tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91816893471371493642024-02-21T10:27:36.538-08:00I'm Not Sorry, Because I'm FabulousRiellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.comBlogger520125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-70189039713007382532023-01-01T12:21:00.000-08:002023-01-01T12:21:21.121-08:00On Rekindling<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBr5o2R5yUM-IGgQdERvXYI4Uo-wnhmKXl0f8_RVHTvykBnXvpFCDGOt4QOF5E7aqS2kKRNY-7nQ4xy7_UOPOJUusoEt3LQLl17NzWsQq5Oum2Xf_r1jfSO_7SQ2Sl9HGvELlgP1UDThmW-P4H_1QeK9TIp26AAaYw_NMphnu6nidbf2VI45825xtQ/s2048/0F97EA06-F828-4F50-A836-060632C61B55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBr5o2R5yUM-IGgQdERvXYI4Uo-wnhmKXl0f8_RVHTvykBnXvpFCDGOt4QOF5E7aqS2kKRNY-7nQ4xy7_UOPOJUusoEt3LQLl17NzWsQq5Oum2Xf_r1jfSO_7SQ2Sl9HGvELlgP1UDThmW-P4H_1QeK9TIp26AAaYw_NMphnu6nidbf2VI45825xtQ/s320/0F97EA06-F828-4F50-A836-060632C61B55.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last year we admitted that 2021 was a bit of a shitshow whirlwind, so it was a pretty stark change that 2022 felt (at least in comparison) relatively calm. And yet, when I think back on this year it might have been less hectic and stressful but it was actually a lot more adventurous!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A lot of this year was defined by saying “fuck it” and throwing caution to the wind. We ghosted texts from people who weren’t worth the energy; and yet we dropped things and ran for others who were. We hit the road and solo-adventured to familiar shores (dog always in tow); we caught flights and pillaged unfamiliar shops (trusty faux-husband planning the route). We set not one but many fires (literal and otherwise) and we found our grounding in a pattern of seeking through random acts of whimsy and wonder. Our journey might still be an undefinable work in progress, but at least it’s ours - and at least we had fun along the way. Here’s to seeing what new (and old) adventures we have in 2023!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most used emoji: 🙌🏻</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes we were throwing confetti, and others we were throwing hands. Make of that what you will. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most spun album: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peaky Blinders soundtrack (seasons 1-5)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An album that we picked up and didn’t stop spinning for 3-4 months, through the grimy winter and into the burgeoning light of a very late spring. An album that took my hand, walked with me through the darkness, and brought me back to a more honest (if not necessarily lighter) place. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fav read: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We read books that were fantastical (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Faeries of the Faultlines</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), books that were meditative (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Prayer for the Crown Shy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), books that made us want to run through grass fields at sunset/rise (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Honeycomb</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), books that made us roll our eyes at insider-nonsense (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Art on Deck</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), books that always make us laugh (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), and not just a few books that made us Believe. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vibes that we’re bringing forward into 2023: more. Just more of all the things that continue to rekindle us. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More fire. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More quiet moments. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More beach days. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More solitude. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More friends. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More last minute plans. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More laughter. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More wonder. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More shenanigans. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More ridiculous outfits. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More puppy snuggles. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More art. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And maybe, most of all, more life.</span></p>Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-28639397566281800642022-01-02T15:45:00.004-08:002022-01-02T15:45:41.834-08:00A View from the Stacks: a 2021 Retrospective<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRiC75FeA6ib3mZkQ2a815kd840u-jOzWjWDl9TNeQvAAOMynF7WL8YOH83TQGgWvvXj4Ue1zkvJINfytB05fweNX-Tmx5DrkcirD2owI4_mTNsZwvZyatN5SIUMLWflDVum2aXdyDXn_Yqvt2o14b6--cfx8-wwXHPfBTCxmLhkQl0hll0WzBnYTN=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2027" data-original-width="2048" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRiC75FeA6ib3mZkQ2a815kd840u-jOzWjWDl9TNeQvAAOMynF7WL8YOH83TQGgWvvXj4Ue1zkvJINfytB05fweNX-Tmx5DrkcirD2owI4_mTNsZwvZyatN5SIUMLWflDVum2aXdyDXn_Yqvt2o14b6--cfx8-wwXHPfBTCxmLhkQl0hll0WzBnYTN=s320" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>How to even begin summing up the year that was 2021. What a whirlwind, what a shitshow, what a year. </span><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9d1f2746-7fff-6100-8558-311183718e35"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If 2021 was anything, it was a year that defined what was really important to me. Whether it was a reminder of what doesn’t work or rediscovering that taking a leap of faith isn’t as scary as it seems, this year pushed my boundaries so far out of my comfort zone that I’m not sure we want to (or can) go back. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Things that resonated with me this year:</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I read a lot this year (even if I didn’t meet my reading goal), but the book that’s still on my mind is T.J. Klune’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From Under the Whispering Door</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Contemplating death, love, and finding a new lease on life (yes, in that order), its themes have definite 2021 vibes. We can blame my Scorpio moon placement, but books about death are a sharp (and much needed) reminder that I often need to keep redefining life as I go along. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My soundtrack for the year alternated between my Scorpio Season and Summer Vibes playlists (regardless of the season), but the track that seemed to be on an infinite loop more often than not was Sum 41’s “Fat Lip.” What can I say; being a punk was never a phase, but sometimes I need the reminder that “I’ll never fall in line, and become another victim of your conformity.” I may work an office job, but the “A” in Archivist also stands for Anarchist. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weekly episode drops for shows are the new bane of my existence, but to be honest I’m kind of loving the ritual of mixing a cosmopolitan and sitting down to watch the latest episode of “... And Just Like That” on Thursday evenings. Thursdays have always had good vibes for me, but seeing the continued adventures of Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte are a perfect blend of new nostalgia that hits just right. My prediction (and hope) for the show: Samantha will be back eventually, because it’s just not quite the same without her sparky sense of humour and sexuality. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The big leap:</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Besides spending a lot of time reinvesting in myself and setting boundaries in my relationships with the world at large, the big event of the year was getting on a waitlist and following through on a surgery. Those of you who have known me for years know that having children has never been part of my life plan (and to the rest of you, FYI! haha), and I figured that now was as good a time as any to get this out of the way. So I scheduled the appointments, talked to the doctors, and booked a date to get my tubes tied at the end of July. Weird coincidental timing with the guy I was dating at the time, general fear of medical procedures, and extended recovery period aside, I’m glad that I finally made this happen. When I got the go ahead from my surgeon back in February a friend asked me: “How do you imagine you’ll feel [...] afterwards?” and I finally have the answer: fucking amazing. Fullstop. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Vibes that we’re bringing forward into 2022:</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Being more of a Carrie, and less of a Charlotte. Don’t worry, we’ll always be a Miranda at heart, but a bit more sparkle and a bit less domesticity is a lot more fun. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Choosing sunlight when we can (and moonlight when we can’t), since we never know when it’s going to disappear under a cloud of smoke again. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the media we ingest to the stores we choose to shop at; from our social media etiquette to our interactions with the world at large: more quality, less quantity. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Howling more at the moon. Maybe it’ll be out loud, or maybe we’ll keep it to ourselves, but being silent was never really our vibe in the first place. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The summary:</i> 2021 was obviously so much more than these brief glimpses, but it’s funny how things kind of crystalize in retrospect and the big things become smaller while the small things become bigger. Tomorrow we might be looking back on different moments with different thoughts, but regardless we’ll still be moving forward. So here’s to whatever 2022 brings. </span></p></span>Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-56923974258929067212021-08-15T14:15:00.000-07:002021-08-15T14:15:27.085-07:00Of Living and Dying, and the Stories we Read Inbetween<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGx8SrvRBPKTHjyshMAWr4e1W2PzyJ2acphJPq-mr-grqmF75yvJVSVgJRRBOCY2iv6GPh25PmfqHK8PZIqVH-qvaPtDpbcAf2yrb_h5nKRlSTtwM28w8f2CNZmU1WvIC-OjXIzl5Utxs/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGx8SrvRBPKTHjyshMAWr4e1W2PzyJ2acphJPq-mr-grqmF75yvJVSVgJRRBOCY2iv6GPh25PmfqHK8PZIqVH-qvaPtDpbcAf2yrb_h5nKRlSTtwM28w8f2CNZmU1WvIC-OjXIzl5Utxs/" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If there’s one thing that people know about me, it’s that books (and the stories therein) are my first true love. From the earliest story times on the orange-carpeted steps at the library to perusing crowded tables of secondhand books under a bridge in London, there seems no place in my life which hasn’t been touched by my love of reading. </span><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-24949264-7fff-8173-8f92-6861427e3194"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It should come as no surprise, then, that I’ve always felt the need to engage in the myriad stories that surround me in a deeper sense. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After I finished my undergraduate degree, which was expectedly rife with the enforced reading that an English/History Major entails, I figured that to keep my writing habit going (and to curb the endless stream of intake slightly) I wouldn’t just keep a book journal listing everything I had read; I would write, as well. Not nearly so formally as I had to for the completion of my degree, but in a way that still provoked a deeper thought process. Enter the world of social media, combine that with a book journaling project for my Master’s degree, and the results are history: shared book reviews for the world to see - or at least a handful of friends and colleagues who enjoy stories equally as much, and who don’t mind my occasionally fangirl-toned reviews of books I absolutely adore. As I opined years ago: booknerds, why aren’t you all on Goodreads and LibraryThing?! That’s where the good bookish times are at!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We dabbled briefly in Bookstagram (Instagram’s not-so-secretly nerdy sub-community): a project that lasted about a year before I got tired of being confined to posting strictly bookish content. Are we really surprised by that change, either? Instagram is great, but its lack of dedication to books meant that my ever-changing interests couldn’t hold fast to the single-focus of a book page nor could my ever-changing aesthetic. (Similar reasoning also halted the creation of a proper Tucker dogstagram account, in addition to his complete lack of regular cooperation for photos… but that’s another story). Sure, I’ll still jump into #bookstagram style posts occasionally (today being a case and point), but mostly we keep the reviews confined to Goodreads and LibraryThing, with teasers to head thattaways in my stories. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So that’s where we’re at today: still reading (voraciously), still reviewing (semi-critically), and still obsessing over certain books that take our breath away (give me a whimsically cranky protagonist and an exceptional setting, and I’m there). If you’re curious what the latest one is, head on over to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/fedorakjaimie" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> or <a href="https://www.librarything.com/profile/JaimieRiella" target="_blank">LibraryThing</a>. I’ll see you in the stacks!</span></p></span>Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-86783139478471733442021-07-04T16:22:00.000-07:002021-07-04T16:22:49.289-07:00The Historian<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDTiCVGg28kuz5gJa9GOnvqytQTzElIxReZZzeRXsmGFLmmtAfh-7DcvyHocn5Y7CBfh7RNFMiKW4vQhrxRuWB42Es-ORyyCn2uxZvfVAUqYy5xCQPJOdaM-e-ryy4Z0ZSaaXL4nAfsc/s512/01fnVfMakPL.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDTiCVGg28kuz5gJa9GOnvqytQTzElIxReZZzeRXsmGFLmmtAfh-7DcvyHocn5Y7CBfh7RNFMiKW4vQhrxRuWB42Es-ORyyCn2uxZvfVAUqYy5xCQPJOdaM-e-ryy4Z0ZSaaXL4nAfsc/s320/01fnVfMakPL.png" /></a></div><br />Maybe it’s the plight of the historian that we see too much. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That we spend so much time looking at the past<br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That we no longer see it as anything but an endless wheel turning and turning<br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And turning the turmoil and hurt we see in endless repeat <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span> </span>into dispassion.</span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-5f67316c-7fff-6567-bbc1-155f8986772f"><br /><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The black and white (if there ever even were) blurs to become an endless field of grey.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Punctuated by moments of light, to be sure, but more often</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Swathed in a sea of darkness and misdeed. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blinded, we become, even as our eyes continue to see what is </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span> </span>apparently hidden. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So no. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are not shocked. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are not surprised. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But yes, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are furious. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Still). </span></p></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-60351854451262879752021-06-27T16:40:00.000-07:002021-06-27T16:40:41.229-07:00Solstice<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCsgtjNECb6hAFtaHV1FIkXms9KjWTtYlJG8HZg8n7T7w-DiyQuHY80WUenA4NpVWESMbiS4Un_bZKj2891dnWaTaQXIZcbo7yPABGVQ2A6ANONr-7Rpj77Qz_DTpVSH2E4Tk9U1l2CM/s1600/97D24685-890A-41AC-8722-324704AFB9F6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCsgtjNECb6hAFtaHV1FIkXms9KjWTtYlJG8HZg8n7T7w-DiyQuHY80WUenA4NpVWESMbiS4Un_bZKj2891dnWaTaQXIZcbo7yPABGVQ2A6ANONr-7Rpj77Qz_DTpVSH2E4Tk9U1l2CM/s320/97D24685-890A-41AC-8722-324704AFB9F6.jpeg" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px;">Between the fires of Beltane and Samhain the shadows begin to</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px;">Lengthen<br /></span><span class="s1">As Sun begins a hiding game<br /></span><span class="s1">And Moon chases the light.</span></div><div><br /><span class="s1">As we were bathed in new light we found the world revealed; </span><br /><span class="s1">New paths forward</span><br /><span class="s1">Away from a broken past that kept us bound.</span></div><div><br /><span class="s1">Yet in the dark our own is revealed; </span><br /><span class="s1">Finding a truth and knowledge</span><br /><span class="s1">(hidden)</span><br /><span class="s1">About why we left and how we can love forward.</span></div><div><br /><span class="s1">The light may have brought us out from a darkness in the world,</span><br /><span class="s1">But our own dark must be balanced by a steady glow within.</span></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span></p>Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-70696819283899178832021-06-21T18:21:00.000-07:002021-06-21T18:21:18.893-07:00Untitled<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcrKdDai3OC7slCU3YN8IKRBO4H5E_7dfcaT8nE8N8IAurMnx0UuJBuA5BAAOIVX89FQClK4jF5ocV6fIsrsckEsqlk7o4UNYFO3BEOrw-qrdhq455QqtGcvsTatdhaljxbe78YFZeJw/s1600/eZy+Watermark_21-06-2021_06-17-21PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcrKdDai3OC7slCU3YN8IKRBO4H5E_7dfcaT8nE8N8IAurMnx0UuJBuA5BAAOIVX89FQClK4jF5ocV6fIsrsckEsqlk7o4UNYFO3BEOrw-qrdhq455QqtGcvsTatdhaljxbe78YFZeJw/s320/eZy+Watermark_21-06-2021_06-17-21PM.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fuck grounding. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walk with me through the fire and flames. </span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-bb5ae320-7fff-37a7-95ec-e907f40504f5"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the ashes grow a new spring</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fed by an earth renewed</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not through destruction but through cleansing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paths made barren by a wasteland of past</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hurt and anger and emptiness</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Should still be walked, one foot in front of the other. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we come to the edge of the cliff and peer over</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to depths unseen and unplumbed</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The path is not broken, so much as changed.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Choose to walk the edge and find a new way,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">feet still leading forward,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or better yet, build a bridge and learn to fly.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fuck grounding. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Take my hand) </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walk with me through the fire and flames. </span></p></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-46318446989439203972021-06-13T14:02:00.006-07:002021-06-13T14:02:44.680-07:00Becoming<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMXoIWiB21XwvgznIiOCRZuRYedwR6yfS9-yrts_CoGoeGbt6_LPBskxjS3Zt0BYJ2wMyPzoIU4x4JFGyDK4TIXDZT7Wn6nKKJeptWgHvGWDd9VwLsHY6z-JGiD_f7k34sXysFbuLtyY/s1600/eZy+Watermark_13-06-2021_01-22-35PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMXoIWiB21XwvgznIiOCRZuRYedwR6yfS9-yrts_CoGoeGbt6_LPBskxjS3Zt0BYJ2wMyPzoIU4x4JFGyDK4TIXDZT7Wn6nKKJeptWgHvGWDd9VwLsHY6z-JGiD_f7k34sXysFbuLtyY/s320/eZy+Watermark_13-06-2021_01-22-35PM.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Begin at the end, they said. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e500f6f3-7fff-da09-f2e7-80ea6c512c36"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so she turned her face towards the full-bodied moon and howled. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then again when the moon was gone, to call it back to her night skies. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make love, they said. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so she found a man with the heart of a lion. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One who roams the wild, alone, and yet alongside her wildness. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Collect the bones, they said. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so she dug deep, pulling remnants from her chest which no longer served. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bones to be honoured and then buried in the woods to be returned. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Listen, they said. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so with eyes closed she brought silence to the screaming world around her. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the white noise the words she needed to hear became clear. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raise the children, they said. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so with a softening she turned to her inner child in remembrance. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Standing tall for those who are not yet grown and yet someday will be. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be grounded in belief, they said. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so she questioned and answered and kept her friends close. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Building a forest of strength, so like a tree surrounded she would not fall in the storm. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walk the earth, they said. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so she ventured, journeying far but always returning. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes staying close, to find new secrets in the familiar and the known. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sleep, they said. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But she was not yet ready, and so drifted and dreamed alongside the stars. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Asking questions amongst them until the dawn brought awakening to her soul. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feast, they said. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so she did. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On all the world had to offer, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And in return she learned and grew and</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Became. </span></p></span>Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-42723948548544144192021-06-06T12:47:00.000-07:002021-06-06T12:47:03.964-07:00Six Degrees<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUr82MvhH26-y14FQMok6zPSGNyXF8D9G-jhKsKPUYU_H9Bsfi6AKuayjSk5W0gSB1Nv0w3y4TGPUUanN1kWtA-PYe_GlSbCeDMdbKqyuTJcMgN0TPpA4UDQU8Ru5g2qU_IIGCKiWoyRQ/s1599/eZy+Watermark_06-06-2021_09-04-40AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUr82MvhH26-y14FQMok6zPSGNyXF8D9G-jhKsKPUYU_H9Bsfi6AKuayjSk5W0gSB1Nv0w3y4TGPUUanN1kWtA-PYe_GlSbCeDMdbKqyuTJcMgN0TPpA4UDQU8Ru5g2qU_IIGCKiWoyRQ/s320/eZy+Watermark_06-06-2021_09-04-40AM.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>They say the world is a small place, but sometimes the reality of that statement hits you so hard and in such unexpected ways that you have to stop for a minute and take stock. Living in a small town (which has played host to my family for four generations in varying capacities), those six degrees of separation shrink to about two. It’s not even people sometimes; even a location can spark the wheels turning. </span><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-26a1237c-7fff-b99a-840d-13e38162b6be"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Small towns and their inevitably slow pace of change sometimes make the years and the scenery blur together so much that I don’t even notice them, but as I paused outside of one of Kamloops’ well-known eateries the other day with my friend D those six (or two) degrees got me thinking about how much *has* actually changed. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Art We Are serves up lattés and lunches to a hungry artistic crowd, and their neighbour Botanical Scene is busy making everyone’s homes greener, but the building that houses these popular spots (The Freemont Block) has a history that traces its roots back to immigrant John Fre[e]mont Smith. This foursquare brick building was built by Smith in 1911 after he found success in… well literally everything. Alderman, shoemaker, prospector, businessman, Smith’s list of achievements could go on for days, but you all have access to Google, so I’ll let you discover more about him yourself! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My history with the Freemont Block starts circa the early/mid-1990s. By that time the building was occupied by the Camera House, another downtown staple, whose schtick was - you guessed it - cameras and the accoutrement that goes with them. My dad was also a photographer and, in typical small town fashion, did business with the Camera House - so once and a while I was sent down the block from our West End home to see “uncle” Barry for more film for pops. Favourite memories: one of their employees, Brian, always talked like Donald Duck for us errand-girls; if Dad came with me, he could always be talked into a slice of cake at Swiss Pastry or a donut at Tim Horton’s down the block; and spending the pocket change dad paid me on 5-cent candies at Erwin’s!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The next chapter of this building’s personal connection came to me in high school, when I met my BFF, A. Over the years A and I have discovered that we shared a LOT of the same childhood hangouts, ranging from our brief time in a Catholic private school to being on rival soccer teams, and yet it took us until an art class in Grade 10 to actually be in the same place at the same time. There were Skittles involved this time around, so clearly it was meant to be. I don’t think we knew right away, but we later made the connection that her parent’s yoga and bellydance studio lived above the Camera House for a few years - just a few degrees of separation away.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A more recent late night stroll making sure that my original A bestie (yes, apparently I have a small A-squad) got back to her hotel safely revealed another connection to the brownstone. A (the First) spent most of her childhood in Kamloops, and may have ditched the Interior’s sagebrush for coastal surf, but she inevitably winds up back in good old Kamloops - at least for a time. On one of these sojourns she was working towards one of her many degrees, and needed a place to stay, and apparently the place of choice was a cool downtown loft. I heard the stories at the time of the XXL Christmas tree that toppled, wardrobe simplification techniques, and the boating adventures that are the only way to get through overheated Kamloops summers, but somehow I missed the fact that her exposed brick walls were none other than the familiar Freemont Block! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that brings us back to today: standing on street corners, wondering what small bits of history lie hidden amongst the brownstone and bricks, while we wait for pastries. At this point, I don’t think that I could be surprised by any fewer degrees of separation with the world, but I still can’t help but wonder… </span></p></span>Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-80923958971176925382021-05-30T13:34:00.000-07:002021-05-30T13:34:05.751-07:001985<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_UFwa8StcJ8ElPT5LUmz-SyDlDoxAPcKRuRWpP5-wTzHqkKK_ZWnJeyzFOLL1b_6v6mCvsrjjhSKyX3hagczkI2TmZAdvwWoZgCzr4-Gj7JwkzyuCKg7ax4bB6MpbByY1MNG-Yk2dD0/s1599/1985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_UFwa8StcJ8ElPT5LUmz-SyDlDoxAPcKRuRWpP5-wTzHqkKK_ZWnJeyzFOLL1b_6v6mCvsrjjhSKyX3hagczkI2TmZAdvwWoZgCzr4-Gj7JwkzyuCKg7ax4bB6MpbByY1MNG-Yk2dD0/s320/1985.JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>The internet can be a funny place, full of interesting trivia, connections to far away friends, and (maybe most importantly) funny animal videos. And yet, sometimes what the nostalgic web reveals can pack a bit more of a punch than we expected…</span><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8f889c87-7fff-d578-264d-02b182c46d07"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No, I’m not talking about Facebook Memories - they’re a whole other bag of mental gymnastics-inducing depressing or joyful moments which fully deserve an entire blogpost of their own. Rather, recently I keep stumbling over a particular music-based clip trending inevitably from the newest-fangled web portal of amusement (TikTok) which makes me laugh for a second until the cringes set in. But not for the reason you’re thinking - but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In said clip the Tiktok-er (is that what we call them, idk?) has an unfortunate revelation about the aparent drabness of their life while listening to the classic nostalgic banger “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K38xNqZvBJI" target="_blank">1985</a>” by Bowling for Soup. The song begins on a positive note, led by and upbeat drum beat and catchy guitar riffs, but as the band begins to wax eloquent about lost opportunities and sour memories the listener begins to think that the song is about them…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Were any of these kids even alive in 1985?! I sure wasn’t, and even though I’ll always have a fondness for the mid-decades of my childhood, my high school years, and even my 20s (as an amalgam for what the band’s singing about), I’m going to call bullshit on lamenting all the things in life that have gotten away. Staunch disbeliever in FOMO, here, if you couldn’t already tell. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sure, there are always going to be missed opportunities and a certain sense of “how did we get here from there” as we get older, but sitting there and whining about the choices we made isn’t going to get us anywhere. So you didn’t dance on Whitesnake’s car (an opportunity to hard-pass on, IMO); so you married a CPA (presumably he likes other things than finance…); so you bought and paid for that yellow SUV (way to stand out in a parking lot!), but none of that has to be a negative if you don’t want it to be. There are new places to find music other than MTV, that antidepressant is doing its job to boost your serotonin levels, and you bet your ass there’s a podcast (or twelve) out there to satisfy your craving for radio sitcoms. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Limits went out the window with the millennium, so here’s to having access to a way bigger world of opportunities than were available in 1985 (or even 2005). So, Debbie, rather than hitting the wall, maybe it’s time you broke right through it. </span></p></span>Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-2759157866426795382021-05-23T18:40:00.000-07:002021-05-23T18:40:10.804-07:00She<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">She was told: </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-69670893-7fff-9f77-f24d-1b9ca40250fc"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You’re too loud.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Smile more.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do as you’re told.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the furrow in her brow was a warning of what was inside. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lips pulled back and teeth bared, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(as she complied, with a smile)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her howl shook the room. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Turning to her </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sister</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mother</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">daughter</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And to the Moon, </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The voices outside her now silenced in response</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As her bloodied footsteps walked away</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the trees, who echoed her howls with whispers</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the paths, where her hands were unbound</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the waters, washed with stones</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where her voice became soft once again.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsT0RmOl2JiWHWbcOcOFuFAf-UOvp5KJdqai61wvAnEkpG6mDwe_xSgE-BR0yvLA22fZUPLhJgrJ0FBpQb1HHEZKNXsOgPoWrgexfftirUO85wNtznljHPCcY7h0BFiUUNQ7KzgF6-gc/s1600/eZy+Watermark_23-05-2021_06-10-20PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsT0RmOl2JiWHWbcOcOFuFAf-UOvp5KJdqai61wvAnEkpG6mDwe_xSgE-BR0yvLA22fZUPLhJgrJ0FBpQb1HHEZKNXsOgPoWrgexfftirUO85wNtznljHPCcY7h0BFiUUNQ7KzgF6-gc/s320/eZy+Watermark_23-05-2021_06-10-20PM.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-85370139562442637022021-05-16T15:00:00.000-07:002021-05-16T15:00:00.196-07:00Lost in Sagebrush<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREEGh1EpE6hl6VVbMb2AlG0r6PvUsegVLNATQrt1NFfw8I_KMbDb7Ls1Q5-f4g3JTtg0HzTkws7ZTGrxCRBqCmhXW4GyQnKOqCQwYfRger_rohuuS6Ks8Nj_4jV6fxBSB6SPqx26-WiE/s1600/eZy+Watermark_15-05-2021_07-43-46PM.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREEGh1EpE6hl6VVbMb2AlG0r6PvUsegVLNATQrt1NFfw8I_KMbDb7Ls1Q5-f4g3JTtg0HzTkws7ZTGrxCRBqCmhXW4GyQnKOqCQwYfRger_rohuuS6Ks8Nj_4jV6fxBSB6SPqx26-WiE/s320/eZy+Watermark_15-05-2021_07-43-46PM.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I just finished reading Neil Gaiman’s classic novel </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">American Gods</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> earlier this week, and it got me thinking about journeys. In the novel, Shadow Moon, our stalwart(ish) protagonist has just been released from prison, and he has a plan: move back to Eagle Point, kiss his wife, and live happily (quietly) ever after. Now, this is the beginning of a lengthy novel, so you know from the get go that things quickly go awry for Shadow, and he falls in with an unexpected crew in the form of some wayward gods of the Norse, African, and Egyptian persuasion. </span><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-57421ad4-7fff-f889-c986-9c99d24f1e26"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shadow goes along with their scheme to regain their power because he has nothing better to do than to ride along and see where the road may take him, much as he has his entire life it seems. On this journey it is revealed that he is not really living, not taking in the meaning the his life, and doing far too much of what other people want rather than thinking about whether that is what *he* actually wants. Hmm. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Far be it from me to fall into the over-used adage of “fear of missing out”, but Shadow’s (and our) revelation has something deeper going on than simple FOMO. Shadow might be taking the journey, but what is he getting out of it? He’s sure not particularly interested in the outcome and Wednesday’s joke about him becoming King of America holds no ground, so why is he even bothering to walk the road? For that matter: has Gaiman (through his magic-ladden world) revealed something integral about human nature - that we’re all walking the same roads, towards many of the same goals, but are we asking the right questions of ourselves and of the world along the way?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpSGk7sx-LTRnaNIYGqSccKpg470oIXVmG8pBBMsOaq4-vvpkxEg78jAGnFi9G7mQu7Kjo7wB8VDtj3sMuacPU_9hs4q_64Iyy9-4k_u4zJ8pgobNBG_XJgc3EYrWNsgGfmVcNSzycTY/s1600/eZy+Watermark_15-05-2021_07-44-17PM.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpSGk7sx-LTRnaNIYGqSccKpg470oIXVmG8pBBMsOaq4-vvpkxEg78jAGnFi9G7mQu7Kjo7wB8VDtj3sMuacPU_9hs4q_64Iyy9-4k_u4zJ8pgobNBG_XJgc3EYrWNsgGfmVcNSzycTY/w200-h200/eZy+Watermark_15-05-2021_07-44-17PM.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">I would argue that a lot of us aren’t. It’s all too easy to fall into the same patterns of behaviour and ultimate life goals that we’ve been raised with since birth and see endlessly mimicked by society around us: grow up, get a job, start a family, make our mark on the world, ad nauseum until death do us part. But, a lot of us never ask why - mostly because it’s easier not to. If we question too much we end up breaking our relationships and our lives, because most people don’t want to hear the questions being asked, much less contemplate whether making a change and taking a side road is an actual option. </div></span></div></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In fairytales, too, (our childhood guides into the ways of the world) we are told not to stray from the path lest the will-o-the-wisps and goblin market lead us astray into the paths of ever-hungry wolves. Keep to the highways and byways through the woods, and only stop at Grandmother’s house before returning safely home. Even in the stories where the rejected child sets out from home to quest for a better life, they set foot to well-trodden path, walked by millions of unrequited souls before, in the hopes that they will find the (practically expected) glory, riches, or satisfaction. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What many of these fairytales seem to miss, and what Gaiman hints at, is the fact that some of us are far more than simple questing rejects: by living through life’s challenges we have become wolves. Maybe not in the traditional sense of fur-covered beings, but of wild things that cannot be contained by the walls of civilization and who cannot look on humanity as a simple living organism. Beings that need to run free along the natural paths of the forest, led by pure instinct and internal fire alone. Wolves that howl not just at the moon, but for the sheer joy of freedom and of Self. Like Shadow Moon, we must occasionally run (or maybe saunter, since who’s rushing towards the End) alongside the earthly gods and sacrifice what we thought we held dear to find the way forward through the mists and out the other side of the forests. Along the way we have seen too much of the other side to go back to the paths that came before, and maybe it is in that discovery we find the spark that keeps us questing for ever-new paths and states of being. That spark which keeps us howling at our own Moons. </span></p><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ekXtVU60bVfVvAIe_xPQXFMN2IfbVuX4tzlM7kXoiqaSvDX_mcLIY-P7gZz2DPL4Ziuyx2tOOUkwc2z_vbjZRS87gXiGIdsF8_Dz7JPp7UoeAC7sia_F9n0fjM8bDfDF1icMBiBxaUs/s1600/eZy+Watermark_15-05-2021_07-44-49PM.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ekXtVU60bVfVvAIe_xPQXFMN2IfbVuX4tzlM7kXoiqaSvDX_mcLIY-P7gZz2DPL4Ziuyx2tOOUkwc2z_vbjZRS87gXiGIdsF8_Dz7JPp7UoeAC7sia_F9n0fjM8bDfDF1icMBiBxaUs/w400-h200/eZy+Watermark_15-05-2021_07-44-49PM.JPG" width="500" /></a></div><br />Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-50300947248799349682021-05-09T13:26:00.000-07:002021-05-09T13:26:26.192-07:00And Just Like That...<span id="docs-internal-guid-1690fc3f-7fff-2304-95df-52b5d56dd182"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JVXBgLatmFpDD4uVypCYA8Oapgy_t3qpYb5zMswAf9Px-RT19QMzqKzSp3c7rGVylaQ3RkwUgriBN3QwxbGX_vo11FUPS9X9Vji5MnuiGKyfPwW0UFHjMEXcfqJTy1e2l6iLJ8uYaDk/s2048/E1B7DE3A-D5F1-4AE7-A739-0D3AA8C87A9A.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JVXBgLatmFpDD4uVypCYA8Oapgy_t3qpYb5zMswAf9Px-RT19QMzqKzSp3c7rGVylaQ3RkwUgriBN3QwxbGX_vo11FUPS9X9Vji5MnuiGKyfPwW0UFHjMEXcfqJTy1e2l6iLJ8uYaDk/s320/E1B7DE3A-D5F1-4AE7-A739-0D3AA8C87A9A.JPEG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">...<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> four years had passed, and ne’er a word was seen on this blog… But that’s all about to change. That’s right, people, this bitch is back! </span></div><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe it was binge re-watching Sex and the City for the first time in almost a decade, seeing Carrie Bradshaw put pen to paper (or MacBook, more precisely); maybe it was the coming of true Spring vibes with Taurus season, hard on the heels of a fiery Aries-month of birthday celebration and much reckoning; and maybe it was just time to take a look back, not in anger but in fondness and remembrance. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This blog has always been a bit on the random side: vacillating sharply from love-lorn gushing over fashion artistry (that I’ll never be able to afford) to scathing critiques of the people and places I despise (which could truthfully be an entire blog unto itself). And thus it shall continue, in the sheer randomness that inspired it from day one until now. How about we blame that on my Gemini Venus, shall we? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4gyafZ7d2wndTXGPbgRa6TJQMu8KFs67dUIWF9pqzujLXSxGAwGArvga0PTUgBjnFv0lL84xnhvQdBy9VQPh86L2kgAUeT3wQ8Lb89VwAK8pI5couyzXy1z5jc4_6bRjtUAudjekns4/s1600/eZy+Watermark_09-05-2021_12-51-15PM.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4gyafZ7d2wndTXGPbgRa6TJQMu8KFs67dUIWF9pqzujLXSxGAwGArvga0PTUgBjnFv0lL84xnhvQdBy9VQPh86L2kgAUeT3wQ8Lb89VwAK8pI5couyzXy1z5jc4_6bRjtUAudjekns4/w200-h200/eZy+Watermark_09-05-2021_12-51-15PM.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let’s start with this new chapter with a little redux, because, as Carrie Bradshaw so wisely said “They say nothing lasts forever. Dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style.” And what is a blog but a friendship with yourself and with the world - putting it all out there in whatever messy, haphazard, and random form it is, and hoping that the people who get it feel the same, find meaning in your words and creation, and hopefully even in you. </span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that’s where this story starts: on a random Wednesday night in June 2008, when my BFF, A, insisted that we were going to the movies. Looking back, I can’t believe we had the energy to go to a movie that started at 9:55 PM, but we were mere girls of 20 and late night frappucinos still packed a kick back then. Off we went (presumably with our purses loaded with illicit treats, as one does when young a broke) and thus my obsession with Sex and the City was born. From the opening scenes of the streets of New York, to the absolutely overwhelming fashion by the legendary Patricia Fields, from the handsome boyfriends/husbands to the surprisingly hip soundtrack, I was hooked. But it was the girls - Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha - who sold it. No matter how well they were (over)dressed, no matter how perfect their lines and their drama, they felt real. Their heartbreak, their laughter, and most of all their friendship hit the mark. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Watching the film again (because if you’re going to do a redux, you do the redux right) with A and then starting the series again on my own felt like coming home. Not just because I was back where I started, though that was undoubtedly true as well, but because we were back starting again. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that’s where this story leaves off (but even more accurately starts again): with a little bit of nostalgia, and a whole lot of heart. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_O4u4b_r8e7zBzA2tggi2YzYmkXy1hAwG7OdVPBI7T68VKOrXGso0Ni9Dj5voGo_Qel8A-N33Y5jKzlJ1KOZEXXC0a1uWxADrAafY04n0DKQHtI_rlkM3NSdD6owPgMG-QgvOdNjIco/s1600/eZy+Watermark_09-05-2021_01-15-07PM.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_O4u4b_r8e7zBzA2tggi2YzYmkXy1hAwG7OdVPBI7T68VKOrXGso0Ni9Dj5voGo_Qel8A-N33Y5jKzlJ1KOZEXXC0a1uWxADrAafY04n0DKQHtI_rlkM3NSdD6owPgMG-QgvOdNjIco/w400-h200/eZy+Watermark_09-05-2021_01-15-07PM.JPG" width="550" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></span>Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-43745149593170914462017-01-01T11:18:00.000-08:002017-01-01T14:42:45.492-08:00New Hope: a 2017 Styleboard<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*images from Tumblr, videos from YouTube</span></div>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-36107186050761248252016-12-23T17:05:00.000-08:002016-12-23T17:05:10.169-08:00Don't Forget the Popcorn<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">When the forecast for this Winter said that it was going to be a terrible one I fully believed them. I prepared with extra socks, a stash of good food, and a packed movie list to get me through the dark Winter nights, but we seem to be having a bit of a warm flash just in time for the holidays. I for one (and I know I’m the only one) am cheering for the lack of snow and almost-green vibe we have going on, but I give it about a week before we get back to the norms of -30°C (-40°C with windchill). Not that the cold would really stop me anyways - that’s what heavy duty boots and gloves are for, not to mention my adorable new earmuffs! But if you can’t handle the cold, now is a good time to make a mug (or three) of hot cider, pop some popcorn (none of that chemicalized microwave stuff, please), and cue up a good movie!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwjsFiwClMjDyn9LNk9RiNtBXAs1MOSrXttdrXFidxlo0tRLLK824cjlsS_58B-iJRJY3McwqpzpVY7Gr5ML2TCPQGDc41-l4_QbW7aQbg5VFkBLpb1QRsUkr0DDip60QbQNiGTrgUYw/s1600/tumblr_nckujo8z6d1t9yrk7o1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwjsFiwClMjDyn9LNk9RiNtBXAs1MOSrXttdrXFidxlo0tRLLK824cjlsS_58B-iJRJY3McwqpzpVY7Gr5ML2TCPQGDc41-l4_QbW7aQbg5VFkBLpb1QRsUkr0DDip60QbQNiGTrgUYw/s200/tumblr_nckujo8z6d1t9yrk7o1_1280.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3172532/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Diary of a Teenage Girl</a> </i>(2015)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As much as I was the exact opposite of Minnie when I was a teenager, the seminal theme of this film resonated so powerfully that I couldn’t help but put it on the top 5 list. Teenage girls are such a unique mystery that it’s almost as if they are united in their mutual strangeness into this ethereal being of continual contradictions. While watching this film I was amused, horrified, uncomfortable, and at the finale greatly warmed and inspired. To be a teenage girl is an incredibly powerful time in any woman’s life, and the depiction of Minnie’s life strikes an intimate chord that is sure to be heard by women throughout the world. Even while I am far out of my teenage years (contrary to what some people seem to assume lately) this movie is one that reaffirmed the belief that I had when I was growing up and which got me through the trying teenage years - do what you must to be true to the person who you are, and you will become the person who you are meant to be. I was one of the lucky ones who go out of it alive without losing who I was, and I just hope that this film is discovered by the young women of the future who maybe don’t have those same support systems or self-belief. We all deserve to be free and to revel in ourselves, for we are the strangest of creatures.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfBBj_17oraD6FEr0tseA4_z5QbwxU6ORdJzBlCm8jCfeGrVe8ZHjV9aB6dy2GHBqg-lj1i1hmUNVfcBi9fWYNgXDbsHOMHjqlbhAkS9yow3b6rRrFZGai7hD7GehDEfyh4byu9HcQj4/s1600/d0cc220f65bfb94b3a183d821dc1c432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfBBj_17oraD6FEr0tseA4_z5QbwxU6ORdJzBlCm8jCfeGrVe8ZHjV9aB6dy2GHBqg-lj1i1hmUNVfcBi9fWYNgXDbsHOMHjqlbhAkS9yow3b6rRrFZGai7hD7GehDEfyh4byu9HcQj4/s200/d0cc220f65bfb94b3a183d821dc1c432.jpg" width="135" /></a><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462335/?ref_=nv_sr_1">High-Rise</a> </i>(2015)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Of all of the films that I saw this year, <i>High-Rise</i> wins the award for being the strangest and most literary (while still being enjoyable), even though it promotes itself as nothing more than a simple drama of a pocket society. I still don’t fully understand all of the references and inferences that play out through the story, but I kind of can’t wait to watch it again. And then read the novel, obviously, because to do so would likely mean missing some of the finer points.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386697/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Suicide Squad</a></i> (2016)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s a good thing that I don’t really take anyone else’s reviews into consideration when I decide whether to watch a movie or not, or I would have written this film off entirely - and I honestly think that would have been terrible, since I immensely enjoyed watching it! So what that it’s not completely consistent with the graphic novels (I’m not reading those anyways), so what that it’s got a lot of characters (some of whom could have been removed for simplicity’s sake), so what if the main protagonist is a rather psychotic woman (come on, we all know Harley Quinn stole the show)? DC broke new ground with their alternative take on superheroes and opened up a whole new universe that is strikingly separate from the established Batman/Superman franchise, and is much-needed with the over-saturation of the spandex-rife genre. And did I mention that the cinematic effects were a whole other ball game? They jump styles throughout the film, but they do so with a surprising amount of expertise that seems to parallel the varying types of characters in the Squad, and which I thoroughly enjoyed seeing in 3D! So haters gon’ hate, but I couldn’t give a fuck - I loved this movie!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2884018/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Macbeth</a> </i>(2015)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Scottish Play will always have a special place in my heart as the story that introduced me to the genius of Shakespeare in high school, but this film is the first time that a movie or enactment has matched my ideal vision of the play in action. To me, <i>Macbeth </i>was always driven by a dual motivation; not only was he greatly affected by his own and Lady Macbeth’s political greed, but the role of the witches (whether he sees them in reality or they are a manifestation of madness is up for debate) is often downplayed. The director obviously gives Lady Macbeth a leading role - I found Marion Cottliard’s character to be incredibly frightening even in the face of her own weakness and failure - but the adaptation is so straightforward that it begs watchers to read into it what they will. This simplicity and purity adds up to an incredibly powerful adaptation, one in which the characters are allowed to play out their story on the harsh landscape that is medieval Scotland. Even if Shakespeare is not your normal penchant, this might be the one film which can catch the attention of the unwilling - the final fight scene between Macbeth and Macduff against a sunset is beautifully graphic, even as it treads the space between dream and reality. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1754656/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Little Prince</a> </i>(2015)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I will admit that when I first read the book <i>The Little Prince</i>, I was not a fan. I still find the story rather incomprehensible except as a source of surrealism, but that didn’t stop me from being completely excited when they announced this film was being made a few years ago. The initial appeal was the unique animation style rather than the story, but I have to say that both far exceeded my expectations. And thankfully the wait for it’s completion and release (which was incredibly annoying in its continual delays due to funding issues) didn’t make me forget to watch it in the first place! It’s been so long since I watched the film (it was the earliest addition to the list) I can’t recall a lot of the minute details, but with a film like this what matters most is the glowing feeling of watching a story that is truly magical. I really can’t wait to watch it again, and relive every moment, because this definitely feels like one of those films that’s destined to be a lifelong favourite and to get better with every re-watch. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">images from <a href="http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/suicide-squad-2016">here</a>, <a href="http://www.oasisawais.com/2015/10/review.html">here,</a> <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/386042999289360172/">here</a>, <a href="http://www.hammertonail.com/editorial/on-kids-movies/">here</a>, and Tumblr</span></span></div>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-34671941400698341982016-12-18T11:53:00.001-08:002016-12-18T11:53:47.595-08:00The Winter Warming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I might be spending all of December eschewing my reading list (it’s seriously out of control at this point) and delving back into books I’ve loved in the past, but only because I needed a mental break from all the new and wonderful books that came into my life this year. And let me tell you, it was a damned good year for reading, even if my travels and social life meant that I didn’t hit the same page count as previous years!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJfhQi5cAG2VMH447BLO6E6XvUOoJHPdigZm7fnOPjeFBCtG66MtTJ10tM4ZrZeGUs4JBizVyzwBVKDuRPCZJUwgoUUYYEyvKD84nB9V6iWolrMqkNXc8_QtR1PlP-HlybweCpYA_YEI/s1600/82842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJfhQi5cAG2VMH447BLO6E6XvUOoJHPdigZm7fnOPjeFBCtG66MtTJ10tM4ZrZeGUs4JBizVyzwBVKDuRPCZJUwgoUUYYEyvKD84nB9V6iWolrMqkNXc8_QtR1PlP-HlybweCpYA_YEI/s200/82842.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>The Night Manager</i> -<a href="http://www.johnlecarre.com/"> John le Carré</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, it’s a double win for John le Carré’s <i>The Night Manager</i> (in different formats of course)! After finishing off the amazing mini-series I headed right out to the bookshop to hunt for a copy of the novel. Low and behold, my shopping karma offered me up a first edition hardcover in near mint condition from my favourite local secondhand shop - SCORE (and cue rampant jealousy from my book-loving friends)! Now the novel may not have Tom Hiddleston to feast your eyes on, but thus far this is the most intimately Le Carré has ever gotten into any of his characters - even above the ever-popular George Smiley. The tv series delves well into all of the characters (as I discussed last week), but the novel’s focus is set squarely on our unlikely hero Jonathan Pine and his drive to take down Richard Onslow Roper is clearly driven by a simmering anger that most didn’t quite pick up on in the tv series. Anger at the death of a woman he briefly loved, at the ineffectiveness of the British intelligence apparatus, at the blindness of people, at the unfairness of the world - all culminating into a brilliant deep-cover mission that reads as an ode to “going forward because there's nothing behind and running because if you stand still any longer you'll fall over.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>A Midsummer Night’s Dream </i>- <a href="http://greenmanpress.com/">Charles Vess</a> & William Shakespeare</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I hit the highest point ever of book karma this year when I finally cracked open Charles Vess’ illustrated version of my favourite Shakespeare play. Not only was I treated to one of my favourite stories combined with the most perfect artwork I can imagine for it, but I had previously missed the inscription penned on the inside cover. It is addressed to [a different] Jaimie with “best wishes,” 1989. Seriously, what kind of past life synergy would make a personalized inscription to a person who spells their name the same way that I do in the year after I was born occur? This is officially my proof that magic exists in the real world - if only you open the pages of a book!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse, volume 1: Birds, Bees, Blood, & Beer</i> - <a href="http://www.templesmith.com/">Ben Templesmith</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If creepy, supernatural, beautifully illustrated, blood-soaked, oddly endearing graphic novels are your jam (like they are mine), this is one series not to miss. I picked the first volume up for a song from a library book sale a while back, and finally got around to reading it this year and boy was I glad I decided to take a chance on it. It has hints of everything that I love about the urban fantasy genre (throwing unexpected characters together, treading on modernist themes in a dark faerie tale environment, and plenty of adventure) and takes full advantage of the graphic novel medium to depict the stunningly strange story of one of the oddest protagonists I’ve ever encountered - a supernaturally endowed worm with varying powers, aptly named Wormwood as he is as intoxicating as he is soaked in dry wit. It’s really just too bad that the series had to end so quickly, since, in my opinion, this is one of the few expressions of Templesmith’s art in which he is truly free to roam the depths of his dark imagination. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>The Lies of Locke Lamora </i>(The Gentleman Bastards #1) - <a href="http://www.scottlynch.us/">Scott Lynch</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Lately it’s been very rare that I pick up a 400+ page book and read it cover to cover in basically one sitting, but once I started reading this book there was really no other alternative. I read it while puppy-sitting the infamous Oscar & Felix (aka the Odd Couple), and literally every minute of that long weekend that I wasn’t playing with them or traipsing around their park my eyes were glued to the adventures of Locke Lamora & the Gentleman Bastards - the most notorious crew of thieves and con-men that the port city of Camorr has ever seen. Lynch’s story reads like a one-off crime caper, but as the series progresses (I also read the rest of the books in preparation for the release of the fourth book this Autumn, which didn’t happen…) the quarrels that Locke & co. pick in this first act start to come full circle and are hopefully building into a fantastic fourth book. The key that makes Lynch’s story so successful, in my opinion, is that he builds his characters and the world that they play in to a very specific point - just enough information to keep the story going but with endless opportunity to build more, which he later takes full advantage of to create well-rounded stories and characters which go far beyond what on the surface seems like a simple caper. Now if only Lynch would hurry up and get the next book published!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone </i>(illustrated edition) - <a href="http://www.jimkay.co.uk/">Jim Kay</a> & <a href="http://www.jkrowling.com/">J.K. Rowling</a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I know, including what is technically a re-read novel on the best-of list is cheating a bit, but how could I resist gushing about the beautifully illustrated edition of <i>Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone</i> that came out last Autumn? Harry Potter was and is such a big deal for my generation that this illustrated version could have been judged very poorly if they hadn’t done a good job, but thankfully Rowling has exceptional taste and this is definitely the beginning of a wonderful collaboration with artist Jim Kay!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">**images from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/">Goodreads</a></span></div>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-54292445621005505762016-12-08T16:25:00.000-08:002016-12-08T16:25:12.581-08:00Weekend Plans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">This has been a bit of an odd year for TV for me. I’ve found myself extremely frustrated with a lot of the so-called popular shows and completely fed up with others that I’ve watched for years (and overall feeling like I was wasting time watching shows that I didn’t actually like very much), which led to the biggest purge of my schedule ever. A purge so big that I cut long-time favs The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural (seriously, why are they still on the air when they aren’t doing anything new), popular pick Orange is the New Black (what’s the point of this show again?), all reality shows except America’s Next Top Model (which may not make it through the re-vamped season unless they up their game), and judged harshly a few so-called “classics of modern tv” (cough Breaking Bad and The Fall). And yet, there were some absolutely phenomenal new premieres this year and I discovered (and re-discovered) some absolute gems, so I’m not writing television off just yet!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3228420/">You’re the Worst </a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I can’t believe that I missed out on this show from the get go, but discovering it 3 years on left me with plenty to binge watch over a few long weekends - which was absolutely awesome. I don’t think that I’ve laughed so hard at the ridiculous antics of a show’s characters since <i>Parks & Recreation</i> wrapped up last year, which is really the appeal behind this show. As the title suggests the main characters are literally the worst, and yet, somehow, they’re absolutely endearing for their foibles, negative behavior, and absolute lack of self-knowledge - all topics which most of our generation can relate to. Maybe a little too much in a few cases! We’re three seasons in and our characters are still stumbling around trying to figure things out, even after a lot of personal growth has happened, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing what happens to them next! Though seriously, Sunday Funday is so over...</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399664/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Night Manager</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I may not be a fan of John Le Carre’s brand of espionage on screen normally (I loved the novel <i>Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy</i>, but couldn’t keep track of the look-alike cast in the recent film), but this latest adaptation was absolutely splendid. Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie lead an all-star cast (they had me at Hiddleston, haha) in a spy caper that spans the globe from a hotel in Egypt to a private island and culminates in the warfields of the Middle East, and while the premise of the story is pretty simple it’s really the characters who drive it. Obviously a deeper understanding of the story will be gained from reading the novel (there’s only so much one can visually portray in some cases), but I think that the director and writers did a spectacular job in translating the conflicted character of Jonathan Pine, who goes under deep cover in order to bring down one of the world’s most notorious gun-runners, Laurie’s enigmatic Richard Onslow Roper. The characters are full of surprises, and are at no point simple or one-dimensional - the subtle deceit, rampant bitterness, and the surprising care that they all show at various points makes for one helluva narrative that just begs to be watched in a single sitting (and over and over again). </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4108134/?ref_=nv_sr_1">London Spy</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I feel a bit bad about including a second series that’s on the surface about espionage, but <i>London Spy</i> is a lot less about spies than a commentary on social constructs. It’s not really a series that I can describe adequately, since it is just so strange in its narrative turns and characterization, but it filled a niche in the tv market that is severely lacking in my eyes. Unlike <i>the Night Manager</i>, which does a lot of traveling and involves a large interaction of characters, London Spy plays things much closer to the chest. It could have easily sprawled into a systematic wounding of the British espionage machinery, but the story circles consistently around Ben Wishaw’s Daniel Holt who seemingly stumbles into a much more complicated world than he ever wanted to be involved with. The finale of the series left me with more questions than answers, but whether they’ll produce a second series is still up in the air - I seriously hope they do (if only so that Holt can get some actual closure), but if they don’t I’ll have to live satisfied that this little gem was produced in all its strange glory in the first place. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121955/?ref_=nv_sr_1">South Park</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This was definitely the perfect year to get back into <i>South Park</i>. Lots of people I know were glued to the various political satire/comedy shows that seemed to dominate the airwaves this year, but for me South Park was on a whole other level. They can push the envelope on <i>SNL</i> and <i>John Oliver</i>, but <i>South Park</i>’s standing as a show that literally gives no fucks has always been one to ignore the boundaries completely. Maybe they get away with it more because they’re operating on a truly fictional (animated) plane, but I don’t think that’s entirely the case. There were plenty of Donald Trump impersonators, but making the ever-random Mr. Garrison the face of political insanity was pure genius - he is clearly a representation of his real-world counterpart, but he stays true to the Garrison way of reacting before fully understanding the situation and then learning to live with it. What’s next for the newly elected president? Who knows - but more importantly will the newly-reformed Cartman manage to keep his internet history from Heidi? And what of the dastardly member-berries?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2357547/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Marvel’s Jessica Jones</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Marvel may not be my favourite among comic book publishers, but they are definitely exceeding expectations with their cinematic universe. <i>Jessica Jones</i> is probably the most off-kilter (and grittiest) that they’ve delved into, thus far, but I fully applaud their choice because it brought audiences a much-needed reprieve from spandex clad superheros. The titular protagonist is has a penchant for leather jackets and sarcasm instead, putting her squarely in same camp as classic anti-heroes like Marvel’s Logan/Wolverine and rival publisher DC/Vertigo’s John Constantine & Lucifer who hate having to be the hero but do it anyways (all while screwing up continually). Considering what has happened previously with TV adaptations of my favourite type of character, I was not expecting much from Jessica Jones & co, but was instantly hooked by the realism of the story. The only truly supernatural part of this story are the powers that some of the characters have, but the situations that they’re in are straight out of the worst parts of human existence. Kilgrave’s abilities have startling similarities to the systematic emotional control and abuse that are unfortunately rampant in society, so the story plays as an extended metaphor and commentary. Bravo Marvel on a unique start - I just hope they don’t ruin it for the second series...</span></div>
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**images from <a href="https://celebrityrelationshipindex.com/celebritycouplenews/youre-the-worst-10-reasons-you-should-watch-comedy">here</a>, <a href="http://www.amc.com/shows/the-night-manager/extras/the-night-manager-photos">here</a>, <a href="http://aviateurs.tumblr.com/post/133366392813/and-you-were-that-someone">here</a>, <a href="https://68.media.tumblr.com/28c82412b865f858778f7e4d40e86005/tumblr_ogecwtnuPi1vykt2bo1_500.jpg">here</a>, and <a href="http://alyciadubnamcarey.tumblr.com/post/152950920952">here</a></div>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-31286734695114333882016-12-01T17:06:00.000-08:002016-12-01T17:06:00.175-08:00Let the Revolution Begin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">For the last few weeks I (like the rest of the world) have been attempting to come to terms with the events that occurred on November 8th south of the border. Putting my disappointment and disbelief into cohesive words hasn’t really been possible (further than shaking my head at the world in incredulation), but I was at a concert the other week and the MC summed it up more perfectly than I ever could. He said (and I’m paraphrasing here) “in the next four years we’re going to see more punk rock music than we’ve ever seen - and personally I can’t wait!” The system might be totally fucked up and the potential for individual lives to become equally as fucked up is even greater (and that’s a scary thing), but out of adversity comes the words of change, songs of protest, and hopefully actions that drive social justice. Oddly enough, this year saw the return of a lot of classic punk acts and some of the best new punk tracks I’ve heard in a long time, so without further ado: here’s my top 5 albums of 2016 (in no particular order, since choosing an actual favourite is just not possible)!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://www.greenday.com/">Green Day</a>: <i>Revolution Radio</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">They had me at the opening riffs of “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvu2-xQUNQI">Bang Bang</a>.” If there was ever a shoe-in for the top 5 list, this triumphant return of classic punk-rockers Green Day is it. Unlike their previous multi-concept-album release in 2012, <i>Revolution Radio</i> returns to their roots, giving us the rock-out-inducing riffs, social commentary-heavy lyricism, and wild antics that we expect from a band that’s going on 30 years of action and expertise in their genre. The first singles and title track are expectedly catchy, but I think that as with the off-single tracks of <i>American Idiot</i> the entire album is packed full of auditory and lyric gems waiting to be discovered. Do I even have to mention how timely the album is, considering American political events? I didn’t think so, but I fully expect Green Day to be riding the same anti-Republican wave back to the top of the punk-arena for the next four years. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://www.againstme.net/">Against Me!</a>: <i>Shape Shift With Me</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’ve never been a huge fan of Against Me! over the years; they have some excellent tracks, but the albums as a whole just didn’t seem to add up. But this one stuck in my head and refused to leave, so it makes the list this year! The opening track’s chords and vocals left me initially sceptical (too repetitive and too potentially screamy-metal sound which isn’t my thing), but by the time I finished listening to the full album I was willing to give it time to grow. And grow on me it did. The looping melody from “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcGiQ1GRoOc">Crash</a>” is nothing if not aurally addictive and the lyrics from “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfbhDgqzxq8">Boyfriend</a>” strike a perfect balance between harsh and beautiful (both effecting a surprisingly charm, coming from a harder-leaning punk band). It helps that the driving themes and concept behind the album seemed to reflect the specific atmosphere of the world when I was listening to it (late September and the Halloween season), so it’s not really surprising that it’s becoming a staple in my October Country collection. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://teganandsara.com/">Tegan & Sara</a>: <i>Love You To Death</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The latest from Tegan & Sara is a latecomer to the list, but I figured that I should throw some synth-heavy pop onto it just to mix it up. And also because it’s full of strangely beautiful melodies, deeper-than-you-think lyrics, underlaid with a definite must-dance feeling in most of the tracks! You wouldn’t think that duplicating the oddly weird (but absolutely addicting) stylings of Heartthrob would work a second time (it’s been three years, do you think we’d forget), but the girls seem to have settled into a style that works for them and I for one am happy that they’re continuing in this direction. Ironically, I’m not really fond of the first single for the album (“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJOHoiPGpac">Boyfriend</a>”), but the totally dance-able beats of “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLUDxVezNes">Stop Desire</a>” had me hooked. The best track of the album though has to be a tie between “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpfJfSG_c1g">U-Turn</a>” and “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFAZf4TS8tY">Faint of Heart</a>;” catchy beats aside, the world needs more songs that celebrate love in this troubled time. And not just simple love songs (there’s only about a million of those), but these songs embody the complexity that real love is - “It's dangerous to take this path/Everyone will tell us,” but we soldier on because love has the power to change the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://almostalien.bandcamp.com/releases">Almost Alien</a>: <i>Crash Landing EP</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Local bands are normally so far off my radar that they have a chance in hell of getting onto the top 5 list (I’m seriously bad at going to shows, so many bands are flatout terrible, and many of them don’t release actual albums even if they are great…), but I couldn’t not include the debut EP from Almost Alien! Sure, it’s a touch underproduced and only has a handful of tracks, but for a first effort EP it’s actually pretty damned good! Of course, the real catch is their live performances (which I’ve been able to see a handful of times this year - yay), but having an album to listen to in-between live shows means that I can relive their antics in memory. But back to the album: even though I’m quite a few years older than these young dudes (not by a lot, but enough that I feel it some days), the album is really reminiscent of being young and being wild and experiencing the hardships of life for the first time. They cover high school in the wonderfully sarcastic “Frankencharlie,” hit a bittersweet note about love and/or friendship in “I Was Wrong,” and party hard like the punk-rockers they are in the rest of the tracks. I shouldn’t even have to mention how hilarious “Hole in the Wall” is, since it always a crowd-pleaser at their shows and makes for some amusing thematic merchandise - just don’t listen to it at work (haha)! Can’t wait to see what’s next up for these guys - now where’s my signed copy Colton!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://www.catfishandthebottlemen.com/">Catfish & the Bottlemen</a>: <i>The Ride</i></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">When I heard that Catfish & the Bottlemen were releasing a second album a mere year a half after <i>the Balcony</i> (and the time was even shorter for us Canadians who had to wait an extra four months for <i>the Balcony</i> to get to us) I was ecstatic. The fact that I found the album in HMV in Regina on the actual day it was released made me even happier, since I was scheduled to go to the UK a few short weeks later and wasn’t sure I could resist the temptation of buying it there and then having to deal with the annoying UK copyright laws that deny making a digital personal use copy. Skip the internal screaming upon purchasing the album to a few hours later - instant obsession, as fully expected. The singles for the album are great (the opening bassline of “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibv5N70ncsk">7</a>” is perfection, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mLD8FL28Nk">Soundcheck</a>” is sonically glorious, etc, etc), but the surprise hit for me was the ballad “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngoOc1VPFx8">Red.</a><span id="goog_1713589853"></span><span id="goog_1713589854"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>” For a song that lilts along and has such a chill mood, it doesn’t really try to hide the underlying anger, frustration, and abject sarcasm of the lyrics. It is absolutely one of those songs that arranged differently would make a killer punk rock anthem, but the dissonance between the lyrics and the melody makes the song even more powerful. It’s punk for logical grown-ups, if you will - the anger and rage is still there, but the delivery is highly controlled. If this is what the band can produce on only their second full-length release, it’s really no wonder that they’re selling out massive stadiums all over the world and are poised to keep doing so. So here’s to <i>The Ride</i> - may it never end!</span></div>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-89254931407970665262016-11-08T16:37:00.001-08:002016-11-08T16:37:59.892-08:00Could It Be Anybody<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Anytime anyone says “friends” my mind immediately pictures the guys from the Inbetweeners mocking Jay - “Ooh friends” paired with a sarcastic thumbs up - to the point where he turns the tables on them and starts jumping on the guy’s car (screaming “friends” again) just to prove that he’s not friends with the guy. Now, this kind of behaviour has less to do with obvious friendship than overt jealousy, but it completely sums up how weird relationships with friends are. And how territorial we can sometimes get when someone tries to steal our place as bestie!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Think about it for a minute. We meet someone, and somehow we decide that we want to be friends with them. Sometimes this happens by random happenstance (you get paired up to do a project together and find out you like each other), sometimes mutual friends introduce you (Liz this is Jaimie, Jaimie this is Liz, you’re friends now), sometimes they’re holdovers from our childhood (Star Wars club 4eva), or you meet over the internet because of mutual interests (Tumblr is a weird place, full of weird and awesome people). Whatever the cause, you keep talking to each other, you keep hanging out together, and even when they’re annoying you keep coming back for more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Lately there’s been a lot of talk about how as we get older it becomes more difficult to make new friends, and while I won’t disagree with that, I find the fact that we self-select more and are less willing to put up with poor behaviour to be an interesting phenomenon. I don’t mean becoming more bitter and jaded (we’re already that), but that we’re more able to recognize when people are genuinely good friends, even past their inevitable foibles. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The friend who consistently makes plans, but cancels them equally as consistently; the friend who complains about their partner to your face, and then sends you the “you look hot” text after leaving your company; the friend who ditches you when they start dating someone; the friend who only stays in contact when you live in the same place, even with the advantages of social media - those aren’t particularly good friends. Sometimes they’re downright bad friends, when the behaviour becomes systematic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The friend who remembers your best friend’s name (and asks how it’s pronounced) even though they’ve never met; the friend who plots world domination with you, even though you’re both too lazy to follow through; the weird friend, who owns their weirdness and encourages yours; the friend who you don’t talk to often, but who makes a point of being supportive when you do; the friend who tells you all their horror stories, knowing that you won’t judge them - those are the best kind of friends. They’re the kind of friends who make you more than the person you think you are, and who will inevitably be the ones who play important roles in your life. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Of course, there are all kinds of mitigating circumstances. People have lives and they get busy, but when we’re adults it becomes stunningly obvious who’s willing to make time (even if it’s just an emoji-filled text message) in their lives and who’s there only when it’s convenient for them. We’re no longer thrown together by circumstance, so actions speak louder than words. I’m lucky I guess, in that the silence of many of my friendships reads well - it acts as the calm before the storm, and once it breaks we become the thunder and lightening that shakes the world. We might look like manic children (or teenaged Valley Girls) to some, but I guess that's just our version of jumping on cars!</span></div>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-25913232110765882842016-08-01T18:53:00.000-07:002016-08-01T19:01:47.262-07:00In Defence of Pokémon Go<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The other day I was treated to a lunch hour filled with one of my esteemed (no longer) coworkers waxing eloquent about the absurdity of the latest video game trend. Obviously she was harshing on <a href="http://www.pokemongo.com/">Pokémon Go</a>. Now, I’m not a very adept player of video game in general, but it was all I could do not to reach across the table and slap her. Not so much because she was being critical of a game which I find rather enjoyable, but because she was doing what so many others are also doing in relation to this specific game - criticizing it and its players ceaselessly and without due cause.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This seems to be such a trend - the dismissal and criticism of Pokémon trainers - that even the 7-ring circus of the coming American election has fallen in popularity as a ridicule-filled conversation topic. But why are so many so quick to put down this specific game and its players? It’s just a game, so why are the opposition taking it as so much more than that?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oscar & Felix made friends <br />
with a Growlith!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So what if some avid trainers are taking the games’ mantra a bit too seriously (it’s “Gotta catch ‘em all!” for those of you not in the know)? Is that any more addicting than any one else’s collection? Be it shoes, cars, or rare bottles of Scotch, we all spend our time and money on things that others deem to be a waste. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So what if there’s packs of teenagers (or millennial grown-ups haha) roaming the neighbourhoods? They’re actually getting outside and exploring their city - which is more than many people would do voluntarily these days. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So what if they’re busy discussing how many 10km eggs they hatched this weekend? Is that really any different than the people who obsess about cross-fit, marathons, or how many steps their pedometer has logged? That 10km egg hatch means they got their asses off the couch and walked 10km - and that 10km leads to another 10km, and another, and another once people get into the swing of it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Really people, it’s just a hobby, so maybe it’s time to take off your judge-y pants and take a long hard think about why your criticizing something that makes someone else happy and isn’t causing them any harm* (*though certain people need to learn to look both ways before crossing the street before they go galavanting across the city in search of their next catch). Let people enjoy themselves - especially in this case, since Winter is coming and I doubt that many are still going to want to cruise the parks for that elusive Pikachu in -40°C. And if you can’t take my advice and shut up, then expect those of us who don’t put up with people criticizing the things we like to take you down a peg - my inner-bitch was a Master long before I became a Pokémon Trainer! </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Go Team Instinct! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">(Not that I really know what that means haha)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some apt advice from a trash bin in the neighbourhood</td></tr>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-64546834084213997832016-07-17T16:49:00.000-07:002016-07-17T16:53:16.224-07:00Insides<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Let me tell you a story. A story of long ago, and a tale as old as time. A story of girl meets boy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Just kidding - though there is a girl and there is a boy, and surely do they meet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So. Once upon a time a girl met a boy. A boy who her best friend said was waaaaay too much of a punk for her (sorry for the Avril Lavigne reference, but it’s true high school trope). So the girl told her best friend that she would become a punk rock girl, so that the boy would notice her. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If you haven't figured it out already, the girl in the story was me, circa age 15. Now, me at age 15 was kind of a loner and definitely a weird kid, and as with most high school kids I generally tried to fit in. The trend in my high school was very influenced by the early 2000s emergence of gangster rap, led in large part by Eminem, Swollen Members, and pot, and I will absolutely admit to liking Swollen Members and buying their album (they had some catchy beats, so sue me), but besides hearing it on the radio I never bought into this white-kid adoption of black culture. On the surface I mostly conformed to the remnants of 90s pop culture - it may not have been popular with the "cool kids," but it was socially acceptable within my small group of friends. Little did they know that the alternative lifestyle was already deeply embedded into my soul. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I'll never forget seeing the music video for <a href="http://www.greenday.com/">Green Day'</a>s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUTGr5t3MoY">Basket Case</a>” for the first time; I laughed so hard I cried at their shenanigans, and promptly went in search of their music at our local library. I couldn't have been more than 11 or 12 at the time, so I can't believe that my parents let me come home with (and subsequently make a bootleg copy of) Nimrod, what with songs like “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6jtGjiDwIQ">Hitchin’ a Ride</a>” and lyrics like “Nice guys finish last… your sympathy will get you left behind”… I subsequently spent the next few years covertly watching Much Music's Friday punk show, searching out obscure metal albums like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closet_Monster">Closet Monster</a> on trips to Vancouver’s Virgin Records store, and being immediately obsessed with Yellowcard's breakout single “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9fLbfzCqWw">Ocean Avenue</a>” when it hit the Internet radio airwaves. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So it really wasn’t much of an intellectual leap for me to want to translate what I had been listening to and feeling inside to my external appearance. The cute punk rock guy in my class was just a handy excuse that my boy-obsessed best friend could get behind (she of the ever-changing personality to suit the needs of whatever current boy she was crushing on). So a plan was hatched, band shirts & a pink plaid skirt were bought, and I debuted the new look at the first school dance of the year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The whole stunt was totally lame in retrospect (except for the shock factor, since that never ceases to amuse), since I didn’t get the guy, but the change in out style was more symbolic for the shy high school girl I was. From that point on I felt like I had more of a voice, a voice which could be one of dissent within a very controlled social situation and one which gave me my own individuality outside of the herd mentality that dominates any group of friends when we’re young. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">My dressing like a rebel phase lasted for the majority of high school, and since then it’s come and gone depending on my mood. The look is one of my favourites, but I’m not really the kind of person who can be defined by a single “style” (which is awesome for expanding my wardrobe exponentially, but terrible when it comes to choosing how to dress) - which over time has led a lot of people questioning exactly who I am. The smart ones figure out that I’m not definable, but the rest of the population that only perceives a narrow part of my personality throws out the accusation “fake” faster than you can say “punk’s not dead.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Which of course, brings me to the thesis of this entire expose: it’s not how you look, how you sound, or a single instance in your life that defines you. Like the punk movement itself, we are each a swirling vortex of contradictions that seeks to find freedom among the banal and incredible experiences that are life. We are the riptide and the tidepools, eyes lined in sooty black with a welcoming grin on our lips, being swayed by people that surround us as we stand still as a stone and alone in the crowd. We can be defined for a second, but then we change to suit ourselves in the next moment and become a new being entirely. Through rebellion we find the freedom and understanding to make our own way in this world.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">So to all the haters (and that’s what you’ve always been) - bring it on. I know who I am, and while I may not wear the uniform of your suicide girls during my 9 to 5, I’m still a punk rock girl deep in my soul. And a million other selves as well. </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: xx-small;">*image from Tumblr</span></div>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-80312353760717777292016-07-03T13:01:00.000-07:002016-07-03T13:01:20.464-07:00Summer of Wonder<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Things I really need to get back on track with this year: blogging, writing in general, and being channelling my creativity. It’s just over halfway through the year, and I’ve blogged a grand total of twice. Which is poor form considering that I used to blog 3 times a week (or every single day for a while). </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s become rather clear to me that to a certain extent that I’ve lost my writer’s voice. I never lost my creative eye, since I continue to enjoy the art of fashion in everyday life and I’ve been successfully channeling some photographic output into my Instagram feed, but somehow putting that all together with an exposé into a cohesive blogpost has fallen by the wayside. Some days I chalk up this lack of output to the fact that I have a full time job (that mentally exhausts me) or that I find the prairie landscape to be an uninspiring locale (I’m too tied up in the variety of being a BC girl at heart to really understand the monotony of the flatlands). But these are just excuses to a certain extent, since for a while I pulled through all these hold-ups and created some wonderful things and wrote some great pieces. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As those of you who follow me on other social media outlets (or know me in real life) are well aware of, I recently spent a few weeks on my first trip across the Atlantic to the beautiful South of France and the ever-interesting streets of London. I found myself revelling in the new-ness of the entire situation, even when many of the places were familiar through my reading or I was exhausted from not enough sleep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">What they say about travel changing you is absolutely true. Not so much during (I was still awake at 6am and ready for bed by 9pm - old habits die hard or not at all), but when I returned to reality I found myself very much wanting. Wanting more from the life that I had settled into. Wanting more from the people around me. Wanting more from myself. And ultimately realizing that it’s time to find a new voice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I may not have achieved this goal yet, but what is abundantly clear is that I won’t find it by letting the status quo lie. So here’s to the beginning, based on the present & the past, the good & the bad, and on an end that I can’t even see yet. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Let the new wild rumpus begin!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: xx-small;">** image of Shakespeare's Globe interior, Southbank, London, UK; 2016-06-12</span></div>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-16155362899782580832016-04-10T12:05:00.000-07:002016-04-10T12:05:50.614-07:00On Turning 28<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">27 was an incredibly crazy year to say the least. A lot stayed the same, but there was so much kinetic movement centring around work that it felt like nothing ever really settled down. And just when I thought it did, another piece of kindling was added to the fire. Thankfully the dragon is a creature born of fire, so instead of burning up I channeled my inner wingéd beast and rose above the flames. Goddess help the poor knights who get in my way. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It is abso-fucking-lutely possible to become more fabulous every year. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Puppies make everything better (even if they can’t actually solve your problems for you).</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Taking notice of those fleeting moments when the light hits the trees just right. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Social anxiety is bullshit, but you learn to work through it if you ever want to get takeout.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When the guy you’re dating sums up his perfect vacation as “Salt Lake City, heavy-biking through the desert, and eating spaghetti and meatballs at the Old Spaghetti Factory” and your perfect vacation is a variation on “Paris, leisurely tours of the Louvre, and eating copious amounts of pain au chocolate at street side cafés” it’s never going to work out. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My high-school punk-rock/bitch/do-what-I-want attitude wasn’t just a phase. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Being the “bigger person” is really easy when you’re always right. (Letting others destroy themselves with their neuroses is also equally pleasurable to actively ruining people). </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">People are part of your life (or not) for a reason. #squadgoals</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I still really don’t like when people tell me what to do, and having someone treat me like I don’t have my own opinions, goals, and capabilities is the quickest way to make me cut you out of my life. i may still follow Peter Pan’s philosophy of refusing to grow up, but I am a goddamn independent adult and I expect to be treated like one. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I didn’t believe him before, but Andy Warhol totally had it right when he said “The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting.” Though I still haven’t quite learned patience in all things…</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">All you need is cheese. #smokedgouda</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Mold on cheese is negotiable, but not having chocolate in the house is unacceptable.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s all about the pillow count. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I may be a girly girl, and I refuse be a basic bitch, but an explosion of pink flowers is what Spring is all about. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">You can still go home, but it won’t be quite the same, since everyone who counts has left town (including you).</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Happiness is a cold Beck’s on a Friday night, a caramel frappucino on a hot Saturday afternoon, and a fresh batch of cookies on a Sunday afternoon. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Guilt is still a useless emotion.</span></div>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-86570502146137407872016-01-03T12:37:00.000-08:002016-01-03T12:37:25.971-08:00Oh, the Times: 2016 Styleboard<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-11735583678127336132015-12-27T16:20:00.000-08:002015-12-27T16:20:09.236-08:00Other Places, Other Worlds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Unlike some years where I struggle to choose a mere five books to make the top 5 of the year list, this year the books seemingly chose themselves. Sure, I read a lot, and a lot of it was good, but these five were a step above the others and took it to a whole other level of enjoyable literature. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsLLB3LkoEdL8SmdP62JxYZafUIaiRCbx23XU2XR9HFZrVtVV9i_UZDw0iWWXv1JLekXpNlGcoWobG9nh3Llul3FUAtShEQMarkxhPJBT_aSaErGRhmuEsv3ynbiius0a4l8nB4llywo/s1600/41B9rvzWX2L._SX310_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsLLB3LkoEdL8SmdP62JxYZafUIaiRCbx23XU2XR9HFZrVtVV9i_UZDw0iWWXv1JLekXpNlGcoWobG9nh3Llul3FUAtShEQMarkxhPJBT_aSaErGRhmuEsv3ynbiius0a4l8nB4llywo/s200/41B9rvzWX2L._SX310_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="125" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>The Hunger</i> - <a href="http://www.strieber.com/">Whitley Strieber</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’ve been a fan of the film version of this novel since I saw it back during my undergrad years - who doesn’t love David Bowie as a vampire, a Sandman-inspired musical intro, and a completely different take on vampirism - but until last year I had no idea that the movie was based on this stunning novel. A lot of the themes are the same between both mediums, and the general feeling of both book and film is well adapted, but the focus Strieber’s focus on the character of Miriam Blaylock heightens the tension to a point where it’s almost impossible to put the book down. This is definitely one of the seminal books within the vampire genre, so I’m incredibly glad that I finally read it (and added it to my collection - yay Value Village score) this year. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvrWeE7M8mbOlaMQ3rfpBjZwDPizuI863WH-0BK3goeagovHpWl6B99-e7Oli-qH-leRCXEGv244bqsEmZIqlFrQSi_C07BhDWCkp36xQZsfqXZ5PECxIKt6Y21NO2Qq29vk29UzX5Co/s1600/519xiqcy3RL._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvrWeE7M8mbOlaMQ3rfpBjZwDPizuI863WH-0BK3goeagovHpWl6B99-e7Oli-qH-leRCXEGv244bqsEmZIqlFrQSi_C07BhDWCkp36xQZsfqXZ5PECxIKt6Y21NO2Qq29vk29UzX5Co/s200/519xiqcy3RL._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>All the Light we Cannot See</i> - <a href="http://www.anthonydoerr.com/">Anthony Doerr</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This novel is kind of a slow burner, but it’s one of the best WWII-era books that I’ve ever read. Doerr weaves a compelling tale that really gets to the heart of the German-French conflict through the characters of two young children - each on opposing sides of the conflict, and neither with any real interest in the war besides the fact that they are in it. At times the story feels like a caper, with it’s plot line of a cursed jewel secreted away from Nazi looters, and at others like a human interest piece, with its family drama in a multi-story French household, and is all-together an absolute gem. I can’t wait to see more from Doerr, since it’s clear that he has a way with historical stories. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Paris: The Novel</i> - <a href="http://www.edwardrutherfurd.com/">Edward Rutherfurd</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Something about reading this book at the peak of the mid-summer heatwave made it incredibly easy to devour this lengthy and complex book in only seven days. Maybe it was the synergy with Paris in the summertime (not that I would technically know, since I have yet to set foot on the banks of the Seine), maybe it was Rutherfurd’s style of prose (which is impeccably detailed and historically accurate, yet easy to engage with), or maybe I was just caught up in the stories of one of the most fascinating cities in the world (even if they are fictional). Either way, this book made me an official fan of Rutherfurd and piqued my wanderlust for the City of Light. </span></div>
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<i style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Harry Potter : The Creature Vault - </i><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Jody Revenson</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When I read Rowling’s bonus book to the Harry Potter series, <i>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them</i>, I wanted it to be exactly like this one: full of fantastic illustrations, carefully written but humorous text, and all the magical beasts that you could ever want! It came out just in time to pique all of us latent HP fans for the coming film adaptation of <i>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them</i> next year as well, so I would say this book had perfect timing. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>A Madness of Angels</i> - <a href="http://www.kategriffin.net/">Kate Griffin</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s been far too long since I’ve read a truly wonderful urban fantasy novel, but thankfully I stumbled upon this fantastic series by one of my favourite authors, who had been writing under a pseudonym so I had no idea that she had a whole bunch more books published than the four that I was aware of. In this book we get London, truly urbanized magic, an intriguing protagonist, and a horrifying but relatable villain, all wrapped up into a wonderfully rollicking adventure that sees a truly unique magical world realized - one that is right under the noses of modern Londoners. So far I’m three books into the series, and I never ever want them to end!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*images from Amazon</span></span></div>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9181689347137149364.post-64144242090270662482015-12-20T12:36:00.000-08:002015-12-20T12:36:50.766-08:00A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Before I get into my top 5 movie picks for 2015, I have a confession to make. I haven’t yet seen the <i>Star Wars: the Force Awakens</i>, even though it was a pretty sure pick for the list. It literally opened just a few days ago, and my love for Star Wars isn’t quite enough to deal with the infestation of nerds that is sure to be packing the theatre. I like nerds just fine (hello, I’m definitely one of them), but theatre mania and opening weekend madness is not something I have any interest in. I’ll likely see it in like a month, when the hype has calmed down; here’s hoping that I don’t stumble across any spoilers in the meantime! Okay, and now to the films that actually did make the list!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Kingsman: the Secret Service </i>(2014)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There seemed to be a lot of spy movies out this year, ranging in seriousness from the latest in the James Bond franchise <i>(Spectre) </i>to the Melissa McCarthy-led <i>Spy</i>, but the one that really stood out from the genre for me was <i>Kingsman</i>. I saw this relatively early in the year, and was immediately charmed by the careful balance of action-packed stunts (I don’t think any of us will be able to look at Colin Firth the same way again) and the slightly less-than-subtle jokes (mostly centring around Samuel L. Jackson’s well-meaning villain), so it was a sure pick for the list. It might have had to compete directly with <i>Spectre</i> if I had managed to see it in time, but the library is keeping me waiting, so the dilemma of potentially having two spy films in the list was nonexistent!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Song of the Sea</i> (2015)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This movie was totally adorable! Like I haven’t seen an animated film be this good since the peak of Studio Ghibli circa <i>Spirited Away</i> and <i>Howl’s Moving Castle. </i>Not only is the animation style absolutely stunning and unique in a world washed with Disney and claymation (which are totally fine, but there’s a touch too much of it sometimes), but the mythology adds a whole other level of sophistication to the storytelling. Most of us who know anything about folklore have heard stories of the Selkies - seal-women who can shed their skins to become human for a time, but who ultimately return back to the sea, leaving their loved ones bereft - but this is the first film that I’ve seen which really explores this legend in-depth successfully. To top it all off, the protagonist’s brother, Ben, has an adorably charming large mutt who looks like he could be related to Oscar & Felix (the large and silly pups I babysit). </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Woman in Gold</i> (2015)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This film was at the very top of my watch list this year, and even after having to get it from the library twice (note to self: always check that you’re putting a hold on the DVD version since you don’t own a blu-ray player…) it was totally worth the wait! Not only is this film about art theft during World War 2 (a topic that intrigues me very much) and specifically about repatriation of the art that was stolen by the Nazis, but it’s a totally true story that manages to translate well on screen. Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds play surprisingly well opposite each other, and it’s ne’er impossible not to get complete caught up in their struggle to take down the Austrian government in court. Not bad for a little old lady and her lawyer, eh? I have yet to see the documentary that chronicles the entire story (<i>Stealing Klimt</i>), but that’ll go on my watch list for next year.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Age of Adaline </i>(2015)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For a film that isn’t actually very complex, I absolutely loved the experience of watching this movie. The story is simply that of a woman who stops aging, and the complexity of her falling in love in the modern world and potentially having her secret revealed, but the way that the story is told makes the film feel like it’s a book. There’s careful placement of outside narration, the characterization is subtle, and the imagery is simple but effective, which culminates in elevating the emotional quality of the film to a place that it would not have been able to achieve otherwise. Plus, this film is absolutely perfect for Blake Lively, as it gives her the vehicle to prove that she’ll become one of these classic woman (a la Tilda Swinton, Helen Mirren, and Cate Blanchett) who will continue to be fabulous for the entirely of their lives with seemingly little effort. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Cinderella </i>(2015)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Even with the success of <i>Maleficent</i> last year (a sure shot for the top-5) I was very sceptical of this film going in. Unlike it’s predecessor, which focused on the untold story of the villain, the story of Cinderella is something that I much prefer to see given a relatively traditional spin. It is a classic fairytale after all, and messing with the story too much can potentially end in disaster. But Disney kept it pretty simple this time around, and didn’t even allow for the odd choice in fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) to throw the story - though I will admit that I was less than thrilled with Carter’s lacklustre performance. Even though I’m still a die-hard cynic when it comes to romance in the real world, I didn’t find myself wanting to throw up too often while watching this film, since both Cinderella and the Prince are given at least some realistic personality traits besides both being beautiful and fated to fall in love. And really, even the die-hard cynic needs some fairytale romance in her life!</span></div>
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Riellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399202888225531503noreply@blogger.com0