Ten years ago I’d agree, but while the more *rural* areas are still securely conservative Republican, the coast has slowly been turning purple, and I can’t attribute it all to the influx of snowbirds. 

If you’re gonna go that far, you might as well add a drizzle of good thick balsamic vinegar. 

I flew one airline in Europe that let me check in online 30 *days* before the flight, and you better believe I did just that, so I didn’t have to worry about finding secure internet the day before, never mind standing in the check-in line that was holy-shit long even at 4:30am - I just zoomed through security and got…

I think pretty much EVERYONE who’s ever lived in or adjacent to Baltimore bristled over Trump and Bernie running their fat mouths. I lived barely two miles from the neighborhood they’re referencing for ten years and used to go grocery shopping in Edmondson Village, to the horror of my upper middle class white military…

Alas, no. They played an 18+ show in my hometown a month before Criss was killed when I was still 17 and couldn’t go. I was absolutely gutted. I’ve seen all of the primary members live in some iteration of Savatage over the years, though, between JOP, TSO, and WMD, as well as Circle II Circle. 

I’ve been saying for many many years that someone needs to make a film about Llywelyn Fawr and his grandson Llywelyn Yr Ail. There is an absolute gold mine of adventure, romance, betrayal, battles (Evesham, man), horrific executions, and sad endings to be found in 13th century Wales. Fuckin’ Longshanks.

O hai. My family’s from Mach a couple generations back. Still have cousins there that are, oh, four or five times removed.

I have been to so many festivals that I gotta think about this for a second.

Lenny Kravitz at HORDE in ‘96

I fiiiinally saw Nick Cave in DC last fall and was NOT disappointed.

It’s worth noting for whoever isn’t already aware that Lynch deals with some pretty severe anxiety issues, which contributed to the long delays.

Been there, done that, my heart hurts for you. I was never close to my stepfather but never knew he was only tolerating me for 25 years and was the driving force behind long separations when I stayed with relatives. Ironically, it was *his* stepmother’s family who took me in and treated me like I belonged. 

I was the skeleton in the closet. While I took the DNA test out of pure curiosity for myself, it was also convenient proof when I was finally able to make contact, as there were people they knew that I could point to as relatives. I was prepared for the worst - and it wouldn’t have been a big deal to me if that had…

Pear-vanilla licorice?

Warheads are far more painful than sour Skittles. I’ve eaten enough of both to be confident of this. When I was a teenager, I had to pull the Warhead out of my mouth for a few seconds three or four times until the sour skin wore off, but nowadays I don’t blink. But yes, they will tear the skin off your mouth.

So will…

I heart salty licorice. Salmiakki, lakrits, dubbelzout, I will eat it ALL. I even brought home a giant bottle of salmiakki koskenkorva for myself and a smaller bottle to share with friends at a festival later this year, because nothing entertains me like people brave enough to try it, especially when they realize they…

I was home alone on a regular basis when I was about 6-7 years old. I wasn’t entirely without oversight - I knew the neighbors I could trust, and I knew how to call my family across town, and I could make myself a sandwich. If I wasn’t in school, I was rampaging through the woods or playing Legos and watching TV and…

I’d complain more about the terrible art than the content, honestly. That blood elf is terrible. WoW loading screens have long featured women drawn by men that have no idea how skeletons work, that can’t even be excused by “comic exaggeration.”

I’ve started carrying a bottle of something cold with me if I’m walking a long distance when it’s 95F, or at the very least load up on something cold before I leave. (which is my own personal comfort zone - I’m accustomed to high 80s and low 90s, but I’ve had a couple of worrying incidents when it was closer to 100.)

Luckily, I blend in most everywhere in western Europe (as long as I don’t speak), so I haven’t encountered anything more than the “this piece of paper on a clipboard” people, and I am originally a New Yorker, so I am nothing if not an experienced at blowing past random strangers trying to get my attention and minding…

YES!