Tom Riddle

Rupert has had his Covid vaccination!

“Just got jabbed. Thank you Matt!! Very easy…”

Wonderful news (and as Susie said “Thankfully the mask covers the moustache”!)

ETA: and for those asking about the t-shirt, Rupert replied that it’s this Echo & The Bunnymen one:

Sybill Trelawney

Sybill

This picture describes you the best to me. This doe-eyed, whiny, annoying middle school child (probably another reason her and Lavender connected so well). As a Hermione-type to begin with (and only increasing as I age) it’s not surprising that I found Sybil and her class to be ridiculous, but there are two parts to that. First, not being religious or believing in how when I was born controls that much of my life, the class itself was a bit frou-frou and crap and would be no matter who was teaching it. Secondly, she is the queen of frou-frou. For the most part, she had no real talent or skills but pretended she was this great predictor of everything and just a fraud, and that’s what upset me the most. 

The universe is amazing, we can learn so much, but for her, it was all about her and the universe! (and how was she a Ravenclaw? More than Pettigrew I need a recount on that one) it was how she approached the material and how she saw herself that made her most distasteful because she wasn’t even a semi-good seer (that she knew of). She thought she was better than everyone else (much like Gilderoy--another Ravenclaw, definitely a pattern) for things that weren’t even her strengths, she was just of damn full of herself and annoying. But really, I don’t care. All of these things were annoying, she’s annoying but that’s it. She’s nothing more to me, so one lesson to glean, don’t be like her. But of course, the other lesson she also wouldn’t know about it as she didn’t know herself, expect the unexpected. 

In a way it’s sad, thou she didn’t need to know and didn’t need to be a Seer, she actually was one, in the most crucial of times. Damn Universe.  Somehow, through all that fluff and pompous, she made two predictions that greatly altered the world and never knew this. On one hand, you could say this means that you should believe in yourself, but I’m not saying that, what I am saying is that there are miracles, there is the universe and people can do unexpected and extraordinary things: even if they don’t know it. Crazy

Lack of Trust and it is the Police who are to blame

Growing up, I would come home from school and watch ALL the Law and Orders. Still do today. I didn’t hear much about how cops were pigs and corrupt—I heard a few stories but mostly kids and teenagers hating the police because they wanted to be against the government more than anything actually have happened to them

With the murder of Trayvon Martin I was very confused. It’s a kid, in a hoodie. 95% of my life I a kid in a hoodie, so…what’s going on here. Then I moved, spent less time with my parents and under strict supervision and would see and have interactions with police.

I’d see them texting while driving, the wrong way down a road.

I’d see them run through the red light without or without the siren on, or just turn it on so others would get out of the way. Both panic-inducing, confusing, disrupting and disturbing as that is a really, loud noise.

I’ve seen them brush off issues that they felt were beneath them to deal with and experienced them lying to me and my lack of understanding and believing and trusting them being held against me. Obviously I was the one who was lying, because at the time I didn’t know my rights. 

(ACLU, thank you for your efforts to make this and other protections in this and other interactions known: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/stopped-by-police#ive-been-pulled-over-by-the-police) 

The distrust of the police is not media brainwashing; it is the complete trust and authority given to police that comes from the all the television shows that at this point are pure propaganda. The police’s values are supposed to be about compassion, respect and professionalism but in my experience their main priority is not their life or even their paycheck but whatever they want when they want it. My experiences are small, but it is the lack of accountability with the most minor of offences that allow larger acts to go unreported—becoming part of the norm.

Police officers choose to serve their communities and they need to prove they are serving all of their community with police officers only being approved if they pass racial bias exams, and police communities are focused on reform with the guidelines set by Campaign Zero and other organizations and reporting systems based on integrity. (https://www.joincampaignzero.org/reports)

Leabharlann and dhachaigh, Dhachaigh and Leabharlann

Extending what you can and cannot experience

What you can and cannot find

You take what you can get

As sometimes your connection, the community and history is only met if you don’t hold yourself to the expectations and goals and resources of others

"Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it."

JK Rowling

Words, like books, are everything. Every experience, almost every emotion that we experienced can be told to others with the use of words and we understand each other by reading and listening to the stories of others. The most beautiful love song, the worst phrases that turn a friend to an enemy.

Act with kindness, speak with compassion, and keep reading

Tonks!

Nymphadora Tonks (can definitely understand why we went with the later name). While Hermione and Luna are polar opposites each taught us how to accept ourselves for who we are, Tonks was just, different. Maybe it was because she was older and more established, maybe it was just because she was the epitome of cool, but she was always, from the moment we knew of her, knew she was cool and who she was. She didn’t care about her flaws because they were just part of who she was and she was awesome and continues to be the only person who wears their flaws with pride and confidence as how they are

While re-reading and knowing about her live and difficulties with Lupin, I get pissed of at him of course, but just want to tell her that I know she’s right and to just told on because it seemed for once she was afraid of not knowing, of not being that confident person and not because she might be wrong or lost or confused but because of living without love. And how horrible a life that would be

“Don’t pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love”

Oh, and what a true werewolf at HEART

so metropolitan museum of art has a register of books they’ve published that are out of print and that you can download for free! they’re mostly books on art, archeology, architecture, fashion and history and i just think that’s super useful and interesting so i wanted to share! you can find all of the books available here!

Scooby-Doo where are you, and where did you come from?

Scooby Doo’s all-white cast would in no way be considered diverse in today’s demographics; however, 50 years ago and today it is important to note the diversity and confidence each character had. Shaggy and Daphne may have been considered less intelligent than the others, but they were not “stupid” or held the group back. Fred and Daphne were always a bit more superficial, pushed into romance and look-conscience but they were never shallow or consistently self-absorbed. Velma was within some episodes self-conscious about her looks compared to Daphne, but it never became a battle between them and Velma didn’t lose confidence in using her brain or intelligence and showed how being intelligent can be a superpower. Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, and the rest of the gang promoted healthy male and female friendships where even those who are different can get along.

There will never be a show so random to enter into my life, all because I was bored and could channel surf. Thank you to one of the original “squad goals” and all those meddling kids

While not the best of ideas, in the pre-internet times--books sometimes were your only saviour. Even today, I still appreciate the new worlds, in some aspect better worlds books can take me to and inspire me to create

Parts Unknown

Only 7 days remain to watch the some of the still streaming Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain episodes before they are removed from Netflix (in the US--December 26th). 

With 8 episodes per season and 5 seasons listed (seasons 7-11) it is possible to binge in the last remaining days. However, to get at the soul of Anthony Bourdain and his series of using food to show off the different parts of the world I would recommend these seven

1. The Greek Islands (Season 7 episode 3)

2. Houston (Season 8, episode 5)

3. Minas Gerias, Brazil (Season 8, episode 7)

4. Laos (Season 9, episode 3)

5. Antartica (Season 9, episode 5)

While I haven’t seen it yet, given that we are now living in seven months of Chinese unrest with the Hong Kong protests

6. Sichuan with Eric Ripert (Season 8, episode 3) 

7. Hong Kong (Season 11, episode 5)

**As previously mentioned, Buenos Aires (Season 7, episode 8) he shared a lot about his opinions and story about mental health**