Totally Tell Me Everything

Greetings and salutations, friends! We're back, and we're diving into COSPLAY, a creative pursuit that's near and dear to our sewing machines and hot glue guns.   Question 1: What is your connection to cosplay?   Sarah: It all started with Slave Leia/Hut-slayer Leia/Gold Bikini Leia and JediTink during 2007 and 2012 Star Wars Celebration Los Angeles and San Diego Comic Con Proto-cosplay: ‘80s Superman pajamas Still cosplaying?  Yes! Making costumes for runDisney events gives Sarah the challenge of creating cosplay that's still functional for doing what you need to do Bryn: The Cosplay =/= Consent episode of Skywalking Through Neverland inspired Bryn to put together her Brave Leia (Merida/Leia mash-up) for Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in 2015 Proto-cosplay: Wonder Woman Underoos Still cosplaying?  Yes, from home during the pandemic over zoom a bit making costumes for the kids Disneybounding! Outfits that mimic something or everything from a character using clothes and accessories you already have (see The Disneybound, BrynI had the name wrong in this episode).   Question 2: What do we want to learn about cosplaying?   LARPing! What is the difference between LARPing and cosplay? Live Action Role Playing: You create your character and act as that character at an all-day or multi-day event Cosplay: You make a costume of a character that already exists and display the costume at event or in photography Dungeons and Dragons Building cosplay skills!  Sewing classes at Joann Fabric Learn to make armor out of foam and stuff! (Here's the pattern Bryn used for Sylvie's breastplate) Posing without feeling like a dumb dumb   Question 3: What are you excited about regarding cosplaying?   Bryn's excited to cosplay/Disneybound with her son at conventions in 2022! No solid ideas yet, and we have to get started! Sarah's holy grail cosplay: Couples cosplay of Robin Hood and Maid Marian from Disney's animated film for Disneyland's Sweethearts' Nite this year Both of us are thankful for everyday cosplay items from companies like Elhoffer Design, Her Universe, and BoxLunch. Maybe Bryn will actually find some kind of fun workout clothes.   Bonus: Basketball is a peaceful planet, please.     About Totally Tell Me Everything   Two friends, one fun topic, three burning questions = lots of fun conversation! Each month we pick a topic and ask each other three questions about it - we learn about the subject, our past and each other. So come sit by us and we'll totally tell you everything!   How To Listen on the Go:   Listen now and leave a Review on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Google Podcasts | RSS   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a podcast rating and review!!   Social Media   Instagram: http://instagram.com/totallytellmeeverything Sarah: http://instagram.com/jeditink Bryn: https://www.instagram.com/brynane/ Join the Skywalking Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/488002904732240/  

Hello, friends! This month, we're gabbing about THEME PARKS, a subject Sarah and Bryn have a lot of experience with.   Question 1: What was your favorite Theme Park experience as a kid, teen and adult?   Kid   Not Afraid: Bryn begins with the tale of the time her former fighter pilot father took her on her first upside-down roller coaster, the Corkscrew at Knott's Berry Farm in ‘80s Buena Park, California. Risk-taker: Sarah's also got a roller coaster memory for us: When it came to amusement park time for the Heitman family, the formula was Sarah and dad bonding on roller coasters, and her mom enjoying watching them from a bench with a nice coffee. Sarah's first experience was on The Rattler at Fiesta Texas, a wooden roller coaster.    Teen    Living in an ‘80s movie: Bryn takes us for a trip to a slightly alarming teenage memory of her 8th grade field trip to Disneyland, but redeems herself with tales of sultry summer nights at all-ages dance club Studio K at Knott's Berry Farm. Bryn didn't know this at the time of our recording, but found out that Studio K was located in the Fiesta Village esplanade where Jaguar! now stands.  Sweet freedom: As a member of marching back from middle through high school, Sarah has plenty of band trips to various theme parks under her stylish belt. And she remembers this great sense of freedom, being unleashed at the parks without chaperones clinging tight: You're given your stipend of money to spend and a time to return to the bus. Have at it! She felt like flying.  Biggest ride memory: Batman: The Ride for the first time. And the soundtrack theme was pumping through the line, it was at night, and it was very, very cool.    Adult   Moving to LA = Theme parks galore: Sarah discovered that when your new college friends have annual passes to Disneyland, you get an annual pass and become a regular. And she discovered that her favorite Knott's Berry Farm is actually Knott's Scary Farm.    Moms and Kids and Solo Moms: Of course, one of Bryn's favorite things about theme parks has to be getting to take her kids there for the first time and watching their relationship with the parks evolve as they get older. An unexpected second discovery has been the joy of going to theme parks alone, which has been a gift to herself that has made a big impact on her.    Extra: Bryn likes themed stuff: Clifton's Cafeterias, Old World, Madonna Inn   Question 2: What do we want to learn about Theme Parks?   Bryn dug into the difference between an amusement park and a theme park.  This article from Theme Park Insider gives a good definition of a theme park.  An amusement park generally is a large outdoor area with fairground rides, shows, refreshments, games of chance or skill, and other entertainments. American amusement parks came out of the idea of the  “pleasure gardens” of Europe. A theme park is an amusement park that's organized and built around a particular theme or group of themes.   Sarah brings us the 411 on roller coasters! History: Where did they come from? Engineering! How does a roller coaster work? Reading: Newton's first law of motion Extra credit: Weightlessness   Extra credit: Weightlessness   Question 3: What are you excited about regarding Theme Parks, especially now that they have reopened after a long period of closure?   Sarah is super-digging how Disney California Adventure's new Avengers Campus is mirroring the Disney+ shows and changing up characters and interactions   Bryn is looking forward to being more present when she's at the parks and appreciating the privilege of being there. And both of us are excited about getting dressed up in fun outfits/Disneybounds, and packing our bags with just the right stuff to optimize our day. Especially big scarves.   BONUS Question: What's your favorite immersive Theme Park experience?   Sarah relates her experience of walking into Be Our Guest, the Beauty and the Beast restaurant in New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. It was literally walking IN TO the beauty and the beast film's ballroom.  Bryn cheated and said the Exploratorium's Tactile Dome in San Francisco. We'll all have to forgive her.     About Totally Tell Me Everything   Two friends, one fun topic, three burning questions = lots of fun conversation! Each month we pick a topic and ask each other three questions about it - we learn about the subject, our past and each other. So come sit by us and we'll totally tell you everything!   How To Listen on the Go:   Listen now and leave a Review on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Google Podcasts | RSS   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a podcast rating and review!!   Social Media   Instagram: http://instagram.com/totallytellmeeverything Sarah: http://instagram.com/jeditink Bryn: https://www.instagram.com/brynane/ Join the Skywalking Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/488002904732240/   Subscribe to the Skywalking Network Newsletter    

Bryn suggested this month's topic topic topic because Tinker Bell in specific and fairies in general are very interesting to her, and Sarah (aka Jedi Tink, for fairy's sake) agreed! So come fly by us this month as we talk Tink and fangirl about fairies! Question 1: What are the different versions of Tinker Bell and how have they affected us (if at all)? Original Tink from Peter Pan novel (1911) Bryn loves this book and highly recommends it because it is so well written and heartbreaking in many ways, especially for anyone who has loved a child who grew up. Also this: Tinkerbell is WRETCHED! Calls Peter a “silly ass” at least 3 times Sarah highly recommends the Jim Dale-narrated audiobook because it was like an old friend stopped by and read her the book Bonus: Sandy Duncan as Peter Pan in the stage play Tink from Peter Pan Disney film (1953) Interesting thing about Sarah's love of Tink: It's not based on the Disney animated film version of Peter Pan! She liked it, but was never one of her favorite Disney films. And a recent re-watch had her shocked and appalled at how Tink actually tries to straight-up murder Wendy! Bryn argues that Tinker Bell in this movie is a little bit of a villain, but also is treated badly by Hook, who manipulates her because of her feelings for Peter, turns her more against Wendy and traps her. Tink redeems herself by saving Peter from Hook's bomb, and then Peter turns around and saves Tink with his “You mean more to me than anything in this whole world” line. Tinker Bell as Disneyland Park icon (1954) Thanks to Margaret Kerry (the animators' reference model for Tink in Disney's Peter Pan movie), we learned that when Walt Disney was trying to get Disneyland park off the ground, he was advised not to use Mickey Mouse as the park's icon, in case the venture was a failure. So he decided to use Tink (and Jiminy Cricket). Tink ended up being the main icon. She debuted in 1954 on Walt's “Disneyland” TV series to introduce the TV series' four realms. .  Gina Rock is flying Tink at Disneyland from 1983-2005. You can hear her interview on Skywalking Through Neverland ep 191. Incidentally, a search for her name on google, and our interview with her is the first video that pops up, with key moments and timestamps shown. Super cool, Google. Also, this is why you put podcasts on YouTube, even if it is just audio only. The sound of Tinkerbell's bell ringing is evocative for Bryn as the cue to “turn the page” sound in 1970s and 1980s Disney read-along storybook albums. In 2001, Sarah made a trip into the Beast's Library in the Animation building at Disney California Adventure, where the “which character are you” quiz served up her answer as Tinker Bell. She considered it for a bit and embraced this fortunate message from the electronic Disney oracle, cementing Tink as Sarah's favorite Disney character. Tink in Hook (1991), directed by Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams as Peter, Julia Roberts as Tink Sarah and Bryn agree that this movie has the WORST Tinker Bell portrayal ever. Miscast, terrible costume, terrible wig, scenes are shot strangely. It's just bad bad bad.  But the movie itself is wonderful, pulling from the original book and adapting it in lovely ways to this retelling. Tinker Bell films (7 released from 2008-2014 by DisneyToon Studios) Tink is voiced by Mae Whitman, and it is a portrayal worthy of the legacy of our favorite feisty fairy. Sarah and Bryn both love these films and felt they could have been released in theaters. Sarah and Richard were able to speak with Margaret Kerry about the movies and  Margaret even reviewed the films for an episode of Skywalking Through Neverland. Playing fairy: Due to the popularity of the films with little girls, Sarah got to play Tink, and her frost fairy sister, Periwinkle, a lot at kid's parties during that time. They were also popular cosplays at conventions. NOTE:Sarah will never watch Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast again. Way to end on a downer, Disney!  Tink from these films is Bryn's favorite Tink and her favorite of the films is Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue. (Honorable mention to The Pirate Fairy because it's also really good and has the super bonus of featuring Tom Hiddleston as a young James Hook). Original songs from the films are very good, too. Question 2: What do we want to learn about fairies/Tink? Origin stories: The faeries appear in folklore from all over the world as metaphysical beings, who, given the right conditions, are able to interact with the physical world.  One theory is that the fairies were originally worshiped as gods, but with the coming of Christianity, they lived on, in a dwindled state of power, in folk belief.  Fairy Classifications Fairies are not just small and winged. They are mischievous, bad, and also leprechauns, ogres, gnomes can be classified with fairies. So there are 4 different classifications for fairies throughout time. Tricksters (mischevious, pull pranks, sometimes more sinister), Elementals (not as popular) - Paracelsus, classed gnomes and sylphs as elementals, meaning magical entities who personify a particular force of nature, and exert powers over these forces. Folklore accounts have described fairies as "spirits of the air"  Makes Sarah think of Fantasia and Tinker Bell films Changelings (theft of human baby and substitute it with a fairy one, fairies abducting humans) Ethereal Spirits (most common now - small, angelic with magical abilities and wings),  The Victorians changed the meaning of fairies into what we think of today. making fairies mostly benign, smaller and winged.  This is Tink Fairies around the world “Fairy” is a European word. Let's explore some of the supernatural beings and spirits around the world Asia Foxes are very popular in many Asian folk tales Japan: Kitsune: Fox fairies that can morph into human form Udon dish named for the fox, who in many stories is said to love aburaage (a deep-fried tofu pouch) for which the dish is named China: huli jing, shape shifters, take human form, nine-tailed fox is most famous The Americas Mayan: alux, nature spirits who scare humans South/Southeastern Mexico: Chaneque, elf who is small like a toddler but has the wrinkled face of an old person Africa Senegal: Yumboes, earliest reference from early 1800s from an Irish, but the provenance is a little sketchy Hawai'i   Menehune, who are mythical dwarf people who live deep in the forests and valleys of Hawai'i Favorite foods are fish and bananas Excellent craftspeople who work during the night Question 3: What are you excited about regarding fairies/Tink? Bryn is captivated by fairy doors and thinks everyone should put one in their home or yard Bryn couldn't find any links for the Seal Beach fairy doors, but enjoy a sweet article with pictures of fairy doors in the San Francisco Bay Area   Sarah is heartened to hear that, as of April 2021, the Disneyland Resort was testing a new virtual meet and greet with Tink!  EXTRAS More fairy stuff! Great for kids: In the Realm of the Never Fairies was published by Disney Press with text by Monique Peterson and illustrated by the Disney Storybook Artists. It seems to have served as a bit of a bible/blueprint for the Tinker Bell movies and is delightful. Not for kids: A hilarious and possibly disturbing collaboration between Monty Python's Terry Jones and illustrator Brian Froud, Lady Cottingon's Pressed Fairy book.    More Tinkerbell movie stuff! Easter eggs Bryn noticed after recording this episode: The Pirate Fairy A TTME Tea episode throwback! James Hook serves Zarina “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot,” a la Captain Picard in Star Trek! Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast Star Wars reference! Animal fairy Fawn tells Tink to “fly casual” when they are transporting a hidden baby hawk through the fairy village. We love a good Han Solo quote!

    Today's episode Sesame Street is brought to you by the number 4 and the letter T...wait, nope. This is Totally Tell Me Everything and we're talking about tea. The kind you drink, silly. We couldn't record a show about tea without having some of it while we talked. right? What were we drinking? Sarah made herself a glass of iced green tea with honey, and Bryn had hot peach tisane.   Question 1: What is it about tea that you are into?   Bryn starts us off by talking about the appeal of the ritual of tea, informed by her daily tea-drinking husband's deep thoughts about this caffeinated beverage: “Tea is MOMENT. Tea is a respite in your day. It's a moment of quiet and mindfulness and contemplation or just resting and not doing. It's a moment for just being.”   Herbal teas/tisanes are Bryn's jam these days, as she tries to avoid caffeine. She likes iced tea with flavored simple syrups that she makes herself.   Sarah first became interested in tea thanks to everyone's favorite bald Starfleet hottie, Captain Picard, thanks to his iconic order: Tea, Earl Grey, Hot, even though Sarah likes to drink Lady Grey better than the Captain's fave.    But her big tea love is British High Tea!   She got into this in when she was just out of college. She and her girlfriends would go about once a month and try out different tea rooms around LA, from the Valley to Orange County.  While in London on their honeymoon, Richard and Sarah went to have High Tea at Harrods of London. It did not live up to her expectations. :( A better tea experience, however, was at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood in 2004, when Sarah and her mom enjoyed a special tea-movie special event. The movie was Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. The theater rented out a dining space in the upper levels of Hollywood and Highland, for an Afternoon Tea Seating. After the film (which she loved), they were escorted across the street, up stairs and into this ballroom space with round tables all set with the traditional tea service 3-tiered tray. On walls and columns were costumes, photos and paintings from the movie. And seven Disney princesses walked around and visited your table, and you could go visit Ariel in her grotto. It was the BEST. Check out pics from Mouseplanet! (Side note: Stan Lee did not limit his cameos to just Marvel films. He has a rather disturbing cameo in this film!) Education Corner: Low Tea vs. High Tea   Question 2: What we want to learn about/deep dive?   Sarah was determined to find out where tea comes from and why there are different types. Her research came from a book!    Some highlights:   All tea comes from ONE PLANT, no matter the type. A single species of plant Camellia sinensis.  An evergreen shrub that has small white aromatic flowers. The leaves of this plant create tea when processed correctly!  Processing is what creates the different types. If you pluck the leaves off the plant and throw them in boiling water, you get a bitter beverage. The process has 5 stages: Step 1: Withering - the leaves and buds are softened on large racks in a heated room or air-dry in the sun. Starch in leaf begins to convert to sugar, moisture content drops. WHITE TEA uses mostly the white buds, and maybe a leaf. Step 2: Rolling - leaves are now soft and pliant and can be rolled - this twists and crushes the leaves and releases sap and stimulates fermentation. (GREEN TEA is immediately heated and dried, and does not go under the next Oxidation step) Step 3: Oxidation - VIP b/c here is where the flavor and value are determined. Rolled leaves are placed on trays at a 1-2” thickness, then left in a cool damp place for 1-3 hours to oxidize. This causes a chemical reaction which heats the leaves. If the temp gets too high, the leaves taste burned. Too low and you have a metallic aftertaste. Oxidation makes leaves turn from green to copper. (OOLONG tea is partially oxidized (about 60%, then goes to next 2 stages.)  Step 4: Drying - Oxidizes leaves are dried with hot air on a conveyer belt, which stops the fermentation process and turns the leaves the characteristic dark brown or black.  Step 5: Grading/Sorting - Sorted into leaf grades based on size. Whole leaf produces the finest quality tea, dust size are used for the quick-brewing tea bags.  Herbal Teas, Rooibos and Yerba Mate do NOT come from this Camellia Sinensis, and we should be calling them “tisanes” (rhymes with “inane” and “brynane”), a medicinal drink or infusion.   Sarah also wanted more info on the origin of British Afternoon Tea. It's fascinating!   Thanks, Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, for the tea, coffee and freedom.   Bryn's deep dive this month was shallow, as she sought the answer to the question: Is sun tea actually dangerous?   Bryn was an ‘80s kid, and her mom made a lot of sun tea Verdict: Snopes says don't do it: Tea steeped in a jar on your porch doesn't get hot enough to kill the beasties in the water or the tea.   Question 3: What are you excited about regarding tea?   Sarah and Bryn are both all about the vessels!   Bryn brought out an array of some of her favorite cups for drinking tea Miss Piggy, Tony Brown, Unurth ceramics,    Sarah shared a new-found story behind her mom's tea set: a vintage 1960s Japanese Somayaki Green Double Wall Tea Pot with 4 cups, a creamer and sugar bowl from Matsunaga Ceramics Shop. The heart shape cut outs represent plovers (Chidori) - a species of wading bird. Notice the wavy brush pattern below? That represents waves. This combination of plovers and waves is called Nami-Chidori in Japanese, and is a common motif in Japanese arts.   She's just so tickled that this tea set she grew up with turns out to have such history!            Final Thought   Sarah says tea is a moment, but it also creates a memory, whether it calls you back to an amusingly disappointing Harrods experience or a precious time with family from long ago.    For Bryn, tea is another way to perform self care in a time when life seems to move too quickly.    And perhaps the best final thought came from Eleanor Roosevelt (Or did it?):   A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong it is until it is in hot water.  Eleanor Roosevelt   We hope you'll come sit by us next month when we tackle another topic on Totally Tell Me Everything. Ta-ta!   About Totally Tell Me Everything   Two friends, one fun topic, three burning questions = lots of fun conversation! Each month we pick a topic and ask each other three questions about it - we learn about the subject, our past and each other. So come sit by us and we'll totally tell you everything!   How To Listen on the Go:   Listen now and leave a Review on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Google Podcasts | RSS   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a podcast rating and review!!   Social Media   Instagram: http://instagram.com/totallytellmeeverything Sarah: http://instagram.com/jeditink Bryn: https://www.instagram.com/brynane/ Join the Skywalking Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/488002904732240/   Subscribe to the Skywalking Network Newsletter

Welcome back, friends. It's Sarah's birth month, so she got to choose our topic: BOOKS! It's a good one! Question 1: Name 3 books throughout your life that have shaped who you are today?    Birthday Sarah starts us off.   SARAH'S FIRST BOOK: Grimm's Fairy Tales, the really old, darker, less happily-ever-after versions of so many stories we know and love. Did we say darker? How about WAY darker? Like, Snow White has a lot of hearts being cut out of animals. Some stories have people gouging out eyes.    Sarah regales us with a retelling of a family favorite: “Little One Eye, Little Two Eyes, Little Three Eyes,” a classic Cinderella-type story, where “Cinderella” is named for how many eyes she has (spoiler: It's two). Her stepmother and stepsisters have either fewer or more eyes than that, and they treat Little Two Eyes really badly. A wise woman tries to help out and somehow makes it worse. (You're gonna need this palate cleanser.) But then along comes a knight to make it all better. And then Sarah hits us with the coolest part of this story: Sarah might be a Grimm on her mom's side!   BRYN'S FIRST BOOK: Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The first book in a 9-book series of the author's experiences growing up as a little girl in the “big woods” of Wisconsin in 1871. Bryn read it as a child, and has come back to it throughout her life. She has a favorite memory of her mother reading it to her and her brother by firelight one night during a power outage.    Favorite chapters: Christmas, the Sugar Snow, Dance at Grandpa's. Favorite thing about the book: the writing, thanks in large part to Wilder's daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, who made the books into what they became: New Yorker article from August 2009. Resource: Racism and Cultural insensitivity in the Little House books Excellent article by Liz Fields in the American Masters section of PBS.org: Laura Ingalls Wilder: Prairie to Page, What should be done about racist depictions in the “Little House” books?    SARAH'S SECOND BOOK: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. An 1813  novel that follows Elizabeth Bennett and her sister Jane, who are of marriageable age, and must navigate suitors, social engagements, family and societal pressures. The novel delves into manners and etiquette of English society, the importance of marrying for love rather than money or social prestige, and overall has such delightful depictions of characters that captured Sarah's teenage imagination.    P&P Watch List: Take your pick Or go straight to Sarah's fave, the BBC's excellent 1995 6-part miniseries starring Colin Firth in his breakout role, and Jennifer Ehle. Bonus reading: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Bonus Watching: Bridget Jones' Diary   BRYN'S SECOND BOOK: The Passion, by Jeannette Winterson, a fairy tale set in an historical place and time. It's the fantastical, magical, often dark story of Henri (a French soldier and Napoleon's chef during the Napoleonic Wars) and Villanelle, the heart-broken red-haired daughter of a Venetian boatman, who has webbed feet and is a free thinker who lives in the moment.   What's a villanelle? The book started to mirror the poetic form in some ways, like unlocking a secret This was Bryn's first introduction to gender fluidity    SARAH'S THIRD BOOK: Heir to the Empire, by Timothy Zahn. After seeing the original Star Wars trilogy for the first time in 1991, Sarah this newly published first book of the Thrawn trilogy at her local library and FREAKED out. It's set 5 years after Return of the Jedi and features Leia and Han as a married couple, starting a family (twins are coming!), working for the Republic and Luke is planning a Jedi Training Academy, while what's left of the Imperials are slowly amassing under Grand Admiral Thrawn. He uses his knowledge of Leia, Luke and the leaders of the New Republic against them in an epic struggle for power.   A book that continued the story of a movie blew Sarah's mind. It unlocked her imagination in a new way. And her knowledge of all those stories and love of those books has connected her with many Star Wars friends with the rise of social media.  Check out Sarah's recap of her chat with the author himself, Timothy Zahn, at a party at Star Wars Celebration Orlando on Skywalking Through Neverland episode 165!     BRYN'S THIRD BOOK: Still Life with Woodpecker, by Tom Robbins, in which an exiled princess and a libertarian anarchist, who are both redheads, meet and sort of fall in love. Bryn didn't want to choose this book as her third pick, but she did anyway because of her husband's wisdom.   Bryn read it while temping at offices in Orange County (she also read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams during that time, but didn't love it.) Felt sort of dangerous and bold and funny and true at the time to naive 21-year-old Bryn WISDOM FROM BRYN'S HUSBAND, ELON:  Books or art or music sometimes show you something you've never seen or known or understood before, and they allow you to imagine something that's possible that you hadn't ever imagined before You don't know how a book is impacting you while you're reading it Bryn's learning from this: This book is one of those for me. It's OK to move on from a book that affected you deeply. Extra homework: Ralph Nader Bryn cheated and included an HONORABLE MENTION book: The Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katsen   Question 2: What we want to learn about/deep dive?   Sarah asked, “How did the printing press change history?”   Real talk: Johannes Gutenberg was NOT the inventor of the printing press! 1st-9th century in China with woodblock printing Metal type printing in Korea began in the 1300s and the first book printed this way is “Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings” in 1377. One of these printings is preserved today in the National Library of France.  But he did make some improvements Moveable Type changed everything. Check out this story and this one.   Global news network created thanks to quicker, cheaper printing that was accessible to middle class New information technology adopted by previously silenced voices, those willing to take risks  Revolution! Martin Luther becomes the first religious leader to use printing to his advantage.He's the world's first best-selling author! 1518-1525 his writings accounted for ⅓ of all books sold in Germany.  Scientific Revolution: With printed formulas and mathematical tables in hand, scientists could trust the fidelity of existing data and devote more energy to breaking new ground.   Bryn looked a little into the future (and the present) of books, especially print books   After watching the documentary,  The Booksellers, a film about the rare book business, but also about the future of books, Bryn did a small amount of research to look into the state of print books. When e-book readers first became viable, she remembered hearing the media wonder if paper books were dead. Spoiler: They're not! Book statistics: U.S. book industry statistics and facts Print book sales figures have improved over the last five years and unit sales now amount to over 650 million per year. Print also remains the most popular book format among U.S. consumers, with more than 65 percent of adults having read a print book in the last twelve months. Publishers Weekly: Print Book Sales Rose 8.2% in 2020 E-books statistics Audiobooks: 2019 more than $1 Billion in audiobook sales   Question 3: What are you excited about regarding books?   Sarah is all about audiobooks!    Whispersync She also put a call out for Star Trek or Marvel books suggestions.  And hipped us to the fantastic International Printing Museum    Wayward English major Bryn is excited to become a reader of books again. She might start with Loki, Where Mischief Lies, by Mackenzi Lee, thanks to Sarah's recommendation.   Final Thoughts   Sarah brings us home: When creating our show notes, both Bryn and I were writing so much more about the books that shaped us, rather than the history of books. When we were discussing our focus for this episode, Bryn texted something profound: “Books are so personal.”   So I think that is the perfect way to think of it. Any other two people in the world could have a completely different discussion than we did. So we want to know: what are your top 1-3 books that have shaped you? Please write us and we will share in our NEW segment, Totally Talk To Us.   Thanks to those of you who have written to us, either on Instagram or the Skywalking Through Neverland Facebook Group, with your feedback on our first two episodes: @iamstarwarstime, Peter Heitman and Cadien Clark. We love hearing your thoughts!   About Totally Tell Me Everything   Two friends, one fun topic, three burning questions = lots of fun conversation! Each month we pick a topic and ask each other three questions about it - we learn about the subject, our past and each other. So come sit by us and we'll totally tell you everything!   How To Listen on the Go:   Listen now and leave a Review on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Google Podcasts | RSS   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a podcast rating and review!!   Social Media   Instagram: http://instagram.com/totallytellmeeverything Sarah: http://instagram.com/jeditink Bryn: https://www.instagram.com/brynane/ Join the Skywalking Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/488002904732240/  

In episode 2 of Totally Tell Me Everything -- a monthly podcast hosted by podcasters and friends, Sarah Woloski and Bryn MacKinnon -- we tackle the topic of Space! As always, we've got three questions to ask and answer about this episode's topic, so let's get to it, shall we?   Question 1: What is it about space and how did your interest in space begin?   Bryn kicks off the conversation (and reveals just how old she really is) with the Space Shuttle program and then quickly diverts us to a downer story about the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster in 1986. Small redemption in the story about seeing the final space shuttle, Endeavor, on its trip to the California Science Center. Sarah saves the day by sharing the very relatable story of building a remarkably accurate model of the solar system in 3rd grade with her engineer father, Peter Heitman, which sparked her interest in the vastness we call space. We talk at length about the excellent space/science/romance movie, “Contact,” starring Jodi Foster and Matthew McConaughey. And let's not forget Sarah and her mother's shared love of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Related links and rabbit holes: Influence of TV shows, films and books about space: E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Star Wars, Apollo 13, Stephen Hawking's “A Brief History of Time,” Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, The Right Stuff, more The Right Stuff The Very Large Array Art and science come together in the music of space: Alan Silvestri, composer of the soundtracks for Contact and Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Pine Cones vs Pine Nuts   Question 2: What do we want to learn about space?   Interestingly, we both did research on and want to talk about life beyond our planet, but from slightly different angles.   Sarah takes deep into the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, particularly the SETI Institute, the non-profit in Silicon Valley that listens to and analyzes the sounds we can hear from space, with the hope of finding intelligent life out there. SETI was founded 1984, by Tom Pierson and astronomer Jill Tarter, and played a large role in “Contact,” which Sarah assigned Bryn to watch as podcast homework before we recorded this episode. Drake Equation  How many habitable planets are there?  Arecibo collapse COOL PODCAST ALERT: The Science of Sci-Fi Podcast, with Erin MacDonald While Sarah dove into the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, Bryn looked into communication with extraterrestrial intelligence, or CETI. Arecibo message Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence by Lambros D. Callimahos at the NSA Do we need a special language to talk to aliens?  How do you communicate with an intelligent entity you know nothing about? Or with whom you have no common cultural background? TANGENT: Bryn explores some examples of this that we already have on Earth:   Plants and animals communicate in ways that we have been able to observe or participate in  Trees Bees Dogs can learn "talk" Apes using sign language   Question 3: What are you excited about regarding space?    Sarah can't wait to get involved in space research, and you can, too!   SETI's Planet Patrol: You can inspect stars from home and help with SETI's research Citizen Science for NASA: Collaborate with NASA scientists on many different projects from your cell phone or laptop. NASA Solve: There are problems to solve, and you can get involved! You might even win a competition.   Bryn is excited to catch the space action as it happens. Here's how you can, too!   International Space Station Sign up for Spot the Station, NASA's official alert system for when the ISS is flying over your area ISS Detector app: Another way to get alerts when the ISS will be overhead, but this one has a live ISS cam! Listen to them talking to each other The Mars Rovers! Expedition Mars: Spirit and Opportunity Perseverance on its way to Mars. Landing in February 2021! spaceplace.nasa.gov Where is the Rover?  Follow Perseverance on Twitter!    Tangents and corrections:   Astronaut ice cream, Reese's Pieces, Pia Zadora, Tang, The Black Hole Bryn got this quote so wrong: “Planting seeds in a garden you never get to see” is a line in the song “The World Was Wide Enough” from Hamilton, an American Musical. She blames the pandemic.   Final Thought:   We wrap it up by revisiting Bryn's husband's statement that space exploration is the manifestation of our biggest dreams, goals and questions as humans. Space exploration, whether up there in rockets, shuttles and space stations or from down here on our home planet, captures and expands our imaginations. It is ambitious, dangerous, difficult and risky. But as Ellie Arroway's father says in the movie “Contact” when she asks him if he thinks there's people on other planets: “I don't know, Sparks. But I guess I'd say if it is just us... seems like an awful waste of space.”    Thank you for joining us for this episode of Totally Tell Me Everything. We're so happy to share this space and time with you.   As always, huge thanks to the totally talented “John Williams of Podcasting,” Rob Dehlinger, his wife, Lisa Dehlinger, and their daughter, Zoe, for our super theme song. Check out Rob's stellar band, the Alpha Rhythm Kings.    We hope you'll come over and sit by us for our next conversation, episode 3...about Books!   About Totally Tell Me Everything   Two friends, one fun topic, three burning questions = lots of fun conversation! Each month we pick a topic and ask each other three questions about it - we learn about the subject, our past and each other. So come sit by us and we'll totally tell you everything!   How To Listen on the Go:   Listen now and leave a Review on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Google Podcasts | RSS   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a podcast rating and review!!   Social Media   Instagram: http://instagram.com/totallytellmeeverything Sarah: http://instagram.com/jeditink Bryn: https://www.instagram.com/brynane/ Join the Skywalking Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/488002904732240/   Subscribe to the Skywalking Network Newsletter  

Welcome to the very first episode of Totally Tell Me Everything, a monthly podcast hosted by podcasters and friends, Sarah Woloski and Bryn MacKinnon. Since this is our first episode, we start with a little info about who we are, how we met (thanks to our other podcasts, Skywalking Through Neverland and Window to the Magic), what we're into (we share a lot of fandoms and also have many that diverge), and what you can expect from our show (one fun topic, three burning questions, lots of fun conversation! Check out the podcast that inspired our format, Wonderful). Then we dive right into this month's subject: LIPSTICK! Our hosts explore lipstick as therapy, lipstick as power, lipstick as a connection to family, lipstick's role in history and so much more.    Question 1: What does lipstick mean to you? Bryn talks about her Lipstick Nana, Avon mini lipsticks, office life and lipstick, and Cover Girl's “Iceblue Pink” Sarah tells us how moving to California for college, swing dancing, and interest in retro styles gave her the opportunity to move from “shy kid” to confident young woman, especially thanks to Besame Cosmetics' “Red Velvet,” Sarah's first perfect red lip color.   Question 2: What did we want to learn about lipstick? Thanks to Sarah, we get deep dive on the history of red lipstick, taking us all the way back to Ancient Egypt and guiding us to the Middle Ages, the Elizabethan and Victorian Eras in England and the United States in the 1910s and beyond, starting when the Suffragettes used red lipstick as a way to get their message out about women's rights, and then hitting on important moments in red lipstick in nearly every decade until today.   Related links: Middle Ages: Reading Our Lips: The History of Lipstick Regulation in Western Seats of Power Elizabethan Era: Fashion History Lesson: Red Lipstick has a Tumultuous Past Victorian Era: The Complete Annotated Murder on the Links Suffragettes:  The Sordid, F*cked Up History of Red Lipstick Compacts and Cosmetics Racism, Sexism and the Black Women's Separate Fight for Suffrage “It's a Struggle They Will Wage Alone.” How Black Women Won the Right to Vote Vanguard, How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote and Insisted on Equality for All 1910s: First twist-up lipstick 1920s: Red lips stigmatized 1930s: Lipstick de-stigmatized 1940s: Lipstick symbol of women's resilience during wartime, boosts efficiency 1970s: Red loses popularity, some feminists protest against makeup, male gaze Cruelty-free cosmetics: Double-check that your favorite brands are truly cruelty-free.   Question 3: What's something “lipstick” that you're excited about right now? Sarah is head-over-heels for Besame's “Wild Orchid” lipstick, a gorgeous recreation of a popular lip color from 1952. It's a deep fuschia red with a little bit of shimmer. It looks great and feels great, and she'll often put it on at 10pm just because it makes her so happy! Bryn is stoked on reds in all their forms, bright, soft, neutral and more. She loves the versatility of red lipstick and notices that she's going bolder with lip color as she gets older, and she loves it.    Final Thoughts Thought fandoms like Star Wars, Disneyland, Marvel, and Harry Potter may have been why Sarah and Bryn first connected (and continue to bring them lots of joy), who would have thought they'd become even closer because of their shared love and admiration for lipstick, this little “boost in a tube.” Lipstick is so much more than just lipstick, isn't it?   Huge thanks to the totally talented “John Williams of Podcasting,” Rob Dehlinger, his wife, Lisa Dehlinger, and their daughter, Zoe, for our super theme song. Check out his stellar band, the Alpha Rhythm Kings.    Thanks for joining us for our first episode! We hope you'll come over and sit by us for our next conversation, episode 2...about Space!