#that shakespeare is probably overhyped

[yeah-thats-probably-it]

emilia's speech to desdemona in act 4 scene 3 is so fucking good. othello is such a good fucking play. what the fuck

[1d1195]

You’re so kind omg 😭💗thank you😭

I never wanted to undermine your own hair growth! Like you’re like the first person who has mentioned their hair grows fast bc I can never find people like that! Like I don’t do anything really to my hair, it’s just the thick hair Mexican genes hahah but I was also devastated when I found a brand that worked with my hair and they DISCONTINUED THE PRODUCT 😭 also it’s always a bit exciting to get a hair cut! Hope it goes well bestie! and the peel off base coat gives me the satisfaction of picking/peeling it off so maybe it could help?? Idk lol

The shoutouts at shows are always the best! I don’t blame you! plus Niall probably made it seem so genuine because he’s seems so sweet! And idk I think it gives off an intimate vibe since he’s connecting with the crowd! I remember when Paramore talked about my city and I was getting EMOTIONAL during it?! Also what’s your fave Niall song? Was it played?

And not your sister calling you out 💀 she kinda gagged me with that one omg lol but I’m sure you would have thrived as a violin player, you kinda give off the vibes and I mean it in a good way!

First of all, I LOVE WHEN YOU RANT!! Seriously I love when you do it! And I’ve tired to give audiobooks a chance especially since sometimes they are the cheaper option but I personally always gravitate towards getting a physical copy of a book. And I’ve also thought about getting a kindle but I fear I will just end up forgetting it since i read on my phone too lol also a really big thing that just grosses me out is ASMR so people’s voices on the audio recordings are typically not my vibe so it just ruins the vision for me 😭

Okay so I’ve never actually read any of the books and I thought it was actually just one book and movie! instead it’s actually of a full on series(13 books in total). So I’ve seen the movie before years ago but it didn’t really make me want to get into it more but the tv show is so good! It follows an older troubled journalist who is revisiting his original interview with the vampire called Louis. And basically they recount his human life and vampire over in story along with some other characters that play a big role. It also depicts queer love stories which I think is pretty neat! I also really enjoy the complexity of the characters and how they are all basically up for debate on who is “good” or “bad”! And I love watching the season in real time it’s so fun! I’ve actually heard good things about the book and I was actually recommended by a professor to give the series a try awhile ago! Though I’m thinking about buying the books second hand since there’s alot of them lol

Typically I have always been a book over movie girly! But I think it depends on the book if I read it before I watch an adaptation. For example, reading like classical stuff like Shakespeare or other classic lit, I think watching something is really helpful especially for me growing up sometimes the language barrier was a bit difficult. Like I love the Great Gatsby and I watched Baz Luhrman’s adaptation first and then I read the book. And I really enjoyed comparing what they kept/changed as well as how they envisioned! Also his adaptation of Romeo and Juliet was super cool to watch! But it could go wrong sometimes like I read My Policeman WAYYYY before it was even considered to be a movie adaptation and while I have many thoughts about it lol I genuinely preferred the book and I often felt like it kinda ruined the vibe a bit. So overall I think it depends! And you’re not dumb lol sometimes I think it can be a bit overhyped but I understand the creative aspect of writing those kind of things especially back then lol my Aquarius self loves to find meaning in anything and analyze things but when it comes to reading unless I need to do that for school, I’m not really doing much thinking while reading lol I like to feel immersed in the world/story!

I hope to stay pretty calm during the summer tbh I’m very much okay with doing nothing lol I am looking forward to going to the beach though now that I have more time! -💜

Omg don't worry! I can't believe how fast your hair grows and how long it gets! I feel like that always happens when I find a product I like! My hair is so much shorter now and feels light and summery (I do like it) but it's in that 'just cut' phase and I'm looking forward to next week 😅 I'm def going to look into peel off base lol it'll be good for my mental health 😂

OMG MY FAVORITE NIALL SONG. Well, I think it's basic but I love This Town. I'm a romantic/sad kind of music vibe on a regular day tbh 😂 I really envision a story when I hear music (or at least try to) and that is one where I just see Niall's entire love life on display, idk. I think I even wrote a trash piece about it when the song came out. He did play this one! I also love On My Own. I think it's an adorable and I like the lyric "I'll wake up at midday and marry my bed." He didn't play it but that's okay! He also played Black and White and Night Changes so I can't complain at all! It was a lovely show 💕

No my sister humbles me every day lol. But truly, I think she really is right! I don't do anything half-assed. If we wanna trauma dump for like two seconds, my family's picture is in the textbook next to addictive personalities. I think the only reason I haven't chosen stronger vices is because of One Direction/Harry/Niall taking up so much of my time. I enjoy most things in my life very passionately and I can't see myself taking up an instrument and not wanting/trying to be the very best at it until I'm literally SICK with anxiety. I have many good qualities, but moderation and allowing myself to make mistakes is really difficult for me lol so maybe in another life I would trade out one of my hobbies for an instrument, but in this one it's for the best I stuck to singing!

Thank you for letting me rant! I appreciate it! Do you have the kindle app on your phone? I get the forgetting it thing, that makes a lot of sense. My kindle app on my phone is just like 90% textbooks from grad school because I was tired of getting the physical heavy ones for a semester LOL. I like the way people decorate kindle's 😂 so I feel like that would be a fun little project for me and probs a huge part of why I would want it hahahahaha

WHAT COMMITTMENT 13 BOOKS GOOD LUCK. That's a really cool premise though! It sounds super entertaining and interesting. I often forget that we've got a bit of an age gap between us. I am SO used to watching TV series doing an episode a week. I actually prefer it that way. It's only with shows that originally dump a whole season out that I get mad when they do a two-part season (don't get me started on Bridgerton or Stranger Things. I'm THIS CLOSE to getting rid of streaming services all together). I am unfortunately chronically on TikTok so I don't like when my shows are spoiled because the whole season dumps out in one sitting so that's why like the weekly episode route hehehehehe ANYWAY I hope the show continues to keep your interest and the books hold up!

I'm def a book > movie girl too! I like the way you described it though. It took me like four years of high school English for my 12th grade english teacher to finally say "Sam, Shakespeare is meant to be performed. Of course it's difficult to read" and I was like 😯😯 So shout out to Ms. O. because I would have gone my whole life hating Shakespeare. If it's not too personal, can I ask a bit about how you dealt with the language barrier? Like did you start going to school without speaking English or very little English? I can't imagine what that was like and I think that's AMAZING that you learned a whole language and survived school etc etc. I suck at languages and am ensuring that when I do have children, quite frankly, they're being forced to learn a second language when they're young because I wish I had done that.

I love that you find meaning in most things! That makes a lot of sense for your choice of field too! :) I appreciate your kindness and I wish we could have taken a class together because I would have picked your brain for help with everything regarding symbolism.

I am hoping to hit the beach soon! I need to buy a new beach chair first hehehehe I also need to get my butt in gear and read a book. I'm thinking I might read yet ANOTHER silly romance and not this book on Norse Mythology that I have sitting in my bag taunting me.

Any fun plans this weekend?! LOVE YOU! 💕

[historieofbeafts]

Is there a reason for the persistent association between scorpions, crabs, and basil?

[It's been long enough this probably needs a link to the original scorpion post for context]

As far as I'm aware, the association between scorpions and crabs comes from straightforward physical similarities (pincers, exoskeletons, etc.). Though when Ovid gives a list of animals that grow from decay in Book 15 of the Metamorphoses he says scorpions come specifically from crabs that have been buried without their claws, which is the opposite of what I'd expect.

[from the 1567 Golding translation, which gets overhyped as one of Shakespeare's influences, but was still an important text in the English Renaissance. also cleas=claws & writhen=twisted]

The association with basil is more complicated. The short version is that the first confirmed Greek mention of basil comes from a physician called Chrysippus (~4th c. BCE). His works were lost, but enough survives in later texts to know that he thought basil was extremely dangerous and unfit for human consumption, but doesn't seem to have mentioned scorpions.

Africa and Asia have a much longer history with basil, and when it does start to get linked with scorpions in classical texts there’s often an accompanying reference to “African” practices. Which isn’t enough to establish cross-cultural influence, but for the purposes of this blog I think it’s okay to speculate that a preexisting link between basil and scorpions + the Greek & Roman medical practice of treating scorpion stings with a mixture of basil, wine and vinegar + the fact that scorpions are frequently found in the kinds of places where basil grows +  a cultural belief in the spontaneous generation of small animals made the idea of scorpions growing from basil seem pretty reasonable.

That’s a lot of words without a primary source, so here’s internet favourite Pliny the Elder providing an example of what I’m talking about:

Brief digression, but the highlight of Pliny’s basil facts actually has nothing to do with scorpions. It’s this Totally Normal Gardening Tip:

Obviously it’s fun to imagine a world where this caught on and HGTV stands for Hostile Gardening Television, but it might be even more fun to imagine someone at a fair asking a prizewinning vegetable grower what their secret is and being told “ancient wisdom: swear at yer zucchini.” /end digression

This is already a pretty long post, but while I’m on the subject I can’t not talk about the ‘sniffing too much basil will give you brain scorpions’ urban legend popularized in the 16th-17th centuries. To start with, here are two 17th c. summaries that also give a pretty good idea of the Basil Discourse ™ at the time:

[Culpeper’s The English Physician (1652)]

[Topsell’s History of Four-footed Beasts and Serpents (1658)]

Point form notes because there’s a lot to unpack:

Billingsgate is a fishmarket famous for vulgar language

 Non nostrum inter nos tantas componere lites is Virgil reference for “above my pay grade”

Dr. Reason is an allegorical figure representing logic/common sense

The link with basilisks comes from dubious folk etymology, but still probably contributed to basil’s bad reputation

Hollerius is the Latin name for the French physician Jacques Houllier, and I went through his De morborum internorum curatione, liber I (1572) & De morbis internis, libri II (1589) in hopes of finding more information about Brain Scorpion Patient Zero

He doesn’t provide any

Seriously

Each volume contains a one (1) sentence summary saying that an Italian man grew a scorpion in his brain and then died as a result of smelling too much basil

That’s it

The Gesner example comes from a treatise on scorpions published posthumously as part of Vol. 5 of his Historiae animalium (1587)

It also doesn’t provide any information beyond “an apothecary told me about a French girl who died after smelling basil and turned out to have a brain full of scorpions”

Obviously the real reason for the vagueness is because these are, at absolute best, examples of the false cause fallacy, but I still have a pressing need to know how patients’ basil-sniffing habits entered the medical record

Like, where would you even get that information?

Catch me learning necromancy so I can ask 16th c. physicians some pointed questions about brain scorpion diagnostic criteria, I guess

After all that, it seems fitting to conclude this post with someone who has no problem describing exact methodology: the scientist and mystic Jan Baptist van Helmont, who provides a recipe for growing scorpions from basil in his Oriatrike, or Physick Refined (1664)

I mean, what can you say to that except

He also has a recipe for growing mice by leaving a dirty shirt in a container of wheat:

[nitrateglow]

Favorite film discoveries of 2019

Every year, my new-to-me favorites list always shocks me in some way. This year, the sheer amount of movies made in the 2010s on display is INSANE by my standards. Of course, most of the modern movies here are throwbacks or tributes to older styles of cinema, so maybe it’s not that shocking in the long run.

Another running trend this year: movies that are old but not as dated as we would wish. Many of the older films here deal with xenophobia and political strife in ways that still feel shockingly prescient today-- the more things change...

ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD (DIR. QUENTIN TARANTINO, 2019)

I never thought the day would come where my favorite movie of the year would actually be made after the 1970s, let alone by Quentin Tarantino. Then again, this movie is all about the end of Old Hollywood as well as a big love letter to the 1960s, so maybe it’s not that shocking a state of affairs. I adored this movie, the level of detail, the laidback yet elegaic vibe, the comedy and the relationships between all the characters. It was one of those movies where I loved even the scenes where nothing seems to be happening at all-- I mean, who knew Brad Pitt feeding his dog and watching TV could be entertaining?? But it is and I can't wait to see this one again!

INTENTIONS OF MURDER (DIR. SHOHEI IMAMURA, 1964)

Intentions of Murder has an insane premise, one that runs the risk of being tasteless: a housewife in a miserable, exploitative marriage is raped by a sickly burglar during a home invasion. Even worse, she can’t shake him, as he’s suddenly infatuated and wants her to run away with him to the city. And weirder still: her current existence is so miserable that she’s TEMPTED. While abuse and rape are grim subjects for any story, Intentions is actually about a woman coming into her own and finally standing strong against all these men trying to use her. It’s a weird blend of drama and dark comedy, a truly savage satire on patriarchy and class-snobbery.

JOKER (DIR. TODD PHILLIPS, 2019)

I went into this movie expecting to think it was overhyped and when I first left the theater, I was all ready to say “it’s good but not THAT good.” But it ended up haunting me for weeks afterward, and I found myself thinking about how everything just tied up so well together, from the grotty urban hellscape which serves as the setting to Phoenix’s brilliant performance. It reminded me a lot of A Clockwork Orange in how intimate it lets you get to this violent man while never pretending he is someone to be glamorized or imitated.

SIMON (DIR. MARSHALL BRICKMAN, 1980)

How do I even describe Simon? Alan Arkin is brainwashed by a group of overpaid intellectuals into believing he is descended from an alien toaster. Then he gets a messiah complex and starts gathering disciples as he rails against television, condiment packets, and muzak. It’s a little uneven at times, sure, but the satire is really inspired. The whole thing is like a combination of Mel Brooks, Stanley Kubrick, and Woody Allen’s styles, and it is quite hilarious for those who thrive on cult oddities.

PEEPING TOM (DIR. MICHAEL POWELL, 1960)

Though it came out the same year as Hitchcock’s Psycho and has been nearly as influential for horror cinema, Peeping Tom remains underseen by everyone save for film theorists. And what a shame that is, because this movie is more frightening than Psycho. Sure, that may be because Psycho is so predominant in popular culture and just so influential that it no longer has the same shock value, but there’s something about Peeping Tom that gets under my skin, something sad, even disgusting. I felt dirty after watching it-- and this is 2019!

MIDNIGHT MARY (DIR. WILLIAM WELLMAN, 1933)

Loretta Young got one of her juiciest roles in this pre-code crime drama. Her Mary Martin is more than just a good girl forced into criminal circles-- she’s a complicated creature, compassionate and desperate and lonely and bitter and sensual all at once. This movie is a fast-paced, beautifully filmed ride, cloaked in that Depression-era cynicism that makes pre-code Hollywood of such interest to movie geeks the world over.

WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD (DIR. WILLIAM WELLMAN, 1933)

Wild Boys of the Road is a quintessential Depression-era movie, relentless in its bleakness and rage. That the main characters are all starving kids only looking for work makes their struggles all the harder to watch. William Wellman is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors: his gritty style and compact storytelling are just perfect for a ripped-from-the-headlines drama such as this. And the “happy” ending has one little moment that just knocks any smile you have right off your mug. Absolutely see this.

THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING (DIR. NORMAN JEWISON, 1966)

Sometimes, when you watch a movie only because a favorite actor is in it, you get subjected to pure trash like Free and Easy (oh, the things I do for Buster Keaton). Other times, you get cute gems like The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming, which, as you probably guessed, I mainly sought out for Alan Arkin. But the whole movie is hilarious, the best kind of farce comedy, populated by enjoyable characters and a sweet-tempered humanism that grounds the wackiness. While a little overlong, this movie is quite underrated-- and sadly, its satire of American xenophobia and Cold War panic is not as dated as we would like to believe.

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (DIR. ALAN J. PAKULA, 1976)

Who knew a political thriller where most people know the twist could be so intense and riveting? It’s about as nonsensical as feeling suspense when you watch a movie about the Titanic and hope the boat won’t sink-- but damn, it’s magical. All the President’s Men is real white-knuckle stuff, with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman projecting both youthful excitement and deep panic as they proceed with their investigation. It scarcely seems to have aged at all.

WHISPER OF THE HEART (DIR. YOSHIFUMI KONDOU, 1995)

There’s a scene near the end of Whisper of the Heart where the protagonist Shizuku shows the finished first draft of her fantasy novel to her first reader, the grandpa of one of her schoolmates. She weeps because it isn’t the perfect image she had in her head, despite how hard she worked on it, but the old man tells her that it takes polishing and discipline to make the work come to its full potential. Few movies about artists are so honest about how hard it can be, how unsupportive others can be in their demand that everyone be “practical.” As a writer who struggles to create and constantly doubts herself, this movie spoke strongly to me. I recommend it to any creative person.

THE PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (DIR. BRIAN DE PALMA, 1976)

I’d been wanting to see this movie since my high school phan days. Holy crap, is it WEIRDER than I could have ever imagined, a true camp masterpiece. I’m shocked it was never tuned into a stage show actually, but then again, we would miss those trippy camera angles and we wouldn’t have Paul Williams as one of the greatest villains of all time.

DUEL (DIR. STEVEN SPIELBERG, 1971)

When people talk about the best movies made in the “Hitchcock without Hitchcock directing” tradition, why is Duel so seldom mentioned? The scene in the cafe, packed with paranoid tension and tense camerawork, alone should qualify it. Duel is most known as the movie which put the young Steven Spielberg on the map. It’s quite different from his later work, grittier and less whimsical for sure. Even the ending seems almost nihilistic, depending on how you view it. But damn, if it isn’t fine filmmaking.

CAROL (DIR. TODD HAYNES, 2015)

This gorgeous throwback to Douglas Sirk melodramas is also one of the best romantic movies I’ve seen in a while. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara have the sweetest, tenderest chemistry-- it was like seeing Lauren Bacall and Audrey Hepburn as love interests in a film. Unlike Sirk, there is little in the way of ripe melodrama here-- everything is underplayed, aching, mature. And I can say this is an adaptation that is better than the source book: it just feels so much warmer.

12 ANGRY MEN (DIR. SIDNEY LUMET, 1957

All I can say is that this was every bit equal to the hype. Common movie wisdom says people sitting and talking in a room is going to be boring on film, but movies like 12 Angry Men prove this is not so when you’ve got an excellently tense atmosphere, an inspired script, and a stable of fine actors to work with. Like The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming, this movie has not significantly aged-- much to society’s discredit.

A STAR IS BORN (DIR. GEORGE CUKOR, 1954)

Another movie I went into not expecting to love as much as I did. When movies from the 20s or 30s tended to get remakes in the 1950s, I always find them too garish and big, victims of glossy Cinemascope and overlong runtimes. Compared to the lean 1937 classic original, I expected sheer indulgence from this three-hour remake. Instead, I got my heart torn out all over again-- the longer runtime is used well, fleshing out the characters to a greater degree. Judy Garland and James Mason both give what might be the best efforts of their respective careers, and the satire of the celebrity machine remains as relevant and scathing as ever.

BLANCANIEVES (DIR. PABLO BERGER, 2012)

Oh, it feels like this movie was made for me specifically. It’s shot in gorgeous, expressionistic black-and-white. It’s set in the 1920s. It’s a clever adaptation of a classic fairy tale. It’s as funny and charming as it is bittersweet and macabre. Instead of more superhero movies, can we get more neo-silent movies like this? PLEASE?

THE FAVOURITE (DIR. YORGOS LANTHIMOS, 2018)

I’ve heard The Favourite described as a “bitchy lesbian Shakespeare play,” but this description, while a little true in terms of general tone, does not get to the heart of what makes this film brilliant. More than love or sex, this movie is about power-- particularly the corrupting influence of power. And it corrupts not only morals but love itself. Innocents become Machiavellian schemers. Lovers become sadomasochistic enemies. Good intentions turn to poison. This certainly isn’t a happy movie, but it is moving and, strangely enough, also hilarious. I was reminded of the chilly, satirical world of Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon more than once-- and for me, that is not a bad movie to be reminded of.

ON THE WATERFRONT (DIR. ELIA KAZAN, 1954)

Another classic that’s been on my list forever that I was delighted to find worthy of its reputation. It’s a classic tale of redemption and social justice, perfectly acted and shot. While I still prefer A Streetcar Named Desire as far as Kazan is concerned, this might be a better movie in the objective sense. Actually, more than even Brando, Karl Malden is the acting highlight for me-- he plays a priest torn between staying silent or truly speaking for the Gospel by demanding justice for the poor parish he serves. Just brilliant work.

KLUTE (DIR. ALAN J. PAKULA, 1971)

A perfect thriller, just about, and a great example of the “NYC is hell on earth” subgenre of the 1960s and 1970s. Jane Fonda is a revelation: she feels so real, not at all like a starlet trying to seem normal if you know what I mean.

KISS KISS BANG BANG (DIR. SHANE BLACK, 2005)

As far as subversive noir goes, this is the most entertaining. I would put it up there with The Big Lebowski as far as goofy takes on Raymond Chandler are concerned-- I don’t even really know what to make of it, but I laughed my ass off anytime I wasn’t going “WHAT???”

What were your favorite film discoveries in 2019?

[hekate1308]

Going Steady

Destiel Valentine’s story. Enjoy!

Dean Winchester had always known that in order to preserve what he chose to call the freedom of choice, rather than his brother who persisted in naming it “a profound fear of commitment”, he would have to make sure that both he and his current partner would have to abide by certain rules, and until now, it had always worked. No sleep-overs, no meeting the family, and no anger if one happened not to be available.

It wasn’t that he was against a monogamous lifestyle per se, or that he never wanted to get married; it just happened to be easier for him not to have to consider a partner in the mix. His work as a homicide detective kept him busy, and he had to be the world’s best uncle and most awesome BFF to boot.

So really, he had no time for romantic entanglements.

Cas, when he had first met him, had enthusiastically agreed with him. Really, they were a match made in heaven; the cop who now and then felt the need to burn off some energy after a long shift and the artist who was up at all times of the day and night anyway.

Not that you would have guessed from looking at Cas. The guy invariably wore a trench coat and what seemed to be the same suit, and he never had his hair under control. Although part of that might have had to do with Dean spending a got part of their time together running his hands through it (so he had a thing for dark-haired man. Sue him). He’d more than once contemplated sending him to Crowley or Charlie for fashion advice, but the last thing he needed was them ganging up on him.

So far so good. A hot guy agreed to be Dean’s friend with benefits six months ago, and ever since then, he hadn’t had the time or need to go out looking for one-night stands.

Great. Everything was going great.

Apart from the fact that… well…

Somewhere along the line, the rules had been thrown out the window. For example, they spent most of their nights together, switching between apartments.

And there was this slight hiccup where Dean just happened to accompany Cas to his brother’s wedding last month. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t have a plus one and asked him, now, was it? And he looked damn good in a tux. Cas had just needed some arm candy.

Not that his family seemed to have agreed. Dean was invited to Amelia’s birthday party in two weeks’ time.

Cas hadn’t said anything against it, though. Just like Dean, he had never done much to enforce the rules.

Again, so far so good. After all, if they were in agreement, and it seemed that they were, why should he care too much about the rules?

It only left him with a slight dilemma concerning Valentine’s Day. Because, well, Valentine’s Day was very much about couples and commitment, wasn’t it? At least if he happened to be seeing someone, and Dean and Cas certainly saw each other… regularly…

“Darling, I am not exactly the poster child for functioning relationships. What made you think it would be a good idea to ask me about this?”

He rolled his eyes. “Because you’re a lawyer, Crowley, and if I ask Sam, I’ll only get another lecture.”

“Which you won’t be getting if he finds out you asked me for advice instead of him?”

Dean sighed. Having a fling with one of Sam’s colleagues or rather rivals might not have been the best of ideas, but it had been fun and Crowley was still one of his best friends. “I just don’t want to screw things up, you know?”

He realized he’d said the wrong thing when Crowley actually put his glass of Craig down. “Say that again.”

“I – I don’t want to screw things up.”

“Dean Winchester. Are you telling me you actually want to be with him?”

“Well, I – I don’t want things to end” he said rather lamely.

“Come on. You have never been one to lie to yourself” Crowley pointed out correctly. “You know exactly what you want, you just don’t wish to admit it.”

“If I had wanted to hear the truth, I’d have gone to Sam.”

“No, you’d still have come to me, Squirrel, we both know you can’t help yourself where I am concerned.”

“Don’t I know it” he replied, winkling at him.

Crowley grinned back. “Now, are we going to be adults about this or not?”

Dean sighed. “Didn’t think you’d ever jump on the get Dean Winchester off the market train.”

“Oh, trust me, that’s the last train I would ever willingly leave town on but” Crowley shrugged. “You have been very happy lately. Tehri is no denying that. So, despite my burning jealousy, I have to admit he’s good for you.”

He didn’t exactly look like he was dying of a broken heart.

“Alright” Dean said. “I’m going to invite him to dinner on Valentine’s Day, make my patented burgers…”

“He won’t stand a chance” Crowley deadpanned.

“And then I’m just going to tell him that I’d like us to be exclusive.”

“Shakespeare himself couldn’t come up with a more romantic proposal.”

“We didn’t say anything about proposing to him yet.”

“Next year, then. Good to know.”

Sometimes, Dean wondered if all his friends happened to be slightly insane by accident or if he wasn’t strictly speaking normal himself.

Cas accepted his invitation with that gentle smile of his that made his eyes look up, and Dean dared hope it would all end well.

After all, he had the evidence to proof that Cas was into him, right? He certainly raised no objection to them spending so much time together, and he’d enjoyed dancing with him at the wedding, Dean was sure.

And Cas loved his burgers, he’d shown him that often enough.

So Dean bought the best meat he could find and prepared himself for Valentine’s Day.

And if he just happened to buy more condoms too, well, he just happened to be a hopeless romantic.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Hey, Cas” he said, kissing him as he let him in. They had not yet exchanged keys, but if everything worked out… “How did it go?”

Cas had been negotiating the terms for another one of his exhibitions. Dean had accompanied him to the opening nights of his last two, and they had been successes. Of course they had. If you asked Dean, Cas was the most talented artist of their generation.

Then again, he might have been a bit biased.

“Good. The exhibition is going to open next month.”

“Hell yeah. Knew it would.”

Cas smiled at him, then frowned. “Is everything alright?”

Dean sighed; of course he’d noticed. “Got a case today. Open and shut, but… domestic violence.”

Cas winced, then drew him in his arms. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well…” It struck Dean that it probably wasn’t very romantic to tell him about something like this on Valentine’s Day. “It’s good to see you” he said honestly.

Cas pulled back, smiling. “It’s good to see you too.”

Another point for the He is going to say yes side.

Dean grinned. “I made burgers.”

“I love your burgers.”

“I know.” Dean almost let an And I love you slip out, then thought better of it.

They ate mostly in silence, apart from Cas’ moans that really did nothing to calm Dean’s heart.

“These make me very happy” Cas told him at one point.

“I’m glad” he answered, wishing he could hold hid hand, but Cas had both firmly wrapped around the bun. It would have to wait.

Eventually, they were finished and Dean got out the champagne. Perhaps not exactly the subtlest of gestures, but he wasn’t going for subtle. He was going all out for happily ever after.

“You are spoiling me” Cas told him as they were cuddling on the sofa.

“Yeah, well…” Dean cleared his throat. “Cas, there is something I have to tell you.”

He stiffened. That wasn’t good.

“It’s nothing – bad, I promise.” Man, where was the speech he’d prepared for this? He’d decided he was going to be suave and charming, but apparently it wasn’t to be. Well, he’d have to go with honesty. “We’ve been doing this for a while.”

“Six months, three days, ten hours and” Cas looked at his watch “Seventeen minutes.”

Wow.

“Yeah, and so I was wondering… I like you a lot. I just wanted to ask if we could, you know, try the whole boyfriend thing. Being exclusive. Going steady.” There. He’d said it.

Cas was looking at him with wide eyes and as the seconds ticked by, Dean decided that the chances of this ending well were dwindling, so he tried to backpedal. “I mean we don’t have to, what we have is just fine by me –“

But then his lap was full and Cas was kissing him and then he whispered “Yes” against his lips.

“Yes?” Dean asked stupidly.

“Yes, Dean. I would love to be your boyfriend.”

Well, he decided as he took Cas’ hand and led him to the bedroom, that had been easier than he had anticipated.

“Dean?” his boyfriend (boyfriend) asked the next morning at breakfast.

“Yeah, Cas?” he asked, immediately pretending that he hadn’t just dreamily watched him making coffee.

“Can I ask you something?”

“You just did.”

He threw him a mock-glare. “I meant another question, Mr. Teacher.”

Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Stop distracting me”.

“I am not distracting you.”

“Yes you are” Cas grumbled. “It’s unfair how good you look in the morning.”

Dean grinned. Cas was not a morning person, but he wouldn’t have him any other way. “I can try and look uglier, if you want me to.” He didn’t care that he was probably looking like the cat that got the cream., Mostly because that was exactly how he felt.

“Why yesterday?”

Dean frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Why did you decide to ask me to “go steady”” got his quoty fingers shouldn’t have looked as adorable as they did “yesterday of all days?”

Dean blinked. “Dude, you know.”

“No I don’t, that’s why I am asking.”

“Cas, it was February 14.”

Cas tilted his head to the side. “And?”

Sometimes, Dean could swear that Cas lived on another planet. “Valentine’s Day? You know?”

“Oh.” Cas thought about that for a moment. “I didn’t realize. I just thought you wanted us to have a nice evening together, as usual.”

“But you’re not… mad or anything, are you?”

Maybe it was a bit late to remember Cas ranting how some holidays were just overhyped opportunities for people to fool others into buying stuff they didn’t need.

“No. Oh God, no” Cas kissed him, then grimaced. “It’s only going to be rather cliché to tell people that Valentine’s Day is our anniversary.”

“Oh I am sorry, Mr. Great Artist, I will make certain to propose at a more exclusive date.”

They looked at one another, the blushed and tried to change the subject.

One year later

Despite the jokes Crowley loved to make, Dean was not going to propose on Valentine’s Day. There was no reason to even celebrate it. Technically, their anniversary lay six months before that date anyway.

So, when he came home to find Cas having made dinner, he didn’t think much of it. They took turns cooking anyway.

But later, as he was putting away the dishes after having washed them despite Cas’ protests, his boyfriend cleared his throat. “Dean?”

“Yes?”

He turned around to find him kneeling down, holding a small box.

And as cliché as it sounded, he was pretty sure his heart skipped a beat. “Cas? You do know what day it is?”

“Our anniversary” he said simply.

Oh, of course he knew. But what did Dean care whether they acknowledged the date or not?

It was far more important to answer.

“Come up here, I need to kiss my fiancé.”

[rockettcnovak]

Top 5 books

This could go a lot of different ways. I’ll go with books that I think affected me the most as a person. Like I had emotional responses too (I’m generally non-emotive as a person) Again, no particular order.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (GOD PLEASE I CRIED LIKE A CHILD)

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (This book made me so sad. I was fucking comatose)

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Niel (I’m not even 100% sure thats the author and im not assed to look it up, but it’s a very good book!)

Titus Andronicus by WIlliam Shakespeare (I’m as surpirsed as you are tbh)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbonsky (As overhyped as this book is the book and the movie were really important to me)

I’m probably forgetting a whole lot, but these are really good books my guys. 

[misereremepeccatorem]

I’ve been trying to compose a retrospective post about 2019, despite it being three whole days into the new year, when old things are passed away and, largely, forgotten in the mists.

So whilst my mind sorts that out, I thought I’d follow a collection of prompts to tell y’all about this year’s reading.  Do share your own reading experiences as you like!!  Here’s to further work on our respective TBR piles throughout 2020.

How many books did you read this year?   33!

Did you reread anything? What? Curse of the Pharaohs (as I hope to continue the Amelia Peabody series, and had forgotten how this story went), As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (ditto, but re: the Flavia de Luce series), Good Omens (before watching the Amazon show’s depiction of it).

What were your top five books of the year? Persuasion, A Gentleman in Moscow, The Stature of Waiting, Good Omens, and Thoughts on Creating Strong Towns.  The first 3 were beautiful, beneficial to the soul, and felt classic.  Good Omens remained hilarious, if blasphemous.  Strong Towns was so thought-provoking that I think it’s given me a bit of a paradigm shift in how I think about communities.

Did you discover any new authors that you love this year? I definitely enjoyed Ted Chiang, what I’ve read of Amor Towles, and WH Vanstone.

What genre did you read the most of? Mysteries – 7 of them (2 Amelia Peabody, 4 Flavia de Luce, 1 Sherlock pastiche).

Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to? Oh, always.  Kristin Lavransdattir, Crazy Rich Asians, some things other friends lent me.  Still haven’t finished Benedict Option or A Gathering of Ravens.  At one point I had three copies of The Ode Less Traveled, but I had trouble on Exercise 4 so I haven’t finished the exercises therein yet.

What was your average Goodreads rating? Does it seem accurate?  3.7, I guess, which sounds fair.  Just as I try not to go overboard on standing ovations, I try to save 1- or 2-star reviews for the truly terrible, and 4- or 5-star reviews for the truly edifying or life-changing.

Did you meet any of your reading goals? Which ones? I read 30 books, which was my main goal.  There will always be a TBR pile, though. I tried giving up fanfiction, which would work for a month tops before I returned to old habits.

Did you get into any new genres? No, I guess not, unless you count “Spanish baby books” as a genre.

What was your favorite new release of the year? The only new release I read was, apparently, The Golden Tresses of the Dead.  So I guess that wins.

What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?   The Stature of Waiting was originally published in 1982; A Month in the Country, 1980.  Oh, and Persuasion! 1818.  I’d seen the movie but hadn’t read it before.

Any books that disappointed you? A Study in Sherlock.  It’s an anthology written in homage of Doyle’s canon, but several of the entries seemed to say “Look how much I’m into memorabilia and name-dropping!!” instead of “Hey, look, a well-composed story.”

What were your least favorite books of the year?   Hmm.  Robinson’s Housekeeping was strange to me.  Olive Kitteridge was delicately written but so godless!  So depressing.  Bright Bazaar was a book I checked out in hopes that it could give me decorating ideas, but instead it just infuriated me – apparently bright colors are only possible for wealthy homeowners who are aggressive minimalists.  Ugh.

What books do you want to finish before the year is over? I squeezed The Stature of Waiting in, and got started rereading The Buried Giant, which I haven’t finished yet.

Did you read any books that were nominated for or won awards this year (Booker, Women’s Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer, Hugo, etc.)? What did you think of them? …okay, possibly I did?  But also, who knows.  I don’t care enough to go look it up.

What is the most over-hyped book you read this year? I dunno about ‘overhyped,’ but – I read 3 books by Jason Fung (The Obesity Code, The Complete Guide to Fasting, The Diabetes Code) and they could have/should have been edited down into one book.  I’m also surprised that Olive Kitteridge has been made into a show; it was so depressing that I’m not interested in learning more about the characters in it.

Did any books surprise you with how good they were?   The Stature of Waiting did.  It was also surprising in terms of content – I don’t know that I’ve ever read a gloss of the Passion narrative like this.

How many books did you buy? Seven, I think – 4 as gifts, 3 for me.  And I received at least 2 as gifts in return.

Did you use your library? Oh, for sure.  This is part of why I’m an irresponsible reader: I check out everything that catches my eye, and then it sits and waits for me for ages.

What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations?   Probably Stories of Your Life by Ted Chiang?  Which.  I wanted to read it because Arrival made me cry a lot.  It was both what I expected and…not at all what I could have expected.

Did you participate in or watch any booklr, booktube, or book twitter drama?  Nope.  Ain’t nobody got time for that.

What’s the longest book you read? A Gentleman in Moscow, apparently – 396 pages.

What’s the fastest time it took you to read a book? Probably an hour or two for a shorter book.

Did you DNF anything? Why? I didn’t finish The Story of a Soul because someone else requested it from the library.  I didn’t finish Why Does the World Exist? An Existential Detective Story because it Just Wasn’t What I Expected; I honestly thought it was a story, not a philosophical enterprise.  Lastly, I checked out several Spanish children’s books in the expectation that they would suit my level of Spanish vocabulary.  Some (Nariz, Naricita; Besos for Baby; Los Sueños) were feasible; some (Cómo Esconder un León a la Abuela; El Príncipe de los Enredos; Rooster; Los Arboles Están Colgando del Cielo) were beyond me. 

What reading goals do you have for next year?   To start with, I want to read at least 35 books.  I hope to read through my current library checkouts and not get out more than I can get through (even during the Summer Game)!  I want to finish The Ode Less Traveled and Studies in Words so I can, at long last, remove them from my “Currently Reading” tab.  I want to reread The Lord of the Rings.  I want to read all of Shakespeare’s plays, or at least, all those I haven’t read or watched before.

Tell me about your 2019 reading, or what you look forward to reading in 2020!

  2019 in Books! I’ve been trying to compose a retrospective post about 2019, despite it being three whole days into the new year, when old things are passed away and, largely, forgotten in the mists.

[gourmet4living]

Richard III and a Leisurely Walk in York

Gourmet Living News

Editor’s Note:   This is a reprint of a Blog Post about  Richard III and our visit to York published a year ago on a sister site, GourMay.net, which documents one of our trips to Great Britain.  Slightly irreverent,  this blog post is pitched more to our family than readers of Gourmet Living.  Nevertheless, it has some useful suggestions for those travelling to the UK, particularly London.

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Richard III is considered to be one of the most reviled Kings in British history.  His infamy derives from one of Shakespeare’s finest plays, Richard III, which alleges that Richard was responsible for the murder of the Two Princes in the Tower of London.

I will spare you the disturbing details of the Wars of Roses – often referred to as the “Cousins War” – but the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 paved the way for an even more disturbing reign of Henry VIII.

Fresh from riveting performances of Henry VI (parts 1 and 2) and Richard III from the BBC, I wanted to learn more about the Wars of the Roses:

It is clear that Shakespeare’s plays about the Kings during the Wars of the Roses were crafted to cater to the legitimacy of Elizabeth I’s reign. To use President Obama’s expression, Shakespeare wanted to “Be on the right side of history.” Clearly this was a wise decision, since many great plays would have remained unwritten if Shakespeare had lost his head by being politically incorrect.

If you have no idea about the Royal family politics of that period, it is useful to walk around with a book like “A Companion and Guide to The Wars of the Roses” under your arm. People – even in York – will think that you know more than you actually do.  Worked for me!

Probably the most famous lines for Richard III in Shakespeare’s play are “A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!” as the unhorsed Richard faces death at Bosworth.   A London guide suggested that Richard’s slain body was carried naked over the back of a horse and beaten with sticks by angry bystanders.  I am wondering if the phrase “Don’t beat a dead horse,” arises from this vivid image.

With irony that Shakespeare would have most certainly have appreciated, Richard III’s body was recently discovered in a Leicester parking lot.  After conclusive DNA analysis, the city of York demanded that Richard’s bones be returned for a proper burial in York Minster (rather than Westminster).  Nevertheless, the Mayor of Leicester refused stating that the remains will be returned “over my dead body.”

Clearly, “good bones” do matter when it come to tourism.

Beverley Minster and Pipe & Glass

We started our journey to Yorkshire in Beverley. We arrived one hour late to Beverley Minster to hear their acclaimed choir sing hymns.  Fortunately for us, the service was two hours long.

Beverly Minster is a stunning cathedral and was used as a substitute for Westminster in the filming of Victoria.  I was quite amused when one of the London Walks guides said that “Victoria was even shorter than Tom Cruise” – a compelling argument that there is still a role for short people in this world.

After our visit, we dashed up to Pipe and Glass Inn, an award-winning “gastro” pub nearby.  I will spare the reader the details of our gluttony, but I had a delightful piece of pork.  Found below is a small appetizer consisting of a Scotch Egg and salmon tartare:

On a beautiful spring day, we wound our way up the road to nearby York

The Walls of York

Getting into and out of the city of York in an automobile is a bit of a hassle.  Get to your destination and park.  Most everything worth seeing is within walking distance.

American Vagrants on York Walls Overlooking Minster

Taking advantage of the wonderful weather – the last we were to see for a few days – we decided to check out the acclaimed Walls of York.  They are still in remarkable condition, but we decided to forego visiting Micklegate where the heads and bodies of nobles who did not manage to get to the top of the political food chain were often displayed to deter others from trying.

York Minster

Sheila and Alison explored York Minster on their own.  I realize that this is one of the most beautiful churches in England, but I had found a superb antiquarian book store nearby.  I managed to pickup a delightful book called “Making Haste from Babylon:  The Mayflower Pilgrims.”  The book had been heavily discounted suggesting that few were interested in the Pilgrims, Puritans or the Mayflower.

The book is quite interesting, particularly for those who want to understand why Puritans from a relatively small area in southern Yorkshire decided to travel to the New World during the reign of James I.

York Castle Museum

The York Castle Museum is considered to be a must see destination, but I was a bit offended discovering that the “Roaring 60s” are now considered ancient history.  Nevertheless, the prison, World War I Museum and life-size replica of a Victorian Village (see below) were quite interesting:

I was surprised to learn that some of the great English chocolate fortunes originated in York as Puritans tried to reduce the level of drunkenness by substituting chocolates for ale.   It didn’t work quite the way they expected as most pubs now serve a pint of Yorkshire’s finest with a small box of chocolates.

The Shambles

The Shambles is – in my opinion – a bit overhyped.  It is a short and narrow street featuring many cute shops.  The fish mongers and vegetable and meat stalls that used to crowd this street have given way to far more fashionable stores selling cosmetics and handbags.

In any event we had a delightful tea at Betty’s Tea Room in York, best known for their lemon curd tarts.

In York, we stayed at a small but conveniently located hotel now called Parigi, formerly St. Denys Hotel.

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