PodcastsJen’s Lore Corner – King Kanai – Episode 011February 23, 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 lore of King Kanai, the beloved true king of the Barbarians. The character was named after a real person. Before I started recording this episode, I put together a blog post with everything I know about King Kanai. It has screenshots from the Diablo III game, and links to all my source material. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you! Jen’s Lore Corner – King Kanai – Episode 011 is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. https://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/content.blubrry.com/bookofjen/JLC011.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS... Capitalism is the Problem – Episode 045February 17, 2019Podcasts / Words of JenIn this episode, I read a piece of my writing that I wrote a few days ago. The inspiration was the recent layoffs at Blizzard/Activision/King. It turns out I had a whole lot to say about not only that situation but also about capitalism. I read “Capitalism is the Problem” on episode 045 of Words of Jen. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me at PayPal.me. Thank you! https://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/content.blubrry.com/bookofjen/woj045.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS... Capitalism is the ProblemFebruary 17, 2019Podcasts / Words of JenMoney by Maklay62 on Pixabay I’ve noticed a pattern – and I’m not the first one to have seen it. The inspiration for this piece of writing, sadly, comes from the news of the massive layoffs at Blizzard/Activision/King. Layoffs like these keep happening. Why? The problem is capitalism. Fortunately, there are solutions to this problem that can be implemented in the United States if enough people get together and push for change. I read “Capitalism is the Problem” on Episode 045 of Words of Jen. On Tuesday, February 12, 2019, Activision Blizzard laid off around 800 workers. The company had about 9,600 employees across Blizzard, Activision, and King. Most of the layoffs were in non-development sectors. Earlier that same day, Activision Blizzard announced fourth-quarter and 2018 financial earnings results. There’s a press release you can read if you want to know all the numbers. To me, the most telling part is this: Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard said, “While our financial results for 2018 were the best in our history, we didn’t realize our full potential. To help us reach our full potential, we have made a number of important leadership changes. These changes should enable us to achieve the many opportunities our industry affords us, especially with our powerful owned franchises, our strong commercial capabilities, our digital connections to hundreds of millions of players, and our extraordinarily talented employees.” I find it hard to believe that CEO Bobby Kotick truly believes that the company has “extraordinarily talented employees” – because the layoffs began shortly after the fiscal year results of 2018 were made public. His words say he cares about his employees and considers their efforts and talent valuable to the company. His actions reveal that he doesn’t care about his workers very much at all. This man sat there and told investors that Activision Blizzard’s 2018 financial results were “the best in our history” seconds before about 800 “extraordinarily talented employees” were laid off. He sent a clear message that he sees his employees – the people who put their heart and soul into their work at what was probably their dream job – as expendable. I imagine that the affected workers were, and are still, hurting very badly over what happened to them. I’ve been abruptly laid off before. It happened several years ago, it wasn’t my dream job (and had absolutely nothing to do with gaming). I got a letter in the mail informing me that my last day of work would be that same day. It was absolutely devastating. I remember feeling shocked, then sad, then enraged. Variety reported, on February 14, 2019, that Bobby Kotick makes $30 million in a year as CEO. That number is according to an international grassroots organization of game workers – Game Workers Unite – who are trying to organize unions for their industry. About a year ago, on February 12, 2018, CNBC reported that Barnes & Noble was laying off lead cashiers, digital leads, and other experienced workers in a company-wide clearing. The news came abruptly for many workers who showed up Monday morning at various Barnes & Noble locations to be notified that they no longer had a job, the people said. The number of affected workers couldn’t immediately be determined. As of April 29 of last year, Barnes & Noble employed about 26,000 people. Barnes & Noble fired long-term employees including receiving managers, digital leads, newsstand leads, head cashiers, and bargain leads. The people in those positions are what keeps the store running. I know this because I worked for Barnes & Noble through five, frantic, holiday seasons. A Tumblr blog called “Brain Fuzzies” has more details about how the layoffs affected people who had worked there for several years, and who loved their jobs. Barnes & Noble did not value its workers. The company considered them expendable. Some workers were told they could apply for an entry-level position (for much less pay and without benefits) if they wanted to. Publisher’s Weekly reported on February 13, 2018: “After posting disappointing holiday results, Barnes & Noble instituted a round of layoffs yesterday that it says will save the company $40 million annually.” On March 1, 2018, Barnes & Noble released their Fiscal 2018 Third Quarter Financial Results. Here are a few key pieces of it: “While we were disappointed with our holiday sales, comparable store sales trends did improve in January,” said Demos Parneros, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc. “We have instituted a strategic turnaround plan that is centered on growing our business and enhancing shareholder value. In the short term, we are focused on stabilizing sales, improving productivity and reducing expenses. Achievement of our longer-term goals requires a significant multi-year transformation. We expect our plan to provide consistent improvement beginning in fiscal year 2019 and beyond……Beginning in February, Barnes & Noble implemented a companywide expense reduction plan. This plan includes a new store labor model that provides greater flexibility and better customer service by eliminating tasks and allowing booksellers to focus more on customers. The Company estimates that these actions will result in annual cost savings of approximately $40 million”. Translation: We didn’t make enough money so we fired a bunch of people, without out any warning, who had been working in our stores for several years. Salary.com reported that CEO Demos Parneros made $5,809,790 in total compensation. Of this total, $1,200,000 was received as a salary, $756,000 was received as a bonus, $0 was received in stock options, $3,599,986 was awarded as stock and $253,804 came from other types of compensation. This information is according to proxy statements filed for the 2018 fiscal year. The Wall Street Journal reported on October 30, 2018, that CEO of Barnes & Noble Demos Parneros had been fired in early July of 2018 “because he sexually harassed a female employee, bullied other staffers, and undermined the potential sale of the book retailer to an unidentified party earlier this year.” Mr. Parneros did not receive a severance package. (But, he did receive the money Salary.com reported.) On February 20, 2017, The Wall Street Journal reported that Toys “R” Us “recently laid off between 10% and 15% of its corporate employees”. About 250 jobs were eliminated at the Wayne, N.J-based company. The layoffs were announced a day before the toy industry’s annual convention kicked off in New York. Salary.com reported that David A. Brandon, Chairman of the Board and CEO at Toys R Us made $4,471,146 in total compensation. Of this total, $3,750,000 was received as salary, $323,550 was received as a bonus, $0 was received on stock options, $0 was awarded as stock, and $397,596 came from other types of compensation. This information is according to proxy statements filed for the 2016 fiscal year. On February 12, 2019, Forbes reported that Toys “R” Us has rebranded and reappeared as Tru Kids. This happened less than a year after Toys “R” Us liquidated its assets and shuttered all of its hundreds of stores. Forbes reported that Tru Kids is run by Richard Barry. Salary.com reported that Richard Barry was EVP – Global Merchandising Officer at Toys “R” US. He made $1,136,982 in total compensation. Of this total, $600,000 was received as a salary, $643,140 was received as a bonus, $0 was received in stock options, $0 was award as stock and $73,842 came from other types of compensation. This information is according to proxy statements filed for the 2016 fiscal year. What about those 30,000 workers that Toys “R” Us laid off? They were let go without severance pay. Why does this keep happening? The problem is capitalism. It rewards CEOs (and other top level executives) for viewing their workers – not as human beings – but as expendable assets. When layoffs happen, the workers who do the most physical labor, and who hold positions that include high-stress and little or no autonomy, get screwed. The CEO’s are untouched and do not face any consequence for abruptly taking away people’s livelihoods. The problem is the vindictive, materialistic, cruelty that capitalism encourages and perpetuates. We can change that. We can stop this from happening over and over again. NJ.com reported that the New Jersey Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill that would require New Jersey employers with at least 100 full-time employees to provide their workers 90 days notice before a large layoff or a plant closing or transfer that will put at least 50 people out of work. Current law requires they give 60 days notice. The bill also requires businesses to pay their employees one week’s severance pay for every year of service, regardless of whether the employer provided that required notice. In the event an employer doesn’t meet its obligation to give 90 days notice, employees would be entitled to four weeks additional severance. Other states could implement the same kinds of laws. Ideally, the federal government would create laws that protect workers from the financial and emotional devastation that happens when greedy CEOs use massive layoffs as means of boosting the company’s profits. Leaving this type of lawmaking up the the states won’t work. It would only create a patchwork of blue states that implement (and enforce) worker protections laws, and a bunch of red states that refuse to provide their people with the same protections. It’s gotta be a nationwide change. What else can we do to stop the harm that capitalism causes to workers? We can set up a framework that gives workers protections that aren’t tied to their jobs. Andrew Yang is running for President as a Democrat. He wants to implement a Universal Basic Income called “The Freedom Dividend“. It would give $1,000 a month ($12,000 a year) to every* American adult over the age of 18, regardless of their employment status. The plan would start in January of 2021 (if Andrew Yang becomes President of the United States as a result of the 2020 election). The * is there so I can provide some clarification. If you do not graduate from high school, your Freedom Dividend does not begin until you are age 20. The Freedom Dividend is for any adult between 18 and 64 years of age. Andrew Yang was interviewed by Jeff Schechtman on the WhoWhatWhy podcast. Jeff Schectman asked: What is the nexus if any between this and other welfare and social safety net programs that already exist? Andrew Yang answered: We spend $500 billion right now on welfare and income support and the plan would be to allow people who are currently receiving benefits to opt out. Say you’re receiving $1,000 in food stamps, housing assistance, and other things, and then we say, “Would you prefer $1,000 cash, no questions asked, no case manager, no paperwork, no nothing?” Obviously most anyone who’s receiving anywhere close to the $1,000 line will opt in for the freedom dividend, but if you prefer your benefits, or perhaps you’re getting a little bit more than $1,000 in benefits, then you can keep them. We would end up replacing a lot of the cumbersome bureaucracy but the goal would be to allow people to opt in because people have obviously a very strong reliance on these existing programs and we don’t want to go and try and make wholesale changes immediately. Can Universal Basic Income work in the United States? YES! It already is working in Alaska. U.S. News reported on May 3, 2018: The Alaska Permanent Fund is one of the closest examples of functional universal basic income in place today. It ensures every resident of that state gets a fixed income from state oil revenues, and reached a record payout of more than $2,000 per person in 2015 (in 2017, every Alaskan received $1,100.) Payments began in 1982 and the effects so far have been positive, economists say, and contrary to fears that Alaskans would quit work altogether, some have only opted for working fewer hours, and it may actually have sparked job growth in certain sectors. How would we pay for Universal Basic Income? Andrew Yang provides the answer: …Andrew proposes funding UBI by consolidating some welfare programs and implementing a Value-Added Tax (VAT) of 10% . Current welfare and social program beneficiaries would be given a choice between their current benefits or $1,000 cash unconditionally – most would prefer cash with no restriction.A Value-Added Tax (VAT) is a tax on the production of goods or services a business produces. It is a fair tax and it makes it much harder for large corporations, who are experts at hiding profits and income, to avoid paying their fair share. A VAT is nothing new. 160 out of 193 countries in the world already have a Value-Added Tax or something similar, including all of Europe which has an average VAT of 20 percent….…Our economy is now incredibly vast at $19 trillion, up $4 trillion in the last 10 years alone. A VAT at half the European level would generate $800 billion in new revenue. A VAT will become more and more important as technology improves because you cannot collect income tax from robots or software.…Putting money into the hands of American consumers would grow the economy. The Roosevelt Institute projected that the economy would grow by approximately $2.5 trillion and create 4.6 million new jobs. This would generate approximately $500-600 billion in new revenue and economic growth… In short, Andrew Yang’s Freedom Dividend (or Universal Basic Income plan) would improve people’s lives. It would provide a cushion if the person is affected by a layoff. It would give people the opportunity to save up for an emergency plan and to put money back into the local economy. When the robots come to take your jobs, you won’t be stuck without an income. The companies who replaced you with robots will be paying a Value-Added Tax that pays for the Freedom Dividend. Universal Basic Income gives people the opportunity to consider taking a job that is the right fit for them – instead of a desperation job that does not pay a livable wage. This gives workers some power – instead of consolidating the power in the hands of CEOs. People who have jobs do not lose their Freedom Dividend. Therefore, there is no reason to assume that people would quit their jobs in favor of collecting the Freedom Dividend. The $1,000 a month is on top of whatever the person makes at work. As a side note, if you honestly believe that it is possible for an American to live off of only $1,000 a month – then you, my friend, have obviously never been in a situation where you had to try living that way. It’s impossible. What else can we do to fix the problem of capitalism? We can institute Universal Health Care. It might be called Universal Health Care, Medicare For All, Medicaid for All, or Single-Payer Health Care. It is already working in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. There are various plans, in various stages of completion, being considered. The most detailed explanation I’ve seen about how Universal Health Care would work comes from Andrew Yang. …With a shift to single-payer, costs can be controlled by setting prices provided for medical services. The best approach is highlighted by the top-rank Cleveland Clinic. There, doctors are paid a flat salary instead of a price-for-service model. This shift has led to a hospital where costs are visible and under control. Redundant tests are at a minimum, and physician turnover is much lower than at comparable hospitals.Doctors also report being more involved with their patients. Since they’re salaried, there’s no need to churn through patient after patient. Instead, they can spend the proper amount of time to ensure that each patient receives their undivided attention and empathy.Outside of a shift to a single-payer system with salaried doctors, we can look to the South-central Foundation for another important shift necessary in the way we treat patients: holistic approaches. At this treatment center for Native Alaskans, mental and physical problems are both investigated, and, unsurprisingly, the two are often linked. By referring patients to psychologists during routine physicals, doctors are able to treat, for example, both the symptoms of obesity and the underlying mental health issues that is often related to the issue……By providing holistic healthcare to all our citizens we’ll drastically increase the average quality of life, extend life expectancies, and treat issues that often go untreated. We’ll also be able to bring costs under control and outcomes up, as most other industrialized nations have……Finally, being tied to an employer so that you don’t lose your healthcare prevents economic mobility. It’s important that people feel free to seek out new opportunities, and our current employee-provided healthcare system prevents that. My interpretation of Andrew Yang’s plan is that it would also prevent other problems caused by capitalism. Put his plan in place, and it takes away the power that health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies have over the price they charge for health care and medicine. It also prevents health insurance companies from getting to decide whether or not they will cover the health care that you (or a loved one) needs. I want to see an America that has an actual Universal Health Care system. I want to see an America where people do not have to use GoFundMe in a desperate attempt to gather enough money to pay for the health care and medicine they need. What else can we do to stop the problems that capitalism causes? We can vote! If you are eligible to vote, you really need to register to vote. Once you are registered, you need to actually take the time to vote. In some places, this is harder to do than in others – especially for people who live in states that drastically cut the opportunities for people to cast their vote. Before you vote, it is vitally important that you do some research to find out the values of the person you are considering voting for. Pick one that is going to do good things for people. Take the politicians who have a history of hurting people out of office. Not sure where to start? Here’s a checklist: You Should Vote For Candidates who: Protect voters rights and ability to voteFight against gerrymandering Have actually done things that have helped people afford to access the health care they needHave created policies like Universal Basic Income, Universal Health Care, and other things that keep poor people alive and improve the lives of everyoneBelieve in climate change and are actively implementing plans (or have created plans) that will help prevent things from getting worseHave a history of protecting the rights of workers to form an unionHave a history of protecting the rights of LGBTQ people (to marry, to adopt children, to raise their own children, to access health care, to NOT be fired from their jobs because they are LGBTQ, to use the bathroom that matches their gender, etc.)Who are NOT receiving money from industries that the candidate is promising to reform These are some great places to start when considering a candidate to vote for. You should vote against (or vote out) politicians who have shown a clear interest in helping corporations hurt actual, living, breathing, people. What if you are already filthy rich and don’t need this help affording universal health care? Good news! Universal Basic Income and Universal Health Care are two things that can benefit all Americans – not just poor folks. Andrew Yang’s plans are the most specific I’ve seen, and it those plans don’t have an upper end income limit that cuts off people who make more than that amount. There’s another benefit that comes from Universal Basic Income that rich people will definitely want to see happen. When regular people have more money, they actually go out and spend some of it. The Freedom Dividend enables people to go out and buy some of the products and services that corporations make. Corporations do the opposite – and that’s a problem caused by capitalism that must be stopped. NBC News reported on June 26, 2018, that the tax reform package that was supposed to raise wages and spur hiring instead funded a record stock buyback, a dividend spree, benefiting investors over workers. However, companies have instead used the extra cash to spend billions of dollars buying back their own stock, boosting the value of shares held by investors. Buybacks reduce the number of shares on the market, immediately increasing the value of the shares that investors already hold. Capitalism encourages greed. It encourages people to think in terms of scarcity, and the need to grab everything they can before other people get any of it. In reality, the United States is one of the richest nations on the planet. We need to shift to the mindset of abundance. Universal Basic Income and Universal Health Care are two ways to spread the abundance around in a way that can and will improve people’s lives. It’s time for capitalism – as it exists right now – to die. We need to replace it with more human-centered systems. Capitalism is the Problem 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!... An Open Letter to an Anonymous “Pro-Life” Commenter – Episode 044January 19, 2019Podcasts / Words of JenIn this episode, I read a piece of my writing that I wrote on January 7, 2016, on a blog that no longer exists. It was written in response to a random, anonymous, “pro-life” commenter who left and incredibly long and angry comment on a blog post I wrote about a bill that would prevent women from accessing abortion. I read “An Open Letter to an Anonymous “Pro-Life” Commenter” on episode 044 of Words of Jen. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me at PayPal.me. Thank you! https://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/content.blubrry.com/bookofjen/woj044.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS... An Open Letter to an Anonymous “Pro-Life” CommenterJanuary 19, 2019Podcasts / Words of JenImage by mohamed_hassan on Pixabay I wrote this piece of writing on January 7, 2016, on a blog that no longer exists. I have edited it slightly to remove typos and provide clarity. It was written in response to a random, anonymous, “pro-life” commenter who left an incredibly long comment on a blog post I wrote about a bill that would prevent women from accessing abortion. I read “An Open Letter to an Anonymous “Pro-Life” Commenter” in episode 044 of my Words of Jen podcast. Dear Anonymous, I’ve no idea why you chose to post an incredibly long and vitriolic comment on a post that I wrote in September. Its January now. My best guess is that you did a google search for the word abortion, or the phrase “born-alive survivors” – specifically because you wanted to pick a fight with some random person online. Your comment wasn’t as long as the blog you attached it to, but it was close. It would have been more appropriate for you to post the long, rambling, hate filled comment on your own blog. It is clear that you know how to work a keyboard. Although, to be honest, you could use a bit more practice. The caps lock key is not intended to be used like table salt, sprinkled haphazardly in order to add flavor to your words. You were too cowardly to use your real name when you posted the comment. However, you did post your email address. (Oh, unless that was a fake email address – which I suppose is possible). I won’t post your email here, because that could result in a random person using it to send you a long page filled with hate. I will note that the email address had “homescool” in it. So, that means you (more than likely) have an email address and access to a computer. That’s all you need in order to create your very own Tumblr blog! Its all you need to start a Facebook account. Please use your freedom of speech to post your ranting diatribes on your own blog next time you wake up and feel the need to scream at the internet. The blog of mine that you selected to spew your hate onto was about a bill that had reached the United States Senate (again, back in September). It was a follow up blog post that contained a link, right at the top, to a previously written blog post about the same bill that had passed in the United States House of Representatives. The bill was called the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act”. The bill was designed to ban abortion after 20 weeks of gestation. It was based on junk science that incorrectly suggested that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks of gestation. In 2005, a study was posted in the Journal of the American Medical Association, titled “Fetal Pain – a Systematic Multidisciplinary Review of the Evidence.” The study concluded: “Evidence regarding the capacity for fetal pain is limited but indicates that fetal perception of pain is unlikely before the third trimester. Little or no evidence address the effectiveness of direct fetal anesthetic or analgesic techniques. Similarly, limited or no data exist on the safety of such techniques for pregnant women in the context of abortion. Anesthetic techniques currently used during fetal surgery are not directly applicable to abortion procedures.” Please note that the study said that fetal perception of pain is unlikely before the third trimester. In case you are unaware, the third trimester begins in week 28 of pregnancy. Week 20 of pregnancy is in the second trimester. The bill unnecessarily shortens women’s access to abortion for no medical reason at all whatsoever. You would do well, Dear Anonymous, to educate yourself before you start ranting and raving on a stranger’s blog. I’ve already written about this in several other blog posts about bills that take away women’s right to a safe, legal, abortion. In other words, that try to chip away at the protections the Supreme Court of the United States clarified in Roe v Wade over 40 years ago. In other words, Dear Anonymous, I’ve spent a great deal of time doing research about what these kind of bills say and the effect they have on women. Perhaps you don’t know that there are several genetic anomalies, that are fatal, and that cannot be detected in a fetus until at or after 20 weeks of gestation. Bills like the one you chose to scream about, if passed into law, would require women to carry a fetus that will not survive – or that will survive childbirth only to die hours later. These bills require a woman who wanted to have a baby to wait for her baby to die inside her, and then to wait to have a miscarriage, and at the same time to somehow go on with her life as though everything is fine. Based on the nasty words in your comment, Dear Anonymous, it’s clear you don’t care at all about the woman. I happen to be a woman, so I find it impossible to have any respect for an anonymous commenter who has made it clear that he or she doesn’t see me as person. You see me as nothing more than a uterus. Just in case it wasn’t clear enough that you hate me – you decided to start calling me names. In your comment, you called me: a liar, a thief, “an adulterer at heart”, and a blasphemer. You insisted that you know that I’ve “encouraged someone to have an abortion”. When you reach the point where you have resorted to name-calling, it is clear you know you have lost the argument. Ironic, since this was an argument started and created by you. I certainly didn’t seek you out. A big portion of your comment, Dear Anonymous, includes threats that are couched in religion. You bring up Judgement Day and basically threaten that I will end up going to hell because I value women’s right to bodily autonomy. Or, perhaps simply because I expressed a viewpoint – a fact filled, well researched, with links to sources viewpoint – that you happen to disagree with. You’ve made it clear you are a religious person – and used your religious beliefs as a threat. That’s called bullying. I’m not frightened by your threat that I will go to hell unless I immediately do what you want me to and change my views to match yours. Perhaps you see yourself as equally powerful as the god you believe in, and think that you have the power to send people to hell simply by leaving an angry comment on their blog. These type of threats mean absolutely nothing to Atheists like myself. Oh, and then you left a link in your comment, that goes to a website, that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic of the blog. That’s called spamming. Of course, I’m going to delete a comment that contains a spam link. The thing that stands out the most to me, Dear Anonymous, isn’t the name calling, or the religious based threats, or even the overuse of the caps lock key. No, what stands out to me is the first sentence of your comment: “I pray you will rethink your opinion”. Here’s a writing tip, Dear Anonymous, that I will give you for free. If you want someone to change their opinion – you shouldn’t spend several paragraphs attacking that person. Doing so makes the person you target much less likely to consider what you are saying. No one wants to listen to someone who obviously hates them, who considers themselves to be more valuable than the person they want to influence, and who is terrified of having their words be attached to their real name. If anything, Dear Anonymous, your nasty comment serves as an example of why so many people are turned off by the so-called “pro-life” movement. When the people who identify as “pro-life” do things like: leave ranting vitriolic comments on strangers blogs, scream at women who are trying to get to their doctors appointments, or post multiple images of stillbirths into Twitter hashtags where people are discussing bills like the one my blog was about – you make yourself unreachable. No one wants to be friends with someone who is just plain mean. An Open Letter to an Anonymous “Pro-Life” Commenter 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!... Diablo IIIThe Lore of King KanaiFebruary 23, 2019Diablo III / Diablo LoreKing Kanai is an NPC (non-player character) in Diablo III. If you have ever taken one of your characters to obtain Kanai’s Cube, you have seen Kanai’s ghost appear and point at the Cube. But, who was King Kanai? There’s plenty of lore about him in the Diablo III game, and some additional information about the inspiration for the character that is presented outside of the game. Sescheron was seen by the Barbarians as more than just a city. To them, it was a living symbol of united Barbarian tribes. Its gates guarded the only path to Sanctuary’s most precious treasure, the Worldstone. The Barbarians, who called themselves the Children of Bul-Kathos, were to defend the gates. Generations of Barbarians guarded and defended the gates. They believed the gates of Secheron would never fall. The Ruins of Sescheron were added to Diablo III in July of 2015. There was a time when Sescheron was a Barbarian bustling city. By the time the player character can access it, the city lies in ruins. What happened to this great city? Baal, the Lord of Destruction, sent an army of the Burning Hells to attack Sescheron. Baal is one of the three Prime Evils (the other two are Mephisto and Diablo). As such, Baal likely had a very large army of demons to unleash upon the Barbarian city. He instructed them to tear the city apart. The Ruins of Sescheron can be found by opening the Act III Adventure Mode map. Players should talk to Zoltun Kulle first. He is conveniently waiting in town for the player to do his bidding. Zoltun Kulle: Yes, I live one more. I’m very hard to kill and really, you did a sloppy job. But, enough small talk. I need your help. When Kanai’s Cube was first added to the game, many players had already killed Zoltun Kulle at least once. Those who played through story mode killed him in order to progress through more of the story. Those who played through Adventure mode during a Season probably killed Zoltun Kulle in a Bounty. Zoltun Kulle: An artifact lies on the ruins of Sescheron, guarded by the spirit of a might warrior who will only grant it to the “worthy”. Zoltun Kulle: I think you’ll have a better chance of impressing this spirit than I. Aid me in this, and I’ll use the artifact to help you. Zoltun Kulle has two journals that tell the player a little bit about the history of Kanai’s Cube. Zoltun Kulle: The Cube was used by my Horadrim brothers in many of their most complex rituals. When its potential became clear, they began to fear its power, the fools. They hid it away, even from me, and created a less powerful implement, the Horadric Cube, which they used for many years. Zoltun Kulle: I never stopped looking for Kanai’s Cube. Finally, I learned that they had entrusted it to a secret society of barbarians. The last of these, Kanai, died in Baal’s invasion of Sesecheron. His spirit guards it still, and he is unlikely to give it to me. But I know someone who can impress even the mighty Kanai. The Ruins of Sescheron can be found in Act III. The player learns more about what happened when Baal’s army invaded Sescheron through some journals that are found in Barbarian’s packs that are scattered throughout the ruins. The journals were written by a NPC Barbarian named Skular. The player will eventually find Skular in a cage. Free him, and he will accompany you as you find and free three other Barbarians. Skular: Baal has invaded Sescheron, but we will fight until we are no more. For we are all that stands between him and our sacred Mountain – and I swear by the blood of Bul-Kathos, hell will pay dearly for each of our deaths. Skular: Chief Elder Kanai was the best of us. He could have been the next Immortal King. None of use have come close to bringing the tribes together since Worusk, but Kanai could have been the one to change that with is indomitable spirit. Though as strong as three warriors, his true strength lay in his compassion. Skular: We showed Baal and his army what it meant to fight true warriors, but when Kanai was killed, it froze the spirits of our bloodied ranks. That was when the battle was lost, for he was truly our king. Skular: Dren, the last of our seers, prophesied the darkness would soon pass. He was wrong. Mount Arreat exploded, and took our souls with it. Many of our dwindling number were lost that day to madness and worse. They are the Unclean. Skular: The years wear on us all. Only a few still live, but we have made a good account of ourselves, killing all but the most vicious of the flesh eaters. To think they were once our kin…as long as even one of them still lives we are all shamed. Put this all together, and you have a short story of the downfall of the Children of Bul-Kathos. Their people were once united, under a previous king named Worusk. But, after that, the various tribes became divided. Chief Elder Kanai worked on reuniting the Barbarian tribes. He was making good progress. Some believed Kanai would become the next Immortal King. He was well respected, as strong as three warriors, and very compassionate. Chief Elder Kanai was a good leader, and was considered to be the true King of the Children of Bul-Kathos. King Kanai was killed in battle when Baal’s army invaded. The result was devastation not only of Sescheron, but also of the Barbarian people. They lost a beloved leader, along with many of their warriors. Even worse, they failed to protect the Worldstone. Generations of Barbarians believed that protecting the Worldstone was their sacred duty. Those who lived through the battle with Baal’s army were undoubtedly dealing with a lot of mental anguish over what happened. A seer predicted that this dark time was going to change. Perhaps this helped some Barbarians to feel a bit hopeful. That hope died when Mount Arreat exploded. Diablo Wiki has information about Mount Arreat. The part that is most relevant here is this: …The Barbarian held that they were all tasked with defending Mount Arreat until death, at which point they were free to pass on. However, some bound their spirits to the mountain, so they could serve the mountain well after their physical forms had perished. The Barbarians buried their warriors upon the slopes of Arreat, and believed that those who were denied this would be doomed to have their spirits roam the land for eternity. When Skular wrote that Mount Arreat exploded “and took our souls with it”, he literally meant the souls of the Barbarians who had been buried there. Baal’s army killed their beloved King, many of their people, and prevented the dead from being free to pass on. They could not rest, and had to wander the land forever. The Ruins of Sescheron are a vivid symbol of the devastation that the Barbarians felt after experiencing so much tragedy. Skular accompanies the player to the Elder Sanctum. He sticks around long enough for the player to find Kanai’s Cube. If you know the lore of King Kanai, seeing his ghost point you to the Cube feels very significant. Skular also goes with the player to The Immortal Throne. He tells the player: There was talk of Elder Kanai being the next Immortal King. He was revered by barbarians everywhere, as you well know. I’m not sure if Skular says that exact sentence to every player class, or if this is reserved for those who are playing a Barbarian. It is possible that Skular figures you read all the journals he left laying around, and learned about King Kanai that way. The path to the throne is lined with the ghosts of the Children of Bul-Kathos. They cannot pass on, so some decided to spend eternity honoring their beloved King Kanai. The body of King Kanai is seated on the throne. He is wearing the armor he wore when he died, and his weapon is next to him. Skular: We put Kanai on the throne after he died as a tribute to his greatness. Skular: I wonder what would have happened if he had lived? Bah, there is no point. King Kanai is not just a legend within the lore of Diablo. He is also a tribute to a real person named Kevin Kanai Griffith. On July 28, 2015, a post about Kanai’s Cube was posted on the Diablo website. From the post (which was written by Nevalistis): …Kevin Kanai Griffith was a beloved member of the Blizzard family and a longtime Diablo fan. He joined Blizzard as an artist on the World of Warcraft team in 2005 and his work can be seen in the Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Mist of Pandaria expansions, as well as the World of Warcraft trading card game. As the Diablo III team came together, Kevin joined and made his mark on the original game, creating a plethora of diverse and moody environments that you’re certain to recognize.Kevin continued producing gorgeous environments and Diablo holiday art throughout the launch and beyond the release of Reaper of Souls……Tragedy struck in February of 2012 when Kevin was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer known as Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma (ASPS). Kevin kept his spirits high throughout the grueling treatment process and continued to work on Diablo III as much as he was able, pioneering environmental features such as the weather and night/day cycles experienced in Adventure Mode. Though he fought valiantly, we lost our coworker and dear friend on October 17, 2014. His spirit and legacy will always live on in the many games he’s touched, with his stunning art, as well as the hearts of every individual who had the honor of knowing him…. Every March, there is a special event in Diablo III called Udder Cowlamity. It is a homage to Kevin Kanai Griffith. The event happens in March because that is the month Kevin was born in. To start the event, players must be in Adventure Mode. Go to the Immortal throne and head towards King Kanai’s body. He will awaken. His spirit will leave his body and open a red portal to Kanai’s Stomping Grounds. King Kanai silently invites the player to join him. The goal is to kill every single Infernal Bovine on the map. King Kanai fights along with the player. The Lore of King Kanai 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!... Galthrak The UnhingedFebruary 4, 2019Diablo III / Diablo PetsThis is Galthrak the Unhinged. I got this pet from a Menagerist Goblin in between Season 11 and Season 12. The flavor text on Galthrak the Unhinged says: From the time he was a broodling, all he wanted was to be a Rift Guardian. He studied for many years, but was ultimately found wanting. Take him on a rift with you, and he’ll be happy. My Barbarian is chasing a Menagerist Goblin. It is the only type of goblin that has the potential to drop a pet. When a Menagerist Goblin drops a pet, it will look like a Legendary item. This one was named Galthrak the Unhinged. This particular Menagerist Goblin opened a portal to The Vault. Not all of them do that! So, I picked up Galthrak and jumped into The Vault to collect gold and gems. The Galthrak The Unhinged item says: A tiny, strange being. Here is Galthrak the Unhinged following my Barbarian around. Here’s another view of Galthrak following my Barbarian. Galthrak the Unhinged has plenty of teeth. I suppose it is possible that this “tiny, strange being” could be smiling at the idea of accompanying your character into a Rift. Galthrak The Unhinged 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!... Highlights from Season 16 (Season of Grandeur)February 1, 2019Diablo III / Diablo SeasonsSeason 16 of Diablo III was called Season of Grandeur because players benefited from the legendary power of the Ring of Royal Grandeur. This ring reduces the number of items needed for set bonuses by 1 (to a minimum of 2). In short, it “unlocked” the set bonuses of every set, for every class, earlier than typical. Players did not need to actually have a Ring of Royal Grandeur in order to benefit from this buff. In Season 16, most of (but not all of) the sets – for nearly every class – had been improved. That made it difficult for me to decide which class to play. My solution to this problem was simple. I put all the character classes in alphabetical order and rolled an 8-sided die. My first roll was an 8, so I rolled again. I got a 6 on my second attempt, which means I would play a Witch Doctor in Season 16. The Challenge Rift that was available to do at the start of Season 16 was difficult for me. I wasn’t really expecting that because I watched an informative video made by Leviathan that showed me exactly where to find the big monsters. The problem was that I have rheumatoid arthritis in my hands, and it slowed me down. My fingers wanted to lock up, and that severely reduced my dexterity and button-hitting speed. Fortunately, Sixtee (from the Shattered Soulstone clan) helped me out. We finished the Monk Challenge Rift at 6:20.033. Season 16 started in January, which meant that The Darkening of Tristram event was happening. Just for fun, I decided to run my new Witch Doctor through it. She was at Level 20 when I started, and ended at Level 34 The next time I played was when I went into the game specifically to allow someone to join the Shattered Soulstone Clan. I decided to stick around and pick off some of the “leftover” Chapter I objectives that I needed to finish. I was asked, by the people on the Shattered Soulstone Discord, if I wanted to join a group. I declined because my hands weren’t quite ready for that at the time. Instead, I hung out in the Discord chat and talked with people while playing solo. My Witch Doctor, the Templar, and a bunch of minions killed Belial on Hard difficulty and completed the “Two Minds” objective. Another Chapter I objective required me to kill Ghom. I did this on Hard difficulty. This gave me just enough XP (experience points) to hit Level 35. Ghom just so happened to be a part of a Bounty, which was convenient. Here’s what my Witch Doctor was wearing when she was Level 41. In the video above, I worked on completing the last Objective in Chapter I. My Witch Doctor was at Level 48, and needed to hit Level 50. I moved the difficulty up to Expert. I decided to be efficient and get XP from Bounties. (The Bounties are required for upcoming Chapters). My goal while streaming that day was to hit Level 50. It was the last thing I needed to do to finish Chapter I of the Season Journey. My next goal was to work on Chapter II of the Season Journey. There are a total of eleven Objectives, and I only had one of them completed. It was the Friends With Benefits Objective, which players earn when they fully equip one of their followers. Expert: Complete a Nephalem Rift on Expert difficulty or higher. Here is what my Witch Doctor was wearing at Level 51. A friend that I play Dungeons & Dragons with (Synrgy) was ready to play some Diablo III, and wanted to help me level up. We had been trying to find time to play D3 together for a long time, and finally made that work. The first thing I needed to do was leave my game (which was on Expert difficulty) and change the difficulty to as high as the game would let me go. That limit turned out to be Torment IV. We completed a Nephalem Rift on Torment IV. Doing so put me at Level 56, and allowed me to complete the Master Objective (which is part of Chapter III.) Master: Complete a Nephalem Rift on Master difficulty or higher. In the video above, Synrgy and I went to The Ruins of Sescheron so I could get Kanai’s Cube and complete at Chapter II Objective. I hit Level 57 shortly after we began running through Sesecheron. By the time we found Kanai’s Cube, I was Level 63. This went very quickly! We did another Nephalem Rift, and I hit Level 66 when we turned it in. I hit Level 68 in the next Nephalem Rift, after Synrgy killed the Rift Boss. After that, we stayed in the Rift and he killed random monsters until I hit Level 70. It went much faster than if I had played solo. I got my first set piece in the last level of the Nephalem Rift that we explored. It was Zunimasa’s Cloth. The “free set” in Season 16 (for Witch Doctors) is the Arachyr’s set. Having pieces of Zunimasa’s set is useful, though, if I decided to do more than one Set Dungeon. By the time we decided we were done with this Nephalem Rift, my Witch Doctor was at Level 70 and had 4 Paragon points. Towards the end of the video above, we ended up with a full party. Synrgy and I were joined by theartguy (who I also play Dungeons & Dragons with) and someone else who was new to me. We ran a Nephalem Rift together. I hit Paragon 5 the instant I jumped into the Rift. When we turned it in, I hit Paragon 24. My Witch Doctor got a Carnevil Voodoo Mask in that Nephalem Rift. The last Nephalem Rift we completed put me at Paragon 35. In the video above, my friend theartguy and I ran some Greater Rifts. We completed Greater Rift 24 in 6:38.883. This, despite me dying several times (mostly because I was making some rather dumb choices about which monsters to attack, and from “standing in the bad”.) After turning in the Greater Rift, I was at Paragon 42. Making progress! We decided to do another Greater Rift 24, since the first one worked out really well. The second time was successful, but took a but longer than the first one we did. This time, we finished Greater Rift 24 at 7:26.083. I ended up at Paragon 48. At this point, the majority of what I needed to do in order to complete Chapter II involved crafting. I worked on it while hanging out in the Shattered Soulstone Discord and talking with people. Maximum Efficiency: Raise the Blacksmith, Jeweler, and Mystic to level 12. The Little Things That Count: Craft a level 70 item at the Jeweler. Hot Anvil Strong Steel & the Real Deal: Craft a level 70 item at the Blacksmith. Penchant for Enchants: Replace a property on an item with Enchanting at the Mystic. Enchanting is very useful for replacing an unwanted primary affix on a near-perfect item. Change Clothes: Transmogrify an item at the Mystic Pay No Mind: Kill Queen Araneae at Level 60 or higher on Hard difficulty. With some help, I was able to complete Chapter II in Season 16. Completing Chapter II gave me the Helm and Gloves of the Arachyr’s set. It is the “free” set for Witch Doctors in Season 16. Last time I played a Witch Doctor, I used the Zunimassa’s set, and have never tried Arachyr’s. My Witch Doctor is holding a two-handed mace called The Furnace. It isn’t specifically a Witch Doctor weapon, but was better than anything else I had at the time. I like the way it looks. Now seemed like a good time to start using the giant spider minion. The next step was to work on Chapter III of the Season Journey. I had a head start on this one because I completed several objectives already. They were: Tristram’s Most Wanted: Obtain an Act I bounty cacheCaldeum’s Most Wanted: Obtain an Act II bounty cacheArreat’s Most Wanted: Obtain an Act III bounty cacheHey There Kadala: Spend Blood Shards at Kadala. Kadala has a 10% chance to give you a Legendary.Master: Complete a Nephalem Rift on Master difficulty or higher Chapter III has 11 objectives. I had already completed five of them. It was a good start, but there was more work to be done. The Rock: Craft a Gem of Imperial or greater quality at the Jeweler. Socketing an Emerald into your weapon increases your Critical Hit Damage and is a big damage boost. Westmarch’s Most Wanted: Obtain an Act V bounty cache Level 1 Seasonal Cubist: Extract a Legendary power using Kanai’s Cube Deadgreed helped me kill Zoltun Kulle on Torment XIII. Deadgreed also helped me kill Rakanoth on Torment XIII. The objectives only require this to be done on Master difficulty – but count if you do it on higher difficulties. We completed a Greater Rift Level 70 at 8:25.116. When we were done, I had 149 Paragon points. The last thing I needed to do for Chapter III was complete a set of Act IV bounties. I got help with that from Deadgreed and Ritzey. In past Seasons, I usually finished Bounties solo. I don’t mind doing them, but it seems like a lot of people hate Bounties. I learned that if you get into a group, it goes a lot faster. For example, in a four person group, each player picks a Bounty to complete by themselves. Everyone helps on the remaining Bounty. Everyone completes the Seasonal objective for that Act’s Bounty and gets a cache. In this case, however, I was being “carried”. The guys were a lot higher Paragon than I was, and we were playing on Torment XIII. The most I could do was try not to die. I appreciate the help! Heaven’s Most Wanted: Obtain an Act IV bounty cache. I completed Chapter III at Paragon Level 153 – thanks to help from friends. Players that complete Chapter III receive two more pieces of the “freebie set”. What you get depends on what character class opened Haedrig’s Gift. I’m playing a Witch Doctor, so I got more Arachyr’s set pieces. Chapter IV requires players to kill all four Keywardens on Torment IV (or higher). My Witch Doctor wasn’t quite ready for that on her own. Fortunately, Deadgreed and Ritzey helped me out. They also helped me kill The Skeleton King and Clydaea. Players had to kill them on Torment VII or higher. At some point, I completed a Torment I Nephalem Rift – probably with help. Most of what was left for me to do in Chapter IV involved crafting. Exquisiteness: Reforge a weapon property to a socket at the MysticLet’s Get Started: Learn 5 Blacksmith RecipesJust Look At You!: Learn 5 Jewelcrafting Recipes…Is Another Man’s Treasure: Use Kanai’s Cube to upgrade a rare item to legendary quality The last thing I needed to do to complete Chapter IV, and earn the Wings of Lempo, was to complete a Greater Rift 20 solo. In the video above, I ran a Nephalem Rift in order to get a Greater Rift key. Then, I ran a Greater Rift 20, even though I wasn’t quite sure my Witch Doctor was geared up enough for that. To my surprise, it only took one try to finish a Greater Rift 20! I have now, officially, completed Chapter IV of the Season Journey. I completed Greater Rift Level 20 at 9:33.399. My goal for Season 16 was to get the Wings of Lempo. I like the contrast between the orange wings and the blue Araychr’s set. What’s next? My new goal is to complete enough of the Season Journey to earn more Stash space. If I achieve that, I’ll put the highlights into another blog post. Highlights from Season 16 (Season of Grandeur) 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 Lore of Valla the Demon HunterJanuary 18, 2019Diablo III / Diablo LoreIf you are playing the female Demon Hunter in Diablo III as your character, there is reason to believe that she might be Valla. So, who is Valla? According to the Diablo Wiki, Valla was born around 1265 (in the “Diablo universe” timeline). She was born around the time that connects to the Diablo II game. Sometime later, Valla’s younger sister, Halissa, was born. The sisters were close. At least one, if not both, of the girls parents were sawyers – people who sawed timber for a living. According to the Diablo Wiki, Valla, Halissa, and their parents lived in Westmarch . Demons attacked their town, and the girl’s parents were killed (along with many other people who lived there). Valla and Halissa survived because Valla grabbed her little sister’s hand and ran away with her. Valla, who was either a teenager or very young adult, became Halissa’s caretaker. But, that didn’t last long. Shortly before Diablo III was launched, Blizzard Entertainment released a series of short stories – one for each character class. The one about the Demon Hunter was called “Hatred and Discipline“. It was written by Micky Neilson, and originally posted on the Diablo III “Gathering of the Heroes” page, and can now be found through the Diablo III Game Guide about the Demon Hunter class. The Demon Hunter has two resources that they have to balance. One is called Hatred, and the other is called Discipline. This fits very nicely with the title of the short story. The main character in the story is a Demon Hunter named Valla. Without giving away too many spoilers, I will point out that in “Hatred and Discipline“, there is a part where Valla almost remembers what happened to Halissa. She pushed most of it out of her mind, likely because the event was so traumatizing. From the short story: …Valla and Halissa were huddled together for warmth as the rain pounded the earth. Halissa hd fallen into an exhausted sleep. But, as had been the case for so many nights before, she was beset by nightmares of the massacre. Halissa woke up screaming, and ran… Nearby, the swollen river raced. Halissa ran too close to its banks, and she slipped in the mud… Halissa reached out her hand… Valla had feared that Halissa would be swept away, lost forever… lost like the rushing waters that spiraled now into the core of the sinkhole, so very much like an eyeless socket. Her heart sank at the recollection, but she had grasped Halissa’s hand. It had worked out. Everything had worked out in the end…. Except, that’s not really what happened. Valla eventually remembers (while fighting against a lesser demon of terror named Valdraxxis) that Halissa had died. Valla was able to grab her sister’s hand, but the girl slipped from her grasp and went under. (The screenshots below come from the female Demon Hunter Act I cinematic in Diablo III. They are also part of a video called Diablo III: Darkness Falls. Heroes Rise: The Demon Hunter which was released on April 3, 2012). Valla was there all by herself, in a graveyard filled with the bodies of the rest of the townspeople, grieving her loss. She went to visit the graves of her parents. It appears that Valla was not able to retrieve her sister’s body from the river. She set up a gravestone for Halissa anyway. It was then that the Demon Hunters found her. The Demon Hunters formed around 1270 (according to the Diablo Wiki timeline), just a few years after Valla was born. The Demon Hunters would find people who were alone, and who obviously had been through trauma. Instead of recruiting, the Demon Hunters gave people a choice: Do you want to run, or do you want to fight? Valla chose to fight demons. The “Hatred and Discipline” short story starts with Valla going to a what was left of the town of Holbrook, which had been attacked by demons. She goes there with Josen, her mentor. She is getting towards the end of her Demon Hunter training… but Josen doesn’t think Valla is quite ready to go after demons by herself yet. At the end of “Hatred and Discipline”, Valla makes one more visit to Halissa’s grave, and the graves of their parents. She carries a drawing of her sister with her. Josen goes to Valla and informs her that people who have precognition have said that a star will fall in Tristram seven days from then. At the end of their conversation, Valla gets up, and turns away from Josen. He asks, “Where do you think you’re going?” Valla responds, “Tristram. The others asked you to send the best. I am the best. I’m going, and you have less than a few heartbeats to try and stop me.” This puts Valla squarely at the start of Act I of Diablo III, seeking the Fallen Star. (The screenshot below came from the in-game female Demon Hunter cinematic before Act I). When she gets to New Tristram she meets several people, including Kormac the Templar. They have a short conversation. Valla: Were you raised as a templar in the order? Templar: No. Our scripture says, “As a farmer reaps his wheat, so must the order harvest and purify the weeds.” Valla: My initiation was less formal. They asked me if I wanted to hunt demons, and I said yes. There is another clue in Diablo III that makes it clear that the female Demon Hunter player character is Valla, and not just some other Demon Hunter. It becomes obvious in Act V when the player character is on their way to fight Malthael. Each character class speaks to a spirit that is personally significant to them. It is there that Valla finds the spirit of her little sister, Halissa. Valla: Halissa? It cannot be. This is some…trap. Halissa: What? Don’t you know your own sister? Valla: I lost you many years ago. Halissa: Yes, but I’ve found you again. Someone bad keeps me here. Can you make him go away? Valla: Yes. Valla: But first, I will need your help. Halissa: The bad one draws power from us so no one can hurt him. I’ll tell everyone to give their strength to you instead. Halissa: Then you’ll make him go away, right? Valla: Nothing would please me more. Halissa: There are so many people here. I looked for mum and dad, but I can’t find them. Valla: I hope they are at rest. Halissa: No. They’re somewhere nearby. I hear them – screaming. Always screaming. Halissa: Do you remember the last time we were together? I was trying to sleep, but I saw demons everywhere. Halissa: I ran and ran, and then I was falling into the river. Why did you leave me there? Valla: I reached for you. I tried to hold on to you… if there was anything else I could have done… Halissa: It’s all right. It didn’t hurt. I just went to sleep. Valla: Yes. You did. At this point, it seems like Halissa doesn’t know she’s dead. She remembers the events of her death, but has interpreted them as “falling asleep.” Her older sister, Valla, doesn’t want to tell Halissa that she died in the river. What makes this story even more sad is that, by the time Valla is ready to fight Malthael, she knows the he has been stealing people’s souls and using them to make himself more powerful. Halissa knows that she (and all the other people there) are being used by Malthael. And yet, the poor kid doesn’t quite understand that she’s not alive anymore. As promised, Halissa begins helping her sister. She tells the other people to give their strength to Valla, instead of to “someone bad” who keeps them there. Halissa: There! All of our power is yours now. Please set things right again. Halissa: Mum and dad would want that. Valla: I won’t disappoint you, Halissa. Halissa: You’ve gotten so big. You look scary. Valla: I’m not, I promise. I just learned to fight and face my nightmares. Halissa: Everything is a nightmare. Halissa: I don’t want you to go. Valla: I know. But it’s the only way I can set you free. You need to rest again. Halissa: All right. Valla then goes down the hallways to fight Malthael. She’s a Demon Hunter, so she came her with the intent to kill him. She wasn’t expecting to find the spirit of her little sister trapped in Pandemonium Fortress, and being used by Malthael as a power source. The result is that the battle between Valla and Malthael has taken on new meaning. Valla has been carrying around the grief and guilt of not being able to save Halissa when the girl fell into the river. Now, Valla has a second chance to save her sister. Valla has unexpectedly been given a way to redeem herself. If you played through story mode as the female Demon Hunter… then you know that Valla killed Malthael. It is likely that she continued fighting demons after that. If you’ve played Heroes of the Storm, then you know that there is a Demon Hunter character named Valla. It’s the same Valla that was in Diablo III. There’s an item in Diablo III that fills in the gap between the two games. Valla’s Bequest is a Legendary one-handed crossbow that can only be used by Demon Hunters. The word “bequest” means “a legacy”. It also means the action of bequeathing something. The flavor text on Valla’s Bequest says: Valla was one of the most lethal Demon Hunters ever known, until her abrupt disappearance. Some claim that she still lives, fighting in another land. Her body was never found, but she did leave behind her prized possession: this bow. The Lore of Valla the Demon Hunter 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!... Highlights from Season 15 (Boon of the Horadrim)January 14, 2019Diablo III / Diablo SeasonsSeason 15 was the Boon of the Horadrim season. It gave players extra stuff for completing Bounties. It also had the Rathma’s set as the “freebie” for Necromancers. Those who finished Chapter IV got a creepy hand pet. In this blog post, I have a quick look at the progress I made through Season 15. Overall, I wish I could have spent more time playing than I did. But, I’m not unhappy with how things worked out. The first thing I did in Season 15 was the Challenge Rift. Technically, it is not part of the Season. The main reason to start with whatever Challenge Rift is available at the beginning of a brand new Season is to get some experience points and a Cache of useful stuff. It took me several attempts before I was able to complete this Challenge Rift. My time was 5:58.866. The target time was 5:47.216. I failed, but not by very much. My best time on this Challenge Rift was 4:45.483. It under the target time, and I was able to earn the weekly reward. Early in Season 15, I made an effort to play with other people. In the above screenshot, I was playing with some people who are part of the Shattered Soulstone Discord. In the screenshot above, I was playing with people who are part of the Discord where we play Dungeons & Dragons. Overall, I find playing in a group to be more fun than playing solo. Its nice to be able to talk with people who are working on the same Seasonal Objectives as I am. The game also moves a lot faster in a group than solo – especially when leveling up to Level 70. I play solo if I am intending to stream. Right now, I’m reasonably comfortable playing Diablo III (or other video games) on Twitch by myself. Streaming while playing in a group just doesn’t feel right to me. I also play solo if I’m sick, so I won’t slow down a group. This is what my Necromancer was wearing when he hit Level 31. I love how creepy it looks, especially with Malfeasance as the pet. In the screenshot above, I was playing with a group that was leveling me up so fast that the game couldn’t keep up. As you can see, it says I hit Level 50. But, if you look at my portrait, I was actually at Level 63. Here is the group I was with that helped me hit Level 70 and get some Paragon Points in Season 15. I earned the Demolition Derby Achievement while standing by the door in a Nephalem Rift. Obviously, I wasn’t actually contributing anything towards this Achievement. The game doesn’t care how you earn Achievements. It appears that some Achievements can be earned by everyone in a group, even the players that are slacking (like I was). Demolition Derby: Get a destruction callout for breaking 50 objects. Here I am with the group that ran me through a Greater Rift Level 85. The group completed it at 13:10.000 (with little or no help from me, being the smallest in the group). It was fun! My portrait says I have 193 Paragon Points, but the text at the side of the screen says I actually had 230 Paragon Points at that moment. I was getting Paragon Points so quickly that the game could not keep up! Season Journey (Chapter I) – Season 15 – COMPLETE! Season Journey (Chapter II) COMPLETE! Season Journey (Chapter III) COMPLETE! I was playing solo when this Achievement Toast popped up on the screen. I cannot remember how much of Chapter III I had help with or how much I did on my own. Completed Greater Rift 90 at 10.27.300 (with help) Completed Greater Rift 80 at 7:56.233 (with help) I wasn’t able to stream very much during Season 15. Part of the reason was because I wanted to play with groups. The other reason was because I was went to Blizzcon 2018. Before BlizzCon, I needed to spend a lot of time on paid writing work. After BlizzCon, I got sick with “Con Crud”. Here’s what I got done in the video above: Discovered that I was not quite ready to do a Greater Rift 20 solo Completed the Halt and Catch Fire Objective by Killing Urzael on Torment II Completed the Just Look at You! Objective by purchasing Hellfire Ring and Hellfire Amulet plans from Squirt the Peddler and giving those plans to The Jeweler Completed the …Is Another Man’s Treasure Objective by using Kanai’s Cube to upgrade a Rare item into a Legendary Item Completed a Greater Rift 15 solo, but did not finish it before the time ran out. Deadgreed, host of Shattered Soulstone, helped me go after Key Wardens. I ended up earning some Achievements thanks to his help. Feed Me: Kill the Vile Executioner and The Foul Desecrator within 30 second of starting the Realm of Putridness encounter on Torment VI difficulty or higher. Soulless: Kill the Soul of Evil at Level 70 on Torment VI difficulty or higher. Together We Are: Kill the Savage Behemoth and The Undying One within 5 seconds of each other on Torment VI difficulty or higher. Here’s what I got done in the video above: Finished a Greater Rift 15 right before the timer ran out Greater Rift Level 15 completed at 14:53.816 Completed a Greater Rift 16 – but not before the timer ran out Attempted a Greater Rift 20, died when I got a little more than halfway through it, and decided to stop After I got done streaming, I had a total of 335 Paragon Points in Season 15. Here’s some stuff I got done between when the video above ended and when I streamed again: I managed to get the missing pieces of the Rathma’s set. I started using Az-Lo as my pet. Completed a Greater Rift 20 Solo with 6 minutes and 41 seconds left. Completed Chapter IV of the Season Journey in Season 15 Got the Belphegor pet. Completed a Greater Rift 21 at 9:42.150 Earned the Dead Is Dead Achievement Dead Is Dead: Kill Malthael at level 70 on Torment V difficulty or higher. I had time to do one more stream before Season 15 ended. It is the only stream I did after returning from BlizzCon 2018. I was exhausted, fighting “Con Crud”, and the sound of my voice shows it. Here’s what I got done in the video above: Continued working on Slayer Completed Greater Rift Level 21 solo at 11:02.733 Completed Greater Level Rift 22 solo at 11:48.400 Ran a Nephalem Rift on Torment IV Completed a Greater Rift Level 23 solo at 6:15:333 Overall, I feel like I did all I could in Season 15. Some of the time I could have been playing was instead used so I could go to, attend, and return home from BlizzCon 2018. (This is not a complaint.) I got really sick shortly after BlizzCon, and it lasted longer than I would have liked. One thing that I thought was really cool about the Boon of the Horadrim Season was that it gave me a lot more crafting materials than usual. This enabled me to put a bunch of stuff into Kanai’s Cube. My goal is to fill it up. Highlights from Season 15 (Boon of the Horadrim) 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!... Book ReviewsFamiliar – by J. Robert LennonFebruary 2, 2019Book Reviews / fictionElisa Brown is driving home after visiting the grave of her eldest son. Her car is old, and there is a crack in the windshield that she never got fixed. Suddenly, the crack disappears. Elisa finds herself driving a much newer car, wearing clothing she never would have chosen for herself, in a body that is hers… but different. These are not the only things that have changed. She has absolutely no idea what happened or how to fix it. The main character in this book is an unreliable narrator. She doesn’t know what happened to her, or how it happened, or what caused it. This leaves the reader to try and fit together a puzzle without being given all of the pieces. This is not a complaint. One of the things I enjoyed about this book is that it provided a curious mystery for me to ponder. Has Elisa fallen into an alternate universe? Did she suffer a nervous breakdown and lose track of reality? Is it all a dream? At first, Elisa is very confused as she notices that many things have changed. She has a different job than before – one that appears to involve going to conferences. She figures out that she and her husband had been – and are still going – to marriage counseling. Elisa cannot remember the reasons why they are doing that. Obviously, that gets in the way of whatever progress they may have made. The most shocking change between the world she remembered and the world she found herself in is that her deceased son is still alive. Elisa decides to try and find the missing pieces that would help her understand what happened. She goes online and searches for information about parallel universes. Her desperation to make sense out of things eventually causes her to behave in ways that make it clear she has lost her grip on reality. The story presents unstated questions to the reader. What would you do if you suddenly found that the world was much different than you remembered it being? How would you react to familiar people who behave differently towards you than you have come to expect them to? How do you talk with a stranger who believes she is your best friend? How do you save a troubled marriage when your spouse looks (mostly) the same but exhibits a somewhat different personality? Do you even want to try? How do you cope with a deceased loved one who is now very much alive – and who wants nothing to do with you? I’m leaving a lot of the details out in order not to spoil things. This is a story with no clear solutions or answers. It is largely up to the reader to figure out for themselves what happened to Elisa. The ending provides readers with more questions than answers. Something significant happens, but the reader is not given the results. Readers may come away from this story with an uncomfortable question about how much of their reality is real. Familiar – by J. Robert Lennon 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!... Nocturne – by Syrie JamesJanuary 1, 2019Book Reviews / romanceNocturne is “a haunting story of forbidden love”. It says so right on the cover. The entire story takes place in just a few days, which is more than enough time for the main characters to fall madly in love with each other. Michael is a vampire (and Nicole is not). Michael’s secret is revealed to the reader early on in the story. Nicole misses every clue until something bloody obvious finally opens her eyes. Can a relationship between a human, and a vampire, work out? This is the question that Nicole and Michael must find an answer to. I tend to find books that include vampire characters to be intriguing. It takes what could be a rather ordinary story and opens it up to possibilities that are unlikely to happen if all the characters are regular humans. Nicole was driving home from a “ski-wedding”, hoping to get to the airport before the blizzard arrives. Unfortunately, the storm hit earlier than expected. She had a car accident, slid off the road, and passed out. She probably would had frozen to death if it wasn’t for Michael. He watched the accident happen from his truck, which he was using as a snow plow to clear the road that led to his chalet. Michael rescues Nicole and takes her home with him. This immediately causes problems. Michael, who has been alone for a very long time, is struggling to cope with the smell of Nicole’s blood. He managed to treat her wounds, and put her on the couch under a blanket. When she wakes up, Michael appears very standoffish and unwelcoming. The two quickly become attracted to each other. It turns out that they have some things in common. Both enjoy classical music and love playing the piano. Both are big readers, and Nicole learns that Michael’s bookshelves include several books by her favorite author. Unfortunately, Nicole learns that Michael has some… quirks… that she finds frustrating and confusing. He runs hot and cold. One moment, he would be engaging her in conversation. The next, he would become angry and shut himself in another room behind a locked door. Nicole found that the kitchen had almost no food, except for something that Michael said his housekeeper made for him. They were snowed in, so she made do with the apples, carrots, and oats that were in the kitchen. Michael never joined her for meals, and she found this strange. Almost instantly, Michael and Nicole become deeply attracted to each other. He starts to open up to her, and tells her a few of his secrets. There is an intense moment when Michael is teaching Nicole how to make a part of a music box – a hobby of his. The two smolder, and embrace… and then Michael stops it. The entire story takes place within just a few days. Without giving away any “spoilers”, Nicole eventually figures out that Michael is a vampire. It takes a little while for them both to adjust to this revelation. The two become closer after that secret is out. In general, I would be skeptical about a story where two strangers, who are essentially snowed in for a few days, fall madly in love. Is that really enough time for that to happen? Syrie James made the evolution of Nicole and Michael’s relationship seem natural and uncontrived. There is a strong chemistry between Michael and Nicole, and this leads to some passionate sex scenes that give the reader just enough details without becoming too graphic. By the end, Michael and Nicole have to decide what to do. The blizzard has passed by, the roads are clear, and Nicole can go home. Neither of them want to separate, but there are some good reasons to do so. I’ll leave the reader to discover what they decided to do. Overall, I found Nocturne to be entertaining. It is a quick read that takes place in a cold and snowy environment. This is a very sweet story with a few scary moments here and there. What makes this story work so well is that Nicole and Michael are well matched for each other (despite him being a vampire.) Book Review – Nocturne by Syrie James 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!... Spook – by Mary RoachDecember 26, 2018Book Reviews / non fictionMary Roach is the author of Stiff – the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. After writing about what happens to the human body after the person dies, it seems appropriate to write a book about what happens to the human soul after the body dies. Spook – Science Tackles the Afterlife was written in 2005. In my opinion, the best way to read Spook is to set aside whatever religious ideas you may have about the afterlife. Go into this book with an open mind and you will definitely learn something about human nature. This is not the book for people who have strong religious beliefs about the afterlife and who are looking for something that confirms what their religion tells them. It is the book for people who wonder what science can tell us about the soul, where it lives, and where it might go. In Spook, Mary Roach asks plenty of interesting questions, and follows up by finding out what science had to say regarding the afterlife. She does not provide the reader with a definitive answer about what, exactly, one should expect from the afterlife. Readers are free to take in whatever they find to be thought-provoking. The very first chapter delves into reincarnation. Mary Roach traveled through India with Dr. Kurti S, Rawat, director of the International Centre for Survival. He seeks out children who claim to have been reincarnated and gathers up as much information as he can from the child and the child’s family. Mary Roach appears to have experienced culture shock while in India, and I found her observations to be fascinating. There are parts of India where people believe in reincarnation. As such, when a very young child starts talking about people that the child’s parents do not know – the assumption is that reincarnation has occurred. The parents will ask the child questions, in an effort to learn more about who they were in a past life. In the United States, claims of reincarnation are very rare. The process Dr. Rawat uses goes like this: he learns of a child who claims to have been reincarnated. He travels to where that child lives and interviews the child and their family members. Dr. Rawat writes down all the details and studies it later. The best data comes from parents who immediately started writing down what the child told them about his or her former self, the names of that person’s loved ones, and the manner in which the person died. For some reason, people who have been reincarnated tend to have died a quick, unexpected, and very violent death. In short, the best outcome is when the child’s family, and the living relatives of the person who has been reincarnated into the child, meet and become like extended family. The worst outcome is when a scammer picks a target (usually someone rich), learns about their deceased relative, and coaches the child to pretend to be that person. Part of Spook includes details about a variety of ideas regarding where in the human body the soul “lives”. The specific part of the body that was believed to house the soul changed over time. Potential parts have included: sperm, ova, the pineal gland, the nerves (and/or the nervous system), a bone on the end of the spine called the luz, the coccyx, and one of the four chambers of the brain. A controversial study (which had many ethical issues) was done in an effort to find out how much the soul weighs. It was done in 1854 at a Consumptives Home, a charity that cared for people who were slowly dying of tuberculosis. A surgeon and physician named Duncan Macdougall placed a bed on a large, industrial, scale. A person who appeared to be about to die of consumption was placed on the bed. Macdougall, and other doctors, watched and waited for the person to die. At that moment, they checked the scale to see if the total weight had changed. The scale often showed that the person (and the bed they were lying on) weighed a tiny bit less immediately after the person died. The study was controversial for many reasons, the biggest of which was the question of whether a person who was about to die of consumption could truly give consent to being in the study. Despite this, other doctors attempted to replicate the study (using animals instead of people). The animals were not dying of consumption. They were euthanized after being placed on the industrial scale. The results of these studies contradicted each other and were inconclusive. From here, things move away from the realm of science (wonky and questionable as it was) and into the realm of seances (which were run by women who intended to scam people). I found this part of the book to be extremely entertaining, and I’ll leave you to read it for yourself. In short, seances became a popular thing for people to experience. Many people came to the seance already believing that they would encounter a spirit. They were easy marks. Another interesting thing I learned from Spook is that people have been using whatever the most modern technology was at the time to attempt to record the voices of spirits (or ghosts). Some of the earliest recordings were of mediums who claimed to be channeling a spirit – who had a lot of things to say. Sometimes, people heard crackles over the radio and interpreted them to be voices from the beyond. It often turned out to be the person’s imagination – with the exception of a situation where the people lived really close to where the radio waves were being transmitted. Those people were actually hearing radio transmissions from local stations that were somehow picked up by things like – for example – their oven. More recently, people began using tape recorders to capture the voices of the spirits. I presume people have started using there smartphones for this purpose. The common theme here is that people have a tendency to want to believe that the newest, hottest, piece of technology that can record something is definitely going to pick up the voices of spirits. Spook is a truly bizarre book that mixes scientific study (such as it was) with religion and the cultural beliefs of a population in a specific location at different points in history. When it comes to the afterlife, these concepts blend together and influence not only what a person believes about the human soul, but also what the afterlife is like. Spook – by Mary Roach 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!... Stiff – by Mary RoachDecember 19, 2018Book Reviews / non fictionStiff – The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is an exploration of what happens to the human body after the person dies. It is not a book for people who are squeamish, or who are mourning a loved one. I would definitely recommend Stiff to writers of mystery or crime novels, who need a good source of information about the timeline in which a cadaver decays. There are some things that people probably shouldn’t Google. Mary Roach does an excellent job of presenting factual information about a difficult topic to consider, while injecting just the right amount of what might be considered gallows humor. She does this without ever disrespecting the deceased. Stiff was published in 2003, so it is possible that some of the information in the book might be outdated. I suspect that the majority of it is still valid (but did not take the time to look up things to see what may have changed.) There’s a chance that the medical stuff could have been updated with new techniques between when the book was written and today. The first chapter of the book is about Mary Roach’s observations as she watches a group of doctors who are practicing face lifting techniques on cadaver heads. Some of the doctors are respectful of the person whose donated head they are working on. Others are less so. Mary Roach wonders who has the job of removing the cadaver heads from the rest of the cadaver – and she finds the answer to that question. Another chapter goes into the history of body snatchers. For a long time, it was illegal to dissect a dead human body. Anatomists had to resort to not-quite-legal means of obtaining bodies from which to learn about human anatomy. In some cases, the bodies were supplied by “resurrection men” who unearthed the recently deceased, put the body into a sack, and discretely delivered it to the doctor. It was apparently a good way to earn some money. It is also the reason that religious people – who believed the body needed to be entirely intact in order for the person to get into heaven – invested in Mortsafes. In that same chapter, there is an interesting (and disturbing) story about William Burke and William Hare, two “resurrectionists” who got into trouble. A man died in Hare’s boarding house before paying his fare. Hare and Burke took the body to an anatomist. After learning that bringing dead bodies to anatomists resulted in a nice payment, Hare and Burke started murdering people (and bringing the very recently dead to the anatomists). I’ll leave you to read the chapter to see how this obviously illegal situation was resolved. There is a chapter about the University of Tennessee’s Anthropological Research Facility – which is a large area of land in which cadavers are placed for the purpose of allowing researchers to study the timeline of decay. Part of the purpose is to assist those who investigate crime scenes. Other chapters cover a wide range of subjects, including information on whether or not cadavers are used for automobile crash tests. There is a chapter about the ethical issues involved in using cadavers (or cadaver legs) to determine which shoes provide the best protection for a living person who has stepped on a land mine. One of the chapters that I found especially interesting involved extremely religious Christians, who were alive, and who volunteered to be “crucified”. They weren’t actually nailed to a cross. It was a safely done approximation of crucifixion that involved people being secured to a huge cross by leather straps. The purpose of the experiment was to debunk previous hypotheses about what Jesus may have experienced. The purpose was to determine whether or not the volunteers had difficulty breathing while on the cross, and to figure out where the nails would have to be placed in order to prevent them from ripping out. Other oddities found in Stiff include details about an incredibly disturbing experiment where a researcher removed the head of an anesthetized monkey and attached it to the body of an entirely different monkey. There is also an amusing story in which Mary Roach goes to China in an effort to confirm, or debunk, an urban legend about human cadaver parts being used in the dumplings served in a restaurant. I found Stiff to be interesting, and strange, and filled with historical context that I might not have learned about if I had not read this book. There is definitely a tendency for people who work with cadavers (or parts of human bodies) to think of the cadaver as a person – and not a person – at the same time. Medical students, who must take a course that involves dissection of human cadavers, end up with a mix of emotions. They must, at times, distance themselves from considering the cadaver as a person. At the same time, many students form emotional attachments to the cadaver. This results in the university holding a mass funeral for the cadavers at the end of the semester. Students eulogize about the cadaver they worked on. It is a way of letting go, and thanking the person who donated their body to science, at the same time. Stiff – by Mary Roach 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!... Gone Girl – by Gillian FlynnNovember 24, 2018Book Reviews / fictionNick and Amy Dunne have what appears (from the outside) to be a perfect marriage. Both of them make their living as writers – for different publications. Both are good looking and visually appear to be a good match. Gone Girl is the story of what happens when a marriage ends – and the wife suddenly disappears. Gillian Flynn is the author of Sharp Objects, which became a New York Times Bestseller. Gone Girl is not a sequel to Sharp Objects. Both stories have plenty of twists and turns, which leave the reader guessing about what is really going on. This is definitely one of those books that is difficult to review because of the chance of unintentionally revealing spoilers. The story is told out of chronological order. It starts the day that Amy disappeared, and is told to the reader from the viewpoint of Nick. The police begin their investigation with the assumption that the husband must be involved in whatever happened to his wife. Nick has no idea what happened to Amy, and is genuinely worried about her. There was evidence of a struggle in their home that took place while Nick was at work. He and his twin sister own a bar – which was purchased with Amy’s money. Some of the story goes back in time to when Nick and Amy first met and started dating. It paints a very sweet picture of the two of them. Literally. Their first kiss was next to a bakery where the air was filled with sugar. I found myself wanting to give Nick the benefit of the doubt – for now. The reader is first introduced to Amy through her diary. She secretly wrote down her most private thoughts, fears and emotions. It starts with an optimistic view of their marriage, and leads readers through its deterioration. There was a time when both of them lost their jobs – one after the other – and started becoming distant from each other. Things grow much more dangerous and darker as the diary goes on. Amy has left Nick a series of clues, in the form of a scavenger hunt. She creates one every year for Valentine’s Day. It starts with a wrapped gift that includes a clue (in the form of a poem). From that, Nick must figure out where to go to find the next clue. It goes on for a while. In previous years, Nick hated the scavenger hunt. Amy based the clues around small details that were important to her, and would become disappointed and angry when Nick couldn’t figure them out. This time, however, Amy’s clues are very lovey-dovey, and the locations they send Nick are ones that are significant to him. He starts working on these clues without letting the police know about it. Amy’s parents organize people to search for their missing daughter. They set up phone banks with volunteers waiting to take calls from anyone who has some relevant information to share. It is extremely tense, and awkward, and Nick comes across as indifferent. Inside, he’s freaking out. Amy’s parents did something that likely warped their daughter’s worldview. They created a book series called “Amazing Amy”, based on their daughter. In the book, Amy was the perfect daughter, who always made the best decisions. Imagine being the real Amy and trying to live up to that! The books became incredibly popular, and turned Amy into a minor celebrity. She tells Nick that she has had problems with stalkers, and with a boyfriend who was… I’m going to say super clingy. Nick believes this, right up until he contacts those people and finds that their stories do not match what Amy said. I started off liking both Nick and Amy, but that changed as the book went on. Readers eventually are introduced to Amy as herself – not through her diary – and she brings them up to speed about where she is and what she has been doing. She also gives the reader some clues about what really happened before she disappeared. One thing is clear: at least one of these two people are lying. I kept changing my mind about who to believe. Gillian Flynn excels at creating strong, interesting, psychopathic characters. The unsettling thing is how well those characters pass themselves off as good people. Gone Girl – by Gillian Flynn 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 WarcraftMy Thoughts About World of Warcraft ClassicDecember 23, 2018World of Warcraft / World of Warcraft ClassicI was fortunate enough to attend Blizzcon 2018. One of the (many) demo games that was available for people to try was World of Warcraft Classic. I wanted to share my thoughts about it before I forgot what I intended to say. The screenshots you see in this blog were obviously NOT taken while I was at BlizzCon. I had time to play the World of Warcraft Classic demo after returning home from BlizzCon. These screenshots were taken on my computer after BlizzCon 2018 was over. I decided to get in line for the World of Warcraft Classic demo at BlizzCon to kill some time. My husband needed to go all over the conference in order to do some shopping for someone who was unable to attend BlizzCon. It was the second day of BlizzCon, and I was exhausted. I have several chronic illnesses, including rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. There was no way I was going to summon the energy that shopping trip required. Instead, I took the opportunity to try some game demos. There were two guys ahead of me in the long and winding line. It turned out all three of us played Vanilla WoW back in the day, and all as Alliance characters. We reminisced about how long it took to run around without a mount, and wondered about how much of that old world would remain the same in WoW Classic. My first character was a Night Elf Hunter, and I shared my story about running out of arrows and not having any idea of how or where to get more. We laughed about Hunter pets that had moods that the player had to manage. Failure meant the Hunter pet would run away, leaving the Hunter to try and tame another one. Actually sitting down at a computer at BlizzCon to play WoW Classic was exciting. There is something about hands-on video game experience that makes the things that had been announced seem real. I rolled a Night Elf Hunter, and received a boar as a pet. So did all the other Hunters. Blizzard planned ahead and gave all Hunters plenty of ammo to start with. I didn’t have to worry about running out. I found it amusing that my pet started to get unhappy if I was standing around for too long – but quickly became super happy again when I sent it into battle. I had forgotten that Hunters needed to feed their pet to keep it happy. When I tried to give my boar some food, I was reminded that it was a picky eater. If I remember correctly, text popped up that said something like “Your pet doesn’t like that food.” It made me laugh! Those who tried the WoW Classic demo at BlizzCon found themselves in a server filled with other, very excited, players. Someone invited me into a group right away, and I accepted the invitation. There was a brief moment when four Night Elf Hunters were running around together, trying to slay bandits that were a higher level than we were. Speaking of levels, Blizzard made a very good decision and started players off at Level 15. This happened in both the demo at BlizzCon and the one people could try at home. It made things move a lot faster than if we all had to start at Level 1 and grind our way upward. Starting at Level 15 allowed players to actually survive some of their encounters with enemies! A group of players on the BlizzCon server had a fun idea. They urged everyone to go to Deadmines, in as large a group as possible, and kill Elites together. This was manageable because all Alliance players started in Westfall. It was so much fun slaying Elite enemies in the hallway that leads to Deadmines! We outnumbered them, and the quick respawns weren’t a match for the sheer number of overexcited players who were having a great time. It turned out we couldn’t access the actual Deadmines dungeon, so we stayed in the hallway, battled to our death, and made multiple corpse runs right back in. It was announced at BlizzCon that World of Warcraft Classic would not require a separate subscription. It will come with a regular World of Warcraft subscription. Personally, I think this was another great decision by Blizzard. It enables people who want to play WoW Classic to be able to afford it. Those who were not initially interested in WoW Classic, but who have a “regular” WoW subscription, will have the opportunity to try Classic at any time without having to pay extra money to do so. Maybe the nostalgia of it will bring in some hesitant players. Or, it could bring in players who were too young to have played in Vanilla WoW, and who are curious about what it was like. The “Con Crud” caught up to me shortly after I returned home from BlizzCon. I expected this – my immune system sucks and I get sick all the time. Later, I learned that plenty of typically healthy people who went to BlizzCon were also afflicted with bad “Con Crud”. As such, I was at home playing WoW Classic on my computer while exhausted. The hyped-up energy of BlizzCon had disappeared; there was no crowd of players to interact with in person; and the server I was on felt very empty. It probably didn’t help that I was playing at weird hours when most other people were probably sleeping. The first thing I did was roll another Night Elf Hunter – who started at Level 15 with a boar pet and more ammo than I was likely to use up before the demo ended. The whole atmosphere had changed. I was fighting enemies by myself, dying more than I did at BlizzCon, and making really dumb decisions because I was playing while sick. This slowed-down experience was not actually a disappointment. It reminded me very much of what it was like when I played Vanilla WoW. Long story short, I didn’t have anyone to play with back then, and did not join a guild until after The Burning Crusade had launched. It was quiet, with long stretches of calm as I slowly walked around Westfall. I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out where I was supposed to go to complete the quests that I had accepted. In “live” WoW, my Death Knight has an easy time killing all who cross her path. In WoW Classic, I had to return to using strategy, thinking hard before sending my pet to attack an enemy, and running away when I accidentally pulled the whole mob at once. Overall, I’m looking forward to playing WoW Classic. I want the opportunity to level up a brand new character (with the old skills and talent tree) and exploring an Azeroth that has changed so much between then and now. I want to visit the less traveled areas of Azeroth once again. My Thoughts About World of Warcraft Classic 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!... Riglee Finishes Hallow’s EveNovember 21, 2018Holiday Events / World of WarcraftHallow’s End is my favorite of all the World Events in World of Warcraft. I’ve been slowly working my way through it with my main, Riglee (a Gnome Death Knight). The main problem was that she was always too low a level to even try and earn some of holiday related achievements. This year, Riglee was somewhere around Level 96 or so when Hallow’s End started. I was able to get her through almost all of the Hallow’s End achievements – with one exception. Riglee hit Level 99 near the end of the World Event, and needed to be Level 100 in order to find Scarecrow Pepe in her Garrison. In 2015, which must have been the last time I put effort into Hallow’s Eve, I put together a blog post that showed my progress through it. This year, I ran out of time before I had to leave for BlizzCon (and the event ended before I got back home.) This is not a complaint – I had a wonderful time at BlizzCon 2018. It is simply an observation. Tricks and Treats of the Cataclysm Last year, Riglee visited the Candy Buckets at: Firebeard’s Patrol, Twilight Highlands; Victor’s Point, Twilight Highlands; and Thundarmar, Twilight Highlands. Ramkahen, Uldum; Oasis of Vir’sar, Uldum; Shrine of Aviana, Mount Hyjal; Highbank, Twilight Highlands Deepmist Grotto, Vashj’ir; Deepholm, Temple of the Earth; Tranquil Wash, Vashj’ir; Silver Tide Hollow, Vashj’ir I’m missing a few screenshots of some of the other Candy Bucket locations in the Cataclysm zones. It is possible I was too tired to remember to take those screenshots. Or, they might have gotten lost in the pile of other World of Warcraft screenshots. I will update this blog post if, one day, I find where those screenshots went. I earned the Tricks and Treats of Cataclysm Achievement! Tricks and Treats of Cataclysm: Visit the Candy Buckets in Cataclysm zones. Deepholm, Temple of Earth Mount Hyjal, Grove of Assenia Mount Hyjal, Nordrassil Mount Hyjal, Shrine of Aviana Twilight Highlands, Firebeard’s Patrol Twilight Highlands, Highbank Twilight Highlands, Thundermar Twilight Highlands, Victor’s Point Uldum, Oasis of Vir’sar Uldum, Ramkahan Vashj’ir, Darkbreak Cove Vashjir, Deepmist Grotto Vashj’ir, Silver Tide Hollow Vashj’ir, Tranquil Wash Tricks and Treats of Pandaria Paw’don Village, Jade Forest; Pearlfin Village, Jade Forest; Tian Monastery, Jade Forest; Jade Temple Grounds, Jade Forest; Greenstone Village, Jade Forest; Dawn’s Blossom, Jade Forest Sri-La Village, Jade Forest; Zhu’s Watch, Karasang Wilds; One Keg, Kun-Lai Summit; The Grummie Bazaar, Kun-Lai Summit; Klaaxi-vess, Dread Wastes; Soggy’s Gamble, Dread Wastes Pang’s Stead, Valley of the Four Winds; Stoneplow, Valley of the Four Winds; Tavern in the Mists, The Veiled Stair; Mistfall Village, Vale of the Eternal Blossoms There are more Candy Bucket locations in Pandaria that are required in order to complete Tricks and Treats of Pandaria achievement. I seem to have lost some of my screenshots. This is likely because I was playing while tired. The Candy Bucket at Westwind Rest, in the Kun-Lai Summit, is a difficult one to get to. When my Gnome Death Knight arrived at that town – it was on fire. There were no NPCs there (because they had evacuated). There was no Candy Bucket. After searching around online, I learned that the problem was that this content was “phased”. From what I understand, Westwind Rest stays on fire until the player completes a specific quest chain. Here is how to do it: First, go to Binan Village, in the Kun-Lai Summit. Look for an NPC named Mayor Bramblestaff. He should have a quest for you. I cannot remember if he has this quest right away, or if you have to complete a few other quests first. If he doesn’t have a quest for you, go outside the village and complete the quests from the NPCs out there. Then, go back to Mayor Bramblestaff. Mayor Bramblestaff: It would seem that your Admiral Taylor has awakened from his injuries. He and his people are upstairs in the apothecary’s house across the way. He has requested your presence. Go into the apothecary’s house. Climb up the stairs. Admiral Taylor and a few other Alliance characters are up there. Admiral Taylor is the human who is sitting on the floor. He’s yelling an an Orc (and two Horde characters) who are sitting on the floor across the room. I have no idea what the story-line is here, because I’ve been going through the content randomly. Admiral Taylor: Riglee, is that you? I can’t believe we survived the destruction of the Jade Serpent. Some of us anyway. Admiral Taylor gives you the Westwind Rest quest. It starts with narrative: <Admiral Taylor winces in pain.> Admiral Taylor: Jade Forest was a disaster. Anduin’s gone. We lost some good people. We didn’t stop the Horde from advancing into the continent. But I think I’ve found a way to get the locals on our side. You just helped fight off some of these “yaungol”, no? I hear yaungol sacked Westwind Rest, a local village. We’ve been told that two groups of survivors have camped out along the road west out of town. We help them out, maybe they’ll consider siding with the Alliance. Next, you need to speak with Farmhand Bo and Elder Tsulan in the Yaungol Advance. They are NPCs who are, as Admiral Taylor said, “camped out along the road.” Farmhand Bo: The… the yaungol! They attacked my farm, and the nearby village, Westwind Rest… killed some of us, and the ones they didn’t kill they chased off. I managed to gather some of us here. Any word on help coming from Binan? The player needs to click on the part that says: I’m from the Alliance. We’re here to save you and rebuild your village. Farmhand Bo: I don’t know about this “Alliance”, but you look trustworthy. I’ll gather everyone up and meet you when we’re ready to rebuild! Next, you need to go find Elder Tsulan. He’s standing by the road (in a different spot from where you found Farmhand Bo). A group of Kun-Lai evacuees is there with Elder Tsulan. Elder Tsulan: As dark as things seem, I must not give up hope. We must not be cowed by the violence of the Yaungol. You… have come to help us? The player must click on the part that says: I’m from the Alliance. We’re here to save you and rebuild your village. (I’m assuming that it would swap “Alliance” for “Horde” depending on what faction the player’s character belongs to.) Elder Tsulan: I will not rest until our people are returned and this village rebuilt. Elder Tsulan: Someone has come to save us? Perhaps all is not lost… Elder Tsulan: Well… we are alive, and that is better than we could have hoped for without your help. But, if this is truly to become a base of operations for you, and if we are to join your Alliance, there is one more thing you must do to guarantee our security. Elder Tsulan: The yanguol have always been a difficult proud people, but never this violent or aggressive. I do not know what has prompted this change in their behavior, but we don’t have time to find out, now. We fear for our lives and livelihoods as long as Ur-Bataar, leader of the Batarri yaungol, lives. Go, set the banner in his camp ablaze to challenge him, and then defeat him in battle. Only then will we be secure. Riglee fought Ur-Bataar – Warbringer of the Bataari Ur-Bataar: No! Kun-Lai was ours…. Elder Tsulan: You did it! At the very least, we have justice and safety, though in the process we have lost so much. Regardless, it has been decided. We will join the Alliance, and with your help, rebuild this village. I earned the Westwind Rest Achievement. A cinematic plays. It starts with Westwind Rest very much on fire. Pandarans rush in and start putting out the fires. Admiral Taylor and his team arrive. Westwind Rest has become an Alliance town. It is now possible to loot the Candy Bucket at Westwind Rest. I earned the Tricks and Treats of Pandaria Achievement. Tricks and Treats of Pandaria: Visit the Candy Buckets in Pandaria. Dread Wastes, Klaxxi’vess Dread Wastes, Soggy’s Gamble Jade Forest, Dawn’s Blossom Jade Forest, Greenstone Village Jade Forest, Jade Temple Grounds Jade Forest, Paw’don Village Jade Forest, Pearlfin Village Jade Forest, Sri-La Village Jade Forest, Tian Monastery Krasarang Wilds, Marista Krasarang Wilds, Zhu’s Watch Kun-Lai Summit, Binan Village Kun-Lai Summit, The Grummie Bazaar Kun-Lai Summit, One Keg Kun-Lai Summit, Westwind Rest Kun-Lai Summit, Zouchin Village The Veiled Stair, Tavern in the Mists Townlong Steppes, Longying Outpost Vale of Eternal Blossoms, Mistfall Village Vale of Eternal Blossoms, Shrine of the Seven Stars Valley of the Four Winds, Pang’s Stead Valley of the Four Winds, Stoneplow This Hallow’s Eve was the first time I was able to get one of my characters into the Headless Horseman fight. In previous years, all of them were too low a level to participate. I completed The Headless Horseman Dungeons, and earned an Achievement. Bring Me The Head of… Oh Wait: Kill the Headless Horseman. The Loot Filled Pumpkin that I got after killing The Headless Horseman included one of those awesome flying brooms. Fun! I attempted to complete the G.N.E.R.D. Rage achievement in during previous Hallow’s Eve events, but I guess it wasn’t a priority. This year, I decided it was worth getting into a random battleground where I could do some PVP. With a little effort, I was able to complete the G.N.E.R.D. Rage Achievement. G.N.E.R.D. Rage: Earn 10 honorable kills while under the influence of the G.N.E.R.D. buff. It’s a slap in the face! It turned out that the G.N.E.R.D. Rage Achievement was the last one I needed to complete the Hallow’s End event. The text says Riglee earned the Hallowed Be Thy Name Achievement. Hallowed Be Thy Name: Complete the Hallow’s End achievements listed below. Trick or Treat! Bring Me The Head of… Oh Wait That Sparkling Smile G.N.E.R.D. Rage The Masquerade Tricks and Treats of Azeroth Out With It The Savior of Hallow’s End Rotten Hallow Check Your Head Sinister Calling This Achievement comes with a Title Reward: The Hallowed. It can be used on all of your characters. (Or, maybe it is limited to all your characters from one faction. I’m not sure.) I collected enough Tricky Treats to purchase a Hallow’s Eve Pet. Widget the Departed is a ghost kitty. What’s left for next year’s Hallow’s Eve? I could go visit Candy Buckets and gather up enough Tricky Treats to get another Hallow’s Eve pet. Or, I could try and get one of my alts through the Hallow’s End Achievements. Hopefully, by next Hallow’s Eve, Riglee the Death Knight will be at level 100. There is one more Hallow’s Eve Achievement (but it doesn’t appear to be required in order to finish the event). Characters who are Level 100 (or higher) can go find Scarecrow Pepe in their Garrison. Riglee wasn’t quite at Level 100 yet, so she could not get the quest that players have to complete before they can find Scarecrow Pepe. Riglee Finishes Hallow’s Eve 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 Warcraft: BlizzCon 2018 Virtual Ticket ItemsOctober 28, 2018World of Warcraft / World of Warcraft otherPeople who purchase the BlizzCon 2018 Virtual Ticket (or who have purchased a ticket to BlizzCon 2018 – the Virtual Ticket access comes with it) will receive a bunch of goodies for Blizzard Entertainment’s games. In this blog post, I focus on the World of Warcraft BlizzCon 2018 items. The Achievement associated with the BlizzCon 2018 items is called Flying Colors. It shows part of the Alliance cape, possibly because I went after the items on my Night Elf Hunter before I grabbed them on my Forsaken Warlock. (This is just a guess.) Flying Colors: Proud owner of the Alliance and Horde War Mantles and War Banners from the 2018 BlizzCon. This is what the Alliance War Mantle looks like. The Stormwind Champion’s War Banner can be found in your Toy Box. This is what the Stormwind Champion’s War Banner looks like. I planted this near the front of Stormwind while working on the Hallow’s End quests. Stormwind was experiencing night at the time, and I figure the Banner would be more shiny during the day. This is what the Horde War Mantle looks like. The Orgrimmar Hero’s War Banner can be found in your Toy Box. Here is what the Orgrimmar Hero’s War Banner looks like in game. I can’t remember where my Forsaken Warlock was when she planted this Banner. I think the skull on it looks very cool! World of Warcraft: BlizzCon 2018 Virtual Ticket Items 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 Dwarves Explore Western Plaguelands – Part 1August 20, 2018The Dwarves / World of WarcraftThe Dwarves are Hansbrix the Hunter (and his pet bear, Fridge) and Bradanna the Priest. My husband and I had been playing these two characters together, completing parts of Azeroth zone by zone. There are things that we missed out on the first time we played (other characters) through some of the Cataclysm content. In this blog, I will feature the most interesting parts of The Dwarves trip through Western Plaguelands. The screenshots you see in this blog were taken on May 25, June 6, June 7, June 9, and June 10, 2015. The Dwarves began their exploration of Western Plaguelands by falling directly into the water, somewhere near Sorrow Hill. They were still in the water when they officially discovered Western Plaguelands. The Dwarves probably didn’t take the path they were supposed to take – but they managed to get to the right place anyway. Upon arriving in Andorhal, The Dwarves met two NPCs (Non-Player Characters). The first was Thassarian (level 85). The Dwarves had a quest to turn in to him. Hero’s Call: Western Plaguelands!: There is much to be done here. Both of our enemies are relentless and would slaughter us without mercy the moment we sheathe our blades. Thassarian gave The Dwarves a new quest to work on. Scourge First…Horde Later: Darkmaster Gandling of the Cult of the Damned leads the Scourge offensive here in Andorhal. My old counterpart, Koltira, leads the Forsaken forces. If we’re to win Andorhal, we’ll have to defeat both, but we will certainly fail if we have to take on both at once. I know Koltira well enough to know that he will focus on the Scourge first. We will do the same. Take out the weaker, desiccated Scourge to reduce their numbers. The Forsaken will have to wait to taste our wrath. The NPC standing next to Thassarian is named Lurid. He is a skeleton who is wearing armor. War Machines: Dried up Scourge… weak. Abominations… strong. We defeat strong abominations… we win war. Thassarian and Lurid appear to be mostly on the same page. They both want The Dwarves to kill off a lot of Scourge (and ignore the Forsaken for the time being). The difference is that Thassarian thinks it best to kill the weaker desiccated Scourge first, while Lurid wants The Dwarves to attack the stronger abominations. By this point in their adventure, The Dwarves have figured out that going after a specific enemy often brings in other enemies. With luck, The Dwarves can finish off these two quests in one battle. Before jumping into battle, The Dwarves drove over to see what Lang Loosegrip needed them to do. The Endless Flow: Araj the Summoner is bolstering the Scourge defenses with simple skeletons… an army of weaklings that will overwhelm you before it overpowers you. He has assembled animi within Andorhal’s northern towers that spew these skeletons out at an alarming rate. But I’ve got the solution! <Lang passes you a handful of grenades.> Their function is simple. Throwing these grenades at a bone animus … or, for that matter, a mob of skeletons… will reduce them to splinters. I didn’t know it at the time, but Lang Loosegrip had just given me a quest that would turn out to be one of my favorites. The Dwarves learned that it is very important to take the time to say hello to the local Flight Master. Bradanna noticed that she had mail to retrieve. There are no mailboxes on Andorhal. (Or, at least, none that The Dwarves could find.) They drove off in search of one. A good friend sent Bradanna an adorable Argi pet! Argi is super cute. Bradanna immediately picked him up and cuddled him. Argi didn’t seem to mind the trip back to Andorhal. The Dwarves were now ready to fight! They started attacking the Scourge. In this screenshot, they are fighting a Desiccated Magus. Bradanna and Hansbrix (and Fridge) fought a Desiccated Spearman while one of Thassarian’s army watched over Argi. The Dwarves eventually were able to take down some of the Opengut Behemoths that were wandering through Andorhal. Behemoths are big! (Dwarf for scale) Time to take out a mob of skeletons! The quests that involved jumping into a mob of skeletons, and slaying them all, were the most fun of all the Andorhal quests. Skeletons have long been my favorite monster to fight, and these kinds of battles remind me of playing the Diablo video games. So many skeletons! They just keep respawning. You can fight them forever…. or, until you turn in the quest. Thassarian: You may not act quickly, but at least you do not fail me. Very well. I will have a more important task for you, Bradanna, when the time is right. It sounds like Thassarian was not pleased that The Dwarves accepted his quest and then dashed off to get a pet out of a mailbox. That being said, he’s more pleased with The Dwarves than with…. whoever “failed” him before The Dwarves showed up. Lurid, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have much to say. He’s a man…um, skeleton… of few words. Lurid: Abominations…strong. Bradanna…stronger. Thassarian: With the death of the Lich King, all I have left is my duty. There is no family. There are no friends… there is only this. War. Hansbrix and Bradanna might have a vague awareness of the Lich King and the war against him. But, this is the first time they have encountered someone who was involved in that fight at the time it happened. Thassarian has lost everything that mattered to him. Thassarian: The Scholomance is one of the few Scourge holdouts remaining west of the Thondroril. The headmaster of Scholomance, a cultist by the name of Darkmaster Gandling, has made an appearance on the battlefield. This will be his last mistake. You will find Gandling in a square near the southern end of town. I want you to fight and weaken Gandling. I will join you to help finish him off. Thassarian: Gandling is strong, but do not worry. I will join you shortly after you begin to fight him. The Dwarves were a bit confused by these instructions. If Gandling is strong… then, shouldn’t Thassarian be coming along to the battle right from the start? Was he waiting for an invite to their party? Before either Hansbrix or Bradanna could ask Thassarian to accompany them… he gave them another quest. Thassarian: Gandling has brought his lieutenant, Rattlegore, with him. This clattering horror is far more dangerous than any of the other Scourge you will find upon the battlefield… even the abominations. You will find Rattlegore within an old town-hall building, near the center of town. I recommend caution before fighting him, Bradanna. He will not be a pushover. Rattlegore put up a decent fight. The Dwarves were able to defeat him without Thassarian’s help. It wasn’t clear if The Dwarves were supposed to have gone through Scholomance before arriving at Andorhal. I can’t quite make the story work out. If The Dwarves had decided to do Scholomance before Andorhal, they would have already killed Rattlegore and Darkmaster Gandling. If they took that route, it would mean The Dwarves would be fighting Rattlegore and Darkmaster Gandling a second time after arriving in Andorhal. The Dwarves are asked to kill these two “bad guys” here… and will undoubtedly meet them again whenever they get around to doing the Scholomance dungeon. Bradanna found a Blighthawk sitting by the lamppost outside the town-hall building. There was no time for pet battles, though. The Dwarves needed to find, and slay, Darkmaster Gandling. Bradanna was surprised to find that part of Andorhal was on fire. Hansbrix and Fridge had already run past the flames, in search of the next battle. Bradanna rushed to catch up to them. Hansbrix quickly got surrounded by skeletons! Fridge was nowhere in sight. Bradanna was, once again, glad that she had decided to become a healer. A view of Andorhal from the tower. Bradanna got overwhelmed by the respawning skeletons at the bottom of the tower, and tried to run. She ended up with a conga-line of skeletons that followed her directly into a Behemoth. Not ideal! The Dwarves found Darkmaster Gandling, and Fridge ran right over to fight him. We were still using Fridge as our “tank”. As such, the first threat Darkmaster Gandling made was “Prepare to die, Fridge!” Something in World of Warcraft assumes that the first one to attack the “bad guy” must be a player character. It never ceases to be amusing! The Dwarves entered combat. When would Thassarian show up? Darkmaster Gandling: Your life is forfeit. The Dwarves watched, helplessly, a Fridge got stuck in a bubble and lifted high into the air. This dire moment was exactly when Thassarian decided to arrive. Koltira Deathweaver joined the battle, too. Thassarian: For the Alliance! Koltira Deathweaver: For the Horde! The battle continues! Darkmaster Gandling: Enough of this. The Cult of the Damned doesn’t need Andorhal. This worthless city is yours to fight over. After his snarky remark, Darkmaster Gandling leaves Andorhal. We didn’t kill him. He presumably went back to Scholomance. Someday, if Bradanna and Hansbrix (and Fridge) decide to do the Scholomance dungeon – it would make sense to find Darkmaster Gandling in there – and fight him a second time. If Rattlebone is also in Scholomance…. then I’m going to assume that Darkmaster Gandling figured out how to rebuild him. Thassarian: Koltira! I had heard rumors that you were here in Lordaeron. Koltira: You heard correctly, Thassarian. I wanted to give you a chance to kill me again. Thassarian laughs. Hansbrix and Fridge wander away. Thassarian: It looks like it may have to come to that. Koltira: Yes, it may…but not today. With the Scourge out of the way, I plan to pull my troops back and regroup. Thassarian: I see. Then I will do the same. Thassarian: But you must be aware, Koltira: we are brothers no longer. You are a member of the Horde now, and I of the Alliance. Thassarian: Eventually, we will fight this battle for Andorhal, and only one of us can walk off of this battlefield victorious. Koltira: Yes, I know. And don’t think I’ll go easy on you. Thassarian laughs. Thassarian: Very well. I look forward to it. Koltira and Thassarian teleport away. Thassarian whispers: You are not to speak to ANYONE about the agreement that was made today, Bradanna. Consider this an order from your direct superior. This puts The Dwarves in the awkward position of having to turn in quests to Thassarian while pretending they didn’t see and hear the conversation he had with Koltira. Thassarian is just going to stand there, next to Lurid, as though nothing at all happened. Thassarian: Excellently done, Bradanna. And now, with the leader of the Scourge forces eliminated from Ahdorhal, we bide our time. Bradanna selected Gandling’s Gloves from the reward choice. It was the only item she could use. Lang Loosegrip: These grenades are all explosives, nothing more. I may not be a goblin engineer…but I still understand the value of being able to just explode things every once in a while. Lang Loosegrip: With the animus destroyed, the next logical step is tot take out Araj himself and to take a shard of his phylactery. You’ve probably already seen him, lurking at the fountain in the center of town. Take my grenades with you. They won’t do anything to Araj, but if he decides to summon any of those skeletons, you can use them to blow them away. Again. Before jumping into another battle, Bradanna, Hansbrix,and Fridge decided to take a short rest. They joined a happy looking, drunken, skeleton. He didn’t seem to mind. Lang Loosegrip was exactly right about where to find Araj the Summoner. The Dwarves didn’t have too difficult a time fighting this “big bad”. Shortly before dying, Araj the Summoner unleaded a mob of well-choreographed skeletons. They ran right for Bradanna. The Dwarves needed to pick up Araj’s Phylactery Shard in order to complete the quest. Hansbrix had no trouble smashing it! Thassarian: Araj dead… this is good. That gnome has done his part in winning this war. As have you, Bradanna. This was the first time I noticed how awesome Lurid’s axe was! I also noticed that Lurid appears to be wearing a decapitated Dwarf head, complete with braided beard, as a loincloth. What, exactly, was Lurid doing before he arrived at Andorhal? There must be a story there that hasn’t been told. Thassarian: The Alliance are victorious, and our forces are still strong. Military strategy dictates the we attack the Forsaken now, while they are recovering and unaware. I made a deal, however… We will wait. We attack Koltira and his troops when the time is right. In the meantime, speak with Ginny Goodwin and take a flight to the Chillwind Camp, to our south. Commander Ashlam Valorfist will give you your next assignment. You will hear from me when you are needed again in Andorhal. Ok, hold on there, Thassarian. First, you had a talk with Koltira, in the middle of town, about a secret truce. Then, you told us NOT to tell anyone about that secret truce. Now, you’re openly talking about that – apparently classified – truce again, out here where anyone nearby can hear you. If your goal was to baffle us into silence… well, you’ve succeeded. Next stop – Chillwind Camp! Commander Ashlam Valorfist: Welcome to the front lines, priest. The Kingdom of Stormwind, with the aid of its allies, has sent me here to counter the growing threat of the Scourge. Here at Chillwind Camp, we fight for our continued survival on a daily basis. If you’ve come here looking for a chance to prove yourself as a hero, then you’ll find plenty of opportunities to do so… especially as we push towards Andorhal and whatever malign force that controls the Scourge there. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: Word arrived shortly before you did, Bradanna. With the Scourge ejected from Andorhal, we are one step closer to retaking Lordaeron. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: We must always be prepared for battle, Bradanna. Whether that battle is against the Forsaken in Andorhal, against the Scourge in the east, or against some yet-unknown foe is unknown. What is known, is that we must be ready. We are low on arrows. I can obtain the shafts and heads, but I still need feathers. The birds that circle to the northwest typically molt this time of year. Would you mind traveling out into the field and gathering some of these feathers for our camp? The Dwarves were willing to go gather up some molted feathers. It’s nice that Commander Ashlam Valorfist, who sounds very focused on being ready for war, didn’t ask The Dwarves to kill the birds. Collecting the feathers the birds have already dropped will get the job done. Commander Ashlam realized that the birds were not his enemy. Thurman Grant has a sad story to tell. Thurman Grant: I hail from Westfall, far to the south…as do these men that travel with me. We are farmers, and nothing more. I had been told that Lordaeron had been healed, and that it was ready for tilling. However, this “Commander” now tells me that it’s too dangerous to proceed. He says that there’s a war going on, and that the plague lands still aren’t healed. Before anything else, I need to get some food in my men’s stomachs. Anything will do. Bear meat seems to be plentiful. Hansbrix, of course, took offense at Thurman Grant’s suggestion that he allow Fridge to be turned into dinner! Thurman Grant assured Hansbrix that wasn’t what he meant at all. He pointed toward the trees and asked The Dwarves to hunt some Shaggy Black Bears. Argent Officer Pureheart, of The Argent Crusade, was informative, but didn’t have a quest for The Dwarves. Argent Officer Pureheart: Well met, friend. I am Officer Pureheart, and I am a proud member of a world-wide organization known as the Argent Crusade. Our cause is simple – fight swiftly and mercilessly against any element of evil that surfaces in Azeroth. We are not a political body, nor do we ever wish to become one. To that end, we call both the Alliance and the Horde both as friends – friends in the cause of stamping out evil! For the Light, my sister! Bradanna nodded her head and listened to Argent Office Pureheart, and then walked away. There was something odd about this human, who felt the need to insist that her organization was not part of a political group, after proudly telling Bradanna that her organization likes to “fight swiftly and mercilessly against any element of evil that surfaces in Azeroth”. Bradanna wasn’t quite sure if this was a cult, and worried that Argent Officer Pureheart was about to ask her to make a donation. Hansbrix sent Fridge off to “tank”, while he and Bradanna fired at the Shaggy Black Bears from a distance. In between fighting Shaggy Black Bears, The Dwarves remembered to gather the Brownfeather Quills that were on the ground. Ok, back to fighting bears! Ready to turn in the bear meat and feather quests Thurman Grant: You hunt like a true priest…Even if we can’t set up homesteads… at least we can still eat. This time, Thurman Grant decided to insult Bradanna. Whatcha mean “you hunt like a true priest?” Bradanna felt mocked. She realized, however, that Thurman Grant probably didn’t mean it that way. He was just a rather awkward human. Ding! Bradanna hit Level 39! Commander Ashlam Valorfist: I will have my fletchers get to work on these. I am glad to see you being useful right away, Bradanna. Perhaps later I will have some more exciting tasks for you. It did not take Commander Ashlam Valorfist long to assign The Dwarves a “more exciting” task. True to his word, this quest proved to be more interesting than the one where he had them gathering feathers. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: These farmers from the south wish to take these farms, but I can’t let them enter the plaguelands unprepared. Even with the Scourge gone, danger still looms in the form of the Forsaken. No, we must be ready to fight…and that includes our new visitors. Before doing anything else, however, I would recommend that you travel to Uther’s Tomb, to the east, and place this tribute before his statue to ask for his blessing. Speak with the priest that tends to the tomb when you are finished. It appears that the majority of the people at Chillwind Camp take a while to get used to strangers. Very few wanted to talk with The Dwarves when they first arrived. All of a sudden, they got very chatty. Argent Officer Pureheart: I saw the strangest commotion coming through town the other day. A horse-drawn cart, loaded with crates and chests. A worgen woman at the reins, a blood elf by her side, and a dwarven paladin running behind, yelling some of the most creative obscenities I’ve heard in quite some time. They looked like they were headed to Eastern Plaguelands, though I’d imagine they can’t be far past the Thondroril River by now. I wonder what they were up to? Bradanna did not expect to see an Orc standing there. She wondered what happened to the Dwarf who was there before. High Priestess MacDonnell: Sorrow Hill, up the road to the northeast, was one of the first places that the Argent Crusaders and Cenarion Circle were able to heal. The area is now freed of the Scourge. However, there are still many specters of the past that, for some reason, have not passed on into the next world. They may be mourning, or they may have unfinished business… or they may just be lost. Take my thurible and use it to douse them with holy incense. One way or another, we will help them move onto the next plane. Alexia Ironknife: Greetings, priest. Don’t have too much time to talk — I’m just using Chillwind as a camp to get some rest before heading to Hearthglen. I’ve heard word that before they went crazy, the Scarlet Crusade had a mage working for them who was trying to create powerful bows and guns for their soldiers. I’m not sure if he succeeded or not… the Crusade killed him before any of his finished product made it out… or maybe they distrust the arcane that much. Alchemist Arbington: This job is definitely not worth sixteen-five a year. The Dwarves drove out to Sorrow Hill. Fridge ran along beside them. He’s pretty fast for a bear! Withdrawn Soul: Get away from here! Bradanna, Hansbrix, and Fridge battled some spirits at Sorrow Hill. The spirits started out being very unfriendly towards The Dwarves. Fortunately, their attitudes changed after the fight was over. Withdrawn Soul: I must be going now… Withdrawn Soul: I’ve waited here for too long. Time to say goodbye. Withdrawn Soul: I…I think I’m ready to leave now. Sorrow Hill is a good name for this area. There is something deeply depressing about encountering all these lingering souls, who haven’t left yet. They eventually find peace, and decide to move on. That too, is sad. After wandering around Sorrow Hill for a while, The Dwarves discovered the Path of Uther. The Dwarves found a statue in the Sorrow Hill graveyard. There was no marker to tell them who the statue was of. They decided to take a “tourist photo” anyway, figuring they might someday run into someone who could tell them about the statue. Fridge, as usual, photobombed what would otherwise have been a very somber image. Lovely yellow flowers line the Path of Uther. The Dwarves discovered Uther’s Tomb, and met High Priest Thel’danis (who seems to be the caretaker.) There, at the end of the tomb, was a magnificent statute of Uther the Lightbringer, surrounded by the Light. Here lies Uther the Lightbringer First Paladin – Founder of the Order of the Silver Hand Uther lived and died to defend the kingdom of Lordaeron. Though he was betrayed by his most beloved student, we believe that his spirit lives on. He continues to watch over us, even as the shadows close in around our ruined land. His light is the light of all humanity – and so long as we honor his example, it shall never fade. ???????? – Anonymous One by one, The Dwarves received Uther’s Blessing. High Priest Thel’danis: You and the humans at Chillwind Camp wish to re-take Andorhal? I wish you luck. Bradanna wasn’t quite sure if High Priest Thel’danis was giving The Dwarves a blessing, or if this was a polite way of saying that he expected us to fail. High Priest Thel’danis: If you truly intend to move forward in this battle for Andorhal… well, perhaps I can help. To the east lies a large crypt. The bottom level of the crypt was once used for storage of weapons and armor… until the Scourge came. Now that the undead have left, the weapons are free for the taking. Most of the weapons are probably rusted and rotten by now, but they will serve better than tunics and pitchforks. High Priest Thel’danis pointed out where to go, and The Dwarves chose to take the quest he offered them. He had a point. The farmers back at Chillwind Camp were going to need more than pitchforks if they were going to fight the Scourge. The Dwarves climbed a large hill and discovered Sorrow Hill Crypt before they could see it. Fridge pointed towards it and growled. He could smell whatever was over there, and didn’t like it one bit. Bradanna hesitated as she looked down upon Sorrow Hill Crypt. It looked so peaceful from here. She knew, however, that things were not always as they appeared to be Western Plaguelands. She raced down the hill to catch up with Hansbrix and Fridge. They had entered the Crypt without her, which she felt was a bad decision. Once again, she was glad she decided to become a healer, and hurried towards Hansbrix and Fridge as fast as she could. Despite what High Priest Thel’danis said, the crypt appeared to be empty. There were no weapons or armor pieces to be found. Fridge started growling at something The Dwarves couldn’t see. Bradanna quickly moved and prepared react to whatever was about to happen. That was when Foulmane lurched into view. The battle began! Foulmane pushed The Dwarves back to the stairs – but they did not give up. The Dwarves prevailed! After taking a moment to catch their breath, they noticed a glowing object on the other side of the room. It looked important. It turned out to be nothing more than a broken weapons crate. That was disappointing! Scattered all over the bottom level of the crypt, you find shattered crates that once held weapons and armor. It appears that somebody got here before you did. The Dwarves figured Foulmane was the one who smashed the crates. But, he wasn’t wearing armor or using any weapons. They wondered what happened to the old weapons and armor – but were interrupted. Ambushed! As you turn around, you see the silhouettes of shambling skeletons on the stairs. The undead aren’t gone from this crypt. They were lying in wait! Furthermore, they appear to be armed with the weapons that you came looking for. You’ll have to escape from the crypt. On your way out, you should gather as many pieces of equipment as you can. Skeletal Flayers and Skeletal Sorcerers appeared! It was now obvious who took the weapons and armor. The Dwarves and Fridge had to fight their way out of the crypt, and pick up random armor and weapons while the battle was going on. The battle continued after The Dwarves left the crypt. There were well armored skeletons outside. And then, it was over! The peace only lasted a few moments, before The Dwarves had to fight their way past more skeletons. Eventually, The Dwarves realized that their best option was to drive past the skeletons and return to Chillwind Camp. The Dwarves encountered Marlene Redpath just outside of Sorrow Hill. She wasn’t all there, and didn’t have anything to say. The Dwarves realized that they could see right through her. She didn’t look anything like the angry spirits in Sorrow Hill did. Was she a ghost? Did Marlene Redpath die in the house she now stands in front of? Whatever her story is…. has been lost. The Dwarves informed High Priestess MacDonnell that they released the spirits at Sorrow Hill. She was obviously greatly relieved to hear that. Bradanna handed High Priestess MacDonnell back her thurible. High Priestess MacDonnell: Hopefully, most of them passed on peacefully. I thank you, Bradanna. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: What happened at Uther’s Tomb, Bradanna? Commander Ashlam Valorfist: Attacked by ghosts? Strange. I suppose the crypt wasn’t fully healed after all. You just missed Thurman Grant…you remember, that oaf of a farmer that was here earlier. He took his men with him and traveled to the nearest farm…against my orders. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: The farmers traveled to the Writhing Haunt, an old farm to the northeast, across the river. Someone needs to keep an eye on them. Bring them those rusty weapons and armor you found. We can’t them fighting with pitchforks. Argent Officer Pureheart: These men and women here at Chillwind Camp have noble goals, but their ultimate purpose is war. I would like to offer you an opportunity to pursue more peaceful goals. At the Menders’ Stead, beyond war-torn Andorhal to the north, the Argent Crusade has joined forces with the Cenarion Circle. Together, we work on healing this land from the plague that used to reign here. Are you interested in joining our cause, priest? Bradanna and Hansbrix looked at each other and shrugged. The accepted Argent Officer Pureheart’s quest but did not necessarily agree to join. Instead, The Dwarves figured that offering the Cenerian Circle some help would be ok. Hansbrix, Bradanna, and Fridge discovered The Writing Haunt. The Dwarves found Thurman Grant inside a small, and nicely decorated, house at The Writhing Haunt. Thurman Grant: Did Valorfist send you? He doesn’t know when to let up, does he? Thurman Grant: Well, now that you’re here, we’ll gladly take that armor off your hands. You can keep the weapons, though. These men wouldn’t know which end to hold. The Dwarves happily handed over the armor. The farmers won’t have to know much, other than how to put it on properly, in order to make use of it. As for the weapons… it appears that Commander Ashram Valorfist didn’t bother to ask the farmers if they knew how to use the weapons The Dwarves were sent collect, or if the farmers wanted to learn how to use them. Bradanna wondered how the farmers were going to survive all the way out here, far from Chillwind Camp, and without anyone who knows how to use simple weapons to defend themselves with. Thurman Grant provided an answer. Thurman Grant: I told Commander Valorfist that we could hold our own, and we intend to. I had a little conversation with the death knight general, Thassarian, on my way over here. We farmers plan to help in our own way. We will take control of this farm, begin to cultivate the land…and then when the battle for Andorhal commences, we will attack the Forsaken from the rear. They’ll never expect it. First, we need to get rid of these Forsaken outriders. Kill some, then return to me. The Dwarves set out to kill some Forsaken Outriders. The farmers joined in. Thurman Grant was right – it does seem the farmers can “hold their own” here. They were out here killing Forsaken Outriders before The Dwarves got there. The farmers had even found the time to cultivate the land (in between fighting Forsaken Outriders). The Dwarves didn’t know anything about these plants, other than they grew much taller than Dwarves. The Dwarves returned to Thurman Grant to let him know they killed some Forsaken Outriders, as he had asked. Thurman Grant praised The Dwarves fighting skills. “My men could stand to learn a few moves from experienced fighters like you,” Thurman Grant said. Thurman Grant: In fact, you might still be able to help train some of my men. You probably noticed the abomination outside. We initially tried to fight him, but he didn’t want to fight back. He seems to want to help out on the farm. Take a group of four settlers and challenge this abomination to combat. He seems to be pretty tough, but with one of him and five of you, I think you’ll have a chance at beating him. Together, The Dwarves gathered up a total of eight of Thurman Grant’s Provincial Minutemen. They grabbed their pitchforks and followed The Dwarves toward the abomination. Fridge ran along with them, as usual. None of the farmers seemed to care that one member of their party was a bear. Bradanna figured that these farmers had seen worse things, and Fridge was showing no interest in attacking the farmers. It turned out Thurman Grant’s suspicion was right. The abomination introduced himself. His name is Gory, and he wants to help out on the farm. Gory: Gory wants to help out on farm. Gory already has his own scythe! One of the farmers yelled out: If you really want to help out, you can help me and my friends with some combat practice. The Dwarves looked at each other, alarmed what had just happened. This was a fight that didn’t need to happen. On the other hand, the farmers had reason to not want to welcome an abomination on their farm. The sight of Gory was unnerving! Gory: You want to fight? Alright, Gory fight. Gory: Gory give up! You farmers fight more good! Gory stopped fighting and just stood there. The farmers quickly realized that the battle was over, and started walking away from the abomination. This was a strange situation. Bradanna wondered if Gory needed healing. She felt bad for him. All he wanted to do was help on the farm – and he got attacked by eight human farmers, two Dwarves, and a bear. At the same time, Bradanna thought Gory was repulsive. She reluctantly decided it just wasn’t a good idea to try and heal an abomination. The Dwarves and all of the farmers/Provincial Minutemen went together to let Thurman Grant know what happened. Bradanna wasn’t sure he would believe their story. An abomination who doesn’t want to fight? It seemed unrealistic. Fortunately, the room full of witnesses to what occurred were enough to convince any reasonable person. Thurman Grant: We can handle things from here. I thank you for your help, Bradanna. I assume that when we next meet, it will be in battle. Take care of yourself until then. We’ll need all the help we can get. As a player, I found it interesting that the quest text was written as if a single player did the quests. Bradanna and Hansbrix were in a group, so they each got individuated responses that included their name. I guess this was the easiest way to make the quest text, since it could make sense for both single players and groups. It still felt a little weird, though. Thurman Grant had nothing more for The Dwarves to help with, and the farmers needed to get back to working on the farm. Before they left, The Dwarves wanted to check on Gory. The Dwarves carefully walked up to Gory. He was still standing in the same place. It was clear that Gory wasn’t the smartest of creatures, and Bradanna wondered if the farmers would continue to fight him. They might choose to ignore him, which didn’t quite feel right either. “Gory… are you doing all right?” Bradanna asked. Gory: Gory just happy to be in the sun. Bradanna reconsidered her assumption. Gory clearly wasn’t very smart, but he still had wisdom to share. She wished that everyone on Azeroth could be made happy simply by being in the sun for a while. Bradanna wanted to remember Gory’s words when tough times returned. After waiving goodbye to Gory, The Dwarves drove to The Mender’s Stead. The Dwarves met Field Agent Kaartish at The Menders’ Stead. Field Agent Kaartish: Welcome, priest. As you can see, our camp is a joint expedition between Argent Crusade members and Cenarion Circle druids, but we welcome all who wish to help heal the land. Field Agent Kaartish: No longer does the Scourge hold this area. We, the living, are retaking Lordaeron. We have taken great strides already, as you have already seen. The earth flowers, the trees grow tall and green, and the wildlife is beginning to return. Yet a few remnants of undeath remain. While the trees and grass prosper, the animals are struggling. Something is preventing them from healing, and I intend to find out what. Bring me samples from the plagued wildlife so that I may study them more closely. Next, The Dwarves spoke with Adrine Towhide, who also needed their help. Or, to be more accurate, she needed The Dwarves to help someone else. Adrine Towhide: I am Adrine Towhide, a druid of the Cenarion Circle. You can thank us for healing this land, where once there was only death. We accept all who choose to follow the druidic path, regardless of race, faction or talent. Occasionally, that means we enlist a druid who needs more help than others. I’d like you to meet Zen’Kiki. He’s pretty new, and he’s still learning his craft. Would you mind taking him out with you for a while? You can practice combat on the plagued animals that roam nearby. Zen’Kiki: Ready to go, mon! Selyria Groenveld: Dwarf! I’m glad someone’s here to help me out. We Cenarion druids have re-cultivated Daison’s Farm, immediately behind me. The land has flourished and our crops have been successful… mostly. A few plants seem to still be infected by the plague that ran through this land. Perhaps their roots were too deep, perhaps the seeds were weak… I cannot say. All I can say is that I need an able priest like you to help me remove the bad plants from the good ones. Before heading out, The Dwarves talked with Durnt Brightfalcon, a fellow Dwarf. Durnt Brightfalcon: Word is in from Andorhal, Bradanna. The battle has resumed. It has become somewhat well-known among the Alliance forces that you’re a hero of the first battle of Andorhal. Thassarian has requested your presence immediately. The Dwarves, Fridge, and Zen’Kiki were ready to leave The Menders’ Stead and get to work. This screenshot shows Zen’Kiki standing near Bradanna. What I couldn’t see was that Hansbrix had his own Zen’Kiki. The Dwarves fought a hulking plaguebear. Zen’Kiki tried to help. Zen’Kiki: Shapeshift! Zen’Kiki’s ready to pounce! Zen’Kiki: This isn’t right. Bradanna wasn’t sure what kind of creature Zen’Kiki turned himself into. She was pretty sure it wasn’t one that belonged on land. Zen’Kiki: Shapeshift! Here comes de moonfire! Zen’Kiki: It burns like the moon! Zen’Kiki hit himself with his moonfire. Bradanna was unimpressed. She considered healing him… but then figured maybe this was a good learning experience for a new druid. The Dwarves killed some really big spiders. They needed to collect samples from them for Field Agent Kaartish. The Dwarves ran through The Writhing Haunt to collect the last of the samples. Zen’Kiki tried his best, but he really wasn’t much help. Bradanna believed he meant well, though. The Dwarves returned to The Mender’s Stead to speak with the people who had asked for their help. Field Agent Kaartish: Once the animals are healed, our duties here will be nearly complete. Field Agent Kaartish: I will need some time to study these samples, Bradanna. I will speak to you again when I have completed my analysis. Field Agent Kaartish: We are not the only Argent Crusaders here in the plague lands. Our headquarters, Hearthglen, lies to the north. Even nearer to the north is a small lumber mill which we also control. Nathaniel Dumah is my main contact at the lumber mill. I encourage you to speak with him, should you find yourself in that part of the woods. Next, The Dwarves spoke with Adrine Towhide. She wanted to know details about how Zen’Kiki did. The Dwarves were extremely honest with their assessment of Zen’Kiki’s abilities as a druid. Adrine Towhide: It looks like Zen’Kiki is still having a little bit of trouble with his shapeshifting. Adrine Towhide: Among other things, Zen’Kiki needs to work on his spell accuracy. I could see his wrath spells spirling out of control even from here! In fact, I used them as a marker to follow your progress through the woods. Perhaps we can use Zen’Kiki another way. Take him up to the top of the all just to our east. The diseased hawks that circle above that hill must be destroyed. Ask Zen’Kiki to shoot at these hawks. Even if he can’t hit them, he will distract them so you can finish them off. Zen’Kiki: Ready to go, mon! Hansbrix took Fridge and went to do some necessary shopping before they headed out to complete their latest tasks. Bradanna kept her eye on Zen’Kiki. She wasn’t impressed with him at all, and felt like he would quickly get himself into trouble if no one was watching. As Zen’Kiki wandered around The Mender’s Stead, Bradanna moved just close enough to be in range in case he suddenly became in bad need of healing. Zen’Kiki: You just let Zen’Kiki know when you’re ready! I’ll bring one of these birds down for ya! Zen’Kiki: Here comes Zen’Kiki! Zen’Kiki was still having trouble with shapeshifting. He didn’t seem to know which way to face, and the Diseased Hawk was about to attack him. Fridge stepped in to tank, while Bradanna and Hansbrix shot the Diseased Hawk from a distance. Zen’Kiki: I seem to be… stuck… After The Dwarves killed the required number of diseased birds, they returned Zen’Kiki to Adrine Towhide. Adrine Towhide: Now we’re getting somewhere. How may birds did Zen’Kiki end up killing? None? You killed them all yourself? Alright, I suppose we’ll have to find another use for him then. I will let you know when the time is right. Next, The Dwarves headed over to Dalson’s Farm. It wasn’t very far away, so they decided just to run over there. The fought, and killed, some Thrashing Pumpkins. They also removed some unhealthy-looking pumpkins. Next, they went to remove rotten apples from the orchard. This is where The Dwarves ran into some Pome Wraths who attacked them. When this Pome Wrath was out of the way, The Dwarves continued their task. It’s always a good idea to remove the rotten apples before they spoil the bunch. Other Pome Wraths interrupted them, and were just as quickly dispatched. The last bit of agricultural work The Dwarves needed to do was to remove bad corn. It sounded easy, until the Corn Stalkers attacked. The Dwarves were well prepared to defeat these enemies. The Dwarves reported back to Selyria Groenveld, and told her about the rotten things that were at Dalson’s Farm. Selyria Groenveld: Thank you for your help, Bradanna. I know that picking vegetables isn’t the most heroic task imaginable, but even the humblest tasks have their rewards. Bradanna hit Level 40! Hanxbrix had already hit Level 40. He was always a bit ahead of Bradanna. The last thing to do was return to Andorhal and speak with Thassarian again. The Dwarves were right back where they started from, shortly after entering Western Plaguelands. Thassarian: Word has it that you helped those farmers arm themselves. Well, now they’ve initiated the attack without my order! They’ve forced my hand. The battle has resumed. This time, we fight the Forsaken… and I fight Koltira, my old brother of the Ebon Blade. Bradanna shook her head. Technically, The Dwarves armored the farmers. They never gave them arms, because Thurman Grant said that the farmers wouldn’t know which end to hold. It felt to her like Thassarian was using the situation as an excuse to start a fight with his “frenemy”. Thassarian: To the east, deep within Forsaken-held Andorhal, you will find their commanders. They do not fight, but call out orders from horseback. Hunt down and slay these commanders, Bradanna. The Forsaken won’t stand a chance. Lang Loosegrip had some advice for the The Dwarves. The advice was a bit vague, but he probably meant well. Lang Loosegrip: I’m no military expert, but this battle looks to be in our favor. Our defenders are equally matched with their death guards, but the farmers’ militia has taken them by surprise from the rear. For the Alliance! Still, we should all do what we can to make sure that we win. Travel east into Andorhal and slay the Forsaken death guards that are fighting with our men. The sooner they die, the quicker we can re-take Andorhal! The Dwarves, and Fridge, took on the Forsaken Deathguards, one at a time. Thassarian: Well done. With them out of the way, I have no more excuses. Soon, I must battle Koltira, for honor and for Andorhal. Thassarian: We are winning this battle, Bradanna. As long as those farmers keep chipping away at the Forsaken’s flanks, we will overtake them. And just like that, Thassarian changed his mind about the farmers, the moment he saw how useful they were. The Dwarves let Lang Loosegrip know that they completed the task he sent them on to kill the Deathguards. Lang Loosegrip: You fight well, Bradanna. I wish I had your ability… and your bravery. The Dwarves went back to talk with Thassarian, figuring he would have some plan worked out for the battle ahead. Thassarian: We nearly have this battle won, Bradanna. I can taste victory. The Forsaken never stood a… What the hell is that!? The Dwarves turned around to see what Thassarian was looking at. Thassarian: Is that a… val’kyr? Bradanna squinted her eyes… and could just barely see the form of something flying toward them. The Dwarves had never seen anything like this before! Val’kyr: Kneel, Alliance! Kneel before the might of the Forsaken! With that, this beautiful, horrible, creature, and the ones it brought with it, began an attack. Thassarian: Val’Kyr? Koltira brought val’kyr to this fight? Has he gone mad? No, this is not Koltira’s work. This was Sylvanas. Thassarian: The val’kyr were one of the Scourge’s primary weapons. Not only were they skilled in battle, but they could be used to convert corpses into Scourge minions. To think that Sylvanas is stooping to such levels for the sake of the Forsaken… We need to stop the val’kyr before they wipe us out and turn our army against us. Slay as many as you can find. And bring some of these minutemen with you. If they’ve survived this long, then they must have some battle skill. The Dwarves could hardly believe the situation they had gotten into. They were about to fight lesser Val’kyr with a bunch of militiamen who were armed with pitchforks. Thurman Grant: Our militia has been nearly wiped out. Only I and these few farmers remain. Those winged creatures… they took the bodies of our men and… and turned them into walking, undead corpses! With every one of our men they took, they bolstered their own ranks. It pains me to admit it, but you will ned to fight them too, along with the deathguards and val’kyr. As they did in life, they hunt in packs, so take some of my minutemen with you. The Dwarves, and Fridge, led the remaining militia into battle. They fought against Forsaken Troopers. Bradanna found these battles to be tough. It wasn’t because they were not up to the task. She worried about the militia who had to, once again, fight against their (now undead) brothers. She and Hansbrix led the militia past the fallen body of the one they just killed. The corpse lay on the road in Andorhal, ignored out of necessity. The battle continued to wage around them, and there simply was no time for anyone to mourn for their lost friends. The moment The Dwarves, and their band of militiamen, killed a val’kyr – another one began to attack. This was the kind of battle where one wrong move could turn out to be completely disastrous. Victorious! Thurman Grant: You fought valiantly, but we’re getting nowhere. Every body that falls just fuels their forces. Thassarian: For every val’kyr you slay, you save dozens of our men… and prevent the Forsaken forces from growing. Still, they press on. We may not will this battle after all. Thassarian: I spoke too quickly, Bradanna. Even with your support, things are looking grim for our forces out there. Thassarian: Our last hope of victory lies in defeating the val’kyr. You’ve done well up until now… but you’re only one woman and there are literally dozens of them raining destruction on the battlefield. One enormous val’kyr sits atop the tower to our south… you can see her from here. Perhaps if we eliminate her, the remaining val’kyr will dissipate. This is our only hope. Bring some of Grant’s men with you. You’ll need their protection for this battle. The Dwarves took a moment to make a plan with the militiamen, as Aradne watched while floating above the tower. Thassarian seemed to think that maybe Bradanna and her militiamen could take on Aradne by themselves, but didn’t seem hopeful about the outcome. Bradanna was undaunted, though. With Hansbrix and Fridge by her side, along with Hansbrix’s militiamen – this seemed like a battle they just might win. The first thing to do was climb to the top of the tower. The battle was intense, but went very quickly. Here lies the corpse of the Val’kyr Aradne. Thassarian: I watched your victory from below. Well-fought, but ultimately, it was for naught. The val’kyr and the Forsaken press on: soon they will overtake us. We have lost Andorhal. Thassarian: Head south, to Chillwind Camp. Tell Commander Ashlam Valorfist everything that happened here. Me? I’m going west, into Tirisfal. My battle’s not over yet. I’ve got an appointment with that harpy that calls herself a Banshee Queen…and I’m finding out what she did to Koltira. The Dwarves returned to Chillwind Camp to give Commander Ashlam Valorfist the news about Andorhal. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: Lost? No…next, they’ll be coming for Chillwind, I suppose. This was a major strategic blow to the Alliance’s plans for Lordaeron. Very well. I will report the results of this battle to King Wrynn. I don’t expect him to be happy. The Dwarves were right back where they started from. This was not the end of their adventure through Western Plaguelands, though. There was more to explore. The Dwarves Explore Western Plaguelands – Part 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 PayPal.me. Thank you!... World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth – Alliance SideJune 9, 2018World of Warcraft / World of Warcraft BetasAfter completing the Battle for Lordaeron (and several of the quests that followed) on the Horde side of the World of Warcraft: – Battle for Azeroth Beta, I decided it was time to see what the Alliance side of that battle was like. This required me to roll a new character (which will disappear when the Beta ends). I chose to play a Dark Iron Dwarf, which is an Alliance Allied Race. Thelgarn (whose name came from a random Dwarf name generator I found online) is a Warrior. This blog contains screenshots, Twitch videos, and commentary about the Alliance side of the Battle for Azeroth Beta. There are some spoilers ahead. Watch World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth Beta – Battle of Lordaeron Alliance Side from Queenofhaiku on www.twitch.tv Here is an example of the strange, red lines that I mentioned in the video. I found them disturbing, but cannot fully explain why. They just felt wrong. I kept getting distracted by these red lines hovering over the landscape while I was playing through the Battle for Lordaeron. It is pretty obvious that those lines are not supposed to be here. I’ve reported it as a bug, and figure that other players have, too. Hopefully, these bizarre red lines will be removed before this expansion launches. High Overlord Saurfang is somewhere in the middle of that mob. I’ll leave you to watch the video above to see what happens with him. Without giving too much away, I will say that part of his story continues for Horde players. Saurfang pops up in the Stormwind Stockade, and has something to say. As far as I can tell, only Horde players will get that part of the story (because it comes up during a series of quests that follow the Battle for Lordaeron on the Horde side). Watch World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth Beta – Kul Tiras from Queenofhaiku on www.twitch.tv This lovely mount is called a Swift Red Gryphon. I had one of these on my Horde character during the Battle for Azeroth beta. This mount flies in Stormwind, but would not fly in some of the new areas of the Horde side. This does not surprise me. I figure there are probably new flying skills to purchase before characters can fly in new Battle for Azeroth zones. Shortly after this point in the Beta, I decided to try and get to Silithus so I could work on some quests that required me to travel to that zone. The flight master could not send me there – because I was on the wrong continent. So, I flew across Stormwind, got on a boat – and discovered a bug. Later, I learned that I had selected the wrong boat. Thelgarn the Warrior ended up in Kul Tiras – which clearly was not the right place. It wasn’t even the right continent. He quickly found some dinner, and then started exploring. I’d already been through some of this when during the Battle for Azeroth Alpha. New things had been added since then. Eventually, Thelgarn decided he had enough of Kul Tiras. He tried to find the boat that brought him here, but it left before he could get on. This gave him some time to look all official by sitting at this desk. Watch World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth Beta – Killing Goblins for Mysterious Ore from Queenofhaiku on www.twitch.tv In this video, after waiting around for a boat that was taking a long time to arrive, Thelgarn remembered he could just hearth back to Stormwind and start over. A group of players was fighting a Target Dummy, who appears to be throwing Rubik’s Cubes. I’m guessing that the cube is a temporary stand in for something else that, for whatever reason, was not added to the Battle for Azeroth Beta. It turned out that Thelgarn was supposed to take this portal to Darnassus. I assumed that the boat all the way at the end of the row was the one that went to Kalimdor. It appears that is not so in the Battle for Azeroth Beta. Thelgarn ended up standing on a rock near the shoreline, which felt kind of random. But, I guess a portal can be set to pretty much anywhere in Azeroth. So… whatever. My biggest frustration with the Alliance side of the Battle for Azeroth is that the quest chains do not flow. Start in Stormwind – queue for Battle for Lorderon. Hang around until it suddenly becomes your turn to participate. Finish the battle, and end up back in Stormwind. Find a quest giver (or two) who want you to go to Silithus. But, before you can do that, you are supposed to speak with King Anduin. This involves watching a cinematic of the King giving a speech and talking with two (important) NPCs while the player…. waits and watches. I had some confusion about how to get to Kalimdor, but that could be my own fault. It is reasonable to assume that players would just understand that they were supposed to use the portal. Arrive in Darnassas, standing on a rock. Take what feels like a very long flight from the nearest Flight Trainer to Silithus. This is kind of a fuzzy screenshot, in part because my character was in flight, and also because the whole area is a strange, pink, tone. The disturbing red line in the sky is back. I reported it as a bug. I’ve no idea why I see these red lines on the Alliance side, but didn’t see any of them on the Horde side. The red lines in the air became purple lines in the air somewhere around Ashenvale. Pick up a few more quests in Silitus. Complete some, turn them in, get a few more. One of the quests involves killing goblins to obtain Mysterious Ore, and another asks the player to put explosives on some Shredders. These quests were fun, and fairly easy to do. Watch World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth Beta – Meeting Magni from Queenofhaiku on www.twitch.tv Oh, wait! I was supposed to speak with Magni who just so happens to be on the other side of the same area I’m working on quests in. Speak with Magni, and you take a … I’m gonna call it a “waypoint”… to somewhere. Once there, you watch a cinematic that explains how Azeroth got wounded. To me, it felt like players must do this to complete that part of a quest. Talk to Magni, do a little quest, and get the super important amulet. Magni says to take the … waypoint… back. I assume this means back outside this special chamber. But, no. Thelgarn suddenly found himself back in Stormwind, with a quest to go see King Anduin. I had two quests in Silithus that I hadn’t started yet, and will now have to take the long flight back out there in order to complete them. It just doesn’t flow. This is disappointing because the Horde side of the Battle for Azeroth Beta flows really well. Obviously, things can change between now, and when the Battle for Azeroth expansion is released. I’m doing my part and reporting all the bugs that I find in the Beta (as I did in the Alpha). Overall, I think I will enjoy this new expansion, but might be focusing on my Horde characters a bit more than my Alliance ones for the Battle for Azeroth content. World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth – Alliance Side 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!... Out of Spoons (Chronic Illness)America Needs Universal Health CareFebruary 5, 2019Out of Spoons / Public HealthPhoto by Miguel Á. Padriñán from Pexels It has been called “Single-Payer Health Care”, “Medicare For All”, “Medicaid For All”, and “Universal Health Care”. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom all have Universal Health Plans. America Needs Universal Health Care. This blog post has a timeline of information about the Universal Health Care in the United States of America. It includes studies that show it can work better than our insurance-based system, ideas for implementing it, and how it would help people. May 31, 2017: The Sacramento Bee posted an article titled: “Higher taxes on cars and dining to pay for California health care? Nurses have a proposal”. It was written by Angela Hart. From the article: …A report by economists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, released Wednesday, found that overall health care spending in California would fall 18 percent under the proposal from state Sent. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, and Toni Atkins, D-San Diego.Accounting for savings achieved with their Senate Bill 562, it would cost $331 billion per year to run a universal coverage system in which state government, with taxpayer dollars, pays for medical service and procedures – down from more than $404 billion in spending under today’s system, according to the economic analysis. It was paid for by the California Nurses Association, the bill’s lead sponsor, which also endorsed Lara in his 2018 run for state insurance commissioner.The report proposes a complete overhaul of the state’s current health care system. People would no longer have to purchase insurance through Kaiser or Anthem Blue Cross, for example. Instead, health care payments would be reorganized under a single state-run system funded, in part, by new taxes on consumer purchases like new cars and dining out at restaurants, and business revenue.There would be no insurance premiums. No out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. No more deductibles.To make the universal health care proposal work, however, existing state and federal funding that subsidizes health care for low-income people, seniors, and people with disabilities would have to remain in place. That could be a challenge under President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress. Of the $331 billion needed to run the system, $225 billion would come from state and federal sources, a portion of which is currently spent on MediCal and Medicare.Cost savings would come through reductions in executive salaries and administrative costs for health care billing, as well as unnecessary or inefficient medical services. The state could also negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices and restructure reimbursement rates paid to providers – the current fee structure pays based on the quantity and complexity of medical services provided.Providing universal access to care would also lower costs by allowing people to see the doctor when they need to instead of delaying doctor visits because they can’t pay, the report found……Business groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce, and health insurers like Kaiser oppose the proposal… September 13, 2017: Senator Bernie Sanders introduced S.1804 – Medicare for All Act of 2017 to the Senate. It was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. Cosponsors of the bill included: Tammy Baldwin (Democrat – Wisconsin), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), Al Franken (D-Minnesota), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), Kamala Harris (D-California), Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island). The purpose of the bill was to establish a Medicare-for-all national health insurance program. Here are some key points of the bill: Every individual who is a resident of the United States is entitled to benefits for health care services under this Act. No person shall, on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, including sex stereotyping, gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy and related medical conditions (including termination of pregnancy), be excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination by any participating provider… or entity conducting, administering, or funding a health program or activity, including contracts of insurance.Covered benefits include: hospital services, including inpatient and outpatient hospital care, including 24-hour-a-day emergency services and inpatient prescription drugs; ambulatory patient services; primary and preventative services, including chronic disease management; prescription drugs, medical devices, biological products, including outpatient prescription drugs, medical devices, and biological products; mental health and substance abuse treatment services, including inpatient care; laboratory and diagnostic services; comprehensive reproductive, maternity, and newborn care; pediatrics; oral health, audiology, and vision services; short-term rehabilitative and habilitation services and devicesNo cost-sharingBy not later than September 1 of each year, beginning with the year prior to the date on which benefits first become available…the Secretary [of Health and Human Services] shall establish a national health budget, which specifies the total expenditures to be made for covered health care services under this Act.An Office of Primary Health Care will be established within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Its main function is to be the hub that coordinates everything.Medicare for All will be paid for by a Universal Medicare Trust Fund. The money comes from taxes. It also comes from funding for Medicare, Medicaid, the Federal Employees Health Care Benefits program, TRICARE, and the maternal and child health program. All of those would become part of Medicare for All.The bill includes a Transitional Medicare Buy-In Option and Transitional Public Option, and establishes the Medicare Transition Plan. Transitional Medicare Reforms protect against high out-of-pocket expenditures for fee-for-service benefits and elimination of Parts A and B deductibles. July 19, 2018: Representative Pramila Jayapal (Democrat – Washington) posted a press release on her official website titled: “Rep. Jayapal, Rep. Ellison, Rep. Dingell, and Members of Congress Launch Medicare For All Congressional Caucus”. From the press release: …The Medicare for All Congressional Caucus will help build the evidence base for Medicare for All. It will sponsor briefings on topics ranging from the basics of Medicare for All to financing universal health care systems around the world. In development is also a clearinghouse of resources for members of Congress and their staff. Additionally, the caucus will provide an opportunity for members and their staff to interact with partners and providers across the country to gain a practical understanding of how a Medicare for All system would work.Support for Medicare for All is growing, not only among movement-builders, but within Congress. At its launch, an unprecedented 70 members had joined the caucus… July 30, 2018: The Intercept posted an article titled: “Koch-Backed Think Tank Finds “Medicare For All” Would Cut Health Care Spending And Raise Wages. Whoops.”. It was written by Ryan Grum and Zaid Jilani. From the article: A new study from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University is making headlines for projecting that Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s “Medicare for All” bill is estimated to cost $32.6 trillion – a number that’s entirely in line with 2016 projections, and is literally old news. But what the Associated Press headline fails to announce is a much more sanguine update: The report, by Senior Research Strategist Charles Blahous, found that under Sanders’s plan, overall health costs would go down and wages would go up.The study, which came out of the Koch-funded research center, was initially provided to the AP with a cost estimate that exceeded previous ones by an incredible $3 trillion – a massive error that was found and corrected by Sanders’s staff when approached by AP for comment……Blahous’s paper, titled “The Costs of a National Single-Payer Healthcare System,” estimates total national health expenditures. Even though his cost-saving estimates are more conservative than others, he acknowledges that Sanders’s “Medicare for All” plan would yield a $482 billion reduction in health care spending, and over $1.5 trillion in administrative savings, for a total of $2 trillion less in overall health care expenditures between 2022 and 2031, compared to current spending.In order to arrive at his number, Blahous looked at how “Medicare for All” could loser administrative costs and provide savings in areas like drug spending. He concluded that by empowering the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate for lower drug prices, Sanders’s plan would add “846 billion in additional savings over the 2022-2031” period. These savings, and others, are offset by certain other costs, like those which come from higher “utilization”, or the increased amount health care services used once everyone is insured.Blahous’s report also acknowledges some substantial benefits to eliminating employer-sponsored insurance. He writes that these changes, “should increase worker wage net of employer-provided health benefits,” while also “relieving individuals, families, and employers of the substantial health expenditures they would experience under current law.” The report even admits that the Sanders bill would serve as a boon to states, freeing them from most Medicaid obligations… You can read the Mercatus Report on its website. July 30, 2018: People’s Policy Project posted an article titled: “Mercatus Study Finds Medicare for All Saves $2 Trillion”. It was written by Matt Bruenig. From the article: The US could insure 30 million more Americans and virtually eliminate out-of-pocket health care expenses while saving $2 trillion in the process, according to a new report about Medicare for All released by the libertarian Mercatus Center……The report’s method are pretty straightforward. Blahous starts with current projections about how much the country will spend on health care between 2022 and 2031. From there, he adds the costs associated with higher utilization of medical services and then subtracts the savings from lower administrative costs, lower reimbursements for medical services, and lower drug prices. After this bit of arithmetic, Blahous finds that health expenditures would be lower for every year during the first decade of implementation. The net change across the whole 10-year period is a savings of $2.054 trillion……But even if you take the report’s headline figures at face value, the picture it pavings is the of an enormous bargain. We get to insure every single person in the country, virtually eliminate cost-sharing, and save everyone from the hell of constantly changing health insurance all while saving money. You would have to be a fool to pass that up. August 5, 2018: The Washington Post posted an article titled: “Tossing aside skepticism, Democratic candidates for governor push for state-based universal health care”. It was written by David Weigel. From the article: Wherever he takes his campaign for governor, Abdul El-Sayed is followed by activists handing out information about “Medicare for all.” When he grabs the microphone, El-Sayed makes a promise: He’ll bring universal health care to Michigan……El-Sayed, who campaigned this weekend with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) before Tuesday’s primary, is one of at least a dozen of Democrats running for governor this year on a pledge to do what no state has ever done: give basic health insurance to everyone, no matter the costs.The single-payer Democrats are on the ballot in red and blue states and from California, where Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is the heavy favorite to win in November, to Massachusetts, where Democrat Jay Gonzalez believes the issue will give him an opening against a popular Republican governor……Yet while Democrats running for the House and Senate talk about Medicare for all in aspirational terms, as a post-Trump national goal, liberal candidates for governor suggest that their states could quickly become laboratories for universal coverage. After years of bristling at questions about higher taxes and “government-run health care,” they’re leading with their chins – and the proposals they invite voters to read on their websites……Gov. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, said that Republicans were losing on the health-care issue and that attacks on single-payer amounted to diversions……In Colorado, where voters soundly defeated a single-payer ballot measure in 2016, Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) has said that states could band together to provide universal health care… August 10, 2018: The Hill posted an article titled: “Fearing ‘blue wave,’ drug, insurance companies build single-payer defense”. It was written by Peter Sullivan. From the article: …The formation of the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future is a sign of the health-care industry’s alarm over growing support for a single payer health-care law within the Democratic Party.Health insurance and drug companies, who are often at odds on policy issues, banded together to form the group, which lobbyists say could run advertisements against single-payer plans and promote studies to undermine the idea.Industry groups are worries that support for single-payer is quickly becoming the default position among Democrats, and they want to push back and strengthen ties to more centrists members of the party to promote alternatives……When Democrats controlled the White House and Congress at the outset of the Obama presidency, they stopped short of a single-payer system in creating ObamaCare, which the Trump administration and GOP-controlled Congress have worked to dismantle.But support for a single-payer system has since gained steam, and a wide range of potential 2020 Democratic political candidates have backed Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-VT) “Medicare for all” bill, including Sens. Kamala Harris (Calif.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass).Sanders himself may make a second run for the White House, and he would be expected to put Medicare for all at the center of his campaign… August 16, 2018: The Week posted an opinion piece titled: “The medical lobby is already peddling lies about Medicare-for-all”. It was written by Ryan Cooper. From the opinion piece: …What’s more, Sanders’ Medicare-for-all program would be immensely superior to virtually all private insurance. The average family premium for an employer-sponsored plan has increased 55 percent since 2007, while average workers contributions have increased 77 percent. Some 81 percent of private plans now have a deductible (which must be paid before insurance kicks in for most care), at an average of $1,505. For primary care, 71 percent have co-pays (a flat fee) and 22 percent have co-insurance (a percentage charge), at $25 and 19 percent respectively. All those cost-sharing trends – and many others for speciality and emergency care, surgeries, and hospital admissions – have been getting steadily worse over time. Insurance networks are also narrowing over time, making it harder to find providers that will accept one’s coverage.By contrast, Sanders’ Medicare-for-all would cover nearly all areas of medical treatment (including vision, dental, and hearing, though not long-term care) with no cost-sharing except for prescription drugs. Even that limited cost-sharing would be limited to $250 per year. And it would certainly be accepted by virtually every provider in the country – with the entire population in the program, they would have little choice (indeed, over 90 percent of primary care physicians already accept existing Medicare due to its large enrollment base of 59 million, and that is only about 18 percent of Americans.) Worries about out-of-network coverage would vanish. Switching onto that plan would be cause for wild celebration for the vast majority of people, not some uncomfortable burden. September 5, 2018: Andrew Yang, tweeted: “I’m running for President on a platform of Universal Basic Income, Medicare for All, and evolution to a human-centered economy. Here’s my speech to 1,000 Democratic Activists in Iowa.” The tweet included a YouTube video of the speech. He has information about his Medicare for All plan on his website. It involves shifting to a new healthcare system where costs will be controlled by setting prices provided for medical services. It also involves paying physicians a salary, instead of a fee-for-service payment (like we have now). The Cleveland Clinic is a good example of how Medicare for All would work. October 10, 2018: The Washington Post posted a Fact-Checker titled: “Fact-checking President Trump’s USA Today op-ed on ‘Medicare-for-All'”. It was written by Glenn Kessler. From the Fact-Check: President Trump wrote an opinion article for USA Today on Oct. 10 regarding proposals to expand Medicare to all Americans – known as Medicare-for-All – in which almost every sentence contained a misleading statement or a falsehood…“Throughout the year, we have seen Democrats across the country uniting around a new legislative proposal that would end Medicare as we know it and take away benefits that seniors have paid for their entire lives”……Sanders says he would first improve Medicare for seniors and the disabled by eliminating deductibles and covering dental, vision, and hearing aids, which are not covered under current law. Then, over the course of four years, the eligibility age would be lowered in stages until every American was covered.On paper at least, the Sanders plan would improve benefits for seniors, not take them away……”I also made a solemn promise to our great seniors to protect Medicare. That is why I am fighting so hard against the Democrats’ plan that would eviscerate Medicare.”…Under Trump, the date for when the Medicare Hospital Insurance (Part A) trust fund will be depleted keeps advancing. The current projection is 2026, three years earlier than the projection a year earlier.Part A is financed mainly through payroll taxes of 1.45 percent on earnings paid by both workers and employers; self-employed people pay 2.9 percent. The money raised is then credited to a pay-as-you-go trust fund, which uses the revenue raised to pay the benefits of Medicare beneficiaries.With the baby-boom generation retiring at a rate of 10,000 people per day, that puts pressure on the long-term financing of the program because fewer workers will be supporting more retirees. If the trust fund is depleted, that means the government would not be able to cover 100 percent of estimated expenses. Yet because of Trump’s tax cut, the budget deficit is soaring even as the economy is booming, in contrast to previous periods of under 4-percent unemployment. That leaves the government less prepared to deal with the consequences of baby-boom retirements.“Democrats have already harmed seniors by slashing Medicare by more than $800 billion over 10 years to pay for Obamacare.” Trump resurrects a misleading Republican talking point from the 2012 election..…”Democrats will seek to slash budgets for seniors’ Medicare, Social Security, and defense.”Trump may have a point about defense spending, never a favorite among the left, but the president’s $1 trillion deficits will put pressure on all aspects of government, no matter who is in power. Democrats generally have pushed to expand Social Security benefits, not cut them… November 30, 2018: Common Dreams posted an article titled: “‘Easy to Pay for Something That Costs Less’: New Study Shows Medicare For All Would Save US $5.1 Trillion Over Ten Years”. It was written by Jake Johnson. From the article: Confronting the question most commonly asked of the growing number of Americans who support replacing America’s uniquely inefficient and immoral for-profit healthcare system with Medicare for All.- “How do we pay for it?” – a new paper released Friday by researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) shows that financing a single-payer system would actually be quite simple, given that it would cost significantly less than the status quo.“It’s easy to pay for something that costs less,” Robert Pollin, economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and lead author of the new analysis, declared during a panel discussion at The Sanders Institute Gathering in Burlington, Vermont, where Pollin unveiled the paper.According to the 200 page analysis of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) Medicare for All Act of 2017, the researchers found that “based on 2017 US healthcare expenditure figures, the cumulative savings for the first decade operating under Medicare For All would be $5.1 trillion, equal to 2.1 percent of cumulative GDP, without accounting for broader macroeconomic benefits such as increased productivity, greater income equality, and net job creation through lower operating costs for small- and medium-sized businesses.”The most significant sources of savings from Medicare for All, the researchers found, would come in the areas of pharmaceutical drug costs and administration.. The new analysis by PERI is called “Economic Analysis of Medicare for All.” December 11, 2018: The Guardian posted an opinion piece titled: “Universal healthcare could save America trillions: what’s holding us back?” It was written by Adam Gaffney. From the opinion piece: If you can’t undercut a popular proposal as undesirable, make it sound impossible. That, in any event, has been the tack of opponents of single-payer healthcare, also called improved “Medicare-for-all”……Yet casting Medicare-for-all as an economic impossibility is becoming a Sisyphean pursuit: a slew of studies – including one released just the other week – are confirming that yes, we can afford real universal healthcare in America. But if that’s the case, why haven’t we already achieved it? Well, the real stumbling block is not that single payer advocates’ arithmetic is poor, it’s that American politics are dominated by the rich.Still, the number smatter. On 30 November, a team of economists with the Political Economy Research Institute (Peri) at the University of Amherst published a highly credible, nearly 200-page economic analysis of Senator Bernie Sanders’ single-payer bill. The Peri study received essentially none of the media coverage lathered on the last such analysis – a flawed piece of work published by the conservative Mercatus Center last summer. But here’s the funny thing: though these two analyses came from economists from opposite ends of the political spectrum, they shared a similar finding: single-payer would reduce our nation’s healthcare spending bill by trillions of dollars over a decade (around $2tn and $5tn, respectively)……Going back decades, studies have found that, at worst, these costs and savings will balance out under a Canadian-style single-payer reform. “In Canada, each provincial plan provides for universal insurance coverage with no deductibles or copayments, controls on provider reimbursement, and administration by a single, public payer,” the Unites States General Accounting Office noted in an analysis of a single-payer bill way back in 1992. “We found that if these features were applied in the United States, the administrative savings could offset the added costs.”……There is another benefit of this system, albeit one that helps explain why we haven’t achieved it yet. A more progressive system of healthcare financing can, over time, reduce inequality not only in health, but in wealth, helping to close our nation’s disastrous economic divide. It’s not surprising, then, that billionaires don’t like it much. Nor is it unexpected that the corporate behemoths the have the most to lose are already sharpening their swords, pouring cash into a new anti-single-payer lobbying group that, as the Intercept recently reported, is maneuvering to “influence Democratic party messaging and stymie the momentum toward achieving universal health care coverage.”… The 1992 analysis is titled: “Canadian Health Insurance: Estimating Costs and Savings for the United States“. It is on the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) website. December 16, 2018: USA Today posted an opinion piece titled: “Pig-headed Republicans are pushing America toward government-run national health insurance”. The opinion piece was written by Will Marshall. From the opinion piece: ..Hang on, don’t Republicans stand foursquare against a government takeover of the entire U.S. health care system? So they say. But the GOP’s pig-headed opposition to less drastic ways to make sure everyone has coverage is stimulating Americans’ appetite for a bigger government role in health care – and it will only be fueled by a federal judge’s ruling Friday night that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.In a recent poll commissioned by the Progressive Policy Institute, for example, voters by a margin of 54 to 46 percent, including nearly half of Republicans, favored changing “the current health system so everyone gets health care through Medicare instead of through people’s place of work or instead of buying it directly.” A more general “new government health care program” drew even more support, including 52 percent of Republicans… The poll from the Progressive Policy Institute is titled: “America’s Resilient Center and the Road to 202o Results from a New National Survey“. December 29, 2018: The New York Times posted an article titled “Kamala Harris: Everyone Gets Sick. And We Deserve Better. It was written by Senator Kamala Harris (Democrat – California). From the article: …I’m so grateful my mother hand Medicare and I will fight for it to be guaranteed to all. I was among the first senators to sign on to the Medicare For All bill when it was introduced last year. There should be nothing partisan about wanting a system where health coverage and care are based not on how much money you have or where you live. We need a system with the goal of good outcomes rather than the goal of high profits. It would save countless lives, and according to recent studies, could trim as much as $15 trillion in health care costs over 10 years.I believe that health care should be a right, but the reality is that it is still a privilege in this country. We need to change that. When someone gets sick, there is already so much else to deal with: the physical pain for the patient, the emotional pain for the family. There is often a sense of desperation – of helplessness -a s we grapple with the fear of the unknown. Medical procedures already have risks. Prescription drugs already have side effects. Financial anxiety should not be one of them… January 7, 2019: CNBC posted an article titled: “California Gov. Gavin Newsom rips Trump in his inaugural address, pledges ‘an alternative to the corruption and the incompetence in the White House'”. It was written by Jeff Daniels. From the article: …Newsom campaigned for governor with ambitious plans for everything from single-payer health care and affordable housing to childhood poverty and universal preschool. The promises raised cost concerns from some taxpayer groups even before Newsome took the reins Monday.After taking office Monday, Newsome signed a “first-in-the-nation order to create the largest single purchaser for prescription drugs,” according to a press release issued by his office. He also proposed for his first budget to move the state “closer to health care for all,” including providing coverage to young undocumented immigrants through MediCal… The press release is titled: “Governor Newsom’s Inaugural Address: “A California For All'”. It is on the State of California’s Office of Governor website. January 7, 2019: Los Angeles Times posted an article titled: “Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes healthcare mandate, Medi-Cal expansion to more immigrants without legal status”. It was written by Melody Gutierrez. From the article: Gov. Gavin Newsom announced sweeping proposals to tackle the state’s healthcare needs shortly after taking office on Monday, outlining a dramatic Medi-Cal expansion that would cover young immigrant adults who are in the U.S. illegally, require that all consumers in the state carry health insurance and increase subsidies for middle-class families to help those who need it.The Day 1 announcement was as much a rebuke to the Trump administration as it was an attempt by Newsom to make good on his campaign promise to fix a fragmented healthcare system that leaves many priced out or underinsured. The governor also signed executive orders to consolidate the state’s prescription drug purchases into a state-run program and to create a new surgeon general position to look at health disparities before they manifest, as Newsom put it……Newsom campaigned on a universal healthcare platform and has said the issue would be among his top priorities. His announcement on Monday stopped short of the single-payer system demanded by activists that would cover all residents’ healthcare costs, but was characterized as the first step down that path.The new governor sent a letter to Congress and the White House asking for changes to federal laws so that the state can have the regulatory freedom to overhaul California’s healthcare system and move toward single payer……California would be the first state to cover immigrants without legal status who are younger than 26 through Medi-Cal, the state’s health program for people with low incomes. California already covers undocumented children until they turn 19, with Newsom’s plan increasing the age cut-off to mirror that of the Affordable Care Act, which allows young adults to stay on a parent’s health insurance plan until turning 26……A legislative proposal last year pegged the cost of extending Medi-Cal to undocumented immigrants under 26 at $250 million a year. That cost would fall solely to California, despite the mix of federal and state money that typically comprises Medi-Cal funding because the Affordable Care Act prohibits the use of federal dollars for covering immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally… January 7, 2019: Reuters posted an article titled: “New California governor tackles drug prices in first act”. It was written by Sharon Bernstein. From the article: Hours into his new job, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Monday that could dramatically reshape the way prescription drugs are paid for and acquired in the most populous U.S. state……In his executive order, Newsom directed state officials to set up what he said would ultimately be the nation’s largest single-purchaser system for prescription drugs.It directed California’s massive Medicaid system to negotiate prescription drug prices for all of its 13 million recipients, changing their benefits from a managed-care or HMO approach to one that allows the state to handle all purchases.Medicaid is the joint federal-state program that provides health insurance for the low income.The state would create a list of drugs to be purchased in bulk or targeted for price negotiations.The executive order also took the first steps to allow private companies and other governmental agencies to participate in the process of negotiating drug prices with pharmaceutical companies… January 9, 2019: Vox posted an article titled: “Bill de Blasio’s plan to guarantee health care for every New Yorker, explained”. It was written by Dylan Scott. From the article: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has a plan to bring “universal health care” to America’s biggest city – and, though it’s not quite single payer, the initiative shows that Democratic politicians are getting more creative about what they can do to expand health care in the Trump era.De Blasio rolled out a new plan this week that he says would guarantee that every New Yorker, regardless of their ability to pay, the ability to visit a doctor and get affordable medical treatment in the city’s historic public hospitals system……For most New Yorkers, their insurance won’t change at all; they’ll get it through work, as well as Medicaid, Medicare, or the Affordable Care Act, like they always have. Instead, de Blasio’s wants to invest more money in the city’s safety net – an idea based on a successful predecessor in San Francisco – and it should help the people who don’t have insurance or a regular doctor to get medical care. It’s also a necessary, though limited, fix to a long-running crisis for the city’s public hospital network……Through a program called NYC Care, any uninsured New Yorker is able to visit one of the hospital system’s 70 clinics and see a primary care physician. They will be charged on a sliding scale designed to help keep health care affordable……The program targets the city’s 600,000 uninsured residents; about half of them are undocumented immigrants, the rest are eligible for coverage but they’re not enrolled for one reason or another. The city is providing $100 million every year to help the hospitals cover the cost of treating those people and then launching an outreach campaign to make sure the people know coverage is available to them……Another key component of this will be to boost enrollment for MetroPlus, the city health insurance plan that’s available through Medicare, Medicaid, and the Obamacare exchanges and offers the public hospital system – 70 clinics and 11 hospitals – as the plan’s provider network… January 10, 2019: Jacobin posted an article titled: “Medicare For All Isn’t Too Expensive”. It was written by Jon Walker. From the article: When opponents say Medicare for All is too pricey, they’re really saying they oppose any substantial effort to deliver universal quality care……The “big number problem” is the simple fact that the United States currently spends a lot of money on health care, some of which the CBO [Congressional Budget Office] considered part of the federal budget and the rest of which it treats as private spending. Redirecting or reclassifying that private spending as public spending would technically result in big increase in the federal budget……The CBO doesn’t follow the simple logic of only considering something part of the federal budget if the federal government directly pays for it. Nor does the CBO follow the basic logic of considering private activity part of the federal budget if federal law requires it, like an individual/employer mandate. Instead, the CBO considers health reform an “essentially government program” if it crosses some arbitrary line of regulation……In effect, the CBO believes the government forcing you to pay premiums to insurance companies doesn’t make those premiums a tax. But if the government also mandates that private health insurers meet a basic quality floor for their plans, then it would be……It is important to look at this in an international context. There is simply no industrialized country whose health care system wouldn’t be considered a government program under the CBO’s definition. Even countries that are widely regarded as government-private hybrid systems, or managed private insurance systems – such as Japan, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Germany – have actuarial value requirements, plan standard rules and/or medical-loss ratio regulations that would cause the CBO to score the entire health insurance market as federal spending……What this means is that copying any of the private systems others point to as alternatives to Medicare for All would produce the same “big number problem” as Medicare for All. The ACA is basically as far as you can go while staying within the CBO’s idea of what is private – and it clearly is insufficient. Even just modest improvements to a few existing regulations in the ACA, such as requiring that a larger percentage of insurance payments go to actual medical care, would cross the CBO’s line and end up being scored as de facto nationalization.Strip away the complexities of budget scoring, and the upshot is clear: anyone who opposes Medicare for All because it will produce a big number from the CBO is effectively saying they are opposed to all significant health insurance reforms. January 16, 2019: The Hill posted an article titled: “Dem chairwoman plans hearing on Medicare for All proposals”. It was written by Peter Sullivan. From the article: The incoming chairwoman of a powerful health care subcommittee on Wednesday said that she intends to hold a hearing on several “Medicare for all” proposals, potentially giving the plans a chance to be considered by key lawmakers.“There are several Medicare for all bills that are out there, but they all have a different interpretation,” Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), the new chairwoman of the Energy and Commerce health subcommittee, told reporters. “I think that it would be interesting to have the authors of these bills come to testify and explain what their bill does and have the members ask them questions.”..…Eshoo said a hearing would allow lawmakers a chance to ask questions like whether the Congressional Budget Office has done an analysis, “do you scrap the Affordable Care Act,” and what happens to people’s current insurance coverage……In 2017, Eshoo cosponsored the main Medicare for all bill in the House, which was led by then-Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.)… January 18, 2019: Los Angeles Times posted an article titled: “Gov. Newsom’s healthcare initiatives will test what a single state can achieve on its own”. It was written by Michael Hiltzik. From the article: …Newsom’s proposals for near-term reforms would be funded entirely with state funds, assuming the Legislature assents. The expansion of Medi-Cal coverage for undocumented young adults would be financed from the general state fund, according to his budget message. The expanded subsidies would be paid for from penalties assessed from residents violating a state individual mandate requiring all Californians to carry health coverage, replacing the federal individual mandate penalty that the Republican Congress and Trump administration reduced to zero as of Jan 1. (State individual mandates are in place in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia.)State funding for these proposals can be a mixed bag. Budget constraints during a recession could prompt the Legislature to reconsider spending priorities. Paying for premium subsidies assessed on health coverage refuseniks makes theoretical sense, since the refusal of younger and healthier individuals to join the insurance poll drives up premiums in the pool. But it places the state in a policy bind, because if the mandate is successful, there will be less money for subsidies.Newsom says he’s confident that the expenditures he’s calling for will be sustainable even in an economic downturn. The funds for more early childhood services and developmental screening under Medi-Cal, as he proposed, would come from the tobacco tax increase enacted as Proposition 56 in 2016.More than $60 minion of the cost of expanding Medi-Cal to undocumented young adults would be covered by savings to county health centers that now have to absorb their treatment costs without reimbursement, Newsom says. And although it’s hoped that the individual mandate penalty will be a declining revenue source, he estimates the at least at first ti will bring in $500 million a year… January 22, 2019: The Seattle Times posted an article titled: “Inslee proposes ‘public option’ health-insurance plan for Washington”. It was written by Joseph O’Sullivan. From the article: Gov. Jay Inslee and Democratic lawmakers Tuesday announced proposed legislation for a new “public option” health-care plan under Washington’s health-insurance exchange.The proposal, which Inslee said is the first step toward universal health care, is geared in part to help stabilize the exchange, which has wrestled with double-digit premium increases and attempts by Republicans in Congress and President Donald Trump to dismantle the Affordable Care Act……Called the Cascade Care legislation, the plan would be offered in every county.The proposal would have the state Health Care Authority contract with at least one health-insurance carrier to offer qualified health coverage on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, according to a summary of the proposal.The plan would be designed with transparent and consistent deductibles, copays and coinsurance, according to the summary, and would “compete on premium price, provider networks, customer services, and quality.”……Inslee’s proposed 2019-21 state operating budget would provide $500,000 to fund the initial work to set up the public option. After that, lawmakers and officials would have to determine how much ongoing money would be necessary……The legislation also proposes subsidies to help low-income families and individuals afford health insurance. It would require the state to develop a plan that would provide subsidies with the goal of having consumers spend 10 percent or less of their income on premiums.. January 25, 2019: WBUR News posted an audio segment titled: “Warren’s Tax Plan Would Aim At the Ultra-Wealthy” January 29, 2019: HuffPost posted an article titled: “Kamala Harris Backs Medicare For All And She Isn’t Messing Around”. It was written by Jonathan Cohn. From the article: Sen. Elizabeth Warren is pitching a wealth tax as she considers a run for president. She said Thursday night on MSNBC that under the plan, taxes would go up 2 percent for people who have more than $50 million, and 3 percent for people who have more than $1 billion… Two big questions for Democrats who support “Medicare for All” are whether they understand how such a system would actually work – and whether they really support what is arguably its most sweeping and controversial feature.When it comes to Kamala Harris, the answer to both questions appears to be yes.Harris, the Democratic senator from California who is now running for president, said during a CNN forum Monday evening that she believes health care is a right – and that creating a single, government-run insurance program modeled on Medicare is the best way to achieve that……But the Medicare for All Act of 2017, as the legislation is formally called, envisions some dramatic changes to the U.S. health care system – including a prohibition on private insurance, except for coverage of services outside the scope of the new government plan.The new plan would pay for just about every medically necessary service, so that wouldn’t leave much of a role, if any, for private coverage……The new interest in Medicare for All, which has become a top priority for progressive politicians and activists, is a byproduct of several factors – among them, frustration that the Affordable Care Act, which for all of its success at expanding access to care, has left so many Americans still struggling to pay their medical bills.Medicare for All holds out the promise of addressing this problem, and finally reaching the elusive goal of universal coverage, by automatically enrolling everybody in the government plan and then using regulation to set prices for doctors, hospitals and the rest of the health care industry. Typically, such proposals envision people paying for coverage entirely through taxes or income-related premiums, with little or not co-payments, deductibles, and other forms of cost-sharing.Such as system would likely be a lot easier for patients to use, as Harris suggested, and a lot more straightforward for the providers of health care, as well, because they wouldn’t have to worry about billing so many different insurers.. February 3, 2019: Politico posted an article titled: “Buttigieg: ‘Medicare for all’ wouldn’t end private insurance”. It was written by David Beavers. From the article: South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a declared 2020 presidential candidate, on Sunday said single-payer health care is “the right place for us to head as a country,” while saying a “Medicare for All” program doesn’t necessarily require doing away with private insurance……”If the framework we’re using is Medicare, a lot of people who have Medicare also have Medicare supplements, Medicare Advantage, something like that,” Buttigieg added. “So if we want to make Medicare available to everybody, whether as a public option to buy in or simply establishing that as how the payer structure works in this country that’s going to be the center of gravity.”… February 4, 2019: The Hill posted an article titled: “Medicare for All talk among 2020 Dems is a way to warm Americans to the idea, says pollster”. It was written by Julia Manchester. From the article: Pollster Robert Griffin said on Monday that talk among Democratic candidates about instituting a single payer “Medicare for all” health policy is a way to get American voters used to the idea of implementing it across the United States.“Some of this talk about phasing in over time is really just getting people used to the idea of if we wanted to do this as a country, this is how it might actually work,” Griffin, research director at the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group, told Hill.TV’s Jamal Simmons on “What America’s Thinking”… February 7, 2019: Modern Healthcare posted an article titled: “New Medicare For all draft bill sets a global budget model.” It was written by Susannah Luthi. From the article: A draft version of House Democrats’ upcoming Medicare for All bill proposes a national system that would pre-pay hospitals with lump sums while keeping a fee-for-service model for individual physicians.The 127-page draft, obtained by Modern Healthcare and dated Jan. 14, in many ways tracks with the system laid out in the 2017 bill from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) who brought Medicare for All to the forefront of progressive Democratic policy. But where the Sanders bill sidestepped the question of how the system would be funded by leaving it to the executive branch, the proposal from Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) lays out specific details of a nationalized global budget system.First, the bill would set up regional directors tasked with overseeing all hospitals, healthcare facilities and physicians in specific geographic areas. The HHS secretary would appoint those overseers.The regional directors would then negotiate each year with the facilities to set a lump sun, or global budget, that the government would pay out in advance to all institutional providers, These include hospitals, nursing homes, federally qualified health centers, home health agencies, and independent dialysis facilities……The existing prospective payment system would serve as the baseline rate to jump-start the global budget negotiations.Once the budget it set, hospitals and other institutions would need to stick to it for all outpatient and inpatient treatment. However, this budget would also be set up for review by the regional director four times a year……Some physicians, including those in certain group practices, could opt to receive a salary from a hospital or other provider subject to the global budget.Individual physicians, including those who belong to group practices, and who don’t opt for a salary, would be paid through fee-for-service according to a fee schedule set by the HHS secretary. Like the institutional providers, physicians wouldn’t be allowed to charge their patients anything for their care.The HHS secretary would need to update the fee schedule annually… February 7, 2019: Barron’s posted an article titled: “Understanding Elizabeth Warren’s Wealth Tax”. It was written by Matthew C. Klein. From the article: …Now, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D.,-Mass.) – who is planning to run for president in 2020 – wants to add a new levy with its own distinct purpose: a yearly 2% tax on household net worth above $50 million, with a 3% rate on net worth above $1 billion.The tax would affect about 75,000 households, with fewer than 1,000 exposed to the 3% rate on net worth above $1 billion. The magnitude of the tax would not be large relative to the typical performance fee charged by managers of hedge funds and other alternative assets, many of whom fail to deliver net results superior to that of investments in index funds. Economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman of the University of California, Berkley, who helped design the Warren proposal, estimate it would confiscate about 1% of the gross domestic product each year. While there is some debate about the constitutionality of a federal wealth tax, there are many scholars who believe it would be legal.The basic argument for the tax is that it addresses an inequality in the existing system: the ultrarich pay lower effective tax rates than many other Americans because their income takes the form of rising asset values. The tax rate on capital gains is much lower than what the typical worker pays on his or her labor income, but those gains are taxed only when assets are sold, so many of the richest people minimize their tax burden even further by borrowing against their wealth.According to Zucman, the proposed tax would raise the total effective burden at the very top of the distribution from 3.2% to 4.3%. This tax obligation would still be lower than the average burden of 7.2% of net worth paid by most other Americans… February 19, 2019: Kaiser Health News posted an article titled: “For 2020 Dem Hopefuls, ‘Medicare-For-All’ Is A Defining Issue, However They Define It”. It was written by Shefali Luthra. From the article: …Isn’t Medicare-for-all what it sounds like? Medicare for everybody? Not quite. But also, kind of.Politicians talking about Medicare-for-All typically mean one of two things. It’s either a specific proposal in which every American is covered by the same, single health plan, or the general idea that anyone has the option together health care through Medicare.The first understanding is outlined in a bill from Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.)……Sanders’ bill would outlaw private insurance where it competes with the public plan and change Medicare substantially by eliminating copays and other costs sharing, while expanding the program to cover long-term care, prescription drugs, dental care and vision. (As the bill is written, it’s hard to see what would be left for private plans to cover.)The program would phase in over four years and cover every American. And it’s worth noting that, though many countries run a single-payer system, none offers those “expanded” benefits because the expense could be enormous. Also, many single-payer programs do require a degree of cost sharing, involving small payments or deductibles.In other cases, the “Medicare-for-all” phrase has been repurposed.The midterms saw a wave of Democrats campaigning on it. But beyond the buzzards, what they were actually talking about was lowering Medicare’s eligibility age by giving people the option to buy in or join the program. This would leave the private insurance industry intact. It would also preserve Medicare Advantage, in which the government pays private companies to run Medicare plans……So what other options are Democrats talking about?Voters should get familiar with two other ideas: lowering Medicare’s eligibility age, and the “public option,” either through a Medicare or Medicaid buy-in.These concepts are decidedly not Medicare-for-all – think “Medicare for more” or “Medicaid for more.”Lowering the eligibility age loops more people into the current system and is seen by advocates as a potential step toward single-payer, says Alex Lawson, head of the left-leaning Social Security Works, who has been involved in drafting Medicare-for-all legislation.The public option lets people purchase coverage through Medicare or Medicaid. It has attracted criticism from Democrats aligned with the Sanders wing, who argue it’s settling for less… NOTE: This blog post will be updated whenever I find additional credible information about Universal Health Care. America Needs Universal Health Care 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!... Three Month WaitJanuary 3, 2019health insurance / Out of SpoonsMy health insurance premium unexpectedly increased – without warning – at the start of 2019. This means I’ll be paying more out of pocket than expected. I’ve not yet figured out how to pay for the dental work that I need done, and that my dental health insurance won’t cover. I am writing this blog post while sick, and knowing that I will not have access to a primary care doctor for three months. Last September, I went for my regular dental checkup. Overall, things went well, with one expensive exception. In short, I need a metal filling removed. It will be replaced with a temporary cap, and then a permanent, non-metallic, filling. My total cost for that procedure (which may or may not include a root canal – I don’t know) is about $900. I’m expected to pay for that out of pocket because my dental health insurance won’t cover it. I suppose it is possible that the insurer is covering some of the cost – but that still leaves me to try and come up with about $900. My husband and I recently finished paying off a loan we took so I could get a broken cap replaced. We are considering getting a credit card that starts with a 0% interest rate putting the dental bill on that, and racing against the clock. Will we be able to pay off the credit card before the 0% interest rate rises? I’ve no idea. Very recently, my health insurer sent me cards that prove that I have health insurance coverage through them. It is an Obamacare Bronze plan, the same one I had last year. Based on everything my husband and I could find, it appeared that nothing would change from the 2018 plan to the 2019 plan. I was pretty confidant about that because I’ve done a ton of research about the changes in health insurance. I knew that the cost of premiums for the Silver plans – not the Bronze plans – had gone up. California, the state I live in, increased the premiums for the Silver plan in an effort to keep the Bronze plans low cost. Other than the insurance cards, I have not received any details about what the 2019 Bronze plan actually covers. Typically, insurers send a booklet that provides those very important details. The card itself doesn’t have any indication of how much my co-pay will be. The health insurance company automatically charged me for my health insurance premium on January 1, 2019. That might have been fine, except for the fact that the cost of my premium had unexpectedly tripled. That’s right TRIPLED in cost. Everything I’d read made it sound like insurers weren’t allowed to do that with Bronze plans. So, here’s where I’m at: I’ve got to come up with almost $900 to pay for a filling replacement; I’ve got to pay three times as much per month for my health insurance premium; I’ve got no idea how much I will need to spend on the co-pay when I see a doctor. For context, my husband and I are poor. But, apparently, not poor enough for me to qualify for Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program). He is disabled and getting Social Security Disability and Medicare. I am disabled and working on my second attempt through the approval process for disability. Oh, and because we are both disabled, neither one of us can hold a “regular job” anymore. We’re both freelancers who work from home. Yes, this means that our sources of income aren’t stable or consistent – but that’s true of any hourly job as well. I’ve been fighting a sinus infection, and a sore throat, for about two or three weeks. All I know for sure is that the symptoms are not likely to be due to allergies. Yesterday, (January 2), I called what I refer to as “the clinic for the poor people” in an effort to schedule a doctor appointment. In September of last year, I was informed by “the clinic for the poor people” that my doctor had left the clinic. This is problematic for many reasons, the most immediate one being that I was technically without a primary care doctor. So, I made an effort and planned ahead. In October of last year, I called “the clinic for the poor people” and got them to assign me to another doctor. The very kind woman who I spoke with was helpful, but wasn’t sure what the new doctor’s speciality was. I’m going to have to train him about all my chronic illnesses, and just thinking about that is so very draining. With that in mind, I assumed that when I called “the clinic for the poor people” yesterday, I would be all set. I’ve already arranged for the clinic to know that I have become a patient of a specific new doctor. Of course, my effort to plan ahead didn’t work out. The very patient man on the phone who answered my call said that the soonest this doctor would be able to see me was April. No other doctor would have any appointments open before then. I’m looking at a three month wait. The patient man on the phone tried to offer alternatives. He suggested I could go to a “clinic for the poor people” in two other towns. That wasn’t going to work for me because: I wouldn’t be able to see my newly assigned doctor at the other clinics because he is at the one in town. I need a primary care doctor to fill out a form so I can apply for disability benefits (for the second time). I don’t drive anymore because, long story short, my chronic illnesses have gotten bad enough where I cannot be certain I can reliably hit the brake or grip the steering wheel. We donated my car to Habitat For Humanity a while back. Traveling to another town by bus, sitting in a waiting room indefinitely, and then traveling back home would quite literally drain most of my energy. I’d need a few recovery days after that – which means I probably wouldn’t be able to work. End result – I will see my new doctor in April (unless he leaves the clinic before then). Hopefully, I can convince the doctor to fill out the form I need. Spring pollen season will likely be going on in April, so going outside to see my doctor will make me sick. I will call a local Med-Stop and see if they accept my health insurance. You know – the one that TRIPLED its premiums for 2019 without a warning. With luck, the Med-Stop will be able to tell me what they will charge for a co-pay. Will I be able to afford that? I’ve no idea. There really isn’t any other option, though. Three Month Wait 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!... Depo Provera Made Me SickNovember 26, 2018Out of Spoons / Spoonie WritingYears ago, (somewhere in the early 2000s) I decided to start using a hormonal birth control. After doing some research, I thought that Depo Provera would be a good choice. It is administered by shot every three months, and is one of the most effective forms of birth control. Unfortunately for me, Depo Provera made me very sick – and the side effects are still here all these years later. Warning: This blog post is going to contain a lot of what many may feel is “too much information”. It is probably not something everyone will feel comfortable reading. This post is also very long. I wish I knew then what I know now about the side effects of Depo Provera, and how long they can linger. I’m writing this post in 2018, while suffering from the horrible symptoms that this awful drug inflicted upon me. Every time I lose weight – those symptoms return. To be clear, I am aware that some women are able to use Depo Provera without experiencing any of the awful side effects that I have suffered through (and am still suffering from). I wasn’t one of the lucky ones. My decision to seek out birth control was because I wanted to avoid getting pregnant. When I was younger, I miscarried – twice. The first time, I was probably about 19-years-old, and the second time I was in my mid-to-late 20s. Statistically, women in their 20s are the least likely to miscarry. And yet, it happened to me twice. Perhaps this shouldn’t have been a surprise, because I knew that my mom had a history of miscarriage. She never bothered to take or use any kind of birth control. Her mother, my Irish Catholic grandmother, literally would throw condoms at my mom and point out that using them prevents pregnancy. The first time I got pregnant I honestly didn’t know I was pregnant. My periods had always been irregular. When I started throwing up, I thought I had the flu. I miscarried in the bathroom of my boyfriend’s parent’s house (where we were staying) and woke up on the floor. His mother was there, and I was confused about what had happened. She blocked me from looking at the toilet, and no one ever would talk about it with me. The miscarriage was an unspoken – but known – thing that really strained the relationship I had with this boyfriend. The second time I miscarried, I was alone in my apartment. I figured out I was pregnant after throwing up while on vacation. (Story for another time). I knew I was miscarrying. Once again, I passed out. This time I woke up alone. Both times I was fortunate enough not to require medical attention. This time, the partner was my high school sweetheart whom I had gotten back together with after leaving the first boyfriend. (Again, story for another time). It was a long-distance relationship, which has its own difficulties. For whatever reason, this miscarriage hit me a lot harder than the first one. I couldn’t find the words to talk about it – and this is likely what ended our relationship. Years later, I was able to tell him what happened. We haven’t spoken since then. So, when my then-boyfriend, now-husband, and I got serious, I did the smart thing. I did some online research and learned everything I could about birth control. I needed something that would prevent pregnancy – and therefore, another miscarriage. He and I talked about it and neither one of us wanted to have children. Some of the birth control options were just not for me. Birth control pills, for example, can be ineffective if you are also taking antibiotics. I got sick a lot, and was on antibiotics at least twice a year for sinus infections. The IUD contained copper, and I have metal allergies. The Depo Provera shot seemed like the best option. It was administered by shot, didn’t require me to put a foreign object into my body that would have to be removed later, and did not require trips to the pharmacy to get more. The doctor I saw was at a clinic for poor people, where I was able to get a discount on the cost of Depo Provera. This was long before Obamacare existed. I had no health insurance coverage. I did not qualify for Medicaid because I had no children. The clinic I went to was not a Planned Parenthood. I honestly believe that if it was – I would have gotten to see a good doctor instead of the one I got stuck with. In short, this doctor tried to talk me out of using birth control. She pushed me to take “the pill” instead of the birth control I asked for. It seems the Depo Provera was expensive. I guess the clinic was more interested in cutting their costs instead of helping their patients. This doctor seemed personally offended that I was avoiding having children. “I had four kids by the time I was your age,” she complained. I didn’t like this doctor, but there wasn’t any other option. What I didn’t know at the time, and that my doctor should have been aware of, was that Depo Provera was problematic. An ABC News article, published in 2009, included the following: …Produced by Pfizer, Depo Provera is the brand name for an aqueous suspension of medroxyprogesterone acetate, which is injected every 12 weeks in the woman’s buttock or upper arm to prevent ovulation. It is 97 percent effective in typical use. The drug, which is also used to treat endometriosis, as well as other medical conditions, had a long safety record when it was first introduced in 1967. The original manufacture, Upjohn, was repeatedly denied approval by the Food and Drug Administration in the 1970s, until 1992, when it was allowed to market Depo-Provera in the United States for contraception. From this, I believe that Pfizer was aware that Depo Provera was causing bad side effects in some women. It must have known that Upjohn was having problems getting the FDA to approve the drug as a form of contraception. I went ahead and tracked down the information about Depo Provera that was released by the FDA. One key point warns women about bone mineral density loss: WARNING: LOSS OF BONE MINERAL DENSITY Women who use Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection may lose significant bone mineral density. Bone loss is greater with increasing duration of use and may not be completely irreversible. It is unknown if use of Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection during adolescence or early adulthood, a critical period of bone accretion, will reduce peak bone mass and increase the risk of osteoporotic fracture in later life. Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection should not be used as a long-term birth control method (i.e., longer than 2 years) unless other birth control methods are considered inadequate… My doctor didn’t tell me about the risk of bone mineral density loss. She also didn’t appear to have any concerns about me being on Depo-Provera for more than 2 years. Here are a few more key parts of the FDA information (that my doctor never mentioned to me): Bleeding Irregularities Most women using Depo-Provera CI experience disruption of menstrual bleeding patterns. Altered menstrual bleeding patterns include amenorrhea, irregular or unpredictable bleeding or spotting, prolonged spotting or bleeding, and heavy bleeding. Rule out the possibility of organic pathology if abnormal bleeding persists or is severe, and institute the appropriate treatment. As women continue using Depo-Provera CI, fewer experience irregular bleeding and more experience amenorrhea. In clinical studies of Depo-Provera CI, by month 12 amenorrhea was reported by 55% of women, and by month 24, amenorrhea was reported by 68% of women using Depo-Provera CI. I was not among those fortunate enough to have the Depo-Provera stop their periods. My doctor never mentioned the information about irregular bleeding or spotting. Weight Gain Women tend to gain weight while on therapy with Depo-Provera CI. From an initial body weight of 136 lb, women who completed 1 year of therapy with Depo-Provera CI gained an average of 5.4 lb. Women who completed 2 years of therapy gained an average of 8.1 lb. Women who completed 4 years gained an average of 13.8 lb. Women who completed 6 years gained an average of 16.5 lbs. Two percent of women withdrew from a large-scale clinical trial because of excessive weight gain. My doctor never mentioned that Depo-Provera can cause weight gain. She may have known about it, but failed to tell me. I cannot help but wonder why that was. Clearly, there were women in the study who gained so much weight from the Depo Provera that they decided they were better off without it. In addition, the FDA information included tables of “adverse reactions” reported by the women in the study: Table 1 Adverse Reactions that were Reported by More than 5% of Subjects: headache (16.5%) abdominal pain/discomfort (11.2%) Nervousness (10.8%) Dizziness (5.6%) Libido decreased (5.5%) Menstrual irregularities: bleeding (57.3% at 12 months, 31.1% at 24 months); amenorrhea (55% at 12 months, 68% at 24 months). Now, lets compare that with the information the FDA allowed Pfizer to put on the Depo Provera packaging: The most common side effects of Depo-Provera CI include: Irregular vaginal bleeding, such as lighter or heavier menstrual bleeding, or bleeding that does not stop Weight gain: You may experience weight gain while you are using Depo-Provera CI. About two-thirds of the women who used Depo-Provera CI in the clinical trials reported a weight gain of about 5 pounds during the first year of use. You may continue to gain weight after the first year. Women who used Depo-Provera CI for 2 years gained an average of 8 pounds over those 2 years. abdominal pain headache weakness tiredness nervousness dizziness The warning on the box doesn’t mention anything about additional weight gain potential for the women who use Depo-Provera longer than two years. It also doesn’t show the percentage of women in the study who experienced weight gain, how much weight they gained, or the percentage of women who stopped taking Depo Provera because of excessive weight gain. Instead, it presents an average weight gain (rounded down) for women who use Depo-Provera for one year. The assumption most women would take from this, lacking access to the rest of the FDA information, would be that they might gain 5 pounds. That’s simply not true for everyone who used Depo Provera! The first side effect from Depo Provera arrived very quickly. I gained 30 pounds in a short span of time. Previous to taking Depo Provera, I was skinny, with a very fast metabolism. I’d never experienced this much weight gain, this fast, in my entire life. At the time, I was working as a substitute teacher in the local school district. I started working at the Boys and Girls Club after school several days a week. There was very little time for me to eat anything, and I was always on my feet. It seemed to me that the weight gain was due to the Depo Provera. I searched online for information – but there wasn’t any. One of the teacher’s aides that I worked with talked to me one day, when we were both alone and trying to use the copy machine. He asked when the baby was due. He thought I was pregnant. The weight I gained was exactly in the places where pregnant women get bigger. It was embarrassing! I understand his mistake. Several of the teachers at that school were super pregnant. I looked just like they did. I explained to him that I was not pregnant; the birth control I was using made me look this way. He avoided visiting whatever classroom I had been assigned to after that. The American Pregnancy Association states that, for women of average weight before pregnancy, with a BMI of 18.5-24.9, the recommended weight gain guideline is 25-35 pounds. The Depo Provera convinced my body that I was pregnant. Unfortunately, it also convinced co-workers and other people that I was pregnant. This was an undesirable side effect. Eventually, when it was time to go back to get another Depo Provera shot, I tried to talk to my doctor about the weight gain. She told me that Depo Provera doesn’t cause weight gain, and that I just needed to get more exercise. I’m not sure if the doctor knew that one of the side effects of Depo Provera is weight gain, because there wasn’t much data about that at the time. Even so, she should have taken my concerns seriously. It was as though she resented the women who came to her clinic and who were able to avoid having “four kids by the time I was your age.” Depo Provera made me exhausted in a way that I’d never experienced before. For context, I have since been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, something I’ve had symptoms of since high school. The exhaustion from Depo Provera was worse. I would come home from work, lie down on the bed, and not really be able to move for a while. I spent a summer or two working at a Boys and Girls club. I learned that going from air-conditioning to warm, muggy, Summer weather (or vice-versa) made me incredibly nauseous. Food smells would increase the nausea. It was worse than anything I’d experienced while actually pregnant. As I mentioned, I’d never had regular periods. My hope was the Depo Provera would just turn it off for however long I was on the drug. Instead, I spotted. And spotted, and spotted. Periods would arrive on an even more random schedule than before. I had absolutely no idea when to expect a period to start, or end, and there could be more than one in a month. When I was in high school, I was diagnosed as being borderline anemic. It gets worse when I menstruate. Constant spotting and random periods of indeterminate length were really bad for me. The combination of all these side effects was that my sex drive disappeared. I sometimes use humor as a way of coping with bad situations. I joked that the reason Depo Provera prevents pregnancy is because the woman is either constantly bleeding or too exhausted and nauseous to even think about having sex. If I had to guess, I might have stayed on Depo Provera for … three or four years? There was no other option, and my doctor insisted that the side effects I was experiencing simply weren’t real. Somewhere around 2004 or so, I switched to “the patch” – and to a different clinic, with nicer doctors. No one asked me how long I had been on Depo Provera, and no one seemed to think it would be a problem to go directly from Depo Provera to “the patch”. I probably had some of both types of birth control in my system at the same time. The nausea mostly went away, possibly as the Depo Provera wore off. I wasn’t as flat-out exhausted anymore. My periods remained irregular, but there was, eventually, less spotting. My sex drive sort of returned, but it was hit or miss. I was probably on “the patch” for about two years. My husband and I decided to move out of state and across the country. When I was ready to use the very last “patch” I had access to – I wasn’t in a financial position to seek out more. So, I went off hormonal birth control for a while. A study done in 2009 by the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston found the following: Women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), commonly known as the birth control shot, gained an average of 11 pounds and increased their body fat by 3.4 percent over three years, according to researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). However, women who switched to non hormonal contraception began to slowly lose the weight and fat mass they gained – nearly four pounds over two years, while those who used oral contraception after the shots gained an average of 4 additional pounds in the same time span. The amount of weight gain was dependent on the length of time DMPA was used, as the rate of weight gain slowed over time… …According to [Abbey] Berenson, [M.D., professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the director of the Center for Interdiscplinary Research in Women’s Health at UTMB], the mechanism by which DMPA causes an increase in weight gain and fat mass is not known, and no connection was found between DMPA use and caloric intake, fat consumption or amount of exercise on body mass changes. The findings seem to argue against the theory that weight gain could be due to the drug’s perceived effects on increased caloric intake and decreased energy expenditure, but ongoing research is needed to confirm or discount varying possible explanations, she said… The 30 pounds of extra weight stayed. I had switched from teaching to working in a bookstore, which required constant heavy lifting and tons of walking around. I should have started losing the Depo Provera weight – but that wasn’t happening. It made no sense to me at all. In 2011, my sister asked me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. For the first time in my life, I made an effort to lose some weight. Nobody needed my Irish aunties speculating about whether or not I was pregnant. I was definitely not pregnant! I tried one of those low-carb diets. One of the things I learned from this was that I definitely should have been avoiding gluten all these years. I was diagnosed with an allergy to wheat, rye, and barley back in high school. This was long before allergists understood what to do about that, and long before doctors knew what celiac disease was. One day, I ate a plate of whole wheat spaghetti noodles – and instantly started itching, having “brain fog”, and.. I’m gonna say “digestive issues”. I was able to talk about this with my wonderful acupuncturist, and have since avoided anything with wheat, rye, barley, or gluten. Between the low carb diet, and the shunning of all that is gluten, I should have lost a decent amount of weight. My body cannot process gluten, so avoiding gluten should have reduced the inflammation it causes in my body. Instead, I was only able to lose a little bit of weight before my sister’s wedding. I was enough to prevent the “is she pregnant” conversation from happening at the reception. Since then, every time I started losing weight – all of the worst Depo Provera symptoms returned. There is no official data about Depo Provera being stored in your fat, but if you search around online, you can find women who reported that Depo is stored in your fat cells. This is based on their own, personal, experience. I can only assume these women noticed, like I did, that the Depo Provera symptoms returned when their body burned some of the fat they got from Depo Provera. In a 2018 article about weight loss, CNN reported the following: According to Dr. Caroline Apovian, president of the Obesity Society, frequently prescribed medications that can cause weight gain include Benadryl, Ambien, benzodiazepines, older antidepressant and antipsychotic medications, Paxil, beta-blockers (for high blood pressure), several diabetes medications including insulin, sulfonlyreas and thialidazones, and some contraceptive methods, including Depo-Provera. Someone needs to do a study that can determine whether or not Depo Provera stores in fat cells. Perhaps that study will finally force medical care providers to recognize that women aren’t just making up symptoms and blaming it on Depo Provera. What we are experiencing is extremely real, and hellish, and a nightmare. No one seems to care enough to do that. As such, women who use Depo Provera are unaware of amount of weight gain the drug will cause them, AND have no idea the damned thing will store itself in the fat cells it created. Everyday Health posted an FAQ about Depo Provera side effects. The information was medically reviewed by Dr. Sanjai Sinha, MD. Here is a small portion of that FAQ: …Q: How long before Depo-Provera is out of your system? I am experiencing depression, stomach aches, and weight loss. A: According to the prescribing information, it may take between 120 and 200 days following the injection for Depo-Provera (medroxyprogesterone) to be undetectable in the body. There was no mention, according to the prescribing information, of how long it would take for the side effects from Depo-Provera to go away after the medication was discontinued…. Sometime around 2012, I decided to get back on hormonal birth control. This time, after doing more research, I chose what was then called Implanon (and later called Nexplanon). It is a matchstick sized thing that is inserted under the skin in a woman’s upper arm. You can literally touch it and make sure it is still in place and unbroken. Implanon stays in your body for three years, and then must be taken out and replaced. By the time I needed to replace it, the drug had been renamed Nexplanon. I stayed on that for three years. Overall, I was happiest with the Implanon/Nexplanon. It muted most of the horrible symptoms that I was still experiencing from the Depo Provera. It was a very effective form of birth control. I wish it existed back when I was first looking at birth control options. When it was time to take it out, I decided not to replace it. By then, I was in my 40s. I knew that the older a woman gets, the higher risk she has of having her birth control cause a blood clot. My hope was that I’d be in menopause soon, and could get by without hormonal birth control until then. What I didn’t realize was that I’d gained weight since the Depo Provera. That weight stayed around, sometimes dropping a few pounds, only to gain it back again. Every time I lost weight, the worst of the Depo Provera symptoms returned. It was as though the fat I burned released the Depo Provera it held right back into my blood stream.This has been going on for years. In 2017, I started making an effort to lose weight. I’d heard that women who are older than 40, and who are obese, are at risk for a bunch of bad health problems. I hoped to avoid that. I can’t really do much exercise, because I have rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and severe allergies that force me to stay indoors when the pollen count is high. Here are the changes I made beginning in March of 2017: Stayed off of hormonal birth control Greatly reduced the amount of sugar I consume Started eating more vegetables Became extremely picky about avoiding any foods that don’t say “gluten-free” on them Refusing to eat foods that had the slightest potential of being cross-contaminated with gluten Stopped eating foods that have “natural flavors” as an ingredient. I’ve had allergic reactions to some of them. Started walking around and playing Pokémon GO whenever my body, and the weather, will let me. Slowly, very slowly, the weight started going away. I’ve been on this roller coaster of an existence in between feeling sort of ok to being super sick from Depo Provera again. At the time I’m writing this blog post, I have lost 40 pounds. There is still more fat that I should lose, and I’ll get there, slowly. My hope is that someday, hopefully sooner rather than later, Depo Provera will be cast out of my body forever. My inspiration for writing this blog post is the horrible Depo Provera symptoms I’ve been experiencing this month. I went to a video game conference earlier this November, and ended up losing a few pounds. I’m at least a pound lighter since then. My body is burning the fat that I originally gained from the first Depo Provera shot. I’m suffering. Its difficult to be constantly nauseous, experiencing abdominal pain and distress, and deeply exhausted for about a month straight. I wanted to write this for the women out there who are going through something similar. You didn’t cause this. The Depo Provera did. The symptoms you are experiencing are real and are happening to other women. You are not alone. I hope all of us can someday heal from the hell that Depo Provera has caused us. Image from Pixabay Depo Provera 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!... My Doctor Left the ClinicOctober 17, 2018Out of Spoons / Spoonie WritingOn September 18, 2018, I received a letter from what I have been referring to as “the clinic for the poor people”. My wonderful doctor, who actually had a lot of knowledge about my allergies, has left the clinic. This unexpected situation left me without an assigned doctor (or, primary care doctor) during flu season. Not a good situation for a person with three autoimmune diseases who is trying to get on Disability. The letter from “the clinic for the poor people” informed me that my fantastic doctor “is no longer with” the clinic. The letter said they were “actively recruiting a new physician to continue your care.” I took them at their word, and waited for them to call me. Eventually, it became clear that I was going to have to call them and find out if I had been assigned a new doctor… or, if not, when they expected to find one for me. The best thing about “the clinic for the poor people” is that the workers who answer the phones are exceptionally patient and kind. The woman who helped me didn’t get irritated when I forgot what my phone number was (and explained that I’m dyslexic). She took the time to find out what doctors were taking new patients and gave me the name of one. This helped me feel a bit safer. If I get the flu, and get incredibly sick, I will have access to a doctor. (My three autoimmune chronic illnesses make it dangerous for me to get the flu shot). I’ll also have a doctor to call when I return from a video game conference with what is often referred to as “Con Crud”. Or, maybe not. The helpful woman on the phone couldn’t tell me what my new doctor specialized in. I’m hoping that he is someone who is covered by my health insurance – because I sure as hell cannot afford to pay out of pocket for health care. The part I’m incredibly nervous about is whether or not this doctor will agree to fill out a form that I need in order to begin the process of trying to get Social Security Disability. (This will be my second attempt after getting denied, and denied, and denied). He could be mean and refuse to help me. I’m also not looking forward to “training” a new doctor about all of my chronic illnesses and how they interconnect. The new doctor could decide that I’m too much work, or too much research, or maybe that he isn’t being paid enough to help me. Or, he could be really awesome (like my previous doctor was). There’s no way to predict how this will go, so I refuse to get my hopes up Despite this setback, I have made small progress on my attempt to get Disability. My wonderful acupuncturist happily filed out the form I needed. It’s possible the new doctor will do the same. And then… I have to track down my Rheumatologist (who diagnosed me with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia) and see if he will fill out the form I need. The office he used to be at appears to be empty now, and I’ve no idea if he retired or just relocated. This is a whole lot of work to expect a disabled person to do all by themselves. At the time I am writing this, I’m fighting a bad cold (that I’m hoping won’t turn into the flu). I literally don’t have the energy to chase down doctors and beg them to fill out the forms I need to get Disability. The photo at the top of this blog is from Pexels. My Doctor Left the Clinic 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!... Dentist ExpensesSeptember 17, 2018Doctor Appointments / Out of SpoonsI’m going to start this blog by saying that I have dental insurance – but it doesn’t cover very much beyond regular checkups. At my most recent checkup, the dentist found some expensive problems that need to be fixed. Content warning: This blog post contains details about my most recent dentist appointment. I’m not going to post anything graphic and will not include any photos (other than the one at the top of this blog). I went for a regular, six-month, dental checkup. My insurance covers two checkups and cleanings a year, and whatever x-rays the dentist wants to take. The main purpose for the x-rays this time was to make sure that the cap the dentist put in (which replaced one that wasn’t functioning properly anymore) was doing well. We had to take out a small loan in order to pay for the cap. We finished paying off that loan very recently. The cap turned out to be just fine. But, there was another problem. More specifically, this problem was with one of my molars. The tooth (or, what’s left of it) is currently being held together with a metal filling and a smaller “tooth colored” filing. Both were put in years ago, and I’ve been told the metal filling would eventually fail. And fail, it did. I noticed that I was getting food stuck between that tooth and the one in front of it for a while. Food would push into that space when I chewed so often that it eventually caused that part of my gums to get sore. I brushed and flossed, and figured that was fine. The dental hygienist noticed a problem in that area. I explained about the food getting stuck into it. She said she thought she saw “something” but wanted to the dentist to take a look. The dentist took a look, poked around, and declared that I had a gum infection. He said there was pus, and promptly removed it. The dental technician said she saw some of that and had removed what she could. I have chronic illnesses, three of which are autoimmune diseases. I’m well aware that infection generally means I’ll be prescribed an antibiotic. “How is this treated?”, I asked the dentist. “Very simply,” he responded. Long story short, the dental technician was able to treat it right then and there. It involved the application of a ….well, she described it as “kind of like a sandblaster”. It was some kind of solution that was designed to remove particulate matter (meaning whatever food particles were still stuck in a “pocket” of my gums). Next, she would apply an antibiotic, which would be “squished in there.” I was a little nervous until I understood what was about to happen. “The antibiotic costs $88,” the dental technician said. “Are you prepared to pay that?” Um…. no? I sent her to ask my husband if we had the money for that. He was in the waiting room. She came back and let me know that he said we were able to pay for that. While she was applying the antibiotic, I was thinking about how lucky I was to have access to a dentist right then. This infection could have gotten much worse if ignored – especially since I was completely unaware of it. The only reason I can afford regular checkups is because they come free with my dental health plan. The shortest explanation is that it is connected to my “Obamacare” health insurance. I wasn’t expecting to pay $88 that day, but it was manageable. The problem is that the dentist needs to remove my metal filling (which is failing – something every dentist I’ve seen since it was put in warned me would happen.) I’m going to need a cap put on that tooth, which means I’ll need a temporary cap before the permanent one can be created and placed. I’m not sure if this involves a root canal or not. He said something about being able to “move my tooth” over so I wouldn’t get food stuck in that spot anymore. The price tag on what I need done is $897. That’s after whatever amount my insurance covers (if it is covering anything at all). For us, this is a lot of money. The receptionist wanted to know when I wanted to schedule that work. “When we get the money to pay for it,” I replied. She was not amused. The dentist said it was not something I had to rush into. “You’re not gonna lose a tooth,” he told me. “I don’t think there’s much tooth left. It’s mostly fillings,” I responded. At the time I am writing this blog post, I have absolutely no idea where we are going to get the money to pay for the dental work I need. Yes, it can wait. But, it can’t wait forever. I browsed through GoFundMe, specifically looking at ones from people who needed help paying for dental work. There are so many and most of them didn’t raise any money at all. I’m hesitant to do a GoFundMe because my husband and I have plans to attend a video game conference in November. Based on what I’ve seen on Twitter, people will assume that I’m lying about the dental work and trying to scam them into paying for my vacation. What am I supposed to do, get a written letter from my dentist confirming that I’m telling the truth? This is why we need single payer health care. If we had that, things like this would be covered. Maybe I’d have to pay $5 or $10 for medication. That’s it. I certainly wouldn’t have to wonder if GoFundMe is my only hope. I wouldn’t have to question the morality of putting up a GoFundMe knowing that mine could push attention away from someone else who is in a worse situation than I am. America doesn’t have a health care system. It has an for-profit insurance system – and GoFundMe. This must change. So, I’m on an antibiotic… or, more correctly, the antibiotic is literally on me. It’s in a pocket of my gums where the dentist found signs of infection. I’m not allowed to floss that area for a total of ten days, so I assume that’s how long the antibiotic will release itself. Antibiotics make me extremely sleepy, which makes it harder for me to complete my paid writing work, which makes it harder for me to gather up the money to pay for the dental work I need. Dentist Expenses 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 GamesKitchen Scramble App: Little WokFebruary 3, 2019Kitchen Scramble / Other Video GamesLittle Wok is the ninth town in the Kitchen Scramble game. As you may have guessed, all of the recipes in this town resemble foods from various Asian countries. In Chef Academy 2 (the previous town) Pepper is offered the job of teaching International Cuisine next semester. She goes to Little Wok to start learning more about international cuisine while the Academy is on break. Little Wok requires players to learn a batch of new recipes. Chicken with Broccoli Fried Rice Egg Drop Soup Steamed Rice Monk: Greetings and welcome to Little Wok. Pepper: What a beautiful place! I’m ready to learn as many new recipes as I can. Monk: Then allow me to share a grain of wisdom. The secret to perfect rice… Monk: …is a rice cooker. Players must purchase the Wok before they can start Little Wok. It costs 100,000 coins. A player that doesn’t have that amount of coins can go back to previous towns, play some of those levels, and earn more. Players must also purchase a Rice Cooker before they can start Little Wok. It cost 100,000 coins. Chef Crisp provides a tutorial for the player about a unique thing that happens when players serve food to the Monk. Chef Crisp: Welcome to Little Wok! Looks like the Monk would like some steamed rice. Chef Crisp: To make rice, simply turn on the Rice Cooker. Chef Crisp: It’ll just take a moment. Chef Crisp: It’s ready! Now pick up the rice… Chef Crisp: …and serve it to the patiently waiting Monk. Chef Crisp: The Monk left a fortune cookie! A fortune cookie can be good or bad. Chef Crisp: It may reward you with coins, but it may take coins away. Chef Crisp: It’s up to you whether or not to pick it up… good luck! I got three stars on Level 190. It is the first level in Little Wok. A few new recipes appeared in Level 191. Shrimp Fried Rice Spring Roll I got three stars on Level 191. One new recipe was added for Level 192. Vegetable Delight I got three stars on Level 192. Players had to serve at least three Vegetable Delight dishes in order to complete this level. I bought the Rice Cooker Level 2 before starting Level 193 for the first time. It cost 200,000 gold. The advantage of leveling up the Rice Cooker is that it will produce two servings of rice instead of just one. Another new recipe was added in Level 193. Steamed Broccoli I got three stars on Level 193. Another new recipe was added for Level 194. Fried Tofu with Broccoli Monk: You know, my own training is focused on savoring the present moment. Monk: So I’ve decided to eat here every day until I learn to fully savor every grain of rice in my bowl. Pepper: Sounds like a delicious daily discipline to me! I got three stars in Level 194. One more new recipe for Level 195. Vegetable Fried Rice I got three stars on Level 195. The new recipe that appeared in Level 196 was fun to make. Orange Chicken To make this recipe, you put the chicken on the cutting board near the fryer. Throw it in the fryer after it is chopped. Put an orange and some soy sauce into the bowl. Then add the chicken when it is done. I got three stars in Level 196. Players had to serve at least six Orange Chicken dishes in order to complete this level. The new recipe that appears in Level 197 is useful. Learn how to do this one, and you will have the skill to do the next new recipe. The two are very similar. Wonton Soup For this recipe, players need to make a wonton. Throw it into the pot and toss in a leek. I got three stars in Level 197. Racecar Driver: I was racing down the highway and caught the smell of fresh kebabs in the air. Racecar Driver: I just had to stop to see where it was coming from. Pepper: Good timing! I was just about to try out a new recipe for Fried Wontons. Racecar Driver: Excellent. I’ll be the first in line to try it out! The new recipe for Level 198 is Fried Wontons. I got three stars in Level 198. Level 199 is difficult. Players can only use up to 2 customers. Once the second customer leaves, players can continue to serve the ones that are still there, but will not get any more. I can’t remember exactly when the game allows the player to upgrade the Wok. It costs 200,000 coins. It cooks food a little faster than the one the players automatically start with. At some point, the game lets player purchase the Premium Wok for 39 Kitchen Cash. I never bothered to do this. I got three stars on Level 199. The new recipe for Level 200 is Shrimp Lo Mein. I got three stars on Level 200. I got three stars on Level 201. Players must serve at least three Chicken with Broccoli dishes in order to pass this level. Level 201 is the last level in the first half of Little Wok. Here is what the first half of Little Wok looked like when I was done with it. There is a Token Gate that blocks the player from going directly into the second half of Little Wok. I had plenty of Tokens, so this wasn’t a problem. Fashionista: Pepper, your menu looks delicious, but I was hoping to find something a little more spicy. Pepper: Great idea. We’ll start up a hot sauce trend with a splash of hot sauce! The new recipe for Level 202 is Szechuan Chicken. I got three stars on Level 202. The new recipe for Level 203 is Sweet and Sour Shrimp. I got three stars on Level 203. The new recipe for Level 204 was Egg Foo Young. I got three stars on Level 204. This level ends when the player loses two customers. As before, it is still possible to serve whatever customers are left. Cowboy: Pepper, before I came here, I didn’t even know what Egg Foo Young was. Cowboy: You’ve really opened my eyes to new ways to enjoy my farm fresh eggs and vegetables. Pepper: That’s my dream, to spread the joy of cooking and eating new things! Kitchen Scramble has a message. The characters often emphasize that fresh foods are superior to processed foods. I got three stars in Level 205. The new recipe for Level 206 is Steamed Pork Bun. I only got two stars on Level 206. It wasn’t easy! Players have to serve at least four Steamed Pork Buns in order to pass this level. The game doesn’t always give players enough customers who order that dish. Pepper: I’ve learned so many new recipes here, it’s hard not to get them all mixed up. It’s overwhelming sometimes! Monk: Don’t despair. Dedication and discipline are key to mastering any new art. Monk: With enough practice, you won’t even need to think about the recipes. Pepper: You’re right. Until then, I’ll try my best not to mix up the wonton filling with the pork bun filling! The new recipe for Level 207 is Ma Po Tofu. I got three stars on Level 207. I got three stars on Level 208. Players must serve four Egg Drop Soup dishes in order to complete this level. Monk: I predict that your customers today will be quite open-minded. Most will be willing to eat anything off the menu… Monk: …but they’ll tip really well if you serve them their favorite dish. I got three stars on level 209. Chef Crisp: How’s the international cuisine training coming along? Pepper: It’s fantastic. I’ve learned so many new recipes here. Chef Crisp: Very good. Now take some time to truly master them, and soon you’ll be ready to move on. I purchased the Premium Pot. It cost 39 Kitchen Cash. It is possible to earn some of that while playing the game. Or, players can buy some with real-world money. The Chowder Monster, who first appeared in Chowderville, makes an appearance in Little Wok. The purpose of this monster is to annoy players. The Chowder Monster has a short temper. Wait too long to serve it the food it demands, and it throws a fit. It grabs two other customers and drags them away. When this happens, the player loses out on not only what the Chowder Monster would have paid for, but also the money from the two unfortunate customers. The Chowder Monster is especially problematic on levels that end after a player loses a certain amount of customers. I got two stars in Level 210. I got three stars in Level 211. Players had to serve eight Wonton Soup dishes to customers. Pepper: I love that you love Orange Chicken so much. But did you ever think about trying something new off the menu? Mechanic: Hmm, I guess I can try. It may take me a long time to decide what to order, though. Pepper: No problem. I’m encouraging all of my customers to order something new today. We’ll see how it goes! I got two stars on Level 212. I got three stars in Level 213. Players needed to serve four Egg Foo Young dishes in order to complete this level. I got three stars on level 214. It is the last level in Little Wok. Pepper: Whew! This place really put my chopping skills to the test. Monk: You wok’d it my friend. Your truck will always be welcome here. Monk: May your next journey be filled with good fortune… This is what the second part of Little Wok looked like when I finished it. I completed all three of the Little Wok Location Goals. After finishing Little Wok, player have to wait for 24 hours (in real time) before they can begin Albuqueso. Kitchen Scramble App: Little Wok 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: Ice Monster CollectionDecember 28, 2018Other Video Games / Seekers NotesSeekers Notes is a puzzle game with a creepy storyline. The player becomes The Seeker and must find lost objects that the NPCs (non-player characters) request. The Mystery of December event is the Seekers Notes Christmas event. I’ve been working my way through it, in the hopes that I will complete it and earn special rewards. In previous quests, Helen became distressed after someone ripped the wrapping paper and tore the bows off the gifts. The Seeker helps her find replacement wrapping paper and bows, and helps her rewrap them. Not long after that, Helen notices that someone is knocking from the inside of the large clock that is located inside the Gift Post Office. She asks the Seeker to find her improvised weapons of self defense, and to look inside the clock. No one was found – but Helen was not comforted by this. Peter: Seeker, we heard that something was happening at the Gift Post Office. It must be an ice monster up to no good! The player responds: An ice monster? Ben: No one knows more about monsters than children do. With the approach of the winter holidays it’s time for tales about the ice monster. One of them is even included in a collection of fairy tales. The town of Darkwood is under a curse, and a wide variety of monsters are quite literally roaming the streets and bothering the townspeople. The player, who becomes The Seeker, is often asked by NPCs to banish specific monsters. Ben’s statement: “No one knows more about monsters than children do”, is disturbing. It fits right into the creepiness of the Seekers Notes storyline. It seems as though these kids aren’t very afraid of the monsters they encounter. I found the fairy tales. Ben: Christmas Tree Tales is a collection of Christmas stories, but this is no ordinary children’s book. The thirteenth story is a fairy tale called “The Eyes of Winter”. It’s about a terrible ice monster! Amy: The ice monster exists not only in fairy tales, but in real life, too! On dark nights, it appears next to a Christmas tree and ruins gifts. It emanates such cold that icicles form on the tree! I found the icicles. Amy: There are icicles hanging on our Christmas tree too, but these are just ornaments. But I’m sure that the real ice monster was here! Who else would spoil the gifts? Peter: The ice monster is terrible! It leaves pine cones instead of candy! They say you found pine cones at the Gift Post Office? I can sense that the monster is near! It must have already filled the gifts with cones! I found a Christmas stocking full of pine cones. Peter: Wow, we were right! The monster filled a stocking with cones! And it’s all because it hates the winter holidays and tries to ruin them at any cost. Peter: Brr, it’s gotten so cold at the Gift Post Office! This is a sure sign of the approach of the ice monster. It can be driven away by lighting a big fire. But we’re not allowed to play with matches. I found a heater. Peter: Wow! A heater will keep us warm longer than a fire would! But what does it run on? Kerosene? Well, now the ice monster won’t be able to frighten us with the cold! Amy: I don’t know what the ice monster looks like, but I saw its claw marks on a Christmas tree. My friends showed them to me If we find marks here, I can determine whether they were left by the monster! I found the bell. Amy: Ooh, someone scratched this bell! These marks are the same as the ones left by the ice monster. Oh, I want to go back to my grandfather as soon as possible… The NPCs in Seekers Notes can blink. Sometimes, this results in an unflattering screenshot where I caught a character mid-blink. I’ve unintentionally ended up with Amy looking unimpressed by the ice monster’s destruction. Ben: Don’t be afraid, Amy! The older boys told me how to catch the ice monster! We need to put out bait: a glass of warm milk and cookies. The way to complete the Tasty Bait quest is to gather up all the items, and the extra items, that the Ice Monster Collection requires. At this point, I had collected up all the necessary items. The extra items were problematic. The extra items can only be obtained by placating the Mystery of December holiday creatures. To do this, the player must use up Energy by successfully finding all the hidden objects in various locations in the game. Eventually, enough Christmas Ornaments will drop. The Christmas Ornaments are required in order for the player to enter the Gift Post Office. Successfully finding all the hidden objects in that location may, or may not, drop an Ice Flower. The Ice Flower can be used to placate the first of three creatures. In short, the player needs to do this over and over again until they gather up the required amount of extra items. It is tedious, and can be frustrating when the Ice Flower does not drop. The only bright side of having to do this is that it is an effective way to increase the Rank of the Gift Post Office. I got the Gift Post Office to the Detective Rank. Congratulations! You completed the stage challenge and get Fire Crystal as a reward! The Gift Post Office is now at the Detective Rank. One more to go! Congratulations! You completed the stage challenge and get Carved Chest as a reward! I have now placated a total of 55 Mystery of December creatures. I have the feeling that I’m going to run out of time before I am able to complete the Ice Monster Collection. So, I’m just going to post this blog assuming I made no additional progress. I will update this blog if I complete the collection. Seekers Notes: Ice Monster 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!... Seekers Notes: Unexpected Trouble CollectionDecember 25, 2018Other Video Games / Seekers NotesSeekers Notes is a puzzle game where the player becomes The Seeker. It includes a creepy story line. The town of Darkwood is under a curse, and no one seems to know how to lift it. The Unexpected Trouble collection is the last part of the second series of quests in the Mystery of December event. It is the Seekers Notes Christmas event. The focus is on a newly unlocked location called the Gift Post Office. Towards the end of the first series of quests in the Mystery of December event, Helen tells The Seeker that the townspeople’s gifts had been ruined. Someone ripped up the wrapping paper and tore off the bows. Colonel Hammerstrike decides to hold an investigation to find the criminal. He gets a bit overzealous in his desire to punish whomever ruined the gifts. One thing is clear: Colonel Hammerstrike is really angry! Colonel Hammerstrike: It’s unacceptable! Helen told me everything. The rascal responsible must be caught and punished! I’ll start the investigation right now. Are you with me, Seeker? The player responds: Sure thing! Colonel Hammerstrike: The culprit must have left some tracks. Let’s take a close look. If we’re lucky, the tracks will lead us straight to the vandal. I can’t wait to arrest them! I found pine cones. Colonel Hammerstrike: Hmm, we found pine cones instead of footprints. Interesting. That means our culprit is no ordinary vandal, but an experienced criminal who knows how to cover their tracks. Colonel Hammerstrike: Unfortunately, we can’t catch the criminal. We have no evidence! But we need to secure the Gift Post Office. Helen is working here, after all! And, of course, all the townspeople’s gifts are here. I also happened to notice that the Gift Post Office window can’t be locked. It appears that Colonel Hammerstrike is especially protective of Helen. I have absolutely no idea what she thinks about that, or if she is even aware that Colonel Hammerstrike feels that way toward her. I found a latch. Colonel Hammerstrike: Excellent! Even a simple latch can stop a crime. Let’s fit the latch to the window forthwith. Security above all! Colonel Hammerstrike: I don’t want to leave you and Helen unprotected, but it’s my turn to go on patrol. Let’s agree on a signal if the criminal tries to repeat their crime! This time, the quest requires the player to explore the Gift Post Office while it has the Gargoyle anomaly. The game randomly places a variety of anomalies into different locations. If the player is lucky, the right anomaly will appear in the location that they are about to explore. In my experience, this simply does not happen. I ended up playing through the Gift Post Office multiple times in the hopes that the next time would have the Gargoyle anomaly. The only good thing about this is it was an opportunity to work on getting the Gift Post Office to its next Rank. Eventually, the Gargoyle anomaly appeared. I was able to successfully find all of the hidden objects, and the flare appeared when I was finished. In the meantime, I moved the rank of the Gift Post Office from 50.0% of the way through Amateur to 87.5% of the way through it. Colonel Hammerstrike: Excellent! This flare is so bright that I’ll notice it day or night. As soon as you sense any danger, send up the signal immediately, okay? I’ll come at once. Helen: Colonel Hammerstrike is so kind and noble. But I don’t think the culprit will come again. I’m more worried that the gifts of the townspeople have been ruined… They need to be rewrapped! My next exploration of the Gift Post Office resulted in a new Rank. It was now at the Connoisseur Rank. I have now completed two of the five stages that require players to increase the Rank of the Gift Post Office. I found the wrapping paper. Helen: Where did you get such a beautiful set of wrapping paper? Wonderful! Let’s get down to work. It’ll be sad if someone receives a gift with torn paper. Helen: The townspeople put a lot of effort into wrapping the gifts and selecting the right ribbons! It would be so unfair if their efforts were in vain. Maybe you can find a set of colorful ribbons? I found a set of colorful ribbons. Helen: Spectacular! There are so many different ribbons! We can easily pick the right one for each gift. Helen: We just need to rewrap all the gifts and decorate them with ribbons. There are lots of gifts, but the work will go much faster and be more fun in this magical atmosphere. Let’s get started. The way to complete this quest is to assemble and trade a collection. Players that reach this point in the quest chain have already gathered up the main items they need for the collection. They may or may not have gathered up the extra items that the collection requires. It turned out that I had everything I needed to complete the Unexpected Trouble collection. All of the items on the collection get used up when the player completes the collection. Congratulations! You’ve assembled this collection: Unexpected Trouble. Helen: I’m grateful for your help! The gifts are wrapped and ready to be sent. I still hope the culprit will be caught, and that this unpleasantness won’t be repeated. Helen: Oh, what was that? A knock? The player responds: Yes! Helen: I can’t believe it, the knocking is coming from inside that large clock! The player responds: Let’s check it out! This quest chain ends on a very creepy note that leads the player into the next series of quests in the Mystery of December event. Congratulations! You completed the stage challenge and get Old Crown as a reward! I have now completed all of the Stage 2 quests in the Mystery of December event. Seekers Notes: Unexpected Trouble 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!... Seekers Notes: Placating Mystery of December CreaturesDecember 24, 2018Other Video Games / Seekers NotesSeekers Notes is a “find the hidden object” game with a creepy storyline and plenty of mysteries and puzzles for the player to solve. The player becomes The Seeker, and must find the lost items that the NPCs (non-player characters) request. The Mystery of December event is Seekers Notes version of a Christmas event. Players who complete everything can earn special rewards. Part of the quests involve placating the Mystery of December creatures, who are bothering the people of Darkwood. The player is asked to placate the three different Mystery of December creatures. A short quest chain – that doesn’t count as part of the rest of the event quests – is presented to the player. The purpose is to teach the player how to obtain the items that are used to placate the holiday creatures. Ben: My friends told me they’d seen Lady Snowflake in the city. They gave her a flower, but it wilted as soon as Snowflake touched its petals. Now she’s terribly upset! Snowflake really loves flowers, but can’t touch them with her cold hands. The player needs an Ice Flower to placate Lady Snowflake with. This item sometimes drops after the player successfully finds all of the hidden objects in the Gift Post Office. Give Lady Snowflake the Ice Flower, and she will drop some of the items that you see in the above screenshot. Those items are used to placate the second creature in this group. Ben: Hooray! Lady Snowflake liked the ice flower. It’s even more beautiful than ordinary flowers, and most importantly, it will never wilt. The player must placate Lady Snowflake twice in order to obtain the right quantity of the items that are necessary to placate the second creature in the group one time. Ben: An amazing snowman, Mr. Scatterbrain, has wandered into Darkwood. He loves building ice castles, but always loses his mittens. How can we help him? This snowman adores building ice castles, but loses his mittens all the time. Ben: The snowman almost crumbled with joy when he received his new mittens! The kids and I will go play with Mr. Scatterbrain. He builds wonderful castles out of ice! The player must placate Lady Snowflake twice in order to gather up enough special items to placate Mr. Scatterbrain once. The problem is that the player needs to placate Mr. Scatterbrain twice in order to collect the special items needed to placate the third creature in the group. Congratulations! You completed the stage challenge and get Magic Lantern as a reward! I completed State 1 of the placate the creatures portion of the Mystery of December event. Ben: My friends were scared by a huge abominable snowman. But Sir Yeti proved to be a very polite and well-mannered creature. He came to Darkwood to find gift wrap, and got upset when he scared the children. Sir Yeti has quite an unusual hobby. He just loves giving gifts! Congratulations! You’ve successfully placated the creature: Sir Yeti. Ben: Thank you! Who would have thought that Sir Yeti loved giving gifts so much? He was so pleased with the gift wrap that he immediately fled to the mountains. Apparently, he needs to wrap a lot of gifts! The NPCs in Darkwood can blink. This sometimes results in strange looking screenshots where I accidentally catch the NPC halfway through a blink. Congratulations! You completed the stage challenge and get Cookie Pops as a reward! I have now completed Stage 2 of the placate the creatures portion of the Mystery of December event. There is still a long way to go on this part of the Mystery of December stages, and a lot more quest chains to finish. I also need to keep leveling the rank of the Gift Post Office. Seekers Notes: Placating Mystery of December Creatures 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: Mystery of DecemberDecember 21, 2018Other Video Games / Seekers NotesSeekers Notes is a “find the hidden object” game where the player becomes The Seeker. The game includes a creepy storyline that has a lot of twists and turns. The game also involves finding hidden objects at different locations. Ideally, the quest item that the player must find will drop. In December, Seekers Notes released their Christmas event. It is called Mystery of December. The Mystery of December event starts with a festive scroll. Happy holidays! Entrust the delivery of gifts to the Darkwood Gift Post Office! Everything for your convenience! The Gift Post Office location is an important part of the Mystery of December event. It is the location that players must build up to the highest rank in order to complete the entire event and earn some special prizes. Players who raise up the Gift Post Office location to Virtuoso before the event ends earn two special avatars. Players who finish all of the quest chains in the Mystery of December before the event ends earn a Long-Awaited Gifts Chest and a unique Fairy-Tale Snowfall jewelry box. Players who placate enough of the Winter Creatures before the Mystery of December event ends receive a Christmas Deal Talisman and a unique Winter Guests picture. The way to placate holiday creatures is to successfully find all the hidden objects in the Gift Post Office – and be lucky enough for it to drop certain holiday items. Helen: Seeker, I have some wonderful news! In Darkwood, a cozy Gift Post Office has been opened for sending gifts. I was just about to go there, but I lost the key. Could you help me please? The way to unlock a new location is to find the key. The player can explore any already unlocked location to find it. I decided to explore the Cafe location. I found the Gift Post Office key. Helen: Thank you! Be sure to stop by the Gift Post Office! I won’t talk much about the coziness and beauty of the place: it’s better to see something once for yourself than to here about it a thousand times! I unlocked the Gift Post Office. Helen: Seeker, you’ll need Christmas Ornaments to explore the Gift Post Office. Here are 10 access passes for now. Each holiday location requires the player to collect up a certain amount of unique access passes. The Mystery of December event requires Christmas Ornaments. The way to obtain them (beyond the first ten) is to find all the hidden objects in any location, and hope that they drop. Every time the player raises the Gift Post Office to a higher rank – the locations cost more Christmas Ornaments than it did before. The Old Gift Post Office: The old post office building has been closed since the Curse fell upon the city. There used be a long-distance correspondence department there, which, unfortunately, shut down. But now we have a real Gift Post Office for sending and receiving gifts! The bright lights and the fragrance of spruce give the Gift Post Office a magical atmosphere! This might just be one of the coziest places in the city. Helen: Oh, customers will be coming to the Gift Post Office very soon, but we’re not ready yet! The player must click on: I’ll help you. Helen: Thank you for your help, Seeker! You know, there used to be a long-distance correspondence department here, but it was closed so long ago that nobody’s been in here in years and years. Let’s hang an “Open” sign on the door. I found the “Open” sign. Helen: Excellent! The sign is now adorning the door. It will show everyone that the closed post office has reopened for business! Helen: The days in the run-up to the winter holidays are my favorite time of year. Everything all around is filled with a special kind of magic, isn’t it? Shiny ornaments and lights on Christmas trees, gifts… But it feels like there’s something missing at the Gift Post Office. I found the colorful wreath. Helen: A colorful wreath will add the final touch to the Gift Post Office’s decor! Let’s hang it on the front door. Now no one will pass by without coming in. Helen: The weather in Darkwood is unpredictable as always! Bitter frost can change to glorious sunshine in an instant, and a calm day can turn into a blizzard. Let’s make hot drinks for our freezing visitors! I found the hot drinks. Helen: Invigorating coffee, fragrant hot chocolate, hot tea – we’ve prepared drinks to suit every taste! Oh, and here are our first visitors. Peter: I’ve brought a whole pile of gifts! How marvelous it is in here! Can I have some hot chocolate? Thank you. It’d be great to have some home-made gingerbread to go with it! I found the gingerbread. Peter: Wow! You even have gingerbread cookies here! They are so scrumptious, just like the ones that father and I make for the winter holidays. Can I take one for my father? Helen: Pete is so sweet, he gets gifts for all his friends every year. Let’s attach address tags to the gifts so that there’s no mix-up. I found the address tags. I earned a new rank in the Gift Post Office location: Amateur. I earned the Flying Time reward. Next, I need to move the Gift Post Office rank up to Connoisseur. Helen: Perfect! No gift will go astray now. Don’t you agree that gifts are the most important part of the winter holidays? Helen: The townspeople liked the idea of delivering gifts through the post; new boxes keep arriving! Let’s make the postman’s job easier by making a complete register of the gifts. The way to complete the Gift Register quest is to assemble a collection. By this point, the player will have collected up all of the main items in the corresponding collection. As you can see, I had collected one of each of the necessary items for the Gift Post Office Revival. I did not have any of the extra items that this collection required. The way to get them was to placate some of the Mystery of December creatures. Eventually, I gathered up enough of the special Mystery of December extra items. The nice thing about it was that I was able to make progress on the next quest chain while gathering those items. I have now completed the Gift Post Office Revival collection. Here are the rewards that I received for completing the Gift Post Office Revival collection. Helen: Ten gifts for Lady Byron to go to the Byron mansion… That’s it, the gift register is ready! We’ve done a great job! Helen: It’s terrible! The townspeople’s gifts have been ruined: someone ripped up the wrappings and tore off the bows! The player responds: Oh no! This dramatic ending to the first quest chain in the Mystery of December event leads the player into the next series of quests. It involves placating holiday creatures, and I had already made some progress on that. Congratulations! You completed the stage challenge and get Lightning in a Bottle as a reward! I have now completed the entire Stage 1 quest chain. There are five more quest chains to complete before the Mystery of December event ends. Seekers Notes: Mystery of 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!... 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!... CockatielsFluffy CockatielJune 8, 2018CockatielsI was having a really bad physical health day and was exhausted. Morris flew down the hall, perched on my computer monitor, and kept me company. He usually has a short attention span, but today, he stayed put and got fluffy and comfy. Fluffy Cockatiel is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. The photo in this post is not allowed to be posted on other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me at PayPal.me. Thank you!... Relaxing Flock of CockatielsJune 10, 2016CockatielsLittle flock of cockatiels, relaxing together as the sun sets Relaxing Flock of Cockatiels is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. The photo in this post is not allowed to be posted on other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me at PayPal.me. Thank you!... Throwback Thursday: NapJune 9, 2016CockatielsThrowback Thursday: Max loved to take naps on me (2011) Throwback Thursday: Nap is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. The photo in this post is not allowed to be posted on other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me at PayPal.me. Thank you!... Throwback Thursday: ReadingJune 9, 2016CockatielsThrowback Thursday: Max was attempting to read over Shawn’s shoulder. Meanwhile, Gordo was simply getting comfy on the couch. (2011) Throwback Thursday: Reading is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. The photo in this post is not allowed to be posted on other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me at PayPal.me. Thank you!... Sort of Sharing a PillowJune 8, 2016CockatielsMorris and Poke can share a pillow together! They aren’t quite ready to share the pillow with Pepper, though. Sort of Sharing a Pillow is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. The photo in this post is not allowed to be posted on other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me at PayPal.me. Thank you!... Coloring PagesJohanna Basford 2019 Coloring Calendar – JanuaryFebruary 9, 2019ColoringA friend gave me the Johanna Basford 2019 coloring calendar as a Christmas present. My goal this year is to try and keep up with it as best I can. Coloring is relaxing and fun. It is also good for my rheumatoid arthritis (which is in my hands). January 1 January 2 January 3 January 4 January 5 and 6 January 7 January 8 January 9 January 10 January 11 January 12 and 13 January 14 January 15 January 16 January 17 January 18 January 19 and 20 January 21 January 22 January 23 January 24 January 25 January 26 and 27 January 28 January 29 January 30 January 31 Johanna Basford 2019 Coloring Calendar – January 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 – DecemberDecember 31, 2018ColoringI’ve been having a fun time coloring all the pages in the Johanna Basford 2018 coloring calendar. Unfortunately, due to my chronic illnesses, I was entirely unable to keep up with it. As such, I stopped somewhere in the middle of May, and skipped ahead to the December pages. My hope was that I would get through those before 2018 ended. After that, I will go back and color the pages I missed because, as I said, coloring is fun. December 1 and 2 December 3 December 4 December 5 December 6 December 7 December 8 and 9 December 10 December 11 December 12 December 13 December 14 December 15 and 16 December 17 December 18 December 19 December 20 December 21 December 22 and 23 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 27 December 28 December 29 and 30 December 31 Johanna Basford 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 Coloring Calendar – AprilOctober 2, 2018ColoringI am slowly working my way through the pages of the 2018 Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar. A friend of mine gave it to me as a Christmas gift, and I’m really enjoying it. Coloring is a good way to reduce stress. It also helps my rheumatoid arthritis because it keeps my hands and fingers moving. I’m not healthy enough to keep up with coloring one page every day, but I was able to complete the month of April. March 31 and April 1 April 2 April 3 April 4 April 5 April 6 April 7 and 8 April 9 April 10 April 11 April 12 April 13 April 14 and 15 April 16 April 17 April 18 April 19 April 20 April 21 and 22 April 23 April 24 April 25 April 26 April 27 April 28 and 29 April 30 Johanna Basford 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 – MarchAugust 19, 2018ColoringI’ve been working my way through the pages of the 2018 Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar. A friend of mine bought it for me for Christmas, and I’m really enjoying it. Coloring is a good way to reduce stress. It’s also helpful for my rheumatoid arthritis, which is in my hands (among other places). I think the idea is to keep my hands moving. Here are the coloring pages from March of 2018. March 1 March 2 March 3 and 4 March 5 March 6 March 7 March 8 March 9 March 10 and 11 March 12 March 13 March 14 March 15 March 16 March 17 and 18 March 19 March 20 March 21 March 22 March 23 March 24 and 25 March 26 March 27 March 28 March 29 March 30 March 31 and April 1 #BlaugustReborn Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar – Marchis 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 – FebruaryAugust 8, 2018ColoringA friend gave me the Johanna Basford 2018 Coloring Calendar for Christmas. I’ve been working my way through coloring each page, and really enjoying it. Coloring is a good way to relax. Coloring is also helpful for my rheumatoid arthritis, which is in my hands. Movement is beneficial, so long as I don’t over do it. I’ve fallen behind on the daily coloring, but intend to complete the entire calendar eventually. Here are the coloring pages from February of 2018. February 1 February 2 February 3 and 4 February 5 February 6 February 7 February 8 February 9 February 10 and 11 February 12 February 13 February 14 February 15 February 16 February 17 and 18 February 19 February 20 February 21 February 22 February 23 February 24 and 25 February 26 February 27 February 28 #BlaugustReborn Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar – February 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!...
