#bless you jan for filming the important things

[radioactive-cloud]

if a grown man why so pookie

[astronomyforastrologers]

174567 Varda

174567 Varda (A New Planet!? ~ 18 Jan 2014, Philip Sedgwick)

There is a newly named object in the Kuiper Belt and its estimated diameter of 570 km (plus or minus a wide margin of error) places the object on the cusp of being declared a dwarf planet. A dwarf planet as in yet another object worthy of notation in astrological consultation. This inclusion no doubt annoys those who do not deem Eris, Makemake, Haumea, Sedna and more than a handful of other bodies worthy of interpretation. Maybe though, the implication of this new body is worth noting.

Varda is the new possible dwarf planet. No, not Varda in the Tolkien sense. Varda in an East Indian context. The mythology readily available is scarce as of yet, so I must rely upon more obscure sources. As one source reports it, var is blessing and da is one who bestows. Thus, Varda is a bestower of blessings. Varda correlates with the name of Vishnu’s consort, Lakshmi, a goddess of wealth in Hindu mythology.

Why not include this new goddess given what she represents, especially when starting a new year with Venus retrograde in Capricorn? Maybe new financial aspirations need to be loaded into the goal portfolio. Maybe it’s time to do some blessing counting.

It is interesting to note that upon Googling Varda all the J. R. R. references pop up. A few years ago we had astronomers calling a yet unnamed Kuiper Belt body Snow White during the time when Snow White movies were all the rage. Now as the Hobbit movie and other Tolkien-based productions are doing their thing to fill film studio coffers, it is curious indeed that Varda’s name appears.

Varda is minor solar system body 174567, initially designated as 2003 MW12. It was discovered on June 21, 2003, not far from where I write, at Kitt Peak Observatory. Varda orbits the Sun in 307.91 yrs. This longer than Pluto orbit assures that her implications are intended to be creation-oriented, resurrection-based and ultimately, spiritually uplifting.

Varda comes closest the Sun at 8 Aries 38 while 39.1 astronomical units from the Sun, right about where Pluto is most distant from the Sun. She reaches out to 52.1 astronomical units when at aphelion. Varda’s north node measures at 4 Libra 05. Interestingly, the nodal axis of this maybe planet virtually aligns with the plane of closest and furthest contact points from the Sun. Perhaps this strengthens the import of her message to us all.

Last year we had the naming of the centaur Rhiphonos. Rhiphonos maintains both his node and perihelion in Aries. While strong and protective, that much Aries may be a bit over the top. No worries. Here is Varda to invoke blessings of cooperation, negotiation, arbitration, interpersonal balance and stronger and more enhanced relationship dealings.

No doubt it is a blessing to remain firm in one’s belief while being able to understand the point of view of another, include it, make adjustments, and come out with everyone enjoying net gain. No doubt it is a blessing to value the importance of relationships, whether personal or more collective in scope. Could Varda be playing a hand in the negotiations with Iran regarding nuclear solutions?

Currently Varda is in the middle of Sagittarius at 15 degrees 38 minutes. She’s in the vicinity of the Great Attractor, emphasizing the importance of including all frequencies (points of view) and the need to see around the bend and/or the next horizon. Add to that a transit to several Sag black holes “the practice what you preach” and “be true to your nature instead of dogmas” messages are in play.

Here are some keywords for Varda based upon her node and perihelion:

Positive - Cooperative, receptive, able to negotiate, ability to remain strong in conviction while perceiving another’s point of view, relationship oriented, perception of shared resources in relationship, mi casa es su casa, ability to “get over ones self.”

Negative - Selfish, intractable, uncooperative, unyielding, emotionally self referential, self-serving.

Mundane - Rose color, pink, negotiation, arbitration, counseling, blessings.

Ceremonial - Incantations intended as blessings to self and others, shared energy exercises, couples chakra exercises.

Soon, I’ll add her monthly position to the lists on my website and those of you who have purchased the Galactic Trilogy CD will be receiving updates including this new maybe planet.

Meanwhile, Venus retrograde is in play. So, I’ve made a slight adjustment to my reading recording policies and it just might right in time for the scheduling of a consultation to make sense of new planets, retrograde twists and turns and life in general.

For a reading with a recording, you may receive either (not both) a CD (wav file) of your consultation or an electronic transfer of your recording. If you want an MP3 recording, that is possible, but it will cost an additional $10 due to the time required for conversion. International clients may want to go with the electronic transfer option as mailing internationally adds a $12 charge to cover rising postal service costs.

Note that the electronic transfer or CD is part of an hour session only. Half hour sessions are available for repeat clients and the CD or recording is $10 more.

Check out the store on my website. The files in the Galactic Trilogy CD will soon be plumper with the addition of Varda’s blessings. And that Galactic Report and Twin Stars Relationship Report are sure to wow.

Visit my Website Consultations and Services Quick Order Form Astrological Texts

[srbachchan]

DAY 4318

Jalsa, Mumbai                Jan 1,  2020                 Wed 11:42 pm

Birthday - EF - Smita Buch .. Thursday, January 2 .. birthday wishes from all of us to you and may you have a glorious year .. love from the Ef ..

The first day of the new decade .. of the first of the 10 years that shall follow .. the first of the first month .. and my Ef Sudhir gives an observation .. 

“In the morning... My elder brother, Ravi, had shown me how to read the calendar... 

This, on the top, is the number of the year... This, here, is the name of the month... This number, here, is called the date... Date is the number of the day...  This, here, is called the day... There are many months in a year, and many days in a month... but each date happens only once in a day... because date is a count... Every date is the total number of days which have happened in the month till that day...

What stuck : Every date is the total number of days in the month till that day...”

... and date has so many connotations it is impossible to enumerate .. for this though it is the evening before the DAY of the writing .. the thought the process the intent the context and the reason , why ..

.. yes many do ask for the reason of the above and the why .. 

Every why has never ever needed a response .. I write because I write .. I express here because I wish to express .. I comment here because I wish to comment .. 

Like it dislike it reprimand abuse question disagree , dis associate .. it is the ‘kala nazar ka teeka’ .. one that prevents the evil from a gaze that could be bad and irrelevant .. nothing like so here .. every gaze is relevant every expression in its import a precious gem .. it was not created , this , to create comment or demand or reason .. they all came in the course of the days .. valuable, connecting, embracing, enveloping the love and the grace of all .. 

I am in denial of gratitude here for the existence .. the family , the Ef cannot be in a reason to be here .. they are here of own will .. families do these things .. they remain within .. yes at times one reads and hears with extreme pain the parting, the going away, the desolation of separation .. 

But the moment of the hold of togetherness - even if it was for that minute second , was a holding all the same .. for that limited spell, the feel was to be together to be one to be inside the embrace .. that is it .. 

The hold though brief is not brief it is eternal .. it takes a lot to extend a hold .. to reach out and command embrace .. the touch the warmth of each other is sufficient to express that it did make effort of a feel .. for me that is enough ..

You may discard now .. throw away .. disconnect .. have a million reasons .. its water on a ducks back .. it will not stay .. once done , DONE ..

IN THE END IT SHALL BE ONLY US .. 

SO .. on the day of the first day we sit in silent understanding .. the progeny is away in their world and time .. it is normal .. so were we away on many a time in the past .. technology keeps us close and within voice reach .. even that is blessing ..

but blessings come too from quarters of them that write .. they express .. they post to me .. and I would have hesitated to talk about it .. but their writing is already in the realm of the universal , so putting it here .. well ..  is humbling and immodest .. but ..

Amitji, You  Are  One  Of  Your Kind

By Subhash K Jha

Whenever I am asked to write about Mr Bachchan I am reminded that I know  him so well. But I  wonder if  I really know him at all.

Does anyone know the real  Mr B?  Even Jayaji, the Bachchan I am closest to and the one HE is closest to, says she has to read the silences because he likes to remain quiet when at home. That is when  he can really be himself, though I am yet to understand what  it means  for him  to be himself.

What I do know is, this phenomenon  named Amitabh Bachchan is  genuinely  a force of Nature, incomparable with  anything that I’ve known in my entire life.I’ve known him for  20 years  . His energy and enthusiasm  level remain unchanged. Even today he gets as excited  about his work as he did when Mohabbatein  was offered  to him 2000 . It began his second innings in  cinema.

I remember how excited  he  was about doing the  film, and how  grateful  to Yashji  for giving him the opportunity.And I know how upset he was  when earlier this  month he couldn’t attend  the National awards  to receive  his Dada Saheb Phalke award. To Amitji, every honour is of great importance.

I don’t  know if every  friend  is  special to him. But he has always treated me as someone really special.  On one  of the earliest episodes  of Kaun Banega Crorepati,  the game show which was  a  game-changer for Indian television, Mr Bachchan when introduced  to  a contestant  from Bihar he  proudly told  the  contestant that   he has  a dear friend in Patna named Subhash K Jha.

I won’t pretend.It  was golden  moment for me.To  have his endorsement while millions watched…it meant a  lot.  Not too many of  my friends  in the film industry  would do something  like this. It is his generosity  of  spirit that I admire the most  in his personality.As an actor he  may fail some day (although that’s hard to imagine). But as  a friend he  can never fail you.

“Meet the  film journalist  from Patna who  doesn’t like travelling to Mumbai,” he’d introduce me whenever we met on his sets. But  most of my most memorable  meetings  with Amitji have  been in the Bachchan home Jalsa where Jayaji  presides  over  a household that runs  with  clockwork precision.The meals served  in silver thalis with innumerable  katoris of vegetables, are  unforgettable.

There are  numerous incidents etched in my mind illustrating his generous spirit. Two of them are more special than others. Once when I was on the airport in Mumbai to catch  my flight back  to Patna after the premiere of  Black, I was informed my  seat had been given away to  someone else. In a panic , I did the  first thing that came to my mind(this was a Sahara flight and  at that time he was  associated with the  Group).

I rang  up Amitji and  complained  hysterically like  a child. He heard me  out and calmly asked me to hand the phone  over to  the lady at the  counter.Within  five  minutes I  was  on the flight.

The  other incident  happened at my residence in Patna when Mr Bachchan came  home  for dinner. He had come to Patna  for  the promotion  of  his film Aarakshan. And director Prakash Jha tried his  utmost to dissuade  him from  breaking the schedule. When Prakash couldn’t convince Mr Bachchan, he called and urged me  to dissuade  Mr Bachchan as, Prakash claimed,  his visit to my home posed a security hazard.

I had no choice. I reluctantly told   Amitji that  it’s better to  cancel the visit to my home  .

“No,I had promised you.Whenever I  came to Patna  I’d come to your house,” he replied calmly.

And that  was  that.

By the time he arrived  with his  entourage it was late evening. The entire road and stadium in front of my home was plastered with  humanity,  not a space anywhere …How did they come  to know?! I panicked. How would his  car reach my  gate?When he arrived the sea of humanity parted  like the Red Sea and the cars sailed by.After he got out of the car he walked straight into the sea of humanity  with folded hands. Not one person  tried to  touch  him or get  close to him.

That  evening I realised why  he is who he is.

and then there is another 

Love and the greetings and the blessings of the elders to you and may the Gods grace your hearts and lives with all their might .. may that unknown force of nature build the most beautiful palaces of residences in your hearts .. may HE be there in all your guidances and give the right path the light of purity and benevolence .. give you abundance .. give you joys .. take away grief and want .. fill you with plentifulness .. as never before ..

Amitabh Bachchan .. my Ef my pride , my existence ..

[deesdiaries]

eryWARNING: Spoilers ahead! Do not proceed if you haven't seen Season 6, episode 6 of Vikings, "Death and the Serpent."

The Seer's prophecy was fulfilled on Wednesday night's heartbreaking episode of Vikings.

Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) met her end -- and the gods -- at the hands of Ragnar's son, Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø), in a violent, devastating match after the wounded shield-maiden had just saved her community in a battle against the bandits.

The episode, titled "Death and the Serpent," marks the end of an era for Vikings; Winnick was the last remaining original cast member on the show. The Canadian actress thus saw her time as Lagertha coming to a close, and as Vikings creator Michael Hirst tells ET, he wanted to give her an "incredible" send-off.

"She owns that storyline," Hirst says of Lagertha's journey this season, in which she returned to her farming roots and tried to put her life of struggle behind her. "Almost for the first time, she's not involved in someone else's storyline, where she's the wife of Ragnar, or she's the mother of Bjorn. This is her storyline, and her last fight with the leader of the bandits is one of the most powerful fights I've ever seen on TV. I mean, it's incredible."

"Her death is a huge tragedy. I even cried when I was writing it, for Pete's sake. But I wanted it elevated as well," he explains. That "elevated" component came in the form of a Polish singing group he brought in to sing Lagertha goodbye.

"They came to the studio. They were singing in this ancient language no one understood and it was just the crew and the cameras and a few actors. I didn't tell them what was happening. They didn't really know what the song was about, but by the time the song was over, everybody in the building was crying. Me and the camera crew and the crew, everybody was weeping, and that's the music you'll hear when you see the death of Lagertha," Hirst continues.

"It is heartbreaking. It is astonishing, and I think it does huge justice to what Katheryn has given to this show, and I'm so pleased that it's made her a star. I mean, she deserves everything," he declares.

Winnick feels that same affection for Hirst -- and for the character she's spent so long embodying.

"I don't know if I've actually said goodbye to her," she confesses. "I'm still looking at her shield and sword right now in my living room, so she's definitely a big part of my life right now."

In an emotional conversation with ET, Winnick opens up about the years she's spent playing Lagertha, her intense last day of filming, and shares a message to the fans who have been so inspired by her work and the character.

ET: You've played Lagertha for so long -- how did you prepare for her to no longer be a part of your life?

Katheryn Winnick: It was a long time coming. I think I'm the only cast member from day one that's been there for that long, and it was nice to say goodbye to a character that's so dear to my heart and finally close that chapter. As hard as it was emotionally, it also felt the timing was right. I felt definitely fulfilled as an actor and I felt I pushed her storyline as far as I can possibly take her. She is, after all, a granny at this point. And I definitely feel I've been put under the ringer and so many circumstances throughout six seasons that it felt it was a good time to say goodbye to such an iconic character.

When did you find out when -- and how -- Lagertha was going to die? What was that conversation like?

I have a very strong and close relationship with Michael Hirst. It was always a conversation together of when we're going to let go of Lagertha, and I originally didn't think I was going to stay on for as many years as I did. I've been lucky enough and blessed enough to have such loyal fans that they didn't want to let me go or let Lagertha go, but after six seasons, I felt that it was the right time.

I told Michael Hirst, as long he'd give me a really epic death, something that people won't forget, I would be happy to be able to say goodbye to her. As hard as it was, and also it was important that we say goodbye to Lagertha in the right way and proper way, and I feel that Michael Hirst has done that with her death and her funeral and also getting a chance to get behind the camera and direct for the first time. That was my way of really saying goodbye as well.

Michael spoke a lot about bidding farewell to Lagertha with that beautiful song.

I do remember the song very well. Michael sent it to me and played it first at a dinner, and then he came on set, he was there on set on the day of my death as well, and he played it for me again. I was so overwhelmed to have a song made and named after Lagertha. It was so moving and so powerful, and to have that on set and hear it before my death, it was just -- overwhelming. And I actually remember that day really well, shooting and chronologically. Usually, we don't shoot things in order, but it happened to be my very last day shooting as well as Lagertha, it happened to be my death.

Lagertha's last scene alive is incredibly violent -- what was it like filming that day?

It was a freezing cold day. It was below zero temperatures. We had a rain machine. We were soaking wet, all on the ground crawling. It was physically extremely demanding, and to be able to try to stop your body from shaking because of the cold [is difficult] and obviously it's a very emotional scene, and very powerful. We had a medic on set too, because I remember having to go in and out of the hot box. They created a little hot box to keep us warm and go in and out of the rain. We were trying to prevent our body from going into shock, just because physically, to have your body go through such hypothermia and extreme conditions was tough.

So, I'm not sure if I really let go. I don't feel like -- at the end of it, after Lagertha got killed, I just wanted to get warm, so I left quickly. It wasn't as much of a goodbye as I would have imagined. But for me, the real goodbye was coming back after my death and seeing the funeral and coming back to really direct. That was my way of giving back to the seven years I was on the show.

You've been with Lagertha through so much, from overcoming domestic abuse to losing a child -- is there a moment in her storyline that has stuck out to you?

Most people don't have the opportunity even once in their lifetime to have such a role like I got with Lagertha. The priviledge to play her for almsot seven years, and that's such blessing. Most people get maybe one chance to be able to get that. I've had the opportunity to dive into such an iconic, moral character that people look up to and make tattoos from her and dress up like her on Halloween and name their cats and dogs after Lagertha. So anyway, it's just been overwhelming but amazing to see.

And I don't think -- to answer your question, I don't think it's really one particular scene. She's gone from being a farmer to shield-maiden to dealing with domestic violence. She's dealt with having to kill a few husbands or wannabe husbands. She's made her own way and really stuck to what she believes in that I feel that it's hard to sum her up in just a few moments. ... But all those moments make her who she is, really. If it's losing a baby or if it's divorcing her husband, or becoming a queen or now retiring or believing in the fates of the gods and accepting her death, there's -- she's just such a tycoon and such an iconic character. I don't know if I've actually said goodbye to her. I'm still looking at her shield and sword right now in my living room, so she's definitely a big part of my life right now.

Lagertha's death is going to be hard for those viewers you've mentioned that have grown so attached to her and were so inspired by her. Do you have a message for those fans?

Oh, now you're going to make me cry [voice cracks]. It's hard to say. I hope that Lagertha lives on for many years to come and on our TVs and people rewatch and she's an inspiration to all the young girls out there from around the world. The most gratifying thing I have as an actor is when I've had the pleasure to travel to India and the Philippines, and Spain and all around the world, and to have fans from these remote, tiny villages that watch Vikings on their iPhone, without necessarily having running water, and to hear how Lagertha has been an inspiration for them. Whether it's finding their own strength internally or leaving an abusive relationship or really getting the equality they deserve in the workforce as powerful women -- it's just been remarkable how Lagertha has touched so many people around the world, and I hope she continues to do so.

The Vikings spinoff, Vikings: Valhalla, has been picked up by Netflix -- and Michael Hirst has spoken about possibly incorporating some Vikings characters into the show in some way. Any chance fans could see you make a cameo or come back for that series in any way?

I'm a huge fan of Michael Hirst, and I always will be. I consider him family and we've been in touch since [Vikings], and of course, I would love to work with him in one form or another. It doesn't have to be as an actor, it could be as a director or just have him in my life, even as a mentor, he's family to me, and I'm excited for Valhalla to get on Netflix and to live on. It obviously won't be the same original castmembers as Vikings, but I'm glad that there's such a need for it, and there's going to be another spinoff.

Vikings airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on History. Winnick will direct season 6, episode 8, "Valhalla Can Wait," airing on Jan. 22. Circle back to ETonline for more on her directorial debut.

********************

I have not “let go” of Lagertha yet.  It would have been nice to see her reunited with Ragnar in Valhalla.  😭😭😭

[barbiehytes]

When Vanjie said that they were together during the promos doesn't he mean they were together when they filmed the promo eg. the ad/what ya packing/ make up thing rather than the reveal/press week?

RACHEL IS THIS YOU?

OK SO, rachel who says she doesn't wanna clown anymore, thought the same thing, but uhh honestly? Let us clown plss this is the most we had in WEEEKS

Vanj says they filmed for two months or something like that, then she says the 5 month thing and starts talking about halloween and how they didn't make it that far. THEN she gets all distracted and the fan (bless their soul) asks: So you were together when promo started? And she says a very clear YES and the important part here: WE CAME BACK.

Now, if you wanna be a rational clownery free person you might think she's referring about how they were in Chicago and came back to LA to film the watcha packing + makeup videos.

BUT us clowny people know that those two videos can hardly be counted as PROMO and she was referring to the jan/feb days

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[deluxedreamcream]

Shea Butter: Multifunctional Dream Cream

Intro

With skin being one of our most delicate and important organs it’s of essential importance that we care for it properly. Hydration and nutrition are key factors in maintaining the health of our skin. Extreme temperatures, stress, aging and the use of chemical filled detergents are toxic to our skin. Finding a natural product that provides protection and encourages healing should be a high priority for us all.

Many sources believe shea butter is that product. If you haven’t discovered shea butter yet, stay tuned while I elaborate on this nutrient rich dream cream.  As one of the most natural and widely used ingredients in today’s moisturizers, shea butter is gaining popularity and momentum as an effective remedy to many skin and hair ailments. With its long history of use, low price point, creamy texture and nutrient rich make up; no harmful side effects shea butter is an ideal product that’s versatile and accessible.

Shea butter can be used in many different ways as a means of healing or a method of remedial treatment. It’s packed with vitamin A and E which make it a great choice for softening the skin. According to, Kathryn Watson of Healthline, “The rich tree-nut oils in shea butter can soak into your skin, creating a smooth and soft barrier that seals in moisture. This moisturizing effect can last several hours” (Shea Butter for Face). Based on scientific research and experience many sources agree that shea butter has much potential benefit as a soothing skin and hair softening agent. Sources also agree that moisturized skin is critical to maintaining polished, soft and vibrant skin. Yet, other sources indicate it can have different effects on different hair textures.

History

With a long and dynamic history, shea butter has found its way into many of today’s cosmetics as a key ingredient. Shea butter is a creamy solid substance that is extracted from the seeds of the Shea tree which is indigenous to Africa (How to Use Shea Butter). It’s usually off-white or beige in color. Shea butter has been harvested for centuries in Africa.  According to Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez and Kristeen Cherney with Healthline.com, Healthline is an American website and provider of health information, “There is evidence that food, skin balms, soaps, shampoos, traditional medicines, cooking, and lamp oils have been made with Shea butter in Africa for thousands of years. Its use has been documented as far back as the 14th century” (Shea Butter for Hair). Likewise, Bryce Tarling of Alive: Canada’s Natural Health & Wellness Magazine agrees, “Shea butter is extracted from the kernels of Shea nuts. Traditionally used as an edible oil and medicine in Africa, where Shea trees are grown, today it’s used as a cocoa butter substitute-and as an ingredient in skin care products” (Winter Skin Care Relief). It’s versatile, effective and widely used in different capacities. This is an indication that Shea butter is tried and true.

Nutrients & Skin

Packed with powerful nutrients and vitamins, shea butter has softening and healing properties that offer nourishing benefits to the skin. Tarling asserts, “shea butter contains numerous bioactive ingredients such as vitamins A and E, essential fatty acids, and other phytonutrients essential to health. Shea butter contains compounds such as triterpene acetates and cinnamates, which a 2010 animal study showed to have significant anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor benefits for skin” (Winter Skin Care Relief). For example, “Triterpenes have been found in many plant species...they may induce cell migration, proliferation, and collagen disposition. Triterpenes also enhance the tissue repair by reducing the length of time for wound closure…” (Anti-Inflammatory Skin Barrier). As Lin, Zhong, and Santiago of the International Journal of Molecular Science report.   In the same way, another source agrees, “shea butter is typically used for its moisturizing effects. These benefits are tied to shea’s fatty acid content, including linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids. When you apply the shea topically, these oils are rapidly absorbed into your skin. They act as a “refatting” agent, restoring lipids and rapidly creating moisture…shea butter has significant levels of vitamins A and E, which means it, promotes strong antioxidant activity ” (22 Reasons to Use Shea). As Kathryn Watson and Cherney of Healthline explains.

Watson and Cherney go on to state, “shea butter is also antibacterial, antifungal, boosts collagen production and may help sooth conditions like eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis. The high levels of linoleic and oleic acid in shea butter balance each other out which makes it easy for your skin to fully absorb it and won’t make your skin look oily after application” (22 Reasons to Use Shea). Shea butter has the potential to reduce fine lines and slow the process of aging. According to PRNewswire, “The secret to shea butter's potency lies in its ability to stimulate collagen production. Collagen, which is the skin's primary structural protein, provides elasticity and gives skin a vibrant, youthful appearance” (Cleopatra’s Choice Releases).  Because of shea butters bio-chemical composition it can be used in a variety of ways including as carrier oil that blends well with essential oils. Essential oils are highly concentrated oils that are extracted from roots, seeds and plants; they contain powerful nutrients as well. In addition, shea butter offers some of the same benefits to the hair.

Hair

Adding shea butter to a person’s hair moisturizing routine would be very beneficial.  Everyone’s hair structure is the same, regardless if the texture is fine, coarse, strait or curly. Nearly, every hair strand consists of three layers, the cuticle or outside layer that protects the inside cortex and medulla layer from damage. Because shea butter contains tiny fat/oil molecules that penetrate the hairs cuticle layer this oil can be a protectant that stops dehydration and helps to prevent breakage by making the hair shaft more pliable. According to Tarling,”Hair often gets damaged from dry winter air and sun, shea butter’s light non-greasy texture and exceptional moisturizing properties make it an ideal leave-in conditioner” (Winter Skin Care Relief). Our skin and hair can easily absorb the vitamins and nutrients that shea butter is overflowing with.

Side Effects/ Allergies

Studies show, shea butter has nearly no side effects or allergic reactions. According to Watson, “shea butter is an incredibly low-risk topical ingredient. Allergic reactions to shea butter are rare. Even people who are allergic to tree nuts, the family that shea nuts belong to, have a low risk of reaction to shea butter on their face. Researchers believe this is because shea nuts contain little of the tree-nut proteins that trigger allergies” (Shea Butter for Face). It works well with any type of skin.

In terms of how it may affect different hair textures, Fernandez and Cherney go on to say, “Oils and butters can leave a film on your hair. This may not be desirable if you have thin hair, as this can weigh it down. Excess oil in your hair also isn’t suitable if you have oily skin, as this can put even more oil on your face, shoulders, and back, leading to breakouts” (Shea Butter for Hair). A little shea butter goes a long way, there’s no wonder it is a popular choice for today’s moisturizers and conditioners. Storing shea butter in locations that are too warm may melt it into a liquid form, and storing it in too cold of a place will cause it to become a hard solid and make it difficult to use, Fernandez and Cherney explain (Shea Butter for Hair). Shea butter is known for its staying power, it won’t become stale very quickly. However, proper storage is important.

Conclusion

In conclusion, shea butter is a natural, safe and effective moisturizer. With its combination of fatty acids, vitamins A & E and its creamy texture it can offer a tremendous amount of relief to dry, irritated, and inflamed skin. Moreover, these powerful nutrients can benefit the hair as well. Because of shea butters molecular structure it penetrates the hair strands cuticle layer and is easily absorbed by the hairs cortex layer. This prevents dehydration of the hair. Likewise, this added moisture increases the hairs flexibility thus reducing breakage; for added benefits like aromatherapy shea butter blends well with essential oils. Overall, it’s a great choice for moisturizer.

If you are thinking of trying shea butter, here’s a link to an all natural source of whipped shea butter that’s infused with essential oils.

 Deluxe Dream Cream

Works Cited

 Abbas. AFRICAN SHEA TREE - TREE OF LIFE: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF THE SHEA TREE, 1 Jan. 1970, herbs-treatandtaste.blogspot.com/2012/02/african-shea-tree-tree-of-life-history.html.

About Blessing Okpala HI THERE.. IT IS GREAT TO MEET YOU..Cooking is a passion I developed at a very tender age from my mum and this online platform is where I aim to share and grow knowledge in all things cooking. View all posts . “12 KEY REASONS YOU NEED SHEA BUTTER Amp-Version.” Global Food Book, globalfoodbook.com/benefits-of-shea-butter.

Cherney, Kathryn Watson and Kristeen. “22 Reasons to Use Shea Butter.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 21 June 2051, www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/what-is-shea-butter.

Cherney, Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez and Kristeen. “Shea Butter for Hair: Raw, Hair Growth, and Natural Hair.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 8 July 2051, www.healthline.com/health/shea-butter-for-hair.

“How To Use Shea Butter for Hair & Skin - Beauty Tips.” Garnier, www.garnierusa.com/tips-how-tos/how-shea-butter-improves-your-skin-and-hair.

Lin T-K, Zhong L, Santiago JL. Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical   Application of Some Plant Oils. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2018; 19(1):70.

 PR Newswire. “Cleopatra’s Choice Releases Industry Leading Shea Butter Reference Guide.” PR Newswire US, 11 Feb. 2015. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.delta.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=201502110830PR.NEWS.USPR.PH28864&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

“Shea Butter Tree, Vitellaria Paradoxa, Brown Subject, White Background.” Alamy, www.alamy.com/stock-photo/shea-butter-tree.html.

“Shea Butter with the Seeds.” 123RF, www.123rf.com/photo_9964290_shea-butter-with-the-seeds.html.

“Sheabutter Images.” Shutterstock, www.shutterstock.com/search/sheabutter.

Tarling, Bryce. “Shea Butte: Winter Skin Care Relief.” Alive: Canada’s Natural Health & Wellness Magazine, no. 362, Dec. 2012, pp. 65–68. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=87558906&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Watson, Kathryn. “Shea Butter for Your Face.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 7 Apr. 2026, www.healthline.com/health/shea-butter-for-face.

[cmbynreviews]

The gorgeous "Call Me by Your Name" makes Sundance swoon

Thank God for the Italians. Four days into what had been feeling like a less-than-thrilling Sundance Film Festival – marred, of course, by real-world events – along came a film of such dizzying beauty and rich, genuine feeling that if I were to go home today, I would still call the whole festival a success. That film is Call Me by Your Name, an adaptation of the 2007 André Aciman novel that is something of a modern classic of gay literature. Directed by Italian dream weaver Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love, A Bigger Splash), the film is a swirling wonder, a film about coming of age, about the secrets of youth, the magic of summer, the beauty of Italy. As a steady and unrelenting snow descended on Park City, Call Me by Your Name kissed Sundance with light and warmth.

Which may sound a little purple, a little tumescent – but this movie inspires such sentiment. Guadagnino has created something of such texture, such power that it’s hard to talk about it in less than hyperbolic terms. First, I’ll tell you what it’s about. Timothée Chalamet, from Homeland and Miss Stevens, plays Elio, a smart, earnest, precocious kid living an odd and lovely kind of life in the summer of 1983. His parents – fabulously played by Amira Casar and Michael Stuhlbarg – are international academics, spending summers at a villa in Northern Italy that Elio’s mother inherited. Living in a (at least) trilingual household full of books and discussion about said books, Elio is intellectually beyond-his-years, a confident and curious kid who nonetheless feels woefully ignorant, or inexperienced, in one crucial field.

It’s summer, and Elio is 17, so obviously that field is love and sex. Elio is handsome, a beanpole topped with a thicket of dark curls, so he’s got the interest of some French girls staying nearby. He’s interested in them too, but is not pulled to them in the same way that he’s drawn inextricably to Oliver, the 20-something grad student boarding at Elio’s family’s house while he works with Elio’s father. Oliver is played by Armie Hammer, that Ken doll colossus who here uses his ludicrous proportions and chiseled handsomeness to great, surprisingly witty and sensitive effect. Elio’s attraction to Oliver – and Oliver’s to Elio – is laid out delicately by Guadagnino, who adapted Aciman’s book with Walter Fasano and none other than James Ivory (whose Maurice is nodded to throughout). The film’s pacing is fluid but helter-skelter, long and considered takes suddenly giving way to ecstatic short bursts.

Which is a pretty good approximation of the rhythms of memory, of adolescent desire, of summer’s intoxicating spell. Call Me by Your Name is narrative in that it tells the short, bittersweet story of Elio and Oliver, but it is more a terrarium of human experience, a sensory immersion that is remarkably full in its vision. Guadagnino fills every scene with life – people, insects, plants. Each shot is busy with existence, but Guadagnino does not overwhelm. Working with cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Guadagnino gives Call Me by Your Name the faded vibrancy of an old postcard, of a treasured memory. There’s a gentleness, a quietness tempering all the intense surges of feeling rippling between Elio and Oliver. It’s an exquisitely composed film, blessed by terrific performances and perfectly scored by a selection of classical compositions and a pair of new songs by Sufjan Stevens. (Yes, on top of everything else, there’s new Sufjan Stevens music too.)

There’s so much to gush about in this movie, and I’m sure many fans of the book, gay or otherwise, are dying to know whether the movie “goes there” in terms of one particular sexy scene. (It both does and doesn’t.) But in the interest of brevity, I’m just going to zero in on my favorite two things about the film. First is Chalamet’s performance. A 21-year-old La Guardia alum, Chalamet has the bearing of a natural; he’s deeply committed to his character but also infuses Elio with something of himself, too, as the best movie stars do. Chalamet seems to know that he’s got an innate charm, a boyish grace, and he uses that to striking effect. Elio, soulful and impetuous and a little bratty, is a kid you’ve known, a kid you wanted to be, a kid you care and root for. It’s a mature and thoughtful performance, and it augurs great things for Chalamet going forward. Hell, the tremendous extended final shot of the film would be an acting opus for someone twice or three times his age. Call Me by Your Name is not Chalamet’s first piece of work (watch Miss Stevens on Netflix), but it feels in every sense like a grand debut.

The other thing I really love about Guadagnino’s film is the way it captures something I might have a hard time explaining. It’s the film’s rendering of what it feels like to be a teenager living in many worlds at once. Meaning, we see Elio alert and interested when interacting with his parents and their friends – he’s a sophisticated kid who’s used to the company of grown-ups. But we know, of course, that something more primal is happening to Elio, something consuming and huge – the particular atomic weight of that one special summer I hope we all had – that he will not tell his parents about (not yet, anyway). So, Elio must act as if nothing is happening while everything is happening, a perhaps universal teenage balancing act, a dance between inner and outer lives, which is really hard to communicate on film. But Guadagnino and Chalamet figure it out, and Call Me by Your Name becomes a coming of age film – and absolutely a coming-out film – that replaces more familiar smarm and canned lesson-learning with something deeply sincere, kind, and perceptive.

That kindness, that sincerity, that wisdom is no better represented than in a monologue given by Stuhlbarg toward the end of the film. Stuhlbarg delivers it with such compassion, such humanity, and Guadagnino knows to film it in an unfussy way. In the scene, Elio’s father essentially offers his son a philosophy for living, stressing the importance of letting pain exist next to joy. It’s a remarkably comforting, empathetic, simple (and yet not simple at all) bit of insight, one we could all use. That Guadagnino essentially makes this the emotional climax of his film (not quite, but almost) indicates to me that Call Me by Your Name was made with real love, with good intentions, with a clarity of heart and purposeful, unpretentious intellect. That shows in every frame. Call Me by Your Name is a true stunner. It’s sexy and sad and funny. It’s Italy, it’s summer, it’s food, it’s family. It’s lust and shame and hope and resignation. It’s life, messy and brilliant.

RICHARD LAWSON | VANITY FAIR | 23 Jan 2017

[memorylang]

Reflections | #32 | March 2020

While in transit to, on and between flights on my journey from Mongolia through Europe to America, I reflected. I processed with ample free hours the Lenten days that met me. I considered how God led my steps. 

So this story runs parallel to the handful I’ve written lately. We’ll backtrack before we move forward, then reaching a huge moment for my leaving Mongolia. 

That pre-dawn, Thursday, March 5 morning, the 49 of my group rode the coach bus from near our Peace Corps office, out of town to the airport. In time, we’d be above the clouds again and again. From the stillness of transiting, came my reflections.

First Friday of Lent 

Hard to believe my journey began Ash Wednesday night, a mere week prior to takeoff. Now I take us back to my city of service last Friday, Feb. 28. 

Like I shared before, I felt pretty exhausted by the time I reached church, with my frantic 36 hours since our evacuation command. And so, with Lent’s first Friday of Lent, a Catholic day of fasting and prayer, I figured no better time to pray off stress. 

I’d come by earlier that day to drop off the Mongolian missal and hymnal books I borrowed the month before. I also gifted the church my copy of, “Rediscover the Saints,” having finished it my week before Tsagaan Sar. Parish staff thanked me and invited me to come back that day if I had free time.  

So I returned. Before I could settle in, staff invited me for lunch. I’d never turn down Mongolians’ hospitality. But the food definitely had meat. So, I thought a quick prayer on it—Should I eat meat on a Friday in Lent, if Catholics offer? 

My response feeling from God seemed to be to, “Just love.” So I smiled, figuring to enjoy their offer was probably the most loving thing to do. And it would be the last meal they’d have with me. 

They invited I say grace in English. Their English teacher was there with staff, so she understood, at least. I really enjoyed the food, too. It was among my Mongolian favorites, банштай цай /bansh-tahy tsahy/, dumplings in the salty Mongolian milk tea. We took a selfie to commemorate our pleasant hour. 

I tried declining seconds, with Friday being for fasting and all, but they still served more, haha. I mused with wonder how Mongolian Christians take hospitality to the next level, in the best ways. And yet, with staff talking about how the government banned seeing their families at Lunar New Year to prevent Coronavirus possibilities, I felt I was leaving a Mongolia very different from the one where I first arrived. I’d miss our days of fellowship after Mass in this little sunlit room. 

Afterward, I had my time alone in the sanctuary to decompress. I wandered before the statue to our Blessed Mother. Then I walked the room, photographing Stations of the Cross’ Mongolian descriptions in case I wanted to learn them in the States. 

My supervisor to drive me to our next location. I graciously thanked everyone and departed. 

Last Supper, Friday Night

Later that Friday night in my city of service, I enjoyed a Last Supper with the American couple who’d supported me so much. 

Here, too, we had amazing food, this time American-style. With sundown, I could indulge a bit! 

I felt especially joyful to meet yet another woman from Brian Hogan’s memoir, “There’s a Sheep in My Bathtub.” (Recall, I finished this book on the Second New Day of Tsagaan Sar, which was Tuesday earlier that week.) This woman recounted stories of her travels around the world for God, including standout details for me. 

She mentioned pretty harrowing experiences with the Hong Kong and Moscow airports. Particularly, she said Moscow’s security just spoke Russian, even in the international airport! So I braced myself. She also suggested I bring snacks so I wouldn’t have to fret on currency conversion. She didn’t like her Moscow airport experience there much. 

As for Hong Kong, she mentioned writing in her devotional journal. Then I realized, I had one of those, too. A parishioner in Reno, Nev. gifted one to me before I graduated uni and joined Peace Corps. In fact, the journal’s been where I’ve penned my usual entries daily since Jan. 1. Fittingly, “Pray continuously” appeared recently, matching my 2020 Lenten aspiration. How cool! 

With the American couple and their friend, I also considered my future. If I return to Mongolia, life would feel different. Mongolia will have entered spring, maybe summer. I'd redecorate my apartment. Maybe I'd bring things new from the States. I'd be wiser, a little older. 

But I'll be loving, all the same. 

By the night’s end, I resolved, if there's one thing God's been consistent with me when I've discerned the past couple years, it's to love. For, no matter what, we're beloved. Love, I will.

My American friends gifted me delicious chocolate cake to take home. They know I love their cooking. I’d keep in touch with this bunch long after returning to America. 

Last Suppers with spiritual people fill me with such peace. And Christ’s command rang true: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). 

Saturday Morning Guests 

The next morning, Saturday, Feb. 29, the older friend with whom I spent my Lunar New Year’s Eve and First New Day came by to fetch me for his friend he introduced me to during the holiday. 

Like old times, my friend came up to my apartment. This time he brought that friend over. And I felt so pleased when my friend, upon entering, explained to his friend, who saw my cross on the wall, that although I’m Christian and a Peace Corps Volunteer, Peace Corps is non-religious. 

It’s so important locals understand this distinction… I am who I am, but Peace Corps is what it is. I loved that a local could explain it to another without confusion. 

My friend had just gotten off a long night shift. So I readied the instant coffees I saved for guests and switched on my Korean electric kettle that sat upon my short refrigerator. I also shared with the guys some Chinese snacks my 重庆 Chóngqìng friend mailed me when I visited relatives in 北京 Běijīng after Christmas. I liked the spiciness, but I cautioned my friends to be careful. Many Mongolians don’t do spicy, but this older friend does. 

Meeting My Older Friend’s Friend 

I first met my friend’s friend earlier that week, Sunday, Feb. 23, on the morning of Lunar New Year’s Eve. 

Before my older friend dropped me off in his own frigid home. He drove me to the then-crowded indoor market. There he took me inside to meet his friendly shop-owning friend. The friendly man sells a brand of хевийн боов (pronounced like /hyehVEEN b-awe-v/), firm biscuit bricks stacked to form Mongolians’ traditional food tower displays. My supervisor Wednesday night gifted me some of these, actually. 

Because all Mongolian families make these towers, the friend saw great business. Apparently the man’s son attends the Chinese school, also. So the friend invited me to visit his home sometime. I said sure, sounds fun. Then my older friend took me back to the car. I waited there alone while he shopped some more. Felt like just another day shopping with my actual dad... 

Anyway, when Peace Corps Mongolia’s evacuation crisis broke out, I totally forgot about meeting my friend’s friend. But Mongolians find ways. 

Final Full Saturday, Among Friends

Saturday morning, kicking off my last full day in my city of service, we drove to my friend’s friend’s house, in the city’s district closer to the mountain’s base. Coincidentally, I’d probably walked by this house Monday morning, while walking with the Mongolian Christian toward Mt. Bayan-Undur. That day, my same older friend drove to pick me up for the rest of my adventures, that First New Day of Tsagaan Sar. 

Entering my friend’s friend’s place this Saturday, I felt the interior could have passed for a small American home, just with fewer walls to divide rooms. 

My friend’s friend treated me to a wonderful brunch, I felt so glad to needn’t cook, that busy day. He also gifted me instant Mongolian milk tea, which I felt really excited to try in the States! 

Meanwhile, the man’s Chinese-studying son was in an unsurprisingly unsocial mood. The lad distracted himself instead by watching a colorfully animated film dubbed in Mongolian that played on the TV nearby. The film’s art style reminded me of some mix between Disney’s “Avatar” and Dr. Seuss. Weeks later, I chanced upon its name, “Mune.” 

I ate to fullness as usual. I hadn’t realized, even on Mongolian Lunar New Year’s Sixth New Day, people still stuff themselves with the same wonderful traditional things they eat the first few days. I loved it.

But during a lull, I felt surprised.  

My older friend, suddenly a tad emotional, said how his English improved so much with me. 

He spoke smiling, saying how he felt grateful I came to Mongolia. I hadn’t expected my rapid departure would move a grown man. I responded with gratitude to have met him and spoke again my hope to return.

Once More Upon Bayan-Undur 

After brunch, since I wouldn’t meet my other friends till later that afternoon, the men I ate with joined me instead. And so, after waiting in the cold nearly an hour wondering whether the others might show, we ascended. 

Our trio walked up past the place where I walked Monday, and we summited. I’d miss this snow, knowing I’d return to a desert in the States. 

We came down the front side, somewhat like the path I’d taken with the weekly hiking group I accompanied winter weekend mornings. On the walk down, I found my pace faster than the other men’s. I wondered if this resulted from my weeks of hikes. Ahead, I realized I followed the овоо /aw-vaw/ stone shrines to know the way down. 

I considered in self-reflection how during my final week in Mongolia, I felt like Aang or Korra meeting their past lives' friends. My ‘past lives’ were Peace Corps Volunteers before me. Our community’s common affection for our service remains. 

Our trio took a route down into the ger (home) district, where we parted with my older friend. He needed rest but would visit me that evening. I returned to his friend’s home. The kind man served me a stir-fry with rice that tasted of my summer host family's cooking. I miss them… Little did I know, the night after, I’d ride through my host family’s town during evacuation. 

My friend’s friend drove me around town to pick up my community friends to visit my apartment and say farewells. Later that night, I’d embark on the sunset trek to end my last city day. 

Thursday Leaving Mongolia: The Airport

Now fast-forward to Thursday, March 5, my departure from Mongolia. After half a week of resilience in the capital followed by an all-nighter to conclude it, I felt a profound experience at the airport. 

Our Peace Corps group of 49 reached Chinggis Khaan International Airport long before daybreak. My past blur here flying out two months before felt stressful, traveling alone. But now I felt calm. For now, I traveled among friends. 

I entered Mongolia’s international terminal early, recalling its location. I settled smoothly into the check-in line then turned behind. I scanned our face-masked crowd to see if I could find the senior TEFL friend I ran into throughout the week. I’d hoped I might see her the night before during Volunteer farewells, but we’d be on the same flight anyway. 

Some time later, I saw my friend and waved. She waved back, but not as expected—I thought she looked as though sobbing. I felt troubled. So, tugging my luggage, I left my spot in the line to join her in back. 

I stood beside her, wishing I could offer something. I waited in silence, trying to feel her pain. 

When speaking, my friend sounded as though with grief. This country has been everything to her. This is what she committed to, as a Peace Corps Volunteer. And she's leaving too soon. She hoped I will get the chance to come back, to finish my service and one day know the pain she feels to leave these people. 

I felt solemn. She was right. 

And while I might be able to return, her service ended. 

Around us, I wondered if anyone noticed, but plenty seemed preoccupied with making our flight. So I reckoned I needn’t worry, since I came to do good. 

My friend held my hand and thanked me for coming. From beneath her face mask, she commented about needing tissues and not having any. I remembered mine and quickly emptied my pocket tissue pouch. She laughed a little and looked glad. She continued to squeeze my hand as we pushed our luggage to move forward in line. 

Trials Leaving Mongolia: The Airport  

Crisis! When we reached the line's front, turns out we both had overweight luggage. 

We lugged our luggage aside. I was 2 kg over—must have been the extra gifts, we figured. So I shifted books and denser snacks to my personal item and carry-on then wore my blazer as an addition to my already five layers. I’d fly with six layers, whatever. Thus, I checked in my luggage. 

But my friend wasn't so lucky. She needed to pay extra to get her luggage through. So she left upset to another window outside the line. With my things in order and feeling quite familiar with the airport, I decided to accompany her.

We waited an awful long time. Another senior cohort friend we’d evacuated our provinces with needed to pay a similar fee. A couple more senior cohort friends joined the line, for they had pets traveling. So I waited among the four. They were such inspirations to me. 

Meanwhile I tried to help my friend, who sat on her luggage and looked a little disheveled. She said something of her amazement how we kept getting stuck together. I agreed. I remembered the fall conference, our evacuation caravan and the week’s surprise meet-ups at Peace Corps’ office. Lovely coincidences. 

During our wait, I felt moved by the love and loss my friend felt toward her community and service. I remembered my grief amid flights three years ago, when Mom was killed and stressfully I had to fly home. So I wished I could say something to help my friend. I prayed this affliction might leave her. I prayed to have the right words. But I knew, sometimes the better words are those unsaid.

Sometimes my friend forgot whether she grabbed something or didn't, whether I grabbed something or didn't. I replied patiently. I wanted to say it'd be OK soon, but such words mean little. I offered my water, offered to cover the expense, even. She accepted my water.

Eventually my friend noticed I didn’t have an expense to pay and that I just wanted to support her. Her anxiety seemed to lighten, and she smiled again. She insisted I'm so kind. She added I didn't have to stay for her. But I reaffirmed I'm comfortable with the airport and felt I’d nowhere to be more urgently. I wanted her to feel OK. She said although she doesn't believe in God, God would reward me very much for helping. I wasn't sure what to make of that. But it felt kind. 

As we neared less than an hour till takeoff, the couple senior cohort friends behind us, too, grew anxious whether we'd make our flight. They said since I didn't need to be in line, I should head to our gate. Still, I knew we'd plenty of time, considering my previous rush through airport security on a crowded day here with less time. But, going ahead would make our group happiest. So I wished everyone well and calmly went in. 

Leaving Mongolia: The Airport  

After a smooth clear through passport control, friends from our evacuation group asked me if I'd seen the others. I explained they were at the payment window. Behind me, I noticed my friend already entering security. I felt glad to give others peace. 

I ran into a couple evacuation friends shortly after. One commented I was better than him, for waiting behind to help. I appreciated his compliment. I didn’t blame anyone for going ahead, anyway. We’re all trying to be prudent. 

I had plenty time to get my bearings as boarding began, too. God always has a way. 

I pick up my next story right where this leaves off, bringing you with me aboard my flights from Mongolia through Europe and back to America. We’re off to Moscow, Berlin and Amsterdam, so get ready for a cultural odyssey like none of mine before! 

You can read more from me here at DanielLang.me~         

[lauraramargosian]

Sundance 2020: Taylor Swift celebrates premiere at Eccles Theatre and more!

Sundance 2020: Taylor Swift celebrates premiere at Eccles Theatre.

View this post on Instagram

Miss Americana

January 31 on @netflixfilm

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jan 15, 2020 at 2:16pm PST

Park City, UT- The one, the only, Taylor Swift, Woman of the Decade spent time in Park City, Utah for Sundance 2020. Swift, whose documentary “Miss Americana,” premiered on opening night at the Eccles Theatre.

As always, Taylor Swift stopped to take a few selfies with her supportive fans. Doesn’t that go to show, she does appreciate those who support her?

Abuse within Hollywood is not a secret.

Although this may be false, in other situations and with different talent managers, agents, and employees, it does happen.

Label executives took advantage of Swift during a time she was growing and learning. On the other hand, Taylor has opened up about the abuse she has faced within the entertainment industry (as well as others).

Provided that it seems to have taken a lot of precious time away from Swift, including having freedom.

Most importantly, T-dawg was at an age where learning whether being respected or being liked was more important, frankly, that’s a lesson we all go through in life.

Instead of being herself, Swift was tossed around like a puppet and nobody should feel stricken by their own team.

Incredibly, despite being told how to live her life, who she could date, friends she could be seen with the public, whether she was to “too fat,” or “too skinny,” she triumphed.

“I feel really good about not feeling muzzled anymore. There’s nothing that feels better than this moment.” -Taylor Swift

Damn, she overcame and conquered, setting the perfect example for not only her family and friends but her fans. Instead of “reacting,” she spends time to write relatable hits for her personal healing as well as to teach her fans ‘, hey you’re not alone.’

In fact, many find it difficult to be happy because they wear their heart on their sleeve.

Important things we need for life happiness and how they could have affected Taylor Swift.

Beyond health, food, water and shelter come other needs which are important to leading a positive life where you feel in control, proud of yourself and gear you to succeed.

Friendship – It’s important to have friends, not just one but a handful that you can truly count on… especially when we aren’t feeling positive and life kicks us to the ground. Those executives affected Taylor Swift’s ability to trust, and while there’s not red ink that shares what they said, Swift shared just enough to show that she didn’t spend a lot of time with friends.

Intimacy – If there is no opportunity for friendship, how can one begin their journey from “puppy love,” to actually falling in love? No doubt, this one doesn’t need much explanation. As mentioned, Swift has always kept your love life a secret because of the harsh judgments. But how would it feel to not being to go out to eat at a local favorite?

The need for having control – Doesn’t it feel awful when life doesn’t deal you a hand which makes you feel completely panicked and worried? Imagine every decision you’ve had to make was being made by someone you work with, or worse, someone who has abused you in ways you don’t want to remember?

The need for creativity and challenges – One word sums this up, accomplishment. Doesn’t accomplishment feel amazing? For instance, how do you feel when you pay off student debt for your film class? That has to be the best feeling ever, especially after spending all that time with your creativity, putting magic on the big screen. Unfortunately, it’s likely many of Taylor Swifts moves when she broke out in 2006. The good news is Taylor took action and made creativity and challenges fun and exciting, just as she deserves. I mean, her freaking snake stage was absolutely amazing, as was her tour.

The need for one’s purpose meaning – Whoever you are, whatever you do for work, no matter where you live, people must find their purpose in order to be proud and share those stories to help others in the world attempting to find their meaning. What would it feel like if you were told what your purpose was, and how you should be showing it (their version of purpose and meaning)? That’s balls. Thankfully, Taylor Swift has found her purpose and meaning and she’s using her platform to help others heal and shine bright like a Diamond.

With that in mind, Taylor Swift came into the Hollywood spotlight as a novice, learning to explore every single corner of the industry… And all at the same time she beat down in order for higher-ups to “build her,” the way they wanted, rather than how she wanted…could you imagine?

Hell yes, she is now 30-years-old (“Thirty, flirty and thriving, lol.”) and spent more than enough time in the industry to know exactly who should and shouldn’t be in her life. Regardless of her status in the entertainment industry, those choices are hers, nobody has a right to tell another person how to live.

Further, a quote by Spike Milligan comes to mind:

“Money can’t buy friends, but you can get a better class of enemy.”

As well as a quote by Maya Angelou:

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”

Ultimately, that’s what Taylor has always strived to accomplish, she truly fought and succeeded.

Taylor Swift: Named Woman of The Decade, and how her speech was empowering.

Equally important, that doesn’t mean there are zero trials in life, money is a number, trials do not discriminate, nor can you buy or sell them, right?

So, when people ask ‘why are celebrities so depressed, they have everything?’ the proper response is “so do we,” in comparison, it’s not always greener on the other side, is it?

Taylor Swift arrives to the premiere of her Sundance documentary “Miss Americana.” Read Variety’s in-depth interview with Swift on why she decided to get political and stop being ‘polite at all costs’ https://t.co/lu9z92PMTJ pic.twitter.com/zwNdmZu0iK

— Variety (@Variety) January 24, 2020

To End, Sundance 2020 opened on a great note, as did this year for Taylor Swift.

Shout out to the whole team at Sundance, you guys all work so hard, from directors, producers, crew and talent.

Blessed be!

Sundance 2020: Taylor Swift – “Miss Americana”

Next: Taylor Swift and Jimmy Fallon

This hilarious moment when Taylor discovered Jimmy Fallon talked to her mom and got a hilarious home video.

The post Sundance 2020: Taylor Swift celebrates premiere at Eccles Theatre and more! appeared first on Positive Celebrity News and Gossip.

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Happy Release Day for The Flight Path Less Traveled by Leigh Dreyer

I am tickled to be able to share a special post about this exciting second entry in the Pride of Flight series, a Pride & Prejudice modern continuation story. Blurb:

In this modern Pride and Prejudice continuation and sequel to The Best Laid Flight Plans, 2nd Lieutenant Elizabeth Bennet and Captain William Darcy are facing trials after the events of Elizabeth’s last flight. Darcy’s proposal lingers between them as Elizabeth becomes almost single sighted to her rehabilitation and her return to pilot training. A secret is revealed to Elizabeth about Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s past that throws all she has known to be true into a tail spin. The romance between our hero and heroine begins to blossom through military separations, sisterly pranks, and miscommunications. Can Darcy and Elizabeth come together or will flying in the Air Force keep them apart?

Let me introduce author, Leigh Dreyer, and her books through a Q&A she is sharing with us.

1.                Tell us a little about yourself and your background?

I work as a speech pathologist, currently in the Las Vegas area. I work both in person at a charter middle/high school and a long term acute care facility and doing teletherapy (which I absolutely love) from my home. Yes. I have three jobs plus writing because I apparently enjoy being crazy.  I write while my kids take naps, during teletherapy breaks, and at night. I have an incredible husband who is a pilot in the Air Force and two amazing kids. My son is four and my daughter is two. Both my husband and I are children of Air Force pilots which makes for fun family get togethers. Needless to say, I very rarely have to do a lot of plane-related research.

 2.                Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

Elizabeth Bennet has just gone through tremendous trauma at the end of The Best Laid Flight Plans and now she has to get back up, brush herself off, and push forward. In the original Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth faces a lot of invisible enemies (marriage or lack thereof, the entailment, etc.), but I wanted to see where she would take me when her enemies were very much physical. Would she be strong and fight?

3.                Which writers inspire you?

Jane Austen is the obvious answer, but I’m also inspired by so many JAFF authors. People like (in no particular order) Linda Wells, Joy King, Diana J Oaks, Maria Grace, Abigail Reynolds, Jenetta James, Karen Cox, Beau North, Jan Hahn, Elizabeth Ann West, Rose Fairbanks, etc. inspire me to fall more deeply in love with characters I already enjoy. I also love Diana Gabaldon, Neil Gaman, Aled Hossein, Tom Wolfe, William Makepeace Thackeray, Agatha Christie, and CS Forester.

 4.                What are you working on at the minute?

Book three, Came a Flight Gently and a short story about how Mr. and Mrs. Bennet meet and get married. I’m also working on outlining a time-travel story.

 5.                What’s it about?

Came a Flight Gently will start where The Flight Path Less Traveled ends and will continue the story in New York and feature the Reno Air Races (National Championship Air Races), the last of the great pylon races.

 6.                Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?

When I answered this for The Best Laid Flight Plans, I said maybe David Gandy for Darcy and Katherine McNamara or Lily Collins for Elizabeth. Now, I’m kind of thinking brunette Chris Evans and Gal Gadot or a young Marissa Tomei. I picture a modern Elizabeth as a strong, independent female, but also fun and feisty and never cruel.

 7.                How much research do you do?

It really depends on the scenes I’m writing. My favorite research to do is everything to do with food. I have spent many the hour figuring out what to for a big event catered by Mrs. Bennet. I like to really think through what each character would be eating and making. Obviously, Mr. Collins likes potatoes and, if you read book 1, you know Darcy does not eat bacon, but what about everyone else? For flight scenes, I write a lot of them on my own then send them to my husband, father, and father in law to be checked for accuracy. Normally this results in a long page of notes from my father to make it sound authentic (apparently I am very bad at writing what the characters might say on the radio when speaking to tower).

 8.                What made you decide to sit down and actually start something?

After going through The Best Laid Flight Plans I changed the ending because I just wasn’t ready for it to end. I wanted to see what happened next and leave the door open to really learn more about Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Colonel Fitzwilliam, etc. I needed another book or two or three for the story to end for me.

 9.                This book is part of a series, tell us a little about it?

The Flight Path Less Traveled is book two in a series of three planned books: The Best Laid Flight Plans, The Flight Path Less Traveled, and Came a Flight Gently. The first book is a P&P variation whose story line closely follows the events of P&P. The next two are original continuations although you will definitely see other favorite Austen characters and events as the story continues. Each book is an altered line from a poem that I find meaningful and that I feel speaks to the tone of book I wanted to write.

 10.             For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?

I prefer paper books, but I do the vast majority of my reading on kindle or on my phone because they are so easy to drag around with me. I work a lot and am frequently running around with my kids so carrying a paperback isn’t always practical. I do all my reading on my Kindle Paperwhite and have for about five years.

 11.             What book/s are you reading at present?

Right now I’m reading Rational Creatures edited by Christina Boyd on Kindle and listening to Ghengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford, but ask me in a few days and I’ll be on to something else. I’ve averaged at least five books a month for the last six or seven years.

 12.             Do you proofread/edit all your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?

I was blessed to work with Christina Boyd of The Quill Ink. Let me tell you, she is amazing to work with and the book is so much better for having had a professional editor. My sister in law is also great about giving me really fantastic feedback as a beta and ARC reader. She is currently working as an editor for some online sources and is amazing.

 13.             Tell us about the cover/s and how it/they came about.

The photoshoot was done in Utah by Monica Cook, a military spouse, who runs Joyous Reflections Photography and Portraiture, at the Air Force museum at Hill Air Force Base. It was important to me to highlight Elizabeth as a female officer. Females are so rare in the pilot world that I wanted to be able to see Elizabeth as I see her, a strong woman who is willing to work harder than anyone else to achieve what she sees for herself. I made the choice to have the little ringlets and her hair up in a kind of braid Mohawk, because I thought it was a fun throwback to the Regency hairstyles. Of course, after the events at the end of The Best Laid Flight Plans, she is pictured out of a flight suit and in her blues, but I wanted to continue to present that strong image as she fights to recover.

 14.             Who designed your book cover/s?

My amazing friend Alishia Mattee. She is a military spouse and my next door neighbor when we were stationed together at Hickam Air Force Base and she is so talented.

 15.             What is your favorite movie and why?

Gone With The Wind. Partly because I am an eighty-five year old woman trapped in a thirty year old’s body (please see my love for all classic film, 1940s jazz and classical music, and other habits like insisting my family eat at the table) I love the costumes, the romance, the huge sets, the language. I love it all. Scarlett is one of my all-time favorite characters. She doesn’t let other people tell her she can’t achieve. She needs to take care of her family, so she does, in whatever way she can. I find her strong, capable head something I would love to emulate, even if she is a little stupid with her heart.

 16.             What advice would you give to your younger self?

Just do it. Jump in. You can figure it out while you’re doing it, but if you wait until you understand every nuance of a task, years will pass and it still won’t be done.

 17.             What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Write. Also, edit. I recently had a friend who decided her NaNoWriMo draft was ready for publication. She had not even re-read it. Yikes.  I tell every aspiring writer I know to write and then let someone read it and critique it. Critique can be hard to accept, but you’ll only get better.

 18.             Can we recognize your adopted hometown of Del Rio, Texas in The Flight Path Less Traveled?

Absolutely. Longbourn City is based on my hometown of Del Rio and Meryton Air Force Base is based on Laughlin Air Force Base which is about fifteen minutes out of town. My parents and siblings still live and work there. You see less of Longbourn in this novel, but the place that Aunt Gardiner takes Elizabeth to eat taquitos rancheros is Julio’s on Highway 90. Julio’s is famous for their chips and salsa. Love those things—seriously, they are amazing.

 19.             What’s the worst job you’ve had?

I worked at a restaurant (which will remain nameless because I signed an “I won’t whine on the internet” clause when I got hired) during grad school in Lubbock and I often refer to it as “the worst job ever.” It was on fourth street in Lubbock, Texas, although that location is now a Chick Fil-A. My manager was crazy and often switched from sickly sweet to horribly insulting. The food was meh at best. I worked there for three months and outlasted eleven employees. That should tell you something about the work environment.

 20.             Where do you get your ideas?

Well, book two is not just a general pilot training book anymore. You read the basics of Air Force life in The Best Laid Flight Plans, but now Elizabeth isn’t a naïve butter-bar Second Lieutenant anymore. She’s learned and grown. Many of her experiences in the novel are based on my friends and family who have had similar things happen to them and gone through the board process. I’m trying to avoid spoilers in these questions, but let’s just say, the events that occur to her are certainly not out of the ordinary. For Darcy, many of his experiences are based on my growing up with a T-38 instructor. Cross-countries were just part of the gig. My husband is in a staff-type job now, but when he was actively flying, he was gone more than he was home.

I do love interviews for all that I learn about the background for author and books.  Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Leigh!

Where can you find Leigh and her book? Flight Path Less Traveled Links

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44427328-the-flight-path-less-traveled?ac=1&from_search=true

US link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PNFN962/ref=x_gr_w_glide_ku?caller=Goodreads&callerLink=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44427328-the-flight-path-less-traveled?ac=1&from_search=true&tag=x_gr_w_glide_ku-20

UK link:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flight-Path-Less-Traveled-Continuation-ebook/dp/B07PNFN962/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+flight+path+less+traveled&qid=1552874830&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spell

The Best Laid Flight Plans Links

US link: https://amzn.to/2IkAWTF

UK link: https://amzn.to/2SfGA9m

Contact Information

Email: leighdreyerauthor@gmail.com

Facebook: Leigh Dreyer

Facebook Page: @leighdreyerauthor

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/leighdreyer

Website: http://www.leighdreyer.com/

 Social Media Information

Hashtags: #TheFlightPathLessTraveled #LeighDreyer #JAFF #AustenInspired

 Before she heads out on tour with The Flight Plath Less Traveled, let me share the blog tour schedule so you can join in with more fabulous posts.

March 19- From Pemberley to Milton

https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpress.com/

March 21/22- My Jane Austen Book Club

March 23- My Love for Jane Austen

March 23- Interests of a Jane Austen Girl

March 25- Austenesque Reviews

March 26- So Little Time

March 27- Diary of an Eccentric

March 28- More Agreeably Engaged

April 3-Half Agony Half Hope

April 4/5- Margie’s Must Reads

[the-record-newspaper]

My 20 years at The Record have seen many life changes

(Note: this column is the conclusion of the story of my 20 years at The Record and Thursday Printing.)

 By JERRY LANKFORD

Record Editor

Much has happened in my life since I began working for The Record 20 years ago.

In my previous columns related to my two decades of work for the paper, I have mainly focused on the professional aspects of the passing of these years.

Personally, I have experienced some harsh losses, but, more than anything, I have received some of my life’s greatest blessings.

In 1999, when I came home from working at a daily newspaper in Sanford (just south of Raleigh), I was finally able to spend more time with my aging mother, Willa Mae Lankford, and my daughters, Jennifer (born in 1982) and Anna (born in 1988). Jennifer, Anna and me would go everywhere together – mostly concerts and other musical events and also theatrical productions – some of which we became part of as members of the cast and crew.

We had great fun at MerleFest, spending every available moment there we could. It was kind of like a family vacation for us. My friends there, mostly musicians, became their friends. I particularly remember Kurt and Maria Stadlin of Switzerland bringing them chocolate bars from their home country.

Anna was into music, like me, and we performed at many venues together. It was then I realized that playing music with one of your children creates a line of communication like no other that exists.

Jennifer’s talents have always been in the visual arts, which she apparently inherited from her grandfather, Sigurd Schmidt, a career artist. Jennifer has created some incredible works over the years, stuff I can’t even began to understand how she was able to accomplish. She even had a one-person show of her works sponsored by the Cultural Arts Council of Wilkes, which was held at Wilkesboro Town Hall.

My daughter Gabriella (Gabby), was born on Aug. 19, 2002. She has been a wonderful, sweet and smart child since she, as a baby, started showing the first faint signs of her angelic personality. This talented young lady held the record for many years as being the youngest singer to perform on The Sammy Lankford Stage at The Record Park. She was 4 years old.

Since that first appearance, Gabby has stood on that stage next to me countless times during various ChickenFest and Americana Day events. She has also appeared in many local stage productions in which she both sang and acted.

Gabby is beautiful, compassionate, thoughtful and brilliant. She has attended Wilkes Early College High School and graduates this May at age 16. She plans to follow in my sister, Ellen’s, footsteps and work as a laboratory scientist.

I know she will do well.

It was in February of 2009, when I experienced my greatest loss – the death of my mother, Willa Mae Lankford. She was 82.

I was so very lucky to be able to spend an enormous amount of time with her in the months prior to her passing. During that time I got to know my mother in much more than a maternal way – we became best friends. What I wouldn’t give to have five more minutes to talk with her, hear her voice and see her smile.

During my Momma’s time of sickness I learned much. Perhaps the most important thing she taught me is to pray. When I was struggling through this period, Ed McKinney, who was then pastor at my home church, Arbor Grove Methodist in Purlear, spent many hours with Momma and me. He and I also spent a lot of time talking, just the two of us.

A fledgling at prayer, I asked Ed one afternoon in the hospital canteen, “How exactly is the right way to pray?”

Ed smiled and simply said, “Paul said, ‘Pray without ceasing.’”

I’ve never forgotten that.

Then, in 2013, my life changed forever — I became grandfather to two adorable boys.

Sammie, Jennifer’s son (named after my father), was born on Jan. 24.

Charlie, Anna’s son, was born on June 19.

Don’t get me wrong. My daughters have made me extremely happy over the years – despite the fact that I spent half my life standing in the Barbie doll aisle at Walmart. But, those two little boys have taught me more about love than I could have received from any doctorate degree program.

And, now I get to buy toy trucks and cars, balls, army men, Nerf guns and the like.

I can just look at either one of those boys and cry tears of joys – like I often say, I’ve become an old woman in my later years. To quote a Goose Creek Symphony song, “I love them much more than minds could say.”

Now I must tell of one more huge loss – that is the death of my brother, Michael Grayden Lankford. I was just getting ready to leave work on Aug. 17, 2015, when my sister, Ellen, called me inconsolably upset. At the time Ellen and Mike lived together in Greensboro. She told me she found Mike dead in his chair. He was 63.

Mike was a good man. He worked hard his entire life, his last working years having been spent at Tyson Food’s Fabrication center where he was a welder among other things.

Mike was the kind of man who, like my daddy, Sammie Lankford, who died in 1977, could do anything — build an engine or a bridge, work endless hours and never complain. We had become very close since I had come back home from Sanford and went to work for The Record. He’d moved to Greensboro to watch over our sister. Really, they looked out for each other.

I was able to convince Ellen to move back to Wilkes after Mike’s passing. And Ellen, my dear sister, has been my guardian angel. She has literally saved this old boy’s life due to some health problems in recent months. And, as it turns out, we now live together. It’s a wonderful arrangement, at least from my standpoint.

Two other notable things have happened since Mike’s death. I have been able become closer to his daughter, Renee – Mike’s youngest, who is as sweet as can be but tough as nails. And Eva, his oldest daughter, has moved back to Wilkes.

Eva is yet another blessing and true angel on this Earth – never hesitating to help her old uncle in times of need or just call and check on me or come visit. I now consider Eva as being my fourth daughter. Sometimes I see her grin when she looks at me since I grew my beard.

“You just remind me of Daddy,” she says.

I’d be remiss not to mention the blessings of the many friendships I’ve acquired over the years, particularly that of my boss, Ken Welborn. At times, it seems, he’s the only person I have been able to turn to. And there have been many times over the years he could have turned his back, but he never has.

I’m mighty glad that I came to work for The Record. It’s good be here in Wilkes – where I was born and raised — where I belong.

I kind of started this series of columns about my time here with a quote from one of my favorite movies, the 1972 film Jeremiah Johnson. I’m going back to that source to close with, using the lyrics from one of the original songs in the movie:

 The way that you wander

Is the way that you choose,

The day that you tarry

Is the day that you lose.

Sunshine or thunder

A man will always wonder

Where the fair wind blows.

 I no longer feel the need to wander. And, as for where the fair wind blows, I don’t wonder, I know the answer – right here at home.

[thejacksmit]

Projection Room: Secrets of a Haunting- The Pre-Production

For the last few months, I’ve been very kindly invited along to join the pre-production meetings for UCLan’s second year Film Production students, to help document the production of their own take on adapting Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House into a film- with the shoot well underway, this is a unique look into a side of the industry I’ve never experienced before: the tedious pre-shoot paperwork. While it might’ve been difficult to get images sorted due to the nature of this project, this is a unique look behind the scenes of what making a feature film is like.

THE STORY SO FAR...

In September, just as we were formulating the early stages of the Born Independent campaign, UCLan lecturer and friend of the blog Ed Greenberg launched this big feature film project to a group of very capable students. Their mission, which they accepted, was to remake The Haunting using the poorly received Jan de Bont 1999 version as their inspiration, although they could use the book for further ideas if they wished. Obviously Netflix came out with their series not long after this, and wisely the students wanted to steer clear of what Mike Flanagan and his team did in those 10 episodes.

I came on board to witness these meetings in late October (around the time I was offered the radio gig funnily enough), and by that point they had split into their respective departments ready to begin the bulk of pre-production. Location scouting was underway, line producers were preparing budgets, the art department were busy looking at Victorian dolls houses amongst other things (to say any more would spoil some of the film), and everything felt like a well oiled machine. I was primarily stationed with the ‘above the line’ crew, so I observed a lot of the major decisions as to what the film would feature, alongside seeing what the individual heads of department were creating for the film that is now officially shooting. This is about as close as anyone can get to a full on production office environment in any film course in the UK according to the higher ups, so I was in for a real eye-opener.

THE BRIEF

Ed, and overall course leader Ian Crook gave these students one task with the original script- to cut all the CGI-laden elements out, refine the dialogue and deliver a film that could be made dirt cheap in and around the North West. Originally, the film was to be crowdfunded, but after a series of complications around the ‘not for profit’ nature of the production, this idea was scrapped the night before it was to be launched, prompting last minute changes not only to the film, but to this blog’s flagship YouTube series; as the marketing team worked with me on what would have been the final piece of the October Journal. But, they had a plan B in place well before that saga went down: they pitched for and successfully obtained £5,000 from the uni, and with that big win, they were about to make this film happen. The producers were rather relieved to have sorted that little saga out... now all they needed was a script.

THE SCRIPT

Revising the base script wasn’t an easy task. And for directors/scriptwriters Shayla Kirkham, Jack O’Connell and Caitlin Rigney, this was something they leapt into from day 1. They decided to take the brief, and add a distinct Northern flair to it, adding some modern day stylings to truly make it their own, putting in some serious hours to get the job done alongside 1st assistant director Catherine Morris, who handled the creation of the film’s extensive shot list, as well as the all important shooting schedule. I was there for the final read-through with the entire crew, and I was pleasantly surprised at what they were able to turn around in such a short space of time. The draft I was given at that initial readthrough on November 22nd came in at just shy of 66 pages, which stayed true to the source material and only changed aspects that they knew wouldn’t be possible with the budgetary constraints of the project. Once you’ve factored in cinematography/camera positions, rewrites and the usual complications that the shoot can bring along, this film could easily run for at least 90 minutes. So they were off to an insane start- and much like their preparations with the setups, they were ahead of schedule.

CASTING

As the end of November neared, the directors, and their head of casting Adam Hoxha, started auditioning for the main roles. For the team, this was a learning curve, as they were presented with some difficult decisions, most notably when one of the supporting roles dropped out at the very last minute. I didn’t want to witness much of this process, especially the decisions over the final cast, as I will be reviewing the finished film at the end of this journey, but the team handled each minor setback incredibly well, and it gave all of them a real insight into how to run auditions in a professional and timely manner. On January 25th, literally 4 weeks from the start of the shoot, the cast were locked in ready for rehearsals to start. It was time to start getting familiar with the equipment, and for these students, having the state of the art facilities of UCLan’s Media Factory available to them was a blessing.

EQUIPMENT TO DIE FOR

And speaking of the facilities that the university has in its stores for the purpose of this module, the students have really got to know their instruments of cinematic capture incredibly well- as the film is being shot entirely on the ever capable Blackmagic cameras. As a critic, this is one side of the industry I’ve never got to see first hand- especially with the controversy over the Oscar for cinematography brewing at the minute, but this is top of the line equipment to ensure the film looks at home on the biggest screens. For the uninitiated, Blackmagic cameras are responsible for the action scenes in Jason Bourne, as well as sequences in Kingsman, Avengers: Age of Ultron and a variety of major Hollywood releases. They’re effectively using industry spec gear to shoot this film at the highest quality they can, and this is something which is supplemented by the decision to shoot this film in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio- or to simplify it for those of you who aren’t as acquainted with filmmaking and projection terminology, the same format that the majority of mainstream films are presented in with the black bars above and below. The test footage I’ve seen has looked incredible, and both of the directors of photography look set to make this film feel ready for the big screen. However, at the time of writing, I’m yet to seek details from the sound department on what they are working with, but they look to be using Zoom sound recorders and top quality mics to capture the best audio on set.

THE NEXT STEPS: THE SHOOT AND THE EDIT

As of Saturday morning, and until mid-March, the ‘Mad Vision’ production team will be setting up camp at various spaces around Preston, and at a residential hall in Carnforth to shoot the film on location. I’ll be popping down to the set on Friday to see a bit of the shoot and plant some Ripped Ticket shaped seeds with the crew- as this is merely the start of proceedings here with this group, and it’s ultimately going to culminate in a full First Take review. As for production, once the shoot concludes on March 10th, the edit and its associated tasks will take them up to the end of the academic year. As I type this, the crew are nervous for the shoot. But I have every faith that they will make a solid film.

[inhalingwords]

Book Discussion Challenge || Jan 3 || Adaptation

I love literary adaptations. I’m absolutely fascinated by everything concerning the tradition of story-telling; how stories are told and retold in different ways and forms.

My favourite adaptations are probably modernisations of classics because I love seeing how the creators have chosen to transfer the story and its themes to a different era. However, with newer books, I like it if the adaptation is pretty faithful to the original version and its themes (taking into account the fact that there obviously needs to be some changes when adapting a story to a different medium).

Under the cut, I’m going to list some literary adaptations -- my favourites, ones I’m excited for, and ones I’d love to see.

My Favourite Literary Adaptations:

Carmilla (2014), a Canadian web series and a modern, lesbian adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu’s Gothic novella Carmilla (nothing can beat this)

everything by The Candle Wasters from New Zealand -- so far they’ve created the following web series: Nothing Much to Do (a modernisation of Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing), Lovely Little Losers (a modernisation of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost), and Bright Summer Night (a modernisation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) (they just keep getting queerer and queerer BLESS)

10 Things I Hate about You (1999), an American romantic comedy movie and a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew (feminist undertones, ridiculous, i love it)

Romeo + Juliet (1996), an American romantic drama movie adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (i will defend this movie to the ends of the earth)

Clueless (1995), an American coming-of-age comedy movie and a loose adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Emma (iconic. cher horowitz is fab)

The Princess Bride (1987), and American romantic fantasy adventure comedy movie adaptation of William Goldman’s novel The Princess Bride (lmao)

Merlin (2008), a British fantasy-adventure TV series loosely based on the Arthurian legends (;_____;)

Pride and Prejudice (1995), a British TV mini-series based on Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice (i know everyone -- me included -- always raves about the 2005 movie but COME ON)

Literary Adaptations I’m Excited to See in the Future:

아가씨 / The Handmaiden (2016), a South Korean erotic psychological thriller movie based on Sarah Waters’s novel Fingersmith (this one has come out already but I want to read the book before I watch it!)

Before I Fall (2017), an American drama film based on Lauren Oliver’s novel Before I Fall (it’s been a while since i read the book but i remember really liking the message so i’m excited to see how the movie version measures up)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2017), an American-British drama movie based on Emily M. Danforth’s novel The Miseducation of Cameron Post (asdfghjhgfd i cannot believe this is becoming a movie!!!)

Call Me by Your Name (2017), an English-language internationally co-produced movie based on André Aciman’s novel Call Me by Your Name (still feeling quite ehhhh because of the age difference in the story)

13 Reasons Why (2017), an American drama series based on Jay Asher’s novel Thirteen Reasons Why (this novel was super important to me circa 2009/10, can’t wait to see it as a series)

Les Misérables (?), a BBC mini-series based on Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables (!!!!!)

Los Miserables (2014), a Mexican/American modern-day semi-adaptation telenovela of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables with a female “Jean Valjean” (asdfhkjhgfdsasdfg i just found out about this now while making this post holy shit brb gonna go watch)

Literary Adaptations That I Wish Were Real:

William Shakespeare’s sonnets as a TV series about a love triangle / polyamorous relationship between a poet, a fair young man, and a black woman (honestly!!! i’d!!! die!!! for!!! this!!!)

Hal Duncan’s The Book of All Hours duology as a TV series (with all the confusion over jumping in time and space because yes. the book is all about story-telling and how stories/histories/myths are told and retold and i love it)

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series as a (very faithful to canon) TV series (the movies are shit, i’m bitter, pls make a tv series already)

Väinö Linna’s Täällä Pohjantähden alla (Under the North Star) trilogy as a fantastic Finnish three-season TV series (why is this not a thing already?? wtf is wrong with us finns?? these books deserve a proper TV series!!)

Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables as a modernised French TV series (modern adaptation or bust!!!)

Julianna Baggott’s Pure trilogy as a movie series (with all the dystopian movies that came out after THG, why not this one???!! such a tragedy)

Becky Chambers’s The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet as a movie (i dare you to say it wouldn’t be absolutely wonderful!!)

What are your favourite literary adaptations? What literary adaptations are you waiting to come out, or what do you wish would come out? What literary adaptations would you recommend to me?

[cynthiadshaw]

What’s the Most Important Lesson You’ve Learned Along Your Journey?

Every twist in our story, challenge we face, and obstacle we overcome is an important part of our story.  These difficulties make us stronger and wiser and prepare us for what’s ahead.  As we grow and succeed we may imagine that soon the challenges will fade away, but in our conversations with business owners, artists, creatives, academics, and others we have learned that the most common experience is that challenges never go away – instead they get more complex as we grow and succeed.  Our ability to to thrive therefore depends heavily on our ability to learn from our experiences and so we are asking some of the city’s best and brightest: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?

Brittney Fernandes | Hair stylist | Bridal Stylist | Makeup Artist

The most important lesson I’ve learned in the beauty industry is that with every client, each time they’re in your chair is a gift and fresh opportunity to bless them and showcase your best self and talent.

beautebbybrit.com @beautebybrit

Relax Bodyworks | bodywork geared towards relaxation

Tiffany Harper

Probably the most important thing is realizing that every time I put my hands on a new client, I use my intuition to learn something new. I’ve learned to trust that more than anything else because it never steers me wrong.

relaxbodyworks.com @relaxbodyworks

Johnnie Hoang | Food lover & Owner of Hoang’s Noodle House

The most important lesson I have learned in my journey is that teamwork and patience is crucial in any business. At Hoang’s Noodle House, teamwork helps with the flow and quality of the dishes. Patience plays a very important role as well, as some of our food items we serve require time to prepare. We definitely focus on providing fresh and quality food. My biggest reward is seeing and hearing people enjoy the food that I have invested time in preparing. My secret ingredient to all my dishes is passion. I have always enjoyed cooking for others. I believe that food brings people together and therefore you end up with a unique experience. Good food and good company.

@Hnoodlehouse Hoangsnoodlehouse.com

@HNHFoodTruck

Shawna Fitzpatrick | Illustrator & Urban Photographer

Ignore the naysayers, regardless of who they are. You already know the answer in your heart. When you allow the noise in, you just invited in a world of chaos and confusion.

shawnafitzpatrick.com @the.real_shawna.fitzpatrick @therealshawnafitzpatrick

Matt (mattman) Pearce | photographer

I would have to say that being a professional photographer you need to be creative and share. Be creative and look for something that is different that maybe no one else sees. Share your ideas, techniques and knowledge with other photographers. I truly believe that there are two types of photographers, one who creates the image like wedding or portrait photographers. The other type is the one who captures the image like shooting sports, news, concerts or events. I like to capture the image! There’s nothing more exciting then capturing that moment in time whether it’s a singer at a concert or a Dallas Cowboys touchdown or a Dallas Stars goal or even a stock car going by you at 190mph just three feet away! It’s the passion of capturing that moment in time! LOL, I have people ask me all the time, “”do you shoot weddings?”” LOL, I tell them no, I leave those to the professionals, I just push a button for a living…

@mattman1310 @mattman1310 @mattman1310 mpearce1310@gmail.com

Rosy Gamez | Photographer and Crafter

Rosy Gamez

There are always a million reasons not to do something,” was a quote I heard Jan Levinson (The Office) say 5 times now in the last 6 years. As a hardcore fan of the show, her small quote resonated with me every single time I heard it, and throughout the 5-year journey of what was my freelance side business never once did I notice that I was living out those million reasons.

After the birth of my second son, I realized how much a 9-5 job took me away from my boys. I knew the best way to predict the future was to create it. I balled up those million reasons “why,” tossed them away, and introduced my crafts and designs to the world. I am an entrepreneur building my business, using my creativity and expertise for my family. The rewards are ten fold. I set my hours, earned back time with my boys and loving husband. I no longer have someone place a limit on my income because now it is limitless.

I guess you can say, the lesson learned was that you have to want it, believe it, and do it, and grasp the handful of reasons why you SHOULD and take that plunge, why, because trust me, you will be forever grateful that you did. Think about it, what’s the worst that can happen? Say you fail, well, get up and try again…and again…and again. Either way, at least you can say you tried, and that is infinitely more than others can say.

@serenestudiophotographyanddesign @serenestudiophotoanddesign

Beth Holland | Fine Art Photographer

I have learned to experience the exhilaration of seeing another side of our beloved National Parks, free of crowds, tour buses and the cacophony of civilization at night. Seeing the wonders of the familiar in a different light with the stars, moon, and milky way above is just awe-inspiring and keeps me going at 2:00 am to get that shot!

BethHollandPhotography.com @BethHollandPhotography

  Rod Castor

Most important lesson would be to keep being consistently on working on your skills.

@t.r.l_photography

Ericka Estrella | Photographer/Traveler

I would have to say, that the most valuable lesson has been to take one day at the time, to look beyond the fingers like our friend <Patch Adams> will learn in the movie from 1998, and really See what is before us the opportunity to be in this world yet another day, must be truly treasured, for there is no guaranteed there will be a tomorrow.

Therefore, witness the beauty and love around each and everyday, even in the simplest things like the half and half coffee blending dance, or the sunrise backlighting a window plant.

Photographing peoples most important moments has been and continues to be an amazing gift.

@ErickaEstrellaPhotography @ErickaEstrellaPhotography

Bob Brooks | Photographer

Starting your business without a mission statement is like taking a long road trip without a map. You can get lost easily within a short amount of time. Having something to reference later will help you keep grounded to your original goal. Knowing your target demographic is also one of the most important things. And finally for the person just starting out, don’t fall into the trap that shooting every day will help you capture better images. It’s better to choose one day out of the month, bring only one battery with you or just 2 roles of film, shoot till it’s gone and then don’t edit or processes them for 6-8 weeks and then look at then for the first time. Trust me, shooting 30k-50k in six months only gets you burned out, and from there, you loose your passion for photography all together. The old saying “Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life” this couldn’t be further from the truth, getting the paying jobs and prospecting for work is the real work, this represents  about 80% of the work of the photographer, not the other way around.

@rlbrooks_photography Facebook: Bob Brooks @rlbrooksphotography

Eric Ziegler | Landscape and nature photographer

I think the most important thing I’ve learned is that you’re never too old to learn.

I started the hobby of photography as a teenager, and although I’ve been working at it for almost 30 years, I still feel that my work is not where I want it to be. I am always looking for new techniques and ideas to help me become more creative, and it is fun sometimes to compare my work from several years ago to see the growth I’ve achieved.

ericzieglerphoto.com @ezieglerphoto

Madiha Javed | Founder of Panache Art Studio | Photographer | Graphic Designer | RJ – Women Empowerer & Humanitarian

Panache Art Studio by Madiha Javed

Know your true self first. Believe and be grateful always no matter what life throws at you. Stick to what feels right , even if you have to walk alone. Make your passion your purpose and you will find peace and hapiness within you. Live without expectations and love for the sake of loving. Do good to others selflessly and it will come back to you in mysterious ways. And never feel the need to ever define your worth to anyone. And never ever be afraid of failures.

@panache.art.studio @p/B3GdcTylUJI @bymadihajaved @groups/548690268834704

Kaisha Slaughter | Interior Design & Digital Marketing

The most important lesson I have learned in this journey so far is to always be authentic to yourself! Believe in yourself and trust the process. In difficult times stay positive and you will be amazed at the things you are truly capable of. You will always have someone doubting you, and it makes it that much more sweet when you succeed!

@keepingupwithkaisha

Lone Star Darkroom | traditional film photo lab

Kristin Wright

Working in a traditional Darkroom can be a lot of pressure when it comes to working on customer film. There is nothing you can do to fix some of the errors that you will naturally encounter. I’ve learned a lot about having a good work ethic and slowing down. I handle every single roll of film like it’s my own and take care to ensure I’ve done the best I can do and to always be honest with customers. We’re a small business and have the luxury of communicating directly with many of our customers while working on their photos and I want everyone to feel that their order has been handled carefully and fairly, and to understand the amount of careful tedious work that goes into hand processing each roll of film.

@LoneStarDarkroom

Jennifer Ramirez | Brow and Beauty Expert

The most important thing I have learned is to never stop learning. Continuing education and allowing yourself to absorb new ideas and techniques will always improve your work and business. From learning how to manage your time to learning a new service or product to offer just having that knowledge can only lead you to success. We are taught from a young age that knowledge is power and I have always seen that to be true.

styleseat.com/jenniferramirez6?utm_campaign=vanity @Perfectbrowsbyjenn @the_brow_and_beauty_room

Jessica Kelly | Ceo of House of Kelly

The most important lesson I’ve learned in my journey so far is that I have to be patient, I can’t expect for everything to happen overnight. You can be grinding for 4 long years with no results and on that 5th year you become the biggest thing on the planet!! So yes patience has been my biggest lesson.

houseofkelly.co @_jessica_kelly

Amorette Vargas | Esthetician and Wax Specialist

The biggest lesson I have learned along the way is to always give clients the same, if not better service each time you work on then. It’s nearly impossible to lose a client when you give them the best of your talent & abilities each and every time they see you. My clients have stayed with me throughout the years and have become like family to me. I don’t push products and services they don’t need, but instead suggest what I feel would help them reach their esthetic goals. That’s what trust is all about!

My favorite quote is: “To be successful you must be unique, you must be so different that if people want what you have, they must come to you to get it.”

— Walt Disney

vagaro.com/amoretteshautewax amorettedesiree@icloud.com @amoretteshautewax

Lisa Slimak | Photographer with Le-Marie Photography

The most important lesson I’ve learned during my photography journey is to capture as many memories as possible, big or small. Sometimes memories fade but a photo can bring back those moments and even the exact feelings you felt in that moment.

I started my photography journey when I realized my son was almost a senior in high school and that after almost 14 years of watching him play soccer once he graduated we would no longer experience these moments. So I started taking my love for photography more serious. I took some classes, invested in some gear & began shooting all my sons games, not just him but all of his teammates. I hope my son, his teammates and their parents can look back at those photos for many years and remember the joy the game brought them, the lessons they learned & the bonds they made.

A few years after I started doing photography I lost my brother and at that moment I realized one of the first things people do in good times and in bad times is go through photos, at times that is all you have left of a person or a memory. It became a passion of mine to capture images of individuals and families that i can deliver to them and they will always have. It truly is the gift that keeps giving!

@lemarie_photography @lemariephotos

Emily Campbell | Photographer

The most important lesson is probably the one I’m struggling through right now – Trust. Learning to trust myself; trust my instincts, my abilities and my judgement; teaching myself to pause and pickup my camera when something catches my eye. It means investing the time in myself and my craft and believing that the time I spend apart (from my husband and my daughter) will ultimately be redeemed in the process. Trusting God and His timing means learning patience and focusing on what’s in front of me. There are currently 38 posts on my Instagram page. There are 5,529 photos uploaded to my Mac begging to be edited. Moral of the story: Find joy in where you’re at right now. You matter. Your art matters. Be intentional and do what feels right.

@lovelythymephotography

Katie Zoboroski | Health & Wellness Coach

@katieleethejourney

The most important lesson I’ve learned in my journey thus far is that any day is a good day to say, no more! No more to the things that are holding you back. Throughout my journey, I have experienced an absolutely crazy amount of things I would’ve much rather not have been through. But I lived it and it’s my journey, which has now become my story. At any point, you can change your story to create the life you want! My mission is to empower women to know they are not alone in their journey, that deep within them they have the power to overcome. And that they have the inner strength to say no more and reshape their future by reshaping themselves both mentally and physically. I hope that my journey is a testimony of persistence, strength, and determination, to overcome what happened to you without letting it become you!

@katieleethejourney

Rula Sharkawi | owner of Rula Cosmetics

What I’ve learned is to never give up and never stop learning. You’re never too good because someone else will always be better but Consistency is key. When you never give up on what you believe in and never stop learning about the things your passionate about then your skill will continue to get better and people will always notice.

rulacosmetics.com @rulacosmetics

Olivia “Liv” Taylor | Owner and Chief Executive Baker at LIVPRAYLOVE

@matyiaward

The most important lesson I have learned so far in my journey is to say yes to everything that scares me. In all honesty, my business could have been launched years ago but I, like many others, allowed fear to get in my way. I am now thriving outside of my comfort zone, and opportunity keeps knocking!

livpraylove.com  @livpraylove @livpraylove

Joely Rogers | Artist/Illustrator and Co-Owner of Frame Destination

The three P’s – Patience, Perseverance, and Positivity. Committing to a creative path means signing up for a lifelong journey. You’ll need patience to navigate it. Be patient with others, especially those who may not understand your journey, and be patient with yourself. Artistic growth takes time and effort. Persevere in spite of criticism or rejection. Listen to feedback with an open mind and then get right back to work. And, above all, remain positive. As an artist, your task is to see the world with fresh eyes each day. Staying positive will help keep you curious, grounded, and productive.

joelycrogers.myportfolio.com @joelycrogers framedestination.com

Ying Aikens | Owner & Executive Chef and Tom Aikens Owner & Director of Wine

Always do your best to do your best.

nextbistrotx.com @nextbistro @nextbistro @nextbistro

Jasmine M. Johnson | NICU UA and Mentor (the Motivator)

Patience and trusting the process. We tend to believe things work out if we are in a hurry. It is true that we must be efficient and fast but sometimes we should not rush into anything. Patience is one of the keys to success, regardless of the situation (Journey) you’re in. Don’t expect others to give you all the satisfaction you need. Only you and God can determine your path. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?

@Journey_with_jazz1 @Journey_with_jazz1 Journeywithjazz1@gmail.com

journey-with-jazz.ueniweb.com

Francisco Mena | Blonde Specialist | Wedding/Special Occasion Styles | Short Hair Designer

In the 20 years that I have been in the industry… I am always asked “What is in Style..???” My response is “You Are!!! “ As a Stylist it is our responsibility to bring out your clients Beauty with our Craft and Execution. That is why we should never stop learning and pushing the envelope.

@whistleandswaysalon

Parker Connell | Photographer

The most important lesson I’ve learned on my photography journey thus far is that it’s easy to get lost in the business aspect of the art form, especially when you’re young and trying to make it in an increasingly competitive industry, so it’s vital to shoot personal work to not only keep you grounded in the actual artistic process but to maintain inspiration for whatever business ventures you have in the future. There will always be a different way to monetize your work if necessary, so you have to make sure that you are allowing yourself to fully explore your inspiration and maximize your potential as an artist.

parkerconnell.com @parkerconnell

Kristin Noffsinger | Photographer

To let go. I tend to be kind of a control freak at times and a little bit of a perfectionist. But in photography, you can’t do that. For art in general, you have to learn to let go, let be, and just absorb your surroundings and be patient. I never get the results I want if I’m going in with a strict plan. But if I just wander and keep my eyes open for opportunities, the results far surpass my expectations.

@kristinnoffsinger

  Ronda Ray | Singer Songwriter

Living your dream really is all about embracing the process. Success is a journey, not a destination. As long as I’m in pursuit of a worthwhile goal, I’m successful, and that in itself, frees me up to enjoy the process. The process is all about the person I’m becoming, the music I’m creating, the people I’m reaching while aiming at being the best version of myself on a daily basis.

rondaraymusic.com @rondaraymusic @officialrondaray @rondaray

The Last City | Chamber Pop Band

@sb_stilwell

Music is a universal language.

We’ve been in Dallas for 4 years, and before coming here we lived in Hiroshima, Japan. That’s where we started The Last City. We had the opportunity to play music for a wide variety of people from all around the world, including many who didn’t speak English. At times that was frustrating, but we learned to let our music speak for itself. As we wrote and performed more compelling music, it let us communicate in ways beyond language, and be present for the kind of connections that transcend culture.

jointhelastcity.com  @thelastcity @thelastcity patreon.com/thelastcity

Lance Knowling | Chef Entrepreneur & Consulting

The most important lesson I’ve learned so far, is that being a chef you have to be open to change, and you have to be true to yourself as an artist and a culinarian. Being a professional chef means that you make food for profit. The chef is always trying to bring artistry and business together. If you are not being true to yourself as a chef, it will be difficult to find happiness in such a difficult industry, and if your not willing to change, you may end up cooking only for yourself. The bottom line is to find customers who want to eat, what you want to cook.

lanceknowling.com @cheflanceknowling @lance.knowling.3

Laura Pappas | Abstract Expressionist Painter & Sculptor

I have stopped hesitating, and as opportunities arise, I find myself saying yes to almost each one of them. I have learned to appreciate challenges as opportunities. I have learned that I can grasp just about any anything in my past or present and harness this energy through painting and sculpting. As of recently, I have used this as motivation and empowerment, ultimately changing the narrative of stories, giving my experiences, memories, and emotions, remarkable to misfortunate, a reason to have existed in the first place.

@laurapappasart laurapappasart@gmail.com lauraepappas.wixsite.com/lostintheillusion

Ashley | Nail Technician

Treat people right and they will always come back and refer you to others.

@Flyy_nails @flyynails

Mokeitha | Savvy writer and photojournalist with a pinch of a graphic designer

Renzo

This question comes at the most peculiar time in my life. As I am in the middle learning a lesson in the middle of my journey.

I have grasped in my journey is that your calling will always come to find you. The question is: Will you take the leap or play it safe? I dreamed of being a reporter in junior high because I was able to see someone like me on tv every day at 5 pm. I did not pursue a journalism career after during or after college because I pursued other goals while trying to make a living. After working several years at a Fortune 500 company, my entire office was laid off. Succeeding the shock and feeling like a failure after the layoff, I reassessed my past and future choices. At this point, I enrolled in college to obtain my second bachelor’s in journalism- my childhood passion. I came about to work in the education arena. For numerous years, I educated teens in multimedia journalism. My plans at that time were to retire as an educator. However, one early morning I came to an epiphany. This job was not the place I needed to be in. I needed to be an active participant in journalism instead of a passive participant. Now my next move, although filled with the unknown, is to change the trajectory of my career.

In life’s journey, sometimes you think you are on the right path, but you are not. Now, just do not call this a comeback, I have been here for years.

mokeitha.com @Photos_by_Mokeitha @EntertainReport

The post What’s the Most Important Lesson You’ve Learned Along Your Journey? appeared first on Voyage Dallas Magazine | Dallas City Guide.

source http://voyagedallas.com/2020/01/20/whats-important-lesson-youve-learned-along-journey-2/