#gin existing is my source of joy

[literallydavidblib]

very rushed birthday art for gin because i have to study and practice a ton but uh yeah happy birthday best boy

this was rushed so idk what an aligator looks like.. heh...

[mollyphoria]

Moodboard #3

I was not able to make another moodboard since February because there's not much difference from what I was feeling from back then to now. It was pretty much all the same. Still wanting to get away and have freedom, yk same old shit but it wouldn't be a surprise that some things did change throughout this 5 mos like :

My lovely Calico cat Jimina gave birth to 5 kittens originally. She was pregnant at the start of this year and blessed the world with 5 cute mini jiminas on March 9 (same birthdate of BTS Suga)

3 of the kittens inherited her orange and white fur while the other one inherited the dark, striped fur completely devoid of any white fur. Only one kitten out of 5 got her triple color coated fur.

Sadly only 3 survived. Jimina hid the kittens briefly first and then abruptly one day she brought them up again already grown up, able to walk and with their eyes open but she only had 3 kittens with her. I never got to find out what ever happened with the other 2 babies with one of the missing of the kittens was the one that fully inherited the Calico cat status of Jimina which devastated me the most and I'm still heartbroken to this day that some of her babies didn't get to live like their siblings. I don't want to think that they died, I want to actually believe that they somehow survived without their mother miraculously but it's only the plausible reason why they never showed up at all 😞

The 3 surviving kittens tho is a lot of fun! They were rumbustious and full of energy. They were always playing and running around in my mom's garden. Climbing up a tree or an orchid branch, playing hide and seek through the plethora of plants. It was a treat to see them just having fun and I took lots of videos. I decided to name them after the BTS maknaes nicknames which is Kookie, Mochi and TaeTae. All 3 kittens have a very distinct personality from each other like you could immediately tell that Kookie is more introverted than the other two, his more reserved and prefers to be alone most of the time, TaeTae is more adventurous and playful but he doesn't trust that easily while Mochi on the other hand is the most extroverted and trusting out of all (FYI: I named them first without knowing their personalities believe it or not). Overall they brought so much life and extra joy in me. Now that they are 4 mos old, they don't play that much anymore, I guess it's really part of growing up regardless of what species. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now onto my summer. I was dreading it's arrival. It's not fun when you don't have an AC at your house in the hottest season. But anyways this summer I've been having this strong desire to experience Italian summers. I just wanted to be in Italy soooooo bad. I just want to ride my bicycle anywhere in rural Italy in a summer floral dress and eating a delicious gelato after while listening to Love my way by the Psychedelic furs. Yes this strong desire got even stronger after watching the movie Call me by your name. It envoked so much nostalgia within me which is weird because I've never set foot in Italy before but the feeling of longing that I experience just thinking about spending your summer in Italy is very strong.

Additionally, speaking of bicycles I successfully finished my remodeling or rather repainting of an old bicycle we have here which is perfect for summer aesthetics. I mentioned before on my previous moodboard back in February that I was in the process of painting this bike and I included a picture of a bike that I would like my own bike to look like after I'm finish with it. And I'm very happy and satisfied with the end result overall! And I would love love to ride it around Italy!...... perhaps.

These are 3 of the most impactful things that had rocked my world within the past few months and they are in a form of a documentary, an animated podcast and an anime film!

1. Grey Gardens

I first discovered Grey Gardens when I was actively looking for any good documentary to watch so I went to Reddit recommendations and one user suggested grey gardens. Its description peaked my interest enough to go check it out and luckily the full documentary is uploaded in YouTube for free. And I must say I'm glad that I took the chance to watch this wonderful hidden gem!

Little Edie quickly got my full attention on her. She's one of the most wonderful and fascinating people to exist in our world and her mother big Edie was just as interesting of a character as well. The way they live their life, spending most of their time in a rundown mansion near a beach was truly a sight to behold in a weird, peculiar manner.

What gives me the most profound impact about this documentary is the topic of wasted youth with wasted potential and the ironic part when your very own lifeline equally imprisons you as well. And we see this most evidently with little Edie. There was a part in this doc that stuck with me the most and it's when the mother-daugther duo was sunbathing in the balcony and little Edie mentioned about wanting freedom from her mother and the grey gardens then big Edie answered:

"you can't have freedom when you're being supported"

And this has struck a chord on me so strong because I relate to it so much especially with my current situation. I also crave freedom from where I am right now but I couldn't because I'm not capable of freeing myself.

What's more tragic was little Edies rebuttal to her mother's hotknife realistic take which was you can't have freedom both ways. That you couldn't have freedom when you're not being supported as well. And it's very true. If you decide to go out in the world by yourself you will definitely be freed from the shackles of your former home & life but you will subject yourself to another imprisonment.

Basically We're never truly free in this life.

2. The Midnight Gospel

I think I've heard of TMG when it was about to launch on its release year and I remember i was anticipating for it to come out because i just took one look at the official poster & I knew I would like the animation then I learned Pendleton ward is a part of it & I'm a huge fan of his creations so it's a double treat but I didn't had the opportunity to watch it back then bcoz of my busy shitty life & I actually don't have Netflix. But I remember i downloaded one of its ost first things first.

Now fast forward to this year. I now have the time to watch every content out there that I missed from all the years of slaving my life away for absolutely nothing. one of those is TMG & it was a perfect timing. Ever since i took an hiatus from the rat race I decided to strengthen my spirituality & this time I want to try delving deep to Buddhism and certain philosophies which I don't have the time and energy to learn before and TMG was a great and perfect medium for me to learn further about this subjects as they tackle topics like mindfulness and meditation and much more other significant things, not to mention the superb,epic, psychedelical, full of awesomeness animation on top of equally superb awesome soundtracks is*chefs kiss ( I still have an LSS to the prisoner's song.. 🎵drinking blood from a stump of a prison guard that I just chopped up....🎶)

I felt like the universe intended for me to watch this later than sooner because if I had the opportunity to watch it back then, I think I wouldn't/couldn't appreciate this show as much as I do now. So thanks universe!

TMG is honestly one of the best show to ever grace the planet imho. An easily perfect 10/10 for me.

3. To the Forest of Firefly Lights

Now I've watched a lot of animes last and this year and I can tell in full confidence that this is the best of them all. I'm sure it's subjective but this one checked all the box for the most compelling story & amazing artwork for me.

Maybe I long for something similar with the characters, It was just so fascinating and huntingly beautiful to have someone or something (whatever your preference is) from a different realm to be by your side. Maybe I would also like to look forward for summer season to come for once, to get excited and get rejuvenated on a hot summer that otherwise would make my life hell. Or maybe and most definitely I just needed someone like Gin as a source of my utmost happiness and comfort.

Overall this anime had made me feel so much warmth in my heart with its unadulterated poignancy and I just couldn't get enough of it. What a masterpiece ✨

Ps: I recommend listening to Warning Sign by Coldplay after watching to the Forest of Firefly Lights 🌹Check it out ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

[bylillian]

So you think you’re in a pandemic? You are. And as someone who grew up learning how to plan for things like  this, the Cool Mom Eats team asked me to put together a helpful guide to keeping the family fed (and possibly entertained) during a potential quarantine.

So let’s jump right in.

To panic-shop or not panic-shop. That is the question.

You don’t need to fill your entire garage with toilet paper, although I truly commend you on preparation, should you be on an extreme high-fiber diet.

There are some items you should keep stocked though — but not just for times of home quarantine. As a recovering prepper, I found my “apocalypse pantry” a life saver after a tumultuous divorce, for example. And hey, who doesn’t want bragging rights at being able to fashion an Apple Brown Betty or chocolate chip cookie bars while the world freaks out? Just me?

(It’s just me, isn’t it.)

In seriousness though, I want to focus on the items you really need. But first, let’s get the pantry you already have, organized and ready for stocking.

While this is not a comprehensive list of absolutely everything you’ll need in your pantry/kitchen to feed your family, I assure you it’s a very workable list for you to get started. And if this all blows over faster than we thought, hey, you just saved yourself trips to the market in April and May.

Related: Beyond toilet paper: A helpful list of unexpected items to stock up on in case of a quarantine

Pantry prep: Start with a thorough purge

Before you load up the minivan with instant soup mix, there are a few things you’ll want to do first.

– First, know that this is not about Pinterest. If you are stacking items on top of each other, or making the use of every crevice of a small pantry, do it! Your food does not have to be arranged by color to make a beautiful ombre rainbow.

You are feeding your family, not entering a Instagram competition.

–Clean your shelves. If it’s been a while, can’t hurt to take everything out, give those shelves a good wipe down, and start fresh.

–Search for expired jars of food. Botulism can be a real problem here, and that twist-off can of pickled beets from 2016 isn’t sparking joy. Toss. (Of course keep in mind expiration and use-by dates aren’t always 100% accurate. As for those almost-expired pickles or that box of healthy cereal you hopped your kids would eat but they never did…that’s up to you. First, read this helpful article on food and expiration dates from Consumer Reports.

I’m not a gambler, so my instinct is generally to toss, but CR reminds us that “Nonperishable items like grains and dried and canned goods can still be used well past their label dates.”

–Organize items with the oldest in front. New items go behind existing food. Rotation is the key to a successful apocalypse pantry! Note: I’m currently living in a small apartment and by following the precepts below and being diligent with keeping track of and using my storage, have a four-month supply for me and my teenage son and our pets. It’s doable, it just requires a little forethought and organization

And hey, face those labels out. Not for Pinterest — for you.

– Group food in a sensical way. If you’re used to just shoving the microwave popcorn in front of the soup cans, in front of the flour container, maybe reconsider that. Grouping your foods by category (baking, breakfast, snacks, and so on) makes it easier to know whaat you have and what you need.

Now let’s go shopping!

Related: How to organize spices: 6 easy ideas that let you find what you need, when you need it.

The staples you want to stock

Here are my recos:

–Rice, dried beans, cereals, sugar, all-purpose flour and pasta last forever and are top of my list. Cereals are not just breakfast food. Same goes for dried oats and/or grits. Pasta is the real workhorse here, because of one simple reason: calories. If you need to stretch pantry items for multiple meals, you want foods that can get you to your calorie requirements with as little volume as possible, and here pasta is the waist-thickener you want. If you end up with sick people in your house, they’ll need calories to fight their way back to health.

–Biscuit/pancake mix is terrific for all meals, and don’t believe the old wive’s tale of it turning deadly after expiration, unless you have a highly rare mold allergy. Just keep it tightly sealed.

–As far as protein, it’s good to have frozen meats, poultry, fish… more on that below.

– I’d also grab those big jars of peanut butter if you can have nut butters in your home. (I’ll leave it between your family members to come down on the chunky/creamy side.) Protein sources are needed, and not everyone can tolerate (or want) beans, beans, the magical fruit multiple meals a week.

A good selection of protein-packed snacks

– More protein ideas: Don’t overlook options like canned tuna, sardines, jerky, and if all else fails, protein powder.

–As for canned fruits and veggies, 20 cans each of canned fruits and vegetables are a great starting point for your apocalypse pantry. They can liven up meals in a big way.  Fruit and veggie juices are also great additions, and coconut milk will make that 40-pound bag of rice way more enticing, come mealtime.

–Dried milk comes in handy, for cereal eaters and coffee drinkers alike. Also, get a couple of bulk containers of powdered drink mix like lemonade or fruit punch. The kids can get bored of plain water pretty fast.

–Jarred sauce isn’t a bad idea; get a variety of flavors. If you’re coming down with something and have people depending on you for meals who can’t cook themselves, you don’t want to spend all day at the stove stirring homemade sauce. While you’re at it, check your spice rack and make sure you have all the dried herbs you need to make that sauce more like homemade. (More below)

These are nerve-wracking times demanding thoughtful caution, but that doesn’t mean we have to eat like animals.

Stocking the freezer

Let’s turn some attention to the freezer.

I know we don’t all have massive storage in the kitchen; for what it’s worth, I have a small, apartment-sized fridge and have managed to stock 20 days worth of meat and veggies for myself and my son.

–Fresh berries and veggies like peas can be broken into smaller freezer bags and laid flat to freeze, and they stack wonderfully.

–If you’re a meat eater, load up on things that freeze well like chicken thighs and hearty cuts of beef and pork. Buy in bulk and break into portions to go in freezer bags. Plus, it’s easier to store and stack.

–Lord, be a ghost pepper on that raw chicken! I advise you season your raw meat with a marinade now and save time later. Plus, spices like jerk seasoning and other pepper-based spices are a preservative and inhibit microbial growth! You season your food not to replace proper cooking methodology, but also to enhance the flavor.

(And for the love of your gut, chicken sushi is not a thing, and y’all need to stop it.)

Don’t forget pets!

Should we face weeks or a full month of disruption in stores (remember, I’m an apocalypse planner), you don’t want your pets to suffer. How much do they eat in a day?

Multiply that by 30, and that’s what you need to have on hand. Don’t forget treats, supplements, litter, whatever else they need on a monthly basis.

Next-level pantry prep

These are the things that will make pantry food suck less, so take good notes.

–Stock up on dried spices. Garlic salt is everyone’s friend. Ditto to curry powder, ginger, cinnamon. Tarragon will liven up thawed chicken.

–Coconut milk with rice is another way to perk up bored taste buds.

–Bouillon for soup or as seasoning is always a great idea, and don’t overlook options like mushroom and onion bouillon as an alternative to chicken or beef.

–Items that will enable you to impress your family (or at least keep things interesting) include a variety of cooking oils, shortening for pie crusts, baking items for treats.

-Don’t forget fancy snack ingredients like chocolate chips, shredded coconut, condensed milk, graham crackers and the like.

When the kids are bored on day ten of self-quarantine, making a fresh batch of oatmeal-raisin cookies will eat up a lot of their time, and then while they’re recovering from sugar shock, you can grab the leftovers for yourself.

–Fresh herbs are a huge boon. Liz wrote about that here, including tips for apartment-dweller who may want to start a windowsill herb garden.

–Are you a coffee drinker? Do you like cream in it? You may have to resort to powdered creamer in a pinch, so be sure you have that on hand. Same for tea.

–As for water, please! There’s no need to hoard bottled water. Plus we all should be taking steps to reduce our single-use plastic. If that’s not top-of-mind right now, think about it economically — for the price you’d pay for a month’s worth of bottled water, you could easily buy a 2-gallon water filtration pitcher ($45 from our affiliate Amazon) for your fridge or a faucet-mounted filter.

We don’t have to hasten environmental collapse while coronavirus is going on, after all.

In summary:

Don’t Panic Rotation Spices and Seasonings Teach the kids to play gin rummy

We’ll get through this, and we’ll do it without resorting to MREs and Red Dawn-level terror.

Also, wash your hands!

Laura Stone, a descendant of pioneer polygamists from the early days of the Mormon Church, keeps busy as a Master Gardener, author coach and novelist. While the majority of her family still lives in Utah, she resides in her home state of Texas because it’s where the good tamales are.

[seductresses-temple]

Figuring Things Out

So, most people that follow me wouldn’t know this unless they’ve been following my main blog ( @glo-up-goddess) for an absurd amount of time but I actually created my main page when I was in a really dark place. I was spiraling and struggling with depression as I fell deeper and deeper into an abusive relationship. The night I made my main page I was actually at my abuser’s bedside while they were in the hospital for a week and the moment I left just to run home and shower, grab a change of clothes, they had “the other woman” swing by and out the door in the forty minutes I was gone. I turned to Tumblr out of a mixture of insomnia, helplessness, and desperation. Never in my life would I have imagined starting a second blog, a Drarry blog for all my writing, and never would I have suspected that I would grow to meet such lovely people and make such wonderful friends. But I did! As I watch my following continue to grow and far surpass my wildest dreams, I’m filled with so much renewed love for the beautiful, tremendous souls I have encountered within the fandom over the years. So many of you have touched my life both knowingly and unknowingly and I am forever grateful for you all. This story is dedicated to @xx-thedarklord-xx someone whos work has been a great source of joy for me in some incredibly dark times. So, since I know you like Blairon? Raise? Bon? I have no idea what the hell their ship name would be, but I wrote you some Blaise/Ron, Sam, because your work has been really important to me, specifically this past year as I’ve been figuring some things out for myself. So, without further ado:

Figuring Things Out

Pairing: Blaise Zabini/ Ron Weasley, background Drarry, Pansmione, and Linny

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Mildly dubious consent (Ron was drunk when something happened but he did know what he was doing even if he was totally embarrassed by it after the fact because of all the confusing implications. But I still feel like it warrants a warning).

“When Gin first told me her and Harry broke up, well, I hate to admit I was a bit sad, you know? Harry’s like a brother to me and just about the only bloke I thought I could trust my little sister with but sometimes things don’t work out the way you expect it to. Harry ran off with the Ferret and insists he’s people now just because he’s his husband. ‘Mione and I split and clearly Harry gave her way too many ideas ‘cause she goes and marries the scariest witch of her age, yeah, I’m looking at you, Parkinson! But today, I am proud, honored, and delighted to be standing by my sister’s side as she brings the loveliest, most pure-hearted witch into our family,” Ron raised his glass, grinning from ear-to-ear.

“Everyone, please raise your glasses for a toast to Mrs.Ginny and Luna Lovegood!”

The Great Hall burst into a roar of laughter, congratulations, and clinking glasses, and even with his heart with nothing but love for those around him, Ron couldn’t help feeling the nagging loneliness settling over him like a second skin with guilt following after it like a wet blanket. He should be able to stay happy for the entire day. He was happy. His little sister just got married, to the love of her life, and he was happy for her. Honest. But, it didn’t change the fact that as the years went on Ron just felt...left behind.

When Draco and Harry had eloped, that was one thing. They’d left for a Potions Masters conference in France that Draco had to attend and came back as Harry and Draco Malfoy-Potter. It was spur of the moment and easier to keep it out of the press was the excuse they’d given everyone but anyone that knew them knew they were just young, in love, and passionately reckless. They had a small, intimate ceremony among friends to celebrate (and apologize) and lived their life as the first newlyweds in the friend group. It had been fine, even when Ron and Hermione had broken up and Ron was a bachelor for the first time since he was a teenager.

Ron kept telling himself it was for the best which was true. Ron and Hermione had realized their relationship was going nowhere. They still loved each other, of course they did. The two of them had so much history together, that wasn’t going to go away overnight, but they didn’t love each other that way anymore. They noticed it slowly at first, the distance, the ‘going through the motions’ of it all, and then it hit them all at once watching Draco and Harry together, so in love, and building something great. Ron and Hermione had love for each other but they hadn’t been in love for a long time and after a long, difficult talk, they both agreed they needed more and deserved better.

Six months down the line Hermione had her first date with Pansy, on a stupid dare from Draco.

Four years later they were married and beginning the adoption process. Hermione’s version of ‘more’ was a happy wife, a Ministry job where she was making real change, and twin four year old boys that kept her and Pansy more than busy.

Now Ginny and Luna were sailing away into their ‘Happy Ever After.’

It seemed like the only one that couldn’t find their happy ending was Ron.

Needing just a quick reprieve from the festivities, Ron slipped away while his mum and Hermione were both smothering Ginny and Luna with hugs and words of ‘married woman wisdom’ or whatever it was they were doing. He inhaled deeply, stepping out onto the front lawn of Hogwarts and just basking in the familiarity of it all. With Luna being the new Divination professor it just seemed natural to have the wedding at a place that meant so much to everyone in attendance but Ron hadn’t been back at Hogwarts in years. While Hermione had been adamant about attending their ‘8th year,’ Ron decided his time was better spent at the joke shop with George. It started out as a way to keep an eye on his older brother after they’d lost Fred but, over time, Ron learned he had a knack for business. It was working with George that gave him the courage and confidence to open the Fred Weasley Institute, a small wizarding primary school specifically catered to kids like Fred and George who didn’t get on so well with traditional learning but were still bloody fucking brilliant. It was small, but, Ron thought Fred would have been pretty damn proud.

“Ah, lucky, me. I stumble out for a smoke and a breath of fresh air and who do I find but the handsomest Weasley? Course Potter thinks Charlie’s the heartthrob of the family but he married Draco, it’s quite clear he has poor taste in men,” a voice drawled from behind him. Ron didn’t have to look back to know it was Blaise Zabini and he quietly cursed at every deity he could think of in the thirty seconds it took Zabini to stride over to him.

“Zabini,” Ron was pleased his voice cooperated with him just enough to not crack, waver, or squeak. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep from doing anything monumentally stupid like he had the last time he’d been alone with the git.

“Back to a last name basis, are we?” Zabini purred, stalking around him slowly like an animal on the prowl until they were face to face, his deep brown eyes shining with an intensity that always seemed to root Ron to wherever he stood.

Ron cleared his throat, trying desperately and failing miserably to pretend that Blaise Zabini hadn’t been making him question his sexuality for the past year. “S’not like we’re friends,” he muttered for lack of anything better to say.

Zabini tsked, smirking down at him “Well true, but still, if a man has had your cock in his mouth at one point or another, you’d think you could do him the decency of calling him by his given name. I sullied a perfectly good pair of trousers getting down on my knees for you at the Leaky that night, Ronald,” Zabini tsked again and all Ron could do was groan, immediately feeling his ears and face go hot.

It had been one time!

So what if Ron still thought about the look in Zabini’s eyes when he’d slid down to his knees and asked him if he was sure. And so what if Ron still sometimes thought about that incredible thing Zabini knew how to do with his tongue. It didn’t matter. It had all been a drunken mistake fueled by a single man’s jealousy after Harry had to leave the Leaky early to take his very drunk husband home. He had been completely sloshed and ranting to Zabini about how everyone was moving on, getting married, and he was single, hadn’t had a date in ages, and hadn’t had sex in Merlin only knew how long...next thing he knew...he was in a bathroom stall having a very serious, very slurred conversation with his subconscious as Zabini made him come so hard he saw stars.

He then proceeded to ignore Zabini’s existence for an entire year.

The only person he ever told was Hermione because Harry did silly things like tell his husband everything and that didn’t work out in Ron’s favor when his husband just happened to be the best friend of the man Ron was trying to avoid! He had no idea why he hadn’t anticipated Zabini being at the wedding. He and Ginny were actually quite good friends nowadays and of course he’d get invited because of Draco and Harry if nothing else. Ron just hadn’t expected him to stroll out to the front lawn in an all black suit that looked perfectly tailored to his body, with his locs swept up into the most perfect bun Ron had ever seen, smelling like sandalwood and tangerines and...Ron groaned again, wishing the ground would swallow him up or the Giant Squid would just reach up and chuck him into the Great Lake.

“I like that other noise you make,” Zabini murmured against Ron’s ear.

Ron hadn’t even realized how close he’d gotten, too caught up in the cataclysmic meltdown going on in his head.

“Well, I should be heading back before the Grand Divas known as Pansy and Draco wonder where I’ve gone off to, but, here,” Zabini slipped something into his breast pocket before placing an oddly chaste kiss to his cheek and sauntering back into the castle as if none of it had happened.

Gobsmacked, Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. Zabini’s number was written on the front and, turning it over, there was a small message on the back:

When you’ve got it all figured out, give me a ring. -Z

Ron smiled despite himself, slipping the card back into his pocket and heading back into his sisters wedding reception. He had no idea whether he’d call Zabini or not, but, he supposed he was in the process of figuring things out.

[johnboothus]

We Asked 15 Brewers: Whats the Most Comforting Beer Youve Had in Quarantine?

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, and bars and brewery taprooms remain closed for on-site consumption as part of concerted efforts to suppress the infection’s spread, you’re likely drinking more than usual at home.

A few weeks ago, we looked at the growing trend of beer enthusiasts digging into their cherished collections and opening special bottles during quarantine. But in these uncertain times, it turns out that many of us — including brewers — are reaching for what’s easy, as well as what comforts us in these uncertain times.

While social distancing, we spoke to 15 brewers about what they’ve been drinking while sheltering in place. It turns out, they’re reaching for everything from bourbon-barrel-aged barleywines to triple-hopped lagers — and yes, hazy IPAs.

“It’s a simple answer: Sante Adarius’ Amongst Friends, a barrel-aged, mixed-fermentation beer with cherries. Featuring soft, subtle acidity, which is rare amongst cherry mixed-ferm beers, this wasn’t bracing in any way. And it was gone from my glass too soon, just like times spent with close friends, cooking up tacos or pizza when general revelry was involved. A beer I wish I had been able to share amongst more friends, but look forward to in the future.” — Zac Ross, Owner and Brewer, Marlowe Artisanal Ales, New Haven, Conn.

“The most comforting beer I’ve had during quarantine is easily the All Together IPA, a worldwide collaboration spearheaded by Other Half that’s supporting hospitality professionals. Since I’ve been self-isolating down in Miami the past month, I picked up the version brewed by Tripping Animals, and wow, did this beer have me missing Brooklyn more than ever. It immediately reminded me of riding the G train all the way to the Smith & 9th Streets stop, and taking a routine photo of the Manhattan skyline before taking the short walk over to Other Half. I’m looking forward to the day that I can get back to the city, but until then I‘ll bide my time in Florida and watch people make bread.” — Kyle Gonzales, NYC Field Marketing, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn

“I’m drinking some funk right now, because that’s what we like and focus on. We had a couple of collaborations that we had to shelve the first week of shutdown in Minnesota. One of those collaborations was with Branch & Bone Artisan Ales. A few weeks prior, their team sent us their house yeast culture along with a few of their bottles. One was Silence Mill, a gin-barrel-aged, mixed-fermentation saison with local honey. I had this beer in Chicago at FOBAB, where it medaled, and then had one last night after a long day of delivering beer, doing what we can to keep the doors open. The beer reminded me of simpler and less chaotic times.” — Jason Sandquist, Co-founder, Wild Mind Artisan Ales, Minneapolis

“I’ve had a love affair with Oxbow’s Italian-style pilsner Luppolo since my first sip, and it’s everything I want in a beer: crisp, citrusy, floral, malty, and dry AF. The head’s incredibly pillowy and fluffy, which always makes me smile. With a lot more free time on my hands, Luppolo is perfect at 5 percent ABV because I need to treat each day like a marathon, not a sprint. It’s my safety beer even when the world isn’t turned upside down.” — Jen Wyllie, Director of Marketing and Events, Austin Street Brewery, Portland, Me.

“Jarl by Scotland’s Fyne Ales is a session blonde ale hopped with Citra that you can drink throughout the afternoon and well into the evening. However, don’t be fooled by it’s low 3.8 percent ABV; Jarl is packed full of citrus flavors and a really clean, refreshing finish. And what has elevated it into my top lockdown tipple is its availability in 5-liter mini-casks, meaning you can pour yourself a full pint (remember them?) within the comfort of your own home! Which, if you’re like me and you’re missing pubs and well-kept cask beer, this really will provide you with some comfort.” — Harriet Edgar, Brand Development, 71 Brewing, Dundee, Scotland

“You would think that drinking during quarantine would mean a beer you can crush throughout the day, but I’m a hophead at heart. My usual go-to is a clean, crisp, refreshing West Coast IPA. Yet during this lockdown, my faith in hazy IPAs has been restored with Equilibrium’s scientific approach to the fundamental process of brewing. Its dHop series, for example, is a perfect display of how hops can change a beer, and I feel it keeps redefining the New England style with each release. Right now, I’m drinking a collaboration with Arkane Aleworks: For Every Action Is A Reaction. This triple IPA is bursting with tropical mango, papaya, and guava hop flavors, complemented by a creamy, pillowy, soft mouthfeel that keeps me coming back for more.” — Kyle MacDonald, Head Brewer, Inu Island Ales, Kaneohe, Hawaii

“Sierra Nevada and Bitburger’s collaboration, Triple Hop’d Lager. It’s perfectly balanced and endlessly drinkable with an incredible hop profile that lets you know you’re drinking a German beer. But it still flashes with a lot of Sierra Nevada character. Pilsner or hoppy lager has been a mainstay for me lately, and I think that’s just reflective of my current state of mind: trying to stay simple and balanced, but kinda freaking out too!” — Brett Smith, Founder and Head Brewer, Branch & Bone Artisan Ales, Dayton, Ohio

“That’s a super-easy one for me to answer: NYS Pils from Big aLICe in Queens [New York]. It’s super crisp and clean, soft and delicate; everything you would want from a pilsner. It’s a beer we love to drink and share with friends around a fire, which I am so looking forward to doing again!” — Liz DeSousa, Co-owner, Kismet Brewing Company, Westfield, Mass.

“Things are getting kind of crazy out there, and drinking Temporal Artisan Ales’ Ruby Continuum is a great distraction from the stress and pressures of our current environment. Ruby is a heavily fruited, oak-aged wild ale with raspberries and tayberries. The beer is a blend from wine and port barrels, giving it a layered complexity that takes my mind away from the here and now. It’s jammy. It’s bright. It’s tart. It’s what I want to drink right now.” — Kent Courtice, Founder and Brewer, Boombox Brewing Company, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

“Hitchhiker’s Bane of Existence hazy IPA has been my go-to comfort beer during this quarantine, which, as an extrovert, has been the bane of my existence, though I know it is 100 percent necessary. Brewed with flaked wheat and oats, and liberally hopped with Simcoe and Citra, Bane has an approachable hop bitterness and medium-full mouthfeel. Top notes of candied tangerine, mango, and passion fruit are supported by a resinous fresh-pine undertone, with citrus pith carrying through the finish. At 6.6 percent ABV, it’s quaffable and explains why I just finished the last of my stash. Hitchhiker was the last brewery I visited before the world shutdown, so I’m holding on tightly to those memories of sitting in its Sharpsburg taproom with some of my dearest friends, laughing, and being able to actually clink glasses in person instead of over Zoom.” — Hannah Gohde, Brewer, Free Will Brewing Company, Perkasie, Penn.

“The Lost Abbey’s Angel Share that I drank out of my cellar. The bourbon-barrel-aged version. I believe a 2009, when it was still in the 750-milliliter bottle. One of my favorite barleywines of all time. The dark fruit and bourbon characteristics that come across are amazing. Lost Abbey nailed that beer, in my opinion.” — Johnathan Wakefield, Owner and Head Brewer, J. Wakefield Brewing, Miami

“I’ve been drinking a ton of Silver City’s Ride the Spiral. I love Silver City for a ton of reasons, but it’s really heartwarming because my husband and I sat at their bar while we decided to buy our house in Bremerton, Wash., where we’re currently quarantined at. The beer is strong, sweet, and pretty tropical so it makes going on hikes in the woods behind my house a joy and is usually the only thing that gets me back!” — Sarah Flora, Owner, Flora Brewing, Los Angeles

“I’ve been trying to keep the drinking light during these times, so I‘ve been leaning toward lagers. Indoctrination is a great collaboration from Threes [Brewing of Brooklyn] and Hudson Valley [Brewery in Beacon, N.Y.]. This hopped-up pilsner is crispy AF and has a great body, created by aging in foudres. Also, it uses the super-fun Zuper Saazer hop. I’ve been drinking this one on my stoop daily. Cheers to everyone, stay home and stay safe.” — Geriz Rameriz, General Manager, Other Half Brewing, Brooklyn

“It’s hard not to go drink Triple Hop’d Lager with friends because it seems that’s what it’s made for. Consistency and creativity from two amazing breweries such as Sierra Nevada and Bitburger is what makes this a comforting beer to me during this dreary time. It’s crisp, clean, and perfect for porch sittin’.” — Matt Denham, Head of Brewing Operations, American Solera, Tulsa, Okla.

“Honestly, I wasn’t very excited to celebrate my 30th birthday in the thick of a pandemic, but I was able to hang with some of my best friends, one of whom was gracious enough to open a bottle of Side Project’s coveted stout, Beer: Barrel: Time. To describe it, think bourbon dark chocolate cake batter; silky and full of caramel, while having a touch of roasty bitterness, reminiscent of coffee. It was just a small gathering outside on a patio, but it was relieving to drink beer with a few of my closest friends during these strange times.” — Cameron Owen, Brewer, The Eighth State Brewing Company, Greenville, S.C.

The article We Asked 15 Brewers: What’s the Most Comforting Beer You’ve Had in Quarantine? appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/15-comforting-beers-quarantine/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/we-asked-15-brewers-whats-the-most-comforting-beer-youve-had-in-quarantine

[theaveragekenyan]

Eyes of a Stranger...

Especially in the workplace or on television you will soon notice that when discussing something important, Kenyan people like to make verbal lists.

These verbal lists occur in response to a question, for instance, during a conference, a quick meeting at work, a brainstorm, or in the case of television, a debate. Queue the spotlight to be turned, colleagues to shuffle their phones and throats to be cleared, this is that persons big moment.

So, the person will start off their answer with a completely irrelevant and tedious introduction stating their full name...“My given names are….” date of employment... “I’ve been working for....” their full day to day job description and duties... “What I do is....” and the obligatory reference to God “We give thanks to God for…..” 

Once the insignificance is over, the person will then move onto answering the actual question. This will involve repeating the question and then answering in a listed style, e.g “The reason we have so much Poverty in Kenya is because…Number 1….” and thus begins  the persons answer, an answer that will go on and on and on and on and on and on zzzzzzzzzz.

This initial answer will cover everything the person has ever known about anything loosely connected to the question. The person will continue to waffle so much they will lose track of the question and also forget that they set about answering the question with a numbered list. It is extremely rare the audience will ever get to hear point number 2.

If ever they do get to point “number 2….” I guarantee the next words they will say are “oh, hang on, I forgot to mention….” and we’re back to point number fucking one again…which will go on and on again until they start to bore themselves, at which point the answer will be wrapped up with an assured “so that’s all I have to say about that…thank you” cue enthusiastic applause and the fact that, in other parts of the world 30 minutes was spent doing something actually valuable. I dread to imagine if the person had the content to fill 5 points, I can only recommend blocking out 2 days for the meeting.

Of course, It’s possible to assume “Number 1” is the Number 1 and most important point and that the rest of the list is considered irrelevant. Another option, and this is the theory I find most likely, is that they heard somebody else say “number 1” and thought they’d copy.

Personally, I find there’s very little to copy in Nairobi. As you drive around the City, there’s very little to be inspired by. Don’t get me wrong, Nairobi is a vibrant and fascinating place to live, but the appeal doesn’t stem from architecture, design, originality or even surprisingly, a rich cultural identity. There’s very little of interest in Nairobi, compared to millions of other far less important places in the world. There are no beautiful bridges spanning a river, there isn’t a beautifully manicured park, there isn’t an area of outstanding design. Obviously the most beautiful sources of design and architecture all originate from nature. The people, the trees, the mountains, the flowers, the birds, the animals etc etc. Essentially very little man-made wonders exist, in fact I’d say none, which is sad considering the how long the city has existed for and in comparison to many other cities and towns around the world.

Sure, there are tons of ideas out there, but unfortunately Kenyan Governments have never sought to change societies outlook on such simple pleasures. I imagine any creative idea falls down flat at the corruption hurdle.  

In terms of identity, all of the other major Kenyan Towns and Cities all look the same. Nakuru, Naivasha, Eldoret, Kisumu, Kisii, Machakos, Wote, Nanyuki, Meru etc are all almost identical. Sure, the countryside and people have big variety, but the places themselves, on the whole, look exactly the same. Mombasa does look different in design, as it draws deeply from the Muslim culture, but the city itself is a huge disappointment and such a letdown for the huge potential it has.  

So, with very little to see it’s hardly surprising that the average Kenyan loves to stare at other people.

When I walk around, I look at the nature, the sky and of course mainly where I’m going, but when I do look around, what I see, is people staring at me.

As we move into the year of vision, 2020, the average Kenyan still loves to stare at white people, or maybe it’s just me.

I know to Kenyans, all Crackers look and sound the same…I think the worst comparison for me has been Wayne Rooney, but in all honesty, we’re not too far removed if you’ve drank 8 pints of Gin and have been dreaming of launderettes.

I do get stared at a lot though, really...certainly enough to get angry about it, definitely enough to have the nuclear option of “fuck you looking at?” in my locker. I really have to work hard at keeping that option for extreme measures only and I do keep it just for emergencies by understanding most Kenyans stare out of pure interest, curiosity, and in most cases, affection.

I have written before here that I enjoy to jog. This makes me an easy target for “starers”, pure game. How it plays out is like this; I’ll be running toward a group of people, they’ll be chatting away happily, but then as I come closer into their space, their chatting descends into complete silence and their stares begin. Then, only once I’ve passed, will their volume return to original levels and is often accompanied by great laughter and whoops of joy, and all because I ran past them.

I also enjoy walking in Nairobi, and when confronted with a “starer” the scene usually plays out in a similar direction, but with with more pathological pleasure for the “starer”

The “starer” will click their first “Initial Stare”, on average, the “Initial Stare” consumes around 4 seconds of me and I’m aware of it through my peripheral sight, ESP and darting snapshots back and forth of them. I ignore the “Initial Stare”

Then, the “Secondary Stare” takes focus. This stare is longer and extracts more of me, it can last anything up to 6 seconds, or at least until I break it by looking back into their eyes, thus causing an eye seizure in the “starer”. Moving on from the  “Secondary Stare”, we now develop into eye to eye warfare as we walk closer toward each other.

These can be quick, sharp retaliatory stares fired between as we cross each other’s pass, but this depends how interested the “starer” is.

Then, as soon as we’ve passed, without warning, in comes the “After Stare”.

The “After Stare” is for pure greed and sycophantic lust.

I now glance back, and this is when I start to defend myself by increasing my stare onto them, I call this the “Angry Goose Stare”.

Now, and for the very first time, the “starer” has something to genuinely stare at, however they are also properly confused and intimidated by the situation, “Why is this freaky looking white man staring at me…and why is he looking like an angry Goose?”

My retaliatory “Angry Goose Stare” works immediately and they cease their stare. However now, they’re thinking “Eh, what’s this silly Muzungu doing?”. So, they come back for more in the shape of the “Befuddled Stare”. 

The only way to disarm this confrontation and to stop myself going nuclear by shouting “fuck you looking at?” is to wind my head in, turn my frown upside down and smile like a Thai Tourist and say “Hiiiiiyer….yer alright duck?” in my friendliest Leicestershire accent. Immediately the “starer” is faced with a warm, welcoming, if a little disturbing, Muzungu and they then revert to their default setting of ‘Lovely Kenyan person’. I’m not sure if my methods are a solution to stopping staring, but it is certainly entertaining and provides a bit of light relief to the dull intensity of the surroundings.

In Nairobi, particularly in the CBD, smoking cigarettes is banned. If you want to spark up, the safest place to not get arrested is to smoke in one of the “Smoking Shacks”. I say, shack, because that’s the best way to describe them. The shack is a basic structure, I’d say the design was heavily influenced by the Vietnamese Torture Cages, perhaps the contractor saw ‘Rambo’ and thought what a great theme that would be for Nairobi’s smokers. I’ve never smoked in one and never would, they do have a great effect on stopping.

With this in mind, I feel the Government of Kenya should introduce “Staring Shacks”

These shacks would then become the focal point in Nairobi for unashamed “starers” to gather and practice their hobby with other like-minded individuals in a safe and designated area.

“Nairobi Starers” woud become the Facebook Group which would list where “Staring Shacks” could be found and where special meetings or events are happening. Perhaps there could be special meetings i.e “Muzungu Monday” “Wahindi Wednesday” “Freaky Friday” anything really, all fetishes would be welcomed.

I feel the shacks would add a new dimension to the staring scene and allow the hobby to become a little more like Train-spotting. It would instantly create a new culture within Nairobi and instead of “Culture Walks”, I’d suggest “Staring Walks”. Enthusiasts could walk from shack to shack and be with like-minded people in a non-judgemental environment, safe staring for the modern Nairobian.

EXT – ‘STARING SHACK’ 10 AM

WOMAN ENTERS “STARING SHACK” AND SITS DOWN NEXT TO HER FRIEND.

Agnes -                                    Sasa.

Brenda -                                  Poa.

Agnes -                                    Seen anything good yet?

Brenda -                                  Nah…pretty quiet so far.

Agnes -                                    I stared at a Muzungu on the way here.

Brenda-                                   Oh yeah?

Agnes -                                    Yeah, fairly standard really.

Brenda -                                  Was there any odd face?

Agnes -                                    Odd face? No, why?

Brenda -                                  Nothing really, just the last Muzungu I stared at,    looked like an angry Goose.

Agnes -                                    Wow, sounds strange…get a photo?

Brenda -                                  No…he smiled in the end, he was ok.

Agnes                                      I did have a good stare at a Kenyan man pushing a baby buggy.

Brenda -                                  No way….??

Agnes -                                    Straight up!

Brenda -                                  Where?

Agnes -                                    Lavington.

Brenda -                                  Obviously, bloody show off. Get a picture?

Agnes -                                    Yeah, did actually, let me find it – SHOWS PHOTOGRAPH

Brenda -                                  Oh yeah….that’s nice…good one.

Agnes -                                    Yeah, I’ll upload it to the Facebook group.

Brenda -                                  Did you see the photo I uploaded of the Indian Man and the Kenyan Lady?

Agnes -                                    What? I must have missed that, when was that?

Brenda -                                  About two weeks ago. I was in town and I was walking around the corner of Biashara Street and Moi Avenue, know where I mean?

Agnes -                                    No

Brenda -                                  Anyway, as I came around the corner I spotted them, large as life…. holding hands they were as well

Agnes -                                    What?

Brenda -                                  Totally…so I crossed over so I could, you know, get a few proper stares in like.

Agnes -                                    Amazing.

Brenda -                                  Then I carried on walking towards them…standard stare procedure really…so I pretended to be on my phone and that’s when I got this…SHOWS PHOTOGRAPH

Agnes -                                    Wooooah, Indian Man and a Kenyan women, insane…during the day as well…that is rare.

Brenda -                                  Yeah well happy with that photo.

Agnes -                                    So what happened then?

Brenda -                                  Well, they walked past, so I went in for the ‘after-stare’…You know… standard.

Agnes -                                    nice.

Brenda -                                  Yeah it was until the Indian man looks back around at me and says “Fuck you looking at?”

Agnes -                                    No way

Brenda -                                  Way.

Agnes                                      What did you say?

Brenda -                                  Nothing, I just carried on walking like nothing had happened.

THE END

Something for the illustrious Kenyan Nation to stare at and be genuinely proud about is long overdue.

And to be picky, I’m very sorry but, a long and wide ass road built by a foreign country, a Kenyan in Running Shoes or a Train track devastating wildlife doesn’t count. I’m talking about a safe and entertaining City Centre, a rejuvenated recreational Uhuru Park, a state of the Art Museum / Gallery that type of thing. Something original, uniquely Kenyan and not copied. Ah ok, sounds like my “Staring Shacks” will be up and running before any of that happens.

[mindfulwrath]

The Strange Case of Dr. Jones and Mr. Hector

I was hanging out in one of @fighteramy‘s streams and she played a song from the Jekyll and Hyde musical, which then caused me to listen to the whole soundtrack from the musical and instantly become obsessed with it, which then led to me re-reading the entirety of the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (it’s only 96 pages and you can find it online), and long story short, here’s a Lab Buddies fic in the style of Robert Louis Stevenson.

Pain was not the whole of what Lalna had retrieved from the memory upload, but it was a large part, and by far the most palatable. At first he had not noticed the rest, or at least not remarked upon it; it came in fits and sputters, like rain upon a window, and at first left as much impression. He had known, of course, about the murders; had kept a tremendously close eye on them, both as a matter of personal interest and out of regard for scientific professionalism; and he had at times been taken by flights of dream or fancy wherein he would picture the scene as it must have fallen out. These brought him no pleasure, or if they did, he quickly quashed it or assigned it a more noble source; curiosity, perhaps, was responsible, or a delight in the impossibly tangled question of how such a monstrous Athena could have sprung, fully formed, from the restrained and laconic forehead of Dr. Jones.

It was because of these dim fantasies, these besmirched dreams, that at first he did not recognize the thread of veracity slowly stitching them to his mind. If before he had conceived the scene in the third person, an impartial observer like the cameras on every street corner, now he saw them in the first; a foreshortening of perspective from above to below, a greater strength of sensory detail. It became easier to lose himself in the imagining, or the recollection—sometimes he would find that he had dozed at his desk, eyes open, hand loosely curled around some innocuous implement, a faint smile gracing his face. He would wipe the expression away with alacrity, displeased and in small part alarmed by his vicarious pleasure at these half-remembered dreams. His work suffered for it, his attention drawn to brighter baubles of inquiry. The cloning program was, as a matter of course, a settled issue; his tasks and assignments, while not overtly forbidding him from attending to it, nonetheless trended in a different direction; Xephos never brought it up, and would rapidly change the subject if it was mentioned.

'I've been wondering,' Lalna said, over an afternoon meal.

'Have you?' Xephos inquired. The politeness of his interest did not quite manage to mask the barbs in his expression.

'Yes,' said Lalna, 'and at some length.'

'A rapidly growing length,' said Xephos. 'Out with it, come on.'

Lalna did not answer immediately, cautious of overstepping some well-hidden line in the sand and earning himself a sharpened rebuke.

'I've been wondering,' he said, 'about the transcription errors in our early cloning efforts.'

'Resolved, last I checked,' said Xephos. 'Has something come up that I wasn't made aware of?'

'No, no,' said Lalna, which was not entirely false, but by the same token, not nearly true. 'Just idle curiosity, on my part.'

'I should think you wouldn't have very much time for idling,' said Xephos.

'I don't,' said Lalna, recognizing immediately the unspoken threat of a heavier assignment. 'But seeing as one of those errors is still up and about, I thought—well, there was some relevance to the issue.'

'There's not,' Xephos said. 'That particular error has been carrying on quite well for a significant period of time. There's no cause to go stirring up trouble.'

'I had no intention of stirring up anything,' said Lalna. 'I only wondered what had gone wrong, to produce a copy so markedly distorted from the original.'

Xephos gave him a hard, penetrating look, under which Lalna fought to restrain his urge to squirm.

'A skipped line, perhaps,' he said dryly, 'or else several skipped lines, resulting in an improper translation with the syntax mangled. Certainly nothing was created that wasn't there to begin with; the only errors were by omission.'

'Oh, surely not,' Lalna said, frowning. 'You can't be suggesting that—that the only issue is some missing inhibitions. Information, I mean.'

Xephos's eyes gleamed, and Lalna was taken with the sudden and claustrophobic sensation of being surrounded by busy machinery, a sort of low hum that rattled the ice in Xephos's glass.

'There is, in all of us, a duality between good and evil,' he said. 'Perhaps in some, the balance is markedly more delicate.'

'Must you wax poetic at every possible opportunity?' Lalna asked, in a fit of exasperation.

'I am a scientist, and furthermore, an innovator,' said Xephos. 'It is my prerogative—more, my sworn duty—to wax poetic whenever poetry presents itself; and beyond that, as you must know, poetry of thought—the symmetry, the internal rhyme of an idea—is more efficient at wringing funding from the masses than anything short of abject patriotism.'

'A person would think you'd put that away, to save it for when you needed it.'

'Oh, no; it's a renewable resource, friend, and it grows in the using.'

Lalna did not press the topic further. There was a time when Xephos's amicable epithets had been an expression of affection, but that time had long since passed. Xephos no longer had friends, and he was well aware of it; Lalna was eternally wary of his friendliness, because he was in a position to know why.

Still, the conversation had given hime plenty else to muse on, and muse on it he did. He could not reconcile himself to the idea that the only distinction between himself and that mad and vicious creature which had so wrought havoc in the back alleys of the city, was a few simple omissions. Were decency, civility, propriety the only things preventing him from similarly grotesque preoccupations? Did such a wild abandon exist within him, simply waiting to be unleashed from its master? It seemed incredible. Certainly, there had been thoughts, fleeting impulses, base instincts of the primate brain, but all people were subject to such fits of internal violence. How often had threats of murder been cried out in heedless anger? How many cheap ceramics dashed, pillows beaten and papers burned in concession to that thoughtless hatred? There was not a man alive, he thought, who had not basked in the imagined glory of a crime of passion. There was no pair of human hands that had not itched for the taste of blood.

It was a vast gulf to span, between the impassioned imaginings of rattled minds to the actual commission of such gory deeds. If he fondly recalled the drunken empowerment from a stranger's helpless terror, it was only because the fondness was woven into the memory; if he yearned for the crazed zeal of that reckless murderer, it was only because of the strict sobriety of his own confinement. He was not forbidden from leaving the laboratories, just as he was not forbidden from working on the cloning project, but he was likewise discouraged from it by necessity. Perhaps now that the other failed clone had been made aware of its origins, the restrictions could be relaxed; there was very little left to hide; and if he pictured his first forays into freedom as midnight strolls through darkened alleys, it was surely a harmless fantasy. What a joy it would be, to walk beneath the open sky again; what delight, to mingle with his fellow-creatures; what bliss!

Sweet miss.

There had been some unfortunate side-effects to his prolonged isolation, ones that he kept well hidden, both from himself and from Xephos. He was not tremendously ashamed; he was only human, after all; and although Xephos seemed capable of drowning his baser desires, if he had them, beneath a steady tide of gin, Lalna could eke out no such reprieve from chemical pleasures. Neither food nor drink could satisfy the carnal itch, no distraction could subdue it. If there was shame, it was only that he was incapable of discovering a suitable surrogate; he felt his mind had betrayed him in this, refusing to accept even the most sensible of solutions in favor of a dogged determination to play slave to his body's whims.

If he envisioned those midnight strolls leading to a chance encounter with some comely stranger, surely it was only a symptom of this same malady. If he considered in vivid detail every touch and word and motion, constructed a perfect scene to make his pulse quicken and his hands itch, if he dreamed a hungry dream of replicating the crucial error and loosing its madness on the world again such that he might soak in the unfiltered memory of its cruelty, it was all born of the certainty that none of it would ever come to pass.

But if it did, oh, if it did, what utter bliss. . . .

[biofunmy]

For a Star of ‘Prodigal Son,’ a Place to Watch the World Go By

Every morning for 18 years, Bellamy Young woke up in the City of Angels and thought longingly and nostalgically of waking up in the city that never sleeps.

Ms. Young is the sort who counts her blessings and determinedly aims for a high tally. So of course she’s grateful for the work that anchored her to Los Angeles, notably her seven-season gig as the ambitious first-lady-turned-president Mellie Grant on the hit ABC series “Scandal.” Grateful, too, for her very nice house in a canyon, her piano, her trees, her garden.

Nonetheless, Ms. Young wanted to be a part of it, New York, New York, where she lived for several years after college in an assortment of apartments, and where, in 1997, she appeared on Broadway in the Tony-nominated musical “The Life.”

“When I first moved here, I had what was called a bedroom but was really a closet,” Ms. Young said. “I lived in one apartment on 99th Street with utter strangers. My mother still doesn’t know about that. But it was New York, so you’re walking up six flights to a studio apartment and you think you’re fabulous because it has an exposed brick wall.”

Earlier this year, Ms. Young, 49, was cast as the elegant, gin-embracing mother of the title character on the Fox crime drama “Prodigal Son.” It was a good part, but that wasn’t the best part: The series would be shot in New York.

Bellamy Young, 49

Occupation: Actor

Super time: “I’ve owned a house for so long, honey, if the gutters are falling down, I get the ladder out and climb up and fix them. But it’s nice to take a break from that. It feels so luxurious now, because in this building if there’s a problem, there’s someone to call.”

Ms. Young promptly did a long, deep dive on StreetEasy and deputized some close friends to attend open houses on her behalf in preparation for the July relocation. “I had a very specific dream of what going back to New York would look like and feel like,” she said.

At the top of her wish list were big windows, “because I’ve looked at trees for 18 years and I wanted to look at urban life.” A washer and dryer in the apartment was also a priority because, Ms. Young said, “I’m too old to go downstairs to the basement to do laundry.”

She got the cityscape and the spin cycle in a one-bedroom rental with floor-to-ceiling windows on the 19th floor of a high-rise in the theater district. An added dividend was the balcony, or as Ms. Young characterizes it, the front porch on which sits a compact glider.

“I’ve got a porch and a rocker like a good Southern girl,” said Ms. Young, who is from Asheville, N.C.

“All I do is watch Manhattan and her citizens and her drama and the sunset,” she said. “I watch it the way some people watch a fish tank. It’s all really my giant-screen TV. I watch and I happy-cry.”

The style of the home she has in Los Angeles tilts toward the luxe and dramatic: large shapes, bold colors, velvets and metallics. “It’s very Hollywood glamour,” Ms. Young said. “You can’t deny the draw.”

But in New York, she wanted a totally different look, welcoming the chance to live a double life of sorts, this one simple and minimalist — tulip table, Lucite chairs, two-tiered rectangular glass coffee table — with a neutral palette and living room walls that are all but bare. The sole exception is a neon “love” sign.

“All my art is in L.A., and I was trying to figure out what I could put here,” Ms. Young said, indicating a space above the sofa. “I searched the Getty archive to see what they had. Then I thought about commissioning a fancy neon piece, but I didn’t want to commit to that. So I just Amazon-ed a little ‘love.’ And it was delivered right to me.”

“I so enjoy the streamlined design here,” she added. “It’s such a delight to curate an existence, to have a premeditated take on what is necessary and what gives you joy.”

There is, for example, joy in the Yamaha keyboard that Ms. Young bought with her boyfriend, Pedro Segundo, a percussionist — “we play it and sing, and that makes this a home”— and the vase of white lilies that she refreshes every 10 days.

“I got a guy on Ninth Avenue,” Ms. Young said. “I give him $20, and he gives me some beautiful lilies. That’s my major indulgence. They’re so architectural and dramatic and fragrant.”

She limited what she brought from Los Angeles to a short stack of books, a few photos and some stones, including a heart-shaped piece of rose quartz given to her by Mr. Segundo. “When life is confusing or stressful, I can touch a stone and remind myself of happier times,” Ms. Young said.

She is now on a first-name basis with Ikea (supplier of the sofa, the dresser, the bed) and CB2 (the metal chairs on the deck), often blearily pointing and clicking in the wee small hours to outfit the space.

Admittedly, mistakes were made. Ms. Young meant to select a black-and-tan rug from West Elm for the living room and inadvertently tapped on navy blue. “But the glass on the porch railing is blue, so I was like, ‘I’ll lean into it,’” she said. “So I got navy cushions for the couch from Amazon.”

Then there was the matter of the tableware and glassware from Ikea. When the lot was uncrated, Ms. Young deemed the mugs too mingy to hold the volume of tea and cocoa she requires. Fortunately, a highly desirable alternative was just steps away, at one of the souvenir shops in the neighborhood.

“I thought to myself, I’m going to get an ‘I Love New York’ mug,” Ms. Young said, holding her new acquisition aloft.

“I’m all for it. Get the message out: I love New York.”

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We Asked 15 Brewers: What’s the Most Comforting Beer You’ve Had in Quarantine?

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, and bars and brewery taprooms remain closed for on-site consumption as part of concerted efforts to suppress the infection’s spread, you’re likely drinking more than usual at home.

A few weeks ago, we looked at the growing trend of beer enthusiasts digging into their cherished collections and opening special bottles during quarantine. But in these uncertain times, it turns out that many of us — including brewers — are reaching for what’s easy, as well as what comforts us in these uncertain times.

While social distancing, we spoke to 15 brewers about what they’ve been drinking while sheltering in place. It turns out, they’re reaching for everything from bourbon-barrel-aged barleywines to triple-hopped lagers — and yes, hazy IPAs.

“It’s a simple answer: Sante Adarius’ Amongst Friends, a barrel-aged, mixed-fermentation beer with cherries. Featuring soft, subtle acidity, which is rare amongst cherry mixed-ferm beers, this wasn’t bracing in any way. And it was gone from my glass too soon, just like times spent with close friends, cooking up tacos or pizza when general revelry was involved. A beer I wish I had been able to share amongst more friends, but look forward to in the future.” — Zac Ross, Owner and Brewer, Marlowe Artisanal Ales, New Haven, Conn.

“The most comforting beer I’ve had during quarantine is easily the All Together IPA, a worldwide collaboration spearheaded by Other Half that’s supporting hospitality professionals. Since I’ve been self-isolating down in Miami the past month, I picked up the version brewed by Tripping Animals, and wow, did this beer have me missing Brooklyn more than ever. It immediately reminded me of riding the G train all the way to the Smith & 9th Streets stop, and taking a routine photo of the Manhattan skyline before taking the short walk over to Other Half. I’m looking forward to the day that I can get back to the city, but until then I‘ll bide my time in Florida and watch people make bread.” — Kyle Gonzales, NYC Field Marketing, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn

“I’m drinking some funk right now, because that’s what we like and focus on. We had a couple of collaborations that we had to shelve the first week of shutdown in Minnesota. One of those collaborations was with Branch & Bone Artisan Ales. A few weeks prior, their team sent us their house yeast culture along with a few of their bottles. One was Silence Mill, a gin-barrel-aged, mixed-fermentation saison with local honey. I had this beer in Chicago at FOBAB, where it medaled, and then had one last night after a long day of delivering beer, doing what we can to keep the doors open. The beer reminded me of simpler and less chaotic times.” — Jason Sandquist, Co-founder, Wild Mind Artisan Ales, Minneapolis

“I’ve had a love affair with Oxbow’s Italian-style pilsner Luppolo since my first sip, and it’s everything I want in a beer: crisp, citrusy, floral, malty, and dry AF. The head’s incredibly pillowy and fluffy, which always makes me smile. With a lot more free time on my hands, Luppolo is perfect at 5 percent ABV because I need to treat each day like a marathon, not a sprint. It’s my safety beer even when the world isn’t turned upside down.” — Jen Wyllie, Director of Marketing and Events, Austin Street Brewery, Portland, Me.

“Jarl by Scotland’s Fyne Ales is a session blonde ale hopped with Citra that you can drink throughout the afternoon and well into the evening. However, don’t be fooled by it’s low 3.8 percent ABV; Jarl is packed full of citrus flavors and a really clean, refreshing finish. And what has elevated it into my top lockdown tipple is its availability in 5-liter mini-casks, meaning you can pour yourself a full pint (remember them?) within the comfort of your own home! Which, if you’re like me and you’re missing pubs and well-kept cask beer, this really will provide you with some comfort.” — Harriet Edgar, Brand Development, 71 Brewing, Dundee, Scotland

“You would think that drinking during quarantine would mean a beer you can crush throughout the day, but I’m a hophead at heart. My usual go-to is a clean, crisp, refreshing West Coast IPA. Yet during this lockdown, my faith in hazy IPAs has been restored with Equilibrium’s scientific approach to the fundamental process of brewing. Its dHop series, for example, is a perfect display of how hops can change a beer, and I feel it keeps redefining the New England style with each release. Right now, I’m drinking a collaboration with Arkane Aleworks: For Every Action Is A Reaction. This triple IPA is bursting with tropical mango, papaya, and guava hop flavors, complemented by a creamy, pillowy, soft mouthfeel that keeps me coming back for more.” — Kyle MacDonald, Head Brewer, Inu Island Ales, Kaneohe, Hawaii

“Sierra Nevada and Bitburger’s collaboration, Triple Hop’d Lager. It’s perfectly balanced and endlessly drinkable with an incredible hop profile that lets you know you’re drinking a German beer. But it still flashes with a lot of Sierra Nevada character. Pilsner or hoppy lager has been a mainstay for me lately, and I think that’s just reflective of my current state of mind: trying to stay simple and balanced, but kinda freaking out too!” — Brett Smith, Founder and Head Brewer, Branch & Bone Artisan Ales, Dayton, Ohio

“That’s a super-easy one for me to answer: NYS Pils from Big aLICe in Queens [New York]. It’s super crisp and clean, soft and delicate; everything you would want from a pilsner. It’s a beer we love to drink and share with friends around a fire, which I am so looking forward to doing again!” — Liz DeSousa, Co-owner, Kismet Brewing Company, Westfield, Mass.

“Things are getting kind of crazy out there, and drinking Temporal Artisan Ales’ Ruby Continuum is a great distraction from the stress and pressures of our current environment. Ruby is a heavily fruited, oak-aged wild ale with raspberries and tayberries. The beer is a blend from wine and port barrels, giving it a layered complexity that takes my mind away from the here and now. It’s jammy. It’s bright. It’s tart. It’s what I want to drink right now.” — Kent Courtice, Founder and Brewer, Boombox Brewing Company, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

“Hitchhiker’s Bane of Existence hazy IPA has been my go-to comfort beer during this quarantine, which, as an extrovert, has been the bane of my existence, though I know it is 100 percent necessary. Brewed with flaked wheat and oats, and liberally hopped with Simcoe and Citra, Bane has an approachable hop bitterness and medium-full mouthfeel. Top notes of candied tangerine, mango, and passion fruit are supported by a resinous fresh-pine undertone, with citrus pith carrying through the finish. At 6.6 percent ABV, it’s quaffable and explains why I just finished the last of my stash. Hitchhiker was the last brewery I visited before the world shutdown, so I’m holding on tightly to those memories of sitting in its Sharpsburg taproom with some of my dearest friends, laughing, and being able to actually clink glasses in person instead of over Zoom.” — Hannah Gohde, Brewer, Free Will Brewing Company, Perkasie, Penn.

“The Lost Abbey’s Angel Share that I drank out of my cellar. The bourbon-barrel-aged version. I believe a 2009, when it was still in the 750-milliliter bottle. One of my favorite barleywines of all time. The dark fruit and bourbon characteristics that come across are amazing. Lost Abbey nailed that beer, in my opinion.” — Johnathan Wakefield, Owner and Head Brewer, J. Wakefield Brewing, Miami

“I’ve been drinking a ton of Silver City’s Ride the Spiral. I love Silver City for a ton of reasons, but it’s really heartwarming because my husband and I sat at their bar while we decided to buy our house in Bremerton, Wash., where we’re currently quarantined at. The beer is strong, sweet, and pretty tropical so it makes going on hikes in the woods behind my house a joy and is usually the only thing that gets me back!” — Sarah Flora, Owner, Flora Brewing, Los Angeles

“I’ve been trying to keep the drinking light during these times, so I‘ve been leaning toward lagers. Indoctrination is a great collaboration from Threes [Brewing of Brooklyn] and Hudson Valley [Brewery in Beacon, N.Y.]. This hopped-up pilsner is crispy AF and has a great body, created by aging in foudres. Also, it uses the super-fun Zuper Saazer hop. I’ve been drinking this one on my stoop daily. Cheers to everyone, stay home and stay safe.” — Geriz Rameriz, General Manager, Other Half Brewing, Brooklyn

“It’s hard not to go drink Triple Hop’d Lager with friends because it seems that’s what it’s made for. Consistency and creativity from two amazing breweries such as Sierra Nevada and Bitburger is what makes this a comforting beer to me during this dreary time. It’s crisp, clean, and perfect for porch sittin’.” — Matt Denham, Head of Brewing Operations, American Solera, Tulsa, Okla.

“Honestly, I wasn’t very excited to celebrate my 30th birthday in the thick of a pandemic, but I was able to hang with some of my best friends, one of whom was gracious enough to open a bottle of Side Project’s coveted stout, Beer: Barrel: Time. To describe it, think bourbon dark chocolate cake batter; silky and full of caramel, while having a touch of roasty bitterness, reminiscent of coffee. It was just a small gathering outside on a patio, but it was relieving to drink beer with a few of my closest friends during these strange times.” — Cameron Owen, Brewer, The Eighth State Brewing Company, Greenville, S.C.

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