#plus i was working alone which meant listening to podcasts all day while working

[comfyswitcherblanketfort]

please please a part 2 of that gamer!geralt au, them doing something like Q&A

Nonie, I hope you know what you signed up for. This got out of hand lmao. like 2.4k of Q&A kind of out of hand. 

Warnings: swearing, talk of drinking to excess, kinda spicy questions, lil kisses, idk how but I meant for this to be goofy and horny and it got kinda soft? what’s new?

____________

“Holy shit,” Geralt sat staring at his phone as he mindlessly stirred pasta.

“I swear to god, if you found a way to burn noodles-” Jaskier turned away from the blender to wave a wooden spoon covered in pesto puree.

Geralt shook his head and held his phone up to him, scrolling through the replies to a tweet as he did, going on for ages as Jaskier’s jaw slowly got closer to the floor.

“What are those for?!”

“I put up a poll for a boyfriend Q&A or a game review and not a single person has voted for the game review.” Geralt was still scrolling through questions people wanted answered as he watched Jaskier’s face go from shock to confusion to a smug grin. 

“They love me,” he sang, kicking his heel up as he turned back to the pasta sauce.

Geralt rolled his eyes and started screenshotting some of the less invasive questions, shaking his head and muttering, “Course they do.”

-

Geralt pressed record, waited a moment, and heaved a dramatic, long-suffering sigh, “You guys literally didn’t even give me a choice on this one,” he reached off frame and scruffed Jaskier, plopping him down on the couch with him. 

Jaskier didn’t stay where he was put for even a moment, using his momentum to bounce up onto Geralt’s lap with a shit-eating grin, “Oh? Are we rolling?”

Geralt dropped his forehead to Jaskier’s shoulder, stifling a laugh, “This is gonna be a long one.”

“Yeah, it is,” Jask agreed, then turned to the camera, stroking Geralt’s hair, “My fans want more!”

“OH-kay,” Geralt manhandled Jaskier to sit next to him which earned him a pout and a leg draped over his lap as he continued his intro, “I’ve got a bunch of questions from twitter. I didn’t even have to confirm which video we would do, you guys just went straight for the kill. I picked a few, Jask picked a few, neither of us knows which ones the other picked.” he turned to see Jaskier wiggle his eyebrows at the camera, “Why am I thinking you picked the raunchy ones?”

The brunet pretended to be offended before he smirked, “Only a few.”

Geralt rolled his eyes. “Of course,” he nudged Jask with his shoulder and opened up his phone to his screenshots, “Okay! First up is AdamSandlersBitch, nice name. They asked what Jaskier’s favorite gaming console and game to play is.” he turned to Jaksier with raised eyebrows.

His boyfriend cringed, “My.. my phone? I don’t know? I play a lot of Candy Crush while I listen to podcasts?”

Geralt smiled sweetly, “Wait what about Stardew Valley? I thought you started that?”

“I did!” Jaskier brightened up for a moment before he deflated again, “But I got confused and then the ADHD made me bake cookies.”

“Those were good cookies. I’ll play with you if you want?” Geralt’s normal ‘streamer dude’ persona melted away while he played with the rips on Jaskier’s jeans. 

Jask leaned forward and kissed his temple, “I’d love that.” 

Geralt blushed, even after years, Jaskier’s affection still caught him off guard. 

“Mkay! My turn!” Jaskier flashed his devilish grin and read, in his most obnoxious voice, “Dwn2Clwn said ‘do you two live together? Have you said ‘i love you’? And who tops?’”

Geralt’s mouth twisted into an upside-down U as he stared at Jaskier in muted surprise, “Honestly, not as bad as I expected.”

Jaskier looped his arm around Geralt’s, “I’m starting off easy.”

Geralt let his mock-disapproving gaze linger just a bit before he answered, “The living together is kind of new-like a few months. This one said ‘I love you’ on, what? The fourth date? Fifth?”

“Fourth.”

“No, it was the fifth, Eskel locked himself out on the fourth. Remember?”

“Shit you’re right,” Jaskier gave the camera a stern look, “In my defense, we’d been friends for a good four years before this. I wasn’t just confessing my love to a tinder date - though I have done that before.”

Geralt nodded, “That was very amusing.”

Jaskier tapped his nose, “Don’t avoid the last part, darling.”

Geralt huffed and stared down the camera, and, in the most matter of fact tone possible, said, “We switch. Compromise, folks. Can’t have one person doing all the work all the time.”

Jaskier nodded sagely, patting Geralt's chest, “We got a pow-”

Geralt clamped his hand over Jaskier’s mouth, 100% sure he was going to say ‘power bottom pillow princess’, “Nope. I’ll get demonetized for that.”

“But not who tops?” Jaskier asked through Geralt’s fingers.

He just shrugged, “I don’t make the rules.”

Jaskier tapped his phone and raised his eyebrows, telling him to move to the next question. 

“Mis- Mischanication? Shit I hope I said that right, Mischanication asked, ‘would you ever get a pet together?’ We did! Her name is Roach and she’s a little shit! I told Jaskier not to feed her, but he did, now we have the snuggliest, crankiest cat I’ve ever met!” 

Jaskier had gotten up to pluck Roach from her perch on the windowsill when Geralt had read the question and plopped down with her as Geralt finished his proud speech, “She’s not a little shit! She’s just delicate! Isn’t that right, darling?”

Geralt scratched under her chin and cooed, “You are a nasty little dragon baby, aren't you?! Just a little garbage child! Yes, you are. We love the tiny demon beast.”

“Geralt!”

He snickered and kissed Jaskier’s hair, “Next question, love.”

Jaskier grumbled something about positive reinforcement as Roach scampered back to her cat tree and he unlocked his phone for his next tweet, “This darling wants to remain anonymous,” Geralt gave him some serious side-eye at that, “they said ‘I think I’m in love with the flower twink, where can I find one of my own?’”

Geralt frowned at the camera and pulled Jaskier onto his lap, holding him close and snuggling into his chest, almost growling, “Hands off.”

Jaskier giggled, brushing Geralt’s hair out of his face as he talked to the camera, “You heard the man. Unfortunately, I was not mass-produced and I’ve been spoken for.”

Geralt looked up at him with what could only be called suspicious puppy eyes, “You picked that one just to sit in my lap didn’t you?”

“Yes. And because I want to change my socials to ‘flower twink’.” 

“Do it,” Geralt kept Jaskier on his lap as he swiped to his next question, “Eggsfuckingsuck - heh, my dad hates eggs- Eggsfuckingsuck says, ‘what is the most embarrassing thing you’ve caught each other doing/saying?’ Oh boy, do I have a story for you!”

"Oh I couldn't say the thing but you can tell this story!?" 

"...you have a point... Check my insta stories. I'll put it there after I post this." 

Jaskier nodded, ever so pleased, and turned to the camera, "Our dear Yennefer of sorceryglammour once beat Geralt at trivia night when the theme was 'video games'." 

“We did shots before we went to the bar and she goaded me and Lambert into a chugging competition before the round started. I’m telling you, she planned this. Yen is ruthless.” Geralt desperately tried to justify his defeat but Jaskier was having none of it. 

“She’s mostly harmless, plus I have video evidence from that night. You weren’t that far gone.”

“Pull it up! Let’s settle it.”

Jaskier patted Geralt’s head like one would a toddler, “I’d have to get my old laptop out. Later, darling.”

Geralt had a smug look on his face, “That means he doesn’t have it anymore.”

“Next question!” Jaskier squeaked, not at all changing the subject. 

Geralt shrugged, “If you admit I won that one.”

“It’s not a competition!” Jaskier laughed, looking down at him with that stupidly smitten look on his face.

“Hmmm…” Geralt tilted his chin up defiantly, “if you say so.”

Jaskier kissed him, lingering a little bit more than could be considered chaste, “I do.” 

Geralt looked up at him, batting his eyelashes, “Fine then, next question.”

Jaskier handed him his phone and he read it off leaning his head on Jaskier’s shoulder, “CountryBumpkin42 asked if we play any instruments. I play the recorder very poorly, but Jask plays everything.”

“Not everything, but yes, I could cover a Trans Siberian Orchestra song if I had a pedalboard with enough loop settings.” Jaskier preened. 

“And more,” Geralt added, counting on his fingers as he spoke, “In this house alone he has two pianos, three different types of guitars, a drumset, a violin and fiddle, a flute and piccilo, an oboe, a mandolin, a lute, bongos, saxophone, clarinet, tambourine, trumpet, and xylophone. Did I get them all?”

Jaskier glanced from side to side with a guilty look, “Ah… no, I bought a bass sax that showed up last night.”

“Oh, did Thursday at 3 decide they wanted to switch after all?”

“Yeah! She got the third chair as a freshman on a loaner instrument! I’m very proud!”

Geralt seemed to remember they were recording and turned back to the camera, “J teaches music at the university and does private lessons.” 

“It’s how I can afford such a pretty trophy boyfriend,” Jaskier teased, ruffling Geralt’s hair and earning a little chuckle.

“Mkay, what do you have next?”

Jaskier smoothed Gearalt’s hair back down as he read the next question, “3R4108F6!J asks if we have any cute nicknames for each other.”

Geralt’s eyebrows nearly flew past his hairline, “J has a new one for me almost every day.”

“Its true,” Jaskier nodded, “I am a slut for cute nicknames. This morning was Ger Bear, one of my faves. I called him Thumbs for a bit, I lovingly call him Dumb Fuck rather often.”

“And he is Dip Shit, it’s balanced. I usually just shorten names? Jask or J is usually it, right?” Geralt asked, shifting so Jaskier was sitting on the couch between his legs and they were both turned out toward the camera but very much still cuddling. 

“And when I’m being childish I get Alfie. But Geralt is much more deliberate and specific with his nicknames. It’s a bit of a friendship level up when he uses nicknames.”

Geralt frowned at him, “I do that?”

Jaskier giggled, “You never noticed?”

He tilted his head, giving Jaskier a quizzical look, “Not at all.”

Jaskier cupped Geralt’s cheek, “You’re so cute.”

Geralt blushed again, leaning into the touch just a tad, “Who’s turn is it?”

“Yours,” Jaskier hummed, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. 

“Okay,” Geralt blushed even more, “I had this one as an alternate, but uh, Yen asked what we’d name our first kid?” 

Jaskier leaned into Geralt’s shoulder and hummed as he thought for a moment, “I always like Blake or Spencer, but I seem to remember you saying something about old world traditional names?”

Geralt nodded, absentmindedly running his fingers up and down Jaskier’s arm, “My grandma was hoping each of us boys would be a girl and wanted mum to name us Cirilla every time. I quite like it, but I’m rather open as long as I don’t know someone with the name. I really like Eric?” 

“Oo, I like Eric.”

“But you like the neutral names.”

“I do, but it’s your hypothetical kiddo too.”

Geralt gave him a little squeeze, “There’s time for that later. What’s your next one?”

Jaskier snorted when he looked at his phone, “What are your guys’ love languages?”

Geralt just looked down at Jask, completely entangled in his arms, then up to the camera, “I’m gonna hazard a guess at physical touch.” 

“Yeah, I think that’s a safe bet,” Jaskier giggled, “I haven’t taken the quiz in years, but I was that and gifts.”

“Oh, yeah. Physical touch and words of affirmation. I got like a 0 on acts of service and gifts, but I really like giving gifts.” 

“Mhm, yes you do,” Jaksier wiggled his eyebrows, then turned to the camera, “I also had no idea you could have different giving and receiving languages till I met this one.”

Geralt nodded then turned to him with a slight frown, “you know I really thought your questions were going to be more graphic.”

“Oh, honey I saved the best for last,” Jaskier winked. 

“Fuck me,” Geralt grumbled before reading off his last question, “Cali852 asked what we did for Pride.”

Jaskier’s eyes lit up, “Oh Pride was fun. We watched the parade, of course, then Yen did our makeup and… and where did we go after that?”

Geralt looked like he’d been waiting for this, “We went to a club, where you ordered three kamakazis, knocked them all back, danced for twenty minutes, then I took you home.”

“N-no… we went to the beach, didn’t we?”

“That was the year before. We were going to go to the drag show at our regular bar too, but someone had just finished grading finals and went a little too hard.” 

Jaskier grinned, “Speaking of finals, time for the last question. I had a different one in mind but if the thing I cant say from earlier would get this demonetized then that defintitelyi would. So we’re going with ‘what is the wackest placy y’all banged?’”

Geralt snorted, “Shit who knows anymore?”

“Well there was the boat?”

“Or the train?”

“Nah, too standard. What about the cabin?”

“Heh, no I think your o-”

“I don’t have tenure darling,” It was Jaskier’s turn to slap his hands over Geralt’s mouth, “The answer is a dilapidated structure my parents still try to call a cabin out in the foothills.”

Geralt laughed and pulled his hand away, “Okay, that can be the answer.”

“Is that it? Now we just say bye?” Jaskier looked between Geralt and the camera.

Geralt shrugged, “Yeah. You wanna say the thing?”

Jaskier wiggled with a little pride and excitement, “Don’t forget to like and subscribe! Bye Fuckers!”

They both waved for a couple seconds before Geralt got up and turned the camera off. He popped out the memory card and was going to immediately start loading it onto his computer but Jask hooked his finger through a belt loop as he walked past and tugged him back down. 

“I’m tired. Snuggle with me.” 

Geralt hummed, “We just snuggled that whole time.”

Jaskier heaved a dramatic sigh, “I know and this is exhausting. I don’t know how you talk to a camera all day.”

Geralt stretched to set the chip on top of his laptop before collapsing back on top of Jaskier who had stretched the length of the couch, “Are you making fun of me?” he teased. 

Jaskier cupped his face between his hands and pulled him up for a deep kiss, “Oh never.” 

#geraskier #gamer geralt #streamer geralt #teacher jaskeir #noob jaskeir #geraskier boyfriends #geraskier fluff #soft geraskier #the witcher #the witcher fic #geraskier fic #geraskier modern au #the witcher modern au #look this is so self indulgent i hope yall still like it #lmao

[sincerelymarinette]

A Recorded Life (41/50) - Miraculous Ladybug

Words: 1494 Summary: With only a few days left until the gala and Jagged Stone's new album release, Marinette has to make another video and podcast for the release date. She is stressed, but trying her hardest to keep it together. Author's Note: ahhh we are almost to the gala. only a few more!! i finally got some more tikki in this because the kawmi aspect has been lacking (oops). I love how crazy gossip pages are and I can only imagine the shippers are tearing them apart. also: is it adrienette or adrinette? I use adrientte but I keep seeing adrinette and now my whole life is a lie

Prev / Next / Masterlist

Filming The Podcast

---

5 days until the gala

ADRIEN AGRESTE OFF THE MARKET: WHO IS HIS GIRLFRIEND?

TEENAGE HEARTTHROB ADRIEN AGRESTE OFFICIALLY DATING YOUTUBE SENSATION MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG

AGRESTE MODEL ADRIEN AGRESTE DATES A FAN?

ADRIEN AGRESTE AND MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG ANNOUNCE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUTUBE VIDEO

POLL: DO YOU THINK ADRIEN AGRESTE AND MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG WILL LAST?

Marinette saw all the countless articles come out right after the video went public. She expected it, these gossip sites just wanted to get clicks and would make headlines as wild as they could. She was a little upset with some of them, but she knew her's and Adrien's fans were already tearing them apart for bad headlines.

She had a critical day ahead of her. She and Alya were scheduled to go to meet Jagged Stone at his hotel to record their podcast and video for the album in just a few days. Nino was a little upset he wasn't able to go, but at least it meant he got some bro-time with Adrien for the first time in a while. Not that he doesn't like hanging out with the girls, just sometimes it's nice to be alone.

Marinette was finishing getting ready before Alya was going to meet her. "You look very nice, Marinette," Tikki commented, "But you look worried. What's wrong?"

Marinette shrugged in response. "I don't know, just nervous. Not for Jagged, that will be the easy part, but just the fact that everything is happening so fast. I mean, the gala is later this week, and I just finished my dress. I'm so scared for the night and trying to get into Mr. Agreste's office during the whole thing. It's all circling around my head and just driving me crazy. Plus, Jagged's album comes out that day, so there's going to be a lot going on, that's all," She sighed.

"Well, I know it's all going to turn out fine. You guys will record the video today, have some fun, and then you can relax until the gala," Tikki tried to comfort.

"Yeah, but what if we actually find something that proves Gabriel is...is Hawkmoth? You saw how Adrien reacted when we watched the video. I don't know how we're going to handle it, or take care of him, or what we're going to do. I know if we find something out, I will not be able to just stand there and talk to people for the rest of the night," Marinette explained. "I'd have to do something as soon as I find out."

Tikki shook her head and looked directly at Marinette. "And you know Adrien is the same way. When we look into it, the night could completely change. I mean, I hope Gabriel isn't Hawkmoth, but you should talk to Adrien about what you guys should do in the event that he is."

Marinette nodded. "You're right. I'll talk with him tonight," She said and grabbed her purse so Tikki could sit inside. "Thanks for the talk. Alya will be here any minute, so let's meet her downstairs."

Happily, Tikki sat in Marinette's purse so they could wait for Alya. Of course, as soon as she got there, Tikki did pop out and say hello, and then the three of them were off to the Bourgeois hotel to meet Jagged. They happened to run into Chloé as she was on her way out, and she quickly said her hellos and goodbyes, saying she would catch up with them soon (especially since the gala is coming up!).

"Jagged! Marinette and Alya are here!" Penny called from the front of his suite, and Fang came running up to Marinette.

"Hi, Fang! I've missed you!" She bent down and pet Fang on her head, making Fang even more excited than she already was. Before Alya could even question their relationship, Jagged came around the corner with a big smile.

"Hello, girls!" Jagged greeted. "Come, let's take a seat. I'm so excited to do this!" He said. "I can't wait to talk about our creative process and hear what the fans think of it."

Marinette nodded, but Alya spoke. "This is going to be awesome! Plus, working with you on a video is going to be something added to my resumé."

Jagged laughed. "Ha! It will be! If the video looks amazing, and I'm sure it will, I'll even write you a recommendation letter!"

Alya perked up when she heard that, and her eyes went wide. "Really? That would be amazing."

"Course!" Jagged said and turned back to Marinette. "Oh, by the way, congrats on finally dating Adrien," Jagged said. "Penny and I had a bet as to when it would happen. Penny won."

The girls burst out laughing, and Penny held up the money she won from Jagged to prove the win. As Alya worked on setting up the camera, microphone, and lights, they were having casual conversations about what they were going to say during the video. But, mostly, they were going to wing it.

"Hi, guys! I'm Marinette!" Marinette began the video.

"And I'm Jagged Stone!" He added. "Boy, have we got something fun for you today."

"It's the release day of Jagged's new album, Greener Grass! And we decided to do a listening through and talk about each track. Of course, Jagged will talk about the music, and I will talk about the art for each one," Marinette explained.

Jagged nodded quickly and took over the next part of speaking. "That's right. And I can't wait for you guys to see all her art in person. It's going to be so cool, and all the merch that we have with her art is stunning. Marinette really can do anything."

Marinette shook her head at his compliment. "Thanks, Jagged. Should we start?"

They started playing the finalized music from Jagged's album, which he has already ready. "Ah, the title song! Here we have Greener Grass. Overall, with this album, I had some coming of age vibes on a few songs, and generally just looking on the bright side. We've had some ups and downs in the world, especially in Paris, and we all could use a little happiness."

"I really love this one. Paris really needs a look on the bright side, I should know, and this song reminds me to have hope and keep going. With the art for this one, I had Jagged standing in a field, with an angel and devil on his shoulders, batteling. The angel appears to be winning, because in the song, he talks about hard times and bouncing back, and how the grass is always greener,"  Marinette rambled. She put a lot of thought into these covers, and really resonated with the music Jagged Stone created, and knew the fans would appreciate the art just as much as she does.

Jagged put his arm around Marinette. "She's so talented. Guys, I don't think you know this, but I sent Marinette the demos without any description or guidelines. She listened to the songs and just drew- and was able to come up with these full-on masterpieces! We had a few meetings, but most of them were just for me to approve, she just knows, you know?" Jagged explained.

They went through a few songs more to explain, then ended up on the Marinette favorite. "Ah, the first single released: Lift Up!" Jagged celebrated. "Most people know this song is about Marinette from our release day video. But what they don't know is that I wrote it a long time ago, before the viral video. Marinette didn't even mention Ladybug around me, but I had it all figured out on my own. I guess I just know her too well," Jagged laughed. "But I wrote this because Marinette inspires me. She deals with so many things; I mean, there's school, her family's bakery, her videos, and now we all know she protects Paris on top of that!" Jagged threw his hands up in astonishment.

"Of course, you have Adrien to help you with some of that, but it still amazes me all the work you do. And if you get knocked down, you get right back up with a smile on your face," He continued praising.

Marinette could almost cry. She was flattered that Jagged thought this highly of her and everything she does, and she doesn't get nearly enough credit when due. With all the stress that has been sitting on her shoulders, this was a huge relief to hear, and was happy that someone appreciated it. With tears in her eyes, she hugged Jagged. "Thank you," She said. Wiping her tears away, she moved on to talk about the art for this one, featuring a melting ice cream cone and a balloon mid-pop, with Jagged standing behind with brand new ones.

All this praise from Jagged Stone, her idol and friend, was too much for her heart. How was she going to get through editing this without crying?

---

@lady-of-the-roses-and-lilies @bookishserendipity03 @avatheexceed @gkz10 @coccinellegirl @kat-thatoneweirdo @strawberryblondish @snow-swordswoman @lilgaga98 @evufries  

#ml #mlb #miraculous #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug and chat noir #ladybug #chat noir #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #adrien x marinette #adrien agreste x marinette dupain-cheng #adrienette #adrinette #marichat #ladrien #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #jagged stone #penny rolling #A Recorded Life #lilly writes #ladybug x chat noir

[gaiapaia]

Kermit and Friends: Welcome Back, Dr. Rajeev Fernando Featuring Stuttering John

Kermit and Friends was blessed to have two superb special guests yesterday that couldn’t have been more different from one another.

The first was Dr. Rajeev Fernando, an infectious disease doctor making his second appearance on Kermit and Friends.

Dubbed by Elisa Jordana as the sexiest doctor in the World (what a compliment!), Dr. Fernando since his last interview on KAF in February has continued to travel all around the World to research COVID-19 and help COVID-19 patients get better. Dr. Fernando admitted he’s seen some horrible things throughout his travels, which has led to many sleepless nights and him crying quite often. You could tell this is a man who cares deeply about humanity.

Dr. Fernando, like 99% of doctors, is very pro-vaccination. What separates him from most pro-vaxxers is that he’s very conscientious about not insulting people with a different viewpoint from him. He believes, rightly so, by insulting someone’s beliefs is not a way to get them to change their mind on that topic. If only more people could conduct themselves this way, humans would be a much more pleasant species.

Take Dr. Fernando’s handling of Trumpster Bob, for example. Bob appeared on KAF to tell the doctor that because of a special gene he has from his Norwegian ancestry, Bob is incapable of catching viruses. Dr. Fernando seemed quite baffled by this but he didn’t disrespect or patronize Bob in any way. The sexy doctor instead listened carefully and even offered his personal email address so Bob could send him information about the nonsense Bob was spewing. This is a great way to handle people who throw weird fallacies at you.

We also learned that Dr. Fernando is much more than just a doctor... he’s also a filmmaker and fashion designer! Click here to read up on Dr. Fernando’s upcoming documentary Smugglers and Refugees, and click here to check out his fashion line called Equality, where the proceeds go towards charities promoting love and fighting against hatred.

Try not to underestimate how impressive this is. Dr. Fernando works 7 days a week, literally. He doesn’t even have a home right now; he just lives out of his suitcases in different hotels where ever he travels to, yet he still manages to get passion projects out there like fashion designing and filmmaking. I truly, sincerely admire this man’s work ethic and who he is as a human being. Dr. Fernando is one of the greatest friends Kermit could ever have and I’m looking forward to him gracing the show with his presence once again in the near future.

The second big guest of the show couldn’t be any more different from Dr. Rajeev Fernando... it was none other than “Stuttering” John Melendez.

John Melendez is best known for his years working on The Howard Stern Show and for being the announcer on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. These days John hosts his own podcast on Youtube and gains attention on Twitter for his incessant anti-Trump tweets.

John actually has a history with Kermit and Friends. He made a couple of appearances on the old KAF, one where John helped a young man overcome his stutter and another where John hurt a young man’s feelings and Elisa obliterated John for it.

John and Elisa have since made up. Elisa kindly appeared on John’s podcast multiple times over the last few years. Unfortunately, it took a lot for Elisa to get John to come back on Kermit and Friends. First he backed out many months ago when Elisa didn’t go hiking with him, and then when Elisa asked him again recently to be a guest on KAF, John said only if Elisa would go to dinner with him first.... 

Well, John’s mistake was not including the word ‘alone’ in his proposal, which of course led to Elisa inviting a few of her friends, including Kleenex!

You read that right, Elisa and Kleenex met in person. No one has made more threats towards Elisa or cursed her out more times than Kleenex, yet she found a fun way to meet him with John’s bribe. Brilliant move on her part. Credit to Kleenex though, he was a perfect gentleman and a beam of joy from everything Elisa had to say. Good for him.

Kleenex didn’t have nice things to say about John, however. Apparently John ditched Kleenex with the bill and was in a miserable mood all night. Elisa said as soon as she walked in that John started complaining and throwing a hissy fit.

To make things worse, John cancelled his KAF appearance before the show began! He was doing a fantasy football draft and because it was running late, John texted Elisa that he wouldn’t be able to come on. That was so infuriating but in the end, John did show up and let me tell you... he put on quite a show.

John was very candor all afternoon long as he broke down his lawsuit against SiriusXM, he told stories about a crazed fan who sent him nude pictures and a gun pointing at him, he fought with Kermit’s friend SaiyanZ (now known as Yew Neek), etc. It was quite the interview between he and Elisa.

Surprisingly, a lot of people fell for John’s stories and were on his side. Arf Arf Bark Bark is a huge Stuttering John fan and admires his “honesty.” Kleenex, who started off the show hating John, was a big John fan by the end of the episode, calling in multiple times to kiss John’s rear end. Elisa remained pretty impartial, while Yew Neek wouldn’t budge an inch in his disdain for John.

John knew so much about Yew Neek it was unbelievable. This Yew Neek guy, aka Kyle, has a Youtube channel where he commentates on different things in the podcasting World, including John. Kyle isn’t a huge Youtuber by any means but he’s fairly well known with the Howard Stern fanbase because of his videos on Stern and the people associated with that show.

That said, I never heard of Kyle until he first made his debut on Kermit and Friends 10 months ago or so. I like him - he has a funny voice and his opinions are his own, he doesn’t follow the crowd (plus he’s complimentary towards Elisa and even donates to her, which is the quickest way win me over).

Anyway I’m talking way too much about Kyle - the point is, John knew Kyle’s real information, his arrest history, stuff about his family, all about Kyle’s videos... how in the World does John know all this stuff about this guy unless he’s completely enamored with him? John claims people send him the vids/info, but that’s most likely untrue and even if they do, John still reads and watches it all. A random Youtuber like Kyle shouldn’t be a blip on the radar for a self-proclaimed comedy headliner with hundreds of mind-blowing accomplishments John had ready to list off.

Gonzo also got under John’s skin with a phone call after John said he paid $300 for his kids college tuition. John meant to say he paid $300 a month for years in child support but because he misspoke, Gonzo asked a fair question and John went off the rails about it.

John has to be the most thin-skinned individual in Kermit and Friends history, but you know what? That’s what makes him AWESOME! And the perfect Kermitarian. When an anonymous chatter with one little troll comment can send you on a 5 minute tirade... you’re pretty unique when you also believe you’re a mega celebrity.

Honestly, I could make this the longest blog I’ve ever written breaking down everything Stuttering John and Dr. Fernando had to say because it was all so entertaining and intriguing, but I’ll keep it to this point. Both guys were terrific in their own way. What makes Kermit and Friends so special is the contrast of having two very different guests like that and how Elisa perfectly handles them both.

If you’re reading this as a true KAF fan, Welcome Back, Dr. Fernando Featuring Stuttering John is the absolute perfect episode for you to show a friend if you want them to be one of Kermit’s friends along with you. Please do it!

[wozman23]

An Ode To Conan (AKA Conan Ode’Brien)

The year was 1995... or maybe '94... or at least sometime around then, give or take a year. I had just entered, or would be entering middle school, at age eleven... or twelve. With a new school came a later bedtime. So around that time I discovered two things: Saturday Night Live, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. That was when my world changed.

For as long as I can remember, I've been a silly kid. My parents even used to throw an extra letter in my name and call me “Jokey.” Occasionally, they still do. But now, looking back, nearly 25 years later, I don't know if I'd have ever predicted just how much of my joking nature I'd be able to maintain at this point in my life. Today, at 37, if you ask me to sum up my personality in two words, they'd be “weird” and “funny.” As most age, they lose those traits. They'd instead define themselves as a “Personal Trainer” or a “Civil Engineer.” But I'm still just “weird” and “funny” - a goofball rebelling against the notion of “growing up.” I stubbornly keep the letter 'y' on the end of my name when most Josephs my age pick a more mature alternative. I have little interest in being anything else, and aspire for nothing more.

Much of that is thanks to a tall, freckled, red-headed idol I found on the late night airwaves of NBC, who danced as if he had strings on his hips and let people touch his nipple. I grew up watching cartoons like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Disney movies with comedic voice actors, and blockbuster movies like Ghostbusters and Mrs. Doubtfire, but I'd never seen anything as wildly experimental as Late Night. The (arguably) grown man at the helm still retained such a whimsical, silly, absurd outlook on life. He was a big kid, just having fun. It blew my mind. I was hooked. And it showed me that even if I was weird, I wasn't alone.

The absurdity of Conan and Late Night continues to be unrivaled, even to this day. There was a Masturbating Bear, who just went to town on this oddly nondescript jock strappy looking thing, Preparation H Raymond, an overly goofy looking character, with buck teeth and massive ears, who sang songs about applying a cream to irritated buttholes, and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, who eviscerated Star Wars nerds and crashed the Westminster Dog Show. Clutch Cargo bits, where moving mouths were inserted into pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Jackson, and Bill Clinton, always brought the laughs in the early days, with both Robert Smigel's impressions and the disregard for making things look authentic. The In The Year 2000/3000 bits provided the rapid fire jokes of randomness that I aspire to write today, one of my favorites being: “Babies will start listening to dance music when Lady Gaga teams up with The Goo Goo Dolls to form the super group, Gaga Goo Goo.” Other recurring bits like Celebrity Survey, SAT Analogies, and Made-For-TV Movie Castings provided similar repeatable formats that brought laughs night after night, as did Actual Items, a swipe at Leno's Headline's bit. If They Mated provided us with the horrors of what the love child of two celebrities would look like, in worst case scenarios. Desk driving bits and car chase spoofs with model towns and cars always delivered. There were the silly Satellite TV Channel bits, with the standout, the Men Without Hats Conversation Channel, as well as the truly pointless – yet my all-time favorite character – Cactus Chef Playing ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ on the Flute, created solely to poke fun at the criticism that the show was absurd. Conan Sings A Lullaby was always some macabre fun. At one point, The Walker Texas Ranger lever swept the nation, ultimately resulting in one of the oddest clips ever to grace television. “...Walker told me I have AIDS.” Constant cameos delighted, with frequent appearances from Larry King and Abe Vigoda, who were both always willing to go the extra mile for a laugh. And occasionally, my beloved comedy worlds would combine with someone from SNL like Will Ferrell showing up, dressed as a sexy leprechaun, or engaging in some other antics. Jim Gaffigan birthed the Pale Force cartoon. Hornymanatee.com became a thing. Remote bits, like Conan playing old timey baseball, were always instant classics. Plus, the show birthed the idea of travel shows, with trips to places like Finland and Toronto - the second of which has one of my other favorite remote bits, Conan training with the Toronto Maple Leafs. So much memorable, silly, recklessly avant-garde stuff happened in those years of Late Night. And all the best moments happened when Conan acknowledged the astronomical stupidity of it all. It was always a pleasure to watch, and it all felt expertly crafted just for me.

In the end, a program that got off to a rocky start, fighting off cancellation time and time again, blossomed over the course of fifteen years into a comedy juggernaut and bastion of brilliant buffoonery for my generation. It was practically perfection.

Then the first transition happened...

Like many, I was apprehensive about the switch to The Tonight Show. It was great to see Conan inherit what was formerly known as the pinnacle of late night talk shows, but I wondered if America was ready to watch a bear play with his dick at 11:30pm, especially the demographic that had enjoyed Leno's far more traditional approach. I think we now have that answer. NBC managed to repeat their past mistakes, and fumbled another smooth transition of hosts. Things got kind of ugly, but Conan managed to land on his feet at TBS, where his show continued to run for another eleven years, giving him and his employees - who had relocated to Los Angeles at the start of The Tonight Show - steady work.

The one issue with the migration was that Conan no longer retained the rights to any of his intellectual property. Exceptions were made, but most of this bits and characters were absent from the now titled show, Conan. There was also one less show a week. However, new bits were concocted regularly, like Coffee Table Books That Didn't Sell, Basic Cable Name That Tune, and NBA Mascots That Should Never Dunk. New characters were spawned, like Minty, the Candy Cane That Briefly Fell on the Ground, Punxsutawney Dr. Phil - The best Dr. Phil bit since Letterman’s Words of Wisdom - and Wikibear. Will Forte showed up atop a stuffed buffalo as network owner, Ted Turner. Experimental stand-up sets, like Tig Notaro pushing a stool around or Jon Dore & Rory Scovel being double booked provided some of the best stand-up sets ever. Embracing a digital, web-based format, they introduced new segments like Clueless Gamer, catering to my love of video games. There was Puppy Conan, and Mini Conan. Plus, they doubled down on travel shows, creating the Conan Without Borders series, which I believe to be Conan's best work to date, and a shining example of who he is as a person. There were Fan Corrections, which allowed me to influence his show for five minutes, and throw my own zaniness into the world, and back at the man who stoked the funny fire in me. At some point in life, I may achieve greater things, or have children, but I may still always say that the greatest day of my life was the day I was on Conan.  

So Conan did have bright spots, but to me things were never quite the same. They were still good, but not amazing. Slowly it felt like things were beginning to decline. Longtime writer/performer Brian McCann left to return to New York. A while later, so did Brian Stack, finding a job with Colbert. The show was eventually cut to a thirty minute format. They spun it like it was a good change for the show. I however had my reservations. While I'd hoped for more experimental comedy, it seemed like the first half of the show was cut in favor of still getting in sizeable celebrity interviews. The band was gone, as were the options for nightly music acts. That meant no more fantastic moments like me discovering Lukas Graham with his subdued “7 Years” performance. Stand-up was pretty much gone too, which meant no more killer sets like Gary Gulman's bit on state abbreviations or Ismo's foreign take on the use of the word “ass” in English linguistics. Occasional product placement reared its ugly head. They had to keep the lights on, and they found a way to. So I continued to watch practically every show over the course of the eleven years.

When the pandemic hit, I found myself with more free time. So I decided to check out the Team Coco podcasts, cherry picking from the best guests of Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend, The Three Questions with Andy Richter, and Inside CONAN: An Important Hollywood Podcast. Never having paid attention to any podcasts, I found a love for them. And sometime amidst the pandemic, watching Conan interview some random celebrity, from some show I probably didn't care about, through Zoom, I kind of became at peace with the idea of a nightly Conan program ending.

From middle school, to high school, and then to college, I tuned in when I could. Without the luxury of the internet in its currently glory, or DVRs, I'd tape episodes on a VCR. Barring two or three episode of Conan that I missed while working two jobs, I've seen every episode of Conan, every Tonight Show, and a good streak leading into the end of Late Night. But I will admit that towards the end, it has sometimes felt like a chore.

One thing I didn't drag my feet on was attending tapings. It was one of the first things I did when I came to LA. Over the past few years I was fortunate to get to attend three tapings of Conan. In hindsight, I probably would have went more often. I brought family and friends along with me when they visited, but the treat was primarily for me. When he announced that the final few weeks of shows might have an audience, I knew I must go. I put in for two tapings, and fortunately the stars aligned for the third to last show with Seth Rogen. I was hoping for Ferrell, or Sandler, but it was great! It was the first show where masks were optional and it went recklessly off the rails. Like Conan, I've never been into pot. It's another of the things I enjoy about him. Like him, I don't really have a problem with it, but I've never tried it because I don't think it's for me. I’m the same way with alcohol. With a friend in town this week, I tried one of the beers he bought. I hated it, but I struggled through it. I’ll occasionally drink some fruity wine cooler but that’s about it. So seeing him reluctantly try the joint Seth handed him because he didn't care since the show was wrapping was great. Unseen in the TV edit was that after that segment, Conan and his producer, Jeff Ross, had a lengthy discussion as the band played. As the band wrapped up, Conan came back up and said to expect a rough edit on the show since they wouldn't be able to air them smoking. Turns out they could, which made for good TV. It was a symbolic moment where a man who's spend his entire career blazing his own trail – no pun intended - did so once more, knowing he had nothing to lose. I also put in a ticket request for the last show on the morning of because registration reopened for some reason, but I never got a confirmation. I'm excited to watch it tonight, but also sad to see things come to and end. But at least I can say I was there in the end.

For 28 years Conan and cast have delivered the show they wanted to make. Contrastingly, compared to the other late night shows, its always been far more apolitical, which I appreciate. Comedy to me is about dissociation. It's why I favor and write left-brained jokes about random subjects. No one really needs to hear another hackneyed Trump or Biden joke. Regardless of the state of the world, I could tune in to Conan for a mostly unbiased, silly outlook on the world. Conan always seemed to bring out the best in the guests too, making his show the premier show to tune into when someone was out in the circuit promoting something. Even the stereotypical animal segments or cooking segments provided ample laughs.

Most of the talk will be about Conan himself. But a very large part of what has always made Conan's shows great wasn't even him. A large cast of stellar writers and performers brought countless characters to life. Brian McCann and Brian Stack were longtime favorites. There was the No-Reason-To-Live Guy with his kayak, Hannigan the Traveling Salesman, Artie Kendall the Singing Ghost, and The Interrupter, to name just a few. Even people who had no business performing were utilized brilliantly, like original announcer Joel Godard or Max Weinberg both acting like creeps and perverts, trombone player Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg being a dolt, and graphic designer Pierre Bernard in his deadpan Recliner of Rage segments. Jordan Schlansky was a comedy well. Andy Richter also deserves more praise. His quick wit makes him the perfect sidekick. I can't even begin to enumerate the amount of instance in which he was lightning fast with a witty response to someone or something. His more recent Sports Blast segments were absurdly stupid, and his Hillbilly Handfishing remote stands out as one of the best.

The late night talk show concept is built around volume. With 4368 episodes among three iterations of shows, there's a lot of time to fill. Things didn't always work, but most of the time they did. That's what you get when you experiment and evolve the medium. I've been thinking a lot about my history with the show, and it's amazing just how many silly bits, characters, and moments still bounce around in my noggin. I've only covered a small sample of the many great moments over the years. It's always seemed really weird to me that Conan has kind of been the underdog. To me, no one holds a candle to his brilliance. I can only liken attending his tapings to a few other experiences: the time I finally got to see Michael Jordan play as a Wizard, or Rush's final R40 tour – three great entities who may not have been at the height of their careers, but were still massively impressive none the less. Conan concluding tonight is very bittersweet. The future is uncertain. The details for his HBO Max show are nebulous. It's going to be far more small scale. I've always admired how much Conan has taken care of his cast and crew. He paid his writers during the strike, and his entire crew during the pandemic. But they will certainly fracture now. Will any of the writing staff follow? Will longtime performer Dan Cronin be there? Will Andy be back? Time will tell, but until then, television, the internet, and the world of comedy, will be a little less funny. In many ways, I wish we lived in a world we he still hosted Late Night, or a successful Tonight Show. But the late night landscape has changed a lot in the last few decades, so who’s to say this wasn’t the better timeline. If there’s one thing I cling on to that keeps me hopeful about the future, it’s Conan’s closing monologue from Late Night. Especially its ending: "It's time for Conan to grow up... and I assure you that's just not going to happen. I can't. This is who I am, for better or worse. It's just, I don't know how."

That hits me just as hard as it did in ‘09, if not harder. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The guy that started hosting in ‘93 is the same guy we see today. He’s still just as childish, just as absurd, just as brilliant, and a man of integrity. And as long as he is, so too will I be.

[onestowatch]

Matthew Chaim on Bon Iver, Road Trips, and ‘The Mathematics of Nature’ [Q&A]

Photos: Dan Robinson

When asked, people would readily agree that logistics and emotions don’t entirely align. Left versus right brain, we’ve all been told which side of the spectrum we sway toward. Yet, after the personality tests are settled and we inevitably grow through our experiences, feeler or thinker aside, it becomes clear that the palette of the human experience is certainly not black or white but iridescent in nature.

Songwriter, artist, and travel enthusiast, Matthew Chaim will tell you that his life journey follows this colorful metaphor. Losing his father at only 12 years old, Chaim was exposed to some of the darker hues of life at an extremely tender age. It was this exposure to immense pain that spurred the outpouring of his heart into music.

From his first EP, 2018′s HOMEMADE, to his debut album The Mathematics of Nature, Chaim’s evolution as an artist and a person is wildly apparent. From the deeply personal and profound subjects present to the intricate sonorities utilized, with The Mathematics of Nature, Chaim has reached a new height in his artist career, one that exemplifies incredible courage and relentless creativity.  

Together, Chaim and friend, producer, and co-writer Jason Wu, a.k.a. Rabitt, explore the multi-hued palette of the human experience. A concept album through and through, though seemingly intangible, as one allows themselves to get lost in the project, the range of sonics explored becomes an extension of feeling. By marrying the science of sound with the art of emotive expression, we can better understand what The Mathematics of Nature truly entails.   

Each track tells a different part of Chaim's story, complete with all the highs and lows and back and forth that comes along with being so distinctly human. As the album progresses, the story moves through various gains and losses: the death of his father, the loss of a love, and finally the discovery of the world around him and what is truly most important in life. The Mathematics of Nature becomes a sort of sonic photo album, highlighting beautiful moments of strife and clarity along the way.  

We had a chance to catch up with the myth, the legend, Matthew Chaim on everything from the grieving his father, his solo trip across the United States, and the inspirational process of constructing The Mathematics of Nature. 

  OTW: Let’s start at the very beginning, how did you catch the music bug?  

Chaim: I started playing the drums when I was about 15, and quickly adopted the vision that I would spend my life touring the world as a drummer. That vision hasn’t changed all that much. My position on stage has simply shifted a touch more downstage. 

OTW: Any groundbreaking musical or philosophical influences on you?

Chaim: My influences are ever-changing. A big one for me throughout the creation of this project was and is Bon Iver. When I drove across the country to move from Montreal to LA, I was driving West for eight days and that meant witnessing eight sunsets in a row. Every evening as the sun began to set, I’d switch off whatever album or podcast or audiobook I was listening to and put on Bon Iver’s 22, A Million. Not only is that record an incredible sunset soundtrack, it also showcases such free, stream-of-consciousness creativity in both the writing and production. And that is the place I also strive to write from. Or rather, not so much strive towards but let go into.  

OTW: Your lead single “Sunflowers” is about the loss of your father as a child. How did experiencing this grief at suh a young age shape the person you are today?

Chaim: I was already a pretty sensitive kid before my father passed away. He died when I was only 12 years old, and I think it left me in a very confused and shocked state. Perhaps more so at such a tender age, but I believe we all find ways of storing such immense pain in faraway crevices of ourselves—both physically in our bodies and mentally/emotionally in our psyches. Writing songs has proven to be a great way for me to excavate this hidden pain within me, and reverse some of the numbing work I had to do at such a young age. 

OTW: You’re originally from Montreal, can you tell us about the music scene there? How does it compare to Los Angeles?  

Chaim: I don’t know that I ever found myself deeply embedded in the nucleus of the Montreal music scene, so I’m probably not the best ambassador to talk to it. But I will say there is an incredible culture in Montreal that has allowed some pretty incredible music to come out of the city. I definitely found my little community of creative collaborators there, and I’m super grateful for getting started in Montreal with those friends. There is a rhythm to Montreal that is completely different to Los Angeles. And the more time I spend here in LA, the more thankful I am for having some sort of tether to the slower, more grounded pace that Montreal built in me.

OTW: When moving to LA you took an epic solo road trip across the country, were there any profound moments experienced on that journey?

Chaim: That whole journey had a pretty profound effect on me. I was surprised to learn just how much I enjoyed driving long distances completely alone, and after the first few days, I settled into this wonderful rhythm that felt really empowering. There was something about getting to LA by myself and on my own terms that gave me this beautiful sense of independence and freedom. And the closer I got to my destination, the more the Earth rewarded my efforts with its beauty. 

As I got into Colorado and then through Utah, the natural landscapes opened up into these incredible expressions of just how creative and grand the world can be. I also met some incredible people along the drive. I chose not to plan my overnight stays beforehand and often ended up couch-surfing with complete strangers. Some of whom I’m still in touch with. It has been nice to settle into LA for a while now, and have my own space and whatnot. But I definitely feel another road trip coming in my near future.

OTW: Any recommendations for when we plan our road trip across the U.S.?

Chaim: Check your oil and tires. Plan as little as possible. Go slow. 

OTW: Tell us about meeting your primary collaborator and friend, Jason Wu a.k.a. Rabitt?

Chaim: Jason and I met in the Summer of 2018 when I was here in LA for a few weeks on a writing trip. I had actually reached the end of my trip the week prior and was planning to head back to Montreal when my good friend Aidan D’Aoust at the Songwriters’ Organization of Canada (SOCAN) had contacted me with a cancellation at their LA house. He asked me if I wanted to extend my trip a week and stay at the house, and it was in that extended week that I was lucky enough to meet Jason. We were thrown into a session together, and out came “Sunflowers” on that very first day. 

That was a really powerful and cathartic song to write, and I was excited to see what else Jason and I could create together. I left back to Montreal, and a few weeks later decided to drive myself across the country to LA. Jason and I started writing together on a regular basis in the fall of 2018, and both our creative collaboration and friendship steadily grew. It’s been an incredibly gratifying experience to build an entire project from scratch together. His talent, creativity and willingness to take risks make writing songs with him exciting every single time.  

OTW: Since your debut EP, your sound has changed a bit. Tell us about what inspired this sonic shift?

Chaim: I think it has a lot to do with what’s in my ears that effect where I’m going sonically. At the time of writing my debut EP Homemade, I was obsessed with Drake and the whole Toronto, OVO thing: PARTYNEXTDOOR, Majid Jordan, etc. Then last year, I started to fall back in love with my favorite band as a kid, Coldplay. And that sent me on a whole adventure of digging into artists that I was familiar with but never went deep on, such as Bon Iver. And when I started to really listen to 22, A Million, it was over. I was in love.

OTW: Tell us about the process of putting together The Mathematics of Nature?  

Chaim: A lot of The Mathematics of Nature was written in the fall of 2018, just after making the trip across the country and committing to discovering what my life could be like if I came to LA and didn’t leave. Before making that trip, however, I also ended a long-term relationship with someone I loved in Montreal. So I got to LA full of the raw sensations of a breakup plus the inspiration I soaked up on that drive and out came all these songs. Once Jason and I decided to put together a project that was entirely written by us, it allowed us the freedom to do some experimental and exciting things with the songs. I think we felt that the cohesion would be there no matter what since our creative signatures would naturally touch every track. So with that in mind, we just threw ideas at these songs and saw what stuck. I’m super excited about the final creation, and yet also know that this is only the beginning.

OTW: Any collective motifs or themes? Easter eggs?

Chaim: Lots of themes are threaded through these songs for me, and the order of songs also plays some importance. A lot of it lives at this intersection of heart and mind, of left brain and right brain, of math and nature. But I also love the idea of people discovering their own meaning and relationship with the songs. In terms of easter eggs, one thing that comes to mind is in the intro song “Tender.” There are these vocal samples in it that are my vocals all chopped up and pitched and tuned in different ways to create something melodic yet of little to no lyrical meaning. However, within the gibberish, you can sort of make up your own ideas of what I’m saying. I’ve started to hear certain lyrics in there. You might find your own.

OTW: We hate to play favorites but we can’t help but mention how much we love“Departed.” What was the inspiration behind that one in particular?

Chaim: “Departed" is about the on-and-off relationship I was in back home. It speaks to the intensity, the volatility, and the pain of constantly running away and running back to someone you love. Interestingly enough, “Departed” was probably the most laborious song to write and finish on the project. I remember it took us a good few sessions to start to feel like we had something. I had written it off early on in my head as something I wasn’t crazy into. And then, sure enough, it grew into this super emotional and special song for me. It’s also one of my favorites to perform live.

OTW: What does your writing process with Rabitt look like?

Chaim: Jason quietly starts an idea on the guitar or piano or some pad sound, usually a very simple one. And I sit in the back of the room and quietly sing some melodies and jot down some lines. Sometimes he’ll print out a loop of that one sound and I’ll go outside the studio and write to it on the balcony or somewhere alone. After I feel like I’ve got something I’m into, I’ll head back in and only then will we start to put what I’m writing and what he’s writing together. There’s this “alone, together” quality to our collaboration that I really enjoy.

OTW: We have to mention, the sounds found on the project are truly mesmerizing. How did you and Rabitt go about shaping the sonics of the EP?

Chaim: We just try and do the weirdest things we can think of. On “Thoughts," which is the second song we wrote together, we started by loading up some sort of vocoder connected to the mic and I recorded some ideas. Jason then pitched those vocals down and sped them up. We scanned through them until we landed on this crazy frog-sounding rhythmical thing, which ended up becoming the main percussive element to the song. Jason is also incredible with melody. Coming up with melodies is probably my favorite part of songwriting, so typically my artist child gets all frustrated when someone else in the room is pitching their own melodies. But Jason is amazing at creating these addictive melodies that end up in a lot of our songs’ post-choruses. For more sonic details than that, you’ll probably have to ask Jason directly. But yeah, I think a lot of it is simply our intention to find sounds we’ve never encountered before. 

OTW: You’ve been busy performing live around North America. Tell us about the curation of your live show? A little bird told us there is a meditation portion of the performance…

Chaim: That bird is giving everything away. It’s been super exciting to build out a live production for this music, and we’re just getting started. My goal with the live show is to bring people into a quieter state. Not outwardly quiet, as surely I want the music to be loud AF. But an internal quietude, a concentration. Because it’s so easy for us to forget to enjoy what we are experiencing in the moment and spend our time negotiating with the endless train of thoughts and judgments in our minds. 

Live shows are an excellent place for us to start and tackle this habit, because by attending a show we are essentially saying, “For the next however many minutes, I am going to focus my attention on this centralized point of entertainment.” People are giving me the gift of their attention. So that’s why I’m playing with this meditation section of the show. We’re still in the research and development phase, but I have some pretty crazy visions of what this production will evolve into in 2020.  

OTW: Anything special in the works for 2020?

Chaim: So ya the live show is front and center for me in 2020. We’re going to be taking this music out into the streets for sure. I’ve also got some songs to share with you in 2020 that are... important to me. That being said, I'm also starting to pendulum swing back into writing more, and I think I’ve got some fresh music in me that is ready to take form.

OTW: Who are your Ones to Watch?   

Chaim: I’m really into EDEN right now, love his new releases. There’s also this insanely talented Canadian artist named Leif Vollebeck who I’m obsessed with. He just dropped a new record two weeks ago. 

#Matthew Chaim #The Mathematics of Nature #EDEN #Bon Iver #album reviews #singer songwriter #indie #electronic

[0n-y0ur-left]

HEY ALL - this is kind of terribad but I finally busted through my epic writer’s block, and give you the follow-up wedding ficlet started from this prompt (I don’t want to go to my ex’s wedding alone).

In the weeks leading up to the wedding, Steve was infinitely glad that he’d finally gotten up the nerve to ask Bucky to come as his ‘date’ - not only because of the relief he felt when he’d been able to check off the plus one box on his RSVP and save face, but because it turned out that planning an international trip in such a short amount of time (even one that had been planned as meticulously as Peggy Carter could) was ridiculously stressful work.  Steve wasn’t sure he’d have gotten through all of it with his sanity intact, if not for Bucky’s help.

As it was, they had their flights scheduled and were both able to get a few extra days off of work to allow themselves time to do independent sightseeing around the city.  Initially they’d had trouble figuring out how to fill said days without being completely pathetic tourists, but luckily Steve had been able to find time for drinks with Peggy one evening after work, who was so thrilled to hear that he was FINALLY owning up to his feelings about Bucky (the way she’d gushed when Steve had admitted the identity of his date had been all kinds of uncomfortable, considering how subtle he thought his feelings for his friend were) that she was all-too-happy to give them an itinerary of things to do together.  Steve tried his best to ignore how many times she mentioned Angie during the list… not because he had any problems with his ex’s fiance, of course, but because he didn’t want to psyche himself out too much when it came to riding the London Eye with Bucky.  

Just because Peggy said it made for a great date afternoon, didn’t mean that they couldn’t enjoy the hell out of it as friends.

As the date drew closer, Steve was half-afraid that he should suggest they spend time acting as a couple, to make the whole facade more natural when they were put on the spot; as it was they were spending so much time together anyway, making plans and just hanging out as they always had (and on one regrettable night, practicing dance moves at Bucky’s insistence) that it hardly seemed necessary.  God knew that they were together just as often as any other busy, employed Millennial couple were, and they’d known each other for so long that it wasn’t as if someone would be able to quiz them and call their bluff on the act.  Plus, weren’t people supposed to date their best friends, anyway?  If anything, Steve figured that Bucky was the best he could ask for in a pretend date, outside of maybe Peggy herself.

He was getting really good at ignoring the voice that reminded him how much he wished it wasn’t pretend, too.

Before he knew it, the week of the wedding had arrived, and found the two of them waiting outside the gate for their flight, listening to podcasts on their phones as they passed the time.  They’d been ridiculously early to arrive at the airport - but having never flown internationally before Steve had wanted to give plenty of time to get through security and find their gate, and being an incredible friend, Bucky had put up with him.  Thankfully their luggage and passports had been approved without issue, which left Steve with a solid hour to worry about their bags being lost or embarrassing himself at the wedding, or the trip turning into a disaster, or their suits not showing up at their hotel as ordered…

He didn’t even realize how much he’d worked himself up until a solid, warm arm had snaked its way around his shoulders and pulled him into a sideways hug.  Steve blinked in surprise, feeling the tension ease out of his muscles as he turned his head towards Bucky - who went right on reading the battered paperback in his free hand, as if nothing had happened.  As if it were perfectly normal for him to just hold Steve until he calmed down.

Honestly, it wasn’t that uncommon; Bucky had been a tactile guy for as long as Steve had known him.  But something about the way he left his arm around Steve’s thin shoulders, and the gentle way that his thumb moved back and forth, mindlessly over the point of Steve’s shoulder, somehow felt different.  And while it kept him from completely freaking out before their boarding announcement was finally made, it also scared the hell out of him, for entirely different reasons.

Thankfully, the flight had gone without problems, and landed them in London exactly as planned, with all of their luggage intact.  Even better, they’d been able to get a ride from Heathrow relatively easily, and arrived at their hotel to find the suits that they’d ordered and had fitted in New York already waiting for them.  It almost made Steve nervous all over again; he worried about just how far he’d be able to press his luck before it ran out.  

His question was answered as soon as they’d opened the door to their room.  It made sense, given the fact that they’d told Peggy they were coming to her wedding as a couple, that the room she’d book for them in the wedding party’s block of hotel suites would be one with a single king bed in it, but that didn’t make the idea of sleeping with his best friend for an entire week any less daunting.

Bucky, of course, found it hilarious.  

“I mean, we did ask for it, didn’t we?”  He chuckled, already turning and making his way past Steve back to the tiny sitting room they’d walked through.  “It’s no big deal, I’m sure the couch pulls out…”

“No,” Steve responded immediately, surprising them both when he caught Bucky by the elbow.  For as hard as his heart was pounding in his chest, his voice sounded remarkably certain.  “No, that’s stupid.  The bed’s huge, there’s no reason we can’t just share it.”

“It’s not a big deal -” Bucky countered.

“I know,” Steve interrupted, jutting his chin out in warning.  “It’ll be like old times, right?  Which side d’ya want?”

There was a moment where something weird flashed across Bucky’s face, but it passed so quickly that Steve decided to pretend like he hadn’t noticed it, and instead started setting his luggage up the way he wanted in the closet on the opposite side of the room.

For as uncomfortable as that initial sleeping discussion was, the rest of the week went surprisingly well.  They met up with Ang and Peggy for dinner at an incredible restaurant overlooking Hyde Park on their second night in the city, and spent the rest of their time sightseeing - touring palaces and the Tower of London, wandering through the National Gallery of art and even catching a play at a smaller theatre just outside of the West End.  It was so easy and comfortable, wandering around the city with Bucky, taking in the incredible sights and comparing and contrasting them to all of the similar experiences they’d shared in New York over the years.  Buck, for his part, seemed to be enjoying it just as much as Steve - his excitement was so infectious that even the selfies that he swore on getting of the two of them together at each of their stops didn’t even annoy Steve, despite how much he usually hated having his picture taken.

The way they looked didn’t even occur to him until an older couple on the London Eye offered to take their picture, after having inevitably heard Bucky bemoaning how hard it was to get a shot of the two of them that really captured the view.  “A couple as handsome as yourselves deserves a full-body shot, anyway,” she said with shrewd smile, beaming as she made her way back to her husband while Steve and Bucky gaped at her like idiots.

It wasn’t until the champagne got passed around at the very top that Steve realized that they’d booked a couples’ trip on the famous wheel.  He tried his best to hide his embarrassment in his champagne fluke, and told himself for the rest of the ride that they were obviously getting good practice.  It helped him ignore all of the kissing couples around them and how badly he wanted Bucky to suggest that they give into peer pressure.  (Unfortunately, Buck was suddenly way too busy taking photos of the view and uploading selfies to instagram.  Steve convinced himself it was for the better - with the wedding being the next night, it wouldn’t do well to make things weird, now)

The day of the wedding broke sunny and bright, hardly what Steve had expected when Peggy had decided on a winter wedding in London.  All the same, he couldn’t help feeling happy for her - she and Angie both deserved as much, and Steve was beyond glad that he could be there for their big day.  Even if it meant waking up in a warm, sunkissed room with his best friend wrapped around him like an octopus.

Luckily, Steve was able to get out of Bucky’s hold before he woke up, and they were able to spend their morning getting ready without the additional awkwardness between them.  Everything was going great, Steve thought - his suit fit him well, his cowlick actually cooperated when he gelled his hair into place, and it looked as though they’d be ready with more than enough time to catch the first shuttle from the hotel to the church.  And then Bucky walked out of the bathroom, and Steve forgot how to breathe.

They’d never been able to match their schedules up well-enough to have gone suit shopping together in New York, so Steve had just told Bucky his planned colors and figured no one would exactly be expecting them to match, anyway.  Steve’s suit was a slate grey, with a pearl shirt and navy blue silk tie that the sales clerk who’d helped him that day swore brought out his eyes.  Bucky’s suit was at least a shade darker, and the same color as his shirt and tie.  The ensemble might have been too dark and monotone, if Bucky didn’t still have the jacket open, revealing the bright blue silk lining inside.  Between the way he’d slicked his hair back and the dark colors and cut of the suit, it made his cheekbones and jaw look even sharper than normal, and his shoulders impossibly broader.

The only coherent thought that Steve had as he looked at him was that this was a BAD. IDEA.

(the rest of his panicked mind completely blocked out the shell-shocked look that Bucky’d had when he caught a glimpse of Steve, too)

“You look good,” Bucky croaked, breaking the awkward silence an eternity later.  

“Yeah,” Steve muttered stupidly, “Yeah, you do, too.  We should prolly go.”

And just like that they were back to acting normal.  The ride to the church was short, and once they arrived they both were kept busy with catching up with other friends in attendance and introducing themselves to the family members that they didn’t recognize.  The service was small enough that it wasn’t long before they were seated for the wedding party, and the brides finally made their way down the aisle.  Angie was gorgeous, looking like an angel in floaty white tulle with her blonde hair piled on her head.  Peggy, of course, was equally beautiful in a form-fitting vintage dress, with her usual curls and matte red lipstick.  

They both cried when they saw one another, and looked so blissfully happy that Steve couldn’t quite help but tear up as well - mostly out of happiness.  It wasn’t so much that he wanted to take Angie’s place… he knew that she was better for Peggy, that the two of them were well-suited as friends.  But at the same time, he couldn’t help but wish that someone would look at him the way they looked at one another when they took hands in front of the alter.

The fact that Bucky looked a little misty when he pressed his shoulder against Steve’s helped, weirdly enough.

That gentle touch remained throughout the service, keeping Steve grounded as the women said their vows and kissed, and then the church practically erupted with joy as they spilled out into the reception hall.  

The ceremony being over helped, as did the food and the booze and the relaxed atmosphere of all of the party goers.  Steve was able to give the happy couple a hug and his congratulations, then stammer his thanks as they both oohed and ahhed over how well his suit fit and how good Bucky looked and how adorable their instagram had been over the week, a theme that seemed to carry through the night.  Once the dinner plates had been cleared and toasts had been made, and Peggy and Angie had their first dance as a couple, the music picked up - and Bucky left Steve’s side for the first time all week.

Steve did his best not to mope, instead watching with a smile as he sipped his drink and watched Bucky charm Sharon, and then both Peggy and Angie and half of the other ladies present with a dance.  Steve couldn’t begrudge him for it; Buck always had been the life of a party, and it wasn’t like Steve could blame women for wanting to dance with him.

He lost track of time, and had no idea how many songs passed before someone was dropping into the chair next to him.  Bucky grinned before taking a long drink from the glass of water he’d left behind, while Steve tried not to get too interested in the stray curl of hair that had escaped his gel and flopped over onto his forehead.

“So,” Bucky finally said once his glass was empty, leaning in and speaking up over the bass of the pop song that was blaring from the dance floor.  “Am I getting that dance tonight, Rogers?  We do have appearances to keep up.”

Between his hair and the devilish little smile Bucky gave him, and the liquid courage that Steve had built up throughout the course of the night, he surprised even himself by rising out of his chair and holding his hand out to Bucky.  “We came all this way, I suppose I owe you something,” he answered, his smile and tone completely negating the peevish words.

Bucky was out of his chair like a shot, and practically dragged Steve to the dance floor, as if he was afraid that he’d end up changing his mind.  Of course, as soon as they found a spot, the song changed, fading from the frantic beat of the dance song to a soft, melancholy piano intro.

“Er,” Bucky started, color rising on his cheeks as he looked down at Steve questioningly.

Steve caught Peggy giving him a huge smile, spinning Angie so that she could give him a ridiculous double thumbs up, and realized that he could hardly chicken out now.  He stepped in closer to Bucky, taking hold of his left hand and sliding his right around the small of his back, until they were pressed gently against one another.  “You’re not gonna punk out on me, are ya?”  Steve asked, resting his face against the lapel of Bucky’s jacket, so that he’d miss the look on his face if Bucky decided to turn him down, now.

Wise men say, the singer’s voice began.

“Nah,” Bucky responded quietly, wrapping his own arm around Steve’s back and beginning to sway to the music.   “Not a chance I’m blowin’ this one.”

The latter was said softly enough that Steve barely heard it over the words Only fools rush in.

But I can’t help falling in love with you.

Steve tried his best to relax as the song went on, to focus on avoiding Bucky’s toes and trying his best not to look like an idiot, but it was hard to pay attention to much other than the heat radiating off of Bucky’s chest, or the careful, perfect way that they swayed back and forth to the ridiculously cliche music.  Steve never lifted his face off of Bucky’s jacket, terrified of what his friend would see on his face if he dared to look at him: because it was true.  The past week, the months of planning leading up to it, the years of friendship when they’d both undoubtedly been the most important person in each other’s lives… how could he not have fallen for Bucky Barnes?  If he was honest with himself, Steve knew that he’d probably been in love with Bucky since before he’d ever really known what love was.

And now here he was, surrounded by happy people and love and romance, and pretending like he was dating the love of his life.  Because Steve was a fucking idiot.

Like a river flows surely to the sea

Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be

Steve almost cut their dance off, realizing that he was reaching his limit for punishment (a threshold he’d honestly never thought he’d reach), but when he looked up at Bucky he found himself so shocked that he was unable to do anything but continue swaying to the music.  Because Bucky was staring down at him with a look Steve had never saw before - a look that was so open and raw and, dare he hope, lovesick, that he couldn’t step away from it.  

A look that perfectly captured everything that Steve was feeling.

Take my hand, take my whole life too

Oh for I can’t help falling in love with you

“Stevie?” Bucky whispered, his voice barely a rasp over the music and yet still the only thing that Steve could hear.  He didn’t say anything else, but then he didn’t need to.  Steve knew all too well what he was asking, and he was more than happy to comply.

He surged up on his toes at the same time that Bucky ducked his head, pressing their mouths together in a chaste but fierce kiss.  Steve had no idea how long they stayed locked together like that, but he didn’t care, either.  When their lips finally parted he pulled Bucky back to him, stealing a couple of quick pecks as Bucky huffed in surprise but returned all the same.

They were both flushed when they looked at each other again, panting slightly from the rush and length of the kiss.  After a few seconds of stunned silence, Steve felt a grin split across his face that was so wide it hurt - Bucky was grinning like a dopey idiot right back at him.  

At some point the song changed, but neither of them particularly paid attention: they just continued swaying together on their own corner of the dance floor, making out in their own obliviously happy little bubble.

Across the dance floor the brides exchanged a high five as they giggled at their once-hopeless friends, ecstatic that their plan had worked, before taking a cue from the boys and sharing a snog of their own.

#stucky #cartinelli #stucky au #steve x bucky #ficlet #prompt fill #continuation #IT'S SO FLUFFY GUYS #fake relationship #enough pining to fill a forrest #Jay tries to fic

[samcybercat]

Black Ravens: Going to a coffee shop and spilling their drinks

When I was listening to one of Ian Flynn's podcasts, he suggested that a way you can find out how strong the personalities of your characters are is to throw each of them into a random scenario unrelated to your story and see how they react (on their own or with each other). If you instantly know how they'll react then chances are that they're a strong character, but if not then they might still need a bit of work.

I thought this sounded fun, so I wanted to try a few of these using the cast of Grasping Liquid, which is basically older Black Ravens, plus some other PL characters and OCs. Many of the reactions that I ended up with were pretty funny, so I thought I'd share them here. For this first one I've gone with a suggestion that Flynn gave in his podcast: going to a coffee shop and spilling their drink.

So here's a bunch of silly character responses to that situation:

Crow: Is super smooth about it. Casually apologetic. Will offer to pay for a refill, but has no intention of actually paying. Generally so charming that he will get a free drink out of this, but won't try the same thing in the same coffee shop twice. There is a 50/50 chance that he either spilt the drink on purpose or did it by accident and is just taking advantage of the situation.

Badger: Apologises loudly and many times, speaking so fast that he ends up tripping over his own words and it's hard to make out what he's saying. Will quickly pay for any damage and leave. Probably crying. After this, he worries so much about the scene he made that he'll never go back to that coffee shop again, even if it means going well out of his way to avoid it. Assumes that they all hate him forever in there now, but they've probably forgotten the ordeal by the end of the day.

Louis: Laughs about it. Tries to flirt with whoever comes to clean it up and fails badly. Probably endearing enough that they let him get away with it and since this incident he has decided he's now friends with the staff there, because they apparently made a connection.

Marilyn: If the coffee shop is near her fruit stall then there's a good chance that she came in to find out if the people who run it are the kind of people she wants near her business. Knocked the coffee over on purpose, but acted like it was an accident, just to see how they'll react. Marilyn herself will cheerfully insist on cleaning it up, even if this happens during the point of the story when she's pregnant. Stop making everyone worry about you, Marilyn. She won't let anyone help her, but if she decides that the staff react in a good and caring way then they'll have made a friend for life. It's better for them if she doesn't decide that she doesn't like them.

Roddy: “Ugh, what a pain...” Makes it obvious that spilling the drink is such a hassle to him. Cleans it up himself, frowning all the while. Gets a free drink because all of the staff are too scared to ask him to pay for it. Would've paid for it if asked.

Socket: So much yelling! Why is there a need for this yelling? And there's arm-waving going on now as well. Is he angry with us or is he just flapping at himself? It was just a spilt drink, it should never have been this much of a fuss. Is this guy even allowed coffee? That seems like a bad idea. For increased yelling, just add Charlie or Wren.

Wren: If Socket's with her then she probably knocked it over while they were arguing and will continue to argue afterwards. If she's on her own then she might have knocked it over while studying and won't even notice. Apologises when she does realise what's happened, but that might be a good ten minutes later.

Scraps: Only came to the coffee shop because someone dragged him there anyway. Talks loudly about how corporate businesses like this are destroying smaller cafes and ruining the industry, as if the staff here can do anything about that. When he spills his drink he pretends he was making a stand against “the man”. Announces that he's never coming back here as he leaves. Whoever brought him is probably too embarrassed to come back again either (sorry Tony).

Gus: Feels bad and apologises, but doesn't make a massive fuss. Is probably a regular who gives them a lot of business, so no one minds the odd spilt drink. He always offers to pay for it if he does, which feels genuine, because he'd even do this back before he'd made some money for himself. After the drink-spilling happens he'll sit for hours, doodling in his sketchbook and buying refills. Will gladly talk about his art if asked, but otherwise happy to be left alone.

Charlie: Insists that spilling the drink isn't his fault, no matter how obviously it is. Likely to get everyone on edge and start an argument about it. Uses lines like “Well, I'll just take my custom elsewhere”, but doesn't get any money off that way. Add Socket in for maximum arguing and someone for Charlie to blame the drink-spilling on. The next time Charlie comes back to the coffee shop he acts as if the whole thing didn't happen.

Arianna: Feels awful about spilling the drink, but accidentally comes across as looking standoffish to the staff because she's bad at expressing herself. The incident is probably over with quickly, but it will have ruined Arianna's day and she'll continue to quietly feel bad about it afterwards.

Umid: Generic nice person response. Which sounds boring, but consider that he's usually going to be teamed up with Roddy. So on one side you have this guy wholeheartedly apologising and trying to clean up the mess, while next to him is a guy glaring at you like he wants you to die for inconveniencing them. Any waiter who has to deal with these two will try to get away from them as quickly as possible.

Becky: Talks to the waiter cleaning up the mess about how she totally understands how annoying this is, since she has to deal with similar stuff in her job. Isn't bothered whether they're interested in hearing this or not. Doesn't offer to clean it up herself because, hey, she's not at work.

Max: His reaction depends entirely on his emotional state at the time and how others react to what happens. If Becky's there and the waiters are okay with it, then he'll probably make a joke out of the whole event as part of his act. But if he's on his own and the waiters act annoyed, then he'll panic, probably start to shake and cry. Rubs his arms to try to stimulate himself to calm down, but doesn't feel better until Becky gets there.

Maureen: “Sorry about that, luv! Was that me? See, this is why they don't take me anywhere, I'm a disaster.” Laughing all the while. Generally the waiters leaving feeling better for having talked to her, even though she knocked her drink over. She quickly becomes a customer they look forward to seeing, but she rarely goes there because she can't afford to.

Oscar: Apologises so quickly and loudly that it comes across as fake, even though he meant it sincerely. Will probably knock over two more drinks just getting up after knocking over the first one. Does this every time he comes here. The person he's with wonders why they went with him, he's so embarrassing.

Guntz: Secretly glad that he knocked it over because he hates instant coffee and probably didn’t come here of his own choice anyway. Thinks to himself that no matter how fancy they make the posters look, what you get in the cup just came out of a machine and isn't “real coffee”. Vows to himself that he'll pick up some coffee beans on the way home so that he can grind his own by hand and feel better for it.

The three characters who I didn't have a strong response for were Tony, Sean and Swallow, which honestly didn't surprise me all that much. I probably could come up with a reaction for them, but considering that I didn't have one instantly it didn't feel genuine to include them. Though on the other hand, it's still a long time until Swallow turns up, so I haven't planned him out as much yet. And with how big the cast of Grasping Liquid is I'm pretty impressed that there were only three I could identify who still need work. I must be doing something okay.

#Black Ravens #PL OCs #Fanfic Dump #...okay not really but I don't want to make a separate tag for these

[thesinglesjukebox]

DRAKE - TOOSIE SLIDE

[2.67]

A meme-based, quick-spreading social media smash for which we really need a new metaphor.

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Since this site's inception, we have covered Drake 71 times. Every 51 days, give or take, an average of 8.8 of our writers sit down and review a Drake single. What's the point of it anymore? We're a decade-plus into both his career and this website, and while the highs were thrilling, especially the "Trophies"-"Worst Behavior"-"Hold On, We're Going Home" run from 2013-2014, those days are long past. We have entered the long nadir of Fucking Drake. "Toosie Slide" breaks through the monotony by being worse. It's imperially bad Drake, tyrannical mush that has consumed the pop attention economy. It's the kind of dance track that only works in an environment where people are legally barred from going out to dance, a rhythm-less, formless song that idles in sub-0PN synth work while Drake mutters some drafts about shooting dudes. He references Michael Jackson, but every one of Jackson's hits felt burdened with extraordinary effort. Drake, instead, managed to make something out of nothing for so long that he can no longer tell when he's making nothing out of nothing [0]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Shamelessly Trying to Go Viral Drake + Sad Boy Toxic Masculinity Drake = the Cha-Cha Slide on Xanax. [2]

Thomas Inskeep: aka the Electric Slide for the TikTok generation. Only with Drake going on over top of it in his emo sadboy fashion, of course. [4]

Tobi Tella: The aforementioned slide must be a slide away from dignity or artistic ambition. I joke, but this has to be the least effort he's put into anything in a while -- and this is the man who released Scorpion. It's almost at Bieber levels of thirst for virality, angling obviously to be a TikTok dance when the best of those come somewhat organically from bored teenagers. The song isn't even fun! It's a mid-tempo with no sense of life or energy, where Drake calls out dance moves like he's on Ambien. The rest of the song is filled with throwaway lines of his signature call to arms for basic girls and douchebags (I'm sure SOMEONE has captioned an Instagram post "I could dance like Michael Jackson"). And despite all of this, it's a hit, because of course it is. [1]

David Moore: Why submit to this depressive Stockholm Syndrome-dependent excuse for a line dance when the Ciara remix of "The Git Up" is sitting right there in mint condition, still in its original packaging? [2]

Alfred Soto: The Auto-tuned falsetto bit aside, "Toosie Slide" compresses Aubrey Graham's lack of affect into four bloodless minutes. Most people dance alone to a better rhythm. [4]

Alex Clifton: Drake made his own TikTok music video with the most boring dance in the world. "Toosie Slide" is pretty bland just as a song, but the dance itself is foot up, slide, foot up, slide, and that's it. It's designed to go viral because the dance is so easy that you don't have to be Charli D'Amelio to learn these moves. At least the "In My Feelings" challenge was interesting -- I get that we're all social distancing, so dancing outside cars is not the best move currently. But Drake is meant to be an entertainer. Entertain us, then. [4]

Katie Gill: 1. Who was breaking quarantine to film those damn outside shots? Get yo ass indoors. 2. Does a song going viral on TikTok really count if it's designed from the ground up to go viral on TikTok? 3. Does it even count as going viral when previous viral TikTok dances are these beautiful, intricate things and yet "Toosie Slide" is so basic that even the "Cha Cha Slide" has more complexity? This feels like something that was quickly pushed out to be timely it, the way that every single podcast you listen to quickly pushed out a COVID-19 themed episode in the past few weeks. Look, kids, Drake's self-isolating! Isn't that trendy? [4]

Katherine St Asaph: A thought almost as harrowing as "what would you have done during the Great Depression": what did you do, past tense, during the Roaring Twenties, which in this century were the Roaring Tens? How did you spend it? Would you have spent it with more roar? Nobody ever thinks they're thinking this will never end. Lately I can't stop listening to 2010s dance-pop -- the more viscerally nostalgic the better, the more love in this club seconds away, the more desperate Blackout death drive. It is a fleeting substitute for a unattainable rush, because now you and I are furloughed from rush, new career in global anhedonia cosplay (unless, of course, it wasn't cosplay for you). Not even Drake is immune. Probably I'm not the only one who recalls the 2010s as Drake's decade: soundtracking all yesterday's parties, making every year's memes, being appointed by millions as the liver of their vicarious best life. He defined the decade, which is to say he's a relic. What could a Drake song even be right now? An energy drain, Drake likening himself to Michael Jackson as if he hadn't already one-upped himself by sampling the man; bringing back YOLO as if these were remotely YOLO times; answering the chorus "don't you want to dance with me?" with "no"; dictating steps for a TikTok dance that already seems played-out, while pacing through his palatial Masque of the Red Death quarantine palace. He sounds as defeated as the rest of us. (A Billboard headline: "Drake's 'Toosie Slide' Turned Into a Springtime Pop Anthem." Springtime? Anthems? Did they lay off everyone who experiences real life?) It must sting Drake that his former protege Abel Tesfaye has outdone him once again, if not on the charts anymore then in the mood. The city is cold and empty. Another month of this and we'll all be turned on by just a touch. And we'll be on our own for long enough, sliding right foot, left foot into limbo. [3]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

#Drake #rap #hip hop #pop #music #music review

[freeonlinecours-blog]

On Magpies, Jogging, and Listening to Podcasts

New Post has been published on https://ecoursesfree.com/awesome/on-magpies-jogging-and-listening-to-podcasts/

On Magpies, Jogging, and Listening to Podcasts

So I’m supposed to have a podcast out today!

And I’m going to tell you a little bit of a story to give you three reasons why I don’t. But don’t worry-I’ll give you some other stuff to listen to!

Here’s the first reason.

I’m out in Alberta right now on a speaking tour.

Tammy and I left last Thursday to fly out for an event Friday night, and then a big event speaking to 500 women on Saturday morning. Tonight I’m speaking at Centre Street in Calgary with my Girl Talk, and I’m super excited! I love get out to Alberta( as long as it’s not in the dead of winter) and we’ve had a great time.

But it has meant that I’ve been super busy and it’s been hard to find time to record.

We’ve been having a blast, though! Last Friday night at my Girl Talk near Edmonton I gratified up with a long-time reader named Lois. She drove over 3 1/2 hours to hear me, and brought a bunch of women from her church with her. She’s been commenting and emailing for years, and as soon as she told me her name I recognized it. I simply LOVE meeting people when I talk who have known me and follow me for a long time. It really is like session friends.

Lois and I at the Girl Talk at Westlock Alliance Church

By the route, if you’re not signed up to my email listing, “youre supposed to”! I send out emails to everyone who lives within 200 miles of wherever I’m speaking, so you’ll be notified if I’m going to be near you. That’s how I plan my tours, too-I send out announcements to anyone who lives in the province/ nation/ nation I’ll be going to to see if any churches want to be added on to the tour. So please sign up!

Incidentally, it’s been so neat to “meet” more of you on the blog this week! On Tuesday I asked all of you to comment about how you first determined the blog( and if you haven’t commented yet, you should, because I’ll do a describe for my Sexy Dares in my Friday newsletter from one of the commenters !). Some of your responses have really made me tear up, especially about how God has used the blog. I love what Lindsey said :P TAGEND

I was first exposed to your blog when a friend on Facebook shared an article on submission years ago. At that point I thought you were a little too feminist for my savor, and I disagreed with your post.( I loved your sexuality articles, though, and they maintained me around) Boy! Have things ever changed! I still would never refer to myself as a feminist, but my husband and I now refer to ourselves as having an egalitarian marriage. The other day my young son wanted to do something the opposite of how I said here today, and he asked my husband “can’t you just overrule her? ” Now, used to be when he would say something like that, my husband would back me up- but with the understanding that he could overrule if he wanted to. That day, for the first time ever I heard him say to my son, “No, I can’t merely over rule her. Mommy and I are equal. We are a team.”. I’m getting misty-eyed just writing it. It’s my hope that the farther we get away from bad ways of operating, the healthier and better example for our children we will set. Thanks for your blog.

To me, it’s not about feminist or not feminist. It’s simply about Jesus. Are we constructing matrimony about growing closer to Jesus and doing “Gods will”, or are we inducing matrimony about doing a husband’s will? This stuff matters, and too often we’ve gotten it wrong. When Jesus isn’t front and centre, we’re going to go off base.

Incidentally, after last week’s podcast where I was talking about how God doesn’t want us only believing a bunch of things; He wants us actually living like Christ and bringing Christ to a hurting world, a woman commented on Facebook that she was worried that I didn’t believe that redemption was by grace alone because I was getting into works. “Its exactly” the problem I’m talking about. We’ve reduced Christianity to a situated of notions instead of a relationship with the living God who should make a difference in our lives. So sad.

Then on Saturday morning I did something a little bit different for me.

Back in 2003, when I started speaking, I mostly did denominational events and women’s retreats. For about 9 years all of my speaking was for general women’s groups. But in the last few years I’ve largely been speaking about wedding and sex. So when Beulah Alliance hired me to headline their big women’s breakfast, it was fun to write a talk that had absolutely nothing to do with sex at all.

Our theme was Wonder Woman: Strong. Courageous. Fearless.

We had 500 women at the event, and I shared about how God wants us to live a big life-to stop trying to control everything, and to let go. When we do that, then we’re not ruled by fear. And that’s when we can brought forward and do amazing things.

I’ve just finished read the absolutely amazing inspiring biography of a woman named Josephine Butler who was, in her hour, as well known as Florence Nightingale. She campaigned for the dignity and right of prostitutes, who in Victorian England were demonized, while the men that used them were still considered high class. She fought against sex trafficking of children. She fought for greater economic opportunities for women. And she did it all in the name of Jesus. Her favourite saying was ” God plus one female equals a majority .”

She altered England, and changed the rights of women in Europe as well. And she did it even with such tremendous opponent. Actually an inspiration. Here’s her biography :P TAGEND

Josephine Butler: Patron Saint of Prostitute

Take Me There !

Or you can watch a brief documentary of her life here :P TAGEND

And now about the Magpies

After speaking on Saturday, Tammy and I holed up in a lovely Air Bnb in Edmonton for a few days before i just had to drive down to Calgary. I was hoping to record the podcast there, and brought my microphone and headset and everything along with me. But our Airbnb is in a very loud traffic area. And not just that-there is a magpie nest directly outside our balcony. There was just no way to get good audio quality!

( Although I must admit-even though magpies are awfully loud and are pests, they’re really much prettier than the crows and grackles that bother us in Ontario ).

But being here in this Air Bnb also means that we spent Mother’s Day with each other-instead of with our families. My husband sent me some chocolate truffles, which were wonderful. But I bought Tammy and me a really, really awful chocolate cake( we were both hot flashing, so we look terrible, and I’m keeping my hair back ):

And now about Jogging

Actually, I guess that’s only two reasons I’m not doing the podcast this week. I can’t really think of another.

But I will tell you about jogging, because I’m hoping person out there can help me out. I’ve recently started the couch to 5k running plan, and I’ve been LOVING it. I required to get more cardio into my routine. I’m quite good at stretching and doing weights, but I need to sweat. But lately my foot have been hurting. I have to wear shoes in the chamber of representatives or my foot hurt. Then, when I jogged here in Edmonton, my foot are significantly, genuinely sore WHILE I was jogging. I thought it was maybe because they’re still swollen from the plane flight?

I have awesome running shoes( I just bought top of the line ones ). When I get home I plan to see a physiotherapist and maybe get some orthotics. But anyone else ever have this issue? It’s like my feet are sore and they tingle all the time now.( It’s not MS because I haven’t lost any sensation, so don’t worry about that !)

And about podcasts

While jogging, though, I’ve been listening to some podcasts. I get Keith into them when he flew down to Louisiana to pick up our RV and drive it home last month. That was a lot of hours in the RV by himself, we are therefore downloaded some podcasts and he’s really enjoying them. And I am, too! If any of you have any good ones about women and the church, I’d love some suggestions.

So now about my podcast …

So I can’t record one today, although we’ve been brainstorming a whole bunch of different ideas about podcasts coming up. But I will tell you what the two most listened-to podcasts have been to date, and maybe you can catch up!

The Podcast About Women and Porn( And Creepy Dudes !)

Hot and Holy Sex, Control Freaks, and More !

If ” podcast” sounds scary and route too technical for you, it doesn’t “ve got to be”. Most of our telephones come with a podcast app. Merely go into it, and search” To Love, Honor and Vacuum” on that app. Then you can choose to subscribe( please do !) or listen to individual episodes. If you subscribe, then every time I record a new one it will be there for you. And then, when you’re out for a walk, or grocery shopping, or jogging (!), or driving, you can listen in. I’m seriously enjoying it. And I try so hard on my podcast not to waste time with too much personal stuff like what I had for breakfast and jump right in to the meat of it. I love making these, so I hope that you love listening.

And if you like the podcast, can you rate it 5 stars and leave a review, too? It helps other people find it!

On Thursdays, when the podcast comes out, I usually post an “extras” post here with links to some of the things I mentioned in the podcast or more ideas, if you want to go more in depth. So enjoy!

And I will be back next week, after I’m back at home, and hopefully after I’ve seen a physiotherapist!

What podcast have you liked very good? Have you listened in? Let me know!( And seriously-any tips about jogging ?)

Author

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Sheila Wray Gregoire has been married for 27 years and merrily married for 22! She loves traveling around North America with her hubby in their RV, dedicating her signature “Girl Talk” about sexuality and marriage. And she’s written 8 books. About sexuality and wedding. See a topic here? Plus she knits. Even in line at the grocery store.

Find Sheila Here:

Facebook

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Sheila’s Favorite Posts on To Love, Honor and Vacuum:

10 ways to initiate sex

10 Consequences of Porn on Your Brain, Marriage,& Sex Life

Why So Much Marriage Advice is So Trite

How can Sex be Hot and Holy at the Same Time ?

Check out some of Sheila’s Books:

The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex

31 Days to Great Sex

9 Thoughts That Can Change Your Marriage

To Love, Honor, and Vacuum

Check out Sheila’s Courses:

The Boost Your Libido Course

The Whole Story: Talking to Your Daughter about Sex, Puberty, and Growing Up

The FREE Emotional Intimacy E-Course

Are you ready to take your matrimony to the next level? Sign up for our emails and get access to the TLHV free marriage and parenting resource library. We have over 25 downloads and are constantly adding more. Sign up here !

Read more: tolovehonorandvacuum.com

#podcasts #speaking

[endlessarchite]

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time

We recently passed the one year anniversary of moving furniture to our beach house, so this week we’re looking back on how we kept our sanity while decorating an entire house all at once. It made us realize that there are some flaws in our usual method of taking things slow and going one room at a time – so if you’re struggling with your own home, we have some ideas. We’re also recapping our trip to Chicago for the Domino Magazine Awards. Plus, I defend my take on navy cabinets and smart locks while Sherry buys something exceptionally ugly for our house.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to see the player.

What’s New

Thanks again to everyone who voted us Best Renovation Blog (!!!) in the Domino Magazine 2018 Design Blog Awards! We are so flattered, humbled, and grateful. Please check out the other winners below, too. We’re in great company!

The Best DIY Blog: The House of Wood by Jen Woodhouse.

The Best General Lifestyle Blog: Bright Bazaar by Will Taylor.

The Best International Design Blog: Hygge for Home by Reena Simon.

The Best Interior Design Blog: Studio McGee by Shea and Syd McGee.

The Best New Voice Blog: Emily Everyday by Emily Blanchard.

The Best Small Space Blog: A Small Life by Melanie Gnau.

The Modern Maverick: Yellow Brick Home by Kim and Scott Vargo.

 We realized MOST of our “photos” from the night are actually Boomerangs (you know, those short GIF-like videos like the one below) so your best recap of the event may be by checking out this Instagram post where Sherry posted a bunch of them that you can scroll through.

Also, here’s more proof of Sherry’s explanation that flowers in trash cans are an actual thing.

Updates

That’s the photo of tiling the duplex mudroom that had everyone wondering if we’d gotten a smart lock (which I ranted about back in Episode #113) but it’s actually just this keypad lock which doesn’t have any smart/wi-fi/Bluetooth features. Don’t be fooled by the “SmartKey” descriptor in the listing – that just means you can rekey the lock yourself to match any other existing Kwikset keys you have.

It’s slightly larger than your typical door hardware, but we appreciate that it matches the rest of the doorknob in color (we went with oil-rubbed bronze, but if you buy the nickel or brass versions, the entire thing is that finish).

If you’d like the details on that gray tile we used above, here you go.

Also, in the top left of the photo above, you can see the cabinet color that I egregiously called “navy” back in Episode #111 (for source info on all the other tile in the photo above, click here).

But maybe what I meant was that it’s closer to “the new navy” as Apartment Therapy recently speculated after spotting a growing peacock blue trend.

(source)

Our cabinets probably aren’t green enough to be dubbed a true peacock blue (Sherry’s description of a grayed out muted teal might be closer), but we’ve used peacock blue a lot in the past (like in our last home’s guest room and dining room)

And lastly, if you missed the original discussion of solving our stinky house problem with a crawl space dehumidifier, you can catch it back in Episode #103.

Decorating A Whole House

chandelier / ceiling medallion / rug / bookshelf / curtain rod / curtains

It’s been a little over a year since we first moved furniture into the beach house so it’s been fun looking back at the process and the progress – like this is what the living room looked like the day that we unloaded the moving truck.

It’s funny to look at what stayed right where it landed (like the coffee table base we got from a neighbor – which we later finished off with a DIY concrete top) and what got moved around (like that art above, which now hangs in the front bedroom).

Here’s another angle that demonstrates how we were able to shuffle things around easily. This is how the master bedroom looked right after move-in day:

And now it looks like this. The original bedding went into the middle bedroom (and got flipped upside down to calm the pattern a bit) and the original nightstands are now in the front bedroom, where they have more breathing room. Also, the blue rug that’s in here is one that we bought for the living room but once it arrived we decided we liked it better up here.

rug / bedding / nightstand / fan

We also mentioned in the podcast that we could vividly remember a few old blog posts where we deeply deliberated single decisions like a light shade, a kitchen rug, and even bath mats. Man there’s “a lot of look” in this image below. Thanks 2012!

And like we said, we’re working on a big before & after post of the entire beach house (here’s a sneak peek below)  but until then you can see most of the rooms in their final state (and all of the sources that you might ask about!) on our Shop Our Beach House page.

We’re Digging

Don’t look now, but Sherry’s watching Housewives in the mirror (it perfectly reflects our TV for her – ha!)

There’s the NordicTrack Treadmill we got for our bonus room (we’re considering it Sherry’s early Christmas present due to her newfound love of walking). She still much prefers her walks outside, but when it’s too cold or rainy she hops on here and turns on Housewives.

I noticed there’s a code on the listing at the moment for “free expert set-up.” I would totally take advantage of that! It was such a pain for us to wrestle it up the stairs alone, and assembling it ourselves was totally doable, but it took about an hour and required two people at certain moments.

I’m wearing one of the two pairs of Goodfellow & Co pants from Target that I bought recently. They’re the Slim Straight Fit Twill Pants in “moss,” which have detailing that’s kind of like jeans (think rivets on the pockets), but I also got these Slim Fit Chinos in dark gray that feel a bit more like dress pants.

They’re very similar to the Goodfellow shorts I dug back in Episode #99.

And since I basically just bought an outfit off of a Target mannequin for this event, this is the blazer, shirt, and shoes I’m wearing in that photo above. #fashionblogger

And because I know you don’t care what I’m wearing and want the details on Sherry’s outfit, here’s her top, dark jeans, and shoes.

If you’re looking for something we’ve dug in a past episode, but don’t remember which show notes to click into, here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging from all of our past episodes. You can also see all the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.

And lastly, a big thank you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. Sign up at Grove.co/YHL to receive a trio of Mrs. Meyers cleaners and a set of walnut scrubber sponges, or if you’re already a Grove customer, visit that link to still get the free sponges!

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time appeared first on Young House Love.

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time published first on https://bakerskitchenslimited.tumblr.com/

[h0neyimholmes-blog]

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time

We recently passed the one year anniversary of moving furniture to our beach house, so this week we're looking back on how we kept our sanity while decorating an entire house all at once. It made us realize that there are some flaws in our usual method of taking things slow and going one room at a time – so if you're struggling with your own home, we have some ideas. We're also recapping our trip to Chicago for the Domino Magazine Awards. Plus, I defend my take on navy cabinets and smart locks while Sherry buys something exceptionally ugly for our house.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you're reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to see the player.

What's New

Thanks again to everyone who voted us Best Renovation Blog (!!!) in the Domino Magazine 2018 Design Blog Awards! We are so flattered, humbled, and grateful. Please check out the other winners below, too. We're in great company!

The Best DIY Blog: The House of Wood by Jen Woodhouse.

The Best General Lifestyle Blog: Bright Bazaar by Will Taylor.

The Best International Design Blog: Hygge for Home by Reena Simon.

The Best Interior Design Blog: Studio McGee by Shea and Syd McGee.

The Best New Voice Blog: Emily Everyday by Emily Blanchard.

The Best Small Space Blog: A Small Life by Melanie Gnau.

The Modern Maverick: Yellow Brick Home by Kim and Scott Vargo.

 We realized MOST of our “photos” from the night are actually Boomerangs (you know, those short GIF-like videos like the one below) so your best recap of the event may be by checking out this Instagram post where Sherry posted a bunch of them that you can scroll through.

Also, here's more proof of Sherry's explanation that flowers in trash cans are an actual thing.

Updates

That's the photo of tiling the duplex mudroom that had everyone wondering if we'd gotten a smart lock (which I ranted about back in Episode #113) but it's actually just this keypad lock which doesn't have any smart/wi-fi/Bluetooth features. Don't be fooled by the “SmartKey” descriptor in the listing – that just means you can rekey the lock yourself to match any other existing Kwikset keys you have.

It's slightly larger than your typical door hardware, but we appreciate that it matches the rest of the doorknob in color (we went with oil-rubbed bronze, but if you buy the nickel or brass versions, the entire thing is that finish).

If you'd like the details on that gray tile we used above, here you go.

Also, in the top left of the photo above, you can see the cabinet color that I egregiously called “navy” back in Episode #111 (for source info on all the other tile in the photo above, click here).

But maybe what I meant was that it's closer to “the new navy” as Apartment Therapy recently speculated after spotting a growing peacock blue trend.

(source)

Our cabinets probably aren't green enough to be dubbed a true peacock blue (Sherry's description of a grayed out muted teal might be closer), but we've used peacock blue a lot in the past (like in our last home's guest room and dining room)

And lastly, if you missed the original discussion of solving our stinky house problem with a crawl space dehumidifier, you can catch it back in Episode #103.

Decorating A Whole House

chandelier / ceiling medallion / rug / bookshelf / curtain rod / curtains

It's been a little over a year since we first moved furniture into the beach house so it's been fun looking back at the process and the progress – like this is what the living room looked like the day that we unloaded the moving truck.

It's funny to look at what stayed right where it landed (like the coffee table base we got from a neighbor – which we later finished off with a DIY concrete top) and what got moved around (like that art above, which now hangs in the front bedroom).

Here's another angle that demonstrates how we were able to shuffle things around easily. This is how the master bedroom looked right after move-in day:

And now it looks like this. The original bedding went into the middle bedroom (and got flipped upside down to calm the pattern a bit) and the original nightstands are now in the front bedroom, where they have more breathing room. Also, the blue rug that's in here is one that we bought for the living room but once it arrived we decided we liked it better up here.

rug / bedding / nightstand / fan

We also mentioned in the podcast that we could vividly remember a few old blog posts where we deeply deliberated single decisions like a light shade, a kitchen rug, and even bath mats. Man there's “a lot of look” in this image below. Thanks 2012!

And like we said, we're working on a big before & after post of the entire beach house (here's a sneak peek below)  but until then you can see most of the rooms in their final state (and all of the sources that you might ask about!) on our Shop Our Beach House page.

We're Digging

Don't look now, but Sherry's watching Housewives in the mirror (it perfectly reflects our TV for her – ha!)

There's the NordicTrack Treadmill we got for our bonus room (we're considering it Sherry's early Christmas present due to her newfound love of walking). She still much prefers her walks outside, but when it's too cold or rainy she hops on here and turns on Housewives.

I noticed there's a code on the listing at the moment for “free expert set-up.” I would totally take advantage of that! It was such a pain for us to wrestle it up the stairs alone, and assembling it ourselves was totally doable, but it took about an hour and required two people at certain moments.

I'm wearing one of the two pairs of Goodfellow & Co pants from Target that I bought recently. They're the Slim Straight Fit Twill Pants in “moss,” which have detailing that's kind of like jeans (think rivets on the pockets), but I also got these Slim Fit Chinos in dark gray that feel a bit more like dress pants.

They're very similar to the Goodfellow shorts I dug back in Episode #99.

And since I basically just bought an outfit off of a Target mannequin for this event, this is the blazer, shirt, and shoes I'm wearing in that photo above. #fashionblogger

And because I know you don't care what I'm wearing and want the details on Sherry's outfit, here's her top, dark jeans, and shoes.

If you're looking for something we've dug in a past episode, but don't remember which show notes to click into, here's a master list of everything we've been digging from all of our past episodes. You can also see all the books we've recommended on our Book Club page.

And lastly, a big thank you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. Sign up at Grove.co/YHL to receive a trio of Mrs. Meyers cleaners and a set of walnut scrubber sponges, or if you're already a Grove customer, visit that link to still get the free sponges!

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time appeared first on Young House Love.

[billydmacklin]

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time

We recently passed the one year anniversary of moving furniture to our beach house, so this week we’re looking back on how we kept our sanity while decorating an entire house all at once. It made us realize that there are some flaws in our usual method of taking things slow and going one room at a time – so if you’re struggling with your own home, we have some ideas. We’re also recapping our trip to Chicago for the Domino Magazine Awards. Plus, I defend my take on navy cabinets and smart locks while Sherry buys something exceptionally ugly for our house.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to see the player.

What’s New

Thanks again to everyone who voted us Best Renovation Blog (!!!) in the Domino Magazine 2018 Design Blog Awards! We are so flattered, humbled, and grateful. Please check out the other winners below, too. We’re in great company!

The Best DIY Blog: The House of Wood by Jen Woodhouse.

The Best General Lifestyle Blog: Bright Bazaar by Will Taylor.

The Best International Design Blog: Hygge for Home by Reena Simon.

The Best Interior Design Blog: Studio McGee by Shea and Syd McGee.

The Best New Voice Blog: Emily Everyday by Emily Blanchard.

The Best Small Space Blog: A Small Life by Melanie Gnau.

The Modern Maverick: Yellow Brick Home by Kim and Scott Vargo.

 We realized MOST of our “photos” from the night are actually Boomerangs (you know, those short GIF-like videos like the one below) so your best recap of the event may be by checking out this Instagram post where Sherry posted a bunch of them that you can scroll through.

Also, here’s more proof of Sherry’s explanation that flowers in trash cans are an actual thing.

Updates

That’s the photo of tiling the duplex mudroom that had everyone wondering if we’d gotten a smart lock (which I ranted about back in Episode #113) but it’s actually just this keypad lock which doesn’t have any smart/wi-fi/Bluetooth features. Don’t be fooled by the “SmartKey” descriptor in the listing – that just means you can rekey the lock yourself to match any other existing Kwikset keys you have.

It’s slightly larger than your typical door hardware, but we appreciate that it matches the rest of the doorknob in color (we went with oil-rubbed bronze, but if you buy the nickel or brass versions, the entire thing is that finish).

If you’d like the details on that gray tile we used above, here you go.

Also, in the top left of the photo above, you can see the cabinet color that I egregiously called “navy” back in Episode #111 (for source info on all the other tile in the photo above, click here).

But maybe what I meant was that it’s closer to “the new navy” as Apartment Therapy recently speculated after spotting a growing peacock blue trend.

(source)

Our cabinets probably aren’t green enough to be dubbed a true peacock blue (Sherry’s description of a grayed out muted teal might be closer), but we’ve used peacock blue a lot in the past (like in our last home’s guest room and dining room)

And lastly, if you missed the original discussion of solving our stinky house problem with a crawl space dehumidifier, you can catch it back in Episode #103.

Decorating A Whole House

chandelier / ceiling medallion / rug / bookshelf / curtain rod / curtains

It’s been a little over a year since we first moved furniture into the beach house so it’s been fun looking back at the process and the progress – like this is what the living room looked like the day that we unloaded the moving truck.

It’s funny to look at what stayed right where it landed (like the coffee table base we got from a neighbor – which we later finished off with a DIY concrete top) and what got moved around (like that art above, which now hangs in the front bedroom).

Here’s another angle that demonstrates how we were able to shuffle things around easily. This is how the master bedroom looked right after move-in day:

And now it looks like this. The original bedding went into the middle bedroom (and got flipped upside down to calm the pattern a bit) and the original nightstands are now in the front bedroom, where they have more breathing room. Also, the blue rug that’s in here is one that we bought for the living room but once it arrived we decided we liked it better up here.

rug / bedding / nightstand / fan

We also mentioned in the podcast that we could vividly remember a few old blog posts where we deeply deliberated single decisions like a light shade, a kitchen rug, and even bath mats. Man there’s “a lot of look” in this image below. Thanks 2012!

And like we said, we’re working on a big before & after post of the entire beach house (here’s a sneak peek below)  but until then you can see most of the rooms in their final state (and all of the sources that you might ask about!) on our Shop Our Beach House page.

We’re Digging

Don’t look now, but Sherry’s watching Housewives in the mirror (it perfectly reflects our TV for her – ha!)

There’s the NordicTrack Treadmill we got for our bonus room (we’re considering it Sherry’s early Christmas present due to her newfound love of walking). She still much prefers her walks outside, but when it’s too cold or rainy she hops on here and turns on Housewives.

I noticed there’s a code on the listing at the moment for “free expert set-up.” I would totally take advantage of that! It was such a pain for us to wrestle it up the stairs alone, and assembling it ourselves was totally doable, but it took about an hour and required two people at certain moments.

I’m wearing one of the two pairs of Goodfellow & Co pants from Target that I bought recently. They’re the Slim Straight Fit Twill Pants in “moss,” which have detailing that’s kind of like jeans (think rivets on the pockets), but I also got these Slim Fit Chinos in dark gray that feel a bit more like dress pants.

They’re very similar to the Goodfellow shorts I dug back in Episode #99.

And since I basically just bought an outfit off of a Target mannequin for this event, this is the blazer, shirt, and shoes I’m wearing in that photo above. #fashionblogger

And because I know you don’t care what I’m wearing and want the details on Sherry’s outfit, here’s her top, dark jeans, and shoes.

If you’re looking for something we’ve dug in a past episode, but don’t remember which show notes to click into, here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging from all of our past episodes. You can also see all the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.

And lastly, a big thank you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. Sign up at Grove.co/YHL to receive a trio of Mrs. Meyers cleaners and a set of walnut scrubber sponges, or if you’re already a Grove customer, visit that link to still get the free sponges!

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time appeared first on Young House Love.

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time published first on https://carpetgurus.tumblr.com/

[interiorstarweb]

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time

We recently passed the one year anniversary of moving furniture to our beach house, so this week we’re looking back on how we kept our sanity while decorating an entire house all at once. It made us realize that there are some flaws in our usual method of taking things slow and going one room at a time – so if you’re struggling with your own home, we have some ideas. We’re also recapping our trip to Chicago for the Domino Magazine Awards. Plus, I defend my take on navy cabinets and smart locks while Sherry buys something exceptionally ugly for our house.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to see the player.

What’s New

Thanks again to everyone who voted us Best Renovation Blog (!!!) in the Domino Magazine 2018 Design Blog Awards! We are so flattered, humbled, and grateful. Please check out the other winners below, too. We’re in great company!

The Best DIY Blog: The House of Wood by Jen Woodhouse.

The Best General Lifestyle Blog: Bright Bazaar by Will Taylor.

The Best International Design Blog: Hygge for Home by Reena Simon.

The Best Interior Design Blog: Studio McGee by Shea and Syd McGee.

The Best New Voice Blog: Emily Everyday by Emily Blanchard.

The Best Small Space Blog: A Small Life by Melanie Gnau.

The Modern Maverick: Yellow Brick Home by Kim and Scott Vargo.

 We realized MOST of our “photos” from the night are actually Boomerangs (you know, those short GIF-like videos like the one below) so your best recap of the event may be by checking out this Instagram post where Sherry posted a bunch of them that you can scroll through.

Also, here’s more proof of Sherry’s explanation that flowers in trash cans are an actual thing.

Updates

That’s the photo of tiling the duplex mudroom that had everyone wondering if we’d gotten a smart lock (which I ranted about back in Episode #113) but it’s actually just this keypad lock which doesn’t have any smart/wi-fi/Bluetooth features. Don’t be fooled by the “SmartKey” descriptor in the listing – that just means you can rekey the lock yourself to match any other existing Kwikset keys you have.

It’s slightly larger than your typical door hardware, but we appreciate that it matches the rest of the doorknob in color (we went with oil-rubbed bronze, but if you buy the nickel or brass versions, the entire thing is that finish).

If you’d like the details on that gray tile we used above, here you go.

Also, in the top left of the photo above, you can see the cabinet color that I egregiously called “navy” back in Episode #111 (for source info on all the other tile in the photo above, click here).

But maybe what I meant was that it’s closer to “the new navy” as Apartment Therapy recently speculated after spotting a growing peacock blue trend.

(source)

Our cabinets probably aren’t green enough to be dubbed a true peacock blue (Sherry’s description of a grayed out muted teal might be closer), but we’ve used peacock blue a lot in the past (like in our last home’s guest room and dining room)

And lastly, if you missed the original discussion of solving our stinky house problem with a crawl space dehumidifier, you can catch it back in Episode #103.

Decorating A Whole House

chandelier / ceiling medallion / rug / bookshelf / curtain rod / curtains

It’s been a little over a year since we first moved furniture into the beach house so it’s been fun looking back at the process and the progress – like this is what the living room looked like the day that we unloaded the moving truck.

It’s funny to look at what stayed right where it landed (like the coffee table base we got from a neighbor – which we later finished off with a DIY concrete top) and what got moved around (like that art above, which now hangs in the front bedroom).

Here’s another angle that demonstrates how we were able to shuffle things around easily. This is how the master bedroom looked right after move-in day:

And now it looks like this. The original bedding went into the middle bedroom (and got flipped upside down to calm the pattern a bit) and the original nightstands are now in the front bedroom, where they have more breathing room. Also, the blue rug that’s in here is one that we bought for the living room but once it arrived we decided we liked it better up here.

rug / bedding / nightstand / fan

We also mentioned in the podcast that we could vividly remember a few old blog posts where we deeply deliberated single decisions like a light shade, a kitchen rug, and even bath mats. Man there’s “a lot of look” in this image below. Thanks 2012!

And like we said, we’re working on a big before & after post of the entire beach house (here’s a sneak peek below)  but until then you can see most of the rooms in their final state (and all of the sources that you might ask about!) on our Shop Our Beach House page.

We’re Digging

Don’t look now, but Sherry’s watching Housewives in the mirror (it perfectly reflects our TV for her – ha!)

There’s the NordicTrack Treadmill we got for our bonus room (we’re considering it Sherry’s early Christmas present due to her newfound love of walking). She still much prefers her walks outside, but when it’s too cold or rainy she hops on here and turns on Housewives.

I noticed there’s a code on the listing at the moment for “free expert set-up.” I would totally take advantage of that! It was such a pain for us to wrestle it up the stairs alone, and assembling it ourselves was totally doable, but it took about an hour and required two people at certain moments.

I’m wearing one of the two pairs of Goodfellow & Co pants from Target that I bought recently. They’re the Slim Straight Fit Twill Pants in “moss,” which have detailing that’s kind of like jeans (think rivets on the pockets), but I also got these Slim Fit Chinos in dark gray that feel a bit more like dress pants.

They’re very similar to the Goodfellow shorts I dug back in Episode #99.

And since I basically just bought an outfit off of a Target mannequin for this event, this is the blazer, shirt, and shoes I’m wearing in that photo above. #fashionblogger

And because I know you don’t care what I’m wearing and want the details on Sherry’s outfit, here’s her top, dark jeans, and shoes.

If you’re looking for something we’ve dug in a past episode, but don’t remember which show notes to click into, here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging from all of our past episodes. You can also see all the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.

And lastly, a big thank you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. Sign up at Grove.co/YHL to receive a trio of Mrs. Meyers cleaners and a set of walnut scrubber sponges, or if you’re already a Grove customer, visit that link to still get the free sponges!

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time appeared first on Young House Love.

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time published first on https://novaformmattressreview.tumblr.com/

[lowmaticnews]

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time

We recently passed the one year anniversary of moving furniture to our beach house, so this week we’re looking back on how we kept our sanity while decorating an entire house all at once. It made us realize that there are some flaws in our usual method of taking things slow and going one room at a time – so if you’re struggling with your own home, we have some ideas. We’re also recapping our trip to Chicago for the Domino Magazine Awards. Plus, I defend my take on navy cabinets and smart locks while Sherry buys something exceptionally ugly for our house.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to see the player.

What’s New

Thanks again to everyone who voted us Best Renovation Blog (!!!) in the Domino Magazine 2018 Design Blog Awards! We are so flattered, humbled, and grateful. Please check out the other winners below, too. We’re in great company!

The Best DIY Blog: The House of Wood by Jen Woodhouse.

The Best General Lifestyle Blog: Bright Bazaar by Will Taylor.

The Best International Design Blog: Hygge for Home by Reena Simon.

The Best Interior Design Blog: Studio McGee by Shea and Syd McGee.

The Best New Voice Blog: Emily Everyday by Emily Blanchard.

The Best Small Space Blog: A Small Life by Melanie Gnau.

The Modern Maverick: Yellow Brick Home by Kim and Scott Vargo.

 We realized MOST of our “photos” from the night are actually Boomerangs (you know, those short GIF-like videos like the one below) so your best recap of the event may be by checking out this Instagram post where Sherry posted a bunch of them that you can scroll through.

Also, here’s more proof of Sherry’s explanation that flowers in trash cans are an actual thing.

Updates

That’s the photo of tiling the duplex mudroom that had everyone wondering if we’d gotten a smart lock (which I ranted about back in Episode #113) but it’s actually just this keypad lock which doesn’t have any smart/wi-fi/Bluetooth features. Don’t be fooled by the “SmartKey” descriptor in the listing – that just means you can rekey the lock yourself to match any other existing Kwikset keys you have.

It’s slightly larger than your typical door hardware, but we appreciate that it matches the rest of the doorknob in color (we went with oil-rubbed bronze, but if you buy the nickel or brass versions, the entire thing is that finish).

If you’d like the details on that gray tile we used above, here you go.

Also, in the top left of the photo above, you can see the cabinet color that I egregiously called “navy” back in Episode #111 (for source info on all the other tile in the photo above, click here).

But maybe what I meant was that it’s closer to “the new navy” as Apartment Therapy recently speculated after spotting a growing peacock blue trend.

(source)

Our cabinets probably aren’t green enough to be dubbed a true peacock blue (Sherry’s description of a grayed out muted teal might be closer), but we’ve used peacock blue a lot in the past (like in our last home’s guest room and dining room)

And lastly, if you missed the original discussion of solving our stinky house problem with a crawl space dehumidifier, you can catch it back in Episode #103.

Decorating A Whole House

chandelier / ceiling medallion / rug / bookshelf / curtain rod / curtains

It’s been a little over a year since we first moved furniture into the beach house so it’s been fun looking back at the process and the progress – like this is what the living room looked like the day that we unloaded the moving truck.

It’s funny to look at what stayed right where it landed (like the coffee table base we got from a neighbor – which we later finished off with a DIY concrete top) and what got moved around (like that art above, which now hangs in the front bedroom).

Here’s another angle that demonstrates how we were able to shuffle things around easily. This is how the master bedroom looked right after move-in day:

And now it looks like this. The original bedding went into the middle bedroom (and got flipped upside down to calm the pattern a bit) and the original nightstands are now in the front bedroom, where they have more breathing room. Also, the blue rug that’s in here is one that we bought for the living room but once it arrived we decided we liked it better up here.

rug / bedding / nightstand / fan

We also mentioned in the podcast that we could vividly remember a few old blog posts where we deeply deliberated single decisions like a light shade, a kitchen rug, and even bath mats. Man there’s “a lot of look” in this image below. Thanks 2012!

And like we said, we’re working on a big before & after post of the entire beach house (here’s a sneak peek below)  but until then you can see most of the rooms in their final state (and all of the sources that you might ask about!) on our Shop Our Beach House page.

We’re Digging

Don’t look now, but Sherry’s watching Housewives in the mirror (it perfectly reflects our TV for her – ha!)

There’s the NordicTrack Treadmill we got for our bonus room (we’re considering it Sherry’s early Christmas present due to her newfound love of walking). She still much prefers her walks outside, but when it’s too cold or rainy she hops on here and turns on Housewives.

I noticed there’s a code on the listing at the moment for “free expert set-up.” I would totally take advantage of that! It was such a pain for us to wrestle it up the stairs alone, and assembling it ourselves was totally doable, but it took about an hour and required two people at certain moments.

I’m wearing one of the two pairs of Goodfellow & Co pants from Target that I bought recently. They’re the Slim Straight Fit Twill Pants in “moss,” which have detailing that’s kind of like jeans (think rivets on the pockets), but I also got these Slim Fit Chinos in dark gray that feel a bit more like dress pants.

They’re very similar to the Goodfellow shorts I dug back in Episode #99.

And since I basically just bought an outfit off of a Target mannequin for this event, this is the blazer, shirt, and shoes I’m wearing in that photo above. #fashionblogger

And because I know you don’t care what I’m wearing and want the details on Sherry’s outfit, here’s her top, dark jeans, and shoes.

If you’re looking for something we’ve dug in a past episode, but don’t remember which show notes to click into, here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging from all of our past episodes. You can also see all the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.

And lastly, a big thank you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. Sign up at Grove.co/YHL to receive a trio of Mrs. Meyers cleaners and a set of walnut scrubber sponges, or if you’re already a Grove customer, visit that link to still get the free sponges!

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time appeared first on Young House Love.

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time published first on https://landscapingmates.blogspot.com

[vincentbnaughton]

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time

We recently passed the one year anniversary of moving furniture to our beach house, so this week we’re looking back on how we kept our sanity while decorating an entire house all at once. It made us realize that there are some flaws in our usual method of taking things slow and going one room at a time – so if you’re struggling with your own home, we have some ideas. We’re also recapping our trip to Chicago for the Domino Magazine Awards. Plus, I defend my take on navy cabinets and smart locks while Sherry buys something exceptionally ugly for our house.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to see the player.

What’s New

Thanks again to everyone who voted us Best Renovation Blog (!!!) in the Domino Magazine 2018 Design Blog Awards! We are so flattered, humbled, and grateful. Please check out the other winners below, too. We’re in great company!

The Best DIY Blog: The House of Wood by Jen Woodhouse.

The Best General Lifestyle Blog: Bright Bazaar by Will Taylor.

The Best International Design Blog: Hygge for Home by Reena Simon.

The Best Interior Design Blog: Studio McGee by Shea and Syd McGee.

The Best New Voice Blog: Emily Everyday by Emily Blanchard.

The Best Small Space Blog: A Small Life by Melanie Gnau.

The Modern Maverick: Yellow Brick Home by Kim and Scott Vargo.

 We realized MOST of our “photos” from the night are actually Boomerangs (you know, those short GIF-like videos like the one below) so your best recap of the event may be by checking out this Instagram post where Sherry posted a bunch of them that you can scroll through.

Also, here’s more proof of Sherry’s explanation that flowers in trash cans are an actual thing.

Updates

That’s the photo of tiling the duplex mudroom that had everyone wondering if we’d gotten a smart lock (which I ranted about back in Episode #113) but it’s actually just this keypad lock which doesn’t have any smart/wi-fi/Bluetooth features. Don’t be fooled by the “SmartKey” descriptor in the listing – that just means you can rekey the lock yourself to match any other existing Kwikset keys you have.

It’s slightly larger than your typical door hardware, but we appreciate that it matches the rest of the doorknob in color (we went with oil-rubbed bronze, but if you buy the nickel or brass versions, the entire thing is that finish).

If you’d like the details on that gray tile we used above, here you go.

Also, in the top left of the photo above, you can see the cabinet color that I egregiously called “navy” back in Episode #111 (for source info on all the other tile in the photo above, click here).

But maybe what I meant was that it’s closer to “the new navy” as Apartment Therapy recently speculated after spotting a growing peacock blue trend.

(source)

Our cabinets probably aren’t green enough to be dubbed a true peacock blue (Sherry’s description of a grayed out muted teal might be closer), but we’ve used peacock blue a lot in the past (like in our last home’s guest room and dining room)

And lastly, if you missed the original discussion of solving our stinky house problem with a crawl space dehumidifier, you can catch it back in Episode #103.

Decorating A Whole House

chandelier / ceiling medallion / rug / bookshelf / curtain rod / curtains

It’s been a little over a year since we first moved furniture into the beach house so it’s been fun looking back at the process and the progress – like this is what the living room looked like the day that we unloaded the moving truck.

It’s funny to look at what stayed right where it landed (like the coffee table base we got from a neighbor – which we later finished off with a DIY concrete top) and what got moved around (like that art above, which now hangs in the front bedroom).

Here’s another angle that demonstrates how we were able to shuffle things around easily. This is how the master bedroom looked right after move-in day:

And now it looks like this. The original bedding went into the middle bedroom (and got flipped upside down to calm the pattern a bit) and the original nightstands are now in the front bedroom, where they have more breathing room. Also, the blue rug that’s in here is one that we bought for the living room but once it arrived we decided we liked it better up here.

rug / bedding / nightstand / fan

We also mentioned in the podcast that we could vividly remember a few old blog posts where we deeply deliberated single decisions like a light shade, a kitchen rug, and even bath mats. Man there’s “a lot of look” in this image below. Thanks 2012!

And like we said, we’re working on a big before & after post of the entire beach house (here’s a sneak peek below)  but until then you can see most of the rooms in their final state (and all of the sources that you might ask about!) on our Shop Our Beach House page.

We’re Digging

Don’t look now, but Sherry’s watching Housewives in the mirror (it perfectly reflects our TV for her – ha!)

There’s the NordicTrack Treadmill we got for our bonus room (we’re considering it Sherry’s early Christmas present due to her newfound love of walking). She still much prefers her walks outside, but when it’s too cold or rainy she hops on here and turns on Housewives.

I noticed there’s a code on the listing at the moment for “free expert set-up.” I would totally take advantage of that! It was such a pain for us to wrestle it up the stairs alone, and assembling it ourselves was totally doable, but it took about an hour and required two people at certain moments.

I’m wearing one of the two pairs of Goodfellow & Co pants from Target that I bought recently. They’re the Slim Straight Fit Twill Pants in “moss,” which have detailing that’s kind of like jeans (think rivets on the pockets), but I also got these Slim Fit Chinos in dark gray that feel a bit more like dress pants.

They’re very similar to the Goodfellow shorts I dug back in Episode #99.

And since I basically just bought an outfit off of a Target mannequin for this event, this is the blazer, shirt, and shoes I’m wearing in that photo above. #fashionblogger

And because I know you don’t care what I’m wearing and want the details on Sherry’s outfit, here’s her top, dark jeans, and shoes.

If you’re looking for something we’ve dug in a past episode, but don’t remember which show notes to click into, here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging from all of our past episodes. You can also see all the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.

And lastly, a big thank you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. Sign up at Grove.co/YHL to receive a trio of Mrs. Meyers cleaners and a set of walnut scrubber sponges, or if you’re already a Grove customer, visit that link to still get the free sponges!

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time appeared first on Young House Love.

[statusreview]

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time

We recently passed the one year anniversary of moving furniture to our beach house, so this week we’re looking back on how we kept our sanity while decorating an entire house all at once. It made us realize that there are some flaws in our usual method of taking things slow and going one room at a time – so if you’re struggling with your own home, we have some ideas. We’re also recapping our trip to Chicago for the Domino Magazine Awards. Plus, I defend my take on navy cabinets and smart locks while Sherry buys something exceptionally ugly for our house.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to see the player.

What’s New

Thanks again to everyone who voted us Best Renovation Blog (!!!) in the Domino Magazine 2018 Design Blog Awards! We are so flattered, humbled, and grateful. Please check out the other winners below, too. We’re in great company!

The Best DIY Blog: The House of Wood by Jen Woodhouse.

The Best General Lifestyle Blog: Bright Bazaar by Will Taylor.

The Best International Design Blog: Hygge for Home by Reena Simon.

The Best Interior Design Blog: Studio McGee by Shea and Syd McGee.

The Best New Voice Blog: Emily Everyday by Emily Blanchard.

The Best Small Space Blog: A Small Life by Melanie Gnau.

The Modern Maverick: Yellow Brick Home by Kim and Scott Vargo.

 We realized MOST of our “photos” from the night are actually Boomerangs (you know, those short GIF-like videos like the one below) so your best recap of the event may be by checking out this Instagram post where Sherry posted a bunch of them that you can scroll through.

Also, here’s more proof of Sherry’s explanation that flowers in trash cans are an actual thing.

Updates

That’s the photo of tiling the duplex mudroom that had everyone wondering if we’d gotten a smart lock (which I ranted about back in Episode #113) but it’s actually just this keypad lock which doesn’t have any smart/wi-fi/Bluetooth features. Don’t be fooled by the “SmartKey” descriptor in the listing – that just means you can rekey the lock yourself to match any other existing Kwikset keys you have.

It’s slightly larger than your typical door hardware, but we appreciate that it matches the rest of the doorknob in color (we went with oil-rubbed bronze, but if you buy the nickel or brass versions, the entire thing is that finish).

If you’d like the details on that gray tile we used above, here you go.

Also, in the top left of the photo above, you can see the cabinet color that I egregiously called “navy” back in Episode #111 (for source info on all the other tile in the photo above, click here).

But maybe what I meant was that it’s closer to “the new navy” as Apartment Therapy recently speculated after spotting a growing peacock blue trend.

(source)

Our cabinets probably aren’t green enough to be dubbed a true peacock blue (Sherry’s description of a grayed out muted teal might be closer), but we’ve used peacock blue a lot in the past (like in our last home’s guest room and dining room)

And lastly, if you missed the original discussion of solving our stinky house problem with a crawl space dehumidifier, you can catch it back in Episode #103.

Decorating A Whole House

chandelier / ceiling medallion / rug / bookshelf / curtain rod / curtains

It’s been a little over a year since we first moved furniture into the beach house so it’s been fun looking back at the process and the progress – like this is what the living room looked like the day that we unloaded the moving truck.

It’s funny to look at what stayed right where it landed (like the coffee table base we got from a neighbor – which we later finished off with a DIY concrete top) and what got moved around (like that art above, which now hangs in the front bedroom).

Here’s another angle that demonstrates how we were able to shuffle things around easily. This is how the master bedroom looked right after move-in day:

And now it looks like this. The original bedding went into the middle bedroom (and got flipped upside down to calm the pattern a bit) and the original nightstands are now in the front bedroom, where they have more breathing room. Also, the blue rug that’s in here is one that we bought for the living room but once it arrived we decided we liked it better up here.

rug / bedding / nightstand / fan

We also mentioned in the podcast that we could vividly remember a few old blog posts where we deeply deliberated single decisions like a light shade, a kitchen rug, and even bath mats. Man there’s “a lot of look” in this image below. Thanks 2012!

And like we said, we’re working on a big before & after post of the entire beach house (here’s a sneak peek below)  but until then you can see most of the rooms in their final state (and all of the sources that you might ask about!) on our Shop Our Beach House page.

We’re Digging

Don’t look now, but Sherry’s watching Housewives in the mirror (it perfectly reflects our TV for her – ha!)

There’s the NordicTrack Treadmill we got for our bonus room (we’re considering it Sherry’s early Christmas present due to her newfound love of walking). She still much prefers her walks outside, but when it’s too cold or rainy she hops on here and turns on Housewives.

I noticed there’s a code on the listing at the moment for “free expert set-up.” I would totally take advantage of that! It was such a pain for us to wrestle it up the stairs alone, and assembling it ourselves was totally doable, but it took about an hour and required two people at certain moments.

I’m wearing one of the two pairs of Goodfellow & Co pants from Target that I bought recently. They’re the Slim Straight Fit Twill Pants in “moss,” which have detailing that’s kind of like jeans (think rivets on the pockets), but I also got these Slim Fit Chinos in dark gray that feel a bit more like dress pants.

They’re very similar to the Goodfellow shorts I dug back in Episode #99.

And since I basically just bought an outfit off of a Target mannequin for this event, this is the blazer, shirt, and shoes I’m wearing in that photo above. #fashionblogger

And because I know you don’t care what I’m wearing and want the details on Sherry’s outfit, here’s her top, dark jeans, and shoes.

If you’re looking for something we’ve dug in a past episode, but don’t remember which show notes to click into, here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging from all of our past episodes. You can also see all the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.

And lastly, a big thank you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. Sign up at Grove.co/YHL to receive a trio of Mrs. Meyers cleaners and a set of walnut scrubber sponges, or if you’re already a Grove customer, visit that link to still get the free sponges!

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time appeared first on Young House Love.

#117: The Downside To Decorating One Room At A Time published first on https://ssmattress.tumblr.com/