#i’m surprised the houston rodeo is still going on

[sarah-snook]

y’all stay safe and wash your hands! Not just for your health but for others as well.

[dramallamadingdang]

Time for replies!

These be for @princesspiratecat, @jennamaxon, @criquette-was-here, @nimitwinklesims, @eulaliasims, @greatcheesecakepersona, @alienbirthqueen, and @niamh-sims...

princesspiratecat replied to your photoset “Tree’ing a bit. :) Mostly to break up the monolithic terrain texture...”

This actually reminds me of where I live, Lake Arrowhead in Southern California when it's dry. Except I don't see a lake.

alienbirthqueen replied to your photoset “Houston, we have a terrain. :D FINALLY! OMG, what a ginormous pain in...”

this is so gorgeous!! it reminds me a lot of northeast california/nw nevada, which is where i grew up of course haha

Yeah, it’ll work pretty much for any desert-y place in North America. Like, anywhere from the Okanagan Desert in Canada, to the less mountainous parts of Montana down to New Mexico and west to the more interior parts of California, Oregon, and Washington in the US, and then down into interior northern Mexico. Mostly my inspiration for the look of the place is the Great Basin (so Alienbirthqueen is right on!) and Chihuahuan Deserts, though. Not so much the Mojave or the Sonoran because those are generally flatter (and lower in elevation and therefore much hotter/drier) and the vegetation is different. Like, there’re no saguaro cacti, which is the signature plant of the Sonoran, of course. But the Lake Arrowhead area (or the Lake Tahoe area) can work, too, given that I’m adding pines to break up lot-view textures. :) In that, it resembles my home turf in SW Colorado, as well.  

Except yeah, no water. The place may or may not have some on-lot water, though, which wouldn’t be big enough to be a lake. I’ll imagine it/them to be springs magically stocked with fish. But I haven’t decided on that yet. I mean, I DO like to build my fishing spots, but I’m trying to go for some authenticity here, trees notwithstanding. ;)

Anyway, basically any higher desert area that’s not a “sandy” place will do, at least with the season set-up I’m giving the place. (Which of course can be changed to make it whatever anyone wants.) It has spring and autumn...mostly because I like to use season-enabled trees/shrubs so that there’s a visual change with the seasons. I get kinda visually bored, if you will, otherwise. :) 

jennamaxon replied to your photoset “Tree’ing a bit. :) Mostly to break up the monolithic terrain texture...”

Rest rather green - much better in the second pic. For a moment, I thought you were frowning at the rubbish cart

Well, if we’re being all green and environmentally-conscious, rubbish is bad, right? :) But no, just frowning at the uber-green trees, I’m afraid. 

criquette-was-here replied to your photoset “Tree’ing a bit. :) Mostly to break up the monolithic terrain texture...”

Oh, this neighborhood makes me want to create this type of climate setting too! Somehow it feels like a place from a good old 90's road movie. Love the new texture for the pines. Looks way better!

Well, that would certainly be different for you! All your neighborhoods and pics are so green and European and pretty. Which isn’t a bad thing, of course, but I’d be very interested to see what you’d do with a more desert/wasteland sort of environment....

nimitwinklesims replied to your photoset “Houston, we have a terrain. :D FINALLY! OMG, what a ginormous pain in...”

Cool cool cool! It looks so much like your photo!

That’s what I was shooting for. But I tell you what, it was hard! I couldn’t figure out how TS2 decided which terrain images from the terrain default to paint where. It just seemed kind of random, and in some of my attempts, when put into TS2, the terrain was only using 2 (of the four) images in the terrain default, which looked really weird. So in the end, I put in an existing terrain, and then redid the road structure and resculpted most of the hills and such. Then, I still had to edit the terrain default to rearrange the images to suit this particular terrain to get it to look how I wanted. So it was more complicated than I’d envisioned. I could’ve probably put more time into figuring out what was going on with all that, but I just wanted to get ‘er done so I could start building.

eulaliasims replied to your photoset “Aw, c’mon, you didn’t really think I wouldn’t do rocks, did you? :)”

oh, this looks fantastic. I love the scrub--that's always something I've felt some desert neighborhoods need. it adds a lot!

niamh-sims replied to your photoset “Houston, we have a terrain. :D FINALLY! OMG, what a ginormous pain in...”

That looks fantastic! I love the scrubby scrubs- perfect for that environment!

Yeah, for this kind of desert -- the American kind, as in all of North and South America  -- there’s gotta be scrub. Pretty much the only American desert that doesn’t have scrub is the Atacama in S. America, since it’s like the driest place in the Americas. :) But even it has some scrub in places. I mean, this ain’t the Sahara or Arabian deserts! 

The lack of scrub really, REALLY bothers me in Strangetown, since that’s obviously supposed to be inspired by Roswell, NM. I am still going to play that neighborhood one of these days, but it has to undergo major terrain/deco renovation before I’ll be able to look at it without screaming bloody murder. :)

greatcheesecakepersona replied to your photoset “Houston, we have a terrain. :D FINALLY! OMG, what a ginormous pain in...”

Lovely! Now all that's missing is the Breaking Bad van :)

HAH!. Yeah, I’ve never watched that show (though it’s on our list to watch), but I know that it’s set in New Mexico, though I don’t know if it’s actually filmed there, so...yeah. :)

nimitwinklesims replied to your post “You sound like such a cool person! It's really nice to hear about...”

I often have a hard time keeping the classical composers apart (I'm embarrassed to admit), but Smetana's Ma Vlast always makes me cry -- it was played at my Czech grandfather's funeral... It's heartwarming to read that you like the Czech composers a lot. I'm Dutch but because of my děda I have a fondness for Czech things as well. Also, sort of related, I have played Händel's Harp Concerto at one point (when I was still taking harp lessons).

Yes, Ma Vlast is one of the best pieces of music ever written. IMO, at least. :) I’m not a person who’s into patriotism/nationalism, but I do tend to love music that has a concrete feeling for place, both physically and emotionally, and Ma Vlast has both. It’s why I love stuff that incorporates folk music from a particular country or area, because of that sense of place and time, and the Eastern European composers tend to do that really, really well, which is why I find myself drawn to them. Aaron Copland did that well, too, for American themes. Appalachian Spring (with its incorporation the Shaker “Simple Gifts” song) and the Billy the Kid and Rodeo ballet music and whatnot. Great stuff. I think that this is why I was ultimately drawn to film/TV scores, both in terms of performance and my own compositions. Film scores are designed to have a sense of place and character and sometimes history about them. So I guess it’s not surprising that that’s where I ended up spending more time, professionally speaking.

That said, for all that I am a classical musician, I’m not a walking compendium of knowledge about all of classical music. Certainly not now that I’ve been away from school/academia for *cough* like 30 years now! I have forgotten much of what I did once know, but frankly my knowledge was always pretty specialized. I know much about the body of work of specific composers in whom I have an interest, but much of the rest...I don’t care to know about it, frankly. All the baroque stuff? Meh. I mean, there’s bits of it that I like -- Handel wrote lots of good stuff, for instance -- but much of it just sounds all the same to me, and I’m just not interested enough to know more. Like, while I appreciate his technique and innovations and all that, I just don’t much like Bach’s music, for instance, and I took/take a lot of ribbing for that, but...I like what I like, and the rest of it I’m content to ignore. Which is pretty much my attitude in general, when it comes to music. *laugh*

jennamaxon replied to your post “You sound like such a cool person! It's really nice to hear about...”

The Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis is an outstanding piece of music. Real hair on the back of your neck stuff. If you like 20th C English choral - my recommendation would be Holst's The Evening Watch. I heard (and sung) it first at college. I was breathless after the first listen.

You know, Holst has a lot of good stuff that no one seems to know about. :) If the average person knows any Holst at all, their knowledge tends to begin and end with Mars and Jupiter from The Planets. Which is a shame. I need to listen to more of his stuff, myself, now that you mention it.

[navyandwhiteeverything]

My 2020

Well. Where to even begin…. While I feel like I begin almost every year’s recap feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start, this year I really mean it. This year is one for the books.

The Beginning + Winston

The year started off hopeful and continued on the track of living it up in Houston and just taking every new experience we possibly could to try something or go somewhere new. We went to a Houston Texans game- my first ever NFL game. Checked that one off the bucket list! We also went to Mardi Gras in Galveston, where it originated, and it was an absolute blast. Throw in the my first ever Rodeo & BBQ and the year was off to an incredible start.

On January 25th, we picked up our perfect little angel Winston. Now when I say I don’t know where to begin, I truly don’t. He has brought us more joy than we ever thought possible. Even through the puppy behaviors and the teething and potty training, we have adored him and he has been a huge addition to our family. We always were scared thinking we would not have a social life once we got a dog or that we couldn’t travel or he needed a big yard to play in, but boy were we wrong.

He got us through quarantine (even though I am not so sure I can say that as though quarantine really ever ended because we are still in the midst of COVID), but he has also been the reason we met some great friends in our apartment complex who also helped us through COVID/quarantine.

We coincidentally met these friends all around the same time COVID hit in early March once Winston was able to go to the dog park. What began as a hi and bye turned into longer play times for the pups accompanied by a glass of wine in hand. Then it became our only outlet during quarantine and we were beyond grateful to have a small go-to group while everything else was shut down. We made it through by hosting game nights, apartment bar crawls, joining a kickball league and more.

I spent my 24th birthday in quarantine and realized that it might have even been better than ones in the past, thanks to the meaningful and intentional time spent over Zoom with friends and family and all of Tony’s kind gestures- breakfast, El Tiempo for dinner, cookie cake for dessert, and an additional surprise zoom.

What did our quarantine look like? Lots of monopoly deal, many walks/playtime with Winston, games, hanging with apartment friends, and even recovering from COVID. We tested positive a few days apart in late June and we were beyond lucky to have super short term, mild symptoms. We were even luckier because getting COVID meant having antibodies, which meant travel was a possibility, as long as we were cautious.

Travel

While Winston went to a training camp for 4 weeks, we spent 2 of the weeks in LBI/NJ. In September, we visited Vana in Miami and brought Winston on the plane for the first time- I have only one thing to say: angel. In October I traveled back to NJ on my famous $28 round trip flight. While being home and visiting 105 Fairview for the last time, I got into a car accident and boy was God watching over me because I was beyond lucky. Even as I write this I am still shaken up and get a bit weary while driving, but it does serve as a reminder that each day is not guaranteed (and to not drive crazy or speed, especially in the rain or at night….). At the end of October I got to visit Em out in LA with Mike and it truly was an incredible trip. Hiking, nights on the beach, and the first PSU game of the season. In November my friends visited for the first time since I moved to Houston and we went to Austin for a night. The following week Tony and I went to Fredericksburg to celebrate our anniversary. The next week me, Tony, and Winston were headed to NJ for Thanksgiving and I am lucky to have gone back to NJ again for Christmas. So looking back, not bad for travel during a worldwide pandemic. (Did I mention how each flight was extremely cheap?… I’m talking most of them being legit under $100. I am forever spoiled.)

Tony

On October 8th Tony and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. I secretly believe this was the year that not only brought us closer together but sealed our fate for the future. Quarantine either split most couples up or brought them closer together… I am lucky to say the latter is true in our case. Let’s just say 2021 MIGHT be the year… but no rush of course… but I think it is the year…. but no rush….

Work

In May I didn’t see what was coming which was the elimination of my role as a Sales Lead at WeWork Galleria. Through the company restructuring, I was laid off, but luckily brought on to our Member Support team. While I am beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to stay at the company and most importantly employed, I feel very unfulfilled in this position which I know and hope will be short term. So what did I do….. I finally manifested the new endeavor I will be taking come January 2021… getting my real estate license! All I know for now is I will work towards my license and the rest is in God’s hands.

If there is one overarching thing that came out of this year it is to remember to always be grateful- grateful for our health, for loved ones, for our jobs, for the roof over our heads and the bed we sleep in every night, for food, for the ability to go to a bar/restaurant/anywhere and socialize, to see family and friends at any time, for toilet paper and hand sanitizer (and how so many necessary items are always available to us when we need them/walk into a store) and  most importantly- for each new day gifted to us the second we open our eyes.

Walking out of 2020 exhausted, but with a grateful heart and excited for what the new year holds.

[historyofjustinandselena]

2010 - friends for ever. PART 1

JANUARY 5th 2010

Justin talks about the rumors of him dating Selena or Demi Lovato: 0:16

       I - There’s been links that you’ve been seeing Demi or Selena through tweeting. You guys are tweeting back and forth. Is there any truth to that or are you guys just friends? Or is there something more there?

       JB - Or… What?

       I - Demi or Selena?

       JB - No, I just like… I know that… Look I… I met Demi a few times. Me and Selena are good friends.

       I - Yeah, I think you’re performing with Selena at Pop-Con this year in February… You are. Surprise!

       JB - Yeahh!

       I - Are you guys… Do you know you’ll be hanging out with her while you’re there?

       JB - Probably, I mean, we’re good friends.

FEBRUARY 16th 2010

Selena says she has a crush on Justin, thinks he’s cute and wishes he was her boyfriend.

     I1 - You are performing at the Houston Rodeo the same time as Justin Bieber

       SG - Yeah, we’re… We're doing it together.

       I2 - A couple?

       I3 - Yeah.

       SG - I wish.

       I1 - I have theory that when the two of you get together, the world will explode.

       SG - Oh, interesting. Well…

       I1 - Because he will bring along his 18 gazillion million fans. You will bring along your 18 gazillin— There won’t be anybody going to work, or go to school… All the schools be empty.

       SG - I… You know what? He’s the cutest, sweetest kid in the face of the planet. I feel like the cougar, ‘cause i totally have a crush on him

       I1 - You’re two years older, right?

       SG - Yeah.

       I2 - You’re not a cougar yet.

       SG - He’s cute! He’s so cute! He’s got swagger.

       I1- I saw a video of you getting serenaded by him.

       SG - I know! It was so cute! We were doing the Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve and I performed first and I was leaving to do press on backstage. And Justin runs back and he goes “Selena” and I said “What?” and he said “Can you, can you come on stage for me for 'One Less Lonely Girl’?” and I was like “I don’t mean, Justin…” and he’s like “Please, please, please” and I go “Fine, ok. What do I do?” and he’s like “Oh, I do all the work”. So then he runs off stage and he runs back and he goes “Wait, can you take your heels off? I don’t want you to be taller than me”. I was like “No… I’m not gonna take my heels off”.

       I2 - Were you still taller than him?

       SG - No, we’re actually the same height without heels.

At another program, she also talks about him.

       @ - People at my school are saying that you and Justin Bieber are dating.

       SG - (laughs) I love that! I kinda wish we were. No, he’s 15, so I’d be a cougar, hum… so that wouldn’t be right. But he’s very sweet and I do love him very much. He’s a very good guy.

       I - When he was here, he was right here, he does have a little crush on you, tho. I’m serious.

       SG - That’s ok (laughs). He can call me in like… three years.

FEBRUARY 23rd 2010

During a live stream, Selena says Justin has every girl in America.

       SG - “What do you think about Justin Bieber?” I think Justin Bieber is amazing. Don’t you think he’s amazing? He’s like 15 and he has like every girl in America.

FEBRUARY 24th 2010

In the middle of dating rumors, Selena says Justin is cute and the name of her future daughter will be Emory Bieber.

      I - I’ll start controversy, but…

       SG - Oh-oh…

       I - You’re friends also with Justin Bieber, correct?

       SG - Yes.

       I - And I heard… (crowd cheers) Are Justin Bieber’s fans in here?

       SG - I am…

       I - And apparently he’s a fan of yours as well ‘cause he was interviewed recently and they asked him about Miley Cyrus and he said “she’s real cool but not my type”. Then he was asked about Selena Gomez and he called you a cutie pie and said you were amazing.

       SG - Aww… He’s so cute!! Oh my god, he’s about to turn 16… I’m just saying, I’m just saying…

       (…) someone asks about the name of her future daughter.

       SG - See.. I’ve had this names picked out for a while… Hum… Let’s see… I like Emory which is e-m-o-r-y. Insert my husband’s last name.

       @ - Bieber.

       SG - Yeah. Emory Bieber.

FEBRUARY 27th 2010

They meet at Pop-Con.

MARCH 1st 2010

Selena goes to Justin’s birthday party.

for the 2nd part of 2010, click here.

[blschaos3000-blog]

Its 12:04 am warm

Welcome to another edition of “8 Questions with……”

I got a call from from super PR guru Steve Joiner and he says he has someone I need to meet. Well,I’m always open to meeting new people and thus I got a chance to talk with our next guest,the very prolific Jeff Davis. Jeff has worked with directors like John Woo and Wes Craven but still will slide over to a fun horror film like “Navy SEALs vs. Demons”. In other words,he does our kind of movies,be it a big budget film or a small indie,Jeff has earned a reputation for bringing his A game to every role he does. Jeff has just wrapped a new Western film and is gearing up for his project called “The Demon Within” in which Jeff is wearing all the creative hats and is ramping up for a Fall shoot. Jeff does this while balancing a rich family life in Los Angeles. I definitely could hear the passion Jeff has both for his career and his family as we chatted on the phone for a while. I glad I’m getting to ask Jeff 8 Questions and after reading this,you’ll be be glad as well……

Please introduce yourself and tell us about your current project.

Hello,I’m Jeff Davis and I’m an actor.I just finished shooting a Western called “Showdown on the Brazos” in the San Antonio area, where I played the Reverend Silas A Parker. I followed this film with by an episode of the new Netflix series “Ratched” where I appear as a 1940’s police captain. I then followed that with the lead role in a film called “Outrage” in Houston where I play a dad who’s daughter is kidnapped. I am also working on producing and directing my first film, an independent horror film “The Demons Within”, that we will be shooting in the fall if all goes well. 

What was it like growing up in Maine? Was your family artistic? 

It was a great place to grow up. I worked on my grandparents dairy farm at a very young age, feeding, milking, and tending the cows. Also haying in the summer. I grew up in a very rural small town where we rode our bikes every where, went to the brook to do some fishing, Saturday night stock car races, it was amazing. I played basketball in high school as well as track & field and once I turned 18, I even raced stock cars for a few years before deciding I wanted to act. My family was not really in the arts at all, it was just something that seemed to be in me. 

When you decide you wanted to be a actor? How did you persue your goal? 

I got the bug in my early twenties I guess. I had done a fashion show in high school and a local commercial but never really gave it much thought, it was just in the back of my mind. Then a friend talked me into taking an acting class, which led to me doing a play and I really enjoyed it but still never really thought about taking the leap. I had started my own business selling fitness equipment, supplements and gym clothing called Action Fitness. One day I was sitting in my little office in the back watching TV and saw a girl I knew from my acting class and the play that I did. Her name was Laura Bonarrigo, she was on a soap opera, “One Life to Live” I think it was. That was when it hit me, that was what I wanted to do with my life. From that day forward there was nothing else I thought I could do, I sold everything and flew to Arizona where I visited my dad for a month, bought a car and a set of golf clubs at the swap meet and drove to Los Angeles. It wasn’t easy but something was calling me. 

What was the first role that you booked and what was going through you mind on that day? 

Well I had been in LA for about 3 months and I was sending out my pictures to anything and everything. I got a call for an audition that was 3 hours away in Santa Maria. I made the drive, a week later I made the drive again for the call back and I booked the lead in a little vampire movie. The movie never got finished but I made some great connections and learned how to hit my marks, deliver lines, etc… on the job training. I was so excited and I had a great first experience, I really learned a lot about acting and about myself. 

What three ways has Hollywood changed since you started for the better? Same question……..but for the worst? 

Well it has become less personal for one. I used to be able get casting info and had deliver my headshots, but now it is all electronic. Also it used to be when you went in for a TV callback, you had a room full of writers, producers, director, I loved the chance to go in and get a feel for the room and really play to the folks in the room. Now it is almost always just a camera and a casting director. They tape and send to producers, or worse they have you self tape and send it in, no contact at all!  I miss the personal touches, but that being said, I adapted and make the most out of it. 

How do you handle roles that require you to do things like smoke, drink or curse that you don’t do in your real life? Does an actor have any leeway in avoiding these kinds of portrayals? 

You can always turn down a role if you feel uncomfortable with any of the content, you can also discuss with the director and producers if you feel it is not right for the character. I myself do not drink or smoke, I do curse from time to time, as for portraying it on film, I play characters, I separate myself from the character, if it makes sense for the character to smoke or drink and it works for the film, that’s what I play. I do not do commercials that promote smoking and drinking because I would not feel comfortable with telling someone to do something that I do not do myself. If I was asked to do something that I was not comfortable doing, I would speak up and if they would not work with me, I would step down from the project. 

How did you get involved with “Navy SEALs vs. Demons” What was the shoot like? 

That was just a film that I auditioned for though my agent, I went in a read for a couple of possible roles, they called me a week or so later and offered me the role. It was a lot of fun. My scenes were shot in an office space in an old building down town, there were a group of actors we all had our positions at our desks and we had fun with it. I didn’t have any of the action in that film, we were just agents in our office. 

What three roles have been your favorites? 

My 3 favorite role? One would have to be the tech sgt in the Nicholas Cage, John Woo film “Windtalkers”. It was a big film for me at the time with a huge director and big name talent and I felt I held my own on screen. Next would probably be my role as a grieving husband on the show “Criminal Minds”. It was a really emotional scene and I felt once again that I showed that I had some talent, I shared the screen with the very talented Aisha Tyler and felt that I held my own. Now for all out fun, I finally got to do a western, something I have always wanted to do. I did not get to be the cowboy, (but that is coming in the near future) I did get to play an 1800’s preacher, Reverend Silas A Parker and I had a lot of fun bringing him to life! 

You are shooting a Western film called “Showdown On the Brazos”,are you surprised that the Western is very much alive and thriving? What is going to make “Brazos” stand out from other Westerns? 

How funny, to follow up the last question, that was the film that I played the Reverend in. I have finished filming that and it was so much fun, met some amazing people down in Blanco Texas. Am I surprised that the Western is making a comeback? No, I am happy I also have my own western in the works, I hope to help it continue to thrive once again! 

“Showdown” will stand out from some of the other Westerns because of the unknown talent that came together to make the film. It was a passion project for director and star Bill Foster and I was so glad that he decided to make me a part of it. It is a classic style western with the feel of the westerns that we grew up watching. It has a group of bad guys who try to corrupt the town, but in typical western fashion the hero come through with the help of the preacher and save the townsfolk. 

What  directors that you have worked for impressed you the most and what made them stand out? 

John Woo, someone of his caliber, took the time to come to me after my shoot and tell me thank you and what a great job, what an honor. I worked with the Horror legend Wes Craven on “New Nightmare” watching him work was such a treat. I learned so much, he was a master in the art of scare! 

How do you keep busy between acting projects? 

I have a wife and two sons that keep me busy, I play basketball when ever I get the chance and I do some handy work, I had to do it to survive over the years and built up a really good clientele and I continue to take care of them as much as I can. I enjoy working with my hands, it keeps me grounded. 

The cheetah and I are flying in to watch you work on your new project but we are a day early, now you are playing tour guide for us, what are we doing?  

If I’m shooting in LA you are going to hit a few of my favorite places. Must sees for someone who has never been here are, Hollywood Blvd, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Third Street Promanade followed by the Santa Monica Pier. A trip to Universal Studios is always cool too! We would probably hit Mel’s Diner for lunch, I’m not an LA guy but these are things I know people like to see, but there are so many more! The Hollywood Bowl, Griffith Park Observatory, and too many amazing restaurants to even know where to begin!

  I like to thank Jeff for taking the time to sit down in the middle of earthquake central and chat with with us. As you can see,Mr. Davis has a VERY full plate in front of him with “Showdown” heading into post-production and “The Demon Within” hopefully shooting this fall. You can follow the busy JF on his various social media platforms which you can find on his personal website.

You follow the progress of “The Demon Within”: Facebook page for the film is here You can follow the film on Twitter “The Demon Within” is on InstaGram

8 Questions with……….actor Jeff Davis Its 12:04 am warm Welcome to another edition of "8 Questions with......" I got a call from from super PR guru Steve Joiner and he says he has someone I need to meet.

[emisonme]

Here we go again..................

That MTV interview with the photographer was a well written piece of propaganda for "Bare with me", basically saying that love is love, and it is beautiful in all forms. The stuff about Lauren and Lucy was all propaganda to prop up the narrative.

The photographer and the wardrobe lady were only saying what they were advised to say. LIES! (though the wardrobe lady decided to fuck the narrative a bit with the "sisterly and maternal connection") Management did the same thing with DWTS. Val was advised to lie about when and where he had his first meet up with Normani for DWTS. They had been rehearsing for days before that Houston Rodeo, yet they wanted to push the narrative to the general public that the girls were in on the surprise, and helped introduce Mani to her dance partner. Why? To show how much they support her decision to do her own thing.

My point is, they (management) have no problem getting outside forces, other than the girls, to help sell their narrative. The ladies who did that photo-shoot with Lauren and Lucy are no different. Why have the photographer say what she said? They needed someone, other than Lauren or Lucy, to confirm that Laucy was real, to prove that Camren wasn't. That one interview killed three birds with one stone. It confirmed Laucy, destroyed Camren, then destroyed Laucy, all at the same damn time. Brilliant actually.

Why did they need to confirm Laucy, and do so in a way that spans a few years? A few reasons really. Lauren was tired of being stuck in the public closet. She was ready to be herself, and to come out as "a proud Cuban American Bisexual woman". She couldn't do that, because it would basically confirm Camren. The Label's are not ready for Camila to be considered anything but "straight" for her career.

People keep asking, even though I have explained it before, why it's OK for Lauren to come out, but not Camila. Again, Bisexuality is more accepted in the Music Industry than Homosexuality is. They convinced Camila, and maybe more so her mother, that if she wanted a lasting career in the music business, she had to be "straight", and mention boys every time she opens her mouth. For a girl who used to stomp her feet and curse under her breath every time she was asked about boys, we have been hearing the word "boys" come out of her mouth, at least three times in every damn interview since she went solo. It's a promo trick. They want to pound into our heads that "Mila likes boys". I recognize the trick, that's why I'm not buying it.

So, Lauren needed a prop to come out, that could be believable and take the emphasis off of Camila and Camren. Who better, than her already out Bisexual best friend. It's not the first time someone famous has used their BFF to come out, and it won't be the last.

Let's do a little timeline..................................................................................

If my memory serves me correctly, Lauren and Camila were both "separately single" in the beginning of 2015. I believe it was around June of that year, when they really started publicly pushing Laucy in our direction. Interestingly enough, that's also the same month they started to push a possible Shawmila romance at us.

They weren't confirming Shawmila, but they weren't denying it either. They just sat back and let the fans do their thing, to promote the duet. Then after a while and song success, it was decided to put an end to the Shawmila rumors and say "just friends". No worries. With the demise of Shawmila, they began ramping up Laucy. They also began ramping up the "tension" between Camila and the girls. They needed to kill Camren 1) before Lauren came out, and 2) before they announced Camila's departure.

That brings us into 2016 and the 7/27 era. Last year, Lauren couldn't turn around without bumping heads with Lucy. She was everywhere Lauren was. London in May. Brazil in June. A few different stops on the North American leg of the tour. Lauren literally couldn't sneeze, that Lucy wasn't right there to wipe her nose.

It went both ways. They had Lauren spending almost all of her free time in NOLA with Lucy as well. The very private Lauren, the same girl who can travel the world's airports without anyone knowing she's there, never failed to let it be publicly know that she was in NOLA with Lucy.

Then it was off to Europe. October was an emotional month for all of the girls. Camila was publicly separated from them, and all of the girls were an emotional mess, but they never failed to put on a good show. After a little over a month, they got to finally come home, just in time for Halloween.

I don't know about you, but if I had just spent a month away from my girlfriend, my first stop after arriving home, would have been her bed, not California for a few days to play dress-up with friends. Maybe that's just me.

November was also a very busy month. They had to cram quite a bit into Novermber, before Thanksgiving and the Jingle Ball tour. Lauren had to go to a family wedding and pose for a kiss pic with Lucy, so it could be "leaked" (released for the public to see).

A few days later, Camila is at the dentist and snaps that she has seen all the hoopla over the kiss pic, and that she regrets logging on. She then is outside and she shoots out a tweet of a pic of her and a dinosaur, with the caption, "cuffing season" then another one that said "please believe me" Then they all go to the Epic party, where I'm pretty sure Camila is the one to find out, December 18 will be her final show with the girls. I know this all happened the same day, because she was wearing the same clothes.

Then just a few days later, Lauren officially comes out, in a long ass Trump rant in Billboard Magazine. After that rant is published, we find out that Lauren and Lucy are doing some kind of photo-shoot together. On November 20, the girls go to the AMA's. We got some cute Camren moments. Lauren had to stop herself from putting her hand around Camila's neck. It was funny.

That brings us to December. The Jingle Ball tour starts and 'Back To Me" is released. Lauren, sometime, does a live chat with Marian Hill, where she sort of addresses her Bisexuality, but says nothing about the kiss pic or a relationship with Lucy. We get to the Dec. 18 Miami Jingle Ball performance. In the very early hours of Dec 19, Management shoots out a ridiculous message to the masses announcing Camila's official departure from Fifth Harmony, to pursue a solo career. Then we are blessed with that whole cluster fuck back and forth, between Management. (must have been awkward criticizing themselves)

Merry Christmas! Who wasn't expecting a Christmas pic of Laucy? We've all seen the picture. Apparently there is more than one way to view it. Laucy shippers see a nice moment with a loving couple. I don't see it that way, at all. I see Lauren's thin lipped forced smile, her glassy eyes, and her stance, and my first thought was "she'd rather be cuddling a cactus." I mean, come on. She looks like she'd rather be getting shark piss shot up her nose with a three foot needle, than posing for that pic...but I digress.

Happy New Year! Camila heads off to Cancun for some fun in the sun, and Lauren heads off to Lake Tahoe for some fun in the snow. She poses for a snowy night pic with Lucy, a bottle of Champaign, and an ugly ass piñata. She parties with some friends, does a live performance with Marian Hill, then falls off the face of the earth. I'm pretty sure I know where she went, but anyways. She reappears at LAX a few days later, takes a pic to prove she was there, then off again.

5H do their PCA performance, on January 18, just before that is  Lucy's Birthday. January 11, is the first time there is even a  hint to Laucy by Lauren. She writes out a B-day message to her, basically saying how happy she is to have Lucy in her life, and addresses her as "My Love". WTF! Oh wait. If calling Lucy "My Love" in a birthday message means she fucking her, she must have also fucked Ally somewhere along the line, because she called her the same damn thing, in a birthday message.

That brings us to the Women's March on Jan.21. Lauren and Lucy were at the same March, only they weren't together. Uh oh, trouble in Paradise? (how are people actually falling for this shit) Rumors start flying that Lauren cheated on Lucy at the PCA's. REALLY!!! Is that the best you could come up with? What, did Lauren whisper "My Love" to a stage hand and get lucky. Jesus Christ!

Then it's Camila's turn to do press. She does an interview were she is asked if she has had any contact with the girls since her departure. She says "No! I tried. It's to sad to talk about." move on. The girls also refuse to discuss her when asked. OMG! The girls hate Camila. Camila loves the girls. How can Camren be a thing, if they aren't even talking? Everything's a damn mess! ONLY IF YOU BELIEVE ALL THE BULLSHIT!!!!!

To bring it full circle, Now we are back to the hilarious happenings of the last couple of days. They released the photo's from the photo-shoot first. The Laucy shippers were on cloud nine, and completely full of themselves. I'll admit, they were some nice pics. Lauren looked fantastic. Then they released the interview, and the Laucy shippers got gut punched.

The photographer, from a 4 month old photo-shoot, does an MTV News interview about Laucy. A fucking photographer "confirms" that Lauren and Lucy were in an on again off again relationship, for years. They were a beautiful loving couple during the shoot, but wait, they aren't together anymore, but they wanted us to still share these loving memories with the world. HOW SWEET!!!

Wait, since this on again off again relationship spanned years, when was there time for Camren? Well, let's see. Lauren had that Emblem 3 guy in 2012. There was Luis from the end of 2013 to July/Aug 2014. Then there was Brad also in 2014. They didn't "break up" until December. Lucy didn't move back to the States from Puerto Rico, until the Fall of 2014, to attend classes in NOLA. That means, Lauren didn't "reconnect" with Lucy until 2015. So that means, this on/off relationship that spanned years, was in 2015/2016. How convenient. She showed up just in time to kill Camren, help push Camila's solo career, and for Lauren's coming out. Do you not get it guys???

The whole point of Laucy, was to destroy the Camren ship, so Lauren could come out, without being linked to Camila, and so Camila could go solo, without being linked to Lauren.

So in one interview, a photographer managed to confirm Laucy, kill Camren, and break-up Laucy. I'd say that photographer knew EXACTLY what to say, wouldn't you? (like reading from a well rehearsed script) just sayin.

It couldn't end there though, could it! NO! Those delusional, disgusting, crazy ass Camren shippers, just had to get some payback. They started the #laucypartyover. Really, just couldn't let it go could you?

Apparently, Lauren (or her SM handlers) were stalking that hash tag. Someone tweeted using the hash tag "no wonder Lauren hates Camren"  Couldn't let that go by without a comment, right? It was laughable really. I mean, it wasn't just never real, it was "...never real...Ever"

Why would Lauren (if it was her) go out of her way to comment on a Camren tweet in a Laucy thread. Simple, after it was confirmed that Laucy were no more, the Camren shippers got their hopes up. Not on Lauren's watch. She literally obliterated the Camren ship...again. Why is she so adamant about killing it. Two reasons. 1) to protect Camila and her solo career and 2) now, Lauren is out and proud, single ready to mingle. (not really, but for Camren's sake, lets pretend)

What about Laucy? Lauren and Lucy are and have always been BFF's. Lucy is still available to use again, if need be. You know what the best part about all of this crap is? Finally, Lauren and Camila can have their "secret" relationship in private, without all of the Camren bullshit. (yes, I still ship them)

I don't know when it will be "safe" for Camila to come out, but one day she will get to. She wanted to before, but was pressured to keep quiet. The pressure, eventually will be off, and she'll get to be her true self, not only in private, but in public. Until then, I am going to continue to support Camila, Lauren, Dinah, Normani, and Ally. They all lost control of their lives chasing their dreams. They have done nothing to deserve the hate and the division of this damn fandom. We should support every single one of them, and wish for them all to find their true bliss, despite the fucked up business they're in and the people who run it.

[i-write-shakespeare-not-disney]

Kissing Booth: All Genders Welcome

“Well that’s something you don’t see every day,” Kayla noted as they stared at a booth in the Houston rodeo.

“I don’t think that’s sanitary,” Austin mumbled.

But Will was hardly paying attention. He was looking instead at the raven haired guy running the booth with a smile on his face and a jar in front of him. He was… well gorgeous. His features were sharp, angled, exotic even. His skin was a beautiful olive tone, his eyes dark, ringed with dark lashes, his lips plump, his cheekbones high.

Will was completely swept away.

Suddenly two elbows jabbed into his sides and he yelped, swatting his siblings. “Do you want to stand in line?” Austin asked with a smirk.

A scarlet blush filled Will’s cheeks and he scowled. “No! Of course not! That’s completely unhealthy and… ridiculous.”

“You sure? Because I have five bucks in my jeans. You can either get five pecks or one good make out,” Kayla said.

Blushing furiously, Will walked away, hands deep in his pockets as he mumbled and tried to slow his heart down. His siblings fell into step beside him, laughing at his expense. Will couldn’t help but glance back at the kissing booth which was brightly decorated and had a very decent line.

A darker girl with tight curls surrounding her heart-shaped face and golden eyes sat cross-legged on a chair beside the booth, calling out for people to stand in line. There was a smaller sign under the one that read Kissing Booth which said, “All genders welcome!”

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t considering it.

The three of them walked over to the animal showcase and when Austin left to go to the bathroom, Kayla pulled Will aside. She held out a five dollar bill and put a hand on her hip. “I don’t know if you’re just scared Austin will tease you, but here. Go while he’s gone. Get yourself a kiss from a cute guy that has you blushing from far away.”

“Kayla!” he hissed.

“Shut up. All proceeds go to a good cause, according to the girl shouting in front. So tell yourself it’s selfless. Go.” Will stood frozen, staring at her in horror and she rolled her eyes. “Then go get some kettle corn, I won’t know what you spend it on. I did my part.” She turned away and Will glanced down at the money in his hand.

Hesitating, telling himself he would spend it on popcorn or fried Oreos, he walked away from her and walked.

Then he found himself staring at the kissing booth again. He stood and stared nervously fingering the paper bill in his pocket and biting his lip. “Five minutes! Five minutes to get in line! My brother needs a break!” the girl called out. “All proceeds go to LGBT+ charities and organizations!”

Will took a deep breath and walked to the line. He felt ridiculous for being so nervous about kissing some stranger at a booth. Still, that didn’t take away the nervousness of his limbs as he got closer and closer. The young girl cut the line off after the three other people had gotten in line behind Will.

The line was moving quickly and suddenly Will wanted to run off and buy a snocone or something. Then all of a sudden it was his turn. Dark eyes rose to meet Will’s blue ones and made him freeze.

The guy’s head tilted inquisitively, his eyes mysterious and magical and exotic and… beautifully stunning. “You know, funny thing about kissing booths,” the guy said with a voice like dark, smooth, melted chocolate. “You’re supposed to kiss the person, not stare at them.”

Will cleared his throat and walked up to him. He put the bill on the counter and saw a dark eyebrow arch up as plump lips pulled up to a smirk. “I haven’t gotten many fives,” he noted.

“It’s for a good cause. And I don’t have change.” The guy scoffed and looked at him expectantly.

“Okay. So, do you want five small kisses or one real one then?” Will’s lips parted in surprise and his breathing turned irregular. “Your choice.”

“I… I-I, uh, it’s, um.”

“There’s people behind you,” he whispered. Will gulped and was about to tell him to just take the money so he could walk away when the guy took his face in his cold, long hands and pulled him into a kiss.

He froze for a second at the shock, then slowly began kissing him back, overwhelmed with the movement of such thick, warm, sweet lips. He leaned forward slightly, and the guy’s hands actually pulled him closer as he did. His brain turned to mush when teeth grazed against his lips and bit gently as he pulled back.

Will thought he would end it there, but then his lips were firm against his own again, and Will was more than happy to comply. He felt his tongue slide along his lip and automatically lifted his hand to the guy’s face, feeling the movement of his jaw under his hand.

Finally, they pulled apart, with trembling breaths and closed eyes. When Will opened his, he was surprised to see a rosy tint dusting the other’s cheeks. Dark brown eyes flitted from his lips to his eyes and he gave Will a hesitant smile.

“Um… wow,” was the most coherent thing Will could think to say.

The boy licked his lips and chuckled. He opened his mouth to answer, but the girl who was on the chair interrupted. “Um, there’s a few more people waiting.”

“Sorry,” Will said quickly, turning on his heels and rushing away.

He returned to the showcase and found Austin and Kayla walking between the aisles of cows, asking to pet a few. Kayla smiled, but she didn’t say anything. Austin asked where he’d been, and he mumbled that he went for a funnel cake but the line was too slow.

He walked with them in a daze, the feeling of the stranger’s lips ghosting over his own. He walked through the rodeo in that state until he felt a hand at his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He turned and saw the guy from the booth, freezing in his place as they stared at each other.

“Hi,” the guy said first breaking the silence.

“Hello,” Will answered. He was aware of Kayla and Austin stopping behind him, looking at him curiously.

“Um… I didn’t catch your name.”

Will’s lips parted in surprise and his cheeks warmed. “Will. My name is Will.”

“I’m Nico,” he answered with his own small blush. “I… Um.” He glanced over his shoulder then leaned in closer. “I was wondering if I could maybe get your number?”

Will frowned and looked at him uncertainly. “Do you usually do that with people at your booth?”

Nico bit his lip and chuckled. “No. Never. But… you were the best first kiss I’ve ever had…. I figured I could give it a shot.” Will’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. “It’s okay if you don’t want to. Yeah, this is really stupid, I’m a stranger why would- um… I’ll let you go.”

He laughed awkwardly and started to step away, but Will panicked and blurted, “No, wait!” Nico stopped, looking surprised. “Um…. Let me see your phone.” It took him a second, but Nico finally got his phone out and handed it over to Will. Will added his number and gave it back. “Okay. There. Um… thanks.”

Nico laughed and nodded, smiling earnestly at him. He waved shyly and turned away, leaving Will with a fluttering heart. Not even a minute later, his phone rang and he answered it with a confused, “Hello?”

“Okay good,” he heard Nico breathe on the other end. “I just wanted to be sure you didn’t give me a bogus number….” Will laughed and shook his head. “Okay, I’ll uh talk to you later then.”

“Okay… bye,” he answered softly. He hung up and did his best to ignore the smirks on his brother and sister’s faces.

[savetopnow]

2018-04-06 18 CELEBRITY now

CELEBRITY

E!

Jay-Z Talks Family, Kanye West and More on ''My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman''

Bachelor Winter Games' Clare Crawley and Benoit Beausejour-Savard Break Up

Kylie Jenner Takes ''Sleepy'' Baby Stormi on a Walk With Travis Scott

Lorde Apologizes for ''Poorly Chosen'' Whitney Houston Reference on Instagram

The Southern Charm Season 5 Premiere's Best Clapbacks as the Women Finally Take Control

Hollywood Life

Cardi B’s New Song ‘Thru Your Phone’ May Explain How She Caught Offset Cheating

BTS Surprises Fans By Releasing New 9-Minute Music Video: ‘Euphoria’ — Watch

Cardi B’s Debut Album Is Here & Fans Are Unable To Function — Listen

Justin Bieber Jumps On Poo Bear’s EDM Banger ‘Hard 2 Face Reality’ — Listen

Conor McGregor Surrenders To Police After Violently Smashing Bus Window In NYC

Media Take Out

Desiigner Caught Taking A PIZZ On Someone’s House!! (PICS)

Comedian Sinbad Appears To Be SNITCHING On Russell Simmons . . . Says ‘MORE WOMEN’ Are Gonna Come Out With RAPE Claims!!!

Shirley Strawberry From Teh STEVE HARVEY RADIO SHOW . . . Is Being Sued . . . For Being a ‘DEADBEAT’!!

People

Bachelor in Paradise Star Amanda Stanton Films Herself as She Gets Lip Injections

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Zac Efron Makes Very Cheeky Comment About Alexandra Daddario Fueling More Romance Speculation

Kailyn Lowry Shares a Nearly Nude Photo as She Calls for Female Empowerment While on Vacation

Bachelor Winter Games' Clare Crawley and fiancé Benoit Beausejour-Savard Split

Perez Hilton

Next Indiana Jones May Be A Woman, According To Steven Spielberg!

Bella Hadid Flaunts Some Nip In See-Through Top During Tokyo Trip Outing!

Kevin Hart & Leslie Jones Go Full Cowboy For A Recreational Rodeo Fitness Class! WATCH!

Jeffree Star Is Racist! Kim Zolciak Is Too! AND…

Zac Efron's Dog Was Seconds Away From Being Euthanized Before Getting Rescued!

Popsugar

So, Brad Pitt Reportedly Has a New "Fascinating" Lady Friend in His Life

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Reddit Entertainment

The fallout since the Weinstein scandal first rocked Hollywood

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"Jersey Shore": An Oral History; 'It was like zebras in the Serengeti. We wanted to see this in action. Where does that happen? The Jersey Shore'

TMZ

'Stranger Things' Duffer Brothers Have Proof They Didn't Steal Show Idea

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The Shade Room

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[tylerbiard]

Athabaska & Alberta

We were driving down the drizzly Trans-Canada from Brandon to Winnipeg, when Ruzz remarked on how he noticed the landscapes were decidedly un-Albertan.  Everything was more lush, more green, with forested areas more commonplace when compared with the North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Southern Alberta we’d just been. 

But for me, these landscapes of Manitoba had the opposite reaction; they really reminded me of Alberta!  It was the dried out nothing-but-tiny-shrubs for miles of Suffield that felt more foreign to me than Brandon.  It was then I realized that although Ruzz and I are both born and raised Albertans, we really do come from two different Albertas.  His, the more iconic cowboys and Lake Louise variety, mine the flat parkland and Ukrainian Orthodox churches variety, which is also a common vernacular to Southern Manitoba. 

There was a time when what is now Alberta was split into two.  Back in the late 19th century, when Alberta was apart of the Northwest Territories, the area was subdivided into two districts, one called Alberta, the other Athabaska. Athabaska corresponds with Northern Alberta today, including Peace Country and the oil sands.  It doesn’t actually include Edmonton or Jasper or Wetaskiwin.  Township Road 582 is just north of what was the delineation between the two (1).  There’s also been non-serious discussion of splitting northern and southern portions of the province.  In this contemporary scenario, Edmonton would be in Athabaska, though.  I don’t recall ever seeing anyone propose an official line in the sand, but I’d probably put it somewhere between Lacombe and Blackfalds.

I’d never really considered it, though.  I mean, as far as major cities go, Edmonton and Calgary are two peas in a pod.  You can’t ask for more similar major cities, really.  Sure, there are differences, but I always found the two to be more similar than different. I still think the two are more similar than either party likes to admit to but the differences are far more apparent now.  Perhaps I’ve just been in Alberta too long.

Growing up, Calgary was always the more imposing, bustling city. Coming in on the QEII, Calgary’s geographic luck plays out through the sprawling tract hills exaggerating the city’s extent.  This same sprawl exists in Edmonton, but it’s completely flat and thus less visually apparent.  Then, bam. The skyline.  Calgary’s skyline oozes big city, even if modest 1920s bungalows await the skyscrapers directly across the river, hinting at the city’s youth.

Calgary’s skyline is simultaneously dense and expansive; its phallic gestures the tallest outside of Toronto.  Edmonton’s skyline is fairly decent for a city of over a million, but it is infinitely more modest than Calgary’s.  This disparity is largely due to the now-closed City Centre Airport in Edmonton, which was Canada’s first commercial airport, built in 1929, servicing remote northern communities with supplies and air mail.  Mere blocks from Downtown Edmonton, it imposed a height limit that dwarfed the city’s potential.  Sure, you might be thinking, “tall buildings aren’t everything.”  And you’d be right.  Amsterdam, Nice, St. John’s, Lima, and Portland aren’t particularly known for postcard perfect skyscraper canyons.  But this is Alberta.  And Alberta is all about oil and money. Companies want their vanity pieces and when they couldn’t make it happen in Edmonton, they moved to Calgary.  It is rumoured that Husky Oil toyed with the idea of building what is now the Calgary Tower in Edmonton, but were put off by the height limit.

It’s kinda funny how things turned out, because Edmonton was definitely given the initial boost. Cozier with Ottawa, it was chosen as the provincial capital in 1905, and then got the University of Alberta a few years later (technically in the now-annexed City of Strathcona across the river).  The UofA remains a “Top 5” university nationally, and only being bested by UBC in the West in such rankings.

Still, the way things played out, Calgary is winning, and has been since the late ‘80s.  Perhaps not having the leg up early on forced Calgary to be more competitive and business savvy, knowing it couldn’t rely on the government.  In the ‘80s, Calgary got the Olympics, the main Alberta media offices moved to Calgary, the Edmonton-founded businesses moved either to Calgary or Vancouver, something that continued into the ‘90s and even to this day.  TELUS started as the public AGT, before buying EdTel, moving south, then rolling out nation-wide before the turn of the millennium as a private telecom.  Famoso is based out of Vancouver now, I think. 

Where was I? Right.  Athabaska and Alberta.

When outsiders think of Alberta, what generally comes to mind?  Cowboys, ranches, oil, the Rockies, badlands, Conservativism.  All of these things are awoken in Southern Alberta, in places like Banff, Drumheller, Turner Valley, the Crowsnest Pass, and of course, Calgary.  It isn’t awoken in Edmonton or Grande Prairie or Cold Lake or Vegreville.  Maybe Jasper and of course Fort McMurray, but that’s about it. 

Calgary has taken the cowboy theme on in full, with a saddle-shaped arena, a massive outdoor rodeo, and cops that wear cowboy hats.  Couple that with the glossy veneer that Calgarians espouse, the nouveau-riche flaunting their oil money, and being nestled right between prairie and foothill, with the Rockies soaring in the distance, and it’s hard not to see why Calgary is synonymous with the Alberta brand.  Calgary is Dallas while Edmonton is Austin-sans-overhype with Houston’s stature. 

Ruzz was even surprised to find out there are a few Francophone communities in Northern Alberta. Edmonton has the only French-language university west of Winnipeg, Campus St-Jean.  While Southern Alberta was settled by Germans, Brits, and Americans, Ukrainians, Poles, and French Canadians settled Central and Northern Alberta. I mean, Edmonton is no Quebec or even New Brunswick; it’s a very Anglo city and you don’t need any French skills to live here, but there is still a sizable minority.

Truthfully, there’s nothing arbitrarily more “Alberta” to Dinosaur Provincial Park compared to Elk Island National Park, but nevertheless, one is more iconic Alberta than the other. Even me, growing up in Edmonton, aside from Jasper, Fort Mac, and here in Edmonton, the places I associate most strongly with Alberta are all south of Red Deer, all within the Calgary universe. Drumheller is hella foreign compared to somewhere like Wabamun from an Edmontonian perspective, but we are brought up to associate one more strongly with our provincial identity than the other.

Y tho?

I’d chalk it up to my earlier tangent about Calgary being forced to be more competitive vis-à-vis its northern brother.  Calgary won the interurban competition game and has been able to propel its and its hinterland’s brand across Canada and beyond.  Calgary also won economically, for the most part.  While Edmonton was suffering from the Klein era of austerity in the ‘90s, Calgary was doing relatively ok.  It embraced corporate vanity projects and used its savvy marketing to attract people to its brand and lifestyle. 

Edmonton may be on the upswing lately.  It has fared better during the downturn in oil prices, and with the billions in investment into Downtown Edmonton since the City Centre Airport closed in 2013 (now hoping to pull a Stapleton), people are starting to wake up to Edmonton’s potential and newcomers are being surprised. I’m not sure if it’s enough to reverse the brain drain anymore, but Edmonton certainly isn’t still being left in the dust.

Regardless, I am starting to see “my” Alberta (nee Athabaska) as different from the outwardly projected Alberta.  Athabaska’s brand is different, even if in many ways similar Alberta’s.  It’ll never happen without major upheaval, but I can see the argument for Alberta being split into two provinces, as the north and the south do occupy different mindsets.  I mean, if we can have redundancies like North and South Dakota, I don’t see why Athabaska and Alberta couldn’t be feasible.  

[bountyofbeads]

What Makes an American? https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/09/sunday-review/immigration-assimilation-texas.html

PLEASE READ 📖 AND SHARE this important perspective for our current time. We have a DECISION TO MAKE about WHO WE ARE AS A NATION!!! Do we want this to be Trump's America or the America that is a patchwork quilt of diversity and culture that blends together that makes us uniquely American.

"Trumpism itself may impede assimilation: if you constantly tell immigrants they’re unwanted, they may come to believe it."

What Makes an American?

I took reassurance this past week in a Texas immigration story that suggests America’s powers of assimilation remain formidable.

By Jason DeParle | Published Aug. 9, 2019 | New York Times | Posted August 9, 2019 1:00 PM ET |

One man likens immigrants to snakes, frets that they will never “go back to their huts,” and insists that they threaten “jobs, wages, housing, schools, tax bills” and more.

Another sees a “Hispanic invasion,” fears that it will bring the “cultural and ethnic replacement of Americans,” and warns that the foreign influx endangers “our way of life.”

After last weekend’s shooting in El Paso, it was so hard to distinguish President Trump’s views of immigration (paragraph one) from those of the accused killer (paragraph two) that the suspect offered a pre-emptive defense against charges of plagiarism. In a “manifesto” released just before the massacre, he insisted he wasn’t just mouthing “Trump’s rhetoric’’ but offering thoughts of his own.

Posted on a far-right website, the statement never used the word “assimilation.” But it rested on the Trumpian view that immigration was failing and that this failure posed an existential threat. The fear that foreigners refuse to adapt is widespread among immigration critics, and even Americans with more welcoming views sometimes worry that assimilation is proceeding less surely than it once did.

I took reassurance this past week in another Texas immigration story, which suggests that America’s powers of assimilation remain formidable. It involves a third grader with an apt name, Precious Lara Villanueva, who lingered at dinner a year after arriving in the United States and said, “I sort of agree with Rosa Parks.”

This was news. The previous year, Lara’s teacher had called Parks a “hero.” But the idea of a hero in handcuffs made no sense to a girl straight from the Philippines, where children are admonished to respect elders and obey authority. “She didn’t listen to the policeman,” Lara had said. (Besides, she added, heroes wear capes.)

By the following year, her views were in flux. “It wasn’t, like, fair for the black people to sit in the back,” Lara told me at dinner in 2014. Parks’s courage impressed her, but so did her manners: “She said no — but she didn’t use a bad word.” To an immigrant deftly blending cultures, Rosa Parks became “The Civil Rights Hero Who Didn’t Curse.”

I’ve followed Lara’s family for 32 years, as they completed a remarkable rise from a Manila shantytown to the Houston suburbs. As a young journalist, I moved into her grandparents’ hovel, to better understand the country’s vast poverty, and I’ve been reporting on the family’s migrations ever since. Lara’s grandfather worked abroad for years at a time, cleaning pools in Saudi Arabia, and her grandmother raised their five children on the money he sent — 10 times his Manila pay.

All five children grew up to become overseas workers, too, and the one I know best — Lara’s mother, Rosalie — used her father’s remittances to get through nursing school. She worked in the Persian Gulf for nearly two decades, then got her big break in 2012 when a short-staffed hospital in Galveston, Tex., offered her a nursing job. Her husband and three children soon followed.

While opponents of immigration insist (ever more loudly) that assimilation has failed, the Villanuevas’ experience offers a retort. With a house in the suburbs and kids on the honor roll, they achieved in three years a degree of assimilation that used to take three generations.

They did so, moreover, in metro Houston, a pro-immigrant corner of Red State America where nearly a quarter of the work force is foreign-born. Once synonymous with honky-tonks and rodeos, Houston now sells itself as a hub of diversity, with Hindu temples and Viet-Cajun cuisine.

In a country of 44 million immigrants, no family stands for the whole. The Villanuevas merely stand for the substantial immigrant success missing from the Trump Twitter feed.

I got to see the process of becoming American through the eyes of Lara and her older sister, Kristine, who assimilated rapidly, in surprising and contrasting ways.

When they arrived in late 2012, it was obvious who had been the first-grade beauty queen. Kristine reigned as if she still wore the tiara. She was saucy, bossy, purposeful and proud, with a toughness that belied her nine years. Proud of the English she had learned back home, she spoke it with a syntax that conveyed exuberance. She was “so very, very excited” to see America and “so very, very proud” of her visa that she taped it to the wall.

But her move was very complex. In coming to the States, she had gained her “mommy” (Rosalie), but lost her “mama” (Rosalie’s sister, Rowena), who had raised her on a Philippine farm while Rosalie and her husband, Chris, worked in Abu Dhabi. “I didn’t want to leave Mama Wena, but I also couldn’t leave my parents — either way it’s sad,” she told me. Mama Wena called in tears and needed money. When Kristine bought a Barbie, “Mama” chided her for not sending the cash.

Kristine’s English, good for a foreign child, was weaker than it seemed. Whenever her teacher said “keep your book out,” Kristine put hers in her desk. It took a Filipino teacher to explain that itago, Tagalog for “to keep,” means to hide away. Asked to describe a “pet peeve,” Kristine wrote about her dog. Losing confidence, she hid behind a frozen smile.

In fifth grade, a new persona appeared. Tired of being the meek foreign girl, Kristine reinvented herself as a wisecracking diva of the sort she saw on TV. She described herself in diaries as “honest” and “joyful,” but also “mean” — a boast. “My classmates say, ‘Kristine, it’s not like you!’” she said. “Now I’m a Kristine who will fight for herself!”

Kristine snapped selfies by the thousand and posted them on Instagram accounts like “kristinecute” and “swelfwe.queen.” She practiced poses: Fish Mouth required an exaggerated pucker, Duck Face protruding lips. She touted them as sophisticated American looks her Philippine cousins wouldn’t know.

Kristine’s Barbies, like Kristine, straddled contrasting worlds. Her stories revolved around a family named the Fashion Fashionistas, who lived in a Manila trash dump but used their private plane to shop in America. For Kristine, poor Filipinos becoming rich Americans needed no explanation. It simply felt true.

Mostly the straddling went smoothly, but occasionally the Fashionistas’ daughter, Stacy, felt burdened by those left behind. When she caught someone back home wearing her shoes, Stacy beat her �� as Kristine dramatized by whacking the doll’s head on the floor. Freed from obligations to the needy, Stacy flew back to the rich country and decorated her room in Hello Kitty.

As her frustration mounted and her school progress stalled, Kristine indulged in a series of minor rebellions — ignoring assignments, disrupting class, and affecting a scatterbrained personality in a bid for popularity. Her teacher affectionately groaned, “She’s becoming Americanized.”

Once, that would have been a compliment. The classic version of Americanization is called straight-line assimilation. It’s a three-generation tale as central to America’s mythology as the Boston Tea Party: The immigrants struggle amid poverty and bias; their children awkwardly juggle two cultures; the third generation completes the rise, with a white-collar job and a house in the suburbs. The story imparts two lessons: The descendants of immigrants advance and do so by blending in.

Straight-line assimilation was the reigning narrative of the mid-20th century. Half a century had passed since immigrants from southern and Eastern Europe had poured through Ellis Island. Learned men had warned that they would never adapt, but they did so decisively. A unified country had beaten the Nazis, with Mayflower descendants sharing foxholes with Kowalskis and Mancinis. Groups that warred abroad lived as neighbors in New York and Chicago. A Catholic became president.

Sometime in the 1960s, this assimilation story fell from favor. It overstated the acceptance that immigrants had won and understated the hardships they had faced. It idealized WASP culture and slighted the satisfactions of the ethnic community. It overlooked race — the lengths to which the country had gone to prevent the assimilation of blacks.

Leftist scholars condemned “the blight of assimilationist ideology” and celebrated ethnic struggle. Ozzie and Harriet gave way to Kojak and Columbo, heritage travel and klezmer bands. Assimilation seemed wrong as an explanation of what did happen and offensive as an explanation of what should happen.

The resurgence of ethnic identity was heartfelt but no sign that assimilation had failed. On the contrary, as scholars like Herbert Gans and Mary Waters argued, Americans could celebrate their heritage precisely because it meant so little. It did not affect where they could live, whom they could marry or what jobs they could get. “Symbolic ethnicity” flourished, but divisions faded: intermarriage rose, discrimination fell and residential enclaves dispersed.

Given the difficulties that immigrants and their descendants faced, Gans rightly called their assimilation “bumpy line” rather than straight. But bumps and all, assimilation prevailed.

It’s possible that Kristine’s generation will find assimilation harder. Economic mobility has waned, a quarter of the foreign-born lack legal status, and most of today’s immigrants are racial minorities, which could attract more enduring bigotry. Mass media once encouraged common identity. In today’s narrowcast world, pluribus triumphs over unum.

Trumpism itself may impede assimilation: if you constantly tell immigrants they’re unwanted, they may come to believe it.

But other differences between the eras could ease assimilation. Immigrants have civil rights their predecessors lacked. (Sicilians did not have affirmative action.) Many arrive like Rosalie, already middle-class. And mainstream culture is much more diverse, making it easier to fit in.

Two academic camps have shaped debate about the children of immigrants. Both see the majority succeeding — advancing in school, securing jobs and integrating. Intermarriage is high, and English is near universal. “Today’s immigrants are actually learning English faster than their predecessors,” the National Academy of Sciences concluded in 2015.

But some scholars warn that Americanization carries risks, especially for the poor. The longer newcomers are in the United States, the more likely they are to smoke, grow obese or commit crimes. Two prominent scholars, Alejandro Portes and Ruben Rumbaut, have warned that the children of the most disadvantaged immigrants may assimilate downward, joining the native poor in a “rainbow underclass.”

Kristine’s teacher wasn’t thinking about that when she fretted about Americanization. But even her mild concerns turned straight-line assimilation on its head: She saw Americanization as the problem, not the solution.

A rival group is more optimistic. They found that children of immigrants not only outperformed children of natives (of similar races) but did so despite having parents with less income and education. How could that be? Philip Kasinitz and three colleagues argue that children of immigrants often enjoy a “second-generation advantage” over native peers.

Two parts of the argument are familiar — immigrants, self-selected for ambition, pass along their drive, and the intensity of ethnic networks provides support that natives lack. But the researchers also argue that children of immigrants benefit intellectually from living at a cultural crossroads. (They note it took a Russian-born Jew, Irving Berlin, to write “White Christmas.”) Children of immigrants, they wrote, often “combine the best of both worlds” — their parents’ and their peers’ — or innovate in ways that “can be highly conducive to success.’’

In the Villanueva family, each theory offers a guide to a different daughter. (A son, Dominique, was too young to share his thoughts in equal depth.) Kristine’s experience provided a small reminder that Americanization isn’t always beneficial: She assimilated energetically, but to the distractions of middle school. Lara blended her Filipino and American selves in ways that supplied an edge. She was second-generation advantage personified.

While Kristine experienced migration as division (English vs. Tagalog, her mother vs. her aunt), Lara found it addition — Rosa Parks’s protests plus her politeness, parents beside her and grandparents on Skype.

Lara’s Filipino traits included her manners, her long dinnertime prayers and an immigrant’s belief in opportunity. They also included the benefits of a two-parent family, which social science finds considerable. (“American families are a mess!” her teacher complained.)

From the United States, Lara got a reduced sense of class and gender constraints, a school full of books and a classroom with just 24 students, instead of 70 in the Philippines. Above all, she got a license to ask questions.

Nothing about the Philippines had encouraged her to probe. On the contrary, a classroom so crowded had little time for raised hands, and children were taught to respect their elders, not interrogate them. American teachers loved questions.

“Do fish sleep?” Lara asked.

“Is the Leaning Tower of Pisa ever going to collapse?”

“Do nurses have to be caring? Maybe I’ll just be a doctor.”

Curious about how she had grown curious, Lara formed her own assimilation theory: America had scared her into asking questions. Confused when she arrived and afraid of repeating second grade, “I told myself I should be interested right now.” Being interested became a habit. Put differently, blending cultures produced new thinking — Lara was simply repeating what the Kasinitz camp argues about the cultural crossroads.

In her second school year in America, Lara flourished. Her teacher first noticed her gift when the class read a book about a bully. Asked what a story is “about,” most third graders summarize the plot. Lara extracted a lesson: “The theme of this book is not to be rude. We should show good character.”

Lara liked to debate, largely with herself, which of the heroines she studied was greatest. Rosa Parks didn’t swear and Helen Keller didn’t quit, but Harriet Tubman rescued others, “even though they weren’t her relatives!” Every Filipino understands sacrifice for family, but selflessness toward strangers opened a new moral universe. “She did the really, really right thing.”

One day when we stopped for an after-school snack, Lara sprang a sneaky question. “Do you know how to infer?”

I frowned as if trying to remember. “I’m going to teach you how!”

She paused to dip her fry in her milkshake and increase the suspense. “It’s like when you say, ‘Oh, it’s cold — it’s really snow outside.’ I didn’t tell you what season it is. But you can infer it’s winter.”

She stabbed the air in triumph with a milky fry. “You see? It works!’’

By the end of their third year in America, Kristine and Lara had each become an exaggerated version of herself, with Lara reveling in grade-school epiphanies and Kristine deep into middle-school intrigue. Her 15 closest sixth grade friends were arrayed in a fluid hierarchy, with “sisters” at the top, followed by “best friends for life,” then “baes for life” and “ride or dies.”“Your ride or dies are like your best friends but not your best-est friends.”

While Lara’s new word was “onomatopoeia,” Kristine’s was “stuffy-fluffy.” Her science teacher said she “wants to be one of the popular girls” who “act like they don’t have a clue. Her English teacher blamed the “ditsy’’ pose on “Americanization” but said, “I don’t think that’s really her.”

It wasn’t. With a little more time her English strengthened, her conflict about leaving Mama Wena waned, and the awkwardness of middle school passed. In tenth grade she sent me a matter-of-fact text that read,

“My current grades:

History: 91

Chemistry: 99

Geometry: 100

English: 100”

Two texts followed:

“Yes!” “Yesssss!”

When the family bought a new suburban house, Rosalie reminded her Americanized children how far they had come. “Mommy grew up a shanty,” she said.

“What’s a shanty, Mommy?” Kristine asked.

Lara spent our last ride to school talking about the difference between mean, median, and mode, then pumped her fist when she heard there was a test. She had studied Harriet Tubman again (“she saved people, even though they weren’t her relatives!”) and made the A-honor roll.

I offered to mark the occasion with a trip to the toy store, but Lara chose Office Depot and wrote her first book — an enigmatic study of a girl who asks questions.

“Why would I be excited for a TEST? Just why?!”

“Why do I have emotions just why — please tell me? Would you?”

“Why am I so curiouse (cq), just why?”

I thought back to second grade, when her first experience of America was a classroom of especially disruptive kids. Lara spoke little English but was so well behaved that her teacher exclaimed, “I need a few more like her!”

Fresh from the Philippines, Lara was the most foreign student in the class and in a Norman Rockwell way the most classically American — the earnest girl in a dainty sweater with an apple on her desk. She didn’t replace an American, she became one.

Jason DeParle is a reporter for The Times and the author of the forthcoming, “A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves: One Family and Migration in the 21st Century,” from which this essay is adapted.

[smokeybrandreviews]

NBA Rant: Let The Chips Fall Where They May

Boy, free agency has been wild and it’s only about a week in. I mean, al lot the big fish have been landed with a couple of massive surprised but there are somethings I wanted to touch upon because ball is life and, suddenly, life looks a little more predictable.

LBJ to LA

I wrote at length about this a few days ago. I’m not a fan of James as a player but I respect his game considerably. While I would have preferred any combination of starts that didn’t include him, I’m glad he presence has shifted the narrative my beloved Lakers had fostered over the years. I also enjoy the fact he didn’t blow up our salary cap with bullsh*t player demands. I don’t see us winning titles this season but it’d be nice to get back to the Playoffs. His presence alone will allow the youngsters to develop at a rapid pace while luring other top market free agents to SoCal. I’m looking at you, Kawhi and maybe Lillard or AD. Still, unless we can load up on two other stars and some decent 3-and-D guys, this is the Warriors era, for sure. Speaking of them…

The Rich Get Richer

DeMarcus Cousins to GSW is insane. The Warriors didn’t need him and he probably won’t play until January but these cats are starting an All-Star team. Seriously, these dudes were all All-Stars last year. All of them. I mean, the league has no one to blame but itself for this happening but, let’s be honest, next season is a goddamn wash. No one is touching the Warriors in the playoffs, at all. If they win less than 65 games, I’m disappointed. If they don’t go 16-0 in the playoffs, I’m disappointed. If they don’t win the title, I’m f*cking astonished. It’s insane to me this happened six years out from the league killing Chris Paul and Dwight Howard to LA. It’s fine a top 10 talent in the NBA, playing in his prime, can sign an MLE and play with arguable the best team ever assembled, and no one does anything about it. I mean, dude’s salary doesn’t even count toward their goddamn cap! They get DMC for free!

Missed Opportunity

I feel bad for Paul George, man. I love the guy’s game, I really do, and he’s going to be overlooked for another 4 years playing with Russ in OKC. As much as I wanted to see him in Laker gold, I just kind of wanted to see him out of a Thunder jersey, period. Westbrook is a cancer and you’ll never win alongside him, not if he doesn’t drastically change his playing style. Seriously, who averages a triple-double on a team that includes Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, and Steven Adams? PG could have come home to LA with King James and made a proper run at the Ws for a title but he signed there a day too early. I hope he’s good being relegated to oblivion.

Casino Royale

Breh, the f*ck is Houston doing?  I mean, you do what you can to hold that unit together, sure. They pushed a loaded Warriors team to the brink and, if not for a Chris Paul injury, might have hung another banner in their rafters. But that’s just it. Who the f*ck gives a 34 year old, injury prone, point guard who’d declining ability has already made his defense suspect. Who gives CP3 a supermax deal like that? My man is earning 160 mil for 4 years! That’s 40 million a season! Like, I’m not mad dude is getting paid. Get your money, manq. But Houston’s executives should be ashamed of themselves. That sh*t is ridiculous! Especially considering the moves the Warriors just made. No one is beating these cats next year so you’re giving Chris Paul all that loot for essentially three seasons of play.

Shot to the Heart

While on the subject of the Rockets, man, how you let Trevor Ariza walk? My dude is the new Big Shot Bob; you give that cat all of the loot he asks for! His defense alone is enough to warrant shelling out his asking price but he can hit the three with insane consistency. Seriously, he’s one of the few cats in the league that can guard Durant one-on-one and have a margin of success at it. There’s a reason KD stunk up the joint in that Houston series and his name is Trevor Ariza!

Back at One

The Clippers are dead. Paul is in Houston chasing titles. Griffin is in Detroit, middling away his once promising talent. The last man standing, DeAndre Jordan, is in the wind, too, choosing to sign with the Mavs. It’s nuts how that came full-circle. Dude should have been a Mav years ago but, being young and impressionable, basically got bamboozled into staying on a team he didn’t ‘t want to be on. I’m not sure if this is the right move for that team but it definitely makes the West look interesting. The Spurs might be at the end of their ropes, too. We might have a new power dynamic on that Rodeo Tour.

Next season is wither going to be the best year of basketball in a decade, or a complete f*cking mess. There’s so many variables in the air right now and I don’t know what to make of any of it. All I know for sure is that LeBron has landed in LA and The Warriors are winning a title.

[kpgresham]

My Baby and My Baseball

So hubby and I moved from Illinois to Houston, Texas in February 1985, which meant leaving the home games at Wrigley Field behind.  However, Houston had the Astros and the Astrodome, and we were guaranteed seeing a coupla games at least in the Eighth Wonder of the World.

The summer of 1985 was HOT – at least for those of us who originate in Illinois.  We thought we could make it through the summer with our un-airconditioned Chevy Monza.  We didn’t make it to Memorial Day.

So when we got the wonderful news the following January that we were going to add a miniature Cubbie to the fold, yours truly did some soul searching.  How was a pregnant person supposed to make it full term in the unbearable Texas heat?

Then the good Lord spoke to me from above.  “Kathy,” he said.  “The Astrodome is air-conditioned.”  

Aaahhhh!  A heavenly chorus began to sing.  So when the sales guy called in March selling mini-season tickets for the Astros, I pulled out the credit card and said, “YES!”  I might’ve been his only sale that day, because in 1986, the Houston Astros had one of the worst preseason records EVER. All I could see, however, were those air-conditioned seats and the scoreboard that went rodeo crazy whenever the home team scored.  I knew my hubby was very aware of the lousy preseason the ‘Stros were having, but what could he to do me?  I was carrying his child.

It turned out, the Astros had a GREAT season in 1986.  An added plus was that the All-Star Game was played at the Dome, and we got to see some incredible players.  (I also learned that scoring an All-Star Game is crazy.  Do you know how many substitutions they make in one of those???)

Well, the season wound down, and it was downright exciting to watch the Astros go for the National League pennant.  By the time we hit September, all of Houston was in a frenzy.  And, oh, by the way, I was VERY pregnant.

So finally the big day came. Our daughter arrived on September 20th.  She was a little, tiny little angel who came in (or should I say out?) at under five pounds. She and I ended up leaving the hospital on the 24th.  I need to state for the record, she was completely healthy -- fully developed organs and everything -- just small.  So as all good grandmas do, my mom came down from Illinois to help me with our newborn and life was wonderful.

The night of the 24th was a wonderful time for me and my family.  My mom was AWESOME, and it meant so much for her to be there with me. Our golden retriever had sniffed at our daughter from head to toe and decided that the new miniature human in the family would be her new best friend.  And my hubby announced that he had two tickets to the next day’s game between the Astros and the San Francisco Giants.  The winner of that game would win the National League West and go on to the play-offs.

I was so excited!  I hugged him and kissed him, then went to a do a high five with my mom, only to find her horrified.  For some reason she questioned my desire to go to the game. I was perplexed.  She went to explain that she wasn’t sure she could keep the newborn by herself.  I was even more perplexed.  I reminded her that she’d had three newborns, so she was a whole lot more qualified to be alone with our daughter than I was.

The next day my hubby and I set out for the game.  Note to self: when you’ve naturally delivered a child only five days earlier, ask hubby to drop you off at the gate before he parks the car.  By the time we got inside the Dome, I wasn’t feelin’ so good.  We made our way to our seats – and yes, they were in the nosebleed sectiion.  Remember, we were only “mini” season ticket holders.  I’m pretty sure I heard angels singing when we finally sat down, and I’m thinking they mighta been more real than imagined. Anyway, hubby and I hunkered down to watch the game, each with scorecard and pencil in hand, each plugged in to the transistor radio to listen to Milo Hamilton call the game.  (If Milo Hamiliton sounds familiar to you Cub fans, he spent at least the 1984 season announcing for the Cubs.  When WGN hired Harey Carey, Milo went to Houston to call the Astros games.)

I’ll admit it.  I was not feeling too great during the game.  I scored the game, cheered when appropriate, and did my best to stay involved with the events on the field.  I knew it was a do or die game for the ‘Stros, but I still was surprised by how crazy the crowd was going.

Finally, in the seventh inning, I mentioned to my hubby that, considering the game was so close, I was surprised at how insane the fans were carrying on.  My hubby looked at me, a little increduously, and told me to check my score card.  I did. I was pretty sure I’d gotten all the scoring right. The game was close. The ‘Stros only runs had come a solo homer by Denny Walling in the fifth inning and an RBI single by Jose Cruz in the seventh inning. Confused I looked back at my better half.  He asked me if I was okay.  I told I was. He told me to look at my scorecard again.

Patiently, somewhat surprised but patiently. he instructed me to look at the hits tally at the bottom of each inning.  He even talked me through each inning, pointing at each box score. “Inning one, no hits.  Inning two no hits.  Inning three, no hits.”

Holy shit, I thought.  Mike Scott is pitching a no hitter – the first no hitter I’d ever seen pitched in my whole baseball-loving life – and I’d almost missed it!!!!

Thankfully Mr. Scott continued to throw his magic, and the Astros won the game.  I was glad that at least I got to appreciate two innings of such an incredible spectacle. And yes, the crowd went wild.

After the game, hubby and I took our time going back to our car.  (We might’ve been the last ones out of of the parking lot.)  We got home, safe and sound.  Our daughter was sleeping, my mom was more in love with her than ever, and I’d gotten to see a no-hitter.  My baby was great.  My baseball fix was off the charts.

Thanks, mom, for a great day.  I wonder if my daughter will ever pull a stunt like that on me.

[adventuresoffangirls]

Concert Double Feature with Troy Cartwright & Northern National 4/29/17 Austin, TX

Let us start this off by stating that we weren’t going to do anything this week. This was going to be our first weekend off in a month. Plus today is Caitlin and Mike’s anniversary, so we weren’t going to do anything. But their plans happened to be on Sunday, so Saturday was fair game. We decided that we were going to see Troy open for Gary Allan in Austin. Then we found out that Northern National were also playing in Austin. The music gods were definitely thinking of us and they decided that we needed to make it to both shows because Troy played at 8:00 and Northern National went on at 10:00.

Even though the music gods wanted this to happen, someone else was plotting against us. We were already cutting it close to make it to Austin from Houston by 8:00 when Caitlin got off work. And then we had to worry about traffic from the MS 150. And then it was threatening to storm. We decided in order to help with the traffic that we would become real adults and get an EZ tag. We felt so grown up, which probably shows how un-grown up we actually are. This was the greatest decision ever. It cut so much time off our trip. But we did get to see the “squirrel farm” that according to some isn’t an actual squirrel farm (Thanks, Caitlin’s dad).

When we go to Nutty Brown Cafe, we were surprised by the amount of people there. We were one of the last few cars to be able to park in the parking lot. Apparently Gary Allan is a bigger deal than we thought. (No really. Who is Gary Allan?) We should have known by the price of the tickets ($35) that it was going to be a bigger deal. This is more than we normally pay to see our favorites. But well worth it. The crowd was HUGE! But this wasn’t our first rodeo, so we made our way to the front towards the side of the stage. We got there just in time for Troy and the boys to take the stage. 

The show was so good. You could tell the guys were having a blast on stage and that made it even more fun. We were super proud fangirls because this was a big show. It was like the first time that we saw Green River Ordinance in the big room at House of Blues Houston. 

We both had moments during the show that we were thinking “We partied with those rock stars last weekend!” We also realized that we are those really annoying fans that scream sing along to every song and “woo!” and yell things like “That’s my best friend!” But you know what, we don’t care. We are there to have a good time and that’s what we were doing. That’s what you’re supposed to do at concerts.

As soon as the show was over, we hauled ass to the merch table so we could say hi before we had to head to the Northern National show. We said hey and told Troy how much we loved the show. And told him that they were like rock stars up there and how cool we thought it was that we partied with them last week. He told us that they are still talking about Jackpot Party. We got our pictures with him and said our goodbyes because we were concert hopping. We were a little sad that we didn’t get to say hey to Erik, Glenn, and Matt, but I’m sure Troy told them hello from us.

We trekked back to the car where we took a moment to fangirl over how awesome that show was before heading to the other side of Austin.

Northern National were playing at Cheer Up Charlie’s (the premiere gay bar in Austin) which is on Red River at 9th street, so we found some parking where we could. We ended up on 7th street a few blocks away. This is not necessarily where you would want to walk alone by yourself at night, but we were together and there were lots of people and it was pretty well lit. We got to the venue and found out that the show was free! We got settled in just in time for the band to go on. 

There set was kinda short, but it was jam packed with fun. We loved it. We were dancing along to every song. We weren’t the only ones dancing. The crowd was definitely feeling it. Our favorite part was when they played MoneyBlind. We LOVE LOVE LOVED it! That song is our jam. We got a video of them closing out the show with Dallas, but they changed the name to Austin for the night.

After the show, we got to talk with Rossi, who is always the sweetest. He hugged us and thanked us for coming all the way out from Houston. We officially met Andrew, their guitarist. That guy can rip. Also his tattoos are badass. We looked everywhere for Kanne, but couldn’t find him and we had to get headed back to Houston.

We knew we had one more stop before heading home and that was 7/11. We don’t have these in Houston, so we NEEDED to get some Slurpees and a pizza. The pizza was the best part of our night. It was soooooo gooooood. To be fair, we’ve seen Troy 10 times this year and Northern National 3 times. This is only the 2nd time we’ve had this pizza. Ever. And it was in like January when we last had it. Once we were fueled with pizza and Slurpees, we got back on the road.

We were starting to drag a little when we hit up the bucees in Waller. We were wide awake after that. We sang and danced around and looked at everything. We were pretty much the only ones in there. We were pretty grossed out by some of their merchandise tho.

We finally made it home safe and sound. These unplanned shows were just what we needed. They were so much fun and we can’t wait til this weekend when we get to go to even more shows.

Until next time.

Dream Big Always,

Krissy & Caitlin

[champagnechica7]

Leap of faith

So I haven’t written in a while. 

Yesterday I went to the Houston Rodeo Cook Off for the first time ever. Me and DG were both newbies. My boss has a tent and asked if we wanted to volunteer for 2 hours in exchange for  wristbands for ourselves and a guest. DL’s bitch ass was supposed to go and it was going to be 4 of us. But he went MIA. Til now he still has offered no explanation for leaving me high and dry. Luckily DG didn’t mind taking his spot. We had SO much fun. 

I was the shot girl. Manning the shot block and Dyana did the beer tub. I got people drunk for 2 hours lol. Had fun with all the people there. Bartender to the left of us would come over and flirt with me when he wasn’t being swarmed and I enjoyed the banter. 

There was also another guy who sort of helped me with the drinks for the shot block. He was REALLY cute.I’ll call him cute smile guy cause his smile is what sold me on him. He ended up poking fun at me for not making more tips. 

Him: Hey come on now. How come your not hustling up more tips- an attractive girl like you usually kills it.

Me: *laughs* oh my gosh- I have no idea. 

Anyway later on after my shift is over my boss calls me over and she’s like oh hey I want you to meet someone. I walk up and who’s standing next to her? None other than cute smile guy. She was like “I want you to me my nephew”. We look at each other and he smiles and says “We kind of already met”.

And the rest of the night I was trying to go with the flow. Be friendly with people and have fun. It comes to me easier with some than others...I’m not sure what it is. But lately I’ve been pushing my limits and have been pleasantly surprised. Yesterday night I spoke with and had fun with so many people I had literally just met and it was awesome!

At Barn Bash with A, oh my gosh we had a blast. I love that she sees strangers as a challenge to befriend. 

Shit- even the fact that me and A became friends was a leap of faith on both our parts...

I’m loving this change I’m making in myself...And i want to continue on this path.

[repwinpril9y0a1]

To Be A Force of Positivity, To Be Everything Trump Is Not: The #WomensMarch Experience

Seven days since the #WomensMarch shook the world and I still can't get out of my head images of women resisting - joyful and determined. I marched in New York City. I came home that day with a thrill I still haven't shaken. A good thing, because mass mobilization may be our most potent weapon against a new administration that has already shown itself to be grossly incompetent, hateful, and acutely dangerous to our health. As a reported 3.3 to 4.6 million women and men marched on January 21st, I wanted to get a selection of stories - first drafts of history - so we can know what this day was really like for many. I sent out the call and received written narratives from 41 marchers (39 women and two men). Fifteen marches were represented: Washington, DC; New York City, Phoenix, AZ; Stamford, CT; Cincinnati, OH; Montpeiler, VT; Dayton, OH; Winchester, VA; Ithaca, NY; Indianapolis, IN; Houston, TX; Portland, ME; Jacksonsivlle, FL; Austin, TX; Lansing, MI; and Des Moines, IA. Here is what they shared. Getting There Some marchers hired buses. Some flew, some drove, others walked. Megean Weidman journeyed just "a few hundred feet" to the march site from her café job in Portland, Maine. Elisabeth Lehr traveled 500 miles each way. "We drove from Northern Vermont to Washington, DC," wrote Lehr. "Every rest top was filled with happy, excited, pussy-hatted women." Instead of marching in NYC's sister march, several New York-based respondents headed to Washington. "I took a bus to DC from Manhattan with a diverse group of women and one righteous man," wrote Shari Berman. "The bus was arranged by moms from my son's school. We sang freedom songs along the way led by a 70 year-old grandmother who had clearly done this before." "Our bus captains jokingly left Depend diapers on each seat," wrote New Yorker Leslie Cain. "We laughed about our ugly clear backpacks that carried water, granola bars, sharpies, battery packs, and tampons on full display. They had to be clear so we wouldn't be deemed 'dangerous' and detained." Some marchers had a simpler journey. "I had a ten-minute drive," wrote Morgen Bermel in Des Moines. "Then a couple rides around the block to find an open parking space." In Houston and Phoenix Uber-riders reported anxiety that their drivers in might be conservative and against the march, but were pleasantly surprised by their support--or at least, neutrality. "[Our Uber driver] was rather indifferent but we got him talking about music," said Beth Weinstein in Phoenix. "He was a big Lady Gaga fan, so we at least felt non-threatened at that point." In Washington, Melissa Sullivan was struck by the journey through DC itself: "As we drove [in] we could see bands of men and women wearing pink hats and holding signs, on their way to the march. We honked at them in solidarity, waving a sign out of the window and cheering as we passed. The closer we got to the Capitol, the larger these groups became. Dozens of tour buses, filled to capacity, unloaded. Throngs of people ascended from the metro. It was amazing." Obstacles Fear ranked number one. Getting over one's fear that the march might get violent or out-of-control. "We had never protested or marched before," wrote Monica Chylla, an East Lansing mother who marched in DC. "I was nervous about potential violent outbursts at the march. I was so anxious I couldn't sleep the night before. But this experience was completely peaceful and people were courteous." "Winchester (VA) is a fairly conservative place," wrote Tamara Haack. "I was worried about what the repercussions would be as far as counter-protests. While watching the Inauguration I realized I needed to overcome my fear because this just too damn important to stay home." Fear of crowds was a major anxiety to overcome. "I feel incredibly claustrophobic and shy in huge crowds," wrote Addie Tsai, who attended the Houston march. "I have never been to any kind of protest or march such as this one, mainly for these reasons." For Pam Hart, who attended the Stamford, CT, march, it was deciding whether to bring a mildly-feverish child who really wanted to go. They decided to bring her and it was fine. "Tylenol and snacks did the trick," wrote Hart. Other obstacles involved logistics. A Maryland mother who prefers to remain anonymous arrived at the Shady Grove Metro at 8:00am and couldn't board until 9:30am. "It was so packed inside the station," she wrote, "we worried we wouldn't get to DC. But police came and staggered the traffic so people weren't crowded in the tunnel leading to the station. It could have been a disaster." At the DC march, marchers struggled to access WI-FI. Marchers who promised to text and find each other were incommunicado. "My family was trying to reach me but they couldn't" said the Maryland mother. "No Internet seemed to be a problem," wrote Carolyn Ferrell. "But then it wasn't. We communicated with each other, shared stories, and enjoyed the signs." The Kids Are Alright As the mother of a six year-old, I thought about bringing my son to the New York City march. But that thought last two minutes - I feared losing him in a large, unpredictable crowd. I feared bathroom asks at bad times. Many respondents reported worrying whether or not the march would be a safe and good place for their kids. Yet many families brought their children and shared how profound it was to march together--with a little planning. "We had such a smooth, positive experience that could have easily turned difficult due to the children," wrote Dr. Christie Boxer, who attended the Lansing, MI march. "We studied the city layout so that we could move about effectively given any conditions - violent outbreak, road closings - and arrived early enough to get a kid-friendly spot." In New York City, Dana Ostomel was proud of her daughter's poise, as were fellow marchers: "My five year-old stood with me in a two x two radius for almost three hours waiting to march. My daughter received a lot of positive reinforcement for coming out, standing with others, and using her voice." At the same march, Jenn Linstad felt her eleven year-old daughter had a profound consciousness expansion. "Her foundations in social justice have been strong," said Linstad. "But by being there, she was able to see, first-hand, the deafening truth in the Audre Lorde statement: 'I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own." Two respondents noted the children as a highpoint. "Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the march were the children who marched alongside their parents," wrote Matt Jones, who marched in Cincinnati. Addie Tsai thought the most poignant aspect of the march experience was "seeing so many children holding signs." At the Houston march, Robin Reagler's 11 year-old daughter carried a sign that said "I compete in rodeos. Don't tell me how girls should ACT." A daughter in DC held the sign: "If One Man Can Destroy Everything Why Can't One Girl Change It?". And I'll never forget the young afroed teen boy I saw sitting above the crowd on NYC scaffolding with the sign "Thank you Obamas! You made us feel great again!" "I'm not sure if my daughter will remember the actual day," added Ostomel, "but I hope it builds a visceral feeling within her memory bank that she can call upon." The March Experience So how did it feel for the adults? "Transformative," wrote Lucy Vagnerova. "Uplifting and invigorating," wrote Pam Hart. "Empowering and transformative," wrote a Long Island mother. "A top ten highlight of my life," wrote the Maryland mother. This may have been a trip of a lifetime, but it wasn't easy. "Cold, muddy, stuck in a crowd - we didn't really get to march or hear the speakers," wrote Nicole Cooley, who traveled to Washington from New Jersey. "But it was so inspiring! A lesson to girls that activism isn't always comfortable. Ami Novak wrote of the #PortaJohnStruggle. "We exchanged supplies with the ladies around us, because the porta-johns were disgusting and nearly overflowing," wrote Novak. "[The ladies in line] gave my friend's daughter an extra pussy hat. She loved it." In Montpeiler, VT, Lea Belair was stunned by the crowd size - an estimated 20,000 in a town of 7500 - and who made a special appearance. "We had a high vantage point from the capitol steps and could see marchers arriving at the rally for literally hours. When Bernie Sanders showed up unexpectedly, the crowd--including me--went wild. When he told us there were so many cars on the interstate they had to shut it down, the crowd erupted." For a New York mom traveling to Dayton, OH, on business, attending the local march was an "incredible" experience. "At first I felt out of place because I'm Black, and the crowd majority was definitely Caucasian. I was also wearing all-black and tall boots, something extremely common in New York City, but not in Dayton. But I loved my displaced experience. It proved to me how from the beginning this era is strong." "At 62 years, it was my first march," wrote the Maryland mom. "It's the best I've felt this election because I realized that there was a sense of solidarity that day. I wasn't alone. I wasn't crazy. The marchers were predominantly white, but people of every hue participated. People were so nice. And that's not a word I use often. Though I would suggest inviting more women of color. It would have been nice to see more diversity." Despite white majorities, marchers of color reported positive experiences. "Although I've heard valid points regarding issues of white privilege at the marches, that wasn't my experience," wrote Addie Tsai of the Houston march. "I found incredible solidarity among bodies of various positions - white, black queer, Asian, etc. Everyone felt very connected, and kind, and generous with their bodies in the space." Leslie Cain wore a placard that said "What a Patriot Looks Like". "The arrow pointed towards my melanin-skinned, afro-haloed self," wrote Cain. "Older white women in particular stopped to take pictures of me all day. Not in a unicorn siting way (I know that feeling), but possibly in agreement." In New York City, marchers spoke of the thrill of marching up Fifth Avenue towards Trump Tower. "Beyond the barricades, non-marchers were cheering us on and holding their own signs," wrote Sirin Thada. "People were waving down from windows and balconies. We heard the sound of church bells along the breeze. As we got closer, 'We Shall Overcome' rang from the top of St. Thomas Church and we sang along. That was such a beautiful moment, to all be of one voice." Rosie Finizio wrote that the high point of marching was knowing "that we are all the heroes of this story, united against an evil Orange Menace." But Finizio had advice for next time around: "Once people get to Trump Tower, they must MOVE." After many hours waiting for a march to start, marchers want to keep it moving for sure. Speakers captivated many of the marchers. National coverage showed the diverse Washington speaking program, featuring activists from Angela Davis to Linda Sarsour to Melissa Mays. Other marches had speakers, too. At the New York City march, Finizio noted Whoopi Goldberg and Cynthia Nixon. "I went early so I was near the platform and got to hear many of the speeches," wrote Michelle Valladeres. "The most poignant one came from a Latino activist who spoke about his mother's journey crossing the border to give him a chance at an education. He described the running, falling down, and fear, in detail. I felt the pain of all of our stories of immigration, discrimination for whatever difference we possess in that moment. I cried." Star encounters were profound, too. Joan Lipkin had a primo spot next to the stage in DC. There she met Harry Potter film star and UN Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson. Watson is best known for playing girl power heroine Hermione, a character often namedropped on many march signs (ex. "Without Hermione, Harry would have died in book one"). "I told her she was a wonderful actress but that her work as a human rights activist was as important," wrote Lipkin. "She seemed touched. And when I told her that she is the future, she teared up." You can make the case that the real stars of the day were handmade signs--and the handmade hats. "We saw so many creative signs--people actively complimented each other on originality and execution," wrote Lucie Vagnerova, who attended the Washington march. She also met a woman who sculpts medical-grade silicone vaginas for surgical practice, and she had glued a few anatomically-diverse ones to signs staying "Stay out of my vagina," "Grabs back," and "Not Yours to Grab." And so many in the crowd wore hand-knit hats based on a pattern shared before the march. "There were thousands, maybe tens of thousands of pink pussy hats. This is what the patriarchy gets for committing women to arts and crafts for centuries: we really brought it!" At her Phoenix march, Beth Weinstein was moved to see Canadian women marching. "To know that the world is concerned and wants to lend their voices is truly heartfelt," wrote Weinstein. "It also scares me. If they're as concerned as I am, then the administration must be as bad as I anticipate it to be." In Jacksonville, Holly Masturzo simply wanted to listen. Part of their march day was at Suffragette Mary A. Nolan's gravesite. "People were greeted at the gates of the cemetery and given pledge cards for the local Democratic party - a practical gesture, yet not one that felt like the call I wanted to respond to most that moment," wrote Masturzo. "It wasn't a moment to sign for next actions in my view but rather for listening, for tending to the layers, intensely complex ones at that, of the journey of women's suffrage in this part of the world." Photo by Emma-Lee Signs (A Selection) Take your broken heart and make it art! / These are not tears. This is the Sea. /Thinking Women Against Trump (TWAT) / RBG, stay alive!/Black Lives Matter (carried by more than Black people) / Cheeto in Chief / My daughter's more afraid of intolerance than cancer / Women are Literally the Best / Grumpy Cat saying "UGH" / So bad, even introverts are here / Build a wall between church and state / Do the Most Good/ Love trumps hate / They tried to bury us but they didn't know we were seeds / Women's rights are human rights (with the W on Women replaced with a pair of breasts) / RESIST / The revolution starts here (with a diagram of a uterus) / Make America Think Again / Did you assume that I'm wearing my dad's (Navy) hat? Or my brother's maybe? Then YOU are the reason I'm here /Less suffering, more grace / #FreeMelania / Can't believe I have to protest this shit forty years later / Toddlers Against Tyranny / Your guns will have no animals left to kill if you don't take care of the environment / [Signs in Russian] / Show us your taxes / (Caricature of a sad Paul Ryan) Paul Ryan Can't Find the Clit / Excerpt of June Jordan's 'Poem About My Rights' / We Shall Overcomb / America Is Already Great / Don't Forget: White Women Voted for Trump / I'd Call Him a Cunt But He Lacks Depth and Warmth / Never Underestimate the Power of a Fag with a Tambourine / Resistance is Fertile! / Lesbian Moms on Fleek. Stay Woke! / Thou Shalt Not Mess with a Woman's Reproductive Rights. Fallopians 1:21 / Hell hath no fury like 157 million women scorned / Viva la vulva / I will NOT go QUIETLY back into the 1950s / Respect existence or expect resistance / If you build a wall, I will grow up and tear it down / History has its eyes on you / Planned Parenthood saved my life / I'm NASTY AF / Bully Culprit / Oh Hell No What Now? I asked the marchers what they will do next. "What won't I do now is the question," wrote Beth Weinstein. "I'm making calls every day to (Senators) McCain and Flake. Today's calls are regarding (Cabinet nominee) Betsy DeVos." Other marchers pledged phone calls and visits to elected, actions encouraged by the Indivisible guide and congressional staff advising constituents on most effective lobbying techniques. "We must call, email, and write our representatives relentlessly," wrote Dawn Tarney Brunner. "So they never forget what the majority wants." "I'm getting involved with the local Democratic organization," wrote Dr. Boxer, "and using my position as a college professor to educate and guide others to effective actions." Laura Miller Tomaselli, a Brooklyn mother, is busier than ever: "Lots of conversations, social media posts, poster parties, fundraising dinners, rallies, picket lines, voter turnout efforts. Lots of listening, lots of comparing notes." But Miller made a point about current political leadership. "The grassroots certainly showed its stuff last Saturday. Now we are waiting for the Democratic Party to do more than send us daily solicitations. Where are they, I wonder? Is there anything left of that billion we raised for Hillary?" All respondents had some kind of action plan, though some marchers were focused more on personal interactions: "I want to be a force of positivity, to be everything Trump is not," wrote Sirin Thada. "To speak from the heart, but with wisdom, clarity, love and respect. To End with a Beginning When Shari Berman shared her story, she wrote of her group's walk from their parked bus to the Washington march site. I thought it was beautiful. Please allow me to end this piece with a beginning: "Our bus parked three miles from the staging area and, to our surprise, the Metro was at capacity. So we decided to walk the three miles - a sea of pink pussy hats making its way through the streets. And for a day that was filled with inspiration, the three-mile journey was perhaps the most inspiring experience of them all. All along the way we were greeted with lawn signs set in front of private homes not promoting a particular candidate or political agenda but instead featuring spiritually-lifting quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King. The DC police and the National Guard were kind, polite, and welcomed us to their city. A few even applauded us. We passed an African American church where several older people were leaving a religious service. They cheered us on and said that they were with us in spirit. We encountered neighbors handing out free water or playing music to spur us on. A beautiful little girl not more than seven years-old dressed in a Disney Princess stood on her porch and waved to us. It was her future we were marching for and we all waved back! All along the way people took a moment out of their day to thank us for being there and I couldn't have been prouder to be American."

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2kc8d5O

[repwincoml4a0a5]

To Be A Force of Positivity, To Be Everything Trump Is Not: The #WomensMarch Experience

Seven days since the #WomensMarch shook the world and I still can't get out of my head images of women resisting - joyful and determined. I marched in New York City. I came home that day with a thrill I still haven't shaken. A good thing, because mass mobilization may be our most potent weapon against a new administration that has already shown itself to be grossly incompetent, hateful, and acutely dangerous to our health. As a reported 3.3 to 4.6 million women and men marched on January 21st, I wanted to get a selection of stories - first drafts of history - so we can know what this day was really like for many. I sent out the call and received written narratives from 41 marchers (39 women and two men). Fifteen marches were represented: Washington, DC; New York City, Phoenix, AZ; Stamford, CT; Cincinnati, OH; Montpeiler, VT; Dayton, OH; Winchester, VA; Ithaca, NY; Indianapolis, IN; Houston, TX; Portland, ME; Jacksonsivlle, FL; Austin, TX; Lansing, MI; and Des Moines, IA. Here is what they shared. Getting There Some marchers hired buses. Some flew, some drove, others walked. Megean Weidman journeyed just "a few hundred feet" to the march site from her café job in Portland, Maine. Elisabeth Lehr traveled 500 miles each way. "We drove from Northern Vermont to Washington, DC," wrote Lehr. "Every rest top was filled with happy, excited, pussy-hatted women." Instead of marching in NYC's sister march, several New York-based respondents headed to Washington. "I took a bus to DC from Manhattan with a diverse group of women and one righteous man," wrote Shari Berman. "The bus was arranged by moms from my son's school. We sang freedom songs along the way led by a 70 year-old grandmother who had clearly done this before." "Our bus captains jokingly left Depend diapers on each seat," wrote New Yorker Leslie Cain. "We laughed about our ugly clear backpacks that carried water, granola bars, sharpies, battery packs, and tampons on full display. They had to be clear so we wouldn't be deemed 'dangerous' and detained." Some marchers had a simpler journey. "I had a ten-minute drive," wrote Morgen Bermel in Des Moines. "Then a couple rides around the block to find an open parking space." In Houston and Phoenix Uber-riders reported anxiety that their drivers in might be conservative and against the march, but were pleasantly surprised by their support--or at least, neutrality. "[Our Uber driver] was rather indifferent but we got him talking about music," said Beth Weinstein in Phoenix. "He was a big Lady Gaga fan, so we at least felt non-threatened at that point." In Washington, Melissa Sullivan was struck by the journey through DC itself: "As we drove [in] we could see bands of men and women wearing pink hats and holding signs, on their way to the march. We honked at them in solidarity, waving a sign out of the window and cheering as we passed. The closer we got to the Capitol, the larger these groups became. Dozens of tour buses, filled to capacity, unloaded. Throngs of people ascended from the metro. It was amazing." Obstacles Fear ranked number one. Getting over one's fear that the march might get violent or out-of-control. "We had never protested or marched before," wrote Monica Chylla, an East Lansing mother who marched in DC. "I was nervous about potential violent outbursts at the march. I was so anxious I couldn't sleep the night before. But this experience was completely peaceful and people were courteous." "Winchester (VA) is a fairly conservative place," wrote Tamara Haack. "I was worried about what the repercussions would be as far as counter-protests. While watching the Inauguration I realized I needed to overcome my fear because this just too damn important to stay home." Fear of crowds was a major anxiety to overcome. "I feel incredibly claustrophobic and shy in huge crowds," wrote Addie Tsai, who attended the Houston march. "I have never been to any kind of protest or march such as this one, mainly for these reasons." For Pam Hart, who attended the Stamford, CT, march, it was deciding whether to bring a mildly-feverish child who really wanted to go. They decided to bring her and it was fine. "Tylenol and snacks did the trick," wrote Hart. Other obstacles involved logistics. A Maryland mother who prefers to remain anonymous arrived at the Shady Grove Metro at 8:00am and couldn't board until 9:30am. "It was so packed inside the station," she wrote, "we worried we wouldn't get to DC. But police came and staggered the traffic so people weren't crowded in the tunnel leading to the station. It could have been a disaster." At the DC march, marchers struggled to access WI-FI. Marchers who promised to text and find each other were incommunicado. "My family was trying to reach me but they couldn't" said the Maryland mother. "No Internet seemed to be a problem," wrote Carolyn Ferrell. "But then it wasn't. We communicated with each other, shared stories, and enjoyed the signs." The Kids Are Alright As the mother of a six year-old, I thought about bringing my son to the New York City march. But that thought last two minutes - I feared losing him in a large, unpredictable crowd. I feared bathroom asks at bad times. Many respondents reported worrying whether or not the march would be a safe and good place for their kids. Yet many families brought their children and shared how profound it was to march together--with a little planning. "We had such a smooth, positive experience that could have easily turned difficult due to the children," wrote Dr. Christie Boxer, who attended the Lansing, MI march. "We studied the city layout so that we could move about effectively given any conditions - violent outbreak, road closings - and arrived early enough to get a kid-friendly spot." In New York City, Dana Ostomel was proud of her daughter's poise, as were fellow marchers: "My five year-old stood with me in a two x two radius for almost three hours waiting to march. My daughter received a lot of positive reinforcement for coming out, standing with others, and using her voice." At the same march, Jenn Linstad felt her eleven year-old daughter had a profound consciousness expansion. "Her foundations in social justice have been strong," said Linstad. "But by being there, she was able to see, first-hand, the deafening truth in the Audre Lorde statement: 'I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own." Two respondents noted the children as a highpoint. "Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the march were the children who marched alongside their parents," wrote Matt Jones, who marched in Cincinnati. Addie Tsai thought the most poignant aspect of the march experience was "seeing so many children holding signs." At the Houston march, Robin Reagler's 11 year-old daughter carried a sign that said "I compete in rodeos. Don't tell me how girls should ACT." A daughter in DC held the sign: "If One Man Can Destroy Everything Why Can't One Girl Change It?". And I'll never forget the young afroed teen boy I saw sitting above the crowd on NYC scaffolding with the sign "Thank you Obamas! You made us feel great again!" "I'm not sure if my daughter will remember the actual day," added Ostomel, "but I hope it builds a visceral feeling within her memory bank that she can call upon." The March Experience So how did it feel for the adults? "Transformative," wrote Lucy Vagnerova. "Uplifting and invigorating," wrote Pam Hart. "Empowering and transformative," wrote a Long Island mother. "A top ten highlight of my life," wrote the Maryland mother. This may have been a trip of a lifetime, but it wasn't easy. "Cold, muddy, stuck in a crowd - we didn't really get to march or hear the speakers," wrote Nicole Cooley, who traveled to Washington from New Jersey. "But it was so inspiring! A lesson to girls that activism isn't always comfortable. Ami Novak wrote of the #PortaJohnStruggle. "We exchanged supplies with the ladies around us, because the porta-johns were disgusting and nearly overflowing," wrote Novak. "[The ladies in line] gave my friend's daughter an extra pussy hat. She loved it." In Montpeiler, VT, Lea Belair was stunned by the crowd size - an estimated 20,000 in a town of 7500 - and who made a special appearance. "We had a high vantage point from the capitol steps and could see marchers arriving at the rally for literally hours. When Bernie Sanders showed up unexpectedly, the crowd--including me--went wild. When he told us there were so many cars on the interstate they had to shut it down, the crowd erupted." For a New York mom traveling to Dayton, OH, on business, attending the local march was an "incredible" experience. "At first I felt out of place because I'm Black, and the crowd majority was definitely Caucasian. I was also wearing all-black and tall boots, something extremely common in New York City, but not in Dayton. But I loved my displaced experience. It proved to me how from the beginning this era is strong." "At 62 years, it was my first march," wrote the Maryland mom. "It's the best I've felt this election because I realized that there was a sense of solidarity that day. I wasn't alone. I wasn't crazy. The marchers were predominantly white, but people of every hue participated. People were so nice. And that's not a word I use often. Though I would suggest inviting more women of color. It would have been nice to see more diversity." Despite white majorities, marchers of color reported positive experiences. "Although I've heard valid points regarding issues of white privilege at the marches, that wasn't my experience," wrote Addie Tsai of the Houston march. "I found incredible solidarity among bodies of various positions - white, black queer, Asian, etc. Everyone felt very connected, and kind, and generous with their bodies in the space." Leslie Cain wore a placard that said "What a Patriot Looks Like". "The arrow pointed towards my melanin-skinned, afro-haloed self," wrote Cain. "Older white women in particular stopped to take pictures of me all day. Not in a unicorn siting way (I know that feeling), but possibly in agreement." In New York City, marchers spoke of the thrill of marching up Fifth Avenue towards Trump Tower. "Beyond the barricades, non-marchers were cheering us on and holding their own signs," wrote Sirin Thada. "People were waving down from windows and balconies. We heard the sound of church bells along the breeze. As we got closer, 'We Shall Overcome' rang from the top of St. Thomas Church and we sang along. That was such a beautiful moment, to all be of one voice." Rosie Finizio wrote that the high point of marching was knowing "that we are all the heroes of this story, united against an evil Orange Menace." But Finizio had advice for next time around: "Once people get to Trump Tower, they must MOVE." After many hours waiting for a march to start, marchers want to keep it moving for sure. Speakers captivated many of the marchers. National coverage showed the diverse Washington speaking program, featuring activists from Angela Davis to Linda Sarsour to Melissa Mays. Other marches had speakers, too. At the New York City march, Finizio noted Whoopi Goldberg and Cynthia Nixon. "I went early so I was near the platform and got to hear many of the speeches," wrote Michelle Valladeres. "The most poignant one came from a Latino activist who spoke about his mother's journey crossing the border to give him a chance at an education. He described the running, falling down, and fear, in detail. I felt the pain of all of our stories of immigration, discrimination for whatever difference we possess in that moment. I cried." Star encounters were profound, too. Joan Lipkin had a primo spot next to the stage in DC. There she met Harry Potter film star and UN Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson. Watson is best known for playing girl power heroine Hermione, a character often namedropped on many march signs (ex. "Without Hermione, Harry would have died in book one"). "I told her she was a wonderful actress but that her work as a human rights activist was as important," wrote Lipkin. "She seemed touched. And when I told her that she is the future, she teared up." You can make the case that the real stars of the day were handmade signs--and the handmade hats. "We saw so many creative signs--people actively complimented each other on originality and execution," wrote Lucie Vagnerova, who attended the Washington march. She also met a woman who sculpts medical-grade silicone vaginas for surgical practice, and she had glued a few anatomically-diverse ones to signs staying "Stay out of my vagina," "Grabs back," and "Not Yours to Grab." And so many in the crowd wore hand-knit hats based on a pattern shared before the march. "There were thousands, maybe tens of thousands of pink pussy hats. This is what the patriarchy gets for committing women to arts and crafts for centuries: we really brought it!" At her Phoenix march, Beth Weinstein was moved to see Canadian women marching. "To know that the world is concerned and wants to lend their voices is truly heartfelt," wrote Weinstein. "It also scares me. If they're as concerned as I am, then the administration must be as bad as I anticipate it to be." In Jacksonville, Holly Masturzo simply wanted to listen. Part of their march day was at Suffragette Mary A. Nolan's gravesite. "People were greeted at the gates of the cemetery and given pledge cards for the local Democratic party - a practical gesture, yet not one that felt like the call I wanted to respond to most that moment," wrote Masturzo. "It wasn't a moment to sign for next actions in my view but rather for listening, for tending to the layers, intensely complex ones at that, of the journey of women's suffrage in this part of the world." Photo by Emma-Lee Signs (A Selection) Take your broken heart and make it art! / These are not tears. This is the Sea. /Thinking Women Against Trump (TWAT) / RBG, stay alive!/Black Lives Matter (carried by more than Black people) / Cheeto in Chief / My daughter's more afraid of intolerance than cancer / Women are Literally the Best / Grumpy Cat saying "UGH" / So bad, even introverts are here / Build a wall between church and state / Do the Most Good/ Love trumps hate / They tried to bury us but they didn't know we were seeds / Women's rights are human rights (with the W on Women replaced with a pair of breasts) / RESIST / The revolution starts here (with a diagram of a uterus) / Make America Think Again / Did you assume that I'm wearing my dad's (Navy) hat? Or my brother's maybe? Then YOU are the reason I'm here /Less suffering, more grace / #FreeMelania / Can't believe I have to protest this shit forty years later / Toddlers Against Tyranny / Your guns will have no animals left to kill if you don't take care of the environment / [Signs in Russian] / Show us your taxes / (Caricature of a sad Paul Ryan) Paul Ryan Can't Find the Clit / Excerpt of June Jordan's 'Poem About My Rights' / We Shall Overcomb / America Is Already Great / Don't Forget: White Women Voted for Trump / I'd Call Him a Cunt But He Lacks Depth and Warmth / Never Underestimate the Power of a Fag with a Tambourine / Resistance is Fertile! / Lesbian Moms on Fleek. Stay Woke! / Thou Shalt Not Mess with a Woman's Reproductive Rights. Fallopians 1:21 / Hell hath no fury like 157 million women scorned / Viva la vulva / I will NOT go QUIETLY back into the 1950s / Respect existence or expect resistance / If you build a wall, I will grow up and tear it down / History has its eyes on you / Planned Parenthood saved my life / I'm NASTY AF / Bully Culprit / Oh Hell No What Now? I asked the marchers what they will do next. "What won't I do now is the question," wrote Beth Weinstein. "I'm making calls every day to (Senators) McCain and Flake. Today's calls are regarding (Cabinet nominee) Betsy DeVos." Other marchers pledged phone calls and visits to elected, actions encouraged by the Indivisible guide and congressional staff advising constituents on most effective lobbying techniques. "We must call, email, and write our representatives relentlessly," wrote Dawn Tarney Brunner. "So they never forget what the majority wants." "I'm getting involved with the local Democratic organization," wrote Dr. Boxer, "and using my position as a college professor to educate and guide others to effective actions." Laura Miller Tomaselli, a Brooklyn mother, is busier than ever: "Lots of conversations, social media posts, poster parties, fundraising dinners, rallies, picket lines, voter turnout efforts. Lots of listening, lots of comparing notes." But Miller made a point about current political leadership. "The grassroots certainly showed its stuff last Saturday. Now we are waiting for the Democratic Party to do more than send us daily solicitations. Where are they, I wonder? Is there anything left of that billion we raised for Hillary?" All respondents had some kind of action plan, though some marchers were focused more on personal interactions: "I want to be a force of positivity, to be everything Trump is not," wrote Sirin Thada. "To speak from the heart, but with wisdom, clarity, love and respect. To End with a Beginning When Shari Berman shared her story, she wrote of her group's walk from their parked bus to the Washington march site. I thought it was beautiful. Please allow me to end this piece with a beginning: "Our bus parked three miles from the staging area and, to our surprise, the Metro was at capacity. So we decided to walk the three miles - a sea of pink pussy hats making its way through the streets. And for a day that was filled with inspiration, the three-mile journey was perhaps the most inspiring experience of them all. All along the way we were greeted with lawn signs set in front of private homes not promoting a particular candidate or political agenda but instead featuring spiritually-lifting quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King. The DC police and the National Guard were kind, polite, and welcomed us to their city. A few even applauded us. We passed an African American church where several older people were leaving a religious service. They cheered us on and said that they were with us in spirit. We encountered neighbors handing out free water or playing music to spur us on. A beautiful little girl not more than seven years-old dressed in a Disney Princess stood on her porch and waved to us. It was her future we were marching for and we all waved back! All along the way people took a moment out of their day to thank us for being there and I couldn't have been prouder to be American."

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