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tryalittlejoytomorrow · 1 year

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you drew stars around my scars

Fandom: Alex Stern series / Ninth House / Hell Bent

Pairing: Alex Stern/Darlington

Status: Complete

Tags: Post-Hell Bent; road to recovery; romance; mutual pining; hurt/comfort

Summary: Alex and Darlington are the only ones left in New Haven during summer break. Alex decides to do something about it.

Extract:

She moved in Black Elm on a hot, balmy morning, with no preamble nor ceremony except for Darlington stumbling upon her on his way back from a run just as she exited the car she'd called this morning on a whim with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder for only luggage.

Well, not on a whim exactly. Dawes was back in Westport for the summer. Mercy was interning in France, relishing the beauty around, the beauty she deserved. Lauren was on a road-trip with this boy she'd met at a party, drunkenly made-out and fallen giddy in love with. Alex had asked Turner to run a background check and he hadn't even groaned for the sake of it, just done it like the time he'd come to pick her up because she'd told him something had happened to her. Turner was busy taking care of his mother who'd just had hip surgery, and otherwise busy pretending he could forget all about the things he saw and did because of her.

And Tripp was too busy hiding out in the dark to keep from melting under the scorching sun because, well, vampires. He was probably having the time of his life anyway, beating his own record at GTA. Sometimes he randomly texted the group chat with a joke or a plea for Dawes to cook him dinner, and while no one particularly bothered replying most times, Alex couldn't pretend she wasn't relieved. Tripp was Tripp, but he was alive and as well as he could be, and his dumb selfies pouting for Dawes to care for him lived in her heart rent-free.

Which only left she and Darlington. Virgil and Dante without Oculus, Virgil and Dante with no one to supervise, no ritual to attend during the summer break, the societies giving themselves a well-deserved break from all the fuckery they pulled during the school year. Assholes. Perhaps Turner was right and they were all just dumb rich kids playing wizards; the only kind of magic Alex knew and feared and loved at the same time was the one who'd brought Darlington back to her.

He was staring at her. Wide-eyed as if she were a burglar, a thief in broad daylight breaking and entering his kingdom of isolation. His mouth opened - in greeting or dismissal, Alex couldn't tell, because he pressed his lips shut just as quickly. His tank top clung to his skin from sweat, dark, damp spots under his armpits and across his stomach; his hair was a mess, beads of perspiration gathered on his forehead, at the tips of his hair, one droplet gleaming on his right earlobe. Alex wanted to suck it into her mouth, wrap her lips around his ear, taste every part of him until she knew him like every badly-healed wound on her own body.

He smelled, the sharp tang hitting her nose and tongue, but only making her want him more. It was foolish to believe she could come here and leave unscathed if she was that affected by the salty scent of his sweat.

It was foolish to believe she had it in her to turn around and leave now.

Read more on AO3!

#darlingstern #ninth house #hell bent spoilers #leigh bardugo #alex stern #darlington

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soartfullydone · 6 months

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Back at you! Five favorite and five least favorite reads of the year

[rubs hands together gleefully]

My Top 5 Favorite Books of 2023

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (translated by Nathan Collins) floored me with the depth of its personal character stories along with its understandings of humanity, desperation, and love. It's also just an incredibly engrossing and tragic thriller book that ends more hopefully than I ever expected. I avoided reading it for so long because I don't care for "violence of violence's sake" narratives that say nothing else. The gap between Squid Game and Saw is vast in my eyes, and while I didn't sob buckets like I did for Squid Game, the attachment I have to so many of the students in Battle Royale cannot be understated. It remains my favorite and most dynamic read this year.

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo took an entirely different direction than I anticipated or hoped for—and shockingly, the direction Bardugo took was better than my imaginings. I thought Ninth House was an interesting genre switch for her, but it wasn't my favorite by any measure. Hell Bent, on the other hand, said, "Y'all want demons? Y'all want deeper character bonding moments? Y'all want a journey to hell that is literally, symbolically, and cuttingly personal?" Also, Darlington was very hot, I'm going insane.

The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss reminded me not only how much I miss the Kingkiller Chronicle but also how much I love Rothfuss' musical writing. He also understands fae so deeply that it's a pleasure to read about my fae husband, Bast, and his bargains with the local kids. Bast is the perfect character to follow around for a day, embodying the whimsical and mischievous writing style Rothfuss employs, and the many illustrations throughout the novella were so lovely. This is my idea of a cozy fantasy story.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, boooooooyyy! I loved every part of this, but I didn't expect the book to be as genuinely funny as it is, no implied laugh-track necessary. Underground gangs and rogue shit will always capture my heart and intrigue if done well, and Scott! Lynch! never! missed! How Father Chains trained his thieves to steal from the rich to ???? Be little shits? Excellent! The romance friendship between Locke and Jean? Beautiful. The cat-and-mouse cons that increasingly go wrong? Incredible. The barrel??? Brutal, I'll never get over that.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh shattered my every expectation, and I gotta say, they weren't initially favorable. I thought, as a standalone, there was no way the book was going to do everything it claimed without pulling its punches and rapidly softening itself, and I was not only wrong; I was delighted. Hey, do you want to know what it's like to be part of a death cult? Do you want to follow a protagonist who sees herself as the model of this death cult and its bigoted society? Do you want to see how she fights, kicking and screaming, against the truth that upends her entire life until she can't deny it anymore? Do you want to believe in stories about redemption and people becoming their better selves? Do you also want a solid sci-fi story with aliens? Believe me, I am so happy that a sci-fi book made my favorites list this year.

Honorable mentions: The Poppy War (reread) by R. F. Kuang, Empire of the Vampire (new) by Jay Kristoff, The Stolen Heir (new) by Holly Black

My 5 Least Favorite Books of 2023

Seasonal Fears by Seanan McGuire is here because I am just. So. Disappointed. I adored Middlegame and still believe it to be one of the most technically impressive novels I've ever read. Seasonal Fears proved that Middlegame was not only a fluke but also that it should've remained a standalone. Melanie and Harry are insufferable protagonists, the plot meanders to such an anti-climatic ending, and characters I loved from Middlegame are here, not to help or to hinder, but to be the most annoying people on the planet. Giving my time and hope to this almost feels like a betrayal. I've just learned a third book is supposed to come out, and.... I can't do it again. I'm not strong enough.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent is BookTok mediocrity at its finest. As cumbersome as its title, the world-building and plot are each jokes I am not in on. People call this book "The Hunger Games with vampires," and I'm so sorry, Suzanne Collins. I'm so sorry people compared your thoughtful work to this hack job. In truth, Broadbent goes out of her way to distract the competitors of this "deadly" competition from going after each other to the death, especially her super-special human MC that can keep up with immortal beings no problem. It's full of insta-love and plot convenience, of telling without showing, of characters so stupid that none of them thought to bring poison weapons to the death game like the MC did, which you can also dip out on at night. When vampires are most active. It all culminates in 1-2-3 plot twists that are as laughable as they are story-breaking. See Battle Royale reigning supreme up there? Now look at this sad sack of shit. How could I possibly take this serpent girlie seriously?

Red Tigress by Amélie Wen Zhao is another that turned out to be disappointing and is the reason I won't finish the trilogy. While not having the most imaginative premise, Blood Heir at least proved an entertaining read, and I was invested in Ana's story, in her slowburn romance with Ramson, and in some minor characters who were introduced to have greater importance later. This YA novel also tackled the modern slavery issue that is human trafficking, and I was interested to see how the rest of the series would develop that conversation. Turns out, Red Tigress would not be doing that. It just became another shallow YA series that hand waves political alliances, the logistics of war, the necessity (or not) of a monarchy, and the justification of rebellion. It became a story where you Always Have a Choice, where the protagonists always have the Right information and make the Right decision (and that decision is always Good), and it stops asking realistic questions altogether. Oh, and then there's the intolerable Sorsha. Fire, murder, kill.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid is Ava Reid dumbed down for a YA audience. There, I said it. A Study in Drowning tries to be a lot of things. A gothic novel. A fairytale. A rivals-to-lovers romance. A feminist work about women reclaiming their stories from men. It succeeds at exactly none of these things. Its feminist messaging is so ham-fisted, countering acts of misogyny in a way that is so over-the-top because it can't afford you missing it. A shame that it calls so much attention to it because the novel crucially lacks meaningful female friendships, moments of female empowerment and growth, and true reclamations of agency. While I generally loved its imagery with water and rot, its protagonist was also a huge drain on my interest and patience. I almost DNF'd this, and I kinda wish I had.

In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power is... Well, I'll be honest. I have almost forgotten everything about this book; it was such a slog. The main characters weren't likable or interesting, even in their goals or relationships with each other. The family involved in this should've been my kind of messy, but it pretty much amounted to Dad Bad, Younger Brother Overlooked, Twin Siblings Important But Somewhere Else, Younger Sister Is Also Here? The world felt very small, the stakes present but not remotely urgent. The main characters were truly in their own heads so much that they missed all the warning signs that danced naked in front of them. There's a sequel and I don't know how or why.

Dishonorable mentions: Godkiller by Hannah Kaner, A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross

#about me #books

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whitepolaris · 2 months

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Haunted Schools

Packing a bunch of teenagers into a small area is not a natural, not to mention rational, practice. The angst of all those concentrated adolescents is apt to promote all manner of psychic manifestations. Considering the nature of the school beast, the fact that many are considered haunted should not surprise anyone.

John J. Houghton was one of Augusta's earliest philanthropists. His will left $4,000 to the Augusta City Council for the purpose of constructing a free school for poor children. Houghton Institute opened in 1851 and served its purpose well for decades. But it was one of 700 structures destroyed by a massive fire in 1916. A new school, Houghton Elementary, opened the same year, and some remains of its namesake were disinterred and buried beneath a tile floor in the school foyer, where a plaque described Houghton's generosity. The new school was a grand place with high ceilings and hardwood floors, and for eighty-four years much of the student body believed it was haunted by its benefactor.

One student said many believed that Mr. Houghton pushed kids down the steps, and this child admitted to racing down the halls in fright. He also said that doors banged loudly, too loudly to be natural, when they closed. One door closing sounded like five. Even Houghton's principal, William Holmes, confessed that when he worked alone on Saturdays, he doubled-checked to be sure that the doors were locked.

A great legend died when the school closed in December 2000. It was combined with another facility, now named Craig-Houghton Elementary School on Fourth Street. So far, the ghost of Mr. Houghton has not appeared in the new building. But perhaps he's only laying low, getting accustomed to his new surroundings.

Hilsman Middle School in Athens was named for Patti Hilsman, Clarke County's first middle school principal. Miss. Hilsman died on August 28, 1964, and the school was dedicated the following year. To honor its namesake, a portrait of her was hung in the school library. She is depicted as a young woman with piercing blue eyes and red hair piled atop he rhead, wearing a white Victorian dress.

Rumors has circulated for years that the years in the portrait moved and followed passing students. However, in late October 1990-yes, just before Halloween-students changing classes were taking a shortcut through the library when someone exclaimed that Miss. Hilsman's eyes moved. Suddenly everyone saw the same thing. Consensus was soon reached that it was her birthday and that she was coming back!

Hysteria swept the school, and many students said that when they walked on the wrong side of the hall, Miss. Hilsman would correct them, saying, "Walk on the right side of the hall." Once on hall duty-always on hall duty.

Darlington High School in Rome has a haunted structure, the Louis K. Customs Dormitory. The story goes that the property was once an amusement park or hair grounds. A little girl became lost there and died of exposure. It's her spirit that haunts the dorm.

One summer a resident teacher was lone in the building when she heard a childish voice singing and the sound of a small girl running through the halls. A check od the form and grounds revealed nothing. One night a student was awakened by a little girl who begged for assistance. Terrified, the student threw pillows at the ghost, the projectiles passing through it and rudenly awakened a roommate.

Lithonia's original school was constructed around 1865 on Stephenson Road near a rock quarry. Although the school has now been converted to a private home, its old ghosts remain. A teenage boy and a brooding hooded figure are said to frequent the entry hall, and an eight-year-old girl has been encountered. The schoolmarm's presence is announced by the rustling of heavily starched dresses.

Newnan's Northgate High School has a pleasingly scented ghost. Legend has the land belonging to a plantation owner who killed a slave one morning at breakfast. The heavenly smells of bacon and eggs are often detected wafting through the halls.

Jordan Vocational High School in Columbus has multiple ghosts The spirit of a teenage girl haunts the auditorium. Apparently, in life she had become overly enthusiastic while watching her boyfriend perform in a play and jumped up to shout his name, only to plunge over a balcony railing to her death. Her ghost now roams the stage and balcony. Encountering that spirit seems preferable to meeting the ghost that haunts the construction room. There is a metal rod pierced the heart of a young man, and he can be seen clutching his chest. Certainly, many of the stories of paranormal activity at schools are generated by the overactive imaginations and mischievous minds of adolescents. But can that really be the explanation for all of these tales of ghostly encounters? Or could it be, just maybe, that there are some Georgia residents whose presence can still be felt among us, even after they have departed our fair state and this life as we know it?

#weird georgia #type read

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genderqueerpositivity · 2 years

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Meet the South Carolina native who created the transgender pride flag

Monica Helms dabbled with dressing as a woman in the secrecy of her own room while serving as a crew member on the USS Francis Scott Key submarine in Charleston in the 1970s — and she was almost caught by her superiors. Two decades later, Helms created the renowned Transgender Pride Flag in 1999. The road to boldly expressing her creativity and love for the transgender community was arduous. Born in Sumter in 1951, Helms prayed to God when she was 5 years old to make her a girl.

“As I got older, I started trying on my mother’s clothes when I was 12-13,” Helms said. “Because I felt like I wanted to dress as a woman because it was a part of me that was missing.” While serving in the U.S. Navy and stationed in San Francisco in 1976, she went out in public for the first time dressed as a woman.

“I was very quiet about it, of course, obviously. It felt natural,” Helms said. The United States military counted “homosexual acts” as grounds for discharge in the 1970s. After World War I, sodomy was a crime under a court-martial. Helms left the U.S. Navy in 1978. In 1992, she began taking hormones and officially came out as a woman in 1997. Worried that her transition would upset her father, Helms’ mother told her she wasn’t allowed back in her parents’ house in Phoenix, Arizona. At the time, Helms’ dad had Alzheimer’s and diabetes. “That was very painful,” Helms said. “That made me want to get a job out of Phoenix and go somewhere else. That’s why I came to Atlanta.” Throughout the ‘90s, Helms was encouraged by Mike Page, the creator of the bisexual Pride Flag, to create a transgender pride flag. She first flew it in 2000 in a Pride Parade in Phoenix.

“The stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, the traditional color for baby boys. The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional color for baby girls. The stripe in the middle is white, for those who are transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender,” Helms explained. Although legal progress has been made in recent years to benefit the LGBTQ+ community, such as the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015, Helms said she believes the United States has a long way to go toward equality. Georgia and South Carolina’s transgender community suffers discrimination under state laws, including South Carolina’s recently passed ban on transgender athletes in high school sports. “We’re going to have to get visited by aliens in order for trans people to not be discriminated against. They’re trying every so often to pass laws to restrict transgender kids from getting medical help,” Helms said. “It’s very upsetting.” She encourages anyone with a desire to transition to make sure they have a supportive community around them. Helms didn’t have that while she transitioned as an adult. “I had friends, and I lost some of them. But now, I have more friends that I can count on — people I know real well — than I’ve ever had in my entire life,” Helms gushed.

Now, her relationship with her family is “perfect.” Helms said that no one in her family has a problem with her transition. “My father passed away in 2004. When that happened, my mother wanted me to come back,” Helms said. Helms founded the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) in 2003 and is proud of the organization’s work to encourage the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to publish a directive for trans rights. “We received emails from trans veterans telling us that (the directive) worked. That places that they were not able to get help before are helping them,” Helms said. “I feel that we may have even saved lives, in that respect.” In her free time, Helms builds and launches model rockets. She also loves to produce videos and go camping with her wife, Darlene Darlington Wagner.

June, recognized as LGBTQ+ Pride Month, is one of Helms’ favorite times of the year, and she loves that the month encourages the queer community to be themselves in the face of adversity. “We’re very proud to be who we are,” Helms said. Since the early 2000s, Helms has always been shocked to see her flag in various places globally. “I’m always in wonder of where I see it. I’m always excited to see it in different places. And, you know, (to see it) in conservative states, it’s just, it’s amazing,” Helms said. But there’s one other place Helms wants to see the transgender pride flag fly.

“I need to see it in the International Space Station,” Helms declared.

#monica helms #trans #transgender history #trans pride #trans pride flag #pride month #trans history #queer history #south carolina #news #q

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thelittlestspider · 4 years

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Happy Storyteller Saturday! — Are there any common misconceptions people have about your OC and how they behave/their personality manifests itself? For example: are they typically reclusive even in social situations but others take it for being cold?

carter - there’s a lot to unpack here. the people of salvation are usually in three categories:

1) people carter has helped and/or worked for/with

2) people carter has dated

3) people that hate carter

carter is a weird mix of “i was raised in a neglectful/abusive environment where i had to do a lot of awful things to survive” “i was raised in total poverty, until i was kidnapped and brought to this evil rich man’s house and forced to interact with other evil rich people at parties” “i do not know how to interact with people unless i’m killing or schmoozing them”

so carter works under a framework that is “if i do things for people they will like me” vs. the other part of carter that is brittle/two seconds from snapping at all times “i hate doing things for people because they hurt me.” that becomes “i let them walk all over me, unless they hurt my loved ones. then i stop being “good” and i fight them.”

they see him as being at turns accommodating, aloof to the point of coldness, flighty, manipulative, enigmatic, closed off, spacey, promiscuous, generous, and incapable of committing to anyone who isn’t violet or tiffany. it’s very confusing. he’s as likely to help an old lady to cross the road as he is to step on someone’s neck for even breathing an unkind word to the girls.

violet - violet is naturally charismatic so people mistake that as her being confident, when violet is actually kind of nervous and fearful lol. she’s just gotten good at covering it up over the years. all anyone knows about violet really is that she just showed up one day, was adopted by the roses, became the most popular girl in salvation, and now is basically the unofficial mayor. and they’re pretty okay with that. they don’t understand her choice in partners though. well. except for the alvarez boy. they liked him. (they’re pretty happy to see him again later; they accepted nina and tiffany as their first ladies, despite the fact that they don’t really care lol, but matteo actually like cares about being first man to violet’s madam president. he’s also fun and stuff.)

tiffany - tiffany can be kind of abrasive sometimes and moody, and people think she’s just like that all the time? they don’t see the side of her that’s protective of people she cares about, who’s funny, tender, and kind. they also have a hard time seeing past her not only being a psychic, but also kind of an orphan after her parents’ deaths (she’s being raised by her grandmothers). she hates them treating her like a charity case.

(tiffany is also just the kind of person who’d check out a library book of poetry, bike her way down to rose house, and sit against one of the graves reading. she finds it relaxing. the townspeople think it’s weird to be chill surrounded by death. the rose family think it’s good to enrich one’s life in the company of other people be they dead or not; after all, there’s a lot you can learn when the dead speak.

(ps: i also love the thought of the bookclub meeting in the graveyard for their discussions lol.))

nina - so nina spent so much time over the years trying to be “normal” to fit in, acting all proper and polite, that people totally bought it. they think she’s this prim and proper catholic girl who dresses nice, who’s kind of quiet, maybe a little odd. she could certainly do better than the darlington boy at any rate. then nina starts hanging out with tiffany and the new rose kids, and she doesn’t quite come all the way out of her shell, but she’s peering through a crack. she starts going out on these trips to the haunted places, places people are afraid to go. they think she’s lost it. really she’s just found where she belongs.

(they don’t know she’s brave and clever and determined to a fault. that she practiced ballet until her feet bled and kept going, putting everything she had into it. that she was horribly lonely. and hurting. they don’t know how much she needed to be seen.)

#dogwrites #paper heart tag #kimi replies #i'm sorry this turned into a whole meta lol

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elizadoolittlethings · 6 years

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Mark Gatiss: ‘There’s nothing quite like the sheer bloody terror of theatre’

Mark Shenton

- Sep 29, 2016

By a strange sort of coincidence, October sees Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton all appearing on the London stage.

No sooner does Gatiss open next Tuesday in The Boys in the Band at the Park Theatre, than the very next night Shearsmith begins previews for a West End revival of Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser, and three weeks later Pemberton leads the cast of Dead Funny. The three men were, of couse, all co-founders (with Jeremy Dyson) and stars of The League of Gentlemen, a TV comedy troupe that was born as a stage act (and won the Perrier comedy award at Edinburgh in 1997), before making three TV series between 1999 and 2002 and then a feature film in 2005.

“This is a sort of two-yearly story now, when we all seem to be doing plays at the same time,” says Gatiss, talking in a lunch break from rehearsals a couple of Saturdays before previews begun. “But we’re just working really.”

Today he tells me frankly: “I owe everything to the League – and we’re talking about doing something else now, as it has been 10 years since we worked together and we’d love to again.” Yet it also keeps reappearing in his life anyway: “It goes in cycles of rebirth. People come up to me and say they loved it when they were kids, which makes me feel ancient; but then kids come up to me who’ve just found it, too. It goes round and round.”

During those League years – “we were together for 11 years” – he and the others made a total commitment to it. “We made a pact that we wouldn’t get distracted. We’d seen a few of our contemporaries go off and do other things, but we didn’t want to lose sight of what we were doing, so if we did anything else it would be only short things that we could fit in.”

If the League will forever be a marker for him, another has become Sherlock, the modern version of Sherlock Holmes that he has written with Steven Moffat, and for which they’ve just completed a fourth series of three episodes.

“That takes it to 13 we’ve done in six years. People ask why we don’t do 10 a year, but it’s hard enough doing three every 18 months. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, like bottled lightning; it just came together, the idea of doing a modern version, the writing, the casting and the timing of it. Conan Doyle spent all his life trying to work out why people liked Sherlock Holmes; Steven and I just go, ‘fine’. It’s been astonishing; it sells to more places than there are countries, which is something to do with oil rigs and other territories. And Benedict [Cumberbatch] and Martin [Freeman] have become superstars through it.”

Gatiss is himself far too modest and self-effacing to consider himself a star, though as an actor earlier this year he won his first Olivier award for best actor in a supporting role for his appearance in Three Days in the Country at the National Theatre, and said in a post-award red carpet interview: “I’m over the moon, I really am. It’s a thrill, I’ve always wanted one and I am really pleased.”

https://youtu.be/0cAIHJ6f6zQ

He had every reason to be; as Kate Kellaway put it in her review in The Observer: “Mark Gatiss, as the ‘maestro of misdiagnosis’ Shpigelsky, gives a comic tour de force, and his immodest proposal to middle-aged Lizaveta brings the house down. He sinks to his knees to propose, but lumbago prevents him from rising and he crawls, in a most undignified style, across the stage, bottom up. It’s funny, but it is the more subtle aspects of Gatiss’ performance that fascinate most: the way he holds a smile, lets it go beyond its sell-by date: there is Shpigelsky’s vanity and misplaced confidence in it.”

He tells me he never had confidence in that comic routine himself: “Una Stubbs once told me that when she was doing a play at the Donmar Warehouse a friend told her how she loved that thing she was doing with her hands, and she never got a laugh from it again after that. It’s the old saw about a good review being as dangerous as a bad one. With the entire back routine in Three Days in the Country, I couldn’t remember what I had done about three months in; I lived in mortal dread of it going away, but it was also good because it kept it fresh.”

He keeps himself fresh by combining two careers, one as a writer, the other as an actor. “I’ve always done both. In an ideal year, I do half and half. Sherlock takes a long time to write, then four months to film; I then like to spend three months on a play.”

Theatre has become a mainstay for Gatiss. “I usually do a play a year, sometimes two,” with credits that stretch from the National (where as well as Three Days in the Country he also starred in Alan Ayckbourn’s Season’s Greetings) to the Donmar (The Recruiting Officer, Josie Rourke’s first show at the helm), Hampstead Theatre (Howard Brenton’s 55 Days), and London’s Old Vic (All About My Mother). “I can write while I’m in a play, too, and I like that – it gives structure to the day – but I always forget, like the amnesia of childbirth, how tired I get. When you do a play you shift into a different pattern, and become more of a night owl, although I’m very much a morning person. When you’re in the theatre, you eat late and sleep later so that has an effect on the day.”

Theatre has also always been in his blood, ever since he first attended a drama club at school and an after-hours youth theatre, before going to study at Bretton Hall in Yorkshire, where he first met the other Leaguers and they formed The League of Gentlemen. “It’s such a different experience to sitting in a caravan waiting to film something. There’s nothing quite like the sheer bloody terror of theatre – and the smell of a freshly painted set is exactly the same wet paint smell I remember from drama club at school. It gives me the same tingle of anticipation and nerves and excitement.”

Being in a play is like a holiday romance – it’s very intense, then it dissipates

Of course, one of the joys of working in the theatre is that it is much more social than the solitary act of writing. “Sometimes I feel like I’ve been chained to a desk for months, so there’s nothing nicer than joining a new group of friends and everything that comes with it. It’s like a holiday romance – it’s very intense, then it dissipates.”

There’s no room for holiday romances, or ‘showmances’ as I’ve heard them dubbed, though: for the first time, he is working on stage with his actor husband Ian Hallard, whom he married seven years ago. “We’ll be like Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray now,” he quips. The ceremony was held at Middle Temple, the ancient Inn of Court in central London, and he can’t resist telling me: “The ceremony took place beneath the portrait of Edward Carson, the man who prosecuted Oscar Wilde. Who’d have thought? He’d be turning in his grave.”

Doing The Boys in the Band, Mart Crowley’s 1960s play about a group of gay men, together now was prompted partly by Hallard’s involvement in a rehearsed reading of the play four years ago, which Gatiss saw and tells me how much it resonated.

“One line that stood out was: ‘If we could only not hate ourselves quite so much.’ I thought it was brilliant. And then [producers] Tom O’Connell and James Seabright got a production together and the Park Theatre said yes, and I had a gap, so I joined, too. Ian was doing Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at Theatr Clwyd in the first three months of the year, and then I went straight off to do four months of Sherlock, so this is a good way of seeing each other now.”

There are other perks, too: “Jack Derges is utterly delightful – being kissed by him every day is all right. But Ian gets kissed by him first,” he hastens to add. The Park is also local to them – they live in nearby Islington – and he says: “I love this theatre. It has an indie feeling to it, and has a really loyal, local audience. But I’ve also wanted to play this part since I saw the film when I was 12 or 13. It’s an important play – it’s fascinating to see where we were, where we’ve got to, and between that, where we think things have changed or not at all. You know that a play is good when you stage it at different times and it means something different each time.”

Continues…

Q&A: Mark Gatiss

What was your first non-theatre job? I worked as a gardener in a hospital across the road from where my dad worked.

What was your first professional theatre job? Working at Darlington Arts Centre, now sadly gone, which in its day was second only to the Barbican in terms of size. I was a deputy stage manager.

What is your next job? I’ve got a lot of things to write, most of them secret at the moment.

What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out? Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Who or what was your biggest influence? My greatest inspiration is Alan Bennett – I’ve never worked with him, but he is it. My acting hero is James Mason, who as a screen actor was unsurpassable; on stage, it is Mark Rylance – his Richard II was a life-changing experience for me, it was breathtaking.

What’s your best advice for auditions? Don’t go, leave them to me! But apart from that, whenever I’m involved in producing things, I try to get actor friends to come in and read in for those auditioning. It’s very unusual for actors to sit on the other side of the table, and they always find it revelatory. At the end of the day, they realise it is very rarely about not being good, but about the fit, and that’s reassuring to know. So my advice would be that if you can, try to get to sit on the other side of the table sometime – it will make you feel so much better when you don’t get a job.

If you hadn’t been an actor and writer, what would you have been? I’m very blessed to do this as I can’t do anything else. The only other thing I really wanted to was be a pantologist, but I didn’t have Latin.

Do you have any theatrical superstitions or rituals? I try not to as I’m quite a rational person, but in the face of the terror, I can’t tell you how many times I find myself whistling in the dressing room and having to go out in the corridor and turn around three times and blow a raspberry, hoping no one notices.

He goes on: “There is a lot of stuff in this play about self-loathing that is very relevant. The idea that that has gone away is a fallacy. The levels of mental illness and suicide in young gay men particularly is awful. I was talking to a friend recently who told me about a friend of his who struggled to come out. We imagine, living in our metropolitan bubble, that it is easy, but he had gone through hell – it sounded like something from the 1950s, but was to do with what was going on in his own head.”

The play premiered in 1968, a year ahead of Stonewall and the new age of gay liberation that ushered in, but it was a landmark play for portraying gay lives on a mainstream stage so unashamedly, and maybe critically. Some activists have resisted its portrait of these gay lives as too hostile and unhappy; but as Gatiss points out: “I hate the notion of things having to wear the weight of everything on their shoulders. This is actually a particular view of nine particular men, written from a very autobiographical standpoint by Mart Crowley. I feel very like I’m on a soapbox about this, but why should this play have to shoulder everyone’s stories? Obviously it was different when there were very few gay plays, but it’s not like that now that there’s a multiplicity of them, so we can look at it in its context.”

Photos: Tristram Kenton1 of 4

That context is also, of course, pre-Aids – though it’s a sad fact of that disease that it claimed no fewer than four of the play’s original New York cast. During the 1980s, the play duly fell off the gay theatre syllabus entirely; as Gatiss puts it: “There was a period when clearly this was the wrong thing to put on, when we were absolutely under siege. But the last time it was done in New York, Ben Brantley wrote in The New York Times that it was apparently all right to like Boys in the Band again. As time passes and things shift, it is not just ripe for revival, but also still relevant. It’s a false assumption that all battles have been won. There’s a massive debate in the gay community about masculinity, for instance. And what really interests me is the notion how, in any community or cause, when you start to achieve victories, the things that give you common cause start to fray and then you start to turn in on yourself. It’s a bit like the Labour Party is doing now. But so much has been achieved.”

Yet the gay community is facing new challenges now, such as the disturbing rise in chemical drug addictions. “A friend has a really interesting theory about the perhaps subconscious feeling among gay people that we are somehow ‘other’. There’s that wonderful line in Inherit the Wind that you invent the telephone but lose the charm of distance; so for everything you gain, you lose something, too. And maybe the rise of chem-sex is a way for men to say, ‘Yes, I can marry and adopt children now, but I’m still not like you.’ And that’s really interesting.” Addictions are a way to try to cure, or at least temporarily relieve, pain, “whether it’s drugs or sex or booze, which this play is about. And from the outside, all looks fine now – you have Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno [Tonioli] on the TV, and Ian and I were on Graham Norton [on BBC Radio 2] this morning, so visibility is not an issue. Obviously huge steps have been made, but it’s folly to think that everything is rosy now.”

Continues…

Mark Gatiss’ top tip for an aspiring writer and actor

• As Churchill said, keep buggering on, that’s the only thing you can do. For writing, there’s no such thing as a would-be writer. You do it or you don’t, so just get on with it. People are scared, they think they’ll be judged – but the only person doing that is yourself.

Some may still resist the portrait of these bitching, unhappy gay men all over again, but Gatiss is ready with his answer to them: “If someone says that’s not me, it’s not supposed to be. I find repellent the closing down and over-policing of things; it suffocates debate.” That’s a debate he wants to have. And apart from working with his husband, the play has an added resonance for him, too: in it, he plays Harold, whose birthday party provides the setting for the story, and he tells me, “I’ll turn 50 during the run, though we don’t have a show that night.”

After the run finishes, he plans to take a holiday at last: “I’m going to try to have an actual month off, to see if I can do it. People ask me if I’m a workaholic – I don’t think I am, but I love to work. Noel Coward once said work is more fun than fun, and I finished a script the other day and gave myself a day off work and I went off for a massage. But I was quite bored by the end of the day.”

CV: Mark Gatiss

Born: 1966, Sedgefield, County Durham Training: Bretton Hall College Landmark productions: All About My Mother, Old Vic, London (2007), Season’s Greetings, National Theatre (2010), The Recruiting Officer, Donmar Warehouse, London (2012), 55 Days, Hampstead Theatre, London (2012), Coriolanus, Donmar Warehouse, London, with Tom Hiddleston (2013), Three Days in the Country, National Theatre (2015) Awards: Perrier award for comedy for The League of Gentlemen at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (1997), BAFTA for The League of Gentlemen TV series (2000), Royal Television Society award for The League of Gentlemen TV series (2000), Golden Rose of Montreux for The League of Gentlemen TV series (1999), Writers Guild award for best short-form TV drama for Sherlock (2012), Olivier award for best supporting actor for Three Days in the Country (2016). Agents: Sarah Spear/Grace Clissold at Curtis Brown

The Boys in the Band runs at the Park Theatre, London, until October 30

#MG #mark gatiss #the boys in the band #the league of gentlemen #theatre acting #interview #the stage

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harryloomis · 3 years

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Crown Jewel or Triple Crown?

The Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500 are and always will be the majors; but what about the Brickyard? The Brickyard 400 has been a huge race since the inaugural running in 1994. The race delivered in quality and attendance for over a decade. But the 2008 tire disaster really kickstarted the end of the aura of the race. Now, the recent racing has been so mediocre that the race is moved to the road course.

I feel like it goes without saying that the road course doesn’t have anywhere near the hype that the oval has. This raised the question whether the Brickyard is still a crown jewel. My question is this: do we really need four?

The Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500 are a massive part of NASCAR’s past. Indianapolis is a part of racing history, but not NASCAR’s. The Brickyard burst onto the scene in 1994, and was immediately treated as the biggest race in the world, as it was, at the time, the biggest purse in history and had a huge crowd. It didn’t hurt that Jeff Gordon, a local kid, won the race. Looking back now, the race never really seemed destined as a long-term staple, like the other three.

Personally, I really don’t think that NASCAR necessarily needs a fourth crown jewel. Look at horse racing’s triple crown. Each of those races, Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, draw in a massive casual fanbase. Would adding a fourth major race draw the same crowd? I argue no, and I also argue that it wouldn’t share anywhere near the same significance as the other three, because it doesn’t have the same history. The same thought-process applies for NASCAR. Think of the countless memories at Daytona, Darlington and Charlotte. Those are part of NASCAR’s history, both past and present. When I think of Indianapolis, I think of the Indianapolis 500, not NASCAR.

I think NASCAR could really hit on something with the Triple Crown. Think about if a big company came in and ran an event like the old Winston No-Bull, where you could win a million dollar payout. Maybe they do something like the Winston Million, where if you win all three races, you get a $3 million dollar bonus. These are hypothetical, but the possibilities are there if NASCAR wanted to pounce.

So let’s say there should be a fourth crown jewel. That’s fine, but what race is it? A road race will never be a major race in NASCAR, it’s just not. I think, if there was a fourth major, it has to be the Bristol Night Race. Think of the memories, Dale vs. Terry, Gordon’s bump-and-run, Stewart’s helmet throw, Carl vs. Kyle. Bristol has been around as long as Charlotte; and the night race is constantly one of the best races all year. Look how pumped Kevin Harvick was to win it last year. If fans want a crown jewel, Bristol should be there.

Now look, I personally don’t think it matters. I don’t think any race NASCAR could throw in would match the excitement and prestige of the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500. I do think that this is something NASCAR should address, and try to take advantage of.

#jou432 #nascar

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borispfeiffer · 2 days

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Verlier die Vier

// von Boris Pfeiffer // Der Vater kommt an der Ampel über die Straße. Sein Kind sitzt in seinem Bauchgurt. Er hält einen Pappbecher Kaffee in der Hand. Das Kind hält ein Schwein aus Plastik an sich gepresst. So gehen sie zu viert über die Kreuzung. Wer kann was fallen lassen? // Der Verlag Akademie der Abenteuer wurde Ende 2020 gegründet. Hier fanden zunächst Kinderbücher ein neues Zuhause,…

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aru-leprechaun · 6 years

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Know-me-better ask

(OMG I WAS TAGGED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MA LIFE ON TUMBLR I WAS TAGGED)

Thank you for tagging - @corpse-of-bandersnatch xD

NAME:

Alexandra

SIGN:

Libra, i guess

HEIGHT:

I’m really not sure… Like, 164? 163?

MIDDLE NAME:

I don’t have one. Though I do have a third name, the one that comes from father’s name, but you’ll never pronounce it xD

PUT YOUR ITUNES (or similar) ON SHUFFLE, WHAT ARE THE FIRST SIX SONGS THAT POPPED UP?

oh that one’s difficult, i only have my ancient mp3 and it has only whole albums.. So it’s the whole album with 60s music, around 4 albums with irish folk, also Queen and Imagine Dragons. Yeah, I’m weird.

GRAB THE BOOK NEAREST TO YOU AND TURN TO PAGE 23. WHAT’S LINE 17?

PARKER: Lord Darlington Enter LORD DARLINGTON Exit Parker LORD DARLINGTON: How do you do, Lady Windermere? - “Best plays of Oscar Wilde” => “Lady Windermere’s fan” (yes, i love oscar wilde xD)

EVER HAD A POEM OR SONG WRITTEN ABOUT YOU?

Nope.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PLAYED AIR GUITAR?

Only my ukulele~

WHO IS YOUR CELEBRITY CRUSH?

mmmm… let me think… JUST ABOUT ALL OF THEM? I can’t even start a list - it will just never end o_o

WHAT’S A SOUND YOU HATE?

Air-raid alert and train breaks.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS? HOW ABOUT ALIENS?

Ghosts no, but aliens.. I mean, come on, I’m a big piece of a trekker

DO YOU DRIVE? IF SO HAVE YOU EVER CRASHED?

Nope and, I guess you can count the time when mom, me, my 6-months old brother and my granny slid into a road ditch? xD My mom wasn’t an experienced driver at the time, and she needed practice after my brother’s birth, but it was granny’s summer house and the road wasn’t pretty, also my granny kept distracting mom trying to set the air conditioner in the car)) But it was alright, we just slid there very slow and nicely, I kept holding my baby-brother’s head so that he wouldn’t bump it xD

WHAT’S THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?

Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”, IN GERMAN (can you believe that i can finally read in German??) I needed it for my college.

DO YOU LIKE THE SMELL OF PETROL?

Nope. But strangely enough i LOVE the smell of chlorine. Swimming pools have a specific value for me because of that xD

WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE YOU SAW?

The men who stare at goats

WHAT’S THE WORST INJURY YOU’VE EVER HAD?

Can you count my depression? xD I also fell of the stairs when i was a kid

DO YOU HAVE ANY OBSESSIONS RIGHT NOW?

OH YES. I wanted to write about it with my next post, but… oh yes. And now (don’t judge me too quickly) it’s a chinese fantasy costume drama (I KNOW, OKAY, I KNOW)

DO YOU TEND TO HOLD GRUDGES AGAINST ANYONE WHOSE DONE YOU WRONG?

Trying not to. Honestly trying.

IN A RELATIONSHIP?

Nope.

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bbcbreakingnews · 4 years

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Youths take advantage of new e-scooter rules

They have been hailed as a solution to our gridlocked cities, but the UK’s first trial of electric scooters has got off to a farcical start, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Youths flouted the new laws within hours of the powerful machines arriving in Middlesbrough, leading critics to accuse them of being ‘open to abuse’.

Our reporter witnessed two masked youths brazenly whizz through the bustling Cleveland Centre indoor shopping mall, forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way.

Youths flouted the new laws within hours of the powerful machines arriving in Middlesbrough, leading crDitics to accuse them of being ‘open to abuse’

Our reporter witnessed two masked youths brazenly whizz through the bustling Cleveland Centre indoor shopping mall, forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way

It was just one of countless disturbing incidents, including scooters being ridden on pavements, without helmets, and at their top speed of 12.5mph. Two youngsters were captured riding pillion, others were seen attempting wheelies while Cleveland Police had to issue a warning after pulling over two boys, aged 13 and 14, on the busy A19 dual carriageway.

It raises serious questions about the scheme because the overwhelming majority of riders were teens and young men apparently seeking a joy ride rather than commuters trying an alternative means of transport.

Personal injury lawyer Peter Kelly said: ‘The scheme is open to abuse and that is demonstrated by what is happening.

‘The police should crack down on it as soon as possible. The initial rush of kids abusing the scheme is going to have to be stamped on.’

The Government’s pilot scheme in Middlesbrough means people can now legally rent and ride the e-scooters on roads with a maximum speed limit of 40mph and in cycle lanes in designated areas.

Only people over the age of 18 with a full or provisional driving licence are allowed to hire them and it is recommended that riders wear a helmet.

A fleet of 100 orange and black scooters arrived in the town last week for hire at £2 per 20 minutes – done via a phone app linked to the rider’s bank account. It is being run by start-up firm Ginger and users are covered by insurance company Zego in the event of an accident.

However, this newspaper has discovered that checks are apparently not being made to confirm users’ age or identity, opening it up to misuse, as children as young as 11 can get a bank account with a debit card.

Anyone found driving irresponsibly can have their licence endorsed, face a fine or criminal prosecution. Legal experts say that if a rider caused injury or damage, they would be exposed to offences comparative with a car user.

It is unclear what would happen if a rider is underage.

The introduction of e-scooters on to UK streets has been marred with controversy after the death of YouTube star Emily Hartridge while riding one in London a year ago. Paris has about 20,000 e-scooters available for hire but is facing lawsuits from accident victims.

Despite that, the Government brought forward the trial to capitalise on people’s changing habits during the Covid-19 pandemic. A further 400 machines are set to be delivered to Darlington, Stockton-on-Tees and Redcar, while 50 local authorities have expressed an interest, including Bath, Bristol, Derby, Nottingham, Southampton, Portsmouth and the City of London.

Last week, Future of Transport Minister Rachel Maclean told Parliament that it was ‘not a done deal’ that the e-scooters would stay after the 12-month trial ends. ‘This is a very big market for e-scooter operators and we don’t want to rush into something that we may regret doing later,’ she added.

Supporters of e-scooters say they are a clean and cost-effective way to get around, and Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has thrown his weight behind the project.

He said: ‘The first week of the pilot has been a great success overall, and the response from people in Middlesbrough has been overwhelmingly positive’, adding that the Tees Valley Combined Authority was liaising closely with Cleveland Police. Ginger did not respond when asked how it would verify the age of scooter users, but in a statement released on Cleveland Police’s Facebook page, company chief executive Paul Hodgins said: ‘The guidelines for using the scooters are clear both prior to, and throughout, the hire of the scooters.

‘The trial is performing well and we will continue to work closely with all regional partners during this test phase to ensure riders are aware of their responsibilities to themselves and other road users.’

The post Youths take advantage of new e-scooter rules appeared first on BBC BREAKING NEWS.

from WordPress https://bbcbreakingnews.com/youths-take-advantage-of-new-e-scooter-rules/

#TOP STORIES

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tastywordgasms · 4 years

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NOW LIVE!!!

Title: NEVER LOVE A ROCKSTAR

Author: Sarah Darlington

Release Date: February 5th

Series: The NEVER TRUST Series, Book 3

IN LOVE WITH A ROCKSTAR? No, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

Rebecca Cooper knows what dating a rockstar is like. It’s late nights, months on the road, and constantly sharing your man with everyone else. It’s coming second. She’s been there, done that, and walked away with a broken heart. So how it is possible she’s put herself in this position again? In love with yet another rockstar. This time, his brother.

Luke Mills is bitter. He’s bogged down by years of guilt and heartache. He goes through the motions. He’s rough with everyone around him. And then Rebecca walks back into his life. Sweet Rebecca. She shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t have come back. But Luke sees her and can’t help the way his heart wants to respond. But, no, not in a million years—he’d never let her have a spot in his frozen heart again. Not when she was always his brother’s girl.

**NEVER LOVE A ROCKSTAR can be read as a standalone, or as the third book in Sarah Darlington’s NEVER TRUST Series.

Get your copy now! Available on Amazon or in Kindle Unlimited.

Get your copy here: books2read.com/u/meBloz

Available on Amazon or in Kindle Unlimited.

Lita T’s Review: 5 STARS

Never Love a Rockstar (Rockstars in Kill Devil Hill #3) by Sarah Darlington is Luke Mills and Rebecca’s story. Luke has to not only come clean that he slept with his brother’s girlfriend but that is possibly the real father of Caleb Jr. Once the results are out he now has to deal with the repercussions of his actions. How can he face his brother and his family. He is now a father and has to deal with the unresolved feelings he has for Rebecca and the fact his son is named after his brother. This was a story that took me on an emotional journey of a young man who is naturally closed off and is extremely moody. He has to deal with all of this and try to go on with his family. Rebecca left that night so she didn’t cause not only the break up of the band but the bond between two brothers. She never had any intention of ever coming back into the Mills brother’s life regardless she had a son. With no other choice she did and the repercussions are overwhelming at times especially with Caleb Jr’s condition. I just loved everything thing about the struggle between Luke and Rebecca. The ultimate love story. 5 stars for me. Initially I wasn’t sure what my feelings were going to going into this book knowing he had betrayed his brother and Rebecca’s actions when she first come back. So much more than I ever expected. Definitely looking forward to the next and final book.

Find the other books in the NEVER TRUST series here… NEVER TRUST A ROCKSTAR (Now available!) NEVER KISS A ROCKSTAR (Now available!) NEVER LOVE A ROCKSTAR (Now Live!) NEVER LEAVE A ROCKSTAR (Mar. 5)

Sarah Darlington was born in Colorado and grew up all over the United States. These days, she calls Virginia home, where she lives with her husband, two kids, and large dog. The best word to describe Sarah is ‘creative.’ She’s passionate about designing, crafting, and photography. But most of all… she loves creating stories through her writing.

Her romance books are sexy and heart-gripping at their core, guaranteed to make you swoon. Any of them can be read as a stand-alone, but all are connected within the same world. Facebook Group | Instagram | Bookbub | Goodreads

🎶🎶🎶 Never Love a Rockstar is NOW LIVE!!! 🎶🎶🎶 Check out Lita T’s review! 🎶🎶🎶 @SADarlington NOW LIVE!!! Title: NEVER LOVE A ROCKSTAR Author: Sarah Darlington Release Date: February 5th Series: The NEVER TRUST Series, Book 3…

#Never Love a Rockstar #Sarah Darlington #The Never Trust Series Book 3

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godefylife · 5 years

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I remember growing up on the fields playing in the dirt because my brothers played baseball when they were younger. As they got older they sort of drifted away from it. I never knew why, I just knew that they did. My own sons even played a year or two. The last year they played, they won the championship and they too decided to walk away from the sport. My Dad is a HUGE Atlanta Braves fan so I watch them occasionally and follow them always. I will look at ESPN and when they win, I will say… I know Dad is smiling from ear to ear tonight. When I go visit him, I always sit and quietly watch the game with him, so you can say, I’m an undercover fan of the sport. Although one or two of my brother’s friend went on to play baseball in high school, it really wasn’t a sport the “we” played. Again, don’t ask me why, I’m just reporting what I saw growing up.

I kind of lost track of the sport over the years and then my boys started going to Darlington, which is a baseball town (I didn’t know that at the time). Anyway, trying to fit in and make friends, I asked what they did on the weekends and that question led me to the baseball fields. I went when I was bored and just sat and watched. When I tell you that simple question opened up another world for me… IT OPENED ANOTHER WORLD FOR ME!!!

I am not a social butterfly so I would just sit and watch. At first, I would take my camera. I didn’t know anyone so that kept me busy while watching. People see a camera and we are immediately friends. Later, I discovered that these same people play softball as well. Like… THE GUYS play softball. I never even knew this world existed. So, I started going more frequently and I’ve made friends. As I look around and explore these fields, I’ve noticed, young and old. It’s like a gathering place for us… like an underground world! I see people laughing, food being served, kids running around playing in the dirt, wives, husbands, cousins, friends, Moms and Dads out supporting one another. It’s where we gather to have a good time. I see tents set up, music playing, the man on the mic doing his thing and everyone waiting for his updates (especially those that are not really watching, just hanging) and please don’t let him get it wrong; someone is running to update him. Communities coming together, celebrating and where CHAMPIONSHIP are won! This is where you come to just be and RELAX. Of course, every now and then, there’s a little “trouble” but nothing is ever serious.

I had to get a shot of this… THE PRIDE!!!! I LOVE IT!

The fields are not the best, the “stands” are not state of the art but it’s OUR PLACE and we wouldn’t trade it for the world. EVERYONE knows where the fields are (except me, I had to get directions). Some are hidden within neighborhoods and some are just off the road, never the less, they are the PRIDE and JOY of the game. They are where the kids in school really learn THE GAME and how to play and REALLY compete because you have people of ALL AGES on a team and they care nothing about how old you are. These fields were built by the hands of grandfathers, Dads, Uncles, and cousins WITH LOVE!!! It where families join together, or churches comes to have fun. I can only imagine a Sunday afternoon out here 20 years ago. I’m sure these are the kinds of fields where Jackie Robinsons, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Dave Roberts, Ernie Banks…. SATCHEL PAIGE….and all the greats learned the game!

The Sandlot is one of my favorite movies and 42… well, I had to go see that when it hit the big screen. I never thought in a million years that I could get so much excitement from a simple baseball or softball game on Saturday and Sundays but I do!! I have even gotten The Man into going (but only when it’s cool).

Us… Softball Watching. 🙂

Some shots from a few games.

As I get more involved, it gives me such pleasure to sit around on the weekends at the games and listen to the laughs of my people and as I watch my CD, LaVontay play softball, the game she loves. Seeing her at bat or playing infield reminds me of one of my favorite movies, “A League of Their Own”. I’m pretty sure she could have suited up and played a part and been MORE than GREAT!!

Get it CD!!!!

Hopefully one day, I will get to sit on some of these same fields and watch my own daughter play. Heck, she may be the next TONI STONE!!!

My Softball Girl in action! #7 … she’s #13 now though!

These fields are like the FIELD of DREAMS… if you build it, they will come. We are HERE and have been for a very long time. I’m so thankful to my friends and the experience I share through them. This has truly been a GREAT one!

~B.

“Batter Up” -Mabel Scott

Check out more of my articles on my blog The Bee Sides

Batter Up I remember growing up on the fields playing in the dirt because my brothers played baseball when they were younger.

#The Bee Sides

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joementa · 7 years

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Playlist: It’s Summer, So Let’s Listen To Bruce.

I hope everyone’s summer is off to a good start. One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to crank up the music while I’m driving down to the beach. I love driving with the windows down and the volume turned up. If it’s during the day, I love the feeling when the sun shines through the window and beats down on my skin. It’s such a great feeling.

To me, one of the best musicians for the summer is our guy, Bruce. I love his music at any time of the year, obviously. But summer is when I think most of his music sounds the best. When I listen to some of his songs, I can SMELL the boardwalk, I can HEAR the waves crashing and the seagulls, I can TASTE the salt water of the ocean, I can FEEL the sun on my skin. Summer flows throughout his music.

So, I am pleased to present to you the following playlist. Twenty Bruce songs that I think are some of THE essential summer songs in his catalog. As great as I think this playlist is, there are still a TON of great summer Bruce songs that I left off. I know…”Lion’s Den”, “I Wanna Be With You”, “Night”, “Kitty’s Back”, “Spirit In The Night”, “Incident On 57th Street”, “I’m Goin’ Down”, “Lonesome Day”, “Out In The Street”, “New York City Serenade”…I’m sorry! I could only fit 20 songs on here!

I spent a lot of time making sure that this playlist flows carefully. A lot of that time was spent when I was a kid, where I would hear a song like “Bishop Danced” and just think to myself that that song was perfect to start your trip down to the beach. I designed this to flow a little bit like a show, too. Think of “Thunder Road” as the main set closer. It’s a chance to compose yourself and your emotions, catch your breath, and prepare for the rock ‘n roll mayhem that will ensue in the next 4 songs. Let’s consider “From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)” as the first song in the encore. Look at the energy that’s in the next 3 songs! Wow! What an encore! I think I did a good job with this playlist and with the encore. And like all great shows, you want to end on a high note. And that’s what I’ve done here – I ended this playlist in style.

You can also click on the link RIGHT HERE and listen to this playlist on Spotify.

I hope you enjoy this playlist, and I hope all of you have a great summer! And like our guy says, we’re just prisoners…..of rock ‘n roll!

“Bishop Danced” (Tracks)

“The E Street Shuffle” (The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle)

“Growin’ Up” (Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.)

“Darlington County” (Born In The U.S.A.)

“Working On The Highway” (Born In The U.S.A.)

“She’s The One” (Born To Run)

“Save My Love” (The Promise)

“Be True” (Chimes Of Freedom)

“My Love Will Not Let You Down” (Tracks)

“Blinded By The Light” (Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.)

“Fourth Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” (The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle)

“Santa Ana” (Tracks)

“Cadillac Ranch” (The River)

“Born To Run” (Born To Run)

“Thunder Road” (Born To Run)

“From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)” (The Essential Bruce Springsteen)

“Seaside Bar Song” (Tracks)

“Thundercrack” (Tracks)

“Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” (The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle)

“Jersey Girl” (Live/1975-85)

#bruce springsteen #bruce #music #summer #live music #concert

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anotiondeepinside · 7 years

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Bruce Springsteen’s Most Springsteen-iest Song Ever

Buckle up, kiddos. We’re about to figure out which Springsteen song is the Bruciest of them all. (Thanks to this tweet for the inspiration)

Right off the bat, I can think of a dozen or more contenders. How can you pick just one? The Springsteet-iest song isn’t necessarily the “best” song, is it? Is Springsteen-iest a synonym of quintessential? Are we looking for the song that a Springsteen caricature would be playing? All good questions.

Rather than try to single one out, we need to list the criteria that would make up the Springsteen-iest song ever and eliminate songs that don't fit until we're left with one.

1. The Springsteen-iest song would come from one of his defining albums.

We're eliminating songs from Greetings and everything after Tunnel of Love. The Rising is great, Magic is vastly underrated, and Greetings has some gems. Still, the stretch between The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle and Tunnel of Love is when Springsteen made himself Springsteen. This also means anything from Tracks and other archival releases are out. This puts us at 79 possible songs.

2. You'd want to roll down your windows and blast the Springsteen-iest song.

We lose everything from Tunnel of Love and Nebraska here. They're both phenomenal albums that showcase the brooding side of Bruce. This side of Bruce plays well because it contrasts with the exuberance of classic Springsteen. The Springsteen-iest song will draw from that classic period, not the subsequent zigs and zags, as great as those are. 57 songs left. (Hey, that's a familiar number...)

3. The Springsteen-iest song would be one of the Top 50 most played songs at Springsteen concerts

This makes sense, right? Does he play them often because they’re so Springsteen-y or have they become Springsteen-y because he plays them so much? The chicken or egg doesn't matter in this case. They’re Springsteen-y either way. The top 50 most played song list was taken from Brucebase. We lose 23 songs here. (To be honest, we're not losing too much firepower. Incident on 57th Street goes, but besides that, we're not sacrificing much else). 34 songs left.

4. The Springsteen-iest song can't also be the go-to cover song for indie rock bands

Goodbye, I'm on Fire. This article details the phenomenon and gives a plausible reason for it: the song is "recognizable enough to appeal to audiences even if they’re not huge Springsteen fans, but it’s also not overly hallowed ground" We want hallowed ground. 33 songs left.

5. The Springsteen-iest song can't have been misappropriated by famous politicians and still widely misunderstood today.

See ya later, Born in the USA 32 songs left.

6. The Springsteen-iest song would feature someone driving.

I'll take common Springsteen tropes for $200, Alex. We're gonna eliminate some great contenders on this one, but rules are rules. Springsteen has done as much for car metaphors as Herman Melville did for whale metaphors. There were some judge's rulings for this criteria.

- Adam Raised a Cain: "keys to your daddy's Cadillac" Verdict: Eliminated

- Out in the Street: Is he walking Out in the Street or driving Out in the Street? Verdict: Eliminated

- You Can Look: He and Dirty Annie are at the Drive-In Verdict: Eliminated - Backstreets: the characters "catch rides" and "huddle in [their] cars" Verdict: Still alive

We lose 14 songs total, including these heavy hitters: 10th Avenue Freeze-Out, Badlands, Glory Days, and Dancing in the Dark. 18 songs left.

7. The Springsteen-iest song wouldn't be very, very similar to another song on the same album.

We lose 4 total here. Cadillac Ranch and Ramrod. Darlington County and Working on the Highway. Can't be just me who sees those pairs as essentially serving the same purpose, right? 14 songs left.

8. Clarence Clemons would be prominent on the Springsteen-iest song.

The Big Man's sax is the key ingredient that makes classic Springsteen what it is. It's like the Thousand Island on a reuben. The sax also plays a major role in distinguishing Bruce's sound from other classic rock bands. Try starting a Bruce Springsteen cover band without a sax player and see how far you get. We gotta be tough here. A few of the songs we're cutting have a sax moment, but compared to the one’s we’re keeping, it's just not enough. We lose 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy), Backstreets, Racing in the Street, Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, and My Hometown. Wow, brutal. That’s a great set of songs. 8 songs left. See them and the winner under the cut

Before we get to the remaining criteria, here's a look at the final 8 songs. One of these is the most Bruce Springsteen-iest song ever.

1. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) 2. Thunder Road 3. Born To Run 4. Jungleland 5. The Promised Land 6. Prove It All Night 7. Sherry Darling 8. Hungry Heart

Well, well, well. That's a just about a greatest hits collection right there! This criteria is really working, except...

9. Is there any song left that seems out of place?

Sayonara, Sherry Darling. It was a Cinderella run for this enjoyable little ditty, but it's time to let the big boys play. 7 songs left.

10. The Springsteen-iest song wouldn't be a song that was almost given to another band because Springsteen didn't want it

Springsteen wrote Hungry Heart for The Ramones but was later convinced to keep it for himself. 6 songs left.

11. In concert, the Springsteen-iest song would usually raise itself to another level.

There's two types of people in life. Bruce Springsteen fans and those who haven't seen him in concert. When Springsteen's legacy is discussed, his live performances will be mentioned in the lead paragraph. We need the Springsteen-iest song ever to be one that showcases the passion and fervor of his live performances. Rosalita was the band intro song for many years. It stays. Thunder Road is a thrill to hear, but I'm not so sure Bruce ever found its definitive live arrangement. It's out. Born to Run and the house lights stay on. Jungleland is tough, but I have to eliminate it. Because it's such a precise work of art on record, the live version is somewhat handcuffed. You can't reinvent it. You can't really improve it. You just do your best to recreate it. The Promised Land stays. Not only is the straightforward version kicked up a notch live, but the solemn acoustic arrangement shows the song’s versatility and the power Springsteen has with just a mic and a guitar. And because Prove it All Night is the poster child for a song raising to another level in concert, it stays. 4 songs left.

12. When Hollywood makes a biopic, it might name the movie after the Springsteen-iest song.

Born to Run: definitely possibility. The Promised Land: absolutely. Prove It All Night: and the Oscar goes to... Rosalita (Come out Tonight). Sorry. 3 songs left.

13. Lets not kid ourselves here, the Bruce Springsteen-iest song is kind of about sex, and not just subliminally if you twist the subtext enough, but there’s some overt sexual tension.

It's the biggest reason young boys become rock stars, and it's the muse behind some of the greatest songs. Bruce wouldn't tell you any different. Despite a name that horny English majors could have a field day with, I have to eliminate The Promised Land. 2 songs left.

14. The Springsteen-iest song would fit a certain lyrical mode that champions blue collar grit while still romanticizing the notions of faith, hope, and love as catalysts for a better life.

Does it start out with a guy just doing his best to make it in the world? Born to Run: “In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a Runaway American dream” [check] Prove it All Night: “I've been working real hard trying to get my hands clean” [check]

Does the idea of leaving coincide with improvement? BTR: “We're gonna get to that place where we really want to go / and we'll walk in the sun” PIAN: “We'll drive that dusty road from Monroe to Angeline / To buy you a gold ring and pretty dress of blue”

Is there a line about dreams? BTR: “I want to guard your dreams and visions” [check] PIAN: “This ain't no dream we're living through tonight” [check]

Is there a line about love? BTR: “I want to know if love is wild, girl, I want to know if love is real” [check] PIAN: “I prove it all night for your love” [check]

Hmmm...Stalemate. Let's try something else.

15. Does it have Night in the title?

Seems arbitrary, but chew on this.

There are 64 songs on Springsteen's first 6 albums. Of those, there are 7 whose title contain some form of 'Night' (we're counting Tonight in Rosalita). That's over 10%! And we haven't even included the outtakes. (Restless Nights, Bring on the Night, Because the Night, Night Fire, City of Night). If you write a song and put Night in the title you're more than 10% on your way to recording a classic Springsteen-esque song.

Want more? There are 18 songs on Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town. 17 of them have ‘night’ in the lyrics! 94%!

So, to recap. The Springsteen-iest song has to be a rocker from one of his defining albums. It has to get played often in concert and the live performance has to add something to the song. It can't be misunderstood, covered too much, or be too similar to another song on the same album. Someone needs to be driving in the song, Clarence needs to be featured, and the lyrics need to hit the basic Springsteen themes. And it needs to include his favorite word: night.

The Springsteen-iest song: Prove it All Night.

Post script: I think it's a perfect choice. We're not looking for the best song. Best songs take an established template and do something unique and special. Prove it All Night is the template. It's the archetypal Springsteen story prompt. Thunder Road, Incident on 57th Street, Born to Run, Jungleland, The River, Atlantic City. Insert any number of great Springsteen song. They're all basically the fleshed out short story version of characters trying to "Prove it All Night."

#springsteen #bruce springsteen

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hosannas · 7 years

Text

You ain’t a beauty but hey, you’re all right

24/1

Perth Arena has an army of young men serving as crowd control. Their jobs are to stand there, yellow earplugs firmly in, and survey the crowd for any loonies who may jump onstage and rip off Bruce Springsteen’s trousers. I felt a little bad, as they’re obviously discouraged from speaking with concert-goers or smiling or (as I noticed later) appearing to enjoy the concert. I spent a couple hours in the lead-up to the gig just staring: the one nearest to me looked like Patrice Evra, the one on my right a skinny white boy with singularly broad shoulders, probably how he got the job as compared to his buffer (and darker) colleagues. And on the far right, this drop-dead gorgeous man, the kind of gorgeous that should be in magazines and on television, the kind of gorgeous where you can’t guess his age because his skin is flawless but his eyes have depth.

After the concert I was waiting for the hall to empty, as I was right at the front and didn’t want to get caught in a crush. I made eye contact a few times but he remained stoic, until I smiled and he looked away for a second. Stragglers were then ordered to leave, but before doing so I walked up to him. “Yes?” he said as I neared; and I replied “I’m not coming on to you or trying to be creepy, but you should seriously consider modelling. Your face is perfect. I couldn’t help staring even though I was supposed to be looking that way, at Bruce.” His immediate blush, the way he stared at his shoes and grinningly said “thank you” made the risk of humiliation you unconsciously associate with honesty entirely worth it.

The concert was amazing, but weird, simultaneously disappointing and thrilling. Bruce and the E Street Band are fantastic to watch live, and hearing Jake Clemons up close gave me the chills. During one of his solos, footage of Clarence Clemons was shown – from the days of Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town – and this is just that feeling of belle époque, I know, but how I’d have loved to be there.

I think that was what made it difficult for tonight to fall into place: a carefully-curated setlist that spanned the years, but lacking a certain love. He played 30 songs, of which the standouts (for me) were Darkness on the Edge of Town, Spirit in the Night, Rosalita (of course!), Darlington Country, Working on the Highway, The Promised Land, American Skin (eerie and wonderful, and you wonder if the primarily-white crowd singing along realise that he is including them in his damning lyricism), My Hometown, Candy’s Room, Because the Night, The Rising, Badlands, Born to Run, Dancing in the Dark (sorry guys, he called up a little boy who pretended to play the guitar, it was adorable. I know we were hoping it’d be me, but for what it’s worth, he held my hand a couple times?), and an encore where he did Bobby Jean.

I fucking love those songs, and anything from Darkness on the Edge of Town is a surefire winner because that’s the first Springsteen album I listened to all the way through – but the songs that make or have made me feel were largely absent.

Last April I met a friend I’d quickly lose, and we hit it off after we recited the lyrics to Human Touch and Brilliant Disguise. A year ago (or maybe more, who can remember?) someone used to come to my flat and play my guitar for me, sometimes looking up chords on my phone. One night in passing I asked him to play some Bruce Springsteen for a change. Days later I saw he’d been looking up the chords for Secret Garden, but for whatever reason had decided not to play it for me. For a year I listened to I’m On Fire almost every day, and would constantly nag Wolf to cover it when he was busking. Someone always plays I’ll Work For Your Love when the occasion calls for it, and introduced me to Magic; which led to my freelancer-rushing-deadline song being Livin’ In The Future. When I think about love, I think about Tougher than the Rest. I sent the lyrics to The Ghost of Tom Joad and The River to one of you, the former because I knew you loved The Grapes of Wrath.

Two of you on this thread know about the story I want to write about Mary, and how much it was inspired by The River and Thunder Road. When I had trouble getting out of bed, This is Your Sword made me smile even though I didn’t want to. And then there’s Atlantic City. Everything dies, baby, that’s a fact.

So am I just sulking that the setlist didn’t include songs I love? Maybe. But I also think this setlist was curated for an audience that like Bruce, but don’t love him. And that’s okay – because this is the first time I am watching him and I doubt it will be the last: and I realise I sound like I didn’t like the gig, which is a bloody lie. I loved it. I loved every second, saxophone and raspy vocals and too-tight pants and screaming myself hoarse to The Promised Land; that one delirious moment of eye contact, his clammy hand in mine. Tomorrow I’ll be calling the ticketing box to see if there are any left for the Wednesday show, because Friday’s gig is too far away (the website says yes, so why the fuck not!) I also bought a t-shirt! The Born in the USA one, to fulfil my Courtney Cox aspirations. Because I’m cheap and tiny compared to these massive Aussies, I got the kid’s size (plus once I hack off the sleeves the cut will look even more 80s since the neck is super high). I had a fucking unforgettable time.

I’m exhausted – I ran back to the ferry only to find that on Sundays, service stops at 9.15pm. I think I have found one of my biggest reasons to dislike this place. I couldn’t get an Uber because my last transaction didn’t go through, and they don’t accept cash here. So I set off on foot across the bridge, splurging on data roaming because my Aussie phone was out of battery. I figured what’s 3km, right? Wrong. I’m used to warmer weather, so I was getting really cold. I finally gave up when I realised I was badly turned around and would need to take a 15 minute detour back the way I came. I was under the bridge I was supposed to be on at this point, and parked near me was (what I assumed) a homeless guy living out of his car.

Five minutes later, however, I turned back and saw a barefooted man who looked a little like a skinnier Manu Bennett packing up his fishing gear. I asked him for directions, and I think my persistent clarifying made him think I’d just get lost all over again, so John offered to drop me back home as it was on the way to Bull Creek. I started talking at full speed because I was a little nervous (yes I jumped into a stranger’s car) (but I’ve given loads of strangers lifts and I never murdered them! was my reasoning). But he was very sweet – when I asked why we seemed to be heading the wrong way he calmly said that we needed to do a loop, and we’d turn at the next light. He was careful to make me feel comfortable and unafraid.

We ended up chatting about his son and asthma, New Zealand (where he is from), his ex-girlfriend and their fights, his welding job, retail outlet maintenance. He does the same thing my dad used to do, electrical maintenance for malls and shopping arcades, except he is just starting out and my father is winding down. I tried to give him some money for the ride, but he declined so I said I’d buy him a coffee before I left.

Once we reached The Flat we both got a scare: a man was sprawled by the entrance, shoes off, wallet and phone scattered, a cane next to him. His wannabe Clockwork Orange punk gear was splattered with red paint, which I stupidly thought was blood. We went and poked the idiot with a stick (actually, we spoke very nicely and asked if he needed help); eventually discovering he lived in the same building as me (er, Chuan). He staggered into the compound and fell right back down, and I swear I don’t know how Barefoot John was so fucking nice, picking the guy’s stuff up and chivvying him along. He left Brodie (as I later discovered) and I at the gate and I dropped him off at his door before heading back up to the flat. And soaking my feet. And making a three-cheese omelette.

What a night. Blood Brothers live for the first time since 2008, No Surrender, Steve van Zandt (for chrissakes!), three and a half solid hours of screaming and laughing and sending you guys crotch close-up photos.

#Bruce Springsteen #perth #2017

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