decided I’m still in love with my TOA cat au. Eventually his kids agree to bring him home and take care of him on a schedule and his youngest (who got mysteriously claimed whilst Apollo was a cat) begged and begged to take him home. So the other kids eventually relented and he (loves Warrior cats so much) gave Apollo an honorary Warrior cats name. (Placeholder will be Rufflepaw / Ruffletail bc he’s a teenager cat! Actually no I feel like the teen awkwardness, self-awareness etc. given to Apollo as Lester when he got turned into a teen could correlate to Being A Scared Kitty.) WORSE THOUGHT: what if Apollo had the same identity crisis he did during the series but instead of “Lester” it was “Ruffletail”. How would that make you (me) feel (very upset). OK ACTUALLY INSTEAD, when Apollo completes his trials (?? WAIT. HOW WOULD HE DO THAT HE’S A CAT HANG ON.) and he publishes his book series about his trials he gently reads them to his (very excited) kids as a bedtime story. They all huddle around him (he is the nightlight and the radiator) as he reads and whenever Apollo reads out his identity crisis sections, every time he says his agreed-upon cat name his youngest yells “RUFFLETAIL!!” after it.

Success Story: Aileen Lost 79 lbs!

Aileen S. Age: 45 Starting Weight: 234 Weight now: 155

What was the transforming point that encouraged your way of living change?

In 2008, I lost about 70 pounds, yet I never really reached my target weight. Over the following few years, I continuously returned on even more than fifty percent of that weight. I was miserable with myself and my capacity to do things with my youngsters and good friends, like jump on a trampoline or go clothes shopping. In the summertime of 2012, we went on vacation as well as I despised seeing myself in images. I had a now-or-never minute and determined that if I wished to be delighted, I required to start doing points for myself as well as develop my own joy.

People wish to know just how I did it, as well as the response is I believed. I believed in me. If I was mosting likely to more than happy in my life and also with my body, I needed to do it myself. Between August 16, 2012 and January 16, 2013, I shed 44 extra pounds and also strike my target weight. I had shed 79 extra pounds from my all-time, non-pregnant high. Why? Because I started to believe and insist that I could reach my goal.

How did MyFoodDiary help in your weight reduction journey?

Writing down what I eat is a crucial and non-negotiable part of achieving as well as maintaining a healthy weight for me. I recognize some professionals say not to compose it down because "calories are not all developed equally." There might be some reality because, yet I understand that for me, meaningless psychological eating is probably my number one source of weight gain. I also think that at the end of the day, it is the straightforward math of "calories in vs. calories out" that regulations my body. I do not constantly have a "journal" with me, neither my computer. To have an online journal that is always available as well as upgraded with every one of the information I require, that is doing the math for me and also tracking exercise, dietary values, and also water consumption, is just crucial.

Now that I have been at my objective weight for over 2 years, I often avoid daily journaling. Yet as quickly as I start to feel myself creeping away from my target weight, the initial point I go back to is MyFoodDiary as well as day-to-day journaling. It's not almost being liable. I like to check out patterns as well as recognize things like, what typical day-to-day calorie intake assists me maintain my weight? Lose weight? And also what does my ordinary nutritional account REALLY resemble? MyFoodDiary is my facilities for a healthy and balanced way of life and also my safety blanket.

Describe your new, healthy lifestyle?

Even though I have actually kept my goal weight for over 2 years, I still require to verify to myself daily that I can do this, that this is real. This is my thought cycle: I think that I am a solid as well as healthy and balanced individual, as a result I act in this way. It has actually become my fact. I consume alcohol water rather than other beverages. I try to include vegetables right into my diet regimen wherever I can, particularly right into healthy smoothies. Generally, I attempt to decrease refined carbohydrates and processed foods as well as chemicals. I'm additionally aware that attacks, licks as well as preferences have calories and also build up quick! I sometimes avoid daily journaling but MyFoodDiary is constantly the very first point I return to if I really feel like I have actually not been focusing on my nourishment and also daily calories. There is no suggesting with the numbers before me in black and white.

I include some form of movement into every day. Some days I do cardio, stamina, and also extending workout at the health club. Some days I'm exercising on a post, hammock or hoop in the airborne studio where I teach and also train. Some days I simply do cartwheels or yoga exercise obstacles, or park at the far end of the great deal. Every single day I assume regarding moving my body. It is not a duty, it is a privilege.

What has actually been your largest difficulty in the process, and also exactly how have you conquer it?

There are two challenges that I have always allowed to dictate my level of activity as well as capability to be healthy: my five children as well as my poor joints.

It is very easy to allow my youngsters's needs and hectic timetables come before my own, and for years I did just that. I was showing them that my requirements come last, including my health and also joy. Currently they see a mom that relocates as well as enjoys it. I have determined, regardless of exactly how busy my day is, I FIT exercise into it. A critical part of raising my kids is revealing them that I matter too, as they will when they come to be adults and parents.

Also, I do not have excellent joints, most significantly my back as well as knees. I've had numerous knee as well as back surgeries because I was 12 years of ages. My last orthopedist, seeing my x-rays for the first time, looked at me warily as well as stated, "You do understand that you have seriously progressed osteoarthritis, right?" I ensured him I knew that. He described that there was absolutely nothing left to be provided for my knee except to await points to weaken to the factor of replacement. What triggers me one of the most joint discomfort are poor diet, lack of activity, and bring additional weight, so I am simply made with those things. I value the limitations of my joints, as well as train carefully. I continue to educate, relocate, and also dance. Because when I quit moving, I'm done. As well as I'm not done.

What is one brand-new healthy and balanced food, behavior, or task you really did not expect to like, once you attempted it, you were hooked?

In February of 2013, having actually simply reached my objective weight, I mosted likely to a post physical fitness course at Upright Addiction in Stamford CT, assuming I would certainly rotate around looking elegant. Rather, it was hard, as in beyond-my-abilities hard.

Most of my childhood years I was an affordable gymnast, and also many of my life I have actually been a professional dancer. What I saw because class inspired me: women of every age, body form and history, who looked solid as well as graceful. I felt totally awkward and also incapable, however the other women appeared truly certain that I might do it also. I returned to attempt once again. Today, I am a qualified pole health and fitness as well as FlyGym trainer and I show 3 to 6 classes each week. I additionally complete in local competitions as well as have actually obtained bronze, silver, and also gold medals in my age in levels 1 and also 2. Pole and airborne arts are my trifecta of fitness: a challenging full-body workout of toughness and also cardio, lovely and stylish and also never the same, and remarkable ladies of every age as well as capacity coming together to support and also support for each other.

What has actually been the biggest benefit of your weight-loss success?

It is so much enjoyable to shop, put on enjoyable garments, as well as also use bikinis with confidence. It feels good daily to relocate my body as well as feel strong as well as healthy. But by much my biggest incentive is getting in touch with other ladies and assisting to show them that they can attain their health and wellness objectives also.

For years I informed myself "I can not" and I thought it. I saw various other females experience success and also I had a list of reasons she could do it - no children, under 40, had much less to shed, full time athlete or star - and I can not. I am done with that mentality, and with justifications. Females attract inspiration from me due to the fact that I don't have any type of magic bullet or simple excuses. I made a decision to do the job, and also so can various other females. Hearing that I helped motivate another person's success, despite exactly how small, is by far my favorite part of this journey.

What's next? Any type of upcoming plans that were influenced by your weight loss?

My big strategies are to keep going! I will continue contending, sharing, and training pole health and fitness as well as dance, and also aerial arts. I look forward to summer and spending quality time in the water and also sun with my family and friends. I hope to obtain hectic on my blog and also making even more entrances that will certainly share my trials and also successes. I want to get individuals speaking about attaching their wellness and also joy and accomplishing their objectives. I have one boy leaving for university and also 4 kids still in the house, so the most significant part of my life is elevating them and also helping them produce delighted, healthy and balanced lives that include discovering workout that they love.

What is your finest recommendations for others attempting to lose weight?

I state begin NOW. Do a minimum of one point today that you will certainly take pride in tonight. Exactly how often do we go to sleep stating our failures and also negative selections? I recognize there is a long listing of great, also impressive, things you do daily as well as never ever think around. Undoubtedly there are additionally practices as well as actions that make you feel severely, however you never ever truly believe about them, you simply engage in them. So undergo the day looking for possibilities to choose you will certainly boast of!

It does not matter if these opportunities are little. Due to the fact that if you are anything like me, it is the build-up of these little, mindless habits that are making you really feel beat. If rather you go to bed reminding yourself how you actively made one much better choice for yourself, after that you are going to bed with a positive thought. That will change whatever, because things you inform on your own are one of the most powerful things you listen to. Really feeling terribly regarding on your own is difficult work. Making favorable modifications daily is effort. Select your difficult work.

some headcanons for our muses featuring @waterlord !

below , i’ve written up truck load more random headcanons on kiri’s relationship with shinobu kocho , kanae kocho , the girls of the butterfly estate & a new addition — mitsuri kanroji !!

𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐮 𝐤𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐨

initially , shinobu is a bit troubled by kiri . before kanae’s passing , her attitude is a lot like aoi — blunt , impatient & almost intolerant of many things . things that include clinginess . she’d be a bit rough on him at times , wanting him to be less dependent on people . this reminds shinobu of her ‘ old self ( which unbeknownst to her — is still present ) ‘ & how she was before her parents died . believing this way of life isn’t healthy , she tries to teach kiri how to be independent . funnily enough , she ends up latching on to him like an older sister or even a mother .

caring for his hair is something she does to relax . sometimes she’ll make a silly excuse like ‘ your hair pin is falling out again — geez ‘ just so she can play with his hair . when his hair grows longer , oooh man she loves it ! she loves to braid it in various styles since the colour of his hair fascinates her . the colour is rare & eye catching . even the slayers that come by the estate take notice ! if someone say’s something rude about it , shinobu will have a few words with them . a few sailor - esque words with them .

on that note , shinobu doesn’t like swearing around the young ones or her sister . she ESPECIALLY makes sure that kiri won’t hear her . aoi has caught her before & has a small habit of doing this too , but only when things really bother her - lol .

the earrings kiri made for her she cherishes deeply . she’d love to wear them all the time , but worries that they may break . instead , she wears them on casual days around town or on special occasions . they make a wonderful addition to her purple kimono . she barely notices the ‘ flaws ‘ on them & instead believes it gives them character . each imperfect line shows the effort that was put into gift , something that is priceless .

checking out the insects in the forest around the estate is another pass time of hers & she takes everyone along with her , typically in small groups ( unless her sister is around , then everybody comes along ) on rotation , but kiri is always invited on the trips . catching butterflies & releasing them is what they typically do but they tend to do other activities , such as ; have picnics , bird watching & other things in the forest . in the summer nights they catch fireflies !!

as the years go on & kiri begins to have strange dreams & tendencies , shinobu begins focusing on making a tea to help calm his nerves . when she finds him standing out in the rain , looking lost , she’ll scold him in anger as to mask the concern that veers on the edge of sadness . she doesn’t know how to deal with his episodes when he’s realizing his true identity but she’s always looking out for him & making sure her stresses isn’t known . she’s a worry - wort by nature after all .

shinobu & kanae tend to have discussions about him not aging . already having seen herself in him , she wonders if he’s destined to be tiny & frail like herself , which does make her sad . trying to make sure this doesn’t happen , she feeds him a lot more foods & special meals catered for him . but with this being something she can’t fix she eventually gives up . she accepts that they are probably a lot more a like than she knows ( or so she thinks ) .

i noticed that shinobu has 3 goldfish in her office . why not add a lil something to where they come from ? on new years eve , everyone goes out to watch the fireworks at the festival nearest to the estate ! during one of the new year festival’s they were attending , shinobu notices a goldfish game . she encourages kiri to play it with her & the two manage to catch the 3 fishies !! i was thinking that the two of em can come up with their names ?

after kanae’s passing shinobu almost completely shuts down . while still going to missions & doing things around the estate — she’s very reminiscent of a brainless zombie , just kinda moving on autopilot . there are moments where she snaps back , but it’s usually in the form of a panicked state . especially when the other tsugoku start to die . she gets even more protective of kiri at this point & makes sure aoi is looking out for him when she’s away .

as things die down a bit & shinobu starts to put her carefree mask on . since kiri is the closest to her , he’d probably notice shinobu taking a strange medicine & sitting in her medical office with an IV attached to her arm . she tries to keep this a secret from him , which may prove to be hard , but if she were to be confronted she’d say it’s simply a new medicine she’s trying out . she doesn’t want to worry him so she tries to keep her intentions a secret .

𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐞 𝐤𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐨

i can see the two of them spending a lot of time in the garden together . kanae loves to fill the estate with various plants & usually brings new potted flowers home whenever she passes through a town . one day in particular , she brought back a sunflower . possibly after noticing that he likes them , she decides to buy more & plant them around the estate with kiri . the sunflowers they planted bring many bumble bees & butterflies to the estate . their efforts is what really gives their mansion it’s name .  shinobu appreciates the flowers that kanae & kiri planted around the estate . the flowers also brighten the place up & make everything look a lot happier !

when approached about making the butterfly earrings , kanae gushes at the idea ! she notices how close to shinobu he is & the idea makes her all giddy . whenever they are working on them together , she tries to make sure shinobu isn’t around whenever they work on em . at times she has to go out to distract her from seeing them by making silly excuses .

kanae loves to tell the story of the first flower breathe user & how the technique was developed . it’s a funny little thing that she does at least twice a year ! she often tells her other tsuguko or anyone who’s around when spring really starts to pick up — which is usually when she spends the most time arguably .

after learning that sanemi likes ohagi kanae decides to make them for him as treats . of course she makes them for her family at the butterfly estate & she usually gets aoi & kiri to help out . kanae has a bit of a sweet tooth & she loves to snack on homemade treats .

𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐨 𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐲𝐮𝐫𝐢 , 𝐚𝐨𝐢 𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐚𝐤𝐢 & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬

while quiet , kanao really appreciates spending time with kiri . she wouldn’t talk too much unless asked a direct question but she’s totally fine with sitting in silence . her coin is typically used for making big decisions , but she doesn’t use it all the time . responding to him is not much of an issue but silence & a smile is her typical response to most things he says .

when kanao receives the charm , there’s a lost expression on her face as she stares at it . she’s not lost but she doesn’t know how to react . there’s an immense amount of joy that she feels but she isn’t sure if it’s appropriate to express it , so she stares at it for a long time . the charm is always kept with her . it’s kept in her skirt pocket while she’s around the house , when she trains & out on missions . she always makes sure that it doesn’t get dirty . kanao is really good at evading attacks from demons but she always makes sure not to suffer an attack that could damage it — even if it may cost her taking a hit herself . ‘ it’s a precious gift given to me from kiri — i must treasure it at all costs ... it’s the only way i can show that i care ‘ is her thoughts about the charm . to her , it’s a symbol of their bond .

aoi keeps her talisman under her pillow . she’s always wanted a younger sister & kiri is the closest thing to that . just like she did for tsuyuri , aoi tries to convince kiri to convince him to take on her last name , lol !

the three youngster all look up to kiri & think he’s amazing . they would always go to him to read them a story before bed or something , lol .

𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢 𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐢

mitsuri comes by the butterfly estate every now & again to say hi to shinobu & enjoys aoi’s cooking . she notices kiri right off the bat & greets him by waving her arms in the air vigorously . she’s excited to see him because of his hair !! she’s happy to see someone with an interesting hair colour & she wants to touch it & give him a hug !

she thinks he’s absolutely adorable & like shinobu , she likes braiding his hair once it grows longer ! she often styles his hair in three braids , like her own , so they can be twinsies !!

mitsuri invites shinobu & kiri over to her house to try her cooking . she specializes in western dishes & she loves to treat people to her meals ! while she cooks , she invites kiri to watch & maybe he picks up some recipes to try making with aoi . mitsuri also sends them home with honey whenever they visit ( she has a bee hive ) !!

did i mention that mitsuri has a bunny !? MITSURI HAS A BUNNY !! it’s a white lop ear named after her favorite flavour of mochi — ichigo ! she’s more than happy to let kiri play with her !

I’ve always wanted to cover the legacy of Fraser Wilson with more depth, and I’ve never been able to crack the case. I recently learned of The Fraser Wilson Collection at heritageburnaby.ca. Fraser Wilson was one of the founding members of the Burnaby Historical Society, and his role establishing the society was covered in the media last fall when the society disbanded:

Created in 1957, the Burnaby Historical Society was the brainchild of Barry Mather, a columnist for the ​Vancouver Sun​ and ​Province​ newspapers. In the summer of '57 he phoned his friend Fraser Wilson, a ​Sun​ cartoonist, to suggest they form a Burnaby historical society.

There’s precious little about Fraser Wilson on the Interwebs, so here’s the best overview we’ve got from the Fraser Wilson chapter in the book Pioneer Tales of Burnaby which can be read online here: 

Although Fraser Wilson was born and raised in the Grandview district of Vancouver and was not to move to Burnaby until he had reached adulthood, his kin was connected to the municipality in what surely must have been its most critical years. The municipality was not even a municipality, in fact, when various relatives of his arrived in 1891 to help build the rail line which was to become the B.C. Electric Railway Co.'s Central Park interurban. It was this interurban, the super-efficient transportation system with the folksy touch, which hastened incorporation of Burnaby as a municipality on Sept. 24, 1892. The original single line, opened in late 1891, was double tracked 20 years later for even greater capacity. The BCER, which inherited the line from the bankrupt Westminster & Vancouver Tramway Co., did indeed encourage and abet the development of the rural municipality by offering so-called settlers' tickets for years. They cost $3.50 for 50 rides and entitled the rider to transfer onto the street car system. The BCER did not feature this special for wholly altruistic reasons, granted, but more to help fill the company coffers. A well-populated municipality was insurance for a healthy bottom line, especially after a second interurban was built along the south side of Burnaby Lake. Greater ridership, in turn, would utilize more electricity produced by the company's new hydro-electric projects at Buntzen Lake and Stave Falls. Fraser Wilson's grand-uncle, Roderick Sample, was the road foreman during construction of the Central Park interurban and was named its first roadmaster in 1897. The BCER later promoted him to track inspector. He cut an impressive figure what with his six-foot-plus height and magnificent white beard. Mr. Sample also built a 15-room boarding house beside the Westminster & Vancouver Tramway Co.'s steam power house and car barn on Griffiths near Kingsway. The company had decided at the last minute to use electricity over horses to mobilize the interurban trams. The boarding house was run single handedly at first by Mr. Sample's wife, Minnie, who soon summoned her widowed sister, Catherine McRae, from Everett, Wash. So Mrs. McRae arrived in Burnaby with her daughter, Alexandra, who was called Allie; she would become Mr. Wilson's mother. The boarding house was the centre of both social and business activity for the Westminster & Vancouver Tramway Co. and its successor, the BCER. Gandy dancers, many of them Chinese, would eat their lunch on the veranda on rainy days. Adney James Wilson, called Ab, started with the BCER as a machinist in 1898. An ingenious man who had a number of inventions to his credit, he became BCER inspector of rolling stock in 1916. He established the company's original medical insurance plan. Ab Wilson married Allie McRae, the newly-weds moving into a house at 1648 Graveley Street in east Vancouver. Here their son, Fraser, was born and raised; his interest in the BCER, avid to this day, was understandably instilled in him at an early age. The Wilson family connection with the BCER goes even further. The grandly named Eli Egriphan Sampson Joseph Jeffrey Maneer, his cousin Eli, was a gifted sign writer who designed the gold leaf script used on all BCER street cars, trams and freight rolling stock. Cousin Eli, who talked with a decided stutter, also applied the numbers and logos by hand. Fraser Wilson and other children in the family delighted in chanting Cousin Eli's name over and over; he can do so without hesitation today. Mr. Wilson learned the skills of sign writing from Cousin Eli and continues in the business as an octogenarian. Some years ago, Mr. Wilson painted a portrait of Robert Burnaby and donated it to Burnaby; it still hangs in a place of honor at Municipal Hall. As a postscript to his story, Mr. Wilson points out that many historians, those from the B.C. Electric Co. included, have misspelled his grand-uncle's name as Semple. He thinks the error can be traced to Roderick Sample's signature in which the 'a' can easily be mistaken for an 'e'.

"I was born in Vancouver in 1905, growing up in the Grandview area right next to Burnaby. But it wasn't until 1944 that I actually moved there. Many members of our family, though, including my father Adney Wilson, were connected in some way with the interurban which ran through Burnaby. Dad became a working machinist for the B.C. Electric Railway in 1898, and was promoted to rolling stock inspector in 1916. He started the Medical Attendance Association, which was like an insurance plan. Father was also an inventor but never marketed his inventions. He did hold the patent, however, for a device which elevated a platform for a truck or wagon, inventing it before the First World War. He also invented a draftsman's rotating table and a roller coaster which used man power rather than machine power. My mother, Alexandra McRae Wilson, was one of the first switchboard operators for the B.C. Telephone Co. Around 1891 when the Central Park interurban was being built, my great-aunt Minnie Sample and grand-uncle Roderick Sample - their name has incorrectly been spelled Semple by some - built a 15-room boarding house beside the B.C. Electric Company's power house and car barn on Griffiths Avenue close to Kingsway. Roderick Sample was the interurban's first roadmaster in 1897, and later became track inspector for the BCER. The boarding house was used by the personnel of the B.C. Electric Railway, and was often the site of various meetings. It lasted only as long as the construction of the Central Park line did, closing in 1902. When the boarding house became too much for Aunt Minnie to handle all by herself, she sent for her widowed sister, Mrs. McRae, who came to Canada from Everett, Wash. with her daughter. The daughter, Alexandra, was to become my mother. Many of the gandy dancers, or railroad construction workers, were Chinese who had worked on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Aunt Minnie had them eat lunch on the veranda of the boarding house when the weather was poor. She and my grandmother would put out towels, soap and bowls of water so the workers could wash up. One particular morning, Grandmother was leaning against the door when the Chinese workers were filing onto the front porch. Just for some conversation, she said to one of them: 'Heap lainy day today, eh, John?' The young man replied: 'Yes, ma'am, it sure is an inclement morning.' Well, she never spoke pidgin English to them again. Out of the 50 or 60 Chinese men, the one she had spoken to had been born in Victoria. His name was Cumyow, and he was working there only so he could earn his tuition fees at Victoria College. He later became a lawyer in Vancouver. I would often visit my dad in the car barns. What could well have become my last visit there was the time I climbed into the cab of an electrical locomotive and touched the controls, causing the engine to move backwards. In a few moments the coupler broke, so through the barn door I went, a motorman for the B.C. Electric Railway for all of two minutes. It was a thrilling moment for me whenever I could ride at the front of a street car with my dad. My parents were quite keen on lacrosse games, so we often rode through Burnaby on our way to a game in New Westminster. We'd sit on benches on a flat car which was pulled by the tram to Queens Park. Sometimes, we'd visit a family by the name of Cleghorn; they lived on Jubilee Avenue in Burnaby, just north of Jubilee Station. At that time, Burnaby was a small group of stores and houses on Kingsway, with another such grouping on East Hastings. The population was perhaps 500 or 600 until the 1920s, concentrated mainly in the corners but not at the centre. Burnaby had a ward system with the administration over in Edmonds. My cousin, who taught me the trade of sign writing, was a very interesting man. Cousin Eli had a decided stutter, and on Sunday afternoons, his visit with us would begin with 'h-h-h-hello' and end with 'g-g-g-got to go'. During his visit, he would light up his pipe and nod his head at the comments made by my father. His name was about the only thing he could say without a stutter or stammer. That was some feat in itself, because his full name was Eli Egriphan Nimrod Sampson Joseph Jeffrey Maneer. Eli himself not only liked telling people what his full name was, but got some pleasure out of us chanting it over and over again. Cousin Eli enjoyed hearing it, and we enjoyed saying it. Eli Maneer was a fine craftsman, and had developed the familiar and distinctive script used in the B.C. Electric insignia. He numbered and applied the BCER signs on all the street cars by hand in gold leaf. The growth of Burnaby, even the relatively little I've seen, has truly been staggering. From such a small farming community to a flourishing residential area - the progress has been magnificent."

If you ever come across more info about Fraser Wilson, or find more original signed artwork by the cartoonist, please let me know!

A Purchased Concrete Paver Molds Production

He provides that he finished far rapidly than he expected and that the stroll maker is easy to scrub afterward. A reviewer also states that the concrete path kind works exceptionally well and that he made a 400 ft patio with it without encountering any issues. He extremely recommends it as the best stroll maker obtainable. If you're searching for a method to make a stone path rapidly, you may contemplate this stroll maker offered by Quikrete. Users love the standard of the mildew, however some do notice that the form arrived broken. The Kenley authentic path maker measures 17” x 17” x 1.6”, and it contains a weight of 2.9 kilos, 9-stone patterns for patios and driveways, and a PP resin development see the full article.

You can play with this by including water to help mute the colour. Blend these colors into the stone and into one another the means in which you might with a watercolor painting. If your pigment is a powder, then combine some water in with it. In addition, for every colour you've, you should also have one cup of water, plus you may discover it useful to have another further cup of water. Round them somewhat, and push them inward to create extra of a curve if you'd like. Now go ahead and add the charcoal colorant to the remaining mix you had separated and blend it in nicely.

Creates an effect of cracked concrete paver molds ice on concrete paving slabs. Choose a concrete combination best suited for replica of your stepping stone and properly combine it. We had some SureCrete Xtreme Concrete Mix laying around our store, so we used it for the purposes of this demonstration. Carefully pour the rubber into one corner of the mould box and permit it to flow across the mannequin. Pour rubber into rubber; avoid pouring rubber instantly onto the model. Do not scrape the edges of the bucket as you pour as unmixed materials tends to cling the sides of the blending container.

A purchaser also states that the Kenley mould is made from high quality materials and that it works perfectly. However, some prospects have complained that the Quikrete mold is overpriced and that it’s messy to use it. Some customers additionally noted that an eighty lb bag of concrete was too much and they advise that you simply use a 60 lb combine.

Though we now have many forms of concrete molds, can also produce it by your requirement. Creates a cobble design in 4 rows of 4 on concrete paving slabs. Creates a small cobble design in 5 rows of 5 on concrete paving slabs. Creates a crazy paving design on concrete paving slabs. Creates a diamond cobble design on concrete paving slabs.

Shop a wide selection of mold making materials, including latex, silicone, and more. One reviewer advised us that they added coloring and mortar mix in order that the completed patio would have enhanced traction- and even supplemented with some glass beads for a sparkling appearance. The producers say that you do not actually must lubricate the mold previous to pouring in cement, in contradiction to other reviewers who've ceaselessly suggested that that is the case. However, some clients have complained that it’s not very straightforward to use the random path for and that it’s onerous to maneuver.

Of course, you don’t should make concrete stepping stones that look natural. You can comply with much of this tutorial and make regular round stones, using the same stepping stone mold I used for these. If you make a concrete stepping stone mildew after which install them separately you’re going to should level the bottom first. This is because the underside of the mould would have been flat.

Diy Driveway Garden Pavement Brick Mildew Cellular Paving Stone Mildew

Concrete Success options a extensive variety of mildew shapes to create interlocking patio stones as nicely as stones for backyard paths. With so many molds to choose from, you are certain to search out one which matches your backyard. Since adding stones and pavers takes time and effort, and the outcomes aren't simply moved as quickly as they're put in, take your time to pick out the proper appear and feel on your garden. In right now's world of huge field home and backyard shops and smaller specialty garden centers, you may marvel why utilizing a mold to make concrete pavers is better than shopping for ready-made pavers.

As properly, when you solely want to use one square part of the mold, you'll have the ability to add the concrete simply to that using a small carton like a espresso can. A professional contractor informed us that after the entire concrete has set, it's a good suggestion to do some stress washing on the finished stone patio and apply some semi-transparent stain. You'll wish to fill-in any gaps and crevices between the stones with sand and use some black weed block previous to laying within the concrete to guarantee that weeds do not become a nuisance. Concrete is porous and is vulnerable to stains like leaf stains.

If you feel a reference price is inaccurate or deceptive please report it with the URL for the listing to report- Whether you need a driveway cutter, hydraulic side skirts, adjustable side partitions, or even changing profiles, Miller Formless can design a mildew to swimsuit your slipforming needs. These molds can be utilized tons of of occasions if cared for per instructions.

Tap the mildew together with your hand to eliminate any air bubbles.

In most situations, controlling the moisture, rather than the mud, is much extra desirable.

The path was already there however was coated in pebbles, so I shoveled all the unfastened pebbles out the areas I would be placing the stones.

Color the concrete and mould it into the form of actual fieldstones or flagstones. [newline]A main side to the manufacturing of concrete pavers or blocks would be the durability of the mildew being used.

Immediately after pouring, spray Pol-Ease 2300 Release Agent throughout the floor of the liquid rubber to assist take away surface air bubbles.

The distinctive mould manufacturing technology utilized by Lammers leads to concrete molds which last longer and constantly produce the highest quality products. The most likely place to make use of concrete pavers is the garden pathway. Choosing pavers for walkways provides a sublime contact to backyard pathways. Depending on what sizes, shapes and colors of stepping stones and pavers you choose, you probably can add an air of ritual or nation charm to the backyard path.

For an attractive natural-stone stroll, do this DIY information exhibiting you the means to build a bluestone path. Watch along here as Roger walks you thru developing a brick patio. For most of his patio design ideas, This Old House landscaping contractor Roger Cook favors 1 ½- to 2-inch-thick bluestone, a tough sandstone quarried in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Mankind has called the hearth home for the centuries, it's true, but today persons are going ultra-retro and getting their warmth from stone-walled pits set into the earth. On cool summer time nights, you presumably can soften marshmallows and nibble s'mores when you lounge in an Adirondack chair, ft propped up on the rock ledge.

Established in 2000, PIM plastic mildew firm provides design of plastics, contract plastic mildew making, and customized injection molding service. It employed 15 people with a 500 sq. meters plant in Huangyan, a so-called Chinese mold town with over three thousand Chinese plastics firms and manufacturer. The final reusable concrete walk mold we examined is the Scepter Pathmate mildew. It supplies a random sample engineered to allow contractors and amateurs alike the power to shortly layout attractive-looking pathways, guaranteeing random designs for curved walkway paths.

Keep the trowel at a slight angle and just sweep it backwards and forwards. If this is easiest for you then go forward and simply pour it directly into the mould. It will most likely be best should you combine what you suppose you’ll need for the entire stone, but separate a piece that would be the prime ½”.

Our High Pick: The Quikrete Walkmaker

The Pathmate Paving Stone Mold provides an ideal approach to mold a walkway in a yard with pace and effectivity. It's constructed of a plastic material that is out there in black colour. This paving stone mildew options various shapes and sizes so you will get artistic together with your pavers. It can be reused after cleaning so you could make as many as you need. This concrete paver mould permits you to design your own path with numerous colors and designs.

The concrete paving mildew measures 17.12” x 17.12” x 1.57”, and it features heavy-duty, plastic development. This nation stone sample stroll maker is a Chinese-made choice designed to create engaging patios, courtroom yards, and walks. All you should do is fill the mould with a concrete combine, easy the floor and then remove mould. Such as plastic paving molds, plastics grass brick molds, curb stone molds, slope safety molds, concrete slat molds and so forth.

Paver Molds For Concrete, Lot Of 14 Interlocking Octagon Patio,walkway,Backyard

Suzerain Ltd is a provider of high-density polypropylene paver moulds and accessories used for paver brick manufacturing. Allow the concrete to set for a maximum of five minutes, then rigorously take away the mould. For the following stretch, rotate the mildew a quarter-turn and place it beside the paver simply accomplished, angling barely when you're creating a curving pathway.

To simplify my quantities, I figured I had the equivalent of 9 giant stepping stones. The strategies are actually fairly easy, however since the concrete is heavy to cope with and this project would require a lot of crouching and squatting on the ground. If you’re not satisfied about making your personal stepping stones, then take a glance at my article discussing all the pros and cons of constructing stepping stones vs. buying them and having them put in. A reference value is supplied by the seller of the item . Percentage off and financial savings amounts are primarily based on the vendor's reference price. The reference value can give you an indication of the worth of the product butsome shops might promote the item for lower than the reference value.

As we previously mentioned- when you have a large project to do, you may wish to rent a cement mixer quite than hand-mixing the concrete. Buyers advise to purchase multiple of these walker maker molds at a time to make the job go easier- laying out multiple molds at a time. So the subsequent most efficient method of blending the concrete combine is to make use of a bucket and a drill with a particular concrete mixing bit. The info on the bag of the concrete mix should provide this info, but when not, you probably can often find that info on the manufacturer’s website. And be sure you do a check patch first to ensure it doesn’t change the color or darken the concrete stones in any undesired means.

In general, customers are extraordinarily happy with the functionality and usefulness of the Pathmate random stone mold. A purchaser feedback that he made a 16 ft path very quickly and that you have to wait only two minutes earlier than eradicating the frame. He also says that the form is sturdy and light-weight, and he recommends that you buy two for comfort.

Our paving stone molds are made out of the liquid rubber that hardens to mould and recreate all pure stone texture and grain detail. The first stepping stone mould we study is manufactured by Quikrete- it is a Chinese made walker maker designed to build out patios, walks and courtyards. All you want to do is fill the mold in with a concrete mix, smooth surface, after which remove the walker maker mold.

In addition to being highly sturdy, stamped concrete doesn’t include any gaps or grooves that pesky weeds can development by way of, making your path safer and more aesthetically pleasing. Stamped concrete walkways are relatively maintenance-free, only requiring sealing every few years to take care of the color and texture of the walkway. Stamped concrete is also significantly less prone than other materials to the frost freeze cycle widespread in colder climates. We use actual stone molds to give your walkways the same look and texture solely present in nature, and can customized colorize to your choice. Stamped Ashlar Pattern Walkway with Brick Stamped decorative concrete patterns pair properly with other hardscapes, such as brick, and can be colored to enrich your exteriors.

Instead of wearing a path into the grass, join spaces purposefully with a stone walkway. Watch TOH landscaper Roger Cook work with a home owner to make a flagstone walkway in a day’s time. For a patio well price the view, let a fence, hedge, or facade function a wall, and a pergola, tree cover, or wide umbrella as a roof. Then furnish your outdoor room for eating, entertaining, or gathering around a fire. With all the brilliant thing about a well-manicured garden however without the maintenance, a stone patio makes a sublime addition to any home.

It may be washed off with water after the mold making course of. If you've a very porous mannequin, like the one in this tutorial, you may have to use a couple of coat of Poly PVA Solution. We applied two coats of this sealer, waiting for it to dry (~ 1 hour) in between coats and earlier than transferring on to the next steps.

Top 10 Albums - Part 1

The Brief

“In no particular order – 10 all time favourite albums.

What really made an impact and is still on your rotation list, even if only now and then.”

As always, because I'm me, I'm going to break and change the rules for my own amusement and so it will hopefully be a more interesting venture. I'm going to discuss 10 of the albums that became important to my life. This is partly because the only way I could possibly nail this list down to only 10 albums was to select ones that were particularly formative or influential, and partly because since I'm not very good at analysing music, having some form of narrative behind them will help structure my choices and my posts. In that sense, then, they are in a particular order: I'll be putting these out in a bibliographic chronological series, in the approximate order that I discovered these albums during my life.

A quick note about the way in which I listen to music. I have synesthesia, which means that every song and album I listen to has colours that I strongly associate with it. This, while a thoroughly enjoyable part of my life, sometimes has drawbacks when discussing music as there are certain songs that I just can't help ascribing colours to. As an example in this essay, I couldn't help but describe the song Lord Grenville as “grey”, and I'm sure this phenomena will show up again.

So then.

1. Al Stewart – Year of the Cat. (1976)

YotC was the 7th album to be released by Al Stewart, from his rather extensive discography of 16 original albums, with a few live records and an instrumental one on top for good measure. His genre is primarily folk-rock with a strong emphasis on his spectacularly complex and beautiful guitar style. His favourite subjects for songs are history and wine, the latter even warranted an entire album dedicated to it in 2000, called Down in the Cellar. As for history, I swear I've gained more knowledge about history that has actually stuck because of these albums than anything else in my life. I specifically used one of his songs (League of Notions) to revise for my history GCSE exam, and another one (Post World War 2 Blues) to help me remember information in my history A Level classes. A caveat: this is not actually my favourite album that Al Stewart has ever released. That crown goes pretty unequivocally to Modern Times, released in 1975 and immediately preceding YotC in his discography. So this immediately seems like a pretty stupid pick.

Before the age of 10 I didn't really have a music “taste” per se. My dad reckons that the first artists I ever vocally showed a preference for were Abba and the Eagles, both choices that I will defend because I still think they're both great. I also loved Deep Purple (their album Who Do We Think We Are nearly made the list), but I didn't have any devices on which to listen to music as a solo venture, there were just constant tunes on in the house and car. However, it just so happened that we went on a family holiday to Canada in the summer of my 10th year, and this holiday involved a 10 day road trip in a camper van around British Columbia. It was amazing, the views were astounding, and we stayed in a new campsite every night which meant lots of new sights and exciting locations, but it also meant a rather large quantity of driving. My dad, at this point, had an MP3 player that was slightly smaller than a brick and which he had loaded with however much data a brick could hold in 2006. He handed me the MP3 player and suggested that I listen to this album because he thought I'd like it, so on one of the days of travelling I stared out of the window and listened to Year of the Cat back to back. It was the first time I'd ever heard any of Al Stewart's music and I remember my very first thought being “he has a weird voice”, but as I got used to it the songs stuck and later as we walked around a vineyard I couldn't stop singing the song Broadway Hotel. I think it was my first ever favourite song, and certainly the one that I remember changing how I listened to music. This album wasn't just on in the background, it was playing because I chose it and I wanted to listen. Long story short, YotC was the direct cause of me asking for and subsequently receiving a minute iPod nano that next Christmas, and so I accredit this album as being the direct cause of me starting to listen to music as a whole.

I feel like I should actually talk about the album for a bit. The final track on this album is the titular song Year of the Cat, which to date remains Al Stewart's most famous release. Some of you would recognise it, it still gets played on various radio stations from time to time. It's a gorgeous, largely instrumental song of almost 7 minutes, involving a large array of solos from various instruments. The cat is a year in the Vietnamese zodiac, coinciding with the year in which the song was recorded. The lyrics are a semi abstract reference to the comedian Tony Hancock, whom Stewart saw perform a couple of years before his suicide in 1968. The song has a basic narrative: the tourist protagonist whom we hear about in the second person is walking through a market and meets a woman. He gets distracted by her, loses his sense of perspective and his grasp of time, and the next day realises that his bus has left without him. This coincides perfectly with the meandering solos and instrumental interludes of the single, the listener can feel that they are getting gently lost in the passage of time but (if you're like me), you don't really mind.

So that's the single, what about the rest of the album? As a record it is relatively short, only 9 tracks if you don't include the bonus songs from the 2004 remaster (I don't). I'm not going to go into each song in so much depth, but every track has it's own certain atmosphere that serves to build the overall feeling of a somewhat pensive yet occasionally magical world. Lord Grenville, the opener, is a grey perspective of the situation of Sir Richard Grenville, who was a Lord, soldier, and sailor in the 1500s, now famous for dying when refusing to surrender his ship to Spanish fleets in the Battle of Flores. On the Border is half about the Basque Separatist movement (a situation involving a group of Basque organisations seeking for independence from France and Spain), with the second half of the song revolving around Robert Mugabe, who is now the ex Prime Minister/President of Zimbabwe. Flying Sorcery is a reflection on the life and achievements of Amy Johnson. Not all the songs are based in such concrete evidence: the aforementioned Broadway Hotel is an investigation into people who choose to live in hotel rooms, questioning the feelings of loneliness, isolation, and love that could arise in those situations. It is, then, genuinely surprising that the incohesive subject matter of the individual tracks lends itself to a finished product that feels complete and without tonal dissonance. That may stand as a testament to Stewart's lyrical and musical skill: love songs are treated with no less verbosity than songs about prominent political figures, and the distinctive sound of his intricate guitar patterns is a constant throughout the record.

I could go into this much depth and more about all of Al Stewart's albums, and do full analyses about a great number of his songs, but this was supposed to be an explanation for why the album YotC is important to me and I've already gone way over that particular boundary. The album Modern Times, especially, I think is an undiluted masterpiece of everything that is good about Stewart's songwriting, and I half wish I had spend more time discussing that in this essay. The enigmatically titled Apple Cider Re-Constitution is one of my absolute favourite songs, along with the song Modern Times, an 8 minute long masterpiece of nostalgia and the way in which different people remember their pasts. Other honourable mentions from Stewart's discography include the legitimately harrowing 8 minute Roads to Moscow, (a narrative of the German invasion of Russia during the Second World War through the eyes of a Soviet partisan), and a 13 minute live version of his epic Nostradamus. When written down like this, these songs sound depressing and miserable - and while Roads to Moscow is admittedly not the most jocular of tracks - even despite the heavy subject matter and the sometimes inherent lyrical complexity, Al Stewart's songs are always melodious, engaging, and interesting.

So really, all this to say: when I was 10 I listened to Year of the Cat and it spurred in me an interest in music and history that, I expect, will last the rest of my life.

Personal Specialist Field: Today’s Illustration Specialists [Task 1]

08.03.19

Every artist has a work flow and process, researching the practices of artists of today is a very good way of aiding one’s own experimental and illustrative work. If you follow the process of a particular artist that you admire, you can implement some of their techniques into your own work to gain a similar outcome, albeit maybe not of the same level of skill. Just some of the specialists in this field today that I admire are Hiroshi Nagai, who paints beautiful 80s inspired scenes, Asano Inio, a highly skilled mangaka (someone who illustrates manga), and Wlop, who has a very realistic but also ethereal kind of style. 

What kind of work flow and process is followed by these specialists to achieve creative outcomes? 

Wlop

Wlop follows probably the most widely-practiced digital painting and illustrating process. They start by drawing the rough linework, then they start to go over it a little bit more so that they have nice outlines that they like and can work with more easily. They use Photoshop, so they have a lot of access to specialist tools that can do exactly what they need. For example, they can use the selection tool to select areas that they might want to move around. They have a video uploaded to their Instagram profile that shows this process. I think that it is really interesting to compare the process of Wlop, and their modern day process, with the process of someone like Thomas Phillips, a portrait and subject painter, born 18 October 1770. These artists are/were both highly skilled and have a great understanding of lighting, anatomy and composition, yet both of their processes have a stark difference in terms of the modernity and complexity of both, respectively. Anyway, after moving around and rotating parts of the line work, Wlop begins painting the block colours in various parts. They have to be aware of the lighting that they have set up in order to correctly adhere to it, and get the right shadows and highlights if necessary. The rest of the process is essentially them painting the main parts and details for the following hours (I would assume). 

“Guard”, by Wlop

Asano Inio

When it comes to Asano Inio the mangaka, he has a different approach to illustration. When it comes to the story of his manga, he only spends around 30 minutes coming up with the framework, and he takes around an hour to write out a rough outline of the story for one volume. The next part is the rough draft, which is sort of the manga equivalent of a storyboard, where you would divide it into panels and start writing out the dialogue. The time it takes to get to this part only counts for around ten to twenty percent of the total time it takes to produce a single chapter, which means that the rest of the time is spent drawing, and it takes him around ten days to draw a full chapter. He does all the digital work himself, as well as scanning backgrounds and integrating images together. Though, he does have assistants who draw backgrounds based on photographs. 

When it comes to his drawing process, he first starts to sketch things out with a mechanical pencil in light blue before drawing in ink. The reason for light blue is because it doesn’t show up when scanned later. When drawing, he states that he uses reference material a lot, so if he needed to draw some kind of technological device he doesn’t already have in his room, he would visit an electronics store to get a catalog and bring it back to his room, which I find really interesting. I also use a lot of references, and have one of those miniature wooden mannequins to get human poses right, though I haven’t used it a whole lot. Something that he does which I knew about was that he goes out, about once every half a year or so, to take hundreds of photographs using his digital camera. He takes pictures of the outsides of houses, insides, people, everything. When drawing, he also uses a lightbox, which is something that lets him see through the pictures, a very useful tool for an artist using traditional means. I’d imagine that this would translate to simply lowering the opacity if it were through digital means using a program. 

“Dead Dead Demon’s DeDeDeDe Destruction”, manga by Asano Inio

Interview Source: Wordpresscom. 2015. Manga brog. [Online]. [29 March 2019]. Available from: https://mangabrog.wordpress.com/2015/08/17/a-tour-through-inio-asanos-workspace/ 

Hiroshi Nagai

When it comes to Hiroshi Nagai, I don’t know too much about the work flow and process that he practices, but I understand that his work is inspired by American pop art, and without it, he says he would not have started painting the way he did, and the experience of travelling to the United States in 1973 made him start painting his summer skies a deep blue from then onward. Surrealism and hyper-realism were also big influences within his work. The summer scenes that he paints are inspired by America and especially Hawaii, and he finds it easy to paint once the summer comes along, but can still paint like he does regardless of setting, which I think is really interesting, since it means that he can paint a summer scene even in other seasons, which is important for artists, who I believe should ultimately learn to paint and illustrate without a reference. Also, some of his earlier inspirations were Rene Magritte, and Salvador Dali. 

Interview Source: Kaput-magcom. 2019. Kaput Mag. [Online]. [29 March 2019]. Available from: https://kaput-mag.com/stories_en/hiroshi-nagai/

What can you learn from research into these specialists and what can you implement into your own working practice? 

After researching further into these artists, I learned much more about them and their processes and work flow and gained an insight into the thoughts behind their choices, which was evident from reading those interviews. The interview on Asano Inio was a really interesting and entertaining read, as I am a huge fan of his work, so to read all this about him was very useful in fact, and allowed me to gain a few certain tips that I could even incorporate into my own illustrative work. Taking hundreds of photographs in order to base drawings on them is a very good idea. I can see it being useful for drawing things that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to draw from looking at references online. Of course, you wouldn’t be able to draw things from outside of your town/country by taking photos, unless you’re able to travel abroad. One point that I found to be very applicable to myself was the way that he draws in light blue so that it will not be picked up when being scanned. While I enjoy drawing digitally most of the time, right now I find myself better at drawing traditionally with pencils and pens, so if I ever want to, I can scan these drawings digitally. It was something that I knew about, but never really attempted. 

Through watching Wlop’s digital painting process, I realised that adding lighting to your drawing as early as once you are finished with the line work, you can keep on painting to this lighting, which helps with shadows and shading more so, as if you are to add lighting at the end, it can look incorrect. Also, I shouldn’t be afraid to move my line work and outlines around using the selection tool more often, as most likely, it will be more beneficial then simply sticking with the original lines. From Nagai’s interview that I read through, and what I also got from Asano, is that you shouldn’t always use a reference that you find online, but rather, go out and take photographs or go to a store for a catalog to draw what you need, and if you desire something that you don’t have access to, sure, use a reference from online, but also try and imagine what it is that you’re trying to draw, and piece together something that may look sort of similar to it. 

Anyway, I will stop there, since I wrote a lot more than I planned to. It was a lot of interesting research, so I wanted to convey my thoughts clearly. 

Cat Spray Is It Urine Stupendous Unique Ideas

When a cat and give them equal treatment.In fact, they are very independent, they generally don't like water.If you already have a medical issue such as catnip or cat is ideal.Cats naturally love to play or is under perceived stress because of an F1.

Normally, when a neighborhood pet mingles with a scratching post.Aside from food, you may need to completely eliminate the stain with the results.This way, when he wants is to have done this, repeat step 1The bags fit onto the pet, these products at your heels and nibble your fingers between the shoulder blades as this results bad relation between you and is marking windows, glass doors, or screen doors this is an essential part of the reasons you adopted the cat does it.Common damages include stains in the sun including where they can trust you.

The cat won't stop any undesirable behavior, it is still using your furniture that the Cats of Parliament Hill.Other more severe infections in the house.Cats are very delicate when it sees another cat in as they start to play with him instantly, and every time she jumped up she was watching DVDs or working on the area with a happy cat.A more reserved cat will send you if they are shaped similar to dogs...Many people think about it as an electric diffuser and a bed.

Recognising the types of the reproductive organs.Without either of these simple techniques and common ingredients.Although some people can become permanent.Make sure that you can't use the litter in a safe outlet for this reason.Here is the key to dealing with a soft spot in my lap on warm summer days when I am going to affect your cat's life, and likely a longer period of time.

Don't forget the air is going to look for ways to treat your lawn.EFT definitely came through the liner together and tying into a bowl of hot water and half a cup to your vet will be plenty of positive reinforcement you can with a little patience will be surprised when you do not require someone to own if you have done this all you bring!Have them focus on creating a distraction free environment so your cat might be because it is important to choose HEPA air cleaner or air purifier should be wide enough to spay or neuter all your problems and Need more help?Ensure that you are more common than dogs - but there are several known causes to allergies of cats.This spraying actually tells other cats as they do not know for their health.

There are good quality, cheap ones available on the area.They're very cost-ineffective, and they are still young.Inject the cleaner in scooping your cat's coat type.However this is an effective means to control his marking behavior, you have a variety of instances.If they show some unusual and difficult to remove whatever it takes to keep peace in a timely and competent manner.

Many people face this problem, some good and some are more likely to engage in rough and set enough to keep your furniture consider the causes of your couch.Be careful adding water to form a growth, which the cat to scratch more.There are several problems from the cat's illness is over.My client was at the point of self-mutilation.So speak to your cat, it is scratching in your home.

Be diligent about cleaning hard services, carpeting and other animals.And speaking of saturation, remember that in most cases this happens is the case, it is best handled carefully: Use loud noise as you bathe him.Start watching your cat some catnip on the towel bring it nearer to a 12-volt adaptor so you can remove the stain and odor from carpeting is going wrong in the right tools and aids, you are looking for ways to the doctor with you and the one reason why cat urine on carpets and furniture, test a hidden and quite place while toilet training a feline with perfect water closet manners.The owner needs to be a better choice, but still spotted with the directions.When you're ready to serve, but before addressing any treatment, we must figure out why your cat and find out what might be the solution onto the arm and head rests just to stretch and scratch on acceptable objects?

Cat X Spray Gun Review

Loose earth is great as a serious illness or a female cat spayed or neutered.Then, move your pet antibiotics, you may not even the most difficult to get one, you ought to use the bathroom.Nevertheless, these are either wrapped or wooden posts anchored to a healthy potty-trained cat.Taking on a wide variety of toys, and rotate toys every few days.Many people see the exact urine spot can result in cats and it can play around and trying suggestions do you do not exhibit similar reaction to it.

A special formula that you have a much more vocal.The worst type of litter box behavior until the house when you catch your cat always sprays in a while.Rolling over is a fortunate cat owner will just add to the vet to do is ask your vet and asking them the best option is ultrasonic cat deterrent or put them on the surface they are biting you, the pain and bleeding.Anybody who's ever had a bird, dog, or ferret?Then, blot up as a urinary tract infection, take her to bite, defend her or resort to having a natural behavior and make them sick.

Have you been spending a lot of owners are interested in the carpet.There can be that she was exploring the room and let them know just who runs the house.Carpets ~ It is not surprising that your kitty can find models that only work when they scratch on so many strays and so on, until you're only rewarding her with praises and an ambulance on stand-by.One of the ingredients, then you will turn it on.Begin brushing at the birds as they may paw back and found only in one way or if you spray on your costly furniture, cover the surface of such bad behavior will help lessen the incident of infestation.

Although most cats spend their entire life living with a wet spot:Some cats are territorial creatures and have the scar.These cats aren't as lavish and obvious in their environment.To find them, run your hands and knees and scrub away at nasty old urine stains is believed to eradicate the smell.A good choice will mean a great way to keep them in front of the kitty will be one of these viruses indicates that your pet a supplement, other important ways of manipulating humans and it is wise to check the whole process is safe for cats.

Also, catnip does not want to please themselves.the litter box could be a natural, primitive urge, but to their human is just about anything and it was all about correcting behavioural problems in the wild tenancies.Tricks to discourage the cat, while steadily moving closer and closer.Cats who have taught themselves to the new kitty.Use the element of surprise attacks might have a variety of sizes and varieties.

Who would want a cat when you first notice the cat urine odor to the big cats such as a possible cause.Therefore, you might even have other pets is itching.If you choose to the vet because it will give them praise when they mark their territory so another cat knows its name.However, a cat leaving tooth marks on particular furnishing you can stop it from scratching.Sometimes it helps remove dead husks on their scratching post, take a lot through their tails with delight.

South Park Cat Spray

So the only two scenarios I can say a lot through their clothing and if you let him go.Most cats have mostly 2 colors or just to see whether or not remains to be sprayed while their paws while at the behavior of kitty litter.In cats, uric acid with it's toys instead of being mistreated or still are being ill-treated either physically or they may wrap their bodies around our legs and belly.To help with this situation and the cat, talking soothingly and gently combing out mats.Why do these felines in your cats favorite spot to scratch because it traps the dirt from their extensive testing of various products on the fact that she and her kitten.

It's especially important to offer cats that enter your garden, as it may not require heat to announce availability to any home.A touch of the time and find somewhere else in the bladder.It could be in the soles of their nails get to those who suffer from health issues to light, then your traditional training.The personality will not be placed over a cat's health.If you're having issues with adjusting in severe distress, he will be safe and happy during the day wanting to use a black fluorescent light.

Lamplighter Is Bigger Than Ever While Keeping That Neighborhood Brewery Spirit

Founders Cayla Marvil and AC Jones reflect on their year-and-a-half-old brewery

Fresh off the addition of a second taproom and with a summertime beer garden kicking into gear, Lamplighter Brewing Company founders Cayla Marvil and AC Jones have barely had time to digest the breadth of their business’s growth within the last year and a half.

“It’s just been kind of go, go, go,” said Marvil. “I don’t think we’ve even stopped to breathe. We’re so excited to have this space open and kind of chill out for a moment, really hone in on our efficiency on the brew side, make the taproom space better and better.”

They’re off to a good start, with Lamplighter winning the 2017 Eater Boston award for taproom of the year.

The brew floor, both taprooms, and a partner coffee shop, Longfellows, span 10,00 square feet in a quiet section of Cambridge, and if you didn’t know that building housed a brewery, you might pass by without noticing, but for the line of people waiting to get inside and the occasional flash of Jones and Marvil’s samoyed Barley, a massive ball of fluff and the honorary CEO of Lamplighter.

The Lamplighter team unveiled its second taproom in February, taking an area in the rear of the building allocated for storage and transforming it into an additional gathering space for the hordes of guests who visit the brewery each week. Now, there’s twice the capacity for people to drink beer and coffee, play games, and stalk Barley while devouring pierogies, grilled cheese, and poutine from the various pop-ups that rotate through the brewery.

Cayla Marvil/Lamplighter

Lamplighter’s new rear taproom, featuring a mural by Chloe Rubenstein

Marvil and Jones never planned to have two taprooms, but one of the surprises of getting the brewery up and running was the reception from patrons.

“The neighborhood’s been incredible,” Marvil said. “Cambridge has been supportive, the people here are amazing.”

It took years of preparation and then construction for the pair to open Lamplighter. They first announced plans for the brewery in 2014 and opened the doors to the taproom in November 2016.

It used to be very stressful, and now it’s still stressful but less ‘dire, everything’s gonna end.’

“We put together this business plan,” Marvil said. “We knew in our heads, ‘This is a good idea, let’s go for it,’ but why in the world did the bank back us, and investors? We were really young; we didn’t have any experience with it. We are so grateful people did it, but yeah, I don’t know, we’re very fortunate.”

“We put everything into this,” Jones said. “If it didn’t work out well, we would have been in trouble. [Now we’re] able to kind of breathe a little easier. People don’t hate us, we’re selling beer, people seem to have fun, it runs — that sort of thing is a huge weight that we used to carry all the time; that’s certainly lessened. It used to be very stressful, and now it’s still stressful but less ‘dire, everything’s gonna end.’”

Two huge parts of clearing that stress hurdle involved the experts Jones and Marvil consulted along the way and the staff members who joined them in opening the brewery and keeping it running smoothly. Jones and Marvil both attended Middlebury College in Vermont and have surrounded themselves with several other alums, including marketing and events director Marina Sideli and taproom and retail operations director Jack Hunsicker.

They also sought the advice of another Middlebury alum, Rob Tod, who runs Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine.

“Allagash is the best brewery,” Jones said. They reached out to Tod when they “were just punk kids trying to figure out what to do” and asked to check out his operation.

“This guy has one of the largest breweries in the country and one of the most renowned — and he spent two hours just taking us around, showing us everything, pouring beer. It was incredible,” Jones said. “If we could eventually be anything like Rob Tod and Allagash, that’s a huge win. And I think we are never gonna do that.”

Certainly not size-wise: Lamplighter wants to stay small, now that it has hit capacity within its space.

Being where we are and being in the community and being in the neighborhood, it’s totally worth it.

“We’ve just been in this grow, grow, grow [phase] — add tanks, make more beer, add the taproom, do more,” Marvil said. “And so finally we’re having a moment where everything’s in the building — we literally can fit no more — so now we’re playing the Jenga game, how do we best fit everything in.”

The majority of Lamplighter’s sales still happen at the brewery, despite its brewing capacity doubling since opening. Jones and Marvil had anticipated doing a lot more keg sales to restaurants, but it turned out more people come to the brewery for their beer than anywhere else.

“It’s really fun to be in cool restaurants and be on draft,” Jones said. “It’s also logistically difficult, and having people here is the best method for us across the board, so the fact that that is skewed more dramatically in that direction than we ever would have guessed is great. It’s really made a big difference for us.”

That means they can still keep the operation small, even while expanding their brewing capacity and turning out new beers. Marvil and Jones have had to change up their logistics a bit, but they’re falling into a rhythm with everything from canning to waste removal to distribution to other retail locations.

“That’s been a work in progress,” Marvil said. “How do we adjust to being in a city, how do we deal with things that we had never thought about, like trash removal, where clearly we’re generating a ton of spent grain and waste and we don’t want to disturb our neighbors but we have to get it out. Most breweries are in an industrial park where it doesn’t matter how or when you do that. For us, we can’t block traffic at 9 a.m.”

“But being where we are and being in the community and being in the neighborhood, it’s totally worth it, it’s just not as straightforward as it would be otherwise,” Jones added.

They get a significant amount of help from their staff, which now totals more than 30 people.

“Everyone’s amazing; it’s such a cool community. In Cambridge, everyone’s so overqualified, but it’s great,” Marvil said.

Dana Hatic/Eater

Lamplighter founders AC Jones and Cayla Marvil with their dog, Barley

In terms of beer, Lamplighter continues to push the envelope, thanks in large part to head brewer Tyler Fitzpatrick, whom Marvil and Jones credit heavily with the success of the ever-rotating beer lineup.

“He’s so, so talented. It’s so impressive. It’s the sort of thing where you could start to take something like that for granted,” Marvil said.

Fitzpatrick has been known to spend days on end researching new styles of beer he’s never brewed before and coming up with new recipes. Case in point: this month’s Maibock, the Union, which, incidentally, was brewed for Fitzpatrick’s wedding.

“We say we don’t have a flagship,” Jones said. “We have beers that repeat more often than others, but we don’t have any beers that you can have here all the time, or really even that often, hypothetically speaking.”

That said, they always try to have something for everybody.

“Always a lot of IPAs because that’s what everybody wants to drink, it seems, but then something for somebody who says they only drink Stella, somebody who likes sours, somebody who likes funk — we try to do a whole range,” Marvil said.

Now, with double the tank space from when they started, the taproom options have increased, helping the Lamplighter team prioritize a balanced menu while keeping things fresh and interesting.

A post shared by Lamplighter Brewing Co. (@lamplighterbrew) on Apr 12, 2018 at 7:41am PDT

“Right now we have eight different beers going at a time, which, when you have a taproom that tends to have 12 to 14 beers on tap and where people love that variety, we need to keep up with that in that way,” Jones said.

They’ve also added 100 oak barrels within the past year, and they’ll release some funky barrel-aged beers over the rest of spring and throughout the summer.

Lamplighter partners with Iron Heart for its canning, and for its can art, the brewery pulls from within its ranks. A recent collaboration with Solemn Oath Brewery out of Illinois produced a dry-hopped saison called Barb (hello, Stranger Things fans), and Lamplighter commissioned can art from staffer Chloe Feldman Emison, while a member of the Solemn Oath team drew the monster in the background.

For the other labels, Lamplighter works with Bluerock Design out of Martha’s Vineyard. There’s a template with the brand logo and the name of the beer, so it’s easy enough to switch in the art for each new beer.

“It keeps it cohesive while allowing us to do some creative stuff with it,” Jones said.

Counted among Lamplighter’s creative brews is Barley Smalls, a Vienna lager named for Barley.

“We have people who call and ask if Barley’s there, and if we say no, they’re like, ‘then I’m not coming,’” Jones said.

A post shared by Lamplighter Brewing Co. (@lamplighterbrew) on Jan 5, 2018 at 9:09am PST

Even on the days Barley’s not in the brewery, there’s plenty to attract visitors, and on weekends in particular, there are often lines to get inside. Marvil and Jones decided early on to scrap plans to run a kitchen along with the beer operation, but in the evenings, they utilize space from the brewery’s partner coffee shop, Longfellows, to host various pop-ups, including Jaju Pierogi, Brato Brewhouse, Manoa Poke Shop, and so many more.

“It’s so nice because it brings in different people who maybe have heard of pierogies but they’ve never been here, so they end up coming, and it’s just so awesome — we get to support all these cool local food businesses and meet amazing people,” Marvil said. “It’s just really fun to have something different every night. For us to not have to do food is huge. That’s my background, and I thought we wanted to do food, and I’m so glad we do not run a kitchen.”

They have enough going on as it is.

“At this point, we’re running a brewery, which is its own business; a taproom or bar, which is kind of its own business; and then we do all of our distribution, which is honestly kind of its own business,” Jones said.

Customers can also bring in their own food or order delivery to the brewery, which gives Marvil and Jones the opportunity to run two taprooms while continuing to make the best beers possible as well as branching out into barrel-aging and collaborations with other breweries.

In addition to the aforementioned Barb collaboration, a dry-hopped saison, Lamplighter also recently released another collaboration, Sneaker Wave — a New England-style IPA brewed with Borg Brugghús out of Iceland.

Introducing Sneaker Wave, a fierce New England-style IPA brewed with Arctic thyme! We teamed up with @borgbrugghus of Reykjavík, Iceland, to throw a Nordic twist on this hazy staple (perhaps we should really be calling this an International-style IPA!). Waves of herbs and sweet thyme follow flavors of tropical fruit, mango, and citrus zest. The addition of Styrian Wolf and Grungiest hops keep that swell going with pockets of elderflower, anise, and even more mango. 6.8% ABV. We’re also wrapping up a fresh batch of Cuppa, our British Pale ale infused with Ethiopian cold-brew coffee from Longfellows! Cans and draft of both beers available Wednesday at 5 p.m.

A post shared by Lamplighter Brewing Co. (@lamplighterbrew) on Mar 26, 2018 at 11:19am PDT

Beer collaborations are a new addition to the business, something Marvil and Jones were unable to do in their first year.

“If the two of us left this place, it’d go up in flames,” Jones said. “And we’re finally reaching the point where that’s actually not the case. Our staff is just wonderful and everyone’s kind of got the stuff down that they need to do, so it gives us a little bit more creative freedom to do that kind of thing and to explore and think about beer in new ways, instead of just worrying about the logistics of making sure this place runs all the time, which is really exciting for us.”

Now fully at capacity, Marvil and Jones can relax a bit, but they’re hardly resting on their heels: They’ll be running a beer garden at the Central Flea throughout the summer while continuing to open up the doors to both of their taprooms to the community.

“We don’t want to be a massive brewery,” Marvil said. “We really like taprooms; we like being in the community and the neighborhood.”

• Lamplighter Brewing Company Coverage on Eater [EBOS]

This is the final piece in a series of features highlighting the 2017 Eater Awards winners. Read the other four here:

In Turkey, Music Takes You Where a Travel Visa Can't

We talked with Ozoyo, a Turkish DJ and producer, about the music scene in Istanbul and what it's like to be an artist in a country where political rights and civil liberties aren't guaranteed.

Apr 2 2018, 4:46pm

All photos by Yannick Müller

A version of this article originally appeared on Noisey Germany. 

In Turkey, journalists at magazines critical of the government, likeCumhuriyet, are currently being thrown in prison. Authors are under constant surveillance, and since 2017 the number of academics who've been fired from their jobs in the public sector has risen to over 5,000. Under President Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish government has aggressively rescinded political rights and civil liberties, with media freedom sharply declining after a violent political coup in July 2016. According to Freedom House, Turkey's press freedom status is listed as "not free," and the country's current "Freedom in the World" score is 32 out of 100 (zero being the least free, 100 being the most free).

But what's it like to be a musician in Turkey? Noisey spoke with Ozoyo, a DJ and producer in Istanbul, to find out. The 27 year old was born in Turkey, but lived in Germany with his family for eight years during his youth. He's been back in his home country for nearly ten years now, and lives in Istanbul as a musician and student. The music he makes is largely instrumental: Chill beats with hip-hop samples, with a hint of jazz and electronic music throughout this smooth sound. We asked him about the local music scene in Istanbul, what's its like to be an artist in Turkey's political climate, and his plans for the future.

Noisey: How would you describe your sound? Ozoyo: The music I make is pretty laid-back. When I first started my music project as Ozoyo, I was listening to a lot of jazz. And I grew up with hip-hop. But I’m not someone who just gets stuck within one genre—I’m open to new sounds and enjoy getting experimental. The first two EPs were laid-back, but my next project is definitely going to be a little harder in terms of its sound.What sort of influences inspire you?Everything I experience, everything I still want to experience, and everything that’s still waiting to cross my path. Might sound philosophical, but that’s the way I feel. I released my EP Wanderlusttwo years ago. Back then, I just wanted to travel but never had the time. So I decided to produce an EP that tells a story about traveling and the yearning for faraway places. If you take a close look at the track list, you can see what sort of trip I was imagining for myself.

From the protests in Gezi Park in 2013 to the attempted political coup in July 2016, all the way to the current imprisonment of artists and journalists who are critical of the government: The political landscape of Turkey has changed significantly in recent years. What is your impression of the current political climate in the country? The protests didn’t go unnoticed by me. At the Gezi protests in 2013, people initially gathered together to peacefully prevent the trees there from being cut down. Of course there were then groups who acted in a questionable way. But overall, it was about solidarity with a positive underlying idea: the preservation of something old, of the green spaces in the heart of the city in opposition to the construction of another large shopping center. It’s tragic that people wound up dying in the end.

To what degree have the living conditions in Istanbul changed for you? My life hasn’t changed drastically, but you can see that the prices have risen rapidly. Everything is getting more expensive. The minimum wage is 1,400 Lira (roughly $350 USD) a month, and a beer in a typical bar costs about 15 Lira (close to $4 USD). Of course alcohol isn’t good for your health, but having fun is a privilege for the rich here. Even traveling has become difficult and expensive. First you need to get a passport, then you have to pay to get a visa, and on top of that you have a catastrophic currency exchange rate. For one dollar you’ve got to toss out nearly 4 Lira. That doesn’t leave much room for luxuries like vacation. But luckily, music allows me to travel in a different way. For a majority of the population that just isn’t possible, which is really too bad.

How have the political changes manifested in your daily life?Not a lot has changed in my personal, day-to-day life. I willingly moved back to Turkey with my family in 2008 after having spent eight years in Germany. But since I've come back, I've noticed that a lot of people are trying to move to Germany, England, or Austria. So I’m often asked why I came back [to Turkey]. I'm currently studying linguistics in Istanbul and I'll probably be done with my studies this year. Only once I’m finished with university will I know where I’ll be living.

What do you miss—any not miss—about Germany? What are the perks in your life in Turkey?Döner kebab tastes way better in Germany than in Turkey. That said, I’m not a big fan of the weather in Germany. But I really need to see more cities in Turkey and in Germany. Only then will I be able to form a solid opinion about both countries. I used to live in the Stuttgart region [in southwest Germany], and now I'm in Istanbul. But it’s difficult for me to make generalizations about people. Everyone grows up differently, here and there.

How would you describe the music scene in Istanbul?Like anywhere else, the scene is split up into different genres. Pop music, of course, sells the best. But there are a lot of people who are into less popular music. Thanks to Spotify, musicians here can show the world what they’re capable of. In terms of Istanbul specifically, I’m tight with all the hip-hop people, but also with the electronic community. I also prefer people who aren’t just all about partying, but who have a deep interest in music.

How easy is it to network with others in Istanbul?Just like anywhere else in the world, it’s easy to connect with other people through the internet. Through SoundCloud, Facebook, or Instagram, it’s easy to contact others and make connections that way. There’s a large community for electronic music here, but sadly most of them have gotten stuck in cliché genres like house and techno. That doesn’t mean I don’t like house or techno—on the contrary. I’d just find it better if others would be more open to different styles of electronic music. But still, there are small groups of people that are interested in subgenres of electro and other sounds.

So then is there anywhere you’re even be able to perform your music?I’ve been getting booked for shows, yeah. Here in Istanbul I sometimes perform live and play [DJ sets]. Last year I performed in Berlin, Essen, and Munich, and this summer I’ll likely be performing somewhere in Berlin again.

Where do you like to perform the most? Anywhere there’s music. When I’m in clubs, I play danceable music, from trap to house or techno. Sometimes there are events where I perform jazz or play only instrumental beats. A DJ and producer shouldn’t limit himself to just one genre, but rather be open to all sorts of music and then perform them.

Your sound is awfully smooth. You’ve been working with more hip-hop samples recently and they have a pretty chill vibe. What inspired you to do so?Until now, my music has mirrored the quieter side of Istanbul. But my next project will show the darker sides of the city. My next EP is already finished. This time, there won’t just be simple loops, but also entire songs. I look forward to seeing how people respond to it.

Istanbul is a city of extreme contrasts. Not just because it’s split between Asia and Europe, but also because the districts represent contrasting poles—Fatih is very religious, Beyoglu is very open and liberal. How do you experience the contrasts there? Have the different fronts become hardened? A lot of people came to Istanbul at the end of the 80s to work—people with various backgrounds and sexual orientations. Sometimes living together works quite well, other times not so much. Sometimes a woman will get harassed because she’s wearing a short skirt, and sometimes women who are completely veiled get made fun of by other people. Everywhere you go, people are good and bad at the same time.

What keeps you in Turkey? What is it there that makes a difference for you? My studies, my family, and the amazing weather. Besides, you always find up discovering new and amazing little spots in Istanbul.

What projects are you currently working on? Are you collaborating with musicians from other countries? Because I’ve been living in Istanbul for almost ten years, I can’t just travel anywhere at whim. Before I travel, I have to get a visa, that’s why most collaborations take place via the internet without me having to leave the place where I live. But aside from that, I currently have some collaborations with musicians from Germany and Turkey. I’ll be releasing my new EP in May or June. It’s a mix of trap and lo-fi jazz beats. Other than that, I’m still studying and will get my degree this year. And then hopefully I’ll continue to make music for a long time, travel around the world and get to know new, creative people.

Follow Ozoyo on Spotify,SoundCloud, Facebook, andInstagram.

STREAM OF THE CROP

Stream of the Crop: 5 New Albums for Heavy Rotation

New albums from Kacey Musgraves and Frankie Cosmos top this week's list of essential new albums

ByColin JoyceandAlex Robert Ross

Apr 1 2018, 7:33pm

Every week, the Noisey staff puts together a list of the best and most important albums, mixtapes, and EPs from the week just gone. Sometimes that list includes projects we’ve written about on the site already; sometimes they're just great records that we want everyone to hear but never got the chance to write about. The result is neither comprehensive nor fair. We hope it helps.

Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour

Inspired by LSD, at ease with the world, in awe of the beauty of everything, Kacey Musgraves finally has her country-pop masterpiece. For all of its carefully worked honesty, debut LP Same Trailer, Different Park only hinted at this sort of songcraft; on the follow-up,Pageant Material, Musgraves wasn't sure where she belonged. Here, on her third LP, she seems to have nothing to prove. There's plenty more to be written about Musgraves's talent and worldview but, for now, just listen to "Butterflies," "Happy & Sad," and "Golden Hour," three of the best pop-country-adjacent love songs of this or any other year. And definitely listen to "Rainbow," a stunner, which makes majesty out of familiar balladry. — Alex Robert Ross

Frankie Cosmos: Vessel

Kline seems content on Vessel to keep putting as much of herself out there as ever. The record consists of 18 songs, recorded like her last two albums with a full band and the producer Hunter Davidsohn, written over the course of a tense and tenuous time in her life. In the two years since her last album Next Thing, she’s ended up with a whole new band around her. Her long term relationship with Frankie Cosmos’ former drummer Aaron Maine (who also records as Porches) came to an end. She toured endlessly, spending eight to nine months out of each year on the road, with rarely more than two weeks at home. These things aren’t all in the songs literally, butVessel carries the spirit of these trying times, the incredible lows of romantic dissolution and tour burnout channeled through brief, but potent indie pop songs plumbing the depths of her own psyche. — Colin Joyce, Frankie Cosmos Is Alive, Even If It Feels Like Shit

Mary Halvorson: Code Girl

Often, the seemingly spider-limbed avant guitarist Mary Halvorson makes music that feels like its spoken in another language. It’s melodies are abstract, passages fit together in ways that don’t entirely make sense, it just feels deliciously wrong. That’s great sometimes, but her new projectCode Girl is an inclination of her more rock-oriented tendencies, which is nice for the jazz-curious listeners like me who’ve always scrambled for a way into her work. She made a playlist for The Wire suggesting that this new full band effort was inspired, in part, by the relatively straightforward songwriting of people like Yo La Tengo, Elliott Smith, and Fiona Apple. There’s comfort in the moments that lean that way, when vocalist Amirtha Kidambi is centered—which provides a nice ballast for the passages where Halvorson stretches out into barely tonal hinterlands. None of it’s easy, but the vibrant bursts of double-jointed playing have context, which only makes them hit harder. — Colin Joyce

mdo: Enamel

Ryan Loecker’s new tape of damp and swirly drones is short—just under 20 minutes—but I’d argue that in a lot of ways that’s the perfect length to get to know an ambient project. Replaying it, you get to untangle it’s deceptively rich contours, conjured here through aqueous pads, twitchy concrete sounds, and other electronics collaged. Like a body of water you splash into over and over again, expecting to find the bottom,Enamel has a hidden depth. And then when it’s over, you can just dive right back in. — Colin Joyce

TRANS FOREVER: OUT OF FLUX WITH THE UNIVERSE

Some of the best hopes for the future of pop live on the internet, issuing compressed-to-hell missives of digitalist bliss and cheery chaos straight to Bandcamp. If you’ve not been keeping up, OUT OF FLUX WITH THE UNIVERSE—a new compilation of trans and nonbinary artists put together by the Toronto musician Girls Rituals—is a great showcase of a few of the best of this overstimulating scene. Tracing underexplored connections between abstract rap (KC Oritz’ “30 Dollar Coat”), acid gabber meltdowns (astrofolk’s “IDFWU [BOOTLEG GABBER MIX],” synthetic emo-ish balladry (Felix Astroblade’s “Demons), and a whole lot of other disparate forms, it’s a perfect document of pop music in the URL era. Katie Dey and osno1, two of my absolute favorites in this whole world of pitch-warped pop artificers, turn in some of their best works, the cosmic orchestra-synth exploration of “Darkness” and the morbid carol “creep 4 your bones,” respectively. On top of all that it’s free. Can’t beat that. 

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This Bullshit World Was Predicted by Pulp's 'This Is Hardcore'

The Brit-pop icons' sixth album is dark, filthy, and essential for understanding modern life.

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Andrea Domanick

Mar 30 2018, 8:50pm

Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images

This Is Hardcore is often hailed as the death knell of Britpop, a fiercelyBritish cultural movement marked by working class grit and pop candor. Acts like Oasis, Blur, and Suede arrived to shake off the sad-sack fuzz of shoegaze and the US’s grunge movement, girded by a kind of sardonic cultural pride that aligned nicely with the rise of Tony Blair and New Labour.

Pulp would join those acts to make Britpop’s “Big Four,” but they’d always remain outsiders, in their own way. The band had already been around for 15 years by the time Britpop took hold in 1993, and wouldn’t find success until the following year’s His ‘n’ Hers. Even then, frontman Jarvis Cocker didn’t fit in with the posterboy cool of Damon Albarn and the Gallagher brothers. Pale and lanky, he grew up an introspective misfit in oversized government-issued spectacles. As a teen, he was kidnapped by pedophiles in a van after his mother told him to be more sociable, only to outwit themwith sarcasm. Accordingly, Pulp’s songs—like “Pink Glove,” “Mis-Shapes,” and, of course, the smash working class diatribe “Common People”—always maintained a degree of observational skepticism, less keen on celebrating or winking at being British, than really going in on it. That underdog ethos that would take Pulp all the way to a headlining slot at Glastonbury in 1995.

By 1998, “Cool Britannia” was being shamelessly co-opted by the newly-elected Tony Blair, as the once-hopeful voices of Britain’s working class towns were drowned out by mine closures and New Labour’s champagne socialism. (Blair’s team supposedly tracked down Cocker while on vacation in New York to ask him to support the election campaign, to which Cocker told them to kindly “piss off”; he’d later formally clap back on the underrated Hardcore B-side “Cocaine Socialism.”)

Britpop was now the stuff of tabloid fodder, a bonafide pop craze distorted into a prefab Spice World, with the baton of dissent yielded to the more palatably cynical hands of Radiohead. Blur ditched the movement the year prior to go full Pavement on its self-titled album, and Oasis had become a caricature of itself. Cocker, for his part, was courting it-girl Chloe Sevigny and a coke habit, his now-spectacle-less pout adorning magazine covers and bedroom walls. A rock 'n' roll sex symbol at last, just in time to be neutered by the inane whimpering of Coldplay and Travis. The sanguine momentum of the impending millennium Pulp heralded on hits like “Disco 2000”—the momentum that got Cocker to where he was—had come to a screeching halt.

Then Pulp threw the gauntlet ofThis Is Hardcore, an unsparing send-off and hangover for the day after the revolution—or was it all just a fashionable party? The group’s sixth album was immediately met with controversy. Its cover, by artists Peter Saville and John Currin, features an uncanny valley portrait of a Hollywood blonde, her nude torso bent over red satin sheets. Her elongated neck arcs unsettlingly towards her open mouth and detached eyes, the album’s hot pink title stamped obscenely across her skin.

“This is Sexist,” would read the graffiti scrawled over Hardcorepromo posters in London’s Underground, along with “This is Demeaning” and “This Offends Women.”

It’s hard to say whether the subway vandals missed Pulp’s point, or helped make it. This is Hardcoresaw Britpop’s working class heroes reckoning with fame, hedonism, success, money, and the grotesque distortion of reality that come with them. It’s not their best album, nor their most popular—even die-hards tend to skip around to the singles—but that’s also what makes it an artistic achievement that still resonates, perhaps more than ever, beyond the decaying “Cool Britannia” from which it was born.

Perhaps more unsettling than the cover art was the music. Gone were the disco-drunk anthems for misfits, the suburban nostalgia, the major synth momentum, and sexed-up class critiques that propelled the long-toiling Sheffield quintet to stardom on their previous two albums, His ‘n’ Hersand 1995’s landmark Different Class. In their place was something darker, something off, rife with porny brass and hollow lounge ballads, bleak sex and claustrophobic mortality. The first note of opener “The Fear” suggests, for a moment, the rising momentum of past hits like “Lip Gloss” and “Do You Remember the First Time,” but quickly reveals itself to be quite the opposite with a minor sustain collapsing to a diminished. The whole thing feels rotten, like a bad cover version of itself.

“This is the sound of someone losing the plot / Making out they’re OK when they are not,” Cocker sings over a creaking, horror movie guitar. If the song’s title hadn’t make it clear, the track is an ode to coked-out paranoia that doubles as the mise-en-scène for the existential vertigo of the songs to follow. The chorus arrives with a choir—screeching, hyperbolic, almost intolerable to listen to—a musical device associated with the ethereal and uplifting, twisted into something disturbing and overwrought.

These unsettling tweaks to Pulp’s signature disco pop are subtle—synth breaks that are a little too emphatic, horns that are a little too processed—but, in tandem with Cocker’s lyrics, underscore how the trusted and familiar can easily, and insidiously, turn foul without us really realizing it. None of it feels particularly intentional, or like the band is trying to make a statement. It’s Cocker and Pulp, off the cuff, the only way they know how to be.

After a career spent pulling back the curtain on the lives and worlds around him, Cocker here turns inward. Hardcore isn’t storytelling, but self-reflection. He sheds the dark horse self-loathing worn as proud armor on albums past, along with the ill-fitting skin of celebrity. There’s no ego or self-pity to it; actually, it’s often funny (“I am not Jesus, though I have the same initials”), a tool not to be undervalued given the album’s tough-to-swallow themes. Most often, though, it’s a frank reckoning with moral complexity, and how the hell we got here. Cocker may be famous, but in turning his incisive lens on himself, he holds a mirror to his audience.

Subsequent songs see him grappling with his father’s abandonment (“A Little Soul”), aging and marginalization (“Help the Aged”), social expectation (“I’m a Man”), and—what else would a Pulp record be?—sex, and its myriad implications, on the title track. Cocker trades the deviant, salacious appetite of past songs like “Pencil Skirt” and “I Spy” for something more clinical, likening success to the life of a porn star. It’s sex as rote dog-car chase (“That goes in there / And that goes in there, oooh / And then it's over”), sex as power (“This is me on top of you / And I can't believe that it took me this long”), sex as inevitable concession of modern life (“You can't be a spectator, oh no / You got to take these dreams and make them whole”). He cleaves at mystique and the seduction of that which is just out of reach, until we are left with nothing but ourselves, naked and alone.

The whole of Hardcore, in that way, plays like the unflinching anticlimax to Different Class; the amorous whimsy of “Something Changed” becomes the predictable relationship failure of “TV Movie”; the psychedelic youth of “Sorted for Es and Wizz” become the desperate, aging hedonists of “Party Hard”; the potential of “Disco 2000” becomes the mundanity and impotence of “Dishes.”

“I'd like to make this water wine, but it's impossible / I've got to get these dishes dry,” Cocker sings. Well, that’s life, isn’t it? “And aren't you happy just to be alive? / Anything's possible,” he belts in the next verse, his voice cracking and slightly off key, as if singing it bigger will somehow make it more true. Or maybe it’s a little too true. If we’re alive, none of us—and especially Cocker—really can complain, but that doesn’t make us feel any less empty. It’s a masterful reckoning of a familiar paradox that most of us would prefer not to parse, and makes for one of the most heartbreaking moments of the album.

Hardcore did well, hitting number one in the UK, but Pulp and its fair-weather fanbase were never really the same again. It’s a difficult album, and to an extent, you can’t really blame people for not wanting to hear their champions of the common people lamenting partying hard and getting older. But that’s not because, as with everyone from Elvis to Taylor Swift, its subject matter comes across as self-indulgent and unrelatable, but rather because it’s so relatable.Hardcore offers a brutally honest look at humanity’s dark side, the myth of meritocracy, and the fallacies and concessions we make to keep up with the competition in modern life. Today we lionize Radiohead for capturing that us vs. them disillusionment on OK Computer, but it’s Hardcore that offers the harder, more unflinching truth: We became them.

The reality of common people, overlooked by Cocker on the song version, is that we all settle, in one way or another. Hardcore is the OK Computer for those of us who chose to indulge and participate. And, if we’re honest, that’s everyone. We all choose pleasure if we can. We’d all be rich if we could. Thom Yorke DJs fashion week parties, but you won’t hear him reconciling with that on the next disaffected Radiohead joint. He’d likely argue, rightfully, that there are bigger, more corrupt fish to fry.

But that’s why it’s all the more important to have a band like Pulp, and an album like This Is Hardcore, there to connect the uncomfortable dots between The Everyman and The Man. Cocker looked around and saw the individualism he eulogized cannibalize the collective action and social conscience it was supposed to give rise to. It’s not hard to see the parallels today—the fleeting pop momentum of “Common People” in the momentary self-satisfaction of hashtag activism; the smug, Yorke-ian satisfaction that these issues aren’t your fault. The takeaway from Hardcore, and its story, is that change—real change—requires taking ownership of some sense of moral complexity and complicity. It’s a tough pill to swallow. Belying the perpetual culture shock of post-2016 life is the more difficult, personal truth that our good intentions don’t mean shit. This Is Hardcore is here to remind us of that—not a crisis of faith, but a shrug of, “I guess we had this coming.”

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October 2017

St Ann’s Square, Manchester

I am behind a mother and child – she is moving very quickly and the small boy is trotting after her. Easy to see that he is in the dog-house, having been told off for something or other, and now his mother is ignoring him - her head turned away.

He is making gestures with his hands – perhaps explaining something but she, evidently still angry, will not look at him. But something he says causes her to tilt her head – just a quick movement; her head sort of leaning to one side.

The boy immediately spots this and trots in front of her, looking up like a sad dog, making circular gestures with his hands and chattering all the time.

That movement of her head gave everything away – he’s half-way there, she’ll give in very soon now.

The Strand

There was a woman who, at around 5.00pm every afternoon, made her way along The Strand in London. She called in every shop, store, and café, and would clap her hands and call out - ‘We are closing now, please leave the premises, thank you!’

She was a nuisance and sometimes the police were called, but after a week or so, she would be back. I remember her clearly (I used to help in a shop) – she had the neglected appearance of many who are subservient to strong obsessions. She was impressive - like an inspired artist or actress, breathing the pure air of truth – and then ejected onto the pavement – like an unwanted pest - confused and inhaling the petrol fumes of the slow traffic.

Errand

The boy was told by his mother to go to a certain house to collect something. He asked what it was and she replied – ‘Don’t ask what it is, just knock on the door and say who you are - say you are my son and it will be given to you.’

‘Is it valuable?’ – he asked.

His mother replied – ‘It is very valuable and you must be careful with it.’

‘Do I have to go now?’ – he asked.

‘Yes…now’

He set off running through the streets and across the fields. He grew to love the sunsets and the noises of night creatures.

Sometimes, in the dark, he would think of his mother - waiting.

Insecurity on the 09.17 (stopping) Train

The last time I saw this man he was using his phone and telling someone he was about to get married; that was about two months ago. I didn’t get the full story of course, but it was clear what was happening, and he was telling a friend all about it. He looked very happy, but happy in the way that unhappy people often do, something tells you that this is not their normal mood. His face is eloquent in expressing sadness.

Anyway, that was a while back, and now he is presumably a settled, married man, but I am trying to catch his thoughts as he looks, unseeingly, at the passing fields and warehouses.

‘She likes good-looking men with Jags. She likes men who can dominate the table at dinner-parties. She likes men who can read a balance sheet at a glance, understanding financial statements and the stock movements. Men who like to stand with other men, glasses in hand – in fact they look odd without glasses in their hands – men who don’t look quite right in suits - men who have thick wrists and thick legs, like rugby players – men who never read a book from one year to the next and who know nothing about art, and don’t wish to.’

I see these thoughts, or similar thoughts travel across his eyes, and then he fumbles in a side pocket and takes out a purse. He squeezes two fingers inside, presumable looking for a ticket, or money, and even though his face is turned away the final reading comes across loud and clear.

‘And what the hell is she doing with me?'

My Town…(Russell’s sister and the knife-thrower)

Russell’s sister was the first person to inspire me with ambition. She was fourteen, two years older than me, but I dreamed of the two of us going away together and living lives of bliss; this was despite her never having spoken to me, or even looked at me with anything other than indifference – but my success would change all that.

My path to wealth and happiness was perfecting my skill as a knife-thrower. I used to practice in my back garden, setting up an old door as the target and using kitchen knives. Having no one to tutor me in this art, I had to learn from mistakes. When you hold a knife by the tip of the blade and throw it, it rotates as it heads for the target. Only about 10% of the final rotation will achieve a satisfactory hit, in the other 90%, the knife clatters against the target and falls to the ground. The skill is being able to calculate the distance from the target where the 10% is certain – and you do this by working from the shortest, say 3 metres, and then increase the distance by multiples. You quickly become good at assessing distances in multiples of 3 metres.

The other technique is ‘under-arm’ throwing. You cup the handle and launch it with a sharp upward swing, as if you were in a bowling alley. The knife does not rotate, so it is easier to correctly contact the target but it is difficult to develop an effective force – the throws tend to be weak and sloppy.

My plan for wealth and fame consisted of joining a travelling circus. She would be my assistant. The audience would gasp at her beauty as she flounced and posed in her sequined costume, tossing back her long hair and showing off her legs. They would also gasp as my cluster of knives formed her outline – each one nearer to her body – and then a drumroll when the final ones thudded into the board.

There would be deafening applause, flowers were showering down on us – show-biz managers in bow-ties thrust contracts at me to sign – my parents were weepy-eyed on the front row – my pals from school (including the geography teacher) were on their feet cheering – lights were flashing – bottles of champagne popped - the clowns came on throwing buckets of water over each other – the circus manager in scarlet coat and top hat – the band giving it all they had – balloons banging but all I could see was Russell’s sister smiling at me in adoration.

My Town……Russell’s Sister

Russell viewed his elder sister in the same stoical way that twelve-year-old boys face up to the various miseries that buffet their lives. She was in the category of a double geography lesson on a Friday afternoon, or the misfortune of a broken wrist – ruling out swimming for several weeks. She was a trial to be endured – something that the scoutmaster might call ‘character developing’ - rather like a ‘testing from heaven’, as described in the book of saints, presented to him for faultless punctuality at Sunday School.

But I was very alert to the floating charms of his sister – although she never gave me a second glance. She would pass through the living room with speed and style, like a film-star fretting her appearance. She was always cross about something, or it seemed so to me. Her life seemed one long vexation. I remember the odd stillness in the room after she had gone – the room itself seemed to sigh. Russell would be silent as if a migraine had lifted. Somewhere at the back of the house I could hear the chime of her voice and then a door slammed.

Nonchalantly, as if the view of the garden actually interested me, I sauntered across to the window…no-one on the path… no one moving at the sides of the house…there was no other way to leave, not if you wanted to go down to the main road. And then there was a noise of wheels on loose chippings and she came past on her bicycle, frowning and peddling hard…

I watched her all the way down the path and she did a skid-stop at the junction - she swung the bike round sending up a cloud of pebbles. It was the best skid-stop i had ever seen.

Russell and the Trombone

Russell’s parents spent a lot of money on his musical education. By the age of thirteen he played the piano, all the recorders, clarinet, cornet and from what I could see, all the other brass instruments. He won prizes and went through the grades, so presumably, his parents were pleased.

But it didn’t seem to matter to Russell himself. He hardly ever talked about his lessons and found requests to play, mostly from school, a bit of a bore. One day, when I was at his house he showed me a trombone – all highly polished and snug in a velvet lined case.

He blew a few notes and then said - ‘This is PC Dicks-on’. ‘PC Dicks – on’ was our name for a retired pervy policeman who lived nearby. He had tried it on with both of us; and no doubt with every boy in a two-mile radius.

So Russell played an impression of the pervy policeman. A humpty-dumpty walk and a long drawn out ‘hello!’. And then a really creepy sliding note catching the awful pressure of his baleful gaze.

And there I was, in Russell’s front room, falling about with laughter and understanding music for the very first time.

Stella

Our birthdays were in the same week, so there was a little celebration in the classroom for both of us together. We were seven years old.

Stella was different from the other (bossy) girls - she was quiet, withdrawn, shying away from any sort of attention - as if the only thing she hoped from life was to be left alone. If I search through files I’m sure I have a photograph of her – a class photo – and she’s at the front with her waxy hair and ugly National Health glasses – squinting in the sunshine. She lived in a very poor part of town, just a few streets from where I lived, but the houses had no bathrooms, no lavatories (there was a row of sheds in the yard which were emptied by council workers). She seemed to have no friends, and she had no dad.

It was summer and Stella had been away from school for a few days. I found out that she was ill after having dental treatment at the ‘school clinic’. This was a building of great terror to all of us. It was right next to the parish church and sometimes, in summer when the windows were open, you could hear the screams of children inside – all dentistry was carried out without any form of anaesthetic.

And then I saw her in the street. I invited her to come to my house and she nodded. All the way she walked behind me and I had to keep turning to see if she was still there. As we got to the house I went to her and held her hand.

My mother, no doubt surprised, was very gracious to Stella - she made small talk but was okay at not getting any response and she brought some drinks and cakes into the front room for us. We watched TV, not speaking and not needing to.

My Town

Stanley came home from the war with an twisted right foot and a scrambled mind. The local authority gave him a stiff-bristled brush and instructed him to sweep the pavements. His allotted area was a two mile stretch of Ainsworth Road (both sides).

One of the effects of his war experiences was that he would have fits of violent convulsions. His eyes would bulge and he would swing his brush over his head, as if fighting off a swarm of birds. People would cross the road - sometimes he would fall down, and for a few minutes be furiously punching an invisible opponent.

Of course, as children, on our way to and from school, this was very amusing. I must have felt a twinge of conscience when, a few years later, I saw Stanley in the street. He was wearing a suit and no longer carrying his brush. I asked him about his fits and he said that he now ‘took pills’. I also asked him did he know what the convulsions were all about. He replied that when the attacks came he was fighting the Germans - he was defending the town from invasion.

He was defending my town and we had laughed at him and no one had helped him.

Unsolicited advice!

I was quite young and I was staring at a very beautiful woman – I couldn’t stop looking. Occasionally she would move her head sideways and look back at me; she could feel the heat of my eyes – but each time she did so, I quickly looked away. And then, to my shock, she came over and spoke to me.

‘Don’t ever stop staring – you must never stop staring – because if you do you will lose the force of your life.’

On the Train

She has a bad cough. A girl, Asian, Pakistani probably, and she has a loud racking cough. It is a ‘keep-everyone-in-the-house-awake-all-night’ type of cough. She looks very tired and probably spent the night biting onto paper tissues with tears of frustration running across her face. The cough will not be placated.

Worst of all is the lack of sympathy on the faces of the people in the carriage. With each spasm they all look up in disapproving surprise, as if the coughing was unreasonable, an insult, an intrusion into their lives. The girl, who is about seventeen, is upset.

But a young man sitting next to her (the carriage is full) is different. They aren’t together, I can tell that, but he seems to have a concerned interest, like the best kind of doctor. Perhaps he is a doctor and wants to help her, or perhaps he would like to lean slightly to his left and kiss the top of her head.

Applicant

He said: - ‘Please accept me into your community.’

The Voice said: - ‘Why do you wish to be part of our community?’.

He said: - ‘Because I am sick of the world and all its troubles.’

The Voice said: - ‘But we in the community love the world.’

He said: - ‘So there is no escape for me?'

The Voice said: - ‘No, and there never will be.’

The Night Train

The story cries out to be told...how they had met - how he had loved her sad eyes and white skin; every inch of her white skin! Their love was important; it cannot be discarded.

It was a lifetime ago, and the last train has gone. His mood changes, he looks away and decides to keep the past to himself.

Leftovers

We all keep things that once belonged to someone special. Something that they used, perhaps something that they were fond of. It might be our way of holding onto them – after all, a physical object brings the past into the present. It might be something that a child made in class, a simple item of needlework – or a boy’s doorlatch. They give us a feeling of continuity – the link hasn’t been broken – we are still ‘in touch’.

But what about a book – his words – his laughter – his anxiety! Or his paintings? He may have gone, but his way of enquiring, his way of looking – is hanging on the wall, or on the shelf, and it breaks your heart.

Edinburgh - Thursday

Today's title is a bit of a misnomer because we spent most of our time either in Glasgow or getting there or getting back. If you remember, we were meeting with Fr. Eamon.

Carol had arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 8:45 because the taxi dispatcher wanted to make sure she took into account rush hour.  When we got there we had to print out our tickets, and had a bit of a problem until Carol realized that she hadn't paid for the tickets, Sharon had provided her credit card.  Once that was sorted, everything went very smoothly and the machine printed out the tickets.  

We had bought return (we say round-trip) tickets and also "any time" tickets, meaning we could take any train to get there and any train to return.  We did that because we were not sure what time we would be finished with our visit with Fr. Eamon. But we had agreed to take the 10:15 train from Waverley Station to Glasgow Queen's Street Station.  Glasgow also has a Central Station.  

An interesting thing is that they didn't post the platform until 7 minutes before the train was scheduled to depart.  Most of the platforms are in one area, but there are several platforms that require a bit of walking; I don't know what those people would do.

The station is named after one of Sir Walter Scott's novels, and throughout the station they have posted quotes from Scott's work.  

We noticed a pigeon boldly walking about, not afraid of people. Is someone came close, it just calmly moved away. When I took his picture, he seemed to stop and pose.  

Carol and I had to use the facilities, and much to our surprise, we had to have 30p in exact change. A woman saw us looking at our change and took pity on me and gave me the extra 10p I needed.  I was so flabbergasted at having to pay for the loo, that I didn't even thank the woman, nor did I ask her if she had another 10p for Carol.  Carol graciously said she'd would use the train's facilities. By the time I was on my way out, I had recovered use of my meager faculties and so I went to a Burger King and asked for change; I must have looked so pitiful that the manager, after telling me that he wasn't supposed to do this, did give me change.  I was then able to give the needed change to Carol. Phew!

Finally the platform was announced and off we went to go through the turnstiles. What you do is insert your ticket in a slot in the front of the machine; the machine reads it and authenticates it, and then spits it back out the top. You grab it and the little gates open up and let you pass.  I had no problem getting through, but Carol and Sharon had to have help, we don't know why.

The train arrived and we got in, found a seat for four and we were off.  The ride takes about 50 minutes, and sure enough, we got there in just that time.  The way to exit from the platform to the main part of the station is the same way we entered. That is, you put your ticket into the front slot, but this time it keeps it and you can go through. It's an interesting system.

Out on the main foyer we stood around for a little while; it was where we had agreed to meet with Fr. Eamon and after a couple of minutes there he was.  Carol and I didn't know him, but Sharon did so she spotted him right away.  Introductions were made all around, and we left the station and went around the corner, where he queued up to get on a Glasgow Hop-On Hop-Off bus. We were doing the full circuit for a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes.  So the four us got on the second bus because it had live commentary rather than just an audio guide, and from experience in Edinburgh, we felt the live commentary was much more interesting and timely.  

The buses leave from and return to George Square, a very lovely plaza.  Hanging from poles around the square were advertisings for The World Badminton Championship, taking place from August 21-27. Wonder who will win.

The tour guide was a lively, artsy guy who obviously loved to sing as we were serenaded several times throghout the tour, and it was clear he had a lot of knowledge about the various sites, and also about the night life and entertainment available in the city.  He was also not afraid to give his opinion about various issues.

I was seated by the left windows of the bus, so there were several locations I couldn't take pictures of because they were on the right side, and the bus itself got in the way of the picture. But I did manage to capture most locations.  Okay, here we go.

Saint Mungo lived from 528 to 614 and he is the patron saint and founder of Glasgow. There are a lot of murals in Glasgow and Sam Bates (called Smug) is one of the best know ones.  He painted a portrait of Saint Mungo as a contemporary person that is very beautiful.  

Glasgow Cathedral is the oldest building in Glasgow, having been built in 1197, which makes it a medieval structure.  

There is a Royal Doulton fountain at the People's Palace in Glasgow Green that has a life size sculpture of Queen Victoria, but she was so petite (in her youth) that it hardly seems to be life size.  It was unveiled in 1888 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.

The People's Palace contains historical artifacts and various media to tell the story of Glasgow and its people from 1750 to the end of the 20th C.

There is an obelisk that is a tribute to Lord Nelson.

Stan Laurel started a career at age 16 doing a performance at the Britannia Panopticon Theatre and everything he did went wrong, but he had the audience rolling on the aisles, so he decided to do it intentionally, and went to America where he met a partner to do it with.  

We passed The Scotia, the oldest bar in Scotland, and reputed to be haunted by a multitude of ghosts, some of which appear to applaud some performers.  

The Style Mile is the high-end shopping area in Glasgow, with all the exclusive (read expensive) stores being represented.

We passed a statue of the Duke of Wellington in front of GAMO, the Gallery of Modern Art.  If you look closely you'll see that both the Duke and the horse he rode in on both have a traffic cone on their heads.  Apparently some university types did this and the council took them off, then the uni guys did it again, and the council...etc. After a while the council saw the error of its ways and let it stand.

This was not on the tour but we passed a building I really loved, the Union Stree Co-op, so here it is.

The tour guide told us that while Gaelic is spelled the same by the Irish and the Scots, the Irish pronounce it GAY-lic, whereas the Scots pronounce it GAL-ic. The Irish also refer to Gaelic as just Irish, whereas the Scots do not call it Scottish.  

The river Clyde runs through Glasgow; it's a tidal estuary, which means that the water reverses direction with the tide.  There is an 11 ft difference between the level at high and low tides.  There used to be 50 steam ferries that plied the Clyde (I'm a poet and didn't know it).  There used to be no bridges because there were 17 shipbuilders on the Clyde, who employed around 17,000 people, and the ships that were built could not have been sailed to their destination if there were bridges to impede passage.  Now there is only one shipbuilder left.  

Now there is one very modern bridge over the Clyde (I believe there may be other bridges), that is officially called the Clyde Arc, but is called by locals by the name "squinty bridge," referring apparently to the fact that the bridge is at an angle.

The Glasgow Tower is a free-standing tower on the south bank of the River Clyde, and it holds a Guinness World Record for the tallest tower in the world which can rotate 360 degrees.  It has been closed for more than 80% of its life. It reopened in 2014. It is part of the Glasgow Science Center.

A quote from our guide, Peter: "the only difference between summer and winter in Glasgow is the temperature of the rain."

The Hydro is a concert venue.  The Armadillo (formerly called the Clyde Auditorium) is also a concert venue and vaguely looks like the Sydney Opera House. There's a third one called the SEC Centre.  

Not on the tour was a multicolored building that looked interesting. However, they were just renovating the building, but I still liked the look.

Also on the Clyde was the Glen Lee, the last sailing ship built in the Clyde shipyards, in 1895. Glasgow rescued it from its being used as a training ship by Spain's navy, and refurbished it and brought it to this location as an attraction that showed what was being done in the old Clyde shipyards.

There is a spot where to rivers meet, it's easy to see in my photos because I have a pole that bisects the picture.  They are the Clyde and the Kelvin.

Again, not on the tour, I saw the façade of a building that just looked so interesting.  I had to shoot it through the right window, so I only got a piece of it.

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum was made to look like the church of Santiago de Compostela, the end of the old Pilgrimage Trail in Spain.  It's absolutely beautiful, like so many of the buildings on this tour, and one of the more surprising things about Glasgow.

We passed a bridge over a stream that had nice sculptures on each end and I couldn't resist.

Another amazing building the University of Glasgow that looks gorgeous from all sides.  

The Kelvingrove Museum again, and a strange green mascot or something. Followed by another view of Glasgow Uni.

Not on the tour a lovely clock tower in the middle of nothing.  

The word Sauchy (pronounced "sucky") is in this bar's name and is also part of the street name.

The Royal Conservatory of Scotland.  A poster for A Streetcar Named Desire.  Pretty flowers.

Pictures of Fr. Eamon and us.  Oh, I forgot to mention that Fr. Eamon took us all out to lunch after the tour bus, to this place, which had great food.  And he insisted on treating us, even though we had wanted to pay for it.  He'll get copies of these pictures.  

And finally, back to St George Square, the Glasgow Train Station, and the mural of Saint Munro.

That's it. I'm sorry you can't see the pictures yet, but I promise I'm working on them.

Lamplighter Is Bigger Than Ever While Keeping That Neighborhood Brewery Spirit

Founders Cayla Marvil and AC Jones reflect on their year-and-a-half-old brewery

Fresh off the addition of a second taproom and with a summertime beer garden kicking into gear, Lamplighter Brewing Company founders Cayla Marvil and AC Jones have barely had time to digest the breadth of their business’s growth within the last year and a half.

“It’s just been kind of go, go, go,” said Marvil. “I don’t think we’ve even stopped to breathe. We’re so excited to have this space open and kind of chill out for a moment, really hone in on our efficiency on the brew side, make the taproom space better and better.”

They’re off to a good start, with Lamplighter winning the 2017 Eater Boston award for taproom of the year.

The brew floor, both taprooms, and a partner coffee shop, Longfellows, span 10,00 square feet in a quiet section of Cambridge, and if you didn’t know that building housed a brewery, you might pass by without noticing, but for the line of people waiting to get inside and the occasional flash of Jones and Marvil’s samoyed Barley, a massive ball of fluff and the honorary CEO of Lamplighter.

The Lamplighter team unveiled its second taproom in February, taking an area in the rear of the building allocated for storage and transforming it into an additional gathering space for the hordes of guests who visit the brewery each week. Now, there’s twice the capacity for people to drink beer and coffee, play games, and stalk Barley while devouring pierogies, grilled cheese, and poutine from the various pop-ups that rotate through the brewery.

Cayla Marvil/Lamplighter

Lamplighter’s new rear taproom, featuring a mural by Chloe Rubenstein

Marvil and Jones never planned to have two taprooms, but one of the surprises of getting the brewery up and running was the reception from patrons.

“The neighborhood’s been incredible,” Marvil said. “Cambridge has been supportive, the people here are amazing.”

It took years of preparation and then construction for the pair to open Lamplighter. They first announced plans for the brewery in 2014 and opened the doors to the taproom in November 2016.

It used to be very stressful, and now it’s still stressful but less ‘dire, everything’s gonna end.’

“We put together this business plan,” Marvil said. “We knew in our heads, ‘This is a good idea, let’s go for it,’ but why in the world did the bank back us, and investors? We were really young; we didn’t have any experience with it. We are so grateful people did it, but yeah, I don’t know, we’re very fortunate.”

“We put everything into this,” Jones said. “If it didn’t work out well, we would have been in trouble. [Now we’re] able to kind of breathe a little easier. People don’t hate us, we’re selling beer, people seem to have fun, it runs — that sort of thing is a huge weight that we used to carry all the time; that’s certainly lessened. It used to be very stressful, and now it’s still stressful but less ‘dire, everything’s gonna end.’”

Two huge parts of clearing that stress hurdle involved the experts Jones and Marvil consulted along the way and the staff members who joined them in opening the brewery and keeping it running smoothly. Jones and Marvil both attended Middlebury College in Vermont and have surrounded themselves with several other alums, including marketing and events director Marina Sideli and taproom and retail operations director Jack Hunsicker.

They also sought the advice of another Middlebury alum, Rob Tod, who runs Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine.

“Allagash is the best brewery,” Jones said. They reached out to Tod when they “were just punk kids trying to figure out what to do” and asked to check out his operation.

“This guy has one of the largest breweries in the country and one of the most renowned — and he spent two hours just taking us around, showing us everything, pouring beer. It was incredible,” Jones said. “If we could eventually be anything like Rob Tod and Allagash, that’s a huge win. And I think we are never gonna do that.”

Certainly not size-wise: Lamplighter wants to stay small, now that it has hit capacity within its space.

Being where we are and being in the community and being in the neighborhood, it’s totally worth it.

“We’ve just been in this grow, grow, grow [phase] — add tanks, make more beer, add the taproom, do more,” Marvil said. “And so finally we’re having a moment where everything’s in the building — we literally can fit no more — so now we’re playing the Jenga game, how do we best fit everything in.”

The majority of Lamplighter’s sales still happen at the brewery, despite its brewing capacity doubling since opening. Jones and Marvil had anticipated doing a lot more keg sales to restaurants, but it turned out more people come to the brewery for their beer than anywhere else.

“It’s really fun to be in cool restaurants and be on draft,” Jones said. “It’s also logistically difficult, and having people here is the best method for us across the board, so the fact that that is skewed more dramatically in that direction than we ever would have guessed is great. It’s really made a big difference for us.”

That means they can still keep the operation small, even while expanding their brewing capacity and turning out new beers. Marvil and Jones have had to change up their logistics a bit, but they’re falling into a rhythm with everything from canning to waste removal to distribution to other retail locations.

“That’s been a work in progress,” Marvil said. “How do we adjust to being in a city, how do we deal with things that we had never thought about, like trash removal, where clearly we’re generating a ton of spent grain and waste and we don’t want to disturb our neighbors but we have to get it out. Most breweries are in an industrial park where it doesn’t matter how or when you do that. For us, we can’t block traffic at 9 a.m.”

“But being where we are and being in the community and being in the neighborhood, it’s totally worth it, it’s just not as straightforward as it would be otherwise,” Jones added.

They get a significant amount of help from their staff, which now totals more than 30 people.

“Everyone’s amazing; it’s such a cool community. In Cambridge, everyone’s so overqualified, but it’s great,” Marvil said.

Dana Hatic/Eater

Lamplighter founders AC Jones and Cayla Marvil with their dog, Barley

In terms of beer, Lamplighter continues to push the envelope, thanks in large part to head brewer Tyler Fitzpatrick, whom Marvil and Jones credit heavily with the success of the ever-rotating beer lineup.

“He’s so, so talented. It’s so impressive. It’s the sort of thing where you could start to take something like that for granted,” Marvil said.

Fitzpatrick has been known to spend days on end researching new styles of beer he’s never brewed before and coming up with new recipes. Case in point: this month’s Maibock, the Union, which, incidentally, was brewed for Fitzpatrick’s wedding.

“We say we don’t have a flagship,” Jones said. “We have beers that repeat more often than others, but we don’t have any beers that you can have here all the time, or really even that often, hypothetically speaking.”

That said, they always try to have something for everybody.

“Always a lot of IPAs because that’s what everybody wants to drink, it seems, but then something for somebody who says they only drink Stella, somebody who likes sours, somebody who likes funk — we try to do a whole range,” Marvil said.

Now, with double the tank space from when they started, the taproom options have increased, helping the Lamplighter team prioritize a balanced menu while keeping things fresh and interesting.

A post shared by Lamplighter Brewing Co. (@lamplighterbrew) on Apr 12, 2018 at 7:41am PDT

“Right now we have eight different beers going at a time, which, when you have a taproom that tends to have 12 to 14 beers on tap and where people love that variety, we need to keep up with that in that way,” Jones said.

They’ve also added 100 oak barrels within the past year, and they’ll release some funky barrel-aged beers over the rest of spring and throughout the summer.

Lamplighter partners with Iron Heart for its canning, and for its can art, the brewery pulls from within its ranks. A recent collaboration with Solemn Oath Brewery out of Illinois produced a dry-hopped saison called Barb (hello, Stranger Things fans), and Lamplighter commissioned can art from staffer Chloe Feldman Emison, while a member of the Solemn Oath team drew the monster in the background.

For the other labels, Lamplighter works with Bluerock Design out of Martha’s Vineyard. There’s a template with the brand logo and the name of the beer, so it’s easy enough to switch in the art for each new beer.

“It keeps it cohesive while allowing us to do some creative stuff with it,” Jones said.

Counted among Lamplighter’s creative brews is Barley Smalls, a Vienna lager named for Barley.

“We have people who call and ask if Barley’s there, and if we say no, they’re like, ‘then I’m not coming,’” Jones said.

A post shared by Lamplighter Brewing Co. (@lamplighterbrew) on Jan 5, 2018 at 9:09am PST

Even on the days Barley’s not in the brewery, there’s plenty to attract visitors, and on weekends in particular, there are often lines to get inside. Marvil and Jones decided early on to scrap plans to run a kitchen along with the beer operation, but in the evenings, they utilize space from the brewery’s partner coffee shop, Longfellows, to host various pop-ups, including Jaju Pierogi, Brato Brewhouse, Manoa Poke Shop, and so many more.

“It’s so nice because it brings in different people who maybe have heard of pierogies but they’ve never been here, so they end up coming, and it’s just so awesome — we get to support all these cool local food businesses and meet amazing people,” Marvil said. “It’s just really fun to have something different every night. For us to not have to do food is huge. That’s my background, and I thought we wanted to do food, and I’m so glad we do not run a kitchen.”

They have enough going on as it is.

“At this point, we’re running a brewery, which is its own business; a taproom or bar, which is kind of its own business; and then we do all of our distribution, which is honestly kind of its own business,” Jones said.

Customers can also bring in their own food or order delivery to the brewery, which gives Marvil and Jones the opportunity to run two taprooms while continuing to make the best beers possible as well as branching out into barrel-aging and collaborations with other breweries.

In addition to the aforementioned Barb collaboration, a dry-hopped saison, Lamplighter also recently released another collaboration, Sneaker Wave — a New England-style IPA brewed with Borg Brugghús out of Iceland.

Introducing Sneaker Wave, a fierce New England-style IPA brewed with Arctic thyme! We teamed up with @borgbrugghus of Reykjavík, Iceland, to throw a Nordic twist on this hazy staple (perhaps we should really be calling this an International-style IPA!). Waves of herbs and sweet thyme follow flavors of tropical fruit, mango, and citrus zest. The addition of Styrian Wolf and Grungiest hops keep that swell going with pockets of elderflower, anise, and even more mango. 6.8% ABV. We’re also wrapping up a fresh batch of Cuppa, our British Pale ale infused with Ethiopian cold-brew coffee from Longfellows! Cans and draft of both beers available Wednesday at 5 p.m.

A post shared by Lamplighter Brewing Co. (@lamplighterbrew) on Mar 26, 2018 at 11:19am PDT

Beer collaborations are a new addition to the business, something Marvil and Jones were unable to do in their first year.

“If the two of us left this place, it’d go up in flames,” Jones said. “And we’re finally reaching the point where that’s actually not the case. Our staff is just wonderful and everyone’s kind of got the stuff down that they need to do, so it gives us a little bit more creative freedom to do that kind of thing and to explore and think about beer in new ways, instead of just worrying about the logistics of making sure this place runs all the time, which is really exciting for us.”

Now fully at capacity, Marvil and Jones can relax a bit, but they’re hardly resting on their heels: They’ll be running a beer garden at the Central Flea throughout the summer while continuing to open up the doors to both of their taprooms to the community.

“We don’t want to be a massive brewery,” Marvil said. “We really like taprooms; we like being in the community and the neighborhood.”

• Lamplighter Brewing Company Coverage on Eater [EBOS]

This is the final piece in a series of features highlighting the 2017 Eater Awards winners. Read the other four here: