#summer bbq seemed like the right vibe

[dropofsoup]

Based on this post by @malaierba !!

Modern AU but Shuro has short hair and Namari mistook him for her dad: the aftermath

[twilightknight17]

So I fell asleep last night before I could make the post, but I got P5 Scramble yesterday and I’m having a blast so far. ^_^

I’m probably going to go through it the same way I did my Royal playthrough, so if you don’t want to be spoiled, don’t click through on these posts!

Before we start, I just want to mention that I don’t really know anything about the story. Somehow I’ve managed to avoid spoilers for an entire year except for a few small things.

I do know the identity of (who I assume is) Kyoto’s Jail Monarch. (Monarch is kind of a weird, formal word. I think I liked Jail King better. Or... Warden? Warden might have been the best choice.) ANYWAY, I think I know their identity, and by extension, I have a vague idea of why Shadow Joker exists. Other than that... You’re getting speculation and bullshit untainted by later plot revelations. XDDD

I did find it funny that when I booted the game up, I got a “No save data found, unable to start game” message. Like... no shit, PS4, it’s a brand new game. But the little starting tutorial fight was cool, and I liked the opening movie!

The police briefing was...interesting. It’s good to see them actually being somewhat logical? Like... considering everything that happened the year before, it makes sense that they’d assume this is the Thieves again. They have no way of knowing that there’s no way to access Palaces anymore. This isn’t really the Thieves MO, though. Except for the guy who confessed to document tampering. The author shredding his work for no reason and the guy streaking through the criminal justice headquarters don’t seem like they did anything wrong. Those seem more like psychotic breakdowns.

But... I guess we don’t know if the police ever knew anything about Black Mask, or if Shido was convicted on only real-world crimes and not the metaverse hits he ordered. I wonder if that’ll get elaborated on.

Zenkichi’s introduction was him laughing at the streaking guy in the middle of this Serious Police Meeting, so I think I’m gonna like him a lot. ^_^

Anyway, the “higher-ups” really want this case closed, according to “Commissioner Kaburagi”, who I already don’t like. If you’re the police commissioner, Makoto really would be a better choice, holy shit. She’s already prepared to go after Akira, who is the only Thief they know the identity of, so I guess that’s fair. But still. Has he not been falsely accused of enough for a lifetime?

Although... if you’re gonna look up all his life details, can you maybe... share some? Just a few things? Hometown? How are his parents? Anything?

*

Coming back to Leblanc was cute. Got some Trickster’s Maze vibes from the initial text conversation where they were talking about how people kept not responding to texts, but I think it’s all good. Love that the Sayuri is still on the wall, and that Morgana’s been home with Akira.

Naming the app “Emma” is never going to stop being hilarious to me, because reasons.

Y’know, Atlus, this would work a lot better if he could like...respond to their curiosity. At least these dialogue options seem to suggest that talking things out with his parents went well. Even “I missed you” isn’t inherently negative. He’d miss them either way.

.......so when my boyfriend gets back from his soul-searching vacation, he’ll be welcomed back with open arms, right, Ryuji? Right?

Meanwhile, for summer break plans, Yusuke wants to go to Kyoto for a month-long art tour. Unless...

Never change, dear. Never change.

Nice of Sojiro to water my plant and keep my room from drowning in dust, but he really couldn’t have replaced the bedframe with literally anything other than the plastic storage crates? XD The attic looks so empty and lonely without the shelves of trinkets and plushies, and the TV.

So my reaction to this next part was literally, “LAVENZA, IT’S BEEN LESS THAN 24 HOURS”. X’‘‘D Akira really can’t catch a break. But Lavenza’s dialogue sounded actually sad that he was being dragged into this again. And she’s promised repeatedly that she’s going to be there for him. It’s sweet, even though my room is still a prison and she’s still using torture equipment. Iron maidens, Lavenza, really??

I’m a little concerned that Igor’s not around, though. Lavenza did the dream/reality/mind/matter speech instead. Where is he? I know he’s never around for spinoffs but considering my headcanons I’m very curious now. And why didn’t he like... tell Morgana that Lavenza said ruin is coming again? Even if we don’t count thirdsem events, Morgana still knows that he’s Hope, and he still has a bond with the Velvet Room. Talk to your cat damn it.

Oh no, she’s cute and Alice-in-Wonderland themed. I’m doomed.

She called it her “EMMA keyword” and I immediately blurted “what? keyword??” and then everything went directly to Hell immediately. Keyword was the key word, I guess. X’‘‘‘DDD

And you can tell it’s been six months, considering that these nerds got caught almost immediately. And got their hands bound. And got dragged to the throne room and forced to kneel!

...I’m doomed.

Someone at Atlus looked directly at this fandom and all the fanart of the interrogation and said, “Yeah, they’d be into that.” XD Steppy steppy. At least she’s not a rapist like Kamoshida, but jeeze, we keep getting beaten up and thrown in the dungeon by royalty. All we need is a princess and we’ve got a whole royal family!

Although, I suppose the prince didn’t bother with a dungeon. XD

I think it’s interesting that apparently the guards tried to take our Desires and failed. I guess being a persona-user means your mental state is stable enough that something like that can’t manifest.

Oh no, she’s cute. I love her. Another for the collection of Joker’s baby siblings. This is number... 5? She kind of reminds me of Jose, a little. I’ll be interested to see what she is, since she’s got amnesia right now. She can’t be just a straight AI.

But if she’s Yald’s mom, I’m also going to be majorly weirded out.

I really like the gameplay? It’s so interesting to see how the characters move and fight when they’re not limited to turn-based attacks. And I like being able to jump to different points and use them to ambush enemies. I don’t fully understand all of it yet, and it’s hard for me to keep an eye on things like status ailments and my teammates because everything is so chaotic, but I’m sure I’ll get it.

I did die to a miniboss, and when I hit “return to checkpoint”, it gave me the prompt to select a language for the voice acting again. I dunno what was up with that. X’D And I’m baffled by the concept that you can just leave the metaverse and come back and it restores all your health and stuff. No penalty. Time doesn’t pass. You didn’t waste a day. Have the kids finally learned that we are capable of entering and exiting more than once on the same day? Hallelujah.

...this boy is angry that we have to deal with the Jails instead of having a BBQ feast. Never change, Yusuke.

If you go by the crepe shop in Shibuya, Morgana still doesn’t think you’re a crepe person. I’m so tired, Morgana. It’s also a bit weird and forced that Iwai and Takemi are both out of town. We couldn’t have seen at least one of them? I know we’re not gonna be able to use those shops when we’re on the road, but we could worry about that then.

(Disturbingly easy to return a gold bar that you apparently bought off the dark web. Omg. That was hilarious.)

AND THEN YOU GET UP THE NEXT DAY AND ZENKICHI IS JUST IN YOUR HOUSE? SITTING IN THAT CHAIR? That is not the “detective chair”, sir, that is my boyfriend’s chair, and you need to move. At least he likes the curry, but jesus fuck. Sir, I have unresolved trauma of adults coming into my house to snoop into my business. Get out of my house. X’D

You give me a detective sitting in my boyfriend’s chair and then immediately send me to a taping of the same show in the same studio where I first met him. God, P5S, you’re trying to kill me.

Alice clearly knows that giving out the keyword is doing something. She’s being very deliberate about this. But I don’t think she’s actually aware of the Jail. Love that she’s so arrogant that she can’t imagine that Akira just... didn’t use the keyword, and that’s why she can’t control him.

So I guess the Jail Monarchs are called such because they’re imprisoning other people’s shadows in their distortions. So these are people that want control over something to the point that it distorted their worldview. Part of me wants to go off on a ramble about how this relates to Mementos or Apathy Syndrome, but I’ll wait and do that when I have more information. I’ve got some more of the dungeon to do, and I cannot wait to see Alice’s boss fight.

I’m having so much fun. I really missed these kids; they’re grea--

.......I hate these children. X’‘‘‘‘DDDD

[uwupinkmilk]

Hello! Could you do how Nct would confess, please? Thank you! Your blog is so cute! 💕

안녕하세요!💕Thank you so much for this request! I know it took me quite a bit to post it (almost 4 months). I had finished it months ago but life has been crazy! Thank you so much for you patience and I absolutely loved writing this and hope you enjoy it! I apologize if some are shorter than the others(I got carried away on some😅). If you would like to request anything else my inbox is open and I am on summer break! Thanks again!

-🍓🥛

A/N: The blurbs below are just my opinions. I could be incredibly far off for reality but I think it was a cute little blurb and I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. If you would like to see this with gifs please view the separate groups individually(Nct 127 - Nct Dream - WayV). 

*Please note that Nct U will not be having a separate one seeing as the line up is constantly changing and I am confused😅!

t a e y o n g(태용): Taeyong seems like someone who tries to meticulously plan things out before acting upon anything.He would probably get to know you first and slowly become friends with you, getting to know all of your interests and dislikes. Taeyong(태용) would love to take you for a wonderful date and would try to convince you to go to a super expensive(비쌉니다) restaurant. However, his plans were thwarted when he forgot to make a reservation(예약). Instead he would take you to all of the well-known street food places and you two would enjoy a night out in Hongdae(훙대). When he brought you home he would confess and it would feel like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

t a e i l(태일): It has been said that he is one of the quieter members, which could mean he is just really shy(수줍어하는). Cutie! Taeil(태일) might have a hard time openly confessing to you. That being said, he would still make an effort to show his feelings for you. Less through words and more through subtle actions. For example, he notices that you don’t have a pen and gets you a box of pens in your favorite color. Or you mention that you’re hungry(배가 고픈) and he buys you food(음식) and attaches a sweet note(메모) to it. Eventually you start to add up all the generous things he has done and ask him about it. It is then that he would more than likely confess his feelings bashfully(수줍게).

j o h n n y(영호): Yeongho is not a shy guy!The two of you would  have been friends(친구들) for a while so the atmosphere between the two of you was very relaxed. After a night of drinking and eating Korean BBQ(고기구이), Johnny would have dragged you to one of the nearby karaoke bars(노래방). After many rounds of Twice(트와이스), SNSD(소녀시대) and Shinee(샤이니) songs Yeongho would ask you to close your eyes. Reluctantly you did until you heard Taemin’s “Move” playing.  Johnny would put everything he had into the song and would flirtatiously smile at you throughout the song. Directly after finishing the song, Johnny asks to take you on a proper date.

y u t a(유타): Yuta and you had been planning to hang out when he got back from touring. It was going to be a day filled with shopping(쇼핑) and eating(먹는), and when the day came you threw on your favorite outfit and met him at the mall(쇼핑몰). The two of you were so excited, you hardly noticed that the outfits you two had picked out looked like a couple’s outfit(커플룩) until an employee asked if you were looking for matching shirts. Yuta(유타) died laughing while a blush appeared on your face as you tried to laugh off the slight embarrassment. Throughout the day, Yuta and you had taken some amazing pictures(사진들) together. While trying on a pair of shoes(신발) you found interesting, Yuta was looking through the pictures you had taken and simply stated, “We would make a great couple.(우리는 멋진 커플이 될 거야.)” You looked up from putting on your shoe and stared at him for a minute before he flashed you his healing smile and hugged you, moving on to looking at another pair of shoes to try on.

k u n(쿤): You and Kun had been friends for a while, and knowing how busy he was you were okay with not getting much time to hang out with him. However, the two of you kept in contact by FaceTiming and texting constantly. One day, he asked you to come over and of course you hurriedly got dressed and when you arrived at the dorms(기숙사) it was quiet. You had been expecting to at least hear Chenle(천러) screaming. Before you could knock, Kun(쿤) opened the door and greeted you with a big hug(포옹하다). He led you to the kitchen table and lit some candles. Finding this slightly humorous you jokingly stated, “Kun, I know you’re a good cook. But I didn’t know you had a private restaurant.” Kun laughed and turned off the lights before putting down an amazing meal in front of you. Right before you could start eating Kun pulled out a deck of cards and said, “Pick a card.(카드를 뽑다.)” Rolling your eyes and laughing you picked the King of Spades. Right before your eyes Kun changed it to the Queen of Hearts that had “Will you go out with me?(나랑 사귀어 줄래?)” written on it.

d o y o u n g(도영):The whole day had been a mess. It started with Doyoung picking you up from your apartment(아파트)/house(집) and the two of you walking to a nearby cafe(카페). On the way there, Doyoung accidentally is staring at you and is slowly walking closer and closer until he bumps into you, knocking you to the ground. You laugh it off, telling him to watch where he is going, but this sends Doyoung into a full panic. When you get to the cafe and place your drink on the table Doyoung tries to pull out your chair(의자) so you can sit down but he pulls it too far causing you to almost fall. This leads you to asking him if he is feeling alright while laughing. As you continue talking about how everything was while he was away on tour he was texting Johnny and asking him for some advice. Of course, Johnny(쟈니) tells Doyoung to just relax and not think too much about it. When he finally looked up from his phone, you had turned to look at the other pastries the cafe offered. He noticed you had a crumb(부스러기) on the side of your face but just as he went to wipe it off you had turned your head causing him to accidentally hit you. Doyoung’s face drops to the table and he says, “This isn’t a good first date is it?(이것은 좋지 않은 첫 데이트에요?)” Your eyes go wide and he looks up and says, “Of course, it’s only a first date if you want it to be!(물론, 네가 원한다면 그건 첫 데이트일 뿐이야!)”

t e n(텐): Ten had dragged you to the new cafe(카페) that opened up around the block from his dorms. You had gotten there so early so that he could pick the exact spot he wanted. He even tried a couple out before deciding to move to another seat, which earned the two of you strange glances from the workers. After finally picking the ideal seat, Ten went to order an Iced Green Tea(아이스 녹차) and a piece of chocolate cake(초콜릿 케이크) to share. The both of you would be taking pictures of not only the food(음식), but together as well.  While looking over the pictures(사진들) you took he would feed you a piece of cake. He chuckled, noticing how focused you were and asked, “What are you doing?(뭐 하는 거야?)” “I’m looking through the pictures we took today! I had such a great time!” “You know we could have more days like this...  It doesn’t have to be our last date.” When you looked at him in surprise he would simply shrug his shoulders and say, “I’m just saying. I’m going to get more cake.(그냥 말하는 거야. 나는 케이크를 더 가져올 거야.)”

j a e h y u n(재현): He radiates hopeless romantic vibes, therefore I feel as though confessing to you would be as easy as drinking water for him. However, he doesn’t want to just simply confess, he wants it to be special!Expect flowers(꽃들), cards and maybe even chocolate(초콜릿).  Jaehyun would call you one morning and tell you to get ready! The whole day would be spent visiting a cute cafe(귀여운 카페), where the two of you would eat pastries and drink coffee(커피). The next stop would be this cute museum(귀여운 박물관) where they let you take pictures! And finally, Jaehyun would bring you to this small restaurant(작은 식당) that had an intimate atmosphere. When you two left the restaurant he would ask,“So did you enjoy our day together? Do you want to do this more often? Because I do!(그래서 우리 함께 즐거운 하루를 보냈지? 너는 이것을 더 자주 하고 싶니? 왜냐하면 내가 하기 때문이다!)”

w i n w i n(윈윈): This soft boi would be a blushing mess around you. I think instead of directly telling you he would make it obvious through his actions. He would occasionally bring you ice cream(아이스크림), especially when you were studying/working(공부/일하기), and would constantly sneak glances over at you when you aren’t looking. Slowly he would start to build up some courage(용기) and the next time he brought you ice cream, he would say, “Maybe next time we could go to this ice cream shop that just opened up.(아마 다음번에는 막 개업한 아이스크림 가게에 갈 수 있을 거야.)”

j u n g w o o(정우): Everyone knows how affectionate this cutie(귀염둥이) is with his members. Therefore, I think he may be 10X more affectionate(다정한) toward those he likes or has a crush on. Whenever he sees you he greets you with hugs(포옹) (as long as you’re okay with it of course!) and has a huge smile(웃음) plastered on his face. He constantly compliments your pictures and always just shows so much interest whenever you talk. One day when you guys are just relaxing(긴장을 풀고 있다), he would be staring at you. When you finally noticed he would just ask you out as if it was a normal ordeal. It would seem so random and casual, but it would be such a big deal for him.

l u c a s(루카스): I feel as though you only have to watch one video(비디오로) with Lucas in it to find out how confident(자신 있다), loud(시끄럽다) and funny(웃기다) this boy-man is. That being said, it is incredibly easy for him to confess his feelings for you… however. He. Is. EXTRA! I feel like since he is the member that eats the most, he would spell out your name with samgyeopsal(삼겹살) on your plate surrounded by a heart made of kimchi(김치). When he showed you he would get all excited and say, “It’s great isn’t it?! Do you like it?(굉장하지?! 마음에 드십니까?)” When you burst out laughing he would be so happy. Your laugh makes his day!

m a r k(마크): Mark would most definitely be at practice or at the studio(스튜디오). When he finally took a break he would text you and snapchat you a lot. That being said, Haechan(해찬) being Haechan would love to bother him about his crush on you. While Mark went off to continue practicing, Haechan took his phone(전화) and asked you out for Mark. At first Mark would be mad, but that would soon subside when he thought of how long he had waited to ask you himself.

x i a o j u n (샤오쥔): This sweet boy would have had a crush on you for a while, but he was just too afraid you would reject him. So when you asked him if he could teach you how to play the guitar(기타를 치다) he quickly agreed even if he was nervous. While he was watching you figure out the strings and strum the guitar playfully, he would quietly mutter to himself, “I love them.(나는 그들을 사랑한다.)”  Unbenounced to him, you heard. You stare at him and while smiling he becomes a blushing mess and tries to bring the conversation to playing the guitar and as he is leaning close to you, you whisper , “I love you too.(나도 사랑해.)”

h e n d e r y(헨드리): The two of you had been friends for a while, so day trips were a normal thing. While on one of your day trips, just through Yongsan Park(용산공원), during the spring(봄). The flowers on the trees(나무들) had just bloomed and Hendery really wanted to take some selcas together. It seemed like the two of you had taken 20 photos(20장의 사진) and when you two sat down to view them Hendery said, “Wow! You’re always so pretty!(대박! 넌 항상 너무 예뻐!)”

r e n j u n(런쥔): This artistic baby would most definitely stress over trying to confess his feelings to you. He would plan out a whole speech(말씨) and try practicing it multiple times in the mirror until Jaemin convinces him that he should just make a card. The floor would most definitely be covered with balled up cards that failed to explain his feelings. The card he finally settled on was a Moomin(무민) shaped card that was written in both Korean, Chinese and English(한국어, 중국어, 영어, 스페인어)[And he google translated Spanish as well(Just in case!)] He would deliver it to you with a single orange tulip(오렌지 튤립) and box of chocolate(초콜릿 한 상자).

j e n o(제노): The two of you would be playing phone games(전화 게임) together on the phone while having a relaxing day in the dorms. The members would joke about how you two never look away and how you two probably don’t even know what day it is. Jaemin(재민) came inside for a minute to grab his pink cardigan(핑크 케리건). While he was putting his shoes(신발) on, Jaemin asked the both of you if you wanted to grab ice cream with him and Donghyuk(동혁). Jeno immediately said, “No, we’re okay.” Jaemin left and Jeno sat up from his laid back position and grabbed your phone so that you would look at him. When you did he asked , “Do you want to get ice cream?” “Didn’t Jaemin just ask if we wanted some and you said ‘no’.” “I didn’t want to go with Jaemin. I want to go with you.(나는 재민이와 함께 가고 싶지 않았다. 나는 너와 함께 가고 싶다.)”

h a e c h a n(동혁): Hyuk would be playing a game on the computer(컴퓨터 게임) whilst you were on your phone(전화기). You were used to his loud antics and hearing him rage at his teammates. However it was so normal you blocked it out. You were so focused on what was on your phone, you hadn’t noticed he turned around and asked you a question. When you didn’t respond he would throw a pen in your direction. When you asked him to repeat himself he said, “I asked if you wanted to go on a date.(데이트를 하고 싶냐고 물어봤다.)”When you blushed he would just laugh and go back to playing his game. This led you to believe that he was just teasing you, but then he said, “You pick the place and we’ll go.(네가 장소를 정하면 우리는 갈 것이다.)”

j a e m i n(재민): This boy is a massive flirt(시시덕거리다)! He knows he likes you but I feel like you would figure it out anyway. There would be months of him showering you with compliments and giving you small gifts(칭찬과 작은 선물). One day in particular was when he became extra flirty, and once he saw you blush he would laugh and hug you tightly. “I’m just teasing you! But we should go on a date soon. I don’t know how much more of the cheesy flirting you can take.(얼마나 더 오글거리는 시늉을 할 수 있는지 모르겠다.)”

y a n g y a n g(양양): Our sweet YangYang speaks almost five languages(which is incredible!). I think the two of you would have to be friends(친구들) in order for him to even tickle the idea of confessing to you. But when he does, he talks so fast that it comes out as a jumble of the five different languages(5개의 다른 언어) and he ends with “You know what I mean?(무슨 말인지 알아?)” This causes the both of you to laugh and for him to take a deep breath before grabbing your hand(손) and pulling you off to go find an ice cream shop(아이스크림 가게) to eat at.

c h e n l e(천러): This sunshine would laugh at all of your jokes and try to be as funny(웃기다) as possible. The two of you would be laughing(웃고 있다) so hard and he would randomly say “Wouldn’t it be funny if we dated?(우리 사귀면 재밌지 않을까?)” He would laugh it off to make it less awkward, but when you stopped laughing he would as well. Poor boy would become so nervous of you saying ‘no’ that he would try to stutter a response. When you just started laughing again and agreed to go out with him, this boy’s smile would create world peace.

j i s u n g(지성): This awkward baby would have such a hard time even being around you if he had a crush on you. He so badly wanted to ask you out that he decided to get tips from his hyungs(형들). However, all the advice he was given would be tossed out the window the second he saw you coming towards him. But he took a deep breath and said, “Y/n would you like to go on out with me?(나랑 데이트 할래?)” He said it so fast that you almost didn’t make out what he said, but the blush on his face confirmed what you thought. This boy would be so happy that you said ‘yes’ that he would immediately go straight to talk to his hyungs(형들)!

[boggirlsummer]

Wet Hot American Summer

August 18 Zoey and I thought we fixed the leak in my tent but we were wrong. I spent the early morning inching away from a puddle that finally pushed me out around 8 am - time to get up anyway. Too rainy to cook or make coffee and I left camp aimlessly. I could barely see anything through the smoke and clouds which threw a wrench in my non-plan to drive around and take photos out the car window. Grand Tetons and Montana and Wyoming were up there on my teenage bucket list (lmao, dream big!), mostly for the landscapes and western vibes and maybe a few cathartic renditions of Wide Open Spaces. I just hiked all summer so I feel like I earned a few days of all-american automobile tourism.

Cozy

Decision fatigue is a ball buster on solo trips (and in life) and sometimes I refuse to change course even when it’s clear that a plan isn’t going to work out. I drove around Tetons alternately listening to the directions and making random navigational decisions, so Google kept yelling at me to make a u-turn. Eventually I got annoyed with both of us and stopped for snacks at the general store. I’ve been making my way through all the kettle chip flavors and so far honey dijon is the best and korean bbq is the worst.

Drove straight through to Yellowstone hoping the storm would let up, but by the time I got there it was 50 degrees with rain expected all afternoon. I thought it would be SUMMER once I left the Bay Area, so all my sweaters and warm jackets are in vacuum sealed bags that I don’t have the space in my car to open. I wasn’t loving the idea of being wet and cold in Yellowstone all night so I talked the campground lady into refunding my site reservation and headed for Big Sky, Montana.

I felt bad leaving without seeing any of the Yellowstone sights so I stopped at Old Faithful on my way out. I knew laughably little about what I was looking at and when a bunch of people started gathering I thought to myself, is this thing gonna explode or something?? And ya turns out that’s the entire point, it shoots a bunch of water and steam into the air every few minutes. I bought a cup of coffee and watched halfheartedly. The only other attraction I know about is the rainbow glory hole and there was so much traffic to park in the lot I said screw it and went on to Montana.

No LTE between Yellowstone and Big Sky and I was without a place to sleep - luckily my sister was available to do some emergency concierge work for me. I eventually found a nice campground near town but the obscene number of bear country warning signs freaked me out. I backtracked to Big Sky to buy a $50 can of bear spray, what a rip. Feeling beat today so I made it up to myself with a bowl of chicken curry ramen and a Sapporo. It was no nugget curry, but it did the job ☺️

Reading the bear spray instructions before bed - you’re supposed to use it once a charging bear is two to three seconds from reaching you. Wtf. I can’t do anything in two seconds. Finished Year of the Monkey at last. Almost fell asleep with a candy wrapper in my pocket, instant death. Also I got my period and I’m worried this is going to attract the bears.

August 19 I broke my own rule. I drove to Bozeman this morning and had a chicken fried steak at the Western Cafe, “The Last Best Cafe.” I had a nice chat with two old guys at the bar, initiated by ME! We talked about my trip so far and books (I was reading Walden Two and one of the guys had Woman in the Window with him, and we agreed that both authors are pretty nuts). Good time all around and then one of them secretly bought my breakfast 🥰 I’ve only ever had creepy men buy me drinks at bars so free CFS with no strings attached was a revelation. My smile lit up the cold dark streets of Bozeman.

Too early for hostel check-in so I killed some time hanging out in a coffee shop and wandering around Main Street. When I’m alone in a new city I usually get on the apps, it’s fun to hang out with a real LOCAL and have an AUTHENTIC experience. I did this on my first night in Sydney last year and my date won $7,000 at a bar raffle he’d been going to every week for three years and then bought us a night’s worth of top shelf shots, bad coke, and dumplings. Obviously I was his good luck charm so I should’ve gotten a cut of that $$$ but whatever… Eventually we went back to his depressing loft outside of the city. It was barely furnished and full of his shitty art and luckily he didn’t have any condoms so I was able to decline sex without feeling guilty (I had condoms of course but didn’t disclose). He tried to fuck me again around 4 am and I was so confused I thought he must have found a condom while I was briefly sleeping. He had not. I snuck out at 6 am and caught the bus back to the city. Not the most restful night but nice to get away from the hostel for a little while. But ya I updated my Hinge location to Bozeman and got hella conservative men swiping on me 🥴 My profile isn’t anything crazy but I don’t think I’m giving off Megyn Kelly vibes. Are they playing some sort of sexual bingo? Are they out to stealth me? Seems sus.

If you are a man on Hinge with a naked photo on your profile I WILL screenshot it and I WILL make a collage of my collection once I have enough material and I WILL sell it as a NFT and I WILL make $0 cuz y’all are freaks. This is the tamest one I’ve got, text me if you want a photo of a naked man covering his junk with a pineapple.

Ooooieee hostel is grungy and subterranean and not the kinda place you want to spend many conscious hours in. I took myself to the movies to escape - another thing I really missed last year. I saw The Night House, which I would describe as an architectural horror? I’ve been thinking about architecture a lot lately, this cool site Zoey sent me has some interesting interviews and stuff. In the movies I ate an entire bag of sour gummy worms and a box of junior mints.

Had a freaky bookstore experience earlier today, not the first time this summer. I originally wrote a longgg paragraph about synchronicity here but I got self conscious and started wondering if hearing other people’s stories about synchronicity is like listening to them talk about their dreams. I personally love talking about dreams (call me and tell me about your crazy dreams!!) but things definitely get lost in translation and sometimes they’re straight boring (like when my old coworkers and I used to dream in Excel, fucckkk). So I get why people find it annoying and here at Bog Girl Summer we can’t afford to alienate any of our readers. All I will say is that I walked into a bookstore today with synchronicity very much on my mind, went to the psychology section to buy a baby Jung text, and there saw a literal sign that said “Staff Pick, Introductory Jung: Synchronicity.” So yes, I bought it. Don’t forget y’all - I have a psychology degree so please don’t come after me about confirmation bias and all that lol. It’s very possible that in this summer of upheaval I’m desperate for some kinda sign that I’m on the right path. Let me have this one 😘

I also bought this postcard which spoke to me because most days I feel like I’m trying to drink out of a firehose

[thatmultifandomhoe]

The Extremely Large Tag Game

ATagged By: @dreamystuffers​ thank you sweet pea and HOLY SHIT THIS REALLY IS THE ULTIMATE TAG GAME BUT I AM READY.

SECTION ONE: First and last tag: post the first line of a wip as well as the last line you’ve written so far!

So I have several Wips at the moment and whelp, I’m gonna do them all lol.

The Size of a Heart: Wonho and Reader (Drabble)

First Line Written: The sky was burning as the sun set for the night, cloaking the city in its familiar darkness.

Last Line Written: “I tell myself that it’s better if it hurts, but I…I can’t anymore…I can’t.”

Tentatively Falling: Vampire Jongdae and Reader (Series)

First Line Written: Strobe lights flashed around the dark bar, drawing your attention every now and then when they went wild as the bass dropped.

Last Line Written: It was more than you ever thought, but it was exactly what you dreamt about hearing him say.

Heavenly Father: Boyfriend Yoongi, Priest Jimin, Alter boy Jungkook, and Reader (Smut Crack Drabble - Title May Change)

First Line Written: The stain glass windows in the Church were a sight to see during the day, the sunlight streaming through and bringing life to the images during the service, and brought a sense of comforting to those during times of trouble.

Last Line Written: Jimin groaned and your eyes watered when your nose was pressed against the base, his dick down your throat.

Knitting You a Home: Wolf Hybrid Namjoon and Reader (Series)

First Line Written: The wind howled while rain pelted your house as the storm refused to let up.

Last Line Written: For the moment, his thoughts were cleared, allowing him to fall asleep with you safely in his arms.

SECTION TWO. Enter 15 of your biases and put them in this order to discover the story of your life

Parent: Hongjoong

well I mean he is pretty daddy at times

Sibling: Jongdae

Grandparent: Sammy

Haunts you: Vernon

Significant other: Jooheon

HELL YEAH BITCHES

Ex: Yuta

damn that’s...that’s a change

Best friend: Chanyeol

Proposed to you: Yoongi

Was this before Jooheon or after Jooheon? Who’s my ass with?

Your boss: Taeyong

Random person you meet a the bar: Seonghwa

Rival: Bang Chan

BUT HE’S THE SWEETEST HUMAN BEING THO

First kiss: Namjoon

Drunk and singing karaoke with: Wonho

Played seven minutes in heaven with: Felix

Gave you your favorite dessert: Jackson

I...I can see this one. He’s sweet to do that

SECTION THREE. Describe your bias by their vibes as if they were someone in your life. (I’m doing my Ults, 1 from each group.)

Jongdae (EXO): The guy that everyone knows because he’s the one with that distinguishable laugh. The class clown that knows the limits and only crosses them on rare occasions. You think you know him but then he’ll say something that you never knew about him. Craves his independence but is the quiet one when in a large group, smiling as he watches the more energetic ones run about. An old soul trapped in a young body.

Yoongi (BTS): The one who devotes himself to his work and rarely sees the light of day. His room is littered with empty to go cups of coffee mixed with his own assortment of coffee mugs Coffee ring stains on furniture. You think he’s not listening or paying attention but when you least expect it, he’ll quietly do something or hand you a gift that he knows you treasure. He’ll never ask for cuddles, but he’ll always give them to you and refuse to let you go when you try to get up. Wise beyond his years because he’s suffered and doesn’t wish it on anyone else.

Yuta (NCT): The popular guy that at first everyone warns you about, but once you get to know him yourself, you don’t know why they warned you in the first place because he’s a total sweetheart. The guy who flirts with everyone and anyone, but remains loyal to his girl. He’s never without his iced coffee, and he’s dyeing his hair in the bathtub with a friend to help make sure it doesn’t go too wrong. Will entertain your drunk texts. He’s the one to text at 2 am when you’re feeling alone and down and he’ll do what he can to lift you back up with nothing but the truth.

Hongjoong (Ateez): He’s the guy who doesn’t give a shit about trends or styles, he creates his own. The guy who does the piercings at the local tattoo shop knows him by name because he’s gotten so many of his piercings done there. He is the Fashion DIY King. Will roast his friends the hardest  because he loves them the most and takes it when they dish it back. Somehow manages to rock hairstyles - long live the mullet - that no one thought should have ever existed. Don’t let him cook though. If he cooks you’ll end up with food poisoning. He’s the one who will let you try makeup tricks and new products on him. Secretly amazing at painting nails.

Wonho (Monsta X): He’s the guy friend that you never expected to be friends with. Him? You? Total opposites on a physical scale. On completely different levels. Once you get to know him, he’s a total teddy bear. Doesn’t question it when you suddenly appear and hug him without saying a word, he’ll simply hug you back while maintaining the conversation he had going. Or he’ll simply surprise you with a hug because he likes them.

Bang Chan (Stray Kids): He’s the one that always has his earbuds in even during class. Like he’s the guy that has the earbud going through the sleeve of his hoodie and is pressing his palm against his ear to listen to the music. Listens to everyone, even if he doesn’t know them that well and gives really good advice if they ask for it.

Jackson (Got7): The guy that you can hear a mile away. Hyper. Can’t sit still to save his life. He was the guy that you’d see doing laps in the hallway with his friends when he should have been in class, but he was the nice one. Passionate and when you ask him about what he’s working on, he’ll talk about it for hours. Will also apologize multiple times for going on but then continue to go on.

SECTION FOUR. Search your name + “core aesthetic” on Pinterest and make yourself a moodboard

SECTION FIVE. Make a normal and fantasy version of yourself using this !

SECTION SIX. Writing tag game!

What is your ideal setting for focusing on your writing?

A quiet office where I can play music softly in the background and be at a desk with a comfortable chair.

 What Genre do you prefer to write?

Slice of Life, Young Adult, College Age.

Do you prefer to write on paper or digitally?

Both.

It’s the middle of the night and you suddenly wake up with an idea. What do you do?

Make a note of it in either my notebook or in the notes section on my phone.

Who is your favorite person to write about?

Jimin and Hoseok

Do you like making your own characters, or do you usually write about real people?

I like to do both. Honestly, it’s kinda like a mix of both. With some of my fics, the only thing that makes them fanfics are that I’m using the real person’s name, and I’ll pin point on certain aspects of their physical features. In Brotið Hjarta, the only thing that connects to it being Namjoon is his name, and maybe his hair style/color and ear piercings, everything else was what I imagined it to be.

Have you ever written a book/story with more than 15 chapters (100K words)?

Yes. Strawberry Cream and BBQ

How often do you get ideas?

From everyday life, sometimes I’ll be daydreaming and it kinda morphs into a story or a fanfic and so I’ll make notes so that I don’t forget it.

Do you ever get an idea that you really like, but just can’t seem to finish?

Yessss, all the time.

What is your least favorite plot?

I don’t know about least favorite plots, but I do hate it when fics dive straight into a story without any background or anything. Wait, so maybe that’s pwp fics????? I don’t want to be a hypocrite, but even with my fics that primarily focus on smut, I still add in those background details and give them a teeny tiny plot.

SECTION SEVEN. Put your music on shuffle and reveal the first ten songs that come on.

The Kids Aren’t Alright - Fall out Boy

In the Dark - Bring Me the Horizon

Teeth - 5 Seconds of Summer

All In - Monsta X

To the Beat - Ateez

Shot - Lil’ Jon

Daechwita - Agust D

Treasure - Ateez

Adore You - Harry Styles

Guys My Age - Hey Violet

SECTION EIGHT. Questions tag:

Relationships: 2

Break-ups: 2

Kids: Right now? 0

Brothers and Sisters: 1 older brother.

Pets: 0

Surgeries: 0

Tattoos: 0

Countries you’ve been to: 0

Been in an airplane: yes

Been in an ambulance: yes

I sing karaoke: hell no.

Ice skating: I like it but I suck at it and have only been able to go during school events in the past.

Been on a cruise: hell no

Driven a motorcycle: nope

Ridden a horse: yes

Stayed in a hospital: nope

Favorite fruit or berry: Raspberries

Favorite color: Magenta

Last text: “Perfect! I’ll let you know when I am able to send yours out!” - I do pen palling and was letting someone know when I could send them a post card in exchange for the one I’m getting.

Cat or dog: Cat

Favorite pizza: White sauce pizza with chicken and feta cheese

Met a star: nope

Flown a helicopter: nada

Been on TV: nope

Broken my leg: nope

Seen a ghost: don’t believe in them.

Been sick in a taxi: nope

Seen someone die: no

SECTION NINE: Fifteen questions tag:

One ; it’s your birthday! what did you ask for?

Gift cards, um...(this is bad because my birthday is actually coming up) maybe some things from my Amazon list?

Two ; what was the last song / album you listened to?

WAP by Cardi B

Three ; what is your go to snack when you’re hungry?

Chocolate, cookies or cookies dipped in peanut butter

Four ; what is your morning routine?

Wake up, check messages on my phone while still in bed, get up, make coffee, maybe eat breakfast, drink coffee in bed, listen to music/watch videos or read on phone while drinking coffee, get dressed, brush teeth and skincare routine, make bed.

Five ; what mythical creature would you be?

An Elf? Or a Forest Witch. Something that has to do with the Earth and nature.

Six ; how do you interact with someone you don’t like?

I give short and straight to the point answers, if I’m working on something and they come up to me I’ll pointedly focus on that task instead of them.

Seven ; how do you define a toxic person?

Someone who lies, who makes you feel bad about the things that you do, that puts you done while lifting themselves, who is constantly bragging about their own things, who puts down others, who acts like they’re better, who acts like they’re way of life should be the only way of life.

Eight ; have you ever been to a concert or a fan-meet? if not, would you want to?

I have not, but I would like to one day because they seem fun and it would be nice to see a performance in person.

Nine ; do you believe in astrology? why or why not?

I do, mostly because it’s fun and interesting and I tend to find that I do a lot of the things and act like my zodiac sign without realizing it (aka I’m a Virgo).

Ten ; if you could have only one sense (hearing, touch, sight, etc.), which would you keep?

Hearing.

Eleven ; who is your favorite celebrity or idol?

At the moment, BM from Kard.

Twelve ; if you could talk to your favorite celebrity for a limited time, what would you tell them?

How do you keep going when it gets hard?

Thirteen ; I’m taking you out on a date. where are we going?

Maybe an art museum, or somewhere with flowers?

Fourteen ; do you prefer sweet or savory?

Sweet.

Fifteen ; do you have any Merch from any of your favorite artists?

I have several BTS albums and an EXO album.

I AM Tagging: @mygsii @myforeverforlife  @peonybane  @hobicomeholla29  @loser-dot-com @jeonsdear @namsjoon  @kpopcinnamonswirlroll @eashmo201 @1997jk @soulofatiny @cherryeoo​ @minniepetals​ @minniesmarshmallow​ @yoongi-sugaglider​  @crystaljins​ @taestfully​  @hyyunjins​ @i-am-delaney​ @worldwidebt7​ @flurrys-creativity​  @apurpledheart​ @holyfluffly​ @yunception​ @boymeetsweevil​ @chans-chair​ @brokecollegenerd​ @jinyoungsir​ @writersrealmbts​ @kpophoneybunny​ @actuallythatwaspromise​  @ladyartemesia​ @haylo4ever​ @ggukcangetit​ @kpopfanfictrash​ @wwilloww​ @jingabitch​ @kigurumu​ @jamaiskook​ @thatlongspringnight​ @ot7always-main​  @hauntedlilies​ @koophoriia​ @lorealchanelll​ @sweetheart--sannie​  @sweetae-tae​ @iniquitouspoppy​  

[alfalfatauri]

Pls rate on drivin skill, personality and their current team. Daniel and seb, go!

(it’s not one of the categories but have you ever seen a man so pure you want to cry??)

Skill - look. he’s got four world champs. he’s clearly a brilliant driver. I am a self-confessed Seb stan so i am well aware i am incapable of true objectivity, but i’m going to try. I think lately, Seb has let himself down a bit on track. A lot of it is definitely being given a terrible car and a joke of a race strategy, but he’s made mistakes for himself. That being said, give the man an opportunity and he really commits. I knew about Sebastian before I knew about F1 - that level of media saturation really says something about the calibre of driver he is

Personality - i think he’s hilarious. I love him. I know people say he can be a bit of a bitch and a bit unsportsmanly (see: him moving the no.1 board in Canada 2019) but who doesn’t love a bit of grit with their drivers? He seems to have a really positive relationship with the younger drivers, and hearing Lewis say Seb has been one of the most supportive of the whole grid about the BLM movement really solidified my feeling that he’s a genuinely nice man.

Current team - FERRARI DO NOT DESERVE HIM!!!!!!! I can’t believe that they’ve hung him out to dry like they have. I get it - F1 is a business and if you’re paying your drivers you have the right to have the drivers you want. but this was so much more than just contract negotiations, this was a full-on dump-him-on-his-ass scenario which is mean and unprofessional and i hate ferrari

DANNIIEEEL!!!!! He’s in my URL he’s amazing.

Driving skill - i don’t know if i think he’s as good as the likes of Lewis or Seb, purely in terms of consistency and and stayability for getting multiple WCs, but he’s definitely one of the best of the rest. I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to see him stay at Red Bull in a car he could have won races in, and I’m a little worried that he’s at a stage now where the rest of the grid is filling up with fresh talent who’ll have a better shot at being offered the big seats. THAT BEING SAID, no one overtakes like Daniel and i simply LOVE to see it

Personality - he’s your classic Aussie lad and i vibe with that. He’s not quite familiar enough to feel like a brother (I am eagerly awaiting the return of kiwis to F1) but he’s still probably the most relatable on the grid. He’s funny and interviewers seem to genuinely enjoy speaking with him, but sometimes he says or does things that are a bit too on the nose. I appreciate that when he complains about stewarding decisions, he has a good rationale for them and there’s no double standards (that I can think of right now). Overall, real top bloke, i think he’d be great fun at a summer BBQ.

Current team - I really like Renault but i’m glad he’s going to McLaren next year. I don’t think he has the right car to really show what he’s capable of at Renault right now, and the whole ‘Renault reporting Racing Point as cheaters’ has coloured my opinion of them a little bit.

[theepitomeofsimplicite]

Hi everyone,

I guess it’s never too late to wish you all a wonderful happy new year! Today, I’d love to take a moment to share my reflections on my best of 2018 travel. So, I am considering creating a series of posts in the upcoming weeks (YES! You read this. I am back to the grinds of writing and I am feeling super motivated) about sartorial-self editing and a follow up on continuing living my minimalist life.

The other day, a friend of mine who does not enjoy travel as much as I do recently asked me: ” What value does it bring to spend all your money in traveling so frequently?”

I paused for a brief moment and tried to recollect in my head all the countless unmeasurable benefits I gained from the experience of traveling. I’m thinking of adventures, freedom, and creating sweet memories with my favorite people. Mountains, road trips and singing cheesy songs in the car, big cities, beaches, lakes, wine country, night life, speak Spanish, fall in love… and so much more I mean where shall I begin…

Here are some advantages I can think of when it comes to why I value travelling as often as I can. To start with, there is an excitement and anticipation of planning a trip up front (read more about experientialism vs materialism post here). Looking forward to how we would imagine the journey. It gives room for creativity in deciding what activities to fill our days with.

Next, I learn to live more intentionally by pausing and being in the moment. I pay particular attention to small overlooked pleasures in life. I enjoy very much to be engaged with people in a genuine way by becoming a better active listener for instance when taking in to their stories. I experience more gratefulness. I like that my discovery mode is turned on (try new food, catch new sights, practice a new language sometimes, or embrace new cultures).

All in all, I find travelling to be important to me because it contributes to my self-improvement. All these reasons contribute towards my personal growth; my thoughts are influenced by a broader range of awareness of the world surrounding me, my habits are sometimes mimicking other’s cultural lifestyles, my learning is derived from my interactions with people and taking in their outlook on life, my beliefs are more grounded, and my thoughts are centered around creating a healthier and happier way of living. Let it be minimalism and zero waste lifestyle but these topics are worth detailing in separate posts.

Anza Borrego Desert/Julian, CA

After returning from my regular winter euro trip in the beginning of the year from Dresden and Paris, in February I went on a mini weekend road trip to Anza Borrego Desert. It’s only a two hour drive northeast of San Diego where I live and is located south east from Riverside and south of Palm Springs. The Anza Borrego Desert State Park isn’t too far from the Mount Jacinto Park where I hiked in the summer of 2017 (read here). It’s the largest park in California and has many wilderness areas as well as lots of hiking trails.

I picked the Palm Canyon trail where a minimum of climbing was involved (I love climbing!!!) and I was able to catch a sight at the primitive palm trees which are the tallest in California and are kept very wild and untrimmed. Down the oasis, I could hear from a far distance some buzzing sounds that resonated all around. As I was so curious to find out the origins of these croaks, I rushed down the river by climbing down the hiking trail in an off trail fashion (my adventurous side) to find some very cute tiny frogs under the rocks blending with the surroundings in the most perfect way.

All the climbing efforts were well worth! Then as the night quickly fell down, it’s how I got some very large and deep scars on my left forearm because I ran into a giant cactus on my way back up to the trail. Not very clever but I put the blame on my tomboy side! Later that evening on the way back to San Diego, a pit stop at Julian was required to have a taste of the well-known local apple pies and cider.

Los Angeles, CA

I drove to the city of angels and visited my friend Alexie (from UCLA) in the beginning of March as I needed to renew my passport at the French embassy. This was a two day trip but I really appreciated my time spent with her discussing various topics and you know just being women. Read more here where I talked about trying Tsukemen for the first time at Tsujita and a local’s brunch at Egg slut.

San Diego CRSSD FEST, CA

Processed with VSCO with b1 preset

This electronic, deep house, and techno festival is a traditional yearly thing I attend with my Persian buddies Arash and Massoud. Although I’ve tried to save a decent budget dedicated to music festivals for the year, I always seem to mess this up. But in any case, this is a sort of a mini Coachella and if you are in San Diego during March and September I recommend you guys to check it out because I like that it’s located by the waterfront and our dear Pacific Ocean.

Seoul/Busan, South Korea

In March, I was sent to South Korea for work (second time around and read first impression of the previous strip here). I stayed in Seoul and enjoyed this trip very much particularly as I didn’t end up having to do too much work at the customer site for once. But differently than last time, I decided to gather a team and explore South Korea away from the city center of Seoul. So we took the train to visit Busan.

Busan is a very large port city and is well known for its beaches, mountains, and temples. I enjoyed hanging out at the Haeundae beach with the young crowded locals and shot some fireworks. Later that night, the team composed of the new Dutch girlfriend Anne and another colleague, Robin who is Irish, went on bar hoping and met a friendly group of enthusiastic high energy good vibe young Koreans. We befriended right away with songs like Gangnam style and other classics.

We were then invited to a Karaoke bar and sung our heart out til about 8 am the following day. We actually made a reservation at a hostel nearby but needless to mention how pissed off the receptionist was as we had a very very very late check in that dragged her out of the bed. I know this was messed up but our new Korean friends helped us get to stay in to rest for the remaining duration of 2 hours, which was barely enough sleep but we needed to catch the train back to Seoul and I had to fly back afterwards.

The best part of this trip I think came from the idea that propelled me to go to Busan in the first place. The ultra fresh seafood and sashimi. I watched a documentary online where I saw a man trying to experience the “live” sashimi fish in Busan and choked on it. He became so red and almost died. I thought the idea of trying something so “fresh” would have made a fun challenge so I set my mind to experience it too at the Jagalchi Market, the world famous market for fresh fish and seafood. Robin and I got to try it but I barely survived. Personally though I wouldn’t do it again haha.

Another crazy experience was found at this local BBQ restaurant where I had fresh grilled eel for the first time ever. It goes without saying how painful that was visually and the taste was stringent. Have you ever eaten a whole eel? I’m not speaking of the little piece of eel that is place with a generous amount of Teriyaki sauce on the sushi but the whole fish. It’s so bony and crunchy towards the tail. I also would detail the part where the fish are taken from the aquarium then processed in front of your attentive eyes.

The cook knock the head of the eel using the back of the knife then begins to skin off the fish by removing the spinal column. The sound was draconian. The fish is then cut up into chunks. Later the pieces are laid on the plate ready to be grilled but the heads also come together. The visual still hurts me by just typing these lines but please skip this section if you are too sensitive sorry. As the brains were trying to pump blood through, and while Robin was devouring the body from the grill (personally I couldn’t do it), the mouth of the fish was left wide opened as a reaction to the loss of oxygen. I still remember vividly the horrified faces of the fish. In any case, this experience was quite unique but I’m still glad I got to see how life was like in Busan with the locals.

Saratoga/NYC, NY and Montreal, Canada

After my trip to South Korea, I was supposed to take some time off to stop by Japan to hang out with a friend I met during CRSSD fest but to my disappointment I had to fly straight away to New York for work again. This trip was rather unique because it’s where I met my crush there (blushing). But nothing surprising it’s just a crush and nothing more and you’ll read more about this Dutchie later 😉 Besides, work was very interesting there and the weather was ruthlessly cold with above the knee level of snow. Time working there was passing by so quickly as my best friend Mark (we work together) was also on site for work and we got to hang out a bunch.

In Albany we had Tanpopo Jakarta ramen. If you are curious about ramen, head over to my blog on ramen critic around the globe @ramencraycray. We ate at Vintage House and had interesting fried oyster sandwiches at Albany Ale & Oyster. We also hung out quite a bit in Saratoga Springs where we visited the Historic Congress Park to sip on the spring water. Had drinks at this hispter jazz playing live music at Morrissey’s and dined at the Wine Bar.

During this trip, I took the opportunity to drive to cross the border and visit Montreal. I had to make a pit stop at this gentleman’s house located in the beautiful town of Saratoga Springs. I met this older writer named Paul on the plane (yes for many of you who know me, I meet a bunch of folks on the plane and it’s not hard trust me!). We discuss many topics among writing and blogging as well as feminism and life in Paris compared with New York. We promised to give each other feedback from his book titled “Learning the Learner” while he reads my blog, this one.

He kindly invited me over to his house for breakfast along with a tour at the Spring Street Gallery which was a converted church located in front of his house. I had an immense pleasure in meeting his amazing awe inspiring wife Barbara (@blglaser5150). She is the woman I aspire to become when I get more mature. She has accomplished so much to become financially independent, in raising her Korean adopted daughter and her work in Natural State Park conservation, and now is a philanthropist. I was more than glad to have the chance to meet people like them and to share our stories. I felt so empower to continue my pursuit in advancing technology and to become as independent as she is someday. I also wish to further contribute to society just how she does it.

Ok so, now let’s talk about Montreal shall we? The road was very beautiful on my way there all covered in snow and I can easily glimpse at the mountain ranges during my three hour long drive. I stayed at Le Saint Sulpice hotel that was simply scrumptious located in Old Town. As I stepped out into town, I was clearly experiencing a wardrobe malfunction; I wore my long white Korean coat with a pair of jeans, a jumper, a beanie, scarf, and a pair of leather gloves. Evidently I froze to death within 15 minutes of walk in the blazing -15C.

So I rushed to the nearest neighborhood bar at the pub le Saint-Elisabeth. I met a new friend at the bar named Francois who was kind to show me locals spots around the well-known avenue du Mont Royal and had delicious poutine. The next day, I met up with my cousin who I haven’t seen in about 20 years (long time!!!) to catch up. We walked through the underground pass to go to the mall just like how the Quebecois shop to avoid peaking your nose out into the cold. She offered me some of the best ice wines ever. I feel very grateful!

On my last weekend there, I was meeting up with an old friend and together drove to NYC passing through the Lincoln tunnel. That was a hell of a lot of fun with lots of dancing, some ramen, and a copious amount of drinks and sightseeing. Make sure to read more about this city here.

West Coast Road Trip (Joshua Tree Park, CA/LA, CA/Big Sur, CA/Big Basin Redwood Park, CA/SF, CA/Newport, OR/Seattle, WA/Mt Adams, WA/Corvallis, OR)

In May, our birthday month, my sister (@dithy_f) from Paris and I got into my white Golf and drove along the USA West Coast. One of the best road trips ever yet! Read more here for part 1. Part 2 filled with more stories should be coming around soon so stay tune. In this case, I’ll skip here to the next trip below…

San Elijo Beach, CA

One of the best perks I enjoy about living in San Diego is that the county is so vast in its surface area that driving 30 to 40 minutes along the coast from where I live seems like a travel destination even though it’s technically still San Diego. We were camping there together with this really awesome girl Jenny (@nurse_jenny) (I met at a party and she had all the gut to just ask for my number and befriended instantly) and my friend Stephen (from work) who was set to take a year off to travel the world. I had an amazing weekend there grilling sausages and I even had some fun creating a beach bum beauty tutorial that can be found on my Instagram stories.

Ensenada/Tijuana, Mexico

I love spontaneous impromptu trips like this in the summer. Mexican friend Guerardo invited me over to tag along on his weekend getaway trip to Mexico. Singing along Felices Los 4 and Dura omg! We took the Ruta del vino to visit and wine taste at L.A. Cetto. We brunched at Bodegas del Valle, a secret local spot. We later that night played dominos then poker getting drunk on some tequila Reposado. The next day, we were beach ready to get some tan at Playa Hermosa in Explanadas. Afterwards, we had some of the best margheritas at Bar Andaluz and the best tacos ever are found at the world renown Anthony Bourdain approved Sabina Restaurante. Later, on our way back to the US, we had to stop by Tijuana where we got a roof top drink at Cine Tonala and played games.

Tel Aviv, Israel

During the summer, I traveled to Tel Aviv for the first time to visit my friend Tom. I know many of you already know how I met Tom and how I ended up in Dresden in the winter of 2017 but just for the sake of sharing with everyone. On my way to Amsterdam from Minnesota, I think that was in the summer of 2017 I happen to sit next to this blue eye guy with a quirky smile on this face. I think he started the conversation with an ice breaker question. So tips to you guys, if you are happen to sit next to a stranger on the plane and would like to make new friends, don’t put your headphones on, smile, and ask whether your flight neighbor is heading back home or visiting. This ice breaker question always works for me 🙂 So as we talked and laughed throughout our 8 hour long trip. We exchanged our contact information but before that he managed to convince me to meet again either in Tel Aviv and/or Dresden for the winter holidays.

And in truth eventually, I ended up meeting him in both cities haha. I flew to Dresden in December of 2017 from Paris because (this is a true story haha) my sister was too busy to host me during the weekday and (sadly) she is also a type A woman so she made it clear that I was on my own. Then I simply phoned Tom to check his whereabouts then booked a ticket at the airport from CDG, took the metro to Orly then flew to Dresden straight away. I actually don’t recommend anyone to fly that much in a day (4 back to back flights) but I’m still glad I made it out there. I stayed at Tom’s friend’s Matthias (a German cutie), and we got to visit the beautiful city (old and new neighborhood), did some thrift shopping as I was travelling without proper winter gears (got as scarf and beanie), and even attended an opera. The museums there were very impressive and boy I love the Christmas market to grab some warm German sweet bread, some wurst, and a sip of the delicious gluhwein (even gluhbier).

Well, I’m digressing now sorry so back to Tel Aviv! Tom and I stayed at another of Tom’s friend’s apartment nearby the beach in Yaffa area. Hillel is such a smart and funny guy. He’s very thoughtful too! I recall how before I’d get up in the morning, a warm freshly baked pastry was awaiting for me on the kitchen counter. He was temporarily being a dog daddy to Indie so I lucked out in meeting them because I had so much fun hanging out with these mischief later in the Old City. This vibrant place is full of craft shops and art galleries, and stalls selling antiques and jewelry at the lively Jaffa Flea Market.

There are some Ottoman influences such as the Clock Tower. We walked around and spotted an outdoor venue filled with folks dancing on Arab music after crossing the Wishing Bridge. The area is also popular for its hip wine bars, creative Mediterranean dining and seafood restaurants near Jaffa Port. There is such a wide mix of culture and we got together for drinks at the Shaffa bar with Stefania, her bf and friend. Well, how I met Stefania was also on a plane ride from JFK to Tel Aviv haha. We sat next to each and became friends instantly. And so we just had to meet up in town!

Then Hillel wanted to take us to his favorite secret spot that offers a unique view over the Jaffa port but on the opposite side. Recall when I called Hillel and Indie the little pair of mischief well, to get to that safely guarded spot required illegal climbing over a fence then a wall hmmm the challenge came from having our little four legged Indie with us but we still proceeded with climbing with the adventurous dog friend. It was so worth it as we could catch a glimpse in the quiet night and only hearing the waves crashing on the rocks and just taking in the beautiful sights and being in the moment.

I have a few tips on Tel Aviv for you guys if you are interested, drop a comment below. I personally really enjoy going to the outdoor markets like the Carmel market where Tom and I met up with another of Tom’s friend named Roy. He had bought some delicious cheese and we improvised a French picnic with a bottle of red (of course!) and laid around in the neighborhood park, while dog petting.

I only stayed 4 days in Tel Aviv and wished to road trip to Jerusalem but due to the unbearable heat wave, I’ll postpone this trip to another time. So next on my way to Amsterdam, I had a quick overlay in Rome. Unfortunately I couldn’t hang out with my dear friend Rita but had (yes another) interesting encounter on the plane. An older Italian gentleman who is a professor in Chemistry and avid alternative renewable energy especially in clean gas was my neighbor. He had mistaken me as a model haha. But to his disappointment I had to break it to him that I was just an engineer.

We talked for a long while about renewable energy and the new tech trends. Once we landed in Fuimicino, he kindly offer to continue our conversations over at the lounge. I personally love to converse with passionate folks. Side note by the way, a handful of people either border patrol agents or people I bumped into during my flights tend to believe I’m some model. Can it be because of my leather jacket, my casual effortless airport style or is it? Regardless, I’m utterly flattered but (shrugging) would love to know why…

Amsterdam/Eindhoven/Heusden, The Netherlands

I arrived in Amsterdam to meet up with Silvana (@saisonlune) the birthday girl. She’s taken me to the north of Amsterdam so we took the ferry where we can sight the beautiful A’dam Toren from Centraal Station. We had a snack at FC Hyena where it has movie theater and great food. The décor is industrial but with lots of quirky colors. Afterwards, we headed next door to the Hotel de Goudfazant. This place used to be a car garage so don’t be surprised if you are dining next to cars inside the space.

The following day, I also got to meet Jessica from Daarboven and stroll around Amsterdam. We had a pit stopped at my fav Scandinavian shop Filippa K where I got a couple of essential garments (a nice cropped wool jacket and a pair of simple blue denim, read here).

We sipped on some fancy drinks at the Hoxtel lounge, grabbed ramen at Fou Fow Ramen then devour some explosive chocolate at the Michelin starred Duchess .

In Eindhoven, I always enjoy staying at my bestie Joffrey. I also took some time to say hi to Adri from Chanel. She created a new look for me and left with many goodies she gathered for me. In the afternoon, Jo organized a mini road trip to Heusden for a getaway. Walking around there was very relaxing to see the lashing green surrounding and the famous windmills. In the village we grabbed some red and some bread (I love Dutch breads). Later in the evening Jo and I met up with Yohann (our betstie) to grab an apero at his house.

Then we all met up with the other guys for Lepeltje Lepeltje, a food fest in Eindhoven with live music and yummy ice creams. Later than night we all hung out at our regular Irish pub Oshea’s where a few more people are set to come by. One person was the German cutie I was seeing on the date during lunch time at one of my fav brunch spot called Krok Madame. The other person was my Dutch crush and well needless to mention how melodramatic this all resulted and of course I’ve never intended anything as such to take place.

Chinon/Vendée Road Trip, France

It’s still summer and I was on my way to Paris now to get with my sister then we picked up my mom to go onto our yearly road trip. We stopped by the wine country region as always. I’ve notice my friends recently called me “Wine Privileged” and I am beginning to be more grateful from my upbringing and the fact that my parents’ house is located in one of the most amazing wine country region of France. And so we are in Chinon and visiting the Cave Monplaisirs.

The lady owner was formidable in presenting the wine selection with exquisite details of the terrain, the grapes provenance and mixes. This is how I get wine educated by going on a variety of wine tasting and having great conversations. She also kindly offered us an extra bottle (we had to keep it quiet on the gift haha) simply because she enjoyed sharing a great conversation too! We set up our picnic by the Loire river with great sight, a fresh summer breeze, and amazing wine paring (Les Picasses from 2016).

My sister and I rented a beautiful beach house in the Vendée region with a big pool by Saint-Jean-de-Mont beach. We had a lovely time with my mom swimming , BBQ, and just chilling in town. We did a bit of sightseeing but the best experience was going to the oysters’ market casually located in various parts of the roads there called le Délit. I believe to have found the best tasting oysters in my entire life! I stoke a conversation with the bar owner sharing with him my USA stories and then he pointed out that an LA designer was painting the walls of the place. Have a look as it’s pretty quirky. Another good time (yes it’s again about food) was going to Noirmoutier to bunch at Michelin starred or recommended restaurants like L’ilot Bleu. Next stop was a flower park (my mom is a lotus enthusiast) called the Parc Floral de la court d’Aron where we spent a day there having a little French picnic.

Paris, France

This city is always crazy and has the most fun parties. I hung out with the Parisian crew (a bunch of finance folks who prize on expensive champagne bottles. Yeah I know it’s just another life style) and caught up with Taler (@nomadicfille). We had ramen again but this time at Hokkaido.

The following day we went to the street food fest in Place République. Then, we headed towards the roof top at the Art et Métiers hotel. Needless to mention, there was a gorgeous view over the city of Light and the flashing Eiffel Tower but what caught my attention was this cutie sitting right next to me from another group of Parisians. We had a great conversation but I must be so naïve in too many ways, I didn’t realize he was a catch haha. But it’s all good we are friends on Instagram, does that count?

Los Angeles, CA

In September after getting back to San Diego, the following weekend I got on the road towards Vegas, the sin city. But I thought I’d stop by and say hi to my friend Alexie (if you don’t remember her, I had a post on LA here). We caught up over dinner, girls talk then the following day brunched at our favorite place in Abbott Kinney called Gjelina. A bit of window shopping but then it was time for me to get back on the road already.

Vegas/Valley of Fire Road trip, NV

Hanging out with Jo and catching up with his dad I haven’t seen in a couple of years was fun. In short, Fermont experience, losing money gambling, getting fancy drinks at the casino, and hiking in the heat of the Valley of Fire where we almost passed out. I recommend everyone who is passing by Vegas to go check out this out of the ordinary red-bricked landscape. It’s truly breath taking how arid the climate is but how the rock formations come together is pretty amazing.

Big Bear, CA

This road tripping to camping with Arash was in late September so it was indeed freezing cold. We were out of Vodka to keep us warm so in the process I lost my toes overnight for about 8 hours then recovered. The Castle Rock trail hike by Big Bear Lake was pretty intensive in climbing but the view we could catch on top was all worth it with a breathtaking forest views, rock structures, and a distant lake.

Lake Tahoe, CA

Next road trip was made during the thanksgiving holidays. It was very adventurous on the long drive there from San Diego to Lake Tahoe especially in the freezing night. Just had to pick up Massoud along the way in Orange County. As we approached the mountain ranges, we found out too tardily that the snow chains were undersized so we decided to simply deflate the tires in order to create more traction. (3 engineers getting together that’s how things go often!).

London, England

I haven’t been back since a couple of years ago so I was glad to stop by London in December and catching up with my dear Jackie (@passyjacqueline). What I retained the most from being there was experiencing Tinder dating together haha. I recall vividly on one of the bus rides in London City where Jackie and I were eye on out phones swiping left and occasionally right on the app then suddenly we heard 3 older gentlemen exclaiming right behind us “But you keep on swiping left!” hahaha I’ll omit the Brit accent but I couldn’t help than to crack up. It’s an observation that it seems everyone young and old men and women everywhere across the globe is searching for love though this dating tool.

I really enjoyed the low key local hangout (will do a map later if you are interested for I have some tips!) and art exhibits. We went to Blain Southern and checked out the “Between the lines” of Chiharu Shiota and the drawings of Jonas Burget. Indeed, I’d rather avoid doing tourist traps cos I just wanted to create memories being with my dear friend in the most humbling way. Some of the cool places I went to are Tonkotsu ramen, Oslo Hackney bar and club, Blighty Tottenham for brunch, Pop Brixton for the hispter hang out and drinks food hall style, Ace hotel in Shoreditch for a fancy drink at the lounge. For a nice walk I went to Borough market (my fav) and had tapas at Tapas Brindisa. Roof tops I went to Sushi Samba which offers a great view of the Gherkin. Lastly, Jaaguarshoes Collective is a local hang out for casual drinks.

Amsterdam/Eindhoven/The Hague, The Netherlands

Going to Holland is always about catching up with everyone. I also flew from London to Amsterdam as cheap as 37 euro that’s why I love travelling within Europe because of the ease of transport. I’m typically staying at Joffrey’s house in Eindhoven. We always cozy up on his velvet couch in the late evening watching our fav old French show Kaamelott. In the evening I had dinner with my old friend Alain who is half Dutch and half French. We checked out the new hot spot called Kazerne which had a lovely exhibit.

This time I was in Amsterdam meeting up with Jessica. We always have planned for me to go visit the museum where she works at but every time I’m arriving by train so late in the afternoon that I keep missing out. Bummer! However, we grabbed a local Thai food where there was probably 5 tables. It was so tiny but the food was good. We then intended to go for a quick shop to Filippa K (one of my fav shops) but it had already closed by 7 pm.

Next, we just continued strolling around what I find to be the romantic Amsterdam with the light exhibits on the canals. We grabbed some drinks at the Hoxton lounge (one of my fav places to go chill in Amsterdam), and then she insisted on grabbing another drink at a club I’ve never been to, which was ChinChin. There was a karaoke bar, restaurant, and club all in one place. I like catching the train back with her and just keep on conversing about life, our careers, blogging, shopping, personal style, and recently about our love life, dating, and relationships. Needless to mention how glad I am to have getting to know her.

The following day I caught an early train ride from Eindhoven to The Hague to grab brunch with the crew made of Kimberley, Silvana, and finally got to meet Sebastian. We chatted and laughed about everything at the local brunch names Bartine. It was good to see them all. Then afterwards, I had the honor to stroll around the Hague with Sebastian as my personal tour guide. He was showing me the old government buildings, describing the architectural styles, and the history behind them.

And it was already time to head back to Eindhoven to meet up for dinner with other friends. So the lovely Anne showed up with Joffrey. Unfortunately, my friend from work Sander (a Belge guy) and his wife couldn’t stay late into the evening as they have a little toddler to attend to so I only got to see them very briefly. The next day which was Saturday, Jo and I packed our bags, got into the car and set our GPS direction towards Paris to meet up with my sister for a late brunch.

Paris, France

Ahhh Paris is always my fav place in the world! Always crazy and fun at the same time with my lovely sis Britney and the Parisian crew. You probably may have noticed but I also avidly avoid tourristy areas there. I always prefer our local hang outs or discover new hot spots that most tourists are unaware of. We hung out in the newly trend food hall style La Félicita, had a bite and a few drinks then danced our night away.

We also celebrated New Year’s eve in our own terms. No rules nor tips to follow. We simply created our own way of having a great time. No overpriced club tickets bought online, no house party on our agenda. Remember that the best plan is no plan after all. We just walked up towards the Champs-Elysee then grabbed food and drinks at the Beer Station.

The area had been blocked off for the fire work show around the arc de Triomphe but we were located right at the edge of the landmark. Stayed warm, had food and cheering on red wine then champagne, watching the fireworks all in safety and warmth instead of mingling with the crowds on the Champs-Elysee avenue where it was counted that over 150,000 people attended the event. We took the party further towards Pigalle area at the Carmen club where we met the cutie barman Romeo who had a generous amount of dating advice to give away haha.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get much free time at hand to see the group of Paris girls (sorry! Next time for sure!) but got to do a quicky apero at Taler’s house. I got to meet her boyfriend, her cousin from the US, and her other friends. My sister later showed up too!

Tours, France

This was a truly special trip into the wine country of Loire Valley. Typically every time I visit my parents’ house in the Center of France, we’d stop by the neighboring area to go wine tasting and coming back home with boxes of a variety of wines. We are also very intimate with the wine makers of the region so it’s always a pleasure to say hi. But this time, I’d convinced my sister and our friend Aja to come along with me to visit the Tours region and meet up with Antoine at the Domaine de Cray.

It was a lovely wine tour into the sparkling white wine production, the famous Cremant de Loire, where he was showing us the art of riddling wine a la méthode Champenoise. He was showing up the assembly line with some level of automation for the first fermentation to take place where the natural sugar from the grapes are converted into alcohol and letting the carbon dioxide escape from the bottle and makes the base wine or the cuvée. It’s not usually very tasty as it is very acidic. Antoine showed us where these cuvée were stored in those large chambers and even had a sip of it together with the tuxedo cat who serves as great company. I recommend anyone to stop by this winery!

If you made it to read this line, well thanks for reading my stories. Let me know if you enjoy these narratives as much as I do or rather want tips for travel but either way don’t hesitate to drop a comment and I’ll look forward to your inputs.

  Best of 2018 Travel Hi everyone, I guess it's never too late to wish you all a wonderful happy new year!

[drink-n-watch]

It’s been a wild and crazy summer! We’ve laughed, we cried, we oogled girls in bikinis. We didn’t actually cry at all. Also we didn’t laugh all that much either…. Matt and I are back one last time to bring you our take of Harukana Receive. Although our takes on individual episodes may vary, generally we were left with the same impression. Hope you join us for this last discussion of the season and let us know if you watched Harukana, what did you think of it?

unfortunately, all vacations must end

OK – is this show going to pull a Pretty Derby on me and be 13 episodes long? It seems like a conclusion but so did the ep12 of Pretty Derby (to me at least).

I can assure you this is the finale, no false finishes here!

I noticed that color shift in the shadows that you mentioned last week, at the beginning and end of this episode. That was pretty cool.

They did it better in the previous episode, but glad you noticed!

I wanted more Grandma x Akari though. I feel like they cheaped out on that ship. I guess that age difference was a little problematic. And Grandma is married woman…But all that taboo is what made it exciting!

Not even a parting glance, such a shame! Though we did get to see Grandpa finally! Well part of him, guess he’s part-man part-turtle (it was a funny joke to keep the whole ‘female-only aesthetic alive).

this image is relevant to the text, it shows um…female-only aesthetic…

Seeing the hot one again makes me hope there’s another episode. They kept making a big deal about those two throughout the series but they were completely superfluous to the plot. Even as an incentive element, they fall completely short. I did really like the airport episode. However, these are dead weight characters.

I think it’s got more to do with the fact that they’ll play a big role in the non-existent second season. (Okay I don’t know that it won’t get a second season, I’m just assuming…) It probably makes more sense in the manga? That said, I do like it that they didn’t just have them miraculously show up for to watch them play and that they had their own shit to do, felt more realistic that way!

I’m not sure it will get a second season either. I’m notoriously uninformed about the anime world but I really haven’t gotten the impression that this was a runaway hit show.

I admire a show that has the husspaw to do a clip montage in it’s 12th episode! That  bit and the CG water were giving me a Grancrest flashback. I was surprise to note that I’m thinking back on Grancrest considerably more positively than I would have thought. Did you ever watch Grancrest Matt?

You really seem to hone in on that CG, I didn’t even notice, then again I was probably just distracted by other… things… ahem… What’s a Grancrest? Is that something I combine chocolate and marshmallow with?

I was watching the BBQ and thinking we finally get a beach episode….I’m not that smurt.

I mean doing things other than sport at the beach technically counts as ‘beach fun’ rather than ‘beach business’ so you could be forgiven for thinking that… maybe…

she really likes food…this seems familiar

Did you notice that Haruka was shorter than everyone expect Kana.. This really freaked me out. I realize it’s just a little artistic inconsistency (it happens in almost every show), but considering the first episodes, it was awesomely ironic! I’m not sure that’s what ironic means…

Again, can’t say I noticed, man, it’s almost like there’s something about this show that’s inherently distracting…

But you made a big deal about her height in the first episode….Isn’t it ironic that I’m the one noticing it now! Did I get it right this time?

I only made a big deal about it because the show did, literally the second she touches down in Okinawa random people are pointing at her and wondering if she’s a model. If it weren’t for the dialogue I wouldn’t really have noticed either to be honest!

The little fun in the sun bit was cute but for some reason I didn’t like it as much as previous random fun times episodes. I’m not sure why but they seem to have a bit less chemistry than usual. Maybe it’s the awkwardness of losing the match.

I thought it was fine personally, maybe it was because of all that food made them feel lethargic, although apparently not enough for Haruka and Claire to do a bit of practice afterward.

it’s the right characters at least!

I gotta say, if this is the final episode, it’s a bit of a let down for me. Part of it is most likely that the team I was kinda rooting for lost and this show went for the opposite message than what I like about sports anime. However, I also don’t think it showcased how fun and amusing the series can be at its best. Mind you it doesn’t invalidate the season as a whole. I just didn’t like this episode as much as last episode.

Gotta disagree with you on this one, easily my favourite episode of the whole season (yes, even better than bikini try-on episode) I never doubted that Haruka and Kanata would win–even if it was against all logic. It may not have been outright ‘amusing’ but I found it more cohesive and balanced than previous episodes. Like half sports/half socialising fun–that’s the ratio it should have been all season!

I’m pretty sure everyone knew the title characters would win. But predictable endings aren’t always the best. To me it was tonally at odds with most of the series and had no character defining moments. If I wanted to sell this show to someone I wouldn’t use this episode. It did have the best animation though. In my opinion.

Yeah, seems like they saved the majority of the animation budget for the final episode, it was pretty sports-y! (Is that a word? If it is it’s a terrible word…)

The hyphen makes it look fanc-y!

i thought the scrunchy was kind of fancy

I will write more about the entire series once Matt confirms that this was indeed the finale… Matt confirmed it – here I go with my brief overall thoughts. Objectively speaking it’s probably an average CGDCT show (Ed – Matt just sad it’s not a CGDCT show and I believe him – I’m gonna call it a show with cute girls instead…). There’s both worse and better on both technical and narrative merits. Subjectively, I thought it was mostly fun but a little uneven. And I personally would have prefered it without the sport and with more comedy instead. I would say, if you like the stills from the show, you should go ahead and watch it, you’ll probably enjoy it.

I’ll save my more detailed thoughts for a seperate post but my general opinion of this series is strikingly similar to Irina’s, sport is what held this show back, but unlike Irina that’s just because I generally don’t care for sports anime–I thought this show would be enough to change my mind but apparently it doesn’t matter how many and how much cute girls in skimpy bikinis you throw at me I’m still going to caught at that hurdle. Much like Uma Musume last season, I didn’t really connect with any of the girls on this show but still found them pleasant and endearing enough to be around. I’d stop short of calling this a CGDCT show though as it never really felt like one, even when they were just out doing shopping. If anything it’s more akin to those shows about school clubs with a bit of actual tournament action thrown in. I liked the show, I liked the characters, I liked the setting, I liked the vibe–but I didn’t love it.

Do you guys want any more pictures? I’ll give you a few, for old time sakes!

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Harukana Receive Episode 12 with Matt & Irina – Chance Ball It's been a wild and crazy summer! We've laughed, we cried, we oogled girls in bikinis. We didn't actually cry at all.

[johnboothus]

We Asked 15 Bartenders: Whats the Best Frozen Drink Youve Had This Summer?

In the thick of summer, the frozen cocktail gets its moment in the sun. And deservedly so: Few things provide relief from the intense heat like a slushy, boozy drink cold enough to give an old-fashioned brain freeze. What could be more fun?

Over the last decade, the category seems to have entirely shaken off its stigma of being absurdly sweet and artificial-tasting concoctions, thanks to a renewed interest among today’s mixologists whose versions are produced with the same creativity and precision as their unblended counterparts. Now, they are featured on the menus of some of the country’s most highly regarded cocktail bars.

To help identify the best frozen drinks, we asked 15 bartenders to recommend their favorite libations in blended form. From a minty twist on the traditional Piña Colada to a guava-driven Daiquiri, here are the blended adult treats keeping these experts cool and refreshed in the heat.

The Best Frozen Cocktails Recommended by Bartenders:

Donna’s Brancolada

Frozen Avocado Margarita

The Saturn

Banana Stand

Miami Vice

Kelbo’s Guava Daiquiri

Koji Piña Colada

Frozen Irish Coffee

Frozen Margarita

Caipirinha

Rotating Frozen Drink at Dolores

Keep reading for details about all of the recommended bottles!

The Brancolada

“One of my ultimate favorite drinks is the Piña Colada, so when I tried the famous frozen Brancolada created by Jeremy Oertel at Donna’s, I was blown away! Not only did this drink always have the perfect slushy consistency, its name says it all. It has the delicious tropical flavors of coconut and pineapple that make a Piña Colada. Made with Appleton Estate VX Reserve that adds complexity and spice notes, freshly squeezed orange juice, and a minty bitter finish from the Brancamenta, a sweet version of Fernet-Branca with mint. This is a frozen drink that you could enjoy all year around. Sadly, Donna’s is no longer open due to the pandemic, but you can find the recipe online and Donna is doing a summer pop-up in Greenport, Long Island. Long live the Brancolada, long live Donna!” —Natasha Bermúdez, Head Bartender, Llama San, New York

“The Brancolada, at the recently closed Donna in Brooklyn, by Jeremy Oertel, has to be one of my favorite frozen drinks of all time. Even though I haven’t had this drink in a number of years, I still remember it well. One full ounce of Brancamenta can easily overpower any drink but this inventive Piña Colada riff is complex, bitter, and just downright delicious. Donna is one of the best bars. Hopefully it reopens in a new location soon.” —Paul McGee, Owner, Lost Lake, Chicago

“Definitely Donna’s Brancacolada. Brancamenta, Jamaican rum, lime, orange, and coconut, all frozen into that delicious brain-freeze texture. It changed me. You couldn’t stop at one.” —Sam Ross, Co-owner, Attaboy, New York

The Frozen Avocado Margarita

“My favorite frozen drink, maybe of all time, is the Frozen Avocado Margarita at Curra’s Grill. It’s a classic frozen Margarita but the addition of avocado brings a creamy texture similar to that of a fruit smoothie. (Avocado is a fruit, after all!) The gorgeous bright green hue is akin to a green juice, so it’s sort of healthy, wink wink. The salted rim (ask for a chili salt rim if you like some spice!) along with the star of the show, avocado, brings savory qualities and highlights the vegetal and grassy notes of blanco tequila. Curra’s was one of the first restaurants I ate at when I moved to Austin in 2008, so I have many fond memories of drinking these on the patio. Curra’s will be opening their second location in Hyde Park soon, so you’ll most likely see me there, green drink in hand.” —Erin Ashford, Beverage Director, Olamaie and Little Ola’s Biscuits, Austin, Texas

The Saturn

“The Saturn, from Smuggler’s Cove. This is a modern tiki classic you can order in most tiki bars, but Smuggler’s was the first place I tried it. For me, it’s the perfect balance of flavors. London dry gin is the base spirit, combined with passion fruit, fresh lemon, orgeat, and falernum. Then, blended and served in a coupe with lemon peels cut into Saturn’s rings. This cocktail takes your palate on a journey. Herbaceous gin, with tart and bright citrus from the passion fruit and lemon, then the orgeat and falernum combo give you a nutty and baking-spice finish. Blending the Saturn also gives you an incredible mouthfeel and texture. It’s tart, tropical, nutty, spiced, and frozen. Perfect for a warm day, or after a long shift.” —Sam Miller, Bartender, Pagon Idol, San Francisco

“My favorite frozen cocktail, to make and to drink, is the 1950s tropical classic the Saturn. The gin and citrus work perfectly for a cooling [flavor] in the summer heat, paired with the subtle warmth of orgeat and falernum and the tropical notes of passion fruit. It reminds me of a boozy popsicle. I serve mine with a split of passion fruit and blue Curaçao to give a fun pop of color, and garnish it with edible glitter for the extra space vibe.” —Selma Slabiak, Proprietor and Bartender, Selma’s Bar, Ridgewood, N.Y.

The Banana Stand

“Selma Slabiak is doing some super-fun stuff at Selma’s Bar, located inside of Queens brewery Evil Twin. My favorite slushy is the Banana Stand, a fun mix of rums, including Plantation Pineapple, combined with banana liqueur, l’orgeat, and pineapple and lime juices. It’s pure delight. Refreshing and cheerful, it’s a real mood lifter. Bonus points for serving this in a flight with her three other slushies!” —Natasha David, Co-owner, You & Me Cocktails, Red Hook, N.Y.

The Miami Vice

“The Miami Vice. It’s one part Piña Colada, one Strawberry Daiquiri. If fresh ingredients are used, it’s wonderful. Delicious, and perfect for any time.” —Terance Robson, Owner, Here Nor There and Eden Cocktail Room, Austin, Texas

“The Miami Vice. I mean, what’s not to love about it? A combination of two of the best tropical drinks, frozen, and then swirled. No brainer! It’s just so damn deliciously fruity and refreshing. Every time I have one, I’m instantly transported to a beach without a care in the world. I think about pounding a Miami Vice (or two) just about every time I’m weeded on a busy Friday night bar shift.” —Brad Langdon, Bar Director, Albi and Yellow, Washington, D.C.

The Guava Daiquiri

“During my 16-plus years in Los Angeles, the talk of classic tiki drinks was always quite prominent as we were in the birthplace of tiki. When it came time to talk crushed ice in blended cocktails for a seminar in Las Vegas, I went back to the bartender staple Sippin’ Safari for some inspiration and kept doubling back to Kelbo’s Guava Daiquiri. Kelbo’s was a Hawaiian BBQ restaurant circa 1950s on Fairfax Avenue. Imagine having a blended concoction of lime juice, guava nectar, banana liqueur, and either vodka or gin with your Hawaiian BBQ! I was instantly sold. I usually opt for a pot still London dry gin like Citadelle that can enhance and play with all the tropical flavors and add another dimension of flavor. Whether with vodka or gin, though, it’ll be a tropical party where rum lets their vodka and gin friends be the star for a day.” —Jen Len, Beverage Director, MW Restaurant, Honolulu

The Piña Colada

“The best I’ve had in recent memory was a Koji Piña Colada by Austin Hennelly of Majordomo. With Appleton Estate Rum, Aperol, coconut cream, makgeolli, acid-adjusted pineapple juice, and koji, it’s got all of the tropical allure of a Piña Colada with big slap in the face of umami from the koji and makgeolli. The first time I tasted it was while working a pop-up where Austin was making the drinks. I spent the majority of my night lurking around the frozen machine, sneaking quality-control pours for myself. It’s one of those combinations of flavors so satisfying, you can’t help but come back for more.” —Mike Capoferri, Bartender, Thunderbolt, Los Angeles

The Frozen Irish Coffee

“For me, the perfect, most versatile, frozen drink is the Irish Coffee. The delicious combination of coffee, cream, and Irish whiskey (or whatever booze one decides to throw in there) is the perfect pick-me-up the morning after a hard night out and the best way to stay alive during a hot, melting summer afternoon. Everyone is familiar with the frozen Irish Coffee at the Erin Rose in New Orleans, but anywhere I see one I have to give it a try. The balance of creamy texture, dessert motifs, roaring caffeine, and knock-you-over booze makes the frozen Irish coffee my ultimate frozen cocktail.” —Thomas Eslinger, Bartender, Death & Co., Los Angeles

The Frozen Margarita

“The Margarita has to be my favorite, hands down. It was the first frozen alcoholic drink I ever had, so I’ve had a love for it since I can remember. Then, after learning its history and all the different variations that exist, I’ve fallen even more in love with it. It’s a classic that will never go out of style, and will stay at the top of my list of favorites without hesitation.” —Steve Tinnon, Bartender, The Green Lantern, San Antonio, Texas

The Caipirinha

“The Caipirinha is the national drink of Brazil, and for good reason. Made with cachaça rum (pure sugar cane), muddled limes, and sugar, it’s simple and delicious. The simplicity of the ingredients allows each one to shine in a beautiful tropical blend. The first sip reminds you of the rum, and the next 20 remind you of a vacation.” —Katrïn Hayward Miller, Lead Bartender, Sonder & Dram, Lewiston, Me.

The seasonal frozen drink at Dolores

“Right now, my favorite frozen drink is whatever seasonal frozen cocktail is on at Dolores, located here in Providence. Horus Alvarez and the team always focus on showcasing whatever is perfect for the weather and what freshest ingredients are available at the time. The restaurant has done amazing frozen piña coladas, prickly pear Palomas, Daiquiris with Oaxacan rum, and more in the past. But the current offering has blanco tequila, cocchi americano, watermelon, honey, and fresh citrus, always! It’s always an ethereal moment when enjoying a number of these with its tacos and incredible moles to share with a large group of friends.” —Parker Luthman, Head Bartender, The Eddy, Providence, R.I.

The article We Asked 15 Bartenders: What’s the Best Frozen Drink You’ve Had This Summer? appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/wa-15-best-frozen-drinks-summer/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/we-asked-15-bartenders-whats-the-best-frozen-drink-youve-had-this-summer

[weareweagain]

Simon Tellier - Pet Shop Boys/Gloria Gaynor/Charli XCX/Taio Cruz

There's an air of effortless grace and composure that the French bring to the table. They even invented the name for it; a certain je ne sais quoi. A certain thing that is hard to describe, and harder for the non-french to imitate. These are qualities that I think of when I think of Simon Tellier, certainly one of the most talented and yet humble drummers I’ve ever worked with. And he is indeed, very French.

I've known him since I was eighteen. He later told me that when we first met, I spoke much too fast for his new understanding of the English language. We met attending the same music College - Tech Music schools where Simon had landed himself a scholarship to come over from France to study. Eventually we learnt to communicate, and I’ll never forget teaching him the word ‘cobbles’ on the streets of Edinburgh.

A year or so after we met, we both auditioned to join an in-house band at the successful pop production house Xenomania. We got the gig, and it was the most unusual entrance into the music industry for both of us. It was a very structured job - 10am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. Every day, we travelled forty minutes outside of London to a gorgeous house in the country, where our rehearsal space was in fact the pool house by the pool in the vast garden. A wonderful Spanish cook prepared a feast for us all once a week and we were on a salary (although we were not extraordinarily well paid, to have regular money for our first jobs as session musicians was a huge comfort). It was very bizarre, and it's probably safe to say neither of us will work a job like that again.

Everyone in our school knew what a fantastic drummer Simon was, and working with him 5 days a week for many months in that job meant I really got to see it first hand. He had certainly put a lot of work into it, playing drums since he was 4 years old and doing shows with his musician parents around France. He was the youngest endorsee of Mapex when he joined them in 2005. After he embarked on his move to London to attend the music school, and his stint with Xenomania he went on to play with many high profile acts, such as Tinchy Stryder, Taio Cruz, Christophe Willem, Charli XCX and Gloria Gaynor. He’s most recently been busy touring with the legendary Pet Shop Boys. I got on the phone with him one Saturday afternoon to ask him for the details of his tours, past and present…

V: You’ve worked with a string of great artists. I’m so interested to hear all of your stories, especially about working with Gloria Gaynor…

S: Yeah, I’ve done a few shows with her. I was working with another artist who had the same MD (musical director) as Gloria, so she put me forward when they needed a dep drummer. They asked if I could read music, which I could. It was all the original band apart from me, and there was no rehearsal, so I met them all at sound check. The gig was on this beautiful beach in Italy. I started to set up and organise my charts on my laptop, but I realise I had forgotten to bring a foot-switch so I could turn the pages of the charts during the show. I ended up having to have a very sweet local crew guy sit next to me for the entire show, turning the pages on my laptop every time I nodded at him, all whilst my snare was smashing his ear drums.

V: It just shows you’ve gotta be nice to your local crew, they’re worth their weight in gold! You never know what you might need to ask of them!

S: Yeah, luckily he was happy to do it, but it was really funny. My next show with her was a Russian wedding, in Greece. After a horrible long journey there, we eventually turned up to a beautiful resort. All our rooms had balconies, it was beautiful. I had greek coffee for the first time. The whole place stunk of money, and the audience didn’t really seem to care when we played. Of course everyone got up for ‘I Will Survive’ but it was a shame. The most glamorous show we did with her was at an artist’s (who won’t be named!) end of summer private party in St. Tropez. It was in a club with a tiny stage, and there wasn’t even a line check before the show. The party was crazy; it was like a champagne spraying contest in there. It was filled with A-list celebs; I even saw Simon Cowell there. There were girls walking round in nothing but lingerie, handing out cigars and cigarettes that we could smoke inside.

V: Wow. And what is Gloria like?

S: She’s great, really lovely. And all her gigs were kind of like that. We played a yacht designers birthday party at the yacht club in Monaco which was nuts.

V: Fair enough, I’m sure she’s only going out for the right money and shows. Those all sound like fun, glamorous shows. What other shows from your career have been some of your favourites?

I really loved playing with Birdy, and the French artist, Christophe Willem. It was nice to be in France so much, and playing with him was surreal as I watched him on TV when I was sixteen, winning Pop Idol. Fast forward five years later, and I’m playing shows and getting drunk with the guy.

V: Yeah that must have been really strange. It’s funny how music can put you in those scenarios; it can elevate you from being at home watching someone on TV, to then being on stage with them. What other moments have been surreal for you?

S: I remember when Taio Cruz had his big hit, ‘Higher.’ Myself and my girlfriend at the time would always be singing it, almost in parody as it was on the radio and being played absolutely everywhere. Then the MD, Kojo, gives me a call and asks me to come audition for him. It was funny. The Gloria Gaynor gigs were always surreal too. Obviously ‘I Will Survive’ was such a big hit, but I knew so much of her music from listening to it at my grandmothers house growing up. She would always be played on this french radio station called ‘Nostalgie.’ Of course, my current shows with Pet Shop Boys are surreal. Every time we play ‘West End Girls’ it’s really great. It’s such a good track, I never get bored of it.

V: Yeah, to be playing tracks you’ve grown up to, with the artists themselves must feel so great. How has it been with touring with Pet Shop Boys, since they are such an established act?

S: It’s been really great; the venues and crowds have been amazing. The craziest bit for me was the second South American leg we just did. It was mostly festival shows, and we played at ‘Rock in Rio.’ It’s the biggest festival and stage I’ve ever seen. When you’re playing, you can’t see where the sea of people ends. There were 150,000 people there.

V: That’s amazing. I find playing to big crowds so addictive. It’s such a buzz. Do you crave big crowds or prefer smaller venues?

S: I love the adrenaline of the big crowd, but it’s fun to play in small clubs too, and have that close proximity to a crowd. You can actually see the people’s faces. Sometimes there’s more energy in the smaller clubs too. But the audiences were great in South America. Pet Shop Boys are big in Brazil, but it can be a dangerous country, so they had to make sure everything was a safe as possible. We flew by private jet a lot, which was obviously amazing. One night when we were in Brazil, Chis and Neil invited the whole crew out for a big dinner at a Brazilian BBQ restaurant - which is the best food ever! We were eating, when I noticed there were two big, intimidating looking guys sitting near to us. I didn’t think much of it, but when we got up to leave the restaurant, they got up too. We walked to a petrol station next to our hotel to get some drinks; in Brazil the petrol stations are a place to drink and socialise. There’s seats outside, and people pull up their cars and play loud music. It’s a bit shitty honestly, but it has great vibes. It’s warm, and people are in a great mood. The two big guys follow us there too. We go back to the hotel and everyone is in the lobby saying goodnight, and I notice the two guys are sat at the hotel bar. Everyone but myself and two others have gone to bed. I go out for a cigarette and one of the guys follows me. I’m getting really worried now. He comes up to me and says ‘hey, you must be Simon.’ I’m assuming he must be a big fan or something… it turns out he was our security guard.

V: What a weird way to be acquainted with your security! You think he would’ve been introduced to you...

S: I guess he didn’t wanna intrude, and wanted to find the right moment to say hi. They decided to get security because they got mugged before in Rio. By drag queens. It was in the Daily Mail the next day.

V: Wow, well that’s a story! How did you get on with your security after that introduction?

S: I had really funny but awkward experience with one security guard. I had met this girl in Brazil. She wanted to hang out with me after our show, so I suggested grabbing some drinks from the petrol station next to the hotel. What I didn’t realise was that Victor, the local security guard had to come with me to meet this girl. Everyone else had gone to bed, so he was free to monitor me. So, all three of us go. He sat on a table next to us whilst we tried to talk and have a date. Every time I went to the bathroom he had to come with me. I felt bad; I told him it that he didn’t have to, but he said it was his job and he had to. After a while it just got too weird and we just invited him to join us. The thing is, he was a really attractive guy, and it turned out he went to the same school as this girl and they were starting to really get along.

V: Did he poach your date?!

S: No, but I caught her looking at him! Eventually, she hinted that we should go back to my hotel room to be alone… but he had to take us up the elevator! He finally left us at the door, thankfully! That was definitely awkward.

V: It sounds like an eventful tour.

S: It was a great year touring with them, but after that year of working really solidly, I wanted to go home. I’ve never had that before, but I was just so tired. I got sick in Brazil too, which made it harder. You’re just with the same people all the time. You can’t really write music. I missed my friends and family. You’re sick of airports, cars, hotel rooms. You feel like you don’t have your own space, and nothing is yours. It gets really strange. And strange because it was the first time that I had ever felt like that. I was getting pissed off for no reason. At the peak of my frustration, I had a situation with airport security when they took my drum key away. I just kicked off at them, and that’s not like me at all.

V: Do you prefer to be at home then?

S: Well, I’m creating and inventing the other side of my career when I’m at home. I want to be both touring and spending time at home; it’s about getting the balance. I love touring, but I love writing too. Ideally, I can be comfortable enough to choose where I put my focus and not just take gigs just because I need the money.

V: Yeah, I think it’s great if you can strike a balance. So what music are you producing when you aren’t touring?

I compose a lot of library and advert music. For the last three years I’ve been doing a lot of it. My housemate Sarah (DeCourcy - Musical Director) got me into it and has been helping me so much. She said to me, “you know, you’re making music in your bedroom and you’re not making any money from it.” I thought, “fair point!” Every quarter its nice to get that PRS cheque. It’s really good for when I’m not touring… since touring can be so sporadic, writing is the regular thing. It’s not always instant money, especially to begin with, but it’s a good investment of my time.

V: Where did you learn your production chops?

S: I’ve been producing for a long time but only recently started taking it seriously. Sarah taught me a few things, and I learnt from videos and things online. I’m not really a mixer, but it’s important to have some mixing skills to get something simple sounding good.

V: Yeah, I guess job one is getting the programming and live recording right, because well, you cant polish a turd! You can’t mix it to make it sound good if it wasn’t in the first place. Do you use Logic?

S: Yeah, and a little bit of outboard gear. I use a Fat Man compressor. I would love to get some Neve preamps, but it’s two grand for a little piece of gear… it’s a lot! Honestly, I don’t really have anything fancy, I’ve got one mic - an SE G3500, and I’ve got my bass and guitars. The rest is all in the box. I learnt how to use synthesisers properly, what they actually do rather than using presets and just hoping for the best. Producing library music really changed the game for me. I just talk to lots of other people who give me tips. The musical director with the Pet Shop Boys is a producer too. I always call him up to ask questions. I would also love to release my own music, and make my own animation movies to accompany it. I guess it would be like Gorillaz; I don’t want to be the face of it. I’m still searching for my sound and who I am musically. I’m not sure which direction I will go, but its part of the process. I’m not going to release anything until I know what I am.

V: Is there anything else you like to do when you come off the road?

I do love going out and being social.

I’ve been thinking about drawing a lot…I would love to design my own clothes. The Pet Shop Boys have a wardrobe designer, Jeffery Bryant who has really inspired me. He dresses Duran Duran, Lady Gaga - everyone. He’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. He can make an outfit out of anything. We were at a festival in Spain, and he took a table cloth from catering and made me a jacket out if it. I wore it for some photos that night. He really inspires me.

V: I remember you telling me the team were really into your natural style and ‘look’ for the band. Weren’t you also dressed in cloaks or something strange for the show too?

S: We have a big plastic helmet we wear at the beginning of the show, and we put back on later.

V: How do you find it performing in that?

S: It’s not easy, we have to sing and play in them, and you can’t really see very well in them. On some songs we have to sing and walk, so you have to be careful where you’re going! We got used to it though.

V: Have you ever had embarrassing moments on tour that spring to mind? Or a time where things went wrong?

There was this one time during a Christophe Willem show in France. We were playing Amneville Arena. It was going great, and it was the middle of the gig during the acoustic section, where it’s just a pianist and Christophe. I go off stage to get my usual sugar rush, eat a chocolate bar or something. All of a sudden, it all goes dark and there’s a power cut. The generators should have kicked in, but the power had cut a while ago and they had already been keeping the show going for a while and ran out of juice. So, we decide to go and grab the acoustic guitar. The crew took their torches and lit up Christophe’s face. The audience, all 25,000 of them, start shushing and we play a few songs like that until the power came back. It was a technical problem, but it made the show really special. I think that should be part of a show one day, a fake power cut!

V: That sounds amazing. Did you have any big learning curves on tour, or learn any big lessons quickly? I always remember on our tour together opening for Paolo Nutuni, I learnt quickly to respect the headliners space. I passed the band quickly in the corridor whilst they were waiting to go back on for their encore and the tour manager really told me off later for ‘getting in their way.’ I think in reality, he was much more strict than most tour managers, but I certainly learnt my lesson quickly…

S: I’m always prepared for the worst, as anything can happen. During a show with Birdy, the metal parts of my kick pedal broke. It was an acoustic gig, so it was really obvious. Luckily, I was also using drum triggers, so I quickly programmed a kick sound that I could trigger with another pedal. I feel like you always need to have two snares with you. If the kick drum skin breaks, you can always turn it. It was good lesson, to always have some kind of back up pedal. I also learnt not to do too many stick tricks when I started working with Xenomania. I remember missing the ‘1’ a few times because of them, so I stopped doing that quickly!

V: Do you have any fan stories you can share?

S: I have a big fan who created a website about me, a big Christoph Willem fan. She lists current projects and posts things regularly; it’s a really professional site. I should be paying her!                                   

To find out more about Simon visit his website: https://www.simontellier.com/

Or if you’re the curious type, visit Simon’s fan site: http://oh-stelliers.tumblr.com/

Vicky Warwick

[lovemesomesurveys]

What is the closest book to you? Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa TerKeurst. 

Are you reading it or someone else? I'm reading it. It’s the book for the Bible study I’m currently doing.

What is the most expensive thing you own that plays music? My MacBook.

Do you have any siblings? If so, what are their names? I have two brothers. Ever wear colored contacts? No, I've never worn any kind of contacts.

What color is your hair? Naturally, it’s dark brown, but I’ve been dyeing it red the past 6 years.

What kind of shoes do you have on? I'm not wearing any shoes.

Do you like watermelons more or cherries? Watermelon. 

Do you like it when it rains? “I’m only happy when it rains, I’m only happy when it’s complicated.” Anyway, yes, I love when it rains. 

What was the last thing you bought? My brother’s birthday gift and something for me.

Do you get cold easily? No, I get hot easily.

Do you have a job? Nope.

Do you own a dictionary? No. I just use Google if I need to look up a word.

Do you like to mow the yard? I’ve never done it. I don’t have any interest in doing it. It would be hard for me to do as well.

Besides your mouth, where is your favorite spot to get kissed? Neck.

Who was the last person you ate with? My mom.

Did you take a nap at all today? No, it’s only 12:45AM. I took a nap yesterday, though.

Who was the last member of the opposite sex you laid in a bed with? No one.

What color is your father’s car? Green.

Where’s the last place you wore a hoodie to? To my doctor’s office.

Are your nails painted any special color? They’re not painted at all. I haven’t painted them in years.

Give us your plans for the next three hours? Right now I’m doing surveys and listening to ASMR. In about an hour or so I’ll probably make my usual nightly bowl of ramen and catch up on some YouTube videos while I eat. Then I’ll go back to surveys and ASMR.

Can you live a day without TV? Yeah, easily.

Have you ever had a best friend who was of the opposite sex? Yes, a few.

Do you prefer broccoli or asparagus? Broccoli all the way. I don’t like asparagus.

Do you have any complaints about your life? “Hey, wait, I got a new complaint.”  

Where was the last place you stayed over? A hotel last year.

Skim, 1%, 2%, or whole milk? None of those, I use vanilla almond or soy milk. Lately, I’ve been really into the Almond Breeze vanilla milk that has a hint of honey in it.

Are you reading any books right now? Yeah, I’m reading two: “Autumn’s Game” by Mary Stone and “Forgiving What You Can’t Forget” by Lysa TerKeurst. 

Now what are you listening to? I’m still listening to ASMR.

Do you have any bug bites? Nope.

Do you have any flowers in your room? No.

Do you know anyone that owns horses? No.

When was the last time you used one of those temporary public toilets? Are you referring to a porta potty? Never.

Do you live anywhere with any interesting landmarks? Not in my city particularly, but yeah my state has a lot.

When you were little, did you ever go to feed the ducks? Yes. When I got older I learned you shouldn’t do that, though.

When was the last time you visited the zoo? Did you get to feed any of the animals? About 5 years ago, I think. I got to feed a giraffe, which was awesome.

Would you ever want to own one of those little teacup pigs? No.

Do you like the taste of champagne, or do you think it’s a bit overrated? I didn’t care for it.

Given the chance, would you take a trip into outer space? Nooo. Just the idea of outer space creeps me out. I can’t even look at pictures. 

Have you seen any of the seven wonders of the world in person? No, sadly. 

Do people ever try and start poke wars with you on Facebook? That hasn’t been a thing in over a decade. 

What’s a restaurant that you won’t ever eat at again? This Mongolian BBQ place I used to love just because I can’t eat spicy food anymore. :( 

Did you have your morning coffee this morning? Or do you not like coffee? I haven’t gone to bed, yet, but I absolutely will have my coffee after I get up later. That’s a given.

Do you ever let scary movies get to you, and end up scaring yourself? Nah, not anymore. I love ‘em.

Is there someone you know that is absolutely repulsive? No.

Are you tired from last night? I’m always tired. 

Do you have over 400 songs on your iPod? Are all of your songs good? I definitely had more than 400 songs on my iPod. I couldn’t tell you the exact amount cause it’s been stored away and unused since like 2012, but yeah. Well yeah, they were all good to me hence why I had them on there.

Do you eat randomly, just whenever the hell you want? Yeah.

Did you have trouble getting up this morning? Like I said, I haven’t gone to bed yet. However, I always have a hard time getting up so I could just say yes to this question now. 

What’s a few things that automatically make you go, “Awwwe”? My doggo just existing, basically. haha. Do you have soft hands? Do you like holding hands? My hands could use some moisturizer. And yes, but I get self-conscious because my hands get clammy a lot.

Have you ever burnt a food, and make the whole house smell gross? Yeah. Why does burnt popcorn smell so awful? You wouldn’t think something like that would have such a strong, gross smell. I know I’ve had that happen with some other microwave food, too.

If so, what was the food you burnt while cooking? ^^^

Wouldn’t it be awesome if you had your own personal jet pack? This reminds me of a random dream a friend of mine had several years ago (that I still remember for some reason) where she said I had a jet pack and used that to get around instead of my wheelchair, lol. Suuuuper random, but apparently it stuck with me all this time.

What’s your opinion on perfumes that are REALLY expensive? Do you like them? I mean, there’s some really nice smelling expensive ones for sure, but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend a ton of money on something like a perfume. Everyone has their thing and that’s fine, but that wasn’t one of mine. Name a thing that melts in your mouth that you love: Walkers shortbread cookies do when I dip them in my coffee. They’re so good. Do you like roasting marshmallows? Can you toast one perfectly? I do, but I haven’t had much experience doing so. 

Have you ever burnt your tongue like REALLY bad? If so, what on? Yeah, with really hot coffee, really hot cheese on pizza, ramen that wasn’t cooled down enough, Pizza Rolls, Hot Pockets... 

Do you like having random power naps now and then? I wouldn’t say I like them, but sometimes sleep just wins and I give into them.  I just always feel groggy and more tired after a nap. 

Is your hair soft? Do you ever brush it at work or school? Yeah. I used to carry a travel brush in my bag when I was in school and used it sometimes if needed.

What do you think about lip gloss? Do you ever wear lip gloss? I like how it looks, especially a tinted one, but I didn’t wear it often. It’s been a long time since I’ve worn lip gloss.

Are you currently worried about your parents finding out about something? No.

Don’t you hate it when your drink is too hot to drink? I want my coffee to be really hot, but yeah I get impatient ha.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever made in a metal/wood work class? I made a simple doll house. It was super basic, but still.  

Do you like concerts? If so, do you like being in the mosh pit? Yesss. Concerts have such a cool energy and vibe. I love singing (shouting) along to the songs and just having a good time. It’s been over a decade since my last concert. :( And no, I never went in a mosh pit. That would not be my idea of a good time at all. I imagine getting claustrophobic, overheated, and hit and shoved. 

Do you like a lot of dairy products? What’s one of your favorites? I love cheese. I’m lactose intolerant, but thankfully cheese doesn’t seem to bother me. I’ve actually read a lot of people who are lactose intolerant can handle cheese. 

Have you ever “liked” two guy best friends at the same time? Yes.

Who can you trust more secrets with, a best guy friend or a best girl friend? It wouldn’t matter what gender they were.

Where are the best cinnamon buns made? Do you love cinnamon buns? Cinnabon from my experience. Mmm, that sounds so good right now.

Have you ever had a REALLY bad rug burn? Did someone drag you? No. Those look and sound so painful, ow.

Do you think pasta and salad go good together? What’s your favorite in mind? Spaghetti and salad do. I love mixing them together. I eat my spaghetti with ranch anyway, so it doesn’t bother me.

Do you like going go-karting in the summer? Do you floor it when driving? I’ve never been.

Did you like eating Happy Meals at Mcdonald's as a kid? Yeah. I remember how exciting it was to be able to get McDonald’s, haha. And if you were the kid who got to have McDonald’s for lunch at school, you were so envied.

You can go to any restaurant; what restaurant, and what do you order? Wingstop. I’d order my usual, boneless garlic parm and lemon pepper wings, fries with extra parm seasoning, and a couple sides of ranch.

Have you ever sat on the computer for more than 4 hours? Uh, countless times. Even longer than that.

Do you ever go on youtube and browse and look for new songs? No, I don’t use YouTube for that.

Do you have a brother who is quite the video game fanatic? He’s not a video game fanatic, but he has some favorites.  Are you a video game lover? Whats your all time favorite video game? I wouldn’t say that, but there are those I like. Mario Bros anything, really. I was into this series called Life is Strange and Life is Strange 2 a few years ago. I’ve also been playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Switch for the past year.

When your cat stares at you, do you stare back? I don’t have a cat, but I do that to my dog sometimes.

What grandparents are better, the ones on your mom's or dad's side? I was closer to my maternal grandparents, who sadly have both passed away, but I wouldn’t say either set of grandparents are better. I just had a different relationship with them. I have a good relationship with my paternal grandparents as well.

Do you like to have cake on your birthday? Which kind of cake in mind? Sometimes I’ll opt for cheesecake. 

What is your absolute ALL time favorite song at the moment? I don’t have a current particular favorite at the moment. I haven’t been listening to music lately.

Do you like drinking Mochas? (Hot Chocolate and Coffee together): I like white chocolate mochas. Peppermint white chocolate mochas, especially.

Do you ever get random headaches? If so, why do you think the reason is? Yeah. *shrug* It’s just one of those things that happen.

Have you ever seen your mom cry? Is it hard for you to see your mom cry? Yes, several times. Anytime I’ve seen her cry it just hurt my heart and made me really upset, too. 

Are you sick and tired, of being sick and tired? I really, really am.

What’s your favorite cereal? Did you ever eat the cereal Trix? All the sugary ones, basically. ha. And yes, I like Trix.  Are you allergic to anything REALLY weird? Do you know someone who is? I’m allergic to tangerines, which seems pretty random. Do you like Oreo cookies? Or are chocolate chip ones better…? I like both, but my favorite cookies are sugar and shortbread.

Are you a fan of spicy foods? What’s the spiciest food ever in your opinion? I used to be back when I could eat spicy foods. I was obSESSED. I can’t have it anymore, though. :(

[twistednuns]

July 2020

Change. Transition and transformation.                                            

Feeling like a proud mum during my first graduation class’ final exam. They’re all gonna leave the nest so soon.

Meeting my colleagues at Michi’s own “Isar beach”. Ordering truffle pizza. Watching the storm clouds coming closer. Retreating to Michi’s flat. Talking to the dude with the guitar about life-changing travel experiences. Making fun of the stalkers across the street. Psychedelics-talk with Lorenz. Having a last drink at Rosi’s. My first time in a bar in many many months.

Tapas with Lena and Maike. Walking in linen shoes in the pouring rain. Listening to Knorkator on the subway.

New clothes. Loose, high-waisted pants, jeans shorts, a lemon print dress. A graphic, artsy Monki dress. A new hat and a bargain from COS (a sweater for only €5,85, wow).

My spontaneous meet-ups with Manu at the Asian take-away restaurant. Last time I started smiling brightly when a little kid walked past us very proudly with their brand new Schultüte.

Rest. A clean apartment. Cleaning in general (weird obsession atm; I even cleaned Manu’s whole kitchen when I was making veggie stew for him during his ear infection; but also I sang Soft Kitty for him). Gardening. Cooling down with water spray, après sun spray and cool-packs from the freezer.

Leoni’s essay actually made me laugh out loud. We had a bet going on. If she managed to use the word turkey in her essay I would have to give her €10. Well, she did it. Also, she invented and app called Teenage Mutant Karate Cats and signed off with Love, Karen. Such a gem.

That feeling when you put the pen down and the work is finally done. So liberating (after grading the final exams).

My blackroll. The only thing that helps after working at a desk for a few hours. My back hates grading papers. And using the kitchen as a temporary workspace. The smell of coffee, the humming of the dishwasher, sitting right by the window. Using all the colours to mark the essays. I love highlighter pens.

The smoke alarm lady’s charm. I only see her once a year when she comes to check on the smoke alarms but I kinda like her.

Staying late. Singing in an empty school. Not having to be quiet for once.

People standing in for gay rights and diversity. Which is why I loved the Circus of Books documentary. And the Netflix series POSE. Blanca and Pray are my favourite characters, of course.

I was satisfied with the Dark series ending. Couldn’t have hoped for more.

Raspberry plants for only 1€. I couldn’t resist.

Teaching some English lessons in other classes. Not actually facing any resistance, they really liked working with me. They asked questions and were interested, what the heck? In the final lesson with the 9d ladies we actually carved out some time to learn the cup song and sing karaoke on full volume. The girls showed my a Dua Lipa song I hadn’t heard before, I really liked it. And they wanted to hear My Heart Will Go On. Just imagine blasting the Titanic song and a whole group of teenagers singing along as dramatically as possible.

Manu feeding me with Toffifee while watching a brainless rom-com.

A day trip to Chiemsee with Sash. We were ON A BOAT, had Aperol Spritz in the sunshine right by the lake. Lots of walking, talking, inspecting flowers and eating good food. In the end we went swimming (for the first time this year?). How I had missed the water. Browsing magazines on the train. Talking about hair care and secret dreams. Coffee with ice-cream for dinner.

Making snack berries. Dipping blueberries in Greek yoghurt, rolling them in grated coconut and off to the freezer. A great healthy snack. (But of course I’m also obsessed with actual Raffaellos this month.)

A day at the lake with Verena, Silvia and Nicole. Great picnic lunch, 90’s revival music. Spotting huge fishies underwater. Taking photos of Verena in order to work on some ideas for her back tattoo. Low point: stepping into a bee and the worst sunburn ever.

The Karlsfeld train underpass. Lots of interesting underwater creatures that actually look like vintage illustrations.

Westpark. One of my favourite green spots in Munich. Lunch at Gans am Wasser (veggie seitan kebab), walking over to Rosengarten, ice-cream for dessert. Cycling home. Stopping to pick some flowers.

BBQ with some colleagues. Playing some weird trampoline volleyball game. Chasing Luise (the weiner dog) around. Being the DJ. In the end I sat there with Michi, Laura and Nicole. Drove home with a quite drunk Michi who didn’t stop talking.

A picnic with the kids and their parents to say our final goodbyes. Culinary presents from the parents, a graduation T-shirt from the students. Taking lots of photos, talking until it got dark. On the next day I had to go up on stage for the graduation ceremony. I was super nervous but so glad when it was all over. I went home with arms full of flower, wearing my constellation dress. On the parking lot Nicole and I even had a little fun with a helium balloon.

I went straight home to visit my mum on the last school day so I enjoyed a weekend there. Singing with my mum and my brother, healthy meals, inspecting the garden, making a gorgeous bouquet with some sunflowers I had brought with me and buddleja twigs from the garden. Walking through the neighbourhood with my mother, feeding chickens (my mother is just as crazy as me, the video I made of her talking to the birds is proof), going to the fleamarket (also for the first time this year). Meeting Michi U., Sash, Julia, Lena and Obi at Yvonne’s vegan cafe. Iced almond coffee, two full tables filled with vegan food. Talking to the owner about creative projects. Meeting Catrin and Andi at Brillengalerie (Birkenstock inspiration!).

Learning about resonant breathing, medicinal mushrooms and the psychological origin of illness.

Salt with smoky paprika and lemon-infused olive oil.

Harvesting pea pods on my balcony.

Talking to a body therapist. A morning walk through Schwabing. Treating myself to some Bircher muesli and fresh juice. Walking through some stores I had never been to before. Discovering a mirror gallery. Later some vegetarian sushi, Pho and a massage appointment. Lying in bed with Manu, right in front of the ventilator. Eating sinful cookies'n'cream magnum, talking about sex, health, music, life. Making late-night pizza.

Talking to Franzi on the phone. Reading a graphic novel set in Munich. Great drawings of the city. I loved the interior of Pimpernel club. Really well done.

Meeting Laura at her osteopathy practice for the first time. I really like her. Later it turned out that she’s friends with Becky! Laura taught me how to sit and stand and felt her way into my scoliosis.She has such a soft approach, let’s see how happy I’ll be with that treatment. But I obviously need to join her Cantienica class.

Hardware store, heavy plant transport. Finding a lot of cheap flower pots in the antique store.

Eating my first home-grown tomato. Just a little herbal salt. So nice. You can actually taste the sunshine.

Gute Laune herbal tea. In the middle of summer. With the doors closed to keep the heat out.

This tie-dye idea.

I sat on the balcony when a sudden thump made a tiny little bird fall right in front of me. It had collided with my living room window. Its wing was twisted so I put it right and the bird hopped off, resting in a dark corner, closing its eyes all the time. I looked up how to help and was really sad because the internet warned me that most birds would die a few hours after a collision but after ten minutes the bird hopped onto a twig, some more hopping, and flew off. I really hope you made it, little friend! Have a nice summer!

Watching The Expanse with Lena and Obi. Watermelon-Feta salad with mint. Drinking homemade lemonade, sparkly bloodorange wine and coffee with ice-cream.

An electric blue summer dress.

The Russian-themed Sjöden autumn catalogue.

Taylor Swift and Bon Iver - Exile. Such an incredibly beautiful song.

Making a fantastic Indian eggplant/chickpea curry with coriander, paneer and tofu. Delicious.

And the last crazy thing I need to talk about this month is Becky. She texted me during the graduation ceremony on the last day of the school year and told me that she’d be one of my colleagues from now on!! Crazy. The trio is back together. I met her at our usual Italian restaurant and we talked for hours. So much to catch up on. She is still a person I vibe and click with. However, I’m also a little scared because somehow she represents a chapter of my life I have closed. So she seems a little out of place in this new little corner of the world I have created for myself. But I’m sure it’s gonna turn out great!

[littledaydreamsofyou]

Flying Visits

So, I haven’t done this before but here goes ....

I submitted this a couple of months ago to @stylesunchained and thought that I would post this here and see what happens.

I would love to hear what you guys think, if anything at all ....

---------

"Please, it will be so fun. You're not an 'merican too so I'll have someone to get though all of the USA’s with” Harry had all but pulled out the pouty lips and puppy dog eyes as you had Facetime’d one Monday morning for you, Sunday evening for him, what with the time difference and all to the East Coast of America. “I don’t know, it’s not as easy for me to just jet off somewhere.  Some of us have to work you know” you teased whilst sipping on your freshly made smoothie trying not to gag on the green slop, so much for the Summer body!  “Oh come on, I know you’ve been banging on to Gemma about needing a holiday.  Just do it, come see me.  It’ll be great.”  Harry did have a point, I had been harping on to Gemma about needing a holiday ever since I went back to work after Christmas and with money saved up the only thing in my way was my manager and a signed holiday form.  “I have no doubt that it would be anything other, I’ll just have to speak with work and see how that goes before we put anything in motion”, “Oh, so it’s uh not a definite no, then?” Harry sounded a little shocked, apprehensive almost.  “It’s a ‘I’ll see what I can do’ I’m going to have to go, speak soon H”, “Yeah sure, speak to yeh later”.

That conversation took place before 7am on Monday morning and by 11pm on Friday evening you had taken off from Heathrow with Los Angeles as your destination. By some miracle your manager gave you annual leave after the Bank Holiday so you could have like 10 days or so in the California sunshine.  You’d had dinner with Gemma on the Thursday to divulge your plans - you had known her longer than Harry, when you first moved to London a new work colleague hooked you up with a friend that was on the lookout for a new roommate, that person was Gemma and as a result you had eventually met Harry.  Now you were on your way to see the other Style’s sibling albeit with more butterflies than were present in your tummy at Thursday dinnertime.

“Hey you!” Glenne engulfed you into her arms in the Arrivals at LAX who you had approached the familiar face holding the cliched sign with your name on it.  “Hi stranger! How come you’re here?” Admitted you were surprised to find Glenne here, Harry had said that he would arranged for you to get picked up but you were expecting the usual silent type, dressed in all black who called you M’am the entire journey. “Well we have the weekend off and so I nominated myself to be your designated driver, welcome to LA!” Glenne explained as you wheeled your suitcase out into the glorious sunshine and towards the multi-storey car park to find her SUV, the quintessential staple of a California girl it would seem. “So what’s the plans for the weekend? I’ve never celebrated an American holiday before so I’m expecting big things, huge in fact”, “Well I hope that you won’t de disappointed.  Jeff’s family have organised a little party out in Malibu on Sunday for Memorial Day which we’re all going to and that’s the only thing set in stone at the moment”. “Oh cool, I’ve never met them before..” I started, “They know you’re coming and can’t wait to meet ‘Harry’s Friend” Glenne winked at me as she drove. “God, is that what i’m being referred to as, wink and all?” I internally cringed, the last thing I wanted was people thinking I was some money-grabbing girl who was here for a free ride. “No winks were present, they’re just looking forward to meet Harry’s friend from home and H is really looking forward to having a piece of home out here with him too”, “So, is the the one where everyone wears white?”

With Glenne successfully explaining what the appropriate attire would be for the Memorial Day bash in Malibu, a quick stop at In-N-Out Burger for me and Glenne pointing out all of the tourist highlights on the way, when we pulled up at Harry’s new Los Angeles home he was nowhere in sight. “I think Jeff had mentioned about them going to a new spot for Brunch or something” and it seemed that she was right when the both of them turned up within 45 minutes of us parking on the drive. “Ah what a sight! That face! God you look like home!” Harry screamed out as he walked through the hallway to where you stood in the kitchen in clear view of him. “Nice to see you too” you spoke at normal level with Harry’s arms wrapped around you and your face pressed into his neck, he still looked and felt the same as he did before he became Number One in 84 Countries and took off on promo.  That was a great comfort. “I can’t believe you’re here yeh know.  Always turned me down before” Harry pulled back, still keeping his hand on your shoulder.  “Like I said, some of us actually have to work” you repeated squeezing his wrist on your right shoulder and smiling at him, had he always looked this wonderful? Did jet lag set in this quickly?

With Saturday being your first day in LA the four of you had decided on a day at the house and ordering in dinner and making a plan of action for tomorrow.  With an itinerary in place, a wake up call of 8am for yourself decided on and a departure time to Malibu at 11am agreed upon, Glenne and Jeff left for the night. “Bloody hell, what have you got in here?” Harry huffed as he carried your bag up the staircase.  “Options, lots of options” you murmured feeling the time difference just slightly.  “Always prepared, right?” Harry questioned pulling the door open to one of the guest rooms, “So you’ve got towels in the bathroom, the TV remote is on the bedside. Oh, um, there is a uh, a blanket in the wardrobe for  yeh, know how yeh get cold and that”, “Thanks H, you’re the best” you yawned out giving him a side cuddle.

“Harry, are you ready to go?” you showed up the stairs, the clock just about to hit 11am. “I thought having your hair cut off meant you could get ready quicker?” “Quite the opposite actually. Yeh see, I’ve got to uh, make sure the quiff is right” Harry came down the stairs with his keys, wallet and phone all in one hand. “Whatever you say Princess, do you want a bottle of water for in the car?” You asked opening up the fridge and stalling for a second, “Jesus, Joseph and Mary, who’s done a big shop for you?”, “Well I knew yeh were coming, and uh I did it myself, there’s some of you’re uh favourites in there”  Harry reached in behind you grabbing two bottles with his spare hand and shutting the fridge door before it started to beep, “Ready?”.

As your father said, American’s did not do things by half.  The Azoff’s had rented out a whole restaurant for their party and there was a BBQ in full swing, canapés going around for those who were only peckish, cocktails and mocktails being circulated and the bathrooms had the best mirror for a full length selfie which you and Glenne had taken full advantage of. You could get used to this life you thought as you leant against the railings overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  The atmosphere was amazing and as your eyes fell on Harry you laughed at yourself thinking of all of the times you and Gemma had ripped into him about his LA lifestyle and now here you were lapping it up.

You had been doing a scan of the terrace whilst considering a trip over the to BBQ for a second time that afternoon when you saw Harry coming towards you, sashaying and swinging his hips to make you laugh, stupid grin on his face and two margaritas in hand. “Happy Memorial Day!” he cheers’d his glass with you “Right back atcha! Why don’t barbecues back home have this vibe?” you pondered taking your first sip “Generally because it starts to piss it down an hour into it” Harry decided for you, “Yeah, and you can’t make margaritas like this for shit”.   “Heeey, play nicely” he nudge your shoulder as you stifled a chuckle at your own joke. “So whilst you’re out here, is there uh, anything that you maybe uh wanna do?”, “I’m not too sure really, I really want to do Disneyland..” Harry groaned, “What’s wrong with that?” you asked him, standing a little taller ready to defend your suggestion.  “You’re just such a girl that’s all”, “Yeah well, whatever.  I’m happy to just play it by ear, I think Glenne had mentioned having a day together going to lunch and shopping and all that girl crap that you don’t like”.  Taking another sip of your drink you heard Harry take in a deep breath and simultaneously noticing a group of girls staring in your direction or more like at Harry. “Well if you’ve got some free time in and amongst all of that uh girl crap, I’d uh, I’d like to take you out. Just me and you, uh sometime, if you’d like?” Harry turned to face you, you guessed to gauge your reaction. “I would like” you nodded smiling at him. “Great, sounds like another word I want to say right now” Harry spoke, holding your spare hand and leaning back against the railings, together.

[oliveratlanta]

Where to live in Atlanta in 2020

Your go-to guide for picking the best neighborhood in the ATL right now

What makes for a best Atlanta neighborhood? That’s subjective in a thousand different ways, but what’s indisputable is that Atlantans of all stripes need to be smart about locational choices or risk getting passed by in a city on the move.

What’s paramount in your buying or renting decision? Access to Atlanta transit? Walkability to a nice cozy tavern—or seven of them? Room for guests to park? Space for the in-laws? A flowery yard? Absolutely no yardwork whatsoever? A social scene that never quits? Or a home away from it all, where you can enjoy quiet summer nights in the yard, symphonic with the sound of cicadas?

Highlighted below are seven eclectic options picked from more than 240 neighborhoods officially recognized by the city of Atlanta, diverse in geography, architecture types, general price points, and demographics. But each neighborhood below offers the culture and convenience that only living intown provides, and their appeal is growing by the minute— you’ll find new housing stock, surging restaurant scenes, and freshly minted sections of the Beltline.

Whether for an empty-nester, first-time buyer, transplant from afar, or longtime renter who likes it that way, these neighborhoods offer an opportune place—one that’s quintessentially Atlanta—for thriving in 2020.

Summerhill

The draw: Diverse; steeped in local history; lower cost of living than its eastside counterparts

Similar neighborhoods: Peoplestown; Old Fourth Ward (circa 2006)

Types of homes: Everything from adorable shotguns to hulking contemporaries

Within a football’s toss of what’s become Georgia State Stadium, Summerhill is blowing up like few other places in Atlanta right now—with all the gentrification challenges inherent in such transformative development. Most notably, the depressing dead zone that was the storefront carcasses of Georgia Avenue—which had housed a diverse slate of grocers, restaurants, and spaces for butchers and shoe shops in the early 20th century—is being restored to vibrancy with the likes of Wood’s Chapel BBQ, Junior’s Pizza, and Halfway Crooks Beer, among others. By all indications, that’s just the beginning.

Within a few blocks, nearly 1,000 new multifamily residences are in the pipeline or have recently opened near the repurposed Major League Baseball stadium and its barren lots. Elsewhere, just north of the stadium, Aloft is planning to build its first hotel south of Interstate 20, and Georgia State is moving forward with an $85 million convocation center where the school’s basketball team would play. But only a fraction of the new housing has been earmarked as “affordable,” as determined by the earnings of residents in the area, in a district that’s been considered low-income for generations.

Renovated standalone homes costing north of a half-million dollars aren’t uncommon, while new construction routinely aims for higher prices. A national builder is erecting nearly 300 apartments near the neighborhood’s northern border, I-20, with each of them deemed “luxury.” On the transportation front, Atlanta’s first rapid bus transit project is planned for a three-mile circuit that would travel from downtown, through Summerhill, to the Beltline’s Southside Trail. Summerhill stands to be a substantially different place in coming years, for better or worse.

Buckhead Village

The draw: Car-free oasis with ritzy shops and restaurants

Similar neighborhoods: Midtown’s core

Types of homes: A mecca of high-end, sophisticated new condos and apartments

This is the trendy, walkable, hip, and some would argue pretentious section of Atlanta’s most monied neighborhood, located near the heavily commercial area around Peachtree Road’s split with Roswell Road. New (not cheap) housing options and restaurants have multiplied in recent years, but relatively affordable deals can still be found (though rarely at Jimmy Choo).

One of several new Buckhead Village apartment high-rises, for goodness’s sake, is actually called “Gentry,” and at the posh, glassy edifice that is Hanover Buckhead Village, studios of barely more than 600 square feet will set you back $1,837 monthly—or more. Still, that’d be peanuts compared to most mortgage notes at The Charles, a deluxe condo building at the coveted crossroads of Peachtree and East Paces Ferry roads. The Village is Exhibit A that Buckhead exclusivity, like enhanced walkability, doesn’t come cheap—unless you’re willing to look deeper and compromise a little.

So why pay the steep prices? Where else in Atlanta can you browse at Hermès, nosh at a white-tablecloth destination like Le Bilboquet, and catch a show at a landmark venue like Buckhead Theatre within a few blocks and without a car? And it’s not all bad; smaller condos that enjoy the same geographic benefits can routinely be found for less than $250,000.

Beyond the shopping and swanky flats, Charlie Loudermilk Park is a green respite amid the village’s commercial buzz. (Trivia: It was once the site of Henry Irby’s General Store, the man widely regarded as Buckhead’s founder.) And ATL newcomers might be surprised to learn that, where the village’s upscale outdoor shopping district stands, an estimated 100 bars and restaurants once thumped deep into the night, until general rowdiness and one very high-profile crime helped the city accelerate their demise.

Westview

The draw: Neighbors old and new who take pride in having so much pride

Similar neighborhoods: Adair Park; West End

Types of homes: Quintessential Atlanta bungalow or quaint cottages with Tudor flair

With smokin’-hot real estate for the past several years (thanks, Beltline buzz), this historic, diverse, and formerly downtrodden (thanks, Great Recession) neighborhood along the Westside Trail has shown anecdotal signs of cooling off recently, although bidding wars for choice properties are still a thing. Buyer incentives (closing costs paid, etc.) that seemed unthinkable not long ago have returned. Locals have also recently argued that the Westside Trail hasn’t yet lived up to its hype as an accelerant for outside investment—while others are grateful it hasn’t yet been the gentrifying tool for displacement many had feared. But it’s still early.

While Westview home sales in the $400,000s are commonplace these days, cheaper renovations with charm to knock your socks off are still out there for significantly less. The City of Atlanta counts about 1,100 single-family homes in the neighborhood, with a strong majority of them now classified as being in “good” condition. And Westview remains that increasingly rare Atlanta neighborhood where buyers hankering to live in their own fixer-upper might not be bullied out by deep-pocketed investors and moneybag flippers.

Throw in the 600-acre, gorgeous Westview Cemetery (the Southeast’s largest), access to the Beltline’s Westside Trail, and the One Night Stand (burger) at Slutty Vegan, and you might never leave.

East Atlanta

The draw: Great nightlife; affordable among its more northerly eastside brethren

Similar neighborhoods: Reynoldstown; Edgewood

Types of homes: Flashy townhomes; modest brick ranches; a few grand Victorian stalwarts

Longtime locals talk wistfully of the days when the East Atlanta Village had more gritty soul, or when a Craftsman-style cottage could be scored for the price of a used Tesla. But the scrappy spirit of this nabe, immortalized by artists like Gucci Mane and Camila Cabello, lives on. Added bonus: Plans are percolating to rework an East Atlanta intersection so notorious and nonsensical—the cockeyed Moreland/Glenwood Avenue crossroads—it inspired a Hawaiian artist to spotlight it in a book.

Like its cousin to the north, Little Five Points, EAV retains an anything-goes vibe and numerous watering holes that can get pleasingly rowdy (Midway Pub) if the right game is on. That’s despite the ubiquity of new townhomes and single-family houses selling high into the $600,000s these days.

Still, a max budget of, say, $300,000 scores a perfectly livable little house within hoofing distance of the bars and eats. Renting a well-equipped newer studio here—just a short drive from downtown on Interstate 20—could save $500 or more monthly versus Midtown and Buckhead.

Knight Park/Howell Station

The draw: Knowing the names of everybody on your leafy little street

Similar neighborhoods: Home Park; East Atlanta

Types of homes: Traditionals from recent decades commingle with old, revived bungalows

A diminutive, charming oasis of vernacular architecture and close-knit neighbors among the industrial Westside landscape, Knight Park/Howell Station stands around the corner from the gorgeous new Proctor Creek Greenway and the initial phase of what's projected to be Atlanta’s largest green space, Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry.

Last year, a Beltline spur trail that’s set to serve the historic neighborhood launched pre-construction clearing efforts. Also announced: a 15-acre warehouse conversion into an office and retail hub. The Knight Park green space is considered the district’s communal heart, but the Goliath park project across the road stands to really put this place on the map.

Located just a stone’s throw west of Midtown, fewer than 300 houses comprise the full neighborhood—or less than half as many as wee Cabbagetown. The neighborhood also has roots in the railroad industry dating back to the 1890s, with a National Register of Historic Places designation coming a century after that. The housing stock is almost exclusively standalone residences, ranging from rehabbed cottages in the low $200,000s, to more ornate bungalows and Craftsman-style offerings from the aughts edging over the half-million-dollar mark.

Piedmont Heights

The draw: A feeling of being tucked away, in the middle of it all

Similar neighborhoods: Morningside-Lenox Park; Peachtree Hills

Types of homes: High-dollar new construction; handsome brick townhomes; garden-style condos

An icicle-shaped neighborhood bounded by Piedmont Avenue, Interstate 85, and the former railroad line that cuts through Piedmont Park, Piedmont Heights is under-appreciated. This tony neighborhood is a segue between trendy Midtown and the old/new money of Buckhead, with enviable proximity to Piedmont Park and all the scuzzy wonders of Cheshire Bridge Road. Its roster of attractions includes venerable Smith’s Olde Bar and Ford Fry’s Little Rey, plus a stock of truly lovely, smaller houses that can be attained in the ballpark of $500,000.

There is history aplenty; Atlanta’s second-oldest home—the Liddell House, a classic, clapboard-sided antebellum farmhouse with a porte cochère—is located on Montgomery Ferry Road. But for all its aspirational residences and marquee location, not every Atlantan could point out Piedmont Heights on a map, which boosts the cachet.

Bonus: Piedmont Heights is getting its own Beltline segment—a stretch of the Northeast Trail, behind the neighborhood’s Ansley Mall—that launched construction last fall. The result should be a combination of Beltline and interstate access second only to West End and Reynoldstown. And locals know not to miss Grindhouse Killer Burgers, which opened its “flagship” location here on Piedmont Avenue in 2011.

Underwood Hills

The draw: A happy medium between Midtown’s bustle and the spacious lots of Collier Hills

Similar neighborhoods: Loring Heights; Ormewood Park

Types of homes: Large, older condos and Colonials

The construction of I-75 couldn’t dampen the charm of this neighborhood of about 1,000 homes that occupies the middle ground between hip, postindustrial Blandtown and manicured Margaret Mitchell. Established in 1902, Underwood Hills’s earliest denizens were employees of the Seaboard Coastline Railroad, and that railroad tradition lives on, just to the west. Today, Underwood Hills isn’t shy about adopting the “Upper Westside” moniker coined by developers as a marketing tactic for the general area northwest of Atlantic Station. Less trendy is Underwood Hills Park, a tucked-away gem with tennis and basketball courts and more than enough equipment to keep the kiddos happy.

Large-scale ventures such as Selig Enterprises’s The Works—a planned 80-acre adaptive-reuse redo that’s landed a Scofflaw brewing facility and food hall from celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern—promise to boost the district’s appeal in the popular consciousness of Atlantans. Meanwhile, patrons of Hankook Taqueria and Atlanta Brewing Company may have previously visited Underwood Hills without knowing it.

Large, older, but well-kept condo complexes make Underwood Hills a go-to for first-time homebuying, with renovated options in the low $100,000s fairly common. (Just don’t expect much more than 700 square feet.) Meanwhile, a concentration of Colonial-style dwellings help the streets stand out aesthetically in bungalow-heavy Atlanta. Recent sales in the latter style show three-bedroom houses moving in the $400,000 to $500,000 range.

source https://atlanta.curbed.com/2020/2/11/21075989/atlanta-best-neighborhoods-where-to-live

[torontoseoulcialite]

New York Pizza in Gangnam?

Café Kudeta (카페쿠데타) in Apgujeong Rodeo area closed recently, much to my friends’ chagrin.  I work between the Apgujeong and Rodeo subway stations.  Even though we have an hour for lunch, it’s not always enough time to have a Korean meal.  We have grown tired of many of the Western-style restaurants, so imagine our surprise when Itaewon favourite Gino’s Pizza arrived around the corner from school!

Gino’s Pizza – First Impressions

The first thing that struck me about Gino’s Pizza in Gangnam is that when we walked in all the staff were super laid back and addressed us in English.  Not only were we spoken to in English, any of the timid (sometimes rude) traits of Apgujeong Rodeo service staff were gone.  While all the staff were friendly, everyone working at Gino’s Pizza seemed busy, on a mission… straight outta Brooklyn vibes.

In Crust We Trust

Their Itaewon (Noksapyeong) location boasts imported “high quality unbleached flour and California plum tomatoes.  [Their] NY style dough is made from scratch, aged in-house, hand-tossed, and topped with [their] hand-crushed plum tomato sauce and house-shredded mozzarella.  [They] bake each pizza to order in a brick deck to get that perfect thin crust.”  I’ve had their pizza before (taken out fresh and through delivery via Shuttle Delivery), but I didn’t think it was anything incredibly special.  Next time we head out in Apgujeong we’ll call ahead so we can try one of their pies.

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The Vibe @ Gino’s Pizza

The vibe of Gino’s Pizza in Apgujeong is definitely more Gangnam Style than Itaewon chill.  Various craft beers are advertised as well as Jarritos’ soda and its accompanying swag.  While the Itaewon location is reminiscent of Little Italy, Gino’s Pizza south of the Han almost has surf vibes.  It fits in well with its neighbours.

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Date Night in Seoul

This spot would be great for group dinners as it has a large table in the back.  Banquettes make it easy to shift around tables for groups large and small, and the space by the window is perfect for date night and people-watching.  I always find it romantic to be near orchids…and crushed red-pepper flakes.

Gino’s Pizza – Caesar Salad (KRW 8,000)

My lunch date and I were in the mood to be very unfriendly with our diets.  We ordered a few starters and an entree for lunch.  The Caesar Salad (crispy romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, Parmesan cheese, Croutons & 2 Breadsticks) came out first.  I always seem to take decent salad dressing for granted (although I always cringe when I get some horrid yuja-mayonnaise concoction).  This salad was exactly what I’d expect from a hole-in-the-wall mom and pop joint back home.  The breadsticks erred on the fancy side (hello garlic, my old friend…), but the rest was classic summer camp Caesar.  Not elevated, but it hit the spot.

Gino’s Famous (Lemon Pepper) Wings (KRW 10,000)

I’d definitely come back to Gino’s Pizza just for the wings.  The Lemon Pepper wings (Lemon citrus and a punch of Black Pepper dry rub seasoning) came out right after the salad.  We were both impressed by the wealth of meat on the wings and drumettes.  The skin was quite thin, very crispy, and there wasn’t much gristle at all.  I find wings in Korea to be either bare or fatty/ soggy.  These wings were bomb.  They weren’t kidding about the punch of black pepper and lemon citrus.  I’ll be back to try their Hot Buffalo, Honey Sriracha, Creamy Parmesan Garlic, Honey BBQ, and Blazin Asian wings .  Anyone down for a wing buffet soon?

Animal-Style, er – Gino’s Sloppy Fries (KRW 8,000)

A far cry from the cheap and cheerful price at Cry Cheeseburger, Gino’s Pizza has jumped on board Seoul’s latest foodie trend: Animal-Style Fries.  A close dupe to In-N-Out, these crispy fries are loaded with American cheese, grilled onions, and Thousand Island sauce.  The dressing always reminds me of home (I went to University near the archipelago of the same name), and I feel absolutely filthy dunking fries into this medley.

Gino’s Pizza Homestyle Italian Lasagna (1/2 Size KRW 9,000)

At lunchtime only, you can save yourself some calories and order a half size of the ooey-gooey lasagna.  Gino’s version includes Lasagna noodles, House-made pasta sauce, ground beef, ricotta cheese, and “Mozza cheese baked to Perfection and served with 2 bread sticks”.  I think I’ve been ruined by Brera‘s Béchamel dreams lasagne.  The lasagna dish didn’t do much for me, but my dining companion liked it just fine.  I could see it tasting great reheated as a hangover cure.

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The Menu @ Gino’s Pizza

Click any of the above images for a look at the menu at Gino’s Pizza in Apgujeong!

Think Twice for a Slice – Wouldn’t it be nice?

Gino’s Pizza is a happy addition to the Apgujeong Rodeo/ Dosan Park/ Gangnam area.  It’s nice to have quick and easy options nearby for lunch or after work socials.  My only request is that they consider selling slices.  Monster Pizza is always packed.  It sells slices.  With Monkey Beach just down the way, I think these guys would make a killing with the office lunch crowd, the expat teachers guild, and the drunky monkeys on Friday and Saturday nights.

We will be open everyday until May 9th for the extended holiday week! 저희 지노스피자는 연휴(~5/9)까지 정상영업 합니다! #지노스 #지노스피자 #뉴욕피자 #피자 #이태원맛집#이태원#ginosnypizza#ginospizza#ginospizzeria#nypizza#pizza#피맥#freedom

A post shared by Eugene Kim (@ginospizza) on Apr 30, 2017 at 8:40pm PDT

Contact Gino’s Pizza

Phone: 02-3444-2234 (Take-out/ Delivery)

Address: 655-3, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea

Open: Hours 11:30AM – 3:00PM, 5:00PM – 10:00PM

E-mail: ginoskorea@gmail.com

Facebook: Gino’s Apgujeong

Instagram ID: @ginospizza

With hotspots like Gino’s Pizza and Caravan Seoul popping up in Apgujeong Rodeo, the area might just be returning to its pre-Garosugil glory! 

What’s your favourite restaurant in the area?  In Gangnam?  Let us know in the comments!

Seoul Food: Gino’s Pizza – Gangnam (Apgujeong) New York Pizza in Gangnam? Café Kudeta (카페쿠데타) in Apgujeong Rodeo area closed recently, much to my friends' chagrin. 

[missguomeiyun]

dinner @ Viphalay

Hello everyone! Omg it has been a crazy week.. . I came back from S.Korea on Sunday (afternoon), & then went to work starting Monday, & I’m doing a 7-day stretch. No rest at all. When I came back earlier this week, I didn’t sleep for like 60 hrs, including the time difference & the flight. It was pretty bad. But hey! I’m functional & now I’m back to the normal routine =] I haven't decided what to do about my S. Korea trip stuff yet tbh. I recorded quite a bit of videos (many short ones) & I was thinking of doing vlogs with them. Or maybe I should just stick with blogging. *shrugs* I don’t know yet. I’m still working on Vancouver trip things -.-” let me know what you think!

In any case, it was Friday yesterday & my bro ff is in town this wknd so we hung out - Fantastic 4 haha

Prior to meeting up with them, I went here briefly bcos Victor lives nearby & we were all heading to his condo. Was thinking maybe it would look really nice but I think I’ve missed the fall look of this place.

The River Valley looked so.. .dry.

Anyways, we all met up, chatted for a bit & I handed out souvenirs. Then we went for dinner at Viphalay. Funny story about this actually - I’m actually coming here next Tuesday in a few days. I have never gone to this restaurant but I always hear about it from my high school group of friends. So when we decided to come here (with the high school group), I was like “yay I haven’t been!” But last night, this was the chosen place bcos it was closeby & we all wanted Thai food. So last night became my 1st visit here. Sorry Bff’s =P

Smaller than I thought, the place seemed very cozy. I generally don’t like patios much, but their patio was pretty cute (obviously it wasn’t open but I can imagine what it was like in the summer).

Menu page 1.

Menu page 2.

The vibe was nice in there. Fancier than Syphay, which is pretty much my one (& only) other Thai food experience. The place was small but it was even smaller inside. The space between tables was very tight; it was a very lively place for a Friday evening, which was not surprising. [They do have a 2nd floor but I don’t know what it’s like up there.] The service was excellent; servers were attentive & really knew the menu well. However, they did miss the fact that there were only 2 sets of utensils on the table (for the 4 of us). Had to flag them down during the middle of our appetizer haha.

The middle of our table had this “display”. Very interesting~

Sampler platter of appetizers bcos we wated (mostly me) to try everything. My fav was the item on the right end - shrimp with a garlicy & bbq-y sauce. It  might have been their red wine shrimp, but I did not taste any red wine. The others (from left to right): mini shrimp rolls, spring rolls, shrimp & pineapple triangles, & cream cheese wontons. My preference is also in that order :P close 1st & 2nd place, but the triangles... I dunno, not much filling in them. The cream cheese wontons were also just mediocre for me.

Spicy beef stirfry. It was delicious!!!! We weren’t thinking of ordering this as the “4th dish” but the server was like “are you sure that’s gonna be enough for the 4 of you to share? I recommend ordering a stir-fry.” & he went on to recommend the basil stir-fry with shrimp. In the end we said we wanted the basil stir-fry with beef, however, he said if we’re going for beef, the spicy beef is better. So that’s how we ended up with this dish! & I’m super happy we ended up here haha definitely had a kick to it - a nice one that was lasting.

Gaeng Kiew Wan, aka green curry. We got it with chicken. I was actually expecting it to be more coconut-y. Compared to the one at Syphay, this was not as coconut-y. I liked both though =]

The above 2 dishes - the beef stiry-fry & green curry - were so good with the coconut rice! We had a large bowl to share between the of us & I think that was the perfect amount.

You simply cannot visit a Thai restaurant without getting pad thai! I feel like pad thai is like.. . kimchi lol Every place/family/household/etc makes it a bit differently. To me, I felt this was not as sweet as the Syphay version, more savoury & the noodles are thicker. Either way, I love pad thai! It would take a lot for me to find it dissatisfying.

There was quite a crowd when we 1st arrived, but by 9pm, the place was pretty cleared up. Thus I was able to take this photo. The restaurant can fit ~30 ppl.

They have a selection of wines.

The cashier counter is also where the bar is located.

Overall, 1st impression was *thumbs*. Service was good, food was delicious, & company was awesome =] Looking forward to my Tuesday visit haha 10/10~

Following dinner, we walked to Snowy Village to grab dessert. It was my 2nd time going, & a 1st time experience going after 9:30pm. Holyyyy... there were so many ppl there! They close at 11:30pm, & we left shortly before 11pm; there were ppl waiting outside =O crazyyyy! 1.5months ago when I went, the wait was super long between ordering & getting the bingsoo, but I think they’ve figured things out from then. Even with the busy atmosphere, my injeolmi bingsoo only took 15mins.

YUMMMM~

The rest of them shared a watermelon bingsoo lol I didn’t try it bcos I didn’t want to mix watermelon with my injeolmi & red bean, but yeah.. the watermelon bingsoo was huge!

Thanks for an awesome night out :)