#me when music has a deeper meaning that can be tied to the historical events of the time it was released: ARGEHDHDJDJDJDJSJIWKWKEBDJDKEOWJWJ

[wayward-sherlock]

I LOVE MUSIC !!!

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Clock Analysis Part 3 - What Episode We’ll See Beth in and Why

Okay gang! New episode tomorrow and I’m super excited. So my guess for when we’ll see Beth is 8x10. It’s  based on a lot of evidence I and my fellow theorists have found.

The first is simply the sequence of events I’ve mentioned before in THIS POST and THIS POST. In 5x03, Bob dies from a walker bite. The clock in the room when he dies points to 8x08, which is when we found out Carl was dying from the same cause, so we can parallel the two. The VERY NEXT episode, Slabtown 5x04, is where Beth wakes up. So if Carl dies in 8x09, it would make sense for Beth to show up in the next episode, 8x10.

Not to mention, we always saw the music box as a symbol of Beth’s awakening (see my account name ;D). And then there’s the rule of threes. 8x10 is exactly three seasons after 5x10. Now, we did say this about 8x08. The MSF made sense to us as a time for her to show up because it would have been three seasons after Coda. But I read something the other day—a random article about 8x09) that talked about how death is especially common in TWD’s MSFs. I think that’s applicable here. The MSFs are about death, so perhaps we were always wrong about that. They wouldn’t bring her back in a MSF because those are reserved for major deaths, and this will be the opposite of that.

Historically (in the show) episodes 10 are often about life. 4x10, Inmates, Glenn survived at the prison. He had a mini death fake out on the bus, and in 4x10, they revealed him as being alive. (X, X, X). 

5x10 was the music box, and all about the survivors coping. 6x10 is where Rick and Daryl meet Jesus. Aside from the obvious JESUS symbolism, this is them finding a new community, new allies, and more survivors. Life! 7x10 is New Best Friends. There’s not one big example in this episode, but rather lots of little ones you could find. And it’s kinda built into the title, right?

So all of the above just shows that it makes sense for her to appear in 8x10. But it’s not all super-concrete evidence. So now, let’s look at—you guessed it—the clocks.

Let’s start with Slabtown, because that can be a discussion all by itself. Remember that as Beth wakes up, we see the second hand of Beth’s clock tick from 4 to 5, from 7 to 8, and then to 10. 

The prevalent theory was always that these numbers represented the episodes relevant to her story line in S5. (Which was yet more evidence that 5x10 was important and about her in some way: music box.) And I still think to some extent that’s true. It’s too much of a coincidence that she was in episodes 5x04, 5x07, 5x08, and then the music box woke up in 5x10 to simply dismiss it.

But now I also think it’s more than that. M-Nonny and others have argued that perhaps the 8 and 10 on Beth’s clock point to her awakening in 8x10. That actually makes a lot of sense. Why? Because the time the clock reads is 5:20, which points to 5x04, and this IS episode 5x04. That creates a tie between 5x04 and 8x10. So in 5x04, Beth awakens directly after Bob died from a walker bite. It would, again, just make a perfect parallel if she shows up in the episode right after Carl dies from a walker bite.

In terms of the numbers being tied to episodes, I’m going to take it a step further. I don’t have detailed evidence on this, but I honestly thing the numbers could also stand for seasons. She was in season 5, obviously. The second hand ticking from 7 to 8 is interesting because, even though Beth wasn’t in them, season 7 is when Negan arrived and 8 is a continuation of Negan. We believe Beth will be tied to the Negan story line, so it’s super-suspicious that these numbers specifically, rather than season 6, are what we see on her clock. If that’s the case, the 10 may also point to season 10, but we won’t know if or how that’s the case until S10 rolls around.

Other Clocks: Edwards’. I talked about this in Part 1 of my Clock Analysis. Remember the clock in Edwards’ office changes from 8:40 (resurrection) to 8:50 (8x10) and may show the episode in which the resurrection will happen.

Clock in 5x09: @wdway found this and I’ve honestly never heard any other TDer talk about it. True, I could have just missed it, but none of the theorists in my group had heard of it either, and generally at least one of us has.

So remember this scene where Rick, Michonne and Glenn talk in Wiltshire? This scene has always been suspicious to us because Glenn holds a bat (Negan foreshadow) and talks about Beth being alive in the present tense. 

This is one of the bats we saw associated with Beth (the other big one is in Inmates, which is an episode 10, btw) and felt like it was a clue.

So in the open garage behind Rick and Michonne, there’s a wall clock. Guess what time it reads? 8x10. 

So perhaps, just like the clock in Edwards’ office, it shows the episode where these clues will be fulfilled? Here’s hoping!

Other random 8x10 evidence:

In 4x16, we have the scene where the Claimers find Rick, Michonne and Carl. This is yet another scene that has way deeper significance now that we know Carl is dying. I’ve thought for a long time that this scene was a foreshadow of Beth at Grady. (See the post I did about it two years ago HERE. Also HERE.)

It’s mostly about subtle parallels. Carl wakes up in a blue suburban (Beth wore blue scrubs and the color is associated with imprisonment; there’s also the blue suburban they drove in 5x09). He wakes up to find danger around him. There’s also broken glass shown. He’s sexually threatened, but not actually assaulted. All parallels to what happens with Beth at Grady. And since it’s Carl who wakes up, in this analogy, Carl = Beth. So you can see that the entanglement is functioning on many levels. So why am I going over this? Because of something Joe says.

Remember he starts counting backwards from 10, planning to shoot Rick when he gets to 1, but Daryl shows up and says stop. And what does Joe reply? “You’re stopping me on 8, Daryl.” I picked up on this during my rewatch before S8 began, and saw it as yet another emphasis on the number 8 and season 8 being important. But they specifically emphasize the numbers 8 and 10. Obviously it wouldn’t make any sense to count up from 8 to 10 in this case. They kinda had to start at 10. So it’s either pointing to 10x08 or 8x10. Just saying.

I also think it’s important to note that in the next scene, where Rick and Daryl become brothers, Rick talks about keeping Carl safe, and how he’d do anything, even rip out Joe’s throat to make sure Carl stays alive. Major foreshadowing, y’all.

Finally—and this is one of my favorite evidences, again found by M-Nonny—in Coda, FG’s decides to be random and sneaks out of the church to go to the school, where he ends up being chased back by a horde of walkers, and the church is ultimately lost. I remember thinking this scene was so random when watching Coda for the first time. Since then, we’ve found lots of Beth symbolism in it, so it’s made more sense.

But check this out. One of the things we’ve analyzed to death is the bible FG opens and looks out. We’ve looked at numbers and stories and passages. All kinds of things. And here it is: *drumroll please* The passage he opens to is Chronicles 8:10.  

And whose name just so happens to appear on the page? Beth’s:

(Photo source: @teamdeluzzionaljb-blog)

And this happens in Coda, people. CODA!

It also occurred to me that it’s interesting that FG’s church is lost here. Here’s the minor spoiler: Carl will die in Alexandria’s church (which we’ve always felt had Beth vibes) and it will burn down around him. So in both cases, a church is destroyed. Just kind of interesting.

So this is most of my 8x10 evidence. I’m sure there is probably more we would find if we did re-watches looking specifically for this, but this what I’ve got.

Disclaimer: Despite all this, could I be wrong? Sure. I know I’ll have at least some haters hate on me if she doesn’t show in 8x10. All of this evidence points to SOMETHING big in 8x10. I think and hope it’s Beth. There’s a very good chance of that. But it might be something else too.

M-Nonny did remind me of one really compelling piece of evidence that may run contrary to this 8x10 theory. I’ll post in more detail about this next week, but it’s about the “how the harvest gets home” truck sin 5x16. When Aaron and Daryl find the wolf trap, the truck shave that logo on the side, and we’ve long thought “the harvest” is Beth. The license plate Aaron removes from the truck has an 816 on it, which may mean that Beth won’t show until the finale. 

And if she doesn’t show by 8x10, I honestly won’t expect to see her until then. But Alexandria is Aaron and Daryl’s home. The wolves go to Alexandria in 6x02 and even drive a “harvest” truck into the wall. So I’m hoping Beth will show up earlier (like in 8x10) and 8x16 will be when she finally arrives at Alexandria. *fingers crossed*

So, all THAT said, I’m totally going to get your hopes up about something else. Thanks to a Nonny for sending this to my inbox. (I’ll officially answer your Ask tomorrow, but I read it a few days ago and totally freaked out about it. ;D)

The following is the final paragraph of THIS ARTICLE, which was written by a blogger who received an advance screener of 8x09. Check out what she says:

So my group totally went to town on this, did tons of research and discussed with hundreds of comments. See, in the comments of this blog post, someone asked if the last scenes that caused tears of joy might be something with Negan or a Richonne baby. The blogger answered yes, but she wouldn’t say which one.

So my group morphed into super-hero researchers. ;D Here’s what we discussed:

My issue with this being a Richonne baby is saying that half the fandom will hate it. I guess those really angry about Carl might see it as switching one child for another, but I think those people would be in the minority. Saying half the fandom might want to punch Gimple seems really over the top if this is just about a Richonne baby.

This blogger isn’t a huge Richonne fan. She doesn’t hate them at all, but she doesn’t ship them in particular, and mostly just doesn’t really care, so she isn’t someone who’d have such a strong reaction to a Richonne baby.

The same is true of Carzekiel. We talked about it being a Carzekiel thing, but while she kinda likes the idea of Carzekiel, she doesn’t especially love or ship them, so again, it probably wouldn’t give her this extreme a reaction.

This blogger really loved both Still and Alone, and enjoyed the romantic moment between Beth and Daryl in Alone. Just saying.

If it’s not Richonne, then it must have something to do with Negan. Since we do think Beth is tied to Negan, we’re okay with that. Kind of hoping we’ll see who the prisoner was from the handcuffs Daryl saw in 8x02 (because we think it was Beth). Let’s just say lots of conjecture and head canons about these mystery scenes have been floating around my group the past week.

So we don’t know what these scenes are, and they might not be Beth, but we have high hopes. If they have to do with her, then this theory is wrong anyway because she’ll have shown up in 8x09, rather than 8x10. I’d be happy to be wrong in that way. ;D

And hey, even if it’s not anything obviously to do with Beth, I think these final, shocking scenes will be very important and tell us a lot. But here’s hoping they’re about our girl.

If you read the entire article, the blogger also says there are several unforeseen twists throughout the episode, and some are tied to Siddiq, who has Oceanside ties in the CBs. So once again, Oceanside comes into things, and that feels Bethish too.

Okay, I’ll shut up for today. Bottom line: I’m very excited for 8b and totally believe our girl is coming home. Thoughts?

[gibelwho]

Films of 2020

So...2020 was quite the year. Not only did we go through a global pandemic and a national failing to control it, which shut down life for an entire year and counting, but my husband and I also got pregnant (we found out the first week of lockdown), so our world went upside down in an instant. During quarantine, we did end up watching a lot of movies and TV (I mean...what else was there to do when we couldn’t leave the house?!). We got into a groove watching Star Trek: The Next Generation (my husband’s first time viewing), we finally finished The Good Place, and we randomly watched a lot of 80s movies. We didn’t, however, watch much of the films that were released in 2020 itself. I think perhaps we retreated to our comfort content while we were living in very uncomfortable times - the virus killing thousands of Americans, the summer of protests over George Floyd’s brutal murder (along with so many other Black Americans), nervously awaitng the Election results to see if we would rise up out of the simmering anxiety that was living in Donald Trump’s America. If that wasn’t a time for streaming comfort material, I don’t know what is. 

I do know that there were some amazing films released in 2020. As many studio and blockbuster film release dates were pushed back (some multiple times) with the hope that 2021 will bring the ability for us all to gather back in theaters once again - this gave space to smaller films, indie films, more diverse films to take center stage. Many of these movies feature or were creatively driven by women or persons of color; one wonders what the landscape of cinema in a “normal” 2020 would have looked like, but certainly what emerged was compelling work that was given the chance to shine in a less crowded spotlight. 

Once our daughter was born at the end of the year...I realized that watching films will now happen in chunks (if it happens at all). Life has certainly changed from top to bottom and I have discovered that being intentional about utilizing my time (gotta use her naps effectively!) has a whole new meaning. I know that when I return back to work full time, this will become even more difficult to catch up on current films. I am lucky to have family around who are willing to babysit our cute little girl - so maybe when we are fully vaccinated and we feel comfortable going to the movies, we can visit our local theater to catch a flick every now and then. 

Usually this post goes up around the Academy Awards, after a last minute blitz to watch as many nominated films as possible. This year, with the deadline pushed back and the Oscars not even broadcast until the end of April, one would think that we would have ample time to fit in all of the films, but as of this writing, I have only screened a total of three movies that were released in the year 2020. Rather than ranking (since I don’t even have 5 tallied) I will jot down a few thoughts on each film. With that, let’s leave 2020 in the dust and hope for a better 2021.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (November 2020)

My husband really wanted to watch this movie the minute it came out, but I made him wait until after Thanksgiving (when Christmas time can officially begin - you gotta draw the line somewhere, folks!) With slick production value, fun original songs, and featuring a Black cast, Jingle Jangle certainly aimed to be a new Christmas classic. I found the story and characters to cut corners and rely on formulaic stereotypes rather than slowing down to have a deeper story. Having said that - it was so fantastic to see Black characters in Victorian outfits and taking center stage in a Christmas tale.

Soul (December 2020)

This was our first movie to watch with our newborn child - and we quickly discovered that films will be watched in portions, with breaks to address her needs (whether feeding, diaper, or sleeping/waking). Soul felt like a typical Pixar movie - in that it was unique, authentic, and dealing with some deep issues - this story focusing not only on human being’s souls and the concept of purpose, but also a slice of the Black experience in America, specifically NYC, and on jazz, utilizing the most exquisite talents of Jon Batiste. The musical form is not only celebrated, but also tied in to the themes of the film. I was blown away by the advancement of digital animation - so many details were captured in this film, including the variety of humans down on Earth. Pete Doctor is my favorite director in the Pixar system because he deals with universal themes that are delivered through unique stories and unforgettable characters.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (September 2020)

Aaron Sorkin writing and directing a film that centers around history and politics seems to be crafted just for my interests. Writing for an ensemble is difficult, but perhaps what Sorkin does best - snappy dialogue that whips between players and forces the audience to fully engage. Add to this some stellar performances, notably from Sasha Baron Cohen and also Eddie Redmayne and a villainous Frank Langella. Sorkin does not tell the tale in a linear fashion, but intercuts between present, past, court testimony, and outside meetings in order to unveil the story of the riot and the trial one layer at a time. As all good historical (based on a true story) fiction does - this film made me want to read up on the real life events, just perfect for my late night feeding sessions with the baby.

[karlchristiankrumpholz]

I was honored to be asked to do a presentation about my life and artwork at Lighthouse Writer's Workshop's quarterly event 'Making a Mountain' on Feb 24, 2017. In addition to showing slides of my comics and artwork, I also gave a short speech.

Here is the full text:

LIGHTHOUSE - Making a Mountain.

There was always art in my house. My uncle was a painter. So, as a child, I was always surrounded by art. We would visit his house and I would see these pieces painted on plywood as well as scattered around his studio and think “I want to do this.” Now I could have followed his lead and been a painter and create static scenes filled with color, but I also wanted to tell stories. So, I could have been a writer, but I also still wanted to create images. I chose to be a cartoonist.

There is a quote I once saw, I think it was from the cartoonist Robert Williams, that said “If you ever fail at being a cartoonist, you can still always be an artist.”

How did I find comics? Like almost everyone else as a young child, it started with newspaper strips: Garfield, Far Side, Bloom County, Calvin and Hobbes. But then you want more. Soon after, it became Mad Magazine, where I discovered the artwork of Jack Davis, Mort Drucker, Wally Wood, and Harvey Kurtzman. Of course, I didn’t know their names. Just their art. The names came years later.

As I hit awkward adolescence, it was superheroes that I found among the racks at 7-11: Batman, Daredevil, and the X-Men. White long boxes filled with comics and backing boards started appearing in my room. I grew older, got into college, and discovered the other side: indy comics like Milk & Cheese, Cerebus, Love and Rockets, Hate, Eightball, Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, Palookaville, Billy Coorigan, Black Hole, etc. With all of those books came the idea that you can do stories without capes, smaller stories that says something about your life and surroundings.

Eventually, I worked at a comic book store for a couple years where I learned more about the history of the field and discovered older artists that opened my mind up on what the craft could be: Winsor McKay’s Little Nemo, George Herriman’s Krazy Kat, and the names of all those Mad Magazine artists that I knew so well.

It was around this time that I started to get my own ideas of what I wanted to do and started to create my own comics and zines. My original pages were pretty raw stuff about my life and relationships. After a few years, I started moving away from that and into my own fictional stories. Felt that people would not be interested in me talking about how depressing I thought my life was.

Why did comics appeal to me? Well, it’s an open field. You can do anything. Everyone has a different styles, points of view, and approaches on an art as well as story level. You want to do a small story about being raised in a fundamentalist household? You can do that through comics. A teen’s search for meaning and sexuality? Comics. A story about a giant space squid’s bloody invasion of Earth? Comics.

I was doing self-published and distributed zines for about ten years before a publisher picked up my book. That was called ‘Byron’ and it was published by SLG Publishing in 2009. A second series started appearing online, but I found it not to be very fun. Looking back, I was simply doing the exact same thing that hundreds of other cartoonists were churning out. It wasn’t my own voice and I grew bored.

So then, what is my voice? What was it that I have to say that is different from everyone one else. This seems to be something all artists have to come to terms with. When I started thinking about it, the one thing that has always fascinated me, which also seems to put others to sleep is history. The idea of what has happened before and how did we get to this moment. What are the stories that make up a place? I think about this constantly and can easily see another reality where I would have wound up being some sort of teacher in this if I had any sort of patience with instructing students.

Now, these sorts of history stories are usually in two forms: The grand and the small. The grand stories being: This building was built over 100 years ago, several people died in the construction, and Teddy Roosevelt once slept here. The small stories being the streetwise tale of a kid living on the street just trying to make it through her day. Both these sorts of stories are interwoven and make up a community, city, and culture.

The other thing that I find myself drawn to are the rebels, the outsiders, oddballs, artists, musicians, and drunks: The Beats, Howlin Wolf, Joe Strummer, Hemingway, Thelonious Monk, Hunter S, Bukowski, Tom Waits, and the Pogues. How could I bring all this together?

Now, it didn’t come at me overnight. Inspiration originally came from smallest of places: drinking in a bar.

What would make up my current comic career started as a drunken conversation, likely at the Lion’s Lair around the corner. The conversation started randomly, as drunken conversations always do, looking around and asking each other: Who is the King of the City? Since Colfax is pretty much the main artery and right outside the door, it was thought that any such person would likely some sort of hobo king.

This idea about the city being personified moved onto stories about Colfax itself and what makes up a city. As you could likely guess, my friends and I spend a lot of time in the bars. One of the things that seems to seep into you, almost unconsciously, are the stories that surround you in these places. They could be weird, odd, brilliant things that happen while you are there: Some drunk homeless guy wanders in, pukes, and slips in his own vomit. Or things that happened while you were away: did you hear about that one time that the bar back was sleeping above in the crawl space and fell through the ceiling into the bar? or even things with deeper pathos: someone alone at the far end of the place wondering aloud where they are going to stay that night.

All of these are small stories make up the history of a place. So, I started collecting, telling them, and slowly developing my own voice. 30 MILES OF CRAZY! started weekly back in June 2013. The name itself comes from Colfax itself, which is approximately 30 miles long. Though it started out as stories about Colfax and Denver, it’s it quickly moved to stories from other cities as well. Boston, Philly, San Francisco, anywhere. If you have a good story, I wanted to hear it.

I’ve always called my comic “True-ish Tales of the City”, True-ish since there is almost always a slight adjustment for artistic integrity. However, all the stories are true, either witnessed by myself, my friends, or even related to me. I’ve been doing the comic long enough that people seek me out, hoping to get their stories illustrated. In this sense, the comic takes on an almost oral history of life on the streets. And these are not just stories about drinking and bars, though they can have that aspect to it. These are all stories about the city, the events, happenings, characters and strange people that you meet … and yes, in the bars as well. I like to view my slice of life comics as something akin to a Tom Waits’ song or a Bukowski short stories. Things that happen late at night, around last call when people are despairing or lonely. I want to tell stories that may make you laugh, but may also rip your heart out as well.

I’m also using this comic as a stage that I set up to explore some of my own issues, like my relationship with my father, which is all tied up to my introduction to alcohol and bars. Again with comics, you can do anything.

I grew up on the East Coast, spending most of my life in Philadelphia and in Boston. Both cities have a strong historical vein running through them, which could be another reason this subject has always fascinated me. Looking back though, one of the reasons I originally moved to Denver was that I had spent my entire life along the East Coast. Sure Boston and Philly are about a 6 hour drive apart, but culturally they are pretty much the same with slightly odder accents. I wanted to experience a different culture in the West. I’ve been here ten years now. Sure there are superficially differences and points of view, but the people are still the same. The small stories that I hear in Denver are pretty much the exact same ones that I hear back in Boston. I know that it’s only about 2000 miles apart (I know that cause I looked it up), but this still makes me happy. That a Chowdahed on the Bay and some rhinestone cowboy-wannabe at Union Station can somehow relate. That even in slightly different cultures, we still experience the same things, same troubles, and tell the same stories.

This has become my love. Finding and telling these stories. Stories about people, their views, their struggles, and the city.

Now there is also the other kind of stories that I mentioned. The GRAND stories. Yes, I have been here for a decade, but in some ways Denver still confuses me. I still encounter some things that makes me baffled like a dog shown a card trick. One of the ways I found to deal with this confusion is to figure out the grand stories of the city around me. Again, this started out as something that I would do on my own. I’d be out with friends walking through a park and someone would casually mention: Hey, have you heard about all the bodies buried here under Cheesman Park? … sudden stunned amazement. Tell me more… This how it starts to lure you in.

I got my chance to start telling my own versions of these grand stories in 2015 when the Westword hired me to be their new cartoonist. This was the start of The DENVER BOOTLEG. Again, this was something I had to work on and develop. I was originally hired to tell the stories of the various venues in the city: Larimer Lounge, Lion’s Lair, Bluebird, etc. This is why it was named The DENVER BOOTLEG (Denver Boot… Bootleg music… I thought it was clever.) It was only when I pointed out to my editor about a year or so in that there is only a finite amount of venues in the city that I was finally able to move the comic into a more historical direction: The Rainbow Music Hall, Denver’s Great White Way, The Bonfires Memorial Theatre, and Cheesman Park.

Now, it is all great to be able to create and show these comics, hopefully to be read, entertain, and maybe teach someone. In the end, these are still comics. There is a great Jack Kirby’s quote that every cartoonist worth his salt seems to know: “Comics will break your heart.”

So, what are the difficulties on being a cartoonist, aside from ink stained fingers? Well, there are a few.

To start off, there is the basic view of comics that it’s a childish, a thing of superheroes, and adolescent power fantasies. That it’s a low art, something cheap to be found in newspapers. That it’s something cute and free to be found on the internet. That with the decline in publishing, it’s a dying art form. All of this is to say… there is little respect or money in it.

It’s a lot of work as well. You can spend hours working on a single page, only to have a reader zip through that same story in moments.

Also, as much as people like think that you are only drawing funny little pictures all day, there is also the hours you have to spend plugging away your work on websites, various social media sites, and traveling to conventions. There is always the problem with getting your work in front of someone. Either through finding a publisher, or a distributor, or online, or in their hand at shows. I’ve always called this “banging your head on the wall of indifference.” Like most things, you need a degree of luck, a lot of persistence, and wade through many rejection letters. Things are not impossible, but can be difficult.

The great thing about being a cartoonist or any art really, is that anyone can do it. The bad thing about it is that anyone can do it. There is so much out there that it can be hard to be heard over all of the noise.

Then why do I or anyone do it? Cause I love art. I love telling stories. I love comics. And I cannot see myself doing anything else.

Thank you.

[syrolecep-blog]

Good get to know you dating questions

18 First Date Questions From The Experts This one will give you a good idea of what time of the day she will most likely be in the mood.  If you meet someone you feel an immediate connection with, ask them these deep questions to get to know them on an intimate level as quickly as possible.  Good get to know you questions are unbelievably helpful when from scratch… because as we all know: Getting to know someone.  What is your favorite time of year? This is a great question to ask your father or son as it will reveal what they think.  What do you usually do for the holidays? Is your date a spender or a saver? What is something that you learned recently? These are conversation starters, not introductions.  If you date or marry this person, issues associated with their family of origin will rear their heads in your own relationships.

18 First Date Questions From The Experts According to OkCupid, the answer to this question correlates closely with political ideology.  Stay engaged and listen to their answers.  Which of the could they live without? What are some of the events in your life that made you who you are? What is something that you wish you could change about yourself? Where would you like to retire? Do you think you are like your parents? Some say dreams embody our hopes, fears, and deepest fantasies.  People all over the world are striking up friendships and romances with people they meet online on facebook, in chat rooms or game forums, and via email and apps.  Can you respect the people he loves? Questions about the past The past has a lot of useful information for the present and the future.  That's the person that he is likely to become once he is more comfortable around you.  Have you ever dressed up in a couples costume or a group costume? Do you like to go to concerts? Do you have any favorite artists? How good are you at keeping secrets? If you could have a never-ending candle that smelled like anything you wanted, what fragrance would you want it to be? Have you ever done more than kiss on the first date? What childhood movie was ruined after you watched it again when you were older? Question 21: What do you think is a waste of money? Or do you go to bed at a reasonable time and go right to sleep with no problems? What are some unwritten rules in your family? Who was your favorite cartoon character as a child? In Conclusion Now that you have plenty of get to know you questions, get out there and use them! This question is perfect for job interviews, as it shows exactly the type of person they are on a professional and personal level.

Intimate questions to ask your partner These questions can help to give you new perspectives and open up new interests.  Online dating has gone mainstream.  Are you heading in the same direction? Asking about favorite things is a pretty standard icebreaker question on dating websites.  Questions about drinks or food are a good way to share likes or dislikes with a date prospect.  How do you think you handled the loss? If heaven is real and you died tomorrow, would you get in? You spend a lot of time and energy wondering what the other person thinks of you.  What would you want your last meal to be? In what ways are you a follower? You never know what the answers might be.  What is a perfect day for you? If you and your date have any chemistry, then you might find that the conversation will eventually begin to flow at a comfortable pace.

100 Questions to Ask Your Girlfriend This first date question allows you to get to where their heart is tied to.  Question 2: What would an average day in your perfect life look like? It can feel a lot more natural to ask and answer questions over a cup of coffee than via email.  Would you prefer your mind to be a steel trap or a problem-solving machine? Question 5: What was your most serious relationship? Would you rather go hang gliding or whitewater rafting? Have you ever treated a person in a way that you regret? The author is a Forbes contributor.  Be transparent about your own spending habits and talk about your respective relationships with money.  Tell me your biggest strength outside of your workplace.  Nothing fills awkward silences more than flirty, curious questions.

100 Questions to Ask Your Girlfriend What motivates you to succeed? What qualities do you look for in a friend? This question can definitely lead to some off-the-rails answers that will have both of you cracking up.  You can trade places with someone for 1 day.  Here are 18 random questions to get to know someone: 151.  Questions to Peel Back the Layers Once you've chatted about favorites, fitness routines, and pop culture, you can and ask questions to get to know someone better on a different level.  Would you ever take back someone who cheated? Which will give you a chance to share about your own most fascinating work experience.  What was your last vacation like? Read the news or trending articles on social media before you meet up with the person so you can ask what their thoughts are on those topics.

260+ Get To Know You Questions To Ask Someone When you first start dating someone, you want to talk for hours and know all you can about the other person.  Remember that the aim of online dating is to find someone who suits you, not just to find someone.  What are the best perks that you have ever had at a job? Questions To Ask If You Want To Get To Know Someone On A Deeper Level 1.  Don't Just Say Anything As fun as it can be to wing it in conversation with someone you're just getting to know, it can also set you up for shyness, awkwardness, , or the nagging fear of saying the wrong thing a faux pas or just something boring.  It just means you might want to keep an eye on that issue and decide how important it is to you going forward in the relationship.

3 Important Questions To Ask Someone You Meet Online What class would you love to take together? Would you burn all your bridges? If your entire life was a movie, what title would best fit? You may want to leave politics out of it, at least at first.  What do you think about when you are lying in bed unable to sleep? If I asked you at age 5 what you wanted to be when you grew up, what would you say? If you are a girl, would you ever propose to a guy? What job would you be terrible at? Meeting online is now one of the most common ways to find a partner.  How to Get to Know Someone: 5 Powerful Tips In addition to providing you with a stellar list of questions to ask, we also included practical tips to help you get the most from them.  How many times did you have to take your driving test? Do you have just one ideal life or can you think of more than one? What pets did you have while you were growing up? What is your favorite childhood movie? Have you ever had unprotected sex? How close are you to accomplishing them? What are you reading currently? This question indirectly helps you to pinpoint aspects of your relationship that could be improved upon.  What kind of music do you like? It's also that compare where someone thought they would be at this age to where they actually are now.  What are 3 things that you would take with you on a deserted island? Which historical figure would you most like to be? Which one is more important — popularity or meaningful relationships? When a person reveals too soon, it can give a false sense of intimacy.  If you could change your first or last name, what would you change it to? What scene in a movie has evoked the most feelings out of you? What is a big pet peeve of yours? These questions are great for finding out what she wants out of life and the life she would live if everything went perfectly.

60 Get to Know You Questions for a New Romance Do with that knowledge what you will.  And so on… Question 12: What would you do if a close friend started saying mean things about you? If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you have a good chance at winning medal for? What slang or trend makes you feel old? Which do you feel should stay gone forever? Question 14: What is your idea of a perfect Saturday night? Giving a girl a chance to brag on herself is a quick way to make her smile.  What does your dream day look like? Name the one worst quality you cannot tolerate in a partner.  Who is someone that you really miss? And if there are certain topics that are sensitive, then you might want to steer clear of those subjects.  What are some small things that make your day better? Another question that proves that you care while giving you valuable insight into her needs.

40 Fun Getting to Know You Questions In what ways are you the same as your childhood self? What is something that you eat on a regular basis? What are you the most ashamed of? What are some of the most annoying things that happen on social media? You can then discuss music and your favorite bands or songs, or talk about concerts you've been to or wish you hadn't missed.  Just remember, anything you ask is probably going to be asked right back to you.  They say that everyone has a book in them.  The type of music a person listens to.  How would you summarize your life purpose? The way that you ask the questions is also important.  Would you prefer ice cream soup or steaksicles? This conversation can be a tough pill to swallow for many.

[sumukhcomedy]

#XFL2020: Welcome to Make Football Great Again!

Yesterday, WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon announced that the XFL will be returning in 2020. Splashed with the league's revitalized and actually less “xtreme” logo behind it, McMahon gave a cryptic announcement almost as bizarre looking as Donald Trump's following the Access Hollywood tape revelation. But the reality here is that McMahon's desire to bring back the XFL caters to both he and Donald Trump's interests and that this new XFL will be in no way like the old one.

In order to look back at the history of the XFL, it's only really necessary to watch one game: the first one. This game actually drew high ratings when it premiered and I re-watched it a few months ago because I sometimes have nothing better to do than remember the XFL.

The problem with the XFL was that McMahon couldn't get himself away from his WWE roots. Immediately, The Rock is cutting a promo to introduce the league. At 17:30, quarterback Ryan Clement and a team cheerleader cut easily the most awkward promo I've ever seen likely because Ryan Clement is a quarterback who has never cut a promo and the cheerleader is a cheerleader who has never cut a promo and they likely just met that day and now have to try to sell what’s basically a sketch with sexual overtones. By the end of this game, McMahon removed young play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian (who shed off this horrible experience to become a respected announcer who just joined ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball team) from the main broadcasting team for his refusal to make “enthusiastic commentary” about the cheerleaders dancing with men in the crowd (go to 40:14 in the video to hear Vasgersian wait for 15 seconds before saying “I feel uncomfortable”). As much as McMahon wanted the league to be tougher and crazier, he went backwards in allowing the XFL to be like the “Attitude Era,” and not surprisingly, there are a chunk of football fans and Americans who have no interest or even scoff at pro wrestling. Where McMahon deserves credit is that concepts like the X Cam and cameras in locker rooms are now used in the NFL and have become the norm.

Why is the XFL returning when it was perhaps only less embarrassing for McMahon than the Val Venis “choppy choppy your pee pee” storyline on RAW? McMahon sees an opening with the general public's anger in America let alone towards the National Anthem. He also has always long been poised to upend the NFL and seek revenge for this XFL loss. However I think it lies much deeper than that.

McMahon and Trump have obvious ties dating back to the 1980s. They rivaled each other in a “Battle of the Billionaires” match at Wrestlemania 23. Linda McMahon, Vince's wife, donated $7 million to pro-Trump PACs and was ultimately chosen to lead the Small Business Administration under the Trump administration. Over the past year, Trump went on the attack against the NFL and professional athletes in other sports over kneeling during the National Anthem or not visiting the White House. In the same way that “Make America Great Again” found an audience among angry whites feeling they've lost whatever America they feel they grew up in or expect it to be so too does the XFL likely feel it could hit these same people and others in its return.

It's no coincidence that the XFL will kick off in 2020. Yes, McMahon's first incarnation was haphazardly put together so he can posit this 2020 kickoff as being related to taking the right amount of time to get a proper league in place. But it also makes sense that the XFL will arrive just in time for Trump's re-election campaign where this National Anthem controversy will still be in the President's back pocket to bring up. McMahon's commentary already appealed to the base. A coded phrase like “family friendly” means players will definitely stand for the anthem. The WWE has long pushed itself as an organization tied to veterans and the military and so the XFL will continue to do that as well. McMahon even used the phrase “conservatively” in his announcement. While McMahon says the league will be “fan first,” that likely just means that the league will primarily appeal to fans that side with Trump's perspective and hope to grab independent football viewers purely interested in the entertainment of the game. 

The XFL has really no plans in place other than this announcement and it hasn't decided which cities it will be in. It's a little odd since the XFL did exist and has some kind of a history where perhaps it would return to the same cities and teams it once had. But I believe that the XFL is aligning itself politically as well so I would not be surprised if a majority of the cities that get selected are in historic swing states on the electoral map. It allows for Trump 2020 and #XFL2020 to work hand-in-hand. I would expect at least New York or Los Angeles to get a team since they are the biggest markets in the nation and can appeal to the coasts. But then I believe the remaining cities will be selected from a pool along these lines: Las Vegas, Denver, a Florida city, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Detroit, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Charlotte. It caters to the major cities of swing states. It also makes the XFL feel more like a Midwest and South league which is both in McMahon's wheelhouse given the history of wrestling was based in territories and those areas of the nation have some of the biggest popularity when it comes to wrestling and a platform for Trump's re-election.

It's a nice notion that McMahon sees this league as “fan first” but any wrestling fan can tell you that McMahon has never been about the fans. He's about the dollar signs associated with the fans but not necessarily fan perspective. It took undersized Daniel Bryan pretty much winning over every fan to have Vince grant him with the WWE title. Vince turned the WWE more “family friendly” to appeal to his wife's Senate candidacy than he did with what wrestling purists would have liked. The music choices for Wrestlemania and some of the other PPVs have always seemed years behind relevancy. Vince is still Vince and the XFL is more “Make Football Great Again” than it is something that will provide a forward-thinking alternative to the football fan.

Nevertheless, I'm likely going to watch Week One much like I did with the first incarnation of the XFL. That's what McMahon knows he can grab at: the regular football fan interested in at least seeing what the carnival event has to offer. That first game in 2001 was so bad that I didn't watch the league again (and neither did so many others as ratings tanked almost immediately). Could it win me and other football fans over? It's possible but the league would have to address the biggest issues for football fans that actually care: be safer and have an actual concussion protocol that gets followed, have disciplinary action that makes sense especially in cases of domestic violence, don't make fans feel like they are dollar bills that don't matter, have some forward-thinking ideas for the game that contrast the NFL, and produce an entertaining product. Is the XFL likely to do that? Decades of history of how the WWE has operated makes me think it won’t happen. 

The XFL happened in large part because McMahon was able to work alongside longtime friend Dick Ebersol to put it on NBC. There is no way in hell that NBC will be putting the XFL on their air again because of the embarrassment of it the first time and now Trump's commentary and criticism of the network. So it seems likely that the XFL will devolve to being aired on FOX News or some other such network as evidenced by FOX News already covering the XFL announcement and caring about the National Anthem issue. If you wanted to win over football fans that care like myself, this isn't the way to do it. I don't want to watch football that was the dream of Rush Limbaugh just like I don't want to watch football that was the dream of Gloria Steinem. I just want to watch football that appreciates and advances the game, a game which has many current issues that make me not particularly happy with myself that I’m supporting it. 

I expect there to be few if any remnants of what the XFL once was in this new version. The last one was an embarrassment to McMahon and so he won't do anything to connect these two. But, personally, as an unbiased football fan, I expect this new XFL to be an embarrassment in a different way: as a wing to an initiative of a presidential re-election campaign.