PodcastsA Crow Story – Episode 053January 25, 2020Podcasts / Words of JenIn this episode, I share a short story that was based on actual events. Part of it was originally posted on Mastodon, and the rest was added after I started writing. I read “A Crow Story” on episode 053 of Words of Jen. If you enjoyed this episode please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you! http://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/ins.blubrry.com/bookofjen/woj053.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS... A Crow StoryJanuary 25, 2020Podcasts / Words of JenI started writing this story about crows on Mastodon. It is based on real life experiences that felt magical. The crows started visiting me in mid-September. Two crows came right up to my home to “bark” at me. Never seen anything like it before. I was at my computer, working on a piece of writing. The wall behind me has no window, and the window next to me is covered by blackout curtains. The two crows parked themselves at the corner of our mobile home and “barked” as loudly as they could. It sounded like they were pointing their voices at me, despite not having any way to actually see where I was. When I went to the window, the two crows moved from the corner of the mobile home and bounced into our driveway. It had been a long time since I’d been well enough to drive, yet another thing my chronic illness stole from me. We donated the car a while back, and the driveway had been empty ever since. One crow wandered off, but the other one stayed. Moved around in the alleyway, and kept coming back. Eventually, flew away, landed on a wire, and “barked” at me again. Was I supposed to follow them? I didn’t see any quest text… The whole thing seemed really strange, so I posted a little bit about it on social media. Surely, someone out there would tell me that this had happened to them, too… right? A friend asked, “Do you have ‘View low level quests’ enabled? You may have out-leveled the area already.” “That must be the problem!” I responded. I searched around, and finally found the button to view low level quests. Click! “I’ll be ready when the crows come back!” A stranger suggested that I should start feeding the crows. I’m in California, and I think we are not supposed to feed the wildlife. I’m also in a mobile home park where I don’t think feeding crows would go over very well. I feel like these two crows were either trying to warn me about something (no idea what) or have claimed me as one of their flock. I dunno. After thinking things over, I put a few handfuls of some really stale Cheerios outside on my driveway for the crows. I wonder if they will come back? The very next day, the crows came back. They ate some of the stale Cheerios I put in the driveway. When they were done, the “barky” crow cawed a “Thank You”. The two of them wandered around the alleyway for a bit, and then left. They seemed happy. Apparently, stale Cheerios are an acceptable tribute. What have I gotten involved in? Later that day, one of the crows returned. I could hear the crow making loud, but friendlier sounding, caw sounds. When I went to the window, I could not find the crow. It had to be nearby… but where? On instinct, I glanced up. There sat the crow, on my neighbor’s roof, “smiling” at me. My husband and I had a small flock of cockatiels. There were never more than six of them at any one time. Over the years, I learned to “speak bird”, for lack of a better way to say it. A bird that looks at you with one shining eye, while sitting all fluffy and relaxed – is smiling! I smiled back at the crow, who seemed very pleased with me. All the houses in the mobile home park are close together. I could see that this crow had one white feather near their shoulder. That made it really easy for me to spot this specific crow when they visited. Having done what they came to do, the crow with the white feather flew away. There was a large area of extremely tall trees across the road and beyond the car wash. For years, I’ve been unintentionally summoning spiders. I seem to have leveled up to crows. Or, one crow, anyway. About three days later, one of our cockatiels died. She was healthy, and eating, and interacting with our other birds. The change from healthy, to very clearly not, was shocking. She was right around the maximum age for a cockatiel lifespan, and sometimes birds just… stop. My husband and I took turns holding her as she slept on our chests, beneath our hands, warm and safe, and getting her head petted. And then, she was gone. In my grief, I remembered hearing some old story about crows acting as a portent of death. Were the crows trying to warn me about this? When I fed them, it was because the weather was starting to get cold, and I thought they were hungry. Now, I worried that by giving them something they considered valuable, I had unwittingly made some sort of bargain. What have I done? Time passed by, and my husband and I started feeding the crows. Not every day. We didn’t want them to become dependent upon us. Wild creatures need to be able to fend for themselves. I considered what we were giving them as “treats”. The two crows returned shortly after my husband put out the last of the stale Cheerios. They came right into the driveway and started loudly cawing. When I looked out the window, I saw one crow picking up Cheerios from the driveway, with the other one standing by and watching over the first. The second crow turned, looked right at me, and cawed again. It was as though they wanted me to know that they, and their companion crow, were enjoying the Cheerios. Crows are not picky eaters. There were times when they landed in the alleyway and strolled right over to another neighbor’s bird feeders. Often, I would look out the window and find some crows sitting on the wire, facing toward my home. Or, they would be on top of the telephone poles, scanning the horizon. Once, we gave the crows popcorn that I failed to finish eating the night before. The wind blew it all across the alleyway. Soon, there were several crows landing, and running after the popcorn. There was a small flock of maybe six or seven crows, who seemed to think chasing windblown popcorn was a wonderfully entertaining game! My husband threw a small handful of almonds into the driveway, on more than one occasion. We learned that crows love almonds! They clearly didn’t want to share the almonds with any other crows. A strange thing started happening. Two crows, the one with the white feather and their companion, started sitting on the stone fence at the front of the mobile home park. They stayed there for what seemed like a long time. I’d never seen crows do that before, especially in an area where lots of people come and go. I have chronic illnesses, and often am too sick to leave the house. My husband and I went outside one day, just for a short time, to play an app game that requires walking. We slowly walked up to the crows who were on the stone fence. They watched us pass by, very close to them, and did not move or fly away. On the way back, we could see the two crows were still there. I was having a hard time walking, and breathing, that day. Did the crows notice that I am sick? Is that even possible? There was a day when my husband I and walked to the nearest bus stop so I could go to a doctor’s appointment. One crow, up on a telephone pole, started cawing to the other crows in the area. Then, it started flying and following me to the bus stop. A second crow arrived, and they both sat on the wire directly above me. One of them had a white feather. These were my crows! Or, I was their person. They were watching over me. I remembered, many years ago, when I was in college, and had gotten lost on campus. I could not remember how to get to the building that my class was in. Panicking, I took a moment to close my eyes, to still my breath, and to focus. When I opened my eyes, a big, black, crow was staring down at me from the roof of one of the buildings. It flew down and found a closer perch. I remember looking into the crow’s eyes, and thinking, “I am lost.” The crow … did they just nod their head at me? I must have seen that wrong. The crow made one quick caw, and started flying, circling back to make sure I was following them. So, I followed. From the air, the crow led me down paths that I hadn’t walked before. Suddenly, the crow stopped flying. They perched themselves on a rooftop, right over the doorway of a building… that turned out to be the one my class was in. “Thank you,” I thought at the crow, as I passed beneath them and opened the heavy door to the old building my art class was in. No one asked why I was late. That crow couldn’t possibly be one of my crows. We met decades ago, and half a country away from where I was now standing. This pair of crows was new to me. There was a day when I discovered that I was allergic to the blackberries that I had been eating. We decided to give what was left to the crows. My husband scattered the blackberries outside, and I went to take some allergy medication. The pair of crows arrived. They looked extremely pleased with the food we offered them. Both crows were “smiling” at us, as they leisurely walked around, pickup up blackberries. We didn’t see the crows much after that. I thought that maybe the reason was that the weather had started getting a bit colder, and more windy. Once in a while, one of the crows would come sit somewhere outside and “bark”, and wait for me to find them. Later, my husband and I noticed that we were hearing what sounded like a crow that was screaming at the top of its lungs. This happened multiple times a day, for many days. We assumed that this was just an especially angry crow. I wondered why the crows were staying away. They seemed very pleased by the blackberries, and didn’t seem to need any more food from us right now. Maybe this behavior was seasonal. One day, I woke up to the sound of a screaming crow. It was loud enough to wake me up from a deep sleep – and I am a very sound sleeper. Not quite awake, I stumbled out of bed and found my husband standing in front of the open door of our home. Outside, there were some crows, standing at the corner of our mobile home, like they did the first time we met. Two were doing insistent “barking” noises. The other one just kept screaming. Upon spotting me, the two larger crows hopped over to the edge of our stairs. They looked up, giving us “smiling” eyes again. One of them had a white feather. The other crow gently nudged the screaming one, who got a bit quieter for a minute. They looked at me expectantly, patiently waiting for me to understand. Oh! Suddenly, I knew. The screaming crow was their baby, who was now just old enough to fly over here for a visit. They were introducing their offspring to my husband and I, their people. It was a beautiful moment that didn’t last long. Baby crow was making signs that indicated it wanted to be fed. Parent crows walked with the baby crow down the alleyway, and out of the mobile home park. The took flight from the sidewalk and returned to the grove of very tall trees. One day, a while later, I saw two crows chasing a hawk out of the mobile home park. They tag-teamed the hawk, tiring it out. The hawk eventually sat on the top of a telephone pole. The two crows took turns poking at the hawk until it decided to fly away. After removing the hawk, the two crows flew to back to the wires, perched, and looked over at me as I stood next to the window. I hadn’t been able to go outside for a long, long time. My crows were still watching over me. A Crow Story is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Jen’s Lore Corner: By Three They Come – Episode 018December 4, 2019Jen's Lore Corner / PodcastsWelcome to Jen’s Lore Corner, a podcast about the lore of the Diablo video game series. This podcast started as a segment on the Shattered Soulstone podcast. I decided to re-release those segments in their own podcast. New content started with Episode 010. In this episode, I talk about the the lore that is connected to the Diablo IV video that was released during BlizzCon 2019. I wrote a lengthy blog post about it, called Diablo IV: By Three They Come, before I recorded this episode. Jen’s Lore Corner: By Three They Come – Episode 18 is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you! https://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/content.blubrry.com/bookofjen/JLC018.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS... I Know How This Story Ends – Episode 052December 1, 2019Podcasts / Words of JenIn this episode, I read a piece of my writing that is about what happens when websites that pay writers start making changes to how they calculate payment. I’ve been through this before. I know how this story ends – and I’m not looking forward to it. I read “I Know How This Story Ends” on episode 052 of Words of Jen. If you enjoyed this episode please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you! https://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/content.blubrry.com/bookofjen/woj052.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS... Jen’s Lore Corner: Lore of the Prime Evils and Lesser Evils – Episode 017October 31, 2019Jen's Lore Corner / PodcastsWelcome to Jen’s Lore Corner, a podcast about the lore of the Diablo video game series. This podcast started as a segment on the Shattered Soulstone podcast. I decided to re-release those segments in their own podcast. New content started with Episode 010. In this episode, I talk about the three Prime Evils and the four Lesser Evils. Before I started recording this episode, I put together a detailed blog post that in which I discuss the Lore of the Prime Evils and Lesser Evils. The source material came from The Book of Cain and also from several Journals, narrated by Deckard Cain, that can be found in Diablo III. Jen’s Lore Corner: Lore of the Prime Evils and Lesser Evils – Episode 017 is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you! https://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/content.blubrry.com/bookofjen/JLC017.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS... Diablo IIIThe Darkening of Tristram – Royal CalfJanuary 23, 2020Diablo III / Diablo Pets / The Darkening of TristramThe Royal Calf is a pet that can only be found during The Darkening of Tristram event. Players need to collect items and transmog an item before they can obtain this pet. The flavor text on this pet says: This young creature has a regal air, as though he holds some special place within this herd. Who knows what they would do if he went missing… The Darkening of Tristram event happens every January. To enter Tristram, the player needs to go to the The Old Ruins location. A portal appears near the broken fountain. It leads to Tristram. Your character is now in the original Tristram. The graphics are intentionally designed to resemble the original Diablo game. There are some corpses left in Tristram. Clicking on them gives the player a little bit of information about who these people were. It also gives clues about what to do with certain items you may find in the Cathedral Labyrinth. Here lies Ogden’s corpse. This man died penniless, giving all he had to his neighbors. Here lies Pepin’s corpse. This man’s spirit yearns to help the wounded and afflicted. Here lies Griswold’s corpse. The restless spirit of this blacksmith needs to make one last treasure. Here lies Farnham’s corpse. You need a strong drink to wake this spirit. This is what remains of Adria’s hut. There is a boiling cauldron inside it. The roiling liquid appears incomplete. The first thing the player needs to do is find a Rotten Mushroom inside the Labyrinth. Take the Rotten Mushroom back to the remains of Adria’s hut and throw it into the cauldron. It will produce an item called Witch’s Brew. This strange concoction has been steeping for several years now… Take the Witch’s Brew item to the Farnham’s corpse. The Witch’s Brew is the strong drink you need to wake Farnham’s spirit. He drops an item called Drunkard’s Debt. This was all the treasure Farnham had left, which he’d hoped to use to keep his favorite place in business. For those who are unaware, Farnham was the town drunk. He wanted to spend his money at the tavern. Take the Drunkard’s Debt to the corpse of Ogden. Ogden drops an item called Garda’s Letter. A heartfelt letter from Odgen’s wife to the healer of Tristram. It regards the fate of Canace’s child. Take Garda’s Letter to the corpse of Pepin. Pepin drops an item called Healer’s Prescription. Pepin’s detailed schematics for a child’s wooden leg. Take the Healer’s Prescription to Grizwold’s corpse. Grizwold’s corpse drops an item called Plan: Wirt’s Leg. Plan: Wirt’s Leg is a Legendary Blacksmith Plan. It teaches the Blacksmith how to craft a wooden peg leg. Grizwold is dead, so players must go through the portal to New Tristram, and give this plan to Haedrig Eamon. Diablo Wiki says that it requires 10 Reusable Parts and 1,000,000 Gold in order to craft Wirt’s Leg. Wirt’s Leg looks like a crutch, but is a Legendary Mace. The flavor text on this item says: “Poor Wirt. I did all that was possible for the child, but I know that he despises that wooden peg I was forced to attach to his leg. His wounds were hideous. No one — and especially a young child — should have to suffer the way he did.” – Pepin Now, take the Wirt’s Leg Mace and salvage it. (Players can do this at the Blacksmith in New Tristram.) It yields a Map of the Stars. The flavor text on the Map of the Stars says: You probably weren’t supposed to find this old map. It appears to have a hoof print stamped on it and the numbers 2, 1, 3. Next, you need to go find the small area that has the corpses of three cows lying in it. The player must kick the cows in a specific order. The Map of the Stars said “2, 1, 3”. Make sure you kick the middle cow first, then kick the cow on the left, and then kick the cow on the right. If you do this in the wrong order, it doesn’t work. If you followed the Map of the Stars directions correctly, there will be three cow ghosts grazing in the field. There will also be a big, blue, opening to an area called Abandoned Farmstead. Abandoned Farmstead has lots of living cows that are walking around and grazing. They do not attack the player. Search through the area until you find a large chest called Wirt’s Stash. Wirt’s Stash contains an item called Royal Calf. It is a pet item. Pick it up, and it automatically goes into your bag. The flavor text on the Royal Calf item says: This young creature has a regal air, as though he holds some special place within his herd. Who knows what they would do if he went missing… Here is what the Royal Calf looks like as it follows the player around in the Abandoned Farmstead. Here is what the Royal Calf looks like in the regular Diablo III game. It think it is a very cute little calf! The Darkening of Tristram – Royal Calf is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Season 19: Nephalem Rifts to Level 40January 19, 2020Diablo III / Diablo VideosIn this video, I ran my Hardcore Barbarian through some Nephalem Rifts. The goal was to hit Level 40. He started out at Level 31. By the end of the first Nephalem Rift, he was Level 34. The second one put him at Level 36. The third one got him to Level 38. Somewhere in the fourth Nephalem Rift, Ares the Hardcore Barbarian hit Level 40. Season 19: Nephalem Rifts to Level 40 is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you! http://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/ins.blubrry.com/bookofjen/Season_19_Nephalem_Rifts_to_Level_40.mp4Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS... Season 19: Expert Nephalem RiftJanuary 5, 2020Diablo III / Diablo VideosIn this video, I worked on leveling up my Hardcore Barbarian a little bit more by taking him through a Nephalem Rift on Expert difficulty. Ares the Hardcore Barbarian started out at Level 28. I also gambled some Blood Shards with Kadala and made some gems for a brand new Legendary Chest Piece I wanted Ares to use. My Hardcore Barbarian ended up at Level 31. Season 19: Expert Nephalem Rift is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you! http://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/ins.blubrry.com/bookofjen/Season_19_Expert_Nephalem_Rift.mp4Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS... Season 19: Nephalem Rift and a SocketJanuary 3, 2020Diablo III / Diablo VideosIn this video, my Hardcore Barbarian started off at Level 25. I ran him through a Nephalem Rift on Hard difficulty to try and level him up a bit. After finishing the Nephalem Rift, I made my second attempt to get a socket on a weapon. (Last time, I learned that Shields do not count as weapons). This time, it was a success! By the time I was done, Ares the Hardcore Barbarian was Level 28. Season 19: Nephalem Rift and a Socket is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you! http://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/ins.blubrry.com/bookofjen/Nephalem_Rift_and_Socket.mp4Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS... Season 19: ChoresDecember 30, 2019Diablo III / Diablo VideosIn this video, my Hardcore Barbarian worked on what I think of as “chores”. It includes the some of the most tedious objectives in the Season Journey. They aren’t difficult; they just take up time. Today I learned, that a shield is NOT a weapon! I also learned that there might be a glitch in one of the objectives that requires players to craft an Imperial gem. Ares the Hardcore Barbarian started out at Level 25, and stayed there. Season 19: Chores is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you! http://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/ins.blubrry.com/bookofjen/Season_19_Chores.mp4Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS... Book ReviewsRestoration – by Olaf OlafssonJanuary 13, 2020Book Reviews / fictionThis is a heartbreaking story of love, and loss, and loneliness. It takes place in Italy, in the 1920’s. After the war begins, everything becomes more uncertain than it was before. It is the story of love gone wrong, due to misunderstandings. There are unanswered questions, dripping with regret and second guessing. All of this is set in a breathtakingly beautiful landscape, which provides a vivid contrast to the sadness that some of the characters are experiencing. Alice is a British ex-pat who is living in Florence, Italy with her family, surrounded by other families who are also British ex-pats. She comes from wealthy family, and is expected to marry an Englishman. Instead, she marries Marchese Claudio Orsini, a titled, Italian nobleman who was the son of a landowner. He is ten years older than Alice, which doesn’t bother her. Alice’s mother, however, is completely distraught that her daughter failed to marry an Englishman (like she was supposed to). The two newlyweds fled shortly after their wedding, in an effort to escape all the pointless social necessities. Most of Alice’s family were mean to Claudio, and this made it easier for her to leave her family and start a new life with him. Long story short, they buy a large farm in Tuscany. While they do have a few people who are helping them with the work, there is still much to do. Alice knows nothing about farming, and she has difficulty adjusting. Eventually, she decides she loves this life and never wants to leave. The couple have a son, who is delightful. He becomes sick, ends up in the hospital, and dies while there. His father, Claudio was there when he died. But, Alice was absent, because she left the hospital to visit her lover. This causes a huge rift between Claudio and Alice, one that is not repaired. He leaves one morning to tend to a family who lives on their land – and never returns. Alice is left mourning their son, while also wondering if Claudio would ever return. The sense of loneliness hangs thick and heavy in the air. Time goes on, and the war begins. It eventually enters Tuscany. Refugees are fleeing the countryside as the German army advances. Many end up at the farm, which by now, has a nurse and a make-shift hospital. There are homeless children who become part of a school/orphanage. Food is scarce, and times are very difficult. There is always the threat that the German army will one day come and take the farm. Some of the people Alice (and her workers) are protecting are those that the German army would happily kill. In the midst of all this, a woman arrives at the farm. Her leg is badly injured, and she does not give her name. The reader learns her story in pieces. She was once working for a painter, who became her lover. He refused to leave his wife. The woman has all kinds of doubts about whether she made the right choices, including one that was an indirect type of revenge. The story is heartbreaking, and beautiful, and desperately sad. I feel like most of the unanswered questions are resolved by the end of the book. It is the kind of story that gives the reader a rich, visual, environment to walk around in, filled with people who are longing for someone they cannot have.... The Sleepy Hollow Family Almanac – by Kris D’AgostinoDecember 10, 2019Book Reviews / fictionCalvin Moretti dropped out of college and has returned to his parent’s home. He has student loan debt that he must be find a way to pay off. So, he gets a job in something completely unrelated to what he went to college for. His father is sick, and has been laid-off from his lifelong career as an airline pilot. His mother tells Calvin that they are behind on the mortgage and could lose the house. The story is fiction, but feels like something that many families have lived through. The entire story is from the point of view of Calvin. The very first sentence is one that he was thinking, but didn’t actually say out loud. It is: “I work with retards”. Immediately, I decide that I don’t like him. My instant dislike of him probably comes from my background as a teacher and also as a day care worker. I’ve worked with kids who have special needs, and it bothers me immensely when someone refers to intellectually disabled people as “retards”. Calvin is basically a teacher’s aide, and should know better. But, he doesn’t. Calvin moved back into his old bedroom in his parent’s house, and realizes that he has pretty much reverted back to what he was like in high school. He’s listening to the same music, not helping much around the house, and getting wasted with old friends. Other than his job, he has no responsibilities to worry about. Calvin is stunted. I think this is something that can happen to people who return to their parent’s homes after finishing (or dropping out of) college. The situation puts them back into old roles with their parents, and in an unsettling emotional imbalance of power. For whatever reason, I decided to give Calvin a chance, hoping that he would grow up. There were some signs it could happen. For example, he had a notebook where he kept track of how much money he earned, and how much he sent to pay off part of his student loan. He appeared to be trying to be an adult. To be fair, there was a lot working against him. His father, who used to be an airline pilot, got sick and could no longer work. It was a job he loved, and, like many older men who lose their job, he kind of starts falling apart. The dad honestly believes that he is dying. He does have some kind of serious illness, but there is a medical intervention that might fix it. Or, it might not. To come home after dropping out of college, and see one’s father wearing a bathrobe and moping around, would be extremely stressful for most people. The dad starts hoarding things he thinks he will need if the world ends. He also starts carrying around a gun. Calvin’s mother tearfully lets Calvin know that they have fallen behind on the mortgage – far behind. His older brother, who was able to graduate and get a good paying job, has been helping with that as much as he could. I think this may have been the start of Calvin waking up from his regression into his teenage self and his thoughts about making better choices. Speaking of big life decisions, Calvin’s younger sister tells him that she is pregnant. She wants to keep the baby, but doesn’t want anything to do with the baby’s father. The sister is still in high school. By the end of the story, things are resolved in ways that are both a relief and also heartbreaking. Calvin is finally able to not only become an actual adult, but also to meaningfully help out his family. I’m glad I decided to read the book beyond the first sentence, because if I had not, I would have missed out on watching Calvin grow up. One of the most interesting things about this story, other than Calvin and his wandering thoughts, was the way the family interacted. This is not a dysfunctional family, but rather one that has experienced a series of unfortunate events. There is plenty of love, and that’s what helps them to stick together and work things out. The Sleepy Hollow Family Almanac – by Kris D’Agostino is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Drinking Closer to Home – by Jessica Anya BlauNovember 22, 2019Book Reviews / fictionAnna, Portia, and Emery – three siblings who are now adults, have returned to their parent’s home. Their mother, Louise, is in the hospital after suffering what has been described as a “massive” heart attack. The siblings are there to be able to visit their mother at the hospital, and also to provide emotional support for their father. Drinking Closer to Home is about a quirky family, each with their own unique problems. It is about living through situations that I would consider to be neglect, and somehow, being able to come together as a family during difficult times. The title of the book comes from a family story that involved the sibling’s mother when she was a tiny baby. It is the punchline of what, to me, is obviously an instance of severe neglect. I think this small part of the book is what makes the rest of it comprehensible. The members of this family have learned to find humor in situations that were neglectful, dangerous, and emotionally scarring. It is their way of coping. For example, the year that Anna was eleven, Portia was eight, and Emery was three, Louise told the girls that she had decided to quit being a housewife. Anna would be in charge of cooking, and Portia would be in charge of taking care of Emery. No one cleaned the house, and the backyard (including the pool) fell into disrepair. This was not a temporary situation! The book jumps around between the present – with chapters titled “Day 2” that mark time passing while Louise is in the hospital, and the past, with years as chapter titles. My impression is the the majority of the book comes from the viewpoint of one of the siblings. Portia is very pregnant with her second child, and has just gone through a divorce. She is co-parenting her first child with her ex-husband, and missing her daughter. And now, she is also very worried about her mother. Anna is an addict, who has gotten things mostly under control. (She has started eating too much red vines candy while visiting with her mother at the hospital). There is a lot of trauma in her past, in part, due to her own unfortunate choices. Anna is married, but isn’t necessarily monogamous. Emery brought his boyfriend, Alejandro, with him to his parents house. The two are an established couple, and they want to have children. This puts Emery into an uncomfortable position. How does one ask their sisters for their eggs at a time when their mother might be dying? Then, there’s Louise, who has been smoking for decades. The doctors want her to quit, but she’s not interested. Of course, she can’t smoke while she’s at the hospital, especially while recovering from a heart attack and very weak. Louise has her own issues with her parents, and also with her husband, Buzzy’s, parents. Buzzy has his own secrets to deal with. One reason I like this book so much is because the characters are vibrant and resilient. They find a way to keep going, despite using less than advantageous coping mechanisms. Overall, family honestly is very important to all of them. They manage to come together when times are tough. Another reason is because some of it reminds me of my own dysfunctional family. My mother never officially declared she decided not to be a housewife anymore – but that’s what her actions amounted to. Some of my family members were/are hoarders, and the house was never clean. In my case, my family is very toxic, and I needed to separate myself from them. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that Drinking Closer to Home provides me with an satisfying story that allows me to imagine what it would be like if my family was able to overcome their issues and become functional. Drinking Closer to Home – by Jessica Anya Blau is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day – By Ben LooryOctober 25, 2019Book Reviews / fictionStories for Nighttime And Some for The Day is, as you may have guessed, a book of short stories. One of them could probably fit into a single Tweet! Each short story feels like a parable or a fable. I got the feeling that there was a lesson in each one, if only I could puzzle out what it was trying to tell me. This imaginative collection of stories refuses to hand the reader an obvious answer about what it all means. One of my favorite short stories in the book is called “The Octopus”. It is about an octopus who lives in an apartment. His landlady brings up his mail. All of this is presented as though it is a perfectly normal occurrence. There is a letter from his two nephews, who live in the ocean. The nephews want to come visit, and upon arriving, want their uncle to take them around the city. He wasn’t expecting they would want to do that, and is largely disappointed by having to be a tour guide. When it is time for the nephews to return to the ocean, the octopus needs to make a decision. Should he go back to his apartment, or is it time for him to return to the ocean? My take on this story is that it is about that moment when you look back upon your life, and a big decision you once made… and decide to abandon it in favor of returning to the life you had before. Your understanding of the story may be entirely different from mine. That’s the beauty of the stories in this book! Another story that caught my attention is called “The Book”. A woman buys a book only to find that all of the pages are blank. The bookstore will not let her return it or exchange it. This makes the women irrationally angry at the book. She begins complaining about the book, and her complaints … go viral, so to speak. She unintentionally makes the book even more popular than it would have been had she decided to just forget about it. Years ago, I used to work in a big chain bookstore. Every so often, someone would come in to complain about a book that was currently rising in popularity (or was, at that moment, a best seller). Catholics came in to complain about The DaVinci Code (by Dan Brown) to insist that it was blasphemous and should be removed from the shelves. Confused people, who believed that if their children read the Harry Potter books they would actually learn magic, complained about those books being in the children’s section. The result was always the same. The complaints caused more people to become curious about whatever the controversial book was. In other words, I can relate to this particular short story from personal experience. Other stories in the book are not so dreamy. There are some rather terrifying stories that are creepy and confusing. I didn’t need to know what those stories were about to feel a visceral shiver as I read through them. I found the story about martians being treated as “the help”, and another story about an alien spaceship and two people who fell in love with each other, to be fascinating. Overall, reading these short stories reminded me of when I was a child and exploring the world inside of a new book with wonder and acceptance. Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day – By Ben Loory is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... The Care and Feeding of Exotic Pets – by Diana WagmanOctober 8, 2019Book Reviews / horrorDespite the title, The Care and Feeding of Exotic Pets, is not a book about how to provide care and comfort to an unorthodox choice of pet. You won’t find this one in your local pet store! Instead, it is an intense, creepy, novel about a woman who is kidnapped by a man who owns a gigantic iguana. Diana Wagman does an excellent job of getting into her characters heads, frightening the reader, and building the intensity of the story as it goes on. I want to take a minute to talk about the cover art. At first glance, the white letters of the title (and the name of the author) pop out. It took a bit longer to see the huge, green, iguana, ominously curling around the title. Winnie is thirty-eight-years old, divorced, and sort of lost. Her husband, Jonathan, left her for a younger woman. Winnie and their daughter Lacy, still live in the home Lacy grew up in. But, things are different now. Jonathan is a somewhat-famous TV game show host. He left Winnie for a twenty-something woman who was a contestant on the show. Jonathan and Winnie are still in touch, in part because they are sharing custody of their daughter. Lacy is a teenager who has become rebellious, and is starting to get in trouble at school. Winnie believes Lacy has started smoking. Winnie wants to still be married. She wanted to grow old with someone. The life she is living now doesn’t feel right to her. As such, she has gone from being a person who kept a tidy home to one who has lost interest in doing laundry. After dropping Lacy at school, Winnie takes her car to the shop for repairs. She is dressed in a tennis outfit (that needs washing). She waits outside for the vehicle that is supposed to take her to where she can obtain a rental car. After getting one, she has plans to go to her tennis lesson. Winnie’s thoughts are a mile away. A car pulls up and stops in front of her. She gets in, without thinking much about it. Slowly, she learns that the man driving the car has no connection to the repair shop or the rental company. This is where the tension starts building. The man who kidnapped Winnie is very troubled. He owns a gigantic, male iguana, which lives in his kitchen. The iguana is ready to mate, and is uncomfortable and irritable. The entire house is kept at a stiflingly hot temperature, for the iguana’s benefit. How can Winnie escape? I spent much of the book wondering if the iguana would eat Winnie. The story gives readers little clues, slowly, that make connections that were not immediately apparent. I’m not going to tell you how it ends. What I will says is this book is intense, and scary, and includes violence. Diana Wagman did an excellent job of making the characters, even the unlikable ones, very real. The Care and Feeding of Exotic Pets – by Diana Wagman is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... World of WarcraftMeipo the MageNovember 20, 2019Adventures of Meipo / World of WarcraftMeipo is my brand new little Mage in World of Warcraft. This is my favorite screenshot of her. In this blog, I have some highlights as I leveled her up. These screenshots were taken between November 5, 2018, and November 18, 2019. The reason I created Meipo the Mage was so that I could play World of Warcraft with a friend of mine. He and I both play Dungeons & Dragons together. He made a WoW character based on his D&D character a while ago. Originally, we were thinking that my Kobold, Meepo, should be a Goblin in WoW. But, that would mean we’d be in opposing factions, and unable to play together. So, the WoW version of my D&D character is a Gnome. I’m kind of bummed that it wasn’t possible to spell her name the same way. Who knew Meepo was such a popular name? I settled for an alternative spelling. Meipo’s hair is green because she is based on my green Kobold. We played together a little bit, and then both got busy. My first goal was to get Meipo to Level 50 – which is where my friend’s Gnome was at. 50 Quests Completed Level 10 Meipo became a Fire Mage. Her D&D counterpart, Meepo is a Sorcerer who used the Fire Bolt cantrip often. (She also used Lightning, but that doesn’t seem to be a Mage option in WoW). Meipo fought Mangeclaw. This is the end of a short quest chain, and it took me a few times before I was able to kill the polar bear. If I remember correctly, the reward is Mangy Gloves (which are white, like MangeClaw). Meipo got her first Cooking Award. Meipo earned the 25 Fish achievement while fishing in Ironforge. The requirements on this one are lax. It counts fish, and sickly fish, and whatever garbage your character accidentally fishes out of the water. Meipo used a Rat Catcher’s Flute on the rats in the Deeprun Tram. The Enthralled Deeprun Rats followed her to the quest giver. Her D&D counterpart would have cast Friends on them instead! I really like the fireball effects in World of Warcraft. Meipo earned the Explore Dun Morogh Achievement. Miepo earned the 5 Daily Quests Completed achievement. I was working on her Cooking and Fishing Skills because I figured it was an easy way to gain some XP (experience points). Here’s a scenic view in the Valley of Kings area in World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft celebrated its 14th Anniversary between November 16, and November 30, 2018. Players who logged in during that time got a special email. From: The WoW Dev TeamSubject: WoW’s 14th Anniversary!Wow. Yet another year has gone by for WoW!We wanted to thank you for continuing to play World of Warcraft with us. So here’s an Anniversary Gift to go with your adventures!The WoW Dev Team The letter included an Anniversary Gift Package. Inside was 200 Timewarped Badges, a Celebration Package item to increase experience and reputation gain by 14% for 1 hour, and a “Letter from the Timewalkers” which directed players to either Stormwind or Orgrimmar. It also includes a quest called The Historian. This required Miepo to go to Stormwind and find Historian Llore. He asks the player a lore question. The reward for getting it right is Overturned Corgi Goggles. It is a toy that you can find in your Toy Box. Anduin Wrynn, Corgi King of Stormwind! Corgis everywhere! The Overtuned Corgi Goggles are fun to play with. Meipo the Mage experienced her first Winter Veil. She is too low level to do most of the holiday quests. But, she did get to open some presents. He Knows If You’ve Been Naughty: Open one of the presents underneath the Winter Veil tree once they are available. At Least You’re Being Careful: Proud owner of the 2018 Vintage Winter Veil gift, the Toy Armor Set. 100 Quests Completed Achievement Progress: The Road to Thelsamar This is what Meipo was wearing when she was Level 19. The Old Gnome and the Sea: Successfully fish from a school. 50 Fish: Fish up 50 items. Meipo reached Level 20! Giddy Up!: Learn the Apprentice Riding Skill The Gnome racial mounts are fun, and bouncy, and hard to take seriously. I didn’t have to buy one for Meipo because I already had one. (My Gnome Death Knight bought it a long time ago.) It didn’t take long for me to switch over to a faster mount. I think it got updated since the last time I used it. Or, maybe I just forgot. The spots look cool, and it feels like Miepo is riding a dinosaur. Miepo was killing creatures for a quest when Lord Condar attacked. She managed to kill it before it could kill her. It didn’t drop anything special. Miepo bought a Common Grey Shirt at Ironband’s Excavation. She got a few more transmog items from finishing a quest there. Wise Man’s Belt Whispering Vest Meipo is wearing the Solstice Robe. It might be the most colorful thing she has found to wear (so far). It is also a transmog item. Solstice Robe The Seer’s Fine Stein dropped from a fox in Loch Modon. Meipo got attacked by Ashtail, a fox-like creature that had the ability to disappear into a puff of smoke. Ashtail dropped the Simple Robe of the Aurora. It is a transmog item. Fashionista: Chest: Collect 100 chest slot appearances. Meipo did not collect all of those herself. The achievement is one that takes into account all of the transmog items that your characters pick up. Meipo is wearing the Simple Robe of the Aurora. Achievement Progress: The Axis of Awful Achievement Progress: The Farstrider Lodge Miepo earned the Explore Loch Modan achievement while riding along on a Skystrider mount piloted by a Gnome named Ando. The way to finish the Twilight Threats Achievement, and complete the Loch Modan Quests Achievement, is to turn in a quest at Algaz Station. Meipo got a Bright Belt from a Leech Stalker. The Bright Belt is a transmog item. There is a quest that leads the player into Thelgen Rock to pick up an item. Doing so causes Torrention to appear. It is a huge water elemental type creature. The player doesn’t have to kill Torrention. It just stands there until the player attacks it. Kill Torrention, and it drops a Floodsurge Core – which begins a quest. Turn in the quest, and you get a Floodsurge Coat. Achievement Progress: Slabchisel Survey Miepo got Marblebeard’s Shrug – her very first shoulders! She was Level 25. Marblebeard’s Shrug is a transmog item. Miepo got the Wand of Infectious Dementia from Captain Stoutfist in Menethil Harbor. At Level 26, Meipo learned a fire shield skill. Meipo got the Cursed Eye of Paleth by completing quests involving the ghosts of soldiers and marines. It is a transmog item. Achievement Progress: The Flooding of Menethil Meipo got Steelbrow’s Old Robe. It goes nicely with her hair and eyes. So do the Merchant Marine Sandals she got from somewhere. Steelbrow’s Old Robe is a transmog item. The Merchant Marine Sandals are also a transmog item. A Simple Re-Quest: Complete a daily quest every day for five consecutive days. Lunch Lady: Learn 25 cooking recipes. I went back to Thelsalmar and finished the Explorer’s League quest. It is the one where you pick up a book and run around looking for scrolls. Torren Squarejaw: You located all of our documents! We can’t thank you enough for the help…we’d all but given up hope. It seemed sure that the Dark Irons would be able to act upon all of this information soon. It’s good to know that they’ll left blind in their attacks for quite a while yet. To thank you for all of your efforts on our behalf, we would like to offer you a gift. An artifact really… something we recovered from one of our digs. You have the appreciation of all of the Explorers’ League. The gift is a Star Shooter wand. It leaves a trail of glowing stars behind Meipo when she runs! The Star Shooter is a transmog item. Meipo fought Horrorjaw Achievement Progress: Engineers and Archaeologists A Dragonmaw Whelpstealer dropped a Demon Band ring for Meipo. The Floodlily Robes come from Ferilon Leafborn as a reward for completing a quest. It is a transmog item. Rethiel the Greenwarden is huge! If you look closely, you can see Miepo the Gnome by one of his feet. Relthiel the Greenwarden can be found in Greenwarden’s Grove. Level 30! It has been a long time since I took a low-level character across the Thandol Span for the first time. When I did it before, I was in a party with my husband. He went over the Span without me, because I was doing a pet battle. Neither one of us knew that entering the Thandol Span would start an event. I didn’t mind missing it at the time. It was nice to see this event from the start this time around. Thargas Anvilmar: Balgaras?! And the others… you were all dead! What foul trick is this? Calamoth Ashbeard: Your petty triumphs have been futile. The power of the Twilight’s Hammer is absolute! Calamoth Ashbeard: Rejoice, for you shall be the first to die. We will sweep across Khaz Modan and burn all to ash. Thargas Anvilmar: I don’t care how many times I have to kill you… I’ll take you all on to save this land! Shilah Slabchisel: Aye, and so will we! Calamoth Ashbeard: What luck! The offerings throw themselves upon the altar! Calamoth Ashbeard: ATTACK! LET NONE SURVIVE! Thargas Anvilmar, Shilah Slabchisel, Forba Slabchisel, and Captain Stoutfist: FOR KHAZ MODAN! The bad guys explode, and the battle ends. Achievement Progress: Wardens of the Wetlands Achievement Earned: Wetlands Quests The Khaz Modan mantle is a transmog item. Achievement Earned: Explore Wetlands Explore Wetlands: Explore Wetlands, revealing the covered areas of the world map. The quests involving Quae and Kinelory are fun. Read the quest text closely, and it is clear that they are a couple. Turn in the finished quest chain from Quae and Kinelory, and you get the Stormgarde Surcoat. It is a transmog item. Finish the quest where you kill Otto and Falconcrest – and bring back their heads – and you get the Demon-Trafficker’s Belt. It is a transmog item. I don’t remember which quest rewards the player with the Dustfall Bracers. It is a Transmog item. Meipo got the Scaled Cloak of the Fireflash from a spider. It is a transmog item. There is a quest in Faldir’s Cove that requires players to swim underwater and find Elven Gems. Players can use the Goggles of Gem Hunting to make the underwater gems glow. Achievement Progress: Faldir’s Cove The reward for completing the Faldir’s Cove quests is O’Breen’s Dress Robes. I went to Stormwind, temporarily abandoning the quest chain I had been working my way towards around Refuge Pointe. I thought the Noblegarden event was still going on, but it turned out it ended the day before. Meipo could use a bigger bag. The one I wanted to buy required a higher reputation with Stormwind than Meipo had. So, I started doing some Stormwind related quests. Meipo earned the Journeyman Cook Achievement after buying a bunch of recipes off of a vendor who was on the upper floor of an inn. Talk to Little Adeline in the Flower Shop in Stormwind. She will ask you if you like flowers. There is an option for players to click “Yes”. Little Adeline will drop flower petals on the player. Meipo collected Stormwind Balloons for a little Draenei girl who lost them. The tiny girl gets carried away by the balloons, and seems to be enjoying the journey. Meipo got some quests that required her to kill Kobolds (and take their candles while collecting gold dust). Somehow… that just seemed wrong. Kobold Candle – “You took it.” The Kobold Candle is a reward for completing the “I TAKE Candle!” quest. The quest giver is Jimb “Candles” McHannigan at Fulbrow’s Pumpkin Farm. It is the only reward offered to Mages. Other classes may get something else. Meipo went to The Darkmoon Faire for the very first time and got a fancy Darkmoon Top Hat. She got to ride a pony! Meipo also got to ride a Murloc on a Carousel. It matched the colors of her outfit and her hair. Going Down?: Fall 65 yards without dying. Meipo earned this Achievement at The Darkmoon Fair, after getting shot out of a rocket. She accidentally closed the parachute way too early and failed to land on the target. Meipo got the Well-Stitched Robe from Sara Timberlain. The Well-Stitched Robe is a transmog item. The Red Linen Sash, and the Red Linen Shirt also come from Sara Timberlain. Both are transmog items. The Elastic Wristguards come from Marshal McCree. It is a transmog item. Meipo earned the Fashionista: Talbard Achievement when she bought a Stormwind Talbard. The Stormwind Talbard is a transmog item. 250 Quests Completed: Complete 250 quests. Aw, Isn’t it Cute?: Obtain one of the Children’s Week reward pets through questing. Meipo earned Speedy. Meipo got the Simple Blouse of the Aurora from Fedfenel (after she killed him). It is a transmog item that apparently shows up as “Simple Blouse”. Explore Elwynn Forest: Explore Elwynn Forest, revealing the covered areas of the world map. Meipo fought Hogger. This wasn’t as exciting a battle as it was the first time I did this (on another, much older, character). A mini event happens right before the battle ends. In it, an NPC (non-player character) mentions taking Hogger to the Stormwind Stockades, and something about King Varian Wrynn. At the time Miepo went through this part of the game, King Anduin Wrynn was on the Stormwind Throne. I wish the mini event could have been updated to reflect current content. The Crime Scene Tape is a belt that comes from Lieutenant Horatio Laine. It is a transmog item. The Urchin’s Pants are a transmog item that come from Deputy Ranier. Farmer Saldean gives the player Harvester Boots… …and it shows up as Watched Watcher’s Slippers in Appearances. Meipo earned the Crime Scene Investigation Achievement. Meipo got the Sentinel Hill Surcoat from Marshal Gryan Stoutmantle. Meipo earned the Golden Sunshine Cloak after completing the Westfall Stew quest. Salma Saldean (at Saldean’s Farm) is the quest giver. Mages get this cloak as a reward. Other classes might get something else. The Mystic Riverpaw Wand comes from Captain Danuvin at Sentinel Hill. Legwork Trousers come from Marshal Gryan Stoutmantle at Sentinel Hill. The Torchlight Wand is one of the two rewards players can choose after completing The Coastal Menace quest. The quest giver is Captain Grayson, a pirate ghost who stands in front of the lighthouse. The Captain Sanders’ Hidden Treasure quest is optional. Players who finish it receive a Silver Bar, Captain Sanders’ Shirt, Captain Sanders’ Booty Bag, and Captain Sanders’ Sash. Captain Sanders’ Sash is a transmog item. Captain Sanders’ Shirt is also a transmog item. Meipo got the Curved Dagger from Mama Celeste at Fulbrow’s Pumpkin Farm. It is a transmog item. Meipo obtained the Sylverian Dreamer mount. She hasn’t learned the flying skill yet. That’s ok, because this beautiful dragon can run! Honorable Medallion: Enter a Battleground or Arena and Learn the spell Honorable Medallion. I honestly have no idea what triggered this Achievement. I don’t remember taking Meipo into a Battleground or Arena. She’s standing in Stormwind, and has never gone into the Stormwind Stockade. Flame Warden of Eastern Kingdoms: Honor the flames of Eastern Kingdoms. Meipo hit Level 39 shortly before earning this Achievement. I find that the holiday events are really good for leveling up characters. Meipo received a letter from The WoW Dev Team. It was about WoW’s 15th Anniversary! Every player who logged into WoW during the anniversary celebration got this letter on all of their characters. Wow, yet another year has gone by for WoW! We wanted to thank you for continuing to play World of Warcraft with us. So here’s an Anniversary Gift to go with your Adventures! We hope that you will join us for a very special celebration in the Caverns of Time! The WoW Dev Team The letter contained an Anniversary Gift. It included 25 Timewarped Badges, a Celebration Package that increases all Experience and Reputation gains by 15% until the celebration ends, and an Invitation from the Timewalkers, which begins a quest. Meipo was too low a level to start that quest. The Anniversary Gift included Lil Nefarian. The Anniversary Gift also included an item that was an incredibly appropriate one for Meipo (who is based on one of my Dungeons & Dragons characters). The Celebration Firework can only be used during the Anniversary Celebration. It can be used over and over again! Meipo found a shiny! The Evidence Collection Gloves are from Captain Alpert in Moonbrook. I’m not sure if they are a transmog item or not. I like to stop and take screenshots of the scenery in World of Warcraft whenever I find a nice view. Meipo hit Level 40 somewhere in Stromguarde Keep. I was unable to get a screenshot of it because it happened while she was in battle. Level 40: Reach Level 40. WoW’s 15th Anniversary: Logged in during WoW’s Anniversary. Meipo has become a terrifyingly effective Fire Mage! rThe purpose of going to Stomgarde Keep was to collect the Stromgarde Badges that were taken by enemies after they killed Alliance soldiers. The player must bring the badges to Captain Nials in Refuge Pointe. Captain Nials: Privates Horus, Tilling, Rockwell… Captain Nials: Tormil, Gamlor, Shefferd, Cowry… Captain Nials: So many lost. And so many more we must lose before this battle ends. Captain Nials: Thank you for these badges, Meipo. I will send news to the families of the deceased. Captain Nials gave Meipo the Slippers of Sorrowful Tidings. I don’t remember if they are a transmog item or if they are not. Time for a rest! A Witherbark Fisher dropped a Shimmering Stave of the Aurora. The Shimmering Stave is a transmog item. Part of a chain of quests that Meipo was working on involved killing Kobolds. It was a different group of Kobolds than the one she had to kill before. Again, this just felt wrong! Meipo was now strong enough to kill two raptors at the same time. One of the raptors dropped the Silver-Thread Amice shoulders. I have no idea how the raptor obtained this item, nor why it was carrying it around. The Silver-Thread Amice is a transmog item. Meipo hit Level 41 while fighting Cresting Exiles. Meipo found Boros, a giant bug that was a level higher than she was, and an Elite. It was somewhere in Dabyrie’s Farmstead. Meipo killed Boros! She didn’t have a quest for this, so there’s a chance she might have to return someday and kill him again. Meipo fought Kor’gresh Coldrage in Bolderfist Hall. She has a quest for that. Success! Next, Meipo fought Phalanax, a Level 42 elite. She did not have a quest for this one. She needed something to do while waiting for her hearthstone cooldown to finish so she could turn in a quest. Phalanax dropped the Elder’s Cloak of the Aurora. The Elder’s Cloak of the Aurora is pretty. The Horned Stilletto of the Aurora is a transmog item. Back to Stromgarde Keep to complete more quests! Miepo fought, and killed, Foulbelly. He dropped the Brigade Breastplate of the Quickblade, which is mail. Miepo cannot use it. Meipo also fought, and killed Or’Kalar. It was an interesting battle, because Or’Kalar’s Stomp causes knockback. I’m not sure what gender Or’Kalar identifys as, but they are wearing the skimpy type of chest armor that is typically assigned to female characters. Meipo hit Level 42 standing in front of Apprentice Kryten. He gives players a quest that requires them to obtain three objects that are inside the tower behind him. The quest must be turned in to Skuerto, who is in Refuge Point. It requires Trelane’s Phylactery, Trelane’s Orb, and Trelane’s Ember Agate. The reward is Trelane’s Leggings. Meipo was tasked with grabbing three of Trelane’s things. Those things seem really valuable, and were somewhat guarded by ogres. This brings up a question. How did Skuerto obtain Trelane’s Leggings? It seems like that item would have been in the tower with Trelane’s other possessions. Maybe some other adventurer brought Trelane’s Leggings to Skuerto, shortly before Meipo turned in the other items. Or, maybe Skuerto was ran out of bag space while in the tower, and decided to use his hearthstone to get back to Refuge Point. Achievement Progress: Refuge Pointe Miepo made friends with Trained Razorbeaks by feeding them. She got the Gryphon Down Scarf, which is a transmog item. Meipo hit Level 43 in Drywhisker Gorge. Geomancer Flintdagger is a Level 43 elite. He dropped the Twilight Robe, which is a transmog item. Meipo looks like a little kid who dressed herself for the first time. The best thing to do while flying is to take screenshots of the scenery. In this one, Meipo is flying over part of Arathi Highlands. Fast and Furious: Learn the Journeyman Riding Skill. Players must be at least Level 40 to purchase the Journeyman Riding Skill. Meipo was Level 43, and finally got around to buying it. 10 Cooking Awards Meipo made a fishing buddy! She was fishing in Stormwind, and this NPC (non-player character) walked over and started fishing next to her. Miepo needed to kill Fozuk to get the Rod of Order. This is one small part of a long quest chain. Fozuk drops the Rod of Order. It is a quest item. Players cannot equip it. Characters who have the mining profession can mine Fozuk. A Plains Creeper dropped the Dwarven Magestaff of the Fireflash. This is what the Dwarven Magestaff of the Fireflash looks like. The Dwarven Magestaff is a transmog item. The quest chain involves a fight with Thenan. Characters who have the mining skill can mine Thenan, too! Miepo released Princess Myzrael. The process was sparkly and shiny. Princess Myzrael is a Level 43 elite who is much bigger than either Fozuk or Thenan. Princess Myzrael drops the Eldritch Bracers. Players cannot mine her. That said, she does spawn a couple of large beings (that look similar to Fozuk and Thenan). You can mine them. Meipo hit Level 44 at the same time she completed this quest chain. The Eldritch Gloves are a transmog item. Arathi Highlands Quests: Complete the Arathi Highlands storylines listed below. Explore Arathi Highlands: Explore Arathi Highlands, revealing the covered areas of the world map. Miepo earned the 100 Fish Achievement in Hillsbrad Foothills. Hillsbrad Foothills is pretty! Meipo stands before Jintha’ Alor, ready to embark upon a bunch of quests that involve killiing the Trolls that dwell within it. Gan’dranda seemed very confident about fighting Miepo. He did not survive the battle. The reward for completing this quest is Theresa’s Bracers. I don’t know if this is a transmog item. Dron Blastbrew gives players a quest to go kill some peaceful, lovely, turtles. It makes me uncomfortable. The reward for this quest is Nat Pagle’s Extreme Angler, a fishing pole that Meipo is not yet big enough to use. The thing I found interesting about this item is that players no longer need to carry around a fishing pole in order to go fishing. There was a time when that was necessary – but not anymore! In addition, there used to be a series of quests that involved Nat Pagel. It’s been a while since I ran a character through them, and I’m assuming those quests are still in the game. Dron Blastbrew then gives players a quest to kill the Direglob and bring him back a sample of it. There is a lovely little quest that requires players to do nothing more than pick up bottles of alcohol that ended up along the shoreline. Meipo fought The Reak at Skulk Rock. He is a Level 46 elite. It is the only slime that is this color. The rest are green. The Reak drops the Lord’s Cape of the Fireflash. The Lord’s Cape of the Fireflash is a transmog item. Meipo hit Level 45 while fighting with a Green Sludge. The Direglob is huge and terrifying! This battle did not go well. The Direglob beat Miepo up, and then swallowed her. She ended up making the “corpse run”. I took this screenshot of The Hinterlands just because it was pretty. One more try! This time, I used a Rough Stone Statue, which was able to heal Meipo for a little while. The Direglob ate the statue, but that didn’t immediately stop the statue from healing her. Next, the Direglob ate Miepo (again). It is possible to fight The Direglob from inside it. Meipo nearly killed The Direglob, and would have succeeded, if it wasn’t for that pesky Green Sludge that joined the battle. It was time to go back to Jinta’Alor and finish up some of those quests. Maybe it would be easier to fight The Direglob after Meipo leveled up some more. Meipo hit Level 46 after turning in a quest to Fraggar Thundermantle. Fraggar Thundermantle gave Miepo the Necklace of Evil Faces. It is not a transmog item because it is jewelry. He also gave Meipo the Sandals of Tainted Blood as a reward for a different quest. A Vilebranch Wolf Pup dropped the Durable Bracers of the Fireflash. I don’t remember if it is a transmog item or not. There stands Miepo, getting ready to harass Ongo’longo. The goal is to make him angry enough to break his chains and run over some Trolls. His bright green color reminds me of The Hulk. Off he goes! The reward for completing this quest is the Blood Drinker Staff. It is a transmog item. Meipo hit Level 47 in Jintha’ Alor. Meipo fought Morta’gya the Keeper. She drops the Tablet of Shadra, which the player needs for a quest. The reward for completing this quest is the Leggings of Secret Rituals. It is a transmog item. Miepo completed the Jintha’ Alor quest chain. After leveling up a little more, Meipo returned to fight The Direglob again. As before, The Direglob swallowed her. Success! Meipo gave the Direglob Sample to Dron Blastbrew. He gave her the Wand of Oomph. Meipo has now completed the Stormfeather Outpost quests. The Wand of Oomph is a transmog item. The next quest chain comes from Gilda Cloudcaller at Quel’Danal Lodge. But first… Meipo went back to Stormwind to buy the Reagent Bank. One of the bags she carries is for mining supplies, only. She was also carring a bunch of gems, stuff for cooking, and cloth. The Reagent Bank opened up a ton of bag space for her. Miepo hit Level 48 while turning in a Fishing quest. Meipo killed a lot of big spiders, and found the Eye of Shadra at Agol’watha. The reward for this quest is the Shadraspawn Mantle. For whatever reason, it comes up as Surlis’ Mantle in the Appearances Tab. The Fang of Shadra is inside a little container and is easy to find. The next quest is to kill Qiaga the Keeper and collect the Shell of Shadra. The reward is the Gown of the Last Priestess. Meipo fought Qiagra the Keeper at the Alter of Zul, and got the Shade of Shadra. Gown of the Last Priestess is a transmog item. A lovely view of The Hinterlands. The next quest is to summon Shadra, a gigantic spider. The player needs to go to Shadra’ Alor and use the Idol of Shadra at the Southwestern, Nortwestern and Eastern Temples. Meipo earned the Explore The Hinterlands Achievement. Eastern Temple Northwestern Temple Southwestern Temple Shadra is a gigantic spider that crawls out of the lake. Miepo was able to stand back, throw lots of fire spells at Shadra, and kill her. This quest chain sends the player to Aerie Peak to speak with Gryphon Master Talonaxe. The reward for killing Shadra the Venom Queen is the Veil of Aerie Peak. Meipo got the Quel’Danil Lodge Achievement and the Hinterlands Quests Achivements at the same time by turning this quest. This is what the Veil of Aerie Peak looks like. The Veil of Aerie Peak shows up as the Darkcleric’s Veil in the Appearance Tab. I have no idea why that is. Meipo hit Level 49 while turning in a Cooking quest. Next, Meipo went to Western Plaguelands. She stopped there at some point, picked up a few quests, and didn’t bother to actually work on them. One of the quests required Meipo to collect Shaggy Black Bear flanks. The reward for this quest is Grant’s Signet. Next, Meipo started working on the Battle for Andorhal quests. Most of them come from (and are turned in to) Thassarian or Lurid. Meipo killed Dessicated Spearmen and Opengut Behemoths. She also fought Desiccated Magus enemies. The reward for turning in the War Machine’s quest is Dried-Up Bracers. The Dried-Up Bracers are a transmog item. Rattlegore is a Level 50 elite. Rattlegore died in an awkward position. Meipo fought Araj the Summoner from a distance. It worked really well! Breaking the Phylactery was a little tougher because the skeletons that Araj summoned wanted to come over and attack. Meipo hit Level 50! My goal with this blog post was to continue it until Meipo hit Level 50. It took a while to get her there, and the WoW 15th Anniversary experience buff helped speed that along. I’m not retiring this character, though! Upcoming blogs in the “Adventures of Meipo” series will appear when she levels up more. Meipo the Mage is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... WoW Classic: Odds and EndsNovember 2, 2019World of Warcraft / World of Warcraft ClassicVaca and Neverlast had picked up plenty of quests, and even started working on a few of them. The time had come to finish up as many as possible and turn them in. This involved a whole lot of running around, which can tire out any Tauren. We weren’t expecting the scenery to temporarily become just as discombobulated as we were feeling. My Tauren Warrior, Vaca, recently hit Level 10. She was ready to take her Beatstick and use it on whatever monsters the quest givers pointed her and her Druid friend Neverlast at. Vaca and Neverlast have gotten into a habit of picking up a whole lot of quests, and then slowly working through them. That’s not a bad thing. It happens a lot in games like Classic WoW. The first thing to do was talk to Pakwa the Bag Vendor in Thunder Bluff. Vaca had two empty slots that bags are supposed to go in. She could only afford two Small Brown Pouches. Bag space is super important in WoW Classic. Part of the reason is that there are so many quests that require players to keep items in their bags until they have the opportunity to turn in the quest. The other reason is because it is much harder to obtain bags in WoW Classic than it is in WoW Retail. The next thing to do was try and finish The Venture Co. quest that we got from Morin Cloudstalker. We needed to kill 14 Venture Co. Workers and 6 Venture Co. Supervisors. Picking off the Workers was pretty easy. Most of them were teeny tiny Goblins. Others were Ogres, but much smaller than the ones in Retail WoW. The Supervisors were trickier. They mostly stayed inside the little huts, doing nothing, until they got targeted by a player. The “big bad” of the group was an Ogre named Enforcer Emilgund. He was Level 11 and an Elite (with a fancy portrait frame). Vaca was still Level 10, and this fight was a bit difficult for her. Fortunately, Neverlast’s healing skill kept Vaca alive. I cannot remember if we got any good loot from killing Enforcer Emilgund. He wasn’t part of The Venture Co. quest, but he seemed important. At some point, we would turn in a quest that he was connected to and maybe get a nice reward from whomever the quest giver happened to be. We were somewhere around The Golden Plains, on the edge of the prairie, when the drugs began to take hold. There were times when the scenery simply refused to adhere to the laws of physics. Azeroth had turned into a surrealist painting. Eventually, it would catch up and fill itself in. I’ve no idea why this was happening, but figure it had something to do with playing WoW Classic on a Mac. A while ago, we picked up a quest called Dwarven Digging from Baine Bloodhoof. He wanted Vaca and Neverlast to collect 5 Prospector’s Picks from the Dwarven dig site. To do this, we had to kill many Dwarves. It moved pretty fast, and I failed to take screenshots of it. We did finish the quest, though. All we needed to do now was return to Baine Bloodhoof in Bloodhoof Village. Baine Bloodhoof: Hello, Vaca. Do you have the Broken Tools? The dwarves’ digging will enrage the kodos of Mulgore. This defilement must be stopped! Turning in the quest gave Vaca just enough experience points to hit Level 11. She was pretty close to leveling before turning in the quest. While they were still in Bloodhoof Village, Vaca and Neverlast spoke with Skorn Whitecloud. He’s the one that told them about Ghost Howl. They figured Skorn Whitecloud would want to know that Vaca and Neverlast had encountered, and killed, Ghost Howl. Perhaps it will make Skorn feel better that his nemesis is no longer out there, roaming around. Time to do some cooking! Warriors need food, especially after a difficult battle. But, the main reason I decided Vaca should pick up Cooking was because I find games with virtual food to be amusing. This is likely because I have a ton of food allergies. I’m very limited in terms of what I can safely eat in real life, but video game food is always safe! Next, we worked on a quest called Preparation for Ceremony. It requires players to obtain 6 Azure Feathers and 6 Bronze Feathers. These items can only come from certain kinds of Harpies. We quickly learned that Harpies are tough! They like to hang out around the big trees, spaced just enough apart from each other so that players end up fighting more than one at a time. Sister Hatelash is a Level 11 elite that decided to try and kill us. We did not need to kill her for the quest we were working on. But, she gave us no choice in the matter. Together, Vaca and Neverlast were successful. There were now more players in this area, working on the same quest that we were. We were all going to have to take turns and wait for the harpies to respawn. We handed the feathers we collected to Eyahn Eagletalon, in Thunder Bluff. He now had enough of them to make a headdress that his brother could use in a ceremony. Thunder Bluff seemed like a good place to stop for the night and rest, after all that running around. WoW Classic: Odds and Ends is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... WoW Classic: Ghost HowlOctober 26, 2019World of Warcraft / World of Warcraft ClassicVaca and Neverlast spent most of their time running back and forth from Thunder Bluff and collecting quests. Little did they know that they would soon be fighting Ghost Howl. The best way to hit Level 10 is when fighting two Flatland Cougars and a Swoop, while being healed by a Druid! Neverlast and Vaca turned in the Thunderhorn Totem quest to Mull Thunderhorn. It was impossible not to notice the Kodo skin that was attached to the building behind him. Mull Thunderhorn: Thank you, Vaca. The purity with which these beasts hunt is vital in the creation of the next cleansing totem. The goblins will never learn the difference between contending with the land and living in harmony with it. Mull Thunderhorn made a totem for us to use on the next water well. Mull Thunderhorn: The totem is ready, Vaca. And again, it is your task to perform the ritual of cleansing. Go to the Thunderhorn Water Well, north of the village, and use the Thunderhorn Cleansing Totem in your ritual. After you do this, return to me. May the spirits guide you. Skorn Whitecloud: Come closer, young one. In my time I could hear the flutter of a prey’s beating heart, but now you must speak up if you want your words heard. He has a quest called The Hunters Way, and a story. I wanna hear a story! Vaca: Tell me a story, Skorn. Skorn Whitecloud: I have run through these plains for many, many seasons. And I had never been bested… until I faced Ghost Howl. Long ago, the massive wolf was an ally to the Tauren and fought bravely against the Burning Legion. But he was wounded savagely by a demon, and the tear in his flesh never healed. Eventually … it drove Ghost Howl mad. Now he roams the plains in agony, seeking an end to his pain. To my shame, when we fought I lacked the strength to slay him… Skorn Whitecloud: You are eager to explore, I can tell. I too had the lust to wander, once… Wander, and hunt. For hunting is a Tauren’s greatest honor. If you truly wish to follow the ways of the hunter, then Melor Stonehoof can show you the path. He is in Thunder Bluff, on the Hunter’s Rise. And to show him your skill and resolve, bring him the claws of the flatland prowlers of Mulgore. They are tough and cunning — fitting prey for a young warrior on the hunter’s path. This quest requires the player to bring 4 Flatland Prowler Claws to Melor Stonehoof in Thunder Bluff. It sounds like The Hunter’s Way should be for those who are playing the Hunter Class. But, that’s not so. My Tauren is a Warrior, and my friend’s Tauren is a Druid – and we were both able to accept this quest. The Warrior Trainer at Bloodhoof Village is… all the way over there! I wanted to speak with Krang Stonehoof because I’d finally hit Level 10, and I figured he’d have some skills for me to buy (or level up). I cannot remember what he offered, in part, because I got distracted by the Veteran Uzzek quest. Krang Stonehoof: The Horde honors its warriors because their strength is unquestioned. But the truly great warriors are great students as well. Seek out Uzzek. He is a veteran of many battles and now instructs young warriors in the ways of combat. You will find him south of Far Watch Post, the orc garrison on the border of the Barrens and Duortar to the east. Vaca and Neverlast cleansed the Thunderhorn Well. If only it were this easy to clean up contaminated water in the real world! Arch Druid Hamuul Runetotem has a quest called The Barrens Oasis. Arch Druid Hamull Runetotem: The druids of Thunder Bluff sense a strange power leaking into the Barrens, east of Mulgore. Tonga Runetotem was sent to discover the source of this power, but we fear he will need aid. Travel to the Barrens and speak with Tonga. He will be at the Crossroads. To reach there, take the road east out of Bloodhoof Village. Enter the Barrens, then turn north when the road forks. Continue north and you will find the Crossroads. And do not leave the road, Vaca, for the Barrens is a harsh land. It is good to take the time to enjoy the beauty of Azeroth. Thunder Bluff is lovely, even from far away. Ruhauro, Magatha’s Servant, is located in Elder’s Rise in Thunder Bluff. He has two quests for us. Ruhauro: Beneath the city of Orgrimmar, stout creatures known as trogs started coming to the surface from deep below the lava filled tunnels. In her ever-benevolence, Magatha sought to make peace with the creatures, but they turned on her diplomats, killing them. She will not allow such treatment of the Tauren people and now consider the creatures a threat to all of the Horde. She asks that you put an end to this trogg threat before it overwhelms the Horde from below. Find Ragefire Chasm and destroy them all. This quest requires players to search Orgrimmar for Ragefire Chasm, then kill 8 Ragefire Troggs and 8 Ragefire Shaman before returning to Rahauro in Thunder Bluff. Next, Neverlast and Vaca returned to Bloodhoof Village to turn in the Thunderhorn Cleansing quest to Mull Thunderhorn. Mull Thunderhorn: Ancestors of the Thunderhorn clan spoke to me in a dream, praising you for your actions near their well. For their gratitude, they wish to give you this… The reward is the Thunderhorn Cloak. If I remember correctly, it was better than the one I was using. Mull Thunderhorn: There is but one water well left to cleanse, named after the Wildmane clan. For this well to be pure, the land must offer the teeth of a fierce predator, the prairie wolf alpha. Find the alphas to the north, then return to me when your hunt is finished. Alphas often wander around the base of our mighty city, Thunder Bluff. Just like that, we had to turn around and go right back to Thunder Bluff. This isn’t actually a complaint (though it may seem like one). Classic WoW involves a whole lot of running around – which players mostly do on foot. There are some flight points, but they are few and far between. It helps of you go into this game knowing how much running around you will need to do on foot. The time spent “hoofing it” goes much faster if you play with a friend. We ended up somewhere in Mulgore, not far from Thunder Bluff. Vaca got to use the aptly named Beatstick on some Prairie Wolf Alphas. This went well, thanks to Neverlast’s ability to heal. After killing of one of several Prairie Wolf Alphas, another one snuck up behind Vaca and started attacking. She hit it with her Beatstick, assuming it was just another Alpha. Instead, it was none other than Ghost Howl! By this point, Vaca was down about half of her hit points, and it was thanks to Neverlast that she was able to fight, and survive, the Ghost Howl battle. Success! We killed Ghost Howl. A Demon Scarred Cloak magically appeared in our bags. Fortunately, we both had room for one more item. This spawns a new quest. The Demon Scarred Cloak: The ragged hide of Ghost Howl still bears a terrible wound, gained from the wolf’s battles against the Burning Legion. Perhaps someone in Bloodhoof Village should know of Ghost Howl’s demise… This quest requires the player to “Find someone who knows of Ghost Howl.” We knew exactly which NPC to talk to. He’s the one that told us a story! If you still aren’t sure where to go, the rewards give a clue. Players can choose between Skorn’s Hammer and Skorn’s Rifle when they turn in the quest. WoW Classic: Ghost Howl is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... WoW Classic: Rites and CeremoniesOctober 19, 2019World of Warcraft / World of Warcraft ClassicVaca and Neverlast set out to work on some quests that involved rites, ceremonies, and fighting unbridled capitalism. We didn’t complete all of these quests in the same day, but were able to turn in ones we finished last time around. Lorekeeper Raintotem gave us a quest called A Sacred Burial. I found it interesting that it just so happened to be raining when we met an NPC (non-player character) named Raintotem. Lorekeeper Raintotem: Only the most valiant Tauren are laid to rest at Red Rocks, our sacred burial ground. It is an honor bestowed upon the great warriors who helped found and defend Thunder Bluff and those who have given their lives for the greater good of their tribes and chieftains. But it appears a foul menace has made its way onto our holy land. A band of Bristleback Interlopers is ravaging the grave site and I am too old and past my prime to drive them away. They must be driven off with force, Vaca. To complete this quest, players must kill 8 Bristleback Interlopers at Red Rocks. Completing this quest was not very difficult. There were other players working on it at the same time that we were. As you can see in the screenshot above, a random Hunter targeted this particular Bristleback we were fighting. It is nice when players just naturally work together. We found the Ancestral Spirit at Red Rocks and turned in the quest. Ancestral Spirit: You have shown great diligence in your yearning to pass the Rites of the Earthmother, Vaca. We, the Ancestral Spirits, represent the mighty Tauren who gave their lives bravely to found and protect our great city of Thunder Bluff. I hereby pass the duty of that protection over to you. You have passed the Rite of Wisdom, young warrior. Enter Thunder Bluff with pride. Ancestral Spirit: You will now be revered within our great city. Any tauren worthy of completing the Rites of the Earthmother earns that honor. For your final quest, seek out our noble leader, Cairne Bloodhoof, who dwells atop the highest mesa in Thunder Bluff. We returned to Lorekeeper Raintotem to turn in the A Sacred Burial quest. Lorekeeper Raintotem: Well done. You have sent those foul Bristlebacks a clear message. They will think twice before attempting to meddle in this holy spot again. We were hiding out on a hillside, after doing the “corpse run”, when Vaca hit level 9. Neverlast was right behind her, at Level 8. There were too many wild creatures in this area, and we couldn’t take them all down by ourselves. Veren Tallstrider, in Thunder Bluff, has a quest called Gathering Leather. It is a good one to take if you happened to have picked up Skinning. All you need to do is skin the animals you kill (or the dead animals other players – who don’t skin – left behind). Eventually, you gather up enough leather for Veren Tallstrider. Veren Tallstrider: Greetings, young one. You have a gleam in your eye; I can tell you are eager to venture back to the plains for the hunt. May you bring honor to your clan! I work with the skins of beasts, fashioning them into clothes and armor for the people of Thunder Bluff. If you hunt beasts and bring me their skins, then I will fashion something for you. To complete this quest, a player must bering 12 pieces of Light Leather to Veren Tallstrider. Vaca and Neverlast found High Chieftain Cairne Bloodhoof. We needed to turn in a quest to him. Cairne Bloodhoof: Hail, young warrior. I see you found your way to my doorstep. I found this amusing because Vaca and Neverlast are, quite literally, standing on Cairne Bloodhoof’s doorstep. He immediately gave us another quest to work on. Cairne Bloodhoof: You have passed the Rites of the Earthmother and earned your place in Thunder Bluff. But in order to maintain the spot that you strived so hard to achieve, you must continue to prove your worth to your people. We are hunters, Vaca. Down below in Mulgore there is a mighty Kodo named Arra’chea. Show me your skills in the ways of tracking and hunting by bringing me the Horn of Arra’chea. At some point, I picked up both Skinning and Leatherworking. I thought that I needed both in order to skin things. But, that’s not how it works. All I needed was Skinning. I decided to unlearn Leatherworking (since I did not actually need it.) Vhan: No part of the animals we hunt is wasted. Vhan is a Journeyman Tailor. He was able to train Vaca in the art of Tailoring. My reason for wanting to pick up Tailoring was because I wanted to learn how to make linen bags. I figured those would probably sell on the Auction House. One of the first things I learned in Classic WoW was how scarce bags are. While in Thunder Bluff, we took a quest from Eyahn Eagletalon called Preparation For Ceremony. Eyahn Eagletalon: Vaca, my brother soon stands before Chief Bloodhoof, and it is my honor to make his headdress for him. I want to ask a favor of you while I finish tanning these leather straps. There is not enough time for me to find enough feathers, and I was wondering, would you gather more for me? You can find the feathers of the correct size from the harpies residing far to the north and northwest of Thunder Bluff. I need only 6 azure and 6 bronze feathers to complete the design. The screenshot above is a good example of the progress that my friend and I had made in WoW Classic (so far). My Warrior, Vaca, is fighting a Swoop and a Cougar by herself – with no trouble at all. This is a vast improvement from earlier, when one Swoop by itself was a challenge. My friend’s Druid, Neverlast, had enough time to go pick some flowers and then return to heal Vaca up a bit. It was nice to reach the point where we were more powerful than the local wildlife. Vaca is using the appropriately named Beatstick to kill this Flatland Cougar. If I remember correctly, she got it from a Goblin. I found it extremely amusing for my Warrior to use a weapon that was so perfectly named! We stopped to let a herd of marching Kodos pass by. They aren’t very aggressive – unless you get too close. We found Morin Cloudstalker on the road, right where we left him. This time, we were able to turn in The Ravaged Caravan quest that he gave us. Doing so allowed us to get more bag space back as we handed over the Venture Co. Documents. Morin Cloudstalker gave us two new quests to work on: The Venture Co. and Supervisor Fizsprocket. Morin Cloudstalker: This explains the buildup of Venture Co. employees and equipment we’ve seen in Mulgore. Those goblins… their company is expanding too quickly for their own good. It’s how they say, show a goblin something, and you can hear the scales in the background. Greedy little things, they are. Unfortunately for their business enterprise, we Tauren cannot allow them to conduct their operations in our lands. Go to their mine northeast of the ravaged caravan and send them a message. To complete this quest, we need to kill 14 Venture Co. Workers and 6 Venture Co. Supervisors. Personally, I find it comforting that Taurens aren’t big fans of unbridled capitalism. Vaca and Neverlast have been given the task of preventing the Venture Co. from “expanding too quickly for their own good.” Morin Cloudstalker: According to the documents you salvaged from the caravan, The Venture Co. created many plans to attempt to drive us from our lands here, so that they could have free reign to plunder our lands. The depths that they would sink to accomplish their goals disgusts and appalls me. I want the mastermind behind their plans killed. His name is Supervisor Fizsprocket, and you will find him at the Venture Co. mine east of the ravaged caravan. Bring me his clipboard, we shall see if we find out anything useful. To complete this quest, we must kill Supervisor Fizsprocket, obtain his clipboard, and bring it back to Morin Cloudstalker. Put the text of these two quests together, along with what we have learned of the Tauren lifestyle so far, and it tells a story. The land here is valued and looked after by the Tauren. They take only what they need, and use as much of a slain animal as possible. They send out people to cleanse water wells. A big company run by Goblins (that is growing too quickly) has decided to take away the Tauren’s land. The greedy Goblins want to basically mine the land for everything they can take from it, leaving behind nothing at all. The company wants to accomplish this by driving the Tauren from their lands. It sounds awfully similar to what actually happened to the First Nations people across the United States (and, I presume, other locations as well). The corporate colonizers are up to no good. My friend and I aren’t powerful enough in the real world to stop big corporations from being evil. It is going to feel good to get a chance to make things right on Azeroth. But first, we needed to finish the quest that required us to use the Winterhoof Cleansing Totem to cleanse Winterhoof Water Well. Mull Thunderhorn, in Bloodhoof Village, is the Tauren who gave us that quest. Neverlast hit level 9 as we turned in the quest. Mull Thunderhorn: News of your deed reached me moments ago – – already the beasts near the well drink from it eagerly. You have done a great thing for the land, Vaca. And you have done a great thing for the Tauren people. Let’s have a moment of appreciation for whatever Tauren used their skills to create these absolutely pathetic looking human target dummies! They are comically wonderful. These dummies aren’t pretty, but they seem functional. Clearly, some Tauren Hunter came by and shot a few precious arrows into them before Vaca and Neverlast arrived. Ruul Eagletalon gave us the Dangers of the Windfury quest. We were ready to turn it in. I wonder if he is the brother of Eyahn Eagletalon, who gave us a quest to find harpy feathers that he could use to make a headdress for his brother. For whatever reason, I failed to take any screenshots of us actually fighting the Harpies. I think we were too busy trying not to die. That said, we did manage to collect 8 Windfury Talons (each) and complete the quest. Little did we know that there would be more Harpy quests coming up! WoW Classic: Rites and Ceremonies is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... WoW Classic: Bag SpaceOctober 5, 2019World of Warcraft / World of Warcraft ClassicThere are times when the differences between WoW Classic and Retail WoW are glaringly obvious. In Retail WoW, it is fairly easy to obtain bags that are big enough to almost everything you need. Not so in WoW Classic! The quests that Vaca (my Tauren Warrior) and Neverlast (my friend’s Tauren Druid) we working on required more bag space than we had. There is a Fishing Trainer named Uthan Stillwater at Stonebull Lake. It makes sense for a Fishing Trainer to be located near a lake. My friend and I both decided to take up Fishing because it would mean we could sell the fish and make some money. Doing so gave Vaca just enough experience to hit Level 7! I think Neverlast was already Level 7. In retail World of Warcraft, players don’t need to actually equip a fishing pole in order to go fishing. In WoW Classic, that’s not the case! Players cannot fish without equipping a fishing pole. That’s one more item you need to carry around in your (limited) bag space. Where can a player obtain a fishing pole? Not from Uthan Stillwater the Fishing Trainer. As you can see, there is no … fishing supply vendor, for lack of a better term, standing anywhere near the Fishing Trainer. Instead, players have to go back to the nearest town (which is not far away), and go find the NPC (non-player character) who sells fishing poles. If I remember correctly, my friend and I were both laughing about that. We completed a quest called Mazaranache from Maur Raincaller in Bloodhoof village. This screenshot above is from when when we had finally finished it and were able to turn it in. The quest itself wasn’t difficult to do. It took more time than one might imagine. For whatever reason, many of the creatures that live on Azeroth that are missing vital body parts. We joked about the reason this might be happening. Maybe Vaca hit a Flatland Cougar with her weapon, and crushed the Femur that she and Neverlast were supposed to collect. We couldn’t find a reasonable explanation for why a Swoop didn’t have a Gizzard, or a Prairie Wolf was walking around without having a heart inside it. I think we concluded that these creatures couldn’t possibly be long for this world, so maybe killing them was an act of kindness? Getting back to the point I was intending to make before getting sidetracked, this quest requires players to collect and carry four different quest items in their bags. Our bags had a maximum of six slots each. The Mazzaranache quest items, a fishing pole, and a skinning knife fill up an entire bag. Next, we worked on the Sharing the Land quest. To do this, players need to go to a certain area in Mulgore, and kill 10 Palemane Tanners, 8 Palemane Skinners, and 5 Palemane Poachers. This quest didn’t require players to fill their bags with quest items. All you had to do was kill off the right number of the right kind of enemies – and you’re done. They were dropping copper, and occasionally some useful items. So, my bags quickly filled up again. That said, this was fun. The biggest reason why I wanted to play a Warrior was to slaughter everything in my path. These little guys respawned at what felt like a really quick rate. There were plenty for us, and the random group of players who were also working on this quest, to kill. Unfortunately, when those other players moved on, the quick respawn rate remained just as quick. We did the “corpse run” back to our bodies, as you do. All we needed was a couple more of one type of Palemane, and we we would be done. We were able to turn in the Poison Water quest and get some more quest items out of our bags. This one has players collecting 6 Prairie Wolf Paws and 4 Plainstrider Talons. It was nice to get those out of our bags. In return, we received a cleansing totem to take to the well. We got two quest items out of our bag, giving us two empty slots. The cleansing totem immediately takes up one slot. None of this is meant as a complaint. I remember “Vanilla” having the same issues with bag space. There are two potential solutions. Go back to town and sell stuff as soon as your bags are full. Or, drop some junk along the way in favor of holding on to items that are useful (or that you can sell). This is just something to get used to in Classic WoW. I can see where some people, who either never played “Vanilla”, or who strongly prefer how the current “retail” game functions, will find this situation very frustrating. If you take the time to stop and look around, you can find a lot of beauty in WoW Classic. I think this is something people forget about as they push to finish as many quests as possible. I find it peaceful to take my WoW character into beautiful places that I could not travel to “in real life” due to all my allergies and chronic illnesses. There is also something to be said about enjoying a nice view after dealing with the tedium of trying to balance limited bag space. WoW Classic: Bag Space is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Out of Spoons (Chronic Illness)A Timeline of the GOP’s Attempts to Destroy Obamacare – Part FourJanuary 21, 2020health insurance / Out of SpoonsImage by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay 2020 marks the fourth year of the Donald Trump Presidency. His administration, and the Republicans in Congress, are still trying to destroy Obamacare. The Guardian reported that President Trump was impeached on December 19, 2019, when the House of Representatives voted 230-197 to approve a first article of impeachment. This blog post, like the ones that preceded it, has the “receipts” about every bad thing the GOP and Trump tried to do to American’s health care. (It also includes the good things that Democrats – and occasionally some Republicans – did to protect our healthcare.) If you would like the full story, you may want to start with the blogs I’ve written about this topic so far. They include: A Timeline of the GOP’s Attempts to Destroy Obamacare – Part One A Timeline of the GOP’s Attempts to Destroy Obamacare – Part Two A Timeline of the GOP’s Attempts to Destroy Obamacare – Part Three A Timeline of the GOP’s Attempts to Destroy Obamacare – Part Three – Continued January 2020 January 1, 2020: Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted: “For six years, Americans of every age have been protected against health insurance discrimination if they have pre-existing conditions. Now, Trump and Republicans are trying to tear away those protections. #ProtectOurCare” January 2, 2010: The Hill posted an article titled: “More than 200 Lawmakers urge Supreme Court to ‘reconsider; Roe v. Wade”. It was written by Nathaniel Weixel. From the article: More than 200 members of Congress want the Supreme Court to “reconsider” the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade.Led by Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), 166 House Republicans and 39 Senate Republicans signed an amicus brief calling the right to an abortion “unworkable.”Two Democrats, Rep. Collin Peterson (Minn.) and Rep. Daniel Lipinski (Ill.), also signed onto the brief. Lipinski has come under fire for his anti-abortion stance, and is being targeted in his upcoming primary by a progressive Democrat……The lawmakers were writing in support of a Louisiana law that would require doctors who preform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, a requirement that critics say is designed to force abortion clinics to close.The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments challenging the law in March. If upheld, the restrictions could leave the state with just one abortion provider… There is a PDF of the Amici Curiae mentioned in the above article. Here is a list of the members of Congress who signed it in support of Louisiana’s abortion law, and in an effort to overturn Roe v. Wade. U.S. Senate (by State): Arizona: John BoozmanArkansas: Tom CottonFlorida: Marco RubioIdaho: Mike Crapo, James E. RischIndiana: Todd Young, Mike BraunIowa: Jodi Ernst, Chuck GrassleyKansas: Jerry Moran, Pat RobertsKentucky: Rand PaulLouisiana: John Kennedy, Bill Cassidy, M.D.Mississippi: Cindy Hyde-Smith, Roger F. WickerMissouri: Roy BluntMontana: Steve DainesNebraska: Deb Fischer, Ben SasseNorth Carolina: Richard Burr, Thom TillisNorth Dakota: Kevin Cramer, John HoevenOhio: Rob PortmanOklahoma: James M. Inhofe, James LankfordPennsylvania: Pat ToomeySouth Carolina: Tim ScottSouth Dakota: Mike Rounds, John ThuneTennessee: Marsha BlackburnTexas: John Cornyn, Ted CruzUtah: Mike Lee, Mitt RomneyWisconsin: Ron JohnsonWyoming: John Barrasso, Michael B. Enzi House of Representatives (by state): Alabama: Robert B. Aderholt (04), Mo Brooks (05), Bradley Byrne (01), Martha Roby (02), Mike D. Rogers (03)Arizona: Andy Biggs (05), Rick Crawford (01), Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S., (04), French Hill (02), Debbie Lesko (08), Gary Palmer (06), David Schweikert (06), Bruce Westerman (04), Steve Womack (03)California: Paul Cook (08), Doug LaMalfa (01), Kevin McCarthy (23), Tom McClintock (04), Colorado: Ken Buck (04), Doug Lamborn (05), Doug Lamborn (05), Scott Tipton (03)Florida: Mario Diaz-Balart (25), Neal Dunn, M.D. (02), Matt Gaetz (01), Brian Mast (18), Francis Rooney (19), John Rutherford (04), Ross Spano (15), W. Gregory Steube (17), Michael Waltz (06), Daniel Webster (11), Ted S. Yoho, D.V.M (03)Georgia: Rick W. Allen (12), Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (01), Doug Collins (09), A. Drew Ferguson IV (03), Tom Graves (14), Jody B. Hice (10), Barry Loudermilk (11), Austin Scott (08)Idaho: Russ Fulcher (01), Mike Simpson (02)Illinois: Mike Bost (12), Larry Bucshon, M.D. (08), Rodney Davis (13), Adam Kinzinger (16), Darin LaHood (18), Daniel W. Lipinski (03), Greg Pence (06), John Shimkus (15)Indiana: James R. Baird (04), Jim Banks (03), Jackie Walorski (02)Iowa: Steve King (04)Kansas: Chuck Fleishmann (03), Roger Marshall, M.D. (01), Steve Watkins (02)Kentucky: Andy Barr (06), James Comer (01), Hal Rogers (05)Louisiana: Steve Scalise (01), Michael Johnson (04), Ralph Abraham M.D. (05), Garret Graves (06), Clay Higgins (03), Maryland: Andy Harris, M.D. (01)Michigan: Jack Bergman (01), Bill Huizenga (02), Paul Mitchell (10), John R. Moolenaar (04), Tim Walberg (07),Minnesota: Tom Emmer (06), Collin C. Peterson (07), Pete Stauber (08),Mississippi: Jim Hagedorn (01), Steve Palazzo (04)Missouri: Sam Graves (06), Vicky Hartzler (04), Trent Kelly (01), Billy Long (07), Blaine Luetkemeyer (03), Jason Smith (08), Ann Wagner (02)Montana: Greg Gianforte (AL)New York: Peter T. King (02), Lee Zeldin (01New Jersey: Mike Simpson (02), Christopher H. Smith (04)Nebraska: Don Bacon (02), Jeff Fortenberry (01), Adrian Smith (03)North Carolina: Ted Budd (13), Virginia Foxx (05), George Holding (02), Richard Hudson (08), Patrick McHenry (10), Mark Meadows (11), Gregory F. Murphy, M.D. (03), Mark Walker (06)North Dakota: Kelly Armstrong (AL), Dan Bishop (09), David Rouzer (07),Oklahoma: Tom Cole (04), Kevin Hern (01), Markwayne Mullin (02),Ohio: Troy Balderson (12), Steve Chabot (01), Warren Davidson (08), Bob Gibbs (07), Anthony Gonzalez (16), Bill Johnson (06), Jim Jordan (04), Doug LaMalfa (01), Robert E. Latta (05), Michael R. Turner (10), Brad Wenstrup, D.P.M. (02)Pennsylvania: John Joyce (13), Fred Keller (12), Mike Kelly (16), Daniel P. Meuser (09), Scott Perry (10), Guy Reschenthaler (14), Lloyd Smucker (11), Glenn “GT” Thompson (15)South Carolina: Jeff Duncan (03), Ralph Norman (05), Tom Rice (07), William Timmons (04), Joe Wilson (02)South Dakota: Dusty Johnson (AL)Tennessee: Tim Burchett (02), Chuck Fleishmann (03), Mark E. Green M.D. (07), Phil D. Roe, M.D. (01), John Rose (06), Texas: Jodey C. Arrington (19), Brian Babin, D.D. S. (36), Kevin Brady (08), Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (26), Michael Cloud (27), K. Michael Conaway (11), Dan Crenshaw (02), Bill Flores (17), Louis Gohmert (01), Lance Gooden (05), Kay Granger (12), Pete Olsen (22), John Ratcliffe (04), Chip Roy (21), Van Taylor (03), Randy Weber (14), Roger Williams (25), Ron Wright (06)Utah: Rob Bishop (01), John R. Curtis (03), Chris Stewart (02)Virginia: Ben Cline (06), Denver Riggleman (05), Rob Wittman (01)Washington: Dan Newhouse (04), Cathy McMorris Rogers (05)West Virginia: David B. McKinley, P.E. (01), Carol D. Miller (03), Alex X. Mooney (02),Wisconsin: Glenn Grothman (06), F. James Sensenbrenner (05), Brian Steil (01)Wyoming: Liz Cheney (AL) January 2, 2020: Emily’s List tweeted: “Abortion is under attack. Today, 207 members of Congress signed on to a briefing asking the Supreme Court to take up the issue of whether two crucial cases protection abortion – Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood – should be “reconsidered and, if appropriate, overruled”. Emily’s List followed that tweet with another tweet: “The threat to abortion is here. It is real. It is urgent. That’s why it is so important to elect pro-choice Democratic women up and down the ballot across the country. Every single election.” January 2, 2020: Planned Parenthood Action tweeted: “Public: we support Roe v. Wade. 207 Anti-abortion politicians: hey SCOTUS, “if appropriate, overrule” what the people want. New year, same nonsense. January 3, 2020: Speaker Nancy Pelosi posted a press release on the Speaker’s official website titled: “Pelosi Statement on House Seeking Expedited Supreme Court Ruling on GOP’s ACA Lawsuit”. From the statement: Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement as the House of Representatives filed a petition for a writ of certiorari in Republicans’ Texas v. U.S. lawsuit, asking the Supreme Court to act swiftly to uphold the Affordable Care Act in the face of the GOP’s effort to strike down the whole law. Last month, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals had sided with Republicans and given instructions to the District Court to redetermine how much of the law to strike down, almost certainly delaying a final ruling into 2021 or later.“Everyday that Republicans’ anti-health care lawsuit is allowed to endure is a day that American families will be forced to live in uncertainty and fear. Unless the Supreme Court acts, families will continue to face needless disruption in their coverage and premiums, states will be unable to plan for the future and protections for people with pre-existing conditions will remain in peril.“The Trump Administration and its GOP allies want to delay judgement on the disaster they have sought to unleash on the health care of the American people, but there is no legal or practical justification for doing so.“The Supreme Court should hear this case now and recognize Congress’s clear intent to preserve protections for people with pre-existing conditions and other benefits and protections of the Affordable Care Act.” The writ of certiorari mentioned in the Speaker’s above statement can be viewed (as a PDF) here. January 3, 2020: New York Attorney General Letitia James posted a press release on her official website titled: “Attorney General James Seeks Supreme Court Review Of ACA Case”. From the press release: New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition – which includes 19 additional states and the District of Columbia – today filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Texas v U.S. The decision affirmed a lower court’s ruling that the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional, yet refused to rule on the validity of the rest of the ACA – calling into question whether the remaining provisions of the statute could still stand, including those that protect and provide coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions. Because this decision causes uncertainty that may harm the health of millions of Americans – in addition to doctors, clinics, patients, and the healthcare market – Attorney General James and the coalition are petitioning the Supreme Court to take up the case and resolve it before the end of the court’s current term in June.The lawsuit – originally filed by a Texas-led coalition and supported by the Trump Administration – argued that Congress rendered the ACA’s individual mandate unconstitutional when it reduced the penalty for noncompliance with the law to $0. The plaintiffs further argued that the rest of the ACA should be held invalid as a result of that change. A coalition of attorneys general – that included New York – defended the ACA in its entirety, supported by a bipartisan group of amici, including scholars, economists, public health experts, hospital and provider associations, patient groups, countries, cities, and more. The Fifth Circuit held the individual mandate to be unconstitutional, but declined to further rule on the validity of the ACA’s remaining provisions. The court instead sent the case back to the Northern District of Texas to determine which provisions of President Obama’s signature health care law are still valid.Today’s petition makes clear that states, patients, doctors, hospitals, employers, pharmaceutical companies, and more will be impacted by the looming uncertainty caused by the Fifth Circuit’s decision. It asks the Supreme Court to review the case this term. The petition also highlights the important advancements in health care access made under the ACA, including: More than 12 million Americans now receive health coverage through the ACA’s Medicaid expansion;Nearly nine million individuals nationwide receive tax credits to help subsidize their health insurance coverage through individual marketplaces;Millions of working families rely on high-quality employer-sponsored health insurance plans;Important protections prohibit insurers from denying health insurance to the 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, like diabetes, cancer, or pregnancy, or from charging individuals higher premiums because of their health status; andNearly $1.3 trillion in federal funding has been dedicated to keeping Americans healthy and covered, which includes spending through Medicaid expansion and public health dollars. Filing today’s petition with Attorney General James are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota (by and through its Department of Commerce), Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia, as well as the governor of Kentucky. January 3, 2020: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra posted a press release on his official website titled: “Attorney Genreal Becerra Leads Coalition Seeking Supreme Court Review of ACA Repeal Case”. From the press release: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today, leading a coalition of 20 states and D.C., filed a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of the Fifth Circuit’s recent decision in Texas v. U.S. The decision held the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional and called into question whether the remaining provisions of the ACA could still stand, including those that protect and provide coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions. Because this decision causes uncertainty that may harm the health of millions of Americans, as well as doctors, clinics, patients, and the healthcare market, Attorney General Becerra and his coalition are petitioning the Supreme Court to take up the case and resolve it before the end of the Court’s current term in June.“While the Trump Administration fights to strip access to healthcare, our coalition moves forward to defend it – because a pre-existing medical condition should never again disqualify you from receiving affordable healthcare”, said Attorney General Becerra. “This dangerous repeal case jeopardizes the lives of our families, neighbors, and millions of Americans who rely on the ACA for their healthcare. We’ll continue to fight because our communities are healthier when everyone can access affordable care – whether that means gaining coverage from Medicaid expansion or by staying on a parent’s health insurance. We’re asking the Supreme Court to swiftly resolve this repeal lawsuit for the sake of saving lives and ending uncertainty in our healthcare system.”… January 3, 2020: Law.Com posted an article titled: “Donald Verrilli Returns to SCOTUS to Defend Obamacare”. It was written by Jacqueline Thomsen. From the article: The U.S House of Representatives and a Democratic group of state attorneys general on Friday placed the issue of the Affordable Care Act before the Supreme Court again, asking justices to review an appellate court decision that struck down the health care law’s individual mandate as unconstitutional.Alongside their petitions for writ of certiorari filled with the court, both the state officials and the House separately asked the justices to take up the matter on an expedited basis and schedule oral arguments for this spring.If the Supreme Court agrees to follow that schedule, that means an opinion could come down just months ahead of the 2020 presidential election, placing healthcare at the heart of the political debate……And the House’s petition, signed on by former Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, who previously defended the Affordable Care Act before the Supreme Court, said the Fifth Circuit ruling “has created an intolerable situation”… January 7, 2020: New York Attorney General Letitia James posted a press release on her official website titled: “Attorney General James Fights To Stop Restrictions On Women’s Reproductive Rights From Taking Effect”. From the press release: New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with a coalition of 19 additional attorneys general from around the nation, today filed a multistate amicus brief in support of a lawsuit that seeks to protect a woman’s right to safe and legal abortion care without the burdensome restrictions imposed by Arkansas laws. The brief – filed in support of the plaintiffs in Little Rock Family Planning Services v. Leslie Rutlidge, now before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals – supports the last surgical abortion clinic in Arkansas as it challenges four state laws that would restrict the ability for women in Arkansas to access abortions by banning abortions after 18 weeks and otherwise restricting women’s access to reproductive care.“Roe v. Wade has been the law of the land for 47 years and despite attempts by politicians across the country to undermine this national precedent and assert control over women’s bodies, we will not go backwards,” said Attorney General James. “We will continue to be relentless in our defense of a woman’s right to choose, relentless in safeguarding women’s freedoms, and relentless in protection the ability for women to control their own bodies. Our coalition won’t allow Arkansas, nor any other state, to make it harder for women to exercise their constitutional right to an abortion. And we will continue to use every legal tool available to prioritize the health, safety, wellness, and rights of women.”In March of last year, the governor of Arkansas signed into law several bills intended to restrict a woman’s access to abortion services throughout the state. The laws would criminalize abortions performed after 18 weeks and impose additional undue burdens on a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. The Little Rock Family Planning Services clinic argues that these laws would make abortion care unavailable and health care services less safe for women.In July, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas granted a preliminary injunction and temporarily blocked the laws restricting abortion care from taking effect. The State of Arkansas appealed the decision to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals shortly thereafter.In the brief filed today, Attorney General James and the coalition of attorneys general argue that the Arkansas laws violate a woman’s constitutional right to choose under Roe v Wade. The coalition further argues that limiting or eliminating women’s access to safe and legal abortion leads to worse health and socioeconomic outcomes for women.In July, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas granted a preliminary junction and temporarily blocked the laws restricting abortion care from taking effect. The State of Arkansas appealed the decision to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals shortly thereafter.In the brief filed today, Attorney General James and the coalition of attorneys general argue that the Arkansas laws violate a woman’s constitutional right to choose under Roe v. Wade. The coalition further argues that limiting or eliminating women’s access to safe and legal abortion leads to worse health and socioeconomic outcomes for women. The brief describes the different ways that states can promote women’s health without impeding women’s rights upheld by the U.S. Constitution. Today’s brief is just the latest action in a long list of measures Attorney General James has taken to protect women’s reproductive freedom. Last month, Attorney General James filed an amicus brief defending the right to maintain full and equal access to birth control guaranteed under the Affordable Care Act for tens of thousands of women nationwide… January 7, 2020: California Attorney General Xavier Bacerra posted a press release on his official website titled: “Attorney General Becerra Leads Multistate Amicus Brief Defending Women’s Reproductive Rights”. From the press release: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today led a multistate coalition in filing an amicus brief in Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the plaintiffs in Little Rock Family Planning Services v. Leslie Rutledge, a lawsuit that seeks to protect a woman’s right to safe and legal abortion care. The multistate coalition supports the last surgical abortion clinic in Arkansas in its challenge to four state laws that would restrict women’s access to safe and legal abortion by banning abortion after 18 weeks and otherwise restricting women’s access to reproductive care.“We’re standing up to protect women’s rights,” said Attorney General Becerra. “No woman should be blocked from making health decisions about her body that she is entitled to under the Constitution. We will continue to fight to ensure that all women can access affordable comprehensive reproductive healthcare.”.. A copy of the brief is available here. January 9, 2020: Cal Matters posted an article titled: “Gov. Gavin Newsom to propose that California manufacture its own generic drugs”. From the article: In a bold strategy to drive down prescription drug prices, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing that California become the first state in the nation to establish its own generic drug label, making those medications available at an affordable price to the state’s 40 million residents.The proposal, part of the new state budget Newsom is expected to send to the Legislature on Friday, would authorize the state to negotiate contracts with drugmakers to manufacture selected prescriptions on behalf of California. Such a disruption of the pharmaceutical industry, proponents say, would leverage the state’s massive market to increase competition and lower generic drug prices nationally.The strategy is one of several the Democratic governor plans to recommend to lower the cost of health care for Californians. The administration released only a summary of the proposal on Thursday without the projected price tag, but indicated that it’s part of a multi-prong effort that includes strenghtening the state’s public option for health insurance and increasing drug pricing transparency.Newsom will also continue last year’s push to establish a single drug market for drug pricing, direct the state to ask for more rebates from drug manufacturers, and open a new health care affordability office sometime this spring… January 13, 2020: New York Attorney General Letitia James posted a press release on her official website titled: “AG James Stops Public Charge Rule From Taking Effect”. From the press release: New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following statement after the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied the Trump Administration’s efforts to immediately reverse a nationwide preliminary injunction on the president’s Public Charge Rule:“Today is a victory for the millions of immigrants in our state and in this country that have been sidelined, disrespected, and demeaned by the Trump Administration. Generations have come to this country with nothing more than a dream in their pockets, but the president’s Public Charge Rule is an egregious attempt to infringe upon the values of our nation. The court’s decision to enforce the preliminary injunction and block the president from expediting his plan to discriminate against communities of color is welcome news to millions across New York and this country. We remain committed to fighting against this misguided rule and will continue to pursue every legal took available to permanently stop it.”In August 2019, Attorney General James and a coalition that includes the attorneys general of Connecticut and Vermont, as well as the City of New York, filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s Public Charge Rule, which aims to deny green cards to immigrants that use or have used government assistance programs. The program specifically targets immigrants of color, while putting these communities at risk, and would have short and long-term impacts on public health and the economy.In September, Attorney General James and the coalition filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the rule from going into effect. After the court order the preliminary injunction, President Trump and his Administration filed to stay the order but were denied in their efforts today.The overall health and wellbeing of New York’s immigrant communities that use vital public benefit programs would be negatively impacted by the Public Charge Rule. Additionally, with the anticipated decline in Medicaid enrollment, individuals who would have otherwise had access to healthcare are at risk of living with undiagnosed and untreated conditions. Economically, impacted communities can be expected to experience increased poverty rates, housing instability, a reduced workforce, and an overall decrease in total economic productivity. January 13, 2020: Speaker Pelosi tweeted: “130 million Americans live every day with pre-existing conditions. They depend on knowing their health care, secured by protections in the ACA, is there when they need it. #ProtectOurCare” January 13, 2020: Senator Sherrod Brown tweeted: “The Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion is our number one took to get Ohioans the addiction treatment they need – and President Trump wants to take it away. We must #ProtectOurCare.” The tweet included a link to a Washington Post article titled “Medicaid expansion may have saved thousands from overdose deaths”. January 13, 2020: Representative Vicente Gonzalez tweeted: “Our government should be fighting to ensure Americans have access to quality, affordable health care without facing discrimination based on their pre-existing conditions – not working to take it away from millions! #ProtectOurCare” January 13, 2020: Representative Bill Foster tweeted: “If @realDonaldTrump gets his way, families across the country will see their costs go up as they lose pre-existing condition protections. I’m fighting to #ProtectOurCare for the 314,000 residents of my district who live with pre-existing conditions. January 13, 2020: Representative Zoe Lofgren tweeted: “I’m fighting for people living with pre-existing conditions in CA-19 & all around the country. If the GOP’s Texas v US lawsuit strikes down the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans will lose vital protections & access to care. We must #ProtectOurCare!” January 13, 2020: Representative Ted Lieu tweeted: “If Trump gets his way, families in #CA33 and across the country will see their health care costs go up as they lose pre-existing condition protections. We can’t let it happen. #ProtectOurCare”. January 14, 2020: Senator Bob Casey tweeted: “If the ACA is overturned: Women lose protections against discrimination in health care settings. Insurance companies will be able to charge women more than men. Women lose essential protections for breastfeeding including vital workplace standards. #ProtectOurCare.” January 14, 2020: Senator Doug Jones tweeted: “Folks, I know there’s a lot going on right now, but we can’t forget about the nearly 1M Alabamians living with pre-existing conditions whose health coverage is under attack right now. We need to stand up to #ProtectOurCare.” January 15, 2020: The Star Tribune Editorial Board posted an Editorial titled: “Waiting game on the Affordable Care Act isn’t healthy”. From the editorial: Patients, seniors, doctors, hospitals, state lawmakers and voters are owed a swift answer from the U.S. Supreme Court about whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will survive the latest challenge to its existence. The court needs to remove the uncertainty hovering ominously over this landmark measure, one whose sprawling web of assistance programs consumers, hospitals and states have come to rely on for quality, accessible care.That the fate of the 2010 law is dependent on the courts for the third time in a decade is exasperating. Twice already, battles over the ACA’s constitutionality have been fought all the way to the Supreme Court. Twice, justices have upheld the law. Now, a third challenge, one that’s essentially a vanity project led by a headline-seeking Texas attorney general, is gaining ill-deserved momentum.The legal argument in this dubious Texas lawsuit is the flip side of the original 2012 Supreme Court challenge to the law. Back then, the ACA’s earliest opponents argued that the law was unconstitutional because it required people to buy insurance. The Texas AG now argues that the law is unconstitutional because Congress essentially gutted the purchase requirement in 2017 during an end-of-the year tax bill……The implications are enormous. Millions of Americans depend on the financial aid the law provides to buy private insurance. In Minnesota, the average household that applied for help through MNsure received $5,244 to buy coverage in 2020. That aid could be gone next year or in the future. The fate of the Medicare “doughnut hole” is equally uncertain, leaving seniors with frightening questions about how they’ll be able to afford medications… January 15, 2020: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse tweeted: “If Trump and the GOP succeed in overturning the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans will lose coverage and access to life-saving prescription drugs. This is a fight for basic human rights. #ProtectOurCare”. January 15, 2020: America’s Health Insurance Plans posted a statement on their website titled: “AHIP Issues Statement Upon Filing an Amicus Brief with the Supreme Court Requesting Certiorari in TX v US”. From the statement: Matt Eyles, president and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), issued this statement as the association filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court requesting certiorari in TX vs US and timely consideration of the validity of the Affordable Care Act (ACA):“Every American deserves affordable coverage and high-quality care. This has been – and always will be – our committment.“The district court’s original decision to invalidate the entire ACA was misguided and wrong. We urge the Supreme Court to grant certioari and remove the overhanging legal uncertainty that undermines the stability of coverage for nearly 300 million Americans, and that inhibits greater and faster progress to improve coverage and care for everyone.“As we indicated in our brief, returning this case to the district court on remand only delays what Congress has unmistakably indicated through its actions: that the ACA should continue in operation despite its zeroring out of the mandate. We are confident that the Supreme Court will ultimately recognize that zeroing out the mandate was never intended to wreak havoc across the entire American health care system.“As we continue to engage in the legal process, health insurance providers remain committed to serving all of their members, and to strengthening affordability, access, and choices for every American.” January 16, 2020: Planned Parenthood posted a press release titled: “Planned Parenthood Condemns Proposed Rules that Would Grant Recipients License to Discriminate”. From the press release: Today, as part of a series of similar rules released across several federal agencies, the Trump-Pence administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) proposed religious refusal rules that would strip away critical protections from people rely on federally funded health and social services programs both domestically and abroad. The rules also make it substantially easier for faith-based organizations to receive tax-payer funding while simultaneously promoting their religion. They would eliminate protections that require faith-based organizations to notify people that they are serving about their rights, and refer them to other services providers if desired.This is the latest in a long line of dangerous policies that could impact peoples’ abilities to access HIV and STI prevention programs, reproductive health services and other vital health care; youth homelessness services; and foster care and adoption services. They represent a concerted effort by the Trump-Pence administration across the federal government to attack access to sexual and reproductive health care and other services by taking funds from qualified providers and give them to religious entities that may not provide comprehensive services……Discrimination in health care already prevents too many LGBTQ people from accessing care. According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 33 percent of respondents who sought health care in the last year experienced mistreatment, including violence, because they were transgender – and nearly one-quarter avoided seeking health care service when they needed them out of fear of discrimination. Nearly one-third of transgender people surveyed said a doctor or health care provider refused to treat them due to their gender identity.When women are denied access to the full range of reproductive services, rates of unintended pregnancy, maternal mortality, mental health conditions, and sexually transmitted infections increase. Access to contraception also impacts women’s educational attainment, participation in the workforce, and economic growth. January 16, 2020: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) posted a news article titled: “Arkansas Legislators’ Attack on Abortion is Unconstitutional.” It was written by Michele Goodwin and David S. Cohen. From the article: The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled time and time again that reproductive privacy is “central to personal dignity and autonomy, [which] are central to the liberty protected by” the Constitution. The Court has made eminently clear that under the Constitution, the right of a pregnant person to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability is a right so essential to our freedom that our government cannot ban or impose an undue burden on its exercise. But despite long-standing clarity of this principle, reproductive health and rights continue to come under blistering, unrelenting attack……Enough is enough. That’s why we, along with our colleagues and fellow scholars in constitutional law, filed a friend of the court brief in the 8th Circuit last week, speaking up against Arkansas’s recent attempts to interfere with the right to reproductive autonomy. Right now, Arkansas is asking the 8th Circuit to overturn a lower court order that blocked a set of abortion bans and restrictions the state passed last year from taking effect. These laws include: a ban on doctors performing abortions prior to viability if the abortion is sought after 18 weeks (18-weeks ban); a ban on doctors performing abortions prior to viability if the doctor has “knowledge” that the abortion is sought “solely” due to a belief that the fetus may have Down syndrome (reason ban); and a medically unnecessary restriction on the types of physicians who can perform abortion in the state, which would prohibit all qualified providers who are not board-certified or board-eligible in obstetrics and gynecology from continuing to provide the safe, compassionate abortion care they have been providing in Arkansas for years (OBGYN requirement).Arkansas insists that its two bans on pre-viability abortion are not actually bans but merely “regulations.” This is nothing but Orwellian subterfuge. We know a ban when we see one and so do people looking to terminate their pregnancies. Regulations are laws that control how a right can be exercised. Bans prohibit a right from being exercised at all. And that is exactly what the 18-week ban and reason ban would do if permitted to take effect……Thankfully, a district court saw through Arkansas’s sophistry and phony justifications and preliminary enjoined the state’s two bans on abortion prior to viability and OBGYN requirement, with a decision rooted in long-standing precedent and bedrock precedent of justice. Let’s hope the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals follows our brief and heeds the wisdom of the lower court, preserving not only that decision but also the civil rights and civil liberties of all people who want to terminate a pregnancy. January 16, 2020: New York Attorney General Letitia James posted a press release on her official website titled: “Multiple Groups Join Attorney General James in Urging Supreme Court To Take Up ACA Case”. From the press release: New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that a diverse group of bipartisan patient groups, hospitals, health care providers, insurance companies, economists, and others filed multiple amicus briefs supporting a multistate effort to defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The amici urge the U.S. Supreme Court to grant expedited review of the coalition’s case and argue that such review is necessary to protect America’s health care system and the well-being of Americans across the nation.“Despite what the president may tweet, all he wants to do is strip health care away from 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, make it harder for children and young people to obtain coverage, and charge Americans more for health care,” said Attorney General James. “Obamacare has been the law of the land for a decade, but President Trump and his Administration continue to look for ways to chip away all the protections of the health care reform law. A wide-ranging and diverse group of organizations is joining our fight today to protect the ACA because health care should be a right every American has access to, not a privilege for a select few.”The amicus briefs filed today support the state coalition’s request for the Supreme Court to review a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit that upheld a lower ruling finding the ACA’s individual mandate to be unconstitutional, and that simultaneously called into question whether the remaining provisions of the law could still stand. The state coalition has asked that the Supreme Court grant expedited review of this decision and decide the case before the court’s term ends in June – a resolution that is needed to alleviate the uncertainty created by this litigation.The ACA – also known as Obamacare – contains hundreds of protections that countless Americans rely on for health care, including: Prohibiting insurers from denying health insurance to the 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions (like diabetes, cancer or pregnancy) or from charging individuals higher premiums because of their health status;Allowing young people, up to the age of 26, to stay on their parents’ insurance; Expanding Medicaid to provide health coverage to more than 12 million Americans, including young children and babies;Providing tax credits and financial assistance to nine million low- and middle-income individuals and families, so they can access affordable health coverage through the ACA marketplace; andPreventing insurance companies from imposing lifetime and yearly insurance limits, among other benefits. Amicus briefs in support of the state coalition’s request for expedited review by the Supreme Court were filed by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), National Hospital Associations; Small Business Majority Foundation, American Cancer Society, et al, State Hospital Associations, AARP, et all, and Bipartisan Scholars.Joining Attorney General James in defending the ACA are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota (by and through its Department of Commerce), Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia, as well as the governor of Kentucky. January 16, 2020: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra posted a press release on his official website titled: “Diverse, Bipartisan Coalition Supports Attorney General Becerra’s Defense of the ACA, Urges Supreme Court to Act”. From the press release: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced that a diverse group of bipartisan economists, patient groups, hospitals, healthcare providers, healthcare insurance companies, and others filed amicus briefs defending the Affordable Care Act. The diverse coalition of amici supports California’s state coalition in its fight to protect the Affordable Care Act. The amici urge the Supreme Court to grant review of California’s case and argue that it is necessary to protect America’s healthcare system and the well-being of Americans across the nation.“For nearly a decade, the Affordable Care Act has been the backbone of our nation’s healthcare, paving the way toward better care with protections that keep our loved once healthy and covered,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Our healthcare should never be used as a political football – people’s health isn’t a game, it’s a matter of life and death. Today, a bipartisan coalition of legal experts, patient and physician advocates, economists, and public health experts agree: This repeal lawsuit will cause immense harm and uncertainty, so our fight to save affordable healthcare must go all the way to the Supreme Court.”… January 16, 2020: The National Women’s Law Center posted a press release titled: “Federal Court Allows Challenge to Proceed Against Trump Administration and University of Notre Dame’s Back-Room Birth Control Agreement”. From the press release: Today, the U.S. District Court from the Northern District of Indiana ruled to allow a lawsuit brought by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Americans United), the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), and law firms Fried Frank and Macey Swanson to proceed against the Trump-Pence Administration and University of Notre Dame.The lawsuit is brought on behalf of student group Irish 4 Reproductive Health and others on Notre Dame’s health plan and challenges the unlawful settlement agreement between the Administration and the University of Notre Dame that denies students and employees coverage of birth control guaranteed to them by the Affordable Care Act. It also challenges rules issued by the Trump-Pence Administration that allow virtually any employer or university to take birth control coverage away from employees and students. The court denied the Administration’s and University’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit.The following is a statement by Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC):“Today’s ruling sends a clear message to the Trump-Pence Administration that it cannot deny birth control coverage by entering into backroom deals or issuing unlawful rules. The Administration is once again trying to circumvent the law, and it must end. This is a win not only for Notre Dame students, but for everyone seeking access to birth control. We will keep fighting until every person across the country has the birth control coverage guaranteed to them by law, no matter where they work or go to school.” January 17, 2020: Representative Hakeem Jeffries tweeted: “More than 100 million ppl have a preexisting condition. President Obama’s leadership provided healthcare protection for these Americans. Donald Trump is trying to strip it away. Those are the FACTS.” January 17, 2020: Reuters posted an article titled: “Supreme Court to hear Trump appeal in Obamacare contraception fight”. It was written by Lawrence Hurley. From the article: The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday took up an appeal by President Donald Trump’s administration seeking to enforce new federal rules allowing employers to obtain religious exemptions from an Obamacare requirement that health insurance that they provide to employees pays for women’s birth control.At issue is a challenge by the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the administration’s 2018 rule that permits broad religious moral exemptions to the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate and expands accommodations already allowed under the 2010 law dubbed Obamacare. The administration has asked the Supreme Court to reverse a nationwide injunction issued by a lower court blocking the rule from taking effect.Arguments in the case before the high court, which has a 5-4 conservative majority including two justices appointed by Trump, are likely to be in April with a ruling due by the end of June……The legal question is whether Trump’s administration had legal authority to expand the exemption both under the Obamacare law itself and another federal law, the Religious Freedom restoration Act, which allows people to press religious claims against the federal government.The Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year upheld a nationwide injunction issued by a district court judge in the lawsuit by New Jersey and Pennsylvania, blocking implementation of the rule. Separately, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year upheld a lower court’s injunction on blocking the rule in a group of 14 states… January 17, 2020: Senator Bob Casey tweeted: “The ACA dramatically reduced racial disparities in health insurance coverage. In PA alone, the uninsured rate among Black and Hispanic adults each decreased by more then 11% from 2013 to 2018. This obscene Republican lawsuit threatens these gains. We must #ProtectOurCare” January 17, 2020: National Women’s Law Center posted a press release titled: “SCOTUS to Hear Case That Threatens Access to Birth Control, Says NWLC”. From the press release: Today, the Supreme Court decided to hear a case – Trump v. Pennsylvania – that will determine whether employers and schools can deny insurance coverage of birth control to employees and students.In November 2018, the Trump-Pence administration finalized rules to undermine Affordable Care Act’s birth control benefit by allowing virtually any employer or university to deny birth control coverage otherwise required by law. These rules were challenged in courts across the country including by the National Women’s Law Center. In a case brought by Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals issued a nationwide injunction blocking the rules.The following is a statement from Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center:“Birth control should never be determined by where someone lives or goes to school. The Supreme Court should affirm the lower court’s decision that these rules are illegal and harmful. We won’t stop fighting until all people have access to birth control despite these vicious attacks by the Trump-Pence administration.” January 18, 2020: SFGATE posted an article titled: “Louisiana Medicaid managed care contract awards thrown out”. It was written by Melinda Deslatte. From the article: Multibillion-dollar Medicaid contracts awarded by Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration have been scrapped by Louisiana’s chief procurement officer, who determined the health department mishandled the bid process for deals to provide health services to 1.5 million people.Louisiana’s state procurement officer Paula Tregre said the health department failed to follow state law or its own evaluation and bid guidelines in determining which private companies should receive contracts to manage care for most of Louisiana’s Medicaid patients. In a decision issued late Friday, Tregre wrote the health department’s actions “resulted in a fatally flawed procurement process.”In response to protests filed by two losing bidders, Tregre rescinded the three-year contract awards estimated to be worth about $21 billion. She said the health department will have to redo the bid process to choose the insurance companies that will oversee care for about 90% of Louisiana’s Medicaid enrollees – mostly adults covered by Medicaid expansion, pregnant women and children.Tregre’s decision, which can be contested, won’t disrupt Medicaid health services to nearly one-third of Louisiana’s population. The Edwards administration signed emergency contracts to keep the state’s five current Medicaid managed care contractors in place this year because of the ongoing disputes about the contract awards and bid process… January 18, 2020: Morning Call posted an article titled: “Pennsylvania Democrats prod Republicans over Obamacare’s fate this election year”. It was written by Ford Turner. From the article: Pennsylvania House Democrats have dusted off a seldom-used legislative maneuver to push Republican action on health bills – including one on pre-existing conditions – that Democrats say will help if the Affordable Care Act gets nullified in the courts.“Discharge resolutions” filed in the state House last week push four stalled bills that work as a package, according to Democrat spokesman Bill Patton……The move comes as Democrats nationwide, cognizant of election-year ramifications, take steps to draw attention to the Trump administration’s vow to end Obamacare. A special focus is being placed on the law’s widely popular guarantees of preexisting condition coverage and parental plan coverage of offspring up to age 26……Pennsylvania’s House Democrats, including Allentown’s Peter Schweyer, said the state must act. Schweyer is prime sponsor of a bill that would preserve access to insurance and doctors by people with preexisting conditions even if Obamacare is thrown out. New Jersey’s Democratic governor on Thursday signed into law a bill on the same topic.Three other Pennsylvania bills mandate that insurance policies sold in Pennsylvania include coverages required by Obamacare, preserve coverage for adult children up to age 26, and ensure there are no “lifetime limits” on health care coverage……But the four have received no action in the House Insurance Committee despite being sent there more than 10 months ago. Republicans control the state House and Senate… January 19, 2020: NJ.com posted an article titled: “Murphy enacts laws to protect Obamacare benefits in N.J. from Trump cuts”. It was written by Susan K. Livio. From the article: Gov. Phil Murphy has signed a package of legislation that enshrines the tenets of the Affordable care Act into state law, giving New Jersey the authority to operate its own insurance marketplace and protect people with pre-existing conditions from losing coverage.The laws are a guard against pending legal threats to the landmark health care law, which in New Jersey insured 500,000 low-income people through the Medicaid program and 255,000 others who found coverage through the public marketplace last year.Murphy expects the state will operate its own Healthcare.gov marketplace later this year, enabling it to keep the $50 million it sends to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services every year to handle that responsibility. The state would also be able to set a longer open enrollment period, which President Donald Trump’s administration cut in half to six weeks.The nine bills Murphy, a Democrat, signed into law Thursday protects benefits, such as coverage for pre-existing conditions and adult children up to age 26, that may be at risk should the courts or Congress repeal or furthe weaken the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare… Here is a list of the bills Governor Phil Murphy signed: S626 – prevents carriers from denying a policyholder coverage because of a pre-existing medical conditionA5248 – requires insurance companies to cover benefits deemed essential under Obamacare and protects older people and people with disabilities from discriminationA5500 – creates a more rigorous review process for carriers seeking more than a 10 percent annual rate increaseA5501 – allows adult children to remain on their parents’ health coverage until they turn 26A5503 – establishes an open enrollment period for the state’s existing Individual Health Coverage ProgramA5504 – requires large insurance carriers to report their “medical loss ratio” to the state to prove they are spending at least 85 percent of premiums on medical-related expenses and keeping no more than 15 percent on administration, fees and profits. Policyholders would receive a credit if carriers keep too much money.A5506 – repeals the law allowing insurance carriers to offer “basic and essential” plans that do not contain the 10 benefits required under the ACA, such as maternity care, substance abuse treatment and mental health treatment and prescription drugsA5507 – provides free cancer and other preventative health screeningsA5508 – requires coverage for contraceptives January 19, 2020: Senator Patty Murray tweeted: “Let me be clear: the Republicans’ partisan health care lawsuit would put them one step closer to getting the health care plan they’ve always wanted – one that kicks millions of people off their care & takes away protection they rely on. We must keep fighting to #ProtectOurCare”. January 19, 2020: Herald-Tribune posted a Guest-Editorial titled: “Floridians are losing access to affordable health care.” It was written by Florida House of Representatives Margaret Good. From the Guest-Editorial: The health of Florida families is in jeopardy. More than 2.5 million Floridians are not covered by health insurance and prescription drug costs continue to rise.These are among the issues I hear about most from the people I serve. It is time for the Legislature to make real change to increase coverage and lower costs. This session, I filed House Bill 1293, which addresses access and costs.While Florida already has one of the highest uninsured rates in the country, the stage is set for the crisis to worsen. More than 3.5 million Floridians with preexisting conditions may lose access to affordable care, depending on the outcome of a court case challenging parts of the Affordable Care Act. If the special interests behind this lawsuit are successful, insurers will be free to charge Floridians with preexisting conditions whatever they want, effectively pricing people with preexisting conditions out of the market.This is especially concerning because of a bill that passed the Florida Legislature last session that allows insurers to sell short-term health insurance policies that avoid the pricing and term requirements of the ACA. Consumers who purchase these policies often believe they have comprehensive coverage, when, in fact, the short-term policy may exclude medically necessary treatment. This leaves Floridians, especially those with preexisting conditions, vulnerable……There are no federal or Florida regulations of the pharmaceutical industry’s pricing structure. House Bill 1293 holds pharmaceutical companies accountable by creating a Prescription Drug Affordability Commission, which would review increases in prescription drug prices, ensuring that companies cannot raise prices indiscriminately… January 19, 2020: Senator Ron Wyden tweeted: “Thanks to Republicans’ lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act, health care coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions is once again on the chopping block. One thing remains certain: @morethanmySLE and I are committed in the fight to #ProtectOurCare” January 19, 2020: Axios posted an article titled: “Scoop: “Birth tourism” is Trump’s next immigration target”. It was written by Stef W. Knight and Jonathan Swan. From the article: The Trump administration has a new target on the immigration front – pregnant women visiting from other countries – with plans as early as this week to roll out a new rule cracking down on “birth tourism,” three administration officials told Axios.Why it matters: Trump has threatened to end birthright citizenship and railed against immigrant “anchor babies.” The new rule would be one of the first tangible steps to test how much legal authority the administration has to prevent foreigners from taking advantage of the 14th Amendment’s protection of citizenship for anyone born in the U.S……How the new regulations would work: It would alter the requirements for B visas (or visitor visas), giving State Department officials the authority to deny foreigners the short-term business and tourism visas if they believe the process is being used to facilitate automatic citizenship… January 20, 2020: The Columbus Dispatch posted an article titled: “‘Business negotiations’ result in Ohio’s Medicaid network losing 272 pharmacies”. It was written by Marty Schladen. From the article: Ohio Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran says she was told that both CVS and Walgreens demanded last year that the other be excluded from the network of the state’s largest managed-care provider – a statement they both deny,Despite months of questions about the matter, it was the first time the state’s Medicaid chief acknowledged that she had been told that both pharmacy giants had demanded cuts to the provider network as the price of doing business with the federal-state health-care program. She also said it was hearsay.Meanwhile, CareSource, the Dayton-based company that, according to Corcoran, told her of the demands, continues its practice of not answering questions on the subject from The Dispatch.CareSource receives almost $8 billion a year from Ohio taxpayers. It is the largest contractor and its biggest Medicaid managed-care organization. But Corcoran expresses a disinterest in negotiations that have slashed 272 pharmacies from a network that serves almost 3 million poor Ohioans……CareSource would not comment on whether the big chains demanded each others’ ouster……As it has since this past fall, Walgreens said it did not ask that CVS be eliminated……CVS also said it did not demand that Walgreens be dropped… January 20, 2020: Senator Patty Murray tweeted: “Republicans are putting health care in our country on a completely avoidable, catastrophic crash course w/ their partisan lawsuit. I urge President Trump & Republicans to listen to patients & drop their partisan & deeply harmful attacks on families’ health care. #ProtectOurCare” January 20, 2020: Reuters posted an article titled: “Women rarely regret decision to get abortion”. It was written by Lisa Rapaport. From the article: Five years after an abortion, most women still say it was the right decision even if they struggled with their choice at the time, a U.S. study suggests.Researchers surveyed 667 women who had abortions in 21 states a week after they had the procedures and then once every six months for five years. By the end of that period, 84% of women had either positive or neutral feelings about their choice.“We found no evidence of emergent negative emotions about the abortion over the five years,” said study leader Corinne Rocca of the University of California, San Francisco.“In fact, of all the emotions we looked at, relief remained the most commonly reported one at all times, even five years out,” Rocca said by email.Opponents of abortion have argued against legal access to these procedures in part because of concerns that abortion harms women by causing emotions and regret, researchers note in Science and Medicine. This idea has contributed to state laws and court decisions limiting abortion as well as state policies requiring women seeking abortions to be warned it might cause lasting emotional or mental harm, the study team notes… January 20, 2020: Chron posted an article titled: “Critics: consumers should be wary of short-term health plans”. It was written by Kelli Kennedy. From the article: Consumers who bought short-term health insurance thinking they had found a better deal than “Obamacare” during the open enrollment season may be in for a shock when they show up at their doctor’s office this year.The low-cost plans aren’t required to cover basics such as prescription drugs or maternity care.The Trump administration rolled back restrictions on short-term plans in 2018. But critics quickly labeled them junk insurance, warning they come with gaps and don’t have to cover pre-existing medical conditions……With premiums about a third of the cost of comprehensive coverage, short term plans are significantly cheaper but don’t meet requirements under the Affordable Care Act. And while they cover major catastrophes such as a car accident, they don’t have to cover the law’s “essential benefits” – including mental health and substance abuse treatment and they won’t cover pre-existing conditions……Some short-term insurance companies are calling customers directly and repeatedly, said Islara Souto, a program director for Epilepsy Florida, which helps consumers secure health plans in Miami.“These plans are being targeted to those consumers in Spanish with misleading facts,” said Souto, adding some try to appear they’re from the federal marketplace by calling themselves the “Coverage Department”… January 21, 2020: CBS News posted an article titled: “Supreme Court declines to fast-track Obamacare case”. From the article: The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to consider a fast-track review of a lawsuit that threatens the Obama-era health care law, making it highly unlikely that the justices would decide the case before the 2020 election. The decision comes hours before Chief Justice John Roberts will preside over the president’s impeachment trial.The court denied a request by 20 mainly Democratic states and the Democratic-led House of Representatives to decide quickly on a lower-court ruling that declared part of the statute unconstitutional and cast a cloud over the rest……The justices did not comment on their order. They will consider the appeal on their normal timetable and could decide in the coming months whether to take up the case… January 21, 2020: New York Attorney General Letitia James posted a press release on her official website titled: “Attorney General James’ Statement On Supreme Court Decision to Not Expedite ACA Case”. From the press release: New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it was denying a motion to expedite review of a decision in litigation threatening the Affordable Care Act (ACA): “While the Supreme Court has said it will not expedite its review, we are still urging the court to hear arguments next term. Day after day, President Trump makes false statements, sends misleading tweets, and spouts outright lies about Obamacare and the many protections the law has provided to millions across the country. Our coalition will never stop fighting against the president’s continued efforts to strip health coverage away from American families, including the 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions.”Earlier this month, Attorney General James and a coalition of attorneys general from around the nation filed a motion asking the Supreme Court to expedite its review of a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Texas v. U.S. The decision affirmed a lower court’s ruling that the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional, yet refused to rule on the validity of the rst of the ACA – calling into question whether the remaining provisions of the statute could still stand, including those that protect and provide coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions. Because this decision causes uncertainty that many harm the health of millions of Americans – in addition to doctors, clinics, patients, and the healthcare market – Attorney General James and the coalition petitioned the Supreme Court to take up the case and resolve it before the end of the court’s current term in June.While the Supreme Court did not expedite its review of the states’ petition, it is still reviewing the petition and has not yet determined whether it will grant review and hear arguments next term. Under the Fifth Circuit’s decision, the district court that originally ruled on the case will rehear and reconsider the validity of the rest of the health care reform law…. January 21, 2020: AARP posted information on its website titled: “Supreme Court Says No to Fast Review of ACA Ruling”. It was written by Dena Bunis. From the information: The U.S. Supreme Court will not take up a federal court ruling that said a key provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitional. The high court’s refusal on Tuesday to fast-track a review means all the protections of the ACA remain in force but the long-term status of the law remains uncertain.AARP and AARP Foundation joined two otehr nonprofit groups that fight for older Americans – Justice in Aging and the Center for Medicare Advocacy – in filing an amicus brief on Jan. 15 asking the high court to review a December 2019 rulng by the Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. That decision struck down the ACA’s individual mandate but left the fate of the rest of the law in the hands of a lower court judge who has already declared the entire law invalid. While the justices declined to fast-track an appeal, the Supreme Court could decide to hear the case at a later time… January 21, 2020: California Health & Human Services Agency posted a press release titled: “Health and Human Services Agency Announces Formation of Governor Newsom’s Behavioral Health Task Force to Address Urgent Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder”. From the press release: Following the unveiling of his budget proposal with its robust focus on improving behavioral health services, the California Health and Human Services Agency announced the formation today of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Behavioral Health Task Force to address the urgent mental health and substance use disorder needs across California. The panel will advise the Administration’s efforts to advance statewide behavioral health services, prevention, and early intervention to stabilize conditions before they become severe.“Behavioral health services and wellness are essential to living a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life,” said Governor Newsom. “All Californians should be able to get the mental health and substance use disorder assistance they need when they need it. We must also prevent these conditions when possible, and intervene early to reduce their severity, particularly among younger Californians.”The task force, chaired by Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr.Mark Ghaly, will consist of a broad range of stakeholders, including people living with behavoral health conditions – including mental health and substance use disorders, family members, adovocates, providers, health plans, counties, and state agency leaders……The mission of the task force is to develop recommendations for the Governor about ho California can best provide timely access to high-quality behavioral health care for all of its residents. The task force will include representatives from both the public and private sectors to align efforts to address behavioral health challenges from a public health perspective. What’s more, the task force will inform and bolster the state’s work to prevent mental health and substance use disorders and ensure that health and social service providers are able to intervene early to stabilize conditions before they become severe… January 24, 2020: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra posted a press release on his official website titled: “Attorney General Becerra Asks Court to Protect California’s Title X Family Planning Program”. From the press release: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra asked the Northern District of California court to rule on its complaint that alleges the federal government illegally promulgated a Final Rule (Gag Rule) to undermine the Title X program, the nation’s only federal family planning program. The Trump-Pence Administration’s Gag Rule attacks Title X by limiting access to preventative healthcare including access to birth control, restricting healthcare providers’ ability to provide comprehensive information to patients, and prohibiting referrals for abortion. California and other plaintiffs are still waiting for a ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the federal government’s appeal of the district court’s earlier grant of a preliminary injunction halting the implementation of the Gag Rule.“The Title X program is a critical tool that helps low-income women and families access essential healthcare in California and across the nation,” said Attorney General Becerra. “This is yet another attack on women and their reproductive rights by the President and Vice President who circumvented the law and the public by jamming this Gag Rule through the process. That’s unacceptable. California won’t watch struggling families go without basic healthcare.”California’s renewed push against the Title X regulation is based on the physical separation requirement of the Title X Final Rule which will take effect on March 4, causing further devastating consequences for California’s Title X network. The physical separation requirement would require both physical and financial separation between any Title X program participant and any faculty that provides abortion services. This means a provide must have, at minimum, separate examination and waiting rooms, office entrances and exits, phone numbers, email addresses, educational services, websites, staff and personnel, electronic or paper-based health care records, and workstations. The financial and administrative burdens this requirement would impose on Title X providers would only increase the exodus of providers from the program. California has already experienced significant loss of Title X providers since the Gag Rule took effect. Without relief before the March 4 deadline, California may no longer have a Title X network, causing untold harm to thousands of women and families across the state. California seeks to resolve its Administrative Procedures Act (APA) claims before the physical separation deadline to mitigate this harm.In the brief, California argues that the Trump Administration’s final rule is in violation of the APA because it is arbitrary and capricious as well as contrary to federal statutes that require non-directive counseling and that forbid the federal government from creating unreasonable barriers to appropriate medical care. A copy of the the motion is available here. January 24, 2020: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) posted news on its official website titled: “HHS Issues Notice of Violation to California for its Abortion Coverage Mandate”. From the news: Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), announced an action to protect human life and the conscience rights of all Americans.OCR is issuing a Notice of Violation to the sate of California, formally notifying California that it cannot impose universal abortion coverage mandates on health insruacne plans and issuers in violaition of federal conscience laws……OCR’s investigation arose from two complaints alleging that California engaged in unlawful discrimination when California’s Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) ordered, in August 2014, that all health plan issuers under its jurisdiction must offer coverage for elective abortion in every plan they offer. The two complainants are the Missionary Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit, a Catholic order of religious sisters, and Skyline Weslyan Church, a non-profit Christian church – organizations whose religious beliefs preclude them, in good conscience, from helping to pay for insurance coverage for elective abortions.Pursuant to 45 CFR Part 88 (effective March 2011), OCR completed the investigation of the complaints and determined that California violated the Weldon Amendment by mandating that California health care plan issuers cover elective abortion in each plan product, and continues to violate federal law by continuing to require objecting health care entities protected by the Weldon Amendment to cover elective abortion. With this notice, OCR requests that California inform OCR, within thirty days, whether California will continue to enforce its requirement that all health plans cover elective abortions, or whether it will agree to take corrective action and remedy the effect of its discriminatory conduct.If after 30 days, OCR does not recieve sufficient assurance that California will come into compliance with federal law, OCR will forward the Notice of Violation and the evidence supporting OCR’s findings in this matter to the HHS funding components from which California recieves funding for appropriate action under applicable grants and contracts regulations. This action may ultimately result in limitations on continued reciept of certain HHS funds.This is not the first time OCR has found California to be in violation of federal conscience statutes. In January 2019, OCR found that California violated the Weldon and Coats-Snowe Amendments when it subjected pregnancy resource centers in the state to potential fines and discrimination for refusing to post notices referring for free or low-cost abortions… I want to make this perfectly clear: the Trump-Pence administration has decided that states rights can be usurped by the complaints of Catholic and Christian organizations who wish to impose their will upon the people of a state. This means that the Trump-Pence administration has established a national religion. The Third Article of the U.S. Constitution clearly states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abriding the freedom of speech, or of the pres, or the right of the people to peaceablly assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. NOTE: It does not say that the federal government is allowed to establish one religion – Christianity in this example – above all others and above the rights of people who do not follow any particular religion. Freedom to exercise one’s religion does not mean that religious groups are allowed to take away rights from … well, everyone else. January 24, 2020: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra posted a press release on his official website titled: “Attorney General Becerra Issues Response to Trump Administration’s Baseless Allegations of Weldon Violaton”. From the press release: Attorney General Becerra today issued a statement in response to a letter from the Trump Administration’s Office for Religious Consciousness that alleges California law violates the Weldon Amendment, a federal approprations rider that restricts abortion.“Women’s health should never be dangled as bait for the sake of political grandstanding. Today, Donald Trump is using the official levers of government to advance his political agenda. Sound familiar? In California, we will continue to protect our families’ access to healthcare, including women’s constitutional right to abortion. Nothing changes.”.. January 24, 2020: California Governor Gavin Newsom posted a tweet on his personal account: “Trump is threatening to take away ALL OF OUR HEALTHCARE FUNDING. TENS OF BILLION of dollars. 10 MILLION PEOPLE who are: poor, sick, kids, seniors, families, will LOSE their healthcare. And yet you call yourself “pro-life” @realDonaldTrump?? You sicken me.” The tweet included a link to the following Politico article. January 24, 2020: Politico posted an article titled: “Trump threatens to cut California funding over abortion coverage.” It was written by Alice Miranda Ollstein. From the article: The Trump administration on Friday threatened to cut off some federal funds to California unless it drops a state requirement that private health insurers cover abortion.The administration says the policy violates a federal ban on discriminating against health care entities that refuse to cover abortion services or refer patients for the procedure when taxpayer dollars are involved. HHS is giving the state 30 days to comply or face the loss of unspecified funds……Five other states – Illinois, Maine, New York, Oregon, and Washington – have similar laws on teh books. But HHS is, for now, only singling out California.California Gov. Gavin Newsom indicated the state won’t change the policy.“The Trump administration would rather rile up its base to score cheap political points and risk access to care for millions than to do what’s right,” he said. “California will continue to protect a woman’s right to choose, and we won’t back down from defending reproductive freedom for everybody – full stop.”California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra tweeted: “California won’t be deterred. We will fight this by any means necessary.”The move is in line with other Trump administration actions targeting the progressive state over issues including environmental standards, immigration policies and homelessness. It was also timed to coiencide with the March for Life on the National Mall, where President Donald Trump will become the first president to address the anti-abortion demonstration in person as he works to shore up support from social conservatives……While public insurance programs like Medicaid have long been barred from covering abortion services, Friday’s announcement also marks the escalation of the administration’s efforts to extend the prohibition to private coverage. In December, HHS unveiled a rule requiring private insurers on Obamacare markets to send patients separate monthly bills to separate the portion of the premium that goes toward abortion coverage. The added administrative burden could prompt some insurers to drop abortion care altogether… January 24, 2020: The Hill posted an article titled: “Trump administration threatens to cut health funding for California over abortion insurance law”. It was written by Jessie Hellmann. From the article: The Trump administration is threatening to withhold federal funds from California over the state’s requirement that all insruance plans cover abortion.Officials with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) argued the insurance requirement forces people to pay for other people’s abortions and is a violation of federal law.The state will have 30 days to come into compliance with federal law or risk losing some of the health funding it gets from HHS……The decision by HHS also serves as a warning to the five other states that mandate abortion coverage in insurance plans, including Maine, Illinois and New York.California passed a state law in 2014 requiring all insurance plans, including those offered by employers, to cover abortion. Religious organizations argued the requirement is illegal because it violates their religious rights……The announcement from HHS came on the same day as the March for Life, the annual march against abortion in Washington, D.C.President Trump will become the first sitting president to speak at the march as he seeks to galvanize his conservative base ahead of the November election……The Supreme Court will hear a case this year challenging a Trump rule that allows employers with religious objections to contraception to opt-out of covering it in their insurance plans.Another rule issued by the Administration that was blocked in court would have penalized organizations that require employees to participate in abortions or other procedures that violate their consciences… January 24, 2020: National Women’s Law Center posted a press release titled: “Trump Administration Attempts to Take Away Comprehensive Health Coverage for Californians, says NWCL”. From the press release: Today, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Civil Rights has taken the extraordinary action of threatening to withhold critical funding to California – just because the state protects its residents by requiring all health insurance plans to cover the full range of reproductive services, including abortion. The Trump Administration is claiming that these plans violate the Weldon Amendment – one of several federal laws that allow various health care providers to refuse to provide care to a person seeking an abortion. This decision comes on the same day as the annual March for Life, an anti-abortion rally where Trump is proudly touting his record of limiting women’s rights.The following is a statement by Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC):“It is no mistake that on the same day of the extremist anti-abortion March, the Trump Administration is trying to deny millions access to comprehensive health insurance that includes abortion. They claim they are ‘pro-women’ and ‘pro-life’, yet this action proves cruelty is the point for this administration. The very people they claim to be marching for are those who will be hurt by this decision. This is an illegal attempt to bully and punish the state of California for ensuring its residents have comprehensive health coverage that includes abortion. All health insurance plans should cover all basic health services and the full range of pregnancy-related care.” THIS BLOG WILL BE UPDATED WHENEVER ADDITIONAL CREDIBLE INFORMATION IS FOUND. A Timeline of the GOP’s Attempts to Destroy Obamacare – Part Four is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Still Always at the Doctor’s OfficeDecember 28, 2019Doctor Appointments / Out of SpoonsPhoto by Abby Anaday on Unsplash Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post called Always at the Doctor’s Office because it seemed like I had been spending an increasing amount of time there. That blog post covered January to the end of May of 2019. This blog picks up where the first one left off. The main reason I am writing this is to track how often I go to the doctor, as well as how sick I had become before going to one. July Sometime in early July, I used telemedicine for the first time ever. I had yet another sinus infection, and has been trying to fight it off. My bad immune system was eventually overwhelmed, and I had to seek out medical attention. My health insurance covers telemedicine – where you contact a doctor from your home, and the doctor calls you to hear about your symptoms. The “clinic for the poor people” had been hit or miss when it comes to scheduling appointments. So, I tried telemedicine. It turns out that sinus infections are one (of many) things that the doctors can diagnose over the phone. I’d had more sinus infections than I can count, so I knew exactly what it was. The doctor was nice. She contacted the pharmacy of my choice and told them to fill my prescription for a “Z-pack” (the generic version). I do pretty well on that antibiotic, so I knew it would work. It also knew it would make me extra tired not only while I was taking it, but also for at least a week after that. On July 22, 2019, I wrote on Mastodon: “I’m over here, taking some CBD, because I did a whole lot of cleaning today and my fibromyalgia is making my muscles hurt now. CBD stops the pain. I’ll still be sick tomorrow due to allergen exposure. There are other drugs for that.” On July 26, 2019, I went outside. At the time I am writing this blog post, I don’t remember what it was that I went outside to do. The very next day, I wrote the following on Mastodon: “Yesterday, I went outside. Long story short, this fucked up my fibromyalgia, and I ended up in a whole lot of pain for the rest of the day/night.” “Today, slept in. Still not recovered yet. So, I have to spend a bunch of time trying to get my body to be functional enough to do some paid work. It’s annoying.” August On August 7, 2019, I had a doctor’s appointment with my rheumatologist. The purpose was to see what the results of the blood tests were. Based on the results, I was told that I do have the RH factor, but do not have any signs of rheumatoid arthritis. This is good news, because rheumatoid arthritis eats your cartilage and makes it increasingly difficult for your joints to move as they should. The unexpected news was that I didn’t actually have any other type of arthritis, either. The bad news (which I was honestly expecting) was that I definitely had fibromyalgia. I was prescribed a low dose of a pain medication, which I started researching on my phone while still in the doctor’s office. The pain medication was not an opioid. It also wasn’t something specifically made to treat fibromyalgia. There doesn’t appear to be any medication that is specifically designed for my disease. I’m cynically figuring that the reason is because the majority of people who have fibromyalgia are women, and modern medicine has a terrible track record when it comes to not only ignoring women who tell the doctors that they are in pain, but also in actually treating their pain appropriately. Either that is the reason there are no drugs designed to treat fibromyalgia, or the pharmaceutical companies don’t think women who are in chronic pain are going to make them a significant amount of money. If I remember correctly, the drug I was prescribed is one designed to treat depression and anxiety. I have neither of those, and I told that to my rheumatologist. All he could say was that this drug has helped some patients who have fibromyalgia. So, I scrolled through my phone, doing preliminary research about the medication I was being prescribed. Right away, I found that two of the inactive ingredients were coconut (or derived from coconut.) I am allergic to coconut, so there was absolutely no way I could safely take this medication. I pointed that out to my rheumatologist. “You don’t know all of my allergies,” I explained. He agreed, “You’re right. I don’t.” My rheumatologist means well. It’s not his fault that he doesn’t have any other options for me. When we were done, he recommended that I seek out my general practitioner for help with fibromyalgia (instead of him). We both agreed that he had done everything he was able to for me. On August 20, Fall pollen season started. I start struggling when the pollen count hits 7.0 or higher. I don’t bounce back until long after a pollen season ends. There is no way to know how long it will last. On August 30, I realizes that I had lost two pounds since the end of July. That brought me to a total of 50 pounds since I started trying to lose weight. That effort began in 2017. The weight loss had been increasing, in part, because I have a history of getting really sick and losing too much weight, too quickly. I weighed myself that day because I had gotten sick, again, and had been sick for a while. What caused it? There’s no way to know for certain, but going to doctor’s offices tends to result in me getting sick. Little did I know that this was the start of a long, lingering, sickness that was affected by multiple factors. In short, my terrible immune system was already under attack. September On September 5, 2019, out of the blue, my fibromyalgia decided to flare up at the two points on the back of my shoulders. This was new! It was quick, and strong, and felt like very localized electrical shocks. Fortunately, my bottle of CBD was right there on my desk and within easy reach. I used some, and waited for it to kick in and stop the severe pain. At the time, I assumed that this was my body’s way of reminding me that I’m trying to do too much while the pollen count is too high. It was 9.0 that day, and had been in the nines for more than a week straight. The reason I am doing too much is because I’m desperately trying to make money. I’m a freelance writer who gets paid to post things on other people’s blogs. Freelance writers don’t get paid sick days. We either get the work done, or we starve. On September 6, 2019, I posted the following on Mastodon: “Right now, I am using a heating pad across the back of my shoulders (sort of) because I moved and my fibro flared up there. Also using a straw to finish my iced tea so I don’t have to tilt my head to drink it. I have an acupuncture appointment in a few days.” The pollen count that day was 9.0 (again). When the pollen count hits nine, it affects people who don’t even have allergies. For me, days where the pollen count is at nine are days where I’m in horrific pain. In the past, it was mostly in my sinuses. This year, the inflammation caused by pollen exposure had started triggering my fibromyalgia. On September 10, 2019, the pollen count went down to 7.3. This is not good for me, and I would struggle while on the way to and from my acupuncturist’s office. I don’t have any memory about what we talked about before starting treatment, or what points she put needles in. This is what happens when I’ve been sick for too long from a too high pollen count, without time to recover. This lack of memory thing is referred to as “fibro fog”. It makes people like me forget most or all of the things that happened while we were in pain and struggling. I do remember that I took an excellent nap on the acupuncture table, and a really long, good, nap after I got back home. On September 18, 2019, I made the mistake of eating food from a local sandwich shop that does have gluten-free bread. They make tasty subs, and their workers are trained to put on a new pair of gloves before touching the gluten-free bread. Subs made with gluten-free bread are made in a separate area, far away from where the “regular” (full of gluten) bread is made. This is admirable, and I’m happy they do that. There’s just one problem. When the worker is done carefully cutting the gluten-free bread in a safe area, and putting the meat on it, the worker then hands the sandwich to the worker who puts on the veggies (and condiments). That worker has been handling “regular” bread all day, which means that the veggies are cross-contaminated with gluten. I got really sick after eating the (so-called) gluten-free sandwich from this sub shop. Exposure to gluten is painful, and really messes up my digestive system. It takes at least a week or two to fully get out of my system, no matter what I do. This is when I decided to become extraordinarily picky about the restaurants that I am willing to eat food from. I do this in self-defense. if they don’t care enough to prevent me from getting sick, then I don’t care enough to give them my money. October On October 4, I wrote on Mastodon: “I’ve been sick for about… two months or so now. Starting to feel better. So, if you’re wondering why I’m responding to old toots… that’s why. I cannot keep up with this world.” Toots, for those who do not know, are what posts on Mastodon are called. Also on October 4, 2019, at around 5 in the morning, I wrote on Mastodon: “Gonna go to sleep for a while. If I feel ok after I wake up, I might attempt to do some Inktober art. I no longer have the energy to do a “one thing every day” project, so I’m just gonna do whatever I can, on my own timeframe. Blame it on the fibromyalgia.” I remember being very sad about writing that toot. In 2017, I was able to complete one tiny pen & ink drawing, on a specific theme, every day in October. In 2018, I only was able to make it about half-way through the themes. This year, I was seriously struggling to do any art at all. All of my energy was going towards sleeping in the hopes of feeling better, trying to get my body to function properly and actually be able to move, and desperately trying to get paid work done. I was exhausted, and starting to get scared that from this point onward, my body would continue to decline. I had a couple of dental appointments in October. One was to remove a broken cap that my dentist put in not long ago. I guess he, or one of the dental technicians, did something wrong with it. The good news was that I wasn’t being charged any money to have them replace it. The process required me to have the old cap removed – which is unpleasant but something I can tolerate. I also had to have a mold made for the new permanent cap, and had to get a temporary cap put in. I was exhausted when I left because the physical experience was not painful when it was happening, but set off my fibromyalgia after I left. The temporary cap greatly limited what I was able to safely eat – and that’s before considering all the foods I cannot eat due to food allergies. I lost some weight in the previous month because I was really sick, and then lost more waiting for my permanent cap to be ready. The permanent cap was put in a few days before my husband and I were scheduled to leave for a short vacation. It is unpleasant to have a temporary cap removed, and then to have gums already irritated by dental work to have a permanent cap put on. This left me exhausted because all of that pounding on my jaw triggered my fibromyalgia Fortunately, I got lucky and was able to mostly recover by the time my husband and I were going to take a short vacation. We saved up our money and decided that this year’s anniversary present would be a trip to LA to see The Who at the Hollywood Bowl, followed by a trip to Anaheim to visit the Star Wars section of Disneyland. (Our wedding anniversary is not in October – but that’s when the concert was.) To make this work, we had to give up on funding some of the home improvement projects that were in various stages of incompleteness. Nothing serious, just a few things that needed some work. The concert was wonderful! It was an outdoor arena, at night, which meant that there wasn’t any pollen to worry about. There also wasn’t any smoke effects coming from the stage (which makes it hard for me to breathe). The bench seating was surprisingly comfortable. Unfortunately, the air in LA was terrible, and my sinuses were on fire the whole time. I suspect this had something to do with the pollution in the air. I’ll write a separate blog about Disneyland, but for now, I’ll point out that Disneyland lets people rent wheelchairs. For me, this was great and awful at the same time. Without a (manual) wheelchair, I would not have had the ability to walk from the gate to the Star Wars section. My fibromyalgia would have caused leg cramps and muscle spasms long before I got there. Shawn was able to push my rented wheelchair around, and that made visiting Disneyland together possible. The awful part was that the experience made me realize just how disabled I am. I honestly needed that wheelchair. When I had to leave the wheelchair behind in order to get on a ride, I had a hard time walking just a few feet. When we turned in the wheelchair, I had great difficulty standing. The workers noticed, and gently suggested I could take my time. Was this a glimpse of my future? How long do I have before I can’t walk? On October 17, 2019, after returning from vacation, I wrote this on Mastodon: “I’m back from vacation. It was really fun. Unfortunately, I encountered gluten twice because restaurants can’t be bothered to give a fuck about people like me who get super sick from gluten. I’m never eating anything from any restaurant ever again.” “Also, this trend of scented hotel rooms needs to die. My sinuses are still on fire from that.” “There needs to be a law – nationwide – that FORCES food preparers to learn about allergies and cross-contamination before they can finish school/get a job working with food. If they fuck it up after that – and make even one person sick -they should never be allowed to prepare food for a living ever again.” “And hotels should be FORCED to use unscented, allergy friendly, cleaning products. AND have allergy friendly soap/shampoo. It won’t happen, though, because no one cares.” Guess what? It’s pretty much impossible to find safe food for me to eat while on vacation. I brought safe food with me, but it wasn’t enough to last the few days we would be away from home. In other words, after just barely recovering enough to go on vacation, I was now sick again. The mobile home park we live in started tearing apart all of the roads within the park on the day we left for vacation. We returned to ripped up roads, construction equipment, and all the particulate matter and odors that come with it. The project was supposed to last three weeks. A few days before October 31, 2019, I woke up with a sore throat. At first, I assumed it was allergies, and figured it would go away if I drank lots of water and took allergy medication. Instead, it got worse. The throat pain reminded me when I had tonsilitis in 2017. The difference was that this time, the pain was mostly on one side. When I tried to make a doctor’s appointment, I was told that my regular doctor did not have any appointments open. The receptionist was able to get me an appointment on Halloween with a doctor I’d never seen before. I took it! The doctor was very nice, and seemed knowledgeable. He looked into my throat, nose, and ears, and declared that everything was red. His diagnosis was strep throat, which would require an antibiotic. I was exhausted, and in pain, but I sort of remember what the doctor told me. He said we could do a strep test, but that would cost more money. From what he could see, he was very certain it was strep. I was going to end up with the same antibiotic anyway. I opted to trust his judgement and skip the strep test. The doctor said I would need take two antibiotics a day until I ran out. I should call for another appointment if the medication didn’t help. Previous to planning our anniversary vacation, we had considered going to BlizzCon. It was a good thing that didn’t happen, because I wouldn’t have been able to get a doctor’s appointment before going and would have spread strep throat to everyone who attended. November On November 8, 2019, I wrote on Mastodon: “Hi people! I haven’t been on here much lately because I’m trying to see how quickly I can get my freelance writing work done. While on antibiotics. Because I have/had? strep throat. Through daylight savings time. I don’t recommend doing this, but I’m still gonna give it a try.” I was pushing myself to try and get as much paid work done as possible, in part because I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to make enough money to help pay the bills if I rested. With all my chronic illnesses, it was impossible to feel “good” anyway. I was also starting to worry that the Trump Administration would – by going through the courts – rip away the only chance I had at getting affordable health care. At the time, the Republican’s Obamacare case was heading to the Supreme Court. I’m always at the doctor’s office. Lack of access to affordable health care would kill me. So, I tried to make what money I could before that happened. It’s not the best idea, and I wouldn’t recommend other “spoonies” try it. But, I know that many of us are afraid right now about what could happen when we can’t see a doctor anymore (or pay for medications, or blood tests, or whatever else we need). Most of November was blurry. I was exhausted from the antibiotics. Somewhere along the way, I re-read the bottle and learned that I was supposed to have been taking one pill three times a day, not twice like my doctor said. Perhaps I had the generic, and that made the dosage different? I felt like I was failing at taking my medication. There was another thing that was stealing away my energy. The mobile home park construction project did not end by the three week mark we were promised. It took six weeks to complete. Every day, I was exposed to more allergens and dust and dirt. Shawn developed a bad cough. Our portable air conditioner, and my air cleaner, were no match for the ever present construction crew. On November 21, 2019, I wrote this on Mastodon: “What was supposed to be three weeks of construction work very close to my home had turned into six weeks. There is no end in sight. This is my life now.” “I am physically overwhelmed by the constant dust (and other particulate matter) that is constantly in the air now. A neighbor next door did some additional work the other day. Two more nearby are making indoor and outdoor renovations.” “I am tired of being sick and exhausted from stuff I cannot control.” I was on antibiotics for the majority of November. It took a while longer for my body to “bounce back” to use a phrase that I’ve heard healthy people use after completing antibiotics. I did not “bounce back”. I slowly crawled back towards what passes for “healthy-ish” for me. December On December 19, 2019, I was fortunate enough to get to have an acupuncture appointment. I hadn’t been there in a couple of months, and really needed to go. Why didn’t I go sooner? Because I was too sick to do so. Acupuncture can help treat the symptoms of several kinds of illnesses. This time, I was there to deal with stress and chronic pain. My fibromyalgia had been acting up a lot, and I figured it had something to do with inflammation. As someone with both allergies, and fibro, I struggle with that. My wonderful acupuncturist knew just what to do, as always. I was able to take a really good nap after the needles had been put into the appropriate locations. My husband and I took a Lyft to the office, but when I was done with my appointment, I was able to walk home. My acupuncturist recommended I get more liquid Vitamin D3 from her (mine had run out). She also said I should stay away from sugar, which causes inflammation. For me, dairy does that as well. Shawn went to visit with his family on Christmas Eve, and returned home on Christmas day. I love his family, but their house is filled with allergens. I’m not saying their house is dirty – it is probably cleaner than our home is. They typically get a real Christmas tree, and I am allergic to that (no matter if it is pine or fir, my body stopped being able to tell the difference between them a long time ago). They have multiple (adorable) little dogs, and chickens in the backyard. Celebration can sometime include grilling on the patio, on burning wood, that makes me sick. Or, it includes food that I cannot safely eat due to my many food allergies. Their home is often scented by candles which make me cough. In the past, I was able to drive out there on Christmas day, and then return home. It got to the point where I was so sick after visiting that driving was difficult, and I was exhausted. I could not take Benadryl until after safely arriving home. As such, I don’t visit their home on or around Christmas anymore. I am extremely lucky that they understand. They drove Shawn home on Christmas day, and brought both his and my presents with. I honestly love everything they got for me. Soft pajamas and slippers, an electric throw to keep me warm. Fuzzy socks. “Spoonie” things! The Christmas scents clung to the presents, and all clothing needed to be washed immediately. I was sick for days afterwards, with burning sinuses. This isn’t their fault. Most people can safely handle all the scents that come with Christmas, and they have the right to make their home smell however they please. If my immune system was better, it wouldn’t be a problem. I’m going to be optimistic and assume I won’t get sick – again – in the last remaining days of 2019. If it happens, then I will update this blog post. Still Always at the Doctor’s Office is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... How a Window Air Conditioner Made Me SickOctober 7, 2019Out of Spoons / Spoonie WritingMy husband and I had a window air conditioner in our bedroom. We were lucky to have a relative come over and install it for us. At the time the work was done, everything looked great. The years were not kind to this air conditioner, nor the perch it was sitting on. What we didn’t realize, until we had the air conditioner removed, was that it was very likely making us both sick. My immune system sucks, so this probably hit me harder than it did my husband. If you have a window air conditioner, you probably don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about it. Why would you? When the weather gets too hot, or uncomfortably humid, you turn it on. Then, you ignore it until it is needed again. I don’t entirely remember where this particular air conditioner came from. If I had to guess, it may have come with when we moved across the country to California. It wasn’t a brand new one, but it still worked. We did not think to have it immediately installed until after suffering through several summers with heatwaves. We learned that opening the windows did not allow a breeze to come through, due to the close proximity of the other mobile homes in the park. Eventually, we had enough. The only window in the home that would accommodate the air conditioner was in the bedroom. The rest of the windows, in this old mobile home, were too big and opened in ways that would not make it possible to put in an air conditioner. Having the air conditioner in the bedroom proved to be a good idea. It was a place to escape to when the heat was too high, and it made it easier to get some sleep. Once, when we were having a terrible heat wave, my husband and I picked up our cockatiel’s cage, walked it down the hall, and brought them into the cool air of the bedroom. The birds really seemed to appreciate it! The rest of the rooms continued to be overly warm and miserable. There were times when it was impossible to get any work done. This was problematic, considering that we both worked from home. One year, we had park managers who were really odd. The demanded that we paint the perch that the air conditioner sat on. They also demanded that we paint the front and back porch steps. Everything had to be white. We were not compensated for the cost of the paint, the brushes, or the free labor. That was in 2010, not incredibly long after we had the air conditioner installed. My hope was that the paint would help prevent water damage from weakening the perch that held the air conditioner up. As the years went by, the air conditioner slowly deteriorated. It had accordion-like appendages on either side of it, that were designed to block the remaining portion of the window. Those pieces cracked, or shifted, or otherwise would let the wild world in. Spiders made webs inside the window, catching some of the bugs that entered in through the gaps. One time, we discovered that a spider had caught and killed a wasp. Whenever we noticed a gap, we either tried to slide the accordion-like pieces over, or found another way to close it. Foam, sprayed out of a bottle, filled the holes. Sometimes, duct-tape was the best solution. The foam turned awful colors over the years. Eventually, the air conditioner had aged enough where we weren’t sure if it still had any Freon in it. The fan part still worked, so we tried to use it to cool down the bedroom a little. We stopped turning it on when we started noticing a mold smell. Was that coming from the air conditioner? There were times, especially when we had days of what counts as “heavy rain” in California, when I was certain the air conditioner perch would break. I imagined the air conditioner hurtling itself out the window and onto the hood of my car that was parked below it. Or worse, it would go straight through the windshield! This never happened. I stopped worrying about it after I donated my car to Habitat for Humanity. My fibromyalgia made it too difficult for me to drive anymore. My husband and I, like many couples who live in older homes, have several repairs on our “wish list”. We got as far as having the bathtub removed in one of the bathrooms, in favor of a shower. The wood underneath had rotted, and the worker we hired was able to replace it. He also put up everything that was needed on the walls. But, we had to get someone else to put the tiles in. This got put off, for various reasons. We have another shower in a second bathroom that is usable. Finishing the shower is a priority, but could wait until we had the money for it. In the past few months, I got very sick. This isn’t unusual for me. It was the perfect storm of chronic illness. Fall pollen season had started. I accidentally “got glutened” from food that I thought was safe. My period started, making me go from borderline anemic to definitely anemic. I lost weight from being unable to eat, and my body was struggling to digest the small amounts of food it would accept. Somewhere towards the end of this awful, endless-seeming, illness, we had the window air conditioner removed. My husband hired a worker, who came over, took some measurements, and could do the job. It didn’t occur to me why my husband suddenly prioritized having the window air-conditioner removed (and a new window put in its spot) over the incomplete shower. I was too sick to care. One day, I looked out the window and saw that the wood that held up the air conditioner had broken completely away from the waterlogged and brittle piece of wood that the air conditioner sat on. It was a few days before the worker was going to return to do the job. My husband had been opening the curtains differently than before, so I wouldn’t see that. I’d been too sick to go outside (except to go to the dentist a few times), and I never bothered to look at the air conditioner. I’m glad he didn’t tell me about the broken perch. I would have worried about it – and that would have set off my fibromyalgia. The worker did an excellent job. He started by taking out the air conditioner, and the perch it precariously sat on. He used a loud power tool to cut away some parts around the window, and removed a sheet of plastic that we had above the air conditioner. The power tool was plugged into our kitchen, and the cord extended out the door. We couldn’t shut the door, or the screen door, while the worker needed to use that tool. Around noon, he left to go get parts. I didn’t look, but I assume it was the new window, and possibly some other stuff. He mentioned silicon. I was home, and wearing a dust mask, in the hopes of avoiding whatever particulate matter was in the air. We had an open door and a large, window-shaped hole in the wall of our bedroom. Stuff was coming in, including pollen and whatever else was in the air. There was nothing to be done about it. The worker returned, and picked up where he left off. My husband and I both loved the work he did. This guy has talent! We gave him a little extra money when we paid him. He mentioned that the wall had “rot”. It turned out that the window that held the air conditioner wasn’t sealed at all the first time around, and water got in and caused the wood in the wall to rot. My first thought was he found mold – which I’m very allergic to. Fortunately, the worker took care of that for us. He took out the rot, replaced what needed replacing, and made sure the window had a proper coat of silicon around it. We now have an actual, functional, window – with a screen – that we can open or close as needed. It took two days before I noticed that I was waking up feeling a bit better than typical. I usually wake up with sinus pressure, or itchy eyes, or other allergic reactions. That had stopped, and did not come back. I think the mold in the air conditioner – and in the wall – was making both of us sick. I felt its absence more strongly than my husband did, mostly because I’m a super-allergic person. Before this work got done, my husband bought a portable air-conditioner. You put a hose from it out the window (long story short) and the exhaust goes away. It sits on the floor and can be moved from room to room. We are more than prepared for the next heat wave. This whole experience makes me wonder. What would my health have been like, these past years, if we had figured out that there was mold not only in the window air conditioner, but also in the wall? How a Window Air Conditioner Made Me Sick is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... How to Research a Medication for AllergensAugust 10, 2019Out of Spoons / Spoonie WritingPhoto by Irene Kredenets on Unsplash Let’s say your doctor has prescribed a medication for you, based on your health issues and symptoms. It is a drug that you have never taken before. Your doctor believes it will help you. Many people will simply fill the prescription and take the medicine. I, however, cannot do that because I have a whole lot of allergies. I learned the hard way that some medicines contain things I am allergic to. My decision on whether or not to take a medication starts with research. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I am certainly not your doctor. I am also not a pharmacist, and have absolutely no medical education or background. The method I use to determine whether or not a specific medication is safe for me to take has absolutely no bearing on whether or not you should take that same medication. What I am providing here is the framework I use to do research on medication I am considering taking. You can substitute out the drug I’m focusing on and replace that with whatever you need to do research on. Step One: Find the name of the drug. I had an appointment with my rheumatologist a few days ago. Based on examinations, and the results of blood tests, he has determined that I do not actually have rheumatoid arthritis (as he first thought). I do not have any form of arthritis. That said, he is absolutely certain that I have fibromyalgia. I agree with his assessment, as I’ve been getting symptoms of fibromyalgia since high school, long before anyone knew what it was. The name of the drug he prescribed for me is Cymbalta. The “generic” name is Duloxetine Hcl. My rheumatologist told me he would prescribe a low dose of it for me. We ended the appointment with the understanding that I would do research on this medication and have the results of what I discover determine whether or not I decide to take this drug. Step Two: What does this drug treat? The Mayo Clinic is a very good source of medical information. It says that Cymbalta is also called Irenka. According to the Mayo Clinic: Duloxetine is used to treat depression and anxiety. I don’t have either one of those. My rheumatologist kept asking me if I felt depressed or anxious, over and over again. Nope. It is also used to treat nerve damage associated with diabetes (diabetic peripheral neuropathy). I am not diabetic, and do not have diabetic peripheral neuropathy.Duloxetine is also used to treat fibromyalgia (muscle pain and stiffness) and chronic (long-lasting) pain that is related to muscles and bones. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and I do experience muscle pain.This medicine is only available with a doctor’s prescription. This could be a problem. What if I lose my health insurance and can no longer afford this medication? I’ll have to check and see what happens if a person has to suddenly stop using this drug. Duloxetine is in a group of medicines known as “selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs)” My rheumatologist explained this by saying the drug takes away pain by doing something with the nerve impulses when they get to the brain. Question: What happens if I suddenly stop taking Cymbalta? The National Alliance on Mental Illness provides detailed information that answers my question: …Do not stop taking duloxetine, even when you feel better. Only your healthcare provider can determine the length of treatment that is right for you. Missing doses of duloxetine may increase your risk for relapse in your symptoms. Stopping duloxetine abruptly may result in one or more of the following withdrawal symptoms: irritability, nausea, feeling dizzy, vomiting, nightmares, headache, and/or paresthesias (prickling, tingling sensation on the skin)……Medical attention should be sought if serotonin syndrome is suspected. Please refer to serious side effects for signs and symptoms… Question: What is serotonin syndrome and what are its symptoms? The Mayo Clinic has the answer to this question: Serotonin syndrome occurs when you take medication that cause high levels of the chemical serotonin to accumulate in your body. Serotonin syndrome can occur when you increase the dose of such a drug or add a new drug to your regimen. Certain illegal drugs and dietary supplements also are associated with serotonin syndrome.Serotonin is a chemical your body produces that’s needed for your nerve cells and brain to function. But too much serotonin causes symptoms that can range from mild (shivering and diarrhea) to severe (muscle rigidity, fever and seizures). Severe serotonin syndrome can be fatal if not treated… According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of serotonin syndrome include: Agitation or restlessnessConfusionRapid heart rate and high blood pressureDilated pupilsLoss of muscle coordination or twitching musclesMuscle rigidityHeavy sweatingDiarrheaHeadacheShiveringGoose bumps Severe serotonin syndrome can be life-threatening. Signs and symptoms include: High feverSeizuresIrregular heartbeatUnconsciousness Ok, that sounds really scary! At the time I am writing this blog post, there is a lawsuit going through the courts about the Affordable Care Act (also known as “Obamacare”). In short, the Republicans voted to remove the individual mandate from Obamacare. (That’s the part that required everyone to purchase health insurance coverage, or pay a fine). A judge has ruled that the removal of the individual mandate means the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional, and should end. It appears the lawsuit will end up at the Supreme Court, potentially sometime in 2020. If the majority of Justices of the Supreme Court decide to kill “Obamacare” – I would be among the millions of Americans who would no longer have health insurance coverage. Lack of health insurance coverage would mean the cost of Cymbalta would be higher than the price I would pay for it with my health insurance coverage. If I start taking Cymbalta, I could be stuck in a situation where I suddenly cannot afford it. The symptoms that come with sudden withdrawal sound horrific. Step Three: What are the inactive ingredients? I look at the inactive ingredients of a medication because I want to avoid being exposed to an allergen that is hidden in it. My rheumatologist doesn’t know all my allergens. (That’s not his speciality). I have learned that pharmacists have absolutely no idea whether or not a drug has gluten in it. They are not taught about this when going through medical school (or whatever the training pharmacists get is called). Here is what the Mayo Clinic says in it’s “Before Using” section about Duloxetine: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals… Oh, boy. This does not bode well. I have tons of allergies, including ones to foods, dyes, preservatives, and animals. The U.S. National Library of Medicine has information on the ingredients in Cymbalta. I will consult Celiac.com’s Unsafe Gluten-Free Food List (Unsafe Ingredients) to determine whether or not an inactive ingredient is gluten-free. I am very allergic to gluten (and was diagnosed with a severe allergy to wheat, rye, and barley back in the 1990’s, long before anyone had heard of celiac disease). In addition, I will check to see if any other inactive ingredient is something that I am allergic to. Ingredient name: Duloxetine Hydrochloride Inactive ingredients: Gelatin: According to Bon Appétit, gelatin is “derived from tissue and is a form of collagen.” I have eaten JELL-O before, and have not reacted to the gelatin itself, but sometimes have reacted to things that were added to the gelatin for flavor. This ingredient is safe for me. Hypromellose: According to Drugs.com, hypromellose is used in eye drops. Science Direct says it also used as a gel layer on some medications. Hypromellose includes: Glycerin: According to Healthline, glycerin “is typically made from soybean, coconut, or palm oils”. There does not appear to be any way to know, for certain, which one of those things is in the glycerin that is in a medication. I am allergic to coconut, so this ingredient is unsafe for me.Hypromellose: According to WebMD, hypromellose may contain one or more of the following ingredients: carboxymethylcellulose, dextran, glycerin, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol 400, polysorbate, polyvinyl, alcohol, povidone, or propylene glycol, among others. I don’t need to look up all these things because it contains glycerin, which I learned can contain coconut. This ingredient is unsafe for me.Polyethylene Glycol 400: According to Drugs.com, this ingredient is also called PEG. It is used for many things, including: “ointment and suppository base, and tablet and capsule lubricant”. It is also used as “bowel prep for colonoscopy procedures and as a laxative”. I cannot identify any allergens in it from the information I found, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Also, I don’t see a need for me to consume something that is used for colonoscopy procedures – every day – since I’m not about to have a colonoscopy. Hypromellose Acetate Succinate: According to Ashland.com, (which makes something called AquaSolve), this ingredient is used to coat medications. It is a cellulosic polymer with four substituents: methoxyl, hydroxpropoxy, acetyl, and succinoyl. I don’t entirely understand what any of these things are. This ingredient may be unsafe for me. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: According to LiveStrong, this ingredient is used in personal care products because it allows cleansing products to foam. It is often found in shampoo. LiveStrong says it is derived from coconuts. This is one of the ingredients that prevent me from safely using most shampoos and soaps. I am allergic to coconut, so this ingredient is unsafe for me. Sucrose: According to Dictionary.com, sucrose is: a crystalline disaccharide, C12, H22, O11, the sugar obtained from sugarcane, the sugar beet, and sorghum, forming the greater part of maple sugar; sugar. Personally, I have no issues with table sugar, so this ingredient is safe for me. That said, I do not understand why this medication, which contains sugar, is prescribed to people who are diabetic. That seems like a really bad idea. Talc: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that talc is: a naturally occurring mineral, mined from the earth, composed of magnesium, silicon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Chemically, talc is a hydrous magnesium silicate with a chemical formula of Mg3, Si4, O10 (OH)2. The FDA has ongoing research into whether or not there is an association of talc powder with the incidence of ovarian cancer. Titanium Dioxide: According to the Titanium Dioxide Manufacturers Association, titanium dioxide (TiO2) is used in a wide variety of things, including food. In food, TiO2 is called E171. It acts as a whitener, but also as a color and texture enhancer. It can give smoothness when used in some chocolates. It can be used in food and pharmaceuticals without affecting other ingredients and is non-toxic. Triethyl Citrate: According to Drugs.com, tritehyl citrate is “a trimester of ethyl alcohol and citric acid. It is used in the pharmaceutical industry for coating and in plastics. According to the FDA Select Committee on Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) food substances, citrate salts, include tritehyl citrate, are generally regarded as safe when used in normal quantities.” I break out in spots that look like hives when exposed to too much citric acid, and my tolerance level varies depending on what other allergens I’ve been exposed to. This ingredient is likely unsafe for me. FD&C Blue No. 2: According to Celiac.com’s Safe Ingredients List, this ingredient is safe. However, there is a disclaimer (of sorts). Celiac.com’s Unsafe Ingredients List points out that “coloring” may or may not contain gluten, depending on where and how they are made, and it is sometimes necessary to check with the manufacturer to find out. This means that this ingredient is likely unsafe for me. Ferric Oxide Yellow: According to Drugs.com, ferric oxide yellow is an inorganic yellow pigment used in the pharmaceutical industry as a coating pigment. It is also known and yellow iron oxide (FeOH3) It exists as an amorphous yellow powder, and is primarily used in the cosmetics industry. According to Drugs.com, one of the drugs that is coated with ferric oxide yellow is Naproxen, which I have taken. I think this ingredient is safe for me. This brings up new questions that I have no answers for. This drug contains sugar, so why is it being prescribed to people who are diabetic? Why does this drug have, let’s see… at least three ingredients that are coatings? Step Four: Conclusion I haven’t even started looking at the potential side effects that Cymbalta may have, but I don’t need to in order to conclude that it is not the drug for me. Three ingredients are coconut, which I am allergic to. Another ingredient may or may not contain gluten, which my body cannot properly process. One ingredient contains citric acid, which can make me break out in hives. I will not be taking Cymbalta. #Blaugust2019 How to Research a Medication for Allergens is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Trump Administration Wants to View Social Media of Disabled PeopleAugust 8, 2019Out of Spoons / Public HealthImage by Pete Linforth from Pixabay The Trump Administration wants to enact a policy that will give them an unprecedented way to cause harm to people who are disabled. Part of the Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Overview includes the intention to view the social media of people who are disabled, and who currently receive Social Security Disability benefits. The administration’s goal is to take away the benefits that people have already been deemed eligible for. This terrible policy would also affect people who are disabled and who are currently trying to go through the arduous process of getting approved for Social Security Disability benefits. This policy is an example of ableism. Merriam-Webster defines “ableism” as: discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities. The policy does not have any direct negative effect on people who do not have disabilities. On March 10, 2019, The New York Times posted an article titled: “On Disability and on Facebook? Uncle Sam Wants to Watch What You Post”. From the article: The Trump administration has been quietly working on a proposal to use social media like Facebook and Twitter to help identify people who claim Social Security disability benefits without actually being disabled. If, for example, a person claimed benefits because of a back injury, but was shown playing golf in a photograph posted on Facebook, that could be used as evidence that the injury was not disabling. On April 11, 2019, Forbes posted an article titled: “How A Trump Proposal Could Reduce ‘Happy’ Disabled People”. From the article: A new policy proposal by the Trump administration calls for the surveillance of disabled people’s social media profiles to determine the necessity of their disability benefits. The proposal, which reportedly aims to cut down on the number of fraudulent disability claims would monitor the profiles of disabled people and flag content that shows them doing physical activities. When it comes down to it, the policy dictates that disabled people shouldn’t be seen living their lives for fear of losing vital financial aid and, possibly, medical care. Page 26 of the Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Overview of the Social Security Administration says: Integrate Social Media in Disability Determination In FY 2018, we studied strategies of our private sector counterparts and government agencies on how social media networks can be used to evaluate disability allegations. Currently, agency adjudicators use social media information to evaluate a beneficiary’s symptoms when there is a CDI unit’s Report of Investigation that contains social media data corroborating the investigative findings. In FY 2019, we are evaluating how social media could be used by disability adjudicators in assessing the consistency and supportability of evidence in a claimant’s case file. CDI refers to the Cooperative Disability Investigations Program, which is part of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Social Security Administration. It is described (on the OIG website) as: The main objective of CDI is to obtain evidence that can resolve questions of fraud in SSA disability programs. It is unclear when this ableist policy will go into affect. Perhaps it already has. The best advice I can give people who, like me, have disabilities and use social media, is to make all of your accounts private. Doing so prevents someone from the Trump administration from easily spying on your social media, in the hopes of finding a reason to deny your disability claim. I made all my social media private the moment I heard about the Trump administration’s latest way to cause harm to people who are disabled. Personally, I find this policy to be absolutely terrifying. My husband receives Social Security Disability assistance because he was born with optic atrophy and has extremely limited vision. He is legally blind. I worry that the Trump administration will conclude that, because he can use a smartphone if its has a large enough screen, that my husband is magically no longer disabled. This is, of course, impossible, because there is no way to “cure” optic atrophy. I’m about to start my second attempt at obtaining Social Security Disability benefits. The first time, it literally took years to get through the process. I got denied, and appealed. Then, I got denied again, and appealed it. Then I got denied a third and final time, and gave up. The process itself is designed to wear people down so that they will give up and stop trying to obtain the financial and medical assistance that they truly are eligible for. And now, disabled people like myself are going to have to worry about what their social media may show. Just the other day, I had to go outside because I had an appointment with my rheumatologist. The pollen count that day was at 7, which is enough to negatively effect my allergies. My rheumatologist confirmed that I still have fibromyalgia – which has no cure. He prescribed a pain medication, which I will do research on just in case it contains an allergen. The Social Security Administration appears to look at people’s claims with the assumption that they are lying about everything. My diagnosis of fibromyalgia came while I was going through the years long process of applying for disability. I only had documentation about my allergies, which apparently don’t count, so they rejected my claim. The determination of whether or not a person receives Social Security Disability benefits should be entirely based on what their disabilities are, and how those disabilities limit their ability to work and lead a full life. The decision should be medically based – and not determined by what is on a person’s social media. #Blaugust2019 Trump Administration Wants to View Social Media of Disabled People is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Other Video GamesNeko Atsume: Snow DomeJanuary 20, 2020Neko Atsume / Other Video GamesNeko Atsume is a game where the goal is to collect all the cats. Players do this by putting different things into their yard/home. Cats will come to use those items. The Snow Dome can be bought in the Neko Atsume Store for 10 Gold Fish. The flavor text for this item says: The falling white snow decorates the inside of this beautiful dome. It invites your heart into a silvery world. The screenshot doesn’t show it, but there are little white and blue dots inside the Snow Dome that move around in the game. Patsy Sunny Snowball Pickles Dottie Bolt Pumpkin Tabitha Breezy Spooky Willie Pepper Neko Atsume: Snow Dome is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Kitchen Scramble App: Mangotego BayJanuary 2, 2020Kitchen Scramble / Other Video GamesMangotego Bay is the fourteenth town in the Kitchen Scramble game. Some of the recipes include fruity drinks (that do not appear to be alcoholic). Many recipes must be cooked on a grill, or thrown into a fryer. It’s a good idea to get the highest level fryer before starting this town. Players should also save up plenty of gold, because they must make an appliance purchase before they can start Mangotego Bay levels. As usual, players must wait 24 hours, in real time, for Truck Maintenance to finish. Those who don’t want to wait that long can pay real world money to speed up the wait. New Appliance! Grill: Food tastes better if it’s cooked on a grill! This is a required purchase. It is not possible to play the levels in Mangotego Bay if your Food Truck lacks a grill. The Grill costs 100,000 gold (the in-game currency). Players who don’t have that much gold can go back to previous towns, and play through levels, to earn more. Pepper: Wow, what a beautiful sunset! At long last, I’ve arrived at Mangotego Bay. Brio: Greetings, welcome! What brings you to our waters? The Kitchen Scramble Wiki says that this new character is called Brio. He is a scuba diver. I find this interesting because, unlike Pepper, the majority of the Kitchen Scramble characters are named after their job. In Mount Foodji, the new character was named Mei. She was a student. So far, they are the only exceptions to the rule of naming characters after what they do. Pepper: The world class snorkeling and the world class food, of course! I’ve been dreaming of fresh grilled plantains… The new recipes for Level 315 are: Grilled Pineapple Grilled Plantains Mango Salsa Rice and Peas This is what the inside of the Food Truck looks like at the start of Mangotego Bay. It has the Level 1 Grill, and it is slow. I got three stars on Level 315. Pepper: Aren’t fresh mangos the best? By the way, I don’t think I caught your name. Brio: Everyone calls me Brio. It means “brave”. They think I’m fearless because I dive with the lions… Pepper: There are lions around here?! Brio: Oh! I meant the fish kind, not the jungle kind. Lionfish are common around the reef here. Brio: They are highly venomous, but I keep a respectful distance. I got three stars in Level 316. The two “new” recipes for Level 317 aren’t actually new. Players first saw them in Molassessippi. They are: Baked Sweet Potato Sweet Potato Fries I got three stars in Level 317. The new recipe for Level 317 is: Jerk Chicken I got three stars in Level 317. To complete this level, players had to serve at least 6 Jerk Chicken dishes to customers. I got two stars in Level 319. The new recipes for Level 320 are: Coconut Mango Smoothie Pineapple Coconut Smoothie Mango Pineapple Smoothie What do you need if you intend to make a lot of smoothies? A blender, of course! It should come as no surprise that players are required to buy a blender before they can begin Level 320. Blender: Basic blender. It’ll blend its way right into your heart! The Basic Blender costs 100,000 gold (which is the in-game currency). Players who do not have that much gold cannot continue through Mangotego Bay until they obtain it and buy this blender. Here is what the inside of the Food Truck looks like at this point in Mangotengo Bay. The Basic Blender is on the front counter. It is incredibly slow! I got three stars in Level 320. This level required players to serve at least 4 Mango Pineapple Smoothies to customers. Brio: I just saw the most terrible thing while I was out diving! Pepper: Oh no, what was it? Brio: I found an underwater pipe leading into the water. It was spewing out pollution! The reef is sick, and the fish are leaving! Pepper: That’s horrible! Do you know where it is coming from? Brio: Yes, the pipe leads back to a new restaurant in town. Who would pollute the waters like that?! Pepper: Wait…you said it was a NEW restaurant? I might have an idea who is behind this! By the time a player gets this far into Kitchen Scramble, they likely have a good guess about exactly who Pepper is thinking of. The new recipes for Level 321 are: Shrimp and Pineapple Kebab Chicken and Onion Kebab I got two stars on Level 321. The new recipe for Level 322 is: Fried Bake To make this recipe, the player must pick up some dough from the shelf and throw it directly into the fryer. I got two stars on Level 322. After players complete Level 322 (with at least one star) the Blender L2 unlocks. It is an upgrade to the Basic Blender. Grill L2 is also unlocked. Each of these new appliances costs 200,000 gold. Players are going to have to make a choice about which one to buy first – unless they happen to have 400,000 on them. Grill L2: Listen to your kebab sizzle over the flames. I decided to buy the Grill L2 first because it is used to make more recipes than the blender does. My next goal was to earn another 200,000 gold so I could buy the Blender L2 later. Here is the Grill L2 inside the Food Truck in Mangotengo Bay. The Basic Blender is missing because I was playing an earlier level when I took this screenshot. It was one that did not involve smoothies. Candace: I was wondering when you would show up and try to ruin everything again. Candace is Pepper’s rival. They are polar opposites when it comes to food. Pepper uses fresh meat and vegetables. Players can earn – or buy – ingredients that are organic. The customers pay more for dishes that include premium ingredients. Candace, on the other hand, has a bad reputation. In Mozzarama, she got caught injecting “a strange green liquid” into some old tomatoes, and she dumped chemical waste into the river. In Chef Academy 2, Candace was hired to teach Regional Cuisine. All of her students were failing the class, in part because she wasn’t teaching them the basics. Pepper offers to let the students learn how to cook certain things by watching her do it at her Food Truck. Candace flunked her entire class, and was asked to resign. And now, Candace has opened a restaurant in Mangotego Bay and is polluting the water. Pepper: You’re the one who’s ruining everything, Candace! Your pollution is damaging the reef, and making the fish sick. Candace: Like I care about some stupid fish! A little waste is unavoidable when you’re serving the most exotic seafood in town. Pepper: There won’t be any seafood left if you keep this up! The new recipe for Level 323 is: Pilau I got three stars on Level 323. To complete this level, players had to serve at least eight Pilau dishes. I got three stars on Level 324. The Premium Grill unlocks after players complete Level 324. It costs 39 Kitchen Cash. I only had 2 Kitchen Cash, so I was not able to buy it. The new recipe for Level 325 is: Tostones I got two stars on Level 325. The new recipe for Level 326 is: Beef Patties I got two stars on Level 326. I completed the first half of Mangotego Bay. There is always a Token Gate between the first half, and the second half, of all of the towns in Kitchen Scramble. Players must have a certain number of Tokens in order to make progress. Fortunately, the game gives players plenty of opportunities to earn tokens. This Token Gate requires 120 Tokens. The new recipes for Level 327 are: Coconut Fried Chicken Coconut Shrimp I got three stars on Level 327. This Level required players to serve at least four Coconut Fried Chicken dishes. The new recipe for Level 328 is: Chicken Curry and Rice I got two stars on Level 328. Blender L2: Blends faster, but please don’t try blending your cell phone! I gathered up 200,000 gold and purchased the Blender L2. It makes smoothies a little bit faster than the previous version. Here is what the Blender L2 looks like inside the Food Truck. Birdwatcher: I heard about Candace’s water pollution, but have you seen her menu? Birdwatcher: Her “exotic” seafoods are all endangered species! We have to stop her! Pepper: I have an idea, but we’ll need all the help we can get. Fortunately, if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s how to win people over with my cooking! I got two stars on Level 329. This level required players to serve at least five Chicken Curry and Rice dishes to customers. I got three stars in Level 330. I got three stars on Level 331. Candace: I know what you’re up to, Pepper, and it’s not going to work. You’ll never steal my customers with your silly little food truck! Pepper: You’re going to make your customers sick with all those chemical additives, just like you’re doing to the fish in the bay! Candace: Nonsense, I eat my own cooking every day, and look at me! I’m fine! I got three stars on Level 332. This level required players to serve at least three Shrimp and Pineapple Kebab dishes to customers. I got two stars on Level 333. Pepper: My gosh, if Candace has been eating her own chemically enhanced food all this time, it’s not enhanced food all the time, it’s no wonder she’s half crazy! Cop: She’s definitely breaking a few laws, but it’ll take months to legally prove it and shut her down. Pepper: Well, word is spreading fast about her slimy tactics. I think we’ll put her out of business before too long. I got two stars on Level 334. It required players to serve at least nine servings of Mango Salsa. I got three stars on Level 335. I got three stars on Level 336. I got three stars on Level 337. Candace: You might have pushed me out of another town, but this isn’t over! I’ll find other people to buy my food! Pepper: Other people to exploit, you mean! I hope you stop and think about what those chemicals are doing to YOU Candace! I got two stars in Level 338. This level required players to serve at least four Coconut Shrimp dishes to customers. Pepper: It’s hard to believe that Candace and I were once friends… she used to be so different! Brio: The good news is, now that she’s gone, the water is clearing up and the fish are returning to the reef! Thank you for all your help! I got three stars on Level 339. This one required players to serve at least three tostones to customers. Pepper: Something tells me I won’t be able to rest, so long a Candace is out there. She’s plotting something. I just know it. Chef Crisp: Then we should follow her! You might be the only person who can stop Candace before she does something unconscionable. Pepper: You might be right, Chef Crisp. In that case, it looks like we’ll be catching the next ferry boat out to those islands. Here’s what the second half of Mangotego Bay looked like when I was done. I finished all of the location goals for Mangotego Bay. Kitchen Scramble App: Mangotego Bay is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Neko Atsume: Colorful SockDecember 25, 2019Neko Atsume / Other Video GamesNeko Atsume is a game where the goal is to find a way to attract all of the virtual cats to come to your yard/home. The way to do that is to put out different items, and see what happens. The Colorful Sock is one of three Socks that players can purchase. It costs 15 gold fish in the Neko Atsume Store. To me, it looks like a Christmas stocking. The flavor text on the Colorful Sock says: Fluffy fleece footwear that will fill any cat with holiday cheer. Snowball Spooky Misty Breezy Speckles Lexy Melange Neko Atsume: Colorful Sock is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Neko Atsume: Mushroom HouseNovember 24, 2019Neko Atsume / Other Video GamesNeko Atsume is a game where the goal is to collect cats. Players do this by adding interesting items into their yard/home and waiting for the cats to use them. The Mushroom House costs 25 gold fish in the Neko Atsume store. The flavor text for this item says: It’s as if a mushroom is growing in your room. A fluffy bed-house for cats. The inside is made of pure organic cotton. Maple Tabitha Bandit Bandit and Spooky Dottie and Apricot Tabitha and Spooky Callie Bolt Spots Snowball Apricot Spooky Neko Atsume: Mushroom House is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Seekers Notes: Stationery Kit CollectionOctober 29, 2019Other Video Games / Seekers NotesSeekers Notes is a game where the player becomes the Seeker and tries to solve mysteries, finish quests, and locate lost items. The game has an interesting story line. (These screenshots were taken in 2018). The very first collection the player must complete is the Stationery Kit. Helen: Incredible! How did you end up here? What’s your name? Helen: Nice to meet you! You are the first person who’s come to the city since the onset of the Curse. But how did you do it? After all, Darkwood is surrounded by the Ghostly Mist, which isolates the city from the rest of the world. The player much click on the “I don’t remember” button. Helen: I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Helen, I’m the mayor’s assistant. I want to warn you: When the Curse appeared, inexplicable phenomena began to occur in the city, and things disappear without a trace. A spare key to the Mayor’s Office went missing recently. Could you help me find it? The game sends the Seeker to the Cafe. The player must find a series of items at each location before the time runs out. There is a chance that the player will also find a special item that an NPC (non-player character) asked the Seeker to find. I found the spare key to the Mayor’s Office. I reached Level 2! This refers to the player’s level, not the difficulty level of an area in the game. When players level up, they receive Energy and at least 1 Ruby. Helen: You’ve found the key to the Office! Mayor Smallcat will be extremely surprised and happy to see a new face in Darkwood. Let me take you to him! The Seeker uses a journal to keep their notes. It is used to record new, strange, incidents, and also to convey the story line to the player. Mysterious Town: What’s wrong with me? What is this place? A newspaper… where did it come from? Why can’t I remember anything..? After waking up in a mysterious city, my only desire was to find my way back. But every time I tried to leave, nothing happened. Wherever I went, I ended up right back where I started. A nice girl named Helen, the mayor’s assistant, found me. She told me that I was in Darkwood, a cursed city. A secret curse had enveloped Darkwood, keeping everyone from leaving. But why did I find myself there? It all seemed like a …dream. Helen asked me to look for some lost things, and I was able to find them easily. She was surprised I was able to find them so quickly and suggested I speak with Felix Smallcat, the city’s mayor. Use the spare key to the Mayor’s Office to unlock it. I unlocked the Mayor’s Office. I am now ready to enter the Mayor’s Office and search for hidden object. There’s a really creepy scene where a man, who is wearing an iron mask, appears to be using some kind of magic on the Mayor. Helen: Mayor Smallcat needs help: He’s unconscious! I beg of you, find something that will bring him around! The player must click on the “Wait a minute” button to continue. I think the main purpose of this part is to slowly teach the player where to look in order to find out what items they must locate. In addition to the list of items that a player must locate before the time runs out, there often is a special item that is connected to a quest. That item won’t be one the player is able to find in the scene. Instead, it either appears after the player is done, or it does not (and the player must try again). I found smelling salts. That should wake up Mayor Smallcat! Helen: Indeed, smelling salts are extremely effective. Please lift the mayor’s head, I’ll give him the salts to inhale. Helen: Mayor Smallcat is regaining consciousness. We are incredibly lucky that you appeared in the city when you did. Thank you for your help! The player must click on: “You are welcome”. This dramatic start to the Seekers Notes game is designed to give the player the feeling that they are special. Without trying, or even knowing how, you end up in Darkwood at exactly the right moment. Mayor Smallcat: Let me introduce myself, I am the mayor of Darkwood, Felix Smallcat. Thank you for saving me! But how did you get here and why don’t you remember anything? Hmm, you say you only had a map with you? Allow me to take a look. The player must click on: “Sure!” Mayor Smallcat: You have a fascinating map. It reminds me of an ancient artifact that belonged to the heroes of Darkwood, the First Seekers. If you can handle the map, it can only mean one thing! A glimmer of hope has arrived in our city – you just might be a seeker! The player must click on: “A seeker?” Mayor Smallcat gives the player the “A Very Important Pen” quest. Mayor Smallcat: Seeker is a very important job. We need to fill out papers to make your appointment official. Hm… Where did my pen too? The player must go to the Cafe location to find the mayor’s pen. Mayor Smallcat: Thank you for finding my pen. It belonged to the previous mayor. He was a mysterious man. Rumor has it that he had a hiding place in this Office. Maybe we’ll find it some day. I found the pen! It is the first item in the Stationery Kit Collection. I have reached player Level 3 in Seekers Notes. Mayor Smallcat: Everything is almost ready for you to fulfill your purpose. All we need is a bottle of ink. Would you be so good as to bring me one so we can sign your documents? The player must solve the Treasure Box puzzle to find the bottle of ink. I found the bottle of ink! It is the second item in the Stationery Kit Collection. Mayor Smallcat solemnly signs and stamps the expensive parchment, and shakes your hand. Mayor Smallcat: On behalf of all the residents, I congratulate you on your new position! Mayor Smallcat: I don’t know who you are or how you ended up in Darkwood, but I’m sure of one thing: You were sent to use by destiny! You are the seeker, the one who will be able to defeat the Curse. Please accept this charter of your appointment as a seeker! The player must click on: “Thank you for your trust”. By decision of the town council, you are appointed to the post of Seeker of Darkwood. Town council chairman and May or Darkwood Felix Smallcat. Mayor Felix Smallcat signed the parchment with green ink. Helen: Congratulations on becoming a seeker! I knew you didn’t come here by chance. Who knows? Perhaps you really are our savior. The player must click on: “Hurray! Thanks”. Responsible Post: Mayor Smallcat was astounded at my ability to find missing items. But what amazed him the most is that I have the ancient artifact that once belonged to the legendary society of the First Seeker! I have no idea how I got the map, but the mayor is convinced that fate chose me to be the one to release Darkwood from the Curse. So, they decided to appoint me as seeker, a position of great responsibility. But my heart is filled with joy and a thirst for adventure! I believe I can help the city’s residents and save Darkwood from its terrible fate! Mayor Smallcat: Seeker, your aid to the city residents comes at just the right time. I keep an account in my notebook of all the things that have gone missing in Darkwood, but now it has disappeared too. Please find it, the book is extremely valuable. I leveled up the Cafe location to Amateur. Each location can be leveled up. Each time it happens, the location gets harder. I found the book of missing items. Mayor Smallcat: Well done. The townspeople now have nothing to fear. I’ll continue to keep my account of missing things, and you, in turn, will search for them. Deal? The book is the third item in the Stationery Kit Collection. Mayor Smallcat: Seeker, I just received a letter from Lady Ursula Byron. I went to open it, but I can’t seem to find my letter opener anywhere. Could you please help me find it? I found the letter opener. It is the fourth item in the fourth item in the Stationery Kit Collection. Mayor Smallcat: Lady Ursula considers it her duty to meet with you. You see, the position of seeker was introduced by the Founders, and the Byrons are all direct descendants of those Founders. Mayor Smallcat: Seeker, I wrote an answer to Lady Byron’s letter, and now, I need an ink blotter to blot it before I can send it. When I was elected mayor of the city, my predecessor ceremonially presented me with his ink blotter. Please help me find it. I found the ink blotter! It is the fifth item in the It is the Stationery Kit Collection. Mayor Smallcat: The letter is ready to be sent, and you should prepare for a flood of invitations. Many will want to meet the seeker, as this position had been empty for many years before you arrived. I now have all of the required items for the Stationery Kit. In addition, the player must also obtain one extra item. Fortunately, I managed to acquire five without knowing why I needed them. Completing a collection uses up all of the required items that the player found through the corresponding quest chain. Leftovers stay put. It is possible to complete any Collection in Seekers Notes multiple times. The completed Stationery Kit Collection puts together everything Mayor Smallcat asked the Seeker to find for him. It makes a stationery kit. Here are the rewards for assembling the Stationery Kit. Mayor Smallcat: Congratulations, you have completed your first task and proved that neither I nor Helen were mistaken about you. And as I said before, it is still not at all clear you you appeared in Darkwood. Seekers Notes: Stationery Kit Collection is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... TV & Movie ReviewsGrace and Frankie – Season OneJune 2, 2017TV and Movie ReviewsGrace and Frankie is a show on Netflix. It is a Netflix Original. Grace (Jane Fonda) is married to Robert (Martin Sheen). Frankie (Lilly Tomlin) is married to Sol (Sam Waterson). In the very first episode, right at the start, the husbands announce they want to divorce their wives. The reasons why the men want divorces is because they have fallen in love… with each other. And they want to get married. Warning: There are tons of spoilers. Episode 1: The husbands announce they want to divorce their wives because they have fallen in love with each other and want to get married. Robert: “We can do that now.” When Robert married Grace, and Sol married Frankie, same-sex marriage wasn’t legal anywhere in the United States. Robert and Sol have been having a secret love affair for the past 20 years. Later, Sol and Frankie are alone back at their home. Frankie asks Sol if that is why he got Cialis. Sol answers: “Everyone gets Cialis at my age.” Robert and Grace are alone at their home. She is sad. Robert tries to console her. “Were you ever really happy with me?” he asks. Grace thinks about it. She says they didn’t have the most romantic life. “But I thought we were normal”. This indicates that Grace and Robert hadn’t had a sex life together in a very long time. Grace thought the end of their sex life was a normal part of being a couple, or maybe because of their age. Now, she discovers that wasn’t so. She DOES NOT say she was happy with Robert. Robert says that he “wanted more.” The implication is that he wasn’t happy in his marriage with Grace, and found what he needed with Sol. * Both couples have children who are now adults. Sol and Frankie’s sons (Coyote and Nwabudike) try and console their mother. They repeat a lot of the positive encouraging phrases she must have told them. She tells them all that is “bullshit”. Grace and Robert’s daughters, (Brianna and Mallory) are angry about what happened. They immediately take their mother’s side, and don’t want to talk to their father right then. Mallory has kids. She asks “How am I going to explain this to my kids?” I don’t think this question is entirely about her father’s relationship with Sol. It’s also about the sudden divorce. * A chair is delivered to Robert and Grace’s house. She opens the box, and finds a chair that has a photo of Ryan Gosling’s face on the seat. Robert is delighted that the chair arrived so quickly and explains it is a joke between him and Sol. * For the first time, Grace notices that Robert’s office has a framed drawing of a nude man. She notices a small frame on the shelf that contains a old photo of two men, one of whom has taken the arm of the other (as a man might do with a woman). She sees books on the shelf, one of which is called “The Male Member”. And suddenly, she realizes she’s missed all these signs. * Grace and Frankie get into an argument over which one of them is more upset. Frankie says “I lost my best friend. You never liked Robert.” * Robert says he can finally breathe again – now that he’s divorcing Grace to be with Sol. Sol says he feels really guilty because he devastated someone he loves very much. It’s clear that Sol and Frankie were not just spouses, but also good friends. Grace and Robert were not friends. * Grace freaks out about the divorce. “I did everything right. I played by the rules.” She is angry. Grace asks Frankie why she isn’t angry. Frankie says she is heartbroken. * Later, Frankie acknowledges that there were times she “knew” but ignored it. She says Sol once asked her to wear a dildo. She and Grace think that could only mean that Sol was gay. Episode 2: * Sol and Robert spent the night together and are still snuggling in bed. Sol says he wants to go up on the roof and shout: “I am a homosexual and I am in love with Robert Hanson, who is also a homosexual.” Robert smiles, and jokingly talks him out of it. * As the men are getting ready to go to work, Robert says “Just because we’re out now doesn’t mean we’re gonna be gay with a vengeance.” * Two of Frankie’s friends come over to console her and take her to lunch. One of the friends is gay. Sol and Robert aren’t the only gay men in Frankie’s life. Sol sent the two friends over because Frankie won’t answer her phone when he calls her and he was worried about her. * Robert cuts off Grace’s credit card (which she discovers while trying to pay for lunch). It turns out Sol cut off Frankie’s credit card, too. Robert feels absolutely nothing about doing this to Grace – citing that he and Sol are divorce lawyers and that’s what people who are divorcing are supposed to do. Sol feels terrible about it and is upset that he knows Frankie will be upset when she finds out. * Robert asks Sol, “Which is better, feeling terrible with me, or without me.” Sal says “with you.” * Grace sends her daughters to her (and Robert’s) home to get some of her things. (She’s staying at the beach house). The daughters notice the remains of breakfast on the table and realize that Sol spent the night there. They look sad. * Frankie has a fight with Sol and kicks him out of their house. She tells him to go live with Robert. Sol says they weren’t ready to move in together yet. * Later, Frankie asks: “Was any of it real?” That’s a normal question people ask after a breakup. But, Frankie is also asking if her marriage to Sol, who had been having an affair with Robert for 20 years, was ever real. Episode 3: * Robert and Sol are having their children over for dinner. Sol is nervous. Robert tries to calm him by saying they’ve already had lots of dinners together. Sol responds: “That was before I became their new stepmother.” * Mallory and Brianna arrive together for dinner. They wait at the door of the house they grew up in. Brianna wants to just walk in. Mallory stops her and says they can’t do that because it’s not their house anymore. Brianna responds “I’ve lost both of my virginities in that house” and proceeds to just walk right in. * During dinner, Robert and Sol hold hands for a brief moment. Robert’s daughters and Sol’s sons stare at them – not really knowing how to feel about that. * Coyote tells Mallory (who is mad at him) “We’re step people now.” * Brianna and Bud have a conversation in the kitchen. Bud is preparing a cake. Brianna mentions something about how Bud seems fine with what their dad’s are doing. She asks “Would you be cool with it if they had cheated with women?” * After returning to the table, after everyone starts eating cake, an argument ensues where the kids let out some of their anger and frustration. Bud says he is “not allowed to be mad”. When Sol asks why not, Bud answers “because you’re gay.” Episode 4: * Someone who worked with Robert and Sol has died. They are going to the funeral. Sol says that this will be the first time people see him without his wife by his side. Robert says the funeral “is not our coming out party.” * Meanwhile, Grace is pushing Frankie to get ready to go to the funeral early – so they can leave before it becomes Robert and Sol’s coming out party. * Grace and Frankie see Robert and Sol – as a couple – for the first time at the funeral reception. It makes Grace and Frankie sad. * Grace notices that Sol is wearing a tie that she gave to Robert as a Father’s Day present. This makes her angry. Frankie is angry too. “They can’t leave us AND share clothes!” * Robert and Sol haven’t decided what to call each other. Robert think’s they’re too old for boyfriend. “Soulmate?” Sol asks. Robert responds, “No! I don’t even like that one with straight people.” At the funeral reception, Sol tries to use the word partner, but then awkwardly explains that they are business partners at the law firm, but also partners with each other. He confuses the people he was speaking to. * A very old man who must have worked at the same company as the deceased tells Robert and Sol that he knows they are a couple – and that they are brave. He then asks: “When did you know you were attracted to men?” He goes on to say that he had “an experience” when he was in Korea. Sol kindly walks away with him and answers the man’s question. * Robert’s sister tells Grace that she had no idea that her brother was gay. * Later, Robert’s sister accidentally mentions that her daughter is having a baby shower. It becomes clear that Grace was not invited. Robert’s sister explains that the aunties would be there (Robert’s family is Irish) and that there would be drama and it was the daughter’s day. She asks if Grace understands. Grace says of course she understands, it’s for family. After Robert’s sister walks away, Grace looks sad. * Robert gets frustrated with Sol and yells at him for talking to the widow for too long. He yells at Sol about his shoes (that Robert doesn’t like). Robert yells “You’re just not doing anything right.” Sol responds: “Oh my god. You’re angry that I’m not Grace.” Robert sits down and starts to sob. It’s probably the first time he’s cried about the divorce. Sol consoles him, saying something like he “has one, too”. Robert apologizes, and they start using the word “boyfriend”. * Frankie speaks with the widow. The widow says to her: “Oh, I think your situation is much worse than mine.” The widow points out that Frankie might live another 20 years. The implication is that Frankie will be spending those 20 years alone. * As they are leaving the funeral reception, Grace tells Robert she is so mad at him. “I’ve lost everything,” she says. She lost her husband, her house, her family… * Frankie, upset by what the widow said, and by an unfortunate comment Grace said to Robert about Frankie when Grace was expressing her anger at Robert, leaves the funeral with Grace trailing behind her. Sol drives up in his car – to pick up Robert. Frankie gets into the passenger seat out of habit. She quickly realizes what she has done, gets out, and tells Robert “I think this is for you.” Episode 5: * Brianna tells her mother, Grace, that Grace needs a boyfriend. Grace tells her daughter, Brianna “I’m sending that sentence right back to you.” Brianna is single. Her sister, Mallory, is married with two kids. * Brianna shows Grace a profile of a handsome doctor on a dating website, in an effort to convince Grace to make a profile there. Brianna says she has used dating websites and has met some “passable” guys. Brianna mentions that one of the guys had a micropenis. Apparently, Brianna still considered him “passable”. * Grace tries to make a profile on the dating site. She struggles to describe herself. Brianna sees that Grace listed her age as 70 – which is her age. Brianna argues that Grace should say she is 65, because she looks 65. Grace says that wouldn’t be honest. Brianna says it is honest because that’s the age Grace looks. * Grace doesn’t know what to put in the section of the profile marked “turn-ons”. Frankie walks past the couch Grace and Brianna are sitting on and suggests: “That he’s NOT gay!” Brianna tells her mother to say she is “open minded”. Grace hesitates, concerned that it might mean some “weird sex thing”. * Later in the episode, Grace apologizes for saying something unkind about Frankie at the funeral. Frankie accepts her apology, but wants Grace to treat her better. Frankie points out that she is Grace’s friend. Frankie also says “I’m the other person this happened to” – meaning both she and Grace are going through divorces because their husbands are gay and their husbands want to marry each other. * Grace eventually finished filling out her dating profile and posting it. * During the episode, Grace drives Brianna and Frankie to the frozen yogurt shop (at their request). Both Brianna and Frankie are high. Brianna notices that the cashier is named Brian, and that he and her have the same name – except for the “na”. Later, Brianna tells Grace and Frankie that Brian sent her friend request on Facebook. She says “That must have taken a lot of stalking,” followed by “That was sweet.” She smiles. Episode 6: * Someone on the dating website wants to have lunch with Grace. The two of them have been briefly talking on the website for a while. The man wants to have lunch with Grace today – and she doesn’t want to go because she thinks she isn’t ready for that yet. She tells Frankie she likes the attention she gets on the dating website – and likes that she can get that attention and stay home. Frankie encourages her to go to lunch with the man from the dating website. Grace says she doesn’t know him. Frankie informs her that this is what going to lunch is for – to get to know him and to get laid. * Grace realizes that this will be her first date in 40 years. * Frankie gives Grace some condoms. Grace says she doesn’t need them because she’s well past being able to get pregnant. Frankie tells Grace that because of the “penis drugs”, older people are having sex and aren’t using condoms – and are spreading STDs. Frankie says she read that in an AARP article. There is, in fact, an AARP article from 2010 that explains why older people should use condoms. The article is written by Dr. Pepper Schwartz. * An earthquake happens, and Frankie freaks out. Robert and Sol had just made plans for dinner. (They plan to order paella from a restaurant). Immediately after the earthquake is over, Sol tells Robert that Frankie is terrified of earthquakes and that he needs to go help her calm down. Sol says: “It’s her first quake alone, and she only has Grace to comfort her.” Robert immediately responds: “Go!” * Coyote rides his bike over to Mallory’s house to deliver a children’s book called And Tango Makes Three. The book was written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and was published in 2005. The story is about three Chinstrap penguins at the Central Park Zoo, and is based on something that really happened. Roy and Silo were two male penguins in the zoo’s penguin exhibit. Roy and Silo liked to do everything together. A zookeeper noticed that they built a nest together, just like the other penguins couples do. But, Roy and Silo could not lay an egg. One day, the zoo had an extra Chinstrap penguin egg that was produced by another penguin couple who could not care for it. The zookeeper gave the egg to Roy and Silo, who took turns keeping it warm until the egg hatched. The zookeeper named the baby penguin Tango because “it takes two to tango”. Tango is a girl. Coyote takes the book to Mallory because he remembered that Mallory said that her kids were having a difficult time understanding what was happening with their grandfather and Sol. Coyote is working as a substitute teacher, so it makes sense that he had heard of this children’s book. * Grace’s date does not go well. After they are seated, she asks Charles if he’s “done it a lot”. He gives her a funny look. She clarifies that she means “this” and gestures at the table. She wanted to know if he goes to lunch with women he met on the dating website a lot. He obviously thought she was asking him if he had a lot of sex. * Charles tells Grace to watch out for liars on the dating website. It’s an odd comment to start out a new (potential) relationship with. He gives the example of someone who said she loved to play tennis – but he later learned that she was in a wheelchair. It’s hard to know if Charles was making up that example, or if he met someone like that. As the lunch date goes on, Charles gets stranger and stranger. He doesn’t seem to understand the subtle social cues Grace gives him indicating she doesn’t think he’s funny. He tells her if he’s too much to say: “Charlie it’s too much.” Grace immediate responds: “Charlie, it’s too much.” Charlie laughs and doesn’t take her seriously. Not long after that, Charlie starts making inappropriate, and gross, comments about Grace’s mouth and the steak she is eating, and this makes Grace so uncomfortable that she quickly ends the lunch date. * After helping Frankie calm down, Sol asks if she would like to get a bite to eat. They go to lunch. Sol texts Robert that he is going to be late (which leads to a misunderstanding – more on that in a bit). During lunch, Frankie asks Sol how it started with Robert. Sol is a bit taken aback. He didn’t expect to be sharing that today. Frankie honestly wants to know, so Sol tells her. Robert and Sol were at a law conference together, and later got drunk together at the hotel bar. They rode the elevator together. Sol says Robert gave him this look that scared him. The look gave him a feeling. Robert kissed Sol. Frankie asked if it was a big kiss. Sol says they kept kissing until the elevator stopped at their floor – the 26th floor. Sol says his whole body became alive. Frankie asks if that’s when their relationship started. Sol says no, that he and Robert didn’t talk about what happened. Frankie asks: “Why not?” Sol says they couldn’t talk about it – they didn’t know how to talk about it. The relationship between Robert and Sol evolved from sex to love. Sol didn’t want to tell Frankie about it because he loved her, and he loved their family, and he didn’t want to hurt them or lose them. * Grace returns home after the awful lunch date and finds one of Frankie’s art students in the kitchen, eating a ham sandwich. Grace has seen all three of Frankie’s students once before, the day she was trying to rush Frankie to get ready for the funeral. Grace knows the men in Frankie’s art class are all “ex-cons.” Grace is surprised and asks how he got in there. She tells him Frankie wasn’t home. The man says he found the studio empty so he went inside the house to make sure Frankie was ok. The man starts flirting with Grace. She is so surprised, she drops her purse. The condoms Frankie gave her fall out, and the man sees them. He makes a comment, and Grace clarifies that Frankie put those into her purse. It is clear that Grace is attracted to the man. She is a bit flustered. He tells her that he knows about her husband and Frankie’s husband. He says: “Please tell me that if he wasn’t fucking you somebody else was.” Another earthquake tremor happens, and Grace and the man end up passionately kissing in the kitchen (which leads to them making out for a little while before Grace stops it). The man leaves. Grace is smiling. * Later, Grace tells Frankie that one of her students was in the kitchen, eating a ham sandwich. Frankie says “That must be Byron. He loves ham.” Grace doesn’t mention the kissing. * Sol comes home to Robert three hours late. Robert invited some friends over (Al and Eddie, who are a couple). They are eating Paella. Robert and Sol start bickering, and Al and Eddie run away. Robert and Sol have an argument. Robert asks “Why did we blow up our lives if you are just going to go running back to her?” Sol said he texted Robert that he would be late, and thought Robert said it was ok. It turned out there was a miscommunication. The two make up. Robert goes to get some food for Sol. While he isn’t looking, Sol texts Frankie “goodnight”. Episode 7: * Grace comes home from an awful date. Grace tells Frankie that she took her anecdote (about saving a little bird). Frankie isn’t thrilled with that. Grace goes on to say that her date’s anecdote was about his fatty lipoma. He had a tumor that he named Farley – and it had teeth. A lipoma is a slow-growing fatty lump that’s most often situated between your skin and the underlying muscle tissue. It can feel doughy. It is not cancer. * Grace says she has another date tomorrow. Frankie points out that would be three dates in one week. * Brianna is cooking because she has a date coming over. She calls Bud to help her. Bud points out that she destroyed the Brisket, so he’s going to help her make stew out if it. Brianna says stew isn’t a second date food. Bud infers her date is with “Racist Dave”. Brianna corrects Bud – “Border Patrol Dave”. Dave sends Brianna a text, in which he cancels the date. Brianna now calls him “Racist Dave”. Brianna says that she doesn’t know what she wants (meaning in a relationship). Bud says she wants what everyone wants “Someone you can come home to at the end of the day who is happy to see you.” Brianna says she is getting a dog. * A big part of this episode focuses on the Spelling Bee, which is televised. Frankie and Sol watch it every year (it’s one of their rituals). Frankie can’t get Grace interested in the Spelling Bee, and Sol can’t get Robert interested in it. Sol unexpectedly brings Frankie a bread maker and some laser discs. Frankie sees that as an excuse to come over. Sol asks her to come over and watch the Spelling Bee with him. Frankie hesitates, unsure if that’s a good idea now that they are getting a divorce. Sol wants to continue their rituals, like watching the Spelling Bee together. Frankie says that she will be strong and say “no”. * Brianna adopts a foster dog she saw on the internet. The man who is fostering the dog brings him over. The man is cute and near Brianna’s age. She flirts with him – badly. He doesn’t appear to be interested in her, but is excited to give this great dog a forever home. Brianna is not so enthused about the dog. The dog is shy, at first. Brianna says the dog is ugly, and asks if it is the dog she saw on the internet. The foster dog “dad” gives Brianna the food the dog has been eating, and his toys. He makes a joke (about the dog leaving his patio furniture and grill so the other dogs could use it) – which Brianna doesn’t get. Foster dog man says she can call him if she has any trouble. Brianna spends hours trying to get the dog to love her. She fails at it. So, she calls the Foster dog guy, who comes over. He doesn’t see any problem with the dog (who is happily waltzing down the hallway and checking out other rooms.). The Foster dog guy makes a comment implying he thinks Brianna called to get HIM to come over. She basically agrees. They have sex. He leaves right after. Brianna is sad – until the dog leaps into her arms and starts loving her. * Frankie ends up going over to Sol and Robert’s to watch the Spelling Bee with Sol. She brought popcorn and tea. He is thrilled! They have a great time until Robert comes home and looks upset. Frankie leaves. Robert is miffed about Sol hanging out with Frankie. Robert admits that he is scared about Sol’s relationship with Frankie. He didn’t like that Sol didn’t tell him Frankie was coming over. Sol said he didn’t know she was coming over. Sol tells Robert that Frankie will always be part of his life, and that Robert has nothing to worry about. Robert agrees to watch the Spelling Bee with Sol – and they both have fun! * Grace goes on date three (of the week). It is with a man who owns a yacht and is an architect. His “name” on the dating website is “yachtcatect”. Grace thinks that is clever. She gets a table where they are supposed to meet. Unexpectedly, she sees a friend whom she hasn’t seen in years. His name is Guy, and he is a world traveler. But now, he wants to settle down. The yacht guy shows up, but hasn’t seen Grace yet. He is dressed like a television captain – hat, coat, and all. Guy asks Grace if she wants to meet that man. She doesn’t. Guy offers to sneak her out of the restaurant if she will have ice cream with him. They have ice cream together. Guy says he thinks there has always been a spark between them. They slowly start a relationship. He takes Grace to her door, and Grace kisses him. Neither expected that. Frankie sees Grace kiss Guy through the window. She leaves the television on – and the Spelling Bee – and goes upstairs. Episode 8: * Grace lets Frankie know that Guy is coming over for dinner (and she wants Frankie to either leave or stay in her room). Frankie says that Grace and Guy are gonna have sex. Frankie asks Grace if she is worried “because it’s the first time a straight man has seen you naked in 40 years.” Grace says she isn’t worried because she will turn the lights out (and he won’t see her naked). Frankie asks Grace if she is worried about vaginal dryness. Grace responds: “I am now.” * Frankie gives Grace something Frankie refers to as her “secret weapon”. It is a jar of “Frankie’s homemade yam lube.” Frankie calls it “Vag-a-kadabra.” She keeps it in the refrigerator. Grace is disturbed because she’s been eating the yam lube on toast. Frankie reassures Grace that that is good, and that her gynecologist says “You shouldn’t put anything in your vagina that you wouldn’t put in your mouth.” Overall, this advice is not a bad idea. * Grace doesn’t want to hear about the yam lube. Frankie says “It’s not a dildo. It’s a facilitator!” Frankie also says that she makes dildos. * Grace tells Frankie that men and women cannot be friends. Frankie disagrees. She is friends with Sol, and several other men, including Jacob (who grows the yams Frankie uses in her lube). Grace later informs Frankie that Jacob was flirting with Frankie. This takes Frankie by surprise. * Guy comes over for dinner with Grace. They sit on the couch afterward making boring small talk. Eventually, Grace asks: “Do you want to have sex?” Guy responds: “Oh boy yes.” Grace does, in fact, keep the lights out and does not let Guy see her naked. * The next day, Frankie asks Grace how the sex was, and wants to hear details. Grace says Guy “was no slouch in the boudoir.” Cut scenes make it clear that Grace and Guy had sex, but it was far from being good sex. Frankie asks if the sex was bad. Grace doesn’t really answer. Frankie asks Grace if she had an orgasm. Grace angrily responds: “You’re a child!” Frankie concludes, “So, that’s a no.” * Later, Frankie tries to encourage Grace to tell Guy what she likes in bed. She asks if he knows that clitoral stimulation is important. Grace is mortified – and it’s only her and Frankie who can hear this conversation. Grace says she has never talked about her clitoris. * The next day, Grace gets off the phone and tells Frankie “Well, Guy and I made plans for him to have another orgasm tonight.” * Frankie realizes that Jacob is flirting with her. She tells Grace, who gives Frankie some advice – but Frankie isn’t skilled at flirting. Eventually, she let’s Jacob know that Grace thought he was flirting with her, and so she tried to flirt with him – but is bad at it. Jacob says he thought Frankie was having a heart attack. The two of them smoke pot together. Right before Jacob leaves, he tells Frankie that he WAS flirting with her. * Guy comes over. He says he brought a flashlight. (He injured himself trying to find the bed in the dark the other night). He wants to take Grace upstairs. She stops, plays some music, and guides Guy through dancing with her. This is the closest Grace has probably ever gotten to telling a sexual partner what she likes. The dance becomes a metaphor for sex. Episode 9: * Grace got an invite to Robert and Sol’s wedding. She and Frankie make fun of the script (which is florid and loopy and overdone). Frankie asks: “I wonder how they decided whose name goes on top.” That conversation quickly ends. Typically, wedding invitations go one of two ways: (1) The parents who are hosting the wedding are listed, followed by the parents who are not hosting the wedding – and then it states that the parents are inviting people to the wedding. (2) If the couple us hosting the wedding themselves, the name of the bride always appears first (or “on top”). Neither Grace nor Frankie want to consider which of their husbands is “on top” in the bedroom, or to wonder if the order of names on the invitation match that situation. * Frankie, after seeing the wedding invitation, asks Grace to pull her finger, which Grace refuses. Frankie was asking for help – because she tried to remove her wedding ring the day of the funeral but it was stuck on her hand. Grace helps Frankie take off the wedding ring. * Frankie is making another batch of her “Vag-a-kadabra” homemade yam lube. Brianna comes over (to pick up her dog that Frankie was babysitting). Brianna asks what Frankie is making, and Frankie tells her. Brianna responds: “Mom, Frankie verbally molested me!” Surprisingly, it is Grace who explains the virtues of the lube that Frankie is making. The reason is because Brianna took over Grace’s company when she retired. Grace thinks Brianna could sell the lube because it works, and cites a statistic of how many women have dry vaginas (especially older women). This, of course, grosses out Brianna. Grace says: “It’s all natural – from farm to vagina.” Frankie says: “Personal lubricant is for everyone.” Grace makes Brianna take a jar of the lube with her to work. * Frankie calls out Grace for lying. Guy likes golf, and hoagies, and Grace is pretending to like those things too – but she really doesn’t like those things. Frankie keeps insisting that Grace needs to tell Guy the truth. Eventually, Grace says that when you are in a new relationship you lie and pretend to like things that you don’t like. Grace is worried that Guy will break up with her if he learns that they don’t like the same things. Grace is afraid of losing Guy if she is honest with him. Frankie encourages her to be honest with Guy, anyway. * Grace takes a small revenge on Robert by asking him to come over while Guy is there. Robert is coming over to borrow Grace’s wedding book – a huge binder that apparently has tons of information that is useful for people who are planning huge weddings. Grace wants Robert to know that she has a boyfriend. Robert comes over to get the wedding book and sees that Guy is there – and is overjoyed! They are friends. They are happy to see one another. Grace makes it clear that she and Guy are in a relationship. Robert is surprised, but seems ok with that. Guy says that he and Robert should get together – and Robert agrees and says he will call Guy. Grace says the she will attend Robert’s wedding – with Guy as her date. Later, Grace goes golfing with Guy, and Robert shows up. Guy says he invited Robert. The three go golfing, with Grace trying to quietly tell Robert that she doesn’t want him there. She accuses him of trying to flirt with Guy. Guy hits the ball very far, and Robert congratulates him. The two men put their arms around each other, and Guy recites part of a poem (written by Rumi) It turns out that Robert said he had no one to officiate the wedding, and Guy, who is an officiant, volunteered. He hoped Robert liked the poem so he could use it at the wedding. Robert later tells Grace that he thought having Guy officiate was perfect because Sol wanted a multicultural wedding and Guy has been around the world. * Brianna takes the yam lube to work and repeats what Grace said about it, and the “personal lubricant is for everyone” statement that Frankie told her. She puts some yam lube into small containers and asks her team to try it for themselves, and then come back the next day to talk about it how it made them feel. Brianna wants to move the company in a new direction with this product. Brianna mentions dry vaginas a lot – grossing out one of her team members. The team is made up of a woman (who just broke up with her boyfriend) a guy who is straight and may or may not be single, and a guy who is gay. The guy who is gay does not want to hear about vaginas. Brianna ends up using the yam lube with a co-worker – Barry, who is an accountant. She has sex with someone she not only works with but also is one of her employees. The next day, when the team is sharing their experiences with the yam lube, Brianna insists she used the lube “with herself”. * Frankie gets upset because Grace got an invitation to Robert and Sol’s wedding, but she did not. She makes an unexpected visit to Sol, who is living with Robert. Frankie brings him a chip and dip plate shaped like a sombrero. She also used the bread maker Sol brought her to make bread – which she brought to Sol – along with “better” (a non-dairy form of butter she hand made.) Sol asks why she brought him those things. She said she was there to remind him to get a flu shot – and that this is the last time she will remind him – because they need to have boundaries. He agrees, and the two try and work on that. Before she leaves, she tells Sol she is upset that Grace got an invite and she did not. Sol insists that Robert mailed Frankie an invite. This leads to a big, confusing, fight between Sol and Robert about why Frankie’s invite didn’t arrive. (Which gets resolved later.) Later, Sol visits Frankie (who is still living at the beach house with Grace). Frankie is in her studio, working on some art. Sol hands Frankie her invitation. She sets it aside – with a pile of mail, which has Frankie’s invitation. She made some art on the envelope, and forgot about it. Sol and Frankie get serious and ask their subconsciouses (which they have given names to) if Frankie really wants to go to Sol’s wedding. She discovers that she doesn’t want to go because it would be too painful. Sol is sad, but understands. They start acknowledging that they need to work on “divorce stuff”. * Frankie got so caught up with Sol that she accidentally blows off Jacob (the yam man). She stands him up on a lunch date, and he sends her a text. They reschedule, and she stands him up again (before rushing over to meet with him.) Jacob gently breaks up with her. She’s not ready to date yet. * Eventually, Grace starts being honest. She tells Guy that she doesn’t like golf, or hoagies (and adds some other things she doesn’t like). He accepts it. She tells him she was afraid that he would walk away if she told him, and that was scary, especially since she really likes him. Being honest solidified their relationship. Grace them goes over to Robert’s to tell him that Guy can’t be his officiant because Guy is her boyfriend. Robert shrugs that off and accepts. He tells Grace that he and Sol are getting into big fights about planning the wedding and maybe they should just elope like Sol wanted. Sol didn’t want a big wedding. Grace asks Robert what he wants. Robert wants the big wedding. He wants to tell the world that he loves Sol. Grace encourages Robert to keep planning the wedding, and points out that wedding planning is stressful. Grace says Robert would know that if he helped plan their wedding or the wedding of his daughter. There is a moment where they wonder if things would have gone differently if they had both been honest with each other about how they were feeling years ago. They decide that things would have gone the way they did anyway, but might have been less bad. Episode 10: * The episode starts with Robert and Sol, and Grace, and Frankie, and Bud in an elevator. They had just signed divorce papers. The elevator gets stuck, and Grace freaks out because she is claustrophobic. The episode is a “flashback” episode to events that took place long before the events in Episode 1 did. * The “flashback” takes place at the beach house where Grace and Robert, and Frankie and Sol, are spending the Labor Day weekend. Bud, Coyote, and Brianna are also there. Robert and Sol planned to tell their wives that they had become a couple and wanted a divorce. * Robert and Sol start trying to tell Grace and Frankie – when Mallory walks in with her husband. Mallory is super pregnant, and therefore, was not expected to arrive at all. This interrupts what Robert and Sol were trying to say – so it doesn’t get said. * Frankie is over the moon about Mallory’s pregnancy. Mallory’s husband says he sees pregnant women at work all the time, but none of them are as excited as Frankie is. Sol explains that Frankie “never got to do it herself.” Both Coyote and Bud are adopted. It has been established before this episode that Sol and Frankie are both Jewish. This makes me wonder if they chose not have biological children because they both carry a recessive gene for Tay-Sachs. * Mallory spends a lot of time in the pool. She asks Coyote to come over so she could talk to him. She asks Coyote how much cocaine he is on. He says he is naturally energetic. (Shortly before that, Coyote and Mallory’s husband smoked pot together, and Coyote snorted cocaine.) They talk a little about her pregnancy. Coyote starts to say something, that Mallory stops him from saying. She says something about “the thing we agreed never to talk about.” Coyote says “Imagine me with a 9 year old.” I think this means that Mallory and Coyote were a couple nine years ago and they either had a pregnancy scare (that turned out not to be a pregnancy) or Mallory had an abortion. Based on the timeline – Coyote and Mallory probably were in high school when the pregnancy (or pregnancy scare) happened. * Grace makes a mean comment about Frankie not knowing anything about pregnancy because she hasn’t been pregnant. Later, after Mallory unexpectedly gives birth at the beach house, fully clothed, while the family watches, Grace apologizes. She tells Frankie something like that she didn’t feel like a mother until she held her baby in her arms. Frankie says “Me too.” * Grace, who has been on the phone handling work related things for most of the day, later tells Robert that she wants to retire and give the business to Brianna. Grace says she hopes that her retiring will rekindle the relationship between her and Robert. * Fast forward to them all stuck in the elevator, and Robert explains why he stayed with Grace. “My heart broke for you, and I had to give you what you wanted.” * Bud reveals something he feels guilty about. That weekend in the beach house, he was sleeping on the couch. Robert and Sol were on the porch outside that room. Bud woke up and saw Robert and Sol kissing. Bud felt guilty about not telling his mom about that. Frankie and Grace reassure Bud that even if he had told – they wouldn’t have believed him. Frankie says “You gave me five more years with your father.” Episode 11: * Guy has been spending a lot of time at the beach house. Today, he admits that he “ambien eats” after Frankie notices more food missing from the refrigerator. Guy goes shopping to replace what he ate while he was asleep. He also says he “ambian orders” on Amazon, and has purchased the same pair of shoes, while sleeping, four times. * Frankie tells Grace she thinks Grace is going too fast with Guy. Grace says she is lucky to have him. She points out most men their age date younger women “who don’t have sagging breasts and chin hair.” * Frankie’s art student, (the one that kissed Grace during the earthquake), comes in the house to say goodbye. He is going to Mexico. (All of Frankie’s art students are ex-cons and all are adults.) Grace is flustered. He kisses her. Frankie comes in with the student’s painting – and sees them kiss. Grace says it was a goodbye kiss, to which Frankie points out that means there was a hello. Grace ends up telling Frankie about the day of the earthquake when the student first kissed Grace. * Robert and Sol are tasting food so they can pick a caterer for their wedding. The caterers have come over and are preparing food. Frankie calls Sol and tells him “Grace kissed a convict”. When Sol gets off the phone, he tells Robert about Grace kissing a convict. Robert smiles and says: “Good. She deserves some fun.” Sol is surprised by that response, and points out “but Grace is dating your friend Guy.” Robert says something like “but they aren’t married”. Long story short, Sol asks Robert if he kissed anyone else while they were together. Robert does not immediately respond – and Sol gets very upset. Later, Robert admits he slept with someone. Sol demands to know who. This conversation is happening while the caterers (who are a gay couple) are there. Sol says “We know five gay people in the world and two are in the kitchen.” It turns out Robert slept with one of the caterers, 12 years ago, when Robert and Sol were broken up. The caterer tries to console Sol by saying that he and Robert were incompatible. This does not make Sol feel any better. The caterer mentions something about how gay couples don’t have to fit into heterosexual norms. Later, Sol asks Robert “Are we doing this wrong?” He is referring to their upcoming wedding. He is worried they are getting out of one box and going into another. Eventually, Robert and Sol make up after talking things out. They end up choosing these caterers because their food is delicious. * Grace discovers that Frankie told Sol about her “kissing a convict” – and that Sol told Robert. She is absolutely livid! She tells Frankie that she is a private person and expected her to keep what she shared a secret. They argue, and Frankie tries to apologize. At this moment, Guy returns with the food he bought for Frankie. He overhears that Grace kissed a convict – that day – shortly after he left. Guy leaves, but comes back hours later. When Guy returns, he tells Grace that he is in love with her. Grace gives him a hug, but doesn’t say anything. She looks troubled by this news. * Later, Frankie tries to make amends by giving Grace one of her most embarrassing secrets. It is a VHS tape. The tape is a sex tape that she and Sol recorded in the 80′s, while wearing gladiator costumes. Frankie tells Grace she can watch it, laugh at it, tell the kids, put it on the six-o’clock news, do whatever she wants with it. Grace asks: “Can I burn it?” Frankie responds: “Please do.” Frankie says that the idea of watching yourself have sex is much better than actually watching yourself have sex. Frankie offers to give Grace $50 and another one of her secrets. Grace accepts. Frankie says: “I once made out with a monkey.” It turns out she made out with Mickey Dolenz from The Monkees. Episode 12: * Frankie makes a video on her phone saying she is moving on from Sol. She takes off her wedding ring (forever) and puts it into a box. * Bud and Coyote are tasked with throwing their father, and Brianna and Mallory’s father, a bachelor party. Bud and Coyote don’t know what to do. Mallory quickly puts together ideas for food and drinks, gets supplies, etc. Brianna thinks the Dads need to have a tacky bachelor party with jokes about balls. Bud and Coyote think the Dads want a classy party. Coyote sent invitations that had a cowboy in “assless chaps” on them. A friend of the Dads, named Nelson, arrives unexpectedly. Nelson is from Utah and doesn’t really approve of same-sex marriage. This makes the Dads feel like they HAVE TO keep the party very classy. The party is boring, so Bud and Coyote call Brianna for help. She orders a huge, pink, penis – that functions like a mechanical bull – and has it placed on the front lawn of the Dad’s home. Robert and Sol freak out. Nelson gets mean – telling Robert and Sol he doesn’t mind that they are homosexuals, but doesn’t want them to “throw it” into his face. Robert nearly punches Nelson, but Sol stops him. Meanwhile, the rest of the guests – all men (most of whom are heterosexual) are lined up around the penis/mechanical bull, waiting for their turn. Brianna’s idea made the party fun. Robert and Sol choose to stay inside – and do not want to ride the mechanical penis that is on their front lawn. * Frankie is sad – and Grace tries to cheer her up. They end up doing a “Say Yes” night. It is something that Frankie and Sol used to do. You have to say “yes” to everything that is offered the whole night – until you go home or get arrested. Frankie and Grace end up having fun. The fun includes accepting whiskey flights from two men at the bar Frankie selected. The two men are around the same age as Frankie and Grace. Frankie and Grace end up dancing on the bar and get kicked out. Meanwhile, Frankie’s car got towed. Frankie decides that, for those reasons, this “Say Yes” night is at least in “the top five”. * Grace admits to Frankie that when Guy told her that he was falling in love with her, Grace didn’t say it back. Episode 13: * Inside Frankie’s studio, near the door, there is a bumper sticker that has been posted sideways. It says “Viva Gore Lieberman 2000”. It is a political bumper sticker that was promoting Al Gore for President and Joe Lieberman for Vice President. The bumper sticker was for the 2000 election. * Grace wants to break up with Guy, but has been avoiding it. She says she is afraid that if she breaks up with him she might be alone forever. Frankie says that Grace needs to vlog about it. That evening, Grace had dinner with Guy and they watched two movies together. Grace didn’t break up with Guy, but still wants to. Guy comes downstairs and starts eating lasagna. Grace breaks up with him, and he takes it quite well. He offers to leave, but Grace insists that he stay because it was the middle of the night. She sleeps on the couch. The next morning, Frankie finds Grace on the couch and asks about Guy. Grace says she broke up with him. Guy comes downstairs and, based on his mood and words, doesn’t seem to be aware that Grace broke up with him. Frankie figures out the problem. “It was an Ambien breakup”. Guy was sleep-eating when Grace broke up with him. Grace eventually takes Frankie’s advice and vlogs (using FaceTime). She mentions Guy, and Robert, and then unexpectedly mentions a man named Phil whom she was in a relationship with. She discovers what she wants in a relationship, and that she isn’t getting it with Guy. Later, Grace tells Frankie that she has broken up with Guy (for real this time). * Robert is trying to write his vows but is having difficulty. It is important to Sol that they both write their own vows. Sol has already written his. Robert’s daughters find them and feel all kinds of emotions – so what Sol wrote must have been really good. Robert eventually writes a ridiculously long thing that was supposed to be vows but sounds like something written for a court case. Brianna asks her dad “Are you suing Sol for his love?” Brianna and Mallory take away the legal brief and edit it into something beautiful (and very appropriate as wedding vows). * Frankie goes to the home she and Sol once shared because it is moving day. They sold the house and need to pack up things and take them away. Frankie, Sol, Coyote, and Bud are going through boxes and sharing memories. They have a big, family hug. Sol says they should light the Shabbat candles one more time. The family agrees. Sol lights the candles and begins a prayer, but then gets too emotional and starts crying. Frankie sends their sons to go do the plans they had that night, and consoles Sol. Sol says “I have so much love for all of you my heart….” Frankie finishes “Hurts?” Sol nods. Frankie and Sol kiss, and they end up having sex. Both of them look quite distressed about that afterwards. * Grace comes home and finds Sol in the beach house. Frankie is not there. Sol looks extremely upset, and he’s not making a lot of sense. He says he wanted to make sure Frankie was ok. Grace eventually figures out that they slept together. She yells at Sol and tells him to go away, and that she will take care of Frankie. Sol is afraid to go home. To summarize, Grace convinces Sol that he has to tell Robert about what happened between him and Frankie, “or live the rest of your life the way you spent the past 20 years.” Sol goes home, still visibly upset. The viewer can hear Robert practicing his vows by reading them out loud as Sol stands at the front door, gathering courage to go inside. It doesn’t appear that Sol can hear Robert. Frankie was out on the beach. Frankie says something about not realizing it was over until now, and that Grace figured out it was over right away. Frankie says that sleeping with Sol “didn’t feel right”. She explains, “It felt like we don’t go together anymore.” This review of Grace and Frankie – Season One is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on Patreon or at PayPal.me. Thank you!... Notes About Things in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Season 1April 24, 2017TV and Movie ReviewsUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a Netflix Original TV series that is about a woman who is rescued from a doomsday cult. Kimmy is trying to make a new life. The show is goofy and weird. I put together some notes about things that stuck in my mind after watching each episode. Warning: There are spoilers. Episode 1: * Kimmy and her “sisters” were taken into a bunker by the Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne. He told the girls that the world had ended at Y2K (2000) and that nothing was left outside. People really did believe that something would end at Y2K, but it wasn’t the end of the world – it was the end of computer networks. Computer analysts speculated that the all the computer networks would crash at midnight on January 1, 2000. This would, they said, cause mass dysfunction because of how many things relied on those computer networks (including banking, satellites, etc). Way back in the 1970s, computer programs included a date code that started with 1900. Every year, the computers would automatically go up one year. By 1999, people started realizing that the computers would not be able to go to 2000, because they hadn’t been programmed that way. One speculation was that the computers would just roll the year over to 1900 – which would obviously screw up a lot of things. Of course, the world didn’t end at Y2K, and the computers somehow managed not to revert back to 1900. So, it makes sense that Kimmy and her “sisters” would believe that the world ended at Y2K. * Bunkers exist. President Kennedy urged Americans to build bomb shelters to protect them from nuclear fallout in the event of a nuclear war. A year later, the Cuban Missile Crisis happened, and some people built bomb shelters – just in case. Today, people who call themselves “Preppers” build or purchase bunkers (or bomb shelters) for their families to live in – just in case the world ends or anarchy happens. So, what I’m trying to say is it would be plausible that Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne had a bunker. * Doomsday cults also exist, but I couldn’t find any that held people in an underground bunker. * Kimmy had a Baby-Sitter’s Club book when she was in the bunker. That series was published in 1986. It was a series designed for middle-school aged girls to read. That fits the timeframe of when Kimmy would have been kidnapped and taken to the bunker. * Kimmy and her “sisters” were on TV (as “the mole women”). Her “sister” Gretchen says that she met Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne after he bought some of her hair on Craigslist. Apparently, it is possible to buy human hair on Craigslist. Episode 2: * Titus mentions something about needing to pay Columbia House or his tapes wouldn’t be sent to him. Columbia House would let people buy 11 cassette tapes for a penny. Then, they would sign you up for membership in a club or service, and you would start getting monthly shipments of cassette tapes – which you would be billed for. The process is called “negative billing” and (may not be legal anymore). Columbia House originally sold record albums, and later sold compact discs. * Kimmy realizes that Xanthippe, the bratty stepdaughter of Jacqueline (the woman who hired Kimmy) has been telling her friends a lie. Xanthippe said she had a boyfriend who was a surfer and that they had sex on the beach, and they only meet at night. Kimmy figures out that the story that Xanthippe is telling matches the story in The Baby-Sitter’s club Mystery #12. She threatens to tell Xanthippe’s friends. This would, of course, embarrass the stepdaughter who was trying to look cool to her friends. Those books are made for middle schoolers, and the stepdaughter is a high schooler. * The Baby-Sitter’s Club Mystery #12 includes a surfer named Thrash, who meets Dawn (one of the Baby-Sitters Club girls who has moved to California). Thrash calls Dawn “kelea” (after a Hawaiian goddess). Thrash is about 20, and Dawn thinks he’s too old for her (but she has a crush on him.) Thrash fakes his death and disguises himself, but Dawn figures that out. He then tampers with another surfer’s board (because that guy tampered with his) – and there’s some kind of surfing competition going on. The book does not involve any characters having sex on the beach. Episode 3: * Titus shows Kimmy an old photo of himself. He is wearing a t-shirt that says Dole – Kemp – ‘96. Bob Dole (Republican) was running for president. His running mate was Jack Kemp. They lost to Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore. * In the same photo, Titus had a “flat top” haircut, that was really tall. It was probably inspired by the “flat top” worn by Kid (of Kid ‘n Play). * Kimmy is given a smartphone to use. She flips it over and asks: “Is that a Macintosh?” People used to call computers made by Apple “Macintosh” computers, or “a Macintosh”. That changed to “Mac” later – but Kimmy would have been in the bunker when that happened. Episode 4: * Kimmy drags a huge tube television into the apartment. She says she can’t believe people throw away good TVs. Titus insists the TV must be broken and won’t work. Somehow, when Kimmy plugs it in – the TV works. * Jacqueline (whom Kimmy calls Mrs. Voorhees) tells Kimmy she needs to send a photo of herself to Buckley’s school. One of Kimmy’s jobs is to pick him up from school. Kimmy asks where there is a Sears Portrait Studio. The last of the Sears Portrait Studios closed in 2013. Jacqueline teaches Kimmy how to take a selfie (after explaining what a selfie was.) * Titus and Kimmy go to a video arcade because Titus needs to use the photo booth to make headshots for his audition. Kimmy comes back from the arcade and says she didn’t like how she looked in the selfie, and wants to use a different photo. The photo she wants to use is a “Baby-o-matic” photo that shows what Kimmy and Titus’s baby would look like. It is hideous. Today, there are several apps for that. Episode 5: * Kimmy invites her mole woman “sister” Cyndee to visit her in New York. Cyndee brings with her a boyfriend that Titus is convinced is gay. Later, it turns out that Cyndee knows Brandon is gay, but doesn’t care. He was her middle school crush and after leaving the bunker, she set out to achieve all of the plans she made when she was in the bunker. The reason I put this into this post is because I’m also watching Grace and Frankie (another Netflix original series) at the same time. Two completely different shows that handle the concept of a woman dating/married to a gay man in very different ways. Episode 6: * Kimmy is trying to get her GED. She is attending an adult education class in a public school. The teacher has totally given up and plays VHS movies instead of teaching math. The teacher has tenure, which he believes means he can never be fired no matter what he does. In reality, tenure gives a teacher the right to due process. It means that a tenured teacher cannot be fired without a school presenting evidence that the teacher is incompetent or behaves unprofessionally. Or, they have to prove that there is no funding for whatever class, course, or subject the teacher teaches. In this case, Kimmy’s teacher could be fired because he is clearly incompetent. Kimmy talks to the school secretary, who makes it clear that this teacher has been incompetent for years. Teachers do not automatically get tenure. There is a probationary period of three or four years before a teacher can get tenure. Once they have tenure, it is possible for a teacher to be laid off (which happened to a lot of teachers in 2008-2009 during the recession.). A union cannot prevent an incompetent teacher from being fired or competent one from being laid off. In short, the room that Kimmy’s teacher showed her, that looked like a teacher’s lounge where all the teachers were sitting and reading magazines – and getting paid to do it – doesn’t exist. * Somewhere in this episode, The Expos baseball team is mentioned. This team started as the Montreal Expos. They moved to Washington D.C. in 2005. Kimmy is surprised to hear that the Expos moved. She would have been in the bunker by the time the Expos played their first game as the Washington Nationals. The Washington Nationals used a red cap that had a curly W on it – which was originally used by the Washington Senators. Episode 7: * Jacqueline went to China and returned with her husband. Kimmy asks “Was everything there upside down?” This is an another example of Kimmy’s limited education before she was kidnapped and put in the bunker. In an earlier episode, it is revealed she never finished eight grade. In the previous episode, Kimmy tries to enroll in a Middle School, but is told she cannot do that – and that she should get her GED instead. * Jacqueline tells Kimmy that she thinks her husband is having an affair. She says that he is on the phone, and laughing, and she wants to know who he is talking to. Kimmy suggests “Maybe Gallagher?” Gallagher is a comedian best known for his Sledge-O-Matic sketch (in which he smashes a watermelon with a sledgehammer). He is still touring today. * Jacqueline decides to hold a fancy party and invite the person she thinks her husband is having an affair with. She has a plan to catch him cheating on her. Kimmy is working at the party, and needs to look fancy (which Titus helps her with). Kimmy was able to hire Titus to sing at the party. Before the party starts, Kimmy tells Jacqueline that she feels like she’s on Bravo. “They still show operas, right?”, Kimmy asks. Bravo is an American basic cable and satellite television network and flagship channel. It launched on December 1, 1980. Bravo originally focused on programming related to the fine arts and film. In the early 2000s, Bravo changed its format and started focusing on reality shows, fashion and makeover shows, and celebrities. Kimmy would have been in the bunker when Bravo changed its format. * At the party, an attractive man with an accent starts talking to Kimmy. He is a guest, and he makes an excuse about why he ended up arriving to the party early. The man assumes that Kimmy is also a guest, so she decides to pretend that she is a guest. The man notes that Kimmy has arrived early, too. Kimmy tells him that her assistant put the wrong time into her PalmPilot. The PalmPilot 1000 was introduced by U.S. Robotics in 1996. It cost $299, had 128k of memory and a monochrome, touch-screen display. 3Com acquired U.S. Robotics in 1997. In 1998, 3Com had to stop using the name “Pilot” because of a legal dispute with the Pilot Pen company. The PalmPilot became the Palm. The Palm III organizer was based on the Palm 3.0 OS. It cost $399. By 1999, more than five million PalmPilots had been sold. 3Com started selling the first Palm device with a wireless antenna, the Palm VII, for $599. Today, Palm and the PalmPilot are no longer used because people use smartphones instead. Kimmy has a iPhone (which Jacqueline gave to her earlier in this season). It seems that Kimmy doesn’t quite understand that the status of having an iPhone would be much greater than having a PalmPilot. When Kimmy was a kid, having a PalmPilot meant you were rich and important. This is likely why she told the man that she had a PalmPilot when she was pretending to be a guest. Episode 8: * Kimmy uses Titus’s Walkman. It plays cassette tapes. It runs out of batteries while she was using it. Kimmy was singing “Unbelievable” by EMF. When the batteries die, she says “Unbelievable!” The song topped the Hot 100 Chart in 1991. * Kimmy tried to have her GED classmates meet together as a study group in the library. Almost all of them stopped coming. Kimmy goes down the list of classmates, noting what happened to them. “Fatima got deported,” Kimmy says. * Jacqueline tells Kimmy that she is getting a divorce. She tells Kimmy about friends of hers who got divorced. One friend’s ex-husband “died on top of his girlfriend”. Kimmy asks, “You mean… like bunk beds?” * Titus starts his new job at a themed bar and grill. To make a long story short, he is dressed as a werewolf. Kimmy is excited. “You’re a werewolf! Just like in the Bible!” * Kimmy finally tells Jacqueline that she was a “mole woman”. Kimmy tells her this because she is trying to show Jacqueline that women can be strong (so Jacqueline will go through with her divorce). To paraphrase, Kimmy tells Jacqueline that she and her “sisters” ate bags of dirt and passed it into a kiddy pool to survive. Jacqueline says she hopes that was a metaphor. Kimmy says it wasn’t a metaphor – they needed the iron. Scientific American posted an article in 2012 about geophagia (people and animals eating dirt and/or clay). The article noted that dirt can contain iron. it also noted that dirt can also contain parasites. Episode 9: * Kimmy has turned 30. She says she hit the big 30-oh. She probably meant the big three-oh. * Kimmy throws herself a birthday party and invites friends. Somehow, the detective that found her (when she was in the bunker) arrives at her apartment with his teenage daughter. He wants to give Kimmy her birthday present. Kimmy is not happy to see them. The detective (Randy) married her mother while Kimmy was in the bunker. Her mom and the detective had a baby girl (the teenager that the detective has brought with him). Then, her mom disappeared. Kimmy tells them to leave. (They do, but then appear at the party later.) The daughter (who is named Kymmi “Kee- Me”) is played by Kiernan Shipka – who played Sally Draper on Mad Men. I find this interesting because I finished watching all seven seasons of Mad Men right before I started watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. * Kimmy asks Titus to select the playlist for her birthday party. She says “I haven’t been to a Sam Goody since 1988.” The last Sam Goody store closed in 2012. It was in San Diego. Kimmy is in New York City. * During the party, the detective (Kimmy’s stepfather) gives Kimmy a necklace that has a locket on it. Later, she takes it off and her stepsister, Kymmi, grabs it, saying it is hers and that it belonged to her mother. Kimmy points out that they have the same mother. The heart shaped locket on the necklace holds a photo of Kimmy and a photo of Kymmi. * Kymmi says she wants to go to the Olive Garden in New York City that has three floors. It exists. Episode 10: * Kimmy’s boyfriend, Logan (who she met at Jacqueline’s party) wants Kimmy to stop being friends with Dong (who she met at the GED class). Logan and Dong got into a physical fight at Kimmy’s birthday party. * Logan apologizes to Kimmy for the fight, and says he overreacted because he is not used to obstacles. Kimmy asks “What would the Care Bears say” about how Logan has been acting. He responds: “It would depend on the Care Bear.” Kimmy accepts this response. * Kimmy tells Titus that she decided to stay with Logan, and that she will have to say goodbye to Dong. Titus responds: “Oh no! Am I gonna teach you about birth control?” He seems appalled by the idea. Kimmy says “not yet.” In another scene, it becomes clear that Kimmy understands kissing but doesn’t have a clue what making out or sex is supposed to be like. * Xanthippe calls Kimmy a bitch. Kimmy responds: “You mean, the thing that makes puppies? Thanks!” * Kimmy goes to the restaurant that Dong delivers food from to say she can’t see him anymore. She discovers that immigration came and took almost everyone who worked there away while Dong was out making deliveries. Now, he needs to find someplace else to live because immigration is after him. Season One of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was released in 2015. I’m watching it in 2017. What may have been an uncomfortable joke in 2015 has become reality for undocumented immigrants in the United States in 2017. Kimmy brings Dong to her apartment (which she shares with Titus) and tells Dong he can sleep on her couch. After they get there, she tells Dong that Logan is her boyfriend and she can only be friends with Dong. * Long story short, Xanthippe creates this ridiculous scene in an effort to encourage her mother to decide to let Xanthippe live with her father. Kimmy ends up kissing Dong. He leaves, saying he will find a new place to live. There is chemistry between them. * Logan later tells Kimmy that he was the one that called immigration. He thinks he’s hilarious. Kimmy breaks up with him, and rushes to find Dong before he gets on a bus. They become a couple. Dong says that he is still worried about immigration coming for him – and says it would be safer if he and Kimmy got married. Again, what was a dramatic moment in the 2015 TV show is something that has become reality for some people in the United States in 2017. That being said, the rules have changed, and American citizens who were married to undocumented immigrants have actually had their spouse deported (or prevented from entering the country.) Episode 11: * Kimmy gets summoned to testify at a trial against Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne. She doesn’t want to go. * Kimmy talks to Jacqueline about all the things she’s worried about. Kimmy worries about getting Jacqueline through her divorce. She is worried about maybe marrying Dong. And now, she’s worried about the trial. Jacqueline takes Kimmy to a spin class called “Spiritual Spinning.” Jacqueline says it gets her mind off of everything except herself. * This is the episode where it is revealed that Jon Hamm is playing Reverend Wayne Gary Wayne. Jon Hamm played Don Draper on Mad Men. So, that’s two people from Mad Men (which I finished watching before I started watching this) who have appeared in Season 1 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. * The trial is a farce. Kimmy’s “sister” Cyndee keeps calling Kimmy, leaving messages and texts, in the hopes that she will come to the trial. Kimmy and Cyndee have smartphones and know how to use them. Gretchen arrives at the trial still dressed like she was in the bunker. * Titus helps Kimmy see that the Spiritual Spinning class is basically a cult. It’s run by an (apparently) charismatic man, who tells them what to think (and what NOT to think about) and who rewards some of them with extra attention. Kimmy eventually gets what Titus is saying. She agrees it is a cult, and asks “Why does this keep happening?” This realization makes Kimmy decide to go to the trial and testify against the Reverend. But first, Kimmy shows the entire spin class that the guy running it is a fraud. Episode 12: * Kimmy and Titus ride a bus to Indiana so Kimmy can testify at the trial against Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne. Titus is reading a magazine called “Land Mall”. It appears to be the bus version of Sky Mall, a magazine that people find on airplanes. Sky Mall is filled with stuff for people to buy (most of which are things that no one really needs). Land Mall doesn’t exist. * Later in the episode, Titus is wearing a t-shirt that has Z 101 FM on it. He got the t-shirt because he was on the air (probably talking about the trial Kimmy is testifying at). The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt aired in 2015. I am watching it in 2017. Right now, Z 101 FM is a Spanish language radio station from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. * This episode reveals what the real purpose of the “Mystery Crank” in the bunker was. Episode 13: * Part of this episode, and the previous one, mentions viral videos. The man who sings in the intro of the show warns Titus that having a video go viral isn’t necessarily a good thing. The viewer can assume that the intro of the show was a remixed viral video that included an interview he gave to a TV crew as the “mole women” were being rescued from the bunker. Titus, who gave a hysterically bad interview on TV in the previous episode, had become the star of a viral video (when someone else remixed it). He is certain that the video will make him famous – and that being famous will solve all his problems. The first season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt takes place on 2015. If I remember correctly, at that time, videos that went viral made the news (and made it onto multiple news channels and websites). That doesn’t really happen anymore. * The trial against Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne takes an unexpected turn when Kimmy introduces a video tape that … oddly enough… is sort of a remix of its own. Each clip had the date and time it was taken right there on the screen. * The first season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt wraps up the main storyline of the show. It also starts some new storylines that will probably be picked up in the next Season. Notes About Things in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Season 1 is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on Patreon or at PayPal.me. Thank you!... Where did the Children Come From in “The Lobster”?April 13, 2017TV and Movie ReviewsThe Lobster is a bizarre dystopia where everyone must be part of a couple. Those who become single are sent to The Hotel where they have 45 days to “fall in love” with a new partner (who, ideally, also falls in love with them.) Those who do not manage to pair up with someone are turned into animals. It’s a very dark and disturbing film, and you probably shouldn’t watch this one if you have recently had a romantic relationship come to an end. Warning: There are spoilers in this post. I’m not revealing why the movie is called “The Lobster.” And, I’m leaving out a whole lot of things that happen in the movie. The movie focuses on David (played by Colin Farrell), who has come to The Hotel. His wife of 11 years left him, which means he is now single. There is no indication that they had children. The check-in process at The Hotel is depressing. David arrives with his brother, who has been turned into a dog. He is allowed to keep his-brother-the-dog, but must keep him in the hotel room. People who arrive at The Hotel have almost all of their belongings taken from them, including their clothing. The Hotel gives everyone identical outfits to wear. The men are given some slacks (of two different colors) and some shirts. Women are given multiple, identical, blue dresses and multiple flowered dresses. Everyone is given just enough clothes to get through their stay (including socks and underwear.) My guess is the purpose of this is to make everyone look as much like everyone else as possible. There is a moment when the camera focuses on a group of the saddest looking people, most of whom look depressed and unattractive, sitting in their underwear, waiting to be assigned a room. At first glance, I found it difficult to believe that any of these people had a good chance of finding a new partner. David is asked the same question all guests are asked: Are you heterosexual or homosexual? At first, he answers: “heterosexual”. But then, he recalls that there was a man… so he declares himself “bisexual”. The Hotel does not allow that. If I remember correctly, the person checking David in says that he is not allowed to be bisexual. They tried that, and it messed up their system. So, David thinks about it a little while, and decides to declare himself heterosexual. I thought it was interesting that The Hotel placed no stigma at all upon a person’s sexual orientation. Being heterosexual was accepted. Being homosexual was accepted. Being bisexual was acceptable, too (and would still be if The Hotel could work that orientation into their system.) Later, David finds himself as part of a group that includes both men and women. Presumably, there are other groups: one made up entirely of men, and the other made up entirely of women. We never see those groups in the movie. Each person is asked by The Manager what animal they want to be turned into if they are unable to find a partner. The idea is that a person who cannot find a human partner might have better luck finding a partner after they have been turned into an animal. The Hotel doesn’t place any sigma upon a person’s sexual orientation – but they do have some very strange rules regarding sex and masturbation. No one is allowed to masturbate while they are at The Hotel. There is a scene that involves David and The Maid. She is kind of grinding on him, but in a way that seems very mechanical and unappealing. It’s a service that is being provided. The Maid stops before David reaches orgasm. It appears that the purpose of this is to… encourage the male guests to find a woman to become a couple with? There is a severe punishment for the men who masturbate in The Hotel. It is disturbing, but not as disturbing as the punishments that The Loners have for those who kiss or have sex. The Loners are a group of people who escaped from The Hotel and are living in the forest. The point I’m trying to make is that the people who are in The Hotel aren’t allowed to have sex with anyone else – until after they have become a couple. The Loners are not allowed to have sex with anyone, ever (but they are allowed to masturbate – so long as they are doing it alone.) So, where are the children in “The Lobster” coming from? There is a point in the movie where two people have officially declared that they are in love. The new couple is removed from the group and given a hotel room to share. If that works out, the couple will spend some time together on one of the small yachts that is owned by the hotel. The new relationship is closely monitored by the staff of The Hotel, as well as by the Hotel Manager and her husband. They want to make sure the couple is really a couple before releasing them from The Hotel. The Manager tells the new couple that if they have any tensions, any arguing, that they cannot resolve themselves, they will be assigned children. She says that usually helps a lot. People don’t want to argue around children. Things do no go super smoothly with this couple, and we see them later with a daughter that looks to be about eight years old. Where did this child come from? The couple could not be the child’s biological parents because not enough time has passed for them to have an eight-year-old daughter. Without giving too much away, there are scenes from The City. It seems to be the place where couples live. Everyone there is a couple. The police stop a few single people and basically ask for their papers. There aren’t any children present. Now, I suppose it’s possible that The City is a place that is only for adults, and that children aren’t allowed there. Maybe the kids are in school (or daycare) when the parents go to The City. It’s also possible that all of these couples have relationships that are smooth enough that they didn’t end up being assigned children. Later in the movie, there is a part where one of The Loners introduces a few other Loners to her parents. She doesn’t look anything like her parents, so one can assume she was an assigned child. “The Lobster” is a movie that gives the viewer just enough story, and leaves them to imagine the parts that aren’t specifically laid out for them. The movie didn’t give me any answers about where the assigned children come from. Here are my best guesses about that: 1. The children are “orphans”. A couple that has been assigned a child (or more than one child) breaks up. The parents become singles. In this world, people cannot be single. So, someone – maybe The Hotel – takes the children away from both parents. This allows each parent to find a new partner, or to be turned into an animal if they are unable to find a new partner. The former parent can focus all of their attention on finding a new partner without worrying about what happened to their assigned children. There must be a large orphanage somewhere (and it probably isn’t located in The City). The children become “orphans”. They might get assigned to new parents one day. 2. The children are from accidental pregnancies. Two people at The Hotel become a couple. They have lots of sex. They are either not using any kind of birth control, or their birth control of choice fails. The woman gets pregnant. There are no examples in the movie of a couple that is raising their biological child together. Maybe this accidentally produced child is automatically sent to the orphanage after he or she is born. This child would one day be assigned to another couple (who need a child because they cannot resolve their differences and are arguing too much.) It is possible that all of the adults in the movie were raised in an orphanage (until they were assigned parents). If so, then the couple with the accidental pregnancy would consider it quite normal to send their newborn to the orphanage. This society highly values couples, and places a huge stigma on single people. The society doesn’t seem to give much thought to children (or who raises them). 3. The children are “test tube babies” or clones or are produced in some way that doesn’t involve a typical pregnancy. Viewers must accept the premise that The Hotel is quite capable of turning a person into an animal. From there, it doesn’t seem too difficult to imagine that The Hotel collects DNA from the guests, and sends that DNA to a lab for the purpose of making babies. 4. The children are coming from an entirely different society that has an abundance of children and not nearly enough parents to raise them. Maybe the other society doesn’t care if people are single, or part of a couple, and also doesn’t care who decides to have sex with whom. Sometimes, a pregnancy occurs. Parents can decide for themselves if they want to raise the child or send it away for someone else to raise. 5. The children are coming from a situation that I haven’t thought of. Where did the Children Come From in “The Lobster”? is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Things from Mad Men that are Different from Today – Season SevenApril 8, 2017TV and Movie ReviewsSeason Seven was the final season of Mad Men. I was kind of sad to have reached the end of the story, but I liked how it ended. I can always re-watch it if I want to. My husband and I watched the entire series of Mad Men on Netflix. I took notes on the things in Mad Men that are different from today. Before you read this post, you might want to read what I wrote about previous Seasons: Mad Men Season One Mad Men Season Two Mad Men Season Three Mad Men Season Four Mad Men Season Five Mad Men Season Six Warning: There are spoilers. Episode 1: Don flies to California where his wife, Megan, is living. She has a tiny black and white television. He buys her a huge console television. The thing is so heavy that it requires two big men to carry it inside. It looks like a cabinet with the television embedded in it, and I think it had built in speakers on either side of the TV. This was a top-of-the-line, expensive, color television…. that Megan didn’t want. Episode 2: * Don wakes up to a buzzing noise. It is coming from his alarm clock, which can be described as an analog electric alarm clock. The numbers flip over. * Don and his daughter, Sally, are at a diner. She wants to call her friends. Don put two quarters on the table. Sally takes the quarters, gets up, walks across the diner, and puts the quarters into the payphone that is on the wall. Today, Sally would have picked up her smartphone and made the call (or would have borrowed her dad’s smartphone to make the call). Episode 3: * Harry finally tells one of the other partners that he’s been lying – for a long time – about there being a computer that he uses to figure out the best ad placement for television ads. He’s been lying to the customers about it, too. There is no computer. This revelation sparks a conversation about the company needing to invest in a computer. Today, its hard to imagine an entire office without computers. * Betty goes on a field trip with her son, Bobby. She is a chaperone. Betty and Bobby ride on the school bus with his classmates, teacher, and a few other moms. Betty smokes a cigarette on the way, and ashes out the window. Episode 4: * The creative’s lounge is taken away from them because the office is going to put a computer there. It takes up that entire space. The only thing this computer could do was “crunch numbers” – literally computing. * The computer is an IBM 360. It is a mainframe computer that was accessed by remote terminals. It had 8,000,000 characters in bulk core storage. Monthly rentals ranged from $27,000 for a basic configuration to $115,000 for a typical large multi system configuration. * The “System/360″ became available for delivery in 1965. The office in Mad Men is getting it installed in 1969. Today, most offices do not invest in computers that are four years old. * Harry asks the IBM guy who is overseeing the computer installation to tell him where to find a keypunch service. The IBM 360 ran on punch cards. A keypunch service had people (often women) whose job it was to put a deck of blank cards into a hopper. The worker would type an operator command, and the hopper machine would feed one card at a time into a punch station. A series of dies punched holes into an individual card. Harry needed a service to make those cards for the office’s computer. * In order to operate the mainframe, a person needed to – by hand – put the stack of punchcards, in a specific order, into the mainframe one by one. * I have personally done that a few times when I was a little kid (because my dad sometimes took me to work with him.). Dropping the punch cards on the floor was a complete disaster. It meant you had to stop entering the cards, stop the computer, take the time to put the cards back in order, and start putting them into the computer again. If you accidentally put one card into the computer in the wrong order – the computer wouldn’t work. Once all the punchcards were correctly entered, you had to wait around for the mainframe to process them before you could start working from a terminal. * Don uses a typewriter at his desk to get some work done. He has a piece of white paper, then a sheet of carbon, then another piece of white paper sandwiched together. The purpose of this was so Don could make two copies of what he was typing at the same time. Episode 5: * There is now a secretary who sits at the terminal inside the room the giant computer is in. She appears to be typing something into the terminal. Behind her is a computer with a magnetic reel tape drive. * The giant mainframe computer makes a constant humming noise. The computer room always has the doors closed because it needs to be in an air conditioned room. Episode 6: * Peggy is working on an ad campaign for Burger Chef. She and Don decide to come up with a new idea rather than what they originally planned. Peggy mentions something about the ad including a mother who is picking up Burger Chef for her family on the way home from work. Don says “Mothers who work is too sad for an ad.” Peggy points out that he is surrounded by mothers who work. This doesn’t change Don’s mind. They end up going with a completely different idea. Episode 7: * This episode focuses on the Moon Landing. Everyone watches the rocket lifting off on television. Then, they watched the first space walk on television. * Peggy is in Indiana with Don, Pete, and Harry because they are pitching to Burger Chef the next day. Peggy went out to get alcohol, but Indiana was dry on Sundays – meaning stores could not sell alcohol. She ends up having to buy two cans of beer from the hotel clerk. Indiana was dry on Sundays until July 1, 2016. The laws changed on that date to allow distilleries, breweries, and wineries to sell alcohol on Sundays. The laws still did not allow people to buy alcohol and bring it home with them on a Sunday. Episode 8: * Don has an answering service. He calls and a female worker answers and tells him who called him and when. The service is not work related – it is taking calls from women in Don’s social life. * Joan and Peggy are talking to their client, Topaz pantyhose, about a problem. L’Eggs pantyhose – a competitor – is a lower price and is selling more than Topaz. L’Eggs pantyhose came in a plastic egg shaped container. Episode 9: * I didn’t see anything new in this episode, that you don’t see today (that hadn’t already been mentioned in this post or in posts about previous seasons.) Episode 10: * Sally’s friend Glenn comes to visit. He is now 18 years old. Glenn, and a female friend he brought with, ask Sally to go to Playland with them. Glenn reveals that he has joined the military and will be going to Vietnam. Sally gets very upset about this and rushes to her room. Later, Glenn returns, knowing that Sally is not there. (She was on a class trip.). Glenn came to see Betty. Betty gives Glenn a beer. The legal drinking age in New York was 18 until 1982 – when it went up to 19. On December 1, 1985, the legal drinking age in New York moved up to age 21. * Don was running late for work, so he shaves at his desk in his office while his secretary fills him in about what is scheduled for the day. He uses a battery powered electric razor. Those types of razors increased in popularity in the 1960s. * The office has a darkroom which Stan (one of the creatives) uses to develop film – usually for ad campaigns. People have to knock on the door before coming in because opening the door lets light into the room. Doing that at the wrong time can completely destroy film. Episode 11: * Peggy and Stan are working with children for an ad campaign. There is a table of toys in front of the kids. One of the toys is a metal slinky. Episode 12: * The office gets absorbed by McCann. They lose the computer that took over the creative’s lounge. Harry says that McCann has a team of people who do statistics – so they don’t need the computer. * McCann has an informal “ladies club”. The women who work there get together to complain about work (and drink). * Peggy’s last remaining creative guy chooses not to go to McCann. He is still at the old office. He says he is still being paid, so he thought he’d “make some long distance calls”. Long distance calls were very expensive at the time. Episode 13: * Don has gone on an impromptu road trip. He doesn’t carry luggage. Instead, he has a large paper bag with a change of clothes in it. The bag says Sears. Today, a lot of Sears stores are closing. Episode 14: * Don’s road trip continues. This time he is carrying a bag from Penney’s. The bag probably came from JC Penney’s (which, today, is also closing a lot of stores.) Things from Mad Men that are Different from Today – Season Seven is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on Patreon or at PayPal.me. Thank you!... Things from Mad Men that are Different from Today – Season SixApril 7, 2017TV and Movie ReviewsAs my husband and I watched our way through Mad Men, I took notes about things that are in the show that are different from today. This post is about Mad Men Season Six. We watched the entire series on Netflix. Before you read this, you might want to read what I wrote about previous Seasons: Mad Men Season One Mad Men Season Two Mad Men Season Three Mad Men Season Four Mad Men Season Five Warning: There are spoilers. Episode 1: * Megan uses a Kodak Instamatic camera to take a photo of Don while they are on a work/vacation in Hawaii. The Kodak Instamatic was launched in 1963. It used a 126 film cartridge. The Kodak Instamatic 104 was released in 1968. It had a holder for a single flashbulb on the top of the camera. Take a photo with the flashcube, and cock the camera for the next exposure (meaning – roll the film for the next photo). The flashcube would turn 90 degrees to bring the next flashbulb into position automatically. * The maid was vacuuming while Don was watching TV. The television had two squiggly lines of interference across it – one near the top of the screen and one near the bottom. It was not a common problem, and the TV went back to normal when after the vacuum was shut off. Episode 2: I did not see anything in this episode that was different from today (and that wasn’t already mentioned in this list or the lists about previous seasons.) Episode 3: * The news in the background on televisions in various scenes discuss the Vietnam War. It has been said that Vietnam was the first “television war”, or the first “living-room war” (the room people watched television in.) Being able to sit in your home, in front of your TV, and watch what was happening in a war far away had an effect on people. At first, TV stations were trying to be upbeat – providing wire reports or a battlefield roundup. Later, things got darker and some “horror of war” was televised. The ability to watch the war on TV had an effect on people’s opinion about the war. In 1968, the Tet Offensive happened. It appears that this is what the television news is talking about in this episode of Mad Men. Episode 4: * Joan and her friend Kate go to a restaurant where there is a telephone at every table. The name of the restaurant is “Ma Bells”. The name is a play on The Bell Telephone Company. Ma Bells was the creation of Restaurant Associates. The restaurant actually existed. Every table had a telephone on it. People called their order into the kitchen. The telephones could also be used to call someone who was sitting at another table. * Megan and Don go out to dinner with Megan’s coworker and boss (who are a married couple.). During the dinner, it is revealed that the couple are “Swingers” who are interested in swinging with Megan and Don. Swingers were people who had open relationships. Some were heterosexual, and some were bisexual. Being a swinger became popular in the late 1960s, when the “free love” movement was taking place and casual sex was becoming an accepted thing among some people. Swingers felt it was natural to have sexual desires outside of your relationship, and to act on those desires (if the desired person was consenting.) Episode 5: * This episode focused on when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. * Someone (I forgot who) turns on a black and white television. A bright dot appears in the center of the screen, which becomes a horizontal line, that eventually spread out over the screen. This was how televisions at the time warmed up if they had not been turned on in a while. * Don takes Bobby to watch a movie. They see “The Planet of the Apes.” At the end of the movie, it’s clear that Bobby liked it. Don asked “Do you want to see it again?” Bobby does, so they stay in their seats and watch the movie again. This wasn’t unusual and was allowed at the time. Episode 6: * I didn’t see anything in this episode that hasn’t already been mentioned in this list (or the lists I put together about previous episode) Episode 7: * Pete’s mother comes to his apartment. The handyman calls Pete to let him know she is there. Pete tells the handyman to fix his mother a drink. The ice cube tray is made out of aluminum. It has a quick release handle on it that you pull up to crack the ice cubes. Today, ice cube trays are plastic and you twist them to crack the ice. Episode 8: * The office is visited by a “doctor” (brought in by one of the partners of the company that Don’s company merged with). The man is not really a doctor. He was brought to “fix everyone up.” Don agrees to see the “doctor” because he is suffering from a bad cough. The “doctor” injects several of the men in the office with an unknown concoction. Based on the actions of the men who took this injection – it appears that at least some of it is amphetamine. The “doctor” appears to be somewhat based on a real person named Max Jacobson who was known as “Dr. Feelgood”. Jacobson did have a background as a doctor – but was known for mixing up unknown ingredients (along with amphetamine) and injecting that into the (often famous) people who came to him for help. Jacobson “treated” JFK, Marylin Monroe, Eddie Fisher, and others. Episode 9: * Don stops at a gas station and tries to get the gas station attendant’s attention. It was a full service gas station (which was standard at the time). People did not pump their own gas – the attendant did it for them. The gas station attendant would fill the tank, check the tire pressure, check the oil, and wash the cars windows. People paid for the gas, but the other services were provided for free. Gas stations used to hand out trinkets as well – for travelers to collect. (drinking glasses, key chains, calendars, road maps, etc). There are some places in the United States today where people are required by law to allow a gas station attendant to pump their gas for them. It is no longer a common practice – and does not come with the extra services. Episode 10: * Joan tells a potential client that Harry works on figuring out where to place television ads “with a computer as big as this room”. The first personal computer wasn’t introduced until 1975 – and they were kits that people had to put together themselves. * This episode focused on the 1968 Democratic National Convention that took place in Chicago. * Megan watches the violence that took place outside the DNC. She calls Don, who is watching it, too, (while away on business). Megan says she can’t vote – but still cares about what’s going on. Megan is Canadian. She was from Quebec. * There is a lava lamp on the desk in the Creatives Office. The lava lamp was created by Edward Craven Walker (who was a British accountant). He sold the U.S. manufacturing rights in 1965 to a company named Lava Lite. In 1968, lava lamps were marketed to executives. Episode 11: * The office, which is in New York, receives fresh oranges from California from Sunkist (who is a client). In a previous episode, Roger’s daughter told him that her husband had this great idea about investing in refrigerated trucks that ship produce. This indicates that it was not easy to obtain fresh oranges from California if you lived in New York. Those oranges were a big deal. * Sylvia and Arnold (Don’s neighbors) have a son, Mitchell, who is 18. He returned his draft card as a form of protest of the Vietnam War. After Mitchell dropped out of school, the military re-classified him 1-A. This designation meant that it was extremely likely that Mitchell would be drafted and sent to Vietnam. Mitchell tells his problem to Megan (who relays the problem to Don). Megan said that Mitchell was “going to run”. This meant that Mitchell was going to leave the United States and go to Canada in order to avoid being drafted. Megan considers helping Mitchell because she has family in Canada. Much of this episode is about how to solve Mitchell’s problem. Episode 12: * I didn’t notice anything new in this episode (that wasn’t already mentioned in this post or in posts from previous seasons.) Episode 13: * Sally get suspended from boarding school because she used a fake ID with her mother’s name on it and bought alcohol for herself and the other girls. Betty calls Don, all upset. Betty tells Don that the reason why “nothing is working” and “the bad is beating the good” is because Sally is “from a broken home.” That’s not a phrase people use today in regards to a child from a family where the parents got divorced and remarried. Things from Mad Men that are Different from Today – Season Six is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on Patreon or at PayPal.me. Thank you!... CockatielsCurious PosesOctober 24, 2019CockatielsMorris and Marvin are very curious about something! Pepper is relaxing on the couch, unconcerned. Pinky is sitting in the door of the cage. Photo by Shawn Thorpe. This post was originally posted on Book of Jen. It is not allowed to be posted to other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Morris on TVOctober 21, 2019CockatielsMorris found a way to get on top of the TV. He decided to sing a happy little song about it. In the background, another cockatiel is complaining and trying to convince Morris to stop singing. Video by Shawn Thorpe. This post was originally posted on Book of Jen. It is not allowed to be posted to other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Change of SeasonSeptember 15, 2019CockatielsPepper, Marvin, Pinky, and Morris were making excited and curious little chirps today. They noticed that the weather is starting to cool off and the humidity is lower than it has been. The cockatiels are ready for Fall! This post was originally posted on Book of Jen. It is not allowed to be posted to other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Peaceful CockatielsAugust 16, 2019CockatielsPinky is interested in the camera, while Pepper snoozes in the background. The photos you see in this blog post were taken by Shawn Thorpe. Morris is suddenly interested in the camera. Morris doesn’t sit still for very long. He got distracted by the door that we open up when their water needs to be refilled. Morris likes to open and shut that little door, over and over. Morris likes to sit in the corner of the cage, with feet spread apart so he can touch two sides at the same time. He has become interested in the lemon tree outside the window, and has spent time watching it. The tree is growing, and needs to be cut back. We think Morris has bad vision, so maybe this is the first time he’s seen the tree. #Blaugust2019 Peaceful Cockatiels was originally posted on Book of Jen. It is not allowed to be posted to other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Cockatiel Stories: Tortilla WaterFebruary 16, 2019CockatielsHere is an amusing short story that I posted on Mastodon before bringing it to Book of Jen (slightly edited). Sick today. Woke up because one of my birds was screaming more than usual. Checked on them. Bird put part of a tortilla chip in the water dish – and now wanted clean water. I took out the water dish, dumped it, and filled it with clean water. Bird is now singing a happy song. Little birds, little problems. This post was originally posted on Book of Jen. It is not allowed to be posted to other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Coloring PagesJohanna Basford 2019 Coloring Calendar – DecemberJanuary 17, 2020ColoringI was able to complete all of the December coloring pages in the Johanna Basford 2019 coloring calendar. The last few were finished in January of 2020, but I’m ok with that. The world moves too fast for me, due to my chronic illnesses. In general, I’m not a big fan of Christmas. That said, I had fun coloring these pages. Some were extremely detailed, and I enjoyed the challenge. As you may have noticed, I was unable to finish coloring some of the months in 2019. I did start all of them… and then either got too busy with work or too sick to care. My plan is to get back to them when I can. November 30 and December 1 December 2 December 3 December 4 December 5 December 6 December 7 and 8 December 9 December 10 December 11 December 12 December 13 December 14 and 15 December 16 December 17 December 18 December 19 December 20 December 21 and 22 December 23 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 27 December 28 and 29 December 30 December 31 A friend of mine gave me the Johanna Basford 2020 coloring calendar as a Christmas gift. I have started coloring its pages, and hope to be able to create a blog post of the finished month of January 2020 as soon as I can. Johanna Basford 2019 Coloring Calendar – December is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Johanna Basford 2019 Coloring Calendar – SeptemberNovember 21, 2019ColoringI have learned that my chronic illnesses make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to complete a “do one every day” project. I end up finishing some, but not all, of the pages in a month before the calendar flips. As such, I have fallen behind. That said, I did manage to complete all of the coloring pages for September 2019, so here they are! August 31 and September 1 September 2 September 3 September 4 September 5 September 6 September 7 and 8 September 9 September 10 September 11 September 12 September 13 September 14 and 15 September 16 September 17 September 18 September 19 September 20 September 21 and 22 September 23 September 24 September 25 September 26 September 27 September 28 and 29 September 30 Johanna Basford 2019 Coloring Calendar – September is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Johanna Basford 2019 Coloring Calendar – MayJune 27, 2019ColoringI’ve been coloring through the 2019 Johanna Basford coloring calendar. It is fun and relaxing. I fell a little bit behind in May because it was a busy month. Still got it done, though. May 1 May 2 May 3 May 4 and 5 May 6 May 7 May 8 May 9 May 10 May 11 and 12 May 13 May 14 May 15 May 16 May 17 May 18 and 19 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25 and 26 May 27 May 28 May 29 May 30 May 31 Johanna Basford 2019 Coloring Calendar – May is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Johanna Basford 2019 Coloring Calendar – AprilMay 2, 2019ColoringColoring is relaxing, and good for my rheumatoid arthritis (which is in my hands). A friend gave me the Johanna Basford 2019 coloring calendar as a gift. I’ve been having a great time coloring the pages! April 1 April 2 April 3 April 4 April 5 April 6 and 7 April 8 April 9 April 10 April 11 April 12 April 13 and 14 April 15 April 16 April 17 April 18 April 19 April 20 and 21 April 22 April 23 April 24 April 25 April 26 April 27 and 28 April 29 April 30 Johanna Basford 2019 Coloring Calendar – April is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!... Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar – MayApril 23, 2019ColoringI’ve been slowly working my way through the Johanna Basford 2018 coloring calendar. It has been a very relaxing experience, and good for my rheumatoid arthritis (which is in my hands, among other places). My chronic health issues make it difficult for me to keep up with the “do one of these every day” type of projects. I will be done whenever I get there. In this blog, I have the coloring pages from the May 2018 part of the calendar. May 1 May 2 May 3 May 4 May 5 and 6 May 7 May 8 May 9 May 10 May 11 May 12 and 13 May 14 May 15 May 16 May 17 May 18 May 19 and 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25 May 26 and 27 May 28 May 29 May 30 May 31 Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar – May is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...
