#Collective Arts Brewery

[teledyn]

#sucker for marketing #raccoons #trash pandas #Collective Arts Brewery #haze state session ipa

[beakers-and-telescopes]

Genetically Modified Bacteria Produce Energy From Wastewater

E. Coli is one of the most widely studied bacteria studied in academic research.  Though most people probably associate it with food/water borne illness, most strains of E. Coli are completely harmless.  They even occur naturally within your intestines.  Now, scientists at EPFL have engineered a strain of E. Coli that can generate electricity.

The survival of bacteria depends on redox reactions.  Bacteria use these reactions to interconvert chemicals in order to grow and metabolize.  Since bacteria are an inexhaustible natural resource, many bacterial reactions have been industrially implemented, both for creating or consuming chemical substrates.  For instance, you may have heard about researchers discovering bacteria that can break down and metabolize plastic, the benefits of which are obvious.  Some of these bacterial reactions are anabolic, which means that they need to be provided external energy in order to carry it out, but others are catabolic, which means that the reactions actually create energy.  

Some bacteria, such as Shewanella oneidensis, can create electricity as they metabolize.  This could be useful to a number of green applications, such as bioelectricity generation from organic substrates, reductive extracellular synthesis of valuable products such as nanoparticles and polymers, degradation of pollutants for bioremediation, and bioelectronic sensing.  However, electricity producing bacteria such as Shewanella oneidensis tend to be very specific.  They need strict conditions in order to survive, and they only produce electricity in the presence of certain chemicals.  

The method that Shewanella oneidensis uses to generate electricity is called extracellular electron transfer (EET).  This means that the cell uses a pathway of proteins and iron compounds called hemes to transfer an electron out of the cell.  Bacteria have an inner and outer cell membrane, so this pathway spans both of them, along with the periplasmic space between.  In the past, scientists have tried to engineer hardier bacteria such as E. Coli with this electron-generating ability.  It worked… a little bit.  They were only able to create a partial EET pathway, so the amount of electricity generated was fairly small.

Now, the EPFL researchers have managed to create a full pathway and triple the amount of electricity that E. Coli can produce.  "Instead of putting energy into the system to process organic waste, we are producing electricity while processing organic waste at the same time -- hitting two birds with one stone!" says Boghossian, a professor at EPFL. "We even tested our technology directly on wastewater that we collected from Les Brasseurs, a local brewery in Lausanne. The exotic electric microbes weren't even able to survive, whereas our bioengineered electric bacteria were able to flourish exponentially by feeding off this waste."

This development is still in the early stages, but it could have exciting implications both in wastewater processing and beyond.

"Our work is quite timely, as engineered bioelectric microbes are pushing the boundaries in more and more real-world applications" says Mouhib, the lead author of the manuscript. "We have set a new record compared to the previous state-of-the-art, which relied only on a partial pathway, and compared to the microbe that was used in one of the biggest papers recently published in the field. With all the current research efforts in the field, we are excited about the future of bioelectric bacteria, and can't wait for us and others to push this technology into new scales."

#science #stem #stemblr #biology #biochemistry #sustainability #energy

[fictoculus]

౨ৎ what their bedrooms would look like...

send a request!┊masterlist┊taglist applications

FEAT... thoma, tighnari, venti, diluc, itto (+shinobu)

A/N... this is modern au!

✧ thoma.

i feel like thoma would actually have a really messy room, despite being the best cleaner known to man. with him being so busy polishing the floors of the kamisato mansion until they practically shine - not to mention the countless chores and errands he runs - it's almost impossible for him to catch his breath, leaving him absolutely exhausted by the time he throws himself onto his bed. it's almost ironic how he has cleaning supplies neatly lined up on his dressing cabinet collecting dust.

furthermore, a problem arises. thoma isn't the type to be able to say "no", therefore i think he'd probably end up with people coming over to his apartment. his more-than-messy bedroom, along with almost every other area of the apartment, means he and his visitor(s) are confined to the kitchen and living room, which - unfortunately - are not separated.

however, it could also be the complete opposite. with thoma having speedily completed all of the "assignments" set for him that day, he may find himself roaming the streets with nothing to do. after running around the city day after day, nothing seems new to him anymore, causing him to resort to cleaning his apartment searching for some form of entertainment.

✧ tighnari.

now, obviously, tighnari would have a lot of plants throughout his house, whether they're sat in pots upon the windowsill, or hanging precariously from the ceiling by a few strings. however, despite the countless amounts of greenery, his small home is perfectly clean; not a fallen leaf in sight. a stray petal spotted by him has no chance of survival, and would immediately be thrown into the composter along with any other scraps he finds.

he would also have a large garden surrounding his cottage-like house, with an abundance of greenery including trees, countless breeds of flowers, and even his own little veggie patch that he uses to grow not only vegetables, but herbs too.

towards the back would be a greenhouse, full to the brim of exotic and rare plant breeds which he often buys abroad. he keeps them there to study them, refusing to use the internet for information and relying purely on his own knowledge and the countless books he has in his basement-library. the amount of books he owns is so great, he would have to stack them besides the "library" door, leaving his home looking quite messy, but he doesn't seem to mind; he's a strong believer in "organised mess".

✧ venti.

i don't know if this is slightly random or strange, but in my mind, i think venti would make an excellent weather broadcaster; he has a strong passion with the wind, as well as a somewhat special connection, and so i think it's actually quite fitting.

in his room would be covered in charts, showing different areas of the world and little diagrams along with them of weather tendencies, levels of rainfail, and more; it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see multiple globes in his home either. despite not actually providing the information, venti wooul still enjoy studying the topics he speaks about, explaining the stacks of factual documents on his desk, facing the window of course so he can gaze out of the window and observe the beauty of mother nature's sky whenever he pleases.

in the far corner of his room, the spot in which the sun shines in the late afternoon, is a stool, his lyre sitting atop it. though it is an uncommon instrument to play, venti is more than just passionate about it's beautiful melodies, the way the strings vibrate to the perfect pitch every time, blessing the ears of those who walked by his window.

✧ diluc.

even in the real world, diluc still has a passion for the art of brewery, this hobby being so apparent that he would have his own "bar" in the basement of his home. he would have loved to take his love for brewery even further and turn it into his job, but in order to help provide for his family, including his partner, 2 children, and 3 cats, he needed a better paying job than a barista, and so ended up with an office job. as boring as it may be, he truly believes it's worth it.

his family's home would be of an average size, small enough to be homely, large enough to be comfortable. the kids would have their own rooms, though they wouldn't be massive. he and his partner would share a bedroom, as well as a bed, which would always be kept tidy by his obsessive nature for cleanliness and organisation, though a little clutter won't bother him.

i think it would be quite a basic home, what you'd expect for a modern day family, though there would be little relics spotted around the house, usually framed or kept in protective glass cases, that he'd taken an interest in over the years.

✧✧ itto. (+shinobu)

itto would 100% be a drummer. don't even ask me why, he just is. he would have quite a worn drumkit in the corner of his bedroom, which somehow withstands his passionate beatings for hours on end (put your dirty mind away); proving him to be not only a professional drummer, but also a professional upstairs neighbour, or just neighbour in general. practically all the apartment building can feel the vibrations of his rhythmic drumming, none of the inhabitants necessarily enjoying his musical outbursts.

his love for beetles still carries through to the real world, as well as his passion for the strength of geo. these likes of his are represented throughout his apartment, with beetles molded from stone scattered as decorations; the sizes, colours, and shapes ranging massively. he often volunteers at the local scouts club during the summer to take the children into the forest and (attempt to) catch bugs together.

shinobu, arguably his closest friend, shares the apartment with him, as well as the interest in music. her room is on the other side of the apartment, containing a wall dedicated to guitars (electric and acoustic) and basses. it isn't rare for the two of them to have recording sessions together; they are in a band together, after all.

thanks for reading ♡ want to read more? my requests are OPEN, so please feel free to let me know what you'd like me to write next!

© FICTOCULUS 2023; please do not steal, translate, or repost my works as your own

#genshin #genshin headcanons #headcanons #thoma #thoma headcanons #tighnari #tighnari headcanons #venti #venti headcanons #diluc #diluc headcanons #itto #itto headcanons #shinobu #kuki shinobu #shinobu headcanons #kuki shinobu headcanons #.typingptera

[bosskie]

Molluck Sketching Book

Last night, I had yet another urge to draw Molluck and I wanted to draw to a bigger paper since I have done those two previous sketches to my lil A5 sketchbook. I looked at my 'paper collection' (I have about 20 different paper pads and sketchbooks, most unused...) and I realized that I have this unused book-like sketching book and I could dedicate it to these Molluck sketches but maybe also make it be like a book about Molluck. So that second picture kinda 'illustrates' it being like a book and how to enjoy it! Yeah, I just had to have some fun with my stuff.

And yes, that's the cigar I have in its tube. I have seen some photos of really big cigars and man, I wish to have that kind of cigar but that was the biggest one I could find from the special closet they were in a tax-free store, behind a lock, but also the most beautiful one. I also got one cigar tin box I once bought, empty, and it decorates my kitchen, next to that Gametee's RuptureFarms tin sign.

Yes, the cigar is still there since I don't smoke but maybe one day... Cigars are just something more elegant than 'basic cigarettes' since they need some special treatment, meaning storing conditions. Yes, Molluck made me read about cigar smoking stuff and I wonder how he has stored his... Sometimes I just imagine him having like a big storage room for his cigars, a room full of humidors or the room itself being the humidor.

But yes, I wasn't really sure about the cover but I think that it looks somewhat fitting. I drew it with white gel pen, permanent type ink marker and paint marker, and I can say that it was kinda messy too... But I think that I succeeded fine enough since drawing with ink kinda requires that you do no mistakes and draw straight away. I used to enjoy drawing with marker pens, drawing straight away, but it can be stressful too since like I said, you shouldn't do any mistakes. But well, pretty many traditional art supplies can be quite unforgiving anyway, so that's kinda 'the spirit' of traditional art. I have like hundreds of markers, too... I should count them. I'm just saying this kinda to myself that I should really use the stuff I have, I have so much art supplies...

And yeah, that spine of the book has a lil RuptureFarms logo. I have been also just wondering more Molluck's role and power, for what he was truly responsible for since he was the CEO of both RuptureFarms and SoulStorm Brewery. I really wish that OWI (Lorne) reveals more stuff about this! And I wanna say that all this love I give for Molluck and wishing all the best for him doesn't mean that I support his doings. I don't love him for his actions and I see that inside of him is a beautiful Gluk. He can seem like the meanest boss in the world but he can also be sweet, just like his cigars.

For me, Molluck just doesn't feel 'evil' and well, I'm a 'Gluk-hugger', meaning that Glukkons are my favourite Oddworld species and I just love their certain greediness and selfishness... But well, it's also a part of my dark humour... Like one of the biggest reasons why I love Oddworld is that dark humour, I just love it! But also just dark themes in general there.

And well, yes, I still do support Molluck but in a way that I don't care about moral stuff when I say that. When it comes to this Oddworld/Molluck stuff, I just like to throw my moral to the trash can and play around. And the main reason why I started to love Molluck was that I saw myself in him; he just felt like a me as a Gluk...

I just cannot help myself with Molluck... I just wish to give all my love to him and that I could make him feel good and loved... Oh, and I do actually like to play around with Molluck being that 'angry jerk' kind of Gluk the Sligs said him being like. I mean, my image of Molluck has different shades and I love them all.

#molluck #molluck the glukkon #oddworld molluck #oddworld #art like a bosskie

[mybeingthere]

Yamaguchi Gen (山口源) was born in Fuji City (Shizuoka Prefecture). He spent his youth in Tokyo, and thought for a time about becoming a writer, but after his family moved to Taiwan in 1914 (where they had prosperous beer and sake breweries), he had a chance encounter with Fujimori Shizuo (藤森静雄 1891–1943), an oil painter, sôsaku hanga artist, and friend of Onchi Kôshirô. Yamaguchi assisted Fujimori in collecting butterflies, while Fujimori introduced Yamaguchi to printmaking. Back in Japan, in 1932, Yamaguchi fell in with an anti-materialist group called Itto-en, which led him to renounce (for a time) financial support from his family and live an ascetic life. He survived with menial jobs, going house to house and offering to do chores. Serendipitously, he came to Onchi's home. As the Second World War approached, Yamaguchi spent time as an itinerant painter. He was a Christian (a legacy of childhood Sunday school taught by a missionary) and political liberal (though not a Communist), and was very much opposed to the militarism taking over Japan. For a few years, around 1935–37, he disappeared from the art scene, and may have been an activist in the anti-militarist underground.

Continue reading https://www.viewingjapaneseprints.net/.../yamaguchi_gen.html

Images are from [The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL] (Source- artic.edu).

[nightmaretist]

TIMING: August 20 PARTIES: Marcus @thenavysealkie & Inge @nightmaretist LOCATION: Short & Stout Brewery SUMMARY: Inge sits down across from Marcus. They end up staring at a piece of abstract art, and interpret it in their own, personal ways. They chat for a while after moments of introspection. CONTENT WARNINGS: Child death

The Short & Stout brewery had soon become a favored space of Inge, who liked a place where she could sip a fair few beers but didn’t like coming across her students while doing so. It was sweet, anyway, to come here after a walk in the woods. She’d collected a fair few bits and bobs, to file away in her collection of naturalistic bits and bobs — it would be of use in a future piece, one that only existed in her mind for now.

With a Pepper Up Stout in her hands, hiking boots still on her feet, she moved through the brewery before letting her gaze fall on a piece of art above a little nook. There was already someone sitting there, but Ingeborg had never let that stop her. She looked at the painting for a moment. Mixed media, that she liked. “That must be new,” she said, pointing at it with her glass. A small bit of beer fell on the table. “Oops! Sorry, let me get that —” Placing her glass down and sliding in the boot, her eyes trailed to the painting once more before she got a tissue to wipe the liquid up. 

She balled the spoiled paper up and pushed it to the side of the table. “I just need a closer look to that piece of work, if that’s okay. If you mind the company, just say so.” Inge looked up again. “What do you think of it?” 

Despite his more affluent upbringing, Marcus didn’t really know much about fine art. He and his father were much more focused on studying sports and war history, and didn’t take a lot of time to appreciate much else. Still his mother loved it, and he now found himself regretting not studying a subject that he could have connected with his mother on. As he leaned back in his chair and sipped on his drink, it was the same one he had been sipping on for the past 40 minutes, he studied the painting above where he sat and tried to understand where people found the deeper beauty. 

It doesn’t even look like anything, it’s like somebody just slapped a bunch of colors on a canvas and called it a day. I could do that, Marcus thought to himself. His thoughts were soon interrupted, however, as he heard a woman’s voice behind him talking about the piece. He saw the woman spill a small amount of her drink on the table, some of it splashing onto his arm. 

The woman then decided to sit down right next to him, which wasn’t unwelcome. He definitely appreciated the company. However, she soon asked him what his thoughts on the piece of art were, and she definitely seemed to appreciate it more than he did. Now, he could have had an honest conversation and tell her it just looked like random globs of paint, but didn’t think that would get him far. Besides, having an intellectual conversation about the piece might just teach him a thing or two. 

Marcus swirled his drink thoughtfully before saying “I find their color choice and line work to be… pedestrian.” He did his best to emulate his mother and her rich friends when they went on their art tours. “How about you?” 

It would be a source of shame for Inge, if her art ever came to hang in a place like this. Not that there was anything wrong with the bar itself, but there was something about your pieces being bought just to be looked at by people intending to get drunk. No, she preferred to sell to more fine dining places, if she had to. Besides, one of her pieces would look absolutely out of place here.

Still, that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy some of the art that arrived in more mundane places. And this was a nice piece, truly. Abstract, but clever in a way. Even from where she sat she could see the different techniques, not just the acrylic paint but the other materials used. Was that some rotan? Her eyes narrowed. It had potential, Inge thought. Like a bored housewife had made it who could do so much more — but maybe she was just projecting now.

“Pedestrian?” Her gaze redirected to the stranger and she took a large sip of her drink, mulling over that assessment. “Gotta politely disagree with you there. It’s easy to glance at, sure, not the most complicated — but it’s hardly pedestrian. Accessible art is great, you know? This is abstract in a way where people can get into it. Plenty of ways to interpret, and, if you ask me, excellent use of color.”

Swing and a miss Marcus thought to himself. At least he gave it a try. Maybe he hadn’t made a complete ass of himself? Judging by her reaction it didn’t seem like a completely uninformed take, just one that she disagreed with. He figured it shouldn’t be hard to recover. Still, she definitely seemed to know what she was talking about. 

“Oh of course. It’s very… colorful. I like how the brush strokes really cover the canvas. I suppose you’re right, accessibility is always a good thing, right?” Marcus looked more closely at the piece. The colors definitely seemed to represent something but what? Was there meant to be a clear answer? Was that the point, that there was no point? Or that there were multiple points?

Marcus didn’t really know how to interpret the piece. Not wanting to put his foot in his mouth again, he asked “and what’s your interpretation of it?”

The best thing about art was its subjectivity. There was no such thing as bad art (though there was such a thing as bad artists, Inge thought) at the end of the day, even if a person might dislike a piece greatly. Some of her work had been met with lukewarm reviews, but there had always been at least one person who had gotten enjoyment out of it. Disagreeing with a stranger on a piece of art in a bar was fun.

She gave a nod of the head, “Certainly. And that’s not to say that there is art out there that’s meant for more intermediary or expert art observers, but still! A Rothko here would be out of place.” 

He asked for her opinion and her gaze moved from the canvas to him. “I see a mother and her daughter, perhaps faintly. It’s such an easy concept to interpret in a multitude of ways, you know? But there, the larger and then —” Her finger moved to another blob of paint, “The smaller. The rest could be whatever. I’m not sure yet.” Inge looked at him. She had no idea what the artist’s intention had been and didn’t care for now. “What about you?” 

Marcus, predictably, had no idea what a Rothko was. An artist? Some sort of alien species? Then she gave her own interpretation. A mother and her child. While he could certainly kind of see what she was talking about after pointing out the different sized blots of paint, it seemed like a stretch. Still, the woman next to him certainly seemed to derive more meaning from the piece than he did. And he had to admit, seeing it from her perspective definitely allowed him to actually make some sense of the piece. 

Figuring he couldn’t steal her answer, he decided to come up with an interpretation on the spot. He always considered himself a more literal person, so interpretation of abstract thought and design weren’t exactly his forte. He swore they should use these pieces to replace Rorschach tests, because of all of the different answers people could give you. He analyzed the piece very carefully, looking for something. 

He suddenly remembered tagging along with his mother to art galas when he was a young boy, trying to distract himself as she talked to her snobbish friends about one technique or another. Still, he did remember what was discussed, and could use a thing or two from those discussions. It also helped that he took an art appreciation class in high school, which could give him a few more tools to interpret with. He got a C in that class, but still, good enough.

“The different sized blots of ink could also represent growth. One person, but at different points of their life. The interesting thing to try to figure out is, which way are they growing? Positively or negatively? The light colors towards the top of the canvas can represent happiness, but is the subject growing towards or away from the light?” 

Once he started, he just sort of kept going. He had decided on an interpretation and his brain just sort of ran with it the rest of the way. And the best part was he didn’t pull any of it out of his ass, he was speaking genuinely about it. He was impressed with himself, and he turned to face the woman next to him hoping that he had impressed her as well.

Interpreting art was something Inge could do for an incredible amount of time. Sometimes she’d use the astral plane to her advantage, making her way to galleries in the larger cities of the continent to stare at the art and make them fit her own vision. There was no error to be had with interpretation. Sure, the academic world would say there was such a thing, but she found it all rather elitist. Art was for the viewer. 

And even when people spoke complete bullshit, it was still somewhat thought through. That was why it nice that there was no plate next to this artwork: there was no title to go off, no artist’s name to Google for context. Here it was, this singular piece. Not the best she’d ever seen, but intriguing. Of course Inge saw a mother and a child, because she saw mothers with children everywhere except in the mirror. In the mirror was only the mother, childless.

Without the other knowing it or her, she’d given him a piece of her soul by offering his interpretation. So she could only hope the answer he’d give her was as truthful as hers had been. “Interesting, I like that. The lightness could apply on my interpretation too, if you don’t mind. Maybe the child is moving forward, further than the parent.” 

Inge took a long sip of her drink after that statement. “Whether it’s growing towards it or not is all up to you,” she said. Art was also freedom. Maybe she’d paint again, when coming home. “Or maybe it’s teaching us that there is no use in putting value on growth. All growth can be good and bad? Hm. Makes you think.”

He almost couldn’t believe it. Here was Marcus having an intellectual conversation with a complete stranger over what certain flecks of paint on a canvas meant. Although he had to admit that he found himself to be very engaged in the conversation. Maybe he had an interest in this sort of thing after all. His interpretation really just sort of blurted out, he barely even thought of the words before he spoke them. Perhaps it was him projecting his own experiences and emotions onto what he saw on the canvas. He figured that probably lent credence to his suggestion of using modern art as Rorschach tests.  

He thought of her interpretation of the child moving beyond the parent, and thought of his own mother and father. He was finally able to get in contact with them, assured by William that the brass presumed him to be dead and were no longer making efforts to find him. Not that Marcus trusted what he had to say, but figured he wouldn’t risk coming to Marcus and boldly making his presence known if he felt there was a risk he’d get caught up in some military manhunt. They were relieved to have the confirmation that he was alive and well, but never really had their doubts. 

“My son drowning at sea?”, his mother said. “Honestly I had to fight to keep a sad expression on my face when they came to our door to say that.”

“What were you thinking?! I thought we told you not to be so careless, that pelt is your lifeline! And you let somebody steal it?” His father was not quite as warm about the situation. 

They expressed sympathy for his situation and relief that he was, relatively speaking, okay. He missed home, and once again he saw himself projecting himself onto the canvas. The child grows beyond the parent. Here he was, brave new world. Uncharted waters. Still unsure, is this growth more good than it is bad? Or is it an even split?  

He looked at the woman next to him again. 

“I definitely know what you mean. Life isn’t a perfect black and white. It’s a collection of grays. Who’s to say the light is even a good thing?”

She kept thinking about the mother and child herself, thinking of little Vera in her then-mortal arms. Inge’s world had been so limited back then, in that house she shared with Hendrik — her center of the universe had been nothing but that bundle of joy. And she had loved her, deeply, and she had worried for her, deeply.

Vera had come from her (and Hendrik, but he mattered so little to her, that brutish and horrible man) and had made a life on this world that was her own. Inge knew she hadn’t been the best mother, that there had been a distance forced between herself and her daughter because of her own selfishness, because of her transformation into something more-than-human. Like the shapes, they stopped standing together at some point. Vera had left and Inge had not begged her to stay, and somehow it had made things better between them.

Because when Vera had gone her own way in the world, attending university and bursting with ambition. From a distance, her daughter had been so admirable and beautiful. From a distance, Inge could at least see that Vera would have a better time than she had in her twenties, even if she would one day outgrow her.

Perhaps that’s what the stranger was getting at. Maybe Inge was the smaller shape, infinitely young whereas her daughter’s body grew older than her own ever got to be. Sometimes, the child outgrew the mother. 

She downed her drink, raised a hand to order another round, “You want one, too?” She didn’t often get filled with remorse or grief, but it hit her now. Inge reshifted her focus on the words the other had spoken, nodding. “We need both. That’s the truth in art as well as life. No use in things being good or light when there’s no bad or darkness.” She extended her hand, “I enjoyed this. My name is Inge.”

Marcus could see the woman in front of him was deep in thought. Maybe this was starting to take on a personal meaning for her too, just as it had for Marcus. Maybe she was thinking of her own parents, and her relationship with them. He hoped that that relationship wasn’t strained in any way. 

“Yes please, I’d love another round.” Usually Marcus didn’t drink much when he went out, but tonight he decided to have a few more than usual. 

He shook the woman’s hand, “Marcus” he replied back. “Very nice to meet you, I’m definitely enjoying this conversation too. It’s crazy what you can take away from just some shapes on a canvas. I think I might’ve misjudged it a little at first.”

He found himself curious about the woman next to him. He knew what his personal connection to the piece was, but what was hers? 

“So, what’s your story, Inge?”

After ordering both of them another round, she returned her focus to the stranger in front of her. His face soon gained a name and she smiled. “Marcus. Nice to meet you.” Funny, that he admitted that he’d misjudged the painting. Inge was glad to have pushed his mind a little, and found herself attributing it all completely to herself.

Her fingers splayed on the table, awaiting another drink and nodding. “Exactly! People are so quick to disregard abstract art, and though there can certainly be pretty shit pieces out there, it does challenge you more to look further than a renaissance painting. Which are interesting to analyze too, but leave less room for personal interpretation, hm?” 

He asked for her story and she wondered what he wished to know. Of course, there was no chance of her actually telling a stranger of her past – delving in the twisted youth in a post-war country, admitting that she was actually nearly eighty rather than a sprightly thirty-something – but still. “My story, hm? Tonight, I’m just here for a drink. Besides that … I teach art, I make art and I’m a bit of a traveler. What about you?”

Ah, so that would explain how she knew so much about art and interpretation. She was a teacher after all, she must have studied the subject extensively. Suddenly Marcus felt much less…uncultured. 

“I’d love to see your work some time. I’m a bit of a traveler myself, kinda have to be when you’re in the Navy. I’ve been all over but never really got to enjoy many of the places I’ve stopped at. I’ll tell you the Persian Gulf is beautiful, and probably a lot nicer when people aren’t trying to drop bombs on top of you.” He chuckled a bit, trying to throw some humor into a confession he admitted was pretty dark. 

He couldn’t help but notice that there was still a bit of mystery. For tonight, just here for a drink. I guess he could say the same for himself. He decided not to press his new acquaintance for any further details. He had learned that if somebody doesn’t talk about something readily, it’s for good reason. 

“Nowadays, I do maintenance at the lighthouse, keep an eye out for any stranded ships or drowning swimmers. Figure I should put my good swimming ability to good use.”

“Who knows, maybe you will be able to soon. There’s always two pieces of mine on the campus, though,” she said, not saying out loud that she was in talks with MuertArte, as it would certainly count as jinxing it if she were to say she was in talks with them. Inge smiled, still, “I’m more of a sculptor myself, though. Less abstract, too.”

Ah, the navy. A little disappointing, she thought, and not just because the navy tended to work on the sea which Inge despised due to its high salt levels. “Ah, I tend to avoid locations where people drop bombs on me personally. Not joining the navy has been very useful in that goal thus far.” She chuckled. 

When she was about to ask if he was in the navy now – and if so, why the hell he was in Wicked’s Rest – he revealed himself to work at the lighthouse. “Ah, so no more bombs, hm? Just all the other weird stuff this town has to offer.” 

She took a long sip of her drink. “Are you not too high up to rescue any drowning swimmers, though? What happens when you’re up there and someone starts screaming for help? Do you run down all those stairs? Or … slide like a fireman?”

Marcus was pleased the woman next to him joked back with him. He always used humor to make light of his experiences at war, and some people found that to be in poor taste. It always felt like they were trying to be offended on his behalf even though he was the one who made the joke in the first place. 

“Not joining in the first place is good advice, where were you 12 years ago?” Marcus said, gesturing towards Inge with his glass. 

She had a point about his ability to rescue drowning swimmers. A normal person wouldn’t be able to dive from those heights and swim efficiently enough to rescue someone drowning. It would be far more likely that they’d end up drowning along with the victim.

“We had a pretty firm ‘no man left behind’ policy on my ship.” Except for when it came to his own overboard occurrence of course, although their lack of investigation was to his benefit. “If somebody went overboard, every man on that ship was trained to dive down from a great height safely and retrieve their comrade from the water. A lot of the coastline around Wicked’s Rest is much less forgiving than the smooth surface of a ship, but I make do. I actually went to the state finals in high school for high diving!” Surprisingly, he hadn’t won. He made it to the final round but his father encouraged him to tone things down a little so as not to appear too good. As a result, he took home second place, which he was still pleased with, but always had a hint of bitterness over not getting to enjoy his championship. 

“Do you get many students?” he asked her, changing the subject

Where was she twelve years ago? Drowning her sorrows in other people’s nightmares. Sick with grief in Europe. Wishing she was human for the first time in decades just so she could sleep for a while, close her eyes and drift off. But that was hardly a suitable answer. To explain that she’d had an adult daughter who had died then — well, it was a little too much baring of the soul. Revealing, too. Inge didn’t look like someone who’d had a child in her thirties.

“Italy. I was an artist-in-residence in the north, it was quite lovely.” Not an entire lie. She’d been going by a different name then, her art had been ugly in its rage. Grief bended and collapsed time, sure, but so did immortality. Inge took a long sip from her drink. Fuck this question. “A lot colder than you might expect.” 

She was glad he went on about diving from large heights, the distraction it offered from her own past (which was often romanticized and thought of highly, with some exception like now). “Ah, sure — but a lighthouse, is that not much higher than the largest diving board? I’m not sure, I haven’t gone swimming in quite some time.” She missed swimming in the sea. The few memories she had of the ocean as a mortal (going to the coast with Hendrik and Vera for a week during summer, getting sunburned and salty) were vague, and yet she longed. Shit, she was getting nostalgic. “That’s cool, though. What’s the highest you’ve ever dived from?”

Inge nodded. “A fair few. I don’t just teach sculpting, and a lot of them like to take an art class even if it’s not their major. Seems we all need some art, hm? What'd you go to college for?”

Marcus wasn’t really expecting her to answer where she was 12 years ago, he meant the question rhetorically. Still, traveling around northern Italy couldn’t have been easy, even with all of the charm that came along with it. 

“Well, if you’re going to practice your artistic skills, I’m sure the home of the renaissance is the best place to be!” He had never toured over there personally, he never had a reason to. But he had been along the mediterranean once and could agree that the view was breathtaking. 

“You can dive from surprisingly high with the right technique. You can see videos online of people jumping off of high rocky cliffs taller than the one the lighthouses sit on, you just have to land properly. Also, I do climb down a bit to the ground before jumping, that cuts down on height a lot.  I’d say the highest would be from a cliff face back home, also one that was home to a lighthouse. That must have been 150 feet up. I ended up so deep underwater, I thought for sure I’d drown.” Marcus added, trying to come across as if he actually could drown. 

“I started college going for my BA in History, but ended up with a DO instead. Meaning, I dropped out.” Marcus clarified awkwardly. It was a sore spot for him, as his parents wanted the college route to work for him. He could still feel the sting of their disappointment when he told them. They were afraid when he chose to join the navy instead, fearing for his life and the secrecy of his own identity as well as that of his family. 

“Ah well,” Marcus said after a pause. “College isn’t for everybody, right? I still did okay for myself. It sounds like we both did.” And with that Marcus tilted his glass towards Inge’s, signaling an impromptu toast to both of their relative success.

Something, unbeknownst to her, had gotten lost in translation. Inge didn’t think herself prone to such things, however, and thus she didn’t think further than to consider the other’s question strange and forward. That it caused her to do some bitter reflection was on him, too, she found.

“Certainly, though I’m not fully sure if it’s the most inspiring place I’ve ever been,” she said, and it was said a little smugly. Being well-traveled was something Inge was glad for, even proud of. Italy had been where one of her favorite exhibitions had been, when her work had represented Switzerland. That had been twenty years ago, though, when life had been different. It was pre-Vera, rather than post, which was how all of life was separated. Everything was pre- or post a death. Her own, Sanne’s, Vera’s. They were the pillars of her existence.

She nodded at the explanation, “Sure, but isn’t there rocks under a lighthouse, right? Isn’t there a large chance you fall onto those rather than into the waves?” It would be thrilling to dive from such a high place, Inge thought. Maybe she should seek more exhilaration through human adrenaline-chasing ways. Not by jumping into the ocean, though. “ A hundred and fifty feet, holy Jesus!”  She let out a laugh. “That’s impressive. Must’ve taken a while to come back up.” 

He was right, of course: college wasn’t for everybody. Inge found the confines of academia stifling at times, even as a professor. She wasn’t intending to return to teaching when she’d inevitably ditch this town and find something else to do. “ It sure isn’t. We rely on those pieces of paper too much.”  She had learned most of her skills through other means, anyway, even if going to university back in the day had been freeing. She lifted her glass, tilted it towards him, “It seems we did. Cheers to that.” 

Marcus had grown to enjoy the conversation, but felt the night was getting late. 

“I agree. Some papers with our names on them and some fancy titles or letters next to our name don’t define our worth.”

He found the statement a bit hypocritical of him to say. After all, isn’t a soldier’s value tied to badges and ranks? Was the hierarchy there any different than in the drudgery of academia? Maybe they had experience in more similar fronts than he had initially thought. The top brass of the military could share many similarities to a university’s administration or board. 

Marcus raised his glass and met his new friend’s toast. 

“Cheers. To happiness, success, and new friends. Interesting how a piece can get people talking and bring them together, isn’t it? I guess that’s part of the beauty.”

She nodded in agreement, “Exactly,” she said, placing her glass back on the table. “Art is a great equalizer, even if people want to act all high and mighty about it.” Inge thought about her current job and how annoyingly elitist academia could be. She’d trade it for something else soon enough.

She took a long sip from her drink, finishing the glass and letting the empty vessel rest against the wood of the table. “It was nice to meet you …” She waited to receive his name, and then extended her hand to make the introduction official. “I’m Inge.” 

The hour was getting late, though — at least it was for the non-nocturnal humanoids, and with drinks finished, it seemed the meeting was coming to a natural close all the same. With names and even more personal things exchanged, though, Inge was genuine when she told the other, “Thank you for your company tonight. I’ll see you around.”

#threads. #art is subjective. #marcus. #this was SO FUN tyler tysm!! #i love how deep it got

[mhalachai]

more thoughts on vacation planning

thanks to everyone for your vacation suggestions! I have some plans now… lots to do :D

I thought I'd share the suggestions here compiled for your reading pleasure - might be some ideas in here if you're looking for a bit of a break this summer (amid the heat, forest fires, and other climate disasters):

First, some ideas if you're local to the Vancouver area (or planning on a visit)

Vancouver

Day trip! If you want a quick ferry ride, try Bowen Island or Salt Spring Island, or if you want to stay on the mainland, try Sasamat Lake

Maple Ridge tree walk or zip line (or axe-throwing!)

White Rock beach and pier (bonus - taking a double-decker bus from Vancouver down)

Lonsdale Quay (featuring the ever-popular ride on the seabus)

Honey's Donuts in Deep Cove

Granville Island before 12pm on a weekday

Fireworks! But make friends with someone who lives in the West End who will put you up

Lynn Valley suspension bridge (and the local trails – very nice, very free) (and honestly, you can skip the Capilano Suspension Bridge theme park - it's super expensive and not really worth it)

Try the new Michelin star restaurants in Vancouver and then go to the other restaurants you know that are better and enjoy those too

Lastly, if you want some more organized nature, try the Van Dusen Botanical Garden

Now, onto general suggestions!

Self-care

Sleep for a day or three

Do all the hard stuff that a 9-5 gets in the way of - go to the bank, book that eye exam, etc.

go get that warning light in your car looked at, i mean it mhal

Do as much gentle housecleaning as interests you

Spa experience - massage, mani-pedi, other spa things

Bubble bath/hair mask/other home spa pieces

Do a thing

local zoo or aquarium

Art galleries, science centres, and museums

Botanical gardens

Events hosted your local library

Local events/fairs

Trip around to the vintage/antique/flea shops

Check out local second-hand record stores and/or bookstores

Do a thing (+ Effort)

Touch grass/sand/water/trees/flowers. Bring a book and read in nature

Hiking

local walking tours

Kite flying

Activities(tm) - such as paddle board, horseback riding class, go-carting and so on

Maker space - pottery or print making or woodwork

Eating

Every restaurant you haven't tried but want to

Local breweries/wineries

Hit up the local city page on reddit and see if there are any restaurant rec places - they can be hit or miss but sometimes there are some gems.

And this one from @krchov is so cool I'll paste it here in its entirely:

Dedicate time to making a map of the food carts/cheese shops/etc in a specific area of your city. Compare the quality of similar wares in each one. Collect data. In the end you will have a cool map/dataset, new favorite food place and on your wandering you will probably happen upon some before unknown interesting places.

happy vacationing!

#mhalachai goes outside #things to do this summer before the world ends #thanks for your suggestions everyone!

[mountphoenixrp]

The Sunshine Festival is coming up fast! In preparation, you can find the program for the market and concert stage below!

Market Booths:

The Flower Mill Goods/Services: Tiramisu Frozen Coffee in a collectible mason jar; Cold Brew boba tea; Mochi donuts (glazed, strawberry, and lemon).

Lupin’s “Good Looks” Goods/Services: Custom-made headpieces, festival-wear and other clothing. On-the-spot hair and make-up styling.  Specials: 15% for customers who book their first styling appointment with Lupin.

Sweet Spot (Eros’ pop up chocolate and sweets booth) Goods/Services: Fine flower and fruit infused chocolates, light sweet confections and “love dust”. Target practice game with prizes for romantic dates. Specials: Specialty chocolates, dipped fruits, love advice.

Honeypot Brewery & Tapas Goods/Services: Aqua fresca (strawberry, cucumber, lime), burritos, and ceviche. Specials: Double Trouble coupons: for two people to enjoy a full Mexican-style meal for the price of one.

Jinxxed Goods/Services: Bone/tea/tarot readings, candle blessings, spell pouch making. Specials: 40% off crystals with proof of reading(s); free admission to one full moon ritual.

Minx Goods/Services: 360* camera shots: videos made in slow or regular speed to capture your memories from the Sunshine Festival! Specials: One free golden cuddle card! (See Malea for details.)

Marimo Ink Goods/Services: Neck-up piercings (50% off), face/body painting, hand-drawn temporary tattoos, art prints by Marimo Ink artists. Specials: Raffle for the chance to win one of three free tattoos (customers will receive one raffle ticket per piercing purchase, multiple entries allowed); free tattoo consultations.

Maibee Art Goods/Services: All handmade: crochet hats, plushies, blankets; keychains, jewelry, dice; stickers, coasters, prints, paintings; and more! Will do live portraits and synesthesia art. Specials: Buy Two, Get a Third with 10% off; Buy Five, Get a Tiny Crochet Hedgehog Friend.

Stop&Paws Goods/Services: Mini grooming service (brush out & bandannas/bows for pets); Flea & Tick treatment; “Meet the Adoptables” pen; and a pet cool down station with water dishes and a small pool. Specials: Mini grooming service and the flea & tick treatment will both be free, Pet Treats will also be available for free at both the adoptables pen and the cool down station.

Ice Ice Baby Goods/Services: Gourmet ice cream! Specials: Buy one, get one free single scoop cones; 20% off ice cream sundaes.

Black Forest Bakery Goods/Services: Berry and cream mille-feuille, double chocolate eclairs, crème brûlée, cookies and cream cheesecake in mini mason jars. Specials: Buy two, get one free; 20% off cake/event catering orders made at the booth.

Performers:

HEXED (Claire, Cassandra & Charlotte), rock band performance

HEXED will be playing a set of the songs off their latest album, along with a special sneak-peek performance of their upcoming summer single “Bonvoyage”.

Apollo, singing and dancing

Apollo will perform covers of Lizzo's “Juice”, Harry Style's “Late Night Talking”, Marshmello X Jonas Brother's “Leave Before You Love Me”, and Post Malone and Doja Cat's “I Like You”.

Sundrop Thanawat, singing and acoustic guitar

Sundrop will be singing a few songs while sitting and playing his guitar for a musical accompaniment. (There may be some birds flying around with the music as an extra feature. He still needs to ask if they'll help him though.)

Lee Juyeon, dancing

Juyeon will perform a mini showcase of a few songs he thought up his own choreography for. Just showing off his skill as a choreographer and the reason he's a dance instructor and a dancer.

Dakota Kim and Noel Yunuen, singing and dancing

The duo will be dancing and singing covers of “Mirotic” by TVXQ, “View” by SHINee, and “Peaches” by Justin Bieber.

Invidia Duval, Kihara Brighton and Kaya Everly, aerial/dance performance

The trio will perform an aerial and dance performance to: “Cosmic Love” by Florence + The Machine, “Who” by LAUV (feat. BTS), “Jericho” by Iniko, and “Middle of the Night” by Elley Duhe.

Heather Rhodes, Invidia Duval, Hunter Moon and Dakota Kim, singing

The group will be singing: “i’m yours” by Isabel LaRosa, “Tinted Eyes” by DVBBS, “Body” by Sinead Harnett, and “FRZZN” by OZZIE (feat. Teflon Sega).

Vulpe Blanford, ballet performance

Vulpe will be performing his own modernized ballet choreograph to “Experience”, “Elegy for the Arctic” and “Divenire” by Ludovico Einaudi, and “Golden Hour” (instrumental) by Jvke.

Please use this information to plot with as many people as you would like! Employees and performers can have threads where they are working/performing and threads during their days off at the festival, if you’d like.

There is no time limit for threads, but the event will only officially last a week, so make sure to start your threads or whatever else you have in mind once it begins!

Most importantly, of course, have fun!

#mp; event #mp; sunshine festival

[trivialbob]

This weekend we camped on private property. The dogs loved this. No tethers, no leashes. I loved it because I didn’t trip over tethers and leashes. Oh yeah, the other couples there were a joy to hang out with. Campfires, conversation, beer, and even a few edibles. I found myself to be very amusing after one edible. Others might have disagreed, but my own laughter was all I needed!

Early Saturday morning I got up early and brewed coffee. Then Sulley and I sat outside. He saw his first deer. He chased his first deer. He did not catch his first deer.

When Ella and I finally got him out of the woods and back to the open area where the trailers were Sulley pounced on Ella. He showed me, via poor Ella, exactly what he would have done to that deer had it not escaped his little puppy jaws.

The dogs collected a lot of sharp, prickly burrs. I had to wear leather work glove to pick the burrs out of their coats.

The property had some interesting old trailers, art, and other stuff. Nearby was the town of Grantsburg. We visited the local brewery and checked out the small downtown. There were two dive bars. I went inside to look, but didn’t stay because I had the dogs with me. The brewery was more fun anyway.

Back at the property I checked out an old Airstream that one of the property owners uses as a cabin.

By Saturday night the dogs were supremely tired. There was another young dog with one of the other couples, so lots of chasing around even when there wasn’t a deer. This morning we found enough of a TV signal to watch the Vikings/Saints game while sitting outside.

Now we’re home at the end of a great weekend. The dogs are still tired.

[squadron-goals]

A short break from fighting and another injuriy

29.8.16

Last night we drank red wine and champagne and slept very well as a result. In the morning there was a service in which a priest called us poor, beaten people and tried to discourage our fellows as much as possible. This type of chaplain would need to be spat on considerably. In the afternoon, Vogel and I went for a walk along the canal, found a rowboat and used it for a bit. On the way back we heard a bloody scream in the bushes. Two 73s fought each other according to every rule of the art. One had found the other's wallet and didn't want to give it back. We snapped at both of them and ordered whoever was in the right to report the other. In the evening a thunderstorm broke out and at the same time a wild fire started in the direction of Maurepas. The strongest fire lasted about 1 hour, then continued all night.

30.8.16

Today it is constantly raining heavily. I was with Vogel and Sievers in Manancourt and Bertricourt, where I bought a large bottle of liqueur. The stomach 3 inches under alcohol seems to me to be the best thing here. The two places are overcrowded with field hospitals and there is terrible traffic there. We saw Captain Bökelmann with a captured Frenchman. It was a French reporter who got lost and was captured by us. By the way, Knigge from my platoon died. He was already paralyzed in both legs due to the shot through the spinal cord. By the way, we have a huge percentage of sick people, with the constant rain the straw in the tents is like manure, everything is constantly sitting on the latrines. I also had a pain in my stomach last night. At 9 a.m. we moved back to Combles. This time the brewery is occupied by the 3rd platoon, so my people are lying scattered in 4 different cellars. I'm now with the first group in a cellar that's not big, but a little more bombproof, which doesn't help much with these large calibers.

1.9.16

In the morning I browsed around a house that must have belonged to an antiques enthusiast. It was battered by several shells and looked pitiful for a friend of such facilities. On the walls hung a collection of old plates, the kind that northern French farmers like, old holy water fonts, many copper engravings, etc. Entire cabinets full of porcelain stood on the walls, and small, delicate leather volumes from the 18th century were scattered wildly on the floor. I found a copy of Don Quixote, which was certainly very valuable. There was also a box from an old goldsmith for weighing and checking the gold pieces. It is a pity that all this must be so depraved and corrupt, but given our difficult approach, every piece of luggage can be more of a problem. After dinner I brought from the house a volume of the illustrated supplements of the Petit Journal, which were full of wild tastelessness and can be found in every French home. Since these numbers were written at the time of the Faschoda affair, we Germans got off pretty lightly. While reading this I drank coffee, sat in the armchair and comfortably puffed on my short pipe. At about 7 a.m. I had turned the last page and went into the small anteroom in front of the basement entrance, where the food was always cooked. Corporal Meier was standing there with a number of people. A short time later there was a sharp bang close to us, at the same moment I felt a blow to my left lower leg. With the yell: "Now I've got one!" I jumped into the cellar. There I called for light and looked at the mess. There was a large hole in the back of the wrap gaiter, from which a pool of blood poured onto the floor. I must note that I kept my pipe in my mouth and continued to smoke throughout the entire scene. The people put me on a blanket, cleaned the wound and gave me water. I had a larger wound at the back above my ankle, and at the front there was a shrapnel ball that stood out clearly under the thick skin. They bandaged me up and called the paramedics. I groaned a little, but the pain wasn't too bad. I was placed on a stretcher and carried into the catacombs. Just like at Les Esparges, a long splinter flew over my stretcher. When we arrived at the first aid station, Chief Medical Officer Koch took me into his hands; Wetje was also there. Wetje held my head while the doctor immediately went to my poor leg with a knife and scissors and cut out the bullet. Then I was carried into the deepest abyss of the catacombs, where Paulicke soon arrived. I still had diarrhea from the forest camp, which is why I often had to sit on a jagged, sharp-edged can that Paulicke had provided. With me for company was Ensign Wohlgemut. Vogel and Sievers were also with me and finally the lieutenant colonel came and said that if I needed Paulicke, I should take him with me, whereupon he decided to go on a pilgrimage to Germany with me. Finally at 11 o'clock I was picked up, carried to the Combles-Frégicourt exit and there loaded with three other seriously wounded people into an ambulance, which set off at a trot over shell holes and other obstacles to Sailly, ignoring the screams and groans of the wounded. Shells often fell near us. Just like last April in Les Esparges, transport along a road that was bombarded. The experiences of war are often repeated.

2.9.16

In the afternoon I came to the officers' station at the casualty collection point in Fins. In the room with me  were an officer with a torn-off hand, one with a shot in the arm and one with shrapnel in his knee. During the night a Bavarian first lieutenant came with a nervous breakdown. The very eager and kind nurse said that since the offensive began, 30,000 wounded had come through Fins alone! What are these numbers? A miserable shot in the leg makes you feel really small. I had a bit of a fever at the beginning of the night, but then it went away.

3.9.16

In the afternoon I was loaded onto a hospital train that went to St. Quentin. It was just a temporary quarter and also very crowded. To my left lay Lieutenant Vinke, the cousin of the Hanover castle priest. He had lost his left hand. To my right was a zoology student, Lieutenant Böhme, who had stepped on a hand grenade. His right foot was horribly burned and partially charred, but he was still a very happy fellow and recited poems by Borries v. Munchausen.

4.9.16

Last night our Major Ahlemann from our regiment came, as did three lieutenants who I don't know very well. I seem to have had incredible luck again, because our battalion had barely gotten into position when the English barrage began. After ten hours of preparation, the English attacked, took Guillemont and even advanced to the edge of the Leuce Forest. We launched a counterattack, but at the beginning of dusk the company dug into the open field, where they received heavy fire even in the twilight. From this shootout came the 3 wounded officers. They said that my battalion must have been destroyed or captured, because no flare could be seen from behind, every connection, including that to the K.T.K. had been cut off. When I think about the loss of so many good comrades, I feel a little sad. As if by a miracle, this unimportant injury rescued me from such a fate and yet, strange as it may sound, I would have liked to share the fate of my comrades and let the iron dice of war roll over me too. I have already experienced a lot in this greatest war, but I have not yet been granted the goal of my war experiences, the onslaught and clash of the infantry. Targeting the enemy and facing him head-to-head is something different than this eternal artillery war. So let the wounds heal and then go back out, my nerves aren't enough yet!

#ernst jünger

[ceevee5]

ceevee5 on tour - I’m on vacation in Toronto. I went on a three brewery tour with my brother yesterday. This was the best one - Collective Arts (south side of Dundas, just west of Bathurst).

#toronto #beer #breweries #microbrewery #personal

[selfish-alice]

Exploring the Cool and Unusual Side of Minneapolis: From Urban Exploration to Unique Museums and Outdoor Adventures

Minneapolis is a vibrant city that offers a wide range of activities for visitors to enjoy. From outdoor adventures to cultural experiences, there's something for everyone in this Midwestern gem. If you're looking for something a bit off the beaten path, here are a few cool and unusual things to do in Minneapolis.

For a unique perspective on the city, take a tour with Urban Explorer Twin Cities. This company offers guided tours that focus on the history and architecture of Minneapolis' most interesting and lesser-known buildings. From abandoned factories to hidden underground tunnels, these tours will give you a glimpse into the city's past and present.

If you're a foodie, check out the Midtown Global Market. This multicultural marketplace is home to a variety of vendors selling international food, crafts, and clothing. From Mexican street tacos to Somali samosas, the market is a great place to sample a variety of flavors and cultures.

For a dose of culture, head to the Walker Art Center. This modern art museum is home to an impressive collection of contemporary art, including works by famous artists such as Warhol and Lichtenstein. The museum also features outdoor sculptures and an award-winning design for the building.

If you're in the mood for some outdoor adventure, take a kayak tour of the Mississippi River with Above the Falls Sports. The tour will give you a unique perspective on the city and its famous river, as well as an opportunity to see local wildlife such as eagles and herons.

For a more unusual experience, check out the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices. This museum is dedicated to showcasing the odd and often bizarre medical devices of the past. From electric shock therapy machines to cancer-curing magnets, the museum offers a glimpse into the history of medicine and the human quest for health.

Minneapolis is also known for its beer scene, and if you are a beer lover you should check out the Surly Brewing Co. The brewery is an industrial-chic space that offers a variety of unique beers and a great atmosphere.

In conclusion, Minneapolis is a city full of surprises. From urban exploration to international cuisine, there are plenty of cool and unusual things to do in this Midwestern metropolis. Whether you're a culture buff, an outdoor enthusiast, or just looking for a unique experience, Minneapolis has something to offer.

#MinneapolisArts #MinneapolisOutdoors #MinneapolisEvents #MinneapolisCulture #MinneapolisBoutiques #MinneapolisFarmersMarket #MinneapolisFoodScene #MinneapolisNeighborhoods

[hgdawn]

Spirit Beast as seen on the Collective Arts Brewery’s Matter of Fact beer can.

[solarpunkswy]

Two posts in one day because I've been inactive, here are all of the pride events I could find in Wyoming

June 3rd- Cheyenne Pride Fair on 15th street from noon to 6 p.m.

June 6th- Queer Poetry Night at the Lander Art Center at 7 p.m.

June 8th- Pride OUTside at 321 W Midwest Ave in Casper from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

June 9th- Matthew Shepard Candlelight Vigil in the UW Rainbow Resource Center from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Pride Flag Wood Mats (?) at the Warren Arts & Crafts Center in Cheyenne at 6 p.m. ($45 per person, pretty pricey)

Pride Pubcrawl Kickoff Party at the Blue Raven Brewery in CHeyenne at 7 p.m.

June 10th- Know Your RIghts Training with ACLU Wyoming at THe Collective in Laramie from 11 a.m to 1 p.m.

Pride on the Patio at Cowgirl Yarn in Laramie from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

PrideFest Drag Show at the Gryphon Theater in Laramie from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. (18+, $20 tickets)

Pride Run Casper at the David Street Station (5k run and walk)

Rock Springs Pride at Bunning Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Casper PRIDE Drag Show at Backwards Distilling Company from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m (21+)

June 11th- LGBTQ+ Affirming Yoga Fundraiser at Washington Park in Laramie from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. ($5-10, bring your own mat, disability friendly)

June 12th- Book Club Night at Night Heron Books & Coffeehouse in Laramie from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

June 13th- Tales at the Taphouse at the Historic Train Depot in Laramie from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

June 14th- Craft-A-Flag at the UW Art Museum from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.(Free admission and materials)

Film Screening at the Riverton Public Library at 7 p.m.

June 15th- Pridefest Trivia at The Grounds Internet and Coffee Lounge in Laramie from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Karaoke Night at The Great Untamed in Laramie from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. (21+)

June 16th- Mpox Vaccine Clinic at the Equality Center of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Disco Inferno Bonfire at 260 N 7th Street in Lander at 6 p.m.

June 17th- Chalk & Proclamation March starting at First Street Plaza through downtown starting at 9 a.m.

Pride in the Park at Washington Park in Laramie from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Pridefest Boogie with the Collective on 100 S 2nd Street in Laramie from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

2nd Annual Drag Show at Lander Jaycee Park with posters and yard games starting at 5 p.m. and performances at 6 p.m.

Green River Pride at Evers Park from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

June 18th- Pride in the Park at Lander City Park at 12 p.m.

#pride #pride month #gay pride #trans pride #queer pride #gay #trans #queer #lgbtq #wyoming #wyoming pride #queer community

[atotaltaitaitale]

.

Last time I was in London I went all the way to Truman Brewery in the east part of London to photograph a wall by Vhils to complete my collection of his art piece around the world. This time just wandering around portobello I spotted this little gems from the top of the street.

Vhils new mural causes controversy in Notting Hill. The council and neighbours have raised issues because many of this buildings on this part of the road are in bright pastel colours, and this is the only one that sticks out.

#CelineIsNotAnExpatAnymore #France life #london #c&jLondon2 #CelineAndVhils

[kokiafans]

KOKIA in flashback - 2012

The year of 2012 is a stepping stone towards KOKIA's 15th anniversary in the next year. Her album cocorobakari ('token') this year is a collection of all B-sides of singles that so far haven't made it to a proper album release, going all the way back to the beginning of her career.

Her big concerts this year are called History, looking back on the past years and being an appetizer for her 15th anniversary. She also travels to Bali, Indonesia for inspiration, and opens her 15th anniversary website to count down.

The year starts off with a triple single release on January 25: the singles Memorial days, Hikari o atsumete ('gathering lights') and New Day, New Life all release on that day.

On a side note, this year KOKIA's radio show KOKIyakkyoku sadly ends, having started in 2006 and having its final broadcast on March 20 2012. On a happier side note, KOKIA has now upgraded her workplace to her own studio, meaning she won't have to rely on renting out studios so much anymore, giving her yet more freedom after her independence.

◆ Lives and events ◆

January 7 New Year Concert 2012 ~musical greetings~ (Tokyo, Suntory Hall Blue Rose) ※ KOKIA's first New Year's concert, 2 performances (Translated blog entry)

January 28 SDD TOWN MEETING (Hyôgo, Hankyuu Nishinomiya Gardens) ※ Event for a project to end drunk driving by FM Osaka (Promotion: SDD)

February 25-26 KOKIA Live in Naeba Prince Hotel white notes Vol.5 (Naeba Prince Hotel Chatelaine) ※Vol.5 carries over from last year, when performances were cancelled due to the Great East Japan Earthquake (Blog entry 1, entry 2, entry 3)

March 10 Cocorobakari release event, in-store free live (TOWER RECORDS Shinjuku) (Translated blog entry)

March 11 Cocorobakari release event free live (Hyôgo, Hankyuu Nishinomiya Gardens)

March 14 Kokia no ki no shita de vol. 4 ('underneath the Kokia tree') (Tokyo, Haremame (haretara sora ni mame maite) ※ piano self-accompanied live

April 6 Cocorobakari release celebration, premium live (Yamano Music, Ginza main store) (Translated blog entry)

April 21 TSUNAN FOOD ＆ DRINK FESTA 2012 (Niigata, Tsunan brewery) (Translated blog entry)

【KOKIA concert tour 2012 History】 June 2-3 - Tokyo, Tokyo International Forum Hall C June 8 - Osaka, Sankei Hall Breeze (Promotion: History tour 2012) July 16 Nanairo heart project ('in the colors of the rainbow') (Niigata, Kashiwasaki, Minatomachi seashore park) ※ Charity project for recovery on the 5th anniversary of the Niigata-Chûetsu offshore earthquake) (Blog entry 1, blog entry 2)

July 16 Restoration concert with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force East band (Niigata cultural hall, Art Foret grand hall) ※ guest performance

July 22 Summer Conference 2012 in Pacifico Yokohama/closing live (Pacifico Yokohama, National Grand Hall) (Translated blog entry)

August 18 Oto asobi~jazz gokko vol.2 ('fun with sounds ~jazz play~') (Tokyo, Haremame) ※ Live with the jazz unit smoothes, KOKIA on vocals (Blog entry 1, blog entry 2)

September 1 (September 2/15/16) tokai no kakurega concert 4 ('hideout in the city’) (Tokyo, sonorium) ※ Event exclusively for members of the KOKIA fanclub, club ancoro, 7 performances total (Translated blog entry)

September 23 Higashinada Fureaikai charity concert (Kobe cultural hall) (Translated blog entry)

September 29 29th National city tree planting festa TOKYO (Tokyo, Inokashira imperial park) (Blog entry 1, blog entry 2, blog entry 3)

October 7 MUSASHINO GREEN 2012 ~Kichijôji no machi kara, midori no kaze~ ('Green breeze while we wait at Kichijô-temple') (Tokyo, Coppice Kichijôji fureai deck komorebi venue) ※ 2 performances in 1 day (Blog entry 1, blog entry 2)

October 14 Midori to mizu o mamorou! ('Let's protect the greenery and the water!') Aso Green Picnic (Kumamoto, Otohime pension village lawn) (Translated blog entry)

October 28 29th National city tree planting festa TOKYO closing KOKIA LIVE (Tokyo, Inokashira imperial park) (Translated blog entry)

【KOKIA tanemaki live 2012 in Kyuushuu ('sowing seeds')】 November 9 - Kumamoto, Restaurant Bar CIB November 10 - Fukuoka, Denki building, future hall) (Blog entry 1, blog entry 2, blog entry 3)

December 18-19 KOKIA 2012 Christmas concert music like a prayer vol.2 (Tokyo, Shinagawa Church Gloria Chapel) (Translated blog entry)

◆ Releases ◆

January 25 Release of the single New Day, New Life (FlyingDog) ※ Theme song for the PlayStation Vita game Tales of Innocence R

January 25 Release of the single Hikari o atsumete (FlyingDog) ※ Theme song for the 3D animated theatrical movie Dot hack sekai no mukou ni ('Dot hack beyond the world'; .hack//The Movie) (Translated blog entry)

March 7 Release of the album Cocorobakari ('token') (Victor Entertainment) ※ Album completely consisting of B-sides of singles not released on albums and limited release songs. First time the NHK Chikyuu Ichiban ('Earth first') end theme Sekai o tsutsumu Ribbon in our heart ('wrapped around the world') gets a CD release (Promotion: kokorobakari)

March 7 Release of concert DVD 2011 Christmas concert music like a prayer (anco&co.) ※ First Christmas concert DVD (Translated blog entry)

August 31 Release of the concert DVD 2012 KOKIA concert History (anco&co.)

◆ Other releases ◆

January 25 Release of the single Memorial days (Lantis) ※ Insert song for the animated TV series Kidou senshi Gundam AGE ('Mobile Suit Gundam Age)

March 1 Release of the single Shigakukan koukou kouka yumeoibito ('Shigakukan high school school song, people chasing dreams') (aten recordings) ※ Performed the song (Translated blog entry)

March 1 Release of the Cormac Breatnach album Éalú ('escape') ※ Performed the chorus of the album title song Éalú (Translated blog entry)

May 30 Release of Final Fantasy XIII-2 original soundtrack PLUS (SQUARE ENIX) ※ Performed a different version of the song Noel no theme ~saigo no tabi~ (‘Noel’s theme ~final journey~’): Noel's Theme - Final Journey -_AbstractSetOne, Memories for the Future_another take

December 26 Release of the Masumi Ito album Wonder Wonderful (Lantis) ※ Performed the chorus of the song Mugen no senritsu (‘infinite melody’)

◆ Videos with links to watch ◆

Theme song New Day, New Life for the 2012 PlayStation Vita game Tales of Innocence R: Tales of Innocence R second promo video Tales of Innocence R third promo video

Theme song Hikari o atsumete ('Gathering lights') for the 2012 3D animated theatrical movie Dot hack sekai no mukou ni ('Dot hack beyond the world'; .hack//The Movie): Trailer for the 3D animated movie .hack//The Movie

#KOKIA #25 years of kokia in flashback