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swan-archive · 7 years

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so: ya gal viewed a Certain Notorious Play the other night in SF

a little post-mortem, because i just KNOW you all needed another one of THOSE

Michael Luwoye was a wonderful Hamilton. i know it’s catty to rag on LMM’s voice, but really, the sheer DIFFERENCE it makes when you have an actor with a powerful voice in the role. doesn’t even compare. he roared and howled and bellowed and felt like a tiny compact hurricane bursting off the stage. amazing.

- i specify “tiny” because he was VISIBLY SHORTER than both Solea Pfeiffer and Amber Iman. TINY HAM IS CANON

- Luwoye’s act 1 young Ham was maybe the cutest thing i’ve ever seen! he was SO thrilled to meet Burr and SO excited to make friends and SO jazzed to go out drinking and revolution-ing with them, just so desperate to be liked and find a place and make his name. cute boy. excitable boy.

- not to monster au at yall but Luwoye literally SNARLED “call me son ONE MORE TIME” and uuuuhhhhhh it’s all canon, all monster aus are canon now, i don’t make the rules, i just live in fear of them like yall do

- and then the turnaround between that and a more tired, more morally compromised, running-out-of-options Ham in act 2! a really deft character shift and one that was delightful to watch.

- interesting little character moment: from what i’ve heard/seen most Hamiltons jump right back into the game after “Say No To This,” bantering with Burr and bouncing off to the meeting with Jefferson and Madison to Get Shit Done. Luwoye did not play it like this. his Hamilton was visibly wrung out and sick at heart at the beginning of “Room Where It Happens,” answering Burr in clipped monosyllables and not looking at him and standing all stiff and still until he started to mimic Burr’s “talk less / smile more” in an intentionally crude and sorta nasty style. this Ham was not happy to have to take a page out of Burr’s book.

- Luwoye’s “Hurricane” was a powerhouse. the rapped section was this howl of defiance that nearly knocked me out of my seat, Ham standing there and daring God to do His worst and vowing he’d get back up again. ooooooof. intense.

- Luwoye emoted like a MOTHERFUCKER. his break in “It’s Quiet Uptown” was gutting. tears literally dripping off his face.

- this cast seemed...lighter on the Lams than other productions, which was a bit disappointing, but at Laurens’ first verse in “My Shot,” Luwoye did that hilarious deer-in-the-headlights fullbody freeze at him as he had a Strong Gay Moment

Joshua Henry’s Burr felt very different from Leslie’s as it comes across on the cast album/b**tl*g, but in a super compelling way. i think i saw an article that referred to his Burr as more of a “showman” than Leslie’s, and if i’m remembering right, i agree with that description. Henry!Burr was very mobile and raggedly charming, always had a disingenuous wide-eyed smile hitched up, except for...when it slipped. the untrustworthy self-serving mercenary Ham sees by the end of act 2 was very much in evidence here.

- and his Burr broke SO EARLY! by “Winter’s Ball” he was already visibly/audibly like WHAT THE HAP IS FUCKENING re: Hamilton’s ascent. his “Wait For It” right on the heels of that was so angry. you could feel his desperation as he tried to justify his methods to the audience, and his unspoken understanding that nothing he is doing makes sense. this was a Burr who, on some level, KNEW that his schtick was not going to remain tenable for long, even if he didn’t know the exact nature of his own breaking point. suuuuuuuuuper engaging to watch.

- ahhahahaha and his delivery of the “...Okay,” in “Non-Stop” was HILARIOUS it was like “hmm yes please keep doing this thing where you say nice things about me perhaps”

- ...also, not to be crass, but somewhere around “Non-Stop” i became suddenly and powerfully aware of how his thighs looked in his costume and uuhhhhhhhhhhh. can we just like. get a Yell Heah real quick for Buff Burr? Yell. H e a h

- act 2 Burr spiraled REAL quick. his “Room Where It Happens” was wild-eyed and electric and frantic and by the time they got to “Your Obedient Servant” and TWWWE he was just a WRECK. where Leslie’s Burr gave at least the impression of making a measured choice to shoot to kill, Henry’s was clearly running on fumes and not in control, and it was terrifying and great.

- and not to go too out of order but can i just say, “Aaron Burr, Sir” is kind of a throwaway exposition-y song, but having it played between two black men? REVELATORY. INCREDIBLE. “fools who run their mouths oft wind up dead.” we were five minutes into the play and i was already like ulp

Emmy Raver-Lampman is the great love of my life and she will be my bride one day, even if i have to defeat Daveed Diggs in unarmed single combat for the privilege. i will do it. i will do whatever it takes to know the touch of her hand. are you listening, Emmy? i’m right here. i’m right h e r e

- my favorite thing about her act 1 Angelica was how YOUNG she played her. which, granted, she is a younger actress than Renee/Karen/Mandy, but i thought it was a really powerful interpretation given that Angelica really is only two years older than Eliza, is still not all that old herself when Eliza’s doing her giddy “Helpless.”

- okay. okay, so. Emmy’s “Satisfied.” okay. a YOUNG “Satisfied.” instead of a mature regretful reflection on a decision that had pros and cons on either side, the regret and the loneliness and the love felt incredibly raw and immediate. Emmy’s interpretation was very “yes, i made this choice, and oh my god what if this was IT, what if this was the END what if there is nothing like this for me ever AGAIN, i cannot take it back and i would not take it back but oh god oh god oh god” and it. destroyed. me. she had that flutter in her voice that you get when you’re crying and laughing at the same time at the second “to the groom / to the bride” and holy shit it was devastating

- also: G5 BITCH TEAR OUT MY THROAT WITH YOUR TEETH

- another fun thing about Emmy’s Angelica was how utterly unimpressed she was with every man she interacted with! her teardown of Burr almost felt like an afterthought in how easily it came out. her chemistry with Luwoye wasn’t as immediately sparky as, say, Renee and Javi’s, but their back-and-forth was very banter-y and instantly comfortable and you really got the sense of two people who could have clicked together given the chance.

- her act 2 interactions with Ham were delightful too—at the end of “Take a Break,” the staging has Angelica start to chase after Ham when he leaves all “i can’t stop until i get my plan through congress.” this was not an “i languished in a loveless marriage in London i lived only to read your letters” chase as Emmy played it. it was a “bitch i have been on a boat for THREE MONTHS and if you think i’m gonna just be like oh hahah whatever we don’t need to hang out when i came all the way over here to see your wife and you then THINK AGAIN—” chase. it was Good. her rejection of Ham in “Reynolds Pamphlet” was so complete and crushing too—it was obvious that Ham was not even on her mind, she was there for Eliza.

i expected to like Amber Iman as Peggy/Maria, but i didn’t expect the extent to which she would steal the stage whenever she was featured in a song! she was so lively and read so well from the audience and was just a joy to watch.

- her Peggy was HILARIOUS. where Jazzy’s Peggy in “Schuyler Sisters” seemed more bratty-kid-sister-i-wanna-go-home-i’m-tiiiiiiiiiiired, Amber’s was like “you guys. you guys. we’re going to get mugged. we’re going to get shot. we’re going to get mugged, and then shot, and then murdered for good measure and WHY IS NOBODY LISTENING TO ME FUFKDCHSDKSFKHEJ” and the fact that this came across so strongly when she was sharing the stage with The Great Love Of My Life and could not have rightfully expected to claim any part of my attention is a credit to her

- the faces she was making at every male cast member who came within 2 feet of her were HILARIOUS. THE FUCK IS THIS. THE FUCK IS YOU. this was a Strong Lesbian Peggy for sure.

- and then her Maria! her Maria was magnetic. she played her as complicit but very obviously unhappy about it; whenever she stepped away from Ham as he did one of his monologue bits you could see the tension and nervousness and distaste on her face, but then he’d turn back to her and the mask would snap back up. not to toot my own horn but like...I Have Been Right This Whole Time.

- and then that red dress just draws the eye whenever Maria’s onstage, such that you couldn’t help but seek her out and watch her standing there silently as Ham drove himself over a cliff into the ocean. she was RIGHT THERE for all of “We Know,” standing there under one of the staircases next to Ham as he went off, watching watching watching and UGH it was such a little thing but it was so good.

i was surprisingly not as sold on Solea Pfeiffer as Eliza as I thought i would be? she had some great moments and was overall a strong performer but for whatever reason they never quite added up to a cohesive whole for me. whatever. still gonna marry her

- her “That Would Be Enough” with Michael Luwoye was actually deeply tragic in a way i’ve never seen/heard from any of the other Eliza/Alex pair-ups. these were clearly two people on completely different pages, having conversations right past each other, and that hurt me very deeply as someone who ships the thing. but it was in my mind also very believable characterization! whatever. i wanted to die. TALK ABOUT YOUR FUCKING FEELINGS, CHILDREN

- actually one of my favorite moments of hers was a teeny tiny one in “Take a Break,” during the verse where Angelica is reading the comma sexting letter. Eliza is onstage but out of the spotlight at this point, tidying up, and she’s bent over and closing the piano when they get to the “my Dearest...Angelica.” for a second she raised her head and half looked over her shoulder and i was like OOOHHHHH SHIT because it felt very, like, “Eliza knows about this flirtation but trusts Angelica not to overstep her bounds BUT is still deeply unsatisfied with how it is playing out” and i just. liked it. good shit.

- i think there’s a spectrum of “Burn”/post-“Burn” Elizas; in my mind i look at it as the spectrum of ice Elizas (exemplified by Pippa) to fire Elizas (exemplified by Aubin Wise/Lexi Lawson). Solea’s “Burn” fell closer to Pippa’s on that scale, very cold vengeance and restrained but ugly hurt, but after that song she ran even colder than Pippa’s Eliza. she didn’t break at all in “It’s Quiet Uptown,” not even when Ham did. her air was this frigidly magnanimous “yes. you did this to us. don’t presume to do it again,” and she looked to be the one supporting him as they exited. i don’t know that that’s my Eliza, but it was interesting to watch.

didn’t have super strong feelings about any of the revset/dual cast folks, aside from surprisingly Jordan Donica as Laf/Jefferson! was not expecting to jive on him, given Daveed is such a charismatic actor in both those roles, and he was clearly working hard for the trickier raps, but he was very funny and fun to watch.

- as Laf, he really got across the sheer Badness of Lafayette as a person, in the sense that he was deeply uncool and trying real hard and just. not. quite. making it. he was also very good at the physical comedy bits given that he is built like a man who is half human, half giraffe, and half random bag of pipe cleaners stashed in the back of the crafts closet of an elementary school classroom.

- seriously he is ALL LIMB. he TOWERED over everyone else onstage. A MONSTER. A MISSHAPEN GIANT

- he also played a very slick and menacing Jefferson who was constantly using his height advantage to attempt to intimidate Ham. didn’t work, obviously, but made for some very striking tableaux in the cabinet battles.

Ruben Carbajal had a lovely voice but i believed him more as Philip than as Laurens because HE LOOKED LIKE A LITERAL CHILD. HOLY SHIT. chubby cheeks and petulant pout and all. it was nuts. where is hamilton casting getting ahold of all these FETUSES

- as i mentioned i preferred Anthony’s Laurens but i did enjoy what a fratty little fucker Ruben’s Laurens came off as. like a hummingbird given human form. that was fun.

Mathenee Treco was a good Herc, kinda camp gay dad friend? which was unexpected but fun. his Mads was a little more vital than it seems like other people’s tend to run; he came off as someone who would overreach himself and then break down into coughing. something a little different.

i eh...didn’t particularly care for Isiah Johnson’s Washington. it was a fairly played straight Local Dad Fed Up With This Shit, Just Wants To Go Home And Build A Deck, which like...isn’t wrong, but there could be more, you know? eh. nothing’s perfect i guess.

i think it was @duckbunny who characterized Rory O’Malley’s King George as “bratty spoiled rich child throwing a temper tantrum” to Groff’s “sleazy abusive bf” King George? or maybe that was someone else? anyway i believed it, both because of his very round babyish face and because of his lack of poise compared to Groff’s King. he was scaryfunny. i habitually skip kgiii’s songs when listening to the cast album, so i was pleased to find myself enjoying all of them live. still think either “What Comes Next?” or “I Know Him” could’ve stood to be cut and replaced with...almost anything else to cover the costume change, really, but they’re fun, no big deal.

this has very little to do with anything but the ensemble featured dupes for Carleigh Bettiol, Betsy Struxness, and Ariana DeBose, i wasn’t sure what to do with this information, perhaps you are not sure what to do with it either, we can just hang out and be puzzled together, it’s chill

#swan talks #hamilton for ts #the story of how this ticket was obtained is that my mother who is lowkey out of her mind in many ways may god bless and keep her #sat on the phone for NINE HOURS the day ticket sales opened up in order to obtain one. single. ticket.#which she then gave to me because as i may have mentioned: she is lowkey out of her mind god bless and keep her a thousand times #i was in the eighth row. close enough to see the light shining off emmy's septum ring #and dear reader let me just tell you: i fell in love INSTANTLY.#('weren't you already in love with her' yes but i did it again for good measure try to keep up chad)#also sorry about the formatting my theme is fucking weird about bullet points? hopefully this is readable

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itsjaybullme · 7 years

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21 Actors John Wick Should Fight in ‘John Wick 3'

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Peter/Barcroft Images/Barcroft Media, Mike Pont/FilmMagic, VCG/VCG

Keanu Reeves is gearing up to start production on John Wick: Chapter 3, which will be released in 2019. That's right: John Wick is officially back for a third go-around.

But after battling against actors like Adrianne Palicki, Alfie Allen, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose, and countless unnamed bad guys in the first two films, Reeves needs some new blood (literally) for the cast of the sequel.

So: Who will he fight this time?

Reeves does most of his own stunts, dating back to his days on The Matrix, and the John Wick series is no different.

“There’s an incredible stuntman who doubles John Wick,” Reeves told Men's Fitness in March. “They hit him with a car. He’s standing there, and they hit him—that’s a stunt. Me? I’ll shoot some guns, flip some people—and that’s action. So, yeah, I do as much action as I possibly can, because I love it—and I love the opportunity to bring the audience along. I want to be able to do everything. Since The Matrix, I’ve used this term, ‘superperfect.’ As in, ‘Can we get it superperfect?’ That’s part of what makes [a great action film] a pressure cooker. It’s the intensity of just trying to do the best you can in the circumstances that you have.”

Here’s a look at who you think John Wick should battle against in Chapter 3, ranked according to their action-movie experience, skill at portraying villains, and cinematic track record.

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Tom Hardy

TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images

After transforming his body for films like The Dark Knight Rises, Warrior, Venom, and Mad Max: Fury Road, Hardy could easily get the look of an uber-assassin taking on John Wick. Between playing a villain in Bane and doing some intense MMA and kickboxing training for Venom, the British badass already has a head start on the “gun-fu” moves of John Wick. Plus, we already know he loves dogs. He’d fit right in.

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Jason Statham

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The Fate of the Furious and Expendables star would have no trouble sliding into the world of John Wick. Statham has played badass villains in the past, fought against stars like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and he has the action movie fight skills to go with it. Adding his mix of roguish British charm to the franchise would make for pure entertainment. Need proof? Here’s Statham's most shredded Instagram posts.

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Dave Bautista

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Letting the former WWE superstar and current Guardians of the Galaxy actor let loose in the world of John Wick could make for one of the most entertaining fight scenes in Hollywood history. Dave Bautista would be a challenging physical presence for John Wick, considering how massively jacked he is, and his comedic timing could make him just the right kind of over-the-top-villain for Chapter 3. Bautista has experience playing the bad guy, having starred as the James Bond villain Mr. Hinx in Spectre, as well as in The Man with the Iron Fists and the Kickboxer reboot.

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Idris Elba

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Between kickboxing in real life and taking down Norse gods in the Thor series (and likely the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War), Idris Elba would have no problem handling himself against John Wick. For as many good guys he’s played over the years, Elba has played some fantastic villains during his career, including Stringer Bell on The Wire, Tango in American Gangster, and Krall in Star Trek Beyond, so being a bad guy would come naturally for this potential future James Bond.

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Liam Neeson

Mike Pont/FilmMagic

With his late-career turn into a badass action star, Liam Neeson could bring some major gravitas to the John Wick series, thanks to a “particular set of skills” he picked up from the Taken franchise. Neeson has kicked ass in movies like The Grey, Run All Night, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Non-Stop, The A-Team, and in the upcoming 2018 film The Commuter. He has some experience being a villain, including his iconic turn as Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins.

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Scott Adkins

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The martial arts expert would be perfect for John Wick: Chapter 3. The British-born actor has multiple black belts in various disciplines, is as shredded as anyone in Hollywood, and he has experience playing a villain, starring as Jean-Claude Van Damme’s sidekick in The Expendables 2. Adkins has made his career starring in B-type action movies like Accident Man, Hard Target 2, Triple Threat, and Boyka: Undisputed, and that’s kind of the genre/DNA that runs through the John Wick movies.

We know Adkins would have no trouble training for the role, based on these 17 Instagram moments.

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Jon Bernthal

ason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Playing The Punisher wouldn’t be the worst way to prepare to enter the John Wick universe. Between the action and the gunplay, Jon Bernthal would feel right at home after working as Frank Castle for the Marvel series on Netflix. Bernthal has the experience (and jawline) to play a villain, too: The actor has played a bad guy in projects like Shot Caller, The Walking Dead, and The Wolf of Wall Street.

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Denzel Washington

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Okay, fine: Though the Academy Award winner might not be the first name that crops up when it comes to “action movie villains,” Denzel Washington actually would fit in pretty well. He won an Oscar as the heavy in Training Day, and over the years he’s starred in his fair share of morally cloudy movies, including Man on Fire, The Equalizer, The Taking of Pelham 123, 2 Guns, The Magnificent Seven, and Safe House. Bringing Washington’s gravitas to the John Wick series would make for a fun hero-villain dynamic. (Look, you guys suggested his name. We're just taking the idea seriously.)

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Jet Li

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Adding a martial arts legend to the world of John Wick would likely make Keanu Reeves very happy. Reeves is a self-professed martial arts nerd, he could have a fight for the ages against someone like Li. While Li doesn’t do much acting in the U.S. anymore, he starred in all three Expendables films. He's also made a few heel turns of his own, portraying ass-kicking villains in Lethal Weapon 4 and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

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Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving

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We'll say it: We love this idea. Reeves already reunited with Matrix co-star Laurence Fishburne in John Wick: Chapter 2—so why not go all-in and make Chapter 3 another Matrix reunion? Both Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Anne Moss have Matrix fight training under their belts. Weaving has played plenty of stony villains besides Agent Smith— remember Red Skull in the first Captain America movie? Moss is no slouch herself, and these days you can see her on the Netflix/Marvel series The Defenders as high-powered attorney Jeri Hogarth. This tag team could give Reeves the challenge he needs to take John Wick: Chapter 3 to the next level.

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Tom Cruise

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The superstar actor has as much action experience under his belt as anyone in Hollywood, and joining John Wick would give Tom Cruise a chance to go against type by playing a bad guy. On top of that, Cruise would absolutely be game for fight scenes—he’s proven with the Mission: Impossible series that he has no problem doing his own stunts. (Cruise climbed one of the biggest buildings in the world and was strapped to the outside of a plane while it was taking off while filming the Impossible series.) Yes: Some badass fight scenes with Keanu Reeves would probably be a joy for Cruise.

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Joe Manganiello

Doug Inglish

He’s got the size and he’s got the look: Joe Manganiello knows how to wear a suit, and with muscles like he has, Keanu Reeves would have his hands full with a Manganiello villain. The former Men’s Fitness cover star just took the mantle of one of the most badass villains in comic book history after appearing as Deathstroke in Justice League, and he has action film experience after appearing in movies like Sabotage and the upcoming Rampage, alongside superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

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Michael Jai White

Noel Daganta

The John Wick producers could save a bunch of money if they brought in Michael Jai White as one of the villains. The Spawn and Dark Knight actor has been training in martial arts since he was a teen, and he has no fewer than eight—count ‘em, eight!— black belts in a range of disciplines, including Taekwondo, Kobudo, and Goju Ryu. Jai White is buddies with Scott Adkins, having co-starred with the actor in Accident Man and Triple Threat, so he could try and bring over his friend for a villainous duo to go up against John Wick.

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The Best of the Rest

John Parra/WireImage, Isa Foltin/Getty Images for Sony Pictures, Gisela Schober/Getty Images

Here’s a look at the rest of the suggestions:

Jack Gleeson - Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen a.k.a. Theon Greyjoy already starred in the first John Wick, so why not bring in another GoT star—this time, the actor who plays King Joffrey. Still salty about the whole Ned Stark thing? We see where you're going with this, guys.

The Expendables crew - Jason Statham could join Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, and company as opponents of John Wick. That might be too much action even for this movie.

Iko Uwais - The martial arts star would be quite the opponent for John Wick.

Tilda Swinton - Keanu Reeves already mentioned Swinton as a potential option for the John Wick universe, saying he’d love to reunite with his former Constantine co-star. “You know, I had the chance to work with her – I was in two films with her [Constantine and Thumbsucker, both released in 2005] but had the chance to work with her once — I’m onboard with that,” Reeves said to People. “We run into each other once in awhile socially out there in the world. She’s a remarkable person and actress, so I’m all aboard with that!” Plus, she nailed the part of a martial arts master in Doctor Strange—why not do it again?

Floyd Mayweather - Maybe this should be his next fight after Conor McGregor.

Vin Diesel - Between his Furious work and time doing the voice of Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, Diesel could try and squeeze in one more franchise under his belt. His heel turn in the latest Fast & Furious flick was entertaining, if not entirely convincing, so

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson - Speaking of actors with lots of franchises under his belt, “The Rock” is always a welcome addition to an action movie. While Johnson likely has no time at all to make an appearance in John Wick, we heard this suggestion a lot.

Danny Trejo - Between his roles in Con Air, Machete, Grindhouse, From Dusk till Dawn, and The Replacement Killers, Trejo knows his way around an action scene. A battle against John Wick would be extreme and fun. Extremely fun, basically.

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sheri-s-incredible-journey-blog · 7 years

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November '17

November 4th, then November 10th and now I am finally finishing this post on December 2nd!

The last 4 day sailing trip was the most challenging of all my cooking/sailing experience and if I hadn't already decided not to do it anymore, well... good thing.

Our last trip we had Captain Dave (who is the owner of Manitou) and it was the wine trip. A 4night/3 day full boat and we immediately headed out to the lake. We were sailing with incredible wind and made the destination of Charlevoix in one day, whew! Last trip we made it on the second day.

We left early the next day and headed right back out into it... and we proceeded to have 2 full days of 15-20Knot winds which for those on deck it was amazing! For those of us down below (and in this case only Harriet and me) it was 8 solid hours of trying hard not to fall over or throw up. Actually H got sick both days and I never did but thought I was going to pretty much the whole time. H is a real trooper and rallied to do her part. Remember we still needed to make food for 31 folks, no matter what!

On a schooner, things in the galley are always on sticky mats, so that they won't fall while we are heeling (rocking side. Because this was a wine trip all hors d'oeuvres and dinners were paired with wines, our apps were a bit more "sophisticated" than normal. I had made lovely pear chutney to go with brie cheese for an app when I was overcome with major nausea and went up above for a bit of air and horizon. (For those that may not know, seasickness is always lessened by being on deck and looking at the horizon.

In the three minutes that I was on deck, we hit an enormous wave just right and crashed down and with that crash ALL things in the galley that were not literally tied down ended up on the sole in a pile with the chutney at the very bottom... wtf!!

The only "good" thing about all of this is guests are so accepting and happy for whatever can be done because they are so impressed that we could come up with anything let alone something that tasted good too!

So that was the end of that... had dinner with all the crew before I left and then headed into the rest of this adventure.

I took 6 days to drive to Port Townsend, WA... staying at Airbnb’s along the way. It is always interesting staying in people's homes and always a unique experience. Almost always really nice, I have been fortunate (although I do have a story for later).

Traveling through the west I was again reminded how incredible this country is. If you have never ventured on a road trip cross country I highly suggest it! I think because I am in such a different place than the last time I traveled (1998) my perspective has changed quite a bit. The flatness that is the Midwest was beautiful and much more interesting than before. The badlands of the Dakotas still takes my breath away, the Rocky Mountains as you approach from the east just stand up right out of the earth, so big and bold. And as I came into Washington, the eastern part of the state is a plateau with grassy land and mountains in the distance. Coming up the peninsula heading to Port Townsend, the landscape changed drastically to huge evergreens, rocky shore and the ocean! I missed the ocean, especially the smell~

In Port Townsend I had a wonderful visit with my friends Susanna and Michael. They rent a very cool small cottage and I got to sleep in their landlord's granddaughter's playhouse. A bit of a hobbit house in the backyard and it was fun! We did a bit of the tourist thing along with a visit to the farmer's market and a hard apple cider festival. Ate some yummy food, played some games and had some great conversations. What more can you ask for?

I left S&M and drove to my friend Bev's house in Redmond Oregon. The trip there was just amazing, I left PT and went down Rt. 104 along the coast, rocky, damp and so very green and then I left the peninsula, drove into Oregon and… just like that I was in high desert with creosote bushes, rocks, sand and pretty much nothing else! Wow all in the space of three hours~

I ended up spending a week there and really enjoyed myself. Bev is an old friend and a fairly recent widow and still having a difficult time adjusting. We didn't do too much, went out to breakfast and lunch, I cooked dinner a couple of nights, spent an afternoon at her son's house playing a game with the family and basically just hanging out. Something I needed to do. Traveling is exhausting!

From there I drove to Oakland, Ca. where my friends Jess and Shannon live. I have known Jess since she was 4 and I catered their wedding three years ago. They own a lovely little house with an awesome backyard in the heart of the city. We ate some great food, went to the farmer’s market, ate more great food, went to a Day of the Dead festival that was pretty awesome, drank many whiskey drinks with this incredible mixer that was sweet and spicy and the drink was the best! Unfortunately the store that sold the mixer was closed when I left the area! L Maybe that was a good thing? L

After 4 days in Oakland I headed to central California… with no real plan and no more folks to visit. I was planning on camping for a few days hopefully in a free area (lots of free camping on National Forest land). That did not work out so well… mostly because the sites were so remote and vague that I didn’t feel comfortable staying so I ended up at an Airbnb or hotel. The one place I was sure I could camp in So Cal is a place called Ocotillo Wells, a state recreation area that has awesome free campsites in the desert with picnic tables, ramadas (a shade canopy) and fire ring. I stayed there for a week when I traveled the country 20 years ago. So off I went to OW, arrived on a Thursday (needed to be there early as it is a very popular weekend destination for off roaders) to find many open campsites and I was psyched! And then I got out of my truck and the wind was blowing about 15 mph, in the desert, out in the open with sand going everywhere. And I said to myself… self, do you really want to try setting up your tent in this? I talked to the campers next to me and they told me the wind was supposed to keep up until the next day, sooo… off I went to find another place to stay. I was bummed!

If you have never stayed at an Airbnb it works like this: you look at all the offerings in the area that you want to stay within your price range (mine is always under $50) and needed dates, you then send a request to the homeowner that you would like to stay there and they get back to you fairly quick. If they accept your request Airbnb then charges your credit card and you are all set. Like yelp there are reviews for the place below the listing so you have a pretty good idea of what you are getting into… most of the time. This time, not so much… I followed directions and headed to the Salton Sea (in So Cal), took a left where I was supposed to and continued driving into the desert. So far so good and then I saw some graffiti on some rocks that said “The Slabs” and knew that was what I was looking for, so I continued to drive for another mile or so and realized that as I was wandering further into the desert there were more and more trailers, huts, hovels, RVs and general encampments and suddenly understood these folks were all squatters! I arrived at my camp and the first thing I asked was are you a squatter and he said yes he had lived there for 15 years. Oh boy. He showed me to my “room” which was a 12x12 wooden box, insulated and covered on the inside with blue plastic and no windows… in the desert! The man was very nice and was so proud that he had a generator and Wi-Fi along with a trailer facility that was the ladies room (he rented out three different spaces). It had a toilet with water in it and to flush you poured in a bucket of water and when I asked where it went he said into a hole in the desert floor. Let me be very clear the man was extremely nice and I got great vibes from him but I was pretty clear that I could not stay here… what to do, what to do? While the owner went to town, I set up my laptop to check messages and while online I heard scratching and finally a mouse came from the ceiling and into my “room”. And that was it for me, the way to get out. Mind you I am not afraid of mice, rats or any rodents really but I knew that this was my way to leave and get my money back. So I am waiting by my truck when he arrived back and I just sort of flipped out, said how I had seen mice (wtf?), was petrified and could not stay in a place that had rodents, he was very nice (I can only imagine what he was thinking in his head), I asked if I could get my money back, he said yes and I left… whew! Drove 40 miles or so and got a hotel.

After that experience I decided that I needed to head towards Arizona a bit earlier than planned but my friends MeiMei & Bruce were very gracious and told me to come on over. So this is where I have been since November 4th.

I flew to Vermont on Thanksgiving night for a retreat and meetings for Dinners with Love and arrived back this past Thursday. My plan is to leave early next week and head to Texas where my niece Michele lives and will spend the holidays with her and her husband. Mike (my nickname for her) is a Christmas freak and it will be a lot of fun spending time with her.

As soon as I reached MeiMei & Bruce’s house I started earnestly looking for work. I applied to 20 jobs or so with only one call back. I have been pretty bummed and am thinking my age is starting to work against me. The one call back I got was the only job I actually wanted and after a second phone interview yesterday I got the job, yay! So I start in January at Texas A&M University for a company called Campus Cooks. I will be the cook for a sorority of 48 young women making lunch and dinner M-F. It pays very well, the hours are no more than 43 a week, if school is closed, and I don’t work but do get paid. It is a national company and all they do is provide cooks for frats and sororities, so if I like it and they like me then hopefully I can stay with them for a few years and try out different campuses. If I don’t like it then the gig ends in May and I will seek another new opportunity.

My plan is still to head to Europe in May and depending on whether I want to go back or not to A&M in the fall will determine how long I stay!

Wow, this is a long post, hope it is not too boring and I will again try to not wait so long and have to write a novel!

Happy Holidays to all of you, may the season be filled with love and light! xo

November 4th, then November 10th and now I am finally finishing this post on December 2nd!

The last 4 day sailing trip was the most challenging of all my cooking/sailing experience and if I hadn't already decided not to do it anymore, well... good thing.

On a schooner, things in the galley are always on sticky mats, so that they won't fall while we are heeling. Because this was a wine trip all hors d'oeuvres and dinners were paired with wines, our apps were a bit more "sophisticated" than normal. I had made lovely pear chutney to go with brie cheese for an app when I was overcome with major nausea and went up above for a bit of air and horizon. (For those that may not know, seasickness is always lessened by being on deck and looking at the horizon!)