#And I know it's a very common occurrence and even in the Victorian era when many people died at home it was common then

[the-busy-ghost]

Benefits of audiobooks- I can listen to them while I work, and I am forced to hear and consider every word, rather than read at my usual flying pace, which means I don’t miss things as much and get a deeper and more sustained enjoyment from a really good book

Disadvantages of audiobooks- When there are emotional details they aren’t blunted by the fact that my uncontrolled eye is already skimming the next passages and there are some Emotions that are not appropriate for working hours

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

Moffat Dracula Review

Plot Summary For People Who Don’t Want To Watch It:

Dracula corners Jonathan, Mina, and Sister Agatha Van Helsing in a secluded convent in Budapest following Jonathan’s escape from his castle. The castle sequence itself is explained in flashback as Jonathan recounts his experience, leading up to the realization that he himself had died during his stay there. 

Realizing he’s now become some form of undead creature, he attempts to kill himself via a stake but is unsuccessful. Despairing at this, he invites Dracula inside the convent in exchange for a true death.  Agatha and Mina are able to stay safe within a circle of sacramental bread but everyone else is massacred. 

When Mina sees Dracula disguised as Jonathan approaching them, she invites him inside the circle. He of course reveals his identity immediately after. Agatha bargains her own life for Mina’s, so Dracula allows the other girl to go free.

Some time later, Dracula sets sail for England aboard the Demeter, a Russian ship with a strangely high number of wealthy passengers and a bluebeard’s cabin no one is allowed to enter. He quickly picks off the passengers one by one, meanwhile himself leading the effort to find the murderer onboard. 

This culminates in the remaining passengers finally searching the ship— and the mysterious cabin which is revealed to have been hiding a sickly Sister Agatha inside. She explains that Dracula is a vampire and together with the passengers they attempt to kill him by setting him on fire. But it is unsuccessful. Agatha urges everyone to escape on lifeboats because she intends to blow up the ship with her and Dracula in it before it is able to reach England. 

Dracula does not die but remains dormant under water. He reaches Whitby roughly 100 years later and is immediately captured by the Jonathan Harker foundation, lead by Agatha’s descendant Dr Zoe Van Helsing. He leaves captivity fairly quickly however with the help of Frank Renfield— a lawyer he hired over skype. 

Zoe is revealed to be dying of cancer. Dracula offers her his blood to heal her but it doesn’t seem to work. It instead gives her a bond to communicate with her dead ancestor Agatha, which gives her more insight about the vampire. 

Meanwhile, Dracula begins preying on Lucy Westenra, a young socialite. Despite leading a seemingly perfect life, she is wholly apathetic and disgruntled with her situation. She allows him to feed on her in exchange for the high a vampire’s bite can give her. He attempts to turn her into a vampire but she’s burned horribly once she’s cremated following her funeral.

Her death leads Zoe and Jack Seward to where Dracula has been staying. During their confrontation however Lucy returns, and after learning about her appearance, begs Jack to kill her, which he does. 

Zoe asks Jack to leave so she may speak to Dracula alone. She surmises that all of Dracula’s weaknesses are actually ineffective. The only thing he fears is death, and humanity’s willingness to die, She then... resolves to sit down and die right there. But at the last moment Dracula drinks her cancerous blood which should in turn kill him... they make out while dying... The end?

If that sounds like it makes no sense, it’s because it doesn’t. 

Final Thoughts:

The plot was nonsensical and the pacing was very poor and completely unstructured. The story itself bore little to no resemblance to Dracula at all, to the point where I wonder why they even bothered to keep the names. 

Most of the characters were new, and the few that were ported over from the Stoker novel had hardly anything in common with their original versions, Dracula included. 

Jonathan was the most in character of the bunch, if he was fairly more genre savvy while stuck in Dracula’s castle. Mina’s characterization seemed to be confined to a single flirtatious letter, an endless well of trust for Jonathan, and constant sobbing. She was more of a liability than anything else. 

Agatha served the role of a genderbent Van Helsing, though her manner was entirely lifted from the Coppola film. This could’ve been very cool if they hadn’t randomly made her a nun without actually committing to it at all. She was not really portrayed as having any actual lived experience as a nun in the victorian era. And faith as a concept was only touched on for her to dismiss— hilariously casually given her position.  

I think the actress’s performance was fairly decent, and she def grew on me in the second episode when she’s not actually in a convent to constantly remind us how dissonant of a nun she is. But it would’ve been nice if they would’ve either committed to actually making her a nun, (a legit vampire hunting nun could be so cool!) or just abandoning the concept altogether. Because the way it was presented just felt like window dressing. 

Also I’m not normally averse to shipping Van Helsing/Dracula but having to genderbend one of the two just to do it is like... hm. Also the weird tension they had going on was very badly executed in general. 

Speaking of Dracula, he had to be the weakest part of the show. He was written in the smuggest, most infuriating way possible. And it might have worked with another actor but this dude just did not have any gravitas or stage presence whatsoever. And it certainly was not helped by the fact that his costuming and makeup were so fucking lackluster. 

Despite being the linchpin of the story, he had no goals nor any particular drive. He was just out there doing Stuff for Reasons and none of them were compelling. It seemed like he was just killing to kill and the writing was not good enough to actually carry any of the vague themes about how he’s looking for new brides (why?) how he’s searching for a The Perfect Fruit (what???) or anything at all really. He had no depth whatsoever beneath his stupid quips and self-satisfied demeanor. 

There was an interesting implication that he needed to choose who he drinks carefully in order to maintain his own personality/sanity/sentience and that without blood he’d… apparently just become like any of the zombies we saw in the show. And that is such a cool concept! But it was not really  explored, nor was it written all that well. Even though it could’ve been (and I think was maybe intended to be???) an excellent source of existential dread! 

But yes, in general there was hardly any depth to this show. They played almost every possible card they could for shock value, and included many unnecessary and frankly underwhelming esoteric concepts that went nowhere. There was so much gore and random effects. We had zombies, vampire infants, and Dracula legit wearing people’s skins. The lore didn’t make any sense either, apparently people just… being unable to die despite their body’s so called death is a common occurrence? It wasn’t clear whether Dracula even had much control over who he changes and whether or not they become proper vampires. The entire thing just seemed poorly thought out. 

There were a lot of easter eggs and references to previous Dracula adaptations (and even some unrelated vampire media). I definitely noticed nods to the Hammer Horror movies and the Lugosi film, which was fun. The biggest noticeable influence however would have to be the 1992 Coppola movie. I have never seen a show try so hard to be another movie lmao. They even went so far as to make a spiritual successor to the film’s main theme that’s about as close as you could probably get without actually licensing the music. 

However, while the Coppola film at least had skill with regards to the costuming and cinematography to carry its aesthetic, this show simply did not. The costumes, the makeup, and the special effects were all lackluster. The set was nice enough but was not shot in a way to really leave much of an impression. 

The first episode was abysmal— mainly due to Dracula’s awful performance (those disgusting fungus covered fake nails, that age makeup, that ACCENT) and the entire awkward af scene where he terrorizes a convent of nuns while naked and covered in blood. But it was at least so bad it was funny.

The second episode was the most tedious to me because it was less offensively awful so I couldn’t even enjoy the badness. There was definitely a sharp uptick of quality whenever Dracula was offscreen for any notable amount of time though. The passengers were rather boring but I liked the crewmen. And Agatha honestly killed it for the latter half. 

The last episode was by far the worst and yet the most entertaining because they just stopped trying at that point. 

Renfield was amazing and an absolute delight every time he was on screen. Dracula found him over skype for God’s sake, how can that not be fantastic? He actually utters the words “Dracula has rights,” and his argument somehow actually fucking works.  

And even Dracula himself was far less insufferable with the shift in dynamics. By being forced to cope with the modern world, he could no longer act like such a smarmy, self-assured know it all. Seeing him freak the fuck out at the sight of helicopters was genuinely fun. 

Lucy’s handling was misogynistic af though. It was bafflingly, needlessly awful. And the way she was vilified at the very end was appalling. They almost had an interesting deconstruction wrt her utter malaise for her life, and the implication that she actually resents her beauty. But then of course she gets burned alive, and then is treated horribly for it by the protagonists. 

Even though it’s clear she has no idea what’s happened to her body, Zoe doesn’t even bother to explain it to her. She just makes her take a selfie of all things so she can see what she really looks like. It didn’t seem like the show had a shred of sympathy for her, because “oh, clearly she was a narcissistic bitch and she deserved what she got” or something like that?? 

The utter indifference everyone has to her death is baffling. It was an afterthought, that seemed like its only purpose for existing was yet again just shock value. The scene, after her death, immediately shifting the focus back to whatever weird personal rivalry that borders on sexual tension  Agatha/Zoe and Dracula have going on.  

But all in all, this adaptation had me baffled, frustrated, and cringing through most of it. It was unintentionally funny quite often and I honestly enjoyed it, but for all the wrong reasons. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to melt their fucking brain.

[loretranscripts]

Lore Episode 1: They Made a Tonic (Transcript) - 18th March 2015

tw: horror, bodily mutilation, blood, disease, death, vampires, pseudo-cannibalism

Disclaimer: This transcript is entirely non-profit and fan-made. All credit for this content goes to Aaron Mahnke, creator of Lore podcast. It is by a fan, for fans, and meant to make the content of the podcast more accessible to all. Also, there may be mistakes, despite rigorous re-reading on my part. Feel free to point them out, but please be nice!

Hollywood is… obsessed. Sure, we often think of obsessions like sex, violence, gigantic robots and of course, epic battles between good and evil. But another obsession of Hollywood is vampires. You have to admit though, that there’s a lot to love about vampires. Immortality, wealth, power, and superhuman abilities such as flight and strength. Yes, they come with trade-offs, such as incredibly bad sunburns, but every movie I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lot, believe me, tends to show vampires that are fairly happy with their lot in life. My exposure to the world of vampires happened in the late 1990s, when I was in college. A friend of mine recommended the Anne Rice novel, Interview with a Vampire. I devoured that and many of the sequels. They’re fun reads! And they certainly set the tone for a decade or more of vampire-centred entertainment. I won’t touch on the vampires of the Twilight books, mostly because I haven’t read them. But I will say this: those books, however lambasted they have been by critics, have shown that popular culture’s love of all things vampire is as undying as the creatures themselves. I’m Aaron Mahnke, and this is Lore.

When most people think of vampires, they envision something that is a purely European creature: a foreign accent, Victorian Era dress, and dark manor homes and castles. It’s a common visual language for most of the western world, so I don’t blame bad movies and books for portraying that image, but it’s one small facet of a legend that has hundreds of expressions. The single most prominent historical figure attached to the modern notion of vampires is of course Vlad III of Wallachia, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler. Vlad was the ruler of a small Eastern European kingdom known as Wallachia. He ruled from 1456 to 1462. He was known as Vlad the Impaler, because he preferred to execute his enemies by impaling them on stakes. The Ottomons called him “Lord Impaler” after entering his kingdom to find forests of impaled victims. Vlad was a violent guy, you see, rather bloodthirsty, you might say. Now he, like his father before him, belonged to something known as the Order of the Dragon, a group established to protect Christian Europe from the invading Ottoman army. Vlad’s father, Vlad II, was known as Vlad Dracul, which meant Vlad the Dragon, from the Order of the Dragon. When Vlad III rose to power he took the hereditary title and was known as Vlad Dracula, the son of the dragon. That name might sound very similar to the most famous vampire story in the world, and that’s because Bram Stoker, when creating his famous creature of the night, used Vlad III as his inspiration. Well, part of it, but we’ll get to that more later.

The roots of most vampire stories can be traced back to superstitions rooted in ancient cultures all across the world. Western Europe played host to countless stories of reanimated dead known as “revenants”. These were animated corpses which climbed out of the grave to torment the living. The word “revenant” comes from Latin, which means “to come back”. And come back to do what, you might ask? Well, I’m glad you did. At first it was just to terrorise the living, but as the centuries passed the legend became more specific. Revenants were said to return from the grave to torment their living relatives and neighbours. What was key though, was that revenants were specific people, not anonymous zombies of our modern horror genre. These things had a past, and a purpose. Now, in Norse Mythology, we can find stories of creatures known as draugr, “again-walkers”, who would return from the grave and wreak havoc on the living. These creatures possessed superhuman strength, they smelled of decay, and they were reported to be pretty ugly in appearance. They could enter the dreams of the living and while they were doing that, it was said that they left tangible objects near the sleeping victims, so that when they woke up, they would know that their dreams were more real than they feared.

Let’s go back earlier than the Middles Ages though. The legends of some ancient cultures spoke of creatures that, while not immediately similar to the vampires we know today, nonetheless share many core characteristics. First we have the Greek myth of Empusa, who was the daughter of Hekate. Empusa was said to lure young men, at night, and then feast on their blood, before moving on to the main course, their flesh. Another Greek tale involves Lamia, a mistress of Zeus, who becomes cursed by Zeus’ wife Hera, and is doomed to hunt children, devouring them. Stories of undead creatures, or creatures that feed on the blood of the living, seem nearly as common as written language itself. I mean, even on the small, isolated island of Madagascar, there are legends of a creature known as the Ramanga, which was known to attack nobles, drinking their blood and eating their nail clippings. Yeah, I said nail clippings. Deal with it.

Are vampires real? I’ll let you make the final decision on that, but what is clear, is that most of these stories find their genesis in the human need to explain the unexplainable. For instance, early Europeans used the myth as a way of explaining why a corpse wasn’t decomposing at the normal rate that they expected. You can see evidence of this in Bulgaria, where graves dating back over 800 years, have been opened, to reveal iron rods that have been driven through the chest of the skeletons. And in a time when it was very common to bury someone that was thought to be dead, only to find out that they weren’t really dead, you can imagine that stories would quickly circulate that the dead were coming back to life. As a result, Taphophobia, the fear of being buried alive, swept Europe and the United States. Now, of course, when medical science caught up, people got more practical. They built alert systems into graves, just in case the person woke up and, you know, wanted out. Now, I realise that being buried alive sounds like a rare occurrence, but it happened frequently enough that many people were sufficiently paranoid about it to actually spend time looking for a solution.

One of these people happened to be a medical doctor, a man named Adolf Gutsmuth. Now, in 1822, and driven by the fear of being buried alive, he invented a “safety coffin” for his own interment, and then he tested it out himself. Tested it out? You bet! Doctor Gutsmuth allowed himself to be buried underground in his new “safety coffin” for several hours, during which he had meals delivered to him through a feeding tube. He enjoyed a wonderful meal of soup, sausages, and a lovely local beer. Sounds like a great date night destination, doesn’t it? Now, Doctor Timothy Smith of New Haven, Vermont, was another paranoid inventor. He created a grave that can be visited still to this day, if you happen to be passing by Evergreen Cemetery, in Vermont. It was a crypt, buried in the usual manner, but it had a cement tube positioned over the face of the body, and a glass plate was affixed to the top of the tube at ground level. Doctor Smith died a real, natural death, and was buried in his fancy coffin with a view. He never woke up, but early visitors to his grave reported that they had a clear view of his decomposing head, until condensation obscured the glass decades later. Side note: vampires no longer scare me. Waking up inside of a small box buried six feet under the surface of the earth is what true fright looks like to me.

Now, another culprit in humanity’s use of the vampire label, was porphyria. It was a rare blood disorder, but modern science has pretty much closed the case on that one, saying that it’s too far of a stretch to connect the two topics. Rabies, of all conditions, has also been used as an explanation for the rise of the vampire mythology. Surprisingly there are a lot of commonalities between them, such as a sensitivity to light and garlic, as well as altered sleep patterns. But the most recent medical condition with a strong connection to vampire mythology was actually Tuberculosis. Those who suffer from TB had no vampire-like symptoms though, and that’s what makes this one a harder connection to explain. It’s also, incidentally, where one of my favourite New England legends comes into the picture. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Mercy Brown.

Lena Mercy Brown was a young woman who lived in the latter half of the 19thcentury, in the rural town of Exeter, Rhode Island, and she was a major player in what is now known as the “Great New England Vampire Panic”. Stories like hers can be found repeated all across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, echoed in the lives of others in similar situations. And the results have surprising connections to both the modern idea of vampires, as well as the ancient stories, as we will see. The first person to die in Exeter was Mercy’s mother, Mary Eliza. That was December of 1882, and she fell victim to what was then called “consumption”. Consumption, because, as the disease of Tuberculosis ravaged the body, the person would appear to waste away; consumed, if you will, by the illness. She, of course, was buried, because, well, that’s what you do with a loved one who passes away. The next year though, Mercy’s sister Mary Olive died, at the young age of 20. Same illness, same symptoms, same process. I’m not sure when exactly the people of Exeter, Rhode Island started to wonder if the deaths were connected , but it might have been then, or it might have been a few years later when Mercy’ brother Edwin took ill. Edwin, though, was smart. He packed up and moved across the country to Colorado Springs, which had a great reputation for the healing properties of its dry climate. When he finally returned from the resorts out west, some years later, he was alive, but not doing so well, and in December of 1891, he took a turn for the worst. That was the month that Mercy herself became ill. Her Tuberculosis moved fast. They called it the galloping kind, and it moved through her body quickly, like wildfire. By January, 1892, she was dead, and the people of Exeter were more worried than ever. You see, they suspected something… supernatural.

Now, this was surprising, considering how close Exeter is to Newport. That’s the seaside city known for the summer cottages of the wealthy, folks like the Vanderbilts, the Asters, the Wideners, the Wetmores. It was the pinnacle of educated society, yet just a handful of miles away, one small town that should have known better, was about to do something very, very creepy.

Edwin was still alive, you see, and someone got it in their mind that one of the women who died before him, either his mother or one of his sisters, was somehow draining him of his life from beyond the grave. They were so convinced of this, you see, that they wanted to dig them all up. Yes, all of them. Once they received the father’s permission to do this horrible thing, a group of men gathered in the cemetery on the morning of March 17th, and began to dig up the bodies. Now, what they were looking for was any evidence at all of an unnatural state. So, blood in the heart, blood around the mouth, or other similar signs. The first body, of Mary Eliza, the mother, was satisfactorily decomposed so they ruled her out. But of course she was, you might say, I mean, she had been dead and buried for a decade. Mary Olive was also in a normal state of decomposition. Again, being dead for ten years usually helps convince people that you’re really dead. But when they examined Mercy’s body, a body that had not been buried because she died in the middle of winter, and so had been put inside of a stone building inside the cemetery that was essentially a walk-in freezer, they discovered a remarkable state of preservation. Shocking, I know. So what did they do? Well, these superstitious folk did what they learnt from their ancestors. They cut out Mercy’s heart and liver, within which they found red, clotted blood, they burned them on a nearby stone, which, by the way, is still there if you ever visit the cemetery, and then, mixed the ashes with a tonic. That tonic was then given to Edwin, to drink. Yeah, Edwin drank his own sister’s liver and heart. Did it work? No, of course it didn’t work. Edwin died less than two months later. What it did do, however, was set up Mercy Brown to be known as the first American vampire.

As unusual as an event like this must sound, you might be surprised to learn that it happened quite frequently. In 1817, almost a century before Mercy Brown’s exhumation, a Dartmouth college student named Frederick Ransom died of Tuberculosis. His father was so worried that the young man would leave the grave and attack the family, that he asked that he be dug up. Ransom’s heart was cut out, and burnt on a blacksmith’s forge. Even Henry David Thoreau heard tales of these types of events, and he mentioned one in his personal journal. In September 26th, 1859, he wrote: “The savage in man is never quite eradicated. I have just read of a family in Vermont who, several of its members having died of consumption, just burnt the lungs, heart and liver of the last deceased, in order to prevent any more from having it.” So of course, word spread about what happened to Mercy Brown, as it usually did when a body was dug up and carved into to pieces like that. Mercy’s case, though, actually made it into a newspaper called The New York World, and it made quite an impression on the people who read it. How do we know? Because a clipping from that article was found in the personal papers of a London stage manager after his death. You see, his theatre company had been touring America in 1892. He evidently read the story, found it inspiring, and saved it. Inspiring so much so, that he sat down a few years later, and wrote a book. Who was this man? His name was Bram Stoker. And the book? Oh, I’m sure you’ve already guessed it by now. It was Dracula, published in 1897.

Lore was produced by me, Aaron Mahnke. You can find a transcript of the show, as well as a bibliography of the source material, at our website, lorepodcast.com. If you enjoy scary stories, I happen to write them. You can find a full list of my supernatural thrillers, available in both paperback and ebook formats, at aaronmahnke.com/novels. Thanks for listening.

Transcriber’s Notes:

(These notes a purely from me, the transcriber, and have nothing to do with the official podcast or Aaron Mahnke).

1)     The word draugr does not in fact mean “after-walker” as the podcast seems to state, and actually derives from a Proto-Indo European word meaning “deceive”. There is, however, a related term aptrgangr, which does mean “again-walker”, and is thought to be pretty much synonymous with draugr.

[abbie-a-aaronson]

My darlings, my sweeties, my beautiful lovelies… I get it. I do, honestly. Everyone has different sensibilities, and quite a lot of us like clean romances. In fact, I myself prefer the slow burn of non-explicit romance to the hard and fast erotica.

But, please, please, I beg of you, do miss me with that ‘the moral purity of the olden days’ crap when you complain about sexuality in Historical Romances, especially those set in the Georgian/Regency and Victorian time period.

People in Georgian/Regency England had veritable tons of sex (fuckotons?), and a lot of it was before marriage - roughly 40% of brides married at the time were pregnant at their wedding, and as many as 25% of first-born children being born out of wedlock. And this wasn’t even treated like some shameful secret; everyone knew perfectly well what was happening, and I do mean everyone.

Pornographic literature was popular and easily obtainable, as were contraceptives. Fashion for both men and women was designed specifically to be as revealing as possible - in the form of the infamous Regency dresses made of thin muslin (which women often dampened with water so they would cling to their bodies and show off their figures) and trousers deliberately sewn tight so that the outline of the man’s penis could be plainly visible. Sex clubs and brothels operated freely, and you could buy pamphlets on the street that listed the names and locations of these establishments, along with the most famous of their workers and what kind of services one might purchase there.

Affairs were also unbelievably common, especially among the upper classes, with spouses rarely caring about what the other did once the heir and a spare were provided. Hell, the Duke of Devonshire lived with his wife and his mistress in the same freaking house for 25 years, and you best believe all three of them were very welcome guests in society. And, lest you think the poor little women did nothing but put up with that crap, I give you the glorious example of Elizabeth Lamb, Viscountess Melbourne, who had eight children, and of which only her eldest son was fathered by her husband. Again - everyone knew, nobody cared, and nobody cared because it was a common occurrence.

And as for the Victorians? Oh, my sweet darlings, they were even dirtier than their Georgian/Regency predecessors. The perceived prudishness of the time came from the desire to appear more sensible than their forbearers, but in reality not much changed other than dress and mannerisms. Yes, a lot of people who thrived on feeling morally superior to others for denying themselves (and forcing others to deny themselves) any pleasure thrived because of the enormous social pressure to maintain an image of moral purity… but dig just a little bit under that ‘pure’ veneer and you will realise that all those sexual shenanigans of the Georgian/Regency era were still alive and well - they were just moved from the public eye. The brothel culture flourished (BDSM parlours were gaining particular popularity at the time), STDs were rampant, the pornographic novels and pamphlets became even more available (and now included pictures!), and the number of bastard children actually grew rather than diminished. For crying out loud, Queen freaking Victoria wrote erotic love letters to her hubby and described their sexytimes so graphically in her journals that her kids wouldn’t let them be published before they were heavily redacted!

So, yeah. I do not, and never will, look down on you for disliking sexual scenes in romance. Clean Romance, as a genre, is just as valid as any other. Just don’t pull the ‘it isn’t historically accurate’ bullshit on me, K?

The days of yore you like to idealise? Never happened.

And yeah, I get it - there are a lot of assholes out there who would mock you and call you sex-negative and prudish for preferring Clean Romances, and pulling out the ‘historical accuracy’ card is easier than facing all that negativity. But you know what? That’s on them and their shitty personalities, not on you. You 100% do not need any excuses for your preferences, and your love of Austenian romanticism is just as valid as another’s love of steamy erotica. Openly celebrate the romance that makes you happy and be proud of what brings you joy! And those jerks baiting you with sneers and comments? Ignore them and continue gushing about the kind of romances you love. Trust me, nothing can hurt a troll more than when their chosen target gives them zero attention and continues to enjoy their lives unperturbed by their jabs.

Retire the excuse already. In this day and age, with so much information freely available to everyone, it really doesn’t hold water.

[scared-aquarius]

signs as haunted places in New Jersey

(I’m starting a series where I assign haunted places from each state to the signs. I’m starting with New Jersey because that’s where I’m from! Also the Red Mill is located in my hometown so I thought that was cool. Ok anyways)

Aries: The Pine Barrens, NJ- The Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands or the Pines, is a heavily forested area that covers more than 7 counties across the state of New Jersey. This area has been the site of many legends and is also the alleged home of the infamous Jersey Devil. The Jersey Devil is described as a kangaroo-like creature with the head of a dog and the face of a horse, bat-like leathery wings, horns and a tail. There have been many sightings over the years, specifically in South Jersey, leading many to believe that the Jersey Devil actually exists or is at least a real animal. Some people believe that the vastness and remote nature of the 1 million acre Pine Barrens could allow a species to remain hidden over time. Other legends include the ghost of Captain Kidd, a pirate who supposedly hid his treasure in Barnegat Bay. Some locals say that they’ve seen his ghost wandering along the beach. There are two other ghosts who are actually known to be kind spirits. There is the ghost of a man named James Still, more popularly known as The Black Doctor, who was a man studying medicine in the 19th century who wasn’t permitted to do so because of his race. Undiscouraged, however, he went into seclusion in The Pine Barrens to study his textbooks and also learned herbal remedies. Some say he died from lynching after being discovered and others say he died of a heart attack. His ghost however is still said to come to the aid of injured or stranded travelers in The Pine Barrens. Lastly, there is a white stag that many have claimed to see. The stag supposedly is known to prevent disasters. If you see the white stag, it is supposed to bring good luck.

Taurus: The Devil’s Tree, Bernards Township NJ- The Devil’s Tree is a single oak tree with some dead limbs in an undeveloped field. A common claim is that Bernards Township was the central headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan in New Jersey during colonial times and the tree was used to lynch black people and rebellious slaves. Others say that a farmer hanged himself from the tree after murdering his own family. The legend says that the tree is cursed and anyone who tried to cut it down will “come to an untimely end”. It is said that those who damage or disrespect the tree, either by peeing on it, carving into it or even making remarks about the tree while nearby, will soon come to some sort of harm. This harm will often come in the form of a car accident or experiencing a major breakdown while trying to leave the field in which the tree lives. Other legends claim that if you touch the tree, your hands will turn black if you try to eat. In winter, the ground beneath the tree is allegedly free from snow regardless of how recent the snowfall was or how much has fallen. Some have claimed that the tree is occasionally warm to the touch regardless of the season or time of day. It is thought that this is because it is disguised as a tree but is really a portal to Hell.

Gemini: The Union Hotel, Flemington NJ- This hotel was built in 1878 during the Victorian Era. In 1934, it stood witness to the media event that was dubbed the “trial of the century”, when Bruno Hauptmann was accused of the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh’s infant son which was tried at the courthouse across the street. The hotel became the base for journalists and the temporary home of the jurors. Most recently, the hotel was used as a bar and restaurant with the upper floors being blocked off. Previous staff members recall many paranormal encounters that they had. One former manger says that one night after a bouncer had locked the doors, the staff were all sitting around having a drink. Suddenly the locked doors flew open wide and a cold wind swept past them. When the bouncer went to go re-close the doors, he saw a pair of disembodied black leather shoes walking up the main stairway. He freaked out and ran out of the hotel. The manager also recalled of a time a waitress was going up the stairs when she heard a disembodied voice humming a lullaby. She was so afraid that she ran out of the building and quit. Other former employees remember constantly seeing a young girl with dark hair in a fancy dress running around the dining room. She is also said to play with a doll on the main stairway and is known to trip people. There are stories of ghosts ordering drinks at the bar and then disappearing. There was also a time when an employee was cleaning tables and saw two people chasing each other who then suddenly vanished into thin air. No one is sure of the origin of these possible specters. However, there is one story about a man who was murdered in the basement of the hotel.

Cancer: Red Mill, Clinton NJ- The Red Mill was built in 1810 as an industrial mill. For the first few years, it was used as a wool processing plant. Milling was very dangerous work and at the time, there were no safety latches or guards on the machinery. Many stories have been passed down about the workers who met their untimely death while on the job. By 1820, however, the wool business had failed in the downturn for cloth. Ralph Hunt, the owner at the time, lost hundreds of acres because of this. Today, the Red Mill is now the main building of the Red Mill Museum Village, which includes the mill, a 19th century one-room schoolhouse, carriage sheds and other quarry village buildings. Tours are available nowadays and the most popular paranormal encounter is that of a man wearing period clothing and a black hat who doesn’t speak who roams the third floor. Many visitors have claimed to see this ghost as well as feeling like someone is touching them or tugging on their clothes. Another spirit that is said to frequently be seen is that of a young girl around the age of 6 or 7 who died around 1900. She was the daughter of one of the mill’s owners and was supposedly very fond of coming to the mill with her father. Additional grisly things that have happened on the grounds is a mill worker fell head-first into a mill hopper and suffocated. There is also a story of a young boy who was cleaning his weapon in the tenant building and accidentally shot himself. Another member had a heart attack and died on the steps of the tenant building. Strange occurrences at the tenant house include footsteps on a vacant second floor and bells swinging back and forth on their own. Now, because this mill is in my hometown, I just want to share that I believe I have seen the ghost of the little girl for myself. I was in town with my friend and was walking along the bridge towards the mill and I saw a girl who was extremely pale from head to toe and it seemed almost blurry, like when your eyes water and everything looks skewed. I turned to tell my friend but when I looked back she was gone. I know this sounds super fake but I swear that’s what happened. I was so freaked out that I had to go home.

Leo: Clinton Road, West Milford NJ- Considered to possibly be the most haunted road in America, this 10 mile stretch of road definitely has a sinister past. The road and the land around it have been known to be teeming with paranormal occurrences. It is said that if you drive down the road, you may encounter ghosts, witch gatherings, Satanists, the KKK or even strange creatures like hellhounds or mutated monkeys. It is also known to be a place where murderers have disposed of bodies in the surrounding woods- with one actual recorded case of this happening. In 1983, a body was found in the woods after a cyclist noticed vultures pecking at it. An autopsy revealed that the man had ice crystals in the blood vessels near his heart, suggesting that someone had tried to freeze the body before dumping it. It came out that he was someone who had affiliations with the Mafia. Later, Richard Kuklinski, aka “The Iceman”, confessed to the murder. Some well-known ghost sightings involve a young boy at a bridge who apparently was struck by a car and killed. Legend says that he will push anyone who looks over the edge into the water in order to save them from being run over like he was. There are also accounts of phantom vehicles, specifically a black pick-up truck that will tail you and flash its headlights before completely disappearing. Other ghosts include two park rangers who died on the job in 1939 and a girl driving a Camaro who died in a car crash in 1988. Whether you’re a believer in the paranormal or not, I think most would agree that driving down Clinton Road at night would be one of the creepiest things one could experience.

Virgo: White Hill Mansion, Fieldsboro NJ- This mansion was constructed over 250 years ago. Robert Field, a successful merchant, decided to settle down in New Jersey. This proved to be more of a curse than a blessing as he drowned in the Delaware River under mysterious circumstances in 1775. After his death, he left his young wife, Mary Field, to care for the 600 acre property on her own. Mary raised her 3 children in the home throughout the Revolutionary War. She tried to remain impartial, however there were many times when her house was invaded and searched. Over the years many people have lived in the mansion, including senators, rum runners, prostitutes, inventors, and by the early 1920s the house was converted into an upscale restaurant. Over the years, workers began to notice strange things happening at the mansion. Many visitors reported seeing a shadow man who lurked near the basement and would then disappear. Disembodied voices are very frequent according to people who have visited the mansion. Other phenomena include phantom sounds of children playing in the nursery and footsteps going up and down the stairs at night. There is also supposedly a ghost of a former servant who identified herself during an EVP session and is known to be very talkative and enthusiastic about interacting with visitors. During restoration efforts, over 30,000 artifacts were found that suggest the mansion was built atop an ancient Native American settlement which some believe may contribute to the paranormal activity.

Libra: Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, Trenton, NJ- This hospital, originally named New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum, opened in 1848 and held a mere 86 patients. The first superintendent of the hospital, Horace Buttolph, provided excellent care for his patients and was a good man. Then, Dr. Henry Cotton took over in 1907 and the horror began. He believed that infection caused mental illness, so to test his theories he would remove his patient’s teeth, tonsils, limbs, testicles, ovaries, gall bladders, colons, stomaches, spleens, cervixes, or any other body part that had the slightest sign on infection. This was done often against the consent of the patient and the family of the patient. Some psychiatrists questioned his work, however the New Jersey State Senate approved of his treatments. He would continue to kill his patients until 1930, when he retired. Only after his death in 1933 would his work be reviewed to find that his medical procedures killed 45% of his patients. Thousands of others were left permanently mutilated. The most common ghost sighting at the asylum is Dr. Cotton himself, who people have claimed seeing roam the hallway near his old office wearing a white doctor’s coat. People have also reported hearing disembodied voices, mainly muffled screams and moans as well as being touched. Orbs have been caught on camera, each having a strange blue glow to them. There are also claims of seeing patients without limbs, or the limbs themselves on old medical tables before suddenly disappearing. 

Scorpio: Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, Morris Plains NJ- Originally known as New Jersey Lunatic Asylum, this hospital opened in 1876 and housed over 7,500 patients. Overcrowding was definitely an issue. The building was made to house only around 1,500 people. The patient population peaked in the 1950s with the return of WWII soldiers who had PTSD. Greystone adopted controversial treatment for its patients, regularly administering Insulin shock therapy and electroconvulsive therapy to the veterans. In the 1970s and 1980s, deinstitutionalization became more popular and the hospital officially closed its doors in 2003. There had always been much bad press about the hospital, including stories of patient suicides, patient on patient violence, the sexual assault of patients and a twice-convicted rapist escaping from the hospital. Since it’s shutting down, many people have gone and explored the old abandoned building. People have reported feeling watched and “not being able to get out quick enough”, especially in the dark underground tunnels beneath the hospital which were used to transport dead bodies. There are also a few accounts of seeing full-bodied apparitions in the windows as well as in the shower area in the basement. The building was demolished in 2015. 

Sagittarius: Burlington County Prison, Mount Holly NJ- This prison operated from 1811 to 1965. It was known for public hangings and also housed some notorious people, including “The Boston Strangler” (Albert DeSalvo). The prison was known to use thinner than average rope, which led to prolonged suffering.  One of the first executions there was the hanging of a man named Joel Clough who, in 1833, stabbed Mary W. Hamilton, a woman he was obsessed with. On July 26, 1833, he was hanged and buried on the grounds of the prison. He is said to haunt the dungeon, a room where he was kept leading up to his death. People have reported hearing the chain that originally held him rattle as well as hearing moaning and feeling cold spots. A murder also took place in the prison basement in 1920. One night when a guard went to deliver medicine to a prisoner, the prisoner struck him with an iron rod and killed him instantly. The prisoner then went to the kitchen and murdered another prisoner who was on cooking duty. People have reported seeing a shadow in the corridor where the guard was murdered. There are also claims of seeing a figure underneath the stairs. Other paranormal occurrences include disembodied voices and screams and workers have claimed their tools get moved around or go missing. Many people say they feel like they’re constantly being watched and some have even claimed that they’ve felt someone touching them. 

Capricorn: Lambertville High School, Lambertville NJ- This high school was built in 1854. In 1926, much of the building had been destroyed by a fire caused by arson but was later remodeled and rebuilt in 1927. More tragedy struck the school in 1935 when a boy from a rival high school (New Hope Buckeyes) was killed while playing the traditional “Turkey Bowl” football game. His neck broke after a particularly rough tackle and his head had almost completely turned around. The parents of the boy who was killed petitioned that football was too dangerous and that New Hope should give it up. New Hope still does not have a football team to this day. His spirit is said to linger on the grounds of the school. People have reported seeing a ghostly figure in the windows. Legend says that if you challenge the Buckeye on the old overgrown football field, a strange mist will form and you will suddenly see something charging at you. The school was closed down in 1955 as it had become too small and outdated for the growing area. The building then became a popular hang out for teenagers who would regularly go and get drunk. Allegedly, two teenage boys died under unexplained circumstances while visiting the building. In 2012, the old high school was demolished however visitors who have gone after the fact claim that they still feel cold spots and get an uneasy feeling when standing in the spot where the building once stood. Some have also said that they’ve seen the apparition of the boy who was killed.

Aquarius: Gates of Hell, Clifton NJ- The Gates of Hell drain stands out from the others nearby because of its square shape and also because it has no water flowing in or out of it. There is a ladder inside which allows visitors to climb in and explore the connecting drains. Reportedly, the drains go hundreds of feet underground and has 7 layers. They are said to be filled with the remains of satanic sacrifices including bones, decaying carcasses, crosses and more. It is rumored that the drains used to be frequently used by satanic worshippers and the KKK because of it’s concealed nature. There is also supposedly a deep underground room that is used to summon the devil. There are tales of people drowning in the drains while trying to explore them. People have reported hearing faint chanting, faint footsteps and thumps as well as seeing dark figures in the distance. The entrance of the drain as well as some of the inside is covered in graffiti, some of it being satanic. If you ever decide to visit this place, be careful and don’t go too far deep because many are known to have gotten lost in the complex draining tunnels. 

Pisces- The Grenville Hotel, Bay Head NJ- Opening in 1890, this hotel was known as one of the most luxurious summer hotels that populated the shore. It is still in operation today, and many guests have checked out with stories to tell. Both guests and employees report hearing the sound of children playing and laughing as well as seeing people dressed in period clothing. There are claims of hearing stomping down empty hallways and footsteps in unoccupied rooms. Many guests have said that they have seen imprints on their bed, as if someone was sitting or lying there. One guest even claimed that they saw a man in a dark suit with a top hat one night in their bathroom, who then suddenly disappeared. Later that night, their doorknob wouldn’t stop rattling. Another guest claimed to see a woman in a white dress in their room at night walking towards their bed. The owner says that all of the supposed ghosts are friendly. The third floor is supposedly the most haunted floor, specifically rooms 303 and 304 where disembodied voices can frequently be heard. Some believe the ghosts to be that of the former owners and possibly a guest who perished shortly after the hotel was first opened. 

Pennsylvania

(Let me know what state I should research next...)

[sadkittyworld]

N.S _Wk 1

Today, we had our briefing for the new project. This project seems to be very exciting as I really like the story of Jekyll and Hyde. Having to write my own version of the story is going to be very interesting. 

We will be writing a short film screenplay along with a critical essay, both together will be 2000 words. We can go over or under the word limit by 10%. Knowing my writing style I always end up going over the normal word limit I’m so glad that we have a +/- 10%. For the essay we should ideally divide the writings into 1000 words for the screenplay and 1000 words for the essay.

Adapted stories has been popular in the history of animation.

'When I was a boy, animation was... a magical power that could bring fossilised art forms to life'.

Sylvain Chomet (as quoted in Cavalier, 2011, p6)

Calder, S. (2011) The World History of Animation. London: Aurum Press.

In our short film screenplay we may have dialogue or voice-overs, but it may be entirely visual.

Of course we have to read the story in order to understand it. I've read it before but that was a very long time ago. At the time I suppose I didn't fully understand the text. I have to re-read the novella in order to have a better understanding of the text and so that I can create a story inspired by the original story.

I have decided to listen to an Audible version of the novella. This way I can listen anywhere without looking at a book or an e-reader.

Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

A novella by Robert Louis Stevenson published in 1886, the late Victorian era. It was also significantly 2 years before the Whitechapel murders or when Jack the Ripper appeared and disappeared.

This novella is considered the first example of 'Urban Gothic' which is a genre originated from the genre 'Urban Horror'.

We looked the 1st chapter of the novella. There was a few spoilers for people who didn't know the story of the novella.

There has been many film adaptation of this story, the main reason is that it has a strong thematic question as well as a gripping narrative.

Story of Jekyll and Hyde is an Allegory: meaning it has a deeper hidden meaning.

There are many themes that address human condition in this novella, in fact many are still relevant.

This is the main reason it is perfect for an adaptation. The concealed themes/meanings can be shown in various different forms.

In my adaptation I would like to have Hyde as the main character rather than Jekyll.

Though in the original version Hyde is a very vague figure at least according to the other characters. They can't describe him and because Stevenson left the description for Hyde vague it allows the readers' imagination to run wild and is open to interpretation. However in my version he will be described as beautiful young man which takes away certain mysterious air of the character. When the reader imagines the Mr Hyde, they project their own fears and fantasies into the gaps in the description of the character, an example of this happening is when Utterson, a character from the story, imagines how Hyde looks like from Enfield's description. We see that Utterson is haunted by his fantasies of how Hyde looks like, that is until he sees him and the image from his dreams were destroyed.

The first draft of the novella was written quickly, based on a (supposedly drug-fueled) dream. Stevenson called it a 'fine bogey tale'. It is said that his wife Fanny told him to rewrite the story as it could be more than a mere horror story.

Drug-fueled because Stevenson was very ill and weak meaning he had to take a lot of drugs.

I want to keep my story set in Victorian England. I feel that this is one of the key things that will keep my adaptation related to the original story.

Victorian facts:

Prostitution was illegal yet it was rife(common occurrence, widespread). It was estimated that there was around 80,000 prostitutes in London at the time.

Heroin was given to children to keep them quiet. Children were given opiate-based medicines such as Godfrey's Cordial, and the ominously-named 'Infant Quietness'...

'Drug abuse was widespread among Victorian babies' (Goodman, 2013).

Victorians in general were drug takers. Many people often visited opium dens (or gin palaces). It was possible for people to buy cocaine, laudanum, and even arsenic without prescription. Drug addiction is a theme in 'Jekyll and Hyde'. I have decided to keep this theme alive in my story.

Average life expectancy was 38 yrs. Infant mortality was very high, 20% of children died before their fifth birthday in the poorer areas of Britain's larger cities.

They took post-mortem photos. Super creepy! Most families may not have had a chance or the financial resources to take a picture of them when they were alive.

In 1861 there were 640 charities in London alone, mostly run by well-meaning middle class women.

Wallpaper, baby's bottle, drinking water, central heating and painted toys could get you killed.

Painted toys were painted with lead paint - lead poisoning + child = death

Gas heating and lighting were used before the invention of the light bulb. they were very hazardous, switch on light = BOOM! Stoves exploded and people suffocated in their sleep.

Due to the birth of gas lighting, bright coloured walls became a trend, the were dying to have their homes look fashionable, literally. Scheele’s Green’ a brilliant and long-lasting, but deadly wallpaper that was popular at the time. It was made from copper arsenite. This and the Victorian belief that windows should be kept shut resulted in the creation of noxious fumes that killed many in their sleep.

Corsets were worn by women of the Victorian Era. It made it difficult for them to breath and they were easily bruised. Just climbing the stairs made them dizzy.

The high society of the Victorian Era saw ‘tight lacing’ as fashion. The ladies competed to achieve the smallest waist.

The Victorians were hypocrites. They didn’t like to have their hypocrisy pointed out.

They had Anatomical museums opened in order to warn people of the different diseases that they could possibly get if they weren’t careful.

Homosexual activity was made illegal.

Onanism was not permitted and there were devices to help people from refrain from these activities. Famous playwright Oscar Wilde was imprisoned for Homosexual activity in 1895.

The women had it rough for their wrong doing. They had visible evidence of the wrongdoing, this caused many to suicide by drowning themselves in the Thames.

In summary:

Victorian England was a place of strict religious morals.

Violation of the moral code lead to social ruin(loss of job, home, family, children, status...) and possible imprisonment.

Social repression of the unacceptable desires didn’t eliminate those desires, instead it forced them to hide them, thus forming a dual lifestyle, one of a respectable gentleman and one of a secretive man who feed on his secret desires, in a man’s case anyways. Women in general were considered as accessories or the property of a man after they are married. So glad I’m not living in the Victorian England.

[eirianerisdar]

i'm terrible at titles but for that fic title ask thing: a falcon in the dive, syzygy, and little people

I can finally answer thisask using the actual reply box because I’ve done two of these already:

Little People(Obi-Wan is interviewed by the holonet press during the clone wars. Cueamusement but much more angst)

A Falcon in theDive (Obi-Wan dives. From the Temple gardens, across galactic history,to another Falcon altogether)

Syzygy

Syzygy(noun): An alignment of three celestial objects, be it star, planet, or moon

Characters:Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Tahl etc. (many, many Jedi)

Summary: Jedi die younger than most; but they arereunited in different ways. A somewhat AU-ish interpretation of Jedi scatteredacross the multiverse after death. Jumps universes from victorian-era-esqueworlds to futuristic, inexplicable ones. Begins with Qui-Gon. Ends withtwo others.

Note: In this AU Qui-Gon didn’t hang around after his death as a Force-ghost, so he wasn’t there for Anakin killing Tuskens, etc., etc.

Qui-Gon Jinn wakes to thesound of a portal opening.

Even after seven years ofthis being common occurrence, the noise remains utterly distinctive. It is anindescribable rending of the fabric of space-time; something between hissingand tearing, but without any echo whatsoever. It is a gateway of the purestkind.

Qui-Gon watches the portalshimmer in the opposite wall. It has opened into a world of humans - as mostworlds he has visited usually are - and a street made grey by rain. The groundbeyond is not made of duracrete, he can see. Acurious mode of transport trundles by, drawn by two four-legged animals withsleek manes of hair and sleekly curved bodies. The transport itself is composedof four wooden wheels and a painted box-like structure.

The portal shimmers with alayer of carmine energy. People walk past without seeming to notice it.

As always, an outfit hasappeared next to the portal, on the empty coat-stand that Qui-Gon had placedthere simply for that purpose. He eyes the strange, tall black hat on it withwariness.

It is seven years fromNaboo, almost to the day.

Seven years, and every day anew portal, with a new task. Qui-Gon is never aware what task he has tocomplete until he enters this new world. He does not find it. It finds him.

He has thrownhimself into battles with nothing but bronze armour and a blunted sword toprotect himself; he has found himself in worlds of peace, where his only taskfor the day is to help a little girl find the perfect flower, or to carry anold man’s groceries home for him.

Qui-Gon performs hismorning ablutions quickly, and reaches for the outfit provided to him. Itis…strange. The white shirt, boots and trousers are simple enough, but there is ashort, sleeveless silk garment to go over it, and a long, black coat thatswings about his knees. Qui-Gon finds himselfmystified at a length of silk, more ribbon-like than anything.

Men walk past the portalwith similar lengths of silk tied around their necks in elaborate knots, soQui-Gon manages to come up with something that does not seem too much like asquashed ball of yarn. He rams the thin-rimmed, tall black hat on his head andpulls on his gloves.

Qui-Gon cannot stop thesmile from spreading across his face when he snatches up the last item providedto him; he pulls at the head of the long black cane, and finds the glint of asword within.

Sword-cane. Excellent.

With that happy thought,he ducks through the portal.

The smell is what hits himfirst.

Qui-Gon is immediatelysure that this is a city in the middle of an era of increased industrialproduction; only a rapidly-expanding city with a rich history of pre-industrialdevelopment has this particular stink.

But even here, in thissmoke-aired, sewer-filled city, the Force is present.

Qui-Gon closes his eyesonce, opens them again, and begins to walk.

Close to four hours later,he hurls himself back through the portal, bleeding out his momentum in a muddyroll across the pristine floor of his bedchamber.

Across the shimmeringbarrier, five very confused bloodhounds sniff at the lamplit pavement, utterlyconfused at the disappearance of their quarry.

The portal closes with afirm snap, leaving blank wall in its place.

Qui-Gon tugs at thegrime-encrusted, ruined knot at his neck - a cravat, he now knows - anddrops the length of silk to the floor. It disappears, as is usual for allprovided clothes at the end of a daily task. He is happy to see it go.

The sky outside his littleapartment is bright with afternoon sunshine.

Qui-Gon cleans himself up,dresses in a subdued outfit, and checks his kitchen.

He is running out of eggs.Or whatever the equivalent of eggs are in this universe.

He pulls on a jacket andgoes to the market.

This world, the world inwhich he woke up in seven years ago, is not particularly special. It is peacefulin places, at war in others. There is rudimentary space travel, but not beyondthe closest few planets. Qui-Gon had discovered very quickly within the firstfew months of living here that there is absolutely no knowledge whatsoeveramong the general populace of the Force, or the Jedi, or any other speciesbesides humans. It is as if the galaxy and Republic Qui-Gon served and gave hislife to does not exist at all.

He buys eggs, and a few things for the care of his houseplants. The shopkeepers are polite but distant.

Qui-Gon can feel theirwariness flicker in the Force as he turns to go, like searchlights dancingacross the back of his head, whispering:

There isalways something different about him, that Mister Jinn.

Come sunset, Qui-Gon makeshimself a meal. It is delicious and tastes absolutely different from anythinghe is used to in his old world. The salt here has an unfamiliar tang. The meatis different. The vegetables do not sing with the energy of the Living Force.

But the Force is stillhere, at least, steady and pure. Qui-Gon thinks he might have gone mad withoutit.

He runs though a few kataafter evening meal, in the small dojo connected to his study through aside-door. Even without a lightsaber, the forms flow through him as perfectlyand lightly as they did when he first mastered them. It is at times like thesethat he values the youth that he has in this world; his body for allappearances and abilities seems to match his own when he was about thirty-five.

It is better than havingsixty-year-old knees, certainly.

When he has driven himselfthrough enough repetitions of advanced Ataru velocities to blur the white wallsinto resembling a Temple sparring arena, Qui-Gon halts.

He washes up and goes tosleep. The bed seems to swallow him whole.

He does not dream.

The days blur past withoutmemory or time.

Some days, the tasks aresimple, and he speaks snippets of conversation to beings across the multiverse,tossing words into the aether, like a passing gale would scatter leaves intothe river.

Then there are days theculmination of whole wars rest upon his shoulders, and he negotiates and speaksand fights - but hours later he always steps back through the portal again andinto the artificial tidiness of his apartment, no matter whether he is drippingblood onto the carpet, or pristine in honoured robes.

The Force provides noanswer when he inquires why he is here, or why he must complete these tasks. Itsimply surges and recedes when he meditates, and whispers, patience.

And then comes the day hispatience is finally rewarded.

Ten years post-Naboo, Qui-Gon has just begunsupper when there is an unmistakable hiss-snap of a portal opening.

His hand pauses in the actof shaking more salt over the pot of soup.

“No,” he says, to nobodyin particular.

The Force eddies aroundhis ankles, encouragingly.

“No,” Qui-Gon says again,firmly. He places the salt container to the side and reaches for a spice-jar.  “It is time for evening meal. I have to eat so I can throw myself into another battle tomorrow morning.”

He nearly drops the jar as a sudden headache starts up behind his eyes.

After a moment, he shuts off the stove.

“Force-forsaken duty,” Qui-Gon mutters. He turns to face the portal.

Behind the translucent barrier is a snow-swept train station, looking not unlike one from Qui-Gon’s current universe. The portal looks out onto a platform and a set of tracks; the view of the opposite platform is obscured by a train halted there.

Frowning at the portal, Qui-Gon moodily reaches around to undo the ties of his apron.

There is a sharp hiss of hydraulics as the train pulls away from the platform.

Qui-Gon raises his head, and the breath stops in his chest.

There, standing on the opposite platform, is a woman with hair the colour of freshly-watered earth, and skin the shade of bronze-kissed jasper. Her hands are tucked into her coat-pockets for warmth; her scarf billows in the wind as she glances to her right.

Her eyes. Her green-and-gold-striped eyes.

Qui-Gon stares at Tahl Uvain and knows this cannot be a dream, because he is already dead, and he has not dreamed in a decade.

And then he senses her; a bright-flamed star blossoms on the edge of his consciousness where an empty void had been before.

He has stumbled through the portal before he even began to think of stepping forward.

Tahl’s sharp eyes catch the movement in the air, and the next moment, green and gold meet sea-blue.

Her spine straightens. Proud and confident and strong; three of the many, many things that Qui-Gon had loved about her.

And then he realises.

She can see. She can see.

Qui-Gon does not dare move. It would seem neither does she; they stare at each other across a no-man’s-land of two train-tracks, as though neither of them have ever seen anything before; as if this, before them, is beautiful and wondrous enough as to be wholly indescribable.

Tahl’s lips move first, and the words come, muffled by snow but clear as a clarion across the space between them:

“Qui? Is that you?”

Qui-Gon thinks he might have wept, then. It would have been different, perhaps, if she had spoken his name in full; but it has been two lifetimes since he last heard someone say his name with such fondness, and a lifetime since he last heard his name at all.

He tries to say her name in return, but the sounds do not come.

It does not matter. Recognition blooms on Tahl’s features; her eyes are immediately lit with such incandescent joy that Qui-Gon’s wonders if his heart will stop simply by mirroring it.

Joy he has not felt since…

Since he heard the words I pledge myself to you, Qui-Gon.

A deep rumble sounds to Qui-Gon’s right. Both Jedi’s heads snap to the side; the tracks tremble as a train approaches.

Panic flares in Qui-Gon’s chest; he cannot allow this train to slice between the two platforms and separate them, not when they have endured enough years apart for death, twice.

“Qui-Gon!”

He glimpses her sprinting for the platform stairs as the train rushes into the station; he pivots on a heel and lunges at the stairs on his own platform. The short seconds he races up the steps are pounding spaces of disbelieving hope.

At the top of the steps is a corner, and round the corner a bridge, and down that-

They slam into each other at the centre of the bridge, suspended above the tracks like two actors that have missed their cue, and raced out of the wrong entrances, colliding.

Qui-Gon has buried his face in her shoulder and breathed in her Force-signature before he even registers the weight of her in his arms.

Tahl’s arms are so tight around his chest that he thinks he might be sawed in half. Or perhaps that pressure is not her at all, but the pain of a heart remade.

It is strange. They have both died once, separated by a span of ten years, but here, in this moment, Qui-Gon thinks he is happy enough to die.

“Tahl,” he sobs, muffled by the cold and the snow.

“You’re not supposed to be dead, you idiot,” Tahl mumbles somewhere under his chin.

“You weren’t, either,” Qui-Gon whispers.

“Hush.”

They stand, orbiting each other in the Force, a perfect binary star.

The Force glimmers, and laughs.

It is not long after they find each other that more Jedi begin to appear.

Two hundred Jedi flicker into being out of nowhere, scattered across the multiverse. Qui-Gon and Tahl link hands and seek them out. They bring troubling news, of the beginning of war.

More Jedi are found throughout the few years after, increasing in number but often decreasing in age, with the youngest no older than junior padawans.

Qui-Gon spends his nights sipping tea with Tahl, fiddling with his wedding ring distractedly as he thinks about Generals Kenobi and Skywalker, leading campaigns far out on the outer rim of a galaxy he can no longer reach.

Then came the day that the portals opened non-stop for twenty-four hours.

Qui-Gon and Tahl run, and run, and at the end of that one day, they have gathered ten thousand Jedi.

Qui-Gon gazes at the fallen Order, and wonders that the two faces he searches for are not there.

Mace Windu steps out of the crowd, flexes his right hand for a moment as though checking if it is really there, opens his mouth, and speaks.

Qui-Gon crumbles.

Nineteen years pass quickly, here.

The Jedi Order settles in nicely to this new world. The initiates who were cut down in the death throes of the old Order are all now knighted. Qui-Gon is the new Grand Master; he finds the job hopelessly dull, but Mace had insisted.

Then one day, a portal opens, and Qui-Gon drops his cup of tea all over his new robes.

“Master,” Obi-Wan says, blue eyes twinkling above well-cut beard. He doesn’t look a day over thirty.

Qui-Gon knocks aside his tea-table in his haste to embrace the other man. Obi-Wan’s laugh cascades into the Force, as does Tahl’s shout when she sees him.

Syzygy. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Tahl. Three celestial objects in complete alignment, forever.

END

There you have it. A 2,400 word “snippet”. *falls over* Thanks for reading! Do reblog and leave a comment! I hope this fic made you smile as much as it did for me :) I think this is a pretty good AU to keep adding tidbits into, so send me prompts for that any time. It will be called Syzygy AU, I think.

Find more of my fanfic here:

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[londondivorce0]

via London Divorce Solicitor,

History Of Divorce

The History Of Divorce is a study of the history of a divorce. It takes an inside look at what happened in each divorce case and provides information that is used in the legal proceedings. This includes information on how to prepare for a divorce and the legal procedures involved.

The book begins with a section covering “Early American Divorce”. Here, it covers the typical patterns of divorce in the times, including no-fault divorces. Later chapters cover the Medieval period, through the Victorian era, and the beginnings of Modern divorce law.

The chapters in this History Of Divorce cover the following topics: Why divorce is difficult, Divorce laws, Prenuptial agreements, Unilateral or Extramarital agreements, Mothers and children in divorce, Divorce records, Infidelity, Divorce process, Custody disputes, Divorce cases, Declarations of divorce, Post-divorce counseling, Divorce lawyer and lawyers, Divorce relief, Women in divorce, Attorneys, Civil courts, and Shorter annulments. The information provided will give you an overview of divorce.

The History Of Divorce also describes the current state of divorce law in the United States. The material gives a very good overview of what has changed over the years. There are some other pieces of literature available that give more detail about the different issues covered in the book. However, you can get a good idea of the kinds of issues covered by reading the book.

If you are trying to decide whether or not to have a divorce, you should start by reading this book. By taking a quick look at the material covered in the book, you will be able to decide whether or not you want to proceed with your divorce.

The Book was written for and is being used in a Domestic Relations class, as an introduction to Divorce. It is a must for people who are considering a divorce.

This book covers the following topics: History of Divorce. Causes of Divorce. How to File for Divorce. Information on How to Prepare For a Divorce.

A History of Divorce gives the reader a great deal of background information. This information is used to shed light on why divorce is so difficult to achieve in the United States. The information provided will also help the reader to understand the issue of how to prepare for a divorce.

This book provides a very good overview of the types of situations that can lead to a divorce. It provides the reader with a better understanding of the reasons for divorce and what to expect in the courtroom.

When you take a look at this book, you will find that Divorce is one of the most difficult tasks that any couple will ever face. In many cases, it can be a very emotional and complicated time. The History of Divorce is going to give you a real feel for what it’s like to file for divorce in the United States.

Parental Alienation and Child Custody are two of the most common causes of divorce. Divorce information can be very confusing because of these two reasons. This book can clear up any confusion that you may have about this topic.

When you take a look at the history of divorce, you will find that there is a lot of information that is available on this topic. This information is used in a divorce.

How to Save Your Marriage When You Filed For Divorce

The last thing you want to do is file for divorce because it will cause a lot of problems in your marriage. I know this from experience, I’ve been there before and I know what happens.

I want to tell you that it’s possible to save your marriage if you follow some simple tips. If you don’t believe me, then ask your friends who have filed for divorce and get their story.

When you file for divorce, don’t get mad about it right away. It is easy to get angry and upset about the situation. There are some things you can do that will help to calm you down so you can think rationally.

As you may be aware, people who file for divorce are usually stressed and upset, so when they do get mad and upset, they don’t panic and start yelling at each other. In fact, most people who file for divorce never yell or get angry at each other.

Instead, they try to get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy diet, exercise, and don’t drink. You don’t need to drink alcohol and don’t smoke cigarettes. These things cause your body to react the same way as if you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Once you calm down a bit, you can then start to work on saving your marriage, don’t just sit around and wait for your spouse to come back to you. If you wait too long, they will assume that you want the divorce and they will make a final decision that will only hurt you.

Try not to think about the divorce or think about how you are going to get back together with your ex-spouse. You should also stop thinking about your children and all of the money you’ll lose if you file for divorce. You need to concentrate on saving your marriage.

The first thing you need to do is apologize to your spouse and let them know that you are sorry that you got yourself into this mess. This will help to put the marriage back on track.

Communicate with your spouse, even if it’s over something small like paying the bills or cleaning up the house. You will find that sometimes saying the right thing at the right time can make all the difference. If you both act like it’s an everyday occurrence, things will probably get back to normal very quickly.

If you’re still angry about your divorce, don’t need to do anything else. Just go out and do what you always do; play cards or watch movies. It may seem like you’re doing nothing but just sitting around doing nothing, but that’s exactly what you’re doing.

Try to keep up with your household chores. If you don’t do your share of the cleaning and laundry, you may want to consider hiring someone to do these things for you. Once you realize that you aren’t actually that upset about the divorce, you’ll be surprised how quick you can get over it.

Don’t wait until your marriage breakup is even worse than it was before you filed for divorce. If you want to save your marriage, try to avoid the mistakes I made when I was in a similar situation.

London Divorce Solicitor Dominic Levent Solicitors 1345 High Rd London N20 9HR 020 8347 6640

from London Divorce Solicitor https://londondivorcesolicitor.blogspot.com/2020/06/divorce-is-there-best-time-to-get.html via IFTTT

[datinglove07-blog-blog-blog]

43 Romantic Facts About Dating & Relationships

New Post has been published on https://onlinedatingloves.com/trending/43-romantic-facts-about-dating-relationships/

43 Romantic Facts About Dating & Relationships

“Dating is about finding out who you are and who others are. If you show up in a masquerade outfit, neither is going to happen.”— Henry Cloud, How to Get a Date Worth Keeping

The term “dating” has multiple meanings, but it most commonly means the period in which two people meet socially, and explore whether or not they want to eventually pursue a more serious relationship or even marriage. It is a relatively recent phenomenon, having only originated in the last few centuries, that varies from country to country, and has changed considerably over time. Thanks to modern technology, dating can now take place over the telephone, computer, or in person. Below are 43 romantic facts about dating and relationships in the past, present, and future.

43. Money Matters

More women than men say they need independence in a relationship and prefer to keep their bank accounts separate. Men tend to be less secure, and statistics also show that for every $5000 that a woman earns more her husband, the chance of divorce increases by 5%.

42.  It’s the Little Things that Count

Studies show that small acts of affection between couples can help strengthen their relationship. Actions like a giving a partner a tight hug, a kiss, a cup of tea, or even an unexpected gift can mean as much as sex.

In the US, there are an average of 100 unmarried women to 86 unmarried men. 

If you’ve ever wondered why the counter in a bar is curved, there’s actually a specific reason. Bars are designed so patrons can assess the people around them for their dating potential. Most bars will also strategically place mirrors to make them seem larger and to allow people to check out who’s behind them. 

The “chase” is the most exciting part of dating to many people, so dating experts suggest not being too “available” after a date. A “desperate dater” is someone who is free for a date no matter how last minute, who focuses too much attention on their partner, who needs constant reassurance about their relationship, who needs a lot of compliments, who abandons their friends at the drop of a hat, and who is willing to settle, no matter how badly they are treated. According to E-Harmony, people with higher standards, and who don’t make themselves as available, are more likely to find love.

38. No Kissing Cousins

Due in part to Iceland’s small population (320,000), few foreign nationals, and surnames that don’t offer many hints as to lineage, it is a concern among Icelanders that they may accidentally sleep with a relative. To combat this, Iceland has a dating app called “Bump” that can tell you whether or not you’re related to the other person just by bumping your phones together.

37. The Victorian Internet

Before the Internet, people had to find other means of finding romance. Not long after the first newspaper was invented, personal ads started appearing. In the Victorian era, the telegraph was also used as a means of finding romance. Due to its ability to quickly transmit messages across long distances, it opened up opportunities for people who had never met to communicate and fall in love.

The expression “Netflix and Chill” seems like a simple invitation to relax at home and watch a movie, but it’s become code for sex. Very chill. Or not chill at all?

35. Honesty is the Best Policy

A University of Illinois study found that when both partners were honest with each other about the state of their relationship, they stood a better chance of lasting longer. The same study also found that people in dying relationships tend to distort their assessment of how things are going.

34. When Dating Was a Felony

At the turn of the century, the concept of dating was virtually unheard of, and law enforcement officials didn’t know how to handle it. To them, a woman allowing a man to buy her food, drink or gifts and meeting in public was one step away from prostitution, and it was possible for a woman to be arrested for dating.

33. Doing Dishes Is Good for Your Love Life

A 2015 University of Alberta study showed that when couples share equally in household chores, they report being more satisfied with their relationship both emotionally and sexually.

The best time to call after meeting someone is within two to four days, and no more than four to five days. If woman doesn’t return the guy’s call after two messages, she’s probably not keen.

31. Meet Online, Break Up Online

Online daters are more likely to breakup online as well. Match Singles reports that almost half of their breakups occur over e-mail, while only a small percentage breakup over text. I wonder if the email dumpers feel good about themselves, because at least they aren’t breaking up by text!

The term dating in its current framework is a relatively young term. Its first appearance came in a newspaper column in 1896 when a young man complained that his girlfriend was seeing other people, and they were taking up all of his dates (on her calendar).

They say that opposites attract, and a lot of times, a type “A” personality will get together with someone who is their polar opposite. Although the different personalities can balance each other out, sometimes they’re too different, and they start to resent one another for those differences.

28. Dating is Big Bucks!

The online dating industry generates $1.8 billion annually, and in the US, the dating coach business alone is worth $260 million per year. Dating has become big business, and the establishment of the “dating industry” has made meeting a potential partner become something that people are expected to pour their money into, much like what has occurred with the wedding and Christmas industries.

Repeating your date’s name at least twice is a sure-fire way to create a connection with him/her, as it shows attention and involvement. Remembering bits of information about them and working it into conversations is also a way of showing that you’re interested.

26. Such a Turn-Off

Cystic acne, ragged nails, body odor and bad breath are among the top ten turn-offs for women. On the other hand, women will be more attracted to a man who wears aftershave and pheromone-based colognes. Women have a stronger sense of smell than men, and according to some studies, musk and black licorice smells are especially attractive.

Speed dating was actually invented in 1999 by a Los Angeles based Jewish man whose rabbi encouraged him to find a way to help Jewish singles meet and find partners. It’s based on a Jewish tradition of chaperoning meetings of young, Jewish singles.

24. Not so Fast!

Relationships typically don’t happen immediately after the first date. Studies show that it takes an average of six to eight dates before a dating couple decide to make their relationship exclusive. By the same token, most breakups occur after an average of three to five months.

A study by Lisa Daily suggests that women take longer to figure out when they’re into someone than men do. Men have reported recognizing their feelings as early as date three, while women report the same feelings around date 14.

22. Increasing the Odds

A study carried out by Emory University in Georgia found that the longer couples date before marriage, the more likely they are to stay together. Couples who dated for three or more years before proposing were about 40% less likely to divorce compared to those who had dated for less than a year. This feels like something that we didn’t need a study to prove…

According to journalist David McCandless’s TED talk, the most common day to announce a breakup is on Monday. Right before Spring Break and Christmas are the times of year when most breakups occur.

Expensive weddings and fancy rings are not a guarantee of a long and happy marriage. Debt stress after the wedding is a common occurrence that can severely damage a relationship. Studies have also shown that cohabitating couples who aren’t married share the same advantages as married ones, and expensive weddings are associated with higher divorce rates.

19. Broken Heart Syndrome

It turns out that being “broken hearted” is more than just a figurative condition. When a person suffers the loss of a loved one, by death or some other cause, the heart muscles can weaken and bring on a temporary heart condition. The body blitzes the heart with stress chemicals, the cells of the heart freeze, and the muscles tense up. This leads to a release of pain chemicals which travel to the brain and cause an actual pain sensation in the heart.

18. Cuddle Together, Stay Together

A study by the University of Hertfordshire found that couples who snuggle up while sleeping had much happier relationships than those who don’t. Only 68% of couples who said they don’t cuddle said they were happy.

17. Look Into My Eyes

Research shows that looking a person in the eyes plays a big role in attracting a possible date for both sexes. If a woman uncrosses her arms, makes subtle eye-contact and smiles, it makes approach more likely. Though, there seems to be plenty of evidence that doing the exact opposite won’t do much to deter creepy dudes.

16. It’s Scary Out There

Over half of the people who report their relationship status as single say they haven’t been on a date in two years. According to one poll, 40% of men said they are scared when they first make contact with a potential partner, which could help explain the lapse.

Three of the biggest dating mistakes are talking about yourself or your ex too much, being late, and seeming too willing. Men also report trying to avoid women who flirt too much, talk about marriage too soon, are too needy, party too much, are too chatty, and are too dramatic.

When both partners are appreciative of the effort put in by the other person, a relationship will probably be more successful. A simple thank you can increase oxytocin levels—a neurochemical that helps build trust and affection.

An Elle magazine survey found that 12% of women and 31% of men said they’d dumped a partner because they were overweight. In attracting a date, being thin and muscular is preferred to being overweight. Muscular individuals are viewed as brave, healthy and attractive, while thin people are seen as intelligent but nervous.

Before a man even speaks a word, his appearance and body language account for 55% of a woman’s first impression. The way he speaks accounts for another 38% of the impression, and what he says accounts for just 7%. 

11 Don’t Worry—Be Happy!

Negativity is the biggest turn-off during a first date. Studies show that happiness is infectious, and potential dates will less frequently turn away from happy people.

According to psychologists at UPenn, most people make a decision about whether or not they want to have sex with someone in the first three seconds of meeting. On the other hand, deciding whether or not to get into a relationship can be a long and involved process.

Although men have traditionally done the asking when it comes to dating, a Match.com poll found that 91% of men who use the site are comfortable with women asking them out. Match also finds that increasing amounts of Americans no longer feel it necessary for the man to pay for the first date.

8. The Right Time for Sex

Surveys show that 40% of women think one to three months is the suitable time frame to wait for sex, while 35% of men think the third date is OK. On average, sex takes place around the fourth to sixth dates, and women are increasingly making the first move.

7. She’s Just Not That Into You

When a woman offers to pay for everything on a date, the likelihood is that she isn’t really interested. Avoiding eye-contact, faking a smile or not smiling, leaning away, giving monosyllabic answers and looking at her watch are also all signs that she’s not into it.

Meeting in public for a “date” oddly used to be the best way to give suitors some privacy. Before dating, courtship involved a suitor calling on his potential partner in her home, and since most homes weren’t mansions, being “alone” was virtually impossible.

When women in a crowd are bunched together giggling, it’s a sign that they aren’t looking for men. If they’re standing together but their eyes wander, they’re interested and looking, and if they leave the group to go to the bathroom alone, they’re actively hunting.

Statistics have shown that being an entrepreneur, preferring phone calls to texting, and being anti-social media are all positive qualities in a date, while complaining on Facebook, being too involved in social media and not voting in presidential elections are negatives. It has also been found that binge-watching the same TV shows is a big plus for millennials.

The practice of “ghosting” is all-too-familiar to modern daters. It’s the term used to describe when someone that a person has been dating disappears without a trace. They stop returning texts, block the other on Social Media, and basically just erase themselves from the life of their one time partner, all in an effort to avoid the breakup conversation. In contrast, when someone who tries to get back into an ex’s life through social media, it’s called haunting. The dating-world sure can get spooky.

2. Fudging the Details

A recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that 81% of people who fill out online dating profiles lie about details such as their height, weight or age. Weight is the biggest fudge for women (who frequently take off a few pounds), while men often add a half inch or more to their height. While some people do lie about their age, they do so less frequently than they do about height and weight.

1. Tune-In, Hook Up

Video sharing giant YouTube was almost a dating site. The domain was registered on Valentine’s Day, and was given the tagline “tune-in, hook up.” The goal was originally to give singles a virtual space where they could upload videos of themselves and “hook up” with other users. The company’s founders assumed that was the most logical use of the service, though it turned out that weird cats and fidget spinners would have something to say about it.

Source

43 Romantic Facts About Dating & Relationships

[writingsocially-blog]

Essay Sample

This is an example of an essay I wrote for one of my old AP English classes on the iconic poem “Hap”.  The original was just shy of 2,000 words, but I cut it down to some highlights! (so no introduction or conclusion ): )

Word Count: 755

The discussion of the nature of tragic events is one fraught with complexity. There are those that argue that fate is predetermined by some higher power and those that believe that sorrow is a product of chance. Thomas Hardy’s “Hap” debates the very idea of tragedy and other events in life. The diction, structure, and circumstances surrounding “Hap” are meant to exemplify the random occurrences and the uncertainty of life.

The early stages of his adulthood could be characterized as a transitionary period. He originally took up architecture, but his waning faith in religion and decreasing funds resulted in him taking up a new vocation––priesthood (Millgate). Even after his ordination, however, Hardy still held reservations about religion. These reservations would later arise when he began to gain notoriety since they were common themes throughout his poems. One of these poems, “Hap”, later became one of his most well-known works.

Hardy’s poetry was inspired by the romantics that preceded him. As a child of the Victorian era, he revered the style and focus on naturalism of the romantic much more than the sometimes critical style of poets in his own time (“Victorian Literature”). One of his greatest inspirations was renowned poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. From poets like Shelley, Hardy attempted to emulate pastoral descriptors (Nichols). Many of his poems reflect Hardy’s reverence for the romantic luminaries from the past. Thomas Hardy’s “Hap” was one of earlier poems in his career. Although Hardy could be considered a traditional poet, “Hap”, like many of his poems, is unconventional in its structure and style. This style in many ways represents the amalgamation of romantic poetry form and his own ideas. This poem, for example, is a hybrid sonnet, mixing together the structure of an Italian sonnet with the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet.

“Hap” itself is a poem about uncertainty. The speaker, which one can assume to be Hardy based on his complex relationship with religion, considers the cruel reality of hardship. Hardy begins the poem by wishing there was a god that he could blame for the misfortunes that he experiences in his life. This hypothetical god could be a powerful and sadistic one, causing pain and sorrow for his own amusement. This god, Hardy writes, would satiate his sorrow. In that circumstance, Hardy would be able to die knowing that all of the pain in his life was caused by another being of immense power. As the sonnet concludes, Hardy laments the true source of his sorrows––random chance. It is the unpredictable happenstances in his life that strip him of his joy. The ending of the poem is a firm declaration: people suffer at the hands of mere coincidence.

Besides the discussion in the poem itself, the very nature of Hardy’s typical writing style and the style of “Hap” hint to another uncertainty. The poem’s three stanzas resemble a scientific hypothesis. The poem poses that “If” (Hardy, 1) there were a god, “Then” (5) he would accept his sorrow, “But” (9) he is instead resigned to live under random chance. These stanzas form a logical statement. The poem is a discussion from a man trying to rationalize an irrational concept. Peculiarly, this poem is particularly scientific, especially for a poet that took such heavy inspirations from romantic writers. Instead, this poem is written like a scientific statement involving the manner of god, fate, and chance. These are more Victorian ideas coming from a poet with romantic influences. The argument of science versus fate reflects Hardy’s own struggle. Although he lost his faith early in his life and staunchly denies a god in his poem, Hardy is unsure of his denial of religion. In a piece about uncertainty, Hardy underlays his own thoughts, forming an argument posed as a poem. While he writes like he is opposed to the existence of any god, he is unsure of this stance. With the knowledge that the author himself may be unsure of his beliefs, the position taken in the poem of the existence of a vengeful god comes into question. Is the poem or is the author's underlying doubt to be believed? Is tragedy a product of chance or could there still be a vengeful god responsible? Perhaps. The uncertainty of the author makes the stance taken in the poem uncertain. These conflicting ideas do not conflict with the meaning of the poem, in fact, they support it. There is no certainty: not in “Crass Casualty” (11), not in the poem, and not in life. Hardy’s “Hap” reflects that.

[foulfurywombat-blog]

Why is my car insurance so much higher than my female counter part?

"Why is my car insurance so much higher than my female counter part?

This is such bullsh*t. I am 24 have had 0 accidents and 0 tickets. I am moving to another state and my Fing insurance is like $150 month. Then I talked to a female coworker my age with the same type of car and she has 2 speeding tickets her insurance is $137 a month. WTF? It is a known fact that almost all women are horrible drivers. Sure I guess males my age may do more reckless things but at least we have some Fing common sense. Women in todays society seem to lack this. Because they are never held accountable for any of their actions. O sweety you drank a fifth last night and banged some fat nasty guy well its not your fault its the guys fault. Sorry for the rant I just feel that my car insurance should be lower than hers because I have no tickets not higher anyone else agree?

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://freeinsurancequotes.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

RELATED QUESTIONS: 

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Just because they presume that since your a lad/guy your very likely to crash. And girls won't? Its not the Victorian era there's a lot of young women that are into cars & are racers. There just as likely to crash imo. It shouldn't be stereotypical that boys will wreck there car. Yes I love cars but I would never take risks in my first few years. It suck that I cant get an affordable insurance quote for my mothers 1.2 VW Polo. Yet a female friend of mine of the same age (18) can get covered on a 1.6 mini cooper for 1700. Thats not even her first car! When she was 17 she was driving a mercedes kompressor! I cant even get a quote below 2500 & I live in outside of Edinburgh City near the country side :( Plus theres insuramce companies out there that exist just for woman (Shielas wheels etc) that offer cgeap quotes to women! Its discrimination in my opinion.

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Does anyone know of any affordable health insurance companies for individuals living in Ohio?

Car insurance?

is there such a thing as shared car insurace, kinda like family health insurance?( like 1 insurance bill 4 2 cars)""

Recommended Auto-insurance break-ups?

I have Mercury Insurance for my Camry (Make-2009). It is due for renewal next month. I was with this company from past one year. I am from different company, so frankly telling, I did not used my mind while buying Insurance and I just followed my friends. Can somebody review it and suggest, if it is recommended or I should change it ? May be I can save more money ? Bodily Injury Liability = 100,000 (Each Person)/300,000 (Each Accident) Property Damage Liability = 50,000 (Each Accident) Uninsured Motorists Bodily Injury Liability = 50,000 (Each Person)/100,00 (Each Accident) Uninsured Motorists Property Damage Liability = Maximum Comprehensive = Deductible Car-1 $ 500 Collision = Deductible Car-1 - $ 500 Roadside Assistance Per Occurrence = Car-1 - $75""

How do I get 1 day car insurance in virginia?

Someone is giving me a car I am picking up in newark and I need one day insurance to drive it back because i dont have money right now since my job doesnt start til 2 weeks from now and its my first job since my car accident 2 months ago. I tried calling elephant because I thought they had 1 day insurance but they keep transferring me to a place that says they dont have it. I dont know who to call

Car insurance for teen?

I'm 18 and only had my license for 4 months. I can afford monthly car payments but insurance is over the ceiling, the cheapest policy I got was $270 from geico w/o collision. One with collision is $371 - month w/$500 deductible. My mom had an accident so itll be cheaper by myself. Any suggestions? It's so frustrating!""

Is there such thing as Bicycle Insurance?

When I say Bicycle Insurance, I mean that the insurance company will pay for repairs.""

Need help with health/dental insurance!?

I have been on my dads insurance that is provided for by his job. I was married last year and my husband was AGR so we received TRICARE. He has since finished active duty and we are no longer insured. My dad never took me off his insurance (mainly bc he forgot) but can I still use it?? My main concern is that it would be under my maiden name. We will be enrolling in another form of TRICARE but I will not be able to use it until after the first of March. I am in a lot of pain with my wisdom teeth and need them out desperately. I am not aware of the laws and regulations for this matter and would never want to do something illegal or fraudulent. Thanks!

Best Health Insurance for Young Adults?

I am 21 and a soon-to-be college graduate. What is the best health insurance company/plan for someone in my position? Please include the monthly cost. I've heard alot about Blue Cross Blue Shield but this is a very important decision and I need a little help making it. I am not looking to get on my parents' health insurance. Thanks!

What's the purpose of medical insurance for students?

I'm in Australia and I need medical insurance which is very costly and it doesn't even cover anything like dental checkup. I don't think I'll ever a use a single penny from that insurance. Why are they robbing us of our money for no reason? If I get ill, I'll use my own money to pay for treatment. And I heard they don't get any interest from the money so where does all that money go? In the air?""

Are hearing aids covered by health insurance?

Since I was born, I've had a hearing problem on my left ear that I have to go to the audiologist for every year, and every year they say my ability to hear in it goes down by a fragment. I'm 16 now, and in high school, and they originally tried to get me to get hearing aids in 6th grade, but I threw a fit because I was afraid people would make fun of me, and they haven't brought it up since. This year I'm really noticing that my hearing is shot. I'm constantly asking people to repeat things, and whenever someone says something to me and I'm not looking at their mouth, it's all a jumbled mess. If there are a lot of people talking, and someone is standing directly in front of me, but I'm not looking at their mouth, I miss probably a fifth of what they say. I've been thinking about getting hearing aids, but I was wondered if they were covered by insurance. My mom gets the insurance through Fl Hospital, if that helps, and as I'm just now looking into it, I don't know many more details about it.""

What type of car insurance do you have? 10 points will be given!!!!!!!!?

as a sixteen year old who would like to get a used car, i would like to know what type of car insurance is the best. i have tried to do online quotes, but they always ask for too much personal information. is insurance real expensive for a sixteen year old? what type of insurance do you have or recommend? thanks""

Reducing Car insurance?!?

Hi, I am just curious because I know someone who does this but situation is a little different. His parents are split up so he has a car at his mother's house (where he would HAVE to be registered as primary driver) but he lives at his father's house so he only pays occasional driver's insurance even though the car is always with him. (both the father and mother have licenses however are not insured under the car in question) I am just asking if it were possible for me to do that with my grandmother for example. If I get a car registered under her name, but since I don't live with her can I pay as an occasional driver? She does not have a license. If it helps I live in Ontario, Canada. Thank you""

Will my car insurance go up after this accident happened(Story included)?

Ok so my brother was driving on the highway and another car hit him but left the scene. It was the other cars fault not my brothers. A cop passed by and ask what happened. My brother didn't have license so I told them I was the one who was driving and explain everything. I was 18/17 at that time. The cop did take my license and gave it back after making a report. I am safe or will my insurance rate be high because of this??? The car and the insurance was under my brothers name. But I took the blame. The car didnt have any major damage. just the front got damage I am also afraid he could tell his insurance it was my fault so his insurance doesn't go up. Could he do that?

Why is my car insurance so much higher than my female counter part?

This is such bullsh*t. I am 24 have had 0 accidents and 0 tickets. I am moving to another state and my Fing insurance is like $150 month. Then I talked to a female coworker my age with the same type of car and she has 2 speeding tickets her insurance is $137 a month. WTF? It is a known fact that almost all women are horrible drivers. Sure I guess males my age may do more reckless things but at least we have some Fing common sense. Women in todays society seem to lack this. Because they are never held accountable for any of their actions. O sweety you drank a fifth last night and banged some fat nasty guy well its not your fault its the guys fault. Sorry for the rant I just feel that my car insurance should be lower than hers because I have no tickets not higher anyone else agree?

Cheapest car insurance for a teen in florida ?

Im currently 17 years old; Im getting my driver license next week. I have a 1995 Nissan Sentra and I wanted to know what would be the cheapest insurance in Florida. I was thinking of getting my PIP only, but my price ranges are 0-250 a month. I also have a 20 year brother who had his drivers license since he was 17 years old and I was thinking if I can out his name as the head of the car insurance and add me as a secondary driver but I dont if it will be cheaper ??? If you know of an insurance that provides more than a PIP for my price range please let me know ??? If the insurance will not be cheaper under my brothers name, !!""

Looking for cheap cars to insure?

Hello there, im 21 and looking for a cheap good runnin car! Thats cheap to insure! :) I dont like the old shape corses or nissan micras.. Ewww lol but really need a car asap! Any suggestions would be great n could u put make of car n model please? Thanks for reading! Lewis :D""

Whats the best insurance company for a young driver?

just passed my driving test and was wondering what the cheapest insurance company for young drivers is?

Where do i get a cheap auto insurance company?

Where do i get a cheap auto insurance company?

Business Insurance - Car?

Basically, I have an internet business, and Im wondering if there is a way that I can have business car insurance? I would like to know the as much as I can. I am looking at a rather fast, expensive car, that will partly be used for Business. So Im wondering if I can get a business insurance policy, and cover it on that? Anyone in the know - please help, and offer advice. Thanks.""

""Car accident, insurance rate?""

ive been driving 2 years, no tickets, no accidents....so tonight i got in an accident, rear ended a car....my fault,,,how much will my insurance go up? i have Allstate.""

How do Insurance companies pay for medical bills?

I was in an accident last year that led to me being in the ICU for a few days. I incurred a hefty medical bill as a result. The accident was not my fault, and the driver was insured. I am going to a mediation to decide how the money the insurance company can pay will be divided between those of us that were injured. My question is, when we come to an agreement, will the insurance company send me a check or will they send a payment to the hospital where I owe money?""

How much does insurance cost for a 16 year old newly licensed driver and a car?

How much does insurance cost for a 16 year old newly licensed driver and a car?

How much would full coverage insurance cost?

I want to get a car loan to buy this 2004 Hyundai Tiburon. I'm 18, I've been in one accident. Around how much a month?""

On friday 4/25 my 03 Tahoe was stolen in front of my house it was recovered the following day 4/26 about 9pm?

it was about 2:30am when the vehicle was stolen, the police was called and they came out to the scene. they gave me a file number. Later in the a.m i called the Insurance and reported the auto theft i gave all the current information my statement was being recorded. The insurance inspector came out to inspect the vehicle on Tuesday theyre were alot of damage inside out. He said it was about $4,000.00 worth of damage. It maybe was going to be total loss. I went ahead and called the adjustor to follow up on the inspection he then said he gave my claim to a investigator for further review. I mention to him that my vehicle is at my house when it should be in the tow yard, that it seems they are lacking holding off in helping me with this situation. He was rude and continue to tell me to wait for a phone call. Today 5/2/2014 a claim investigator called me stating that it was a coincidence that i worked for a auto body shop and my vehicle being stolen recently. I got really upset i told her me working at a shop doesnt have nothing to do with my car being stolen. I told her I was going to seek help thru a lawyer and hanged up the phone. Has anyone been a similar situation? I live in the state of California and have Infinity Insuracne Both my cars are full cover and both are paid off.""

Question about Liability Insurance.?

My mother has insurance on a car I drive, but do to a horrible driving record State Farm - her car insurance company - won't carry me, and when they will again it won't be cheap. I recently found some cheap liability insurance but I was curious - the insurance companies won't give me a straight answer - does my mom have to switch all the insurance for the car, or can I have insurance just for when I drive. If so should I get PIP - personal injury protection instead of liability? Pretty much can there be 2 forms of insurance from 2 seperate companies on one car? Full Coverage for the car and my mom, and Liability for me?""

Quick health insurance question?

I want to get a specific Kaiser health insurance plan that has an annual $500 deductible. My question is, does annual deductible mean in a calender year? Or 1 year starting when you started your insurance (e.g 11/1/11 - 11/1/12)?""

Ball park how much extra to add my boyfriend to my car insurance policy.?

I'm paying alot because i'm a new driver to the UK, just wanted a ball park of if it will be alot more to add my live in boyfriend as an occasional driver.""

First car + First insurance policy tips?

Alright Y!A? :) Right, so I'm 17 and I'll probably be doing my driving test pretty soon because I'm far into lessons and I've passed my theory test already. (UK - Northern Ireland, Belfast) I'm just wondering what tips you guys out there have maybe from first hand experience or what your friends, siblings or general family have done etc. I'm getting around 3200 in the June when I turned 18 because of a car crash I was in when I was like 9 so I'm hoping to get a car + a year's insurance for around 2500 at the maximum. (Hopefully) I'll probably get a car of a maximum price of about 1000 because in reality I don't need anything fancier than that, the max engine size I'd consider would probably be 1.2 and I'd want my insurance to be such that I can use the car for work such as delivering pizzas or chineses etc. so I have more options trying to find a job atm. I'm just wondering what tips you people have? Could I realistically get insurance for 1500 (Max) or under on a 1000 (Max) car with a 1.2 (Max) Litre engine? I might have to borrow money off my parents and pay them back when I'm 18 if I pass a good few months before my birthday. I'm not coming here telling you to tell me where to get cheap car insurance, I hate questions like that lol cheap car insurance doesn't exist for 17 year olds because we're all boy racers Bla-bla-bla, it's head melting! I just want to use my car to drive to college (5 minute drive), possibly work in depending on if I get a job at this bar or not and drive to peoples' houses if I need to and other general driving. I'm not just going to drive it for the craic at 3am down the motorway doing 100mph, I couldn't be bothered with all that. All I want is tips to get it as cheap as humanly possible like what I should do about named drivers, voluntary excess and anything else that might drive down the price. When it comes to it I'll ring round every insurance company available to insure people in Northern Ireland and haggle them all quoting them against each other and hope for the best. Please don't tell me specific insurance companies to go for unless you know that they definitely include NI, a lot of them exclude us. P.S. I'm a sensible guy, I'm paying for it all by myself (as far as I'm aware) so spare me the irresponsible, kid, joy rider, inexperienced, spoilt comments that so often creep up in these areas. Thanks! :)""

If the supreme court finds health care law unconstitutional would i have to buy car insurance?

most of the health care debate is about weather the government can make a person buy a specific product such as health insurance. If the court finds that the individual mandate is unconstitutional would this mean that the government would not be allowed to require people to buy car insurance. and if so would I be able to take this to my state supreme court to question the constitutionality of having to buy car insurance?

Motorcycle insurance in GTA?!?

Hey, I am 21 and has had motorcycle insurance now for the past 3 years and have been insured for a 2009 kawasaki ninja 250r. I am currently paying $1700 a year for insurance with td and have a perfect driving record. I want to switch my bike to a 2012 harley davidson iron 883 and just got a quote from them for $5500 a year!! I think that is ridiculous! Does anyone know of any good motorcycle insurance for harleys or are similar in age and paying less? I really want this bike but $5500 a year is nuts. I can buy a brand new ninja every year lmao.""

No car insurance?

I live in Colorado, and I was wondering what would happen if I were to get pulled over without insurance. My brothers car has insurance, so what would happen?""

How much do you pay for car insurance?

These quotes are OUTRAGEOUS!

How can I get free health insurance?

My husband and I can't afford health insurance. Is there a way to get it for free? We live in southern California.

""Should i get health insurance now, or wait for Obamacare?

Also about how much will insurance cost a healthy 19 year old male who exercises regularly and eats well.

""16 year old male, first car and insurance?""

Alright, I turned 16 a few months ago and got my license the day after my birthday. The majority of cars that we have looked at are around $1500 a year for just liability. However, 3 cars that we have not checked with insurance have really caught my eye. The first being a mazda3 anywhere from an 04 to an 08, the second being a mazda6 with the same age, lastly a 04 mazda rx-8. I would be added to my parents progressive insurance and was curious how much the insurance would be on each of these cars? My family and I are planning on checking with an agent tomorrow but I wouldn't mind an educated guess. :) If it matters I have not had any accidents and my GPA is around a 3.25. Thanks for your help""

How much would it cost for three 18-20 year olds to live on their own in a 2 bedroom apartment?

I am currently 15 but am planning to move in with my best friend, and my boyfriend at the age of 18. Can anyone tell me what the prices may range for about? We want-- A two bedroom apartment. (Not specifically top notch) Heat of course, but air conditioning not needed. One car with insurance. No cable, phone, or internet. Electricity, Water, and food of course are important. I will be in school as well as my friend, so we can work part time. The boyfriend can work part time or full time. Does anyone know how much this may come to? Around? Aim high because we really want to be prepared. Thank you all so much. =]""

How old do you have to be to buy insurance?

how old do you have to be to buy Business insurance?

Should i get 20 year term or a 30 year term life insurance?

My husband and I currently have a 20 year term life insurance policy. We are switching companies because we were paying too much at State Farm. I'm 30 and he is 33 and we are both in very good health. We have a 9 month old baby boy and our policies are for $500,000 each. The rate I'm getting is $45 for both of us for the 20 year term and $70 for both of us for the 30 year term. Which one should I go with?""

Will my insurance go up due to points on my license?

I am a 22 year old male. Was cited for going 25.5 miles over the speed limit on a freeway. Plead guilty. And 4 points were assessed on my license. This is the first time any points have been on my license. My question is will my insurance go up do to this and if so how much could I expect? Thanks Also, if anyone knows of anything I can do to keep my insurance from going up, please let me know.""

Why is my car insurance so much higher than my female counter part?

This is such bullsh*t. I am 24 have had 0 accidents and 0 tickets. I am moving to another state and my Fing insurance is like $150 month. Then I talked to a female coworker my age with the same type of car and she has 2 speeding tickets her insurance is $137 a month. WTF? It is a known fact that almost all women are horrible drivers. Sure I guess males my age may do more reckless things but at least we have some Fing common sense. Women in todays society seem to lack this. Because they are never held accountable for any of their actions. O sweety you drank a fifth last night and banged some fat nasty guy well its not your fault its the guys fault. Sorry for the rant I just feel that my car insurance should be lower than hers because I have no tickets not higher anyone else agree?

Is there an individual health insurance plan that has bariatric coverage? ?

I need to find insurance that has the following: 1. Bariatric Coverage 2. Out of Network Coverage 3. 60-100% Out of Network Coverage per day Does anyone out there know of one that has all of these features?

Will my insurance go up?

I was in a car accident. I was stopped at a red light lady slammed into the back of me. THe cops came and filled out info. I did not go to the hospital, because I was not in pain. But the next day my back and neck were killing me. It has been 5 days since accident. I want to go to the doctors but i am worried that my car insurrence will go up. If it was the other persons fault will my insurance go up? And is it to late to go to the doctors? Will her insurance have to pay for doctors bill?""

Insurance for a motorcycle in Toronto.?

I am an 18 year old Torontonian planning to get a new kawasaki ninja 250R. It would be a great help if someone can give me an idea of about how much it would cost me for the insurance coverage the ninja 250r. (Both basic as well as other plans.) I don't have a license yet which i am planning to get once i figure out everything.( the cost, insurance procedure etc etc.) Here in toronto, we don't have the luxury to ride two wheelers year round because we have so called the FRIGID TEMPERATURE during the winter. Do i still have to pay insurance during the winter regardless the fact dat i won't be able to ride my ninja during the winter?""

Neighbors tree fell on my house and 3 of my cars whos insurance has 2 pay?

during a bad storm my neigbors tree fell over and landed on 3 of my cars and my house i was wonderin whos insurance has 2 pay? mine or the neighbors?

Online insurance quotes?

I've been surfing the web for insurace quotes. I am a first time car buyer and I am only 16. I want to find a site that can give me a very basic quote, like an area I can be confident in. I DONT want to have to enter my email, phone number or anything else of that matter. Just quick, simple and, well, general. Best site to meet my private requirements? Thanks""

How can I get low-cost affordable medical care in Oklahoma?

I recently moved to Oklahoma. Can't afford health insurance -- and am worried about what to do if I need to go to the doctor. What are my options? (I have no Indian blood and ...show more

Do I really need insurance for a motorcycle in California?

Do i need insurance to ride a motorcycle in california? To get a license for motorcycles? please help!

Universal Health Care- Insurance Companies?

Will private insurance still be available if the US becomes a single payer health care? If not, what will happen to all the insurance companies, will everyone be laid off?!?""

Why are teenagers car insurance rates so high?

I just heard they just went up on our car insurance because we are teens that's not fair at all. I'm struggling trying to make it meaning going to college and work. Because I can not depend on my mom to take me everywhere I need to go. This economy is all ready down the drain that's not fair I have no money and I am trying to make it.

Can I have car insurance under my parent's name?

Meaning, I am 17 on a probationary license. My parents and I currently have Allstate Insurance and I'm a part time driver on mom's vehicle. They recently bought me a car from my instructor's daughter. I would like to be an all-by-myself driver under Liberty Mutual, being they've shown me the absolute best rate, hands down. So question is- can I have car insurance under my parent's name with Liberty Mutual, as they keep Allstate? (My policy, just under their name)""

What to do with car insurance if i won't be using my car for 4 years?

I'm heading off to college (by plane) and i won't be using my car and well i don't see a reason to pay car insurance on a car that's just sitting in the garage. I was wondering what i should do in this situation.i'm probably going to use it after i graduate but not anytime earlier. so would it be wise to keep the insurance, cancel it or are there some other alternatives i could possibly do?""

How much will car insurance be for a teen driver?

I know that there could be no true answer here but I want to know a range. Factors: 4.1 GPA student 16 year old male. California residence 2007 Honda Civic Took drivers ED Asian (if that matters, haha) My parents have a HIGH credit score. I'm going to be added in to my parents insurance plan. My dad is paying around 50 dollars for full coverage on the 2007 Honda civic right now (passing it on to me)""

Is classic car insurance cheaper?

thinking about buying 1967 Camaro and was wondering if it was my primary vehicle would the car ins. be cheaper? Anyone know?

In case of an accident where someone in a motorcycle is badly hurt will liability insurance cover?

Say there is an accident involving a motorcycle and a car. The person in the motorcycle is badly injured how much will liability insurance cover? The insurance would be from the person responsalbe for the accident this case the person in the car. Would there be a big difference if you have full cover isurance?

Motorcycle insurance?

I live in Southern California, what insurance compnay can I contact that will provide really cheap motorcycle insurance. Some of the rates out there are unbelieveable""

What's a affordable insurance brand/plan for motorcycles?

For a ducati if that makes any difference

""DO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAVE TO GET THE NEW HEALTH INSURANCE? IF NO, THEN WHY NOT?

I have read on comments under articles on Yahoo and someone said they are required to get the same health insurance but i can not find this on any news article.

Which is the best health insurance company (policy) to cover all expenses in India ?

Best insurance company for Health insurance policy: An individual, 55 years old to cover all expenses (Eg. Hospitalization, Consulting fee, Medicine expenses, Room rent, Surgery, Post hospitalization and related expenses).""

Why should I have to pay for your health insurance?

An answerer on another question said, Do you have insurance? What of those who cannot afford it (my sister comes to mind, and she has a husband and two sons under age 18 years who are also not covered)? Medical care is extremely expensive and necessary. I'd much rather my tax dollars go toward a means of making insurance affordable to everyone than to fund an immoral war. Oh, and my sister and her husband have always worked very hard. Neither are fat, lazy bums who sit around all the time. Heck, my sister would love to have 10 minutes to herself, but can't take the time. * 20 minutes ago These people made a choice to have two children they cannot afford to insure. They had a responsibility to seek employment where they would have health insurance coverage for themselves and their two children. Or obtain insurance on their own. If they are healthy, it can be gotten at a rate comparable to what I pay through my work. I work two jobs. Both of my jobs, even the part-time job, offer me health insurance, so jobs with health benefits are not so hard to find. Why should I be made to pay for other people's poor choices? I have wants and needs, too, and it's MY money.""

Is there drivers insurance for infrequent drivers?

I'm currently in LA, and my family is here too. So, I've been an insured driver since I was 15, for the last 13 years... In August I will begin grad school in Boston, and will be without a car. But, perhaps during winter break, Thanksgivings, summer, I may return to LA to visit family and friends. I can easily borrow one of my parents' cars while I'm visiting, but I don't want to have to maintain car insurance year round for several hundred dollars just to drive a few times a year. Are there any reasonably priced options for someone in my situation? As far as I know, most car insurance terms are 6 months. Thank you!""

""Now that my license has no points on it, can the car insurance cost be reduced?""

I am with Tesco Insurance, my license did have points on it when I got my car insured but no that I have lost the points, do I have to wait out the 12month contract or is there the possibility that it can be reduced? I am guessing I have to wait it out. Something like that must have been mentioned in the T&A.""

Have lots of car insurance questions ?

hello had a car accident i am not in fault my medical bill are almost $100K the other party insurance accept its fault in the accident and it appears that they have full coverage if the insurance i have is the basic that covers $25K in medical bills so the other insurance tells me that there limit is $25K-$50K how can it be possible that it only covers $25K same as mine if she has full coverage and i don't?? Next question. How can i make the insurance or the lady that hit me to show me the policy??? is there anyway i can force them?? i have an attorney working on the case and he said that the insurance did not let them see the policy but i want to know and see the policy so i know that neither the insurance or my attorney is lying. next question from the accident i was really damage after 6 months I am still going to therapy I have proof of all my bills and doctors reports from all my illnesses in which I have deafness caused from the accident I had a head injury and was hospitalized for 5 days the docs had said that it was really a serious accident including my attorney. How much is fair to fight for pain and suffering, medical bills, compensation for hearing loss including seance of smell and taste, everything I have paid like taxis, pills and more. don't want to take advantage from the accident but how much can I fight for?? thank you for answering but please only answer if you know. this is very important for me.""

Anyone know pricing on auto insurance for a Cadillac CTS 2003?

Anyone know pricing on auto insurance for a Cadillac CTS 2003?

Cheapest car to tax or insure?

what car is the cheapest to tax and insure ive been told its the vauxhall corsa

""Can I purchase a car, and tow it home without insurance?""

I want to purchase a car from a small car place, the man puts 30 day tags on it and mails the title to the DMV, but my father cant get off work to come put insurance on the car for me. So can I buy the car there, have the title put in my name, but have the car towed home and stored off the street until I can add it to insurance and get my own tags? or is it illegal to tow a car without insurance on it?""

Why is my car insurance so much higher than my female counter part?

This is such bullsh*t. I am 24 have had 0 accidents and 0 tickets. I am moving to another state and my Fing insurance is like $150 month. Then I talked to a female coworker my age with the same type of car and she has 2 speeding tickets her insurance is $137 a month. WTF? It is a known fact that almost all women are horrible drivers. Sure I guess males my age may do more reckless things but at least we have some Fing common sense. Women in todays society seem to lack this. Because they are never held accountable for any of their actions. O sweety you drank a fifth last night and banged some fat nasty guy well its not your fault its the guys fault. Sorry for the rant I just feel that my car insurance should be lower than hers because I have no tickets not higher anyone else agree?

What is the best way to get an insurance company to pay you what a car is worth?

My son was rear ended at a high rate of speed. He was pushed 6 feet into the car in front of him. The guy had to really be moving when he hit my son. He was driving a 1999 Chevy Lumina LS. The blue book value according to NADA is $5000. It only had 78,000 miles on the car. No rust on the body and overall in excellent shape. The insurance company offered me $3600 for the car. I can NOT find a replacement car in that shape for that price...""

Is there a way to borrow someone else's address for car insurance?

My friend lives in Los Angeles county and she is being charged $500 for a piece of paper that will be sent to her house address in Los Angeles. Can she use another address to receive that paper? Or does it have to be the house she lives at?

""A car has a minor accident found in the car proof, does it increase the insurance ?""

If I buy this car, is my insurance go up?""

Will my auto insurance be high if i was not insured before. even though i have my G1.?

Hello, I'm a 20yr old Male, and I'm planning on getting a used car ( 1999 - 2004 ) bellow $3000 CAD. The problem is that i was never insured before. I got my g1 on 2007, and my G at 2010. Most of those years i drove with my uncle beside me, because he worked close to my school. So I was wandering, how high will my insurance will be? considering the fact that i did not have any insurance and i'm a 20yr old male. I searched online for quotes and the lowest i got was 499 per month... I am a student, thus i'm only making around 450 - 600 a month doing part time job. And any suggesting on a car for a first timer is more than welcome. (colour, make, model, yr. etc. ) Thank you very much for reading this.""

Does the car appearance affect insurance?

Does the car appearance (good or bad) affect how much we pay for car insurance. I know insurance companies always ask What condition is your car?..any dents, etc does saying its in good condition make the rates go up or down?""

Is someone who is only insured on their works car insurance ok to drive my car?

My sons girlfriend does not have a car, but claims that she has insurance through her work, so she is ok to drive my car? Am I right in thinking that this means she can only drive company cars, and not MY car?""

Could someone tell me what is needed to create a car insurance comparison website? Thanks?

Could someone tell me what is needed to create a car insurance comparison website? Which programs would i need to use and to create what part? Thanks for your time

Insurance for first time motorcycle driver?

I'm 16, female, & am looking at the Kawasaki Ninja 2009. I would be the primary owner, and I'm wondering whether the color of the motorcycle will affect the rate of insurance as well? Thank you!""

Car insurance questions?

1. if I have 5 years no claim bonus, can I use it on 2 different cars? different insurance companies 2. if my car insurance will ask for my no claim bonus will they return it or keep it? 3. lets say I bought a car for my dad, for his birthday but put my name as the owner of the car by mistake, can I just call DVLA to change the owner name before they send the documents to me? 4. which companies give no claim bonus for second driver? is it only Direct Line?""

I have a ??? about car insurance?

hey last saturday i wrecked my car...totaled. well i still owe about 3000 left on it so of course i had full coverage ins on it will ins company give you retail value or trade in value it was a 2000 stratus and i had about 109000 miles on it and have had a lot of work done on it i did have a cracked winshield that was not cause of the wreck about how much money am i looking at???

How old must you be to have classic car insurance?

is their any age you have to be for classic car insurance as i have been looking to buy a ford xr3i and i am 17

Auto Insurance Coverage - How much coverage should I buy?

Next week, I'll be switching to another auto insurance. My previous limits with another company were: -minimum MD state 20/40/15 for Bodily Injury, Uninsured Motorist, and property damage -PIP $2500 -250/500 for Comprehensive/Collision, had road service, towing, and rental. I don't have many assets. I'm a renter and I live from paycheck to paycheck. I have no accidents, no tickets, and no violations for the last 8 years. I'm a cautious driver. I drive a 2003 Honda Civic. The new insurance company is offering me $759/year for the limits 100/300/100 Bodily Injury Liability and matching for Uninsured Motorist + Property Damage, 250/500 for Comp/Coll, road service, towing, and rentals, PIP 2500. I've seen different answers that say 100/300/100 would be better for those who own a house and have a better income. What do you think is a recommended coverage going?""

If my dad is a co signer for a car will my insurance be cheap?

I'm 19 and its my first car and my dad is the co signer will my insurance be low? What are cheap insurance agencies for teenagers?

Where to find affordable complete health insurance?

i am looking fior affordable health insurance, like as in family. i am looking online, but so far have come up with nothing. they are dropping my insurance at work, so i need to find something. if i have to go online to find it, that is ok.""

Life Insurance questions?

Why do life insurance companies often charge different rates for males and females? Who pays more by age, male or female, and why do you think this is so? Come back later and respond to two other classmate's posts and answer any responses to yours.""

Car insurance for 18 year old male?

Hi I live in Windsor ON. And I need car insurance I have a 96' Ford Escort 4 door lx. Everywhere I have called has given me very high rates. Please help :)

Whats the cheapest place in rochester ny for car insurance?

im 18 with a permit and i want to put my 1988 audi quattro 90 on the road,,but i was wondering what would be the cheaest place in rochester ny to go to?""

The best health insurance?

im was wondering whats the best health insurance to get for some who is 19. someting that has eye vision to. i work but i dont have insurance from my job its along story so dont ask. i need something that is affordable. i live in southern california. any suggestions will do. this stuff is all confusing to me . copayment? or deductible? please help!!!

Car insurance rates in Ontario for new driver?

I plan to import my '01 Camry from USA to missisuaga. How much shd I expect to pay p.m. in car Insurance rates ? I have 3 yrs clean driving history in USA.Will my driving history in USA help with getting a better rate in canada ? Initially I will have only a US drivers license.Pls help shed light on my doubts .. Forgot to mention - I am married , age 30 yrs""

Car Insurance If I Am Not The Car Owner?

Is it possible for me to insure myself to drive my sister's car, and to add her as a named driver? Or do I have to own the car. My sister has just passed her test, and her insurance would cost 700 if she does it herself. If I insure myself to drive the car and add her as a named driver, then it would be more like 200. Does my sister have to sign over ownership of the car to me for this to work?""

What factors affect car insurance premiums?

My mom is going to give me her old car once she gets a new one, and she said insurance is about $100/mo. My friend asked what insurance would be and I told her, and she thought that was really low The car is a 1999 saturn SL1 and it's standard, is the insurance cheap for this car? My mom has a great driving record I'm now wondering what affects car insurance premiums? I know age, gender, driving records, and other stuff.. but what else?""

How much would a 2002 impreza wrx cost to insure?

Im 17( i know im about to get a bunch of your going to kill yourself! AHHHH!!!! i regularly drive my dads 05 mustang gt, i know how to responsibly control power) and me and my parents have found a great deal on a 2002 impreza sedan, it has 125k miles on it, and the last thing deciding factor before buying this vehicle is the insurance. We already have a mustang gt on the family plan, i live in VA, make all A's(supposed to give me a 30% discount), im male, the color is blue, with only a greddy bov aftermaket part installed. The car itself is blue, it is the turbod WRX version(not the sti), and has never been wrecked. We have state farm, im not sure as to what other information anyone would need to know, but im jusst looking for a rough estimate, thanks for any input.""

What affordable dental insurance covers ortho? Can you suggest any?

I am looking for affordable dental insurance that covers ortho. I'm 29 yrs old and interested in getting one. I do have dental insurance - HMO, (BLue Cross) does this cover ortho?""

Questiong regarding motorcycle insurance?

I was wondering since im 19 years old how much insurance would be? i have 0 tickets and 0 wrecks. Is it possible to get insurance for like a summer then stop paying it for the winter time when i wont be riding it?

Where can i find affordable life insurance for my 81 yr old granmother?

I live in Illinois, and I work for the UI, but im not sure if I can add my grandmother on my insurance...So Im trying to find somewhere that will take senior citizens, but something i ...show more""

Why is my car insurance so much higher than my female counter part?

This is such bullsh*t. I am 24 have had 0 accidents and 0 tickets. I am moving to another state and my Fing insurance is like $150 month. Then I talked to a female coworker my age with the same type of car and she has 2 speeding tickets her insurance is $137 a month. WTF? It is a known fact that almost all women are horrible drivers. Sure I guess males my age may do more reckless things but at least we have some Fing common sense. Women in todays society seem to lack this. Because they are never held accountable for any of their actions. O sweety you drank a fifth last night and banged some fat nasty guy well its not your fault its the guys fault. Sorry for the rant I just feel that my car insurance should be lower than hers because I have no tickets not higher anyone else agree?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/insurance-question-uk-caridade-ma"

[litcomp-blog1]

A Tale of Two Cities: Book I “Recalled to Life” Question 1

12/13/17

          In Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, the narrator relates how truly knowing a person based on appearances is impossible. In this novel’s Victorian Era setting, trust for other travelers than oneself on the road is lacking. Where everyone has the fear of swindling, the messenger’s fears and the mail’s actions depicted by the narrator highlight the deceiving appearances people encountered, supported by the narrator’s use of metaphor and parallel narration.

          The dynamic of the travelers in the mail cart paints the distrust people in the Victorian Era hold despite appearances. The messenger in the mail cart responds worriedly to a visitor with “’What is the matter?’ asked the passenger, then, with mildly quavering speech. ‘Who wants me?  Is it Jerry?’“ (9) This fear and “quavering” in who might be calling is caused by the apprehensive response the people of the setting have for any initiation of the introduction of people. The reason for this is the commonality of swindlers, which is explained in this quote: “...travelers on the road were very shy of being confidential on a short notice, for anybody on the road might be a robber or in league with robbers.” (6) The intensity of thieving is concentrated to a point where any person is a suspect. This is supported by the dynamic that “the guard suspected the passengers, the passengers suspected one another and the guard, they all suspected everybody else” (7) where one views any other as a potential threat. This fear the messenger and other passengers hold highlights how appearances in the narrator’s setting depicts are completely disregarded and a pessimistic idea of others’ true natures is perpetuated.

          The narrator highlights the likelihood of any person being a swindler in providing a parallel occurrence that perpetuates fear within the people. The case being that “the highwayman in the dark was a City tradesman in the light” (4) causes the listeners to distrust any and all surrounding city people. This distrust is supported by the following quote: “If any one of the three had had the hardihood to propose to another to walk on a little ahead into the mist and darkness, he would have put himself in a fair way of getting shot instantly as a highwayman.” (7)” This is because any man not traveling with a carriage will automatically be considered a threat and highwayman, as would anyone joining the group, when this happened other passengers “expeditiously secreted their watches and purses in their boots” (10), showing how even those deemed trustworthy to travel with are still untrustworthy. The genuine possibility of anyone being a thief supports that in the novel, the people’s appearances can differ greatly from what kinds of acts they commit.

          Dickens’ utilizes metaphor and syntax in order to support the novel’s idea of the differentiation of perception and reality in people. The metaphor for people and situations that differ from how they appear is as follows: “the water should be locked in an eternal frost, when the light was playing on its surface, and I stood in ignorance on the shore.” (11) The “eternal frost” referring to the ice upon the surface of the water, obstructing reality, could be compared to that of the exterior of a human face-obstructing the reality of said person. The syntax in the following quote “the three passengers shut up in the narrow compass of one lumbering old mail coach; they were mysteries to one another” (12) in “they were mysteries” further supports that people differ from their appearances. Three men sitting next to each other in the close quarters of a carriage are still obstructed from the true intent of the others surrounding them, as one standing close to the frozen water at its shore still cannot see beneath its ice. This shows that people’s appearances still deceive even right in front of one’s face.

         In conclusion, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities utilizes parallelism, syntax, metaphor, and first-person narration in order to convey the mistrust people in the novel carry for others’ appearances. This novel takes place in a society where appearances of all people are disregarded and misleading, even when one sits next to another. This can furthermore be connected to modern society, where one cannot base their judgment of a person’s character on their appearances.

[kmortonba2anarrativestrategies]

Narrative Strategies Week 2 (4/12/17):

In our Narrative Strategies session, we looked at the Victorian Era. The Victorian Era was a very experimental period, where new technology was being tested and improved. Despite this, healthcare was not as developed as it is today, which caused the mortality rate to be high. Medicine often contained drugs (which were legal in the Victorian Era) which were very dangerous to men, women and children. Other dangerous items were wallpaper (which contained arsenic), gas lighting (which often exploded), and the ‘murder bottle’ (a glass bottle for babies that built up with bacteria). The average life expectancy for a Victorian was 38 years.

Post-mortem photography was a popular trend for the Victorians. Often, children would not survive to adulthood, so post-mortem photography was the only opportunity parents would have to get a family photograph of their deceased and living children. The dead person had to be positioned in the portrait to stay upright, and they would often be the clearest in the photograph due to them being perfectly still - the living relatives would naturally move slightly, which would cause a slight blurring effect, which is not present on their deceased relative.

The creative writing task this week was to write about a ‘hidden killer’ for 3 minutes. I found it challenging to write a story that immediately revealed the hidden killer, however I wanted to experiment with direct storytelling as our 500-word short story must be created in this way. I wanted to practice writing in this way so that I could understand how I can use descriptive languages and short sentences to reveal more about the story from as few words as possible.

In Victorian England, morals were very strict. To break these moral codes would lead to social ruin. Many Victorians violated the moral codes, however they did so away from the public eye so that they could maintain their social status through a facade.

I looked at the first chapter of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stevenson, 1886), which we discussed in the session. In The Story of The Door (Chapter 1), we are introduced to Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield, distant cousins who are out walking late one evening. Enfield recalls a peculiar situation he witnessed at the door they pass. He tells Utterson how a man named Hyde trampled a small girl. Enfield asks Hyde to give the girl’s family compensation after the incident, to which Hyde writes a cheque under a different name, and to stay under their watch until they can check the validity of the cheque in the morning. In the morning, the cheque passes, and Mr. Hyde is released from Enfield’s watch.

We were asked to create an idea for an animated short film with the title ‘Dr. Sawbones’, which we had to think about colour palette, animation style and story. For my group’s animation, we decided on a 2D animation with a red, black and white colour palette, only using green for the doctor’s clothing. We thought that this would draw the focus to the doctor. Our story idea featured a patient who has come to the doctor with an unusual case - his organs frequently teleport out of his body. We thought it would be an interesting idea to have the organs teleport in a futuristic setting as this can be possible with animation. We wanted to explore the idea of what would work in animation and we felt that this would be an interesting story to visually show.

We also looked at the characters that have been introduced in the chapter The Story of the Door, and how they have been described by Stevenson and the characters in the novella.

Mr Hyde

“ A little man”

“A black, sneering coolness”

Everyone has a feeling of hatred towards him, no-one knows why.

Mr Utterson

Like a blank slate

Doesn’t let himself enjoy things, i.e. wine

Becomes obsessed with Mr Hyde, i.e. he has a sleepness night thinking about him.

Mr. Enfield

Utterson’s cousin

Calls out Hyde’s wrongdoing, i.e. trampling the little girl

Doesn’t trust Hyde (“The whole business looked apocryphal”) 

It is revealed to the audience that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person. Hyde’s actions are very savage and selfish, showing how Victorian men had to keep their own morals hidden from others (Saposnik, 1971). For Stevenson, a main theme in the book is hypocrisy.

We looked at GroupThink, and how this effects people’s views and morals. This was identified in 1972 by physiologist Irving Janis. Group pressure is a common occurrence that causes people to change their views based on the consensus of a group. The pressure of a group leads the person to ignore their personal doubts about something, even if it is against their moral code, they can be persuaded to change what they believe simply from the authority of the group’s thinking.

In addition to this, we looked at 21st century shame, and how in today’s era people are shamed using social media. As the virtual world of social media allows us to share our voices with the world, allowing us to say our views and morals from behind a screen. This ‘illusion of immunity’ often causes people to fall into groups of people that share similar values and morals. We looked at Jon Ronson’s discussion on 21st century shaming (TED, 2015), and I feel that he describes the appeal of shaming in an appropriate way: 

“We could get them” (TED, 2015) - in reference to the accessibility of social media; the ability to say anything behind a screen.

“That’s when the anger turned to excitement” (TED, 2015) - this suggests that people find enjoyment out of shaming people who disagree with/share different morals to the ‘mass’. 

This is an example of sublimation; the diversion of an urge that is not socially satisfactory into something more socially acceptable.

We also looked at the obedience experiment from 1962 by psychologist Stanley Milgram, in which people were tested to see if they would give shocks to people if they were told to by an authority figure. Most people carried out the task. For our creative writing task, I have to imagine I was a teacher in the Milgram experiment, and decide if I would deliver the final shock or not. I can use descriptive language to describe how I would feel, imagining the physical scene through sensory language. This will help me to write in first-person, which I could consider as the perspective for my 500-word short story.

Stevenson, R.L (1886) The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales of Terror (2002, 2003). London: Penguin Books.

Saposnik, I (1971) The Anatomy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in Studies in English Literature. 1500–1900. Vol. 11. No 4, Nineteeth Century, pp.715–731

TED (2015) How one tweet can ruin your life/ Jon Ronson [Video Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAIP6fI0NAI [Accessed: 4/12/17]

[dianelyman1]

Kitchens in Regency and Georgian England

I’m having my kitchen remodeled, a daunting and messy project that is not yet complete. Naturally, this event sparked the question in my historically-minded imagination about Regency kitchens.  This, of course, led to research. But first, I thought I’d share photos of my unimpressive kitchen.

The homebuilder originally installed two lower cabinets, two and a half uppers, and a drawer bank which is next to the sink and dishwasher on the island. No doubt someone from a hundred years ago would have found it luxurious, but as a spoiled modern-day woman, I found it wholly inadequate with nowhere near enough counter space–so did the previous owners, apparently because they installed a set of ugly but utilitarian cabinets in the far left corner. Still, the kitchen does not have enough counter space. If any dishes are left on the sink, a frequent occurrence in our house full of children, there is little to no space for food preparation.

Pre-demolition kitchen

view 2 of pre-demolition kitchen

        Packing cabinets. It felt like moving.

Removing old cabinets. Their new home will be the garage.

Last week, we tore out everything.  

Sink cabinet

First we packed, as modeled by my youngest son to the right.  We did the demolition ourselves to save money. My oldest son and daughter-in-law were visiting at the time, and they had so much fun helping. I had more fun caring for my granddaughter and keeping her away from the mess. Thanks to their help, it was kinda fun, but certainly very messy. Here are the demolition photos:

Pipes where my kitchen sink used to be

When the kitchen is finished, I’ll post completed photos. But for now, let’s move on to the historical tie-in.

Most of my characters are wealthy enough not to spend much time in a kitchen and certainly never need to cook for themselves–a far cry from my reality. They probably wouldn’t know how to cook over a hearth use an oven.

Still, what were kitchens like in Regency England?

Years of soot

Food and kitchens, like clothing, education, and social issues, underwent great change in the late Regency/early Victorian Era. Before that time, food in England was more primitive than that found in France and Germany, and other European countries. Ovens were inefficient and produced a great deal of smoke. Notice the soot in this photo to the right above the tourists’ heads.

Cooking over a spit

Oven at Hampton Court

Cooking was done over the hearth on spit or in posts hanging over the fire. Baking occurred in large ovens.

As far as storing food and cooking implements, they had some cupboards, but most seemed to have used shelves or a larder. Food stayed cold in a bultery, or buttery.

During the Georgian and Regency Eras, great food had become an integral part of family and social life. Many kitchens were updated from hearths, to either the Rumford fireplace, which allowed for better air circulation and therefore more effective cooking, or to even more modern cooking ranges. )Unfortunately, I have yet to find a photo of this “new fangled” range. If you have one that you are willing to share, please let me know.) 

The most innovated houses now boasted plumbing for both hot and cold water. New kitchen designs and even took advantage of light, minimized odors and regulated temperature. 

These three photos, courtesy Shannon Arthur, are from One Royal Crescent in Bath.  The house is restored to the Georgian era circa 1770s with some items as late as 1832 added. Apparently, they occasionally used 1800s  reproductions of the 1770s stuff that had been sold off.

      Note: that’s not a real fire like in the Hampton Court pictures.

I found this photo to the left on Wickimedia Commons, but I cannot identify if this is a colonial or English kitchen, nor if this is during the early or late 1800’s. Still, it gives a good feel for what kitchens must have been like. Countertops did not exist for centuries. Instead,  servants used large tables to do all their food preparation. Eventually, marble or other stone slabs appeared on these tabletops, as pictured in this photo to the right, which probably made the entire process easier and cleaner. 

Here is a stove, circa late 1800s. It features a very modern-looking stove, but the table does not look authentic to me. Still, it shows a butter churn, and gives a fun historical feel overall.

Compared to these photos, my old kitchen was pretty posh, but I can’t wait to get my new kitchen, complete with new drawers, cupboards, and a nice, big island. Oh, and running water. Yeah, that will be great!

    Related Posts:

History of chocolate and my favorite hot cocoa recipe

New Year’s Traditions Through History

The Queen’s Drawing Room

Servants in Regency England

Chimney Sweeps and Climbing Boys

Kitchens in Regency and Georgian England published first on https://donnahatchromancenovels.wordpress.com/

[victoriabondblog]

Kitchens in Regency and Georgian England

I’m having my kitchen remodeled, a daunting and messy project that is not yet complete. Naturally, this event sparked the question in my historically-minded imagination about Regency kitchens.  This, of course, led to research. But first, I thought I’d share photos of my unimpressive kitchen.

The homebuilder originally installed two lower cabinets, two and a half uppers, and a drawer bank which is next to the sink and dishwasher on the island. No doubt someone from a hundred years ago would have found it luxurious, but as a spoiled modern-day woman, I found it wholly inadequate with nowhere near enough counter space–so did the previous owners, apparently because they installed a set of ugly but utilitarian cabinets in the far left corner. Still, the kitchen does not have enough counter space. If any dishes are left on the sink, a frequent occurrence in our house full of children, there is little to no space for food preparation.

Pre-demolition kitchen

view 2 of pre-demolition kitchen

    Packing cabinets. It felt like moving.

Removing old cabinets. Their new home will be the garage.

Last week, we tore out everything.  

Sink cabinet

First we packed, as modeled by my youngest son to the right.  We did the demolition ourselves to save money. My oldest son and daughter-in-law were visiting at the time, and they had so much fun helping. I had more fun caring for my granddaughter and keeping her away from the mess. Thanks to their help, it was kinda fun, but certainly very messy. Here are the demolition photos:

Pipes where my kitchen sink used to be

When the kitchen is finished, I’ll post completed photos. But for now, let’s move on to the historical tie-in.

Most of my characters are wealthy enough not to spend much time in a kitchen and certainly never need to cook for themselves–a far cry from my reality. They probably wouldn’t know how to cook over a hearth use an oven.

Still, what were kitchens like in Regency England?

Years of soot

Food and kitchens, like clothing, education, and social issues, underwent great change in the late Regency/early Victorian Era. Before that time, food in England was more primitive than that found in France and Germany, and other European countries. Ovens were inefficient and produced a great deal of smoke. Notice the soot in this photo to the right above the tourists’ heads.

Cooking over a spit

Oven at Hampton Court

Cooking was done over the hearth on spit or in posts hanging over the fire. Baking occurred in large ovens.

As far as storing food and cooking implements, they had some cupboards, but most seemed to have used shelves or a larder. Food stayed cold in a bultery, or buttery.

During the Georgian and Regency Eras, great food had become an integral part of family and social life. Many kitchens were updated from hearths, to either the Rumford fireplace, which allowed for better air circulation and therefore more effective cooking, or to even more modern cooking ranges. )Unfortunately, I have yet to find a photo of this “new fangled” range. If you have one that you are willing to share, please let me know.) 

The most innovated houses now boasted plumbing for both hot and cold water. New kitchen designs and even took advantage of light, minimized odors and regulated temperature. 

These three photos, courtesy Shannon Arthur, are from One Royal Crescent in Bath.  The house is restored to the Georgian era circa 1770s with some items as late as 1832 added. Apparently, they occasionally used 1800s  reproductions of the 1770s stuff that had been sold off.

   Note: that’s not a real fire like in the Hampton Court pictures.

I found this photo to the left on Wickimedia Commons, but I cannot identify if this is a colonial or English kitchen, nor if this is during the early or late 1800’s. Still, it gives a good feel for what kitchens must have been like. Countertops did not exist for centuries. Instead,  servants used large tables to do all their food preparation. Eventually, marble or other stone slabs appeared on these tabletops, as pictured in this photo to the right, which probably made the entire process easier and cleaner. 

Here is a stove, circa late 1800s. It features a very modern-looking stove, but the table does not look authentic to me. Still, it shows a butter churn, and gives a fun historical feel overall.

Compared to these photos, my old kitchen was pretty posh, but I can’t wait to get my new kitchen, complete with new drawers, cupboards, and a nice, big island. Oh, and running water. Yeah, that will be great!

  Related Posts:

History of chocolate and my favorite hot cocoa recipe

New Year’s Traditions Through History

The Queen’s Drawing Room

Servants in Regency England

Chimney Sweeps and Climbing Boys

Kitchens in Regency and Georgian England published first on http://donnahatch.blogspot.com/

[carolwbond]

Kitchens in Regency and Georgian England

I’m having my kitchen remodeled, a daunting and messy project that is not yet complete. Naturally, this event sparked the question in my historically-minded imagination about Regency kitchens.  This, of course, led to research. But first, I thought I’d share photos of my unimpressive kitchen.

The homebuilder originally installed two lower cabinets, two and a half uppers, and a drawer bank which is next to the sink and dishwasher on the island. No doubt someone from a hundred years ago would have found it luxurious, but as a spoiled modern-day woman, I found it wholly inadequate with nowhere near enough counter space–so did the previous owners, apparently because they installed a set of ugly but utilitarian cabinets in the far left corner. Still, the kitchen does not have enough counter space. If any dishes are left on the sink, a frequent occurrence in our house full of children, there is little to no space for food preparation.

Pre-demolition kitchen

view 2 of pre-demolition kitchen

    Packing cabinets. It felt like moving.

Removing old cabinets. Their new home will be the garage.

Last week, we tore out everything.  

Sink cabinet

First we packed, as modeled by my youngest son to the right.  We did the demolition ourselves to save money. My oldest son and daughter-in-law were visiting at the time, and they had so much fun helping. I had more fun caring for my granddaughter and keeping her away from the mess. Thanks to their help, it was kinda fun, but certainly very messy. Here are the demolition photos:

Pipes where my kitchen sink used to be

When the kitchen is finished, I’ll post completed photos. But for now, let’s move on to the historical tie-in.

Most of my characters are wealthy enough not to spend much time in a kitchen and certainly never need to cook for themselves–a far cry from my reality. They probably wouldn’t know how to cook over a hearth use an oven.

Still, what were kitchens like in Regency England?

Years of soot

Food and kitchens, like clothing, education, and social issues, underwent great change in the late Regency/early Victorian Era. Before that time, food in England was more primitive than that found in France and Germany, and other European countries. Ovens were inefficient and produced a great deal of smoke. Notice the soot in this photo to the right above the tourists’ heads.

Cooking over a spit

Oven at Hampton Court

Cooking was done over the hearth on spit or in posts hanging over the fire. Baking occurred in large ovens.

As far as storing food and cooking implements, they had some cupboards, but most seemed to have used shelves or a larder. Food stayed cold in a bultery, or buttery.

During the Georgian and Regency Eras, great food had become an integral part of family and social life. Many kitchens were updated from hearths, to either the Rumford fireplace, which allowed for better air circulation and therefore more effective cooking, or to even more modern cooking ranges. )Unfortunately, I have yet to find a photo of this “new fangled” range. If you have one that you are willing to share, please let me know.) 

The most innovated houses now boasted plumbing for both hot and cold water. New kitchen designs and even took advantage of light, minimized odors and regulated temperature. 

These three photos, courtesy Shannon Arthur, are from One Royal Crescent in Bath.  The house is restored to the Georgian era circa 1770s with some items as late as 1832 added. Apparently, they occasionally used 1800s  reproductions of the 1770s stuff that had been sold off.

    Note: that’s not a real fire like in the Hampton Court pictures.

I found this photo to the left on Wickimedia Commons, but I cannot identify if this is a colonial or English kitchen, nor if this is during the early or late 1800’s. Still, it gives a good feel for what kitchens must have been like. Countertops did not exist for centuries. Instead,  servants used large tables to do all their food preparation. Eventually, marble or other stone slabs appeared on these tabletops, as pictured in this photo to the right, which probably made the entire process easier and cleaner. 

Here is a stove, circa late 1800s. It features a very modern-looking stove, but the table does not look authentic to me. Still, it shows a butter churn, and gives a fun historical feel overall.

Compared to these photos, my old kitchen was pretty posh, but I can’t wait to get my new kitchen, complete with new drawers, cupboards, and a nice, big island. Oh, and running water. Yeah, that will be great!

  Related Posts:

History of chocolate and my favorite hot cocoa recipe

New Year’s Traditions Through History

The Queen’s Drawing Room

Servants in Regency England

Chimney Sweeps and Climbing Boys

Kitchens in Regency and Georgian England published first on http://donnahatchnovels.tumblr.com