through major department stores such as Marshall Field's, Neiman Marcus, and Gump's. Another important outlet was America House Gallery on East 52nd Street in New York, run by Aileen Webb, the founder of the American Craft Council. America House featured the work of craft artists throughout the country. A local collector ordered this tea service from America House, along with the nearby charger and other items, in 1951 and 1952. Size: 9 5/8 x 10 1/2 x 6 3/16 in. (24.45 x 26.67 x 15.72 cm) (overall, with tallest cover) Medium: Earthenware with luster glaze

https://collections.artsmia.org/art/60960/

[where-rooster-crows]

Bathroom Confessions

It’s really strange how you remember certain moments in your life.  I don’t recall my birth, my first teacher, or getting spanked for the first time.  But I do remember my first kiss, first school dance, first fight, my daughter’s birth, first car wreck, and where I was on 9/11.  And while my career has had it’s up and downs, I definitely have memories that help define my journey.

“I don't remember being born, I don't recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don't remember when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world.” - Forest Gump.

A life of memories defined by success and tragedy.  My career has certainly had a few of each.  And while my career is still progressing, I’m hoping I have more years behind me at this point.  There is one more category of memories that sits ingrained in my data bank.  Often overlooked if your not paying attention, these lost memories can be vital to avoiding mis-steps.  They serve as life lessons that are often thrown at us in the most unexpected ways.  The wise can catch these moments for what they are.  They see the value and take them as a life lesson.  For most of us, we aren’t Gandhi, and we often don’t even recognize these little memories.  They’re unfortunately fleeting for many of us.  The sun sets most days, and most days I can’t recall the sunset.

These moments are important.  They are pivotal moments that help mold and define us.  Obviously moments of tragedy, like a car wreck, instantly are stained into a permanent recording to be recalled on will.  And then there are equally important brain food that I can’t remember if my life depended on it.  5 years of Spanish.  2 years of finite math.  3 years of piano - chopsticks!    

But yet, moments of consequence, like a child’s birth, are as vivid as a photograph years later.  As if it was all part of a master plan, this thought is somehow foreshadowing a pivotal moment in your life.  We’ve all had these moments.  Whether we locked them away and threw out the key, they are there.  Just sitting in the corner of our mind, waiting to awake when we least expect to be reminded.��

I’ve got a few of these moments ingrained in my skull.  And looking back, I can’t even believe how they foreshadowed inevitable future events.  With zero sales tax, Delaware served college grades during the summer with a plethora of retail jobs to choose from.  There were no shortage of these retail jobs.  And while some were more tragic than others, most were a walk in the park.  McDonalds,  movie theaters, warehouses, department stores.  I was the king of summer gigs.

The easiest summer gig by far was working in a Jewelry department at the now defunct department store Service Merchandise.  Since I was too much of a numskull to be trusted with selling fine jewelry, like diamond tennis bracelets, I was kept busy with the grunt work of changing watch batteries and hawking cheap knock-offs in the land of Cubic Zirconia.  As I was changing a watch battery, I zipped out the saloon door of the gold annex to use the head before lunch.  So there I am, in the bathroom washing my hands, and the janitor walks up behind me.  

“So the ladies tell me your an aspiring animator?”  

Caught a bit off guard, I say “I still have 2 years of college left, although I plan on moving to Los Angeles to work in a studio”.  Looking back, I realize I was unbelievably naive and cocky.  I really should have known better at this point, because I already sent out at least 10 demo reels (later, it would be hundreds) without an inkling of a reply.  Back in the day, these demo reels were on VHS tapes, so the process was insanely painstaking to create them.  One frame could take hours to create and there were 30 frames per second.  If you were lucky, you managed to squeeze out 1 to 3 minutes.  I somehow squeezed in 3 minutes of complete dog-shit into my reel.  How I managed to continually send these into the void only to get either a rejection postcard or no reply is beyond me.  Chalk it up to my thick-headed nature I suppose.  This is something I now call “persistence” to make it a useful life lesson.

And look, I had no idea what I was really trying to do.  As a college sophomore, with about the worst looking art and animation a portfolio one could offer, I was sending it to the likes of Disney and Sony Pictures.  Big dreams I had.  Looking back, this effort, while showing persistence, was potentially a message of things to come.  But hey, that’s a sunset I don’t remember.

Back to the janitor’s interrogation.  So he continued to describe his short occupation in Hollywood, working 2 years as a camera man filming Lakers basketball games and live events.  Hunched over the counter washing my hands listening to his life story, I thought “Interesting, but completely different from animation. What is this guy getting at?” After telling me a bit about our comparable career paths, he then says, 

“You know, I wouldn’t pursue animation.  It’s brutal out there working in entertainment, and most likely you won’t make it.  You should save yourself some time and pursue something more stable.”

And with that, I said, “thanks for the advice, but it’s not relevant for me”.  And he gave me this look I remember til this day.  He looked at me in a discarding manner, like as if his face was saying, ‘alright kid, do what you want, but your an idiot’.  Looking back, I’d have to agree a bit.  

- Fast forward 26 years

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, as I’m laid out in my hammock, I can’t help to let my mind start to wander again into dangerous territory.  I guess idol minds are the devil’s workshop.  Tomorrow marks week nine of the Covid-19 quarantine, and the thought of this going on into July is a bit depressing. I’m not sure how they are going to keep Californian’s away from the beach once we hit the summer months.  Yes, that’s right, fast forward all the way til I’m out in California.  I somehow managed to squeak in a career in film and now I’ve actually moved on to greener pastures.  Over the last year, I’ve started to think more about the logistics of retirement.  How? When? and Where?  Being 45 years old now, it’s a fair set of questions to ask.  

I can’t help to ask myself, “Who am I to even start to complain about my circumstances?”.  I mean, even though I’ve had to jump through so many grueling career mis-steps, I’ve been blessed with a lot.  Peering out over the edge of the hammock, and over the fence, the San Gabriel mountains glisten a lush green for my backyard’s backdrop.  This is no “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” movie backdrop, but it’s my home’s view from the hills of a little Los Angeles suburb.  No starlet mansion with a view overlooking bikini clade models sunning themselves.  My home though, even with it’s issues, is still what many would consider a nice 4 bedroom piece of paradise.  

With all the hardships of working in entertainment, I often ask myself if it was worth it.  I loved working on the films, being among the talented crew, and basking in the perks of a studio; it was all wonderful.  But there was a tremendous amount of stress to staying relevant in the studio system year-after-year, and I can’t help but ask myself this question.  

Was it worth it?  

And then I remember the janitor at Service Merchandise warning me.  And I can’t help to think, what if I never pursued my dreams.  If I stopped.  I’d be wondering all these years later.  Armchair quarterbacking it.  And I can’t help but be content with my choices, to know that I’ve really built a life based on my persistence to push past the naysayers.  There will be so many people that will tell you not to pursue something in life, although to get somewhere special, you need to keep following your inner voice.  Never waver.  And even if the outcome is somewhat unexpected, it’s still a magical moment to finally bask in the sunlight as you come down the mountain.  I mean, not everyone is meant to summit the mountain.  But at the very least, you can say you gave it your best shot.