#monica schwartz

[monsterblogging]

Monica Schwartz: death by drowning?

So I was reading through the Pacific Rim novelization again when I noticed that Newt's RABITs included thoughts about his mother. The relevant parts of the text are:

He and his parents were on holiday, at one of the lower-Alpine resorts that aspired to be Lake Como. His mother had a concert that night.

...

The lake in the summer, the skies growing dark and the water surging, getting heavier and thicker

...

Mother never left the lake she fell in love there and And died

From this, it appears that Newt's parents were involved with each other in his childhood, but his mother met a tragic end.

Or did she? Pacific Rim: Man, Machines, & Monsters lists a Sylvia Schwartz as Newt's next of kin, and according to Travis Beacham, Sylvia is Monica Schwartz's middle name.

Either way, I think it's some pretty interesting lore about Newt's family; we can infer at the very least that Monica Schwartz was involved in his childhood somehow.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1935 Duesenberg

Clark Gable and his 1935 Duesenberg

His wife, Carole Lombard, had one too, which is now in a museum in NZ.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.

Its 420-cubic-inch straight-8 pulled like a train; it was reputed to have a 115-m.p.h. top speed – “right off the showroom floor,” It could exceed 100 m.p.h. in the second of its three gears, boasted E. L. Cord, the company’s president at the time. Its wheelbase of nearly 12 feet gives the car a poised, unflappable ride. And its massive steering wheel guides the wheels straight and true – although its vacuum assisted drum brakes provide the car somewhat uncertain stopping power

Today, the car’s odometer shows 13,416 miles.

It was January 25, 1936 and Clark Gable had a new car to show off – to a new object of his affections. She was actress Carole Lombard, and the hostess of the lavish White Mayfair Ball, a formal Hollywood soiree, to which Gable drove his 1935 Duesenberg Model JN convertible that night.

The suave actor eventually convinced Miss Lombard to “take a spin around town” with him; when he invited her to his suite a few miles away at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, she famously replied, “Who do you think you are? Clark Gable?”

They weren’t exactly strangers; they had already co-starred together in “No Man of Her Own”. After filming wrapped Miss Lombard presented Mr. Gable with a ham – with his picture on it! But their professional relationship went no further at that point; Miss Lombard was then married to William Powell (she divorced him a couple of years later).

Nevertheless, after they re-connected at the White Mayfair Ball, a scandalous affair ensued; Mr. Gable, still married, was often spotted traveling in the Duesenberg with Miss Lombard from her bungalow on Hollywood Blvd. to night spots, restaurants and hotels all over town. One of those places, The Georgian Hotel in nearby Santa Monica, now advertises the couple had trysts there often.

“This is nothing discreet about this car,” Mr. Gooding said as he pulled up in the glowing Duesenberg, in front of The Georgian. Not exactly the type of car for two famous stars to be seen in – when they are trying to downplay their affair!

. The car fairly screams “notice me!”. Even now the Duesenberg, which appeared in a couple of actual movies of its own, is a show-stopper.

“The record for an American car sold at public auction is $10.34 million, for a Duesenberg – the 1931 Whittell Coupe – which we sold last year,” Mr. Gooding said. “In many ways, however Gable’s 1935 JN is an even finer example.” It is undeniably rare; fewer than a dozen JNs were built – only four of which were convertibles. But no other Duesenberg is like this one. (I will update this post Aug. 19 with the sales price!)

And, then there is the consideration of its celebrity provenance. “I’ve never seen a car with a history behind it like this one,” Mr. Gooding said.

Its 420-cubic-inch straight-8 pulled like a train; it was reputed to have a 115-m.p.h. top speed – “right off the showroom floor,” Mr. Gooding said. It could exceed 100 m.p.h. in the second of its three gears, boasted E. L. Cord, the company’s president at the time. Its wheelbase of nearly 12 feet gives the car a poised, unflappable ride. And its massive steering wheel guides the wheels straight and true – although its vacuum assisted drum brakes provide the car somewhat uncertain stopping power.

A work of automotive art!

Of course, that has often been said about many great works of art – sculptures, paintings, and the like – but seldom about automobiles. Many collectors, however, consider the 18-foot-long Duesenberg, with its flamboyant, following lines, the epitome of automotive art.

The Model JN that Mr. Gable bought originally had a body by Rollston. Mr. Gooding noted, “It was a work of art already.” But Mr. Gable decided it wasn’t audacious enough for his tastes.

So he took it to master coachbuilders Bohman & Schwartz, in Pasadena, Calif., for a complete re-working. And besides, the convertible top leaked – which Miss Lombard reportedly thought amusing; Mr. Gable, however, was mortified.

Clark Gable shows off his beloved Duesenberg!

“Not only did Gable sketch out many of the changes he wanted himself,” Mr. Gooding said. “He also got hands-on with it, and worked on it himself. I don’t recall an example where a celebrity got so involved, and essentially helped craft the car.”

The modifications included body-colored radiator cowl and headlamp pods, raked windshield, extended hood with custom air scoops, re-location of the side-mounted spares to a double-deck “continental kit” at the rear, rear fender skirts, chrome side pipe exhausts (with a driver-controlled bypass lever), functional rumble seat, and a stowable convertible top – that no longer leaked!

It was also re-painted from a pale green to a luminous cream color that seems to glow – apropos of any star of stage, screen or even outer space.

Despite the fact Mr. Gable owned a large, discerning collection of other Duesenbergs, Packards, and Mercedes-Benzes, the JN remained the preferred ride of the inseparable lovers.

So public was their romance that Photoplay magazine ran a feature in December 1938 out-ing them as one of “Hollywood’s Unmarried Husbands and Wives.” Mr. Gable had also been linked in recent years with Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow and Loretta Young (with whom he fathered a love child) – among others. Producer David O. Selznick was ready to cast Gary Cooper as Rhett Butler in “Gone With The Wind” unless Mr. Gable cleaned up his personal life. So the studio reportedly helped pay for Mr. Gable’s costly divorce from heiress Ria Langham; he got the part. The rest, as they say, is history.

Gable got the part!

Mr. Gable and Miss Lombard (who lost out in casting for Scarlett O’Hara) eloped in March 1939. In 1941 the happy couple set off in the Duesenberg on an epic vacation – sort of a belated honeymoon – from their ranch in Encino, Calif., up the Pacific Coast to Vancouver, British Columbia. The trip was nearly 1,500 miles, on primitive roads.

It must have been quite a sight: two of Hollywood’s biggest stars pumping their own gas, fixing their own flats, even changing their own oil – the Gables didn’t want anyone else touching this car! – in a car easily worth $35,000 then (Mr. Gable made more than that in one month, in salary, in those years – and Miss Lombard made nearly as much).

“This was at a time you could buy a Ford for a few hundred dollars,” Mr. Gooding noted.

In Vancouver, the couple would see the Duesenberg for the final time. They stored it there, planning to return the next summer to drive it back to California. They took the train home.

Some months later, however, Miss Lombard was killed in a plane crash near Las Vegas, Nev. Gable, devastated, instructed an agent to sell the beloved Duesenberg – with the proviso that he never would see it again. He never did; he died in 1960.

The Duesenberg became a four-wheeled vagabond, crisscrossing the country, changing hands more than a dozen times. It was re-painted at least four different colors. Its engine was replaced in the 1950s. Parts went missing.

But the current owner, Mr. Gooding said, acquired it in 2006 and ordered a no-expense-spared restoration to its Gable-era glory.

Text via John Piazza

Credit: Respective Owner ( DM for credit or removals )

[taylorswiftstyle]

2024 Golden Globe Awards | Los Angeles, CA | January 7, 2024

De Beers 'Five Line Diamond Band' - $15,900.00 De Beers 'Pear Shaped Diamond Ring' - $8,950.00 (starting) De Beers 'Darling Eternity Band' - $5,000.00 De Beers 'Dewdrop Pavé Ring' - $3,800.00

Normally Taylor would opt for a mix of jewelers (her typical go-tos are Lorraine Schwartz, Cathy Waterman, and a few others). But tonight she went full in on De Beers for all of her jewels.

In my opinion, going with one jeweler and one metal tone let the dress and all its gree(EEEEEEEEEE)n sequined glory stand on its own. The mix of slightly modern pieces here (esp those statement earrings) with timeless ones like a pear shaped solitaire and an eternity band was the right call of clean luxe.

Photos by Monica Schipper/GA and Amy Sussman via Getty Images

[myhikari21things]

Top 10 Reads of 2022

The Last Cuentista-2021 Donna Barba Higuera (a meteor is on a crash course with the Earth and a small group has been selected to start over on a new planet, but first they must be placed in hibernation. Decades later a young girl awakens from her hibernation only to realize that things have gone horribly wrong)

Girl In The Blue Coat-2016 Monica Hesse (1943 in Nazi occupied Netherlands a young woman works in the black market and one of her customers have come to her with a strange request. She has been hiding a Jewish girl in her house and the girl has disappeared without a trace.)

The Diamond Eye-2022 Kate Quinn (based on the true story of the best female sharpshooter in the Soviet Union during World War II. However, more then the enemy is gunning for her. Including some who should be her friend.)

The Fervor-2022 Alma Katsu (in the Japanese internment camps an illness is spreading. It's called hatred and its spreading quickly. What will happen when the illness escapes the confinement of the camp and spread thought out the world?)

Anatomy-2022 Dana Schwartz (in Scotland during the 19th century a young woman doesn't want to marry and raise a family. She wants to be a surgeon and instead of accepting her initial rejection she sneaks into an operating theater and meets her fate. Sequel expected February, 2023)

The Memory Police-1994 Yoko Ogawa (on an unnamed island things are vanishing. Things the memory police no longer deem important. Things like ribbons, perfume, and birds. In an act of defiance the unnamed narrator hides her editor under her house in hopes of finding salvation.)

You've Reached Sam-2021 Dustin Thao (after an argument with her boyfriend a girl learns that he has been hit by a car and killed. Believing that she played a part in his death she is unable to move on, but hopes to hear his voice one last time.)

The Last Grand Duchess-2022 Bryn Turnbull (told by Olga Romanov the eldest daughter of the last Tsar of Russia. Olga watches the fall of her family and prays that someone will come and help them.)

Girl A-2021 Abigail Dean (after her family home is raided by the police a woman comes to terms with the truth. She was raised in a cult and must rely on herself to keep from crumbling.)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo-2017 Taylor Jenkins Reid (set in the glamor of old Hollywood Evelyn Hugo dreams of stardom. Instead she finds herself married to one man after the other while her real love is just out of reach.)

Honorable Mentions

Princess Knight the Complete Series-1963-1966 Osamu Tezuka

Skin of the Sea-2021 Natasha Bowen

A Certain Hunger-2021 Chelsea G. Summers

Hani and Ishu's Guide To Fake Dating-2021 Adiba Jaigidar

The Pink Triangle-1986 Richard Plant

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You

The Original Scream 😱 Queen Academy Award Winning Actress Of The Greatest Horror Movie Franchise Of All Times & Many Other Genre's

She was born in Santa Monica, California, on November 22, 1958, the daughter of actors Janet Leigh (born Jeanette Helen Morrison; 1927–2004) and Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; 1925–2010). 

She is an American actress, producer, and children's author. Known for her performances in the horror and slasher genres, she is regarded as a scream queen, in addition to roles in comedies. Curtis has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Golden Globes, as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy and a Grammy.

The youngest daughter of actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, she made her television debut in a 1977 episode of the NBC drama series Quincy, M.E.. Curtis made her film debut and rose to prominence with her portrayal of Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's slasher film Halloween (1978). A critical and commercial success, the film established Curtis as a scream queen and led to starring roles in the horror films The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train (all 1980), and Roadgames (1981). She reprised the role of Strode in six of the Halloween sequels, concluding with Halloween Ends in 2022.

Curtis's film work spans many genres outside of horror, including the comedies Trading Places (1983), for which she won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress, and A Fish Called Wanda (1988), for which she received a nomination for the BAFTA for Best Actress. Her role as a workout instructor in the film Perfect (1985) earned her a reputation as a sex symbol. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Helen Tasker in James Cameron's True Lies (1994). Her other notable film credits include Freaky Friday (2003), Knives Out (2019), and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). Her performance in the latter earned Curtis multiple accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. As of 2023, her films have grossed over $2.5 billion at the box office.

Curtis has written numerous children's books, including Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day (1998), which made The New York Times's best-seller list. 

Please Wish This Legendary & Bas@$$ Scream Queen Actress Of The SCARIEST😱 SEASONED 🎃HORROR MOVIE OF ALL TIMES 🎥  A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

YOU KNOW HER

& YOU HAVE SEEN HER SCREAM 😱 & FIGHT HER WAY OUT OF HELL & BACK TO SURVIVE A ICONIC SERIAL KILLER WITH A MASK

& YOU GOTTA LOVE HER BAD@$$ ADDITUDE & ICONIC ACTING IN CINEMA 🎥

THE 1 & ONLY

MS. JAMIE LEE CURTIS😱 AKA LAURIE STRODE OF HALLOWEEN 🎃

HAPPY 65TH BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

TO YOU MS. CURTIS & HERE'S TO MANY YEARS TO COME  #JamieLeeCurtis #Halloween #LaurieStrode

[fritextramole]

Oh my God Jenny kissing Dan during the season 4 masquerade would have been soooo fucked up given that she and Juliette would knowingly and voluntarily have chosen which of the boys they were kissing that night lmao. At least if it happened in season one it’d just be a Ross & Monica-esque gross but honest misunderstanding, but the season 4 kiss would have to have been A Choice on Jenny’s end. (To be fair, these are the same showrunners who included an oral sex scene between siblings on the actual HBO Gossip Girl reboot so… 🤢)

I mean, I could see a universe where Juliet either forced Jenny's hand/tricked her into kissing Dan (why exactly she would do that is beyond me but I'm sure the showrunners could come up with something) (I could also see a universe where it's a case of mistaken identity on Dan's end as they flee similar to in season 1)

but given your later point about the oc and dynasty who's to say the showrunners didn't love incest and hate Jenny enough to have her make that choice 🤢🤢. they already had her do along with William giving Lily fake cancer and try to get Nate drunk so she could sleep with him last season who knows what she'll do

Also on a related note a part of me genuinely wondered if the showrunners weren’t toying with the idea of having Eric be Rufus’s secret love child, rather than Scott. Obviously the timeline would have to be different, but then they played pretty fast and loose with the Rufly timeline to begin with so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ There were just enough jokes/throwaway lines throughout the first couple of seasons that it felt like kind of a “haha just kidding…. unless?” type of thing to me.

Anon, your mind!!! I'm obsessed with this idea I wanna hear more about it!!!! I remember Jenny's line at Thanksgiving about how Eric's roots are "pretty Rufus-like" but do you have any other examples I wanna read a multi paragraph breakdown of this theory!!!!!!

when do you think they would've found out? in the season 2 brunch episode where GG sent out the blast that Dan and Serena share a sibling? at the beginning of season 3 when Scott was around in the show? at the end of season 3 when William showed up???

I'm sure there would've been a little hand wringing about the affair but the show had stopped caring about Alison at this point so they would've moved on. Eric and Jenny probably would settled on being happy about it but it's hard to say for Dan and Serena given how they never moved on from each other (do you think they still would've gotten married in the finale or would rufly be allowed to stay together?)

I could see a universe where Lily didn't know (or at least wasn't sure) that Eric was Rufus's son but I think narratively it's more dramatic if she did. how would Rufus have reacted to the fact that she's been keeping their son from him? (she didn't even tell him after she and William got divorced! is that why she and William got divorced? Serena would hate that it could be interesting)

anon I want you to know I'm going to be turning this over in my head for the next like week please tell me more

(I've said before that I think early on they were planting foreshadowing for Jenny and Eric to date and I am going to combine these 2 possibilities into one au if only to torture these fictional characters in my head)

Also, there WAS actually a similar near incest plot in The OC (which the GG showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage made before Gossip Girl), and the CW Dynasty reboot they did after had a major romantic pairing that turned out to be cousins, in addition to a bunch of other pseudo-incestuous pairings. I have no idea WHY they keep inserting different variations of this same plot-line into their shows (at least Dynasty has the excuse of being a reboot of a soap opera that had some of the same relationships in it), but it’s kind of a recurring theme.

I mean... I think it's because incest is the universal taboo so it's guaranteed to scandalize no matter what. like rewatching the early gossip girl episodes it's like. "Blair had sex with Chuck and Nate in the same week! what a whore!" which feels like small potatoes knowing about the Princess-Diana-esque-Royal-Wedding-Unplanned-Pregnancy-Car-Crash-Deal-With-God plot she's got in a few seasons but the near incest still feels gross. (but I mean. given how the show dresses and looks at its female characters I would bet there's also some level of poorly disguised fetish at play)

[bravegroupie]

quick   little   notes   about   newt   since   i   don't   have   a   detailed   bio   up   yet   :

newt   was   born   in   berlin   &   lived   there   until   he   was   about   15   years   old.

newt   was   the   product   of   an   affair.   his   mother   ,   monica   schwartz   ,   is   an   opera   singer   &   his   father   ,   jacob   geiszler   was   a   piano   tuner.   both   were   married   to   other   people   when   they   met.   jacob   tried   to   do   the   right   thing   &   leave   his   marriage   to   marry   monica when they discovered she was pregnant   ,   but   monica   rejected   him.

monica   basically   left   newt   in   the   hands   of   his   dad   &   his   uncle   illia   to   focus   on   her   opera   career.   jacob   was   distant   when   raising   newt   due   to   his   broken   heart   over   monica.   thankfully , illia   doted   over   newt   &   even   encouraged   his   growing   love   of   music & science.

newt   went   to   MIT   at   the   age   of   15   &   earned   six   doctorates.   he   even   began   teaching   at   the   university   at   a   young   age   while   pursuing   the   extra   degrees.

newt   formed   a   punk   band   with   a   few   friends   called   the   black   velvet   rabbits   during   his   time   at   MIT.   he   was   the   keyboardist   &   back   up   vocals.   the   band   was   not   great   ,   but   it   had   a   small   cult   following   &   they   performed   at   a   lot   of   campuses.

he   joined   the   pan   pacific   defense   corps   when   he   was   25.   black   velvet   rabbits   broke   up   when   he   left.

newt   &   hermann   had   met   via   online   chats   &   had   been   in   contact   for   years.   they   only   met   two   years   after   newt   had   joined   the   ppdc.   their   first   meeting   was   not   great   &   they   agreed   not   to   talk   to   each   other   ever   again.   unfortunately   for   them   ,   they   would   be   forced   to   work   with   each   other   in   the   future.

newt   loves   all   things   kaiju   &   nerdy   ,   especially   anime   &   godzilla   films.   he's   also   a   huge   tattoo   lover   &   his   arms   ,   torso   &   back   are   covered   in   kaiju   tattoos.   he's   working   on   getting   his   legs   fully   tatted   too.

he's   pansexual   &   has   had   quite   the   extensive   dating   past   despite   claiming   to   be   horrible   with   relationships.

post   the   first   film   ,   newt   suffers   an   intense   amount   of   stress   ,   anxiety   &   PTSD.   it   takes   him   a   few   years   before   he's   back   to   something   close   to   his   normal   self   again.

[jellysoiree]

❝ 𝐇𝐈𝐈, 𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐒 ! ❞

nineteen. she/they. extreme shoujo enthusiast.

𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 ! my friends, anything strawberry flavored, princess tutu, operation: true love, indie music, going to the theater, romance, early morning air, and learning new things.

𝗛𝗔𝗧𝗘 ! ra-im & minu 🤮, loud noises, tiktok, obsession, stomach pain, weird age gaps in media, forgetting about really good songs, tsunderes, mosquitoes & cockroaches.

𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗦 ! "carino" / "bop it up!" by the marias | "cold" by aqualung ft. lucy schwartz | "milk & honey" by billie marten | "the boy is mine" by brandy & monica | "lights" by ellie goulding | "a thousand years" by christina perri | "everytime we touch" by cascade | "all mine" by plaza | "astronaut" by jin ft. coldplay

——————————⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅——————————

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘 ! this blog is intended to ameliorate my storytelling abilities through my original characters. i will NOT post nsfw or dark content !! finally, please do not ask me for updates, as it will only serve to demotivate me from writing and anyone who keeps asking WILL BE BLOCKED.

——————————⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅——————————

[emmashouldbewriting]

If anyone needs a break from royal drama then may I recommend Vanderpump Rules drama on Bravo?

To explain what’s happening using a metaphor: Chandler and Rachel are having an affair. Rachel broke off her engagement with Ross and Chandler was going to leave Monica for Rachel. Chandler and Rachel were going to tell Monica about the affair, and Chandler was going to break up with her, at the opening of Monica’s new restaurant. Joey knew about the affair and was helping Chandler and Rachel hide it by pretending that he was the one dating Rachel.

Monica found out about the affair by seeing a video Rachel sent Chandler of her finger-banging herself while Rachel and Phoebe were on vacation together across the country. Monica called Rachel to confront her, then sent the video to Phoebe, and Phoebe got so angry she punched Rachel and Rachel got a restraining order against Phoebe.

Ross had no idea all this was happening and he’s happy in his new relationship with Charlie but he’s got some anger issues he’s self-medicating with alcohol. Janice has sided with Monica and Phoebe and is basically angry-trolling Rachel all over social media about the affair, which has pissed Rachel off and had her Mickey Mouse lawyers send a cease and desist to Janice but Janice went on a social media rant about it, said some iconic things, and is now merching swag with some of the quotes she said.

Meanwhile, Monica is still opening that new restaurant, a sandwich shop, but she’s partnering with Phoebe now with Tom Selleck as an advisor/mentor. And everyone is going to the coffee shop to get all the tea and commentary from Gunther.

Chandler = Tom Sandoval

Rachel = Rachel / Raquel

Monica = Ariana

Joey = Tom Schwartz

Phoebe = Scheana (the puncher) / Katie (the sandwich shop co-owner)

Janice = Lala

Ross = James

Tom Selleck = Lisa Vanderpump

Gunther = Andy Cohen, Stassi, Kristen, and Jax

Look up #scandoval on twitter and social media.

And the best / cringey part is all this is going down while the show was taping, is about to tape their season reunion, and is gearing up to tape the next season. The current season, which has already wrapped and is in the can, is being totally re-edited with footage the producers realized in hindsight is about the affair. They’ve tacked on another extra episode specifically to deal with the affair and the fallout, and they’re redoing some of the confessionals.

The reunion, which is being shot in 2 weeks, is going to be LIT.

@wisepersonallama is this you

[cardinalhq]

As twilight falls over Cardinal Hill, a sudden crack of thunder unsettles the evening calm; an uneasy feeling washes over you, a feeling that you can't quite place. You furrow your brow and keeping moving forward - that's all you can do before you realize the extent of the dark magic that is about to wreak havoc throughout the once peaceful town. Welcome to Cardinal Hill, Elias Schwartz, Paul Cowen, Rooney Caldwell, & Zion Nielsen.

Walking through the picturesque streets of Cardinal Hill, you find Elias Schwartz, the 23 year old journalist for the Cardinal Chronicle originally from New York City, New York. Living alongside them in such a small town, you know that they're amicable and clingy, but what you might not know is that they are a human, and that they’re hiding something… ― Alex Wolff, heterosexual, man, and he/him.

Walking through the picturesque streets of Cardinal Hill, you find Paul Cowen, the 25 year old bartender at Breaking Glass Bar originally from Los Angeles, California . Living alongside them in such a small town, you know that they're affable and rash, but what you might not know is that they are a human, and that they’re hiding something… ― Conan Gray, bisexual, man, and he/him.

Walking through the picturesque streets of Cardinal Hill, you find Rooney Caldwell, the 29 year old bookseller at Riverside Books originally from Cardinal Hill, Washington. Living alongside them in such a small town, you know that they're empathetic and reserved, but what you might not know is that they are a witch, and that they’re hiding something… ― Liv Hewson, lesbian, non-binary, and they/them.

Walking through the picturesque streets of Cardinal Hill, you find Zion Nielsen, the 26 year old barista at The Ceramic Cup originally from Santa Monica, California. Living alongside them in such a small town, you know that they're independent and sly, but what you might not know is that they are a witch, and that they’re hiding something… ― Luka Sabbat, bisexual, man, and he/him.

OOC info ― Mad, 28, they/them.

[mina-van1104]

😍Here's pictures of me & all my family!😁❤️Recently I've been feeling really stressed & sad but look what came in the mail: here is my extra beautiful, baby niece my beautiful older sister gave birth to back in April 2024-2 months ago. Makes me so happy!😃😭

My niece is extra adorable she also has dark blue eyes-like my dad & my grandma who have true blue eyes Even though my dad put he has brown eyes on his driver's license for decades because he wants to follow his father-my grandpa.

I only have permanent blue eyes because I got them done in Mexico back a couple years ago (& no, my blue eyes are not colored eye contacts). I tell some strangers I was born with blue eyes because I don't really know them & it's just easier & shorter than to explain everything hahaha. Hope my niece's eyes stays dark blue forever. Pictures don't do justice.

All eye colors are beautiful though. If her eye color changes naturally, I hope her eyes turn green like my brother-in-law's (Adam's) eyes. I had a classmate who told me her baby had blue eyes & when she was 3 her eyes turned permanently green. I think green eyes are the prettiest in my opinion.😍

My brother-in-law has green eyes. My niece is so lovable & is also half white & half asian 😍🤩. Hope my family has a happy, long, healthy, prosperous, life. 🩷

Also, close or not close anymore family members- you will always be family & I'll always support & love you. Also one of my baby second cousins I used to babysit at cousin Monica's, she's graduating from high school from Bishop Manogue Catholic High School! We don't have the same last name. Congratulations! 🩷Where did the years go! 😭

Song played on Instagram is called "Love you, Miss You, Mean It" by Luke Bryan!🩷

Always needing some prayers again.🙏 I, Mina Van 文风英 Woon Foong Yin (in Hakka Chinese).Nevada born & raised.Proud nurse, coach. Family living in Nevada for 45 (forty-five) years.Spread kindness.❤️

In the name of the Guan Yin, Ong Lee (meaning Buddha in Hakka Chinese langauge), Yay-Su (Jesus Christ), Ty-uh- ma (Mother Mary Virgin Mother Mary)

In the name of Jesus, Amen!🙏

Then my other successful blood-related family of doctors in my family,🇺🇸veterans,doctors,nurses,coaches,news reporter,lobbyist,good singers,dancers,good photographers, good writers,artists,a cop,a dentist,teachers, etc.Mixed family of Asians & white people.Spread Kindness.

Again, half of our family is Asian half our family is white. Even-though my parents look Asian we have some Chinese, Vietnamese, Native American, small portions of French, German descent, Ashkenazi Jewish descent DNA Ancestry

✞♡ # Selfie # Nurse # Coach # NativeNevadan # StopAsianHate # Biden2024💙 # JesusChrist 🦂 # Buddha # GuanYin # MotherMary # NevadaBornAndRaised # HakkaChineseRaised # ProChoice (though, in politics) # Equality # Justice # Healthcare # Running 🏃🏻‍♀️ # NevadaNative # athletic # HomeMeansNevada # Nevada # UNRnevadaAlumnaMay2016 # 3collegeDegrees # 3MedicalLicenses

•2019:OlderSisterCatherineVan&Adam Schwartz’sWedding&TheirWebsiteOn: https://www.theknot.com/us/catherine-van-and-adam-schwartz-aug-2019•ReminiscingMoreThan200PeopleCame.

[drewssam]

The XRP Ledger Has Activated XLS-20 And Is Already Minting NFTs

The XRP Ledger has activated the XLS-20 amendment, allowing for the minting of native Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), announced by Ripple's Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz. This milestone, achieved through collaboration between the XRPL community and Ripple engineers, enables developers and artists to tokenize assets and create innovative Web3 products. While tokenization isn't new to XRPL, XLS-20 represents a significant advancement, offering efficient and secure operations for enumerating, transferring, and holding native NFTs.

Ripple's General Manager, Monica Long, highlighted XRPL's pioneering role in enabling tokenization and decentralized exchange concepts. The XRPL's benefits include low transaction fees on a high-throughput, carbon-neutral blockchain, appealing to NFT developers discouraged by high gas costs on other platforms. With XRPL transaction fees at approximately half a cent, developers can explore a wide range of use cases, aligning with Ripple's focus on tokenization, liquidity, and settlement to advance the Internet of Value. This development underscores XRPL's commitment to empowering users globally with versatile blockchain solutions.

[ear-worthy]

"Kelly Corrigan Wonders" Podcast: Listen To Her Rupture & Repair Mini-Series

Life is easy when we all agree. And consciously or not, we tend to surround ourselves with people who have a similar worldview. The exception is family, so when Mom and Dad become 24/7 Fox News watchers, we try to get along for the sake of family cohesion, despite the crazy shit they now say.

For a lot of us, we adopt a "let's keep silent" approach to meeting others, in which there is agreement not to bring up any topics that can cause conflict.

The problem with that strategy is you often don't know the triggers of others. For example, I ordered a Bud Light one evening because it was on tap and had two people in our party threaten to leave. The other day, I mentioned Taylor Swift's historic win at the Grammys and was informed that the singer and the NFL conspired to fix the Super Bowl for the Kansas City Chiefs. 

That's why I think author / host /podcaster Kelly Corrigan ofKelly Corrigan Wonders has a much better idea.

 How can we discuss–productively–the most contentious issues between us? That’s the question beneath Kelly Corrigan WondersRupture and Repair series, five conversations about navigating dicey topics. The series is a deep dive into the hardest conversations between people, partners, families and groups.  

“Through five unforgettable success stories, it gives our country the informed hope it’s hungry for and a set of principles and practices to follow,” Corrigan says. Avoiding topics where opposite perspectives are held might seem easier, but Kelly aims to educate and inspire us to engage in meaningful and necessary exchanges to better understand each other. The series looks at rupture and repair from several angles: marriage and family, political and personal, religious and secular. Each episode features Kelly in conversation with a guest who has seen the rupture between people and discovered ways to repair. Guests include Monica Guzman, Manu Meel, Julie Schwartz Gottman and John Gottman, Simon Greer, and April Lawson. By the end, Kelly Corrigan surfaces thoughtful and effective strategies that she puts to the test as she has her own difficult conversation about a woman’s right to choose. 

My favorite episodes include the one with marriage experts The Gottmans. In the episode, they discuss the right and wrong ways for couples to fight and how to better resolve their differences. HINT: keeping your mouth shut and burying your resentment doesn't work. 

Anyone who is married or in a long-term relationship should listen to this episode. I learned a lot, and so will many listeners.

The episode where Corrigan (who is pro-choice) talks with April Lawson (who is pro-life) is a masterclass in deftly handling difficult conversations. Listen to this Corrigan - Lawson discussion, then go back and listen to the Biden-Trump debates of 2020 and tell me who is better at managing these difficult conversations. HINT: It's not the old geezers. Kelly Corrigan is a four-time New York Times bestselling author and the host of PBS’ long-form interview show Tell Me More. Kelly Corrigan Wonders is a show for people who like to laugh while they think and find it useful to look closely at ourselves and our weird ways in the hopes that knowing more and feeling more will help us do more and be better. A former newspaper columnist and four time bestselling author, Kelly wonders about loads of stuff: is knowing more always good? Can we trust our gut? How does change actually happen? She loves talking with nice people who have a sense of humor and know things worth knowing. Each episode ends with Corrigan’s shortlist of takeaways, appropriate for refrigerator doors, bulletin boards and notes to your children.

Kelly Corrigan Wonders is played weekly on KQED, WHYY and 14 other NPR stations across the country. The podcast, distributed by PRX, has been downloaded over 14 million times and has close to 3,000 5-star reviews across platforms. It is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music. Listeners can subscribe to Kelly's newsletter and follow her on Instagram for more updates.

Let me finish by offering an example of how good Kelly Corrigan is, and it's not even on her own podcast. 

 In the December 14, 2023, episode of Sound Judgment, host Elaine Appleton Grant interviewed Corrigan about the skills needed to be a superb podcast host and interviewer.

In the episode, Grant and Corrigan share stories of their battle with cancer, stimulating our empathy muscle.

"I'm trying to make your listening worth it. We are asking for your attention, which is an exquisite currency, with so much coming at you," Corrigan observes.

Corrigan notes that "People have their go-to sound bites during interviews." She adds that people who are interviewed often develop an expertise about the event.

In an interview, Corrigan seeks out something not said before from the interview subject.  Corrigan wants the best from an interview subject. She explains how she goes beyond the mutually agreed-upon script to search for personal revelations. 

Then, Corrigan introduces the concept of intellectual humility, replacing conviction with curiosity because we don't know what we don't know. 

"Personal information in an interview lands for listeners," Corrigan. "It lands in the context of their life."

Corrigan recommends listening to a potential guest to get a sense of their cadence and rhythm before you interview them.Check out Kelly Corrigan Wonders and her five-part Rupture and Repair series. Sit down, have a cup of coffee or tea, and be prepared to get shoved out of your comfort zone and love every minute of it.

[sixtyfivehundredinvisiblebirds]

What I read in 2023

2023 Either/Or- Elif Batuman Arcadia- Lauren Groff The Buddha in the Attic- Julie Otsuka Monsters- Claire Dederer Also a Poet: My father, Frank O’Hara and me- Ada Calhoun Bodywork- Melissa Febos Vanishing Fleece- Clara Parkes The Idiot- Elif Batuman Syllabus- Lynda Barry The Women’s House of Detention- Hugh Ryan Saving Time- Jenny Odell Sag Harbor- Colson Whitehead (re-read, very happily) All Night Pharmacy- Ruth Madievsky Moby Dick- Herman Melville Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow- Gabrielle Zevin Mare’s Nest- Holly Mitchell Lima :: Limón- Natalie Scenters-Zapico Heliopause- Heather Christle The Changeling- Victor LaValle The Secret History- Donna Tartt Punks: New and Selected Poems- John Keene Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers- Jake Skeets Togetherness- Wo Chan Soundmachine- Rachel Zucker Superdoom- Melissa Broder Philomath- Devon Walker-Figueroa Exiles of Eden- Ladan Osman NSFW- Isabel Kaplan Junk- Tommy Pico Draw Me After- Peter Cole O- Zeina Hashem Beck The Interestings- Meg Wolitzer Civil Service- Claire Schwartz My Education- Susan Choi Without Protection- Gala Mukomolova Mothman Apologia- Robert Wood Lynn A Nail the Evening Hangs On- Monica Sok The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On- Franny Choi Space Struck- Paige Lewis The Underground Railroad- Colson Whitehead Bliss Montage- Ling Ma Our Spoons Came from Woolworths- Barbara Comyns Garments Against Women- Anne Boyer Don’t Let Me Be Lonely- Claudia Rankine (reread) Present Tense Machine- Gunnhild Øyehaung, tr. Sophie Hughes Celestia- Manuele Fior, tr. Jamie Richards Night Bus- Zuo Ma, tr. Orion Martin Nightbitch- Rachel Yoder Boundless- Jillian Tamaki Your black friend and other strangers- Ben Passmore Library of Small Catastrophes- Alison C. Rollins Nerd: Adventures in fandom from this universe to the multiverse- Maya Phillips Desperate Characters- Paula Fox The Bird King- G. Willow Wilson Alienation- Inés Estrada The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop- Felicia Rose Chavez The Year of Blue Water- Yanyi Pale Colors in a Dark Field- Carl Phillips I Remember- Joe Brainard Manywhere- Morgan Thomas Obit- Victoria Chang Memorial- Brian Washington Girlhood- Melissa Febos Hot and Bothered: what no one tells you about menopause- Jancee Dunn

[claudiaschiffersblog]

Бен Армстронг: "XRP - чемпіон на ринку криптовалют"

Колишній ведучий YouTube-каналу Bitboy Crypto Бен Армстронг оголосив монету XRP безперечним чемпіоном бичачого ралі на ринку криптовалют, яке може тривати до 2025 року. У нещодавньому відео на YouTube Бен Армстронг (Ben Armstrong) назвав XRP "найкращою монетою у світі", перерахувавши чинники, що зміцнюють її позиції. Насамперед скандальний криптоблогер похвалив команду компанії Ripple, згадавши її гендиректора Бреда Гарлінггауса (Brad Garlinghouse), співзасновника Кріса Ларсена (Chris Larsen), керівника з розвитку блокчейна Моніку Лонг (Monica Long), головного юрисконсульта Ripple Labs Стюарта Алдеротті (Stuart Alderoty) і технічного директора Девіда Шварца (David Schwartz). Армстронг високо оцінив маркетинг Ripple, зазначивши, що реклама компанії більше орієнтована на великі фірми, ніж на звичайних користувачів. Незважаючи на те, що у Ripple величезний маркетинговий бюджет, найкращу рекламу вона отримала від Комісії з цінних паперів і бірж США (SEC), зазначив блогер. Він підкреслив, що позов SEC обійшовся Ripple приблизно в $200 млн - це набагато більше, ніж фірма заплатила б будь-якій рекламній компанії. На думку Армстронга, єдиною причиною, через яку XRP не досяг нового рекордного максимуму під час недавнього бичачого ралі, був тиск регулятора. Армстронг згадав минулі результати XRP: у висхідному тренді 2017 року це була друга криптовалюта за ринковою капіталізацією. Армстронг також відзначив корисність XRP, припустивши, що незабаром цю криптовалюту використовуватимуть у світовій банківській системі. Блогер також високо оцінив монету за розвиток технологій, децентралізацію і графік. Однак криптовалютний ентузіаст не поставив XRP вищу оцінку з токеноміки, пояснивши, що половина запасів XRP знаходиться у Ripple - компанія щомісяця вивільняє монети з умовного депонування. У сумі XRP отримала 96 балів зі 100, за оцінкою Армстронга. Раніше криптоблогер припустив, що потужним каталізатором зростання XRP зможе стати запуск біржових фондів (ETF), прив'язаних до цього криптоактиву. Це дало б змогу інвесторам отримати доступ до криптовалюти Ripple і підвищити її затребуваність. Read the full article

[jkdanu]

Who Will Be the Perfect Match for Santa Monica's $4.5M Schwartz House?

http://dlvr.it/SzyZkv