the Fifth Line: Awards Season

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Thank the hockey gods for giving us an interesting playoff race in the East.

What was once a moribund race has turned topsy-turvy, and only half the playoff spots have been claimed. There are five teams battling for the other four spots, and it’s possible that Boston or Pittsburgh could be the teams left out.

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At least Bailey will be available for Dodgers games earlier than expected.

The West is no slouch in the drama department, either. Winnipeg, Calgary, and last year’s champions are all battling for the final two spots, and it’s the Kings who are at the disadvantage. It’s a cliche to say that nobody could’ve predicted this, but… nobody predicted this.

Rather than focus on the brackets, which are still completely in flux with only two games left, how about we recklessly opine about the annual awards? [Read more…]

Addison Recorded 110: Kimmy’s In A Love Triangle

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Logo by Owen Williams.

Logo by Owen Williams.

Welcome to the Addison Recorded, the official podcast of the Addison Recorder. For season one of the podcast, Gina and I are re-capping episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the latest original series from Netflix. Join us Tuesday and Thursday mornings in the PodFort™ (aka, Gina’s dining room blanket fort) as we talk about each episode of the show starring Ellie Kemper.

Our 10th episode is now available on iTunes! We’re excited to share it with you. Find the Addison Recorded on iTunes and be sure to subscribe, rate and review!

The People We Know

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It’s hard to believe how many people you get to know throughout your whole life. I mean like really get to know. They float through our vision like a love we may never feel or a flavor that remains unknown. We know they are present; always present. But once they cease to exist, we seem to long for them more than before. There’s an absence that’s hard to explain and yet it’s so obvious. We should have known all along. The lives and people we strive for seem apparent to the lucky ones. The rest of us are left wishing we had hoped just a little bit more once they’re gone.

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J&STAC: Lumberjanes

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-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl is an artist who works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”

-J.: I initially thought this week would be ideal to talk about the slew of DC #1 issues coming out as part of their Convergence event. But then I read Convergence #0, a disappointing lead-in that reads like it wants to be a Neil Gaiman-penned prologue. It wasn’t bad, per se, but set a disappointing tone for the event. So, when Steph brought home the newly-released Lumberjanes, volume 1, and mentioned writing about it for J&STAC, I jumped. The question was, would it be any good?

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words by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis, art by Brooke Allen. Published by BOOM! Studios

synopsis: A group of Lumberjane scouts discover more than they bargained for during their summer at Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniguigul Thistte Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types. *Friendship to the Max!*

Steph: I had heard nothing but good things about Lumberjanes and I had been eagerly awaiting the release of volume 1. [Read more…]

Maple (Cocktail) Season

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I know everyone wants the weather to warm up, but hear me out.

If you are a true North American, you don’t want spring warming up too quickly. You want it to warm up during the day, but you still want the temperatures to dip below freezing at night. You want this, because that’s the ideal situation for sap to run in the sugar maple trees throughout this continent.

And the more maple sap that runs through Acer saccharum trees this spring, the more delicious maple syrup this continent produces. It all works out, especially if you also want to make delicious cocktails with maple syrup, like the ones I’m about to talk about.

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[Read more…]

Addison Recorded Ep. 109: Kimmy Has a Party

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Addison Recorded logo

Logo made by Owen Williams. 

Welcome to the Addison Recorded, the official podcast of the Addison Recorder. For season one of the podcast, Meryl and I are re-capping episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the latest original series from Netflix. Join us Tuesday and Thursday mornings in the PodFort™ (aka, Gina’s dining room blanket fort) as we talk about each episode of the show starring Ellie Kemper.

Our ninth episode is now available on iTunes! We’re excited to share it with you. Find the Addison Recorded on iTunes and be sure to subscribe, rate and review!

 

Persistence of Memory: Kazuo Ishiguro’s “The Buried Giant”

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Image of The Buried Giant by Kazuo IshiguroMemory is a finicky thing. It’s subjective to an incredible degree, affected by a multitude of factors including personal bias, innate desires, and decaying human physiology. In short, every human being on earth has a different means of forming memories, as well as a different capability to retain memories. Some are treasured, and some are reviled. In the end, what we remember bubbles to the surface with obscene irregularity – and what we forget is often costlier than what we remember.

If that sounds convoluted, don’t read The Buried Giant, the latest work by acclaimed author Kazuo Ishiguro. If it peaks your interest, you’re more likely to find a thought-provoking existential treatise on what memories mean to our collective human experience. [Read more…]

“Moving at a Meteor Speed:” Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly”

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27 year-old Kendrick Lamar’s first major-label LP, good kid, m.A.A.d. city, was one of the best albums of recent memory (in my opinion). Lamar’s poetic gifts blended perfectly with an ultra-minimalist backdrop appropriate to his complex tale of gangs, struggle, and redemption in Compton. On To Pimp a Butterfly, the lyrics are still the same superb quality, but the music has gotten larger to match a concept that demands even more attention and asks more demanding questions.

[Read more…]

Our Month in Pop Culture: April 2015

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We here at The Addison Recorder read stuff. We also watch stuff. And play stuff, even. Sometimes, that stuff is interesting. Sometimes we just need to talk about whatever pop culture ephemera occupies our time. Which brings us to this column. Hop on.

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A Becky’s Been Binge-Watching Special: Rewatching Mad Men Season Seven – Part One

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Mad Men will begin airing its final episodes on April 5th. Both of us Beans have been fans of the series since it premiered way back in 2007, so we’re going to re-watch one season per week before the final season begins. Each of us will put together their own reflection about what makes each season special, and what aspects stick out on the umpteenth viewing. [Read more…]