#Art Classes in Bolton

[myartspotsblog]

Discover Creative Joy: Art Classes in Bolton & Nobleton

Art has the power to inspire, heal, and transform. Whether you're looking to develop a new skill or celebrate a special occasion, enrolling in Art Classes in Bolton or planning a Birthday Party Art Class in Nobleton offers a vibrant, hands-on experience for all ages. Bolton is home to a growing community of artists and art lovers. From drawing and painting to sculpture and mixed media, Art Classes in Bolton cater to all levels—from beginners to advanced learners.

[ungoliantschilde]

the Lord of Lies

John Buscema

P. Craig Russell

Tim Sale

Marko Djurdjevic

Marc Silvestri

John Buscema, with Inks by Tom Palmer.

John Bolton

Neal Adams, with Inks by Joe Sinnott.

John Romita, Jr., with Inks by Al Williamson.

Alex Ross

[a-concerning-amount-of-monkeys]

Am I allowed to tear up a bit? I'm tearing up a bit. Optimism at its finest.

To The Substitute Art Teacher - Jordan Bolton

[glimmerbugart]

Bolton Harvard Open Studios

Please join us to support our local artists in our Seventh Annual “Open Studio” weekend on October 5 (10-4) and October 6 (12-4). We are opening our studios, setting up tables and tents to sell our artwork, and sharing our creativity with our community!

[sevs-corner]

Tf 141! As classic highschool jock tropes

(Im brainrotting agane so lets get this outta the way)

Tw: nsfw themes/ implications 18+ !!

So the 4 are the popular kids for sure

However wacky they may be, or how god awful their reputation is— the people love em, and are very VERY downbad for ‘em

Price, as the captain of the rugby team, is the cocky type

Overconfident, knows how to sell himself, the typical rich kid that would hold parties after every game win

And they always win

Price is the Troy Bolton equivalent, with all the talents but none of the motivation to use ‘em or explore the arts

He is committed to the game, and the only time where you can find him dead serious and hyper focused

Though in relationships? He’s far from that

Body count? Don’t even try and think about it, its not like he keeps score either

But he does score them based on how good they are (he is BI and will fuck anyone)

The fact that he hasn’t fucked you would be quite rare

Protection king actually, because he will NOT take responsibility for what happens after the deed

But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t raw dog you if you wanted to :)

Ghost, is still as enigmatic as ever and the most brooding out of the four

But that doesn’t mean he won’t kick your ass

To be honest, he wouldn’t hold back at ALL (especially if you insulted his rock music or his fashion sense)

He does play in the same team as Price, and is actually his second in command

He’s super quick on his feet because he does boxing at the side

(How else would he expel all of his angsty teenage energy?)

That’s why he’s always sluggish and the type to sleep in class (but still get straight As ‘cause he’s just a natural smart ass like that)

Teachers are afraid of this man and is also scared of the backing that he has because of his parents and his association with Price and his own parents too (they fund the school board)

In terms of hooking up other people…

He doesn’t do it often but when he does-

Well, let’s just say that people go to him if they feel a little…experimental

Aftercare? The bare minimum ‘cause he knows its intense

Will he do it often and go out of his way to do it? No (but maybe he would for you)

Gaz, is the the “nice” guy out of the four

He’s the type to always get straight As, participate in all the projects, join community projects, be student council president—

Yes, he wants absolute control under his finger tips

People really don’t know if they’re being tugged on strings with him at the helm, doing every bit of his bidding without even him lifting a single finger

While he sits there, looking all pretty

He does play sports but is quite average

But you already know that he’s the one lifting his shirt for the nice lowkey, candid abs pic

Always a performer in the field, which sometimes pisses off Price and Ghost (they’re very competitive when they get into the zone) but really does decently enough that he gets scouted too

Although, he prefers that he handles more of the internal working of school

Slowly ensuring that the four of them have absolute control of the school— all for their amusement of course

His hook-up culture is a bit…skewed

A sadist in the sheets and a masochist in the closet

An absolute wild animal if you managed to hook up with him

But if he hooks up with any of the three other guys?

Well, let’s (also) just say that Ghost has to get his practice in somehow, right? Or when he’s frustrated and need to take it out in a…more sensual way

He is as willing as the day he joined them

Soap, is the wildest party animal out of the four

And because of that, he’s the go-to guy for supplies in alcohol and drugs

Even has connections in getting places for parties (like abandoned parks, houses, a lake side getaway- whatever you wanted he’ll get it)

But for a pretty penny, of course

He is the stash keeper in terms of money and all of the above

He’s also the hustler, working hand-in-hand with Ghost whenever they need to deal with someone

Unruly doesn’t quite match the energy he gives off everyday

Messing and pranking with the teachers aren’t even enough for him

Vandalizing is too common and just wreaking havoc is the name of his game

He does play on the team with the rest but often gets fouls or does foul play that he gets red carded out immediately anyways

Does he care for any type of attraction with hook-ups? Nope

He just fucks ‘em and leaves, responsibilities be damned

You chose to be with him anyways, right? Its not like forced you to the lone room upstairs or anything

Its not him who removed his clothes in front him— it was all your own will and he simply just jumped at the opportunity and your wide open arms

You, on the other hand, just transferred to this school

Unknowing of its inner workings

You find yourself at this school because of a troubled family life

With such a failure in their lives, they decide to dump you here by your lonesome

And now you have to figure out how to live in and outside of this school

Lemme know if you want more crumbs of this hehe <3

[misterbitches]

There are footnotes and links in this post that I think are valuable. All of these things are extremely worth reading. This is long.

Forgive me (sike idc) for injecting my ancommie art brain but: I don’t know who needs to hear it but castigating Jack as some monster instead of a kid from the fucking slums who is “stuck” in some sort of (supposed nebulous referent-less) cycle that cannot be solved as opposed to purposefully kept there by imperial colonial [racial] capitalist exploitation⁰ with some pretty difficult but clear¹ possibilities for struggle and understood solutions is a limit on our imagining of a future and want for change as well as just sullying this story (outside of critiquing the work itself) for you. I don't know why we are glossing over the fact that you have to pay to live and also global determinants of health.

Why do the poor the world over have such low quality of health and life and therefore die first? Why are they overwhelmingly black and the darker peoples of the world? The colonized or subjugated? When did we move from the right to life and health to the right to coverage or being able to afford it?²

Is it not interesting that Joke's father is a doctor and his livelihood is linked with this system? Do you think that, maybe, how the father is and his job show a congruency? Why do individuals have to go above a system and yet are still invested in this system? And since Joke was a part of this nuclear family then ousted when he dared to transgress its rule—the unit based off of generating labor and necessary for one's survival since it is the only safe financial place to land and rely on—is it not significant that he isn't acknowledged by that father over things that could save someone? I'm super tired so I'm not making as much sense as I'd like. To quote from this comprehensive piece³ on Health Communism: A Surplus Manifesto by Beatrice Adler-Bolton and Artie Vierkant:

“Illness—you point out—is the only possible form of life in capitalism. In fact, the psychiatrist, who is wage dependent, is a sick person like each of us. The ruling classes merely give him the power to “cure” or to hospitalize. Cure—this is self-evident—can’t be understood in our system to mean the elimination of illness: it serves exclusively as the maintenance of the ability to go to work where one stays sick.” (Turn Illness into a Weapon: A Polemic Call to Action by the SPK, 1972)³

Joke comes from a family with money. They aren't super rich but they have what Jack (and now Joke!) doesn't. His father is in a position where he could throw rules out the window to help his son's friend even if that has consequences. Ostensibly had Joke not done what he did, Joke would always have access to decent healthcare or money. Or he would have gotten a job that would allow him to have it or afford it. He also would lead a life where his health is most likely going to be optimal. (A bit of a stretch since we are still in a pandemic and the globe is dying and they live in a place where people are affected by MAN MADE CAPITALIST climate disaster and racist ecocide that is going to primarily affect those in rural areas and people are fucking sick but I digressss) What kind of air are these people breathing? What's in these pills? Why is there no sustained contact with health professionals (that don't suck—also a thing)? Why are we so okay with elderly alienation and their death? Poor death?

This captures several major themes of the book, namely, the impossibility of health under capitalism; the potential of solidarity between physicians and patients, despite the power dynamics that otherwise separate them; and the need to turn illness into a weapon to dismantle capitalism itself. Adler-Bolton and Vierkant write: “Health under capitalism is an impossibility. Under capitalism, to attain health you must work, you must be productive and normative, and only then are you entitled to the health you can buy. This fantasy of individual health under the political-economic conditions of capitalism only ever exists as a state one cannot be, to which one must always strive. [SPK] called this cultural imaginary of health a “biological, fascist fantasy” because it obscures the true and violent architecture of economic systems of extraction underneath the shadow of a capitalist-realist depiction of the perfect worker.” (pp. 10-11) ³ (x)

So with all this known why the fuck are people so goddamn angry at Jack? And for Tattoo too. I didn't really touch on this in all this text but my main point is that it's interesting that we don't know what we're mad at beyond a betrayal when for the both of these men they "betrayed" the rich boy. In Save's case he betrayed the poor ones, his comrades, the ones who are suffering like him. My anger towards him is much greater but I still get it. (To be clear: I am angry at him and it is even worse because it isn't directed at anyone but the poor. His friend's grandmother. And it's a tale as old as time. If he wasn't such a little bitch he would be able to withstand it but he isn't. If I think even harder I wonder if this signal's the closer one is to these types of people, the more they suture themselves to capital out of survival, the more they believe they will be protected by heinous acts but I am tired lol.)

They're all poor boys from the fucking slums but our main concern is Joke, the rich-ish boy—who is right btw cos we love robbing the rich yet still his old class position and upbringing very clearly influences how we view him and his agency. It is done to him like with Arun and the necklace—a gay boy with an abusive father—and Rosé—a woman with an abusive father(?)—and her life. They are entitled to these sympathies first!

The formatting bugs me so I'm gonna reblog the rest.

Footnotes:

⁰This is "H.L.T. Quan on Cedric Robinson, Racial Capitalism, Black Internationalism, & Cultures of Resistance" on Millenials are Killing Capitalism. "Cedric’s point is that Marx and Engels missed the significance of revolt in the rest of the world, specifically by non-Western peoples who made up the vast majority of the world’s unfree and nonindustrial labor force." (Essay from Robin D.G. Kelley's foreword to the third updated edition of Cedric Robinson's Black Marxism.) I haven't read BM yet BTW but I know a lot about it and it has influenced black anarcho-communism (black anarchism), our traditions, what revolt should require, INTERNATIONAL RADICAL SOLIDARITY, and our development. Robinson was also, like many radical intellectuals, an artist and art critic! I think it's important to put here particularly because Thailand wasn't colonized so the conception of the nation is different though not out of step with colonized history at all. Obviously. Which is answered to here and elucidated here as it seems Bangkok acts as an imperial core. It’s too easy to take them out of that history is what I’m garnering from this. I don't know how much of this is enough and I can only go by the knowledge I have gained in reading and being in these spaces because to get information on radical left in Thailand (or many parts of asia) is fucking hard and even the man I'm referencing doesn't support armed struggle currently apparently! I'll continue to research. But we have been so cut off from each other and radical thought esp from an American standpoint it's fucking pathetic. This is why I say understanding art and being critical is important. In a better world this would be an OBVIOUS articulation and revealing where people wouldn't get upset over someone like Jack just because he isn't fucking a boy on our timeline. ¹ “1968 and the “Thai Seventies" – 14th October 1973 uprising, 6 October 1976 bloodbath and after” by Giles Ji Ungpakorn who also wrote "Down with Thai Capitalism! The People Against the Military Dictatorship!" in Spectre as a response to Thiti Jamkajornkeiat ²"SPHC matched the general shift in high level development planning to technical solutions and privatisation of public services, and from the comprehensive vision of Health for All to survival rates. The health care reform that was then promoted by the evolving global health governance structure, as a subset of conservative neoliberal economic policies, gave rise to the privatisation and commercialisation of health care—from Health for All to health care that people could aford. There was a concomitant reduction in government health spending in many low-and middle-income countries with increasing dependence on multiple international donors and the reduced ability of countries to determine their own health agendas." Conclusion from Health Policies and Health Care in the Context of Neoliberal Globalisation. ³Health Communism — All Care For All People (Part 1) also read alongside this "review by Evan Sedgwick-Jell for Asylum magazine and this Q&A of Beatrice Adler-Bolton and Artie Vierkant by the New Republic." You can find the HC book online (pirateflagemoji) and/or buy it.

[planeyboys]

Winter Hill part one, listen and download on Bandcamp: https://pilkos-musical-wonderland.bandcamp.com/

My first full length LP with many alternating themes to make your genre definition centres explode; more of a musical adventure than you are used to!!

This project started as an idea back in 2012, before I had even learned to play a musical instrument. Recording the demos was done in tandem with learning how to play, and some of the final melodies, as simple as they are, reflect that.

(Pictured: the nylon string and ukulele from which the original melodies were crudely recorded onto my PC through a really bad lapel mic)

The structure of the album came about after my first journey to the real place Winter Hill with a friend in 2015 as we adventured up through Bolton, past all the old industry, and up to the moor. It was a cold October evening and the ideas started flowing.

(Pictured: original cover art before we set everything on fire)

The nurturing musical environment of the music department in my college really helped to finalise the demos and finish off the sketch of what would become the first and second parts, although compositionally and technically compromised, the overall idea felt solid.

(Pictured: hard at work (citation needed))

Recording what would be the final version took two attempts, the first of which was lost to computer issues, hard drive faults and the like. I lost interest for a couple years because of this.

Winters getting darker and more depressing really spurred on the recording of this final version, recorded between October 2021 and May 2023. Between lockdowns and loss in the family I felt I needed a good escape from it all in this project.

(Pictured: tiny aeroplane man who took over as the mascot of the project, to feature in the video going on a journey around Winter Hill)

It reminded me of the good days I had in music tech class in college and brought me back into that hyper focused music composition mindset I felt I had been missing.

(Pictured: A version of the cover art mirroring on one of my very first school art projects from when I was 5 about the fire of London)

And now part one is finished at last, and I can look forward to recording part two knowing that I have remained faithful and have compromised minimally from the original demos, keeping most of those original ideas alive after over 10 years of sitting on them like a mother hen.

(Pictured: the lights twinkling in the distance; a familiar sight to all in the North West)

I look forward to hearing what you think of it! I might not reply to every post but I do enjoy reading them! It would mean a lot to me.

(Pictured: bbq with the fellas at Winter Hill Aerodrome, "just a couple more!!" said the grill master)

Part two coming soon

[oceanwithinsblog]

alright guys i can't keep my mouth shut anymore, i need to SCREAM and VENT about Glee (aka the tv show that i've been binge-watching for the past few weeks AND my new obsession) because AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

spoiler alert : i might mention important plot elements or character arcs etc. so if you've never watched it before, be alert!

k so let's start by clarifying an important point here - i have spent my whole adolescence hearing my friends talk about this show... i have no idea whatsoever how i resisted to urge to watch it till now (for the record, i'm almost 25) because THIS IS TOTALLY MY SHIT !!!!!!!

the high school setting, the fact teenagers are portrayed by a cast in their 20s, endless pointless drama, crazy plot twists, jaw dropping dance numbers, wide - though at times questionable - representation of various communities (e.g. queer ppl, black ppl, asian ppl, disabled ppl etc.), cover song performances (and at some point original ones!) that leave me speechless ... like - HOW DID I SKIP THIS SHOW FOR SO LONG ???? HOW COULD I IGNORE ITS MAGNIFICENCE FOR ALL THESE YEARS ?????

tbh maybe i should be worried about the fact it feels so close and personal since i'm a grown-ass adult ☠️ (very bad at it, too) but i find it all brilliant, ridiculous and inspiring/comforting at the same time. i think watching this show is healing (or at least rocking and hugging tightly) a lot of my inner-child-related unresolved business. especially when it comes to discussion and portrayals of queer experiences, i find Glee pretty “educating”, accurate and amusing, too.  honestly, i sort of regret not giving it a chance before ‘cause i  know my younger, high-school self would have appreciated it a whole lot. i mean, asexuality still hasn’t been mentioned so far, but the multiple queer characters (and cast!) are really great. maybe the show would have also encouraged me to follow my passion for music and dancing (and dare i say singing although i’ve never in my life taken a single singing class?) after the hurtful break-up i went through with my dancing crew before the pandemic :’(

anygays, i’m now watching the first half of season 3* and let me tell you - i’m SO HOOKED. this season has been C R A Z Y since the first episode istg i can’t tell you how many time i’ve soffocated my screams with my pillow so far JSKJSK actually, just to give you an idea, i present you with a short list of what’s been making me go bananas so far

rachel’s mom returning to mckingley high for a part-time job as the mentor of a second opposite glee club

puck following his “dad insticts” and making a move on shelby just so he can spend more time with baby beth (???) 

quinn putting on a rebellious emo act and then pretending she’s all good and clean because she wants beth back by destroying shelby’s reputation (???) (what the hell btw i’ll never get quinn and her weird unlogical reasoning)

emma and will being a couple and living together OUT OF NOWHERE ???? (they’re the cutest even though i fairly can’t put up with mr. schuester + i would have preferred to see them dating before the big getting together reveal but whatever AS LONG AS EMMA IS HAPPY)

mercedes LEAVING glee club so that she can shine (this one hurt ngl mad respect for her tho)

brittany showing what she’s made of and running for school headgirl (YAY YOU GO GIRL!!!!)

rachel and finn finally working on their relationship to be a healthier couple (i still find rachel SO DAMN ANNOYING at times but it’s getting better compared to the previous two seasons + i must admit finn is just an off-brand troy bolton to me so far #sorrynotsorry)

sue declaring war to the whole arts department AND RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT ?????? (she’s so iconic and i love jane lynch so damn much istg it was heart-wrenching to see her on-screen sister pass away but sue is such a multifaceted character you can’t make me hate her EVER)

but most importantly …

SANTANA AND BRITTANY ARE FINALLY DATING ??? OMFG YES !!!! GIVE ME SAPPHIC ROMANCE !!!! (also i think they’re the most perfect combination of self-awareness, girl power, bitchyness, dumbness, crazyness, pureness and humor ever i’m loving both their character archs through the seasons for now)

kurt and blaine’s whole storyline !?!?!?! they’re my absolutely favorite duo ???? the emblem of a strong, powerful yet cute and innocent gay love ???????? istg they emotionally evoke so much in me T______T idk how to explain it, it probably doesn’t even make sense but i love seeing them on screen and i wish the best for them T________T theyr relationship is so incredible wholesome and wonderful ISTG kurt has been the apple of my eye since the very beginning of the show (no matter what crazy or incoherent act he put up in s1) and i must admit i was a bit suspicious of blaine throughout s2 but now i just plain adore them and feel like drowning in my own emotions and tears every time they appear

*which i've read could be the last proper good season according to many online comments ☠️ (i pray the awesome combination of factors that drive me crazy about this show won’t magically disappear from season 4 onwards lol)

i don’t know how to end this rant also because this post makes no sense whatsoever but let me say that i love kurt, especially, and lately i've had multiple episodes of mirroring in santana (e.g. will i ever understand if i'm actually biromantic or sapphic? who knows). not to mention, i have huge expectations for the self-discovering journey of that karofsky kid (seeing him in that gay bar the night blaine and kurt broke the rules was such a pleasant surprise!) and idk i just look forward to every main plot and subplot of this season in particular 🥹💖

i might be aware that my life is hitting rock bottom right now, yet i’m conscious enough to acknowledge this show is slowly becoming an anchor for me… to start feeling excited about life again, to start creating new dreams for me, to try and believe a bit more in myself and to pursue my interest in music and queerness alike. in short, to start living again.

ps. expect me to post a great lot about glee from now on jksjks

[ghelgheli]

The Stuff I Read in December 2023

favourites in bold

Books

Calling a Wolf a Wolf, Kaveh Akbar

The German Ideology, Marx & Engels

The Dark Forest, Cixin Liu

Yuri/GL

Hanamonogatari, schwinn

The Moon on a Rainy Night / Amayo no Tsuki (Vols 1-2), Kuzushiro

Run Away With Me, Girl, Battan

Opium, Aji

Asashi to Satsuki, Fujita

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All / Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta, Sumiko Arai

Free Soul, Ebine Yamaji

Short Fiction

Yon & Mu, Junji Ito

A Day in the Life of Anmar 20X1, Abdulla Moaswes [strange horizons]

Muneera and the Moon, Sonia Sulaiman [fiyah]

The Center of the Universe, Nadia Shammas [strange horizons]

Honeydew Toxicity Event, Porpentine Charity Heartscape [link]

Palestine

Palestinian Anarchists in Conversation: Recalibrating Anarchism in a Colonized Country, Joshua Stephens [link]

Anarchist, Liberal, and Authoritarian Enlightenments: Notes From the Arab Spring, Mohammed Bamyeh [link]

Our Siege is Long, Esmat Elhalaby [link]

Anti-Zionism as Decolonisation, Lara Kilani & Leila Shomali [link]

What's the matter with the Israeli working class?, Daphna Thier [link]

Inside the Pro-Israel Information War, Lee Fang & Jack Poulson [link]

Refusing Genocide, Rasha Abdulhadi & Beatrice Adler-Bolton [link]

‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza, Yuval Abraham [link]

"Theory"

Western Marxism, the Fetish for Defeat, and Christian Culture, Jones Manoel [red sails]

On Contradiction, Mao Tse-Tung [marxists dot org]

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Walter Benjamin

Other

Multimodal datasets: misogyny, pornography, and malignant stereotypes, Abebe Birhane, Vinay Uday Prabhu, Emmanuel Kahembwe [arxiv]

On Anthony Bourdain, Lz. A. [red sails]

The Myth of Man the Hunter: Women’s contribution to the hunt across ethnographic contexts, Abigail Anderson et al. [doi]

Monster, Terrorist, Fag: The War on Terrorism and the Production of Docile Patriots, Jasbir K. Puar & Amit Rai [link]

Deaths Pulled From the Future, Beatrice Adler-Bolton [link]

In The End We All Do What We Must: Universal Paperclips, Clicker Games, AI, and Agency, Sam Keeper [link]

[leikeliscomet]

Thinking about 'jumping on points' for Waterloo Road. With returning and new fans I'm wondering if there's a way to catchup on the show like with Doctor Who:

Series 1 ✅

Well... yes! It's the start of the show and you can't beat the iconic opening seen so yh new fans should and could start here

Series 2 ❌

Not really? Directly continues the Tom/Lorna/Izzie storyline. The Brett stuff could work in isolation but still makes more sense to start from s1

Series 3 ❌

Nope. Continued Donte, Mika, Brett, Chlo, Tom and Davina arcs from s1/2 so you'd prolly be lost. You could start from Rachel's intro because this is also the start of the Rachel Mason era but then you'd have to understand the context of the other teachers. Bolton, Paul, Michaela etc join this season too so maybe but with the amount of storylines directly continued from the previous seasons... prolly not.

Series 4 ⛔

Maybe? The Donte and Chlo storyline and Kim and Andrew's return again works better with the s1 context. But, the Kelly family arc does start here and you could watch that without previous season's context. Not really sure.

Series 5 ✅

Yup! I watched the show from here and it made sense. The John Foster's arc is one of the best from this show and there's a lot of new characters in this season so its a great watch. The only downside is this is the end of the 'Mason era' and honestly this series hits different when you see these characters grow from s3.

Series 6 ✅

Yes. Start of the 'Fisher era' so not a lot of previous context is needed. Only downside is the Josh, Finn, Amy, Lauren era starts from s3-s5 so to see their full growth maybe not put if that's not a concern then go ahead.

Series 7 ✅

Yes again especially because it's broken up. 7a (episodes 1-10) is the 'Fisher era' post all the Bex stuff from s6 so you can start there. Or, you start from 7b (11-30) which is the Byrne era which has brand new characters and doesn't use a lot of previous seasons context. Grantly and Tom's storylines however is another situation of 'watching all the previous seasons makes this feel more emotional' but again if this isn't that deep you might as well. This is also the end of the OG Rochdale era so again, starting earlier makes the experience more enjoyable but this is subjective.

Series 8 ✅⛔

Yes... but for the wrong reasons. Mainly ignores a large chunk of s7 despite being a direct continuation. This is the Scotland era which most fans dislike because the working class Rochdale roots are gone by this point. You don't need context to understand the Scotland character's arcs including Rhiannon (she's a Rochdale character but not in s7...?). The weaker story is also behind from this season too so you can art here but it wouldn't be an authentic representation of the show IMO. Plus season 11+ continues from the Rochdale era. It's unclear whether or not the events from S8-10 are canon but unaddressed or if the show has retconned it so if you choose to start here its unlikely you'll need this to understand s11+. On a technical level yes, but I personally wouldn't recommend it.

Series 9 ✅⛔

Same as s8. Large chunks of previous season were ignored so not a lot of previous context is needed and new character storylines but again, not really ideal.

Series 10 ✅

Same as s8-9. Some underrated characters this season however like Justin and Dale so if you don't mind 1 season storylines go ahead.

Series 11 ✅

Yes. As the reboot season it does a decent job at catching up the Rochdale era. Also if you're tuning in for Preston x Kai this season is the beginning of their story so yes it's essential for the shippers!

Series 12 ❌

Seasons 11-13 are one big arc so not really. Just like s1 it makes sense to just start at the beginning

Series 13 ❌

Nope. Season 12 context is needed for this and to get season 12 you need to watch season 11. These seasons are the shortest of the show only 7 episodes long so its worth starting at the beginning.

These are just my thoughts this is not a definite guide to Waterloo Road! S1, S5, S6, and S7 for me personally are the best ways to start the show but you can do whatever you want!

[dorizardthewizard]

HSM (2006) rewatch

Part 2: Happy Wildcats New Year!

SDFHKSD EVERYONE WAS LITERALLY JUST STANDING THERE WAITING FOR TROY

Also the way Chad just grabs him like I’M HIS BIGGEST HYPEMAN OUTTA THE WAY PEOPLE

Chad: Because in two weeks, we’re going to the championships, with you leading us to infinity and beyond!

OK Buzz Lightyear

This is so jarring to me because it’s January, right? But everyone is dressed for mild weather, no coats in sight and it’s so green around them? Is it that warm in New Mexico? ...So I googled it and for Albuquerque, they apparently still get pretty chilly winters and can even have snow. It’s funny they filmed at this time but still went for the New Year timeline, they could have easily just had it be at the start of the school year and troyella could meet at some other party. Why am I so focused on this do you ask? idk I live in the UK – if I see a lot of sunshine in a movie, it fascinates me.

Everyone is too happy to be back in school

Idk who started the Wildcats chant but it means Chad didn’t start the very first one in the series!

I saw a post about how Troy actually wears blue and green more than red, and yeah it looks really obvious here in this sea of red. There’s some symbolism there with Chad in red handing Troy the basketball as he talks about him leading them to a championship win, Troy looks a little uncomfortable with all the attention and hands the ball over to someone else.

Sharpay’s iconic strut <3

Chad’s background music is a sitcom laughtrack, apparently

Jason: Do you remember the night before? Troy: No. Not at all. All I remember is, like, pink jelly.

Troy what the hell happened at that party? Unless he just doesn't want to talk about the karaoke

Genuinely curious does a typical school in the US really have an American flag in every classroom?

WHY DOES CHAD HAVE SO MANY WATCHES. I thought it was just for the Charlie’s Angels scene but nope, that’s just his style apparently. Are they all synced to different timezones?

Aw Chad checking up on Troy like, the SECOND he starts to act funny

They really did Monique dirty with her fits and that headband. I wish they styled her hair in a way more suited to her hair type but yeah…

Ms Darbus acts and dresses like the spirit of all drama teachers I love it, her look reminds me a bit of my art teacher in school

Troy why would you try to call her? To see if it’s her? Why not just wait until you leave the class? Why did Sharpay and Ryan pick up their phones? Do all three of them have the same ringtone? So many questions.

Bit mean of Darbus to give Gabriella detention within the first 2 minutes, maybe she didn’t know about your cell phone rule! And why didn’t she introduce Gabriella to the class?

Ms Barbus: Mr Bolton, I see your phone is involved, so we will see you in detention as well! Chad: No, no. That's not even a possibility, Ms Darbus, your honour, see? 'Cause we have basketball practice, and Troy...

Chad calls Darbus “Your Honour” pffffft nice try buddy. Anyway get you a bestie who tries to get you out of detention <3 But also Chad’s reasoning about them having basketball practice shows their jock status in the school and how he thinks they should get let off for that. And like it’s true, some kids are more favoured than others in school for those kinds of things. Doesn't fly for Darbus, though.

Jason 😂😭 I know he is probably genuinely asking and cannot read a room, but there was always that one kid that managed to make the teacher ramble about their life for like half the lesson so we didn’t have to do any work.

[myartspotsblog]

Explore Art Classes and Canvas Art in Nobleton & Bolton with Art Spot

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[smkphotographicsglasgow]

School Photographer in Glasgow | SMK Photographics

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[darina-na-na-na]

Wrexham Art Treasure Exhibition 1876

Since I live in Wrexham, study art, and love history, it was obvious that I had to attend the public lecture about the Wrexham Art Treasures Exhibition of 1876, led by historian Peter Bolton at Wrexham University. It was an excellent opportunity to dive into a fascinating moment in the town’s past, one I knew nothing about.

I've never really been into paintings. Sculpture and anything three-dimensional has always caught my attention, probably because of my undergraduate study, where I focused on working with physical materials like metal, textures, and space. Something about the tangible, hands-on nature of sculptural work has always resonated with me in a way that flat images haven’t. But this lecture surprised me. Seeing images of the exhibition’s landscape paintings, especially those by Richard Wilson, made me stop and think. Instead of focusing on the composition or the brushwork, my mind went elsewhere - where did he source his colours? Did he grind and mix them himself?

That question has stuck with me ever since. I hadn’t considered historical paintings from a material perspective before, but now I want to know more. My work is so rooted in the physicality of materials, mixing earth pigments and making inks, that the idea of Wilson grinding his own colours centuries ago felt strangely personal. It made me see those paintings differently, not just as images but as objects with their own material histories.

Beyond that, the Wrexham Art Treasure Exhibition in 1876 was an ambitious event, bringing high art to Wrexham when people weren’t expected to care about it. It challenged the assumption that art was only for the upper class and proved that creativity could thrive anywhere. I love that. Art doesn’t belong in exclusive spaces but belongs to everyone.

I walked into that lecture expecting a history lesson. I walked out thinking about 18th-century pigment-making and felt even more connected to my practice. Not bad for an afternoon talk.

[sobercentre]

Fame carries along a thrill that most people would yarn for, a stroke of the ego that gives you that ‘on top of the world’ feeling. Yes, it does have its perks, such as adoration, attention, wealth, special treatment, doors to new opportunities, and confidence but all these come at a price (substance abuse). Most celebrities today would trade their spotlight for just a day as an average middle-class person, the mundane life. This is because once the spotlight is on, it never leaves; fame comes at the expense of your privacy due to public scrutiny. The constant pressure of perfection develops gradually and before you know it, you lose the simple pleasures of life like going for an uninterrupted stroll, shopping at the mall, quiet family dinners at a fancy restaurant or something as mundane as reading your favorite book at a park becomes a nightmare – well unless you own the park. More often than not, you are either ditching the paparazzi, denouncing a rumor on the tabloids, or even filing for a restraining order against a stalker. You also get to notice the fake friends that always tag along with you. Seen the pattern yet? This kind of lifestyle tends to take a toll on an individual and provoke them to seek a coping mechanism. A window that has led many high-profile individuals, especially in the art and entertainment industries, into substance abuse and addiction. This is evidenced by a Study published in 2016 on Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy which confirmed there have been about 300 substance abuse-related celebrity deaths recorded between 1970 and 2015. Of this number, 38.6% were musicians, 23.2% were actors, and the remaining shared between artists from other fields and writers. Moreover, numerous artists have come out and confessed their battle with addiction and alcoholism over the years. From Robert Downey Jr. alias Iron Man to Demi Lovato, Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck, Keith Urban, and Amber Valletta, the list is endless. On that note, this article will look into Zac Efron drug addiction. Zac Efron’s confession about alcohol and cocaine addiction It was only a few years ago that Zachery David Alexander Efron, a mainstream television star publicly opened up about his battle with alcoholism and cocaine addiction. The now 35-year-old American actor had his television debut in the early 2000s in a show called Firefly which earned him a leading role in the High School Musicals as Troy Bolton; a position which rose him to fame and opportunities. Efron has featured in Hairspray which premiered in 2007, 17 Again (2009), New Year’s Eve (2011), The Lucky One (2012), and swiftly transitioned into leading adult roles such as in the Neighbors (2014), Dirty Grandpa (2016) and much more – including a Netflix documentary titled Down To Earth With Zac Efron which won him the Daytime Emmy Award. When did addiction begin? With such an accomplished acting career, Efron disclosed the pressure it put on his life – balancing between his 16-hour-a-day work schedule, media intrusion, and his personal life. It was all too much. “I had done films back-to-back-to-back. I was burned out. Something was lacking; some sort of hole that I couldn’t really fill up. I was just so deep into my work; it was really the only thing I had.” ~ Efron told a Hollywood reporter in an interview. He was constantly stressed out and sought comfort in alcohol and drugs. In addition, Efron was in fear of being in the public eye which made him give up some of his hobbies too. This way, he was left isolated and could hardly notice his growing cocaine addiction and alcoholism which led him to implicitly take some time out for treatment in 2013, after which he disclosed was in rehab. He further expounded, “I mean, you’re in your 20s, single, going through life in Hollywood, “ added Efron, “everything is thrown at you. I wouldn’t take anything back. I needed to learn everything I did.” He further narrated how he would Google his name to see what others’ perceptions of him were.

After his confession, Efron felt a weight lift off his chest because no matter how hard he tried to hide his addiction, the truth always catches up and he decided to face it head-on. How did Efron recover? Addiction recovery is a progressive journey that continues way after rehab. Zac Efron developed a structure of life through his recovery journey. As he puts it, “What I found is structure that led me to a balance of opposites. You get out of life what you put in.” He joined the Alcoholics Anonymous group which helped him through his new life of purpose and even embarked on surfing and skateboarding – his hobbies. Course of action Efron was not the first, and neither will he be the last of his kind to fall into the trap of drug abuse and addiction. However, all is not lost. From the many elite figures who’ve spoken up, their confessions can be used to sensitize the upcoming generation on matters of fame and drug addiction. If at all anything can be done to help new famous personalities get some skin in the game, it would be to raise awareness and adapt coping mechanisms to help deal with stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and emotions. Therapy can also go a long way to ease the transformation process. Self-monitoring would keep one alert to their social habits and note a potential problem slowly unfolding. Further expound on the stages of alcoholism to know when you, or a loved one, needs professional help. Whether a diagnosed addict or not, enroll in an AA meeting to meet like-minded individuals and personalities who have been down the road of addiction and recovery. It always helps to know you are not alone and others have succeeded in fighting this disease. Lastly, always practice self-care. At the end of a busy day, take some time off to eat a nutritious meal, relax, meditate and take care of yourself.

[byneddiedingo]

Angel (Ernst Lubitsch, 1937) Cast: Marlene Dietrich, Herbert Marshall, Melvyn Douglas, Edward Everett Horton, Ernest Cossart, Laura Hope Crews, Herbert Mundin, Dennie Moore. Screenplay: Samson Raphaelson, Guy Bolton, Russell G. Medcraft, based on a play by Melchior Lengyel. Cinematography: Charles Lang. Art direction: Hans Dreier, Robert Usher. Film editing: William Shea. Costume design: Travis Banton. Music: Friedrich Hollaender.

In Ernst Lubitsch’s Angel, you can almost feel the Production Code censors breathing hotly down the director’s neck, driving some of the oxygen out of the room. What’s meant to be a light and airy sophisticated comedy, like for example Lubitsch’s pre-Code masterpiece Trouble in Paradise (1932), often feels starchy and coy. The emigrée grand duchess played by Laura Hope Crews is clearly a high-class procuress and her “salon” a very upscale brothel that enables a “fling” by Lady Maria Barker (Marlene Dietrich) with a curiously naïve Anthony Halton (Melvyn Douglas). Their affair never seems to get consummated, although there are the usual narrative jumps when the relationship comes to the boiling point. And of course the Code’s aversion to divorce and abhorrence of any sign that adulterers might get away with it unpunished means that the film must end with Lady Maria and Sir Frederick (Herbert Marshall) happily reconciled. We’re used to such evasions in Hollywood movies of the 1930s through the 1950s, but it’s a little depressing to see them stifle Lubitsch’s usually sublime naughtiness. Sometimes it feels as if Dietrich is to blame: She never really strikes sparks with either Douglas or Marshall – certainly not the way Greta Garbo does with Douglas in Ninotchka (1939) or Miriam Hopkins with Marshall in Trouble in Paradise. But lovers of Lubitsch have plenty to enjoy in Angel, chiefly the way the director subverts expectations. When Sir Frederick invites Halton, an old war buddy, to dine with him and his wife, who neither man knows is the “Angel” Halton met in Paris and has been rhapsodizing about ever since, we expect a big explosion, especially when the husband points out his wife’s picture to her lover. But just as Halton is about to look at the photograph, Lubitsch cuts. We don’t see the awkward encounter between wife and lover we expect when she comes downstairs to meet the guest. Instead, we pick up with them later and realize that both have exerted exceptional self-control at the meeting. And we don’t see the three of them at the dinner table; instead, Lubitsch takes us into the kitchen, where the servants are wondering why neither Lady Maria nor Mr. Halton has touched their food. Lubitsch leaves to our imagination scenes that other directors would have milked shamelessly. In another example, at their first encounter Maria and Halton are in a Parisian park at night, and after he proclaims his love for her he spots an old woman selling violets. He goes to buy the flowers, but Lubitsch holds the camera on the old woman, whose expressions tell us what’s going on: Maria has chosen the moment to disappear and we hear Halton calling out “Angel!” in his pursuit of her. The flower seller sighs and picks up the dropped bouquet, dusts it off, and puts it back with the other flowers, then turns and walks away. Similarly, Lubitsch doesn’t linger on the reconciliation scene between Maria and Frederick: They simply walk out the door, headed for Vienna and what we hope is a revived marriage. In the end, these “Lubitsch touches” aren’t quite enough to lift Angel out of the middle tier of the director’s films, but they constitute its saving grace notes.  

gifs from gingerastaire