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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 2 years

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By Mikhail Baryshnikov 🕊🌻🇺🇦🌻🕊

It’s been almost 50 years since I lived in Russia, and I’ve spent those years living in a free society, but I grew up in Latvia as the son of a Russian military officer in what was then the USSR. My family was part of an occupying population, but even occupied Latvia was more open, and more European, than Russia at that time. So, I am a product of Europe, of Russia and, of course, of America. For what they are worth, my thoughts are filtered through this specific lens.

From the start of the invasion of Ukraine by the armies of Vladimir Putin, I’ve felt deep dread and a certainty that this will be a bloody and horrific conflict. I understood immediately that this move of the Russian army was more threatening than the so-called annexation of Crimea and the separatist insurgency in the Donbas region.

Ukrainians have always been, and still are, friends, neighbors and family. The relationship between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples has been one of easy fluidity between languages, between cultures and between borders. The two countries are incredibly interwoven, but with an awareness and appreciation of subtle cultural differences.

I can’t begin to understand why people would trust and follow a leader like Putin, but Russians historically have struggled under oppressive and brutal leadership. How they end up with such leaders I can’t answer. There are dozens of books to be written on this subject, but let’s remember that even in the free and democratic society in which I live, a shocking percentage of Americans appear to believe outlandish theories related to a “stolen” 2020 election. What this tells me is that ignorance of history and nationalistic fervor are not exclusive to any one country.

I refuse to paint all Russians with the same brush and I think Putin appeals to those who are fearful. I suppose he makes them feel safe in the same way all authoritarian leaders make their people feel protected. It’s a false sense of security because, of course, any day, the protected can easily become the persecuted.

I can’t affect politics or throw Molotov cocktails, and I am not competent to give any thoughts or advice on the matter of what kind of help the U.S., NATO or the Europeans could or should provide to the Ukrainians, but the least I can do is help as many refugees as possible. That’s why I am honored to have been invited by the great writer Boris Akunin and economist Sergei Guriev to join them in launching truerussia.org. I don’t know if True Russia’s humanitarian plea will be seen by citizens of Russia, but the beauty of cyberspace is that it might. They need to know what is being done in their name.

Again, I wouldn’t be worth much as a fighter, but when the Ukrainians are victorious, I would be honored to go and thank them for fighting. In fact, they aren’t fighting just for themselves, but for all of us who believe in free and open societies.

#Mikhail Baryshnikov #quotes #War in Ukraine #Russia

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uncommon-etc · 2 years

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Если вы русский, прочтите это

As the war in Ukraine has progressed, one thing has become abundantly clear to me...

NATO is not going to impose a no-fly-zone, nor does it have any intention of engaging in any kind of military intervention on Ukrainian or Russian soil. Many people across Europe already believed NATO was a toothless anachronism no longer fit for purpose in this supposed age of peace and diplomacy, the fact they can’t do much more than send arms to one side when there’s an actual war on has validated that view for many.

No Western force is going to try and enact regime change in Russia, especially not the US (and no other NATO member will attempt it without the backing of the US because even our lot in the UK wouldn’t intervene to protect their own people in Afghanistan after the Americans pulled out). If Russia is ever to shake off the shackles of 600+ years of authoritarian rule, the momentum for that will have to come from Russians themselves.

I know how much easier said than done that is. I know that the Russians who have risked their lives and their freedoms to take a stand against the war showed courage beyond anything those of us with a right to free speech enshrined in law will ever have to muster and I’m in awe of them for that, but people have been protesting Putin’s tendency to invade other countries since I was a kid (I was almost fourteen when the invasion of Georgia happened and despite there being way less media coverage of that and the ten-year war in Chechnya I still remember being shocked that it was just allowed to happen), so far mass-protests have been as good as banned and protests by individuals get swept under the rug.

I also know that the Kremlin has blocked or restricted access to many social media platforms, but so far Tumblr hasn’t been mentioned as being among them, so I’m putting this out as a kind of appeal, if there are any Russians reading this, first of all Добрый день! What can I, and other pro-democracy citizens of Europe do to help you to stay safe while taking a stand against the war and against Putin?

Besides supporting the Free Russia Foundation, which I already do, and Navalny’s pro-democracy movement, what other genuine NGOs and pressure-groups are there that I can support within the Russian Federation? Which independent newspapers and websites (if there are any left) are willing to tell the truth about what’s happening in Ukraine? And while I know it is mainly Russians with money and means who have managed to escape abroad to avoid the possibility of being conscripted into a war they don’t believe in, if you decide to leave Russia and somehow find yourself in the UK I can find you somewhere to stay while you figure out your next move.

It has always been my dream to be able to travel in a free and independent Russia, to hike the Altai mountains, see flocks of teal on Lake Baikal, ride the Trans-Siberian and photograph the iconic architecture of Moscow and Kazan. As a lifelong student of Russian history I’m well aware that your country is far more than a pastiche used to create bad guys for American cartoons, that it contains an incredible range of cultures, landscapes and peoples, each with their own stories. I know that you have the power to bring a corrupt and unjust regime to its knees, because unlike most countries you’ve already done it once, to please tell me, and other Westerners, what we can do to help you make it happen again

(And if you’re not Russian please signal-boost this anyway, this war may end, but as long as Putin believes he can invade independent countries with impunity and the West won’t try to stop him it’ll keep happening, my family in Finland are scared they will be next, so are friends in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania)

#нет войны #нет войне #ukraine #russia #putin #pro democracy

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melien · 4 years

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Simmer - Get to Know

Thank you for tagging me @cloudberry-sims and @aestheicpixels! I love being tagged in these, even though I usually take ages to do them. Generally, I’m certain that anyone can do tags regardless of whether they were tagged or not, but I mostly do the ones that I was tagged in, unless there’s something super cool around that I really want to do. I guess it’s because I have way less time to devote to simblr now.

Your name: Regina. I go by Mel on the internet and I highkey enjoy the contrast between my fancy first name and my rather simple nickname

Languages you speak: My first languages are Ukrainian and Russian, and I'd also say Polish (I don't speak it on a regular basis but I used to go to Polish school for the first seven years of my education, and my mom's side of family is Polish so I know the language very well). Then there's English, of course, which I've been studying since very young age, and German, which I have some basic knowledge of. I used to study Spanish too but my knowledge of it is even more limited

Are you a mermaid: Nah, I'm more of an alien 👽

Your play style: For a long time I almost exclusively did legacies and some side projects branching from them. But - spoilers - I want to try a completely new blogging style and pay more attention to stories, sim making whenever I feel like it, and maybe some gameplay reminiscent of my ts2 uberhood, because it brings me SO much joy. All this stuff isn't as pressuring as legacies and is much better for my mental health. More on that soon.

Your selfsim picture:

Stories or gameplay, builds, lookbooks, edits or cc: I'm really into storytelling, but sometimes I just like fun gameplay.

Your favorite age state: Well... I guess toddlers, teens and YAs.

Your favorite season: I just have summer on most of the time in game. In real life, that's probably my favourite season as well, though I like all of them in their own way.

Your favorite holiday: New Year's Day I guess

How was your day: It’s just getting started, but yesterday was nice for me in terms of simming, because I finished my CAS BPR and did some essential scenes in the Lilygreen legacy to end my queue on a positive note

Your favorite career: I enjoy playing with musicians

Your favorite aspiration: If I'm honest, I rarely fulfill them. I'm a kinda laid back sims player who doesn't go to great lengths for all the game challenges and sees the game more like a creative outlet

Your favorite EP, SP or GP: Into the Future ❤

How old is your simblr: It will turn seven this year!

Have you woohooed: I bought some 30 diamond scenes on Choices, does this count?

Your favorite skill: I don't know honestly, I rarely make my sims develop skills

The size of your mods folder: 8.48 GB (ts3) and 10.9 GB (ts2). I’m actually shocked because I was pretty sure ts3 one was bigger. It’s also funny because my ts2 game runs super smoothly while ts3... not so much, and note that it’s hairs that take up 90% of the folder

Your 3 favorite mods: Master Controller, Pose Player, and Time/Weather change mod

Your interests (other than sims): I love drawing, writing poetry and prose, spending time with friends, volunteering, travelling, photography. I'm very passionate about teaching English and I'm pretty sure I could land a teacher job soon which I'm super excited about

Your favorite sim (picture if possible): I'll go with my fiery queen Claret Dawn Twinkle 🔥

Which Sims games you have played (including mobile games): I've played all the four parts, even though I only touched ts1 a few times and it kept crashing anyway, so it's not as nostalgic for me as for many players. For me a “nostalgic” and special game is ts2, and the one that helps me express my creativity in the best way is ts3, so I love them both. I don't like ts4 that much but it has good sides and I can play it once in a while when I have a craving. As for other games, for me everything basically started with ts2 Life Stories! I'm still not over that Naomi choice where you have to give up your wealth or she dies. Also, I played sims mobile once but deleted it quickly because it was just too much sims for me and I didn't want to become addicted (for this reason I hardly ever install any games on my phone)

Propose a crazy scheme: Let's, I don't know, be nice, understanding and helpful to each other? Crazy, right? 😂

Best part of simblr: Creative and kind people who inspire me every day

Worst part of simblr: Unfortunately, there are also toxic people who crave drama and you can't escape them even in such a wholesome community

What other games you play: I'm not much of a gamer, but I do have some nonsims favourites. I love Undertale and Deltarune very dearly, and I'm also very much into Choices (my current jams are Blades of Light and Shadow and Bloodbound). Pretty sure I've played more good games but they're escaping my mind now.

Other websites or accounts (origin, twitter etc..): I have a Twitter, where I talk a lot about the game, my plans, my fandoms and completely random stuff. I'm semi-active there because it's not as lively as it used to be, so you're welcome to follow if you have a sims twitter too, I definitely need more people to interact with!

Are you single: Yeah and I don’t really mind it, even though I wouldn’t want to stay this way forever. On a related note, this question and the woohoo one stick out among the others in a kinda weird way

#text post #saviorhide #personal

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mastcomm · 4 years

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Fran Drescher, Millennial Whisperer – The New York Times

Fran Drescher’s voice, if you ever have the chance to hear it deployed in very close vicinity over shrimp tempura and spicy tuna sushi, is actually quite soothing.

When Drescher played Fran Fine on “The Nanny,” the 1990s sitcom she created with her then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson, she was pitching her voice higher, squeezing it up her nose, acting. Back then, The New York Times compared Drescher to “the sound of a Buick with an empty gas tank cold-cranking on a winter morning.” But here in her living room above Central Park, sitting among crystals, fresh lemons, fine sculpture and photographs of herself meeting establishment Democrats, she sounds more like a Mercedes purring out of the Long Island Expressway. For those who grew up with “The Nanny” as our nanny, her voice is so embedded in the subconscious that hearing the softened version is almost therapeutic. Imagine if Nanny Fine had an ASMR setting.

“I’ve heard it’s like a foghorn, a cackle,” Drescher said carefully, balancing her plate in the lap of her little black dress. “I always just describe myself as having a unique voice.” When she left Queens for Hollywood in the late 1970s, her manager told her, “If you want to play other parts, besides hookers, you’re going to have to learn to speak differently,” she recalled. Instead Drescher leaned into her natural gifts. In 1992, she pitched herself as a sitcom star to the president of CBS: “Because of the voice, they think I’m the seasoning in the show,” she told him. “That’s wrong. I’m a main course.”

America has not heard from Drescher much lately — she has not appeared regularly on television since her TV Land sitcom “Happily Divorced” ended in 2013, and “The Nanny” is sadly hard to stream — but this week, at 62, she returns to TV with NBC’s “Indebted.” As in the pilot of “The Nanny,” Drescher appears unexpectedly on a doorstep, except this time, it belongs to her adult son (Adam Pally). She and Steven Weber play Debbie and Stew Klein, a couple of boomer dilettantes who crash their kid’s married life with the news that they’re in debt. The role of Debbie, a boundaryless hugger who swans around her son’s suburban home as if it’s her own personal retirement community, inverts the “Nanny” dynamic: Now the kids have to take care of her.

When Drescher weighed whether to take on the show, a family sitcom that draws on generational conflict, she thought of her own family. “My parents, who are still alive, thank God, were so excited about me being on network television again,” she said. “You know, not everybody could find TV Land,” she added, “but everybody could find NBC.”

The role was not written for Drescher, exactly. The pilot script had called for a “Fran Drescher type,” and when the real Fran Drescher signed on, she required a few adjustments. “People are used to seeing an annoying mother-in-law in a sitcom, but that’s not what I signed up for,” Drescher said. “When you have somebody whose persona is bigger than the part, you got to make it right for me. Or why have me?”

That meant giving Debbie Klein some passions of her own. “I had to bring myself into it,” she said. “I really infused the sex appeal, the sensuality, the vivaciousness of the character.”

“Indebted” creator Dan Levy, a comedian and producer for “The Goldbergs,” said that he originally modeled Debbie and Stew after his own parents, but that the steaminess was all Drescher. “My mom was like, ‘That’s not based on us,’” Levy said. “She elevated that to a whole level that I was not expecting.”

In the decades since Drescher first opened her mouth onscreen, the Fran Drescher type has achieved a quiet dominance over popular culture. “The Nanny” has been syndicated around the world and remade in a dozen countries, including Turkey (where it was called “Dadi”), Poland (“Niania”) and Argentina (“La Niñera”). In “The Nanny,” for anyone who doesn’t have the chatty theme song implanted in her brain, Drescher plays a Jewish woman from Queens hired to tend to the three precocious children of a wealthy English widower, Maxwell Sheffield, who is also Broadway’s second-most-successful producer (after his nemesis, Andrew Lloyd Webber). In foreign versions, the ethnicities are recalibrated — in the Russian one, the nanny is Ukrainian — but the Fran Drescher type is otherwise preserved. Wherever she goes, the ethnic striver is transplanted into a posh setting as the help, and her appealing culture and individual charm pull off the ultimate makeover — reinventing the strait-laced insiders in her own brash image.

Across the internet, Fran Fine is helping to perform similar tricks. With her pile of hair, power-clashing wardrobe and cartoon proportions, she has been fashioned into an avatar of stylish self-respect. In GIFs spirited around social media, she can be seen in a cheetah-print skirt suit, sipping from a cheetah-print teacup; inhaling a plate of spaghetti with no hands; and descending the Sheffields’ ivory staircase as if entering New York’s hottest club.

“I send this when I’m excited,” Drescher said, summoning her phone from her assistant Jordan and thumbing to a GIF of Fine twirling across the mansion in a fuchsia dress and a self-satisfied look. “How many people can send their own GIF?”

The Fran Drescher type is a kind of advisory role. First she was the world’s nanny, showing kids how to mix prints and be themselves, and now she has matured into a cool-aunt persona, modeling a fabulous adulthood. (“Broad City” made this transformation literal, squeezing Drescher into a low cut rainbow and cheetah-print dress and casting her as Ilana’s Aunt Bev, and by extension the spirit guide for a new generation of Jewish comediennes.) “I’ve never had kids, so I’m not really parental,” Drescher said. “I’m a mom to my dogs.”

“I’m kind of an influencer,” she added. Drescher has led an unconventional life, and “I share it,” she said. “It gives my life purpose.” In two memoirs, she has discussed being raped at gunpoint in her 20s, surviving uterine cancer in her 40s, and divorcing Jacobson only to acquire a new gay best friend when he subsequently came out. Recently she thrilled the internet when she revealed that she has secured a “friend with benefits” whom she meets twice a month for television viewing and sex. “I don’t think it’s that shocking a thing,” Drescher said. “I’m not in love with him.”

The kids who grew up watching “The Nanny” are now Nanny Fine’s age, old enough to properly covet her closet and cultivate a newfound respect for her persona. On Instagram, the @whatfranwore account catalogs classic “Nanny” outfits, and @thenannyart pairs them with contemporary art pieces. Cardi B once captioned a photo of herself in head-to-toe cat prints: “Fran Drescher in @dolceandgabbana.” The actor Isabelle Owens will mount a one-woman song-and-dance show dedicated to Drescher in New York this month, called “Fran Drescher, Please Adopt Me!” “As everything from the ’90s comes back, people are rediscovering her,” Owens said, noting Drescher’s fashion, her confidence, and her voice; Owens is still working to perfect her impersonation. “There are so many layers to it,” she said. “It’s so delicate and lyrical.”

The Fran Drescher type, no matter how big it gets, still risks reducing the woman behind it. “All of her is in me, but not all of me is in her,” Drescher said. “I don’t think any of my characters could have ever created and executive-produced ‘The Nanny.’” Fran Fine might have been able to wrap the boss around her red-lacquered little finger, but Drescher is the boss. When she secured her own New York apartment, in 2004, it was here, just across the park from the house that stood in for the Sheffield mansion on “The Nanny.” Soon her transformation into Mr. Sheffield will be complete: She is developing a Broadway show of her own, a musical adaptation of “The Nanny” that she will co-write with Jacobson.

“The Nanny” is a timely bid for Broadway. Drescher takes the stage’s most classic feminine archetype and gives her a modern upgrade: She is Eliza Doolittle if she refused to take her voice lessons.

That’s perhaps the biggest misconception about the Fran Drescher type — that the voice is an unfortunate obstacle, rather than a cultivated asset. Once, a fan asked Drescher about the classic “Nanny” scene where Fran Fine goes for sushi, naïvely swallows a wad of wasabi, and says, in an eerily neutral broadcaster’s voice, “Gee, you know, that mustard really clears out the nasal passages.” The fan wanted to know how Drescher had managed to pull that voice off. Sitting in her parkside apartment, perched in her producer’s chair, confidently apportioning her wasabi, Drescher revealed her secret: “I’m very talented.”

from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/fran-drescher-millennial-whisperer-the-new-york-times-2/

#Entertainment

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caffeinated-mendes · 4 years

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bel amour - a shawn mendes story (chapter 2)

masterlist

chapter one

word count: 1.7 k

a/n: the second part to this little novella. i hope you all enjoy and have an amazing day/night! (intentionally written in lowercase)

warnings: swearing

*if you prefer, you can read this on my wattpad or ao3

"the name mila means sweet one, or dear one. it's of slavic origin, which means you could be from belarus, the czech republic, you could be bulgarian, croatian, macedonian, montenegrin, polish, russian, serbian, slovakian, slovenian, or ukrainian." shawn strutted through the door of the music shop, hands in his pockets. it was the next day, and he was back as promised.

"you memorized all of that, in alphabetical order? i thought you said you couldn't read." mila grinned as he leaned against the counter, "why are you here?"

shawn grinned, "one; i memorized that because i never said i wasn't good at memorizing things. two, i'm here because i needed to tell you that."

mila shook her head, looking up from her book, "you're here because you had to tell me that."

"yes." he looked insistent.

"well, if you're staying here, you might as well sit back here and keep me company. grab a guitar and play anything you want, i guess." shawn shrugged and chose a dark stained guitar, with little shine on it. mila pulled out a foldable chair that leaned against the wall, and so shawn sat down with the guitar. she could now see the rest of his bottom half. he wore black boots with scuffs on the edges of the soles. when he began plucking the strings, she saw his tattoo on the back of his hand. it was a bird, a small bird that was in motion. it looked biblical to her, for some reason.

mila took her book from the table, and shawn looked at the front cover, "i thought you were reading lord of the flies," he continued to play the guitar.

"yeah, i finished it last night. my tv show got boring. now it's frankenstein." mila looked down at the book placed on her thighs and couldn't help but look at them and not at the words on the page. every time she looked down she couldn't help but feel the taste of hatred in her mouth. she focused her attention back to the page. shawn continued the song on his guitar. she got lost in the music and set her book down, knowing she wouldn't read it anyway. "how long have you been playing guitar?"

"five years," shawn replied, taking his hands off the strings, "do you play anything?"

"yeah, violin. i haven't focused on it much since high school, though. i considered majoring in violin performance but i chose a different major. you're really good for five years, though." she looked back down at the guitar, "something isn't right though. did you tune it?"

"yes, a little bit." he looked at her with a look of confusion on his face.

"hand it here," she held her hands out and he gave her the guitar. she plucked the e string. "your e string is flat just a bit." she plucked the rest and stopped on the b string, "and your b string is also a bit flat."

shawn shook his head, "don't tell me you have perfect pitch."

"i have relative pitch. almost perfect pitch. my violin teacher would test me sometimes." she tuned them back up and quickly checked with a tuner. they were perfect. "here, keep playing mendes."

shawn didn't start, just looked at her, "grab a violin. i'll play a chord progression, and you do some improv." mila shrugged, got up and went to a back closet, grabbing a violin, tuning it, and rosining the bow. they played together and mila was happy, she was happy in the abandoned shop and for once she wasn't bored out of her mind. they stopped after a while, and shawn said in exasperation, "you're so good!"

"well, i have been playing for thirteen years," mila laughed, flaunting in an ironic tone. "look, my shift ends soon, and i have to go to a lecture. this was really fun though."

shawn sat up from his chair, "wait, give me your number. we can do this again." mila agreed and so she left twenty minutes later with his contact in her phone, meeting lea at their usual spot before a lecture.

"where have you been, mila?" they started walking back to campus through the busy city of toronto.

mila smiled, "i found out who he was. why he was so familiar."

lea tilted her head, "the customer? was he actually famous?"

mila nodded, "it was shawn mendes. i'm so stupid for not realizing. everyone is obsessed with him, but he acts like a normal person."

"dude, my little sister is like obsessed with him. don't forget about me when you're famous." lea bounced in her step as they turned another corner.

"what's that supposed to mean? we're friends, i wouldn't get famous. i'm not here to exploit him." mila gripped her backpack.

lea grinned, "oh, so you're friends?"

"shut up, lea." they sat through another lecture, though mila found this one rather entertaining considering that the professor kept getting mad at the janitorial staff, who ran huge vacuums down the hall. lea pointed out through the lecture that their professor also had a hickey poking from her collar, which made mila snort.

she turned around from her board, "have i said something humorous, ms. hall?"

mila shook her head, "no, i'm sorry professor, i have allergies. it wasn't a laugh, but i do find our topic today quite interesting, thank you for teaching this." the professor said nothing but smirked and turned back around.

"ass-kisser," lea muttered. mila grinned ear to ear, glad she was annoying her friend. when they had gotten home, lea plopped onto the couch and mila moved to the fridge, making herself another coffee (she had already had one not even two hours before). she connected her phone to her speaker, and started playing shawn's newest album. "so you listen to him too? i thought you didn't like pop music, it was too basic for you."

"are you trying to bash me for trying to expand my horizons of my musical choice? plus, this isn't your basic pop trash. the instrumentals in the back are amazing, and they perfectly are in time with the tempo-"

"okay, okay, okay, lets just start studying."

"i thought you didn't like studying," mila replied, mocking her, bringing her coffee to their dining table. lea grinned, opening her binder on the table and getting their notes out. she hadn't let mila out of the house and they only stopped for food and drink breaks. she had also tried to get mila to eat a bit more, but she insisted she was full. when lea was finally passed out her bed, she pulled on her oversized hoodie and made her way back on the familiar streets, feeling a little on edge from walking by herself at 11 pm.

she unlocked the music store and walked to the back, turning on the lights and going in the recording studio. playing the instrumentals in the background to one her favorite songs by shawn, she began to sing. her voice was deep but with one switch of styles she could be a peppy broadway singer.

don't cry or do

whatever makes you comfortable

i'm tired, too

there's nothing left to say

let's call a truce, cause i don't really wanna go to bed like this, yeah

mila didn't see that a figure walked through the entryway. it had been shawn, and seeing the lights on, he thought it was still open. he knocked on the closed recording room door, and mila turned to see him in shock. mila took off her headphones. "shit, i forgot to lock the door." the hourglass figure opened the door with a smile. "hey, shawn, what are you doing here?"

"i wanted to see if you're here. i forgot to text." mila let him in the studio, and he sat in the chair. "this is a nice recording place. were you singing?"

"yeah, i only really do it by myself. it was actually one of your songs. like to be you." shawn grinned.

"well, i'm flattered. lets hear it, i want to know if you're even more talented than i already know."

mila shrugged, "i don't know, i'm not that good."

"please? i'll get a guitar and we can sing it together if it makes you feel more comfortable." mila agreed, a little scared. shawn began singing the first verse after he sat back down, and then mila joined for the chorus. his eyes widened and a huge grin broke on his face. mila nervously put a piece of hair behind her ear, singing her verse by herself.

can I kiss you or not?

cause I'm not really sure right now of what you want

are you still mad at me? i'm hopin not

cause maybe we could go to the movies

i know that always cheers us up, hey

they finished the song, and shawn laughed in astonishment, "that was incredible, mila, incredible. have you taken singing lessons?" mila shook her head, "damn. you need to record an album or some shit because the world needs to hear this." shawn took her hand and it startled her a bit, but his hand felt reassuring

"thank you, i've always liked singing. i used to belt songs in the car while my dad drove me to my violin lessons." she giggled, and her hand was still connected to shawn's, her other one playing with the rip in her jeans.

"where are you from?" he asked.

she looked into his eyes, studying his face. his pupils dilated like before. "uh, i'm from the us. i used to live in california, southern california. 'moved out here for college. i visit my family every break."

shawn nodded. "hey, do you want to get dinner tomorrow? we can drive out somewhere and eat it in the trunk. nothing fancy."

mila smiled. "i'd like that. how about six?"

shawn agreed, "do you want to sing some more?" the answer was obvious, and the two of them spent hours in the shop until morning nearly broke. mila's test scores would be paying for this, but she didn't give any fucks whatsoever. mila was happy. nothing was on her mind but shawn and the music. she felt like she was floating on a sea of clouds, and nothing else existed.

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sole-cuore-amore-e-droga · 6 years

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Eurovision 2018 Blue Carpet ceremony: Favourite moments

• “Everybody hates you?” • Always Watched Security-guys • The ‘corgi’ from Russia • Introduction to Rybak as Eurovision royalty • Netta the Little White Riding Hood • Ryan’s explanation why it’s “o-SHOCK-nessy” and not “o-SHAUN-nessy” • “Favourite Eurovision song?” “Sheni gulistvis” “We don’t know that one” • Yulia singing something from the Little Mermaid • Jessika’s and Basti’s ‘twerking’ skills • Ari, Lea and Almaia singing Amar Pelos Dois when asked to • Hosts asking Franka’s team to teach them how to “lo-o-o-ove”, Lea’s team the dance moves of her song, Benjamin the dance moves of his song, Laura how to hair flip, The Humans how to... hairflip too?, Marija from Eye Cue the dance moves of their song, Madame Monsieur the arm movement to their song • Hosts asking Alekseev to say a word in ‘Belarus’ (he said “hi” in Belarussian and the host thought it meant something like ‘good luck’), AWS what does “hello” in Hungarian mean (and it’s pronounced something like Sia or “see ya”), one of the African guys from the Dutch team a phrase on his own • Mikolas being called a naughty boy • Mikolas leaving the backpack intrigue for the very end of the blue carpet • Saara getting asked about the 2nd place curse again • Georgian guys singing a bit of their song • O Jardim in English and Nova Deca in Portuguese • Montenegrin stage team singing a chorus of Inje • Jon Ola Sand and some other key Portuguese people being interviewed • Kirkorov’s backstory as to how did he want to collaborate with DoReDos • DoReDos confirming that their name means the first two note names of the solfège (Do, Re) • Hosts constantly asking the participants from countries that never won the question: “your country has never won, so will it this year?” Most contestants: “yea I hope so”, Örs from AWS: “you know, we’re not here to win, we’re here to make a huge metal party” • “Pastei de nata is life” • Mikolas’s dancer dancing a bit and the hosts being like “now we know why you’re one of the favourites this year!” • The hosts bringing up the questions about the robots to Sammarinese team and later on asking them if they are going to do something special about the message thingy that one of the robots display (actually they’re looking for another message to display this Thursday, suggest them ideas at twitter.com/1in360talent) • The grande arrival of Metamoro • Ermal’s glasses • The awkward pause between the hosts and Fabrizio (who doesn’t really speak English that much) and his translator • Melovin... kind of • Eugent showing off his tattoos for yet another set of people after some interviewers got to see them before the blue carpet • Alekseev’s umpteenth “please support me” • The hosts remembering Eleni taking pics with uniformed men • That GoT joke directed towards Rasmussen • The hosts and Rasmussen singing “Livin’ on a Prayer” • Netta obviously wanting to win Eurovision • Netta actually bringing Doron Medalie (I think) along with her, and that one is her song’s songwriter who also co-wrote “Golden Boy” • The questionnaire between Alexander Rybak and that Eurovision fanboy from the blue carpet hosts • Mikolas’s bottle message being plainly made up from emojis • Ieva saying she drank Fanta and Sprite • The “would you rather” question Madame Monsieur got from the hosts. Remember, winning Eurovision would make the hosts divorce the two so you know who to pass your votes onto next week instead........................ yes ofc metamoro ;)))) • The hosts explaining Madame Monsieur that “merci” in Portuguese means “obrigado” and MM instead explains the actual meaning of the song • Aisel knows only one Portuguese word despite having Portuguese backing singers: “obrigado” • Yet another “obrigado” kwen: Lea Sirk, but she knows way more Portuguese phrases, including the one where she’s asking for gin and tonic • Stefan from ZiBBZ serving that beatbox realness yet again • Also him only knowing one phrase in Portuguese • The hosts bringing up that Michael from Germany and Waylon from The Netherlands are becoming fathers and Saara is getting married as well as Christabelle • Laura singing in Portuguese • Almaia singing all 3 entries sung by the past winners of Operacion Triunfo that went to Eurovision • The hosts mentioning to Saara that the last time Finland sent monsters, they won Eurovision • The hosts reminding Russian team of Russia’s past Eurovision successes • The hosts knowing Cesár’s Twitter account’s password that actually came true (as they said, he wrote in it that he will represent Austria in Eurovision 2018). Uh oh, now he’s gonna change it... • The hosts asking if Aisel taught the Portuguese backing singers how to melt the hearts of the Portuguese • Some of the message bottles were nice, and AWS’s wasn’t really trolly or anything, just that Lisbon is a city of many possibilities (I think) • Belgium’s talk was just mainly about liquor tasting and the creative process behind the song itself and how it indeed was about a broken teapot • Johnny Manuel reprising “I Have Nothing”, that song that made him a viral singer (that and AGT itself) • The Bulgarian backing singer being part of EQUINOX for this show only • Eleni being the only one wearing a dress in her team while the others wore orange costumes • The ridiculous clothing of DoReDos (and their ‘do - re - do’ harmonisation) • Bojan from EyeCue promising that next time they’ll do a song in 8 genres • Madame Monsieur eventually choosing that they’d rather still be together but get last place in Eurovision, because that way “they can bring another song next year” • The hosts telling Franka that Croatia hosted Eurovision once (well, current territory-wise, they aren’t off) • The hosts reminding Serbian entrants that they are one of two countries to win on their debut (actually Refrain was the second song in the show of that night so you can’t count Switzerland’s actual debut entry that performed earlier as a debut win for the nation...) • The hosts actually getting Sanja onto the shot eventhough he’s not gonna perform on Lisbon stage anyway • Something like “I don’t know what you have but we want to have what you have”, that I think it means “I don’t know what you’re on but I want some too”, yeah the hosts actually said that once • That one shot with girls in bikinis dancing on a boat • That one shot where Rasmussen and his backings were doing the ‘viking walk’ that they were doing on the DMGP stage and will do on Eurovision stage too • Iriao being really fond of Salvador’s victory and not being asked to sing Amar Pelos Dois but rather the hosts told others to check their cover out and that Salvador will likely love it • Yianna explaining her song concisely that it’s a dialogue between Greece and its people • Yianna answering that question about how she has to explain Eurovision to her American friends • The hosts keeping on mentioning some Portuguese word to EQUINOX that they know • Malta in Portuguese apparently means something like “guys”? • The hosts wanting Vanja to be a funny guy like he always is • Mahan Moin saying “hi” or something like that • Isaura mentioning that her grandmother died last year... so “viszlát” which season of the four now? • “We wanted to speak in Portuguese but we can’t”, that reminds me how last year the Ukrainian entrants only got away with speaking in mothertongue because they WERE from that country • Waylon having to defend country in Eurovision and being one of those peope saying that all kinds of genres are welcome in Eurovision. We love us some holy trinity action of defending the genres that require some attention in eurovision because they’re not pop, electro or ballad. Just like AWS saying that “metal is equal” and Eugent saying that “rock is a sparkle in Eurovision” • The hosts bringing up this to Michael that he asked people to send him in picture with their fathers • Madame Monsieur (and Ari I think that was the second entrant) being told that it’s Mother’s Day today; for MM because it’s something about Mercy and for Ari because it felt like one of the hosts wanted to adopt him so she could say to him that it’s her boy... or smth idk • ZiBBZ being mentioned by Madame Monsieur as a couple that knows each other for longer than they do (10-11 years together) • ZiBBZ family being speculated as the one to be fun with the most • ZIBBZ being thought of as a couple(?) • Elina explaining her blue carpet dress, that it used a special knitting technique and what do the words stitched on the dress are, they were describing Estonia as “wild”, the second word and... “Nordic”. Yeah, keep dreaming SATW Estonia • For EQUINOX, being in this amazing team of themselves is already a victory (so maybe no need for an actual one, or is it?) • Jessica unsuccesfully reprising “Sea of Flags” • Albania: first to have chosen their song, first in the blue carpet, performing 3rd on Tuesday. Eugent was asked if he could be the first person to bring Albania a victory and he answered that he’ll just try his best (completely, not just to win) • One of the hostesses apologizing for touching Soma • “matchy-matchy” • The hosts refering to themselves as The Carpe(n)ters • The hosts being sad because they had to split apart • The hosts starting the blue carpet with “let the opening ceremony begin!” • The hosts introducing the actual Eurovision hosts • The way they pronounced the names of their people correctly • One of the Eurovision host’s dad is a doctor • Usually the karaoke playback of each entry would begin within the first chorus and loop from that place if the interview is going on for longer, but for AWS it was just almost 3 minutes of their song playing in full (and I’m assuming the “Viszlát” shout they did by the end of their time kind of halted the playback a little) • Other pronunciations made by the hosts like Michal Shooter, the almost correct one of Eugent’s name, them pronouncing “j” as “zh” in Julia, Maikolas Josef and Ieva Zashimauskaite • One shot of Iriao signing the Eurovision guidebook on the page with their info on to some journalist perhaps • Franka’s backing team describing her in one word, two of them came up with “amazing” and another one sang out the word “crazy” • “Europe’s living a shell-ebration” • Lea and Ieva naming their Eurovision 2018 favourite entries (Ieva first heard the Spanish entry and liked it, among few Lea liked was The Netherlands) • Most acts being asked about their postcards. Macedonian tiles, Aisel on air baloon, Michael gliding iirc, AWS going to chocolate festival and making a Eurovision logo of it (oh no, Takasa teas!!1), SuRie drinking Portuguese tea when being British, Waylon having pastei de nata for his postcard, Alekseev visiting some place, Saara being a bad golfer and so on • Elina Nechayeva being reminded of Pocahontas • Mikolas admitting he always sucked (at something that I can’t remember) • Eleni just sharing what she wants on her social media • Cesár being “hungry” (for more Eurovision experience) • Franka and Christabelle being asked to sing their past NF entries (and only the latter one did it) • It’s already Franka’s year to her herself • Some finishing line directed to the Cypriot team before moving on to Czech Republic that I can’t remember • Eleni inserting her bottle message to the mysterious wheel (it’s in the way she does it) • Netta clucking properly after the hosts being unable to cluck out the word Pikachu • Laura telling the story of coming to Eurovision this year • Örs pretending to have a security call because, you know, he's a security guy • Ermal telling the story of how he met Fabrizio in last year's Sanremo • Laura bringing up that she was born in Ipanema. “Oh so you’re The Girl from Ipanema!” • Alekseev not drowning • Melovin being asked about the message Verka Serdiuchka made him and his own perfume (one of the smell ingredients is chocolate iirc) • Alexander fangirling over Salvador again • #BraveLoveFreedom (such a Gaga slogan tbh) • Filipp Kirkorov repeating after the host to make sure his/her friend gets lucky in the lottery • #feelthefuego • And of course, the opening to the party, with dancers in extravagantic costumes spinning in huge see-through beach balls, using that as a way to walk through the carpet

shit I just spoiled the entire evening to you didn’t I

#eurovision 2018 #eurovision red carpet #eurovision blue carpet #opening ceremony #all people being posh af #;_;#portuguese production was at least slick #meanwhile the ukrainian one felt like that it dragged on for ages #i will still miss the 'dass all?' lady from last year and incorrect playback music #if you love someone you don't touch them?#ayyyyy #fun ceremony overall #i loved it it was great #mmmmmmm #shit did i just type in all of this???

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statemant · 6 years

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AN ODE TO GEORGIA - VETEMENTS SS 2019

JULY 1, TBILISI, 7:11 PM – I’m sitting in my kitchen with two of my friends and sipping final gulps of homemade iced coffee to bite with incredibly hot weather outside and scrolling my Instagram.

I know that VETEMENTS show is about to start, almost everyone who I follow has live tuned on and the show starts. The quality of the live stream was not perfect but I could spot long narrow table, where models started walking and guests were “served” with the latest VETEMENTS outfits while sitting around it. With each new VETEMETNS show announcement, I always think what’s gonna be the next offering from Gvasalia brother, since we all know how they’ve revolutionized and “disrupted” the industry and their unusual runways is one of the biggest part of the brands’ entire aesthetic. It was the same here, I was intrigued to see just for the sake of interest. When first three looks appeared, music started and models were walking with usual VETEMENTES-que “rush”, I thought, well, ok. But then I’ve screamed, shouted (my friends looking scared at me) and had goosebumps all over, since fourth look featured a hoodie saying “ტანსაცმელი”, which means “clothes” (or “VETEMENTS”) in Georgian! None the less! Then another one saying “გაზაფხული/ზაფხული” (that translates as “Spring/Summer”), then “უფალო შეგვიწყალენ” (meaning “god bless us”) and finally the Georgian flag printed anorak jacket..

I wanted to cry, for various reasons:

First – finally, it was the collection I was waiting since the appearance of VETEMENTS in fashion scene and I was absolutely sure it would happen once! Second - it felt so emotional to see someone pay tribute for my (and his) native country. And the 3rd that I’m an asshole and did not stay for few more days to attend such a historical and monumental show! Cause I was in Paris days before the show but could not stay for additional 3 days (I could manage to attend the show), because I spent all my money at shopping (mostly on VETEMENTS actually!) and did not spare more for 10 minute event, which I regret now VERY VERY VERY much!

It might be hard for someone, non-Georgian, to share same excitement as I have for this particular collection, but it’s definitely a moment which made even most non-fashion-related Georgians interested and very proud. It quickly became a major news for local tv and online media. As more facts became clear, it felt even more special for all of us – appears majority of the models were just regular Georgian boys and girls, selected by VETEMENTS casting directors right here, in the streets of Tbilisi. Collection featured some fresh “ugly” sneakers, signature dad shoes and combat boots,

various tailored pieces (my favorite VETEMENTS category),

some white hand-painted “graduation” shirts (which were actually painted in Tbilisi by locals, in various night clubs),

opening model wore a nude shirt covered with the types of tattoos Georgian prisoners would get to flaunt their mob ties,

there was a signature Alpha Industries bomber with a message - “We dance together, we fight together” - dedicated to the police raids held few weeks before the show in most famous local night clubs here “BASSIANI” and “CAFE GALLERY” and a massive two-day rave at the center of the city with the same slogan as above.

Leather jackets and suits were finished with zip up hoodies, masks, covering the faces of the models (as a symbol of unknown or no identities),

target prints symbolized the bullets that were once aimed at Georgia.

Georgian flag was seen in various colorways, including one in a rainbow - more or less provocative for local standards.

Besides the floral dresses (already a strong brand signature), we have seen a fabulous wedding gown at the finale of the show (worn with some classic white pumps, while some other variations featured a upside down Eiffel tower as heel)

and one off special maxi skirt, painted by Demna himself, and will retail for around 15 000 EUR (pictured below).

Finale of the show has brought highest emotions: it featured modernized version of Georgian national dance music and with all the Georgian models walking on this imaginary “wedding table” wearing Georgian alphabet features on that music, in Paris, on the center of fashion’s most important players, was just…terrific!

WATCH THE FULL SHOW

In a post-show interviews, VETEMETNS creative director Demna Gvasalia said: “I went back to my past in Georgia to face my fears and painful moments…like post Civil war and everything there in the ’90s, and I made the most personal kind of fashion proposition out of that. My house was bombed and it was destroyed. My grandmother, for one week, she didn’t have memory. These are all the things that influenced me, experiencing that when I was a child. I feel everybody today talks about war, refugees (and the show was held on 19th Arrondisement of Paris, which is now surrounded by refugees). And I am like, yes, I know exactly what that means. It's weird. This is about my life, but also it's about everything you see on CNN, as well," said the designer.

Here’s what’s behind the story: Sukhumi (Demna’s and his family’s hometown, capital of Abkhazia region, now occupied by Russia, for more than 25 years) was one of the epicenters of the Georgian Civil War at the beginning of 90’s. A strong ethnical conflicts have resulted into 30,000 killed humans and around 250 000 refugees – including Gvasalia and his family (here’s full story behind the Civil War). Also, here you can listen an exclusive rare radio interview with Demna via Radio Tavisupleba.

For me (and my entire nation), as a Georgian (even if I was just 1 or 2 years old during that Civil war), it’s very important to spread the message to the world what was our past and how we have come to the present times, what my parents and grandparents generation had to overcome to make Georgia a safe place to live. Demna has went through his entire youth traumas and came out with the most sensational VETEMENTS collection to date.

Besides all the Georgia-inspired pieces (which were mostly VETEMENTS classic fits, hoodies, oversized silhouettes and deconstructed denim) there were Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish (also a homage to Demna’s mother heritage) and US flag anoraks featured. These are countries that mostly influenced and affected Georgia (and Demna himself in various aspects) over the years, especially after 90s’ post-soviet era. Featuring Russian flag has actually generated mixed emotions between locals in Georgia (as I mentioned it became a major discussion topic in social media for a few days) with some mentioning that it kinda ruined entire thing and putting a huge flag of the country who has 20% of Georgia occupied (and continues to grow this share) was unnecessary and it at least should feature some protest slogans. I think (and majority) it actually felt absolutely right and genius to put a Russian flag on this specific collection, since if you want to tell us about the history of Georgia, it’s just impossible to miss Russian Federation and all its activities against us.

As for the cast, those 40 people, that Demna and VETEMENTS guys brought from Georgia, he said: “They represent for me what I represented when I came to Europe years ago - that certain naivety and voice they don’t think they have in their country”. I’ve asked some of the guys after they got back to Tbilisi (cause they are all friends of friends), what did they feel about the entire thing, some of them had just same feelings as me, some mentioned that they still didn’t filter in their mind how and what happened to them, since for majority it was not only first runway show ever, but first touch to the fashion industry, overall. But all of them were proud that they now became kinda part of the history.

It was a 10th collection of VETEMENTS, it will be hard to name brands that gained such an incredible success in such a short time and had influenced not only young but many of the well-established labels. Demna is a so-called “Margiela kid” himself (and that sensational Margiela exhibition at Palais Galliera in Paris is a proof of that) and he even mentioned how he got back to his design roots with its previous collection, entitled “The Elephant in the Room” (FALL-WINTER 2018, see here) where he has fully exploded what he does the best (some of the buyers and editors mentioned with me that label was kind of “back on track” with that collection, after not so-satisfying SS 2018, which was just re-edition collection, see my visit to the presentation here). And this latest “Georgia” collection was a continuation of his growing personal approach to the clothes: “It’s a very different way of working for me because I always did shows that were just about clothes…nothing else really mattered for me. But I think I’ve changed and probably my approach to fashion also changed. My interests changed. I realized that I need some storytelling next to making just clothes. Last season, it was going back to understand my creative roots. That’s why there was an elephant in the room, the whole Margiela, questioning creativity. This season I went back to my actual roots, which is this country that is troubled and that really shaped me creatively and also who I am.” – Demna said.

As VETEMENTS CEO Guram Gvasalia mentioned, they have sold more of this collection than any other recent ones (and even Demna told that once he made his personal order of the collection, he found it was biggest to date), which is very interesting for me, since it means that spreading the message (and not just selling a garment) is a cruicial part. Me and my natives have already been shocked or made fun of fashionistas from around the world wearing our grandparent’s wardrobe inspired clothes (that can be also found at second hand markets for 500 times cheaper than VETEMENTS), oversized outwear (that our parents were buying in bigger sizes, on purpose, to last for few years, while we would grow in height and weight) and table cloth print shoes, but I actually can not wait to see entire world wearing this particular collection pieces and I’m sure I can read a lot in Georgian during my next fashion week visits on everyone’s chests or shoulders.

One more note (just in case), I have met Guram year ago in Paris during their SS 2018 presentation and mentioned how popular they were in Georgia (I mean, they are! They have crazy fan pages and dedicated TV shows). Demna must be one of the most famous Georgians ever (on the international scale) and the fact of him not being heterosexual (and Georgia is known for its homophobic issues) does not affect the pride that most of the locals have (because of him)! After the latest show, I’m sure their fandom will double and the respect will move to another level, cause he is the man who could manage to tell the history of the country to the world, just in 10 minutes, without even a single word! Below, you can see the guy wearing custom-made cap, outside VETEMENTS SS 18 show, campaigning for Gvasalia as President and I think it never made more sense than it does now, after the show. And btw, that guy is actually ME!

And here’s me again, with my version of VETEMENTS definition, that I made 2 years before the show to show everyone the native heritage of the brand and “translate” the word for them, during the fashion week.

#STATEMANT #OBSESSIONS #PERCEPTIONS #VETEMENTS #DEMNA GVASALIA #GURAM GVASALIA #PFW #PFWM #SS 19 #SS 2019 #GEORGIA

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fadingfartconnoisseur · 7 years

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In Odessa, Romance and Grandeur

Several years ago, I was in Paris and perusing the books at Shakespeare and Company. As I lost myself in the colorful aisles, I came across a modest paperback: Moonlight in Odessa by Janet Skeslian Charles.

I was intrigued by this city I knew so little about, and after reading the back of the book, I decided to buy it. And while I liked the idea of the plot, about a twenty-something woman who tries to carve out a life for herself in Odessa and starts working part time at a mail-order bride company, it was the description of the city that won me over.

Odessa: a place where the streets were lined with candy-colored buildings, where people had conversations about classical music and art and literature, where cooking for friends and family was the greatest way to express your love, where women wore sky-high heels with miniskirts and clattered down the street. From that point on, I knew I had to visit.

Just as Bloodline brought me to the Florida Keys, it was Moonlight in Odessa that brought me to Odessa.

Did Odessa live up to my expectations? It went far and beyond. I fell madly in love with Odessa from the moment I arrived, and it’s one of my favorite destinations in years.

I arrived in Odessa on a bus from Chisinau, Moldova. After a quick stop at an ATM, I jumped in a taxi, agreed on a price that was likely far too much, and whirled down the pastel streets.

I was dumbfounded. I knew it would be beautiful, but how could Odessa be this beautiful?

I went out for a stroll with my camera and soon learned that Odessa is cheap. Ukraine is cheap overall. I knew it wouldn’t be too expensive, but I was shocked at just how low the prices were. Until this trip, I thought Albania and Macedonia had the cheapest prices in Europe; I soon realized Ukraine had them beat.

When Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea a few years ago (or as Russian loyalists would say, they took back what was rightfully theirs), Ukraine’s currency took a significant hit. What was already cheap became even more so.

Some examples of prices? I would regularly have a multi-course meal with wine for about $8.

A latte in a fancy cafe would cost around 95 cents.

The most expensive tickets at the opera? Around $10.

My boutique hotel room that would run for at least $250 if it were in New York? $42.

But on that note, there’s nothing to be worried about in terms of Russia and safety. There is no violence or military presence in Odessa. You wouldn’t know anything was happening.

You can’t travel to Crimea overland from Ukraine, and while Ukrainians now need a special permit in order to enter, non-Ukrainians can visit at their will. Flights from Moscow to Crimea are now considered domestic.

Today Odessa is just as safe as any other European city.

When I heard there was a bakery called Make My Cake, I had to stop by — there’s a Make My Cake in Harlem (and they make some of the absolute best cupcakes in the city, so if you’re in New York, you should come visit). Rather than cupcakes, though, this place was all about macarons.

Including black truffle macarons.

It sounds crazy, but trust me — they were amazing. Who knew that black truffles tasted so delicious with a bit of sugar? And each macaron cost less than a dollar, because why would you ever pay more than that in Ukraine?

On the more traditional end, I tried my first Ukrainian food at a restaurant called Kumanets. If you look for traditional food in Odessa, that’s the first restaurant that pops up, and you should go. It’s touristy as hell, with servers in traditional Ukrainian costumes, but the food is delicious and they have a lot of traditional Odessa dishes.

If you’re going to get the vareniki, or dumplings, get them with cabbage. Those are most traditional.

I also got my first taste of borscht — a new addiction that I would order nearly every day I was in Ukraine.

The next day, I met my guide Olga from JayWay Travel for a walking tour of Odessa with some food stops along the way.

I don’t often do private tours — it’s usually a group tour, a solo wander, or nothing — but I learned so much about Odessa from Olga that I was nearly bereft at how much I would have missed without her.

For starters, Odessa has been home to a multi-ethnic population for centuries. And if you’re Jewish and of Russian descent, chances are high that your family came from Odessa. Jewish culture is strong here to this day: I asked Olga what a traditional Odessa dish would be, and she replied, “Gefilte fish.”

Beyond the Jews, Odessa is home to Greeks, Turks, Armenians, Poles, Bulgarians, and of course Russians. All of these ethnicities melding together have made for some wild history — and some very interesting and surprisingly Mediterranean-influenced cuisine.

I had expected Odessa to be full of six foot tall blonde women, but it wasn’t like that at all. People were shorter, darker, and heavier than you might expect.

How amazing is this heart? I’m not a fan of love locks in general because they weaken bridges, destroy the look of architecture, and at this point, they’re such a cliché.

But Odessa has figured out the perfect solution. Instead of a bridge, they have a heart sculpture designated specifically for love locks. This way you can lock a symbol of your love to an icon in the city without destroying a bridge in the process!

Every city needs to do this.

Odessa is famous for its courtyards, Olga told me. She took me into several of them and pointed out wells that dated back generations, the only places where you could get fresh water in the city. Today many of them had old cars.

I loved this tiny house and its plants, just sitting in the middle of the courtyard!

And some courtyards are home to elegant restaurants.

The Potemkin Steps are one of the symbols of Odessa. The steps are actually an optical illusion — they’re much wider at the bottom than they are at the top. This was meant to give the appearance of a much larger staircase and intimidate any wayward sailor who found himself in the city!

The steps were actually under construction during my visit, but I was able to get this photo across the street from them.

There were happy yellow buses…

Teenagers out with their friends…

Poles covered in urgent advertisements…

Red brick houses topped with yellow…

Proud Ukrainians marching in the streets…

Outdoor restaurants with gauze-covered tents…

Indoor arcades lined in Baroque sculptures…

And picture-perfect street cafes.

I was so in love with Odessa. My heart swelled with every step I took.

And then a rogue hailstorm hit! I’ve never seen hail that big or loud in my life!

Roughly the size of canned hams, am I right?

Afterward I couldn’t believe that the walking street completely flooded! It was fine a few hours later, though.

Checking out the Catacombs

Also worth seeing are the catacombs. But unlike Paris and Rome, the catacombs are not filled with bones.

Here in Odessa, they were home to the resistance against the Nazis during World War II. The resistance lived down here, plotted and fought. People would stay underground for months at a time.

At one point, there were seven children living in the catacombs. This was their classroom.

Yes, that’s literal cave art about Hitler. This image is of a Nazi coming back injured. Translation: you’re losing the war!

The catacombs were also where Olga handled a mansplainer with aplomb. As we were waiting to go in, a tall hefty man in a navy blue pinstripe suit (with a royal purple pinstripe shirt…what?) said something to her in Ukrainian. She smiled weakly and ignored him. He then said a second thing to her, then a third. From the expression on her face I knew she was dealing with a mansplainer.

“What did he say to you?” I asked once we were inside.

“Oh, he said, ‘You can’t go in there, it’s locked.’ Then he said, ‘It’s too early for you to buy your tickets, they don’t have money.’ Then he said, ‘You’re not allowed to go in there.’ And I said, ‘I’m here five days a week,’ and walked in.” Of course. He didn’t believe she could possibly be a guide; he assumed he knew more than she did.

I sympathized with Olga and told her my own experience: on my flight from Bucharest to Chisinau, the man next to me kept explaining to me what happens when you fly on a small plane. I had given him the same weak smile while thinking, “I fly for a living, pal.”

No matter how far you travel, some things stay the same.

The Takeaway

Odessa brought me so much joy. I felt so light and happy the whole time I was there, almost laughing for no reason. And as a result, I’m worried that this blog post didn’t convey enough information about Odessa itself. Does it make you actually want to visit? Or am I just a crazy lady distracted by pretty things that made her happy?

This shy balloon seller made me happy.

This orange bicycle made me happy.

This little pink car made me happy.

These little yellow chairs made me so happy.

Odessa, you were pure joy to me. Thank you for bringing such a big smile to my face.

Essential Info: In Ukraine I was a guest of JayWay Travel, a boutique Central and Eastern European travel company, for a custom itinerary they built for me with hotels, transfers, and tours. They do custom trips so whatever you’re looking for, reach out to them. It was so nice to not have to worry about transfers, and I was grateful that Olga went into the airport with me and found out where I was to depart (one terminal is currently under construction) — with the language barrier, I never would have been able to do that on my own. Contact them directly for tours or other bookings.

I stayed at the Hotel Milano, a brand new boutique hotel ideally located close to the walking street. I highly recommend it — it was extremely comfortable and modern, the staff were very helpful and spoke English well (a bit rare in Ukraine) and for $42 per night, it was a steal. (Olga pointed out that it’s a much louder neighborhood during the summer.) You can see more hotels in Odessa here.

There is a significant language barrier in Ukraine, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared. In central Odessa lots of people in restaurants and hotels speak a bit of English. I do recommend learning Cyrillic, which is pretty easy to do. It will make your life so much easier when you can read what’s in front of you, as many words are similar to English.

I visited Odessa in May, which was the perfect time. Odessa is a beach city and gets crazy in the summer months — which means it gets crowded, there are lots of late night parties with loud music, and older foreign men swarm the city searching for wives.

Moonlight in Odessa is out of print, but you can still get it for Kindle or secondhand.

Don’t visit Odessa without travel insurance. Whether you get appendicitis and need to be hospitalized, or your phone gets stolen, or an injury means you need to cancel all or part of your trip, travel insurance will help you out. I use and recommend World Nomads as travel insurance for trips to Ukraine.

Many thanks to JayWay Travel for hosting me throughout Ukraine. They paid for my hotels, airport transfers, and tours; I paid for flights, meals, and everything else. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Have you been to Odessa? Does it look like your kind of city?

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mastcomm · 4 years

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Fran Drescher, Millennial Whisperer – The New York Times

Fran Drescher’s voice, if you ever have the chance to hear it deployed in very close vicinity over shrimp tempura and spicy tuna sushi, is actually quite soothing.

That meant giving Debbie Klein some passions of her own. “I had to bring myself into it,” she said. “I really infused the sex appeal, the sensuality, the vivaciousness of the character.”

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