#old time radio shows were how my grandma and mom bonded

[wgc-productions]

I Love "The Jack Benny Program" And I Will Talk About And Analyze It At Length: Part I (The Characters)

I am going to use this humble platform of mine to gush about my extraordinarily niche interest of The Jack Benny Radio Program which aired on NBC (1932, 1933-1948) and CBS (1932-1933, 1949-1955). Let's go!!

Okay, so let's start with the general premise:

The Jack Benny Program is a show-with-in-a-show about Jack Benny, a real life 1940s American comedian and movie star (though even he would say "star" is pushing it).

The show follows the lives of Jack and the staff of his radio show (think Curb Your Enthusiasm). The characters share the names of their actors (excluding one which we'll talk about), and the characters often reference the lives of their actors and are meant to be exaggerated versions of their actors. Public events dealing with the actors are often referenced and jokes about in-show.

Now let's get to the characters*:

*This is a show that existed for 23 years. It has seen a lot of people come and go. The characters I am showing here are the core cast that stayed the longest, though many of the characters/actors that were in the earlier and later seasons are wonderful in their own right.

Jack Benny: The titular character of the show, Jack is a vain, cheap, neurotic, and charming boss to all of his staff. He has a massive crush on his co-worker, Mary Livingstone (who he was married to in real life). He has deep friendships with all of his staff and is often around them. He is famously bad at the violin, insists that he is 39 even though he is clearly not, and insists that he has blue hair and blonde eyes though (once again, he obviously does not)

Rochester: Jack's long term valet, Rochester is a sly, clever, fun-loving man who prefers to crack jokes over managing his boss' life. His brand of fun includes: drinking, gambling, spending time with his friends, and smoking cigars.

Mary Livingstone: Mary is an actor on the show. She is thoughtful, smart, wise-cracking, and always up to go along with Jack's schemes. She has a massive crush on Jack (who she was married to in real life). She is never afraid to push against Jack's more ridiculous beliefs and ideas. She has a sister,

Dennis Day: The perpetual youngster, Dennis is a kind-hearted, naive, idiotic, silly, young man who lives with his mother whom he loves very much. He is a crooner, which means he sings a song every episode and it is often joked about that singing once a week is his only job. He is often treated like a beloved annoying little brother by the cast and crew. Jack often exploits his good nature by shortchanging his pay or making him work on things outside of his job description. He is a proud red-haired Irish man.

Phil Harris: Phil is a wild child if ever there was one. The orchestra director, Phil stays up late, drinks often, and always advocates for his orchestra members who are ex-convicts with interesting fashion styles. He is a womanizer who is sitll deeply in love with his wife, Alice. He is also illiterate and dropped out of school as a boy. He has a flippant older brother energy with Jack and he is easy going with everyone else.

Don Wilson: Don is the announcer and he always opens the show. Don is self important, quick is be ruffled, loyal to Jack, and a resident straight man. Jokes are often made about his weight. He and Jack often pick at each other, but he is well liked by the other characters.

I'm going to do more of these talking about specific episodes, the form of the show, it's impact on modern comedy, the lives of the actors, and more, but I think this is a good place to stop before it gets too long. In the meantime: here's a video of an episode which I think is a good introduction to the characters, style, and premise.

In this episode Jack and Rochester pick up the cast so they can car pool to work. Hijinks ensue. This episode aired October 4, 1942.

[kimbrrleee]

It’s been six years since September when she left us, but I missing my Grammy a little bit more than usual tonight. Seeing the ornament she made me for my first Christmas always makes it more real. I’m going to share a little bit about her tonight, I hope you don’t mind. This is what it wrote in my journal the day after she passed and what I read at her memorial service. (sorry about the formatting, I don’t understand tumblr’s spacing)

My beautiful Grammy lost her battle with cancer yesterday.

I am still trying to process all of this. This really the best way I can do it right now. Its not going to be terribly coherent or organized but I am just going to let you all in on some of my  memories with her. Putting them down is hopefully going to help fill the void I have in my heart right now so I hope you enjoy it...

 In preparation for writing this, I lit a candle and put on Frank Sinatra radio on iTunes radio.

I didnt even get halfway through the first song before I realized I was not ready for that yet.

My Grammy loved Sinatra.

In fact, it was something the two of us bonded over. I remember sitting in the living room of my parents house with my phone and a dock playing a mix of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett.. etc.

We would just sit there and sing. No need for words. Every so often I would look over at her and I could tell that she was someplace other than chandler. See, my Grammy had the beginning stages of Alzheimer's and had trouble remembering quite a bit. However when I turned on that music you could see the warmth in her eyes and the little smile that crept across her face. She would sing harmony for a little bit and then lament about how her singing voice wasn't as good as it once was. (It always sounded beautiful to me. I would give anything to hear it again.) Then after a few more songs would go by she would say how happy she was that I loved this music as much as she did. "Most of the youngins these days... they dont listen to the old people music." She would tell me I had an old soul, and I would tell her she had a big hand in it. Every so often I would drag out my ukulele and play "Cant Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley. Even though I had played it for her so many times, she would always react like it was the first. She would start crying and telling me how beautiful it was and how much she adored Elvis. Elvis was Grammy's big crush. Even the mention of his name would send her into a tizzy. I remember a time I was at the dollar store and I picked up an Elvis magnet for her. She started crying a bit and kept repeating how much she wished he was still alive. It was the cutest thing ever. My Grammy was everything you would expect a Grandma to be. Sweet, hilarious, wise and a little ornery. One of my earliest memories of my Grammy was when I was (i think) 4 or 5 years old and we were visiting her in Florida. She wanted me to eat peas, and I didnt. So I took the peas, put them in my spoon, and flung them across the kitchen. She never let me forget that. She was a firm believer in horoscopes and would read the paper every morning just so she could tell me what my day would be like. She would tell me that when there was a full moon I should run outside and pray to it because it would give me money. She would scold me whenever I even though about wasting food. Followed promptly by a long dissertation about how she grew up in the Great Depression and were not afforded the opportunity to waste anything. She would feed the dogs scraps from the table even if she knew my mom would be upset. Nothing ever went to waste. She would always try to get me to dress up like a lady. She was disapproving of my tattered, dirty jeans and got so excited on the rare occasion I would wear a dress. Grammy was a straight shooter. Always said what was on her mind whether we wanted to hear it or not. I distinctly remember telling me "Kimmy, before you were born I had wished you were a boy. But I guess since you love football, beer, whiskey and bluejeans its gonna be the closest ill get." (I totally took it as a compliment) She was the most gracious person on this planet. When I would swing by and pick her up food on the way home she would always say "Thank you for thinking of me" about 8 or 9 times. She was always surprised but always so grateful when we would spend time with her. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer about a month ago, my world stopped. I never had to associate the words family and cancer. I had been lucky enough to not have encountered death in my immediate or extended family. I didnt know how to function... and I still dont. She was admitted to the hospital and I left right after work to go visit with her. She turned on "Catfish" and I tried to explain to her the main objective of the show. She was almost as amused as she was confused. I was still hopeful at the time because she hadn't been officially diagnosed. I was talking to her about how she's gotta stay there for a bit because we want her to get better and come home. Well she did come home, just not the way we had hoped.

She was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and the decision was made to not seek treatment. Hospice was set up and my parents dogs did not leave her side for the following weeks. I would make it a point to get there as much as possible. I would listen to music with her like we always did but this time she wasnt singing. As much as it broke my heart, I could still see the twinkle in her eye and I knew she was singing on the inside. When things were getting bad, we had almost all of the family over to be with her. She kept saying how happy she was and how "everything is going the way I want it to". That was all I needed to hear to find closure. The very last memory I had with her was last week: I gently kissed her swollen hand and whispered "I love you" I dont know when I will be able to listen to the likes of Sinatra and Elvis again... I can still hear her silly little chuckle in the back of my head. I can hear her saying "God I wish I had your energy" when I would dance stupidly across the living room or "looking good girl!" every other time I would pass by her. I still can't believe she's gone. It tears me up inside. But I take solace in knowing she went peacefully knowing that she has so many people who love her. I can just imagine her being united with the love of her life, my Grandpa Ed, after being separated for 60 years. And I can guarantee she is asking Elvis and Sinatra for an autograph.

[desiraypark]

Blurring the Lines (I)

Tiffany Palmer’s saga continues... Catch up Content Warning: Fluff (Mother/Daughter Bonding); Angst (Mother and daughter bonding over trauma); domestic violence (memories of); knives/blades

1990

“That’s all in the movies, Ms. Palmer. You can change your name and get a new identity--but your old identity will still follow you. “Old you” will show up on all kinds of records.”

Gina inhaled and sank in the chair. Then, she looked down at her daughter, seated beside her, who looked back at her.

“Well, I at least want to change her name. Her last name--to match mine.”

The woman behind the desk smiled at Tiffany, then looked back up at Gina, her eyes falling on the scar across her cheek.

“Ms. Palmer? May I make a suggestion--woman to woman?”

“Sure.”

“Find something to carry with you. Learn how to use it.”

Tiffany’s memories of most of the “incidents” were foggy. All she knew is what her mother divulged and what she’d heard for herself. Arguing--things bumping. Maybe the slight sound of flesh hitting flesh. But strangely, she never heard a scream. Only a soft grunt, or a wince--and the quiet sobs that followed the slamming of the front door. 

That very last incident, however? That was crystal-clear. That time, her mom did scream. Tiffany rushed out of her bedroom and saw her father on top of her mother--one hand pressed against her face, and the other one holding a blade to her cheek. Blood was trickling down Gina’s face as her boyfriend, the father of her child, mumbled something--and Tiffany screamed at the sight. Kevin “Hodge” Hodges stood up.

“Go back to your room, Tiff,” he commanded calmly.

Before she knew it, Tiffany was living with her grandmother. As was her mother. Hodge would come by often--banging on the door, demanding to see his child. He’d shot a hole through Grandma’s window once, even. Soon, Gina and Tiffany Hodges were in Athens, Georgia--and four-year-old Tiffany Hodges became Tiffany Palmer.

Gina had gotten a gun, but she never had to use it. Hodge was killed by an “unknown” shooter over a year later.

____________________

Present Day

“I wish I had the courage to go natural again,” Gina said. She combed a part in the middle of Tiffany’s freshly washed hair, grabbed the bottle of warm oil--olive, avocado, and argan--and let the concoction drip down her daughter’s scalp.

“I don’t know why you just don’t go for it, Mama,” Tiffany responded.

“Stuck in my ways, I suppose.” Just like when she was a kid, Tiffany sat on the floor between her mother’s thin legs as trails were created in her hair, and the uncovered skin was nourished with an oil or a grease. Gina would hum along to the music that played on the radio. It was Spotify these days. Suddenly, Tiffany found herself overwhelmed with the comfort. The familiarity. The safeness. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“You’re safe, honey,” Gina assured her, not questioning her child’s tears.

“I know...”

 Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You” faded out and the blaring saxophone intro of Sade’s “Is It a Crime?” roared in.

“You told me everything to look out for and I still fell…” Tiffany whimpered. 

“No, no, no,” Gina chided. “Don’t go blamin’ yourself.”

Tiffany wiped her face.

“It’s just...it’s just all fucked up. Fucked up that it even happens,” Gina said. She surrendered a sigh, and for the rest of the evening, she and Tiffany said very little. Whitney, Sade, and Mary J. said it all for them.

“You know what, Mama?” Tiffany asked when they were done. She gathered the hair tools, and Gina stretched her legs.

“What?” Gina responded.

“I want to cook you Sunday dinner.”

Gina raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”

“Yep!” Tiffany held all of her hair products in her arms and carried them to the bathroom.

“What are you gonna cook me?” Gina asked. She walked to the linen closet and grabbed her mini-vacuum. 

“I don’t know. I’ll figure it out, but it’ll be good!”

_____________________

Tiffany took Gina’s car keys, and for the first time since she’d been home, she drove somewhere. She made her way to the grocery store up the street from their house. It was a little rundown now, but still bustling with people--all preparing for Sunday dinner, as well. Tiffany walked the familiar linoleum floor with a silly smile on her face. She just felt...good.

She’d decided on a traditional “Sund’y” dinner in the Palmer household--fried chicken wings, string beans, and macaroni and cheese. She got everything she wanted and needed--fresh stuff. Organic stuff. The total was on the pricey side, but Mama was worth it. She handed the cashier some cash, got her change, and practically floated to her mother’s Ford Focus--the wheels of her shopping basket creaking over the bumps and dips of the parking lot’s asphalt. Suddenly, something felt...off.

Tiffany scanned the parking lot. She saw no familiar faces. No one was staring at her. She shook off her paranoia and kept rolling to her mother’s car. When she neared the car, she hit the ‘unlock’ button, and just as she opened the back door...

“Tiffany...”

Tiffany gasped and turned in the direction of the deep, resounding voice.

[purplesurveys]

459

Ok I’m sorry but these name surveys have turned out to be loadsa fun for me so let me just take another one lmaooooo. 

I honestly find it therapeutic since it allows me to reflect and look back on all of the people I’ve crossed paths with before, whether for better or for worse :) Sorry if I’ll repeat names/explanations, I’ll do my best to remember more stuff about them!

aaron: Already mentioned this in the last survey, but he’s a part of my high school friend group. He was one of my first guy friends ever and he was very nice to me from the very beginning; always made sure I felt like I belonged in a crowd. Also studies in UP and I think he is taking up sports science because he wants to go on to med school. abby/abbey: This is my mom’s name. She goes by the first spelling. I know an Abby from high school; she studies in La Salle now. adam: I don’t know him personally but there used to be a dude from WhatCulture Wrestling (a popular YouTube channel) named Adam – he was my favorite to watch until he got caught in a major fuck-up and was booted from the group. adel adrienne ajee

ajla alan: I have an uncle named Allan. He was part of my dad’s friend group in college; they met each other in their org. He was in every birthday party when I was a kid, but I don’t see him anymore now because his family already migrated somewhere else. alex: Broad comm student who plays the guitar and sings well; I haven’t talked to her. I also knew an Alex from 6th grade and she was just...not a very bright student. She had to move because I don’t think her grades reached the standard in my school, and now I think she lives in California. If not there, then somewhere else in the States. Alex is a fairly common name here, though, and I know I’ve missed out on a bunch of other Alexes.

alexa: Again, another girl from high school. Was a cool girl and a party girl from the very start. Like I said in my past survey, she lives in Australia now. alexis alexzandria alicia: My friend Alliyah’s boss, who she has a huge crush on, is named Alicia but she goes by Alice. alisa allie/ally: Gossiping fake loser from our rival journ org who does nothing but spread black propaganda about our org to keep people from joining ours – when she talks to us, though, she’s super nice. I’m so fucking happy she’s graduating because she has such a toxic personality :(  allison: Former prof in Comm 100. Wasn’t very good but I had a crush on her from the very first lecture. She had a serious car accident in the middle of the sem and had to wear like a nose brace thing for the rest of the sem. alycea/alycia alyssa: I rode the school bus with a girl named Alyssa but I was much closer to her older sister Alex. There’s also an Alyssa from broad comm and I was classmates with her in my political science, history, and broad comm classes for this semester. She’s the niiiiiiiicest girl and would always help me out if I have missing notes or whatever. amanda: Girl from my org who’s taking up engineering. I was her VP last semester, but she had personal problems and so she wasn’t able to work much under me. Whenever she did, though, she was always reliable. Quiet girl, a little socially awkward. amari amber andrew: I first met him at a rally/protest I attended in 2017. Hit it off well right from the start because I saw that he was wearing a wrestling shirt, so we bonded over WWE that day. He plays the guitar and has released his own EP, is a junior DJ at one of the hip radio stations in Manila, and has done his fair share of hosting gigs. He used to take up engineering but shifted to journalism as he likes it better. Is very adventurous and amiable but tends to get too friendly; some might find it tiring but I honestly think it’s just his personality. He was my groupmate in communication research and I thought he was decent. angela: My best friend’s name is Angela. We first met each other in Grade 1 when we were 7, and we became friends after I stabbed her palm with a newly-sharpened pencil. She still has the pencil mark today. anna: Anna is a popular secondary name in the Philippines, but no one actually uses it as their main name. anne: Same with Anne. annie: My grandma’s best friend who used to come over the house every Sunday. Like I said in the past survey, I’m honestly not sure if she’s still alive lol. She was already pretty old when I was still very young. anthony aasad ashley: I *think* I have a distant cousin named Ashley that I first met at a family reunion last year. But let’s be real, Filipino families are huge and I don’t even know if I remember her name correctly, if she’s even an Ashley. aubri: One of my closest friends in high school was Aubrey. We were very, very close in junior year until she dropped a bomb on me that her family was migrating to California by the time we start senior year. We don’t talk anymore because of the distance and the timezones, but I’ll always be there for her no matter what. Incredibly talented dancer and figure skater. She’s in UCLA right now and as far as I know she is killing it over there. austin autumn: I know an Autumn from my wrestling fandom days. I think she was a redhead, but I don’t remember anything else. barbara becca: A girl from broad comm. She was one of the principal actors in one of the productions we did for BC and she has a really cute laugh. Super elegant; she reminded me a little bit of Audrey Hepburn because she was really graceful. She’s the older sister of my orgmate Rita, who’s from psych. ben beth bethany betty: I have a friend-ish named Bettina. Betty’s kind of like a goofy nickname; she actually doesn’t use it but I think it still counts. I’ve known her since first grade; she peed her skirt in our first day of Grade 1 and I remember her crying a lot. She had a wild TV show phase starting from Grade 5 and she was into Nicole Kidman, Paula Abdul, Kara DioGuardi, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Stana Katic, Kate Walsh, etc etc etc and a bunch of shows like Private Practice, Grey’s Anatomy, Castle, Suits etc etc etc. She was super shy, very awkward in person so I’m glad her love of TV shows and actresses sprung her into life for the most part. She’s in UP Manila and I think too busy to get into fandoms now. bijan bobby bram brandon brandy breanna/brianna: Brianna is my friend Pat’s middle name. I honestly used to be so envious of this name of hers because I thought it sounded really nice, but now I think it kinda sounds like a bratty name hahaha. brendan brian: I have an uncle named Bryan, but we aren’t related. He’s my mom’s cousin’s husband. He’s VERY shy and likes to keep to himself or his kids at family gatherings but turns really cool when he’s had a little to drink. brittany/brittney/brittni brock brooke bruce buck cameron camille: Nice girl from my childhood school bus. There’s an unofficial norm in private schools in that when you’re older, you get to be mean to the younger kids. Not her. She was always nice and include us second graders in her antics in the bus, even though she was several years older. I was bummed when I found out they moved to the States. candy carina: I used to ride the school bus with a Carina but she was much younger. I was already in high school when she was in kindergarten. She’s the younger sister of Carissa, who I always found to be pretty weird. Anyway, these girls were clearly rich and pampered; they had a nanny ride with us in the bus. carly: I had an Internet friend named Carley; she was my first online best friend. We met here on Tumblr in like 2012 and got close because we were both huge fans of Stephanie McMahon at the time haha. We would video-call EVERY afternoon when I would come home from school while she would get ready for school (she’s from Pennsylvania). Eventually she’d disappear off the face of the earth and stopped talking to me but resurfaced a few months later. She’d continue to do this like 10 other times until I got tired of getting my hopes up of having her back. She’s tried reconnecting with me again on DMs but I just ignored it cos I knew there was a good chance she’d just cut off our communication again. We’re still Facebook friends and she’d pop up on my news feed from time to time, but that’s it. carol: I have a great-aunt named Carol. But my grandma has so many sisters that I honestly do not remember which one she is. carrie cassandra: I had a batchmate named Kassandra, who went by Kasey. Really bright, sweet, intelligent girl. She moved to Singapore in 7th grade. She was very, very simple and very kind to everyone and you wouldn’t be able to tell that she’s crazy rich. Her dad’s a top exec for a famous food and drink company and she lives in the same village I do–their house is guarded 24/7. cassidy chantel charlotta chelsie: Chelsea’s part of our high school friend group and is also crazy rich. We always hung out at her place because her house is huge. She’s very maarte, which I cannot really translate to English...the closest term is probably high maintenance hahaha; but she’s very sweet and generous and kind too. cheryl chris: One of Gabie’s best friend is a Kris. Other than liking outdoorsy stuff like going to the beach and hiking which is all I know about her, I think she’s also half-American. christopher: I have an uncle with this name but like I said his nickname is Perry. He works abroad like my dad (his brother-in-law) and my dad’s sister (his sister-in-law). cienna clare: Guidance counselor for several grade school levels. Understandably, she is very maternal. I once had a nasty fight with another girl and we had to be sent to her office. clarissa: Went to school with a Clarisa. We first met in Grade 4 because she rode my school bus, and instantly clicked. She was very nice, very sweet; she was simple to the point that, like Kasey, you’d have no clue how rich she was. She lives in a huge mansion now but she lived in a huge house before that as well, it’s crazy. Really, really sweet and she would give the best hugs. I played table tennis a lot with her in high school too. She studies in Miriam now but I’m not so sure about her course. claudia: Already said a lot about her in the last survey. Popular girl her whole life. She still goes to a bunch of parties but she is so much nicer now than she was when we were younger. cody cole collin corey corinne: One of my former teachers named her daughter Corinne. I think she’s 8 this year. courtney crissy: Chrissy was one of my very best friends in preschool and grade school. She looked Chinese even though she had a Filipino-sounding surname, and I was never sure if she had Chinese blood or not. She was boyish so she was very rowdy, liked to play rough, and punched other girls if she got pissed; but other than that she was very quiet and shy. She was constantly on the basketball team too. Eventually her family moved to Canada. crystal dallas dan danielle danika: An orgmate that worked under my committee two semesters ago. She’s from business ad and was juggling another org so she wasn’t very active at all to begin with. Her performance just plummeted every month and she ended up ghosting my org last semester–never replied to anyone when we tried to check up on her. I was very mad at her until she restarted contact with us recently and explained how tumultuous stuff suddenly got in her personal life and mental health that she had to take care of herself for a while, which we all understood immediately. She’s coming back to the org this year and we’re more than ready to welcome her. She’s very charming, goofy, and kind. She has a very life-of-the-party personality haha. danny: I have a friend-ish named Dani that I met through Angela. We all sat at the same table during the senior ball at Ateneo in 2016 so we got to talk then. She played volleyball in high school and she studies in San Beda now. She wants to take up law school so I think her course is in political science.  darious david: Pat’s boyfriend from Serbia and Patrice’s boyfriend from economics HAHAHAHA. Also a sucky groupmate from my comm res class who did absolutely nothing to contribute in the final paper that Hannah and I worked our asses so hard for. dean deanglo derrick destiny devin dillon donna dwayne [Random survey-taker note: these are all very Western names...] emie emily eric: My godfather is an Eric. Like my Tito Allan, he also met my dad through their college org. He’s an exec in a bank now and is suuuuuuper rich. Has a daughter named Arya which he could’ve named after the GoT character but am not really sure about that. everette felicia gabby: Wildly popular name. 1) My girlfriend’s name is Gabie; 2) there was another Gaby in my high school batch. 3) I have a friend from the Tumblr wrestling fandom named Gabbie who was really good in Photoshop – we study in the same school but have never met each other. 4) I have a high school batchmate whose little sister is a Gaby, annnnnddd I also just remembered that 5) there was another Gabbi in the wrestling fandom who also made good edits at the time. gerald gina guliana gloria: Do last names count? Hahaha. Gloria is the surname of my instructor in my class in international relations just this past sem. He’s a new faculty member but is craaaazy good at teaching; clearly knows what he’s talking about. He was passionate about his subject and I always admired that about him. I was really sad when class had to end. grace: I have a great-aunt named Grace; he’s my late grandpa’s sister. She’s really...quite fabulous; she has connections with super prestigious people and has a fancy wardrobe. She’s the only Filipino grandmother I know who goes by ‘Nana’ to her grandkids, which I note because Nana is like a super Western thing afaik. She has drama queen tendencies though and can be sensitive to a lot of things lmao. gracie hannah: One of the close friends I’ve made in college so far! Our first meeting was when she and Macy moved from UP Los Banos to the Diliman campus (where I study) and the three of us enrolled in our classes together. I was closer to Macy first, but eventually me and Hannah got a stronger friendship. Best groupmate, workmate, and David Archuleta fan I know. Sings great and plays the piano great. An absolute angel. hasan hawa hayley: I only know a dog named Hailey lol. heather: Someone from my high school batch is a Heather! We were never in the same cliques but she is one of the friendliest people I know. She knows how to talk to anyone which I appreciated. We bonded over One Direction in high school and she also confided in me a few times about her relationship and how her parents forbade her from seeing her boyfriend because he was trans. She also studies in my school now, taking up business economics. We barely see each other but say hi whenever we do. holly hunter ibro isaac isaiah jack jackie: One of my aunts has a relative named Jackie and I literally only found this out earlier when we met up and caught up with each other. jacob jacquelin jaden: A kid of my mom’s best friend is a Jaden. He was named after Jaden Smith because he was born during the time the Karate Kid remake made big waves. jake: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I had a garbage instructor with this name. This dude was in charge of my weekly crying binges and panic attacks because I was never sure if I was gonna pass his class. He seemed to enjoy giving all of us failing marks too which made me hate his piece of shit ass more. He’s supposed to be really good at what he does but I guess knowledge just does not always translate well in the classroom. Ended up passing his class, but now I’m cursing his ass forever. james: I have a younger cousin named James. I’ve only met him twice; once when he was a newborn, and then when he celebrated Christmas 2018 with us. His family’s lived in New Zealand and Vietnam since 2008, which is why we never get to see him, and why he does not remember me at all. janai janveia jared jason jay: My uncle is a Jay; he’s my mom’s brother. I disowned him as my uncle many years ago. He’s a terrible drunk, a disgusting smoker, and an annoying freeloader. I tried giving him a chance before, but after I found out that he drunkenly punched a cat once, I ignored him forever. Sometimes my mom and grandmother would ask me to acknowledge him at family gatherings, so I’d have to begrudingly do so; but other than that he’s out of my life. jazmine: There was a Jasmin from my old school. She’d always been very artistic and she was into K-Pop very early on. She’s taking up linguistics in my school now. jeana jeanette jen: Girl from the now-ancient Tumblr wrestling fandom. She’s probably the biggest and most passionate wrestling fan I know as she would follow both the mainstream and indie promotions the last time I checked up on her. She was kinda vain and kept on taking selfies while captioning each one as ‘ugly.’ I remember that she has a dog she really loves, and that she lives in Boston. jeralyn jerry jesse jessica: Meh, annoying girl from high school. I’m sure she’s nice(?) but her personality just didn’t click with me. She was too vibrant and too friendly that it almost seemed fake; but what do I know, I never really made the effort to know her better other than bonding over 1D here and there. jim jocelyn jodi: I know a Jodee from my old school. Spoke straight English, is intelligent, but is a huge goofball and very mischievous/rebellious. She was a smartass and liked testing the teachers’ patience whenever she can, but she always did it in a very funny way I think. She was often called to the guidance counselor’s office for having relationships with other students (I went to a Catholic all-girls’ private school, so this was obviously not allowed) but she always stood her ground about it and was never afraid to fight back. She had a phase of unhooking our bras in like 5th grade. joey: My blockmate has a younger sister named Joey. I think she is also studying in UP. john: The cousin I’m closest to is named John, but it’s not his preferred name. jonathan jordan josh: I know two Joshes, but only because they are boyfriends of a couple of acquaintances. jossie julia julie junior justin: I went to school with a girl who initially went by Justinn, but like she all wanted to start calling her by her other name, Ria, as we grew older. I also briefly rode the school bus with a girl named Justine, but we didn’t talk much. kailyn kaitlyn kaleb: Chelsea’s brother is named Caleb. kali karrie karli kasey: Oh, I guess Kasey (under Cassandra) falls under this too lmao. kasahwn katarina: Not exact, but Katrina’s a fairly popular name where I live. My cousin’s boyfriend is named Katrina, my aunt is a Katrina (but she goes by Bianca), and I also went to school with a Katrina even though her nickname is Cheenie. kate: Already talked about this in the last name survey. I met Kate through my org; she’s a huge joker/goofball, is naturally very friendly, and has an awesome wardrobe. When she’s bored and we both aren’t doing anything, she puts makeup on me. Works very well but is also a huge partier HAHAHAHA. katie: This is my nickname for Kate, if that counts. kayla: There’s a Kayla in my college, but her course is in broad(cast) comm(unication). I remember her very well because she is the first person I EVER talked to when we had our freshman orientation in UP. We didn’t become close after that. She’s pretty, has nice clothes and hair, is part of the popular circle, and she’s part of streetdance which is like one of the cooler orgs on campus. kelli kent: I have a younger cousin who’s a Kent. We used to be close when we were both kids, but now we’re shy towards each other. He was obsessed with dinosaurs when he was younger, like 5 or 6. kerna kevin kiana: I have an orgmate named Kiana! SOOOOO pretty and has like the clearest skin. Very simple and down-to-earth. Is nice but can kick your ass because she has a black belt in taekwondo. She’s smart as hell and I’m pretty sure she’s graduating as magna cum laude, besides the fact that she’s going to UP Law right after. kiley kim: I also have an orgmate named Kim :) He’s the sweetest guy ever, and is just so easy to talk to. He has a really cute relationship with one of the org’s alumni. I didn’t get to bond with him much but am sad all the same that he’s graduating this year :( kimberly: Went to my old school with a Kimberly but she went by Kim. Was one of the rougher, lesser-behaved kids. She was a demon in grade school. Not quite sure how she’s doing now. She’s my friend on Facebook but can’t really care less about her life updates. kirsten kristy kyle: Kyelle is a kinda good friend of mine. He’s from the same circle, but we aren’t close in particular. He’s very nice though, very silly and likes to goof around. laila lain: I used to have an orgmate named Laine. She was our VP for External Affairs two years ago. She’s now in law school. leah: Cheenie’s mom is a Lea. She’s probably the best mom friend my mom made from my school hahaha; she’s known me since I was 4. lexi: I have a high school batchmate named Alexa but I think she goes by Lexi, judging from her Twitter name. Is naturally quiet but gets very friendly when you get her to open up. Easy to talk to. liam: Liam is my youngest cousin, I think. He was born in 2014 or 2015. I’ve never seen him, because he and his family lives in New York. I’ve only ever met his big sister. :( lilly: This girl I was classmates with for a journ elective. I found her to be verrrrry pretty and she had the biggest, most piercing eyes; until I found out that she was one of those die-hard Catholics who are vehemently pro-life. She once defended a fraternity whose members were confirmed to be misogynist, sexist, racist, homophobic and transphobic pieces of shit in a leaked groupchat simply because she believes in ‘forgiveness.’ She caused another ruckus two weeks ago when she made known her pro-life views well known. I wanna unfriend her ass so bad but she just keeps making all the wrong opinions that I just wanna stay and watch her get schooled by my less-than-thrilled college mates hahaha. lina liz: If I remember correctly, there was an Elizabeth from my wrestling fandom who went by Liz. She lives somewhere in the UK, had reddish hair, and was in love with John Cena lmao. She would sometimes make edits too. loren: Other than the Lauren I mentioned in the previous survey, I also had a friend named Lauren from the Tumblr wrestling community too. She was one of the first friends I made. She was two years older than me, fancied Andy Samberg earlier than anyone else, had a cool room, was obsessed with cats, and loved tie-dye stuff. lydia lyndsey lynnette macaila mack: JM’s dad goes by Mackey, if that counts hahahaha. He’s a lawyer and a college professor. mckenzi macey: I went to high school with a Macy and now she’s in college with me too. She used to study in UPLB but moved to Diliman after a year, since she always planned to take up journalism (she didn’t pass the cutoff initially, so she had to stay in LB for a year before she moved). I was very close with her throughout high school, but idk, she’s just never been in a good place mentally so our friendship is very up-down-up-down. I tried to reconnect when we were reunited in college, but she’s found her crowd now so I’m happy for her nonetheless.

There’s also a Macy in my org who worked under my committee for a year before she moved to finance. Quiet girl but was always nice to everyone. She’s also graduating this semester :( maddie madison margo: Went to elementary school with a Margo but she preferred to spell it as Margauxe lmao. We became close for a while because we rode the school bus together and she would lend me the other half of her earbuds so we can listen to Ashley Tisdale’s Headstong and Vanessa Hudgens’ V every day (this was when High School Musical was peak popular). She sort of had a tumultuous family life here until she moved to Hawaii a few years ago. I think she may have moved to California now too. maria: Again, this is like the base name for like half of all Filipina girls. It’s so common that it’s just simply shortened to ‘Ma.’ because everyone knows what it stands for. marina marisa: Kayla’s middle name is Marissa. marquis mary: Macy’s first name is Mary. mathew: I know a bunch of Matthews from both high school and college but they all go by Matt. The one I remember the most is Matthew from another high school friend group who was close with my group. Our group was invited to their Christmas party, and they had a gimmick that each member of their group was gonna be paired with someone from ours, and it was gonna be a costume party. I was paired up with Matthew (but they called him Cho), but I never went to the party so I never got to meet him. I’m sure he’s nice, though. matt: See Mathew. maura mechelle: I have an orgmate named Michelle. She’s clumsy, kinda awkward, but she does it in a very cute way and we all love her because she’s so funny haha. She passed the toughest med school program in the COUNTRY but chose journ in the end. Is the most Chinese Chinese-Filipino girl I know. megan: I know someone whose middle name is Megan but she goes by a different name. melissa: Hahahahaha. I knew a Melissa all right. Freeloader. meredith mersadies micah: I was classmates and friends with a Micah in grade school. My parents and hers were close, so we became close too. She was very smart but I remember her to be deathly afraid of walking on beams when we had to do it in PE. She moved schools in the fifth grade, and she studies in UST now. michael: His full name is Michael, but Mike is a guy I almost went out with in high school. Wasn’t really attracted to him, but he’s like super smart so it was a huge plus point for me lol. I also have an orgmate named Michael but we all call him Elis. He’s unreliable. miranda: If surnames count, Gabie’s best friend’s last name is this haha. molly monica: Some girl who went to my old school but transferred schools early on, like in 2nd or 3rd grade. She was Gabie’s childhood friend though so I still hear from her from time to time. She’s in UP now too, but I don’t know what course she’s taking. morgan nashid natasha: I went to high school with a girl named Natasha, but she goes by Tashie. Huge girl and a beast at softball. Can be a big softie but she has weird mood swings too (and when she’s mad, she’s quite violent) so I just tried not to piss her off while we were still in school together lol. nate: Yeah he’s in the same college as me but I know zilch about him other than he’s supposed to be really good in making films. nathan neema nichole: Annoying younger busmate who graduated high school this year. nick: Nick is the codename I gave to one of my first crushes. Obviously not his legit name so I don’t think this counts. nicholas olivia paige preasia preme prisilla: When I was still applying for AIESEC, Priscilla was assigned as one of my groupmates. I was originally iffy because she didn’t get online to work until like 11 PM, but when I did see her start working, she was a GODDAMN BEAST. Amazing. Did everything I assigned to her. When I met her in person the next day, she spoke very well and was very put-together. My respect for her soared even more after that. I dropped my application soon after for unrelated reasons but it was a pleasure working with her. Last I heard, she’s a councilor-elect in her local college’s student council. rachel: My math teacher in Grade 1 was a Rachel. I don’t remember her at all, except for the fact that when she found our class noisy one day, she completely stopped talking and mimed everything for the rest of the 45-minute period. raheim raven: Creepy, weird dude from my org who’s always looking for a dick to suck. I’m not even trying to insult him, he’s just perpetually thirsty and makes sure the whole world knows it for some reason. ray renee: Sweet, intelligent, hilarious girl from my high school. She’s very makwela, which in English means zany/funny. Her dad is a national basketball coach so it’s no surprise she followed in his footsteps. richard riley rita: Sweet, sweet girl from my org. We all just kinda naturally flock to protect her from bad influences or creepy people because she just has such a sweet soul. She’s my successor VP in my committee. robby: I have an Uncle Rob, but he doesn’t go by Robby. He’s the husband of my aunt (my mom’s cousin). He’s from New Zealand and has a Masters or a PhD in film theory, I don’t actually remember which. ryan: I used to see him a lot at a relative’s house until I was like 8. I’ve never seen him since and don’t actually know how he’s related to us or me lmfao. sabrina samantha: I have a younger cousin named Samantha. Sam was born and raised in New York but visited the Philippines last year and I was primarily in charge of taking care of her. She’s just the cutest darling I’ve seen and has the most perfect accent ahuhuhuhuhuhu. She likes My Little Pony. sara sarica sean: Someone from a lower batch in high school has this name. I never knew her but we follow each other on Twitter loooooool. secilia seliena: My older cousin’s first name is Selina but she goes by her second name, Bianca or Bia for short. We were inseperable as kids but we grew shyer as we grew older :( shannon shauna: Gabie’s orgmate. That’s all I know. She liked my tweets in the past but that’s the most contact we’ve made. shayna shelby sherry seirra skylar spencer steven stevey susan: I have an Aunt Susan. She took care of me my whole childhood; fed me, gave me baths, all that stuff when my mom was too busy with work. She got run over by a hit-and-run motorcycle when I was 9 and she was never the same after. She was crankier and had violent outbursts. tamara: I went to school with a Tamara; her nickname was Tammy. She was a gentle giant; like she was a naturally big girl but was very soft-spoken and SUPER shy. We got close for a while in 4th grade but her paths differed not long after. tashryha taylor tayshaun terrell tiffany: I had a batchmate named Tiffany. She was kinda mean in grade school but got nicer as we got older. I never really got the chance to know her well. tori trevor trisha: Another high school batchmate. All I remember was that she would cheat on tests by changing her wrong answers when the teachers would give our results back so they could correct it for her. Also a big Justin Bieber fan lol. trista tylik vanessa: There was a Vanessa in an older HS batch but she went by Via; she just graduated college yesterday but that’s all I know. There’s also a Vanessa in my sister’s HS batch; she’s half-German and that’s also all I know. victoria: Some girl I had a class with was named Victoria but it’s her middle name; we all called her Kristine. wally will wyatt zach: Another guy from the wrestling group I was in. He was one of the older dudes so I was more scared of him than the rest. zachary: Same answer as Zach. I think this was his whole name. zoey

[theleastcarefulofgamedevs]

hehehehehehehehe ur turn. overshare pals

hehe im lov u ceec :)

---

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

water bottles and soda cans!

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

chocolate.... im lov it

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

cotton candy!

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

hardworking, earnest, and honestly? they gave me too much credit ebagweaganegioawnegew

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

soda bottles!

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

somewhere between boho, goth, and grunge hehe

7. earbuds or headphones?

headphones!

8. movies or tv shows?

movies,,

9. favorite smell in the summer?

you know that wet pavement smell after it rains? love that

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

dodgeball hehehe

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

nothin tbh. i don’t wake up early enough for it

12. name of your favorite playlist?

Writing Music! i made it hehehe

13. lanyard or key ring?

key ring!

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

GUMMY BEARS AND JELLY BEANS

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

“A Child Called ‘It’“ by Dave Pelzer

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

cuddled up to someone in blankets,,, im lov anything with my s/o tbh

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

i have this beat up pair of blue slip ons that have bloodstains on em bc i got a nosebleed one day bwaeiugbaweugbaweubguaw

18. ideal weather?

post-raining, or like. just before it starts raining

19. sleeping position?

anything with my s/o or bein wrapped in like. a billion blankets

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

on my home pc in my room!

21. obsession from childhood?

dice and video games!

22. role model?

i know it’s gonna sound dumb but like. a lot of characters from media have influenced me a lot, like sans/komaeda etc. another one from my real life would be my aunt on my mom’s side!

23. strange habits?

i bounce my leg while listening to music or stressed,, that’s abt it. OH and i like twirling a small blanket around on my arm bc... acrobatics of sorts

24. favorite crystal?

amethyst, but anything clean cut and rounded looks rlly nice imo,,

25. first song you remember hearing?

the first day i remember in my life was christmas at my grandma’s when i was 4, so probably random christmas music ubwegebwgwebgoibgweg

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

sometimes when i get tired of sitting around at home i like to walk down to the dog park by my house! 

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

cuddle,,,,,,,,,,, wrap up in a blanket with some freshly baked cookies n just. be there

28. five songs to describe you?

megalovania, medley rush 2 from the sonic rush ost, the promised neverland english op, metal crusher from undertale, metal scratchin’ from sonic rush

29. best way to bond with you?

just talk to me! im godawful at starting convos but i love talkin to ppl! 

30. places that you find sacred?

every person’s room feels that way, as well as obvious places, like churches n whatnot. we went n visited my aunt’s old house so my mom could pick up some stuff and being in her room after she died in 2015 was just like. an emotion i can’t rlly describe

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

hoodie, trackpants, n sneakers hehe

32. top five favorite vines?

back at it again @ krispy kreme, ADAM, they were roommates, two dudes in a hot tub, my croissant

33. most used phrase in your phone?

either “be there soon” or “ily” 

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

none tbh. i don’t watch much tv so i don’t see ads often

35. average time you fall asleep?

either 10:30 or sometime after midnight. no in between 

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

it was a rage comic

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

suitcase!

38. lemonade or tea?

lemonade, but i LOVE tea!

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

LEMON CAKE....

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

i was walkin in the halls with my friend and someone dropped a styrofoam cup of pasta on my friend’s head from the second floor awbegiuawbeguiawbguaewg

41. last person you texted?

the person who sent this ask heheheheh

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

jacket pockets!

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

hoodie!

44. favorite scent for soap?

anything really, but i like whatever my s/o uses bc it would remind me of them!

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

fantasy!

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

underwear tbh. like. that and a tshirt or just underwear is the only way i can sleep

47. favorite type of cheese?

sensory issues say i have to hate all kinds of cheese outside of like. grilled cheese so let’s go with that/cheddar

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

dragonfruit! 

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

GOD pretty much every quote from monomi or chiaki in danganronpa 2, but mostly “if you learn to love yourself, that love will continue to carry you for your whole life! love, love...”

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

OH HERES A FUCKIN STORY OK so i was at my friend’s house with a bunch of others bc we were doin a sleepover type thing and we were eating raising canes in his attic at like 3 am and some guy high on like. 3 different drugs at once got impaled through the leg on his fence. nobody saw him but we knew he was there and the cops were there in like 3 minutes. that very same friend has some of the most wack stories ngl

51. current stresses?

just doing well in school and making sure my s/o is happy!

52. favorite font?

comic sans.......................... im sorry

53. what is the current state of your hands?

my palms b sweaty but my fingers are dehydrated tbh. typin

54. what did you learn from your first job?

work.... difficult

55. favorite fairy tale?

probably the princess and the frog!

56. favorite tradition?

christmas!

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

probably my most noteworthy traumas tbh. gettin therapy for em, too

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

writing, my ability to overcome obstacles, being able to help ppl as well as i can, and making friends fast!

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

“Not dead yet.”

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

Probably either shounen, romance, or moe,,,,

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

“It’s a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like these, kids like you... should be burning in hell.”

62. seven characters you relate to?

sans, komaeda, makoto naegi, komaru naegi, toko fukawa, chiaki nanami, and chihiro fujisaki!

63. five songs that would play in your club?

they’d all be fall out boy tbh. that and videogame osts

64. favorite website from your childhood?

armor games hehe

65. any permanent scars?

i don’t think so? at least, not yet

66. favorite flower(s)?

roses and anything blue!

67. good luck charms?

my dice sets!

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

vanilla york peppermint patties... gross

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

pikmin in pikmin 1 who are underneath a bridge when it’s completed are killed because they get pushed through the ground

70. left or right handed?

right handed!

71. least favorite pattern?

probably the hellish bumpy pattern all teachers have all over their fuckin classrooms

72. worst subject?

math

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

chicken nuggets in milkshake... good. or frankly just like. cooked chicken mixed with anythin cold like ice or ice cream

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

like. 3 or 4

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

i was eating a crunch bar and it fell out hehe

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

I WOULD DIE FOR FRENCH FRIES.

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

any small blooming plant, like a single rose or flower!

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

hrm. coffee from a gas station tbh

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

NEITHER LOOK GOOD LMAO and i don’t have a driver’s license. that’s just like. a prediction

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

jewel tones!

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

lightning bugs!

82. pc or console?

either works but i spend more time on pc!

83. writing or drawing?

writing, but i like both!

84. podcasts or talk radio?

talk radio, but i love podcasts like TAZ or Critical Role! 

84. barbie or polly pocket?

neither? but probably barbie bc it’s more well known? idk

85. fairy tales or mythology?

mythology!

86. cookies or cupcakes?

cupcakes all the way b

87. your greatest fear?

me being the last person i know alive. i’d rather die than outlive everyone

88. your greatest wish?

i hope that no matter what there is after we die, i get to be with the people that are most important to me. 

89. who would you put before everyone else?

my s/o and family tbh

90. luckiest mistake?

buying danganronpa bweguowabguawebogbaweibg

91. boxes or bags?

boxes!

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

fairy lights!

93. nicknames?

i go by wes, dev, bines, anything rlly

94. favorite season?

spring!

95. favorite app on your phone?

tumblr hehe

96. desktop background?

it’s the ddlc cast! it’s a greyscaled image of four of the events cut together and their eyes glow hehe

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

only one, and it’s my dads bc i have to call him every time i go to my grandparents’ hehe

98. favorite historical era?

probably the one we’re in now tbh, but like. also hate it

[saredika-blog]

True Love

"grandma, I have a question, why do we look so different?" asked ten year old Tamina. The grandmother looked down from her rocking chair and studied Tamina with her eyes ,,Well, Tamina, I believe you'll have to explain that to me. Look at us. We both have blonde hair, both our eyes shine green and even our noses look similar."

She looked away from Tamina and looked at her mirror image in the window of the veranda: "why would you say that we look different?"

Tamina started to giggle, as if her grandmother didn't understand: "but grandma, that is not what I meant. Look, our skin, mine is smooth and solid, but yours isn't. Why is that?"

The grandmother had to laugh, harder than she ever did, and a tear ran down her cheek: "Tamina, that's because I have already put my life behind me. Look, your skin is smooth and solid because you still have a long way to go. A way, in which the hurdles of life must bounce off from your tight and protective skin to make it easier for you. I already went through all of that and my skin is tired and can't resist the pressure anymore. Do you understand?"

Tamina jerked her nose, pulled her face into wrinkles and looked at her grandmother with surprise: "what hurdles of life do you exactly mean grandma?", she asked.

"Okay Tamina, let's take love as an example. Love can be beautiful but it can also hurt. There are highs and lows, with just like any other thing in life. I have got them over with, but you still need to face them all." Said her grandmother and looked at her with a big smile.

"Love? Sina told me that true love doesn't exist", Tamina yelled. Her grandmother looked at her with surpise, bent forward and whispered into her ear: "That is because your sister hasn't experienced true love yet. I loved, truly, and after I found my true love I never loved anyone the same way again."

Tamina put on a big smile and opened her eyes wide: "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Her grandmother stood up, took Taminas hand and said: "I had hoped you'd ask."

They walked down the small staircase to the Veranda and to the sea, right across the house of Taminas grandmother. They sat down on a bench, right at the beach. Her Grandmother looked onto the surface of the water, which mirrored the light of the sun, when a tear ran down her cheek.

"A long, long, time ago. At a time when you weren't born yet, I knew this man. He was good looking, tall and a true gentleman. I met him at a time, at which I was in the same situation as your bigger sister. True love? I didn't believe in it anymore. But he managed to proof otherwise. "

She took a deep breath: "I was very young, 18 to be specific, and I was a full grown woman. He was very charming and confident, and when I saw him the first time, I found him extremely attractive. But, he had bad reputation when it came to girls. Apparently he was one of that kind who got them hooked, and then never called them again. But something about the way he acted, maybe it was my imagination, I knew that he had much more in himself than he showed. It was the way he looked at me that evening, how he talked to me, his vocie so low and urgent than none before. He seemed to be interested in me too, but on that evening our ways split."

Tamina looked at her grandmother, devestated, and asked her: "And that is supposed to be true love?"

Her grandmother studied her reproachfuly and complained: "you need to be patient and let me finish the story Tamina! I wasn't finished yet"

Tamina calmed down and nodded for her grandmother to go on: "randomly we met again at a party downtown. On that evening his presence had even more impact on me than before. His looks made me nervous and I couldn't possibly keep my eyes of him, no matter how hard I tried. My eyes were bound on him, just like a man who is tied onto a tree and can't free himself. We got to know each other a little better that evening and he granted me a kiss that night, which lit a fire in me that I didn't know had come to life at that time. After that night we met occasionally, told us about our worlds, who couldn't have been further apart. He was a soldier and I was a student, who still had to find her way around. However, we liked each other a lot, so we met more frequently as time passed by. We met to watch movies and he visited me when I was sick and broken to take care of me. We developed a strong bond between us and soon we were the towns most loved couple."

Taminas grandmother sighed and went on: "But life wasn't always easy and our realtionship wasn't either. He often was miles away from me due to his commitment as a soldier. He traveled around the world, while I was at home and studied for my education. I missed him so much that he was all I could think about, but when he came home, no one could keep us from being together. Believe me, we had great times together and he was the only one who managed to make me laugh the way he did."

She smiled in her remembrance of him an said: "I loved him for his humour, his sensibility, his caring side and even for his stubborn head. Well, as time went by our love grew stronger and no one was able to break it. Of course, we fought and screamed at each other sometimes, just like every other couple too, but we always made up and told each other how much we loved them. I can tell you Tamina, his reputation wasn't anything like him. He never let me down and he was always there for me when I needed him."

Tamina smiled and asked: "that's nice grandma, how did it go on?"

Her grandmother laughed an told her: "soon he asked me if I wanted to marry him, of course I said yes immediately. So, we married and held a huge party, invited everyone we knew. The people laughed, danced and congratulated us for our love. At the end of that evening he asked me to dance. He pulled me into his big and strong arms and looked me right into my eyes. He wasn't much of a dancer to be honest, but I liked that since I wasn't much of one either. He kissed me in such a way that my whole body jerked, my heart raced and that I felt goosebumps from top to bottom. One year later, our wonderful son was born and soon after, our beautiful daughter Samara."

Tamina opened her eyes white, a bit shocked, and asked: "but that's mom, right?"

Her grandmother looked her right in the eyes and said: "You are right, that was your mother! But after that, dark times came over our family. I had to say goodbye to the man I loved because he had to go far away to fight in a horrible war for another country. I let him go, though, I couldn't stop my tears from running and waited for him to return. I sat infront of the radio every day, listening to the news, trying to gain information about the fallen. Every night when I heard that a soldier had fallen, I cried myself into sleep, scared that it could have been him. I think I have never been so afraid to lose somebody. One day, they called me and told me what I had always been afraid to hear. Soon after that war was over, but the man I loved would not return. I was alone with two children and didn't know how to deal with the loss. There was no single day after the news, on which I haven't thought about him. I saw him in my dreams, his face, his wonderful being and remembered the love he gave me that had always saved my day. I saw him sitting on this bench, looking at the sea the way we are now and was anquished by the loss of him. My love for him was so real that I never loved anyone again."

Tamina looked at her grandmother, devestated, and said: "grandma, you are crying!"

She pulled her into her arms and looked at her helpless. Her grandmother cried and said: "he was your grandfather Tamina and we lost him too early. But he gave the most valuable good in the world. He gave me his time, his heart and our children. He showed me that true love exists and that life can be beautiful. For me, he didn't leave. He is here in our hearts. In yours and in mine."

Her grandmother washed away her tears and smiled.

Tamina thought about what her grandmother had told her and said: "I wish I knew him. He sounds like a great man."

Her grandmother looked deep into her eyes: "yes, he was!

[duckybeth99]

One Winter’s Bond (Past Fic)

ok so I’m starting the series of holiday fics with this one BECAUSE it has nobody else’s characters but mine so I thought I might as well get it outta the way lmao. Read bc it contains Plot Points That Will Come Up

—

It was a small little home, crowded as she always remembered it to be.

Only a young girl, she remembered the young man who came to the door that December day. There was snow covering the streets outside, and her grandmother told her to not play too close to the windows and doors, out of fear of the chill air seeping in and the young girl catching a cold.

Alice looked over to the menorah. She swung her legs as she sat at the kitchen table, waiting for her mother to come home so they could light the candle for the first night. This year, they said that on the last day, Alice could light the last one herself.

“I’m home!” Molly called, stepping through the front door and holding tight to the jacket around her. She patted her boots against the welcome mat as Melissa ushered her daughter inside.

“Inside, get inside from the cold!” Melissa scolded. Molly laughed as she walked in.

“That’s what I’m trying to do, Mom,” she smirked, “if you’d make more space from the doorway.”

“Oy, this apartment is far too small,” Melissa huffed. “But you’re just in time for dinner. It’s still warm.”

“I’m not late for once?” Molly grinned, “Lucky me.”

“Mom!” Alice ran up, tugging her mother’s hand, “Come on, it’s time to light the menorah!”

“After dinner,” Melissa said. “Don’t let supper get cold.”

“Your grandma’s right, Alice,” Molly smiled. “Just wait a minute. Besides, I’m freezing. I wanna get something warm in me first.” Alice pouted, but followed her mother to the dining room.

“The store is so busy.” Molly told her mother and daughter as they ate, “It’s the only time of year we keep our head above water.”

“Everybody wants dresses for holiday parties,” Melissa nodded, “and everybody wants their suits patched up, and nice clothes for their children, dresses husbands get for their wives…”

“Only other busy time is around Easter,” Molly huffed. “Everybody needs their Sunday best.”

Alice twirled her fork in her mashed potatoes. Her mother and grandmother were always worried about the seamstress shop they owned. On their little block, a lot of the families had their own shops and such a couple streets down. One was a jokes shop. Another was her mother and grandmother’s seamstress shop. Molly told Alice that the shop that was next door used to be her father’s old bakery.

Her grandmother was complaining just earlier that day about how the man who owned the block, a Mr. Ezekiel Zachary Collins, was planning to place a new business in there. Melissa didn’t like the idea of seeing what had been a lovely, comforting place be taken away by someone else. Molly wasn’t sure how she felt. She just knew that it still hurt every time she looked at the old place.

Alice didn’t feel much either way. It would at least mean a new place to play around and explore. Maybe it would be a toy store, like the fancy ones up town.

Once dinner was done, the twelve-year-old practically tugged the older women to the menorah on the mantel. Molly laughed at her daughter’s excitement, as Melissa went over to get a match.

“I got it, Mom,” Molly smiled, gently taking the matchbox from her mother. Melissa gave a tired smile and patted her daughter’s arm.

Molly scrapped the edge of the box with the match, Alice watching with a smile as her mother lit the second candle. With a gentle blow, she let the match’s fire die and tossed it in the trash. Melissa uttered a prayer in front of the lights

“Now a chocolate piece?” Alice beamed at her grandmother. Melissa laughed.

“So that’s what you’ve been waiting for all night,” she teased. “I see your real motives, little one.”

Alice held out her hands excitedly as Melissa pressed one Hanukkah gelt in her hand. Alice beamed and quickly tore the wrapping off and bit into the chocolate coin.

“Such a sweet tooth,” Melissa chuckled. “Must have gotten it from her father.”

“Yeah,” Molly murmured quietly. Melissa looked sadly at her daughter and patted her back gently.

“Let’s listen to the radio,” Melissa offered. Molly nodded as she went over to the small radio on the side table. She turned the knobs, looking for a station.

That was when the man showed up.

There was a knock on the door, and Alice held the chocolate in her mouth, letting it melt on her tongue as her mother murmured, “who could that be?” and went to answer the door. Melissa sat in her rocking chair, listening to the music that came over the radio.

“Hello?” Molly looked up at the young man before her. He had brown curly hair, teal blue eyes and thin, half-moon glasses. He wore a hat that covered most of his curls from the snow, a fancy dark coat, and a blue scarf. Alice looked curiously up at him, trying to get the best look she could of him.

“Alice,” Melissa scolded, “it’s rude to stare.” Alice quickly turned her head back and looked up at her grandmother.

“I’m sorry for barging in, miss,” the young man began, “I-I was looking for a Ms. McEllen. Molly McEllen?”

“That’s me,” Molly hesitated. “I-is there something wrong?”

“No, no,” the man began nervously, “I, um, I need to talk to you.”

“Please, come in from the cold,” Molly murmured, stepping aside to let the young man in. He slid his hat off and stood awkwardly in the living room.

“Mom, could you put Alice to bed?” Molly asked. Alice frowned.

“I can go by myself,” the twelve-year-old grumbled.

“It’s not a matter of going, it’s a matter of staying,” Molly said. “Please?”

“Yes, Mom,” Alice mumbled. Her grandmother ushered her down the hall to their rooms. Molly looked anxiously to the young man.

“May I ask what this about?” she began, “O-oh, and please, sit down. You don’t have to stand this whole time.”

“My… well, um,” the young man slowly sat across from Molly on the sofa, “m-my name is Merhib. Merhib Zachary Collins.” Molly tensed at the last name. “And… I’ve been doing a lot of digging. Looking into the past. And… um… I—I think you’re my mother?” Molly froze.

“I… I’m sorry,” she shook her head slowly, “I don’t have a son. I only have my daughter.”

“But—but my father said—“

“Ezekiel Collins?”

“Y… yes,” Merhib murmured. Molly looked over her shoulder, down the hall to be sure her daughter and mother’s bedroom doors were shut.

“I did have a child with him,” she whispered. “My mother knows. But not my daughter. Nor… nor my late husband. He never knew. But it was only Alice. She’s twelve.”

“Oh,” Merhib murmured. Disappointed, he stared at his gloved hands silently.

“There was another woman I knew, though,” Molly began, “Lea Miller. She was with him before. She lived with us for a long time. My mother and I took her in.”

“Do you know where she is?” Merhib’s hands gripped tightly to the armrest, excitement shining from him again. Molly looked sadly at Merhib. She placed a hand over his gloved one and squeezed it tight.

Alice pressed her ear to her bedroom door, dressed in her nightgown. It was too quiet to hear a thing. She huffed and pouted with her bottom lip hanging, crossing her arms.

She wondered what her mother and the man were talking about.

She wondered the whole time as she finally climbed into bed and began to fall asleep.

—

He visited frequently after that. Almost every day. He would help his grandmother around the house, he would study there and Melissa would give him food and scold him for being so thin, Merhib would give a shy smile and eat what Melissa made for him. Alice had to admit, she was a little jealous when her grandmother gave him a chocolate gelt and he wasn’t even Jewish.

He didn’t know what the menorah was for, but he repeatedly apologized for intruding on “their holidays”.

Today found Alice finally off from school, and Merhib was watching over her. Her mother called it babysitting. She said he was just watching over her.

She wasn’t a baby.

Alice hopped around in the snow, Merhib keeping an eye on her as they walked to another part of town Alice had rarely been to. Where the rich people lived, where the fancy shops were.

“Everyone’s at the shop and I don’t have a key to your house,” Merhib began as they walked up the pathway to a gated, large manor, “and I don’t want to impose. So, your mom said it would be okay if I took you to my house. A-as long as my dad wasn’t home.”

“You live here?” Alice gasped, staring at the tall building. Merhib nodded as he let Alice inside. Her cold face immediately was met with the warmth of his home. A tall Christmas tree stood in the middle of the foyer. Alice looked at all the different doorways that led to giant rooms, the tall double staircases that practically wrapped around the tree, and what seemed like millions more rooms that were upstairs.

“Yeah,” Merhib chuckled, taking off his hat, coat, and scarf. Alice slowly took her coat off.

“Your tree is gigantic!” she gasped, “Probably taller than the one in the middle of the city!”

“I dunno about that,” Merhib smiled, “but it is big. Father likes the… bigger things in life. Bigger and finer is better to him.” Alice wandered up to the tree and stared at crystal ornaments that reflected her freckled face back.

The rest of that day, Merhib showed Alice around his lavished home. She was in awe with how he owned his own personal library, how giant his bed was, the balcony he had outside his own room, the giant fireplace in the parlor room, the huge kitchen, the long dining table decorated with fancy trinkets for Christmas… he seemed to have everything.

Why was this young rich man talking with her family?

Merhib found a few books for the girl and read to her. She fell asleep on him at one point. Merhib put a blanket around her and let her sleep on the parlor room sofa, the warmth and glow of the fire reflecting on her face.

She slept for a while before piano music woke her up.

Alice crawled out from the warm cocoon of the blanket, wandering the home until she found the sound of the music.

There, behind the large, beautiful piano, sat Merhib. He was singing softly to himself.

The minute he lifted his head and saw Alice, his face flushed and he threw down shut the lid for the keys.

“Hey, don’t stop!” Alice scurried inside the music room, beside the young man, “You were really good! Can you play a little more? Please?”

“Um…” Merhib chewed at his bottom lip. Alice looked pleading with her big, brown eyes. Merhib sighed and opened the keys again. Taking a breath, he started on the piano again, playing a different song.

He began to sing a holiday song, but Alice never heard it before. People singing it, or it playing over the radio. Merhib seemed to know all the words by heart, though.

He slowly began to become more excited and enthused as he played, his voice louder and more joyful. Alice scooted to sit beside him on the piano, feeling his warmth against her.

He was a very nice man. She wished she could play like him.

He took her home a few hours later, after she taught him how to play with dreidels and they cleared some snow from the front sidewalk, playing hopscotch together as the snow stopped falling. Merhib made them both hot chocolate. Alice laughed when he got a chocolate mustache over his lips. She told him how she only got chocolate around Hanukkah, how her family couldn’t spend too much on nicer things. Merhib offered her one more cup full after hearing that.

The next day, Merhib watched over Alice at night, at her home. Molly and Melissa had an emergency to take care of at the shop and take care of a client.

Alice pressed her hands against the frosted windows, looking out down the streets. Merhib noticed her, setting his book down.

“What’s the matter?” Alice squinted, trying to look further down the road.

“I wanna see the big tree,” she murmured, “in the middle of town. My mom and grandma would take me to see it light up, cuz I always thought it was pretty since I was little, but they’re busy.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Merhib grinned. Alice turned from the window, seeing Merhib already toss his coat back on and held up Alice’s. She excitedly slipped into hers.

The two rushed through the streets, snow falling softly. Alice kept tugging Merhib’s arm, and he kept warning her not to go so fast. Alice could see her panted breaths blow out of her.

Reaching the middle of town, the crowd had already grown wide. Alice tried to stand on the tips of her toes to get a good look. She couldn’t see over the people in front of her. She huffed, Merhib looking around. He smiled.

“Follow me,” he whispered. Alice held tight to his hand as they moved through the crowd, reaching back to his manor. He hurried up the stairs, and going through one of the rooms upstairs, Merhib pulled back some curtains and opened up the latch to the window.

The two slowly stepped out to the balcony, watching the snow fall. Alice looked around confused.

“Why are we back here?” she asked. Merhib pointed down below them.

There was a perfect view of the middle of the town. Alice grinned from ear to ear as the tree slowly lit up, ticking from one layer to the next until the star on top was shining for all to see.

“This is wonderful!” Alice cheered. Merhib smiled at the young girl’s joy. She threw her arms around him, much to his suddenly tense surprise. He slowly wrapped his arms back around her. The two stared out at the snowfall and the people down in the middle of town singing.

—

“Merhib, you tracked snow everywhere,” the maid scolded. The young man smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry,” he murmured. The maid huffed. As Merhib began to head to his room to study, she called his name. He stopped before getting to the staircase.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” she asked, her voice hushed. Merhib sighed and moved slowly back to the maid.

“She died,” he whispered. “A few years ago. A… around December, actually. She took her life.”

“I’m sorry,” the maid bowed her head. “I know how much looking for your mother meant to you.”

“It’s okay,” Merhib shrugged, brushing his sadness away. “I… I found some other people. Not my mother, but they were very kind.”

“Very good,” the maid smiled tiredly.

“Go on and get some rest,” Merhib smiled gently. “It’s late. You can’t stay up for so long.”

“These old bones still have work to do.”

“I’ll clean up the snow. Promise.”

“You better,” the maid huffed, placing her hands on her hips with a nod, “or else your father will have both our heads.”

“I know,” Merhib smiled. As his maid headed to her quarters and Merhib cleaned up the snow, he thought about Alice.

His little half-sister.

He promised to keep Molly’s secret. That meant not even telling the maid. Not telling Alice.

He knew her reasons.

He didn’t want to be a Collins either.

[rememberingdeanamelkin]

Happy 65, Dad.  We All Miss You Terribly.

Today would have been my dad’s 65th birthday.  One of the last times I saw my dad was in February 2012, when my sisters and I surprised him in Florida for his 60th birthday celebration.  It was a wonderful weekend that I’ll remember forever.  I asked some of my family members what are some other fun moments that they come back to when they think about my dad.  Here are a few in honor of his birthday: 

When Grandpa and I were away for vacation when Dean was young, we came home early to half naked teenagers running around and our Dalmatian walking into walls.  I took the dog to the vet thinking he had an inner ear infection, but the vet shocked me when he told me that the dog was stoned.  Apparently he had eaten some of Dean's pot.  I miss him dearly and feel bad, but this is one of the first things I always think of.  

                                                     -Grandma Annette (Dean’s mom)

When I would come down the stairs in the morning in old lady pajamas and looking horrific and he'd be sitting having coffee at the kitchen table and he’d say "there's my bride!”

                                                    -Donna (Dean’s wife)

Growing up with Dean as my big brother, there is far too much to put into words that makes me smile, laugh and cry - how do you recap history?  But today I was transported back in time when I was walking back to my office with a colleague after getting our morning coffee.  I carefully carried two cups with two mini creamers on top of one.  Well, as luck would have it one of the creamers fell, I stepped on it and got covered in cream - from my nose to my toes.  This incident instantly brought back a memory of when Dean and I were kids.  

Dean and I would ago outside with the leftover soy sauce and duck sauce plastic packets from Chinese take-out, step on them and see who would get the messiest.  Being much smaller and 4 1/2 years younger I inevitably always lost! This brought back a flood of childhood memories of growing up with Dean as my big brother and all the trouble we used to get into, how he taunted me but more importantly how he truly looked after me as only a big brother can/will do. We grew older, wiser, had fights and differences of opinion but always made-up and reclaimed our special bond of big brother-little sister.  At the end of the day and the end of my brother’s time with us, we parted as great friends and for that I will always be grateful.  There are so many more stories I could share, some known to family and friends and many not -  all of which I will always cherish.  Dean touched so many lives with his generosity, sensitivity and loving nature leaving a piece of him with all that knew and loved him.  Happy Birthday to my big brother - not a day goes by without me thinking of you and how fortunate we all are to have had you in our lives.  Your memory will live on forever!  

                                                   -Ellen (Dean’s little sister)

Dean loved wine.  Dean loved red wine. There was never an evening when there was not an open bottle of red wine on the counter in his Florida kitchen.  The attached photograph was taken at Preston Winery June 2005.

                                                  -Adam (Dean’s brother-in-law)

This one night I get a call from your mom & dad to please go over to the house and hang out with your dad because he was waiting on someone to show up to buy their old car, a Honda CRV.  Your mom didn't want him to be alone when some random person showed up to buy the car.  We spent a couple of hours having some beer and watching basketball.  While we were waiting we were texting your mom things like, "it's been nice knowing you" and "is the life insurance paid up?"  She was not nearly as amused as we were.  The guy that showed up to buy the car was an older gentlemen who was buying the car for a family member and I can only imagine what he thought when we answered the door smelling like beer and half in tears from joking around like a couple middle school kids.

                                                 -Gary (Dean’s brother-in-law)

When I think about dad, I picture him in the car drumming along to whatever is on the radio.  I picture him unbuttoning his shirt in a public place after Mom yelled at him for having too much chest hair out.  I picture him on the couch watching the Miami Heat with a glass of red wine, or laying down with Sophie licking his bald spot.  I think about how proud he would be of the three of us doing the work we do, especially now.  I think about how much fun he would have playing with my pup, or talking politics with my partner.  I still go to call him every once in a while.  Dad would've been 65 today...and I truly believe he would have looked back on these last 5 years and felt nothing but love and pride for his kids and his amazing wife.

                                                -Chelsey (Dean’s daughter)

I just always remember his laugh and that when he laughed, he often put his hand on his chest and bent over. 

                                               -Brett (Dean’s daughter)

A lot of the time when I think about my dad, I think about his touch.  He was a good hugger, who really wrapped you up in an embrace--that is not something I appreciated enough when he was alive.  He was also a very funny man--king of the dad jokes--and tremendously generous.  Even when he and my mom were struggling with money, if I wanted something, he was sure to try to get it for me. 

When I started out playing roller hockey, I wanted a clear mask for my helmet, even though it was probably quadruple the price than the standard grill that came included.  Still, having watched ice hockey on tv, I knew that was the authentic look, and my dad went along with the purchase, though he probably would have much preferred to avoid it.  I loved the mask-it was beautiful and I was really proud of it. 

Then comes the first practice...turns out I am terrible at hockey and all the other kids have the standard face mask.  I didn’t want to be both awful and ostentatious, so I asked my dad to take me back to the store and exchange my once-beloved clear mask.   Even though he probably was stressed about buying me the expensive mask and didn’t really want to in the first place, he never complained at the store the first time, nor “told me so” at the second.  He wanted me to be happy and feel supported.  And I always felt that way with him, even when he was demanding excellence from me and giving me a hard time about school or my behavior at home.  I always felt (and still feel) like part of his team.  

I miss him today, as I do everyday, and I hope he’ll be in my dreams when I go to sleep tonight on his 65th birthday.  I wish though that we could hug this evening.  

                                               -Ian (Dean’s son)

[productofmypast]

weird asks that say a lot

in

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

Wine glasses

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

Chocolate bars

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

Bubblegum

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

quiett

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

Plastic cups

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

Preppy

7. earbuds or headphones?

Earbuds

8. movies or tv shows?

Movies

9. favorite smell in the summer?

Fresh hot rain

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

sitting down after games and shit lol

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

Avocado toast

12. name of your favorite playlist?

Private

13. lanyard or key ring?

Lanyard

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

Sour little bottles

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

Stranger

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

Laying down. Or in bean bag.

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

Wedge heals rn

18. ideal weather?

Thunder strorm

19. sleeping position?

Stomachhh

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? post it notes

21. obsession from childhood?

MUsic

22. role model?

Myself

23. strange habits?

I love being alone

24. favorite crystal?

Selenite

25. first song you remember hearing?

Cirques

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

swim

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

sleep

28. five songs to describe you?

29. best way to bond with you?

music

30. places that you find sacred?

moms house grandmas house

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

dress

32. top five favorite vines?

33. most used phrase in your phone?

lol

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

35. average time you fall asleep?

2

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

spongebob

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

suitcase duffle bags piss me off

38. lemonade or tea?

tea saves lives

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

haven't tried them

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

actually slipping on a banana peal in the lunch room

41. last person you texted?

mommy

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

PANTS

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

Hoodie hoe

44. favorite scent for soap?

Honey

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

fantasy

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

naked w a clean face

47. favorite type of cheese?

nah

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

strawberry 

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

alergia

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

my cousins being silly

51. current stresses?

money

52. favorite font?

none

53. what is the current state of your hands?

dry I was cleaning

54. what did you learn from your first job?

be careful don't be played 

55. favorite fairy tale?

cinderella 

56. favorite tradition?

New Years

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

mental health, people control, emotional control

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

singing, dancing, third eye to people and sleeping

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

Get it.

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

the girl in kingdom heartss

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

“The more you do the less you wait” - Mac Miller

62. seven characters you relate to?

sandy, Jacky, idk im sleepy

63. five songs that would play in your club?

64. favorite website from your childhood?

65. any permanent scars?

66. favorite flower(s)?

67. good luck charms?

old pictures

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

70. left or right handed?

71. least favorite pattern?

72. worst subject?

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

earth

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

82. pc or console?

83. writing or drawing?

writing

84. podcasts or talk radio?

84. barbie or polly pocket?

85. fairy tales or mythology?

86. cookies or cupcakes?

cookies

87. your greatest fear?

black holes

88. your greatest wish?

89. who would you put before everyone else?

90. luckiest mistake?

91. boxes or bags?

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

93. nicknames?

94. favorite season?

95. favorite app on your phone?

96. desktop background?

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

my moms and 911 

98. favorite historical era? rn it has to be

[blockheadbrands]

Eric Wilson Does It For The Love of Music

Stephen Laddin of High Times Reports:

Jurassic Park. That was my initial thought sitting down with Eric Wilson in his massive backyard. It’s an expansive landscape of mountain rocks, avocado trees and bronze dinosaur statues. A padded chair sits empty across from a wooden bench, on which Eric sits with Melvin, his playful Rottweiler.

Eric is in fantastic spirits, not at all appearing like the man who almost died days earlier in an ATV accident. His deep side bruise and fractured right arm are at complete odds with his sunny disposition. I ask him what happened with the accident and a wide smile crests his face.

“Well, when I was born, I fell out the wrong way. [Laughs] I was up on the walking bridge with my Mechanical Mule. It lost traction and I went down with it. It was pretty violent.”

Whether he’s grateful just to be alive or simply enjoying time away from the road, Eric Wilson is a happy man. And with good reason. Sublime With Rome is releasing their third studio album this month and will embark on a monster summer tour in June. 

We wait 20 minutes for the sun to tuck itself behind the trees, when our seating area slowly illuminates with a warm golden glow. It’s at this precise moment Eric wants us to begin.

What role did smoking pot play in the early development of Sublime’s music?

The guy who introduced me to Brad – Dave D – our relationship was smoking pot. He took me over to Brad’s house and was like, “I think you guys are gonna hit it off pretty good.” And by god, he was right.

When you sing about weed, you might get sweated by the local police or whatever. We weren’t afraid to sing about it. We were punk rockers. We were always out to say “fuck you.” It’s something we believed in. We weren’t out there saying “smoke crack,” you know? It’s something a grandma and a granddaughter can do together and it’s not bad. It’s a good bonding thing and it always will be.

Did it help bring the band together?

Oh yeah. During that time, I couldn’t afford to buy weed. I used to go over to this pot dealer, this guy Dirty Al’s, and would wash his dishes for roaches. I’d do all his dishes and he’d give me a bag of roaches and then smoke one out back with me. Brad on the other hand, as long as he went to school and got good grades…his dad had a jacket in the closet with this one pocket you could reach into at any time. His dad’s house was right near me, and one day his mom sent him to live over there. And that’s how we hit it off. I just showed up with a guitar and a joint one day. He was better on guitar than me, so the next day I came back with a bass and it stuck.

Had you played bass prior?

Yeah. But most people wanna try and play guitar. It’s more glamorous looking or whatever. But I found once I started playing bass, I knew my role. I knew it was for me. I started to understand what the bass was all about, how it holds everything down. If you’re familiar with Sublime music, it’s based on bass. A lot of it, anyway. The reggae bassline has a lot of melody to it. It’s not like regular rock and roll bass, which pretty much follows the kick drum of the drummer. The reggae bass is totally opposite. You’re playing the melody of the singer.

How did you know music was your thing?

As soon as I met Brad, I knew playing music was the thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life. But I personally believe music is hereditary. I come from a really strong lineage of musicians. My dad was a drummer, his dad was a fiddle player, and my son plays everything. It’s in your blood. And I was a “natural.” A “natural” can easily figure out an instrument. Someone who’s not a natural can still learn how to play, but they’re gonna work their ass off just to get half as good as you. I was born with it. And I thank my family genes for that.

My dad was a music teacher and he would have this test to see if you’re a natural. Basically to see if you had timing. He’d have a stopwatch and whenever you were ready you’d say “go” and when you thought a minute was up, he’d stop it. Obviously you couldn’t look at a clock. If you were within a second or two of a minute, a second ahead or a second behind, you were a natural. And he was right. Anybody he ever taught got it down.

The last person I did the test with was Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers. He set up a stopwatch and we just had a conversation. When I thought a minute was up, I said “minute.” We looked at the time and it was spot on. Ask him, he was blown away.

You were quoted as saying “I’m able to play music for the love of music, just like I did back then. I am so fortunate to still be able to do it.” Which to me says, you’ve been following your calling since day one.

A lot of people who get into music, they burn out on it. Especially people who do it for a living. It becomes like clocking-in. You can see it in their eyes. When I go on the road, I bring a little dressing room box that has a drum set and everything. We have all day long to do nothing and all these empty dressing rooms to do whatever we want. Why not be kids again and jam out? So yeah, I do it for the love of music still. I always tell people, I play for free but charge for travel and downtime. There’s a million bass players who are better than I am. I just won the lottery.

Where did the inspiration for Sublime’s early songs come from?

All of that was created because of Brad’s early encounter with reggae music. He went on vacation with his dad and discovered Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. And then when he came back to Long Beach and I met him, we got into local stuff like Fishbone. We went to our first show together at Reseda Country Club, and when we came back, our lives were changed. We wanted to be like the Bad Brains.

We’d cover songs from our favorite bands before we had songs of our own. And that’s when we wrote “Date Rape.” Brad would write fictional stuff. Like, that song was totally fictional. He just made it up. “Date Rape” was a big deal on the news during that time and he just put it together quick. We put the music together and he came up with the words just as fast. When you find someone you can write with like that, it’s easy. So much fun, you know? It’s a blast.

The effortless creative process.

A lot of people never get a chance to feel that in their lifetime. [Brad’s] dad had a liquor cabinet downstairs and he was always over at his girlfriend’s house. So we would spend five hours a day drinking scotch liquor and writing songs. We had a drum machine for a while before we got a real drummer. It was cool. It was really cool when you didn’t know the business side of things. We just thought we were supposed to be on the radio all of a sudden. We didn’t think about how you get there.

We had two bands before Sublime where we’d play for beer and gas money for the next show. And we’d play a bunch of our favorite songs from The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Clash, The Cure. And then we started getting more hip into The Specials, Untouchables, the reggae shit, Minor Threat. [Laughs] We’d be smoking joints singing songs about being sober. I’m not sure if Brad had some master plan ‘cause he never told me. It was just a party. Those were the best days of my life.

At what point did you start to think, “hey, maybe this is more than just a party?”

When Brad went away to college in Santa Cruz, I returned to my old punk rock band, The Juice Bros. [Brad’s departure] didn’t make much of an impact ‘cause I was kind of a loser kid, not going in the right direction anyways. If beer and pot were involved, I was there.Thank God for Brad, because if I’d stayed in that band, I’d probably still be living out of my mom’s house.

Anyway, Brad got turned onto dance hall reggae up in Santa Cruz and he recorded a bunch of tracks on a cassette. When he came back for vacation, he played it for me and initially, I didn’t get it. It took me a while to catch on. For a minute he was forcing me to play some reggae songs. But then it just clicked with me one day that I love this music. Bud [Gaugh] lived across the alley from me and we’d jammed in garage bands together and stuff. So I got ahold of Brad to figure out where we could practice. Bud’s mom let us, so Brad picked me up and drove me over there and the first time we practiced we knew we had something going. Brad transferred back to Long Beach for college and that’s when we first got serious about music.

1996. How did it feel to reach the pinnacle of your success as a band but without your lead singer?

It was just like any fairytale. Everything was going my way and it just screeched to a halt. We went to accept the MTV Video Music Award and just wasn’t there. It just goes to show you how fast things can change for anybody at any time. That’s what happened for us. 

I didn’t play music for a little bit. Then me and Bud started playing again. I played bass in a drag racing band. But everybody who came to our shows wanted to hear Sublime-type music. And I loved it anyway, so I figured what the hell. We started Long Beach Dub Allstars. I finally figured out I could still write songs and still have fun, even without Brad. But there was nothing like him. With him, I had the best times of my life, like I said. Playing in backyard parties…we just thought we were the shit. We were, I guess. Play for 10-15 minutes then a helicopter comes. Party’s over. But those 15 minutes were so untouchable.

2009. What’s the impetus to start Sublime With Rome?

All my best friends were in Dub Allstars. And because of the business aspect of things and being in a band with that many people, it screwed up my friendships with everyone. So we all went our separate ways. I went to play drums in a Huntington Beach psychedelic band with Jason Robbins, Phil Seville and this guy Lou who did sound and ran 17th Street Studios.

We were recording there when Rome [Ramirez] came in with his girlfriend at the time. He was a big Sublime fan and was just hanging out while she was doing an album, so we’d jam out when we’d see each other. My current manager [Cheez] was developing Dirty Heads in another room and heard how good we sounded together. I heard it too, but didn’t really put it together like “oh, let’s start Sublime again.” Because Cheez has a mind for that kinda shit, he took me aside and said “hey, how’d you like to start Sublime again?” And I was like, “yeah that would be awesome.” Things have a way of working themselves out.

It’s now been 10 years since the formation of Sublime With Rome. What are some of the highs and lows of that journey?

Right from the gate, Bud started playing with us, which was great. But he’s never traveled very well. He’s not into travelling and he didn’t last long. So we brought on Josh Freese and it was a real blessing to have him come on and save the day when Bud didn’t want to do the touring anymore. Then Josh started getting all these opportunities, and he’s used to playing in a bunch of different bands at the same time. He’s got a wild life. When when he took off, Carlos Verdugo came in and he’s our drummer now. He was in a band we toured with a few summers ago called Tribal Seeds. I remember watching him with Josh and Josh was like “man, that guy can play.”

LD, our DJ…what a great soul, man. He used to play drums in a band in Long Beach and their singer got a turntable to try and work it into their scene. Well, the guy couldn’t figure it out so LD took it home and made a career working with all the big hip hop artists. I guess he met Rome somehow and he’s been part of our family for a long time now, too. A couple years ago, we got Gabe the trombone player from No Doubt. We used to play shows together when Brad was around. He’s so amazing. Anytime I meet a trombone player I ask, “can you play the solo on ‘Wrong Way’?” And they never can ‘cause it’s a really tough part. But Gabe nailed it, of course.

The lineup we have right now is the best we can possibly be without being the original lineup. I’m totally happy with it. We all have our different walks of life but we’ve learned to respect each other and love each other. I plan on doing this for as long as I keep breathing.

How much has your musical career influenced cannabis culture and how much has cannabis culture influenced your musical career?

Probably the same percentage on each side. It goes hand in hand. We always get the latest gizmos and whatnot. And for as much stuff as I forget, it helps me be creative. I think anybody else in the band would say the same thing. It takes you to that place we were at when we were kids in the garage, playing music for ourselves. For the love of music, you know? Marijuana was our buddy, right there sitting next to us. I can’t imagine it not being there.

What makes your upcoming album different from the previous Sublime With Rome records?

I think Rome and I had a harder time working together in the studio on previous albums. I think we both learned how to work with each other a lot better on this one. I’ve always thought he was a really good songwriter but he tended, in the past, to be overwhelming. I always had a certain way of recording with Brad and other people, so for a while I would just fart out some bass lines because I didn’t feel part of the creative element. It’s changed since then, since the last album. So thanks, Rome. He’s such a great songwriter and it’s honor to record with him.

We had a few talks on the road for this album. A couple heart to hearts that gave more headroom for both of us to collaborate. Whereas before, it was a little more one-sided. For this album, the process was more like what I’m used to doing. Playing for the love of music and having a great time doing it.

Sublime With Rome’s third full length album “Blessings” is available May 31st.

Follow @sublimewithrome and check out http://www.sublimewithrome.com/ for tickets and tour dates

TO READ MORE OF THIS ARTICLE ON HIGH TIMES, CLICK HERE.

https://hightimes.com/culture/music/eric-wilson-does-it-for-love-music/