#i love cheese so so much but i lack the culture for it unfortunately

[phosphorus-noodles]

top 5 cheeses

urhgdh how many cheeses can I even name-

whatever cheese blend i bought pre-shredded all the time in college. i lived off of that

^ i'm pretty sure cheddar was in there. it's a solid cheese

you cannot go wrong with sprinkling parmesan cheese on things tbh. like on pasta?? mmmm,,

mmmacaroni and. i'm running out of cheeses

one time i went to my french neighbor's house and i had brie cheese and now i dream of kissing it under the moonlight

(ask me top 5 things)

[mxvladdy]

That Diavolo angst was perfect. The best, most high quality cheese at the end. Domestic fluff galore. Decadence straight from the source of your hands.

Could we get some Diavolo fluff with an MC who ran away from home(of lamentation) that wants to spend the night at the castle because the brothers were being dismissive [in tsundere and sibling fun-poking ways] but it just kept reminding MC of their abusive home life in the most innocuous ways

i.e. Satan mocking the books they like for being "too whimsical/fanciful". Asmo making a few too many degrading comments on their skin/hair care or lack thereof (like, tell me the RIGHT way to do it then!  If I'm such a fuck up on my own). Mammon and Belphie.... being Mammon and Belphie.  Levi gate keeping them from devildom equivalent interests because they're "not a real fan if they don't [x]"

A/N: Awww you spoil me with compliments ~^.^~! I hope this is to your liking!

It was late and Diavolo was exhausted. Diavolo looks down at his over inundated schedule, black and red ink covering the pages, barely any of the original white pages could be seen now.  Squinting he chuckles at the elegant handwriting of his butler. He had quite literally penciled in two hours for sleep. A sweet gesture for the evening. It was unfortunate he had wasted half of that time going over in his last meeting of the night. 

The meeting was supposed to be just a brief update on the expansion of the kingdom out west. New trading routes with the colonies and lands not yet in his domain. But, as usual, the evening turned to his exchange program and he always had time to talk about his pet project, even if his schedule didn’t. Each of the brothers was adamant that the program was going well. Better than they had hoped in fact, they all warmed up to you much to his delight, even saying they were treating you like you were part of the family.

That should have been his first clue. He knew the brothers and how they acted with family. Perhaps it was because he was exhausted that the comment went over his head, perhaps it was his own ego telling him everything was going great. He brushed aside the remarks to conclude the meeting and get to his rooms without a second thought. Diavolo practically vibrating with excitement at the hot bath waiting for him. Maybe he could nab some chocolate from Barbatos’s secret stash too. With those sweet thoughts filling his head and his eyes buried in his agenda he overlooks you standing by his door. He skids to a stop only after almost knocking you off your feet with his massive bulk. “My apologies, I did not see you there.” He steadies you looking you over for any injuries. “Do you need something?” He forces an energetic smile onto his face to hide his exhaustion and slight irritation at yet another snag in his evening.

He watches you shuffle in place for a moment, eyes downcast. “Sorry-sorry, it’s silly, but could I stay with you for a bit? I don’t want to be at the house.” Your voice warbles, hands coming up to wipe at fresh tears. Diavolo’s hearts sink, his previous exhaustion taking a backseat to you.  

He beckons you into his room without a second thought. “What’s wrong? What happened?” You shake your head rubbing harder at your face, your skin getting more and more agitated. He purrs deep in his chest pulling you close on instinct to comfort you and for you to stop agitating your skin. You bury your face in his uniform.

“It’s stupid really, I don’t know why I’m upset.” You laugh. The weak sound getting caught on a wet hiccup. “I just can’t handle the teasing right now.” Anger begins to brew in his gut, the brothers, you were obviously talking about them. Had he been to lose with his leash? Did they lie to him?

He leads you to his favorite chair by the window and crouches next to you. “Explain, please? If I need to correct this I will.” He listens, letting you vent and get your frustration out. He never had siblings nor any real family to relate your experiences with like you did, but he understood the mounting weight of words. There was only so much one could take before even the strongest shoulders crumble. “I’m sorry they hurt you.” He reaches to squeeze your knee in reassurance. “I could have Barbatos explain the matter to them, if you allow it.”

You sniff and give him a watery smile. “Thank you but I have to express this myself- I just needed some time away from them.” You cover his large hand with both of yours and squeeze back. “Thanks for listening.” Diavolo rumbles warmly, eyes locking with your warm hands.

“Anytime mi giglio,” He leans back onto his heels. “If I’m honest, their little jabs are utter baseless garbage.”

“Yeah?” You chuckle wiping your nose with his gifted handkerchief. “You don’t think I’m some boring sentimental human?” He shakes his head letting out a dismissive snort. You are beautiful and if Asmo was too blinded by his own standards and routines then it was his loss. He loves the character and different textures of your body. He loves your permanent laugh lines and the way your skin by your eyes crinkle when you smile. The way your nose scrunches when you are happy just makes him glow when in your presence.

Even the tiny scars and marks on your skin told stories that his body never could be able to do. He envied the way human lives could be seen through their bodies, the stories their bodies tell with or without them knowing was amazing. Demons, with their smooth lines, tight hard skin, and hidden agendas couldn’t do that. The idea of “gate-keeping” as you called it was a completely new contempt to him, and sounded ridiculous too. It was counterintuitive to his whole program. If you enjoyed the programs and culture then why were the brothers chastising you over it? He makes a mental note to find time off to take you to enjoy some of the sights of his Devildom without the brother's judgment.

“No. You- you,” He waves his free hand in the air trying to find words that won’t embarrass him. “You are fascinating and so unashamed of your interests. The life you live is unlike any demon or fallen angel could ever comprehend. If they tease you on such trivial things then that speaks to a fault in their character, not yours.” He lets them hang in the air between you, not wanting the meaning to be lost in useless banter.

The silence between you was comfortable and Diavolo basked in it. Normally silence was always tense around him, everyone always waiting for a decree or punishment. Right now though there is none of that. “Wise words, where did you get them?” You move away to pat at your blotchy face, trying to wipe away the tear stains.

Diavolo huffs at the loss of your soft touch. “Little D.” He jokes, voice deadpan. You laugh turning to face him. “There we are!” He cracks a small grin already feeling your mood relax. Leaning in close he wipes away a stray tear. “Feeling a bit better?  Perhaps we can-” Your phone buzzes from your discarded bag making you jump apart. You rush over digging through the bag to grab the blasted device looking at the rapid-fire amount of texts and calls all come in at once. “The brothers?” Diavolo sighs cursing their interruption. He can see the long streams of text bubbles scroll by in the reflection of your damp eyes.

“Yeah.” You look up from your screen. “They are wondering where I am.” Diavolo grimaces not even trying to hide his feelings. You glance back at the phone with little interest, then shrug powering it off. “I think I can let them stew in it for a bit, don’t you? Mind if I crash here for the night?” The Devil perks up, gold eyes following the trajectory of your phone as you toss it. The decorative case disappearing into the cushions.

“I couldn’t agree more.” He claps his hands together in excitement. “Come! Read me one of the stories Satan found jejune. I think I have a few Devildom children's stories on a shelf somewhere to share too!” Diavolo gets up already deciding which room you will stay in for the evening. Perhaps if he plays his cards right you could stay the weekend.

[glenngaylord]

OUTFEST 2020 FILM REVIEWS:  The Rest Of The Fest

As the curtain closes on another Outfest, this one presented under extremely unusual circumstances, I sit in awe of the filmmakers and of the staff who put together not only a great group of films, but managed to creatively bring them to its audience online and at drive-in screenings.  Typically, you find yourself having to choose one film over several others, but with this new format, you have a great chance of seeing everything you want.  In past years, I found myself lucky if I saw 15 films.  This year I saw 23 features and 4 shorts programs out of the 160 on the schedule.  

As it’s impossible to get full reviews submitted for everything while the festival is still chugging along, I wanted to write capsules of the remaining films not covered at TheQueerReview.com .  Please visit the website for all the other reviews I wrote as well as those by my colleagues.

THE OBITUARY OF TUNDE JOHNSON ★★★★★

Melding a Groundhog Day-style concept with police violence against black people, this stunning film could not be more prescient and emotionally overpowering.  A black gay teenager relives his moment of murder over and over again, with slight shifts in the narrative taking us to someplace unexpected and earned.  Director Ali LeRoi directs his first feature as if he’s been doing it all of his life and has interpreted Stanley Kalu’s ingenious script with a great cinematic approach.  Gorgeously framed, beautifully acted, written, and directed, this is one of the most powerful films of 2020.

TWO EYES ★★★★★

I can’t form sentences here so I’m gonna vomit out words:  Instant classic. Glorious. Set over three centuries seamlessly melding a triptych of stories about gender identity.  I’m a blubbering mess.  Fantastic and very funny last line.  Travis Fine is a very gifted filmmaker who screams love child of Terrence Malick and Kelly Reichardt.  Heartbreaking. Inspiring. Unforgettable.  Montana is so beautiful.  Barstow is not.  A perfect film for anyone who wants to find their place in the world. I wouldn’t complain if TUNDE and TWO EYES both received Best Picture Oscar nominations.  

DRAMARAMA  ★★★★

Theater nerds rule in this incredibly endearing, early 90s set film about a group of high schoolers discovering themselves in one night at a ridiculous Murder Mystery-themed party.  Hilarious script, vivid and wonderful performances, and the opposite of a “Coming Out” movie in the best possible way.  Jonathan Wysocki has given us The Breakfast Club for air-kissing, mid-Atlantic accented freaks and geeks. 

CICADA ★★★★

What happens when a traumatized, bisexual man who has more sex partners than any standard montage can contain slows things down to concentrate on one kind but also traumatized young man?  This elliptically told film has a fun, flirty side but carries its heaviness with great ease.  A terrific feature debut for director/writer/editor/lead actor Matthew Fifer. 

THE STRONG ONES (LOS FUERTES) ★★★★

From Chile comes this sexy, moving story of two men at cross purposes who form a beautiful bond.  Set against some stunning scenery and mining the chemistry between its two leads for everything it has, I am half-jokingly calling it Brokeback Andes.  It’s so much more than that trite, hackneyed comparison.  

MONSOON ★★★1/2

Director Hong Khaou’s followup to Lilting sets its sights on modern day Vietnam as Henry Golding’s character visits to find a suitable place to distribute his mother’s ashes.  It’s a terrific mediation on a gay man finding a sense of belonging in a place he’s never been and Golding proves himself to be a subtle, compelling actor.  Perhaps a little too quiet and reflective, the film makes up for what it lacks in narrative drive with its awe-inspiring cinematography and immersive qualities.  

P.S. BURN THIS LETTER PLEASE ★★★★1/2

What an unexpected surprise.  Michael Seligman and Jennifer  Tiexiera’s documentary about a treasure trove of letters dating back to the 1950s brings us into the world of drag queens from almost 70 years ago.  With many of its subjects not only alive but in fine form telling their stories and the dishiest voiceover readings ever to grace a film, I was not only thoroughly entertained, but I didn’t expect to weep like Laura Dern at the end.  Oh, this is so so so so good. 

MINYAN ★★★★

Eric Steel’s feature debut has its own unique tone and a star making performance by Samuel H. Levine, a spitting image of a young Al Pacino/Sylvester Stallone hybrid.  With its 1980s Jewish Brighton Beach backdrop, this powerful yet subtle film about a young man coming to terms with his sexuality as well as his place within his religion, it’s a stunning debut.  Ron Rifkin is stellar as Levine’s charming grandfather and Alex Hurt (William Hurt’s son) has his father’s intensity.  Fantastic, lived-in production design which feels like its decade without resorting to the usual candy colored tropes and a evocative score makes this a memorable experience.  Reminiscent at times of On The Waterfront, this film puts a fresh new spin on a coming of age tale and finds so many moving moments from first sex to an elderly gay couple hiding in plain sight.  A must-see. 

SHIVA BABY ★★★★

Writer/Director Emma Seligman must have studied Rosemary’s Baby quite a bit with this angsty story set mostly at a memorial service.  Rachel Sennott is fantastic as a young lesbian who moves from one cringe-worthy moment to the next in an attempt to avoid as much conflict as possible.  The great supporting cast includes Polly Draper, Fred Melamed, Dianna Agron, Molly Gordon, and Jackie Hoffman, all note perfect.  Less a comedy and more of an emotional horror story, Seligman knows how to make the best of a cramped space and throw up an endless variety of obstacles.  You just want Sennott’s Danielle to get her goddamned bagel with lox and cream cheese, but the fates have something else, something better, in store. 

COWBOYS ★★★★

Steve Zahn gives a career best performance in this moving story of a father with mental health issues and his trans son escaping into the Montana wilderness.  Sasha Knight makes an impressive debut as Zahn’s son and Jillian Bell expertly walks that fine line between villain and empathetic character.  Its comparisons to Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid are not coincidental.  Not perfect by any stretch, it may feel fairly conventional, but it’s tackling a vibrant subject matter.  Extra points for giving Ann Dowd a role where we don’t hiss at her. 

BREAKING FAST ★★★

Solid romcom with a Muslim backdrop, this very tight, deceptively simple script provides just the right amount of sparks between its charming leads, Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy.  While structurally not breaking new ground, the entry point into a world we don’t see enough of on screen coupled with food porn for days makes this a fun, funny, goes down easy delight.

ASK ANY BUDDY ★★★1/2

Q: Daddy!  Daddy!  What were the 70s like down at the Piers in NYC?   A: Oh shut up and watch this movie.  

An experimental collage of vintage gay porn and archival footage from the disco, pre-AIDS heyday gives this film a mesmerizing, museum installation quality.  While technically without a story, you feel like you’ve gone on a journey nonetheless.  Would pair well with William Friedkin’s Cruising. 

DRY WIND ★★★1/2

Slow cinema meets voyeuristic gay porn in this one of a kind Brazilian exploration an arid small town, a workers’ union crisis, and a man obsessed with the Tom Of Finland drawing come to life who motors into his life.  Overlong and a little too obtuse as it goes along, it’s worth watching this Alice In Wonderland takes a quaalude, gets a very hairy back, and has a lot of sex in the dirt. 

NO HARD FEELINGS ★★★★

This year’s Teddy Award Winner at the Berlin Film Festival, Faraz Shariat’s film uses its backdrop of a refugee camp in Germany to tell the story of Iranians and Irani-Germans searching for a better life.  Its three leads bring a spark and youthful energy to a story with devastating undercurrents.  A wrenching glimpse into the emotional effects an oppressive culture has on its people, yet told with a driving pulse. 

LILY TOMLIN: THE FILM BEHIND THE SHOW ★★★

A look behind the scenes as Lily Tomlin and wife Jane Wagner workshop their legendary 1980s Broadway show, The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life In The Universe.  It’s great to see these two at the top of their game and get a glimpse of their creative process, but this documentary is almost devoid of incident and feels more like a sweet gift to the fans than a fully realized film. 

SHORTS: WHAT A BOY NEEDS ★★★1/2

A mixed bag here of people searching for excitement, I found a couple of gems here nonetheless.  Not to take away from the shorts I don’t mention, I want to single out two exceptional films. Ruben Navarro’s Of Hearts And Castles looks great, has a beautiful vibe, and shows us a lovely connection forming right before our eyes.  Kiko’s Saints proves highly original as we follow a female Japanese artist on assignment in France become obsessed with a gay couple who have a lot of sex on the beach.  Combining animation with fairly explicit sex, I loved seeing the male gaze from a female perspective. 

THE CAPOTE TAPES ★★1/2

I love Truman Capote. I grew up at a time when smart authors found themselves on talk shows and were treated like superstars.  I’ve read his books and always have been in awe of his ability to be himself.  Featuring never-before-heard tapes of Capote’s friends being interviewed by George Plimpton, unfortunately, I don’t think this repetitive documentary gave me anything all that new.  It’s still touching at times and for the uninitiated, this is a great overview of his life, but I was watching the clock. 

OUT LOUD ★★★1/2

A moving look at the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles as they prepare for their first public performance.  With its ticking clock storyline, director Gail Willumsen expertly interweaves storylines of its founder and members.  As such, you really learn what’s a stake and what it means to them.  I was lucky enough to see the chorus perform David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust a few years ago and basked in the power of its mere existence…and was also ridiculously entertained. 

TWILIGHT’S KISS (SUK SUK)  ★★★1/2

This quiet charmer form Hong Kong shows us something we almost never get to see on film - two elderly gay men meeting and falling in love.  The fact that both have been married to women doesn’t stop them from exploring their feelings.  A little to gentle by half, I still was in awe of this rarity.

[twopedalpushers]

Travel update #5

Ecuador

A lot of events have transpired since I last posted a blog update! I signed off my last post at the border between Colombia and Ecuador. There is a lot to get through and so without further ado, welcome to the fourth country of our travels so far - Ecuador. 

Normally at a border crossing the scenery subtly merged from one country to the next but upon arriving into El Ángel National Park at the Ecuadorian border, we were transported into another world. I don’t know how to describe El Ángel National Park as even the photos that I took are pale in comparison to the experience of being there. We were travelling through the park on a dirt track and there were frailjones (a specific type of Latin American sunflower) as far as the eye could see in every direction. We were the only souls along the entirety of this track and the only sounds were those of our tyres on the dirt. It was surreal. It felt like we were the only people on this strange, desolate new planet. 

We passed through a few different towns before we reached the famous Ottavalo Market. The market is known throughout South America for being the best place to buy alpaca wool goods handcrafted by the indigenous people of Ottavalo. The market was vast, bursting with piles of rugs, jumpers, gloves, hats, toys (to name a few) being sold by charming Ottovaleños. We both bought a jumper each and I’ve pretty much been living in it ever since. 

Probably the nicest thing about Ecuador is the amount of indigenous people wearing traditional dress. In Ecuador, 25% of people define themselves as indigenous - 22% more than in Colombia. More often than not in Ecuador, entire villages will be wearing their own cultural variation of the traditional dress. It was interesting to see how this changed as we crossed the country. Women in the North tended to wear long blue dresses, handmade blue sandals, a white blouse with an ornately embroidered belt. Men wore a blue poncho or shirt and a fedora. Once we travelled South, the women of the highlands now wore extremely bright coloured felt shawls held together with a brooch. They wore knee length bright skirts -usually in a contrasting colour to their shawl, wellington boots and a fedora. The men of the highlands wore striped ponchos and wellingtons. This was the first time I had ever seen so many people dressed traditionally throughout the entirely of a country and it was inspiring to see a culture so rich. 

The capital of Ecuador is in the North, so we reached Quito fairly early into our journey. Out of all of the Latin American capitals we had visited, Quito felt the most European. It had a really relaxed yet quiet and private vibe. People ran in the parks and took their dogs out for walks in the evening. It was extremely civilised but it seemed to lack the intensity, drama and disinhibition of cities in its neighbouring countries. 

The roads after Quito were beautiful. We were cycling through Ecuador’s Volcanic corridor, which took us around Cotopaxi Volcano and ended with the vast and breathtaking Quilatoa Lake. 

The scenery was spectacular but the cycling was becoming extremely difficult. The small roads that we usually cycled on were now cobbled instead of paved or dirt. We had to bump along up hills of extreme gradients. It was rainy season in Ecuador so we frequently found ourselves cycling in dense fog or rain all day. The dampness made cycling uphill on cobbles extremely slippery and dangerous to do, especially on a bike that weighed the same amount as I did! I found myself having to get off the saddle and push my bike up steep hill after steep hill, most of which only 4x4’s were able to drive up.

Ecuadorians seemed to prefer to build roads straight up the mountain rather than having the road switch back a few times to gradually take you up. Because of this, our progress became infuriatingly slow - down from 80km per day in Colombia to 40-50km in good weather. 

Ecuador took us to new heights. Most days we were at an altitude of 3000-4000m. Although thankfully neither of us got altitude sickness, doing such intense physical activity so far above sea level left me incredibly out of puff to the point that I would struggle to catch my breath. 

The picture painted of cycling through Ecuador online and on social media contrasted immensely with the reality of doing so. Cycle-touring blogs and Instagram accounts that I’ve been following whilst on the trip are endlessly positive highlight reels of what it’s like cycling on the best days. Nobody tells you that you will be woken up in the middle of the night with searing pain in your legs from the build up of lactic acid. Nobody tells you that on the worst day of your period you will be biking 2000m of elevation instead of running yourself a hot bath and stuffing your face with chocolate. 

After a while in Ecuador, I started to expect every day to be another bad day, which kickstarted a dangerous spiral of negativity. I would look at Max cycling ahead of me in the distance, conquering each hill much more easily and happily than I could, and I would wonder why I was not able to do the same. I was asking myself why on earth I was putting my mind and body through this every day. It was the first time on the trip that I truly missed home.

Ecuador uses the dollar and is much more expensive than Colombia. Because of this to save money we did a lot more camping than we usually would. However because of the persistent rain we found ourselves needing to camp under shelter, once taking refuge on a volleyball pitch next to the side of the road, other times in hostel courtyards. Not splashing out on a bed in a hostel very often meant that we were tackling the Andes on very little sleep for as long as ten days in a row without a break. 

This has been a pretty negative account (sorry!). However it was not totally miserable in Ecuador. On dry days, we got to camp in some of the most amazing, wild spots that have been better than anywhere else on the trip thus far. We spent time camping next to waterfalls and at the base of volcanoes. Between villages while cycling on dirt roads we were very often the only the people around. We saw lots of llamas and alpacas for the first time on the trip! 

However no amount of cute, fluffy llamas could make up for the difficulty of the cycling and unfortunately my morale was low. The strain of undertaking such an intense physical challenge and spending every minute of the day together began to take a toll on mine and Max’s relationship. We were exhausted and bickering with each other at every opportunity. I was falling out of love with the cycling and in the end we decided that it would be good to take a break from biking and spend some time apart. 

Max and his family were heading to visit him in the Galapagos for ten days, and although I was invited along too I decided to fly to Brazil instead. We were 5 months into the trip and halfway through our time on the continent so it felt like a good moment to rest our bodies and treat ourselves a little bit. 

Our cycle route down the Western side of South America doesn’t take us through Brazil and it has always been a country that I have wanted to visit. I booked my flights to Rio de Janeiro and found out a couple of days later that I was going to be there while it’s Carnival! I really needed to blow off some steam and now had the perfect opportunity to do so - it felt like the stars were aligning! 

So about a week ago, we both left our bikes behind and flew to completely different places. We are going to return to our bikes refreshed, rested and ready to take on the Peruvian section of the Andes! Other cyclists that we have met on this trip rave about Peru being one of the most beautiful countries to cycle through, so I’m pretty excited. More importantly others have said that Peru is far less steep than Ecuador because they thankfully build long, winding hairpins up the mountain at a gradual gradient when possible. Obviously, there will still be hills to climb but after a good rest I’ll be able to take them on with fresh legs and a positive attitude.

I landed in Rio de Janeiro a few days ago and Carnival is every bit as exciting, intense, raucous and dynamic as you would imagine it to be - just times by one hundred. I’ve been at some of the street parties (that seemingly have no start or end) for a few days now. I will save writing about my time in Brazil for my next update. 

Below I’ve posted the full video of our time cycling through Colombia. I’m in the process of putting together the Ecuador video and will upload it in a few days.

Here is the link to track our progress (although we won’t be cycling for a while so you won’t see a lot of progression!) 

http://share.garmin.com/DMB7R

Similarly to my previous post about reaching the end of Colombia, I thought I would write a list of all the interesting things that I noticed while travelling through Ecuador. Again, it’s lifted from my journal so it informally written.

Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream! For a country so cold it’s crazy to see how into ice cream the locals are. On every street there is an ice cream shop. In the North they cover ice cream in cheese (crazy combination I know...) I was intrigued by this but in the end I was too grossed out to give it a try. 

The possibility of taking a hot shower is back- for the first time on the entire trip! Ecuadorians mostly have warm showers, which is nice. They don’t have central heating in their buildings so they use propane tanks to heat their water. Every morning a truck selling gas canisters trawls around every neighbourhood, blaring a song sung by children with shrill voices. It’s the same song in every town we have visited. 

Ecuador has a strangely large amount of Chinese restaurants called “Chifas.”

They’re mad about topiary gardens. In the North every town square had shrubs with peoples faces and animals cut into them. 

Ecuadorians are very quiet, reserved, friendly and humble people.

A very large amount of people drive old school classic VW Beetles. It’s definitely the most common type of classic car you will see in Ecuador. 

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael After Midnight: Escape from L.A.

Escape from New York is one of the greatest films of all time. A dystopian thriller for the ages, it follows the hardcore gritty misanthropic anti-hero Snake Plissken as he’s forced into infiltrating the prison island of Manhattan and rescuing the president. It’s a cult classic for the ages that gave us an amazing Kurt Russell performance for an iconic character who would go on to inspire other legends such as Hoss Delgado and Solid Snake, as well as a kickass Carpenter score and just a fantastic film all around.

But I don’t want to talk about that film. No, I want to talk about its much less famous sequel, Escape from L.A.

This movie is so strange to me. It’s a strange sequel to one of the greatest cult classics of all time, and yet hardly anyone mentions it until they’re making a list of the worst sequels of all time. Frankly I find calling this the worst anything is a bit of a stretch; this movie is actually legitimately good, in the right mindset anyway. You see, while this film does away with all the subtlety and atmosphere of the first film, and while it certainly retreads the plot almost beat for beat with very similar characters, this movie has something the original does not: pure, unadulterated 90s radness.

What makes this film great has a lot to do with just how good Kurt Russell is as Snake. He plays him with such a charming dickishness that even when Snake starts acting mildly transphobic he’s still a fun and likable character (I’ll be going more into that shortly). And if nothing else, this movie goes out of its way to establish just how fucking cool Snake is. He flies an exploding helicopter! He surfs on top of a tsunami to chase down Steve Buscemi! He does a bunch of sick basketball shots, all of them courtesy of Russell himself! Snake just oozes cool, and he just gets all the more cool with the ending (which I’ll also get into shortly).

The other big plus this movie has is the sheer levels of 90s insanity. There’s really nothing else that can possibly describe an inhumanly plastic Bruce Campbell playing the Surgeon General of Beverly Hills performing copious plastic surgery on everyone in a really unsubtle jab at celebrity culture of the 90s. Frankly, the movie’s lack of subtlety and its overwhelming 90s-ness really just pile on to how nutty the whole thing is. 

But in a way, the whole things lack of subtlety has kind of made it resonate even more in modern times. An insane fascist tuber-conservative president who builds a giant wall to keep people he finds to be deplorable out of his country? A fanatical anti-American radical with bombs hijacking a plane? This shit happens right in the movie, it’s stuff that would happen latter, and the eerie parallels you can draw between the president in this film and Donald Trump is really telling at how much of a ridiculous cheesy action movie villain the guy is, except in real life where that is far more disturbing. And then there’s the disturbing fact one woman in the movie was sent to the prison island simply for the crime... of being Muslim. This came out in 1996. It’s disturbing just how prescient it was. I kind of like that under all the cheese and silliness there actually are themes, albeit ones portrayed in a very heavy-handed and in-your-face nature, that still have value today.

Which is more than can be said for its treatment of the transgender character Hershe, and yes, that is unfortunately the way it is spelled. To the movie’s credit, it doesn’t really make her the butt of any jokes, this really isn’t anywhere near to being as bad as Ace Ventura, but there’s still something off about seeing Pam Grier with an artificially deepened voice playing a transwoman. As for Snake’s transphobic comments as mentioned before, I was slightly exaggerating; he keeps referring to her as Carjack, her nickname when she still identified as a man. On the one hand, Snake’s a bit of a dick for continuing to call her that when it clearly pisses her off… but on the other hand, “Carjack” was not only not her deadname, but she did stab Snake in the back and leave him out to dry when last they met. It really comes off more like he’s doing it out of extreme passive-aggressiveness than outright hatred of transgender individuals, which certainly fits his character. Snake is flippant to just about everyone, and the guy has next to no patience, though the fact he’s supposedly going to die in a few hours probably does not help.

Speaking of Snake’s flippant attitude, That brings us to the ending, where out of spite for being used as a pawn by just about everyone, Snake uses the satellite weapons everyone in the movie wanted to unleash an EMP that shuts off all power on Earth. It’s over-the-top, it’s silly, and it would certainly fuck over just about everybody… but it also feels like just the thing Snake would do after all the bullshit he has gotten pushed through in this film and the previous one. The guy’s already misanthropic and a loner, and he continuously gets played for a sap by everyone around him, so is it any wonder he’d give the ultimate finger to every single group that jerked him around this past night and just even the playing field for everyone? “Welcome to the human race” indeed.

I definitely don’t think this is as strong a film as the first one from an artistic standpoint, and I can definitely see why this one is not nearly as iconic… but damn, if this isn’t one fun ride! As far as 90s action films go, this one really has it all: the coolest fucking hero doing the coolest fucking things, fighting ridiculous caricatures of real-world issues, there’s EXTREME SPORTS, lampooning of celebrity culture, ridiculously unsubtle political satire, poorly done LGBT+ characters, and White Zombie is on the soundtrack. Frankly there’s not much more you can ask for. I don’t think this movie is mindless, stupid, or “so bad it’s good,” let me make that clear; I think this is a genuinely good, fun film, albeit coated in a fine layer of cheese. There are some iffy, dare I say even PROBLEMATIC elements to it, but I think there is value in some of the stuff the film says, and Snake is cool no matter what.

If you like cheesy action films or just really love Kurt Russell, you’ll probably get a kick out of this, but generally I think anyone should check this out, because if you can’t crack a smile while seeing Kurt Russell on a surfboard in front of a shitty greenscreen surfing on a tsunami to chase down Steve Buscemi in a car, I don’t know if you’re the kind of person I want to talk to. This movie is just pure, unadulterated 90s silliness and cool all rolled up into one ridiculous package, and even if it could never hope to live up to the legacy of its predecessor, I think it leaves a pretty worthwhile legacy all its own. This is a film that deserves more respect, there is no doubt in my mind about it.

[slifers-executive-writer]

A Overall Discussion About Godzilla: King of the Monsters 2019.

It has been awhile since I wrote an original piece on my blog, and while I’ve stated this is mostly for my writing and anime fandom, I cannot help but include one of my other passions. That is of course the movies. One topic that has been going around the internet lately is the potential flop that is Godzilla:KOTM 2019. I will put it out there right now, that while this movie isn’t doing as good as I would like, I’m sure it will make its money back and I certainly don’t think it is a flop. But my main reason for writing this particular discussion is to clear the air about where this film stands. I’ve been hearing a lot of reviews both top critical and various Youtubers complain about this thing and my overall observation is a lot of them claim to ‘like’ Godzilla and yet clearly don’t understand a goddamn thing.

A very similar thing happened with Detective Pikachu. Both movies not scoring that great on Rotten Tomatoes and overall critic/Youtuber reception being very mixed, yet the general audience seemed to enjoy both summer blockbusters. Both films suffered from a lot of ‘reviewers’ not doing even the smallest amount of research on source material before opening their big angry mouths and complaining why certain characters or concepts weren’t included.  

And example complaint on these films were:

Detective Pikachu: wHeRe Is TeAm RoCkeT?

Godzilla KOTM: wHy ArEn’T tHeRe OtHeR tOhO mOnStErS?

Yes these were real complaints.

Now in all honesty, I know neither of these movies are masterpieces as in terms of depth of plot or character arcs. If I had to choose one, I would definitely say it terms of the human elements, Detective Pikachu was a much better film. So I am fully aware that these flicks are complete nostalgia pandering hunks of cheese. 

And yet I still found myself enjoying both films to the point where I clapped at the end. The same way almost everyone and their grandmother did for the Avengers. So what is it about this hot garbage making so many people flock to the theaters multiple times to see them?

It’s the simple fact that we have had these Japanese properties in our lives for several decades. Pokemon (1998) & Godzilla (1954). If anyone grew up on either of these or both (such as myself) then we know that as long as these Americanized films are a loads of fun, we can forgive the lazy messy plots. But perhaps that is why these movies aren’t what we all wish they could be...because they are created on American soil. 

You see unfortunately, Hollywood has been in one of the most non-creative/reboot mayhem crisis I’ve ever witnessed. Big corporate studios have to pump out as many safe reboot/non original IPs as possible and it seems to have lost most it’s writing talent as well. If certain directors and producers aren’t behind a project, then the adapted movie (such those inspired by anime and other foreign film franchises) probably won’t have much substance. Not to mention Western filmmakers and our critics don’t seem to fully understand the culture shock of the growing popularity in these Japanese properties. Nor do they understand the appeal of these features, hence all the negative/angry reviews. We have seen this time and time again. And it is nothing new.

Now let’s get back to Godzilla: KOTM. It was a fun ride no doubt. The CGI was incredible, and with certain recent Marvel and DC films, this is a mark a lot of those films miss. So thank Godzilla that our beloved kaijus and other effects looked gorgeous. The cinematography for the monsters was also done very well. There are plenty of moments where we truly understand the grand size of these creatures. Overall the fights were awesome and mind numbing. And the music, oh my god the scoring was incredible. Done by Bear McCreary, who did the recent God of War installation did our Kaiju King a great service. Paying homage to classic Godzilla themes was the perfect icing on the cake. So what was the big complaint? 

Lol These dumbasses. The people in any robot/kaiju/creature feature seem to be the hardest thing directors cannot figure out no matter how hard they try. But let us admit that we as viewers are pretty hypocritical in this argument. On one hand we ask for a shit ton of monster brawls and on the other hand, we complain their are too many explosions and that the effect wears off after a while. We want human stories and then we complain that they are in the movie at all. Godzilla KOTM by no means has a good human story. Some moments with the military and Ken Watanabe were fine, but the idiots in the images above this movie did not need...like at all. I especially hated the father and mother figures. Like yeah Eleven (Milly Bobby Brown), I would run the fuck away too. I’m not excusing the writers for the shitty human plot, I’m just explaining as to why we still suffer from this problem. However, if you are a fan of the Godzilla franchise, you know for a majority of the films, the human plot is not much better than what we see here. Maybe that was Michael Dougherty’s point. He claimed that this was the ultimate film for Godzilla fans and quite frankly, maybe he is right.

Aside from the very first film (Gojira 1954), the human elements of these films were always lack luster, silly, and even forced. Yet so many people are quick to judge our American filmmakers for ruining what ‘only the Japanese can do right’ and in all honesty I’ve never heard such a false statement. The image above is from one of my favorites, Godzilla 2000. Japan’s fuck you to the terrible 1998 film. But when watching this, did you really care about this guy, his daughter, and his dumbass girlfriend. Or the scientists and their anime-esque villain. The answer is probably no. In any of these kaiju films, very rarely do we ‘really’ care about the people. We just want to see the action. The plots are always, cliche, predictable, and stuffing in some bullshit environmental awareness message. Nukes are bad and people suck. But we love Godzilla (practically a walking nuke) anyway. 

Godzilla KOTM, is the same shit we’ve seen before only with American styled editing and tropes. So lots of quick cuts and a focus on the family unit. But hey the special effects are so much better than anything we have seen previously. I don’t have to laugh when I see wires and crappy green screen, or using the same footage from a previous movie. Nope. All our favorite kaijus are in beautiful IMAX quality and are ready to wreck cities worldwide. This is the film fans asked for and we got it. Oh and before the next person complains that the Japanese can only do it better, here is what was done before this.

We got Evangelion Goji with AIDs and CG Tree Goji with Ramen Noddles Ghidorah. While Shin Godzilla was a masterpiece over seas, if you didn’t understand the political subtext, then this film was an angsty destructive ride by a guy who can’t even finish his own art thesis of an anime. (I totally don’t have mixed feelings over Evangelion lol). I didn’t hate Shin Godzilla. It had its moments, but I didn’t think it held the same power of the film it was trying to emulate. Not to mention the CGI and sound design at points were just dreadful. As for the Netflix anime Godzilla trilogy...just wow. Aside from loving the physical design of this new Goji and his new powers, this story was worse than awful, it was downright boring. Even hardcore Godzilla fans had a hard time defending this mess of bad CG. With a promise of multiple featured kaiju and Mecha Godzilla, we get a hunk of nano metal and the only other kaiju actually featured looking like a pack of Maruchan coming down to like ...basically have a staring contest with Godzilla and then evaporate. What a fight for the ages...

In conclusion, I’m not sure if and when either Japan or American will ever truly get it right. We may like certain aspects of one film but hate the rest of it and the cycle will continue on and on. But as far as KOTM goes, I’m happy it exists and hope it does well enough for Legendary to renew its licenses with Toho. I and many others just want Godzilla in the roster and to continue the legacy. Something for future generations of children and adults to enjoy the romping monsters and hear their iconic roars. We can’t let this current toxic and hating Internet culture bitch and complain about concepts and niche cultures it doesn’t fully understand. Like the anime community, the Godzilla fandom is a unique one and has a niche audience. But perhaps like what the Marvel movies have done for comic book fans, the exclusion will lessen over time and become more mainstream. But for now, Godzilla KOTM is meant for a particular group of people and it seems for that bunch, it has made them plenty happy. Myself included. 

So what are your thoughts on this movie and others like?

Feel free to share your comments, reblogs, and however else you would like to respond down below. 

[itswomanswork]

How To Build Confidence And Attract The Woman Of Your Dreams

Do you want to learn how to build confidence so that you can attract the woman of your dreams?

I believe that confidence is one of the most attractive qualities that someone can have. Research has confirmed that men and women rate confidence as a very attractive trait in a potential partner. Confident men are comfortable in their masculinity. They know who they are and they own it.

They don’t have to be loud in order to be noticed by women because their presence takes over the room, just by being themselves. In short, confidence is sexy. If confidence is such an attractive trait to a woman, then why do so many men struggle with it?

I’m here to tell you why and how you can build the confidence that women desire. A wise person once said, “Self-confidence is the most attractive quality a person can have. How can anyone see how great you are if you can’t see it yourself?”

In the video below I talk about how to find the right person to spend your life with:

(Click here to watch on YouTube)

Do you want to learn how you can master confidence in every area of your life? CLICK HERE to join my Life Mastery Accelerator program!

This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). I only ever endorse products that I have personally used and benefitted from personally. Thank you for your support!

If you are reading this, I’m assuming that you want to learn how to build confidence with women.

As men, we all want to be confident with women, but not all of us are. What a lot of people fail to realize is that confidence is a trait that is developed. No one is born with confidence.

The dating world is really complex and it puts a lot of pressure on men to show up and be the prince charming that every woman is looking for. Men are fed a lot of strategies on how to pick up women, but oftentimes these strategies turn out to be tricks and gimmicks that are far from authentic.

They may work in the short-term and get you a few dates, here and there. However, this is not the way that you will attract a partner into your life and create a long-lasting relationship. A lot of men are only left feeling burnt out and tired of the dating game. They may get rejected so many times that they think, “What is the point? I’ll never find anyone.” This mindset only serves to lower their self-esteem even further.

R. Don Steele, the author of the book, Body Language Secrets: A Guide during Courtship and Dating says that the desire is evolutionary and that females want someone who’s not going to run from a fight, a man who is confident in his ability to provide and protect.” 

Some men think that they need to fork out a cheesy pick-up line or interrupt a woman’s conversation so that they will be ‘noticed’ for their efforts. These advances only make women feel uncomfortable, annoyed, and at times, insulted.

Lacking confidence is a horrible feeling.

When you are around an attractive woman, do you feel nervous, anxious or intimidated? So much so that you stumble over your words and end up running the other way for fear that a woman is going to see through your insecurities?

I can relate to this because I used to struggle with low self-confidence for many years. When I was younger I was extremely shy and introverted. Let’s just say that meeting women was not my forte. I tried everything and anything to get a girlfriend, but women just wouldn’t give me the time of day.

If I did manage to meet an attractive woman, I would be too nervous to even talk to her, which would turn her off altogether. I was a sensitive and caring guy. I didn’t understand. Isn’t that what women love in a man?

But I was missing that golden trait known as, confidence.

I started to realize that this wasn’t just a problem that I was dealing with. Other men that I knew were struggling to meet and attract women as well. At 21 years old, I decided to build Lifestyle Transformations, a dating coaching business for men. I hosted dozens of seminars and events and coached thousands of men on how to build confidence and attract women into their life.

From personal experience and my work with other men, I’ve found that the #1 reason why men lack confidence when it comes to women is fear of failure. Fear stops men from being the man that a woman needs and desires.

So, where does this fear come from?

We live in a culture where masculinity is associated with toughness and aggressiveness. As a result, being a sensitive and caring man can be frowned upon or seen as “weak.” What do you think this does to a man’s self-esteem? It can definitely lead them to believe that they aren’t manly enough.

According to research, there are 11 masculine norms that embody what it means to be a man: winning, emotional control, risk-taking, violence, power over women, dominance, playboy lifestyle, self-reliance, the primacy of work, disdain for homosexuals, and the pursuit of status. However, what about the men that are quiet, sensitive and introverted? They matter too.

Just because they don’t fit into one of the above personality types, doesn’t mean that they aren’t a real man.

When I was younger, I spent a lot of time with my Mom and sister. As a result, I took on more feminine traits, like sensitivity, empathy, and vulnerability. Unfortunately, this meant that I was missing the masculine energy that so many women are drawn to. My Dad and I didn’t have a strong relationship when I was growing up. In a lot of ways, I feared him, so I tended to veer away from stereotypical masculine activities.

After a lot of rejection from women, I started to notice that something needed to change. I began engaging in activities like martial arts, which allowed me to embrace my inner masculine. When I did, my physical appearance started to change, my confidence boosted and not surprisingly, I became more attractive to women.

The fact of the matter is that a woman likes a man that can take charge and that isn’t afraid to say how they feel.

David Klow, a Chicago based Psychotherapist states that “women like direct men the same way a salsa dancer likes a good lead. When there are clarity and direction, she feels relaxed. If she can’t trust his movements, they step on one another’s toes. If he is direct and clear in his leadership, however, everyone wins.”

Confidence doesn’t magically happen overnight. You’ve got to do the work to be attractive to women, every single day. Confidence is a mindset.

Let’s explore 4 things that you can do in order to build your confidence and attract the woman of your dreams.

1. Take Care Of Your Body 

Let’s face it… women love a man that takes care of his body. This is one of the most effective ways to build self-confidence. When you look great, you feel great, and that package can be extremely attractive to the opposite sex. More importantly, exercise supports mental well-being.

In this study, men with the highest levels of physical activity, cardio fitness, and muscular strength experienced less stress than those who notched lower levels. They also scored higher on tests of “mental resources”—how energetic, capable, and confident they felt about their daily tasks.

I’m not saying that you need to look like Hercules, but physical attraction does matter when it comes to first impressions. Pay attention to your appearance, in a way that builds your self-esteem. Hit the gym, lift some weights and watch your confidence skyrocket when you start getting the attention from women that you have been seeking.

2. Dress For Success

You only have one opportunity to make a great first impression. Have you ever thought about the message that your clothes give off to other women? What you wear says a lot about who you are and what matters or doesn’t matter to you. Women pick up on this kind of stuff.

In her book, You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You, clinical psychologist Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner talks about a phenomenon she calls the “psychology of dress.” She explains not only how psychology determines our clothing choices, but how to overcome key psychological issues your wardrobe might be bringing to light in your everyday life.

If you want to attract a woman at a bar, would you wear ratty jeans and a wrinkled shirt? No. You would dress for success! You don’t have to go all out in order to look good. Find a style that represents who you are and pick clothes that convey the message that you want to send to women.

This is a great way to start building your confidence and feeling comfortable in your own skin.

3. Work On Your Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication

When it comes to dating and attracting a woman, communication is key. This is where a lot of men get stuck. If you lack self-confidence, your body language is going to show it.

Men that are shy and nervous tend to make themselves appear smaller by looking down, crossing their arms, and curling their shoulders inwards. Not only is this behavior not attractive to women, but it also sends the message, “I’m closed off and don’t want to talk to you.”

Your posture affects the way that you feel. Work on standing tall, with your shoulders back and your head, held high. You will immediately feel more confident by doing something as simple as changing your posture.

When it comes to communicating with a woman, keep steady eye contact with her and actively listen to what she has to say. Ask her questions about herself and don’t try to overtake the conversation. Compliment her on her sense of humor or intelligence. The focus is on being genuine and authentic.

A woman can smell cheese from a mile away. However, if she feels that you are being sincere, you will be acknowledged for it.

4. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

When a man steps outside of his comfort zone and gets rejected by a woman, it can destroy his self-confidence. As a result, he may continue to shy away from new situations or environments that make him feel uncomfortable around women.

However, staying inside your comfort zone is a surefire way of never attracting the woman of your dreams. You need to put yourself out there, strike up conversations with beautiful women, and be OK with being rejected. It’s all about taking baby steps, every day. In the words of Brian Tracy, “You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”

You don’t need to do something over the top and so far outside your zone of comfort that you have a panic attack. Start simple. Smile at a girl at the store, hold a door open for her or compliment her on her outfit. If she doesn’t acknowledge you, who cares! You are one step closer to meeting a woman that will.

This is how to build confidence and attract the woman of your dreams.

The woman of your dream is out there, waiting for you. However, she’s not going to magically show up at your doorstep. You need to do the work in order to be attractive to her, so do it. In the words of Larry Winget, “Be confident. There is no one who is not attracted to confidence. Women dig it. Men love it. Confidence adds hair, drops ten pounds, and takes off ten years.” If that doesn’t motivate you, I don’t know what will!

Do you want to learn how you can master confidence in every area of your life? CLICK HERE to join my Life Mastery Accelerator program!

The post How To Build Confidence And Attract The Woman Of Your Dreams appeared first on Project Life Mastery.

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[theepitomeofsimplicite]

Dear New York City,

You are incredible! I love your busy streets and young energetic crowd. You are simply vibrant of life just how I had imagined you (from the movies, Sex & the City shows, and the songs about you)! So many reasons to have a crush on you so where shall I start?

Butcher’s Daughter

Driving through Chinatown

Ok, here are some of my first impressions of you, NYC:

It is said of you that you are the entire world into one city. Could it be real? You have a platter full of food options! As you are being the hub of internationals and a known place for storied history, you satisfy anyone’s taste bud, I can’t make up my mind. How can I decide between a casual French bistro (Bagatelle, 1 Little West 12th St.), delicious house-made Italian pasta (La Sirena, 88 9th Ave.), Exotic Moroccan (Cafe Mogador, 101 Saint Marks Pl #1), spicy Korean (Kori Tribeca, 253 Church St.), fun cocktails and Mexican food (La Palapa, 77 St Marks Pl.), Barcelona-style tapas (Toro, 85 10th Ave.), German’s pretzels and beer (The Standard Biergarten, 848 Washington St. just outside of the Standard High Line Hotel and I’ll tell more later), Green Juice (Yep that’s also food trust me!) and far more as if I was in the mood for a health conscious Californian style (not just green juice) there is Dime (49 Canal St.). And let’s not omit American sandwiches (Tiny’s & the Bar Upstairs, 135 W Broadway), and comfort food made of shakes, fries and burgers (Bill’s Bar & Burgers, 16 W 51st St.). There is also the Michelin starred Chef Gunter Seeger at Gunter Seerger NY (641 Hudson St.) and for the gluten free folks there is Friedman’s Lunch (75 9th Ave. at the Chelsea Market which I’ll speak more about in this post). Alas, due to my devoted ramen international tour mission, my friend and I set our minds towards Ippudo Ramen (65 Fourth Ave.) as soon as we set our feet on you.

Ippudo NYC

Ippudo Tonkotsu Ramen

Shook off the night away at Le Bain (848 Washington St.), the penthouse club and roof top bar with an outstanding sweeping city and river view located at the Standard High Line hotel. You blew us away! The vibe was electric between the sparkly giant disco ball, the Afro kinetics music, the sweaty dance moves, with the sticky cranberry vodka on my hand. I’ll remember this moment for a while 🙂 Not to mention our pre-game with gin-based drinks at this speakeasy bar Bathtub Gin that is disguised with a front panel as a regular coffee shop. How dare you tricked us!! Fortunately a friendly local had mercy and pointed the place out to us. Piouf don’t you know I have the fear of missing out syndromes!! 

Le Bain with a sweeping view of the river and the city

Some cool walls at the Standard High Line

Bathtub Gin is behind the facade of this coffee shop

The Maritime Hotel (363 W 16th St.) is one of your best places to spend the night in my opinion; friendly, quirky (how I personally like it) and cozy. Located right in the center of the Meatpacking District. This 24-hour neighborhood is found on the far west side of Manhattan and is bordered by Chelsea to the north and the West Village towards downtown. It’s a formidable plant for fashion and graphic designers, architects, artists, restaurateurs, stylists and even corporate headquarters. I enjoyed staying at this hotel in that unique style, it has a nautical-themed landmark with the signature view porthole windows and how I love the white and blue tiles at the restaurant bar and the outdoor terraces seemed just perfect for spring time. In the morning a modest continental breakfast was served at the hotel restaurant so I grabbed myself a quick bite of the bagel with some flavorful orange spread, a mini pain au chocolat, a hard boiled egg, a cup of black coffee and a fresh squeeze glass of OJ. I love the serene atmosphere there with plenty of sun rays through the large windows illuminating the brass surfaced pending lamps.

The Maritime Hotel Restaurant

Ice Wine from Montreal

My Instragram (non worthy) messy bed at the Maritime Hotel

The view port over Manhattan from the Maritime Hotel

Map printed furniture at the Maritime Hotel

Petit dej at the Maritime Hotel Restaurant

You are so walkable in lower Manhattan and it was a great way to see your beauty (your wall graffitis, your modern architectures, your red bricked walls, your apartment stair cases, your lively people, and your multi-culture). But if I didn’t care for strolling around in the cold, then there was the world known yellow cab which was very affordable too! Besides the hotel’s cool white-tiled exterior, I can find within a short walking distance anything ranging from roof top night clubs around the corner, espresso bars, bakeries, as well as street food stands (one in the front of the hotel), yummy late night pizzas (Brunetti Pizza, 626 Hudson St.) (especially required after too much drinks at 4 am), and have I already mentioned great restaurants and bars?!

Cool wall art

Greenwich Village street crossing

The signature NYC staircases

And more wall graffitis

Chelsea Market and the well known yellow cab

The Chelsea Market (75 9th Ave.) to me is where anything can happen and is only a block away from the hotel. You are spontaneous like that! If I ever get too lazy to walk out there into town and/or there is a snow storm alert coming, this covered venue is very special! One is expected to find anything ranging from espresso bar, pastries and freshly baked bread. A crave for fresh oysters there is The Lobster Place!! There, it’s a retail fish market with omakase sushi bar but also a raw bar where people can order and eat at the counter nearby the living seashells. There is even a German wurst place!! There are plenty of cool shops for gifts giving. I love this market!

Chelsea Market

Seafood Bar

Oyster Platter

The Lobster Place

Sight seeing to me is so boring but we strolled around town and set our sight towards The Flatiron Building then marched towards the Empire State Building. I got remotely distracted by the Museum of Sex and ought to call out Grant on this! Our last Vegas trip during thanksgiving holiday failed on us in finding adult shows for some sort of sex Ed haha I’ll skip the details there 😉 but anyone can read this post here! The Empire State Building was incredibly crowded (uncool!!) so we evidently ditched the queue and headed out towards the world known Times Square. Bright lights, giant billboards and honking everywhere! It was to say the least chaotic. Gotta get away now! Who really hangs out in Times Square aside from catching a Broadway show or… yeah tourists!!

The Flatiron Building

The Empire State Building

The chaotic Times Square

The Museum of Sex, was it really a distraction?! or an attraction? Can you tell me 😉

  If anyone needed a breath of fresh air when the concrete walk way and the stinging sound of sirens and honking felt suffocating and exhausting, there is fun and relaxation in strolling in your parks. Aside from the obvious green area of Central Park, I loved the Brooklyn Bridge Park where my friend and I got to have a humble picnic; with the magical view over Manhattan in the dark contrast of what you do best which is to gleam lights and inspire us with your beauty. We hopped on a yellow cab and asked to go to Pier 11. I had the idea of getting on a ferry to have a good gaze at the scintillant Brooklyn Bridge by the night. My friend and I cheered with red wine in plastic cups (lack of sophistication here, not me!) set ourselves up on a butt- frozen stairwell of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. We had some crackers dipped in olive paste and some (unidentifiable) cheese. Despite the blazing cold where my fingers and toes stopped responding to my commands, I very much enjoyed taking you in for a brief and calm sudden moment. 

View of the Brooklyn Bridge on the Jumbo Ferry

Sweeping view of lower Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge Park

A view of the Brooklyn Bridge from the Pier 11

After filling our stomach at Mr. Tuka Ramen (170 Allen St.), we needed to walk it off a bit right so we headed towards world renown Comedy Cellar to test your sense of humor. Are you that funny? Unfortunately you are ever so crowded so we again ditched the queue and got some late drinks at the hotel. I served my friend some of the ice wine I got from my trip to Montreal the weekend before. It was so sweet but so tasty.

Mr. Tuka Ramen

Tonkotsu Ramen

More sight seeing followed on our last day photographing the one World Trade Center and the memorial site, stopped by Wall Street to find the Charging Bull and the Fearless Girl. Finally walked towards the Battery Park to have a peak at the Statue of Liberty from a far distance. But on our way to Sunday Brunch, not Egg Shop,151 Elizabeth St.), not the Butcher’s Daughter (19 Kenmare St.) (the queue estimated to be 1 hour waiting time so no thanks!!) got a green juice (must have Matcha Fizz made of matcha, fresh lime, honey and rosemary ) at the Cafe Integral (149 Elizabeth St.) and amazing classic Persian food instead (Ravagh Persian Grill, 125 1st Ave.). On our way there, I got to see life through Greenwich village. Kids playing at the playground and youngsters shooting hoops. And other people brunching too. The Persian grill was phenomenal! I’d recommend to anyone! And finally time was up!

Greenwich Village strolling

Life in Greenwich Village

The Egg Shop for Brunch

Awkward me as a tourist

A ride towards the World Trade Center

Cafe Integral Matcha Fitz Juice

Classic Persian Food

Until next time darling, we’ll have another date! I promise 😉

New York City Dear New York City, You are incredible! I love your busy streets and young energetic crowd. You are simply vibrant of life just how I had imagined you (from the movies, Sex & the City shows, and the songs about you)!

[sjworldtour]

20/12/19 Accidental fish in Shibuya

Yesterday wasn't our finest day of the trip. We said goodbye to the lovely Steph and Phil (who drove us to Hirafu in the morning) and caught a bus over to New Chitose Airport.  Checked in and had a nice time being given free samples in the food court- cake and cheesecake and steamed donut. We bought something that looked like a croquette and was labelled as cheese but turned out to be a fishcake yuck. Flew to Tokyo Narita and were surprisingly efficient getting out of the airport and on to a bus to the city centre. Had a fair walk from Tokyo station to the Wise Owl Hostel, and struggled a bit under the weight of our bags that we've happily avoided hauling around for two weeks. 

The hostel (where we are staying until boxing day) is a good one, with a live owl in reception, a free drink in the bar downstairs every night, and pleasingly private upstairs bunks where we can talk to each other but are screened from everyone else.

By this time it was approaching 5pm and we had only had some toast and some accidental fish, so we head out to the neighbouring area of Ningyocho in search of food. We popped in to Suitengu shrine which was quiet and pleasant, we felt a little awkward not knowing any shrine etiquette but didn't get shouted at or thrown out so I guess it was all ok. We walked around for ages trying to decipher food menus - hardly any had English translations and those that did didn't have any prices. We settled on a café that had a menu handwritten in English but no prices, and tried in vain to match the Hiragana characters with the real menu. Joey ended up with stir fried vegetables and Sam with the smallest chicken wings ever. Not terrible, but not enough food given how hungry we were and way more expensive than we'd have liked. Most of the place was taken up with a very exuberant office party which was entertaining.

We left feeling still hungry and walked home a different way keeping our eyes peeled for takeaway pizza to top us up. No luck until a bar/restaurant just round the corner from the hostel where we smugly shared a tasty pizza. Were feeling well fed and happy until we asked for the bill and there was a hidden service charge that amounted to more than the actual pizza. Have made a mental note to check for charges everywhere we go from now on. Feeling grumpy and at odds with Tokyo, we sidled back to the hostel and hid from the world.

Today, Tokyo has redeemed itself! We've spent the day exploring Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku, filling up on sights, Japanese culture and food. 

First thing we took a Ginza line subway to Shibuya - we've bought a 72 hour pass that works on the main subway and metro lines, but not the JR or other privately owned lines. It's all a bit confusing. Luckily they say the station names in English and all the stops are numbered so navigating the lines isn't toooo difficult. The tricky bit is emerging from the right station exit and working out where on earth you want to be on the surface. Every subway station seems to be a maze of underground tunnels.

Luckily this time our platform was right by the Tokyu department store entrance, so we headed to the basement foodcourt in search of breakfast. We were disappointed by the lack of free samples promised to us by the guidebook, but found an enticing bakery and bought a huge warm sweet walnut bread. We found our way the surface and sat on the side of the street looking out over the Shibuya pedestrian scramble, the famous junction crisscrossed by up to several thousand people in each wave. We saw a fleet of Mario style go-karts go by on their Tokyo tour. Nearby we visited the statue of Hachiko, the faithful dog who waited every day for his master at Shibuya station, even nine years after the man's death. We had a little wander up Center-gai shopping street, and then over to the new and shiny Hikarie department store. We browsed the many floors of homewares and handbags up to an exhibition space on the top floor. This housed an unexpected display of puppets, as well as some slightly scary craft pop up stores. Back down in the basement, we were yet again denied any free tasters in the foodcourt.

Time was marching on so we hopped on a subway up to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building west of Shinjuku. We visited the observation deck on the 45th floor and a volunteer guide showed us the sights. It was a clear sunny day so we had great views of the city, but unfortunately Mt Fuji was hiding in a wreath of cloud. The gift shop had our names in Japanese characters. Back down on the second floor we're pleased to see climbing and surfing are now Olympic sports but sad squash still isn't.

Walked back to Shinjuku. It's weird how much walking is in underground tunnels, we intended to walk at street level but kept somehow finding ourselves underground again. Had lunch at burger bar round the corner from the Robot Café, which has a cool looking evening show but way too expensive for us. We soaked up the bright lights and buzzing atmosphere of Shinjuku, visited a games arcade with a Star Wars game that had enough controls to be a spaceship, and checked 7 storey electronics stores for fitbit and camera accessories (with no luck). 

Next we walked down to Meiji temple through a large quiet forested area, quite a contrast from the city beyond. We read some prayers on the prayer wall, watched someone important bang on a big drum, and browsed the amulets available for sale. The matrimonial bliss amulet was expensive so we'll just have to hope we find it anyway. You can buy "divine protection” available at three different levels, reminiscent of budget insurance deals. 

Walking out of Meiji towards the south we reached Harajuku, an area known for youth fashion, cosplay, anime, clothing brands of varying expense and second hand shops. By this point it was dark and the avenues of trees at the side of the road were illuminated with zillions of Christmas lights. We visited Condomania (a speciality condom shop, of course), a very extravagant costume shop that was peppered with "no photos” signs, and a thrift shop selling battered old Levis for literally thousands of pounds. 

At the train station on the way back to Shinjuku we were offered a free sample of some sort of biscuit/cake that was actually dried fish. We now appreciate the need to always carry some chocolate in case a post-accidental-fish-cleanse is needed. We went to the Hanazono shrine all lit up for the evening, and then wandered round some of the famous nightlife areas...

The Golden Gai is an area of hundred of tiny bars, mostly only big enough for 3 or four guests. Between the high service charges, the lack of English translations, and the intimidating well dressed men (likely Yakuza) hanging about, we kept ourselves outside and just enjoyed the ramshackle streets. 

Kabuchiko is a somewhat seedy area, with bars having pictures of girls outside as if on a menu, and plenty of "love hotels” offering rooms to rent by the hour or the night.

Omoide Yokocho (aka piss alley from the days before they installed public toilets) was reminiscent of the Golden Gai with tiny establishments and crisscrossing alleyways, but here every bar was grilling skewers of chicken or fish to serve with their sake. It made for a smoky atmosphere bubbling with chatter and calls inviting tourists in to pay the no doubt huge charges. Another great place to wander round while staying safely outdoors. 

We caught the subway back to Shibuya where we started the day, and queued up for seats at a conveyor-belt sushi bar called Uobei. We ordered bits and pieces off our respective ipads and it swooped up in front of us. Very exciting and there were even some veggie plates, although Joey had to scrape some cod roe off an udon dish. Sam was slurping up sashimi like a pro, and we finished the meal with tasty pineapple slices. Went to take a few more photos of the pedestrian scramble, then headed for home and a free sake in the hostel bar. 

[stevedonnellyfaith-blog]

Premarital (Post 20) 1-22-14

                        As Pat wrapped up, she asked if anyone had any questions.  It was the end of Adult Confirmation class, and our group had finished our discussion of the Ten Commandments with a few spare minutes. Normally, this question is met with silence, or a query of clarification on some small matter. However, surprisingly enough one of my classmates asked about whether premarital sex was really against the commandments.  Pat gently advised her that someone who had premarital sex needs to go to confession before taking communion. In my infinite wisdom, I took it upon myself to offer a bit more clarity, which only led to more confusion. My well intentioned comments earned a well-deserved uncomprehending stare that said, “Get back ye olde strange geezer with your ancient and incoherent orthodox doctrine.”

It is the second time I’ve fumbled while trying to help a young person understand why premarital sex is a bad idea. The other person was a guy who attended the Men of St Joseph meetings a few times.  In one Monday discussion, the gentleman announced that he had lived with a woman in the past and would probably do so again unless any of the men present could give him a good reason why this was a bad idea.  We made an attempt, but it was not well organized or convincing – the goal of our meetings is to discuss next week’s Gospel, and we had not mentally limbered up to take on this particular apologetic challenge.  I came back next week with a well-organized spiel, but the young man was not there nor has he been back since.  Often, the opportunity to help someone presents itself only once.

I asked my daughter Abby, if she was okay if I wrote about premarital sex. It’s such a prevalent sin and definitely fits the “Marriage and Family” topic. She said that it was permissible with her as long as this time I didn’t lie through my teeth.  For the record, although I only vaguely remember the conversation to which she alluded, I recall that I told no lies…Pam did that for me; I just stood there in silent witness as the truth was contorted in Gumby-like fashion.  As parents, Pam and I divided the workload according to our unique strengths.  I was talented in intimidation and lawn mowing, while Pam was a skilled listener…and fabricator of routine whoppers.

Unsurprisingly, as you might have discerned, Pam and I had premarital sex.  More surprisingly is that I, an American male, regret having committed the sin even before becoming so involved in the church.  At that time in our relationship, I had met all the ethical requirements that my earthly father had advised me to achieve before entering into that level of relationship.  I had a good job with the ability to support a family, I’d found a girl that I enjoyed being with, and I could imagine myself building a life with her. Unfortunately, I had not met all my Eternal Father’s requirements for sex – I was not married.

My mother took a somewhat skeptical and negative view on my relationship with Pam, who was five years my junior. She explained to me that while a 23 year-old virgin naval officer can look like a great catch to an eighteen-year old woman from Baltimore; her interests might change in years to come as she realizes her husband lacks any and all social skills, is unromantic, and considers nacho cheese covered popcorn to be a gourmet meal.  On my mother’s advice, I tried to back away from the relationship.  With graduation and follow-on orders looming, Pam may have sensed the relationship cooling. She was never one to not get her way. Instead, I found myself buying an engagement ring in accordance with the subliminal messages she was planting in my head. As it often does, the parental advice I’d received had back-fired.  Later on, Pam may have regretted having chosen an older man who lacked couth, but luckily she was a traditional Catholic and decided to put up with my limitations.  It could have been worse; at least she had roped an Ensign with some dishwashing skills.

Anyway, it probably seems weird in today’s culture that I would regret pre-marital sex after all these years. I certainly, in no way, regret my marriage.  It is because I love Pam that I regret selfishly cooperating in a mortal sin that through disobedience broke her communion with the body of Christ.  When you love someone you don’t seek to harm them; you only want to give them the best of what you have to offer. Abstaining from sex before marriage is hard, as many people can attest to. But is it not worth the challenge, in order to save the one you love the most from the sin and damage to their relationship with God?

Obedience to God was certainly an option for us, but my selfishness and ignorance was more powerful than my love for Pam or for God. Eventually, I came around though much guidance from my wife and my involvement in ministries that I’d stumbled upon (with the help of the Holy Spirit) in my time at IHM. If God had been at the center of my life in 1988, I would have understood that, in truth, only one sin exists: selfishness through disobedience.  I would have understood that God had intended intercourse to be a part of the sacramental relationship between a man and a woman, consecrated to each other by their vows. The promises of love and caring that we make not just towards the earthly corporeal health care of our intended spouse, but also in the spiritual protection and safe guarding of their eternal soul. When we take those vows, we are committing ourselves to making sure that the soul of our loved one comes first before whatever selfish earthly concerns we may have. We make these vows to our spouse, but also in the presence of the Lord who joins our souls. To go against His will and claim our way as “the better one” can only lead us down a path of ignorance, hubris, and sin.

[dontsendmebacktoreallife-blog]

Hurricane Romance

The wind and rain could be heard throughout the building, I was helping to carry the rest of the supplies up to the various rooms our company had been able to secure for the entire film crew. Unfortunately the warnings had come too late, so the entire crew had been stranded in Florida to ride out the hurricane together. I walked along the hallways holding a few bags of supplies, knocking on each door I needed to pass out various bags of food, water and a few other essentials.

I darted along the corridors with the last two bags in hand, one for myself and then one for a lead actor on the project, I scanned the hallway looking for room 1070, and finally paused once I found it, last room on the right hand side, I sighed, knocking on the door, I realised my hands were shaking slightly, probably from my lack of sleeping and food over the course of the past 24 hours.  Shaking my head I knocked again, and waited for a response.

A moment later the door swung open, and Sebastian stepped forward, his hand was running through his brown curls trying to settle down the strays, he had obviously been lying down or possibly even catching up on some sleep.

'Sorry to bother you, but I'm on supply delivery duty' I said, holding up the white and red bag in my right hand,sighted I added, 'sorry it isn't much, just a few sandwiches, crisps and some other snacks and then some water for now'

'Nah it's alright, hopefully we won't be stuck in here too long' he said, offering a smile as he reached out to take the bag from my hand. 'Sorry you got stuck with the delivery run' he added, holding the bag up.

'Oh just part of the job' I said laughing it off, I honestly didn't mind doing the run around, thankfully it gave me something to focus on other than the category 4 hurricane outside the building.

'I would kill for an iced coffee right now' Sebastian said, peering at the contents of the bag in his hand. I nodded in agreement, Starbucks was a guilty pleasure for me, I was always the first person in the group to find the closest store whenever we were in a new town.

I turned around to start leaving when I saw Sebastian move a little closer toward me, opening his door up, 'want to come inside for a bit?' he asked, gesturing to inside his room. I hesitated before nodding and turning around to enter his room, looking around the hallway in case anyone else was around.

I walked further into the room, hearing Sebastian close and bolt the door as I placed my bag of supplies onto the desk next to the TV, and Sebastian did the same thing as I moved over to the bed, and quickly kicked my shoes off before jumping onto the king sized bed and making myself comfortable against the headrest picking up the pillow next to me and resting it on my lap, giving my hands something to rest upon.

'Making yourself comfortable there Katie' Sebastian chuckled, walking over to the bed and jumping on the opposite side of the bed, getting himself comfortable, reaching over to take the pillow from my lap, 'don't hog all the pillows' he laughed, easily winning the quick tug-o-war of the pillow and slipping it behind his back, as he leant back.

I looked at the TV seeing it was off,and reached over to the bedside table to grab the remote, 'had to be something worth watching'  I said, started to flick through the various channels, hoping something could capture our attention as we waited out the storm.

After a few minutes I had unsuccessfully gone through all the TV and movie stations they were currently streaming,  I put the remote down in between us, and turned to face Sebastian, his eyes were closed, making him look nice and peaceful lying next to me.

Of course I had to ruin that, and leaned over to poke his cheek, giggling as I jumped back as I reached out to grab my arm, pulling me across the bed so I was not sitting up against his shoulder, as he looked up at me.

' anyone ever tell you to leave a resting man alone ' he chuckled, reaching over to place his hands on my hips as he started to  tickle me, I tried my best to keep a straight face but gave in after a few moments, almost doubling over on the mattress next to him.

'Ok.. Ok I'm sorry' I laughed trying to push back myself against him to sit back up straight, his hands never leaving my hip as I leaned back against the headrest, looking down at Sebastian as he tried to sit up next to me, using his elbows to prop himself up.

' I tried waiting, but I'm starving already, want to halve a sandwich' I offered rolling off the bed, walking toward the desk, and opening both bags, 'we have ham and cheese, cheese and ham and a chicken salad' I said, flicking through the contents of the bags in front of me.

Neither option seemed fabulous right now, but it would have to do.  I turned to look over at Sebastian who was playing around with the remote, 'well...??'

'Oh haha sorry, second option' he said, looking over and giving off one of his signature smiles, his fingers still flicking buttons on the remote as his eyes went back to the TV on the wall.

'Cheese and Ham it is then' I said, flipping the pre packaged sandwich in my hand, and grabbing a bottle of water and then tried to balance everything along with 2 cups so we could just split the water, 'rationing at it's finest'  I muttered dropping everything on the bed, as I jumped onto the bed, landing against Sebastian's body.

I turned to look over at the TV hearing some familiar sounds coming from it, and then I realised Sebastian seemed to have found the music channel, and thankfully for us, they were playing an 80's mix of music, something I knew we both loved.

'Why don't they make music like this anymore?!?' I asked, gesturing toward the tv set.

'80's music is just simply the best, though I doubt they will play my favourite artist' he said, sitting up against the headrest, causing me to fall back gently alongside him.

' Tiffany right?"  I said, casually, we had been on set for another movie a couple of years ago, and I remember walking into his trailer hearing his ipod playing in the background, and turning around to seeing him jamming out in the middle of his trailer.

'yeah , one of my favourites' He said, smiling, 'you're a Culture Club fan aren't you?!' chuckling in response when the next song started playing on the TV and it was Karma Chameleon.

'Haha like you timed that' I said nodding in response, 'want to know a fun fact about myself?!?' I offered to him, trying to pass the time, he nodded looking over at me intently.

'I use to think this song was about an actual lizard, so when people would ask me what my favourite song was, I would respond with the Lizard song' I paused, and then laughed, seeing the confused look on his face.

'That's actually pretty adorable' he said, 'makes sense though I mean the song is up to interpretation anyway' he reached out resting his hand on my leg. We sat in silence for a few moments until I couldn't wait any longer and reached forward for the supplies.

'Here you go' I said, opening the package and holding out his half the of the sandwich.

'Too weak can't hold it' he said, holding his hand up only to have it fall back against his stomach as he started to fake shake them.

'Guess i'll just have to eat your half then' I laughed, I went to jokingly put the sandwich in my mouth when he reached out to grab it from me suddenly, causing me to start laughing at his antics.

We sat in silence both of us quickly devouring the halved sandwich.  The wind started picking up outside and I could tell the storm was starting to get worse, I sign that it was starting to build up which meant we would hopefully be out of this situation soon. My heart beat raced slightly as the lights in the hotel room started to flicker for a few moments. I noticed Sebastian sit up quickly next to me, looking around the hotel room.

'Well this is wonderful' he muttered, 'hopefully it was just a once off'

'I hope so too' I responded, standing up to throw out the packaging from our quick dinner.

'Are you alright Katie?' Sebastian said, coming to stand next to me,he reached out to take my hands in his own, as he looked down at me.

I sheepishly looked away, not wanting to seem like a child at this point in front of him, but I shook my head, 'not really a big fan of storms to be honest' I whispered.

He came to stand closer to me and pulled my body closer to his own, as he wrapped his arms around me, drawing me into his warmth. 'It's ok, don't feel silly about it, I'm not a big fan of them either to be honest' he said, trying to offer some comfort to me. I rested my hand on his upper arm as my head rested on his shoulder, we both stood there for a few moments.

'Why don't you stay here for the night, plenty of space for the both of us anyway' he offered, taking a step back, his hand now resting on my lower arm, as he looked up at him, the height difference between us wasn't that great as I stared up into his gorgeous blue eyes, my arm now had a tingling sensation as his hand rested against it.

I hesitantly nodded, I felt rude intruding on his space, but he had offered and it was probably better to stay with someone as we waited for the hurricane to pass through the area.  I looked down at my clothes, I could run to my room I thought quickly, 'let me run across to my room quickly, back in a second' I said, leaving his embrace and turning to exit his room.

I ran across, quickly swiping my key card in the door slot, I threw open my bag, pulling out a pair of sleep shorts and a casual plain black shirt,  I ducked into the bathroom brushing my teeth, and wiping away the days make up before running my hands through my hair, trying to control the frizz that had appeared.

I did a double take in the mirror, what am I doing I asked myself, shaking my head, I could just say I had fallen asleep in my own room, but I didn't want to keep him waiting, so I grabbed my phone charger, realising I had left my phone in his room anyway, I made my way back across the hallway, quietly knocking on the door and he quickly opened it inviting me back into his room.

Once I had walked further into the room, I realised Sebastian had fixed the bed for the two of us, the blankets were pushed back and the pillows were neatly stacked against the headrest again, I turned to face him, ' I can take the couch if you want' I offered.

He came to stand closer to me, shaking his head, 'nope the bed's too big for just one person, and I would be rude to have invited you to stay the night and let you sleep on the couch'  he reached out to take my phone charger from my hand, quickly plugging it into the wall next to his.

'Almost  midnight already' I said, looking at the clock on the bedside table, as I went to jump onto the bed, crossing my legs as I leaned my back against the headrest and Sebastian soon joined me, the 80's music marathon still playing on the TV station, 'still no Tiffany then??' I laughed

'Sadly no, but I think we're alone now anyway' he said, laughing at his own joke, using the singer's hit song title in his response, I laughed alongside him, as I found my hand reach out to touch his leg,he turned to face me.

'Whats up?' I asked.

'Katie, we've known each other for a while' he said, sitting up a little straighter.

I nodded, 'yeah we have' , I responded, we had become quick friends after I had landed my first professional job working on the Apparition, and then again on Ricki and the Flash. I had of course let my feelings grow for him over the years, even though I knew deep down nothing would probably ever happen between us.

He looked down at me, reaching out to take my hand in his own again, 'I don't want to push our friendship, but do you want to grab lunch or something once this is over?!?' his voice trembled slightly as he reached up to run his free hand in his hair, 'the hurricane I mean' he added, hastily.

I could feel the blush growing on my cheeks, as I reached out to touch his arm,  'that sounds perfect' my heart raced slightly as I watched him take a breathe that he had been holding in.  I leant in closer to him, feeling his breath on my lips, I leant all the way up, letting my lips meet his soft ones. I felt his grasp tighten on my hand as we both seemed to melt into each other, we wrapped our arms around the other ones and after a few moments we pulled apart.

'That's a definite yes then' he said, smiling down at me, his arms still wrapped around me, pulling me closer so now my head rested on his shoulder.

'Can't wait for tomorrow now' I whispered, our hands now wrapped around each others, and his free hand ran down my arm, as we both started to doze off into a blissful sleep.

[ya-boi-hawkeye]

Heritage

Ursa wasn’t sure what to think when the General summoned her less than a week after the initial sentencing. Six months’ probation, after which they would decide what to do with her for good. Which was just a nice way of saying they were giving her six months to sit and wait to die. It would have been kinder to just shoot her outright, or let Ren have at her.

Ursa’s gut was telling her she had been summoned because the officers had changed their collective mind, and had decided to do just that. Kill her now and not waste the time later. Surely the General had summoned her to deliver the unfortunate news, to give her the exact time.

Poe had been the one sent to retrieve her, for they didn’t trust her to wander alone yet, and he had escorted her to the General’s office before opening the door and leaving. Ursa took a breath, held it, then released it slowly as she entered the room.

The woman was leaning over her desk, going over various data pads and papers, her brow furrowed and a frown on her face. Ursa was about to clear her throat, to make herself known, but Leia looked up before she could, probably sensing the presence of another Force Sensitive.

“Good, you came,” she said. “Sit down, I want to speak with you.”

“Did I have a choice not to come?” Ursa asked, making her way over and sitting across from the General, who frowned at her words.

“Of course you did,” she said. “No one can force you to do anything here.”

Ursa didn’t believe that. They had granted her some freedom, yes, but they were also watching her every move, waiting for her to fail or mess up. If she wanted to have even a sliver of hope of surviving when the six months were up, she would have to jump through more hoops than a trained Nexu.

“What did you want to talk about?” Ursa asked, hoping to get the conversation going.

“I was going through your records,” Leia said. “Both what we gathered on you personally, and what we could steal from the First Order. And some my son gave us.” It was weird hearing her state so plainly that Ren was her son. Ren, for his part, only ever called his mother General. “I wanted to talk about some of it.”

Ursa felt some of the tension leave her, now sure she knew where the direction was going. Her crimes had already been glanced over during the hearing, and no doubt they would go into more detail during the sentencing in six months. There was no reason for the General to go over her crimes, so she must want to discuss her skills. See what use the Resistance could put her to.

“You’re a Depredador native, correct?”

The question wasn’t what Ursa had been expecting, and she was silent for a moment, caught off guard.

“Excuse me?” She asked.

“Depredador,” the General repeated. “My son said it was your homeworld.”

“It is,” Ursa said, “but…what does that have to do with anything? Surely you didn’t just call me in to talk about my heritage.”

The look on the woman’s face told Ursa that is exactly what she had done.

“Do you know where I’m from, Ursa?” The General asked. Ursa nodded, of course she did. She’d be an idiot not to.

“Alderaan was a Latin planet as well, you know,” she continued.

“Yeah,” Ursa agreed, shifting a bit in her chair. “Ren’s still a gringo, though. His accent sucks.” Not that hers was much better, thanks to Snoke. Nia had been the best practice she had, but even then it felt like she was saying everything wrong. The General laughed at her word, though, before leaning forward and fixing Ursa with a look.

“It’s important to remember who we are,” she said. “Where we come from, and what that means. No one can take that from us, no matter how hard they try.”

She leaned back. “If you want, and I can talk to Poe and Kes about this, we can start relaying information to you in your, our, native tongues. They don’t all line up exactly, but that’s half the fun.”

They don’t line up exactly had to be the understatement of the century, Ursa was starting to realize.

The thing about their language, such as it was, was that it was being split between three very different, if not still related, planets. The core of it was roughly the same, and Ursa could usually get the gist of what Poe would tell her, or the request General Organa made, but some of it was left solely to context.

“¿Ursa, me traerás un ordenador?” Leia asked, making a vague gesture to the desk across the command center.

“Sí, señora.” She answered, standing from her own seat to go to the desk, eyes scanning across the surface.

What in the Nine Moons was an ordenador?

She didn’t want to ask, it felt like asking would be an admission of defeat and she didn’t want to admit defeat. If Ursa couldn’t grasp a concept back with the Knights, it meant punishment, either from Ren or from Snoke. Objectively she knew that General Organa wasn’t going to use Force lightning on her for not knowing a word, but as the seconds ticked by and she continued drawing a blank, she could feel the panic clawing up her throat.

“Let me guess,” Poe glanced over the edge of his datapad, feet propped up on the desk, and why didn’t Leia just ask him to grab it? “She wants el ordenador.”

“How did you know?” She asked skeptically, her paranoia spiking. Maybe it had been some sort of test, the word didn’t even have a real definition. They had to be setting her up to fail and—

“She means la computadora.” He explained. “Her fancy Alderaanian calls it ordenador, confused the hell out of me when I first heard it too.”

“Ah.” Another mistranslation. Not nearly as bad as the pen debacle.

“Gracias, Poe.” She grabbed the larger dataputer off the desk, nodding to him.

“De nada.” He nodded, returning to his reading.

*             *             *

An entire culture wasn’t born in its language though, not entirely. And while it was good to be able to hear her own language, or, close enough to it, it was the nights like these that made her happy.

It was a bittersweet sort of happiness, she thought, sitting between Poe and Leia, watching Kes Dameron carry out a tray of steaming enchiladas. Because the settings were almost perfect; there was room for her and Leia, for Poe and Ren, Kes, and then there was one more setting, an empty chair. And Ursa knew exactly who should have been there.

Except she wasn’t.

And a part of Ursa felt, on a fundamental level, that Nia should be there with her family, and that in a way she was imposing. And the problem was, was that it wasn’t something she couldn’t bring up. Because, with the exception of Ren, she was the only one who knew that Nia was still alive. Kes mourned his daughter, Poe already grieved for his sister, they had moved on.

“They’re nuna.” He told them, setting the tray down. “Nuna enchiladas. I was going to use nerf, but I figured it’s a special occasion.”

“They smell great, Kes.” Leia smiled, sitting forward. “I haven’t had enchiladas in years.”

“I haven’t had your enchiladas since I graduated from the Academy.” Poe added with a grin, reaching for the spatula only to have his father swat at his hand.

“Young man, I know I raised you with better manners. The guest of honor gets the first bite.” He rolled his eyes, filling Ursa’s plate and offering it to her before turning his attention to the others. “Okay, dig in.”

The food was delicious, to say the least. Granted, Ursa didn’t expect anything less from Kes; she was pretty sure that he could throw some random ingredients into a pan and bake it and it would turn out delicious. But the sauce had the perfect amount of heat to it, and the enchiladas had an ideal ratio of cheese to meat. More than the food was the atmosphere, the conversation spoken in a mix of Yavineese, Alderaanian, and Depredadorian. It was relaxed, as though they could put the war, and the past, and everything else that was going ass up, on hold and just… exist. In comfort.

It was good.

By the time dessert rolled around Ursa was stuck in a state of being both full and tired, and she considered bowing out to go curl up in her bunk.

“You’ll miss the best part.” Kes chuckled as he made his way back to the fridge.

“I don’t think I can physically eat another bite.” She protested, leaning back in the seat.

Kes made an amused noise at that. “Fine, fine. I can’t guarantee there will be any of this left though.”

“Look, I’m sure your brownies are delicious as usual, but I really—” Her mouth snapped shut when she actually saw what he was carrying; it was, for lack of a better word, a fruit pie. Except, the fruit was all fresh and held onto the thin pie crust with what looked like honey and yogurt.

“But you really…?” Leia had that look on her face, like she wanted to smile, even as Poe laughed.

Ren, though he’d tried to start the night out sullen, had warmed up a little as well. “I told you, she loves fresh fruit.”

“Made especially for you, Ursa.” Kes promised her. “Any leftovers are yours to take home.”

Ursa was hit with a swell of emotion at those words, though she did her best to hide it. She could sense through the Force that he was being sincere, that this was an action done with no hidden attachments. On a fundamental level Ursa understood that these people--well, Ren excluded--were fundamentally good. They did things with no other intention than to make someone happy. Such as, taking the effort to peel, cut, and prepare several different types of fruit for a dessert.

“Thank you.” She nodded stiffly, her desire for the fruit at odds with the swoop in her stomach at the thought of anyone doing anything nice for her.

It made her hate Snoke more, because Ursa knew. She fundamentally knew that people weren’t supposed to react like this. They weren’t supposed to feel anxious at the thought of another person doing something kind for her. And she didn’t think she would ever get used to it either no matter how often it happened.

But that was something to consider another time, any other time, when she wasn’t trying to enjoy a good dinner.

“It looks really good.”

[aion-rsa]

Lego Star Wars Holiday Special Is Everything Star Wars Doesn’t Need Right Now

https://ift.tt/2E5v2UK

This Thanksgiving, around the time we’ll all be reading articles online about whether or not it’s safe to insult your extended family in person, or over Zoom, there will also be a new Star Wars “festive” product to watch on Disney+. The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special is coming whether your want it or not, and even if you haven’t paid attention to any of the other Lego Star Wars things, something in the Force tells me everyone is going to have an opinion about this thing specifically.

Stream your Star Wars favorites right here!

In an exclusive report, USA Today revealed that the special will reunite Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron to celebrate Life Day, the Star Wars holiday first introduced in the original Holiday Special that aired on CBS in 1987. Executive producer Josh Rimes described the new special as It’s a Wonderful Life but in the Star Wars universe. Rey will meet a young Luke Skywalker via time travel, and there will also be Lego versions of other Wookiee characters from the original special.

So, Lego Rey is going to meet the ghosts of Star Wars past a la A Christmas Carol, and the whole thing is going to be zany and heartwarming, right?

Well, maybe.

Previous Lego Star Wars projects almost always emphasize goofy humor, with varying degrees of success. But, when it comes to this new holiday special, to paraphrase the opening theme song of A Series of Unfortunate Events, we really should look away. Just because there’s a cutesy new Star Wars thing that is threatening to mine nostalgia from the entire saga AND the embarrassing 1978 Holiday Special, doesn’t mean we need to watch it.

Star Wars fans should think hard about what this kind of thing really is: A subpar Star Wars product which has the same relationship to actual Star Wars as “cheese product” has to real cheese. Even before it airs, The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special combines the three things that are the most embarrassing about Star Wars junk: The tendency to make cool Star Wars things into reductive Lego romps, nostalgia as a product, and a dishonest love for the objectively terrible 1978 Holiday Special.

Like Darth Vader swooping in on Rebel pilots Dutch and Tiree during the Death Star trench run, let’s knock out those first two real quick. Most of the Lego Star Wars movies and shows are not very cool and destroy their own potential by being Lego products. I mean, the best Lego Star Wars thing is The Freemaker Adventures. Not only does that series star mostly entirely new characters (the Freemaker family) but it’s closer to canon, and best of all, it features the most powerful Black family in Star Wars.

And yet, for all of the good things about The Freemaker Adventures, it’s still not quite canon, and that’s mostly because of the Lego aspect. This bothers me. It’s the most racially diverse version of Star Wars, but it’s relegated mostly to a Lego-joke. Why not feature these characters in a regular Star Wars thing?

Lego Star Wars isn’t necessarily evil, and it’s (probably?) not hurting anyone, but anything interesting or progressive that happens in a Lego Star Wars thing (like the Freemakers) is undone by the fact that it is Lego. It’s impossible to take it seriously, and while fans of Lego Star Wars stuff will tell me to lighten up, I’d like to point out that it’s possible to be funny without being zany. Star Wars already has a fantasy hyperbolic artifice by nature. The Lego version just reduces it to a toy ad, an overtly commercial venture designed to entice you to buy Star Wars-themed Lego kits.

Look, a saga-spanning Star Wars Holiday Special doesn’t sound bad on its face, but the question is: why does this have to be Lego? Why not just an animated Star Wars Holiday Special done in the style of Forces of Destiny or The Clone Wars? The premise sounds fun: Rey discovers the World Between Worlds from Rebels and then travels back in time to meet everyone significant from all of Star Wars. Thinking about this as a piece of non-Lego animation is much more exciting. Thinking about it as a Lego thing just telegraphs out the message ahead of time: This is just a new notch in Disney’s partnership with the toy company.

Read more

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What would happen if you had a Star Wars Holiday Special sponsored by 7-Eleven and all the characters were just drinking Slurpees the whole time? This is kind of why I hated the Michael Bay Transformers movies; they were commercials for Hummers, Camaros, and Mountain Dew. At its worst, Star Wars is a commercial for its own merch and toys, and adding Lego on top of that just makes it seem all that more superficial.

Which brings me to the larger point. This feels desperate. If Star Wars — as a brand — were trying to mitigate some of the sourness caused by The Rise of Skywalker, this doesn’t feel like the way to go. If the Sequel Trilogy proved anything, it’s that nostalgia will only get you so far. Playing the hits is fun at first but bringing the Emperor back for reasons in the third act of a trilogy that’s supposed to be about a new generation of heroes shows a lack of imagination…and an unwillingness to move forward.

And the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special shows that Disney has learned nothing on that front. Why does Star Wars have to pay any kind of homage to the 1978 Holiday Special in 2020? The original Holiday Special is a media product that George Lucas himself wishes he could take back. Look. I know it’s funny to say “Release the Holiday Special, you cowards.” But, come on. It’s really bad. Do you want to see Chewbacca’s uncle or whatever low-key masturbating to weird dancing girl holograms? Do you want to see Mark Hamill’s bizarre haircut? Do you want to see Carrie Fisher furious that she has to put words to the Star Wars theme song?

The Holiday Special is Star Wars on coke, trying to play it cool at a five-year-old’s birthday party. It is not a good look. George Lucas was right. We shouldn’t have nostalgia for things that are truly terrible just because there are kitschy aspects to them that are interesting to pop culture historians. Nobody actually liked the Star Wars Holiday Special when it aired, and that’s not because people were wrong. It’s just bad.

Yes, the brief animated cartoon which introduced Boba Fett is cool. But we have a wonderful live-action version of this called The Mandalorian. Where’s my animated 20-minute Baby Yoda Christmas Special? Doesn’t that automatically sound better than this Lego thing? Want to evoke some real nostalgia that actually won’t suck? Why not do a holiday episode of The Mandalorian, but in the animation style from 1978? THAT would be cool. In comparison, The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special feels like the extension of a marketing deal that is being passed off as a narrative. It may fool very young kids, but older ones (including those in their 30s and 40s) should know better.

Nobody asked for a Lego Star Wars Holiday Special. Let’s not repeat history by just trying to do the same thing, but only worse. The path to the Dark Side often comes from many kinds of negative tendencies— greed, jealously, fear — but the one we tend to leave out is the one Star Wars displays the most often: bad taste. 

The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special premieres on Nov. 17 on Disney+.

The post Lego Star Wars Holiday Special Is Everything Star Wars Doesn’t Need Right Now appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[wanderonwardsvanessa]

If you’re like me, you travel to 1) see the world and 2) eat through the world. Food culture is SO IMPORTANT to me that I’ve genuinely traveled around the globe to go have a goat cheese pastry in Greece this one time.  Street food tours are your best bet when it comes to understanding real local food culture. Untampered by big tourism (yet), street food vendors are able to make MAGIC with very few resources and you leave with a whole new appreciation for what these vendors have accomplished.

Especially in Mexico City.

With nearly 22 million people in the greater Mexico City Area (or CDMX), everyone is on the move to get in and out of the city in one piece. That’s why street food culture is so popular in Mexico City! Everyone is hustling to get from Point A to Point B in the most cost-effective way possible. For that reason, you can find a taco for less than $0.30 and ALL street food is designed to be eaten on the go.

Whilst we were in Mexico City, we had the absolute pleasure of attending an Eat Like a Local Mx Street Food Tour. Rocio invited Marcus and I to go on their most popular ‘Food Safari’ – The Market Safari – through the west of Mexico City to experience the best bits of the street food scene.

Why Eat Like a Local Mx

After experiencing a wide range of tours, running my own tours, and working Travel Tech, there are simple pillars that I hold near and dear.

Paying Local Street Food Vendors a Fair Wage

On the darker side of tourism, there is DEFINITELY a culture of exploiting local vendors.  Whether it’s due to a lack of business education or underestimating the value of what they provide, local vendors often lack key skills to negotiate fair pay and conditions in the face of international travel powerhouses. Further more, the ‘All-Inclusive’ culture has led to the removal of ‘tipping culture’ and fewer people are leaving the resort to ‘get their money’s worth’ so there are naturally fewer ways to makeup a decent salary to bring home. Also – staying at a resort is 👏🏽 NOT 👏🏽 traveling 👏🏽!

With Eat Like a Local Mx, you know that the local vendors are getting not just fair pay, but also, these vendors are receiving additional resources to better their position in the tourism/food industry. The children of vendors have access to English classes, tutoring and are positively exposed to a variety of foreign people and languages.  Many of Eat Like a Local Mx‘s street food tours run twice a day, with 4 – 6 people each, so there’s a constant flow of business coming in and out. It warms my heart just writing about it! Eat Like a Local Mx is the change we want to see in the world.

Supporting Women in Tourism

Eat Like a Local Mx also only employs female guides in order to circulate money back to women in the heavily male-dominated tourism industry. Our guide – Astrid – was intelligent, empathetic, and she was EASILY the most popular person in the streets and through the markets. She greeted everyone by name, kissed babies, and shared special moments with the vendors that brought such warmth to my heart. I would joke that she could be a strong contender for Miss CDMX, but she assured me this was just normal in Mexican culture; you greet people as if they were your family.

Value & Range

In just 4.5 hours, you’ll experience four different neighborhoods, brave the subway (lol), and learn so much about present day Mexican culture. There is so much negative press online about Mexico, but my experience in Mexico City was COMPLETELY different to anything I expected. I actually revisited the Jamaica Market on my own because I fell in love with the energy… and this legendary cornbread (lol). Girl’s gotta eat!… cornbread. Over the span of the street food tour, I had to start rejecting food because I just COULDN’T eat any more. After the 6th taco, we suddenly realized that we needed to pace ourselves better so we started splitting portions along the way.  We tried over 25 different meals and treats easily. I had at least 8 full tacos to myself (here’s where I went wrong lol) and then started picking at little things along the way.

I also really appreciated the sequence of all the food. We started with heavier things and then slowly started moving toward sweater and smaller treats. We spent a whole 30 minutes sampling at least 16 different types of fruits that were native to Mexico and 4 of them I had never even SEEN before?! When we arrived at Condesa for the start of the tour, we came hungry and without anything in our bodies in anticipation of quite the afternoon. However, when we finally ended the experience with a vegan ice cream in the Juarez neighborhood around 3pm, there was just no way we could fit anything MORE into our bodies (lol) – in a good way, of course. We ended up not eating for the rest of the day so it was excellent value for money!

Each Adult ticket is just under $95.

MEXICAN FOOD 101 – MARKETS SAFARI

10:00 AM

CONDESA – COFFEE AND STREET FOOD

Start your day with craft coffee and traditional pan dulce, then hit the streets and taste 3 different tacos.

11:00 AM

JAMAICA MARKET – THE BEAUTIFUL ONE

Ride the subway and explore the beautiful flower market, taste carnitas, fruit, corn, freshly made tortillas, mole, warm chicharrón, and more.

12:30 PM

LA MERCED MARKET – GO DEEPER

Visit the amazing La Merced Market, cook with the local ladies, learn about cactus pads, taste some insects, quesadillas, tlacoyos and try the best candy.

2:00 PM

JUÁREZ NEIGHBORHOOD – TIME TO RELAX

We finish the tour at the up and coming Juárez neighborhood, with the best gelato in town, or a cocktail if you are feeling more festive.

My Experience

We arrived in Condesa with empty stomachs and open minds. A street food tour was right up our alley because we love nothing more than to experience what real people eat every day. Fancy restaurants are cool, but I find that they only give a snapshot of what the rich and upper middle-class eat. The absolute BEAUTY of Mexico City is that there is no bad food. Period. You can spend $1 or $100 on a meal and it’s still going to blow you away.

We met the other 4 people on our street food safari and they were from a variety of backgrounds. Most of us were young professionals without children and to my surprise, there were 3 other tech workers in the group and we quickly hit it off. I think the beauty of small group tours is the opportunity to meet people who you might have never crossed paths with otherwise. There was a wonderful woman working in Mexico City on her own from Italy? Germany? She spoke 4 languages perfectly so I still have no idea where this brilliant woman was from. There was a fin-tech couple from the Bay area who were undercover geniuses. And then there was a solo Pakistani developer from NYC.

All of the food in our tour – from the mini-meals to the tiny sweets – was 100% covered by our ticket. I thought this was excellent customer-centricity as many times tours can ‘nickle and dime’ you to death if you don’t read the small print. This was not the case for our street food tour with Eat Like a Local Mx.

As the agenda above implied, we started off by walking through the upper-class neighborhood of Condesa. The streets were lined with gorgeous trees, young couples walking their dogs, and LOADS of trendy eateries. We definitely bookmarked this place to come back to. We stopped by a few taco vendors along the way to sample their most famous options and received a lovely explication from our guide regarding: what the food was, why this food was popular, how to eat it properly, and what salsas to avoid if you weren’t keen on breathing fire lol. Something that was new to my street food tour experience was the wonderful background of the family responsible for the delicious treats. We met several generations of each family, which was a real treat.

[su_note note_color=”#fbddf6″]Side Note: If you’re looking for places to stay and general information about the neighborhoods in Mexico City, you should definitely check out my Mexico City Guide. [/su_note]

Our next destination was the Jamaica Market. Jamaica Market is possibly my favorite place in all of Mexico City. Everyone is SUPER friendly (in a non-pushy way) and all of the prices were displayed so I never felt like I was being ripped off when I returned on my own a few days later. In the Jamaica Market, we sampled different fruits, sweets, and MORE tacos as we strolled along the corridors. I was having a ball moving in and out of each stall, looking at all of the wonderful things that people could purchase; especially the piñatas (or large paper mache characters with candy in them that children beat-up for special occasions lol).

Perhaps the most authentic experience along the way was our time at La Merced Market. We were warned not to have any of our camera equipment out for this one so unfortunately I don’t have any photos. However, we were advised to do so for good reason. The market is bustling with loads of people at all times. It was crazy chaotic in the best way and here, we got to try more ‘alternative’ types of food – like bugs! In La Merced Market, I really felt like I was getting a birds-eye view into the daily life of normal people in Mexico City. People were always in a hurry, but they were kind and not-pushy at all. Multiple people came round to tell Marcus ‘You are very tall’ and then just left. He’s over 2 meters tall or just under 6’8″. I think the average height of the people in the market couldn’t be taller than 5’6″ 😂 We were able to try a variety of different bugs and delightful treats, but we also sat down for a proper meal and had the chance to meet one of the little boys that Eat Like a Local Mx is sponsoring. He gets additional language and tutoring resources so he can keep-up in school properly.

Finally, we ended our journey in the Juárez neighborhood where we got vegan gelato and had a bit of a sit. It was such a long and delicious day that I almost couldn’t finish my gelato… but my mom didn’t raise a quitter. We didn’t spend as much time in the Juárez neighborhood as we did with the others, but that was because our guide could read the group quite well and knew there just wasn’t anymore space in our bellies for more.

FAQ

Starting point: Condesa neighborhood

Finishing point: Juárez

Group size: Max 6

Transportation: Walking and subway

Walking distance: 4.5 miles

Number of tastings: More than 25

Kids friendly: YES they love kids on this tour

Special diets friendly: Vegetarian and gluten-free friendly

Alcohol inclusions: juice with vodka and beer

Fun tip: Netflix´s Taco Chronicles tacos included on this tour: Canasta, Guisado, Carnitas

Conclusion

Eat Like a Local Mx has been THE BEST food tour experience I’ve ever had. And I’ve had A LOT. There was something about the ethos of the company and our guide that just resonated with me beyond a superficial level. Yes the street food was AMAZING! Yes, our guide was so attentive and thoughtful. However, the icing on the cake was the fact that I was supporting real people, who I got to meet and interact with, in a tangible way. I can only recommend Eat Like a Local Mx for anyone who wants to travel more sustainably.

Mexico City, Mexico: Sustainable Street Food Tours with Eat Like A Local Mexico If you're like me, you travel to 1) see the world and 2) eat through the world.

[the-film-librarian]

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Full Review [Spoilers]

As someone who loves The Last Jedi, upon hearing that JJ Abrams was taking over writing and direction for the final installment of the Skywalker saga, I was nervous but hopeful. It’s hard for me to not compare Rise of Skywalker to The Last Jedi, largely because TLJ is my favorite Star Wars film.

I enjoyed The Force Awakens, and it remains one of my favorite comfort films. However, I don’t think that, as a film, it compares to the quality of The Last Jedi. As I wrote in my review:

Part of why I loved The Force Awakens, and why I watch it every time I feel down is because it conforms to the expectations we have for a Star Wars film and having it be similar in structure to A New Hope makes it feel so comfortable. It’s like the macaroni and cheese of Star Wars films–it makes us feel all warm and gives us the characters we love but also has that extra spice of something new. With The Last Jedi, it’s like I was expecting macaroni and cheese, but when I looked at my plate, the waiter brought me fettuccini alfredo instead–the ingredients are basically the same but it’s also much different in flavor and feeling; it tastes delicious, but it takes a bite or two, after accepting that it’s not what I expected, and then realizing how much I enjoy it.

Unfortunately, if The Force Awakens is macaroni and cheese, and The Last Jedi is fettuccine alfredo, then The Rise of Skywalker is the weird blue macaroni and cheese that was popular in the 1990s--it’s supposedly the same taste as the macaroni and cheese you’re used to, but something is just...off about it.

It would be easy to focus on the things that I was hoping would happen (LET FINN AND POE KISS) and things I was hoping wouldn’t happen (ReyLo becoming canon, Ben Solo getting redeemed), but I’m not the one writing the script, and one of my gripes about the reaction to The Last Jedi was with folks being upset that the movie didn’t match their headcanon, and was therefore garbage. I stand by the stance that filmmakers don’t owe fans anything when it comes to confirming or rejecting their headcanons. However, there is plenty to critique without resorting to #NotMyStarWars pettiness.

Rise of Skywalker is not without its positives. Much of the charm of the modern series comes from its cast, and the third installment is no exception to that. Though I think there are a lot of problems with a romantic relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren in terms of verbal and emotional abuse, the chemistry between the two of them that was established in The Last Jedi, often when they weren’t even in the same room, continues in Rise of Skywalker. I also think the handling of the relationship was handled better than it could have been. I maintain that Adam Driver is one of the best actors working today, and both he and Daisy Ridley turn in fantastic performances throughout the series. I also particularly enjoyed the scene in which Rey and Ben work together to kill Palpatine, and while the fight choreography isn’t at the same level as the Throne Room scene in The Last Jedi, it’s still one of the more exciting moments of the film.

I expected the scenes with Leia to be much more emotional for me than they were, and the only moment that really hit me was when Chewbacca hears about her death, he drops to his knees. I’m also happy that we got to see a glimpse of her training with Luke, and that we finally got to see her lightsaber.

Unfortunately, the positives of the film largely stop there for me. My biggest qualm with the film is Abrams’ retcon of Rey’s parentage. It was really unfortunate how many people took the message from The Last Jedi that because Rey wasn’t a Skywalker or Kenobi or other “dynasty” character, that she was somehow not special. Johnson’s message in The Last Jedi couldn’t have been further from this. It’s not who someone is related to that makes them special, it’s who they are. As I’ve previously written:

Loving Star Wars, being a fan of Star Wars, isn’t something that only “purists” have a right to. Star Wars is for everyone, and I believe The Last Jedi seeks to break down a lot the gatekeeping that goes on within the Star Wars fandom, and, really, geek culture in general. To me, Star Wars isn’t about the Skywalkers, and never has been. It’s about the choices we make.

The Force doesn’t belong to a certain bloodline. It belongs to all of us–whether we’re a farm boy on Tattooine, the child of drunks who sold us for beer money, or an enslaved stable boy hearing the tale of how Luke Skywalker single-handedly stared down the First Order.

It’s incredibly frustrating that this message was retconned by Abrams. Making her a Palpatine just tosses this entire concept out the window, and was a huge blow to me as someone who had a strong connection to her storyline. However, it’s also not surprising that the film moved in this direction, especially since it seemed more concerned with assuaging the anger of a vocal minority of fans on the Internet than in continuing the threads set up in The Last Jedi. The only positive thing I can find with this entire storyline is that it was cool to see Jodie Comer in a Star Wars film, even briefly.

The reintroduction of the Emperor felt so sloppily introduced during the opening crawl, and came out of nowhere. In fact, the only place that the transmission from the Emperor was actually heard was in Fortnight. Nothing about that storyline, from the Snoke clones to Rey’s lineage made any narrative sense, and only seemed to exist to tie Rey to a Force-user lineage.

The film’s refusal to adhere to previously established storylines which contributed to my other major criticism of the film, which is that its structure is a mess. While it’s one thing to subvert the audience’s expectations, it’s another completely to say, “Hey, you know this thing that was established as canon in the previous film? Well, just kidding!” The first half is a relentless stream of cat and mouse chases, Macguffins, and forced emotional moments. None of these emotional moments, which happened as often as Poe’s lightspeed skipping, felt at all earned nor were given any time to breathe. It’s still better than the prequel’s formula of “walk 10 feet, stop, converse, repeat,” but not by much.

The character motivations also felt so completely out of line with the previous two movies. Whereas much of The Last Jedi’s focus was on the personal growth of the three main characters, the only character who seemingly maintained any of that personal growth was Finn. The end of the second installment saw the characters overcoming their greatest weaknesses: Rey not letting herself be defined by her past and letting go; Finn no longer running away; Poe learning to become a leader instead of a hot-shot fly boy. In Rise of Skywalker, due to the retcon of her parentage, Rey’s focus slingshots back to being defined by the past. Poe is back to being a snarky, hot-shot flyboy, only showcasing any sort of leadership toward the end of the film. On a related note, I felt incredibly uncomfortable that the character of Zorii was seemingly only introduced to ensure to the audience that 1) Poe is not gay and 2) he was also a drug runner prior to joining the resistence.

It’s unfortunate that this is how the Skywalker saga has ended, especially after The Last Jedi set it in a new and interesting direction. Johnson took risks and made a really amazing film about people overcoming their weaknesses. It’s really disappointing that Disney and Lucasfilm seemed to have caved to a vocal minority, and that people can't seem to understand that Star Wars can be so much more interesting. It may be that comparison is the thief of joy, and that I may have enjoyed Rise of Skywalker more if I took it on its own, but ultimately the sloppiness of structure and the lack of emotional weight are enough to make this a miss for me, and the weakest of the new sequel trilogy.

[ecotone99]

[HM] A Girl Named Lucy

Everybody’s had a bad date. But my date with Lucy was definitely the worst date of my entire life. We met online, of course. I don’t think people meet any other way anymore. We really hit it off, she laughed at my dumb jokes and honestly, that’s pretty much all it takes for me to fall in love.

We decided to meet up for drinks and appetizers at Applebees. I was nervous, so I showed up early, had a drink at the bar and waited for her to arrive.

Meeting someone from the internet and finding out they’re significantly less attractive in person brings a uniquely guilty depression. It’s not that the person is necessarily unattractive, but in your mind, you’ve built up the anticipation for how you think the person will look. Expectation ruins reality. Usually this is just a result of normal people trying to look impressive. Which is understandable in the dating world.

But that’s the thing, when I saw her walk through the door, Lucy did not look normal. She looked very far from normal. Her face was too thin and her nose was entirely too big. Freakishly such. She probably knew this because the she covered it up with three or five or nine inches of chunky, pasty white makeup. It could have been Plaster of Paris, who’s to say? That shit was out of control.

She wore a giant green sweater, which in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but it was almost eighty degrees outside, even after the sun went down. At first, I thought this was to compensate for being overweight, but she didn’t seem overweight. She seemed deformed. Like two or three different skinny people squeezing themselves into the same sweater.

She had shredded blonde hair and walked with a wobbly limp, like an ether-sniffing marionette doll at a sobriety checkpoint. Her feet were disproportionally big, as if her shoes were hiding something nasty.

Oh, God. I can’t do this, I thought. This is just too much. But I feel bad, because the expectations were built up in MY head, right? I’ll just turn and sneak out the back, text her saying I had car trouble or something.

“Seth!?” She squawked. Or barked. It was a bark-squawk that was entirely too loud for the public, very unfortunately public situation at hand. Heads turned.

Ah, shit. She saw me. Of course she saw me. I’ve been staring her down slack-jawed and silly. But really, can you blame me? This poor woman looked like a rubber horse mask wearing another rubber mask of Gary Busey’s face.

“Seth! It is me. I am Lucy! The woman you speak to.” There’s no way she’s been using this voice her whole life.

My voice was too dry so I just nodded. We’re already here, might as well have a few drinks and enjoy the food. How bad could it be?

When my mouth finally began producing enough saliva necessary for conversation, we engaged in small-talk. I intentionally kept it awkward and as far from lively as possible. Maybe she’d catch the hint and we could just chalk it up to a lack of chemistry. I started dumping whiskey down my throat like my soul and sanity depended on it. Which, at this point, I was convinced it did.

“So, where are you from?” I asked, hoping another unknown cultural origin could explain this catastrophic misstep in acceptable courtship.

“Lucy is from Wisconsin. That’s normal, right?”

Jesus Christ, whatever they put in that cheese really did a number on this one. Remind me to never drink Budweiser again, either.

“I don-uh, I mean, yes, yes that is normal. Right. Have you ever been in like, a car accident or something?”

She stared at me with big sickly brown eyes. Eyes that were almost yellow. Maybe she has cancer or something? I’m starting to feel bad for her now. Maybe the whiskey is melting the shock and warming my mind to a temperate state of empathy. She’s alone. She doesn’t get out much. Kinda like me, actually. Don’t be a dick, dude. Get it together.

Then she laughs, it’s a coughy sort of laugh. It resonates from a deeper part of the diaphragm and I’m reminded of an alligator. Bet she used to smoke a lot.

“You make joke! You funny man!” She swipes her hand across my forearm the way women do when they’re being particularly obvious about their intentions. Her fingernails are long. Monstrously so, and badly painted in flecks of a dark red. Her skin is entirely too rough for a woman. Maybe she works with her hands a lot?

Oh. Oh, no.

I check the neck. I don’t actually see an Adam’s Apple, but the skin does protrude in a hangy sort of turkey-neck way. I begin to sweat uncontrollably.

Look, I don’t hate anyone. I believe everyone should live their lives and be happy. But I’m just not ready for this. I’m afraid. I feel like I’m waiting for the cashier in a gas station and a cop gets behind me in line. I compensate with more whiskey. That’ll help.

I have to ask. I can’t just not know.

“Look, Lucy. I’m sorry. But are you, like, are you a girl?”

There’s that laugh again.

“Yes! Lucy is girl. Real girl. Clever girl.”

Of course she is. Trans girls are girls, too. It’s just… I’ve already paid for the drinks, she seems very interested in me, persistent even. I just don’t know if I can do this.

Maybe just a blowjob? That’s not gay, right?

I’m gonna need some cocaine for this.

That’s it! Cocaine! I’ll see if she’s down to score some blow, then we’ll just see how it goes. Worst case scenario I get all coked up and can’t get a boner anyhow, sorta solves the whole situation. I can blame the coke, she doesn’t get her feelings hurt. Win-win.

“Hey Lucy….”

“Hey Seth.”

She does the cough/laugh. Maybe the hormones haven’t been balanced yet?

“You uh, you wanna score some coke?”

“What is ‘score coke’?”

“You know, like cocaine?”

“Cocaine? If we score cocaine, can I get your meat?”

Oh fuck. This is happening.

“My…my meat?”

“Yes. I want your meat inside me.”

Not gonna lie, my dick did a little twitch right then. Jesus. Well, I guess you learn something new every day, don’t ya?

“Okay! Um, I’m gonna pay the, uh, pay the tab. Why don’t you? Like, and I’ll then go to the car. Ya know, then we can like, you know. Wanna follow me while-“

“We ‘score coke’ like cocaine!”

“Yes.” I said. Fuck, I kinda like her now. I can get past the face. And the limpy, wabble-walk. And the…uh. Whatever else I find.

After I pay the bartender, we both walk back to my truck. I guess she took the bus or something because she never mentions a car of her own. I call up my buddy Allen, he usually has decent coke.

Allen says to come on over, I open the door for her, she does that little laugh again. It’s kinda growing on me, actually. I can’t believe this is happening.

As I’m driving, she starts purring and licking my ear. And I’m actually into it. Like, really into it. Once again, I can’t believe this is happening.

We pull up to Allen’s place, he sends me a text saying to come on up.

Allen opens the door and jumps back.

“Holy fuckin’ shit, Seth. Who the fuck is this? You told me it was just you, bro?”

“No I didn’t,” I said, “I told you a had a girl with me, Lucy this is Allen. Allen this is Lucy.”

“Hello, Allen.” Said Lucy, “Can I also have your meat inside me?”

“What the fuck?” Said Allen. Then he laughed, and I laughed, and Lucy laughed, we all laughed.

“You didn’t tell me it was like that. Why don’t you both just come on in?”

We all stepped inside and Allen clicked on the light. As he did, Lucy tripped over the doorframe. She didn’t fall all the way to the ground, but she fell just enough to cause her hair to tilt. Like, all of it just shifted to the side.

This caught Allen’s attention.

“Yo, that’s a fuckin’ wig, bro! The fuck is going on here?”

“Allen.” I said sternly, leaning in close to him. “Don’t fuck this up for me, man. I need this.”

But Allen wasn’t listening. Allen was recoiling in horror because he saw what I had been too drunk and horny to see all along.

While Lucy was fumbling with her wig and sliding around the foyer, her tail had slid out of her floppy green sweater. A tail that was long and scaly. Just as scaly as her scalp beneath the wig.

It was now painfully obvious. This was not a foreign woman. This was not a transsexual. This was a sixty-six million year old chicken-lizard stalking it’s prey from beyond the confines of the traditional understanding of time itself. And I, Seth Fox, horny drunkard and idiot extraordinaire, had fallen for it’s schemes.

Clever girl.

Allen screamed the only sensible thing to be said, “VELOCIRAPTOR!!!”

And we both dove behind the sofa for cover.

The Velociraptor Formally Known as Lucy shrieked, “MEEEAAAAAT!!!”

Why? Why me? Why couldn’t she have just had a penis!?

The Lucy-Raptor soars over the sofa with a dancer’s ease because she’s a theropod. An apex predator from the Cretaceous Period and I notice what made her gait so ungainly. Her shoes had been hiding a giant sickle-shaped talon on each foot with which her kinship would disembowel their prey. Unfortunately for Allen, he was this prey.

The Lucy-Raptor was on him instantly, she sliced open his belly with her toe-claws and his intestines flopped out like folded ravioli.

“Nnnnaaaauuuuuggggghhhh!!!!!” Said Allen as the Lucy Raptor chewed on his neck.

I had no patience for this nonsense, so I fled the scene hoping, praying, pleading with any deity merciful enough to hear my cries. I did not want to be eaten by a velociraptor tonight. I just wanted a blowjob. Is that really too much to ask from the universe? One measly fucking blowjob?

But the Lucy-Raptor wanted to feast on the flesh of living prey, and I was still fumbling with my keys when Allen had breathed his last. She came bouncing into the parking lot.

“CAAAUUUOOGGGHHH, CAAAUUUOOGGGHHH!!” Said Lucy.

The truck door clicked open.

Lucy reared back on her hind legs ready to pounce.

I yanked open the door and hurled myself into the driver’s seat, turned the key and started the engine as Lucy sailed through the air like a shark through calm seas.

Her claws barely missed my fender as I sped from my dead drug dealer’s parking lot.

I stomped the gas.

At 20 mph, there she was, nipping at my window.

I turned onto the street.

There she was.

30 mph. 35, 40 mph.

When I hit 55 mph she slowed down and wailed a roar of defeat. I had bested the Lucy-Raptor. Turns out velociraptors can run at speeds of up to 40 miles an hour. But a ’97 Dodge Ram can go up to like, 120 miles an hour, so FUCK YOU, VELOCIRAPTORS!!

Dating is hard, folks. But remember,

“Life finds a way.”

-Ian Malcolm

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