#i even own first two books albeit in polish but it's ok

[servingliesarchived]

richard cypher is one of the few men who have rights i’ll be honest.

#𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 ; nerd central. #he's a good boy #a good boy i love him #this series was such an important part of my life and i hate how it's just so underrated #that's the impression i get from it anyway #the tv show is so good even if it's low budget #and my dad read the books and i read the books because of him #i even own first two books albeit in polish but it's ok #ANYWAY I LOVE HIM #imma rewatch that show and make cara you watch me #btw i am speaking about legend of the seeker / sword of truth

[trulycertain]

Thoughts on the Netflix Witcher:

Not many people are tossing a coin to their Witcher, are they? Geralt still has to buy his own drinks, it seems.

Jaskier’s lyrics need, er, work, but Joey Batey has a lovely voice. 

Love the wardrobe design, Yen’s in particular. It’s distinctive, not always “pretty” in that it sometimes feels like medieval experimental haute couture, and combines sexuality with hard lines. It feels very her.

I love Freya Allan’s Ciri. Allan’s a really good actress, in my opinion, with a really hard arc to carry, and also apparently show!Ciri has the same effect as games!Ciri - that of me turning into Geralt and muttering “must protect” a lot and wanting to stab anyone who tries to hurt her. Her eyes are very cool.

I think it's interesting that in the books, Yen is clearly based off Polish archetypes and the wild raven curls are part of that; in both the games and the show, it's played down. (Not least because I've seen her in other stuff and Chalotra naturally has pretty poker-straight hair, so curling that for any length of time without the curls falling out, even with a ton of product, would be a pain.) 

My one issue is that I still think she looks a bit young and I would've been perfectly happy to chuck out the whole "sorceresses enchant themselves to look early twenties forever" thing, but actually... I also kind of really like the "soft-faced, soft-voiced enchantress is actually hard as nails" idea. It lets her presence speak for itself, which Chalotra does very well, and means people tend to underestimate Yen, which is also handy. I mean... I will always be frustrated by “somehow, conveniently, they look like a 22-year-old actress and a 35-or-so leading man”, but Chalotra’s work itself is good. It's different from the Yen in my head, but I like her performance and interpretation.

I like Triss, and I like seeing her here. I hope they’ll go more into their friendship. It’s been rocky at times, but I found it quite annoying how the games treated all that, as opposed to the books. This is one of those things where I’m really glad it’s adapting the books in particular.

Critical stuff, written in December, with warnings for discussions of consent and stuff:

The Last Wish is the short story where Geralt and Yen meet, with the capture of the djinn. I read it once, coming up for four years ago? now, so I'm really muzzy on memories and it might well have been like that originally. Now, knowing Sapkowski, who does pull this shit, it probably was. (I love his female characters as characters. It’s just that often, his gender worldbuilding bothers me. The two shouldn’t be different, but they often are.)

All right, so the sexual dynamics going on are... uncomfortable, and perhaps you get a bit inured to it in the books because there's just so much uncomfortable stuff, but it stands out a bit more starkly in the show, which has been better for it. (I do not like rapey canons. At all. I have no idea how I got into the Witcher; really liking the female mains and liking Slavic mythology? And the fact that the games and show were pretty good with how they treated it as part of someone's story rather than a "haha, look, so titillating" on-screen scene? And certainly, Calanthe and her people killing themselves to avoid enslavement, torture and rape is depressingly historically accurate. Anyway.) 

Things I'm bothered by:

The implication that the orgy is basically sex pollen/a possible humiliation tactic, rather than her manouvering her way into circles with everyone's embarrassing secret being "we like to willingly fuck the whole village," which would also have been political humiliation. I mean, you can make a point that she's had a background of being sexually and romantically manipulated most of her adult life - look at the Istredd thing, for a start, with the rectors - and is just shrug about it all, but. It's different from Stregobor's  illusion because these are real people. They all look like they've just come out of a trance and scrabble panickedly for clothes and their reputations, they look like didn't know quite where they were, and spells for that kind of thing had been established an ep or two earlier in the series.

So the first time Geralt and Yen meet, we've got non-con sex played for laughs, or at least played off as "yeah, she does that, don't worry about it" (which is fed into by Geralt's later enchantment, which I actually don't mind, humiliating him and then sending him to hang because he's in the way is somehow less objectionable to me? Maybe because i just hate non-con storylines that much, or maybe because it's less of a direct attack). And then when they meet, you've got: strong-arming him into a bath (sure, he says yes and I guess you can say he figured there'd be sex, but he seems surprised about it all), getting naked in front of him when he's already in a position where it'd be difficult/awkward to leave, the first kiss which has a pretext but was very specifically a kiss and which again, he's kind of too taken-aback/assessing to reciprocate... I mean, if all this sounds kind of OK, swap the genders; heck, even watching it at the time, some of it was pinging me as "hey, this sounds too much like rl things that have happened". 

Now, one can say, "Well, he stuck around, didn't he?" - hmm, OK, but you've got the trickier things of magical intimidation at play (even before the enchantment, he knows he's dealing with a powerful sorceress who fucks with people's heads) and just "eh, I guess I'll go with the flow" that can kind of characterise Geralt. And even Witchers freeze. And you can say, "Well, she could probably tell he was attracted to her, with magical mojo if not just through observation." Aye, but dude was kinda busy and on-duty and clearly mistrustful of her, so he would probably never have acted on it - and didn't, because of all those factors. The later thank-god-we're-alive/angry sex when they actually get it together? Totally fine with that, that seems about par for the course with those two.

I also feel like the fact that Geralt, who I fondly say is the biggest horndog in Temeria a lot of the time and will rarely turn down a bit of afternoon delight, doesn't make a move and stays questioning her, albeit amusedly, says a lot about where their relationship is at that point and the fact he's still trying to figure her out. (Not that that implies he's not interested; quite the opposite, mistrustful boffing is kind of a thing he does at times, and heck, look at Renfri.) And on Yen's part, it's definitely more of a power play than needing to save bathwater (I mean, she's pretty rich). 

Now, as said, the original story was prob at least a bit like this, because Sapkowski *eyeroll*, but considering the amount they changed (Istredd's entire backstory! A whole bunch of Yen’s! Yennefer's transformation! A bunch of other things), they could've probably adjusted this and/or at least put a different lens on it in the script. It's also frustrating because a lot of people I've seen make this argument are using it for "Yen is such a bitch, Geralt deserves better, I hate her." I'm not interested in char-bashing.  No, I love games!Yen (one of my favourite characters in... anything) and what of books!Yen I've read, and I really enjoy Chalotra's version... aside from these scenes. 

And aye, one can say that Geralt/Yen is about two people who've been shaped by a truly awful world learning to be better and of course they have their flaws (uh, completely ignoring consent is a pretty darn large one), but it's definitely played as intriguing/romantic/casual mischief. 

Update, as of January, when I went back to it:

I literally love every single other scene with her. Hmm. Also, I’ve spoken to a couple of people about this, and neither one of them had it ping to them as coercion. Perhaps I’m just overthinking things or not being good at romance storylines again.  Just... not sure, I guess. Nothing else bothered me. Is this my books knowledge being wonky? Am I being daft? If anyone else has thoughts, I’d be glad to hear them.

#tru watches the witcher #netflix witcher critical

[nomdy-plume]

Have you seen ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’?

It’s a good job I don’t post a new blog every week – I’d have nothing to talk about.  

Whereas, leaving it a few months between updates, I have LOTS to cover. You ready? Let’s begin:

Since returning from Texas, I have completed a month’s contract onboard another ferry, after my management were kind enough to offer me a way out of short-term pecuniary disenfranchisement. It was the sister-ship of the one that I normally find myself on and I’m pleased to say that it was the better of the two: the indoor smoking room (I no longer smoke) was a [much larger and better equipped] gym and the gym room was a very plush TV room with a full satellite package.

Given the cricket world cup was taking place during my contract, it was wonderful to be the only person on the ship who wasn’t busy working during the day. I had the whole TV room to myself (about 25 yards from the mess, food, drink, etc.) to indulge in what was an amazing tournament.

On my last two contracts I was playing in the main theatre (in the belly of the ship) with a party band but for a month I was providing troubadour, solo, action upstairs in the Sky lounge – my first contract as a soloist.  After an initial knee-jerk reaction to accepting the contract of downloading a ton of backing tracks, so I could provide a range of musical options, I realised pretty quickly that this was completely  unnecessary.

Performing 4x 30min sets a night: I started out by planning 3 days’ worth of unique sets, which I figured I could adjust and tinker with until I was happy with how they all worked out. Slow, mellow ones to start with before whipping the crowd into a frenzy with sing-a-long classics later on in the night. I think I had about 150 songs in my solo repertoire to choose from and it’s basically about 7 or 8 songs a set (depending on how long I drag them out for).

It was the usual mix of songs that I know I can play and sing – which work in a solo setting – and a desperate grab for as many other suitable songs which I could learn or which I really wanted to try out acoustically.

However, pretty early in the contract, one of the ladies on security in the port was kind enough to pass on her head cold to me. My throat was soon swollen enough for me to ask my Entertainments Manager (EM) if it would be OK if I just played some instrumental stuff until my voice was better.  His reaction – reading between the lines, and the indifferent shrug – told me that he couldn’t care less what I did as long as I was up there making some form of noise for my allotted times.

Now, this meant that the bar staff / bar manager in my venue must have been happy with what they had heard of me so far: they are always the ones to complain if something isn’t working or going to plan.  This pleased me: the bar staff have to listen to the solo act over and over and over again, every night for weeks on end, so whereas the passengers might only hear one or two performances, the staff will hear every single one.  

They become very sensitive to how good/bad people are in both their playing and their selection of material – normally the lack of it.  150 songs might seem a lot, but that’s only 5 days worth before you repeat yourself IF you stick to playing every song.

Anyway, to cut to the chase, I quickly got the 30 min sets down to 3 or 4 songs – only two of which I might sing on. I needed to come up with a few more jazz instrumentals to bluff my way through as the staff were hearing Autumn Leaves and Blue Bossa every night, and I don’t want to drive them too mad…

It was a good exercise in needing to be creative with a looper pedal as well as figuring out which of my repertoire I could drag out for around ten mins with solos before and after each verse/chorus…

It meant that I could reduce the songs on which I did sing down to a select, polished group.  It was a great relief to know that I could just throw down a loop and meander whimsically around some melodic lines for the duration of the sets. Audience were happy, bar staff were happy – I was over the moon!

The audiences were a mixed bag.  Most were very receptive: in the warm summer evenings, the top lounge where I played was the place to be. Plus it is right next to the open smoking decks – so there have been some good numbers of bodies in, most of the time.  They don’t seem to mind me in the corner with a looper pedal just noodling away and I’ve been able to play all the requests thrown my way so far. The German passengers seem extra friendly and receptive – apparently they LOVE a bit of Dire Straits, which suits me right down to the ground because so do I.

As per most contracts, there were times when a small, appreciative crowd were loving everything I was playing – just as there were times when a large, unappreciative crowd couldn’t have cared less what I was doing.  In my final week, I was determined to give it everything I had in those final shows – I poured my heart and soul into everything I did.  And no-one noticed, cared or gave a hoot.

Such is life!

Some nights I sucked, didn’t want to be there… some nights I was on fire, didn’t want it to end… I had a ton of fun, even if it didn’t feel like it all the time. I also got to head into Amsterdam a couple of times which was wonderful, it’s possibly my favourite European city and I’ve spent so many hours wandering around the canals and streets.

There’s a breakfast café very near the station which always – ALWAYS! – has a queue of about 10-15 people waiting to get in.  It’s called Omelegg and I’ve always wanted to know what the food is like in there… all the online reviews say it’s incredible… my lifetime quest to find out for myself continueth…

The party band who were onboard were a nice bunch. They were in the lamentable – but not uncommon – position of joining the ship with a guitarist who was young, naïve and completely unprepared for the contract. However, he was a nice, well-meaning guy and the others didn’t seem to be willing to cuss him out: they were kind of hand-holding him through the contract. Bless.

Bands are responsible for making sure they know what they are doing, are rehearsed, etc. and apparently this kid had known for a year that he was doing it.  Sounds like his reasoning was as follows (taken from ad verbatim quotes from the band):

·         I’m the best guitarist at my university

·         I can play anything and I can sing a bit

·         I should be able to figure out / jam along to whatever the band play

I was torn: between admiring the sheer, bare-faced audacity of naïve youth and gobbling popcorn at the eye-widening, car-crash drama of it all. I managed to catch a few of their songs – when our set-times overlapped a little – and it was, indeed, painful to witness.

I wish I could say that I hadn’t been there before, in his shoes (albeit under slightly different circumstances), but I had.  All I can say is that if you survive a baptism of fire like that and STILL want to pursue it as a career, you’ve already displayed enough courage and determination/perseverance to almost guarantee some level of success. It is being right at the bottom of a very steep, painful learning curve.

I also loved my Ibanez jazzy hollow-body guitar on this contract, too.  I bought it in Hong Kong a few years back (the Tom Lee store there is incredible: an Aladdin’s cave of guitar goodness) and hadn’t really touched it since.  I wasn’t sure if the contract would stipulate ‘acoustic-only’ – but that was me being overly cautious.  Not only does it sound great – that oaky, woody, jazzy sound you’d expect from that style of guitar – but it plays so much more easily than anything else I own.

And, because you guys are always most interested in the tragic, nerve-wracking, up-and-down drama of my life as a musician, I’ll fill you in on current events.

I’d been lining up a contract for later in the year, back onboard the last cruise ship where we did the acoustic duo gig.  This time as the party band, which – although fraught with its own logistical challenges – was at least a contract on the table.  Indeed, I had digitally signed and returned it and was relieved to have another 5 months of work booked in to keep my head afloat.

However, the delightful and immensely-talented LT had previously – and both I and the drummer were loosely aware of this – auditioned for a cruise line which paid nearly twice the money for not quite half the work, but certainly a much more agreeable working environment.

So, it was with a sense of dread and doom that we read her message saying that she had been offered a contract with this other cruise line and we weren’t going to be able to tag along. We weren’t going to do the contract without her and we all knew that she was destined for greater things than earning minimum wage with no days off for five months.

So, here I am under fairly intense financial pressures and no work on the horizon.  It’s all very Inside Llewyn Davis, which pleases and disgusts me in equal measures.  On the plus side, in my attempts to get some sort of a side-gig going, I’ve done some work as an extra on a major Netflix production which was being filmed in Wales. It’ll be out later this year, I’m hoping to get some screen time – it’ll be something to laugh about with my family.

So yeah, there’s the update. I may leave it as long again to allow enough to occur to make it a riveting read… but then I don’t have much on at the moment and may end up publishing frequently as a means to pass the time…

*salutes*

#music #musician #guitar

[honey-and-mint]

I Baa You

A short story about an exchange between the siblings and their parents during simpler times, where Maeveena is 4 and Ashrani is 14.  Written/Roleplayed by us. 

The story is under the cut;

Tranquilien • Year -64 • Summerbreeze Household 

Spring had brought one of those calm days, where a weather had a soft, seasonal warmth with it as a light wind wandered the streets gently, carrying the scent of blossoms all around the small town. Though denizens were busy with their daily routine, a picnic would be just about right now, or a quick swim by the shore.

It was also a quiet afternoon in the Summerbreeze household. Magistrix Yumana had departed early in the morning with a portal for Silvermoon City, as she did often due the requirements of her work. Her husband, Tiendor left his workshop to his son to mingle and practice his craft among his father's tools, as he occupied his own time in the kitchen making snacks for just what the weather was tempting them for. At that moment, he overhead the excited and quick footsteps of his daughter, who was running towards to the workshop in glee. Tiendor smiled to himself and then continued with his baking.

The little elven girl, not more than a five perhaps, was wearing a green summer dress that matched the fel green of her eyes, and her ginger hair was braided into two small buns. Her freckled face gave a big smile with one or two missing teeth as she stormed into the workshop where she hoped to see her older brother.   "A'ani, A'ani, A'ani, A'ani!!!" She chanted his name, or at least the bit that her tongue allowed for now, in pure delight running to him, "You won't believe what I just learned!!"   Ashrani turned to see his little sister glomp on him, almost with enough force to throw him to the ground, "Oh, Light… What did they put in your head this time?" he said with half a smile.   Maeveena was almost visibly vibrating with sheer happiness, she tried to drag him out but inevitably her foot just kept slipping on the ground till her brother decided to comply, "You know how mom said that I could use her library? So I did!" She said with a breathless speech, if words were to be animals, hers would be the fastest ones in entire Azeroth.   "Sis, breathe. Remember what the healer said," he reminded her, giving false resistance to her enthusiasm. Then he eventually let her pull him over to a space between two abandoned statues, a dracohawk rising and a body lacking the upper half of its torso. However she was eager to take him outside the workshop, talking non-stop about the books in her mother's study and library, she eventually managed to lead her brother to in front of the door. There a sheep, albeit looking very out of the place was wandering aimlessly.   "Look!!" She presented it with utmost glee. It was cute, the sheep too, then Ashrani noticed another one a bit far, then another one and another one. The whole neighborhood was filled with disoriented and confused looking sheep, and only sheep.   "Maev."   "Yes!"   "Did you turn our neighbors into sheep?"   "Yes!"   "Can… can you turn them back?"   "Nope." There was a pause that seemed to stretch in minutes where the only thing that could be heard were sheep.   "I'm telling mom."   "What are you telling your moth-- oh," a voice heard from behind as Tiendor had been looking for them, and he immediately paused staring at the street.   Maeveena turned around, bouncing up and down she chirped at their father, "Papa! I learned how to pomiloph!"   "Yeah," he responded with a less enthusiastic voice with a hint of amusement that he was trying to hide as a responsible adult, still staring at the new denizens of their neighbourhood, he added, "you sure did sweetheart."   "It's polymorph, you dumb nuts!" panic swiped into Ashrani's voice, "How did you even get them all without being stopped by the guard?"   "I pomiloph them too," she then gave a very offended stare to him, "And that's a very bad word, I'm not dumb!"   "You turned the entire neighborhood into sheep, how is that not dumb!"   "If anything, you're too smart for your own good," answered from above the tired voice of their father, "The spell should go out in a minute or two. But you are grounded, young lady."   "I'm not-- wha-- b-but--" Maeevena's face changed from a siblingly annoyance to confusion and sadness in a matter of seconds, "But you said we were going to have a picnic?"   "I know I did, but we can't leave these sheep without a shepherd to watch over them now, can we? Ashrani, help your sister gather them."   "What? Why? What did I do?"   "Nothing. Like you've been doing all day. Help your sister," Tiendor smiled as he retreated back into his workshop.   Another yet tearful, "b-but," came from Meveena like a quiet mumble as she watched their father go back inside. Her shoulders fell, shrinking her already small form further and a sniffle followed.

It was with a surprise yelp that she suddenly felt her feet lose touch with the ground as Ashrani raised her on his shoulders.   "Come on, beanie. The quicker we gather them, the sooner we can go on a picnic," he said smiling. Unfortunately this did not make the desired effect the young elven boy was hoping, losing her footing scared Maeveena and her already saddened state escalated. She stiffened and started to cry loudly, startling all the nearby sheep which caused them to scatter around.   "Crap," Ashrani muttered as he putted his sister down.   "That's a bad word!" She almost screamed at him still bawling her eyes out.   "Come on, Maev, don't cry..." He looked around, nervous, searching for his father. He checked his pockets, to find something, anything that could help.   "Sis, look at this!" he said, raising a rough metallic ring.   "I don't want it," she said between sobbing and hiccups and then with more tears her voice came as a whimper, "I-I want m-my mom."   "Mom will come back soon. I'm sure dad is calling her," he said slowly, reassuring, "But now I'm the one that's sad. Don't you want the ring I made for you?"   She sniffled few times, not really looking at him nor the ring but at the ground, and with a shivering, quiet voice the little elf girl asked, "Is she... is she going to h-hate me too?"   "Mom? Hate you?" he exaggerated the tone, "Maev, she's probably going to be super proud you were able to cast polymorph on so many people. It's more than your big dumb brother ever did," he then squinted, trying to make himself look tougher, "and if she hates you, she'll have to answer to me."   "But you do," came as a smallest noise.   "I hate you? That's new. Why would I hate you?" Maeveena sniffled again and wiped her tiny nose with the back of her tiny hand, "You called me bad words."   "That's not hate, beanie. That's annoyance. It's different," he sighed, then suddenly looked back to the sheep, "Did you turn the baker's daughter?"   She nodded with another sniffle, "I don't want to be dumb..."   "I'm going to tell you a secret. If you did turn that girl into a sheep, you can say your brother kissed one." His sister made a disgusted face at him, between her tears, "Eugh, gross!!"   "I know, right? The strange thing is... I kinda liked it" She wrinkled her nose at him and continued to look very queasy about the subject but still asked him, "Why?"   "It felt... good. We were just talking about stuff and suddenly we're hiding in an alley, kissing. It was nice," he said, idly playing with the ring.   "Did you wash your mouth?" She blurted out looking at him like he just ate a mouthful of living snails in front of her.   "After breakfast, obviously. Did you?" asked her with an exaggerated inquisitive look on his face.  "After the kissing!" She squeaked, "I meant after kissing, did you wash your mouth!" He pretended to think deeply for a few seconds. "No, I didn't. You think I should have?"   "Yes!! It's gross!!"   "Ok, fine. Next time I find myself kissing someone, I'll wash my mouth immediately after. But, you have to promise something in exchange."   She sniffled her nose, her tears had been long dried on her face, "What?" Ashrani raised the ring again. It was a simple band of steel, polished in the interior so that it was comfortable to wear, but the outside was covered in a web of reliefs where the hammer had bent the metal.     "You'll wear my ring."   "Fine," she said to him and put her hand forward with her fingers spread open.   "Allow me, your majesty," he said, gravely, as he delicately held her small hand and put the ring on her index finger. It was too big for her. As soon as she moved her hand, the ring almost fell, "Wait, I have a solution," he pulled a leather cord from his vest. "It's only temporary" he said as he pass the cord through the ring and tied it into a makeshift pendant. "We'll get you a better chain or cord, but for now, this will do," After he offered her the ring, she nodded and turned around for him to put it around her neck and tie it.

Meanwhile, in the distance, people already had been returning to their normal forms and wander around cluelessly as Maeveena's spell had lost its effect some time ago.

  "Hey, sis. How about we get inside and grab something to eat? We can go have that picnic if you'd like."   "What about the sheep-people?"   "They're going back to be people now. It's okay," said a feminine voice behind them. The sibling turned around to see their mother, in full Magistrix Regalia stepping from inside their home. "Your father tells me you turned the town into a sheep farm today, Maeveena."   The little elven girl looked at their mother and then back to ground, "I didn't mean to hurt them, mom, I'm sorry."   "You didn't hurt them, dear. They'll be confused for a bit and then they'll get back home," the woman smiled proudly. "Tomorrow, though, you'll go around town, telling everyone how sorry you are. And no casting spells on our neighbours again without asking them first," she then kneeled by her daughter to be on the same eye level with her, "But I'm very proud of you. I couldn't have done this at your age," and she pulled her in a tight embrace.   Maeveena let out the smallest gasp and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, "I promise, I promise," she said, little one had forgotten all the worries and things scared her today. Yumana smiled and her gaze fell onto her son, then without letting her daughter go she reached for him and gently cupped his chin. After that she picked up the little girl who was telling her in a hushed voice how she had found the spell and learned it.   Ashrani watched relieved as their mother took Maeveena back inside. He stayed outside a few moments longer before stepping in to join his family.

#World of Warcraft #Blood Elf #Sin'dorei #Polymorph #RP Logs #Tales from Azeroth #by Del #by Fabri #Tranquilien #Ashrani Winterchill #Maeveena Summerbreeze

[chanoyu-to-wa]

Nampō Roku, Book 4 (18):  Regarding the Display of the Shunzei Kōro [俊成香爐]¹ in the Shoin.

18) ) When the Shunzei kōro [俊成香爐] -- and others of this kind² -- will be displayed [in the shoin], it should naturally be used to perfume the air³.  When the Higashiyama-dono⁴ [put] this piece [on view], since it had formerly been owned by Shunzei, it was displayed resting on a yanai-bako⁵, so it is said.

    On an occasion such as this [when a soro-daki-kōro is displayed in the shoin], [the incense that is burned in it] should be mei-kō⁶.  When [displaying] an ordinary kiri-hioke [桐火桶]⁷, even then mei-kō should be burned⁸.

    It is also [possible to display it] without a base or a tray⁹.

_________________________

◎ The present entry, which is concerned with the display of a sora-daki-kōro [空炷香爐] (a censer used to perfume the air of a room*) is another of those that were added to the material that Tachibana Jitsuzan forged into Book Four of the Nampō Roku.  While it, too, seems to be a product of early Edo period thinking†, the author cannot be identified.

    Both Shibayama Fugen and Tanaka Senshō consider this passage together with the one that follows in a single entry.  In fact, since the two are separated in the Enkaku-ji manuscript‡, there seems no actual reason for doing this -- and therefore I prefer to follow the Enkaku-ji manuscript, and consider them separately. ___________ *People generally blended their own unique fragrances, hence the incense burned was intimately associated with the person whose room it was.  (The same fragrance was usually used to perfume their clothes as well -- which consisted of suspending their garments on a sort of frame over the censer in which their special incense was being burned.)

†While the air in the tearoom was perfumed by burning incense in the ro or furo during the chakai, the intention was rather generic, with either jinkō [沈香] or byakudan [白檀] (burned during the season of the furo), or else one of the two types of neri-kō [練香] (“kneaded” incense made by crushing a specific collection of aromatics together in an iron mortar using an iron pestle, and then kneading the resulting powder into a paste by diluting it with honey, then forming this into balls that were then allowed to ferment for at least several months in a sealed jar kept in a cool, damp place -- due to the great cost of many of the aromatic ingredients, the mixture is generally “cut” with powdered charcoal in the present day) during the ro season (the blend known as kuro-bō [黒方] was used during the several months prior to the Lunar New Year, and that known as bai-ka [梅花] from New Year’s Day until the irori was closed -- which in Rikyū’s day was usually at the end of the Third Month, around the beginning of April in the Gregorian calendar).

    Here, however, the author is talking about the use of a special, highly personal, fragrance, which a nobleman used not only to perfume his private rooms, but his clothing as well.  While originally this, too, was a type of neri-kō, from the Kamakura period people (particularly those of the military class) began using blends of crushed incense woods (sometimes with crushed aromatic herbs added to the blend as well), and this material was pinched into a pyramid-shaped cone in the bottom of the censer, and set to smoldering by the application of a lighted taper.  (The samurai also employed their personal incense blend to perfume their helmet before taking part in a battle.)

    During the Edo period, cultured people vied to create unique scents, which they (both of the military, and the merchant, classes) began to burn in their tearooms, under the pretext that the shoin was a type of study (which referred to the room in which a nobleman not only pursued his daily activities, but often slept at night as well).  Rather than in the furo or ro, this kind of incense was usually burned in a sora-daki-kōro, and the pretext of doing so gave the wealthy chajin an opportunity to display antique specimens in their tearooms.  It is this practice that is being addressed in this entry.

‡The topics that they deal with have no connection with each other:  here we are looking at a kind of incense burner that is used to perfume the air of a room, while in the next, the discussion is focused on how to display a to-shiba [鳥柴] (which is a dead bird tied to a decorative branch, sent as a mark of special favor from a superior to one of his friends or vassals, as a souvenir from the lord’s hunting expedition).

¹Shunzei kōro [俊成香爐]..

    Shunzei [俊成] refers to the great nobleman-poet Fujiwara no Toshinari [藤原俊成; 1114 ~ 1204], the father of Fujiwara no Sadaie [藤原定家; 1162 ~ 1241] (also known as Fujiwara no Teika, from the Chinese-style pronunciation of his personal name*).  Toshinari is shown below, in an Edo period portrait.

    Originally a man of (relatively) modest rank†, Toshinari nevertheless was invited by the retired Emperor Go-shirakawa [後白河天皇; 1127 ~ 1192] to compile the seventh Imperial Poetry Anthology, Senzai wakashū [千載和歌集]‡.  In later life, Toshinari turned more and more to waka criticism, and was a champion of both the theory of yugen [幽玄]** -- the style of poetic expression “which focused on conveying romantic emotion, with characteristic undertones of nostalgia and regret††” -- and the great importance of the Genji monogatari [源氏物語] to the development of Japanese literature‡‡.

    With respect to the kōro that had been owned by Toshinari (and is the subject of the present entry), according to both Shibayama Fugen and Tanaka Senshō the censer in question seems to have been made of kiri-kiji [桐木地]*** (with a sheet-copper liner); and, they add, it is said that Shunzei’s sora-daki-kōro was also decorated with colored pictures (perhaps in multi-colored lacquer, which may have included sprinkled gold dust as well).  Shunzei’s actual sora-daki-kōro has not been identified (and is probably lost), though it was likely very similar to the object shown in the photo (which is also carved from paulownia wood, like his is said to have been.)

    The above censer, which dates to the Kamakura period†††, is known as the Hatsu-ne-maki-e hi-tori-mo [��音蒔絵火取母] -- hi-tori-mo [火取母] being one classical name for this kind of censer‡‡‡.  __________ *It seems that the bushi [武士] scholars considered the kun [訓] pronunciation Sadaie to be effeminate, and so preferred to use the on [音], or “Chinese-style” pronunciation (not only for Sadaie's name, but for the names of most classical persons).

    Shunzei is also the on rendering of Fujiwara no Toshinari's personal name.

†He was, at the time, a chamberlain in attendance on the Empress Dowager.

‡“The Eternal Collection of Waka” (senzai [千載] more literally means “to accumulate a thousand [years];” the expression is also translated millennium).

    The name is often abbreviated to Senzaishū [千載集].

    This compilation was presented to the retired Emperor in 1178, and contains 1,286 poems.

**Yugen [幽玄] literally means subtly profound, and alludes to quiet or understated beauty.  It is one of the most important concepts in Japanese aesthetics.

††From the Wikipedia article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_aesthetics#Y%C5%ABgen

‡‡His son, Fujiwara no Sadaie, would later devote many years of his life to the study of the Genji monogatari, producing an important commentary that is still used by modern Genji scholars.

***Kiri-kiji [桐木地] means unpainted/untreated paulownia wood.  In this case, the painting was probably executed in colored lacquer and maki-e, but probably covered only a small part of the wood, while leaving the rest in its natural (albeit polished) state.

    That said, it is important to note that neither Shibayama Fugen, nor Tanaka Senshō claim to have seen the original (which appears to have been lost during the Edo period, if not earlier), and were simply repeating (also apparently unsubstantiated) assertions made by the scholars from whose work they were quoting.  While technically it is not impossible that a piece of this type may have been made from unpainted wood, the lack of finish might have made it easier to soil; furthermore, this seems to reflect Edo period “wabi” preferences (vessels made from largely unpainted pieces of paulownia trunks, including decorative te-aburi [手焙] heaters, as well as censers of the type being discussed here, were somewhat popular during the Edo period; many of which have survived into the present day), and could even point to a fabrication being passed off as an authentic antique during the Edo period.  In fact, all known sora-daki-kōro from the period in question appear to have been heavily lacquered and decorated (which is something that might be expected in utensils made for use by the high nobility).

    Toshinari’s personal interest in the Genji monogatari suggests that a censor along the lines of the one shown in the photo might have appealed to him (though it seems clear that the Hatsu-ne-maki-e hi-tori-mo was made many decades after Toshinari’s death -- which would not necessarily mean that later generations would not have associated it with him).

†††Other sources date the piece to the Muromachi period.

    The Hatsu-ne-maki-e hitorimo was probably made about a century after Fujiwara Toshinari’s time.  (The name of this sora-daki-kōro is taken from the title of chapter 23 of the Genji monogatari, in which Genji’s daughter sends a New Year’s poem to her mother -- who likens the message to the hatsu-ne [初音] or first song, of the uguisu [鶯], the Japanese bush warbler).

‡‡‡This kind of censer was always carved from paulownia wood (which was more resistant to catching fire than the other commonly available varieties of wood) -- hence  the other classical name for this type of censer, kiri-hi-oke [桐火桶] (see footnotes 6 and 7, below).  They had a copper liner (which prevented the wood from actually coming into direct contact with the burning tadon [炭團] with which the censer was heated), and were usually provided with an openwork or mesh-like hoya [火屋] (lid).  This lid allowed the fragrance to escape while preventing things from falling into the fire (the same kind of censer was also used to perfume clothing:  the clothes were draped over a sort of collapsible frame, and the censer was placed underneath, with the hoya preventing anything that fell onto the censer from getting hot enough to begin to burn).

²Nado [など].

    Here seems to refer to other examples of the sora-daki-kōro.  In other words, the information contained in this entry refers not just to the display of the sora-daki-kōro that formerly belonged to Fujiwara Toshinari, but to any other censer of the same type (at least that is worthy of being displayed in the shoin in the manner described).

³Sora-yaki mochiron nari [空燒勿論也].

    Someone appears to have made a mistake*.  The expression should be sora-daki [空炷] means “to burn incense” (taku [炷く]) in order to perfume “the air” (sora [空]).

    Other arguments aside, it is not appropriate to put anything out in the tearoom unless it is going to be used. __________ *Yaku [焼く] also means to burn, but in a more general sense.  Taku [炷く] is used primarily to refer to the burning of incense -- though the specificity of the kanji means that many people probably will not remember it.

    Curiously, both Shibayama Fugen's teihon [底本], as well as the several sources consulted by Tanaka Senshō, all seem to have sora-daki [空炷].  This suggests that the error may have crept in when the text was being prepared for the Sadō Ko-ten Zen-shu [茶道古典全集].

⁴Higashiyama-dono [東山殿].

    The lord of the Higashiyama-sansō [東山々莊]*, Ashikaga Yoshimasa [足利義政; 1436 ~ 1490]. ___________ *San-sō [山莊] is usually translated “villa.”  It was a residential complex located outside of the city -- in this case, in the foothills of the Eastern Mountains (“Higashiyama”), south-east of the Kyōto of that day.

⁵Yanai-bako ni nosete kazarareshi to iu-iu [柳箱にのセてかさられしと云〻].

    The yanai-bako* was explained in footnote 5 of the post entitled Nampō Roku, Book 4 (16):  Rikyū's Account of the Display of the Bun-dai [文臺] Beneath the Chigai-dana [違棚]†, and photos of the object were also included there.

    What this is saying is that the sora-daki-kōro was placed on top of this footed tray, and in that way displayed in the shoin.  Probably it was arranged on the shita-ita, underneath the chigai-dana‡. __________ *The yanai-bako [柳箱] was also apparently known as a kumi-yanai [組柳] (though the latter name is unknown apart from the above-mentioned installment).

    While originally this was a sort of box (made from willow whips), it was reduced over the centuries to the proportions of a shallow tray, to which two slat-like legs were then attached (making it a footed stand); and it came to be used when offering something to (and receiving something from) a nobleman:  the object was placed on the yanai-bako and the yanai-bako was transported from one person to the other (usually by an attendant).

†The URL for that post is:

https://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/190330994020/namp%C5%8D-roku-book-4-16-riky%C5%ABs-account-of-the

‡Or perhaps in the tokonoma, centered and in front of the kakemono, in a shoin that lacked a chigai-dana (as became increasingly common over the course of the Edo period, under the wabi influence of Sōtan’s descendants).

⁶Kono toki ha mei-kō nari [此時は名香也].

    Mei-kō [名香] refers to a variety of incense wood (usually kyara [伽羅]), of high enough quality that it had been given a special name (to distinguish it from the unnamed examples of the same type of wood).  While the name was usually given to the wood by its original owner, the concordance of his contemporaries was usually necessary to validate the act of the giving that particular piece of incense a name.  (And once so recognized, the same name applied to all of the fragments of that same piece of kyara -- and, at least in the present day, to other specimens that are indistinguishable from the original, even if they are not known to have been cut from it.)

⁷Kiri-hi-oke [桐火桶].

   This is another classical name for a hi-tori-mo [火取母] -- a sora-daki-kōro.

⁸Mei-kō nara de mo taku-beshi [名香ならてもたくへし].

    “Even mei-kō should be burned.”

    In other words, the display of a sora-daki-kōro during a chakai is so extraordinary that circumstances demand -- even when it is an ordinary piece* -- that the host should make the effort† to burn a special kind of incense in it.

    Tanaka Senshō notes here that this idea of burning mei-kō even in a less famous sora-daki-kōro would deviate from what the modern schools teach -- which indicates that in this (as in many other modern practices) they have lost touch with their original roots‡. __________ *While tsune no kiri-hi-oke [常の桐火桶] literally means “an ordinary kiri-hi-oke,” we must not understand this to mean something picked up cheap, and perhaps only crudely decorated.  In this kind of context, “tsune no” (“ordinary”) refers to a recently made piece, something that can be easily replaced (even if that replacement will be costly).

    The same is true when the adjectives shin [新] (new) and ima [今] (now; today; contemporary) are used.  The point is that the fact that replacements can be easily acquired means that the piece is not deserving of the esteem that was accorded antiques -- which, because they were made decades or centuries in the past, can not be replaced.  This attitude (which might strike us as being strange -- given the exorbitant prices of many modern-made pieces today) imbues the way that people of Jōō's and Rikyū's day approached and handled their utensils.  It is not that they did not like (or “value”) their contemporary-made pieces, but that they did not harbor the feeling of reverence for them that they extended to antiques of comparable quality.

†While this sort of attitude might also strike us as being distinctly “un-wabi,” we must remember that the present discussion is focused on the shoin.  Wabi-chajin did not build shoin -- even if they owned utensils that rightly could be used in that setting.

    Undertaking to add a shoin to ones residence -- like adding a tokonoma to ones wabi tearoom -- implied that the host had certain pretensions, and so was expected to behave appropriately.

‡Mei-kō is burned not to honor the censer, but to perfume the room.  Since perfuming the room in this way (rather than by simply burning the incense in the ro or furo) is a special practice, it is appropriate for the host to make the effort to do so in an elegant manner.  If he is not prepared to do this, then he had better just burn the ordinary incense (as appropriate to the season) in the ro or furo, and dispense with displaying a sora-daki-kōro completely.

⁹Dai bon nado naku de mo [臺盆等なくても].

    According to Shibayama Fugen (whose teihon [底本] was formatted a little differently from the Enkaku-ji manuscript -- in that the present entry flows into the one that follows, with no breaks or punctuation marks), this phrase was apparently transposed here from the end of the next section*, and has nothing to do with the display of the soro-daki-kōro in the shoin.  (This is confirmed by the fact that using a dai or bon, as a base for the soro-daki-kōro, is not mentioned previously in the entry.). ___________ *Probably by Tachibana Jitsuzan, when he was making the presentation copy that he intended to give to the Enkaku-ji.

[sssshhhthefilmsabouttostart]

The best and worst films of 2018

If after watching 112 films teaches you anything, it's that Hollywood will continue to pump out the franchise blockbusters - and audiences will still hand over their cash to see them, no matter how below average or unoriginal they may be.

Cinematically, 2018 was a year that marked the final screen appearances for both Robert Redford (’The Old Man and the Gun’) and Daniel Day-Lewis (’Phantom Thread’), heralded Bradley Cooper’s impressive directorial debut (’A Star Is Born), served up an innovative high-tech thriller (’Searching’) and bestowed the most gob-smacking showdown involving MCU’s greatest heroes and villains (’Avengers: Infinity War’).

It was also a very good year for Netflix loyalists who saw the company release a succession of well received films including ’Annihilation,’ ‘Roma,’ and ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.’

Despite Dirty Harry’s memorable comment that “opinions are like assholes, everybody’s got one,” the films that have made this year’s ‘best list’ have been selected on the basis of the lasting impression they have left on this viewer after the lights have come up and the curtain’s been drawn.

So, what succeeded and what failed?

Ladies and gentlemen, may we please offer for your consideration…

50. THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN

49. INCREDIBLES 2

48. FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL

47. THE POST

46. CHAPPAQUIDDICK

45. RED SPARROW

44. GAME NIGHT

43. DEADPOOL 2

42. BOY ERASED

41. WIDOWS

40. STRONGER     

39. MOLLY’S GAME

38. FAHRENHEIT 11/9  

37. THE DARKEST HOUR

36. FIRST REFORMED

35. A STAR IS BORN

34. ISLE OF DOGS

33. BREATH

32. THE WIFE

31. READY PLAYER ONE

30. BLACK PANTHER

29. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOUR

28. BRIGSBY BEAR

27. LADY BIRD

26. SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO

25. BEAUTIFUL BOY

24. PHANTOM THREAD

23. GHOST STORIES

22. FIRST MAN

21. TULLY

20. I, TONYA

19. SUSPIRIA

18. RBG 

17. THE FAVOURITE

16. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY 

15. MANDY

14. BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99 

13. SEARCHING 

12. A QUIET PLACE

11. BLACKKKLANSMAN

10. SWEET COUNTRY

The Australian ‘western’ is a genre all its own, and ‘Sweet Country’ was the finest example of its type. Both Warwick Thornton's direction and Dylan Rivers’ cinematography was outstanding, as were all of the lead acting performances. Shot in both Central and South Australia, ‘Sweet Country’ transcended the genre’s tropes to tell us a quintessentially Australian story, albeit a bloody, brutal and tragic one. 

9. VICE

As with his previous film ‘The Big Short,’ writer/director Adam McKay set aside the clean, colourful look of his comedies (’Anchorman,’ ‘Step Brothers’) in favour of a washed-out, edgy look, with the frequent use of hand-held cameras. The entire ensemble - including Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell and Amy Adams - were all impressive but it was Christian Bale’s skilful and highly effective portrayal of former VP Dick Cheney that deservedly received the kudos from critics everywhere. 

8. THE ENDLESS

Indie filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, wrote, directed and starred in this terrific slow burner about two brothers who decide to revisit their childhood UFO death cult for some closure. Initially, the film’s daunting atmosphere gave the impression that this horror/sci-fi would follow the usual story ‘beats’ that accompany the genre. But after some mind-bending twists, ‘The Endless’ soon switched from being about a crazed cult into something else!

7. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

It’s no secret that Sony’s last few attempts with the character of Spider-Man have been underwhelming to say the least. However, this rousingly entertaining superhero adventure was easily 2018′s most unexpected surprise. The film’s impressive animation was beautiful, fluid and unique, whilst the storyline was both compelling and genuinely funny. What can we say - we finally got the ‘Spider-Man’ movie everybody wanted. It’s OK Sony, we now forgive you for ‘The Emoji Movie.’

6. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

Sadly robbed of the Best Picture gong at last year’s Academy Awards, this third movie from award-winning playwright Martin McDonagh (‘In Bruges,’ ‘Seven Psychopaths’) was a dramedy that started with cleverness and wit before opening up into something truthfully human. McDonagh’s screenplay was so good that every single cast member, no matter how little their screen time, gave a great performance.

5. AMERICAN ANIMALS

In this true-crime movie, four bright and well-off college students in Kentucky plot to steal some rare books from their university's Special Collections Library in a misguided quest for personal glory. Written and directed by Bart Layton, ‘American Animals’ cleverly woven script was narrated by the heist's actual participants, bringing a fascinating layer to the proceedings as well as a connection between the characters and audience.

4. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

It may have been the most intense, complex and stirring MCU film yet, but it was as lean as epics get, with none of its nearly two-and-a-half-hour running time feeling wasted. While the many characters and intersecting plots may have confused casual viewers (it’s assumed audiences are now familiar with all that's come before), for fans, it was one mind-blowing moment after another.

3. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT

Who would have thought that a 20+ year franchise would have been able to deliver one of the most exciting and visceral action films in recent memory? ‘Fallout’ saw the stepping up of both the action and the stakes, with the personal screws tightened on Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the horrible consequences for failure. Love him or hate him, Cruise's performance was lean and focused, whilst Christopher MacQuarrie’s direction was effective and thrilling, always hitting every action beat - dead centre.

2. YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE

Director Lynne Ramsay’s bleak yet effective thriller about a broken and tormented ex-military vigilante (Joaquin Phoenix), who makes a living rescuing kidnapped girls and making the perpetrators violently pay with a hammer, was a dark and twisting journey into one man’s soul. Ramsay's filmmaking powers and script, combined with Phoenix's committed, unadorned performance and Johnny Greenwood's absolutely superb soundtrack, easily delivered one of this year’s most standout movies.

1. HEREDITARY

Although it polarised audiences everywhere, ‘Hereditary’ was a refreshing example of a studio (A24) subverting expectations and the perfect showcase of what horror is capable of when taken seriously.

Even as the film ventured into territory familiar to its genre, writer/director Ari Aster skillfully orchestrated the tension into something that felt like a nightmare straight from hell. What begins as a drama about a family tearing apart with grief, slowly descends into madness and the supernatural. 

Rather than rely on a ‘conveyor belt’ of jump scares strung together with a derivative story which exists purely as a vehicle to deliver those jump scares, ‘Hereditary’ put family drama at the forefront and milked every ounce of dread from the hideous realities of familial cohabitation for what they’re worth. 

Whilst the film’s cinematography, production design and score were all some of the best the horror genre has seen, it was the performances that finally sold ‘Hereditary,’ notably Toni Collette’s tormented turn as a manic mother who is mourning the loss of a parent. 

‘Hereditary’ didn’t just redefine horror - it successfully put its own wicked stamp on the tropes of the genre, and provided audiences everywhere with a truly unsettling experience.

Hail Paimon!

…AND NOW, THE WORST!

20. VENOM

19. THE MEG

18. MILE 22

17. WINCHESTER

16. LIFE OF THE PARTY

15. BLOCKERS

14. SKYSCRAPER

13. THE WEDDING GUEST

12. DEATH WISH

11. BOAR

10. THE NUN

Sadly, this fifth chapter in the ‘Conjuring’ universe was nowhere near as scary, inspired or coherent as its predecessors. The quick onslaught of jump scares, punctuated by sudden noises on the soundtrack, quickly dashed the hopes of viewers who saw the entire exercise as a colossal waste of time (not to mention that the titular character was almost ‘missing’ in her own movie). 

9. THE PREDATOR

This was a prime example as to how you kill a franchise. ‘The Predator’ was so bad, it made both ‘AVP’ movies look like modern day masterpieces. Whilst the acting and storyline were awful, the film suffered from plot holes, the lack of any kind of script, the constant desperate dramatic music featured relentlessly throughout and the forced jokes. Why director Shane Black thought injecting a comedy script into this franchise was a good idea is anyone's guess. 

8. THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS

Brian Henson, son of the legendary Jim Henson and the director of ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ and ‘Muppet Treasure Island,’ somehow thought this juvenile attempt at humour was a good idea. Instead, it did the most offensive thing that a comedy could ever do - it failed to make you laugh. 

7. THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME

This forgettable and redundant comedy, from its tired title to its forced acting and humour, tried desperately to be everything at once and ended up being nothing at all. Given the talent involved, one would have expected some semblance of subtly and finesse to let these strong performers elevate the material as they've been known to in the past. However, when the material was as blunt as a sledgehammer, there wasn’t much anyone could have done. 

6. GRINGO

Despite its polished production values and stellar cast, ‘Gringo’ amounted to an absolute bust. Director Nash Egerton’s unsavoury and amoral comedy of errors qualified as something contrived, convoluted and ultimately incoherent. Crammed with a myriad of ‘madcap’ situations that weren’t even remotely funny or original, this crappy caper failed to keep up with its talented cast who struggled in their portrayal of such unpleasant stereotypes.

5. PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING

CGI vomit. 

4. THE 15:17 TO PARIS

Anybody desperately wanting to watch this train wreck should fast forward the first hour and six minutes. Clint Eastwood’s effort to pay tribute to the three brave men who foiled the 2015 Thalys train attack was a cinematic misfire of epic proportions. The bold step of having the real-life heroes play themselves was a bad call (awkward delivery, mumbled lines), whilst the film also had an underlying Christian/pro-gun/pro-military vibe about it.  

3. ROBIN HOOD

From the over-the-top bow and arrow fights to the bizarre mix of costumes, ‘Robin Hood’ was comparable to Guy Ritchie’s disastrous reimagining of ‘King Arthur,’ only worse. Far worse. This umpteenth version of the legendary heroic outlaw was severely lacking in the entertainment and thrills department, and continued the Hollywood tradition of blockbuster remakes absolutely falling on their arses.

2. ACTION POINT

The ‘Jackass’ films were great, but this dismal wannabe ‘Caddyshack’ or ‘Porky’s’ left audiences longing for the relative artistry and sophistication of the crazy lads’ glory days. ‘Action Point’ was a predictable, exceptionally cheap and humourless affair, a watershed moment in terms of anyone ever bank rolling a feature film for these guys again. RIP gentlemen, it was a fun ride.

1. HOLMES AND WATSON

It’s all elementary as to which film was by far the very worst of 2018.

Everything about ‘Holmes and Watson’ was lazy, incompetent and decidedly unfunny. This shockingly misguided assault of repetitive bad slapstick and terrible writing squandered the remarkable talents of John C. Reilly, Rebecca Hall, Steve Coogan, Kelly Macdonald, Ralph Fiennes and Hugh Lawrie, and saw Will Ferrell give what was easily the worst performance of his entire career.

This was no ‘Step Brothers’ - this was pure, unadulterated garbage. 

#the best and worst films of 2018

[theblackpomegranate]

Breaks, Kinks and Healing

This isn’t going to be the polished blog posts that you’re used to getting from me, full of self deprecation and witty metaphors about my adventures in kink, laid out like a comic book narrative. Instead, it’s a story about healing.

Since I started blogging, almost five years ago, I’ve tried to write something at the beginning of a new year that resonates with the promise and possibility the new year will bring. Because like most people, I hope that the new year will be better than the last. Around this time last year, I wrote a post about being woke and sex positive in 2018, written with the hope that the year would be full of possibilities and growth for everyone, including me. Little did I know that about six weeks after publishing the post, my year would take some turns and changes that I couldn’t possibly imagine. I’ve had a hard time writing, trying to reconcile last year while looking ahead to 2019. That’s because 2018 was a bit extra.

How the injury happened

I didn’t get upset about my ankle until I realized I couldn’t cut grass. Now, the timing of this realization was odd, after all I was in the lobby of a hotel in February and grass cutting season was at least two months away. But in hindsight, I think grass cutting was part of my mental checklist as my brain conversed with my body, telling it something was very wrong. After all, I’ve cut grass every year since I was 13 years old, the same year I started working out faithfully. How could a simple moment change so many things about me so quickly?

But there I was, watching as my ankle stiffened and swollen to the point I could barely bend it or walk. The reason I hobbled down to the lobby was because my calf hurt when I simply laid down and pressed it against the bed-sheets, which I’d later learn was the result of a fracture. Then the cascade of thoughts came. I wonder if I can lift weights? How will I get around? Won’t this get better in a couple of days? ( The answer to all of those questions was no).

I’ve never really been injured or ill in my life. Sure, I’ve had muscle pulls, that were taken care of with a plunge in ice filled baths. Or the time I dislocated my shoulder, and it slipped back into place, as though my body knew I couldn’t tolerate the downtime. Even in the decade where the stress of care-giving slowly eroded my health, my terse assessment of being “fine” was my mantra, my declaration that I was OK, even when I wasn’t. When my time as a caregiver came to a close, I used steel kettle-bells to restore everything to my body I felt I’d lost to time or commitments.  After all, being injured or ill is a fundamental change and that’s something else I don’t tolerate.

A new reality

The year 2018 had its own ideas about what I’d have to tolerate. Everything would be different. I dealt with a high ankle sprain and broken leg and months of recovery. I confronted the raw emotion of how the injury occurred. I was humbled by weakness, pain and fatigue that I couldn’t shrug off. Depression crept in at just the right moment, when I couldn’t elevate my mood with a long walk or push ups (you’d be surprised how hard push ups are when you can only stabilize your body with one foot). As I worked on recovery, my uninjured leg hurt when I pushed too hard, because of an increased load. My conditioning dropped. I got tired (and frustrated easily). I went from being able to balance and walk on iron fences to needing to hold a handrail when climbing stairs.

Because I literally slowed down so much, I began to pay attention to a breathing problem that seemed to become worse, or at least more noticeable because of being sedentary.  About a month after finishing physical therapy a trip to another doctor confirmed a tumor that had to be removed surgically. I learned that at least a month of recovery would be necessary. I didn’t mind the prospect of being in pain or the risks of the surgery. What did bother me was yet another thing occurring in my life that seemed like a setback. More recovery would be required from my body, and more patience required from my heart and mind.

Shortly after I began physical therapy, I decided not to do suspensions until I was healed and regained a good portion of my strength back. Learning that you can’t stand and balance on one leg means it’s an inherent risk to try and manage a suspension; that was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.

Of course, other parts of my kink life was affected in 2018. My leg was injured in a kink space, due to someone’s thoughtless, careless behavior. I was angry at myself for letting the injury happen. For not keeping my guard up. I regretted the things I couldn’t do for people I love. I resented the opportunities I missed. I dearly missed my workouts and walks. I’d already developed some nagging doubts about kink before my injury and the uncertainty I faced after being hurt seemed to magnify those concerns. BDSM, something that’s central to my life joined the mental checklist of things I couldn’t do. The people, places and things that once felt like home now felt hostile. What felt worse than the realization I couldn’t do something in kink was the bitter thoughts that maybe I shouldn’t be doing things in kink.

A reboot

So, 2018 was a dumpster fire, right? One that I’m eager to put behind me and solely focus on 2019. I’ll be completely honest, 2018 was one of the most difficult years of my life. I wouldn’t want to repeat a lot of the experiences I had last year. But last year was full of profound growth and healing, despite the rough times.

Granted, I wish I had never incurred an injury, especially one that could have been avoided. Surgery is never fun. Physical therapy was demanding. I lost time and connections with people and things I cherish. Depression and feeling like you aren’t doing enough isn’t fun. Despite this, 2018 gave me as many good things as bad.

For me, last year was like a forced reboot. There was no choice but to take care of my health and body, because circumstances demanded that. I had to reset my values and boundaries. I experienced moments of grace and love. My bonds with the important people in my life grew deeper. Healing my spirit renewed my sense of purpose. I learned that my emotional health required as much work as my physical strength. The labor of healing and recovering reminded me how strong I am. I even managed to cut the grass, albeit fewer times over the summer.

During my time in kink, I’ve probably asked several hundred people do they have any injuries or illness that could affect play or demos. Now I have a greater empathy and understanding when someone tells me about their issues, because I have a more informed perspective. I’m profoundly grateful for that. I’m content with the fact that I removed the person who injured me from an event and have seen him disappear from the kink scene, which hopefully means he won’t harm anyone else. I truly realize the importance of safe spaces in a way I couldn’t have before. I have a renewed commitment to safer, risk aware kink spaces. I’m much more likely to call out toxic practices in kink spaces when I see it. My experience could have driven me away from kink. Instead, it helped me to be better.

Antique illustration of human body anatomy: Ankle foot joint

Now, this isn’t fiction and things aren’t perfect. If it were, everything would be fine and last year would be like a bad dream that’s barely remembered. That isn’t the case. At times I continue to struggle, mostly with my own self judgement and self criticism. The person who used to say he’d never been hurt is learning to make peace with someone can now say he’s been hurt and ill. I’ve had the experience of finally acknowledging that it’s OK to admit that I’m not always OK and that I’m not less than because of that fact. Almost a year later, I still limp a bit if its cold and I push too hard. That’s OK too. Healing is process and that demands its own course and time-frame.

In a couple of weeks, I’ll revisit the the space where I was injured. How will I feel? Have I processed and healed in the right ways? My leg is stronger than ever (I’ve checked). But is the heartbreak healed? Have I replaced the trepidation with contentment? Maybe, but I’m not certain. Ask me in a month.

I’m going to revisit themes from this post (Kink, recovery, healing, safety) throughout the year. Sometimes that will mean personal posts like this one, other times it’ll be reflected in the work I do with Ms. Pomegranate. That’s my promise and possibility for 2019. I hope your 2019 is full of what you need, that your own promise and possibility is realized. Be well, family and keep it kinky.

The post Breaks, Kinks and Healing appeared first on The Black Pomegranate.

from The Black Pomegranate http://theblackpomegranate.com/breaks-kinks-and-healing/

[pkansa]

It was not all that long ago (see here) that I fell pretty hard for the Alpina Alpiner 4.  It was my first time going hands-on with the brand, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw there.  Well, if you know me, you know I like GMT complications.  I’ve been starting to focus in a little more closely on those watches lately, and I saw Alpina had a few in the mix.  Put two and two together, and you’ve got our review today of the Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours.

Ostensibly, the Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours is for the traveling businessman (given the 44mm diameter, I am guessing it will not grace the wrists of many women).  How so?  Well, it’s that Business Hours part of the name, which shows up on the chapter ring as an interpretation of the iconic “Pepsi” bezel.  With it, you get the red to indicate the normal working (banking?) hours (9 am – 5 pm), with grace time on either side in white, showing when people are actually going to be in the office.  That leaves the blue to indicate when folks are, well, not at work.

This chapter ring is not moveable, nor can you adjust where those colors bands are hitting.  While those may have been clever paths to go, this keeps things much simpler.  If you are traveling around, you will just have that GMT hand set to the home time of your home and office, and you won’t risk trying to get a hold of someone in the middle of the night.  Conversely, if you find yourself dealing more with an office on the other side of the globe, you’d set that GMT hand to the foreign time.

What about someone like myself, who really does not travel much any more, and has a remote team but in the same time zone?  Does a watch like the Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours have a place?  Perhaps not the “Business Hours” iteration, but a GMT, there’s nothing wrong with that.  I personally like the complication (these days) as it’s something slightly different than a simple three-hander, without making things overly complicated.  How my love of the complication started, that’s different.

I was drawn to the GMT complication back before I had any sort of watch winder, and I found myself constantly needing to wind and reset watches.  With a three-hander and date, I was always winding things around to figure out where “midnight” was in the movement, so I’d have an accurate date set.  With the GMT hand, that became vastly simplified, as I could use it, at a basic level, as a 24-hour indicator.  Easy peasy, and less manual manipulation of the crown and handset.  Not particularly an issue for me these days, but it’s where things started for me, and that extra hand really has stuck with me.

And, frankly, as far as complications go, the GMT hand is a relatively simple one.  It’s just one additional hand, geared to turn at half the speed that the hour hand is going at.  That’s at a high level.  For each watch, there can be variations on how that is all implemented.  On the Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours, the hour hand and GMT hand are set independently.  In this case, the hour hand is set with the crown in the first position.  Rotate it one way, the hour hand jumps in hour increments; rotating the other way gets you adjusting the date.  As to the GMT hand, that’s set along with the minute hand (i.e., how you would expect an hour hand to work on a standard three-hander).

Of course, if those hands are moving around on a busy or otherwise illegible dial, then it won’t make a lick of difference as to how they’re set.  That is not the case, thankfully, with the Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours.  The black sunray dial provides a deep background for the polished (and luminous) indices and hands to set against; even the GMT hand (with it’s splash of red) is easy enough to pick out.  Speaking of the dial, we mentioned the Pepsi-bezel inspiration on the chapter ring.  You might also think of the four lines of text on the lower half of the dials coming from another brand, which it may (I didn’t interview the designer).  Fortunately, the text is small enough that it’s not a significant distraction.  There is one other larger influence as well, and that shows up on the case.

That particular detail would be the lugs of the Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours.  This “twisted” style is something we commonly see on Omega watches (and is something I had a good watch friend point out), and I have seen it used on some others (particularly, the Benarus Sea Snake).  As with so many of these little details, you can cry “copy cat!”, or you can accept them for what they are – details that, because they have worked well and look well, show up  across a variety of places.  For the lugs in particular, I like the look, as it gives things a somewhat more streamlined look, and the alternating surface finishes are something I am always a fan of.

Ok, how about a detail that I have not seen on any other watch, that the Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours has?  Take another look at that date window – does anything seem different there?  Go ahead, I’ll wait.  You see, there is a magnifier there.  On most watches, this takes the form of a cyclops that is glued onto the crystal.  I know that is a particularly divisive feature (albeit one I’ve come to like given it’s extreme practicality).  Well, then, setting the magnifier directly onto the date window (yet below the main crystal) is a particularly clever solution, and one I certainly would not mind seeing popping up all over the place (see, that’s how these good ideas can start showing up across a variety of brands).

On the whole, while the Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours does have some details that are reminiscent of other brands, I would say it is indeed it’s own watch.  It’s not paying homage to any one model in particular, it is cutting it’s own path using maps from prior adventurers.  Even how to classify it is sort of it’s own thing, in my book.  More often than not, we see GMT movements implemented into sport watches, which are then polished up a bit to make them fit into a dressier setting.  Here, I would say the Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours is going in the other direction.  They started with what is very much a dress watch, and then by enlarging the dimensions a bit, putting the GMT in, and then including their “Big 4” features (anti-magnetic, anti-shock, water resistance, stainless steel) we end up with a dress watch that can hold up to some sportier activities.

Sure, you come to the same result – a somewhat sporty, a somewhat dressy watch – but where you start can make quite a bit of difference.  Well, more realistically, it makes more of a difference in the mind of the buyer.  Are you looking for a rough and tumble watch that can fit with the occasional suit?  Then you want to start with the sport watch.  If you find yourself more in the office (and wearing suits with frequency), then starting with a dress watch makes sense; adding in the sporting sensibilities then turns a watch like the Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours into a very capable travel companion, ready for the board room or the beach, all in the same trip.

So, yes, I did enjoy my time spent with the 126g Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours.  It is perhaps a touch larger than I might prefer for regular wear (both in diameter and thickness), but it’s not like we’re talking dive watch dimensions.  Ok, yes, the diameter is like a dive watch, but with the small bezel and those twisted lugs, it wears smaller than the 44mm might suggest.  And, yeah, it is going to look a good sight better with a suit (particularly if you are partial to French Cuffs, as I am) than your sport watch-based GMTs.  Yes, they work, but the Alpina GMT 4 Business Hour ups the game.  If you’re on the hunt for a great travel (and everyday) watch, you certainly should consider the $1,995 Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours.  While I won’t advocate (yet) just owning a single watch, if that’s what you’re going for, this is a watch that will work for just about anything you would want to throw at it.  alpina-watches.com

Review Summary

Brand & Model: Alpina GMT 4 Business Hours

Price: $1,995

Who’s it for?:  You like GMT complications, and you like sport watches, but you want something dressier (and more affordable) than what some of the “regular” recommendations might be

Would I wear it?: Indeed I would.  I don’t know that it would supplant my favorite GMT from my personal collection, but this is a solid watch for a variety of scenarios

What I’d change:  As with my Alpina Alpiner 4 review (LINK), a thinner case would be welcomed

The best thing about it: The best small detail is that “hidden” cyclops on the date window.  The best overall detail is how Alpina managed to take a dress watch design and embiggen things to create a capable sport watch, while still retaining the dress watch looks

Tech Specs from Alpina

Movement

Caliber:  AL-550

Frequency:28’800/h

Jewels:  26

Winding:  Automatic

Power Reserve:  38 h

Theme:  Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date, Compass turning bezel

Case features

Materials:  Stainless Steel

Crystal:  Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with antireflective treatment

Dial:  Black sunray dial with applied luminous indexes

Crown:  Screw-in

Water resistance:  10 ATM

Diameter:  44 mm

Strap or Bracelet Width:  22/18 mm

Strap:  Genuine leather

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Getting busy with the @AlpinaWatches #GMT 4 Business Hours It was not all that long ago (see here) that I fell pretty hard for the Alpina Alpiner 4.  

#gmt #Pepsi bezel #swiss