#honey hacks

[geohoneylovers]

Yes, honey never spoils. 👇

Honey is famous for its long shelf life, but it can change. It might turn into crystals over time. Don't worry, though! Crystallization is natural and doesn't make honey unsafe. To make it smooth again, simply warm it up in a gentle water bath. 🍯✨

[frie-ice]

This crossover collage is a Christmas gift to twisting-echo, as I love her work, and I'm also thankful for the likes from twisting-echo. I hope you like it, Twisting-Echo. I know it is two days late, but I you had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year with your friends and family.

A side note for everyone else, I had meant to make this collage before Christmas and post it up on the day, but I ran out of time. I would have liked to have made other Christmas gifts for the other DeviantART users I'm fund of, but before today I hadn't been on my computer since the 10th of November. Real life out in the way with helping my family and then getting ill the week before Christmas. Those who would have also liked to have gotten a Christmas gift collage or meme might have to wait for next year; as long as history doesn't repeat itself like it did this year. My tablet is more of an "staying up to date online" tool than a collage making one.

[lavenderfaggot3141]

I just had sex with my partner and they gave me a loaf of bread, i think this means im officially a medieval sex worker

[mama-ino]

I'm doing the prompts, I promise

JUST THIS COUGH IS TRYING TO KILL ME

[aliengummy]

🥣

[raguonmynieceandnephew]

That episode of Grey's Anatomy where the trans guy was doctor was convicted for hacking into the DMV to change his gender popped up on my TikTok for you page and honestly it's HILARIOUS because like, there were so many steps you could've taken BEFORE hacking the Federal Government was an option like, I am a cis man so i have no scope of how significant or damaging it is to not have you actual gender in your documents but like, baby was it THAT urgent? Couldn't you just, idk, wait a little?

"Oh, but the transphobic DMV ppl didn't want to change it for him" GO SOMEWHERE ELSE? To a different DMV perhaps? You are telling me you couldn't just have gone to get your license in the next town over? Or in another state, since y'all americans love road tripping anyways?

Like sure, these are very bad inconveniences that shouldn't exist in the first place, trans ppl shouldn't have to go to another state to get their driver's license, but like, you know what's a bigger inconvenience? GETTING ARRESTED BY THE FBI.

[lilolilyr]

Just saw this again about the S3 bingo, and got reminded to check my own bingo card now that the season is over xD

I got 2 possible bingos but I don't actually know whether I got a bingo at all because there are four things that to me sound like the happened but I absolutely don't remember whether they really did xD

[victoriaisbored]

5 Songs

I was tagged by @officerkisnotokay to do this, here are my five songs on repeat. IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER BTW

Bocchi the Rock introduced me to a crazyyy world of J-Metal, Rock, and Psychrock. I'm so here for it. So Sick Hack (fake band)'s song Watashi Dake Yuurei [I am the only Ghost] is one of my favs that I just never get tired of.

2. Cloud Spotter by Foo Fighters - I feel like I don't hear enough people talking about how GOOD Medicine at Midnight was as an album. I love this song so much! I have a renewed love for Foo Fighters as well, I listen to them way more often than I claimed I used to in high school.

3. Obligatory Paramore Appreciation - I love paramore to the ends of the Earrrrrth and one of the songs that will always have me in a chokehold, especially as a live performance is Rose Colored Boy!

4. Airhead by Honey Revenge - If you're into newer indie bands, Honey Revenge is local to LA in California, with the lead singer growin' up there! This was exciting to me because usually when a band is "from" California, they usually are not *from* there, it's more that the band formed there, but the members are from other states. Anyway, I really really love this band and their music, airhead is a BOP

5. That Band by Kessoku Band - AKA Ano Bando - This was hard, i have a ton of bands i would have wanted to show off, but honestlyyyyy this and Watashi Dake Yuurei are the two songs that made me want to relearn bass after 8 years. Like whaaat, how am i supposed to not include this here??? If you haven't watched it yet, please check out Bocchi the Rock, the music is sooo sick and the animation is war more than up to par. It's made by a team that loves the original manga, and you can feel it in every scene!

Okayyyy, uhhh i don't really have anyone to tag I think? It's been so long but if I have any other mutuals, reblog and either add it on or tag yourself!

[geohoneylovers]

Revitalize your hair care routine with honey! Soothe your scalp, promote growth, and embrace healthy, gorgeous hair.

[moefongo]

Coffee and honey buns is the lunch of champions

[bunstoybox]

Commission by @/vintagegamebro

The artist's commissions are still open as of right now! So if you want to, you should definitely check them out! :D

[theresattrpgforthat]

(there's some short weird ttrpgs too!)

you need to play more short weird games on itch you need to play more short weird games on itch you need to play more short weird games on itch is it working you need to play more short weird games on itch it's good for you

[maybeamiles]

A sequel to my post about horrible YouTube ads:

[food-hacking]

[familythings]

Discover 5 TOP Foods That Never Expire!

A recent study from the National Center for Food Preservation shows that some foods can last a long time if stored properly. What are these foods that never go bad? Honey Honey is one of those foods that never spoils. It’s known for its antibacterial properties, making it popular in traditional medicine worldwide. If you keep it cool and dry, it can last indefinitely, tasting just as good for…

[crowdvscritic]

round up // AUGUST 24

I try not to get too personal here, but this month it’s hard not to reflect when given an outlet. 

This month I turned 32. I celebrated my first year at a job, and I'm months from a completing 10 years of grown-up work. Kyla and I are planning to record our final bits of our Gilmore Girls podcast SO IT’S A SHOW? after seven years. Pending nothing falls through, I’m about to move out of my first home into a new one. And through exactly zero effort on my part, I achieved my dream of becoming an aunt when my first nephew was born.

Because of that little guy and because I’m now the age of Lorelai at the start of Gilmore Girls, I’m thinking about what I would tell my younger self. (I’m also going through my annual Gilmore rewatch at the moment, so forgive me as, like the Gilmores, I can’t help but think about my life through a pop culture lens sometimes. And like Kathleen Kelly, I often ask, “So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?") When I started Crowd vs. Critic, I was closer to Rory’s age at the start of the series (16), and I identified with her through much through my 20s. I knew one day my responsibilities would look more like Lorelai’s, but I had no idea how much I’d identify with her personality and character arc. I’m sure you’re questioning nature vs. nurture here—is this because I’ve spent more than a decade watching and analyzing the show? Or because the Palladinos and series writers were keen observers of women between the ages of 16 and 32? I imagine it’s a bit of both.

A few things I’d tell my teenage self: 

You won’t leave mean girls behind when you graduate. Even decades later, you’ll be haunted by the moments you crushed others, and your heart will swell remembering people who invited you into the circle.

You’ll figure out how to fix your hair, touch up your makeup, and paint your nails, though by the time you’ve gotten the hang of it all, it won’t feel as important as it does to you now. 

Not that you have everything figured out. You’re still working on body image, finding your voice apart from others, and work-life balance, just to name a few. 

You don’t realize it yet, but you’re an anxious person. Loosening up doesn’t mean you’re slacking, making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re failing. Your life doesn’t look like you expect it will at 32, but you’ve worked to make a lot of it joyful, and I think you’d be proud of a lot of it.

Follow what brings you joy and energy. Trust your taste even if it feels too idiosyncratic or too “girly.” You’ll still love Audrey Hepburn, John Hughes movies, and Taylor Swift when you’re 32 and still growing up now.

Drop what feels like a burden, even if it feels like something you “should” be interested in. Except for your taxes—definitely do your taxes.

Speaking of taxes, adulting sucks sometimes, but your heart won’t die like you fear it might. Long before 32, you realize you wouldn’t trade the freedom of adulthood or that you like yourself better every year to be 16 again. 

SLEEP. Dear me, if you don’t remember anything else on this list, this one piece of advice will improve every area of life, especially during your freshman year of college.

The rest of this post is going to look much more like a typical Round Up, though I’d be remiss to skip one final reflection. In these 5 years of Round Ups and 12 years of Crowd vs. Critic, I've become a better writer, largely because I just keep doing it and hitting “publish” even when I’m not sure each piece is perfect. (Actually, I’m sure—they’re not perfect.) I’m less generous in my reviewing, though I hope it's because my knowledge of film is deeper and my watching is more adventurous, not because I’m a snob. I haven't tired of the concept of Crowd vs. Critic, either. Who knew I'd still be writing about movies and making pop culture recommendations all because of one afternoon at the theater to see Snow White and the Huntsman?

August Crowd-Pleasers

1. The Paris 2024 Olympics

The ‘lympics are back, baby! After a lackluster pair of games muted by a pandemic, they returned with a vengeance narrated by Snoop Dogg’s dulcet enthusiasm. As I’m not qualified to discuss the athletic performances—though, you know, they seemed pretty good to me—I’ll focus my Olympic Round Up on, yes, the memes.

Trying to capture all of Snoop Dogg’s moments of brilliance would be like trying to funnel all the grains of sand on Earth into a trinket dish, but these are a good start:

“Here Are All the Things Snoop Dogg Is Doing at the Paris Olympics,” complex.com

“Watch Snoop Dogg Freestyle to 'Gin & Juice' While Horse Trots Out for Olympics Event,” EW.com

“Snoop Dogg's Badminton Highlights Are Exactly What the Olympic Sport Needs,” NBC.com 

“Pure Gold: Snoop Dogg’s Best Moments at the Olympics So Far,” RollingStone.com

“Fans Can't Get Enough of Snoop Dogg’s ‘Adorable’ Reaction to Meeting a French Bulldog,” Parade.com

But Snoop Dogg wasn't the only highlight. This was the Olympics of memes: 

“These Memes Are Winning The 2024 Paris Olympics,” forbes.com

“How Paris 2024 Became the Most Memed Olympics Ever,” TheConversation.com

“Tom Cruise(d) Into the Olympics Closing Ceremony,” Esquire.com

“Breakdancing Raygun, Tom Cruise's Closing Ceremony Stunt and the Most Meme-able Moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics,” Yahoo.com

And these are a few more Olympic insights sans memes worth recommending: 

“Inside the Creation of the U.S. Gymnasts’ Paris Olympics Leotards,” WashingtonPost.com

“‘Our Billion-Dollar Olympic Lab’: What NBC Is Taking From Paris to L.A.,” HollywoodReporter.com

“Hosting the Olympics Costs Billions. What Does a City Get Back?” NYTimes.com 

2. Trap (2024)

We need more guys like M. Night Shyamalan who make mainstream movies weirder by just doing whatever they want and not caring if anyone else thinks they're cool. (Baz Luhrmann is also great at this.) Don’t think too hard about the plot mechanics here—just go along for the ride as serial killer Josh Hartnett (cooking!) watches the stadium walls closing in at a concert. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

3. It Ends With Us (2024)

I didn't know I had 1000 words in me on this weepy, but here I am mentioning Douglas Sirk and Spitgate and 2007's Waitress all in one breath in my review for ZekeFilm. I also did my best to quickly sum up the red carpet drama in my review for KMOV. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Honey by Isabel Banta (2024)

Inspired by Ashlee, Backstreet, Britney, Christina, Destiny, Hilary, Lindsay, Jessica, Kelly, Mandy, Mariah, NSYNC, and insert-your-fave-pop-act-of-the-late-‘90s-and-early-‘00s here, Isabel Banta’s debut novel examines how the music industry consumes and destroys young people (especially women) in the pursuit of another Top 40 hit. It’s more salacious than I prefer, but I couldn’t stop thinking about its insight into how women’s bodies are reduced to their elements both for publicity and to be jeered at—you might call it stripping them and selling them for parts. Though women have greater agency on the Billboard charts now than they did 25 years ago, it will make you remember Taylor Swift couldn’t buy back her catalog from Scooter Braun and Sabrina Carpenter getting slammed for love triangle gossip.

5. Double Feature - 2024 Streaming Romances feat. Middle-Aged Women Falling for Famous Men 16 Years Younger Introduced to Them by Their Daughters: The Idea of You + A Family Affair

In romantic drama The Idea of You (Crowd: 8.5 // Critic: 6.5/10), Anne Hathaway falls for a thinly-veiled Harry Styles (Nicholas Galitzine), which would be perfect if her insecurities weren’t making her second-guess every step of their May-December relationship. In romantic comedy A Family Affair (9/10 // 7/10), Nicole Kidman falls for an A-list movie star (Zac Efron), which would be perfect if he wasn’t her daughter’s (Joey King) demanding boss. Idea doesn’t stick to its own plot logic and Affair leans into clichés, but they’re both a good time if you come with an open heart. Both should have been theatrical releases!

MORE AUGUST CROWD-PLEASERS // The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) proves Guy Ritchie can't return to the stylish espionage well too many times // Tommy Boy (1995) is the platonic ideal of a Saturday Night Live cast movie // Why did this rom-com fan wait so long to watch the charming Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)? // The Secret of Us by Gracie Abrams (2024) shows a promising future for an up-and-coming singer-songwriter // I wonder if we’re all going to agree we slept on the fun action-comedy The Instigators (2024) in a few years

August Critic Picks

1. Sing Sing (2024)

Each year there is one film I dub the Official Ugly Cry of Taylor Blakes Everywhere, and I hope this is it because I don't think I handle another until 2025. (Previous recipients include The Father, The Iron Claw, tick, tick...BOOM!, and Women Talking.) This prison drama made me think of The Shawshank Redemption and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I’m not sure if this will be an all-timer like those, but it’s a good sign we won’t be forgetting Colman Domingo’s incredible lead performance through Awards Season. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

2. The Hollywood Hack Podcast Series (2024)

Remember when North Korea hacked Sony because of a James Franco/Seth Rogen comedy? This three-part series covers one of the weirdest pop culture moments of my lifetime that I had also almost completely forgotten about. Like all of Brian Raftery’s reporting for The Big Picture, it’s full of thoughtful interviews and analysis on how it paved the way for the next decade of pop culture. 

3. Hollywood Black: The Stars, The Films, The Filmmakers by Donald Bogle (2019)

This book from the Turner Classic Movies library chronicles the history of African-American cinema decade by decade, listing more than 800 films that chronicle the progress and setbacks for Black Hollywood. Bogle tracks evolving stereotypes, career opportunities, and thematic depth starting with the dawn of moving pictures in 1903. All have improved greatly—and the book ends on an optimistic note with its publication just after Black Panther, Get Out, and Moonlight—but a book like this provides phenomenal context for issues and criticisms we still discuss today. Another must-read from TCM!

4. Double Feature - Hollywood Black Recommendations: Stormy Weather (1943) + To Sir, With Love (1967)

I have a lot of titles left to watch mentioned in Hollywood Black, but I’m glad I prioritized these two before they expired on my DVR. In Stormy Weather (Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 8/10), Lena Horne and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson fall in and out of love as they pack in the musical performances with major Black performers of the day (like Fats Waller and the Nicholas Brothers). In To Sir, With Love (8.5/10 // 8.5/10), Sidney Poitier wrangles a rambunctious classroom of London teenagers, inspiring them to treat others (and themselves) with respect. Both are susceptible to corny genre motifs, but their lead performances are radiant. 

5. Double Wedding (1937)

Because Myrna Loy and William Powell are still chemistry GOATs! As per usual, Powell and Loy are meant to be in this romantic comedy, but first they have to restore her sister’s (Florence Rice) relationship with a mild-mannered nice guy (John Beal) after she decides she’d rather be with the caddish, charming Powell. An underrated ‘30s screwball rom-com! Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

MORE AUGUST CRITIC PICKS // Even a lesser Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers feature like Follow the Fleet (1936) is filled with phenomenal dance sequences // Even a lesser sequel like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) is filled with phenomenal stunt work // Even a lesser version of The Thin Man like Star of Midnight (1935) is filled with wit when William Powell is paired with Ginger Rogers

Also in August…

In our (probably) penultimate episode SO IT’S A SHOW?, Kyla and I researched the inspiration for Rory Gilmore’s journalistic aspirations, Christiane Amanpour. And to do this research, we go to the most important primary sources we could find: sub-par Hollywood sequels! What inspired Amanpour to become a journalist? Is she a good role model for Rory? And what did she think of the Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix? Listen to ep. 142 to find out.

I stopped by KMOV for a Fall Preview to share four September and October films I’m excited for: 

Photo credits: Olympics, Honey, Hollywood Hack, Hollywood Black. All others IMDb.com.