#the catholic esquire

[ultramontanism]

Catholic Esquire presents: Problems with “Dilexit Nos”

[greedandenby]

Jacob & Sam talking about queerness in IWTV.

A compilation of stuff they've said in interviews.

(Long post!)

A.V. Club

Q: The show is being hailed as unabashedly queer as compared to the film adaptation. Why was that important to both of you and the show’s creators?

SR: It’s what’s written in the book. We’re doing the book and it’s the way it’s supposed to be.

JA: It’s true to the story.

SR: It’s true to what Anne wanted and, yeah… it’s time.

JA: It would be rude not to.

SR: Yeah.

Comicbook

Q: How important was it for the two of you to get this aspect of the story (the queerness of the books) not only correct, but to tell the full breadth and aspect of this very unique relationship?

JA: (…) For one, we have to acknowledge that the books are very queer. I think that IWTV Louis is not talking about it, at least in terms of Lestat.

SR: Until you get to the second half of the book. By the second half of the book, Louis does sort of start to acknowledge that it was something more, which I think is such a cool… (…) I think the relationship, the way Louis describes it in the beginning is sort of like, is it subtext or has he acknowledged it or is he just angry with the way it worked out? But I really feel that as we go on, the text is the text. It’s very clear that they’re in love and that they’re in a romantic relationship. I don’t think we would be doing the Anne Rice universe or doing the Vampire Chronicles if that wasn’t the case. I think it would be something else. And it would be a waste of time for us too because the fun stuff comes from the complexities of the relationship and the dynamics and all the detail and nuance that they have. If we’re doing a “will they won’t they” or, like, subtle glances across the room then you spend all the time on that tension rather than the really complicated toxic dynamic that exists between the two of them.

JA: Yeah, and then also playing that off against that tension and the aftermath of some of those fights. It suddenly rebuilds this sexual and emotional tension. Like you said, you get to explore the breadth of a relationship. But yeah, they’re each other’s endgame, aren’t they? In the books, they always come home to each other. I think it’s telling that that seems to be the denouement or the end of a lot of the novels: Louis and Lestat being petty and in love.

Esquire (Sept '22)

Q: The 1994 film adaptation of Interview With the Vampire shied away from depicting the romance between Lestat and Louis. Your adaptation is very explicit; at one point, we even see Lestat and Louis have sex while levitating. Rolin Jones described this series as “an excitable, aggressive, toxic, beautiful love story.” What did that mean to you, finally getting to tell the story in its full, explicit sensuality?

SR: I was very happy it was going that way, because it wouldn't be Interview With the Vampire if it didn't. It’s really important that we explored that, because a big part of their relationship is this intense connection. Anne Rice describes drinking each other's blood as incredibly erotic, almost like having sex. So how do you translate that on screen? I guess nude levitation translates quite well. I think it's really important that we don't shy away from it, because if we spend the whole season going, "Will they? Won't they?," we don't get to the really interesting parts of this complex relationship. Getting straight down to it means we can look at the dynamics of this pair—how they hurt each other and how they build each other up.

JA: With the levitating scene, we talked a lot about how you need those moments of joy and excitement and romance so it's not all about tortured Catholic guilt. We've seen vampire stories told that way before, and like Sam said, you then can't get into the messiness of their relationship. You have to really believe. You have to know that these two people are in love. Being in love is complicated and beautiful and messy.

IFC Center

Q: Sam, from the beginnings of the vampire traditions in literature and theatre, there’s often been a gay subtext. But for this adaptation, subtext becomes text.

SR: Yeah, I would say it’s not subtext, cause in Anne Rice it’s pretty damn clear. So it’s not subtext becomes text, it’s just text is now being text. And I think, fuckin’ yeah, it should be. If we’re going to do Anne Rice, we might as well do Anne Rice properly.

SR (about Lestat’s otherness): He’s come from some pretty intense experiences where he’s learned the history of vampires and things like that. And Lestat has come over from Europe to get away from the catechism of humanity and the way that’s kind of slapped on top of the vampires. That it’s all about self-flagellation in Christianity, Catholicism, that we’re all monsters and as a monster you have to serve Christ by being a servant of the Devil. You’re a monster: wake up and serve Christ. Which is what he’s discovered in his past. And Lestat thinks “That is garbage, and I’d much rather have a good time and I’d much rather celebrate myself.” Because he didn’t get a choice, he didn’t get to choose to become a vampire, he was forced into it. And I think we comment on it on the show, that all vampires are born out of trauma and that’s why people identify with them so well. Because they are traumatic, painful beings – often there’s sexual trauma in it as well. So he’s come to New Orleans to get out of that, to start his own new life, really. I think his bisexuality, his pansexuality has always been a part of that character when he was human, before he was a vampire, and I think that’s something he’s always embraced. It’s also something that’s quite heavily embraced in the vampire world as well, so it’s a nice space for that to work. And then once you become a very powerful being, the mess of humanity, all of these rules and things, they don’t matter.

io9

Q: Why are vampires associated with queerness?

SR: It’s being an outsider but also owning it, and owning a space. And they’re sexy and cool. They’re awesome.

JA: There’s definitely as well something about growing up marginalised, and sometimes (…) you feel like you relate to the monsters more when you grow up othered. You feel like “Oh, this is supposed to be scary but this creature’s being treated the same way that I’ve been treated sometimes”. There’s just something very welcoming and comforting about that and I think those ideas exist together.

SR: And they also live life by their own rules, define their own terms. It’s their own space, it’s not within any conformity. And actually, in our show, we do that a lot, like “Why are you so interested in this bullshit human existence?” I mean, there’s so much more than being confined to one thing or being told that you’re one thing by society.

Pride.com

Q: In this version, the queer subtext is out the door, it is fully textual. Why do you think that was important for this version?

SR: I mean, it’s funny when we talk about subtext because, like, I was a fan of the books previous to being a part of it, and I can see why, particularly in the first book, it could be considered subtext. But I feel like, especially from the second book or even the second half of the first book, it’s really text. And so I feel like it wouldn’t be Anne Rice’s IWTV or Anne Rice’s universe or Vampire Chronicles if that wasn’t properly dealt with and addressed. And as soon as you get through the fact that they’re in a romantic relationship and that they love each other very deeply, then you get to really look at what the hell this relationship was about, what are the nuance and the complexities of it, cause it’s not as straightforward.

ScreenRant at SDCC 2022

SR: I’m really excited for Anne Rice fans to actually get to see Louis and Lestat in a romantic relationship, and we’re not shying away from that in any way, shape or form at all, and don’t even bother… It’s straight up from the very beginning.

Q: Can’t say they’re besties?

SR: Never. No, it’s love at first sight.

JA: They actually kind of don’t like each other. They’re just very in love.

SR: Yeah, very in love. I mean, it’s love at first sight and Anne was very clear about that, for Lestat at least. Had to do a bit of wooing to get him there, but he gets there. So I’m excited for people to see that, because everyone deserves it.

TV Guide

SR: You can see these two monsters, these two men, kissing under Jesus Christ like they’re supposed to be and like they’re valued and important in the eyes of God, and they’re loved; or like they’re the antichrist and they’re here to burn that church down.

TV Insider

Q: Sam, Louis and Lestat’s romance is made explicitly clear in this version, and other than it being loyal to the book, why do you think that’s important for a modern series?

SR: I mean, it’s what exists in the world. Sometimes you hear people say that we’ve made the subtext text when actually we’ve just gone back to the text. It exists. So it’s important to honour that because that’s what was written and that’s why a lot of people love these stories. This love story exists and it’s a complicated love story and they’re complicated monsters who are in love. It would be a real shame if we didn’t honour that.

Vanity Fair / Little Gold Men Podcast(June ’24)

Q: I know a lot of queer viewers who have been drawn to this show, because it’s telling this really unabashed and fluid queer story that’s also […] this bizarre melange of tones and ideas. That feels like something that this community hasn’t gotten a whole lot of, and I think that’s one of the reasons it’s resonated so strongly.

JA: And that’s what I mean. If there were people that didn’t know that we could do this, didn’t know that this existed, that there was this space. That’s where I’m excited for more people to watch it. I don’t want to generalize about areas of America or the UK, but there are areas where you don’t get access to it. I think we can be very London-centric, LA-centric, New York-centric, and only see that. I would love it if there’s a kid who really needs this and sees it and is like, “I’m going to do my own thing,” or that’s just like, “I’m going to go out into the world feeling a little bit more comfortable in my skin today.” That’s beautiful.

Time Out (August ’24)

Q: It’s a LGBTQ+-centred story. Is it important to you to be a part of queer narratives?

JA: It’s unapologetic about its queerness and that’s beautiful. I see so many stories that skirt around things because they don’t want to offend anyone. My character is a Black creole man and he’s queer and he’s kind of awful, but those things aren’t all tied in together. For me, that’s the dream of representation: that our behaviour isn’t entirely tied in with our identity.

[cantsayidont]

April 1968. The photos are by Carl Fischer, but it was ESQUIRE art director George Lois who suggested posing Muhammad Ali as Saint Sebastian. Ali was uneasy about the Catholic symbolism (he ended up running the concept by Herbert Muhammad before agreeing), but Lois says Ali — who was convicted in June 1967 of violating the Universal Military Training and Service Act by refusing to be inducted into the U.S. Army — had a very clear idea what it all meant. As Lois told ROLLING STONE in 2016:

He took his right hand out from behind his back and pointed at each of the arrows. And then he’d say the names of the people in this world that were out to get him. He’d point to one arrow: “Lyndon Johnson.” The next one: “General [William] Westmoreland [who led the Vietnam operation].” Then: “Robert McNamara.” Each of the arrows [was] a person in the government that had hurt him. I can’t even tell you how stunning it was.”

On June 28, 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Ali's conviction, ruling that the draft appeal board had not given cause for rejecting Ali's claim of conscientious objector status.

[denimbex1986]

'IRISH actor Andrew Scott has said he is baffled by the insanity of social media and finds people sharing their lives online “troubling”.

The Sherlock and Ripley star also admitted he would have found fame harder to deal with if it had happened when he was younger.

Andrew, 47, said: “There’s much more scrutiny now, so much more. I think that must be really hard. Social media is a crazy thing, isn’t it?

“And it’s so interesting what people on social media choose to tell you about their lives, even when nobody’s asking them any questions.

“Like, is that person insane? It’s a very dangerous thing. I find it troubling.

“I think all that scrutiny and opinion, it’s a lot.”

The Dubliner said that he shrugs his shoulders whenever anything is written about him in the media or punters making comments online.

He explained: “Now I’m able to look at a bad review or somebody saying something really horrible about the way I look, or even someone saying really nice things about that.

“Before, when that happened, it was devastating. But I survived and it was fine, and I got another job and I was able to kiss someone at a disco.

“Whereas if you’re 22 and you don’t have that experience behind you, you go, ‘Oh, my God. This is horrible, what do I do?’”

“But I find it hard to watch myself. I do. There’s something quite stressful about looking at yourself.

“Have you ever heard yourself on someone’s answering machine? Horrific! You’re like, ‘Oh, my God, that can’t be me. How do they let me out in the day?’

“It’s like that, and then it’s your big, stupid face as well. Mostly, I have a feeling of overwhelming embarrassment.”

One of Andrew’s famous roles was as the ‘hot priest’ in Fleabag - and he told the new issue of Esquire magazine that he has battled with Catholic guilt in the past.

He explained: “When I go home to Ireland, I’m aware that people talk to each other a lot more. And I think there’s a sense of humour that Irish people have that I love.

“And I suppose a softness, too, that I love. Those are the positive things. And then the guilt and the shame is the negative stuff.

“I feel very strongly, though, that I’ve worked to emancipate myself from [Catholic guilt]. There’s a certain unthinking-ness to guilt.”'

[bunsofhoney]

As the small church emptied, Peter chatted with Mrs. Lyndon about her blueberry crop, graciously accepting the promise of a pie on behalf of his aunt, who had left early to get ready for the potluck. Then he glanced over and saw the man in the white suit, leaning on a pew and staring at him. He grasped Mrs. Lyndon's shoulder and ushered her out, before turning and extending a hand.

He spoke before Peter could offer a proper introduction, in a soft, gravelly tenor with a slight drawl. "Do you quote Einstein in all of your sermons, Pastor?"

Peter blushed. "Not every one. I, uh, like to bring the light of the Lord onto many different topics…" He looked up at the tall man, whose crisp linen suit was well-fitted around broad shoulders. Peter was short and thin himself, having not gained much height since his 8th-grade growth spurt, "marking you a man," as his uncle had said. His dark brown hair was never really kempt, and he felt his freckles and big brown eyes made him look boyish, even at 21.

He looked up into playful blue eyes in a face that was hard to read - partly because it was covered in scar tissue. Shining, soft pink scars latticed and whorled across the man's skin from his shirt collar to the crown of his head, and there wasn't a hair on him. He wore a red silk tie and pocket square that stood out boldly on his broad chest. He held a straw boater with a red silk band in his hands.

Peter blinked at him.

" 'S rude to stare, Reverend. This button's just a little scuffed, you know," the man said with a wink. He grasped Peter's hand in a firm shake. "Wade Wilson, Esquire." Wilson's hand was calloused on the inside but soft on the back with scar tissue. It was very warm but dry.

"Peter Parker."

"It's quite a pleasure, Father Parker."

Peter got lost in the soft skin and brooding presence of the man in front of him as he stared at their clasped hands. All he could think to mumble was, "I'm, uh, not a Father."

"What's that?" asked Wade. His fingers brushed slowly along the back of Peter's hand for an extra moment before letting it go.

"Father... is a Catholic priest. Methodists are Ministers. And I'm not even that, really… just here temporarily."

"That's a shame, you'd make a good Daddy…" Wade winked at Peter, who stared back in mild confusion.

From Snake Oil, a blasphemous Spideypool AU

[riverdamien]

A Place In Time-The Esquire Theatre!

("Sloughing Towards Galilee!")

"A Place In Time-- the Esquire Theatre!"

    Today as we remember September 11, 2001, I see it in light of the past; I remember growing up in Southeast Missouri, in a small town. We had a theatre named "Esqire" where my friends and I 

would hang out every weekend, and remember those times with much nostalgia. The truth is that theatre contained much pain for a queer kid, where he had to camouflage his sexual orientation for his friends and one that would continue for many years to come in the ministry.

Nostalgia forgets a lot of pain!

    Walter Bruggerman, whom I remember as my Old Testament professor in a nostalgic fashion as well, once wrote:

"Excessive nostalgia for a past that never existed will lead to violence against those who have taken from us what we falsely remember as in "Make America Great Again or Make My life Great Again!"

    The truth is we can only hold handfuls of life at a time and room must be made for what enters next.

    As I look at my past with nostalgia I also remember my anger, and my fear, which I carried over for many years toward others and myself. as I dealt with my "coming out!"

    The years that followed were good, but some of the most difficult in my life as I remained in the closet to be a minister in a denomination that was like most mainline denominations of the time anti-gay. When I returned to ministry I found my place in a queer denomination.

    Queers have difficulty being involved in religious groups that hold on to their past, even as they say they are progressive!

    On this day I remember the terror of September 11, 2001, and how that fear led us into a destructive war and many, many have died!

    Today we remember Father Mychal Judge, a gay priest, who could not acknowledge that because he would lose his priesthood who gave his life in the Tower's ministering to victims; He lived out his prayer:

"Lord,

take me where

you want me to go;

Let me meet who

: You want me to meet;

Tell me what You want me  to say and

keep me out of Your way."

    He let nothing get in God's way, even the falling bricks of a Tower, where he died!

    I also remember the prejudice that followed the falling of the Twin Towers, which continues today. My prayer is that as we remember 9/11 we move from nostalgic for those moments and hear these words:

"When some children become expendable

all children become expendable.

When some hospitals become legitimate targets

all hospitals become legitimate targets.

When some schools, mosques, and churches become acceptable losses,

all schools, mosques, and churches become acceptable targets.

And when some people live in fear for their lives because of who they are

none of us are free.

(from DesMoine Catholic Worker)

Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!

===========

May the work of

“figuring people out”

Never replace the work of knowing people

And loving people

And giving them room

To confound

And inspire

And surprise me

---------------------------------------------------------

30th Anniversary Celebration

Victor’s Pizza

6 p.m.

November 9, 2024

WE ARE BEGGARS! WE REALLY NEED MONEY--Really Badly At the moment!

FOR FOOD, SOCKS, HARM REDUCTION AND OTHER SERVICES!

P.O. Box 642656

415-305-2124

temenos@gmail.com

pay pal

www.temenos.org

(Temenos and Dr. River seek to remain accessible to everyone. We do not endorse particular causes, political parties, or candidates, or take part in public controversies, whether religious, political or social--Our pastoral ministry is to everyone!

Temenos Catholic Worker

P.O. Box 642656

San Francisco, CA 94164

Dr. River Sims, D.Min, D.S.T.

e

[lboogie1906]

Michelle Buteau (July 24, 1977) is a stand-up comedian, actress, television host, producer, and podcast host.

She was born in New Jersey to a Haitian father of partial Lebanese descent and a Jamaican mother of partial French descent. She attended college at Florida International University and was considering a career in journalism before moving into comedy.

She started performing comedy a few days after September 11, 2001. She landed her first television spot on Comedy Central. She was listed as one of ten comedians to watch by Esquire.

She started hosting the Late Night Whenever! podcast, which was labeled as “one of the best podcasts of 2018 so far” by Time. She was part of The Comedy Lineup on Netflix where up-and-coming comedians have 15-minute stand-up sets.

She appeared in the movies: Someone Great, Isn’t It Romantic, Sell By, and Always Be My Maybe. She began hosting the WNYC podcast, Adulting, with co-host Jordan Carlos. She appeared in two television series: First Wives Club and Tales of the City. She started hosting The Circle.

She published her first book, a collection of personal essays titled Survival of the Thickest, with Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. A TV adaptation of the memoir premiered on July 13, 2023, on Netflix.

Her Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia won a 2021 Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Comedy Special. It was announced that she is set to take part in a movie directed by Pamela Adlon. She will play the role of Dawn, the film’s main character’s best friend. She was cast in another film, Fixed for New Line Cinema.

She married Dutch photographer Gijs van der Most (2010). They have twins. She is Catholic. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[zooterchet]

Catholic Holy See Ancestors

Father:

Tomas de Torquemada. Cat hunter.

Willard Venson. Amish labor's swindle.

James Madison. Pork farm tricameral calculation.

James Tiberius Troit, Esquire. Frauded trial against dreidelers.

Mother:

Hugh of Kilpatrick on Tyrone. Removal of forces unable to be mentally fit.

Sister Mary Catherine. Development of masturbation jellies for conversion of Islamics to Lutheranism.

Judas Iscariot. Hunt of Jews.

[hbhughes]

Lawrence “Larry” Daniel Mac Donald, Esq.

Lawrence “Larry” Daniel Mac Donald, Esq. 72, Plains, PA, beloved husband, stepfather, brother, uncle, nephew, colleague, and friend died Saturday, July 8, 2023 at Allied Services Hospice in Wilkes-Barre, PA following a long-term illness surrounded in love by his family.  

Born December 2, 1950, in Highland Park, MI, Larry was the oldest son of Lawrence C. Mac Donald and Dorothy A. (Wilson) Mac Donald. Creative, talented, and a loving mentor to his six siblings, he was affectionally referred to as “The Man” for his “polished esquired” appearance during his college years including a pipe (the brunt of many pranks and jokes), and his incredible knowledge and wit of historical, sporting, musical, and geographical facts.

Larry was a proud graduate of Detroit - Catholic Central High School, Class of 1969, receiving his graduate degree in Business Administration from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, PA (1973) and his Juris Doctorate from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, MI (1976), passing the bar exam in both Michigan (1976) and Pennsylvania (1977).  He was admitted into the U.S. District Court, Middle District of PA (1977), the U.S. Tax Court (1976), and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit (1996). Larry opened a private practice in Wilkes-Barre, PA specializing in Family Law for over 45 years retiring from his professional career as the Hearing Officer for the Luzerne County Domestic Relations in Wilkes- Barre, PA in 2022.

As a member of the Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club, Larry provided service to others, promoted integrity, world understanding, goodwill, and peace through his fellowship as a business, professional, and community leader receiving The Paul Harris Fellowship Award. Being a member of the Wyoming Valley Country Club, and the Westmorland Club fulfilled his love for the game of golf, fine dining, and connecting with others. A nod goes out to his best buds, the Lawyers, the Judge, and the Psychologist for their years of devoted friendship.  After marrying his wife, Dorothy (Yatsko) Mac Donald in 2004, cruise travel, and trips to the Jersey shore and Broadway in NYC fulfilled the simple joys of life.

Larry was pre-deceased by his parents, and grandparents, Gordon and Margaret (Woodcroft) Wilson, and John and Winifred (Bertrand) Mac Donald, his mother’s partner, Bob Mehrman, his brother, Paul Mac Donald, his brother-in-law, Robert DiGennaro, his sister-in-law, Sue (Sklarcheck) Mac Donald, his wife, Dorothy’s daughter, Lori Sokoloski, sister-in-law, Mary Ann Yatsko, and brother-in-law, Michael Murphy.

Larry is survived by his beloved wife, Dorothy; her daughter, Amy (Sokoloski) Connolly, husband, Michael Jr. and their children,

Michael III and Jack. His stepson, Nolan Margo, his wife, Jamie and their children Chloe and Isla Findon-Henry. His siblings, in-laws, and their spouses, Margaret Mac Donald, Terri (Hassett) Mac Donald, Betsy (Mac Donald) Geheb and husband, Fred, Mike Mac Donald and wife, Louise (Christensen) Mac Donald, Chris Mac Donald and partner, Annette Krasinski, and Fred Mac Donald and wife Jo Ellen (Beck) Mac Donald, brother-in-law, Robert Yatsko, sister-in-law, Elizabeth (Yatsko) Murphy, and sister-in-law, Catherine (Yatsko) Charnitski.  His maternal aunts, Betty (Wilson) Blackett, and Georgia Ann (Schaffe) Wilson and many nephews, nieces, and cousins.

Family and friends are invited from 4 to 7 PM on Thursday, July 13th, at the Hugh B. Hughes & Son, Inc. Funeral Home, 1044 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 AM on Friday, July 14th, at Immaculate Conception Church, 605 Luzerne Ave., West Pittston, PA 18643, with Monsignor John Sempa, officiating. Family and friends are asked to go directly to the church. Respectfully, the burial will be private.

His wife, Dorothy, and the family express their gratitude to the outpouring of support.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Allied Services Hospice, 200 S. Meade Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702. https://www.allied-services.org.

Or to: Detroit Catholic Central High School – The Paul R. Mac Donald Music Scholarship Fund, 2722 Wixom Road, Novi, MI 48374. https://www.catholiccentral.net/giving/make-a-gift

You can also access it at https://www.facebook.com/hughbhughes

[mikeo56]

Can attorneys be servants to avaricious expediency  callous and angered that anyone would mention that law has an intent, that a law was created for a specific result other than the continued and prolonged rape of children and the concomitant increase in an attorney’s bank account

Yes of course attorneys are often the shit out of a dog’s ass and not just often, but rather it’s almost that it’s all the bastards are good for, just like Kyle and Nicole Ball’s nose picking parasite esquire and officious court fuckwipe.

I’ll give you one overwhelming example of what superhuman subhuman dogshit many more than one attorney can be: legal defense of the Catholic Church in Baltimore. The facts and investigation of this case are thorough, clear and truly indefensible. A large number of legal firms, in concert, agreed to defend Catholic Priests from potential charges of child rape by buying off the victims and the victims families and having them sign non-disclosure agreements. And thereby not so much letting the priests off completely but knowingly ALLOWING THE RAPE TO CONTINUE AND CONTINUE AND CONTINUE AND CONTINUE IN THE NAME OF GOD THE MOTHER-FUCKING GOD DAMN  FATHER, THE HOLY GOD DAMN SPIRIT AND WHOLE HELL OF A LOT OF CASH.

This is the same principal behind the Lee County Florida racket of fraudulent Evictions where the Lee County Judiciary ignores the bribery of Code Enforcement Officers, ignores the dangerous living conditions offered by old decaying and dilapidated properties providing a cover for wealthy property owners and evicting tenants who would question the this government assisted racketeering venture where obsequious county employees fellatiate rich property owners raw.

[iamfitzwilliamdarcy]

Reads for 9/11 (I’ll be adding more later I’m sure):

The Falling Man, Tom Junod, Esquire 

What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind, Jennifer Senior, The Atlantic

Two Decades After 9/11: Stories of Faith in Tragedy, Matt Riedl, Arlington Catholic Herald

Sports Adjacent:

Kings Continue to Honor Bailey, Bavis, NHL, Amalie Benjamin

Messier Reflects on 9/11 Tribute, Dan Rosen, NHL

Football, firemen and cops -- and what it means to never forget 9/11, Tom Junod, ESPN 

The Man in the Red Bandana, ESPN (youtube, not an article) 

[noelcollection]

Elizabeth(s) of England

Did you know that August 4th was the birthday of the Queen Mother of England, she would have been 122 if she had not passed away on March 30th, 2002 at 101? Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Loyn was born August 4th, 1900 and would later become the Queen Mother after marrying Albert Frederick Arthur George in 1923. Known as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother because her eldest daughter would become the current ruling Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II. While we are familiar with the longest-reigning British monarch, how much do we know of the first Elizabeth?

Seen here is a page for a two-volume set from 1754 which details the reign of Queen Elizabeth the first.

While the other two Elizabeths did marry and have children, the first Queen Elizabeth did not marry, but claimed marriage to her people, her country, and her crown. She was born to Henry VIII, who was of the house of Tudors, and Lady Anne Boleyn. She became queen of England following the reigns and deaths of her younger half-brother, Edward VI who became king at age nine, and her elder sister, Mary Tudor. However, it would not be until 1558 that Elizabeth, the second born child of Henry the Eighth would become Queen of England. Edward VI, Henry’s only living male heir, left the crown to Lady Jane Grey, his first cousin and became known as the “Nine Days’ Queen'' because Mary, Henry’s eldest daughter from his union with Catherine of Aragon, was deeply Catholic and Elizabeth’s birth had been ruled as illegitimate after Henry VIII has his marriage to Anne Boleyn annulled. The crown of England did eventually come to Elizabeth Tudor after the short reign of her elder half-sister, Mary I, known as Bloody Mary for her treatment of the Protestant citizens of England. 

The reign of Queen Elizabeth I has been called the golden age of British history as it was a time of economic, cultural, and territorial growth for England as it became the British Empire. It was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth that the territories that are present day Virginia, New England and the Carolinas were settled, more notable the famed Roanoke Colony in 1585. It was also during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I that we see the rise of William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Edmund Spencer. Spenser was particular praised by the Queen for his portrayal of her as Gloriana in the Faerie Queene, to which she gave her eternal beauty, to which many of the portraits of Queen Elizabeth immortalized a radiant and youthful woman. In truth, she was badly scarred from smallpox which left her half bald resulting in the commonly seen white makeup and wigs. Since Queen Elizabeth never married and had children, though the court and parliament pushed heavily for it, she and her advisers arranged for James VI of Scotland to be her successor after her death in 1603.

Here are images of the front cover, marbled linings, title page, and the first page of the main text.

Birch, Thomas. 1754. Memoirs of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, from the year 1581 till her death: in which the secret intrigues of her court, and the conduct of her favourite, Robert Earl of Essex, both at home and abroad, are particularly illustrated : from the original papers of his intimate friend, Anthony Bacon, esquire, and other manuscripts never before published. London: Printed for A. Millar. 

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Thursday 16 January 1834

8 10

12 10

Very good grubble last night she said better done at last than ever it was before - ready at 9 20 at which hour F52° - fine morning – breakfast at 8 20 – we and Eugenie off to see the church at 9 ¼ -  ½ hour there - very handsome old abbey church - near the chancel under a well preserved stone buried ‘Nathaniel Spencer merchant born of Halifax the 23rd of February 1629 and here interred the 31st January 1689 also Mary his wide who died the 24th of July 1725 aged 89’ - well cut arms at the head of the stone - arms a bend (from dexter to sinister) charged with 3 flower de lis between 3 frets - wife’s arms a cross                         filling up the dexter quarter the sinister quarter parted fess-wise and the 2 other quarters forming equal band fess-wise - a small slab fixed near this monument against the chancel pillar records the death of Richard son of the above Nathaniel Spencer, also a merchant born at Leeds 1 February 1662 and buried 13 February 1690 1 of our family married 1 of these Spencers? Nave old Saxon -handsome old Saxon west-end - choir gothic and more modern - roof of nave and transept in very bad repair - a tumble down tower bore along with it great part of the north transept many years ago, and what was left was plainly walled up at the end - no assessments for the church now - the dissenters having opposed them - all repairs therefore now done by subscriptions - Honourable Mr.  (Edward late of Stapylton park) Petre tho’ a Roman catholic gave the handsome crimson velvet fringed with gold altar cover - a very good man - what used to be the chapter house now a common-looking school-room -  off from Selby at 10 10 – perfectly flat but well-farmed country – several neat villages - Carleton, Snaith, Cawick, Rocliffe and Armyn - Snaith near small town - several trees blow down here and there - at 12 25 stop to change horses at Booth ferry,  largish good Inn, with stocked larder and where we should have been apparently much better off than at Selby - at Goole in about ¼ hour at 12 50, 35 minutes there walking thro’ the good corn and wool etc warehouses and walking round the large good basin well-filled with craft, 1 or 2 largish Hull brigs apparently very seaworthy – the Aire and Calder fine canal runs into the basin at one end which communicates with the Ouse at the other – between the basin and the canal is a good bridge leading to old Goole a small village about ¼ mile off - Goole very flourish brick-built place - some very good-looking houses - back at the Ferry house in 17 minutes - waited 10 minutes for the servants eating – embark the carriage and over the water in 5 minutes but the whole business of em- and dis-embarking  took 19 minutes - the Aire falls into the Ouse (here a fine river) on the Ferry house (Wells very civil man) side about a hundred or two yards above the ferry - a small pot-house near where we disembarked - off again for Northcave at 2 10 – stopt en passant at 2 27 20 minutes to see Howden church of which the choir, chancel and chapter house now form a fine ruin, the nave being fitted up as the present church – full of monuments with long-winded rigmarole epitaphs - among the rest, 1 by the present dowager Mrs. Saltmarshe to the virtues of her husband Philip son of Arthur of Saltmarshe, and 1 to the memory of a Mr. Jefferson late a captain in the Blues, with a list of all the sums he left in charity - observation he died leaving issue only 2 natural daughters to 1 a Mrs. Spofforth £16000 and to the other £6000 - there is still remaining a chapel in which are interred the families of Matham and Saltmarshe and 1 old monument of each name is still there- Howden a near enough small cobble street-paved town – still dead flat – at 3 ¾ (in 25 minutes) dinner in the carriage, cold fowl and the remains of our Lidgate tongue – at North cave at 4 7 – neat enough small village like market town – pass Cave castle (Henry Barnard Esquire) – the last time I passed this noticed the Lodge – on entering from the road left, square tower – right, small thin, tall, round tower - battlemented passed over the gateway between the towers - Ellerker pretty village - Welton very neat picturesque ditto - just light enough to see murkily thro’ it - could just distinguish the Humber afterwards - should have had day-light for this drive -  Alighted at the Cross Keys Marketplace, Hull, (now the best Inn) at 6 ½ - tea at 7 ½ - afterwards till 9 55 wrote out all the above of today – very fine mild day - came to my room at 11 ¼ - F55° at 11 ¾ pm Cut nails.

John Washington great grandfather of General George W- lived at what is not Cave Castle and possessed part of the estate but emigrated to America in 1657 and settled at Bridges creek c° Westmorland, Virginia where the family has remained every since.

[nebris]

Truman Capote hosts the best party—literary or otherwise—of all time.

Well, it’s officially party season, whatever that means this year. On November 28, 1966, Truman Capote, fresh off the wildly successful publication of In Cold Blood, threw one of the most legendary parties ever: the Black and White Ball. And who showed up to his “little masked ball” in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza hotel? 540 of his closest friends, of course, who also happened to be a veritable who’s-who of creative and society icons.

“Before the Black and White Ball, no one had ever imagined, let alone attended, a formal party with a guest list so wildly catholic that it brought into one room the poet Marianne Moore and Frank Sinatra, Gloria Vanderbilt and Lionel Trilling, Lynda Bird Johnson and the Maharani of Jaipur, the Italian princess Luciana Pignatelli (wearing a 60-carat diamond borrowed from Harry Winston) and the documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles,” wrote Guy Trebay in The New York Times. “European aristocrats rubbed elbows with novelists and scholars; social register blue bloods drank Taittinger Champagne with the denizens of Hollywood and Broadway; the stolid middle-class citizens of Garden City, Kan., who had played host to Capote during the years he had spent researching his masterpiece, danced to the Peter Duchin Orchestra alongside the photographer and film director Gordon Parks, who would later joke that he—along with Harry Belafonte and Ralph and Fanny Ellison—represented ‘the black of the Black and White Ball.’” Literary pugilist Norman Mailer was there, sitting next to socialite Pat Lawford. (“We did nothing but insult each other all night,” he told George Plimpton. “It was wonderful.”) John Knowles was there too; he called it “a hoot” and said “I felt as though we were at Versailles in 1788.” Just imagine the meet-cutes that have been lost to history (and champagne).

According to Esquire, “it was the largest private party ever given, if ‘private’ is a term that can be used for an event that garnered more publicity than the Academy Awards. Everyone wore black and white. No uninvited guests permitted.” (“I want the party to be united the way you make a painting,” Capote said.) And the writer was strict about those 540 friends—the space could only hold 550, and an invite was a hot commodity. “If Capote had yelled Fire! on opening night at the opera, the pandemonium among the Beautiful People that autumn could not have been more frenzied,” wrote Amy Fine Collins in Vanity Fair. People offered “great sums of money” to obtain one, and someone even threatened to kill themselves if they couldn’t attend (Capote did invite her, in the end), and some people who hadn’t been invited actually had masks made anyway, “just to keep up appearances.” Now that’s an event.

It’s not surprising that the Black and White Ball remains the gold standard of parties (though library parties are also fun) and the decades since have been full of imitators. But if you attend (or throw) your own this year, just make sure you’re wearing the right kind of mask.

https://lithub.com/11-legendary-literary-parties-were-sad-to-have-missed/

[celosiaa]

avoidance

From a wonderful prompt I received! “A cold going around the season 1 archival staff and them just actively avoiding Jon because they don't want him to get sick because they know it'll be worst for him with his asthma. What they don't know is Jon's already caught it and is getting the wrong idea and just thinks he's being avoided because they don't want to catch it from him.”

Hope you enjoy this short little sickfic! Featuring hard of hearing Tim, especially for @haunted-by-catholic-guilt :)

“Oh, there he comes, Sash.”

“How does he look?” she replies, being sure to speak louder while Tim has his face turned away.

“Can’t tell yet.”

Tim cranes his neck and squints to better catch a glimpse of Martin, who walks toward their office from the lift, bundled up against the unseasonably cold weather in a knit scarf and hat.

“God, I need to get new prescriptions,” he says, rubbing his eyes against the blurriness.  “He’s got a hat and scarf on, though.”

“Ooh, things are looking promising!”

Turning back to her, jaw hanging open in mock-indigence, Tim places a shocked hand against his chest.

“Miss James, I’m horrified!  You would wish illness on our poor poet, Martin Blackwood, Esquire?”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” she says, sniffling a bit as she punches lightly at his arm.

“Morning, everyone,” Martin croaks as he steps in—though it must sound rather congested, judging by Sasha’s satisfied smirk, and she holds out her outstretched palm to him.

“Morning, Martin,” Tim replies at once, not willing to hand over his fiver just yet.  “How are you today?  Just peachy, I’ll bet?”

Throwing him a glare from where he’s sat down at his desk, Martin’s face suddenly goes hazy, his eyes unfocused as he pulls his scarf quickly over his nose—before sneezing thrice, harsh and miserable, breaking off into painful coughs to finish.

“Aw, Martin, I’m sorry,” Sasha coos in sympathy, patting his back with one hand while reaching out to accept Tim’s begrudging fiver with the other.

“Don’t you apologize, Sasha,” Martin croaks after he recovers himself, rubbing a tissue against his dreadfully pink nose.  “We all know this is Tim’s fault.”

“Excuse me???” Tim bursts, throwing his arms wide in a gesture of disbelief.

“Shut it, you know it’s true,” Sasha concurs, unwrapping a spare tissue box to donate to Martin’s desk.  “You’re the one who fraternized with Research, knowing they’ve had this bug going around for weeks.”

“Why are you both attacking me?” Tim shouts, breaking off to cough for a moment, his own illness not yet entirely abated.  “This is homophobic.”

“Not if we’re all queer, you arse!”

He returns to clutching at his chest, taking a dramatic inhale.

“Martin, she’s slinging me with the cruelest of insults!  Are you really going to sit there and do nothing?”

“Basically, yeah,” Martin replies, voice whittled down to a hoarse whisper—he makes sure to speak slowly, such that Tim can read his lips.  “Because she’s right, and you deserve it.”

“I’ll have you know, sir—“

Tim’s scolding is interrupted by the opening of the heavy door to document storage, from which Jon emerges—looking unkempt as ever, carrying a stack of files tucked beneath his left arm.  Nodding briefly at them in greeting, he hastens across the room to his office, and Tim just barely manages a glimpse of him pulling his inhaler out of his pocket before the door shuts. 

“Is he coughing?” Tim asks, turning to gauge their reactions.

“Yeah.  God, he sounds absolutely horrendous,” Martin croaks, wincing at the dreadful wheezing coughs, ineffectively muffled behind the door.

“It’s his own fault,” Tim mutters, earning him looks from both Martin and Sasha.  “What?  He could ask one of us to root through the dusty shelves for him,  you know, like a normal boss.  But he won’t, because he’s too damn stubborn.”

Knowing he’s at least a little bit right, Sasha and Martin say nothing, only continuing to listen with concern as Jon pulls twice from his inhaler, before finally seeming to get his breath back.

“We should all try to keep our distance from him,” Martin says at last, giving them both a significant look.  “I don’t want him to get this—not when he’s coughing like that.  Don’t want to put him at risk.”

Grin dropping from his face, Tim nods solemnly back at Martin, and Sasha follows suit.

“You’re right, mate.  We’ll do our best.”

“Yeah, it’s a deal, Martin.”

“Thanks,” Martin replies, flashing them a sunny, if not stuffed-up, smile.  “Right then, anything specific to work on today?”

—

For what feels like the hundredth time that day, Jon slams the pause button on the tape recorder, snatching up a tissue as fast as he can—near-silently stifling two into it.  It makes his head pound every time, tears at his already-battered throat, but he’d rather not spread whatever miserable illness he’s managed to catch all around the office.

Though it seems that they’d all been avoiding him well enough as it is.

He’s not a fool—he knows he’s got a fever, knows that he’s contagious and really ought to be avoided—but when Martin had neglected to bring him his afternoon tea that day, well…he was more than happy to blame the lump in his throat on the fever.  For all he tells himself that it doesn’t matter, that he ought to take care of himself, it does nothing to settle the ache in his chest.  The one that his inhaler can no longer take the edge off.

Sighing in frustration, Jon does his best to turn his focus back to his work—rising unsteadily to his feet to search for the next file.

What was the number again?

God, I’m dizzy.

He stretches out a hand to brace himself against the filing cabinet, blinking away the stars sparkling across his vision as he adjusts to standing.

Right.  01319…0…8?  9?

Wait, did I—did I finish the last statement?

He muffles a cough into his elbow, bracing even heavier on the cabinet.

Doesn’t matter, I’ll just get this one anyway.

Won’t need to get up again, at least.

“Looking for something, boss?”

Tim calls from his office door, which he’s propped open—perhaps in the subconscious effort to tempt Martin into bringing him tea. 

Pathetic.

“Jon?  You alright?”

“Oh—err, of course,” he says at once, lifting his head toward him.  “Can I help you?”

“I was the one asking,” Tim chuckles, stepping forward into his office—before immediately retreating again.

Oh.

“Sorry, I would help you, it’s just—you know, with this cold going around, better not.”

“R-right.”

Jon buries his hurt as quickly as possible, refusing to let it show on his face.

“Right, of course.  Then, err, just—carry on then, I suppose, Tim.”

Turning back to the cabinets, Jon tries to leave the conversation there, feeling his chest beginning to tighten with every passing moment.  He doesn’t want to get Tim ill, not when they’re all so clearly worried about catching it—

“Jon?  You’re—you look shaky, are you alright?”

Don’t cough don’t cough don’t cough

“Fine,” he croaks, even as he brings a hand up to press against his fluttering chest.

“What was that?” Tim asks, stepping just a bit closer, tilting his head to better read Jon’s lips.

Don’t don’t don’t

He can’t hold it back anymore.

At once, Jon doubles over with coughing, shallow wheezing accented by the rumbling of congestion deep within his lungs—all of it nearly sending him to the ground with the force of it.

“Jesus, Jon—just sit down, alright?  Christ,” Tim urges, at last entering the room to grab him by the shoulders, lowering him to sitting with his back against the filing cabinet.

Every thought of hiding or sparing Tim from contagion flies from his head, replaced only with the gasping need for air, his body screaming at him to breathe—

“What’s going on?” Martin asks from the door, scanning across the scene quickly, alarm rising at once.

“Get his inhaler,” Tim orders, tipping Jon’s head forward between his knees.

“Oh god.  Right—right, h-here, I’ve got it—Jon?”

He taps gently on Jon’s upper arm as he crouches.

“I’ve got it here, can you look up?”

It takes every shred of focus he has left to his power, but he does—reaching out to cover Martin’s hands with his own as he guides the inhaler to his lips, pressing down on the button and drawing as deeply as he can from it.

“Good, good, that’s—that’s good, Jon,” Martin stammers, still holding the inhaler within his reach.

“Take another,” Tim demands, voice leaving no room for argument.  “When you can.”

After a few more labored breaths, Jon complies—chest expanding a little more now, though he can still feel the crackling wetness at the edges of it.

“Here, Jon, I’ve got you some water,” Sasha says as she enters the room, undoubtedly having heard the commotion from outside.  “You alright?”

“Shouldn’t be here,” Jon rasps, seeing Martin’s hands in his periphery, reaching up to sign for Tim’s understanding.

“I know—we didn’t want to get you ill, Jon, but—“ Tim cuts off momentarily, running a hand through his hair in frustration.  “I mean, it sort of seemed like you needed help, right?”

Wait.

“You didn’t…you didn’t want…to get me ill?” Jon asks through panting breaths, finally feeling steady enough to lift his head.

“Well, no, we—“ Martin suddenly breaks off, scooting a little ways back from Jon as he realizes their proximity.  “Of course we didn’t want you to get ill, your asthma’s been so terrible the past few days.”

Jon shakes his head in confusion, brows furrowing as he glances between the three of them.

“I...I don’t—“

Oh.

Oh.

“You didn’t…know I was ill?” he asks, and Tim’s eyebrows shoot into his hair, turning back to share a glance with both Sasha and Martin.

“Oh no, Jon, I’m so sorry,” Martin laments at last, sniffling a bit into his sleeve.  “We didn’t—we thought that, well…we thought we were protecting you from getting it.”

The relief Jon feels at this is astonishing—certainly inordinate for the situation, but…he finds he does not care much altogether.  Even if just a bit, the knot in his chest seems to loosen—his breathing made easier just for a moment.

“Woah—you alright?” Tim asks with renewed concern, the cause uncertain to him, before—

He feels a tear beginning to slip down his face.

“Oh,” he says, hurriedly scrubbing it away.  “Oh, I—I’m sorry, I—I-I’m fine, it’s alright, I don’t know why—“

“It’s alright, Jon,” Sasha says from above him, leaning down to press a warm hand on his shoulder.  “Look, if you feel like you can stand, I’ll drive you home, okay?  You need to rest.  I’m serious.”

The look she gives him now, that they all give him—it’s nearly enough to bring a smile to his face, his mouth barely quirking up at one corner. 

“Y-yes, I—thank you, Sasha,” he says, allowing Tim and Martin to lift him slowly to his feet, leaning against them momentarily as he sways just a bit.

“You’re calling your doctor on the way,” Sasha continues, leading them out of his office and toward the lift.  “I’m not leaving you alone until you do.”

“R-right,” he pants against the exertion of their slow-paced walking.  “I—thank you.  I suppose.”

“Don’t mention it Jon,” Martin says softly as they bundle him into the lift.  “Just get well, okay?”

Something warm and lovely floods through Jon’s chest at this, and he cannot help but nod—a half-smile flickering across his face as the lift doors close.

[theiconicmeghanmarkle]

Can you spot Meghan in these clips from Married With Children?

In an interview with Esquire in 2013 Meghan said: “Every day after school for 10 years, I was on the set of Married With Children, which is a really funny and perverse place for a little girl in a Catholic school uniform to grow up."

“There were a lot of times my dad would say, "Meg, why don't you go and help with the craft services room over there? This is just a little off-color for your 11-year-old eyes.”

During an interview at the Ellen show actor Ed O’Neill of Married with Children and Modern Family was shown a picture Meghan, he recognized her almost immediately.

He told Ellen: “Oh by the way she grew up on the set of Married With Children did you know that? Her father was a camera operator.

He added: “She used to come on the set in a little catholic school uniform, she was like nine.”

Video credit: @sussex_lover