#i feel like absolute hell now but worthit

[brain-empty]

@sleep-nurse the lil guy has been drawn

[hellogoodbye741]

All the book reviews I should have been doing in real time, but imma piece of garbage(tm)

Please ignore this second (or possibly more if i don’t have enough space) long ass post

Reading Lolita in Tehran:

I really enjoyed this book. I’m not a huge fan of a lot of nonfiction writing because of how monotonous they can be, but this wasn’t like that. She really told a story about her (the author) and a bunch of young woman in Tehran reading Lolita and other banned books, and it really resonated with me.

:)

Hidden Figures:

I had been told several times that this book was not going to be what I expected and that I should read the children’s version of it instead because that was more like the movie. Should have listened. I enjoyed the book, but it focused way more on the scientific side of things instead of the more story-line aspect of history. Not saying that it wasn’t great and a fascinating read into such pivotal people in America’s timeline, it just wasn’t my thing.

:/

Virals:

I had been putting off reading this series by Kathy Reichs because it wasn’t the Tempe Brennan character, and therefore I did not care. BOY WAS THAT A WRONG OPINION. This book (and the subsequent ones I have since read) are amazing! They were written with teens in mind, but you can enjoy them at any level. They are chocked full of sci-fi fun that keeps you begging for more and more. I say this about very few novels, but I would totally read again.

:)

Noir:

I absolutely adore Christopher Moore books. I have read several of his, and have never found any at fault. This one, however, wasn’t up to par. It was okay, but not like his other works. I couldn’t get into as much, and it wasn’t as funny. The story is written very much like a noir-style movie, so I could find no fault in that, but the twist at the middle/end was very unexpected and left me confused. I think I would have to give it a read and more pay attention to more finite details to make sense of it.

:/

Number One Chinese Restaurant:

I was expecting to really enjoy this book, but honestly, it kinda sucked. I didn’t really like any of the characters, and never felt any sympathy for any of them even when they were going through struggles. The writing was a little choppy, and the constant POV change was jarring. It was a little bit of a struggle to get through, not gonna lie.

:/

The House That Lou Built:

I know this book is meant for younger audiences, but I absolutely adored it. Like I have nothing else to say, it was adorable and I will protect it with my life.

:)

Crazy Rich Asians:

I enjoyed this book. I’m not a huge fan of multiple POVs, but the way they did it in this book wasn’t bad at all. I really want to see the movie and see how it compares.

:)

Da Vinci Code:

Tis a classic I have read several times over. Dan Brown got it going on.

:)

Post Mordem:

I love the Kathy Reichs books and have read several of them (unfortunately not in order).  This is the first book in the series, and I really liked seeing how it all got started. Kathy Reichs tries to make sure to make the science aspect of the book both for the idiots and the people who know their shit, which is great. Gotta represent my North Carolina ladiesss

:)

77 Shadow Street:

This book was all kinds of fucked up. Every time I thought I got the plot and what was going on, they fucked me over again. I said “what the fuck” at least once every chapter.

:(

Raisin in the Sun:

Don’t know how it took me so long to read this play. Absolutely adored the characters and the storyline, and the resolution at the end was bittersweet. Would love to see it performed and get the true experience and emotion.

:)

House on Mango Street:

I have read this book a handful of times too, and I enjoy it every single time. The book is short and sweet, and the poetry graceful and moving. Will probably read again and again in the future.

:)

Whipping Boy:

I first read this in the 4th grade and it has resonated with me ever since. It takes like an hour to read, but it is filled with so much in the meantime. All about dat bourgeoise bullshitttttt and how it can be rectified.

:)

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson:

Haven’t read this since elementary school, and had forgotten how sweet this story is. The trials the young girl goes through and how she triumphs, in the end, leaves me with the biggest smile on my face.

:)

Red Scarf Girl:

Also been a while since last reading this book. It’s a beautiful and tragic story about the rise of communism and the struggles that everyone in their country faced. I think it was based on a true story but honestly can’t remember. Would definitely read again.

:)

Journey of Little Charles:

This was an endearing ‘growing up’ historical novel. I enjoyed it.

:)

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letters to the World:

This was absolutely GREAT. Such a beautiful way to explore and introduce the LGBTQIA+ community to younger audiences.

:)

Children of Blood and Bone:

I really enjoyed this book, and want to read the rest of the series too. It was a very immersive story that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole story.

:)

Chaos/Code/Exposure:

I’m just going to do these three as one since they’re all part of the same series. I really enjoy the Virals series, and each time you think there’s nowhere else to go, Reichs and her son introduce something you would have never expected.

:)

Sing, unburied, sing:

Thought I was gonna like this one more than I did. It just kinda lagged for me and was hard to get into.

:/

Lucky Broken Girl:

I thought this was a beautiful and heartbreaking book (and true story) about a girl who is confined to her bed practically paralyzed. It was nice to watch her get through her struggles and come out on top in the end.

:)

Finding Langston:

This was a very cute story about a poc country boy going to the city and discovering himself through a love of books, and though it is meant for younger audiences, I enjoyed it immensely.

:)

The Dollar Kids:

Another cute story meant for kids about finding one's self and working through trauma in a way that children can understand.

:)

Winnie’s Great War:

It’s the absolutely true story of the English army adopting a bear in the 40s told through the POV of the bear. I do not need to say more.

:)

Ballet Shoes:

I’m a sucker for three young girls following their dreams and one of them being ballet. Yaas queen.

:)

Song for a Whale:

An absolutely stunning tale of following your dreams and fighting through all adversities to get there. Also, the main character is deaf, and being HOH myself, loved having the representation (even if the story if for younger children).

:)

It’s Not a Perfect World, but I’ll take It:

Told from the perspective and real-life story of a girl living with autism, and some things that can help others learn how to accept that they are just like anyone else, and some things on how to make life a bit easier. Loved seeing life through that perspective, even if it was only for a little while.

:)

Rapunzel’s Revenge:

Loved this comic’s twist on the classic tale of Rapunzel. Rapunzel takes her life into her own hands and kicks ass

:)

Ghost Doll and Jasper:

This was a perfect mix between cute and creepy. A combination most would find weird, but I loved it!

:)

Color Purple:

I’ve been hearing about this book for as long as I could remember, but never at any point had anyone ever talked about the plot?? It wasn’t what I expected at all, but it really made me feel something,

:)

We Will Not Be Silent:

NEVER AGAIN MEANS NOW, NEVER AGAIN MEANS NOW

:)

The Woman Who Smashed Codes:

A fascinating read, but on par with Hidden Figures where there was a lot that I just didn’t understand.

:/

The Lowlands:

It took me almost 3/4 of the way into the book to actually get into the plot and understand what was going on. Maybe another read-through might help, but eh.

:/

1776:

I love history, but the sheer length of this book and the unending quality about it was #strugglebus

:/

Born a Crime:

Nobody should be born illegal, nobody should be illegal period. Trevor Noah, I’m sorry a rude ass country did that to you.

:)

Stalking Jack the Ripper:

Yooooooo, read this shit!

:)

Winnie the Pooh:

You already know who it is

:)

Eragon:

It has been so long since I have read this series. I had forgotten how long the books were, but #worthit

:)

Titus Andronicus:

Did not understand it while I was reading it. Saw it performed the next day and was like “ohhhhhhh, i get it now”

:/

How to Train Your Dragon:

Nothing like the movie, at all. Still cute tho.

:)

Howl’s Moving Castle:

Was just like the movie, except even more. There was a whole other plot point that just added to the concept of Howl that made it even better.

:)

Other Words from Home:

Beautiful story of a young girl moving halfway across the world and dealing with the hardships that come with it.

:)

Hunting Prince Dracula:

Do you like UST between two dork scientist badasses??? READ DAT SHIT

:)

Sweep:

This was both incredibly sweet, and absolutely sad, while also throwing in some kill the capitalist bourgeoise and I loved it.

:)

Errant Prince:

Four words-

Gay.

Trans.

Wizard.

Knight.

:)

Diary of Anne Frank:

You get so enamored with the girl she was, that you forget that she never got to the be the girl she could have been.

:’(

The Help:

EAT

MY

SHIT

:)

Black Leopard, Red Wolf:

Not a big fan of the random and multiple rape scenes, and the plot was hard to follow.

:/

Hunger Makes me a Modern Girl:

It was a good, short read.

:)

In Another time:

I got straight and happy couple baited and I was denied but in a beautiful way so #allowed.

:)

A Place For Us:

Another one where the plot was a little hard to follow, but I actually enjoyed it nonetheless.

:)

Sun is Also a Star:

Thought I was gonna be denied my happy ending, turned it around on the last page. Hell yuss.

:)

Prodigal Summer:

Thought I was gonna enjoy it more since I too am from rural Appalachia. Nah

:/

Zombie:

Alright, okay, a little fucked up, okay, okay, WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED, the end.

:/

Fox8:

I cried at work reading this????

:)

Fire and Fury:

Not my thing, nice to see what’s up tho

:/

Song of Achilles:

GAAAAAAY

and

TRAGGGGIICCC

:)

Genesis Begins Again:

No matter what anyone says, you’re beautiful

:)

[gottacatchghosts]

MEMEnt of glory

Summary: “Sam, can you buy me some white vans?”

“Fuck no.”

Word count: 813

Characters: Danny, Sam (Dash and Tucker as text)

Warnings: none

Extra notes: what do you mean Damn Daniel is dead?

Fun fact! This fic Literally takes place in 2016.

hope you enjoy! the fake twitter stuff was Fun lol

[writing tag] | [fic index]

It’s 4 am on a Monday night—Tuesday morning, really, but that’s not important—and Sam is moments away from finally falling asleep, when Danny Phantom comes streaming intangibly through her wall, yelling her name like the entire Ghost Zone is on his heels.

“Sam please still be awake!” It’s the first sentence he says to her and it’s too late—early—for him to be this excited.

“Danny you better have a good explanation for this, or I swear to god I’ll make sure you don’t see your seventeenth birthday,” Sam says, reluctantly sitting up. She debates turning on her bedside lamp but Danny’s ghost glow is enough illumination for now.

He doesn’t seem to notice the room is dark as he thrusts his phone in her face. “Please. Please watch this video.” He reaches over and taps the play button and sits back to watch her face, eyes wide and eager.

The video is short, only about thirty seconds long, and it doesn’t take Sam long to figure out why Danny’s so excited. Barely a second after the video ends, Danny turns his annoying persuasive puppy eyes to Sam and asks, “Can you buy me some white Vans?”

Sam doesn’t give the request a second thought. “Fuck no”

Danny deflates before her eyes and drops out of the air to collapse on her bed. To his credit, he doesn’t land on her at all. “Come on, Sam! I need a pair! I have to cash in on this!”

“Why don’t you ask your parents then?” Sam grumbles. She’s tired and cranky and she wants Danny to leave, but he’s one of her best friends and she loves him, so she doesn’t kick him out.

“I can’t do that! They’ll just laugh at me!” Danny throws an arm over his eyes. “They won’t get it.”

Sam just sighs. It’s too early and she’s not awake enough to deal with Danny’s dramatics. “If I say yes, will you let me go to bed?”

Danny shoots upright inhumanly fast and stares at her with wide, glowing eyes. This close, Sam can see how his irises swirl. It reminds her of the portal. “Absolutely,” he says, voice low. “Sam.” He reaches out and holds one her hands and smiles sweetly. It’s his most endearing smile and Sam is glad that he can still hold onto it. “You’re the best.”

Sam blushes a little and laughs, untangling her hand to put Danny in a headlock. He yelps and then laughs when she starts ruffling his hair with her other hand. “Yeah, yeah, love you too, nerd. Now scram! I gotta get some sleep. And so should you!”

“Alright, alright!” Danny phases out of her grip and retrieves his phone off her bedsheets, slipping it into his pocket. “Don’t you forget, now!”

“Don’t worry, you wouldn’t let me. It’s late; I’ll order them in the morning. They’ll be here by Friday.” She waves him off and lays back down, snuggling into her duvet.

“Sweet!” Danny does a little flip and Sam smiles. “G’night, Sam! See you in the morning!”

“Night, Danny.” Danny gives her a wave and disappears through her wall. She’s asleep within the next five minutes.

Friday morning, Danny Fenton struts down the halls of Casper High while Tucker films him saying, “Damn, Daniel!” with different inflections. Friday afternoon sees all three of them sitting in detention for “disturbing the peace.”

danny Retweeted

Tucker Foley 😎 @tftoofine – Feb 19

DAMN DANIEL! #wegotdetention #worthit

[video]

  Replying to @tftoofine

danny 👻 @dannyfenton – Feb 19

schools these days just dont appreciate comedy

  Replying to @tftoofine

DASH! @dbaxter17 – Feb 19

Damn Daniel smh

danny 👻 @dannyfenton – Feb 19

hell ye u know it 👉 👉 back on my bullshit 😎

  Replying to @tftoofine

samm 🦇 @batgirlsam – Feb 19

why do i have a feeling this is Your fault, tuck

Tucker Foley 😎 @tftoofine – Feb 19

You have no way to prove anything, Manson.

samm 🦇 @batgirlsam – Feb 19

why don’t i believe you

Tucker Foley 😎 @tftoofine – Feb 19

Paranoid isn’t a good look, Sam

danny 👻 @dannyfenton – Feb 19

sams right tho? u shared that vid with me lmao

Tucker Foley 😎 @tftoofine – Feb 19

Dude. I thought we were friends?

danny 👻 @dannyfenton – Feb 19

😜 😘

samm 🦇 @batgirlsam – Feb 19

you’re on thin fuckin ice, foley

Tucker Foley 😎 @tftoofine – Feb 19

Didn’t you agree to help though?

danny 👻 @dannyfenton – Feb 19

😎 😎 😎 😎 😎 🍿

samm 🦇 @batgirlsam – Feb 19

damn Daniel. after all i did for you

Tucker Foley 😎 @tftoofine – Feb 19

Damn Daniel. That’s cold ☹️

[itschristievie]

“What the hell do you want?”

Making decisions in the past was not always easy. We would be asked where we saw ourselves in five years, but we’re not fortune tellers. Was I wrong for not knowing? Why did everyone else seem to know what was going on, while I was still wondering what to make for lunch?

What the hell am I, and what am I doing? Where is my passion? Ugh! I have so many, where do they intertwine? I love the environment. I am spiritual. I love cartoons like Steven Universe that challenge the toxic societal norms we put on each other, and ourselves. I love theatre, performing, therapy, healing others and healing myself. I love so many things, so why am I feeling so... stuck? Shouldn’t that make it easier?

Fast forward into the future: I am a fairly new post-grad actor from a prestigious university that drained me of all my trust fund money (#worthit) who is contemplating WAY too hard during quarantine. I’ve been in Las Vegas for about a year, figuring I’d stay with family until I got a job as an actor, or at least something, and move out shortly. Guess where I’m still living?

The master plan was still in place until about a few months ago. I was going to move to LA and start the stereotypical (yet true) struggle as a starving actor we all know so well. I’ve been having nightmares, though. Literal nightmares about the fires. And you could say this has nothing to do with my passion as an actor, but on the contrary. 

I worship the Earth and this beautiful globe we inhabit, and every creature (even the scary looking ones) that surround me. After all those years thinking about LA - fantasizing about dating some hot skater boy and having hot skater boy back-scratching sex, traveling to Paris and eating croissants while being skinny and looking like every other pretty blonde girl I’ve never looked like, living in a tiny house and having a lumberjack husband and cute kids, and later becoming a Hollywood star and touring platinum record singer - makes no sense now. With a heavy heart and regretful ego I realized...these couldn’t have ever been part of the same dream. I felt like a failure for not being everything I ever wanted growing up throughout high school. We can be quite hard on ourselves, can’t we?

I have started embracing myself during quarantine. It was hard to accept myself at first, and I cut off all my hair. Now I really couldn’t care less about anything. Fuck it. Closeted only from my family and those who don’t bother to ask, I am bisexual. I look entirely beautiful and queer now, with my short Arctic Fox purple hair. (I’m even thinking of getting some more piercings - let’s not leave the ladies guessing.)

Point being, the person I am now is different than who I was at 16, so of course those dreams look different.

In college, accepted as undecided, I applied to the drama school because that’s what I yearned for. As a artsy kid in a sports-oriented high school, finally I achieved freedom! A liberal, artsy, gay college! 

I never acted before, and I was in my first play fall semester fo Freshman year. I got a sign from my late grandma to apply to acting school (story for another time), and I was accepted by some miracle. Acting saved my life, which, again, is a story for another time, but for now let’s fast forward to 2020 - quarantine. *barf.* I had to physically stop my raging hustle and pause in the silence to ask myself if this was what I really wanted. 

Years of my family lovingly joking they can’t wait for me to become rich so they can remodel the house and never worry about bills again put pressure on me to stay in my lane. It was the bed I made, so I had to lie in it, right? My family spent all that money on college, only for me to suddenly change my mind? Oh hell no. I didn’t (and still don’t) want to disappoint them. To be just another flaky, failed actor? After all those years of training? Isn’t that embarrassing? Actually,    ̶ ̶y̶e̶s̶ ̶ ̶ no. Only if you put your ego before your happiness, it is. 

Without my ego shitting all over my face, clouding my vision, the future is so open and full of possibilities. I am working on letting go of what my ego is telling me to want, because it’s the “right” dream to have, or because it’s “noble” - and just do what I want to, because I want to and I love it. 

And don’t worry about the money. TRUST that the money will flow into your life. When I imagine money coming in to my life, I get calls from old clients asking me to complete jobs. Random folks reaching out to me for pay and opportunities. And they always tip me profusely - it’s incredible. 

So what do I want? I can manifest anything (and you can, too, try it), but how can you manifest if you don’t even know what you want yet?? Well, you can start with what you know you do like, and what you do want for SURE... okay...hmm...

Well. I’ve always loved cartoons - specifically Cartoon Network. I’ve fantasized about being a voice actor on Adventure Time, and working in their Atlanta studio. Or being a voice actor for a Disney/Pixar character. Directing a TV show that depletes toxic societal boundaries and teaches kids healthy habits and relationships. You know, the things their absent or self-absorbed families might not bother to. And this isn’t necessarily to fault the parents (but, like, it kind of is) - but rather it’s about helping the kids grow up with the self-love and support they need.

So, can I do this from Hollywood? Well, maybe. Can I do this through kid’s shows? Absolutely. And for the adults, maybe I could do movies that are a little more complex, but that can be down the road. I just hope I can figure my shit out before I’m 30.

[monswoon]

I'm sitting in the cafeteria! Rereading Street Brat for the hell of it!! And I'm in love!! Good job!!💪💪🙌🙏🙏💕💕 thank you!! I'm in a good mood cause I'm reading it and feel slightly like an idiot cause I'm smiling at my phone by myself but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #worthit I hope you are okay!

ASDFGHJKL /)///////(\

whenever i get the little notification in my activity showing you sent an ask I always feel a little bubble of joy and save opening my inbox to read it until I’m settled somewhere comfortable so I can truly savour it. You never fail to absolutely make my day and now I’m smiling at my phone too. I’m having a great day and you just made it ten times better, thank you! I hope you have a fantastic week you angel xxx

[iamlordmoldyshorts]

I signed up long ago to receive travel tips and discounts through Travel Zoo.  It wasn’t until recently that I actually took them up on an offer and decided to visit Riga, Latvia…because why the hell not?

Booked well in advance, it didn’t occur to me until I’d landed in Latvia that I’d be there during both the Trump inauguration and the Women’s March.  As a result, this blog will contain many of my emotions/thought processes in addition to the standard fare of pictures containing my experiences in my very first Baltic country.

If that’s not your cup of tea, feel free to see yourself out and return for my next blog: Berlin!  Any political commentary on either side of the equation in the comments will be deleted.  Consider yourself warned. :)

I landed in Riga at “night”(damn, it gets dark early!) and saw real live snow on the ground.  As a Texas girl who has spent considerable time in Jerusalem, Israel and Miami, Florida this was a real treat for me.  So what do I do?

Snow selfie!

I asked a handy nearby fellow for directions to the bus and went to wait at the stop where I witnessed a grown-ass man rolling around in the snow, making snow balls behind the bus stop.  See?  I’m not the only one excited about seeing snow!

After an hour long bus ride and a twenty minute walk to my hotel, I settled a bit and went out to find dinner at about 8:30.

Whilst traveling, I tend to splurge a bit on food.  I like to taste cuisine like the locals do.  Often times, I’ve found, that doesn’t actually mean eating the local cuisine (as you’ll see from my large variety of meals in Latvia.)

For my first meal, I wound up at KID*, an extremely cozy Italian restaurant that had the strangest and best music selection of any restaurant I’ve ever been to…full stop.  I was serenaded by a Nicki Minaj/Sir Mix Alot Anaconda/Baby Got Back crossover on banjo and a four-string jazz version of Eleanor Rigby.  Also, the food wasn’t bad either. ;)

I headed back to my hotel afterwards because while I don’t mind traveling by myself, I do have some manor of common sense about walking around alone in the dark at night in a foreign country where I don’t speak the language.

Upon returning to my room, I decided to do a bit of research regarding the Latvian impression of Trump, considering the time of my visit coincided with his taking office.  I’ll admit, I was slightly concerned that I’d be a lone blue swimming in a sea of red.  Surprisingly (or not surprisingly, when you actually take more than a second to think about it,) Latvia (and Latvians) are most definitely not fans of Donald Trump.

In fact, upon doing some research, I discovered that Latvians fear what Trumps presidency means for Europe and are preparing for the worst.

“Unlike any other president before him, Trump has declared he would not necessarily challenge Russian aggression – particularly in the Baltic states. […] Many feel that just as the situation in Ukraine became something that the world could wilfully ignore, without the threat of US interference, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania could face a similar future.” Source

So I guess I wasn’t alone in my displeasure of the upcoming day.  But beyond that, in my irrational mind with a constant mantra of “You’re a lone American female in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language,” I was a little fearful to be in such close proximity to Russia on January 20th.  (Did I say irrational?  Hindsight shows that thought process to be stupid.  He wasn’t going to do anything on Day 1.  Obviously.)

I turned on the television to try and calm my mind a bit only to discover that my channel options were rather intriguing.  Between English, Latvian, and Russian, my channel options were limited to National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and poorly dubbed Disney Channel.  Jade Fever it is!

Day 1

The first day out and about in Latvia’s capital city of Riga was layered in a dense fog.  Not to be deterred, I set out to do all the things!

The architecture looked…sparse but decorated at the same time. Honestly, most of it looked like it was still part of the Soviet bloc, very minimalist and concrete. But I could also see where they were trying to build and differentiate as well.

Early morning courtyard filled with snow.

Riga Central Station and also a huge mall.

Made it to the hop-on/hop-off tour bus. I’m the only one on the bus. Good sign or bad sign?

I took the tour bus in a wide loop around the city, almost doubling back near to my hotel.  It was nice to warm up a bit, but my toes got cold while I was just sitting there, so I got off at the third stop and walked for the rest of the day.

Loved the architecture lines at the Riga Nativity of Christ Cathedral.

I’m standing where the Lenin monument used to be until 1991. Then they tore it down and renamed the street Freedom Street.

Freedom monument during changing of the guards.

The river was completely frozen over. I couldn’t resist!

Walking along the frozen river. Newly wed locks left on their wedding day.

I’m standing on the frozen river. Eeeek! (Technically, it’s a City Canal. Whatever.)

Found this just too funny. I didn’t realize Canada ever had a need to “re-establish diplomatic relations” with ANYONE! What?

Found this standing atop Bastion Hill.  Words to live by.

Maris Liepa outside the Opera House. I asked a passing stranger to take the picture…best decision I made in Latvia.

This passing stranger turned out to be a tour guide!  She invited me to join her for hot chocolate at Vilhelms Ķuze, a coffee shop known for having the best chocolate in the city.  We sat and traded stories while warming up a bit.  Based on my interests (and cultural background,) she recommended I cross the big river (Daugava River) and visit the Zanis Lipke Memorial.  We went our separate ways, her towards work, and me towards the river.

Partially frozen river from halfway across the bridge where I crossed.

Immediately on the other side, I saw these gorgeous red bushes a bit off the road. Determined to take that photo, I slogged through hella-deep snow to get that pic. Couldn’t feel my toes. #worthit

Walking along the opposite bank of the river, looking back at the bridge I crossed. The entire marina (that’s what you’re looking at) was frozen solid.

So on the recommendation of said tour-guide, I made the trek to the Zanis Lipke Memorial.  Now, if you (like me) have never heard of Zanis, let me briefly educate you.

Zanis was born in 1900.  He received three years of elementary education but had a good grasp of Russian, German, and Latvian languages.  After fighting in the Latvian War of Liberation, he married his wife Johanna (she was 17) in 1920.  He worked at the Riga port as a dockworker and in 1938, he acquired the right to rent a small house and a plot of land slightly inland from the river.

At the outbreak of World War II, he retrained in order to become a contractor for the Luftwaffe, and then used his position to smuggle Jewish workers out of the Riga ghetto and camps in and around Riga, whom he concealed with the aid of his wife until the arrival of the Red Army in October 1944.

At first he found shelter for them in various parts of Riga, but when the circumstances became too dangerous, he took them across the river to his house and hid them in a special bunker that he dug in his back yard.  When the numbers became too great for even that, he transported the runaways to a parish roughly 80 km away from Riga.

The Lipkes and their various helpers saved forty people in this way, one fifth of the approximately 200 Jews who survived the war in Latvia.

Information taken from the Memorial guidebook at Wikipedia.

Inside the Zanis Lipke Memorial.

Inside the Zanis Lipke Memorial with a super-not-at-all-sneaky flash.

A birds-eye look into the bunker.  TV’s are on the floor.

Lipke house.  A relative still lives there.  The Memorial is located right next door and is designed to resemble an inverted Noah’s ark.

At the end of the tour, I discovered that Zanis and Johanna have a tree dedicated to them at Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem).  Not only have I been there (several times) but I’ve seen and taken pictures in front of their tree and had absolutely no idea who they were!

Small world…

At this point, I decided to cross back over the river and hit some more monuments/museums before heading home.

The Swedish Gate is situated in Riga, Latvia, and was erected 1698 as a part of the Riga Wall to provide access to barracks outside the city wall.

The Three Brothers is a building complex consisting of three houses. The houses together form the oldest complex of dwelling houses in Riga.

Riga Cathedral

No idea WHY the fire….but it smelled like fire. I hovered for two minutes or so. Smelled like home.

House of Blackheads (home of the president,) with the Museum of Occupation of Latvia next to it.

The Museum of Occupation of Latvia was truly fascinating and if you ever have the opportunity to visit, I highly recommend it.

By the time I finished, it was dark out.  (Not that that means much.  It was about 5:00pm.  I told you it gets dark early there, right?)

I wandered back to the hotel at this point, determined to scope out a possible venue for dinner.  By the time I made it back, researched restaurants, and left again, it was about 7:30pm.  I went to the restaurant I found and lo and behold, it was closed for reconstruction.  Bereft, I wandered back down the street towards my hotel wherein I found salvation in the form of the UniCon Cafe.  Honestly, all it took was the TARDIS in the window for me to poke my head in.

Unfortunately, they didn’t serve food, but I asked the bartender where I could find good food in the general area and was told to go check out WokiToki for their Chinese take-away food.

After grabbing my Chinese food, I went back to UniCon and ate dinner there.  I fell in love with the concept.  An espresso and alcoholic beverage bar with two TV’s; one displaying anime, the other being used to play Mortal Combat.  They also had a huge wall of board games.

I would have been in nerd heaven if not for two things; most patrons were speaking a foreign language.  Don’t get me wrong, I have no issue striking up conversations with groups of strangers…but it’s hard to strike up a conversation if you don’t know if they speak your own language.  Also, by that time it was about 8:30pm.  For those of you who can’t play the time-difference game…8:30pm in Latvia was exactly 1:30pm in Washington D.C. on January 20th, 2017.

I wasn’t feeling very chipper from that point on.  I left and headed back to my hotel.  I spent the next two hours scrolling through my facebook news feed, twitter, and CNN before calling it a night and turning on the TV to distract myself.

Day 2

The following day, I was determined to take it easy and treat this trip more like a vacation and less like…well…a trip.  I slept in a bit later, I ate breakfast a bit slower.  I really only had a few things left on my tourism list that I wanted to check out.

I walked back over to the Riga Central Station (and got a better picture!  The sun came out!)

Rather than continue south towards the river (as I’d done the day prior) I hung a left and meandered over to the Riga Central Market on the recommendation of my tour-guide friend from the day before.

Old zeppelin factories that now house numerous food markets. Unfortunately the first one I walked into was fish. (*gag*)

The market stalls extended outside too. I walked around for a good hour out here. Found a cute sweater too…but wasn’t willing to pay asking price, so I walked away.

The ghetto. It is now a section for the arts in the city…which I consider to be AWESOME.

This imposing building looming over the Ghetto and marketplace is apparently the Latvian Academy of Sciences.

From there, I meandered my way back West and happened upon the Freedom Monument again…but this time, featuring BLUE SKIES!

I had a late lunch, my traditional McDonald’s excursion, and decided to walk in the general direction of my hotel for lack of anything better to do.

This was about the time the Women’s March was starting, so while I walked, I scoured Twitter to read the fun political signs.  I even saw someone walking down the street in Riga wearing a Hufflepuff scarf and a pussy hat.  As she walked by, I told her I liked her hat.  Thank goodness she spoke English…cause that would have been awkward.  xD

In my wandering, I ended up back at UniCon where I sat for about three hours and just read a book and drank some coffee.  So relaxing.

Called it a night early and went back to the hotel.

Day 3

On my final day in the city, I woke up and didn’t really have much of a plan.  I packed my stuff and checked out of the hotel, slowly making my way back to the airport.

On the way, I finally spotted some of the weather vanes I’d been looking for.  Riga is known for its eclectic weather vanes.  The rooster and the cat were my faves. Here are two roosters.  (It was too foggy to take a picture of the cat.)

I caught the bus to the airport and left Latvia behind me.

All in all, I felt very alone on this trip.  Not because I was traveling alone but more due to the fact that I felt isolated in my corner of the world playing tourist while so much was going on both in the States and in the UK (with the inauguration and the Marches).

Between Rome and Latvia, I’m kinda sick and tired of Donald Trump ruining my vacations.  I’m going to need him to work on that……among other things.

ANYWAYS!  Next stop: Germany for the Berlinale International Film Festival.

Because Why The Hell Not I signed up long ago to receive travel tips and discounts through Travel Zoo.  It wasn't until recently that I actually took them up on an offer and decided to visit Riga, Latvia...because why the hell not?