Election 2020

Everyone has just heard the news. Joe Biden is going to be our new president. I'm not as happy as I thought I would be. Most of my anxieties are gone. However, there is still so much hate and bigotry that resides in this country. I feel safer, but I still don't feel like a true American. A though I was born here and have lived here all my life I still feel like an outsider. Doesn't matter if Biden or Trump won. I will still have to be a PoC living in this country. I'm not ready to make nice with those who have hurt me because it's been longer than the past four years. It has been my whole life. I am surrounded by whiteness and I am constantly put in "my place" because of it. For those close to me, the only time I am "seen" as a PoC is when it benefits them. When being a PoC harms me, it's brushed off; I'm the one being "too sensitive." 

Day 3:

How could I have missed day 2? That just shows how much value I put into my own writing. I really need to do better. Anyway...

      Lady Sophia Rollins sat at her father's escritoire quill to parchment and froze. What would she say? What could she say? Far too dull for her taste. She shuttering thought of the last time he had dined at Westmoor. His boasting at the time seemed charming. No, it had to end.

    She looked down to find her letter splattered with ink. Sighing, she tossed it aside and pulled out a new sheet of paper. 

    'Why bother? If you ignore his letters he will have to leave you alone at some point.'    

    Sophia looked up to see her younger sister, Maria toss herself onto the 

Wayyy too late for brain

 It's way too late for my brain to even begin to think now. I said I would post every day, and so I shall.

AND I HAVE.

Start of Week Entry Update

Sorry, I know it's been a while. Got a new job and have been working through that. Things are slowing down a bit more though, so I'm going to try to keep up with  more posts. This blog is going to have a bit more of a switch to me and my writing. I don't really like the life blog; it's too personal. So instead I'm going to try to do more just general writing practice on here. My goal is to do something each day, even if it's crap. At least I'm practicing right?... or should I say write?

The Ridgewater Chronicles; a Romance, part 2

    I was led back down the hall by Abbey and steered up a set of stairs.

    "These are the ones that we use. As the help, we're supposed to keep as unseen as possible. You especially since you are Cook's help. Mr. Ridgewater is usually out most of the time. Mrs. Ridgewater is quite a nice lady. She has Cook make an extra dessert every Sunday just for us."

    "What are the children like?"

    "There's little Tommy, whose three, Jane, whose ten, and Isabelle, she's fourteen," Abbey grimaced.

    "What's wrong?"

    She sighed and whispered, "Well, Tommy and Jane are nice enough, but Isabelle... she's at that age." Abbey rolled her eyes. "Do you have any siblings?"

    I nodded. "I have a younger brother and three younger sisters," I said.

    "So you understand how the girls can be."

    I thought back to the number of days this past spring my sister, Katie, had come running back from the school house in tears. "Do the children go to school?"

    Abbey shook her head, "They have a governess coming from down South within the next few days. I wonder what she's like. I'm supposed to ready one of the rooms right down from here. This is our room." We had stopped in a short hall on the third floor of the house. Three doors lined each side of the hall. 

    I peered closely at the wall and touched it, "Wallpaper?"

    "Yes even for the servants! Mind you, our rooms are whitewashed, but back home, everything is white washed." She pointed to the door next to us, "That's for the new governess. The last one on this side is for Miss Lawson. She gets her own room, on account of how late Mrs. Ridgewater can stay up. Cook is across from her on the right. Then it's Mr. Brown, and George the stable hand.

    She opened our door and I stepped inside. The room was bare, but clean. Two small beds had been placed on either side of a large window. The walls were whitewashed, like Abbey had said. Her things sat on the left side of the room. I sat my bag down on a chair.

    "You probably should get changed into a work dress. I'm sure Cook will want you to get started soon. I'll be down the hall airing out the governess's room if you need anything. Once you're done dressing, come find me and I'll show you around the grounds," Abbey smiled and left the room, closing the door behind her. 

    I let out a deep sigh, glad for a moment alone. Quickly, I unbuttoned my Sunday dress and slipped on one of my three work dresses. The other two, I folded, along with my spare undergarments and winter petticoat, and placed them into an empty drawer of our shared dresser. When I finished, I walked down the all to find Abbey.

    She was in the governess's room, like she had said, but a young man was with her and I paused before entering. He was sitting on a wooden chair, identical to the one in our room. "Come on, Abbey! What's she like?"

    Abbey rolled her eyes and continued making the bed. "Quiet, George, she'll hear you."

    "But-."

    "Oh there you are, Mariam," Abbey looking up to see me standing in the doorway. "This little pest is George. He's the stable hand."

    George's ears went bright red with embarrassment. "Hello," he half heartedly waved a hand in my direction.

The Ridgewater Chronicles; a Romance, part 1

    I remember that first dreary autumn morning at the Ridgewater Mansion. My pa had told me once that it was the largest building from here to St. Paul. I had seen it before, but only ever from a distance and as I drew closer, I could feel myself begin to slow my pace. The Mansion loomed before me, as if it could sense my presence and did not like what it smelled. I froze, my breath catching in my throat. Fog clung to the grass like the whispers of ghosts. The Mansion's red bricks stood out against the haze. 

    Out of the corner of my eye I saw the flutter of a lace curtain being draw back. I looked up to see a girl, not much younger than myself, looking down at me. Her haughty face was icy pale, her expression as cold as the winter wind. Our eyes met and she smirked and quickly looked away.

    The family had only recently moved to our town in July and had already lost their cook's help. Mrs. Schmidt, our minister's wife, had told me they had moved here from New Orleans, Louisiana on account of Mr. Ridgewater running his logging business. Mrs. Schmidt also knew that Ma was in troubled states after Pa's death and said she would put in a good word for me with Mrs. Schmidt, even though they were Catholic.  

    I shifted my old carpet bag into my other hand, bowed my head, and stepped forward taking the side path to the back entrance as Mrs. Schmidt had instructed me. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door. The door creaked open and a blonde woman appeared.  Her gaze rolled over me, stopping when she saw my old boots.

    "You must be the new girl," she raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

    "Yes, ma'am."

    She snorted and opened the door for me to pass, "Cook's in the kitchen; last door on the left."

        I nodded and slid past her. The hallway was sparse and narrow, but well kept. I gasped when I entered the kitchen. Dainty china was stacked along one shelf.

    A thin woman with graying curls stood before the stove. "Is that you, Abby? Where have...," she turned to see me, "Oh never mind! Thought you were our scullery maid." She wiped her hands on her apron and gestured for me to sit down at a long table. 

    "It's Mariam, right?"

    "Yes, ma'am."

    "I'm Mrs. Radcliffe, but everyone calls me Cook. We have Mr. Brown, the butler, Miss Lawson, the house maid or lady's maid depending on the day, George, our stable hand, and Abby, our scullery maid. What do you know about the family?"

    "They moved here from New Orleans because of Mr. Ridgewater's logging business."

    Cook nodded, "Good, I know you're not a gossip then."

    My eyes widened, "Oh no, ma'am. I'm not a gossip."

    "What do you know about food?"

    I gulped, "I've been cooking for my family since my pa died."

    "And your ma?" 

    "She's been... busy with her sewing. She's a seamstress."

    Cook game me a knowing smile, "I think you'll do just fine here. You'll get paid two dollars and fifty cents every Friday and have your evenings off on Tuesdays. How does that sound to you?"

    My jaw nearly dropped. I had never held more than a dollar in my life. It would be more than enough to support my family, "That sounds wonderful. Thank you!" 

    "Whose this?" a red headed young woman poked her head around the door frame.

    "Ah! Abby, come over here and meet our new cook's help."

    Abby bounded over, holding her hand out to me, "Oh nice to meet you! My name is Abby. I'm the scullery maid. My ma wanted me to be a cook's help, but Cook nearly fired me last time I burned the toast. Not to mention the time I forgot the pot on the stove and burned straight through it. Or when I broke that tea pot last week.

    "You broke that tea pot? I nearly had George's head on a spike for that." Cook managed to cut in.

    Abby's eyes widened, "Cook, I think I aught to show our new cook's help to our room. The two of us share after all. 

An Adventure in Achievements and Gratitude

It's pretty rare for me to brag. Usually, I enjoy holding my cards close to my chest, revealing only thoughts as opposed to my actions. However, I want to open myself up a little more to the world. My first step in doing this is to announce what actions I have been most proud of during this time of COVID. 

I started this blog and I've stuck with it. I didn't make as many posts as I would have liked to last month, but I'm refusing to be hard on myself about it. This is supposed to be fun, after all.

I've spent less money. Not no money... but less than I usually do and that's all that matters. Baby steps. I haven't bought yarn in months (with the exception for a gift for someone else and a skein I needed for a scarf I was finishing.) And for the most part, any new clothing I buy has been second hand! 

Over the past few months, I've been reading more! (This can be seen on my other blog, A Lady Reads). I tried to get an instagram for this blog, but that felt a little too much for right now. I'm not sure exactly how many books I have read, but I've been able to get through a lot this summer.

As posted previously, I have learned how to sew. Honestly, it's going much better than I expected. I can make skirts!! I'll never have to buy another skirt! (and I wear a lot of those!) 

I've learned how to minimize the objects in my life. It's made things so much less complicated. I had no idea how overwhelmed I was by the objects I owned, that is until I started getting rid of things. The things that I own now have the most meaning. Am I a radical minimalist? No and I'll probably never be. That's ok! I want to have somethings. However, I'm still going through my closet. Enough stuff is enough stuff!

This spring and summer I have been able to grow plants! I'm amazed at how much this has changed me. I feel so much more at peace in my living space. I've realized I really don't need much more of a space than what I have. (I would like to get one more plant! Some sort of tree plant for inside... so long as Lyrah doesn't eat it).

The purchase of my ukulele was probably one of the best decisions I've made in a while! I needed to bring music back into my life. I'm surprised at how many songs I've been able to learn in just a few short months.

I have made a friend! She is my new spirit sister; we both follow a similar Pagan Path. It's been great having someone that enjoys the same religious experiences that I take part in. She is someone I have been able to talk to about herbalism and magik, and I never realized how much I needed that.

Lately, I have been working towards setting more boundaries with people. Healthy boundaries. When someone says something that upsets me, I have started speaking up. I'm not going to tolerate being told what to do by others or be belittled anymore. It's exhausting, but so worth it. 

Finally, I've been taking care of my skin. I learned a few months ago that although my skin has been pretty clear of acne, it will age poorly due to dryness. I've noticed some improvement, which is good. My face feels a lot more smooth.

An Adventure with My Amazon Watchlist: Day 4, part 2

I ran out of space for the labels in my last post. I'm starting a new one here

Like Clouds, Like the Wind: Damn it! In Japanese. 

Midsommar: I'm really tired of movies being over two hours long. Needs to stop asap. It's good, but it's to quiet to hear on my laptop. Going to save this one to watch on my T.V.

Miss Austen Regrets: Nope. People forget that Jane Austen's works are not so melodramatic and hyper romantic. She was a very logical sort of person. This is all wrong 4/10

Morobito (Live action): I started to watch the anime version of this on Netflix once. I wanted to see what happened, so I put this on my list. It's ok. I just can't get into it myself. 5/10 (those green screen effects though...💀)

Night Scream: I had started to watch this one a while ago. It's a good Lifetime quality thriller. 7/10

Northanger Abbey: Wow... it only takes two minutes and they misquote Austen. 0/10

Ready or Not: I saw this one in theaters and it's pretty good. I mean I wouldn't buy it, but it has a good plot. Main character marries into a wealthy board-game family. They make her play a weird ass game of hide and seek, so she has to survive. Weirdly, reminds me of Knives Out, which I liked better. I can't remember how this one ends though. 

    You know who I feel bad for? Margot Robbie. Thought she was the lead in this. *Spoilers* It's the devil. I will say the explosive ending was pretty funny. 7/10

Scents and Sensibility: Oh. We'll come back to you Scents and Sensibility.

Shadow Island Mysteries: I'm not sure which one is supposed to go first. I had started to watch the wedding one before, so I'm assuming it's that one. They're alright; basically a Hallmark movie mystery. 7/10

Honey Boy: Oops, I missed this one! I'm not going to watch this whole thing, I just wanted to "see about it" if that makes any sense. It's really good! If you are into thinky-feely deep sort of movies. Labeouf did a great job; hope he makes more things like this and I hope it has brought him some sort of peace. My only concern is they guy they got to play Labeouf in treatment. He looks nothing like Labeouf, which wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that young Otis looks like young Labeouf. I will say the actor is very good though. It really was beautiful. 10/10

The Stone of Destiny: The most Scottish. DNF 7/10

The Ash Lad: Not sure what language this was in originally. I love it! It's a light fantasy romp. It did make me think, why do all fantasy stories start with a barn/farm getting burned down? DNF but 9/10 fro effort

AND I'VE GOTTEN MY WATCHLIST DOWN TO 60 MOVIES! STARTED AT NEARLY 100 A FEW DAYS AGO. DOWN TO 13 THINGS TO WATCH. (15 of the 60 are either things that I have to pay for or things another one of my family members has listed and I refuse to watch my sisters Nicolas Sparks bullshit💩).

An Adventure with my Amazon Watchlist: Day 4, part 1

*Sorry if the tags on this post are wrong. Blogger being weird. 

I've decided to stick with T.V. Shows today. Thought it would be something I could get through a little more quickly. For the most part, I plan to only watch the first one or two episodes.

Good Omens: I have tried to listen to this as an audiobook. Couldn't recommend it that way. This version if far too much like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. 5/10

Grantchester: This feels like a much more subdued Father Brown. I'm a little confused by the lead character. Is he a Catholic priest or... whatever it's called for the Church of England? Is he supposed to be with a woman? I feel like not, but it doesn't look like he cares if anyone notices. (Googled it; he's an Anglican vicar and can most defiantly get married.) Then why is the woman he's with marrying another man? In conclusion: this is a very subdued Father Brown, not sure if I like it 6/10.

    This "What the Dickens?!" business needs to stop.

Hans Christian Anderson: Lead, a grown ass man, abandons a dying man in his house to go to a parade. F*ck no. 0/10

His Dark Materials: Saving this one for a later post.

Homecoming: I'm telling you right now. It's the government. It's always the government. 0/10

Jane Eyre (2006 series): Is this Jane Eyre or The Secret Garden? Nope- most def Jane Eyre. I think I've seen this version before. They really upped the violence in this one. No, seriously, this version of the aunt makes the evil stepmother in Cinderella look empathetic. A bit too heavy handed for me. 2/10

Little Dorrit: I've seen this before. Pretty typical Charles Dickens. Costumes are good though. 7/10

Little Women (PBS series): Makes the 2019 version look even more like sh*t. Would give more points, but I still hate Beth and she's still alive after the first episode. 9/10

Middlemarch: Ohhh I've tried to watch this before. NOOOO IT'S GEORGE ELLIOT! 0/10

Midsommer Murders and Murder, She Wrote: Technically next on my list, but I've seen them both before and I just love them! 10/10

Ordeal by Innocence: I have watch the first episode of this. Reminds me a little too much of the ABC Murders and not The Pale Horse. I know some of the siblings are adopted, but they grew up together. So why does one of the brothers sound like he lives at a cockney shipyard? (I'm American so I don't know if that's racist or not.) Also, it's a bit odd, but I've seen about everything that Matthew Goode has been in. And my god, I thought the aunt in Jane Eyre was over the top... Goode's character is completely off the charts. 5/10

Ren: Ren is fantastic! I first saw it as a Youtube mini series. I just wish there were more episodes. They had been working on one, but I'm not sure if the funding worked out. It's a great fantasy mini-mini series. And when I say mini, I mean mini. All of the episodes add up to about an hour long watch. Very Legend of the Seeker meets Outpost. 10/10

Sense and Sensibility (1981 series): WOW! This is bad. It sounded like one of the sisters is called "Ellen"... and she looks like she's the same age as their mom. Marianne looks like she's about 13. Also what's with all the early 2000s eyeliner. Looks like they are about to go to an Avril Lavigne concert. 2/10

Tales of Little Women: Why? Because I'm trash. 10/10

AND FINALLY MY LAST SHOW!

Vikings: ...Someone else in my family has been watching this and I don't want to mess up where they are at. I guess I'll have to watch this on Netflix.

ON TO THE MOVIES:

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: I just want to get through this series again. I can't remember which ones are the good ones. I know I liked the first one.

    Never mind- they are all bad. They need a main actor who doesn't look like muscle for the mob, especially with that accent. 2/10 (because I like this historical murder).

Dune: I cAn'T; it's soooooo bad. 0/10

Haunting Sarah: I can't begin to tell you how skeptical I am of this one. We shall see. 

    I was right. 1/10 (because I think I could watch it drunk.)

Imaginary Friend: UMMMM I frickin love this movie! It's got Gretchen from Mean Girls, so an instant Lifetime Movie Classic. It actually has a pretty good twist to it too. 9/10

Jack the Ripper; London Slasher: If this is dumb, I'm going to just move on.

John Tucker Must Die: YASSS. I love this movie! I actually dated a John Tucker in high school... yeah I was the bitchy one that looks like Katherine Heigl. I'm a little disappointed by what happened to the guy who plays John Tucker. He's become the angry sort of Christian. Doesn't really matter; he'll go down in history for this movie. 10/10

An Adventure with My Amazon Watchlist: Day 3

Daniel Deronda: Hugh Dancy (aka, happy and less dramatic Orlando Bloom) AND Romola Garai!? Sounds lovely to me! While watching, I can see why they cast Garai for Emma in 2009. She's good at playing amore selfish character with out making them completely unlikable.

    I keep finding myself checking the IMDB page for this one. There are so many actors from other period dramas I have seen. I'm also fairly certain this is my first experience with one of George Eliot's works (YEs iM a FRauD😅). As a side note- I frickin loved the archery contest in the first episode. That is something I need to get into.

    Spoilers- That.Ending. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. It literally made me hate the whole show. I will never read an Eliot novel. I've wasted this whole afternoon. 0/10

Dark Shadows: Technically my list has the revival series listed first, but I thought it would be best to start with the O.G. version. I have seen the movie with Johnny Depp... and I actually liked it. I'm assuming, based on reviews of the movie, that the show is more like a classic soap opera, as opposed to a goofy comedy. 

    I like the style of the show; costumes and set are great. However, I don't think this one is for me. I can see how someone might like it, especially at the time it was made. Just not for me. 3/10

Dark Shadows; the Revival: This is already better. I like things that are in black and white, but this version made me realize how hard it was to see anything in the original version. The show is still a little goofy. Like why use the term "governess"... shouldn't it be "live-in tutor"? I know they're rich, but rich people hire tutors for their kids. I think I'm going to have to pass on this one. 4/10

Dear Zachary: Yeah... I'm not watching that right now... I know what happens at the end. And not after the disappointment that was Daniel Deronda. 10/10

Detective Anna: Argh! Why is this in Russia(?)??? Costumes and set are wonderful, but I don't feel like reading a mystery. 5/10

Dragonslayer: Movie- Skip for tomorrow

Gentleman Jack: First thought; AMAZING COSTUMES! Also, Bridget Jones' mum?! 

    So far I really like the show. Anne reminds me of Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes, without the over the topic sociopathic tendencies. (Meaning this Anne is smarmy without being a d-bag.) She clearly cares about those around her and is determined. She don't take no shit, and all without being a contrived robot... but now that I think about it, that is because Anne Lister was a real person and we know quite a bit about her. 10/10

An Adventure in Witchcraft

    There is a term going around in the Witchy communities that I don't fully understand; a "baby" witch. It sounds gross and demeaning. Yes, I understand that there are new practitioners to witchcraft. Calling them babies is very demeaning/dismissive, makes us as a whole look foolish, and can lead to further harm in spell work.

    I am not new to witchcraft. I've been a pagan for nearly a little over a decade and a practicing witch for nearly as long. However, I am aware there are people who have been practicing more diligently and for a longer period of time than me. If any of those people were to call me a "baby", I would find it belittling. Calling a grown adult a "baby" is infantilizing. You are literally saying "you are a child that cannot take care of itself and therefore I will not take you seriously". It's toxic within our community for us to be treating each other that way. We all have valuable knowledge and share our learnings. And there are times where we all get things wrong. It is not far to assume that because someone is new to a concept, that their ideas are less valuable.

    It also makes us look foolish to the greater societal community. We are literally calling each other "babies". How is anyone supposed to take us seriously when we do that? Why would anyone want to join, especially if they thought it meant they would be harassed by being constantly called a baby? It has been so hard for us to be taken seriously in the past and now we're at a crucial point where mainstream society is valuing what we have to say. They are listening and hearing us call each other babies. Is that what we want non-witches to take from us?

    This name calling can also lead to further harm. So many people lack confidence in their craft. This is dually so when they get called baby. These new people then latch on to this idea of being a baby. I've seen practitioners who have been at it for longer than I have, refer to themselves as being baby. It's not humbling; it's a lack of confidence in their work. Witches need to have confidence in their craft in order to... well.. work. This is especially true for those who come from backgrounds in which their identities have not been valued. For example, I come from a pretty conservative Christian background. When I was young, I was not valued as a woman. If I started my craft now, I would not feel valued because I am new and keep getting called a "baby witch". (That's not to say you can't be a Christian and a witch, this is just an example).

    Maybe there is something that I don't understand here. I don't think so and I'm disappointed in with the witchy community for letting this happen. I was so welcomed when I joined and now we are calling each other babies. 

An Adventure with My Amazon Watchlist: Day 2

Belgravia: Those Amazon white-livered drunkards! I thought I would be able to watch all of this fantastic show, but I am only see the first two episodes without paying for it. This show is wonderful! I love how they played with the style of clothing to show the two different timelines (see Little Women 2019, it can work to you benefit). All I could think was that I need to get to work on sewing a regency gown and then the 1840 scenes would happen and I would get ready to sew a hoop-skirt. It's also great to finally see a regency drama in which the mother is not portrayed as "ridiculous" (aka, Mrs. Bennet knock off).

    The plot will suck you in right away! Drama. Drama. Drama! However, you have the feeling that things will turn out alright, unlike Downton Abbey. I would compare it to Doctor Thorne. 

    The only issue is that the cast if very large and I find it difficult to remember everyone's name. There were also two characters that looked too similar, played by Tamsin Greig (aka Miss Bates in the 2009 version of Emma) and Harriet Walter. They also didn't age the characters very well. Tamsin Greig's character has a daughter of marrying age at the beginning, so I would imagine her to be nearly 40. Then the story moves ahead about 25 years, so she would be in her 60s, but her hair is only a little more grey and her husband hasn't changed at all. I mean they digitally enhanced the stucco on the buildings to look more accurate. Couldn't they have done to the actors' faces in the 1815 timeline?

    There are so many classic twist of Julian Fellowes's craftsmanship. He needs to stick to more mini-series such as this. (I know this is a pretty controversial opinion, but Downton was a little too drawn out for my taste.) Could not recommend more. 10/10

Beowulf; A Legend Reclaimed: This isn't a terrible adaptation of Beowulf. I can totally see how someone could get into it. It just failed to capture my attention. Feels like a Lord of the Rings sort of rip-off. If you need some sort of fantasy in your day, I would say go for it. 6/10

Black Field: This is a Bronte Sister adaptation? Wait no, it was just inspired by... um ok? 5/10

Bramwell: Bad version of Dr. Quinn... 

Britannia: I wanted to like this. Why don't I like this? Why do all the actors look like knock off other actors? DNF Try again later.

It has now dawned on me that my watchlist has more than 90 movies on it still... this is going to take me more than a few days....

Carnival Row: OOOO I like this! I feel like it's been years since I've seen anything with Orlando Bloom in it! I think, just maybe, I might need a break from T.V....

An Adventure with My Amazon Watchlist: Day 1

Here I will keep a running list of shows/movies that I have watched with a brief review

Absentia: I'm pretty sure this is one that my sister or stepdad added. It's a show about a woman who was declared dead after being missing for six years. When she returns she learns that she has become the suspect in a string of murders. 

    Not sure how much I like this one. I do love a good mystery and I think it would be worth watching a few episodes. I'm a little concerned that the mystery might be more interesting than the characters. They did a good job showing how PTSD can effect people, but other than that, the characters are pretty flat. 

Never mind; I just google how the mystery ends and it is BAD. Let's just say it doesn't sound very LGBT+ friendly. 5/10

Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders: Now I know I was the one to add this to the list. I just love Agatha Christie. However, I remember starting this mini-series and finding it dull. 

    And I wasn't wrong. This version is so slow! Something I like about the movies and radio dramas based on Christie's works is that they cut out the fluff. This mini series really had to stretch things out and in doing so, it became too drawn out. Not to mention, I'm not a fan of this version of Poirot. There is usually a slight sense of humor around him, but this Poirot is overly dramatic and serious. 2/10

Agatha Christie's The Pale Horse: The Pale Horse is one of my favorite works by Christie! I was so excited when this version came out and it did not disappoint. At thought it deviates quite a bit from the source material, it is still a fantastic rendition. I throughly enjoyed the horror-drama that was created. It has a lot of the same tones as The ABC Murders, but because there really isn't an iconic lead, such as Poirot, it would have been difficult to make a mess of things. Mark is still in the story, but his character has been changed. The two concerns I have with this version is the age of the women cast to be his wives. Yes, Mark is now a womanizer, but these wives are both 28 and he is clearly in his 50's at the very least. I could understand Hermia being younger, but his first wife just doesn't make sense. I also took issue with the ending. I did have to do a little digging to understand it, just wish that would have been a little more clear. 8/10

An Inspector Calls: Are they in German? OOO pretty dress! Why do all these Germans have the MOST British accents possible? Is the mom Rita Skeeter? *Gasp* That's Lupin! ... Wait, in his other German movie, he plays a Nazi... Gawd, I can't watch this, but maybe one day I'll teach it. 1/10

The Hustle: For the past few titles, I have been going through my Watchlist in alphabetical order. I had to take a quick break from British dramas and watch something a little more upbeat (The next thing in order was another BBC show). I've seen The Hustle once before in theaters. It's great! Is it a high quality film? No. But it's a good, funny romp in the vain of Spy, The Heat, and Bridesmaids. 9/10

Atlantis: End of the World, Birth of a Nation: Oh the slow-mo, the horror! 0/10

Beauty and the Beast (2015 [2014 IMDB] mini-series): Not to be confused with the 2014 French film, La Belle et La Bete, which is also fantastic. This mini series is wonderful. It's a mix between Dangerous Liaisons and Phantom of the Opera bundled into a traditional Beauty and the Beast story. The series very clearly had a low budget, but they did the very best with what they were given; good costumes and amazing set design. The acting needed some work, but I think this was the first film in English many in the cast had done, so I won't hold that against them. The plot got a little slow in the second episode and I found myself getting a little distracted. 9/10

An Adventure With My Amazon Watchlist

I have been so bored. I'm a teacher which means my summers are pretty slow. With COVID going on, I've decided to take measures of isolation, which I enjoy... to a point. For the next two days (maybe three or four) I will be binging everything on my family's watchlist on Amazon. The vast majority are things that I or my sister have added. I refuse to watch any of her Nicklas Sparks nonsense that is on there. I can't stand it! I plan to write a little review for each Show/Movie I watch.

-The Lady Adventurer

An Adventure in Youtube Drama

Jenna Marbles has "quit" Youtube due to "bullying".

Or at least that's what all the drama channels are saying. 

Jenna in her video stated that she is going to be stepping back from Youtube in order to reassess her own values. She commented that she has made some videos in the past that have hurt many marginalized groups and apologized for it. 

This is not the same as "I quit because people are mean." Jenna is a grown-ass woman who has taken accountability for things that she has done that were and still are wrong. Also, Jenna Marbles "fans", unproblematic isn't a word. Also a person can't BE problematic, ideas and actions are. Jenna did something bad and she said sorry. I think this is a time for her to do some self reflection because she knew what did was wrong and didn't realize how much it could hurt someone.

The same goes for Logan Paul, who notoriously filmed, edited, and posted a video of a dead person. Logan called out his brother after he was filmed looting a store during a Black Lives Matter protest. Logan addressed the privilege he has as a wealthy white male and how different the world is for him. I honestly thought this was another one of this nonsense videos, but I watched him talking about this. It was the first time I've ever seen a genuine side of Logan Paul.  

I think both of these Youtubers are taking admirable steps. What they need to do now is to show the public that they are in fact trying to find ways of bettering themselves. They need to now use their privilege for good, instead of remaining ignorant. I have faith in both of them and their capabilities at doing better.

Someone who has done this poorly is Shane Dawson. This is a controversial opinion, but Shane Dawson is and always has been trashy. He is the sort of person that will sell out his own grandmother and not think twice about it. Shane made a response video to Jenna and "apologized" for all that he has done. It did not in the least come across as being genuine. Shane Dawson, much like Logan Paul, is a character. The difference here is that Logan has recently shown some genuine self-awareness, where as Shane just sort of fake cried for ten minutes. 

Honestly, I'm really getting sick of Youtube in general. It's all the same trashy nonsense. There is rarely anything meaningful being posted (and I'm realizing this is not something new, just something I'm more aware of). It's all just drama channels that keep spreading misinformation, surprise/prank videos, bad music, and I'm exhausted by it. This will probably be my end of Youtube. Honestly, I have better things to do with my life. (With the exception of Booktube and Witchtube.)

An Adventure in the Ukulele

Before the start of COVID, I had the great idea of learning to play a new instrument. I already know how to play the piano, flute, and oboe. I thought it would be fun to try a string instrument, which led me to the ukulele... because it was less expensive than a cello and more quiet than a violin.

I looked into the history of the ukulele, which explained a lot to me about the type of music I've heard written specifically for playing ukulele. It's from the Pacific Islands and has a strong foundation in their cultural heritage. There are also a few different types. I purchased a soprano one, because I thought it was the best for a starter instrument. I bought a cheap one off Amazon just because I wasn't sure if I would like it.

Turns out, I love it!! It has brought me such solace in COVID. My first song I learned was Aloha Oe and have been using it as my warm up. I did this to honor the traditions of Pacific Islander cultures and to remind myself how culturally important the ukulele is. Since then, I have learned to play some Norah Jones, Dolly Parton, Aly and Aj, and Colbie Caillat. I would like to start working on playing some older jazz, like Ella Fitzgerald. I think it would sound great on the ukulele. I also plan to upgrade in a year or two. My ukulele has plastic strings and is pretty poorly made. I've heard how the more expensive ones sounds and the tone is so much more deep and full sounding.

An Adventure in Hudson, Wisconsin

I was finally able to go on my first adventure for this blog! My family and I took a little trip to Hudson, Wisconsin. 

We decided to begin our adventure by checking out some of the local shops. I was happy to see the high number of COVID precautions each store took. Many of the customers wore masks as well (My family and I did). The stores were all cute and reasonably priced. My first purchase was at Grand Fete. They have a lovely selection of local loose leaf teas. I highly recommend the lime cucumber blend! Perfectly refreshing for summer and just the right amount of caffeine. My other purchase was a jacket from La Rue Marche. The store is a little more on the selective side, but the inventory is so cute! They have some great sales and I could not pass up my new jacked.

After shopping, we checked in at The Phipps Inn. I was in absolute heaven! It's a beautiful B&B and clearly well cared for. The owners had some good COVID precautions put in place, which made us feel safe. There were other guests, but we only saw them briefly. The rooms were nice and clean. Breakfast the following morning was good. My only concern was the rosemary in the egg bake. I'm not a fan of rosemary and there was a lot in the eggs. However, the baked apple was delicious! Over all, it was a great stay at The Phipps Inn. I hope to go back in the the future. 

Hudson is a nice place for a weekend get away. I was a little disappointed by the lack of social distancing at some of the restaurants and bars. There were a lot of staff not wearing masks. I didn't like this because they were handling food. Gross!

An Adventure in the Vintage Aesthetic

Vintage aficionado, Rachel Maksy, made a lovely video about the Vintage Community. The video is about the progressive side of the Vintage Community. It was lovely, but something rubbed me the wrong way. Then I realized it was two somethings or rather two someones; Bernadette Banner and Karolina Zebrowska.

Banner and Zebrowska have been a large part of the Vintage Community. They are both intelligent professionals and are highly knowledgable about vintage topics. I think this is why I am writing this post.

A few years ago Zebrowska made a video about how "real women" dressed in the early 20th century, for which she received a lot of black lash. I don't have the words as to why her particular video upset me. I think it was in the ignorance that she could speak for all working class women in a single video. I have watched many of her videos and Banner's videos, but have never heard either of them address any diverse topics. They are working class white women and they only address working class white women. There is on way that in the amount of research they have done on historical fashion that they have not come across any topics or ideas about someone unlike themselves in culture and appearance; someone non-western, non-white, non-straight, or (gasp) even non-traditionally feminine. 

I am a person who is Western, half white, straight, and very cisgendered feminine. I want to hear about more diverse topics. People might say back to me, well why don't you do the research. Honestly, because I shouldn't have to. I am not a fashion historian. Zebrowska and Banner are. That is what they make videos about. I am an English teacher and I make sure I provide diverse materials for ALL my students. Why? Not only for representation's sake, but because diverse voices are have been historically underrepresented and I owe it to them.  

I hold no ill will towards Masky, Banner, or Zebrowska. I'm just disappointed with how casually they take on a vintage identity. I don't need or even want them to say in every video how privileged they are when it comes to race. I would like them to be more aware of it. I see colorblindness in them and I recognize that is something personal to me. 

Please let me know if you know of any more progressive vintage  icons in the comments below!

-The Lady Adventurer 

Rachel Maksy's Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5GAJl_vXxI

An Adventure In American Blackness

Evolution is the concept in which a being, large or small, adapts in order to survive a new or changing environment. A black bird in Antartica will do its best to survive, but at some point the harsh conditions will break it. A black bird is not meant to survive in a frozen wasteland and has no hope of survival, even after four hundred years. Its experiences of Antartica will be different than that of a penguin, a being that has had hundreds of thousands of years to adapt. Now what if the penguins had created Antartica and then blamed the black birds for not being able to adapt?

Hi. I'm Black. It's nice to meet you.

I know I don't look, or talk, or act "Black", or so I have been told by the White people around me. I live in the Twin Cities, but was raised in a rural area. I was one of three Black students in my graduating class. I was in the top eight of my graduating class. I don't know where they ranked. 

In college, I was friends with the other two half race girls at my university. We lived together at the "mixed girl house." My senior year, I took a DNA test and found out that I'm only a quarter Black. I haven't spoken to them lately.

As a teacher, I thought being Black would be an asset. 

I was told not to see color, because I could pray by dark skin away. I was told I was racist against White people, because I wasn't allowed to teach To Kill A Mockingbird. I was told that it's ok for students to use racially charged language, because they have a disability. This sounds crazy. I must be lying.

There are two Americas, one a subversive doppelgänger, with her picket fences and independence; the other a broken trueself, brutalized, rejected, and set ablaze. I know they are both there. I live in the plane of America II as a second class citizen and I have been able to see into America I my whole life. I see it in my White sister, my mother, my stepfather. They see glimpses of me, a shadow in a mirror, a reflection in a puddle. 

And they ask me why I want to leave.

An Adventure in Sewing

It appears I am a seamstress now.

After weeks of cleaning and a wicked case of knitter's elbow, I've decided I need a new hobby. When I was about seven or eight, I was into quilting. I tried to make a dress once, but failed miserably and decided to do away with sewing forever.

Then my stepdad texted a picture of his "mask" he wore to work. It was just an old bandana they had laying around the house. I was so utterly disappointed that I decided to take action.  I stole my mother's sewing machine (it was alright, she broke mine) and waited in line at Joann Fabrics for forty minutes. 

That night, I was home whipping up mask after mask. I even found some old elastic in my mother's sewing basket (which I had also stolen... and was decidedly less okay...). Anyway, after I mastered my mask making skills, I decided to do something even more risky. Hemming and altering my own clothing.

This started with a skirt I had ordered from Thredup.com. The floor-length skirt was sadly as size too small. I decided to hem it from the top and adding in an elastic band. This worked surprisingly well and I now have a knee length elastic skirt... that is slightly too large!

For my next project, I chose to do something more eco-friendly and made some reusable menstrual pads. I promise, not nearly as gross as they sound. If our female ancestors could do it, and have to wash them with out a washing machine, I can too. Also our planet is dying, but that's for another post.

Finally, for my sewing project, I kept up with the eco-friendly ideas and made a few unpaper towels out of some t-shirts from high school. These turned out fantastic! I would highly recommend making them. Much more absorbent and far more sturdy than regular rags or paper towels.  Here's a link to a similar pattern that I used: https://www.joann.com/how-to-make-reusable-%E2%80%9Cpaper%E2%80%9D-towels/522173376P20.html I didn't use the snaps with mine, and they turned out just fine.

Sewing has been a great activity for the past few weeks. If you can't get your hands on a sewing machine, there is always hand sewing (which in my opinion is far more durable if done properly).

Adventure waits for no one,
The Lady Adventurer

An Adventure in Teaching

This week was my first week with distance learning due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

It has been an... interesting adventure...

This week started off rough. The kids were not ready and I quickly realized, I wasn't either. I should probably give you some background on the school that I work at. This is my first year teaching in an intermediate district. (AKA it's an alternative school setting.) Most of my students have been through the wringer and struggled with substance abuse. They are great kids, just have some tough lives.

Anyway, we have been doing well together this year. My struggles have come from my co-wokers and administration. There are twenty-six teachers in my field. Within that field, my school specifically has three teachers. One is a first year teacher and the other is new to the setting. Both are roughly two to three decades older than me. This really doesn't bother me, but I think it bothers the first year teacher. She has a tendency to offer a lot of "advise". For the most part, I have managed to find ways to work with this. However, since she is not a traditional classroom teacher, she has not been teaching during our distance learning. Instead, she has taken up the wonderful position of observing my classes and offering me tips. Today she asked one of the heads of the school we work at to thank someone for printing of MY worksheets. Monday she texted me, "The students are clearly check out of your lesson. They all have their hoods up." I love it so much...

For these twenty-six teachers, we have three administrators, which is a lot. On top of this we have three "coaches" who are supposed to also observe me. The three coaches are not my "bosses"... but they're not not my  bosses. For example, our literacy specialist, controls the purse strings I have in my classroom. Meaning she gets to pick the books I teach. There is also a condescending tone that they have a tendency to use because they have done more research than I have. I wanted to teach a novel study unit that I had created with the help of a senior teacher. She told me that she was going to, "encourage me to teach nature essays." I told her I was unfamiliar with nature essays and asked for some examples. She didn't respond for two weeks and when she finally did, so told me I would have to find some. She then proceeded to "forget" to order my books until after the orders were due. Meaning I wouldn't get my books for four months instead of two.

Did I mention that I also don't have a curriculum?

Honestly, I'm struggling. I've reached out for support from my admin and the help I received was disappointing. Basically more meetings for based around how I can do better. I also haven't been informed if my contracting is going to be renewed or not. Legally, from what I understand, they were supposed to let me know by April 1st. But at this point, I really don't even care about the job aspect of it. I care about my students and am dedicated to them. I think in all, I'll give teaching one to two more years, but then that's it. I'm done being treated like I'm stupid or incompetent. I'm worth more than that.

An Introduction to Adventure

This is probably the worst times in recent memory to start a travel blog. COVID-19 is running rampant all over the world. I've been almost completely restricted to my 650 square foot apartment, with the exception of getting groceries.

That's why I'm creating an adventure blog.

"They f*ck is an adventure blog?" you might be asking. Well, to be honestly, I really don't know myself, but I think that's going to be the point. For this blog, I'm going to make it my goal to find the adventure in all things, both big and small.

Even if it means I can't leave my apartment... at least for the time being.

Catch you soon,
The Lady Adventurer