#ok young tim curry Cute

[unironicduncanstan]

rating disney movie sequels ive seen from worst to best bc i can

12. pocahontas II: journey to a new world - caught sight of it on my tv one time, and as a child who was probably still identifying as republican at that point, i s2g it was so racist i could not finish it. ‘wait till he sees you’ gives me fuckin hives

11. tarzan II - its. tarzan as a kid. like just more young tarzan adventures and dont get me wrong its a cute idea but after about 5 minutes it gets so boring 

10.  atlantis: milos return - this one gets a lil bit of a pass bc from what i heard it was supposed to be a better sequel but that got canned and they were working on a spin off series too so they just like. took a couple of the episodes they were working on and stitched it into a movie. its like a bootleg parody of the first film and my family and i despite loving the original , once again, could not even finish this one. the only memorable part for me was kida picking up a life preserver presuming its a game and milo telling her you throw it to someone whos drowning and she responds “does this not make it difficult to play the game”

9. beauty and the beast: the enchanted christmas - not that bad, tim curry plays a great villian per usual, its just kinda confusing where and how it fits into the plot of the first film. and its like. Dark? perhaps scary? for a christmas movie??? i remember my mom didnt want me to watch it every year she’d dread it bc it was such a bummer lol

8. brother bear 2 - ok nah introducing the new girl character was actually a baller move, and the concept was pretty cool. they just didnt make it fit very well and ngl the entire rest of the movie also feels disconnected from the first. had a lot of good dots but no good connection ya dig. also even though they tried in the end it was still just a ‘we have to give this character a love interest’ movie which kinda trumps the whole reason the first movie revolved around brotherhood. it aint wife bear

7. cinderella II: dreams come true - i barely remember it i am literally just giving it this high of a rating bc the romance between the baker and one of the stepsisters was so fucking wholesome. that true love lives in my head bitch xoxo

6. the rescuers down under - i never saw the original so when i saw this on tv i thought it was the original , thats how quality it was imo. i just hardly remember it and had no real urge to seek it out again for years. its eye catching but not super duper memorable

5. the little mermaid II: return to the sea - ik most of the plot is just the first movie reversed but i actually rly liked the character melody and how they inverted a lot of the concepts, its just. a lot of it includes secondhand embarrassment and some of it rly is too lazy for me to ignore. solid B- for me

4. the lion king II: simbas pride - INCREDIBLE soundtrack, nothing can beat the first but its still Baller, and the newly introduced characters are all iconic. my only qualm is how like. the concept of bigoted simba is very hard to watch which ik ik it makes some sense with the events of the first movie but jfc my man does not have a great look in this one

3. mulan II - most ppl hate this one?? but i actually rly loved the princess characters and the music as well, i watched it a LOT growing up. the whole mushu trying to break up mulan and shang thing is equal parts entertaining and frustrating. and the animation is a tad bit... off. but like am i ever gonna FORGET mulan hanging off the bridge and reaching for her man and screaming with her entire heart? or the way she kinda parallels his ‘ping, hold on’ from the first movie with ‘shang, hang on’? no

2. peter pan II: return to neverland - broe....... howd they take the racist misogynistic trainwreck that was the first film and make this. its so fucking good, it has emotional depth and speaks to kids who feel they are being forced into growing up too fast by showcasing wendys daughter going thru WORLD WAR II and making her an incredibly realistic portrayal of a traumatized kid, pairing her with the happy go lucky peter pan and the lost boys who CANT grow up, symbolizing the death of her innocence with the way that her not believing in fairies is slowly killing tinkerbell, it all just makes for a really impactful movie. and even in a kids movie sense its just so entertaining and at times really funny and/or whimsical? not to mention the ‘i’ll try’ song/scene gets me crying every single time. beautiful movie dude the only reason its 2nd is bc it is , So emotional that im not always in the MOOD to watch it bc i have to prepare a little

1. the lion king 1 1/2 - god yes i fuckign loved and still love this one so much. the music is fire the comedy still makes me laugh so hard and the whole idea is so fucking genuinely clever. god bless whoever came up with this one i had it on dvd and im p sure i watched it for years till it was so scratched up it wouldnt play anymore, 11/10

[littleladybaker]

Carol and Mallorie watch LOTR Return of the King.

Finally getting around to typing up part three of this little series. This one is gonna be the longest yet because we watched the Extended Edition. Spoilers galore. Enjoy!

Explaining Smeagol and Deagol to Carol and Mal as the original Merry and Pippin.

Mallorie making dick jokes about Deagol’s fishing pole...while I was eating a redvine...

Carol asked me to to pause the movie so she could answer the phone (they still have a house phone) and I paused just a second Gollum was biting into the catfish. We all started screaming and Carol’s brother, my ex, came out and told us to stop being so loud. We told him to put his headphones on if we bothered him so much. I explained to the girls that he slept threw ALL THREE MOVIES each time I tried to show the movie to him.

“Please tell me Frodo is ok after all this.”(Mallorie)

“As ok as you can be with PTSD.” (Carol)

Carol making Frodo/Sam sex jokes.

“Sam and Rosie had eight kids. The first was born in less than a year.”(Me)

“They had a lot of fun.” (Carol)

Me infodumping about Christopher Lee.

Carol and Mallorie making dick jokes about Saruman.

Me:Christopher Lee is problebly yelling at us from Heaven. You know that right?

C and M: ...

Mallorie: Hi, Chris!

Carol: You know we’re riiiiiiiiightttttttt!

Ganalf is Pippin’s grandpa now.

Treebeard apparently lost his wife in the mall. 😹

DrunkGimli was apparently Mallorie after one margarita on her 21st.

Carol implying that Gollum did dirty things with the ring.

Smeagol is like Jeremy's sister in Phinius and Ferb.

I am the Pippin of our “Family”.

“Aragorn! Come get your grandson!” (Mallorie)

“Merry loves his little cousin.”(Mallorie)

“Well someone's gotta look after him. ‘Cause his parents clearly ain't!”(Me)

The girls gushing over Eldarion and Arwen and Aragorn!

“How do you know so much?”(Mallorie)

“It’s my job. I make dolls and I know things.”(Me)

Dickhead Denethor.

Aragorn “Hope” jokes.

“Hope will come.”(Gandalf)

“And then he has a son!” (Mallorie)

Two words: Fro-Bro, Fro Fro Brodo.

Mallorie infodumping Game of Thrones in me.

Us arguing over who gets custody of Faramir when we take him from Denethor.

Me gushing over Lawrence Makoare and his dedication to makeup acting. Seriously this guy is amazing.

Gushing over how cute Merry is.

More talk about the horses. Ian McKellen’s horse was a DIVA.

Us calling David Wenham (I think I misspelled that😕) Daisy.

More gushing over Lawrence.

Boromir is Faramir’s Ada and Denethor has lost custody.

Boromir is ashamed of his father.

Me making Mallorie cry over my HC that Boromir leads Pippin to the afterlife when he dies.

EDGE OF NIGHT!!!!!!! The girls were impressed.

We all may or may not all have crushes of Billy Boyd.

Me explaining Dernhelm.

Eomir’s speech to Eowen sounds an awful lot like Sharpe’s “Can you stand” Speach.

Andril is amazing.

Explaining elf marriage and how the elf follows their spouse into the afterlife.

Telling them about Elboron.

The return of Puppy Horse!

Eowen is Merry’s mom friend.

Mallorie still loves Gimli.

Mallorie is more scared of Bilbo than of the Army of the Dead

Gothmog looks like the CEO of Abacrombi and Finch.

Talk of how Young Ian McKellen would have ruined our lives.

(Carol brought up a picture of Young Ian with young Tim Curry and...I have no idea how to comprehend what I've seen.)

Mallorie’' she reason for why Frodo can't  turn back at Shelob’s: Sam’s down there and it would just be awkward because he just broke up with his boyfriend.

TEN MINUTES of Carol and Mallorie taking about Turtle Sex because they began to wonder where baby Orc come from...I'm scared for life.

Carol is SUPER ARACNIPHOBIC. I'm glad I asked before Shelob showed her face. She had to cling to my Haldir doll...I'm making her a spider repellent Sam doll...

Me:(to the tune of If You're Happy and You Know It) If you wanna adopt a hobbit and ya know it raise your hand!

Them:

Everyone hates Denethor

Any time Witch King, Gothmog, or Lurtz does something Mallorie shouts, Dang it Lawerence, and I'm so proud of myself for corrupting her into a Lawerence fan.

Merry is Eowen’s emotional  support Hobbit! 😹

I'm making all my friends matching Hobbit dolls, because there are five of us, Mallorie gets Bilbo.

Oliffond poop problebly kills people.💩

I have stopped correcting Mallorie when she's calls the Oliffonds Eliphants.

YOU CAN SEE THE TEAR TRACKS ON PIPPIN’S DIRTY FACE!!!!

Rohirm are REALLY uncreative whith naming their children...

Peter Jackson and his anatomically correct CGI animals.

Our new band, Panic in my Heart. With our new hit single, Don't kill my fave.

The girls thinking Merry is dead. (I didn't tell the man otherwise. Mwahahaha 😁)

Aragorn put Eowen in the Daughter Zone, not the friend zone.

🎤If you wanna be my lover,🎤

Sorry, i already adopted you. Also, I'm married to someon else.

The girls trying to figure where the ring is hidden, thinking it is on Frodo somewhere. ( Carol asked if it was up Fodo’s ass 😹)

Ring dick jokes. Curtesy of Carol

“Gondor has a king, Gondor needs its king!”

FARAMIR AND EOWIN!!!

I quoted Aragorn’s Men of the West Speach and I have no shame!

I continue to quote Unusual Suspect threw the whole movie.

“There's no eagles, Lil! You said the Eagles would be there!”(Carol)

Eagles arrive.

“Oh”( Carol)

Us all singing Let it Go when Frodo is about to drop the ring.

More dirty ring jokes.

At this point, Mallorie and Carol just wanted the movie to end.

When are all I need agreement that Pippin needs a bath, a cuddle, and a nap.

ARAGORN’S CORINATION SONG!!!!!!!!! VIGGO CAN STILL SING, IT TOO!!!!!!!!

Elrond is SO not read yet for his baby girl to get married.

We all just wanted the movie to be fucking over!

Galadriel scared Mallorie, apparently.

Carol crying when she realizes Frodo doesn't live Happily ever after with Sam and Rosie in Bag End.

“OH MY GOSH!!! THIS IS THE NEVER ENDING STORY!!!!!!”(All of us!!!!)

“This was fun but we are never doing it again.”(Me)

“YUP!!!!!”(C+M)

And it's finnaly over! Carol an drew Mallorie have finnaly seen all three LOTR movies! Up next, either showing the movie to Caitlin, extended edition marathon, or Hobbit movies. We'll see. TTFN, ta ta for now.

[ellana-ravenwood]

Your wife is hot part 2 - Bruce Wayne x Reader

Summary : The Justice League is coming over at Wayne’s mansion for a barbecue...

Someone asked for a part two, so here’s a part two ...Hope you’ll enjoy :s. 

PART 1

____________________________________________________________________

You didn’t really expect the Leaguers to take you up on your barbecue offer...but they did. And this times, they were all here. Fortunately, Wayne mansion’s garden was massive. And with multiple trips to shops, Alfred you and your boys were able to bring enough food of all kind that it was all good. 

Except that you were stressed, yet again. So many superheroes in the same place, wasn’t it a bit of bad luck ? Like asking for a catastrophe to happen ? Oh my God, what if a major world threat arrived in your garden and started to destroy everything ?

You felt an arm go around your shoulder, and, instantly recognizing it, you wrapped your own arm around his waist. 

Bruce. Your Bruce. You snuggle into his side. 

-Are you nervous again ? 

-Is that this obvious ? 

-Only to me, I know you darling. 

You smiled to him and went on your tip toe to kiss him. Even on your tippy toes though, you were too short and he bent forward to meet your lips. Fucking giant man. 

-It’s going to be alright. They know they should leave you alone, they might be all more powerful than me physically, but they know better than to actually piss me off. You know, I got plans to take them down.

You laughed, and he smiled at you. He loved your laugh. 

-Alright mister I’m-smarter-than-everyone-and-I-always-have-a-plan, alright. I’ll try to relax, and if anyone bothers me, I’ll just point at you and take a menacing look. 

-Atta girl. 

You both laughed, and he squeezed you a bit closer to him. You two watched your sons help Alfred settings tables full of food and such as you waited for your first guests. 

*********************

Of course, Flash arrived first. All of the flashes. The original, Jay Garrick, the current Flash, Barry Allen, and his sidekick (also best friends with your eldest son), Wally West, aka Kid Flash. 

You hugged Wally, he was a lot around the mansion. And you shook Jay’s and Barry’s hand. The latter was avoiding your gaze, remembering the punch he received from your husband, and you gave a scolding look to Bruce. He just shrugged and gave you the “bat smirk”. You couldn’t help but smile too. Especially since, once again, you felt Barry shiver as you shook his hand. 

Slowly but surely, all of the leaguers arrived...it was time. 

*********************

You thought your organization of the barbecue wasn’t half bad. Everyone had food and drinks, and talked to each other, just happy to have a day off with friends without having to save the World and almost dying. You prayed nothing would happen today that required the Justice League assistance...

You met so many people that your head was starting to spin. You knew them all, and were quite proud when you could call all of them by their given names. They all had heard of you from the few leaguers who came to visit the mansion a few months ago, and were so damn curious. Especially since you were the one that made Batman jealous of Flash, going to the extent of him getting punch in the face by Bruce because he kept insisting on the fact that you were hot. 

It wasn’t as bad as you thought it was gonna be. Your husband did gave the “bat glare” to a lot of his partners, both men and women, because they had “the spark” in their eyes when they looked at you, but it was fine, because none of them actually dared to flirt the slightest bit with you. But your natural aura was shining so brightly that a lot couldn’t help but have “the spark”. 

It had been like that all your life, and you were used to it. Even though you probably would never be too fond of the attention. You never wanted to be the center of attention, or to be envied because you often were. You just wanted to be you. But no matter what, it seemed people just wanted to talk to you, to be around you. You were so damn likable. And though you weren’t the most beautiful women in the World, hell, the most beautiful women present at this barbecue, your charming ways were just freaking hot. 

But again, fearing the wrath of the Batman, even though most people here were more powerful than him, no one dared to say anything. They still asked questions about your relationship though, it was too interesting to pass on it.

You had told the story of your meeting with Bruce about ten times when your eldest son, Dick, went to your rescue. 

-I’m sorry everyone, I’d like my mom to meet my friends.

And without waiting for their response, he took you away. 

-Thank you honey. 

Dick smiled at you and gave you a knowing look. 

Your sons’ friends were all so sweet, you kinda wanted to adopt them all. You discovered you enjoyed their conversation even better than the one you had with adults, and they made you laugh quite a bit. They didn’t ask about you and Bruce, though you were pretty sure it was because your sons told them everything already. 

You thought it was extremely cute how Damian glared at some of his friends for looking at you with a bit too much insistence. He was like a tiny Bruce, cute cute cute. He made Conner (Superboy) and Kaldur (Aqualad) uneasy by staring at them until they’d quit looking at you. You didn’t say anything though, they were teenagers, their hormones were probably going haywire. You felt a bit awkward though when Shazam kinda hit on you...Because he looked like a grown man, but you knew he was just about Damian’s age, and it made you feel highly uncomfortable. Your youngest son punched him in the face (not really hurting him) and warned him to never EVER flirt again with you...You didn’t know if you should thanks your son because really, it was awfully cute how he protected you while his father was elsewhere, or if you should explain to him that hitting someone right in the face wasn’t exactly a good way to resolve conflict...You were about to say something but Dick was faster. He praised Damian for wanting to protect you, adding that you were perfectly able to defend yourself, and also scolded him for the punch. Perfect. A rush of pride washed over you as you looked at your sons talking, taking care of each other, and teaching lessons to one another...And it didn’t even turn into a full on war as Tim and Jason joined. Win. Such a win. 

At some point, Bruce came to take you away from the kids, and you went to sit down with him, Clark, Diana and J’onn at a table to eat a bit. The day was going pretty well...

*********************

You couldn’t remember who suggested it. Maybe one of the Young Justice kids ? Or was it Flash ? You didn’t know, but what you knew, is that you were in front of Arthur Curry (Aquaman), bat in hand, ready to hit the ball he was gonna throw to you, and run home. 

Baseball. You guys decided to play baseball. Of course, there was too many people, and some were forbidden to play anyway (like all of the Flash, they wouldn’t resist running fast around the field) because of their powers. And somehow, you found yourself in one of the teams. 

You shredded them. Destroyed them. Surprised all of them by your catching and batting skills. Whenever someone from the other team had a good hit, you’d get them out of the game either by catching the ball before it hit the ground, eliminating them right away, or either by throwing the ball to one of your teammates so fast that they’d touch the “enemy” before he or she could reach a base. And when you had a bat in hand, you only hit home runs. You were good. 

Bruce knew you were a boss at baseball, but of course didn’t tell anyone. He liked showing you off. Making others jealous because you were his. 

Flash was standing next to him, mouth opened, and Bruce couldn’t help but smile. He disliked the way Barry was staring at you, but it kinda felt good to know he didn’t stand a chance...Yeah,  maybe sometimes Bruce was a little bit of a prick. 

The game was over, and your team won, by far. Everyone cheered you, and congratulated Batman for being so lucky. He just smirked, and glared some more at some of his friends. And then you facepalmed, because of course Flash wasn’t going to stay quiet. As you came towards him and Bruce (and some others) that were standing on the side of your makeshift baseball field, not far from the swimming pool, you saw Bruce’s face drop. You never knew what Barry said, all you saw was Bruce preparing a mighty punch for the Flash...

*********************

A few seconds earlier : 

Barry Allen was never the kind of man to learn from his mistakes...Or rather, sometimes he forgot he already made a mistake, and so would do it again without really thinking. Like right now. 

-Wow, that was impressive. She’s good.

-I know. 

-Ok but Bruce, let’s all be honest for a second here. 

Bruce Looked at Flash suspiciously. He kinda felt like he knew what was gonna happen. With a serious look on his face, Barry got in trouble : 

-If you don’t want us to say your wife is hot, then maybe don’t let her do that kind of things. Cause seeing her win that game like that...that was damn hot. 

Long after, The Justice League would talk about that time they went to eat a barbecue at Batman’s house, and the Flash got hit so hard in the guts he fell in the pool with his clothes still on. 

[cluless-blog1]

Review

Ahhh Fall is here; time for Pumpkin Spice Latte’s and dusts off the ol’ scarves and gloves set and your favourite knife collection . This also happens to be my favourite holiday season….HALLOWEEN! (big surprise huh)

And what better way to kick off Movies with Hoggan this Halloween than with the remake of Stephen King’s IT (part 1)

For those that have fond memories of the original (and ok yes it’s a little outdated) will not be disappointed….you’ll be crapping your pants in no time so get the adult diapers ready!

For those who have never seen the original version here is a brief synopsis; an outcast bunch of kids nicknamed The Loser’s club who battle against a fear demon in the guise of a delightful clown although for those who read the book will be sorely disappointed the gang bang has been omitted. The young cast are excellent and Bill Skarsgard adequately covers the role of Pennywise that was iconiclly played previously by Tim Curry although his version is more paedophile than terrifying. The film is suitably creepy and anyone with Coulrophobia will leave the cinema suitably disturbed, so sit back, enjoy and let the jump scares begin.

Hoggan’s Halloween top 5 to re-visit:-

1- John Carpenter’s Halloween (classic for a reason, twatty over-sexed teens getting gutted in a wonderful fashion by a big dude in a William Shatner mask)

2- Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead (original version not remake! Nothing quite like watching Bruce Campbell taking a chainsaw to the heads of Deadites and creepy bitches singing in the cellar)

3- Poltergeist (cute kid gets sucked into the TV, more freaky ass clowns and house built on burial ground gets cleansed by a pickled dwarf with a voice on helium)

4- The Exorcist (uncut version,…..teenage girl goes through puberty)

5- Stephen King’s Pet Semetary (a reason never no have kids and a killer pussy!)

[silverhands-etcetera]

Get Back

Looking backwards more than a day can be a bit fuzzy sometimes, even when I’m at home in Seattle. Ever since Saturday night, this band has been on the run, waking up in different countries, condensing our days into bursts of local culture, most of which I haven’t experienced before this trip. So, keeping in mind how unequipped I am to produce an answer most days in Seattle when the barista asks me how my weekend was or what I’ve been up to, hopefully you’ll excuse any swiss cheese in the tale of this past weekend.

I remember it was warm and sunny as we loaded out of Lovenich. I left my trunk in Alwin & Petra’s front room, stuffing all I hoped I would need for the next two weeks into my laptop bag. I stashed my stocking cap in the glove compartment and my spare pair of pants into my guitar case. Good to go. Traveling light.

It’s a short drive to Koln, but I still managed a nap. When we rolled into town I was just coming up to have a look around. Only two wrong turns and we were passing by the front door of the Sonic Ballroom. A street fair had us blocked off from parking at the front door of the joint, which was a bit of a drag, but on the other hand -there’s a street fair.

We wedged the van into a space up the block from the club, and did the only thing we could -off to mingle among the Kolnians and figure out what this street fair business is all about. There’s a long, not square block all around the gig, right at the front door was a DJ spinning dance tunes to a packed street of people standing, walking or milling about, but none dancing. Elbowing through to the next gap in the crowd, we regrouped in band formation, and turned the street corner. The long side of the block had tables & kiosks selling random wares, used clothes & chilly beers. Aimee picked up a bottle of Kolsch, which sounded like a good idea, so I followed suit. About the time we cleared the block, and the beers, it was time to load in.

We had used the backline drumset & bass amp at Kultus, so this was the first time using our own drums, and getting a feel for the rental bass amp. The club is small, but Udo, our sound engineer, was putting mics on everything. The gig was going to be loud. We had a local band (well, from dusseldorf) opening the night, and a DJ ready to keep the volks dancing all night after our set. the greenroom was upstairs, and getting there was only achieved by going behind the bar and climbing a steep, odd staircase that had me tripping every time I went up. The dimensions of the rise & run changed at the first landing. The second set of stairs was slightly less trippy, but equally wrong to feet accustomed to standard american staircases.

Upstairs we had a full kitchen, with two pans full of rice & curry, about a dozen bunks, and two cases of beer. Most of our short-term needs were fully met. A comfortable sense of detachment sets in on nights like this, -no stresses about anything outside of what we’re gonna do on the stage. All we’re doing is what we came here to do.

—

Aimee & I took another stroll through the street fair, while the opening act was getting going. We returned our empty bottles from that afternoon, and staked out the parties we wanted to hit after the gig. When I got back to the club the opener was hitting their stride. -A pop-punk group that called themselves the Artiklees, five-piece, a stratocaster & a rickenbacker, backed up by a white-on-white P-bass. Clean and punchy tones, a heavy-hitting drummer and an animated lead-singer hopping out onto the mostly empty dance floor.

It was a pretty decent bill, stylistically, but as we took the stage I had a sense that we were probably going to take the room to another level. I ain’t bragging. I’m just saying. We tore into the set, hitting all the heavy Del Vox numbers and digging back into Sherri’s older catalog for all the hard hitting tunes we could cram into one set.

Like most times when I’m on stage, it was roughly halfway through the set before I opened my eyes & looked out in front of us. The floor was full. Longhaired leather jacket types, punks, heavy eyeliner, all kinds. We were firing on all eight cylinders, and when we got to the end of our set, the people were just getting started. We dug out a few more nuggets and dipped into the Jealous Dogs catalog for a couple more ladles full of sauce for the people. These are the gigs that pay the emotional bills for a career in this business.

This is what I do. I am more than ok with this.

—

The DJ was spinning some sloppy ‘60s rock & roll and we were still uncertain as to the nature of the street fair. Whether it was a city-wide event, a holiday, or just a chamber of commerce type of thing. Sherri even asked from the stage before we closed out the set, but we could get no straight answer. A young woman with heavy mascara, 2 or more barbed rings in her nose, and cute ginger bangs told us that she also had no idea what the street fair was about, but that we should go explore it with her. Her name was Jo, and she spoke english with a solid British accept, that she claimed she picked up by learning the language by watching untranslated re-runs of the Mighty Boosh. Her German seemed legit as well, but I’m no judge of German dialect or accent, so I still have to wonder if she was actually English, and trying out a new identity. I love these little mysteries. The best part is that I’ll never know.

Jo led Aimee & I down the block. We passed right out of the street fair and hit a main drag, where we took a right turn & headed for a bar that Jo was very intent on, but seemed less than certain about where it was. No less than 3 times she assured us that it was “just 5 minutes” ahead. I think Aimee & I silently concurred that it was a good idea that we see her to a friendly locale, if only to have a bit of a rest & reassure her bearing on the city.

When we finally arrived, we were yelled out of the place, for having casually carried in the beers we had walked there with. I apologized to the bartender, but she would hear none of it, claiming that it’s “universal” to not bring drinks into a bar. I wasn’t gonna argue, but I’ve done such a thing about a million times in Spain and never raised the ire of anybody. So we sat in front of the place & our conversation went back to accents & dialects, as Jo was listening to the three dudes talking behind us and had one of them pegged for an Aussie.

Both of my companions at the time are way more intrepid than I am. Aimee walked over & straight-up asked the dudes where they were from, and it turned out to be two Londoners & one Kiwi -all in town for a beer fest. They work for two different breweries, but they are all pals hanging out at the fest -and generously buying a round for the two americans & the mysterious ginger “German”.

Our party expanded & we talked beer, music, politics, etc. One of the fellas told us he’d be in Seattle at the end of next month, so we invited him to our gig at Tim’s Tavern. They invited us to the beer fest the next day, and we had a great spot of time out there on the patio in front of some random bar on the strip in Koln. I have no idea how long we were there, but soon the bartender stopped serving us beers, Jo said goodnight, & the brewers all retired to their beds at the hostel across the street.

Aimee & I retraced our steps back to the Sonic Ballroom, only realizing when we were about halfway home, that a lot of bars were closing up & we may be SOL in getting to our beds if the club had closed up while we were out. We turned the last corner & the whole street was dead and dark. But as we stepped closer & closer we began to hear the steady thump of motown beats inside the walls of the bar.

The place was still absolutely lit when we busted back in. Two bartenders still working, dance floor packed. I ordered two Jamesons and was still not allowed to pay a dime, even though I am certain we had exceeded our bar tab. We weren’t ready for the night to end & the DJ was hitting all the right places to push me out of my comfort zone. We danced until we were the last ones left on the floor. It was nearly 5 AM. The music serenaded us through the floor as we went upstairs for one last beer and the bunks.

So many details that can’t fit on a page, but I can’t imagine I’ll soon forget. This was only my second time in Koln, and only for about 12 hours, which we milked for all they were worth. All of the coolest things I’ve been a part of have been things I’ve walked into on my own two feet. I’m blessed with good companions.