#InConversation

[mudkissphotography]

RICK ASTLEY IN CONVERSATION' WITH DAVE HASLAM

We attended An Evening With Rick Astley at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on Monday night, October 7th, 2024, as Rick was being interviewed about his soon-to-be-released autobiography 'Never". Rick, as many people know, hails from the small village of Newton-le-Willows. Coincidentally, that's where I'm from too, and we attended the same school. I also knew some of his family and former bandmates. Everyone has a story about Rick when you are from Newton. He put Newton le Willows on the map.

The evening was captivating, filled with humorous anecdotes and some poignant reflections on his unconventional childhood. It was just me and Rick's photographer capturing the event. I only shot for about 10-15 minutes, trying to get different angles, which was a challenge since the seating arrangement meant shooting from the back of the hall. After that, I returned to my seat to enjoy the rest of the conversation.

"With the talented interviewer Dave Haslam steering the conversation, he led Rick, now 58, on a nostalgic journey through various fascinating topics."

You can read more here:

Use of these images in any form without permission is illegal. If you wish to use or license any images please contact mel@mudkissphotography.co.uk

All work copyright Melanie Smith/ Mudkiss Photography All Rights Reserved

[vickiabelson]

Bradley Whitford Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

It was a sweet reunion when 3 x Emmy-winner Bradley Whitford of The West Wing was surprised and serenaded by composer Snuffy Walden, with the show’s Emmy-winning theme. They share quite a bit of history, having also done Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Last night Snuff and I binged the pilot episodes of both shows and were astounded by how timely they still are. Bradley and I discussed his storyline in that first West Wing, which could’ve been ripped out of today’s headlines. We also talked about Studio 60 and the irony of Danny Trip’s confession to Matt Albie, played by Matthew Perry, about his drug slip. Bradley’s emotional remembrance of the show, its cast, and specifically Matthew’s comedic brilliance, and the pocket of sobriety for Matt that allowed for some of his best work. 

Bradley ain’t no Hollywood fluffernutter. Of progressive Quaker stock, his father, who worked at an insurance company, was the local president of Planned Parenthood before it was political, his mother was an outspoken advocate, and his brother, a conscientious objector.  Talk about an unusual childhood, he has an 85-year-old sister. Bradley came from a loving, functional home, and still became an actor. Now that’s an anomaly right there. 

We did a deep dive into the state of the union. Thoughtful, passionate, and in solution, Bradley puts his activism where his mouth is. We talked Trump, Musk, Kennedy, gender affirming care, Biden, Kamala, Hillary, Iran, immigration, how art will not save us, only politics will. And yet much of Bradley’s art is political. We spoke about The Handmaid’s Tale from innumerable angles. For me, arguably perhaps the greatest show ever on television, and his Commander Lawrence, is probably the most layered, complex character he’s portrayed. We talked about Elisabeth and their earlier connection in The West Wing, Anne Dowd, and how her spectacular performance inspired Margaret Atwood’s writing, The Testaments, for her. 

Bradley was far more interested in talking about current affairs and how essential it is that we do more than talk than he was in talking about his work. But we did squeeze in some time to discuss For Worse, the indie feature his bride, Amy Landecker, wrote, directed, and stars in alongside Bradley. His respect, love, and admiration to Amy are adorable to behold. Making the festival circuit and winning awards along the way, I can’t wait to see the film loosely based on their romance. 

I’m a fan. A great, big avid Bradley Whitford fan. The last time we met, it was at a big Hollywood soiree. He was equally as open, personable, unaffected, opinionated, and accessible as he was this day. As much as I adore his work, I’m grateful as hell for his humanity and advocacy. I hope to consider “What would Bradley do” a whole lot more moving forward. And speaking of hope, he has it in abundance… mix that with some fun, his learned recipe’s secret sauce, and there’s good reason to trust that there are better days ahead. It’s up to us, all of us, to make it so. 

This should be essential viewing for anyone in fear and despair. 

Bradley Whitford Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

Wednesday, 6/25/25, 2 PM PT, 5 PM ET

Streamed Live 

FB Replay 

& YouTube

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[gemsmith112]

The Fruit of Passion with Cardiologist Prof. Helen Eltchaninoff | Work-life Balance & Mentorship

Dr. Gemina Doolub interviews Professor Helen Eltchaninoff, a trailblazer in the field of interventional cardiology. They discuss her journey in the field, the importance of having a mentor, the challenges faced by women in cardiology, and the future of TAVI. Prof. Eltchaninoff emphasises the need for passion, hard work, and perseverance in pursuing a career in cardiology, and she also highlights the importance of having a work-life balance. Prof. Eltchaninoff shares her experiences teaching TAVI around the world and the joy of seeing young physicians excited to learn the technique. She believes that there is still room for progression in TAVI and explains the potential role of artificial intelligence in the field.. Whether you're a medical enthusiast or simply curious about the power of passion in your career, this video is sure to inspire and inform.

[famesaoirse]

Brilliant, or born out of sugar comas. We will just call them the same. Oh absolutely Ill do it with you. Exactly we live too far away to not soak up every second of this while we are here. No it is totally going to your head and that's ok.

You're the woman with the most brilliant ideas, Sersh. Given the setting, Elsa and Anna matching outfits sounds like the right thing to do, yeah? We'll have plenty of time for the teaching classes but who knows when we'll be able to come back here again. I promise to not let it go to my head when everyone mistakes us for the real Elsa and Anna, though.

[allycryz]

Deepish Dive into the word "Reticent"

For FFXIV Write prompt 4

Definitions

From the OED's historical thesaurus (info on that here)

Definition from 1825:

"Reluctant or disinclined to speak out or express personal thoughts and feelings freely; reserved in speech; given to silence or concealment."

Definition from 1877

"Of a thing: restrained in nature; subtle, muted."

From the American Heritage Dictionary:

adjectives:

Inclined to keep one's thoughts, feelings, and personal affairs to oneself

Restrained or reserved

Synonyms

unspeaking, speechless, mute, silent, mum, inconversable

secret, close, sparing, monastic, taciturn

peaceable, reserved

Antonyms

communicative, open-mouthed, confident, extroverted, talkative, outgoing, garrulous

Usage Debate

From the America Heritage Dictionary:

Usage Note: Reticent is generally used to indicate a reluctance to speak or divulge one's thoughts or feelings. Many commentators on usage have criticized its extended use to indicate other kinds of reluctance, including a reluctance to act. In our 2017 survey, 79 percent of the Usage Panel found unacceptable the sentence A lot of out-of-towners are reticent to come to the Twin Cities for a ballgame if there's a chance the game will be rained out. · When it is used in its standard meaning, “reluctant to speak,” reticent traditionally doesn't take an infinitive phrase with to as a complement, as in I was reticent to tell my colleagues where I would be spending my vacation. Over the past fifty years, though, this construction has become more common, and it enjoys a degree of approval—in our 2017 survey, 63 percent of the Panel accepted the sentence above. But since reticence is already about speaking or communication, reticent to tell is redundant and suggests that the writer has blurred reticent and reluctant. Many of our Panelists commented that reluctant would be a better choice: I was reluctant to tell my colleagues where I would be spending my vacation. Another option is to recast the sentence without an infinitive phrase: With my colleagues, I was reticent about where I would be spending my vacation or I was reticent about my vacation plans.

From Merriam-Webster:

We hate to break it to the language sticklers among us, but use of reticent as a synonym of reluctant—though it veers away from the word’s Latin origins in the verb reticēre, meaning “to keep silent”—is well established, and there is no reason to be reticent about employing it. In fact, reticent took on its “reluctant” sense a mere 50 years after first appearing in English in the early 19th century with the meaning “inclined to be silent or uncommunicative.” Though brows may furrow and lips may purse, the development of reticent’s newer meaning has some logic to it: English speakers first used reticent synonymously with reluctant when the context was speech, as in “he was reticent to talk about his past,” keeping the word close to its “silent” beginnings. Eventually, however, exclusive association with speech was abandoned, and one can now be reticent to do anything, even if it’s to admit that language is not immutable.

You May Also Check Out:

Tongue-tied, strait-laced, mumbudget, word-bound, say-nothing, tight-lipped

[pillowbeast]

Not having names for your ocs for a while is both really funny and really annoying/inconvenient. Like every time you bring them up inconversation or discussion you have to call them stuff like "Dragon TF OC" or "Renamon Cyber Dreamweaver" and you can't use acronyms that easily cos people aren't gonna know what the hell you're talking about

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[lunasilvis]

I've started keeping a notebook to list all the English words I do not know, and I think that's one of the most endearing + humblest things I force myself to do recently :*) a reason for not taking on the job in Canada is because I know I lack adequate C2-level English oral and reading skills. I hover between B2/C1-level mostly and manage to save myself when speaking to English-natives, but I hate that I'm still searching for words sometimes in the middle of conversation. Or tripping over words while reading, such as as "contending", "impede", "to probe", "inconversant" whatever. It just feels dumb and inarticulate. I should improve this for myself to grow professionally confident enough to work for a consulate-general either in Canada, US or Britain. To be fully adept and capable.

[atplblog]

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[yes-bernie-stuff]

◀ 18 MAI ▶ Les Trésors De La Foi

Et je vous rendrai les années qu'a dévorées la sauterelle, le jélek, le hasil, et le gazam, ma grande armée, que j'avais envoyée contre vous. Joël 2:25

Pertes surmontées

Oui, ces années perdues qui nous font soupirer nous seront rendues. Dieu est assez riche en grâce pour rendre les années qui nous restent à vivre aussi fécondes pour son service, que celles de notre inconversion, sur lesquelles nous portons deuil, ont été inutiles à sa cause. Les sauterelles de la mondanité, des retours en arrière, de la tiédeur, nous en venons à les considérer comme une terrible plaie. Si seulement elles ne s'étaient jamais abattues sur nous! Le Seigneur, dans sa bonté, nous en a délivrés, et nous sommes maintenant pleins de zèle pour son service. Béni soit son nom! Nos moissons de grâces spirituelles sont telles, que notre aridité d'autrefois est plus que compensée. Nos tristes expériences sont changées en fruits bénis et nous servent à en avertir d'autres. Nous sommes, par suite de nos anciens manquements, enracinés d'autant plus profondément dans l'humilité et la dépendance enfantine. Et la vigilance et la circonspection que nous avons acquises nous aident à rattraper plus sûrement le temps perdu. Ainsi, par un miracle d'amour, les années où le dévastateur avait tout dévoré peuvent nous être rendues. N'est-ce pas là une immense faveur? Croyons-le, et vivons en conséquence et nous le réaliserons, comme Pierre, qui devint un homme beaucoup plus utile après que sa présomption eût été guérie par la découverte de sa faiblesse. Seigneur, aide-nous! - Lire plus ici :

[libidomechanica]

And still

And pitying brothers, to Despair of records and swallow you wilt promiscuous with the eggs both inconversation, follow; let me back of dread, and life pleasures flower, tu—whoo! But the sacks, we soaped they are, and flutes have done: what it since more that straws, through desolation. I leaves are upon that I longing the Princess. Not for thing desire of; with me. I credit here she had; and settled eyes of prison.

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[hillingdontoday]

Seven authors unite for Hillingdon Libraries' 'Celebration of Love Stories' evening

Hillingdon Library service is gearing up to present a night to remember for all literature enthusiasts and romance aficionados with its first-ever 'Celebration of Love Stories' evening.   This special event, which marks the inception of the #RespectRomFic movement, promises to be a literary delight.   Seven extraordinary authors will grace the stage at the Compass Theatre, sharing their insights into the world of publishing, discussing their books, and delving into the captivating realm of love stories.   The evening's line up boasts an impressive roster of talent. The event will commence with an exciting debut panel featuring Alice Cavanagh, Jennifer Bibby, Florence Keeling, and Julie Haworth. Each of these authors brings a unique perspective to the table, contributing to the diverse landscape of romance fiction.   But the enchanting journey doesn't end there. After the interval, the stage will come alive with three further authors: Lorraine Brown, Sara Jafari, and Ore Agbaje-Williams. Each of these talented writers will share their passion for storytelling, and attendees can expect to be enthralled by their words and experiences.   The 'Celebration of Love Stories' evening promises to be a heartwarming and memorable event, bringing together avid readers, aspiring writers, and literary enthusiasts under one roof.   The event will take place on Thursday, 7th September 2023 at 6:30pm. Tickets cost £6 and can be purchased from Hillingdon Theatres.   #respectromfic #hillingdonlibraries #compasstheatre #hillingdon #london #westlondon #lovestories #lovestoriescelebration #romancefiction #authorsinconversation #authors #inconversation #bookeventlondon #literaryevening #booksandthecity #authorspotlight #readingcommunity #bookloversunite #bookishevent #booktalks #romancereaders #authorsonstage #writingcommunity #bookishexcitement #lovestoriesinbooks #meettheauthors Read the full article

[lovegates]

   “    i  think  you  should  be  worried  about  getting  lucky  .    “    she’ll  tantalize  back  ,  because  if  she  had  known  the  same  insoo  from  years  ago  ,  he  had  the  libido  that  would  be  yearning  out  for  a  fragile  touch  ..  whether  it  be  from  her  ,  or  somebody  else  .  the  claret  colored  drink  is  being  brought  up  to  her  lips  and  down  into  the  acid  of  stomach  ,  before  holding  the  glass  in  hand  as  amused  eyes  are  settled  on  his  hands  fidgeting  with  the  beef  .  was  so  inconversant  with  him  cooking  a  dinner  for  her  ,  she  had  thought  about  whether  this  was  a  hobby  he  had  picked  up  after  she  left  ,  or  if  it  was  something  that  came  naturally  to  him  that  he  just  never  showed  her  .  though  ,  male  had  a  talent  with  doing  just  about  anything  and  it  was  something  that  she  venerated  .  regards  the  way  snicker  will  come  out  in  a  breath  ,  almost  like  her  question  had  been  a  humorous  one  and  female  couldn’t  help  but  to  feel  as  if  this  was  something  she  could  have  avoided  if  she  just  kept  to  herself  .  guess  it  was  no  different  than  years  prior  where  she  felt  as  if  she  was  walking  on  a  tightrope  ,  terrified  to  ruin  a  saccharine  moment  between  the  duo  just  with  a  simple  communication  .    “    i  know  .  but  you  could  kiss  anybody  ..    “    and  that  he  will  ,  and  did  do  .    “    i  just  wanted  to  like  ,  get  on  the  same  page  .  how  you  feel  about  me  .  do  you  like  ..  see  a  future  with  me  ?    “    glass  is  being  put  down  as  she’ll  stand  onto  tiptoes  ,  teetering  over  to  where  he  stood  and  wrapping  her  arms  around  his  waist  from  behind  .    “    you  know  i  just  like  to  hear  it  from  you  .    “    was  it  wrong  of  her  to  expect  some  sort  of  affirmation  from  him  ?    surely  couldn’t  base  feelings  off  of  actions  ,  considering  his  past  ones  didn’t  put  him  in  the  best  of  graces  . 

              tiramisu  .  .  cheesecake  .  .  he  nods  along  and  makes  the  mental  note  to  message  a  friend  who  ‘  owes  him  a  favor  ’  about  secretly  stopping  by  later  on.  perhaps  the  night  wasn't  perfect  (  this  was  all  very  last  minute  and  thrown  together  as  the  hour  went  on  ,  though  still  unexpected  by  the  hands  of  insoo  )  but  he  knows  he  wants  to  try.  to  show  her  he's  making  the  effort  for  once  instead  of  offering  endless  empty  promises.  he  pulls  away  ,  slowly  ,  dressed  in  an  amused  smirk  by  her  taunting.  usually  ,  he's  the  the  one  sporting  such  behavior  but  he  figures  she's  really  enjoying  this  side  of  him.  “  we'll  see  ,  ”  he  returns  her  teasing.  “  if  you  get  lucky.  ”  it's  his  way  of  throwing  back  the  usual  behavior  she  gives  him.  then  ,  he's  back  at  the  grill  ,  focusing  his  attention  on  flipping  the  beef  before  her  question  steals  it.  he  doesn't  look  up  ,  busying  his  hands  with  the  way  he  monitors  the  food  cooking.  instead  ,  he  lets  out  a  faint  breathy  laugh.  “  how  do  i  feel  about  you  ?  ”  he  repeats.  this  was  routine  at  this  point.  anytime  a  moment  went  nicely  between  the  two  ,  there  was  always  that  genre  of  question  that  itched  to  be  asked  by  lola.  to  him  ,  it  was  incessant  ,  but  he  didn't  want  the  mood  to  grow  sour  so  easily.  trying  to  do  better  here  ,  he  reminds  himself.  “  i'm  cooking  for  you  .  .  i'm  kissing  you.  it's  kind  of  obvious  how  i  feel  about  you  ,  no  ?  just  tell  me  what  you  really  want  to  ask.  ”

[vickiabelson]

TODAY LIVE at 2 PM PT, 3x Emmy Award Winner, BRADLEY WHITFORD, who’s thrilled in The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Get Out, Transparent, most recently in The Handmaid's Tale (I'm in mourning since its finale), and every role he's graced in his illustrious career. I'm a huge fan of the actor and the man, who's an outspoken activist and humanitarian. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also charming, brilliant, and funny. Easy on the eyes, ears, and soul. 

I have a little surprise for Brad and for y’all. To say I’m eagerly anticipating this sitdown is a gross understatement. CANNOT WAIT. Please note the special time.

Bradley Whitford Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

Wednesday, 6/25/25, 2 PM PT, 5 PM ET

Streaming Live on my FB 

facebook.com/vickiabelson

& YouTube

youtube.com/@VickiAbelsonLive

Daily by Toni Vincent & @peter_and_paul_ Cartoons

[boysbygirls]

Labelling himself a ‘wannabe rockstar’, Red Flag is emphatic about how intrinsically music is woven into every aspect of his life, “I guess I view music as a little padding to stuff into the cracks in my day”. https://bit.ly/3RARKo3

Photography Jade Smith. Fashion Nathan Henry. Interview Hitashi Kamdar. Grooming Ciara Deroiste. Fashion Assistant Katya Vistiak.

Red Flag wears Jacket by Armand Base, Top and Shoes by Vivienne Westwood and Trousers by Emporio Armani.

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[photoshamanism]

Monetheism

Inspired by the beautiful art of Amy ( @photographybyajm) and the Duo Infernale of InConversation ;-)

[unsalientopinionsbot]

1. unsalient 2.unimportant 3. insignificant 4. trivial 5. nonessential 6. baseless 7. ill-conceived 8. inadept 9. inconversant 10. indifferent 11. insignificative 12. knowledgeless 13. low-profile 14. naive

I really need to have a electrical outlet installed right near the bath so I can charge my phone while I browse Tumblr while I bathe