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ejridener

~ "This above all; to thine own self be true." – Hamlet, William Shakespeare.

ejridener

Monthly Archives: May 2015

Tales from the road

31 Sunday May 2015

Posted by ejridener in Uncategorized

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Tags

adventure, California, forest, fun, green, hiking, Michigan, road trip, San Francisco, snow, spring break, travel, united states, Washington, water

Part of the trail to Second Beach.

Part of the trail to Second Beach.

I love to travel and the desire to go places is never pacified.

I think the inner explorer was awakened just before my sophomore year of high school when my mom and I went on an extensive road trip. We started at our house, took Interstate 80 out to San Francisco, Calif., then up to Port Angeles, Wash., over to Mount Rushmore, S.D. and down through Illinois back home to Michigan. It was fun and I got to go through most of the western states.

My mom and I are traveling partners. We have visited Chicago on multiple occasions, got snowed into Marquette during one spring break, walked up and down the Las Vegas strip, trekked up and down a “mountain” in La Push, were nearly washed away at Yosemite National Park, trotted all over Mackinac Island on a horse tour and stared out at Lake Michigan from Traverse City. As one could guess, I’ve gathered some fun tales from the road.

Here are some gems from the many trips we have been on.

A “short walk” to the beach.

When we had gone to La Push, Wash. We were taken by the beautiful driftwood lined beaches and gray skies. On the road leading into the small Native American village were small parking lots; one was for Third Beach and the other for Second Beach. As we were leaving La Push, we decided to stop at the Second Beach lot. A sign next to the beginning of the trail said it was basically a short distance from there to the beach and we figured “why not” and carried on.

One of the uprooted trees that were found along the trail to Second Beach.

One of the uprooted trees that were found along the trail to Second Beach.

It wasn’t short at all.

We claim we walked up and down a mountain but in reality it was more like a rather large hill. Uprooted trees, poorly maintained steps and lush green forest surrounded us the entire way. It was beautiful but we were unprepared. We had no water and improper footwear. At several points we asked ourselves if it was worth it but continued on.

It was worth it.

The end of the trail had a wall of driftwood blocking you from the beach. We could have easily climbed it seeing as it was only two to three feet high but with our terrible footwear, non-existent cell service and aching bodies we felt staring at the beach was more worth it than dying on it. We made the way back with some beautiful pictures and a fun tale to tell out friends and family. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. There is a chance it’s been altered because the Twilight Series gave the area a boost in tourism so what I experienced could be very different from what someone would experience today.

We have a “problem.”

Spring break vacations for a college student usually entails booze and lots of it mixed with a sunny beach. Seeing as I avoid the sun like the plague and hate sand with a passion, my mom and I decided we would travel up to Marquette, Mich. To visit some of my friends, then some family (my mom was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula), then make our way down through Wisconsin and stay in Chicago for a few nights before returning home.

Perfect plan, except we forgot a key element.

The Upper Peninsula is known for harsh winters. Think The Wall in “Game of Thrones” or Fargo in “Fargo.” Snow is piled high and temperatures are incredibly low. For the people who live there, it’s just another winter but for those who are visiting it’s a nightmare.

We stayed at a really cool hotel called The Landmark Inn. It’s one of those old hotels that have a cool history and no one room is the same. The top floor had a lounge that was the place to be once it opened at five o’clock but it was always open to guests beforehand as a quiet place to read or relax with great views of Lake Superior.

View from our hotel window during a calm moment in the storm.

View from our hotel window during a calm moment in the storm.

We shopped around then visited my friends, Kaitlyn for lunch and my best friend, Dan, for dinner. We went to bed thinking of the following day and how we were excited to visit my grandmother who lives in a secluded settlement outside of Escanaba.

At least, that’s what was supposed to happen until I woke up to my mom saying, “Emily, wake up. We have a problem.”

She told me to look out the window and when I did, I was faced with a wall of white. As in, I could barely see the bright streetlight that was close by. We were in a blizzard and we weren’t going anywhere.

After making the necessary call to my grandmother that we would see her the following day, we made the walk of shame down to the front desk asking if we could extend our stay. Luckily, they understood seeing as they had been through this situation plenty of times and many people had already called to cancel their stay because of the storm.

That was March 11, 2013 and I know that because it was the day Detroit’s former mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick was convicted of 24 federal felony counts. When we received the breaking news update that the jury’s decision was going to be read, we raced up to the lounge and set up my mom’s iPad to stream the coverage.

We had dinner in the lounge that night and braved the storm the next day, having canceled the rest of the trip because the storm was so bad it had earned a title and was consuming the entire area the rest of our trip included. We stopped in to see my grandmother but instead of continuing south to Wisconsin, we went east toward the Mackinac Bridge.

I’m probably one of the few people who can boast getting snowed into their hotel during their spring break vacation.

“That’s why you have to be prepared”

Whenever I graduated from high school, my parent’s graduation present was a trip to anywhere I would like to go. They thought I would pick somewhere in Europe and I surprised them when I said I wanted to return to San Francisco. I loved the city but had only spent two nights there before my sophomore year in high school during the road trip mentioned above. Part of the trip was to leave San Francisco for a few days and go to Yosemite National Park for two nights.

Fine right? Nope.

The second day we were there was when things got interesting. The night before there had been a terrible thunderstorm and buckets of rain had fallen. When we drove to the park that morning, it was gloomy but it didn’t stop us. Our first stop was Bridalveil Fall, a beautiful waterfall that you can get right up close and personal to. My mom had suggested we stop there first because the parking lot fills quickly and we didn’t want to deal with a high amount of people meandering around the trail leading up to the waterfall. The parking lot itself was quite wet but we chalked it up to the rainfall from the night before.

We should have read the signs as they came at us a bit better.

Bridalveil Fall from a distance.

Bridalveil Fall from a distance.

First, about an inch of rushing water soaked our feet at the beginning of the trail. Then, off to the side, water was rushing over rocks at a clip that would make an experienced sailor cringe. The farther up (yes, up) the trail we went the higher the water got. At one point, we were easily trudging through six inches of water and at that time we were being misted by water too.

Things quickly escalated from there.

That mist turned into a full-blown hurricane of water around us and we were grabbing onto the handrails along the trail and pulling ourselves forward. Were we laughing? Yes, but looking back it was probably our method of calming ourselves down in the eyes of being washed away. Our vision was soon impaired due to the amount of water surrounding us and the roar of the fall was starting to ache our eardrums. I don’t know how close we got before we opted to live and flee back down the way we came but I feel like it was close (not that we could see anything).

We made our way back down as quickly as we could, laughing at how we looked as if we had just dived into the ocean. Once we were close enough to the parking lot, we started passing people on their way up. Some stared and some laughed at our soaked condition. One stood out though.

A woman with a small group of people were wearing the thin plastic ponchos you can get in a pack of two for a dollar. The woman scoffed at us, looked at her group and said, “that’s why you have to be prepared” and continued to march up the trail. My mom and I had a good laugh about it seeing as we knew what they were walking into and those thin ponchos didn’t stand a chance. We got back to our car, drove to the gift shop, bought t-shirts and sweatpants and scurried to the bathrooms to change into what we called our “refugee outfits.”

As it would turn out, the rain from the night before combined with the record amount of snow melting, the waterfall was a bit more intense than normal. We saw that group later and they were in the same position as we were.

Moral of the story? Don’t judge people for being drenched when visiting a waterfall; it’s likely going to happen to you.

States I have traveled to are highlighted in green.

States I have traveled to are highlighted in green.

Penny Dreadful: demons, creatures and werewolves, oh my!

29 Friday May 2015

Posted by ejridener in Uncategorized

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Tags

demons, dracula, frankenstein, gothic, horror, penny dreadful, showtime, vampires, werewolves

posterAttention: Spoilers Ahead

As a lover of all things gothic and deeply rooted in literature, I was drawn to Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful” for a few reasons.

The first was the creepiness within the trailer. You see someone looking as if they are possessed, what appears to be vampires and things that go bump in the night. I’ve always been attracted to horror but more along the lines of thriller than gore. This show seemed to have mystery and thriller walking hand-in-hand.

A vampire in Penny Dreadful.

A vampire in Penny Dreadful.

The second was the time period. The stereotypical goth within me noticed the Victorian era within the previews and was squealing on the inside. I love the fashion, art and architecture of the time.

The third and final prominent reason the show appealed to me was the characters behind the story; a Dracula type figure complete with Mina from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” Dr. Frankenstein and his creature from Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” Dorian Gray of Oscar Wilde’s “A Picture of Dorian Gray” and a werewolf.

How could I not be excited?

As part of my cable package, I do not have access to Showtime. Unfortunate, I know. I instead resorted to waiting for Netflix to pick it up after the first season ended. Unlike HBO programs, Showtime shows usually end up on Netflix and I have enjoyed a few of them since acquiring a Netflix subscription.

I couldn’t wait anymore.

My mother, knowing the type that I am, recommended it after watching an episode or two on a flight. With the remaining iTunes credit I had from previous gift cards from various holidays, I bought the first season and began watching immediately.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Let’s get the one critique out of the way now. I don’t do spiders. I basically feel them crawling on me if I see them on my screen and let’s just say there are some questionable scenes in “Penny Dreadful” with hoards of them.

What was really great about “Penny Dreadful” was the way each of the characters, who were from different literary works written by different authors, were so well entwined. It didn’t seem far-fetched or forced but more smooth and casual. For the most part, each character was true to form as well with the vain and never-been-rejected Gray, curious Frankenstein and hiding in a dark corner vampire.

Reeve Carney as Dorian Gray.

Reeve Carney as Dorian Gray.

The biggest shock for me was the lack of exploration of Josh Harnett’s sharpshooting werewolf Ethan Chandler. You basically know it’s him after his intense head-trip, which leads to him sleeping with Gray, but you don’t see his inner beast until the last minutes of the final episode. The season starts with the carnage caused by a monster (blamed on Jack the Ripper returning) and you feel the eerie close-ups of Harnett are meant to make you think it’s him when really the culprit is standing just out of frame. I know the second season has already hit Showtime and I will have to catch up when I’m able but I have high hopes we’ll get to see more of his hidden beast.

Another character I would love to see more on and his back story is the mysterious Sembene, Sir Malcolm Murray’s man servant played by Danny Sapani. He is a strong force present everywhere Murray goes and he always seems to be the one killing off the highest number of vampires with his hidden daggers (they could be considered swords but I am not privy to the language of weaponry). Not much has been revealed about Sembene other than a short conversation between himself and Chandler where he says he has no story.

I’m most excited to find out what happens with Billie Piper’s Bona Croft, the Northern Irish prostitute who served as Chandler’s love interest but dies of consumption. We are left with the image of Dr. Frankenstein beginning the process of bringing her back to life like his creatures before her. Throughout the season we know the Creature, played by Rory Kinnear, is demanding Frankenstein give him a wife. Will this happen? Based on the season two trailer, it looks like Brona “lives” but the Creature is with someone else. Maybe Brona has no interest or maybe Dr. Frankenstein is too taken with her to give her up. No one tell me, I’ll have to wait and see.

“Penny Dreadful” was a great cocktail of literature’s great gothic novels and a spooky way to end the week. New episodes can be viewed Sundays at 10pm on Showtime.penny

Cobain: Montage of Heck

22 Friday May 2015

Posted by ejridener in Uncategorized

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Tags

documentary, Frances Bean Cobain, kurt cobain, Montage of Heck, Music, nirvana, review

CCJpzUoW8AAcaGN.jpg-large

I don’t remember the specifics of the first time I heard them but they changed my musical interests indefinitely.

I was in fourth grade and my parents were having a home built for us to move into the coming summer. I don’t think I was too excited about it but I remember we would make the drive out to the new house frequently to see the progress. It was during those trips that my brother introduced me to my first rock band.

Nirvana.

I think my interest stemmed from being a little sister who wanted to love everything her older brother did. I listened to Nirvana CDs on a portable CD player in our Ford Focus, which would later become mine, while my brother was walking around the new house with my parents.

When he got his license and we would go adventuring, such as late night visits to the local Meijer to cure summer boredom, we would blare Nirvana. We were those rock kids that played their music too loud in a small town in the Midwest.

The older I became the more eclectic my tastes became, all within the umbrella of rock, but I always return to Nirvana not only for a sense of nostalgia but also the inescapable connection to the inner misfit.kurtcobain06

When I heard about “Montage of Heck” I was excited but apprehensive. I’m the nerd that watches documentaries and behind the scenes programs and had seen too many about frontman Kurt Cobain to count. I figured it would be like all the others; Kurt had a dissatisfying childhood, Kurt was on his own, Kurt became part of an internationally successful band, Kurt has drug problems, Kurt has a family, Kurt kills himself.

It gets real redundant, real quick.

Even though that is the basic story you still yearn for a more in-depth look at the man behind such profound music that truly shaped not only a generation but also music for generations to come.

I felt relieved when I found out Frances Bean Cobain, Cobain’s daughter, was a producer for “Montage of Heck.” How could it be typical if his legacy was involved? After reading an article in Rolling Stone magazine where Bean Cobain said she wanted people to see the true Cobain instead of what he has been perceived as, I was flat out excited for the documentary to come to HBO on May 4. Unfortunately, being a working college student I was at work and had to play catch-up and watch “Montage of Heck” on HBO Go the following Wednesday.

I was amazed. I think the puzzle pieces that many fans felt were missing to the complex character of an icon were finally revealed. Maybe they weren’t completely put into place but at least we know they exist. Old home movies, interviews, photographs and recordings served as a great background to the interviews with Cobain’s parents, stepmother, sister, ex-girlfriend, former band member, and widow. Orchestral instruments cover hits like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “All Apologies” clash against raw recordings of Cobain writing songs and playing with the recorder. Animations fill in where photos and videos cannot reach to illustrate the words narrated by Kurt, including a scene where Cobain and “friends” would distract a, by Cobain’s preferred description “quiet,” girl while one of the friends would steal alcohol out of her basement.

Animation filled in the gaps in  "Montage of Heck."

Animation filled in the gaps in “Montage of Heck.”

It’s not all a pretty and a romanticized tale of small town misfit to global admiration.

Heroin plays a title role in the documentary beginning roughly halfway through. Some footage shows a visibly high Cobain holding baby Frances while wife Courtney Love cuts her hair for the first time. Love admits in the documentary to doing heroin while pregnant and assuring Cobain that the baby would be fine. News clippings from different organizations show stories printed about Bean Cobain being born as a drug addict, Child Protective Services stepping in and taking Bean Cobain at only a few weeks old and the Cobain regaining custody of her. These clippings are filed in between home videos of the Cobains playing with their young daughter and acting as if there was not a world outside their home.

Die-hard Nirvana fans know how the story ends but the flow of “Montage of Heck” gives you hope it will end differently. Instead of using old news footage and police photos, a black background with white font appears on the screen proclaiming Cobain’s suicide.

Pain is a funny thing. Some people feel they need to feel it in order to live and others find ways to escape the feel of it. “Montage of Heck” is an essential documentary not only for Nirvana fans but also music enthusiasts looking for a cool and emotional look at one of music’s most influential icons.

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