#leaves of grass and a copy of 1984

[stopfunkinwmyheart]

[sh1tbird-shantytown]

Can i get some sweet stommy with the party + Johnathan and nancy?

Also some nancy and tommy sort of getting along?

I hope you have a good day :)

oh yes, yes, you can!! and i hope you’re having a wonderful day.

...

It was the Easter of 1984 and Tommy was straightening his tie in Steve’s floor length mirror. They were both getting ready for their holiday invitation to the infamous Byers house.

Tommy craned his neck to check for collar creases, “Remind me again why we can’t just stay here and eat discounted chocolate. Alone.”

Steve’s voice echoed back from where he was in the open bathroom, “Because, my father is somewhere in Cuba and he won’t let Diana come back home until their deal is done. Apparently the business man’s wife has taken a liking to her and he wants the extra tool.”

Tommy squinted at himself, “I always forget about that little thing your mom and you do. It’s odd you know.” Steve stepped out and Tommy spotted him through the mirror. Pleased with Steve’s laid back look. Light trousers and a tucked in pastel pink button up. He was folding the cuffs up to his elbows and smiled up dashingly.

“What’s odd about it? She doesn’t like being called mom so it’s like our own inside joke.” He laughed to himself and stopped walking when he was right behind Tommy. He seemed to admire Tommy’s own getup. Light green dress shirt and smooth pants. His tie was striped like an easter egg with greens and purples and pinks. Steve had been the one to dig it out from the lost pile of presents he’d gotten from lackey aunts over the years. “You look nice,” Steve leaned his chin on Tommy’s shoulder.

Tommy grinned, “Well someone’s got to be the star of the show when we get there.” Steve pouted but gave him a hug from behind and left after a smooth kiss to the shoulder.

“Meet me downstairs when you’re done, I have to go get all the eggs in the car for the egg hunt,” he called as he trotted out of the room.

Tommy groaned in response, “I still can’t believe you signed up for that!”

“I’m a dedicated man!”

===

Joyce had immediately given Tommy a tray of deviled eggs. Said something alike to ‘make yourself at home’ and dragged Steve off to hide easter eggs. Mike stared at him from the couch, Will Byers and Nancy Wheeler upon it with him.

“Why are you here?” he asked disdainfully, face pinched up.

Tommy moved the tray around so it was better secure in his arms, “I came with Steve. I was invited,” he spouted defensively.

Mike shook his head, “I don’t even know why he was invited in the first place either,” he muttered. Will frowned and Nancy and Tommy scolded him together accidentally.

“Hey!” they looked at each other and then back at Mike, “Don’t say that!” they looked back with glares.

“Stop copying each other,” Mike stood up and Will frowned at him, looking away from his and Dustin’s conversation. “It’s weird,” he walked over to the hallway and Will only stared a moment more before looking at Tommy with a small smile.

“You’re welcome here, don’t mind him.” Will put a hand up to cup his mouth as though he was sharing a secret, “He doesn’t like new people.”

Tommy scoffed and rolled his eyes, “I can tell.” When Will looked uncertain, between a smile and even more hesitation. He smiled at the kid and stepped forward with the plate, “Can I take a seat with you?” he looked between the two. Nancy rose an eyebrow but gestured to the empty spot Mike has left. He took it after Will gave an enthusiastic nod.

Dustin noticed quickly, luckily not as judgmental as the younger Wheeler, “Hey, can I have one of those eggs?” Tommy glanced down at the full tray and held it out.

“Help yourself, kid,” he encouraged. Dustin smiled and Tommy didn’t mention the odd formation of it. Just set the tray back in his lap when Dustin seemed satisfied with the amount he’d grabbed. Nancy coughed lightly to get his attention, to which he gave politely.

“So you and Steve are...” she hung off the last word.

Tommy stared blankly for a long moment until it hit him, “Would that be a problem?” he asked in the same tone she had used. Only a little mocking.

She sat up straighter, “No, no! I support you and him completely! I’m so happy he’s finally found himself,” she spoke quieter.

Will tugged on his sleeve, “So you’re actually with him?” he asked and Tommy grinned.

“Jealous?” he teased, and Will went bright pink before laughing. Lucas wandered into the room with another tray, decorated with pigs in a blanket instead. Nancy took one eagerly when he offered the plate to her. Lucas held the tray back after and eyed Tommy speculating.

“You’re cool now right?” he held the plate out to him too.

Nancy tapped at his foot with her stout heels and he nodded, “Cooler than a cucumber,” he answered cheerily. Kept back a cringe at himself.

Lucas nodded sympathetically, “I’ve heard Hopper say that one too many times. Steve say it too?”

Tommy nodded, “He won’t stop.” Lucas laughed and left the plate on the coffee table before joining Dustin.

Steve came back into the room and sat on the floor in front of Tommy’s legs. He had a few grass stains on his knees and Tommy knew they came from his determination to find the best hiding spots.

Dustin took notice of his appearance fast, “Hey, man, Lucas and I want a third player for rummy. You down?”

Tommy leaned forward before Steve could answer, “Can I play too?” he asked eagerly. Didn’t even try to hide it.

Dustin stared at him, a bit wide eyed in shock, but nodded nonetheless, “Sure. You know how to play?”

Tommy smirked proudly and puffed his chest a little, “I’m my family’s champion.” Lucas took a pack of cards out from his jeans and started shuffling them.

Will watched for a short while but then stood up, “I’m going to go talk to Mike,” he explained. Tommy expected Steve to get up and take the open seat, but he didn’t. And no one questioned why he didn’t after he leaned his head against Tommy’s knees comfortably.

Nancy knocked on the table as Lucas prepared to deal, “I’m in too. I wanna give Hagan a run for his money,” she nudged him playfully with her hand.

Tommy laughed and shook his head, “Too bad for you, I didn’t bring my wallet.”

Steve grumbled, “Awe, I was gong to make you drive home.”

Tommy pressed his lips onto the top of Steve’s head unceremoniously, “Just kidding, Honey.” Steve smiled and handed Tommy his hand from the pile on the table. When the game began, he didn’t tell Steve that he could see all his cards. And Steve either didn’t care or didn’t realize. Knowing him it really could have been either.

Nancy cackled femininely when he put a three of diamonds down. He smiled at his cards and watched over them as she took up half the discards. Steve frowned and his shoulders slumped as she put down a lengthy row of numbers.

“Nice move, Wheeler,” he complimented.

She smiled, “Thanks, Hagan. I could give you some pointers,” she offered in mock seriousness.

“I’m good,” he deflected with a laugh of his own. Dustin continued the round and put down a few points of his own. Johnathan joined them not too long after at the side of the couch beside Nancy. He pointed as though he was giving her alternative options and opinions of his own.

Tommy looked down at Steve’s mess of a hand. He felt badly for him. Steve wasn’t good with card games, with good luck strategy. And his hand really had started horrendously. He tapped on Steve’s five of hearts and then pointed at the discard pile. Something that didn’t match any of the other suits. He was met with Steve’s upside down face, beaming brightly back at him.

It was a few more turns later that Tommy picked up the whole entire discard pile. Everyone gasped, even Johnathan. Tommy felt a small thrill and smirked.

Nancy clicked her tongue at him, “So you’re one of those people.” He simply focused on his overflowing hand of cards and then put down half of them in one go. Nancy pursued her lips, “I see how it is.”

Dustin threw his hands up, almost loosing his cards, “What the hell, man!”

Steve snapped his fingers, “Language!”

Lucas shook his head at them and grinned at Tommy, “You could teach us a few things, couldn’t you?”

Tommy nodded back and started organizing his cards after discarding, “After I leave you all in the dust winning. Sure.”

It was yet again a few more turns later, and Steve’s first couple actual plays set down, when Mike was dragged back out by Will. They sat by the open side of the coffee table on the floor.

Mike watched as Tommy played and then opened his mouth slowly, “I’m sorry for being so rude to you.” Will nodded along and smiled at Tommy. Tommy looked down to see Steve grinning proudly and nodding along to Mike’s apology. Although he continued on, “Even though I think you deserved it.”

Tommy nodded and Mike rose a brow at him just as his sister had prior, “Probably,” he agreed plainly. Nancy discarded an eight of spades and he looked down at his last three cards.

She looked at her brother, “I think Hagan’s okay.” Steve turned his head and pressed his lips against the side of Tommy’s knee sneakily.

Dustin was rearranging his hand, “Yeah, Mike. Give him a chance.”

Lucas eyed Tommy’s hidden cards as though he could tell what was to about happen next, “I think Steve’s made a good choice in bringing him today.” Mike crossed his arms and Will nudged him perkily.

Everyone sighed, except Steve, when Tommy picked up Nancy’s discard and set down a small set and his final discard.

Nancy laughed with him through his victory cry of, “Rummy!”

[chpinthestacks]

In the Stacks with Lara Mimosa Montes: Darrel Ellis

This past March, I visited OSMOS at 50 East 1st Street in Manhattan’s East Village to see some works by the Bronx-born painter and photographer Darrel Ellis. As far as I know, the last time any of Ellis’s works have been shown in New York was over fourteen years ago, in 2005, so it’s something of a big deal to see his work in the real world once again.

When I first began looking a bit more thoughtfully into Ellis’s biography upon recalling that he had been included in the exhibition Urban Mythologies: The Bronx Represented Since the 1960’s, a basic internet search yielded very few results, especially in comparison to Ellis’s peer group, which includes artists like Robert Mapplethorpe, Peter Hujar, and David Wojnarowicz. Apart from a short entry about Ellis on Visual AIDS and an exhibition catalog from 1996 published by Art in General to celebrate the posthumous, traveling exhibition which featured seventy of the artist’s works from his estate, there remains very little in print on the subject of Darrel Ellis. Given the works of his that I was able to view online and the little bits that I had been able to glean from his bio, this just didn’t sit right with me. This is an artist whose work needs to be known.

Self-portrait based on Peter Hujar photograph, c. 1990, painting on canvas, 22” × 24”. Courtesy of OSMOS. ⓒ Estate of Darrel Ellis.

Darrel Ellis was born December 5th, 1958. He died April 3rd, 1992, a couple of months before David Wojnarowicz, whose full-scale retrospective at the Whitney Museum, History Keeps Me Awake at Night, I saw last fall. Having encountered Wojnarowicz’s presence as a teenager through the fairly obscene underground films of Richard Kern [ie. “Stray Dogs” (1985) and “You Killed Me First” (1985)], it was definitely a trip seeing his work at the Whitney—it was packed to the point that I kind of didn’t want to be there. People love David now, I thought, a little moody.

As I moved through the museum’s galleries, I had to wonder what an artist like Wojnarowicz would think of all this posthumous looking and snapping. I had to ask myself: Why does the art world want to stage its appreciation for an artist like David Wojnarowicz now? Because the fucked up political future he had been observing finally came to pass? And if we are looking at David and the ambitious body of work he assembled during his lifetime and encountering it as emblematic of a certain downtown New York countercultural moment, or an idealized version of some queer, punk sensibility we associate with the ’80s and ’90s, then what else—and who else—in our historicization of that particular time drops out as a result?

I am not exempt from the “we” I speak of here; next to my bed currently sits a newly purchased copy of Weight of the Earth: The Tape Journals of David Wojnarowicz, published by Semiotext(e) just last year. My attention is turned towards David, too, and I suspect, unlike many of the tourists at the Whitney that day who might have been seeing his work for the first time, I had the luxury of living in New York City and participating in the art world in ways that allowed me to encounter his work IRL many times over the years and in several different contexts with varying degrees of politicization. I’ve even been lucky enough during my brief time working at a private arts college to teach and share his work with others. If I have a lot to say about David Wojnarowicz, it’s because I have had years of looking and thinking about his work alongside the many documented accounts of his critics, friends, admirers, and biographers, some of whom were fortunate enough to know him, and live to tell of their experiences (among my favorites of these accounts are those by artist Zoe Leonard, with thanks to Sarah Schulman).

The same, however, cannot be said of Darrel Ellis, so it is still something of an experiment: learning to look at and speak about his work, the impression it leaves on me. As of now, I cannot speculate as to how his art and reputation will fare in the wake of this strangely belated and renewed interest in the art historical ongoings and culture wars of the 1980s and ’90s. [1]

Poster for Day Without Art, designed by Danny Tisdale Studio, 1994, offset lithograph on paper; 35” × 25 ⅝”. Courtesy of Visual AIDS. Background image features Darrel Ellis’s Self-Portrait After Photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe, 1989.

When he died in the spring of 1992 of AIDS, Darrel Ellis was the same age as his father, Thomas Ellis: 33 years old. In 1958, Thomas, a postal clerk and aspiring photographer who briefly ran a portrait studio in Harlem with his wife, was killed by the police following an argument with two plainclothes detectives who had blocked his parked car. The injuries sustained from the altercation proved fatal. At the time of Thomas’s death, his wife was pregnant with Darrel. [2] Justice was never served.

These events and the life that preceded them, as documented by the senior Ellis in the many family photographs taken before Darrel was born in parts of the Bronx and Harlem during the 1950s, eventually made their way into Darrel’s work. In 1981, when Ellis was living in the Lower East Side with his then-lover and “unofficially” participating in the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program, the artist, writer, and independent curator Allen Frame recalls that Ellis had recently acquired some of his father’s black and white photographs from the 1950s which he was reinterpreting with ink on paper at the time. [3]

In 1983, BOMB magazine published some works from this period. [4]

Left: Darrel Ellis, My Mother and My Sister from My Father’s Photograph, 1982. Right: Thomas Ellis, Picnic NYC, 1953.

The diptych featuring Thomas Ellis’s photograph alongside his son’s interpretation published thirty years later is uncanny. In Darrel’s version, there are outlines, blurs, shadows, and contours. Certain details, like the density of the grass or the striped pattern on the young girl’s shorts fall away in favor of other, more plain facts, like “here’s a family.” The position of the subjects in relation to one another would suggest even without our knowing that these folks are kin. Their togetherness in time is an indisputable fact. Prior to Darrel’s being-in-the-world, Thomas’s photograph establishes the family as existing within a shared visual field: they had a life and their being together—whether it was in a park or at home—appears as a notably carefree aspect of that life.

Ellis continued experimenting with his father’s photographs: the layers of technique and reinterpretation that would distinguish his images from the ones taken by his father would become more pronounced. Allen Frame observes, “Between 1984 and 1986, [Ellis] made a series of photographs of his mother, brother, and sisters, from which he produced a new body of work evolving from screenprint to experimental photograph to painting. The screenprints, made while he was living at his mother’s apartment after breaking up with his boyfriend and coming out to his family, were compiled into a book at the Lower East Side Printshop, with the help of Susan Spencer Crowe.” [5] The book, published by Appearances Press in 1986, reveals various domestic scenes and interior living spaces depicting relatives sitting in the kitchen, around the family table, doing each other’s hair, laying in bed. They are sparse in terms of detail, and resemble studies of the generic and the sublime as they depict the taken for granted scenes from a life. Again, what stands out are not the faces of the individuals pictured, but their relation to one another as suggested by their body language, particularly the casual nature of their closeness. [6]

At some point, while looking at the drawings alongside the later photographs, I remember saying to my new friend, Kyle, who had accompanied me to see the show at OSMOS, “I don’t see how the artist who made these drawings also made these photographs. Or rather, I can’t see that the photographs were made by someone who primarily identified as a painter. . .” Kyle responded, “I can see it. . . Maybe it has to do more with understanding Darrel’s relationship as a painter to the photograph as a surface.”

Kyle was onto something. In an interview, Ellis said of his process, “The idea of putting a photo on any surface other than photo paper gives you a lot of freedom. The process became [one] about animating the photo, about revivification.” [7] Perhaps what was painterly about Ellis’s photographs, particularly those that reinterpreted his father’s negatives, was that he treated the original images as content rather than object. In other words, by projecting the negatives on a wall and then experimenting with both his position as the photographer in relation to the projected image and the dimensionality of the surface onto which the image was projected by creating sculptural forms onto which the projections would appear, Ellis transformed his father’s negatives into surface. The resulting images that we are left with therefore are not really appropriations; they’re the being-with of a trace of a lost object—the trace being the negative, and the lost object, the father. As Ellis reflected of his father’s images, “When I look at those photographs sometimes, all I see is holes.” [8] I will never fail to be moved by those words.

Left: Untitled (Aunt Connie and Uncle Richard), c. 1990, silver gelatin RC Print, 15 ¾” × 19 ¼”. Right: Untitled (Aunt Connie and Uncle Richard), c. 1990, crayon and ink on paper, 10” × 12”. Courtesy of OSMOS. ⓒ Estate of Darrel Ellis.

When Ellis was discovered in a coma by his friends Susan Spencer Crowe and Bruce Dow in the spring of 1992 at his apartment off Franklin Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, “his last self-portrait was sitting on his easel beside his bed, eerily depicting him as he was found: eyes closed, lying on his bed in deep repose.” [9] After spending some time with Ellis’s work at OSMOS, I felt better able to appreciate how complicated the idea of the self-portrait must have been for Ellis if he was so compelled to return to it as a generative mode of inquiry. By adopting different mediums such as drawing, painting, and photography, while sometimes blending all three in the process to create an individual work, I imagine he must have felt provoked, if not also a bit estranged, by all the selves he had discovered through his practice.  

Among Ellis’s self-portraits, perhaps the most recognized one is Self-Portrait After Photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe which was featured in the now infamous Witnesses: Against Our Vanishing exhibition at Artists Space in 1989, curated by Nan Goldin. For the show, Ellis contributed two self-portraits, both of which were based on photographs taken of him by Peter Hujar and Robert Mapplethorpe. The caption in the exhibition catalogue that accompanies Self-Portrait After Photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe reads: “I struggle to resist the frozen images of myself taken by Robert Mapplethorpe and Peter Hujar.” I’ve never seen either of the photographs Mapplethorpe or Hujar took of Ellis, but I remain haunted by the decision Ellis made to take back his own image. [10] I suspect that if during this time period, Ellis became that much more aware of his mortality following the discovery of his HIV status, then “the struggle to resist the frozen images” through the creation of the self-portrait forms part of the process by which the artist is able to reassert his right to his body as well as his right to explore acts of self-representation. I imagine then for Ellis: the self-portrait is not a luxury, but a vital necessity.

[1] Thank you to Tiona Nekkia McClodden who, through her continued work, conversations, and writing on Essex Hemphill, Julius Eastman, and Brad Johnson, helped me think the most deeply about some of the contradictions inherent in this renewed interest in queer art from the 1980s and ’90s, and so much more.

[2] Allen Frame, “Our Family Legacy: Variations in Black and White,” Darrel Ellis (New York: Art in General, 1996), p.13.

[3]  Ibid., 14.

[4] Darrel Ellis and Thomas Ellis, "Darrel Ellis, Thomas Ellis" in BOMB, no. 5 (1983): 44. Also see “Two Drawings by Darrel Ellis” in BOMB, No. 8, (1983/1984): 37.

[5] Allen Frame, “Our Family Legacy,” p. 17.

[6] Thank you to Ricardo Montez who, upon learning about my interest in Darrel, gifted me his copy of the aforementioned book.

[7] David Hirsh, “Darrel Ellis: On the Border of Family and Tribe,” in Disrupted Borders: An Intervention in Definitions of Boundaries, ed. Sunil Gupta (London: Rivers Oram Press, 1993), p.125.

[8]  Ibid., 124.

[9] Allen Frame, “Our Family Legacy,” p.21.

[10] See Kobena Mercer, “Reading Racial Fetishism: The Photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe” (1986) for a more in-depth discussion of the artist’s use of black male bodies.

[potions-and-potters]

35 Classic Books That Were Banned In America

Most people read at least a few of the classics as part of English class or summer reading requirements. What a lot of people don't know is that a lot of those classics were, at some point, banned. Here is a list of those banned books and why they were banned.

1. 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' Mark Twain, 1884

This is one of the most banned books that still holds a controversial standing. It was initially banned as it was thought to be "not suitable for trash." Later its banned status was due to racial issues and exploration of race within the novel.

2. Beloved, Toni Morrison, 1987

This Pulitzer-prize winning novel by one of the most influential African-American writers in history was banned due to its graphic violence, sexual content and inclusion of bestiality.

3. Catch-22, Joseph Heller, 1961

It was banned for language and "dirty" material, therefore deemed inappropriate for reading.

4. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X and Alex Haley, 1965

It was seen as a "how-to-manual” for crime and thought to be too anti-white.

5. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, 1951

It was viewed as "unacceptable" and full of "blasphemous" and "obscene" content due to the underage drinking, premarital sex, and references to prostitution.

6. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, 1953

It was seen as going against religious belief, especially due to a scene where the Bible is banned.

7. Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell, 1936

Its thought-provoking realism of life in the south during slavery was too much for some people, and it was banned for its racial discussions.

8. For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway, 1940

After censoring did not work, the book was banned for "spreading propaganda unfavorable to the state." This saw eight Turkish booksellers tried for selling it in bookstores.

9. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck, 1939

The book's use of profanity and blasphemous language got it banned.

10. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925

Due to language and references to sex as well as the scandalous lives of the elite drinking and partying, it was deemed unacceptable reading material.

11. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850

Seen as too full of sin and immoral thoughts and actions, the book was viewed as "pornographic and obscene."

12. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, 1960

Another Pulitzer-prize winning book, this was banned due to its racial issues and sexual content.

13. Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison, 1952

It dealt with issues of black nationalism, Marxism and identity in the twentieth century, making it seen as dangerous for its ruminations, especially those provoked in high school students.

14. The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank, 1952

Due to a single chapter where she describes her anatomy using straightforward and medically accurate languages. People were horrified that children might read it and learn the terms, so it was banned.

15. The Giver, Lois Lowry, 1993

The book deals with issues such as euthanasia, all of which were considered too sensitive to be allowed.

16. Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare, 1623

Content such as cross-dressing and fake-same-sex romance had it viewed as violating the "prohibition of alternative lifestyle instruction."

17. The Color Purple, Alice Walker, 1982

Controversial since its publication, this novel's inclusion of graphic violence, rape, language, racial issues, and lesbian sex scene descriptions had it deemed too inappropriate.

18. 1984, George Orwell, 1949

It was seen as pro-communist and included sexual content.

19. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, 1937

The racial issues and profanity was seen as too much and inappropriate.

20. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley, 1932

The depiction of drug use and casual sex got this banned.

21. Animal Farm, George Orwell, 1945

The political theories within it were seen as propaganda and dangerous. It remains a controversial novel.

22. The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway, 1926

It was banned in a number of America cities for being "being a monument of modern decadence."

23. As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner, 1930

Due to it questioning the existence of God, it was banned for blasphemy.

24. The Awakening, Kate Chopin, 1899

The heroine's unrepentant drive for independence and emotional, sexual, and spiritual awakening lead it to be viewed as inappropriate.

25. ULYSSES, James Joyce, 1922

Seen as obscene, 500 copies were even seized and burned in New York.

26. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque, 1929

The book's realistic depiction of extreme mental and physical stress that the German soldiers faced during their time in the war was seen as too much.

27. The Harry Potter Series, J.K. Rowling, 1997

The most banned book in America, it has been banned repeatedly and is still controversial. Although it is a children's book, the series is seen as promoting witchcraft, and a bad influence on children due to the fact that Harry lies and disobeys authority.

28. The Call of the Wild, Jack London, 1903

It was seen as too radical and violent.

29. Naked Lunch, William Burroughs, 1959

Due to the content of graphic sexual depictions (both gay and straight), as well as the violence and profanity, is was seen as having an "unsettling" amount of sin.

30. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1852

The historically and culturally accurate depiction of the treatment of Black slaves was too sensitive and realistic and therefore deemed inappropriate.

31. Candide, Voltaire, 1759

Its satirical take on the military, religion and optimism was seen as too dangerous for Americans to read during the Second World War.

32. The Words of Cesar Chavez, Cesar Chavez, 2002

When censorship of the book was not enough, it was banned for going against a law outlawing Ethnic Studies classes.

33. Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak, 1963

The dark and disturbing nature of the story was seen as too much for children.

34. Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman, 1855

New York Society for the Suppression of Vice viewed the sensuality of the book as disturbing and inappropriate.

35. Moby-Dick; or The Whale, Herman Melville,1851

People thought it went against community values.

Book lovers can rejoice that these books didn't remain banned and we were all able to read and learn from them.

[steenpaal]

Kay County, Oklahoma - Wikipedia

County in the United States

Kay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 46,562.[1] Its county seat is Newkirk,[2] and the largest city is Ponca City.

Kay County comprises the Ponca City, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is in north central Oklahoma on the Kansas state line.

Before statehood, Kay County was formed from the “Cherokee Strip” or “Cherokee Outlet” and originally designated as county “K.” Its name means simply that.[3][4] Kay County is the only county to keep its same name as the Oklahoma area moved from a territory to a state.

History

After the Civil War, the Cherokee Nation had to allow the Federal Government to relocate other Native American tribes to settle in the area known as the Cherokee Outlet, The Kansa (Kaw) arrived in June 1873, settling in what would become the northeastern part of Kay County. The Ponca followed in 1877. The Nez Perce came from the Pacific Northwest in 1879, but remained only until 1885, when they returned to their earlier homeland. Their assigned land in Oklahoma was then occupied by the Tonkawa and Lipan Apache people.[3]

The Chilocco Indian Agricultural School, north of Newkirk, was a boarding school for Indians that operated from 1884 to 1980. Its enrollment peaked at 1,300 in the 1950s and its graduates include members of 126 Indian tribes. The distinguished old buildings of the school were constructed of local limestone.[5]

In 2010, the Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was constructed north to south through Kay County to Cushing in Payne County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 945 square miles (2,450 km2), of which 920 square miles (2,400 km2) is land and 25 square miles (65 km2) (2.7%) is water.[6] The highest point in Kay County, Oklahoma, is west of North Sage Lane (36′56″12°N, 96′53″40°W), at 1,310 feet (400 m) above sea level. The lowest point is 891 feet (272 m) where the Arkansas River leaves the county.[7]

The northern boundary is the border with Kansas and its eastern boundary is with Osage County. Kaw Lake, a large reservoir on the Arkansas River completed in 1975 includes most of the water area of the country. East of Kaw Lake and the Arkansas River is the region called the Osage Hills or The Osage, a tall-grass prairie region of large livestock, mostly cattle, ranches. West of the Arkansas River the land is flatter and a mixture of cultivated lands and livestock ranches. Principal rivers flowing through the county are the Chikaskia River, the Arkansas River and the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River.[3]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population Census Pop. %± 190022,530—191026,99919.8%192034,90729.3%193050,18643.8%194047,084−6.2%195048,8923.8%196051,0424.4%197048,791−4.4%198049,8522.2%199048,056−3.6%200048,0800.0%201046,562−3.2%Est. 201644,943[8]−3.5%U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 48,080 people, 19,157 households, and 13,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 21,804 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.16% White, 1.79% Black or African American, 7.53% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.98% from other races, and 4.00% from two or more races. 4.25% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 19,157 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.70% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.40% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.40% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,762, and the median income for a family was $38,144. Males had a median income of $30,431 versus $19,617 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,643. About 12.40% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.70% of those under age 18 and 9.50% of those age 65 or over.

Life expectancy

Of 3,142 counties in the United States in 2013, Kay County County ranked 2,619 in the average life expectancy at birth of male residents and 2,642 in the life expectancy of female residents, both among the lowest 25 percent of all U.S. counties. Males in Kay County lived an average of 72.5 years and females lived an average of 77.7 years compared to the national average for life expectancy of 76.5 for males and 81.2 for females.

In the 1985-2013 period, the average life expectancy in Kay County for females declined by 0.8 years while male longevity increased by 2.0 years. Compared to the national average for the same period of an increased life expectancy of 5.5 years for men and 3.1 years for women, Kay county ranked in the worst performing 10 percent of all counties. High rates of smoking and obesity for both sexes and a low level of physical activity for males appear to be contributing factors to the relatively short life expectancy.[14]

Politics

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2019[15]Party Number of Voters Percentage Democratic 6,934 28.58% Republican 13,553 55.87% Others 3,771 15.54% Total 24,258 100%

Presidential elections results

Presidential elections results[16] Year Republican Democratic Third parties 2016 72.4% 12,172 22.3% 3,738 5.3% 893 2012 71.3% 11,499 28.7% 4,627 2008 70.8% 13,230 29.2% 5,463 2004 70.3% 14,121 29.7% 5,957 2000 64.8% 11,768 33.7% 6,122 1.5% 272 1996 49.9% 9,741 35.3% 6,882 14.8% 2,891 1992 39.9% 9,115 29.1% 6,643 31.0% 7,070 1988 61.5% 12,646 37.7% 7,751 0.8% 167 1984 73.0% 16,731 26.4% 6,044 0.6% 136 1980 67.2% 15,004 28.9% 6,449 4.0% 884 1976 56.3% 12,441 42.4% 9,371 1.2% 274 1972 78.4% 17,244 19.3% 4,246 2.3% 494 1968 59.1% 12,751 27.9% 6,031 13.0% 2,809 1964 51.6% 12,033 48.4% 11,296 1960 64.8% 15,156 35.2% 8,249 1956 64.8% 14,837 35.2% 8,071 1952 66.3% 16,460 33.7% 8,382 1948 47.0% 8,982 53.0% 10,119 1944 52.1% 9,498 47.5% 8,656 0.5% 88 1940 47.9% 10,003 51.4% 10,725 0.8% 156 1936 35.8% 6,671 63.5% 11,846 0.7% 132 1932 31.4% 5,884 68.6% 12,841 1928 76.2% 13,829 23.1% 4,196 0.8% 136 1924 51.2% 7,392 41.9% 6,049 7.0% 1,007 1920 55.5% 5,959 42.3% 4,546 2.2% 231 1916 46.7% 2,482 44.0% 2,340 9.3% 496 1912 47.6% 2,508 45.2% 2,380 7.2% 379

Communities

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

See also

References

^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2013.

^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.

^ a b c Linda D. Wilson, "KayCounty." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.

^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 172.

^ Brumley, Kim. Chilocco: Memories of a Native American Boarding School. Fairfax, OK: Guardian Publishing Co., 2010, p. 37

^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2015.

^ Google Earth

^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.

^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.

^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 21, 2015.

^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 21, 2015.

^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved February 21, 2015.

^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2017-02-20.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)

^ "Oklahoma Registration Statistics by County" (PDF). OK.gov. January 15, 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-27.

^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-29.

Places adjacent to Kay County, Oklahoma

Coordinates: 36°49′N 97°08′W / 36.81°N 97.14°W / 36.81; -97.14

[hmcuca]

Stephen Gill

Stephen gill is a Bristol born British experimental photographer and conceptual documentary photographer. Gill is inspired by his inner city life and surroundings and utilizes i for his creative practices. His more recent work has been taken place in Sweden his objective is to create work that reflects upon the events on the time period we live in and experience in our day to day life. Stephen Gill mainly shot in black and white up until 1984 he now has been shooting the majority of his work in colour since the mid 1990s. Stephen Gill interest in photography sprung from an early age as his father was also a photographer, he taught Gill how to process film and old photographs in their darkroom attic. He enjoyed photographing birds and insects and studying pond samples under his microscope. While Gill was still studying at school he worked for a local photography company where he copied and restore old photographs aiding in making family portraits. After finishing school Gill worked at one-hour photo lab between in Bedminster, Bristol between 1988 and 1991. In 1992 Gill enrolled to do a foundation photography course at Filton College in Bristol.

 The young artist moved from Bristol to London where he fell in love with the grittiness and continuous interesting subject matters. Gill worked at Magnum photo agency first as an intern in 1995 than as a full time working member of staff assisting fellow photographers in processing black and white film. Gill decided to leave the agency in 1997 to work on his own independent projects and pursue his ambitions. He lived in Hackney East London which became the subject to many of his photos. He moved abroad in March 2014 to South Sweden where he has set up his own photography studio and lives with his family. Stephen Gill has published many books he founded his own publishing inprint in 2005 dubbed ‘Nobody books’ his books are documentation of his surroundings and many other following themes. He has also edited other authors books. Gill has had many exhibitions in the UK and abroad.

 His work is inspiring as he doesn't try to label his work and his not fighting to be either or he produces a mixture of conceptual and documentary photography and commutes between both to tell a story but a story of truth with the documentation part of his work but story telling from his perspective as he is the one shooting. His work almost serves as a reminder that nothing is ‘true’ as its only ‘our truths’ from our perspectives.  

The following pictures are from a collection of photographs taken by Stephen Gill the collection is called outside in. Gill created a unique technique for his unconventional photography. Gill looked for objects in the surrounding area and introduced to the body of his camera a he’d use grass, seeds and insects and put them inside the camera and take the photo the objects sit on the film emulsion while the photo is being taken creating this unique images and shadows.

I like his work its very creative and connects the subject to image physically and visually. My favourite image is the top one it almost looks like a picture from a microscopic telescope. I think the colours fit really well together and I appreciate that you can't really tell what the objects are.

[kaceybruce]

summer miss mash..

my phone iso nits last legs. I have had it for way too long anyways.. and still from America.. but I want to the pictures on my sweet blog before they are gone forever.. because I am the worst backer uper in the history of back er uppers!!!

anyways .. some miss mash.. 

signed the kid up for dance this September! look at me go.. I hate schedules and don't sign them up for lots.. when they beg me for something.. then I do.. I want them to want it.. and B wants to do dance.. so I signed them both up.. Olive is already crying about not going.. and we start in a few weeks.. so B had to pull out this outfit and wear it for a few days.. 

they have their own gardening kits.. you wouldn't know it by looking at my garden thought.. hello hay fever.. 

ready to party.. 

the kids did a week long day camp at Camp Luther.. lets just say it didn't start the best.. they were given no guidance and had reading time and free time for 2 hours.. and no one told them where anything was and they ended up sitting at the area I dropped them off at.. which was a big tent with cubby holes for back packs.. for TWO HOURS.. and then at the end of it they saw a bunch of kids in bathing suits running towards them soaking wet and had no idea they were all slip and sliding and having the time of their lives while my hot kids sat on a mat reading books from 1984 and playing with the 2 puzzle choices that were meant for kids 5 and under.. 

I picked them up and the whole group sat there and looked board.. I asked how camp was.. expecting childhood magic! and they said IT WAS BORING AND WE ARENT COMING BACK! umm.. what?! they started telling me how they were unsupervised.. on a body of water i might add.. and didn't know where to go or what to do and they just sat around all day.. 

I sat with this for a bit.. not wanting to be a dramatic helicopter parent.. and by the time we got home.. and the stories I heard.. I thought.. this is not ok.. 

* insert Alicia Keys Girl on Fire song.. 

I cam home and shot out an email.. about summer camp and memories and boredom.. ( what kid comes home from camp cored ) thats what being at home is for ok! 

and I mentioned how I am at work now wondering if they were really left unsupervised at  camp on a body of water for 2 hours!? and yada yada.. I was calm and gave 2 points of views in case my kids were lying to me and then I look like a turd.. 

didn't hear anything back.. and the next morning I DRAGGED my kids there.. I had to work and the g parents were in Ontario.. I talked to the guy at drop off and asked about the supervisors.. apparently the counselors they are with all day do leave.. and they all left and went to a nerf fight that B told me was BOYS ONLY.. and you know how I feel about that type of language.. NOT TODAY!!! and I mentioned how they were the younger age of camp.. but they sat alone and didn't know how to get to the slip and slide and yada yada.. he goes ok.. and I left thinking.. crap..I was the helicopter mom.. not the advocate mom I thought I was being.. argh.. 

got to work and by 11 there was a phone call from the Camp. my email apparently hit his desk and he was not happy.. phew for me.. I told him my concerns and what I heard happened.. and he said he looked into it and therefore 6 counselors on that day and that THE KIDS FELL THROUGH THE CRACKS! his words not mine.. he said there is no excuse ( tired end of year counselors ) and that he printed out my email and gave them all a copy to read.. gulp.. and told them its not ok and kids should never leave camp bored and not wanting to come back.. an hour later I got a call from the camp director apologizing and re iterating .. PHEW I WASN'T THE HELICOPTER MOM.. hahah.. I showed up at 5:15 to pick them up and all of a sudden there is a foosball table under this hit drop off area.. 2 giant tables with crafts all over it and the kids ( all of them not just mine ) that were literally sitting on the grass moaning of boredom.. were not laughing and playing and it looked like summer camp.. I was greeted by 5 counselors.. mortifying.. and they talked about all the kids and their activities and yah.. all that stuff.. he apologized and said he hopes the kids had fun.. and I noted how my kids weren't any where near me and didn't want to come home.. where as yesterday.. they latched themselves to me and whined.. 

night and day..

the rest of the week went amazing and the kids now want to go back.. and the end of week ceremony always melts my hearts and makes me wish I got to do kid camp.. 

they all got a t shirt and end of week video and a bunch of new songs they havent stopped singing.. 

it also reminded me to book camp next year in july when everyone is jacked and ready to party.. 

moving on.. B writes on my fruit.. she wants me to eat healthy and continues to tell me to go for my run.. I can't even.. 

taking the boy for a few lunches before kinder starts.. my little brown eyed boy is entering the school system.. 

ahh there he is.. 

me and the brother took the kiddos to castle fun park and white spot.. the little things during the week that make my heart happy.. 

[canayata]

100 Times Hotels Creativity Surprised Their Guests Bring Give Hearty Chuckle

New Post has been published on https://www.apegeo.com/hotels-creativity-give-hearty-chuckle/

100 Times Hotels Creativity Surprised Their Guests Bring Give Hearty Chuckle

Customers should be treated like kings and queens. They should be pampered, treated to large doses of good humor, and given creative quality of life upgrades that make all the difference. This is the philosophy some hotels have. And it’s obvious how much they love their guests.

Some hotels go the extra mile to make their customers’ stay that much more pleasant. From bed forts and ‘spouse disposal units’ to hilarious menus and tiny takeaway bags for tiny soap, these are the things that make you want to visit again and again. Apegeo created this awesome list of clever ideas and unique touches that hotels have introduced. These Hotels Creativity will bring a smile to your face, give you a hearty chuckle, and make you go ‘wow, how didn’t I think of that?’ So keep on scrolling, share the best with your friends, and upvote the best pictures! My personal favorite is the bed fort (I know what I’m building at home tonight) — what about yours?

#1. A Buddy Of Mine Travels A Lot For Work, Asked For A Fort…

NoYolo4Jesus

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#2. My Hotel Wants You To Take The Nice Soap Home!

TroutingAround

#3. My Hotel In China Has A Card To Give To A Taxi Driver So You Can Find Your Way Back

why_im_single

Courtesy of Hospitality School, here are several ‘Golden Rules’ that each and every hotelier worth their salt should follow. That is, if they want to be proud of what they do, want their business to boom, and their guests to grace their doorstep once again.

Looking like a professional goes a long way in the hospitality business. That means dressing nicely, taking care of your hygiene and smiling brightly. It’s also vital that the way you talk to your customers be sincere — they can spot it if you’re being fake in an instant. What’s more, keeping your guests’ private life private is of utmost importance, as is helping them with everything and anything they might need. Finally, never, ever ignore complaints. Not even small ones.

#4. Hotel Staff Found Fifty Shades Of Grey Book On Guest’s Side Table…

Jonathan3240

#5. The Toiletries At My Hotel In Switzerland Included A Rubber Ducky

Shark-Farts

#6. This Bag Of Old/Stained Face Towels Have Been Re-Used As “Rags” At This Hotel

SlipperyPockets

However, the rules of hospitality are slowly changing over time, as Marcel Thoma, the General Manager of The Upper House hotel in Hong Kong told Euronews: “Twenty years ago, there were scripts and standards. And it was the same every day. These days, we expect the wait staff to be psychiatrists. Now, some guests want to be left alone; maybe you don’t refill their coffee because they’re in a meeting and concentrating hard. We like to see ourselves as hosts, not service providers. For that, you must give your staff the freedom to be spontaneous.”

#7. This Hotel Actually Makes It Easy To Connect Your Laptop To The TV

4kVHS

#8. This Hostel In Germany Is An Indoor Vintage Rv Park

Proteon,Proteon

#9. More Hotels Should Do This

mjomark

Thoma also explained how staff members can help in unexpected ways. “For example, we once had a guest come downstairs and say, I want to go hiking but I’m alone and don’t know how to go hiking in Hong Kong. We had a staff who loves hiking and said, ‘Madame, I know a beautiful trail. Why don’t we go hiking together tomorrow, if you’d like me to come along with you?’ So, they went hiking together. In a traditional hotel, they would say, ‘We’re not paying you to go hiking! You’re paid to check in and check out guests.’”

#10. Hotel Maid Clearly Found My Sunglasses

rolaskating

#11. Weather Station At A Hotel

petilon

#12. Instead Of Bibles, My Hotel Has Copies Of 1984

therkop

#13. The Hotel My Parents Are Staying At In NC To Watch The Eclipse Stocked All Of The Rooms With These

RedRacerX

#14. The Hostel I’m At Dispenses Soap Like Parmesan

sleddirleveret

#15. Saw This In The Hotel Grounds Where I Was Working

mikecorrcircus

#16. The Hotel I Am Staying At Has The Fire Evacuation Plans At Ground Level So You Can See Them If Smoke Has Filled The Hallways

cawclot

#17. This Kids Menu At The Hotel I’m Staying At

graveyaardvark

#18. Hotel I Stayed At Was Formerly A Train Station And Had An Actual Train Inside It, With Rooms Inside Each Car

spongecandybandit

#19. My Hotel Has The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Next To The Bed Instead Of A Bible

amysplat

#20. The Design Of The Curtains In My Hotel Room To Ensure That There Is No Annoying Light Gap In The Middle

taharoto

#21. This Hotel Lets You Borrow A Plant To Take To Your Room So You Have A Friend To Talk To

McPebbster

#22. I Didn’t Think This Sort Of Thing Really Happens

I asked the hotel to hide a picture of Robert Downey Jr in my room. I forgot all about it and when I went to take a hot bath to wash off a shitty day, I caught sight of this. habitsofwaste

#23. In The Europa Park Hotel In Germany There Is A Tiny Children Bathroom In The Bathroom

AndiMacht

#24. My Hotel In Odessa (Ukraine) Tells You Which Day It Is By Changing The Elevator Carpet Every Day

SpartanKing76

#25. This Is What Happens If You Tip Egyptian Hotel Service Generously

mnext

#26. My Hotel In Switzerland Has Different Plug Sockets For Guests From Different Parts Of The World

bide1

#27. This Hotel In Singapore Is Very Green

0biwanCannoli

#28. A Black Towel In My Hotel Room For Make-Up So The White Ones Don’t Get Stained

Jackinmybox

#29. I Left My Jacket At A Hotel And They Mailed It To Me With A Complementary Pillow

MLGCatMilker

#30. This Hotel Shampoo Assumes Your Theft

NoStelthMod

#31. The Hotel I Stayed At Uses Lemon Grass Instead Of A Plastic Straw

i-drank-too-much

#32. Honorary Manager Of Crescent Hotel In Eureka Springs Is Cat, And This Is His Door

Earlspooperscooper

#33. This Hotel In Central London Keeps Beehives On Their Roof!

tommeetucker

#34. My Hotel Room Comes With A Complimentary Android Phone With Free Data And Calls

the_irrelevant_fox

#35. These Do Not Disturb Options At My Hotel

tarhawk

#36. As A Guy Who Takes His Family To A Hotel Every Winter While I Work On My Writing, I Approve This Bathroom

imgur.com

#37. Sometimes The Hotel Holding Your Wedding Also Has A Llama Convention Booked

klugstarr

#38. Hotel Maid Left A Towel Monkey

NotaWonderWoman

#39. This Hotel’s Carpet And Lighting Combo Produce A Really Trippy Effect

TwineTime

#40. The Toilet In My Hotel In Filled With Seawater

snakemollten

#41. The Hotel I’m Staying At Has A “Lending Locker”

queefpro

#42. The Staff At Our Hotel Made A Cool Crocodile Out Of Our Towels

LuisSweden

#43. Hotels Creativity Like Old Prison

pistrel

#44. Bookshelf Whose Shelves Spell “Take A Book Leave A Book”, Seen At A Hotel

sesame3246

#45. When The Hotel Staff Has Your Back

Dionisiaur

#46. My Hotel Room Had A White Noise Machine Installed In The Wall

sublimeman40

#47. The Shower In My Hotel Has A Little Cutout So You Can Turn It On Before Getting In

IBeBobbyBoulders

#48. Spotted This In The Breakfast Room At My Hotel This Morning

Strangepowers

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#49. A Hotel’s Reminder On How To Climb Stairs

ProtectorOfGoals

#50. This Historic Sign In My Hotel Explains How To Use Electricity In Case You Had Never Used It Before

jcepiano

#51. This Hotel Has An Elevator Button In The Hallway So There Is An Elevator Waiting For You By Time You Get There

belleri7

#52. Instead Of A Bible, My Hotel Room In Philadelphia Has The Constitution And Declaration Of Independence

lives4summits

#53. The Stairs In A Swedish Hotel

Hu-Ha

#54. Hotel Reception Desk

#55. Hotel Has Zombie Apocalypse In Safety Plan

Bang0Skank0

#56. East Miami Hotel’s Elevator Wall Has Tiny Lights And A Mirror Effect To Appear As A View Of Stars In Outer Space

MattNoName

#57. Austin, TX Hotel Making It Easier For Handicapped Guests To Enjoy The Pool

RandallStephens

#58. These Bike Seats/Handles Acting As Skulls In My Hotel

DinoDongo

#59. A Letter From Hotel Management About Ladybug Love

WhatsAMisanthrope

#60. The Toiletries At This Hotel Are Shaped Like The Hotel

#61. The Hotel I Was Staying In Had A Tree In The Middle Of The Room

TastyBoye

#62. The Hotel I’m Staying At Gives You A Free Drink At The Hotel Bar Of You Forego A Room Cleaning

ilovemyking

#63. Requested A Photo Of James Earl Jones For My Hotel Room. 5 Star Customer Service

Analytical_Chemist

#64. The Crab The Cleaners Left In Or Hotel Room Made From Towels

SpannerLad

#65. My Hotel Has An Emergency Polka Button

Seeking_Starlight

#66. Floor Of My Hotel Dining Room In Lausanne Is A Working Train Model

Nier_Tomato

#67. My Hotel Room Has A Rope That Turns On/Off All The Lights In The Room

PizzaOrTacos

#68. Received Chocolate From Hotel For Inconvenience Caused By Construction

icemagician93

#69. This Hotel Allows Dogs And You Can Alert The Cleaners That You Left Your Dog In The Room While You Ski (Translation: Attention, I Am Sleeping Here!)

tunafriendlydolphin

#70. The Hotel I’m Staying At Has A Pet Menu For Room Service

alebanari

#71. My Hotel Room Has A Sauna

ninjaPixel

#72. This Hotel In Luxembourg Had A Hot Nutella Dispenser

airborneANDrowdy

#73. Flat Carpet In A Hotel In Cologne, Germany Imitating A Curvy Surface

Majoranese

#74. Elevator In My Hotel Has Karaoke

djhager

#75. This Hotel Is Held Up By A Giant Hand

Johnny0monteiro

#76. Housekeeping Tucked My Laptop In When They Made The Bed

UncleGael

#77. My Hotel In Tx Has A Tx Shaped Lazy River

callacat2

#78. The Hotel I Stayed At Last Weekend Has A ‘Shower Beer’ Fridge By The Shower

CerebralSlurry

#79. This Paper Cutout In My Hotel In Madrid That Changes Color If You Smoke In Your Room

RestlessFA

#80. In A Hotel In Prague

WuShanShui

#81. This Robot Delivered Water To My Room

yoshgood

#82. This Hotel In Batumis Has A Tiny Ferris Wheel In It

ShaggittyShag

#83. This Portrait Of Steve Jobs Made Out Of Parts Of Apple Products In My Hotel Lobby

LittleBastard

#84. Requested A Pillow Fort, Hotel Delivers

Auggernaut88

#85. My Hotel Recreated The Subject Of This Still Life In Front Of The Painting

cookies_make_movies

#86. This Hotel I’m Staying At, The “Do Not Disturb” Is A Button That Shuts Off The Card Reader From Housekeeping Getting In

MickTard69

#87. Japanese Hotel Apologies For One Minute Internet Stoppage At 4am

amesco

#88. This Hotels Mirror Tells The Weather

mynamesafad

#89. This Hotel That I Stayed At Has A Bank Vault In The Basement

nuclearpig127

#90. These Chairs At My Hotel In Munich Spell Out “Hello”

TheBootlegTims

#91. Honest Instructions On This Pen From A Hotel

sagarkaniche

#92. The Door Handle In My Hotel Bathroom Has A Hand Sanitizer Dispenser In The Handle

ntdo1889

#93. My Hotel In Spain Has The United Nations Universal Declaration Of Human Rights By The Bed Instead Of A Bible

jrhodespianist

#94. My Hotel Is Doing Construction So They Put A Chocolate Hammer On The Bed

Casperboy68

#95. My Hostel Has Preserved The Last Mcdonalds Cheeseburger Sold In Iceland

shaanxiprovince

#96. Instead Of A Bible, My Hotel Room Has This Book Of Quotes

tiredapplestar

#97. So This Was In The Restroom At The Hotel We Were Staying At

TheFlapperNapper

#98. My Hotel Has A Check-In Area Specifically For Kids

SchuminWeb

#99. The Lobby’s Ceiling At My Hotel

usedpoolnoodle

#100. This Hotel Uses Papaya Stalks As Straws

tallislandboi

[theliterateape]

Our Weekend with Michael Jackson and R. Kelly

By David Himmel

The first rule of moving into a new place is to set up, even in a temporary location, the stereo. Good music sets the beat for organizing your new digs and allows for mini-dance parties as you determine which cabinet the coffee mugs will call home. This is what I did when Katie and I moved into our first and current apartment together.

Katie came with a record player. I had planned on buying one for myself just about the time we got serious, so when we moved in together, hers became mine, and I was Don Hall-excited about it. I could finally dust off my vinyl collection and give the discs a spin. The first one I chose was my original pressing of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. At about the third track, the Paul McCartney duet “The Girl is Mine,” Katie asked, “Who is this?”

“Who is this!?” I responded, astounded and slightly confused. “It’s Michael Jackson. It’s Thriller — the second best-selling album of all time.”

“Oh, I don’t like Michael Jackson.”

I immediately questioned our entire relationship and my taste in women. “What!? How can you not like Michael Jackson?”

“He’s super creepy.”

 “Okay. But what about his music? You like his music, right?”

“Eh. It’s okay.”

Once my wave of panic broke, I realized why Katie’s opinion was what it was. She’s six years younger than me. She was born in 1986, a year before Bad was released. By the time she was old enough to purposefully consume music, MJ was well past the mercurial and eccentric pop god the majority of the world adored. Balancing the art and the artist wasn’t an issue for Katie because she never experienced Michael at his best, before the cracks in his façade began to show.

She admitted that his influence in pop music was undeniable and that she didn’t dislike his music, so I happily let the rest of the album play. As it did, I age-splained what Michael Jackson was like before the pedophilia stories broke and he dangled his child over a balcony and his face and skin looked like Vincent Price’s nightmares and he painfully French kissed Lisa Marie Presley on TV. I told her how I, like millions of children and adults, copied his dance moves as best we could, and how I listened to my Bad tape so much that I eventually wore it out and had to have my parents buy me a new one. I told her how we — the fans — let slide the strangeness of carrying Emanuel Lewis like a baby at the 1984 AMAs because, well, geniuses do strange things. Michael Jackson fandom was completely lost on her. And it makes perfect sense as to why. She was, ironically, too young to have been pulled in by the magnificence of Michael’s magnetism.

 ✶

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was a huge fan of hip-hop, R&B, and rap music. I sought that music out and consumed it ferociously and almost exclusively.

Throughout my pre-teen and early teenage years, I was so into the music that my bedroom walls were plastered in magazine clipping photos of my favorite artists: Bell Biv DeVoe, Boyz II Men, Father MC, En Vogue, TLC, Tony Terry, Tony! Toni! Toné!, Mary J. Blige, Postive K, R. Kelly, New Edition, 2Pac, etc. My father, standing with me in my room, once asked me, “Are you gay?”

“No. Why”

“You have all these pictures of men hanging up.”

 “I like their music.”

 “Do you want to be black?”

 “I’ve never thought of that.”

I would rush home from junior high school every day (when I didn’t have band or spring musical rehearsal, or Hebrew school) to watch BET’s half-hour music video show. It played a lot of my music and a lot of music that wasn’t being played on radio. It introduced me to artists that were under the radar compared to what the rest of my friends were listening to. I reveled in knowing about music they didn’t. One artist, early on in his career, was R. Kelly.

The video for “She’s Got That Vibe” wowed me. The song was New Jack Swing perfection. The video was early ’90s cool. I wanted that CD. I needed that CD. Since I was only twelve years old and there was no internet, I was at the mercy of my parents driving me to the mall and other record stores to find the CD. No place we knew of carried it. One desk clerk at the Lincoln mall Sam Goody almost laughed at me when I asked him if they had R. Kelly’s album.

“Never heard of it.”

Oh, you will, I thought.

Soon after, a mailer from Columbia House arrived in our mailbox. “12 CDs for a Penny!” it advertised. I flipped through the pamphlet to see what they were offering and there it was: R. Kelly and the Public Announcement’s Born Into the ‘90s. I was sold. I told my parents I wanted to do it.

“It’s a scam,” my parents told me. I didn’t care. I wanted that album, and eleven other albums Columbia House had available for my listening pleasure. After the twelve CDs for a penny, I’d be locked in to purchase another set number of CDs at their price within a certain time period. I don’t remember what that was exactly, but I told my parents that I’d assume all financial responsibility. They decided to let me go forward on it, and in what may well be my most successful moment of money management, I met my requirements with no problem. Babysitting, cutting grass and saving my allowance money afforded me the ability to score stacks of amazing CDs.

When Born Into the ’90s arrived, I devoured it. Every single track was incredible. I couldn’t get enough of it. I loved that R. Kelly was from Chicago. I loved that his voice sounded unique against everything else out there. I loved that his songs were all about girls because I was all about girls.

Not long after I memorized every lyric on the album, I discovered the first clue that R. Kelly was a little odd. It had been there, right in my ears the whole time. Toward the end of “She’s Got that Vibe,” R. Kelly starts listing all the girls who “got that vibe.”

“… Stephanie's got it And Sabrina's got it Rachelle has got it yeah Gladys got it Fontina's got it Little cute Aaliyah's got it Ooh Stacy's got it I tell ya Tita's got it I tell ya Rita's got it Oh Laurel's got it And Kim's got it, yeah”

“Little cute Aaliyah’s got it.” Harmless the first few hundred times I heard it, but once Aaliyah came onto the scene, I had to pause. Aaliyah was my age — five months older. She was a child. Why would he be singing about a child having that vibe? I knew it had to have been that Aaliyah because I knew R. Kelly wrote and produced her first hit, “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number.” Weird, I thought. But that was the extent of it. Because what did I know? I was twelve.

When R. Kelly’s second album, 12 Play dropped, I bought it immediately. This time Sam Goody had it. The songs were a whole lot sexier. While still a great album, I didn’t really understand why he was so fixated on screwing. Where was the romance I thought I heard on Born Into the ’90s? By the time his third album, R. Kelly was released, I had lost interest. In part because I had discovered punk rock and also because I couldn’t relate to much of what he was singing about. I was fifteen years old and horny as hell, but I couldn’t understand why R. Kelly seemed to be so incredibly horny. It was extreme.

I moved on. But I still would go back to those first two albums and play them. When the accusations about more inappropriate sexual activity and molestation and predatory behavior came to the surface, I wasn’t surprised at all. R. Kelly was a dangerous pervert from the very beginning and he’d been telling us about it every step of the way.

 ✶ 

In January, Katie and I watched the Lifetime documentary Surviving R, Kelly. It was, of course, disturbing and disgusting but it was hardly shocking. Similar to her experience with Michael Jackson, Katie never got into R. Kelly’s music, and though I told her of my love for the guy in the early ’90s, I was not inclined to promote his impact on music or make any case for separating the art from the artist because, for one, R. Kelly’s art was chock-full of his disgusting behavior and two, because while some have called R. Kelly a genius, he’s not. R. Kelly is no Michael Jackson. 

As more stories about Jackson’s alleged pedophilia came to surface, I never once denied that it was wrong. But I never thought he was a predator. I always figured — like so many of us — that he was a product of his wonky childhood and was a broken man who didn’t know appropriate social behavior. He was the proverbial man-child — a little, lonely boy stuck in the body of a grown man. I believed that he did some inappropriate things like sleeping in the same bed with his boy fans and playing odd, pervy little kid games that kids might play when they’re just figuring out what their penises are for. But I never thought he was a rapist, a pedophile, a predator. He was just a really, really weird dude. The whole thing struck me as sad, and yes, gross.

When we watched Leaving Neverland, I did so with ever-increasing discomfort as the indisputable stories of rape, manipulation, and the twisted workings of a predator unfolded. When it was over, Katie asked me, “What do you think about Michael Jackson now?”

“He’s a fucking monster,” I said.

✶

I’ll still go back to Born Into the ’90s and 12 Play because when I do, I’m brought back to where I was at the time when they were new music. At this point, I now I’ll enjoy them even more once the sonofabitch is in jail. Proper justice makes everything sweeter. But is there still enough salt in R. Kelly’s music when I think about the damage he caused all of those girls and their families? Damn right.

Michael’s music doesn’t gross me out as much. It’s too much a part of my DNA. It’s too much a part of the world’s DNA. The influence of 1980s Michael Jackson is a through line in almost every single pop song since and will likely continue to be. My son is almost a year old and Thriller gets him dancing every single time. (I haven’t played any R. Kelly for him yet, so I’m not sure how he’ll like that stuff.) And when he’s old enough, I’m sure I’ll have to have The Talk with him. I imagine it’ll go something like this:

“Harry, Michael Jackson’s music is incredible. Appreciate that. But know that Michael Jackson was a horrifying person. He hurt people while singing about healing the world. People are complicated. His music may inspire you, but please don’t let the man behind the music inspire you. Unless we’re talking about Quincy Jones. Because as far as we know, Quincy Jones is still a stand-up guy.

I loved Michael Jackson growing up. And I can’t forgive him for what he did. It’s not really my place to forgive him because he didn’t hurt me or my family, but I still feel slighted by his foul behavior. So keep on dancing, my son. Get up off the wall, shake your body down to the ground, moonwalk, if you can, but know that even the greatest artists, our heroes, can be hideous monsters.”

Like so many of us who are or were Michael Jackson fans, I’ve been pouring over my relationship with him and his music. I’m not ashamed that I wasn’t fully committed to thinking he was a pedophile rapist. I needed the facts laid out before me.

But I’ll tell you this: even at the height of my adoration for the King of Pop, I never thought Captain EO was anything but wretchedly uncomfortable. Worse than kissing Lisa Marie.

[reviewape-blog]

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Journey

https://www.reviewape.com/?p=35771 Sioux Falls, South Dakota Journey - The terrain of jap South Dakota is a sea of grass-covered swells and troughs, segmented by streams and punctuated by islands of timber. The biggest of those “tree islands” is the town of Sioux Falls. The Huge Sioux River twists and loops by way of the town of greater than 170,000 residents and gives it with its namesake by stairstepping down an outcropping of pink quartzite. The pleasant, lively folks in South Dakota’s most populous metropolis get pleasure from their museums, parks, artwork galleries, eating places, and zoo. And the town’s 4 faculties and 5 hospitals make it a regional heart for training and well being care. It isn’t stunning then that Cash Journal charges Sioux Falls among the many prime 10 small cities in America when it comes to high quality of life. On the northwestern nook of the town, the Huge Sioux River begins its loop by way of city. One of many parks the river passes is Sherman Park, situated at 16th and Kiwanis Avenue. This facility boasts a variety of sights, most notably the Nice Plains Zoo and the Delbridge Museum of Pure Historical past. The zoo was patterned after the San Diego Zoo and accommodates greater than 300 animals. Among the creatures which can be native to the state reside within the North American Plains Exhibit, which encompasses six acres alongside the banks of the Huge Sioux River. One other exhibit shows ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson’s favourite sort of fowl – the penguin. Complementing the zoo, the close by Delbridge Museum of Pure Historical past homes one of many world’s largest collections of mounted animals. Almost 175 animals are displayed on this facility and organized in response to the climatic zone or ecosystem wherein they lived. Legal professional C.J. Delbridge, for whom the museum was named, bought these mounted animals from a ironmongery shop as soon as owned by Henry Brockhouse, who legally hunted and mounted these animals within the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Delbridge donated the gathering to the town on the situation that funds can be raised to assemble an appropriate constructing wherein to show them. Town accomplished the museum in 1984. Driving south on Kiwanis Avenue, parallel with the river, you’ll attain one finish of the Huge Sioux River Recreation Path and Greenway at 41st Road close to Oxbow Park. This bicycle path system encircles the town. The most effective place to start a trek on the bike path is at Yankton Path Park, situated on the southern finish of Western Avenue, the place loads of parking is obtainable. From there, the path follows the river for over 19 miles (31 km) previous metropolis parks replete with canoe launch areas, baseball diamonds, taking part in fields, picnic areas, and towering cottonwoods. Going counterclockwise alongside the bikeway from Yankton Path Park lies yet one more riverside facility known as Cherry Rock Park. A number of blocks away at 713 S. Cleveland Avenue, you used to seek out the Jim Savage Western Artwork & Reward Gallery and Studio. Savage, who died in 1986, was a self-taught sculptor and painter of Western and Native American topics. His spouse, Shirley, ran the gallery for a few years after his passing. Finally, his assortment was moved to Augustana College which now has an exhibit known as the Northern Plains Folks Artwork Continuum, which incorporates Savage’s artwork. Jim’s daughter, Connie Savage Thiewes, who’s an completed artist in her personal proper, has created a Fb web page to trace her father’s art work. Following the river counterclockwise additional, bicyclists will attain a spur off of the bike path that results in Fawick Park, situated at 11th Road and Second Avenue. Named for Thomas Fawick, a Cleveland, Ohio, inventor, industrialist, and philanthropist, the park is residence to a full-scale copy of Michelangelo’s sculpture of David – one among solely two copies ever made – that Fawick gave to the town. One other of his items is the one copy ever manufactured from Michelangelo’s likeness of Moses which adorns the campus of Augustana College at 2001 South Summit Avenue. Located a number of blocks west of Fawick Park at 11th and Phillips Streets is one among Sioux Falls finest eating places – Minerva’s Restaurant. Winner of the Silver Spoon Award from The Gourmand Diners Membership of America, this eatery gives Seafood, Italian, Cajun and French alternatives. Sioux Falls gives guests with a variety of different eating alternatives as effectively, from All-American fast-food to Mexican, Japanese, Cambodian, and New England fare amongst others. Simply earlier than it leaves city, the Huge Sioux River cascades over an outcropping of rocks and kinds the waterfall that gave the town its title. The pink Sioux quartzite that’s uncovered on the falls and all through the world ranks as a few of the oldest rock in South Dakota. The exhausting, sturdy quartzite was as soon as quarried, for it offered wonderful paving and constructing stone. Falls Park, which surrounds this waterfall, accommodates the Queen Bee Mill, a grist mill, and a Mild and Energy Firm energy plant that function reminders of the time when the falls have been harnessed for energy. The ability plant has been transformed to turn into the Falls Overlook Cafe. The park can be residence to many sculptures. And, talking of reminders, the historical past of Sioux Falls is offered on the Previous Courthouse Museum at Sixth Road and Important Avenue, which was constructed with blocks of quartzite. Museum guests will be taught in regards to the Woodland Individuals, who lived within the space 1,000 years in the past; they have been adopted by the Arikara, who grew corn, beans, and squash; subsequent got here nomadic bison-hunting Sioux. After a treaty was signed with the Sioux, pioneer farmers established the city of Sioux Falls in 1857. The Previous Courthouse Museum and the Pettigrew House and Museum (the latter situated at Eighth Road and Duluth Avenue) are collectively referred to as the Siouxland Heritage Museums, which has an internet site of the identical title (no areas). The latter facility as soon as belonged to Richard Pettigrew, one among South Dakota’s first senators. Elected in 1889, this surveyor, lawyer, and businessman traveled world wide gathering artifacts and rocks and including to his assortment of mounted animals. To showcase his treasures, Pettigrew constructed a museum which was constructed predominately of petrified wooden from Arizona. The power adjoined his residence, which, just like the Previous Courthouse, was manufactured from Sioux quartzite. Surrounding the Pettigrew House and Museum is a historic district that spans a 14-½ block space and accommodates houses that have been constructed between 1872 and 1925. The complete district is listed on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations. Junius Fishburne, a state historic preservation officer, mentioned the district is “one of many excellent cultural sources in South Dakota.” Guests can decide up a mapped information to the district at both museum after which drive or stroll previous houses that boast such architectural kinds as Queen Anne, neocolonial, Gothic and Tudor. St. Joseph’s cathedral, boasting a mix of Romanesque and French Renaissance structure, serves as the focus of the district. Finishing our round tour round Sioux Falls, it’s best to know that balloons maintain a substantial amount of curiosity domestically. And we’re not speaking about social gathering balloons, as a result of Aerostar Worldwide, a subsidiary of Raven Industries Included, manufactures every kind of commercial scale inflatables on the Sioux Falls airport, north of the historic district. This firm gives balloons for sporting, scientific, and industrial functions, together with those which can be featured in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Kenny Anderson Park, on the jap finish of Sioux Falls, hosts the Nice Plains Balloon Race in August, climate allowing. For a style of regional historical past, you could need to journey north from Sioux Falls to Prairie Village, situated exterior the city of Madison. This privately run village includes a group of restored turn-of-the-century buildings, in addition to an 1893 steam carousel, farm equipment, vintage vehicles, and previous rail vehicles. The buildings have been moved to the positioning from close by cities. One of many constructions, an opera home got here right here from Oldham, South Dakota, the place orchestra chief Lawrence Welk made his stage debut in 1924. Theatrical productions are nonetheless staged there through the summer time, and an annual competition referred to as the Threshing Jamboree fills the village over the past weekend in August. Prairie Village is situated close to Lake Herman State Park, the place tenting and boating might be loved. Prairie Village gives tenting from Might to Labor Day with over 300 electrical websites. Guests will uncover that the Sioux quartzite present in Falls Park additionally happens in different areas close to Sioux Falls. Northeast of the town, 14 miles north of Interstate 90 off of State Route 11, the pink rock kinds towering cliffs over Break up Rock Creek in Palisades State Park. This park accommodates tenting, picnicking, and fishing amenities. The close by city of Garretson maintains its personal particular place in historical past. The infamous outlaw Jesse James reportedly robbed the financial institution in Northfield, Minnesota and hid in a cave close to what’s now Garretson’s Break up Rock Municipal Park. As James set out once more, a posse appeared proper behind him, forcing the outlaw to leap throughout a quartzite chasm known as Satan’s Gulch. A footbridge now spans the precipice. The Earth Sources Commentary System (EROS) Information Middle is situated close to Garretson on County Street 118. The middle, which is run by the U.S. Geological Survey, is an archive and analysis facility devoted to the examine of satellite tv for pc and aerial images, offered by the Nationwide Aeronautics and House Administration (NASA). The middle’s foyer accommodates a number of shows of notice, together with one which reveals aerial images of Sioux Falls from 1937 on; one other that consists of video packages; and a rotating Earth that is practically a narrative excessive. Farther northeast on Minnesota State Route 23, the quartzite seems once more at Pipestone Nationwide Monument in Pipestone, Minnesota. Indigenous folks quarried beneath the quartzite to succeed in the soapstone beneath it, which they used within the bowls of their ceremonial pipes. The soapstone was dubbed “catlinite” after George Catlin, a well-known 19th-century artist who was the primary white man to explain the quarries. Native People nonetheless dig for the brittle catlinite by hand, as a result of heavy equipment would shatter it. Guests can observe this mining course of at a number of lively pits which can be located on the grounds. In case they need to take a specimen residence, the present store within the monument’s customer heart accommodates pipes and different objects created from catlinite. The monument’s self-guided circle path gives an introduction to the world’s pure historical past. As an illustration, thousands and thousands of years in the past, this a part of Minnesota and neighboring South Dakota have been a part of a seashore. Deposits of muddy clay have been coated over with sand that was “contaminated” by iron minerals. Geologic stress and warmth ultimately remodeled the clay into catlinite and the iron-filled sand developed into quartzite – the pink rock of Sioux Falls. For added info regarding sights or campgrounds contact the next sources: South Dakota Division of Tourisz Capitol Lake Plaza, Field 1000 Pierre, SD 57501 (800) 843-1930 exterior South Dakota (800) 952-2217 in South Dakota Sioux Falls Space Chamber of Commerce P.O. Field 1425 Sioux Falls, SD 57101 (605) 336-1620 Metropolis of Sioux Falls web site: http://www.siouxfalls.org Previous Courthouse Museum and Pettigrew House and Museum, 200 W sixth St, Sioux Falls, SD 57104 (605)367-4210 Earth Sources Commentary System (EROS) https://eros.usgs.gov Madison Chamber of Commerce P.O.Field 467 Madison, SD 57042 (605) 256-2454 Pipestone Nationwide Monument P.O Field 727 Pipestone, MN 56164 (507) 825-5463 Pipestone Chamber of Commerce 117 eighth Avenue SE Pipestone, MN 56164 (507) 825-3316 Journey American - ReviewApe - https://www.reviewape.com/?p=35771

[maepolzine]

Typically I wait until I finish a game to write a review, but I wanted to do this review now as I have a pretty good feel for the game. We Happy Few was created by Compulsion Games and published by Gearbox Publishing. This game takes place in an alternate reality following the aftermath of World War II where the United States never joined the world thus leaving Britain to surrender to the Germans to avoid further bombings. But that’s not all they did, they gave up all of their children under the age of thirteen to Germany. Unable to deal with what they did, the country started taking a drug called Joy that erases their memories.

And it’s told by misfit characters: Arthur, Ollie, and Sally. They are bleak, witty, tense, and not afraid to point out their flaws. Who all went off their daily dose of Joy from one reason or another. You get to see what’s beneath the surface of the grinning masks. The country is falling apart with rows of shuttered homes with the occupants away on unending “holiday.” Despite the rainbow and vibrant color paint on the walls, it’s anything but that. Every where you go there are nods to the war propaganda of the 1940s, 1984’s “Big Brother” and thought-crimes, and A Clockwork Orange’s unapologetic violence. They are however all copy-pasted with lifeless townsfolk until you provoke them. So sometimes traversing the world can feel like a chore or you’re just retracing your steps over and over again.

All over We Happy Few there are different villages that have their own set of rules. From the main city where you have to be on Joy or else, to the plague areas that want you to be tripping on the shrooms. On top of the drugs, you need to dress or act a certain way. If you fail to conform, they will beat you into submission. Whether your with the “downers” or with the fine folk of the village. They each have their own set of standards. Commonly it’s don’t steal, don’t have weapons, and don’t run or jump. To get through the game, you must blend in while also getting the supplies you need to stay healthy. And due to this element of survival, failing to keep up those needs can leave you with penalties to health and stamina. You don’t die from starvation but you won’t be able to run as long or fight without food in your character’s system. Crafting has also been streamlined: Interacting with a locked door prompts a lockpick to be crafted automatically from my materials, making thievery a lot less tedious. I especially loved the stash feature that allows you to dump supplies in a safehouse, and still use them to craft no matter where in the world you are.

Stealth is a very major element in this game, from getting place to place where you’re not supposed to be. To avoiding angry people trying to make you conform. Typically if you run to a hiding spot like a garage can or tall grass, you can wait for them to give up looking for you before you continue again. However, if they spot you trying to go into that hiding spot it won’t work for you. However, in some areas I found the stealth to be long and boring at times since you’re just waiting for one of the NPC to move into a certain spot in their routine while another element like a search light is going a different way. Or they glitch into a spot you can never get past them. Thus alerting everyone since you have no choice but it run for it.

Now as I mentioned, I have not finished the game yet but I have been introduced to each of the characters at this point. There’s Arthur Hastings who is a mild-mannered man that you start out with. He wants to escape Wellington Wells in search for his lost brother that went to Germany in his place. Along the way you will uncover the secrets that society decided to bury under years of drugs, Arthur’s sad sarcasm and repressed nature gave depth to my actions and decisions. His story also schools you in various mechanics that you’ll most likely need more in depth for the other two stories. Next, there’s Ollie Starkey who had tried to save Arthur in the past when he was supposed to be taken away by the Germans. Ollie appears to have been a solider of some sort so strength will most likely be his focus. And lastly, there’s Sally Boyle. She was the former love of Arthur and is great with charisma and chemistry due to her past.

Plus there are a lot of long loading times that drive you crazy or randomly you’ll have parts where the game interrupted come connectivity blimps. As if it’s still working on generating a segment in the world. Or like you were in a multiple-player world and it needed to think for a moment. Though you’re not in that situation.

Overall, I love the story of We Happy Few. And I loved exploring to find all of the secrets about the world. Although survival and crafting are fairly manageable, running through randomly generated towns, streets, or abandoned fields unfortunately shows that We Happy Few can’t hide from the ghost of its own past, no matter how much Joy you take. Or how some elements of the game just feel too copy/paste from one another.

Love ya,

Mae Polzine

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We Happy Few Review Typically I wait until I finish a game to write a review, but I wanted to do this review now as I have a pretty good feel for the game.