Sodapop Magazine #2

Magazine#2

Our review of Spike Jonze’s “Her”

Maria Taylor Touring, Motherhood, and Los Angeles Round 2 with Photographer Adam Allen The end of “Sudden Death in Los Angeles”

We talk vinyl with SlyVinyl

Plus: Community involvement a revolution?

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SODAPOP ISSUE #2 is

II.I.MMXIV STAFF Editor In Chief: Edwin Monico Managing Editor: Phil Riggs Executive Editor: Caitie Hanahan Staff Writers: Andrew Mercado, Michelle Swift Staff Photographers: Abraham Cuenca, Daniel Cantagallo, Jessica Rodriguez

Contributors

Photographers:Wendy Figueroa, Adam Allen Wr i t e r s : N i c o l e M a n d u j a n o Graphics: Gian Paulo Bautista

Cover Photographer-Edwin Monico A r t i s t : M a r i a Ta y l o r

Back Cover P h o t o g r a p h e r : We n d y F i g u e r o a Models: Chupi and Lola Photography and articles belong to their respective photographers/writers and are used by Sodapop Magazine with permission.

No reproductions are authorized without permission from Sodapop.

Any questions, comments, and/or concerns can be directed to contact@sodapopmagazine.com

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CONTENT PG.5

PG. 20-23

Sunday Mornings: Berlin

We talk vinyl with SlyVinyl

PG.8-9

PG.24-26

Community Involvement is the New Revolution

A New Plane of Existence in Spike Jonze’s Her

PG. 10-11

PG.28-33

Sunday Death In Los Angeles

An evening with

PG. 14-19

PG. 34-35

Maria Taylor

Round 2 with Photographer How to Impress Her with Less Than $25 Adam Allen

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Letter from the Jefe

So round two... I’ve created a monster and now it has too many heads that I can’t kill it. I put the call to arms and Sodapop was flooded with stories and photographs. I’m joyous that the magazine has been read over 6,000 times and reached countries that I’ve never heard of. I spent the month of December pretty much on the verge of giving up like in “Factotum”; you know the part

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where Bukoswki writes about mockery, isolation, and jail, but says to either go all the way or don’t even try. So, thank you for making Sodapop something that was worth losing sleep over (and possibly my mind). Now, I invite you to continue submitting your writing and photographs so your creations can have an audience. Or would you rather have them sit silent in your apartment, possibly eaten by

your cat or dog? Or thrown up on by your toddler? Whatever it is, sit your ass down and visit sodapopmagazine.com to read our submission details. Don’t let life pass you by. And like Bukoswki, don’t let laziness get in the way of your ambition. Oh and we have Maria Taylor on our cover. Jelly?

-Edwin Monico

SundayMornings: Berlin

SM: Sex or love?

Berlin: Love and Sex! lol SM: Favorite TV show?

Berlin: Big Bang Theory SM: Favorite Band?

Berlin: Social Distortion & Yellowcard l SM: Are you interested in politics?

Berlin: I love discussions on politics but it’s interesting to see what other views are on certain political matters, although overall, I am a science nerd at heart.

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Community Involvement is the New Revolution

Article: Michelle Swift

Poverty, violence, environmental distress; everything is going to hell in a hand basket, and many of us feel powerless to stop it. While we can’t do a whole lot about foreign wars and nuclear waste, we can contribute here and now, at home base. Never doubt the ability of a small, dedicated group of people to change the world. Four college freshmen who sat at the “wrong” lunch counter proved that. Most of us will never be presented with an opportunity to be so courageous, but maybe we don’t have to in order to bring about an unstoppable wave of change.

Community Benefit Organizations, a.k.a non-profits, work tirelessly to alleviate the most pressing issues of today. Great strides have been made by these dedicated professionals, enabled by donations, grants, program fees, and fundraising. However, no donation, no matter how sizable, is worth more than a group of dedicated and passionate volunteers and advocates.

These people are the soldiers for change. These people are the ones who actually create the change and it’s easier than you might think. It can even be fun.

All you have to do is find something you believe in; something that you feel passionate about, and find yourself willing to act upon it. It could be that you love to be outdoors and would like to show inner city youth the joys of nature. Maybe your passion is sports. You might find coaching

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or mentoring young athletes to be very rewarding.

It might even be a historic old building that you couldn’t bear to see torn down that moves you to action. Whatever motivates you, with over 1.5 million Community Benefit Organizations in the United States, you’re bound to find something that you’d like to be involved in.

Social change is fine and dandy, but what about the other factors that motivate community members to volunteer? Let’s begin with the most obvious: boosting a resume’. Not only does serving your community look good on a resume’, but quite often you can use your professional skills to do so, further building your shining list of references. Then there’s the service that many high schools and colleges require.

This is a great way to introduce first time volunteers to service. However, all too often these volunteers complete their required time and do not return. It is better if volunteers are intrinsically motivated to serve.

Surveys and studies show that the majority of volunteers do so for the sense of community; to be a part of something that matters. Getting out into your community is a great way to meet new people. Chances are if you’re passionate about an organization, then your fellow volunteers will be the kind of people you could see yourself befriending.

If you find the right organization, you might even

make some new business contacts. Some volunteers even meet their future spouses while serving!

Many organizations need professional skills that you might not associate with their mission.

Graphic designers can create marketing and promotion materials, accountants can audit financial statements and electricians can repair the wiring in an old building; the ways in which you might serve are limitless. Something as simple as passing out fliers to educate the public about an issue does wonders for the cause. Your passion for the matter will be evident and inspire others to care about the issue too.

With so many ways to serve and so many organizations to choose from, how do you find the place where you belong? Sometimes fate brings someone into your life who introduces you to the perfect fit. After all, we tend to share many of the same values as the people we associate ourselves with. Sometimes you stumble across an organization online, or see a story about their great work on the news.

For those of us who don’t want to wait around for our match to find us, just use today’s solution to our most pressing questions: Google. Type in a few keys words about what you’re interested in, your location, and proceed to surf the organization’s websites. Even better, there are many volunteer matching sites such as volunteermatch.org. Search for specific types of

organizations in your community, or browse through a list of categories such as Human Rights, or Arts and Culture; you can even volunteer from home!

Men, we need you. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Women continue to volunteer at a higher rate than did men across all age groups, educational levels, and other major demographic characteristics”. We need more active youth as well.

The BLS reports that “35- to 44-year-olds were most likely to volunteer (31.6 percent). Volunteer rates were lowest among 20- to 24-year-olds (18.9 percent).” We do need more young men serving their communities, for many reasons that we will not go into at this time, but the numbers say it all. Even the highest percentage of volunteers in the above demographics is only 31.6 percent. Imagine if it were closer to 75 percent or 95 percent. This is the unstoppable wave a change referred to earlier in the article.

There’s an old saying: “many hands make light work”. If the majority of the population was actively working towards the resolution of the issues that they feel most passionate about, we could find ourselves in the utopian society humanity has been craving for a millennium. All it takes is a little action and a bit of your time. You’ll be making an investment in a better world that will have a higher return on investment than you could ever imagine.

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Sudden Death in Los Angeles

By: D a n i e l C a n t a g a l l o Instagram: @dancantagallo https://jimrooster.jux.com

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Round 2 with Photographer:

AdamAllen

Sodapop loved Adam Allen so much in our first issue that we invited him to grace our presence once again. This time giving us colorful thought inducing pictures juxtapose against urban decay. Enjoy Adam Allen one more time because we are in love.

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Model: Allie Schell

MUA: Ducky Rickman 15 SODAPOP

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We talk vinyl with SlyVinyl

Interview by: Edwin Monico

SM: Do you remember the first vinyl record you acquired?

Scott: That is a tough one and I’ve tried to remember on multiple occasions. It’s one of two records that I bought well before I even owned a turntable. It’s either Jens Lekman’s Oh You’re So Silent Jens or Arcade Fire’s Funeral. I know it was early 2005 and both [of] those records had been constants. I was looking for ways to support them and wasn’t about to buy a CD or digital tracks so I just bought the vinyl, because hell it’s huge art and cool.

in 2011 it ceased to update. I shot Justin a message, who I was rooming with at the time, and was like, “Hey, we could be the new vinyl hounds”. He was in.

So, I jumped on and started the site. We had no real giant aspirations, just one goal: let music lovers know

about limited vinyl before it’s sold out. Consolidate all [of] the information from across the internet into one simple site. Happily we’ve found we weren’t the only ones out there that wanted this.

SM: So, Scott, I came across your site one day when I Google searched “special release vinyl”. I was mad that I could never get a copy of Brand New’s Your Favorite Weapon reissue or I would miss awesome releases.

Needless to say, I got The Devil and God are raging inside SM: How do you guys know each other? me reissue because of SlyVinyl. So, what I’m getting at is Scott: Well, I put the picture in here of Justin, Ryan and why did you guy’s start the site?

I, but Sly is actually made up of over 20 writers from Scott: Well we were just like you, getting increasingly across the world. I’ve only met or talked on the phone upset by missing releases from our favorite artists only with like five. Justin and I were rooming together at the to find them on Ebay for absurd amounts. Justin Clark time Sly started and I’ve know him for many years from and I were avid followers of the site Vinyl Hounds and back in high school. But, Ryan we never knew before

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the site started. Him and Cameron Hilliard are the sites lead editors now. Neither of which I knew before the site. Our collection of writers are just contacts I made while running the site, they’d consistently send me great news, so I eventually said, “Hey wanna join?”

$1000 on discogs and Ebay. I love Ryan Adams music and this set is truly amazing. I was sad my buddies missed out, and was like, “Damn it, time to fix this gap on the internet.”

SM. Looking forward to any specific releases?

Scott: So so many.

January has been brutal; I’m going broke. We are actually putting together our first podcast at the moment where each writer says the one release from the past month they think readers should buy and then we play the They did. Ryan and Cameron are really the backbones first single. It’s going to be a solid way to help users dig through the mountains of content on the site. Anyway, of the site and so they now are our lead editors.

Between the two of them, they have posted up more all to say I chose the self-titled record coming out than 500 releases in less than a year. All of our writers from Yumi Zouma. Such a great single and I never are truly amazing people and the site wouldn’t exist would have found this release without Sly. Though I’m very excited for many including, but not limited to: without them.

Real Estate, Tom Brosseau, The War on Drugs, The Men, Tycho, Jesus Sons, Temples, Built to Fade and St SM: What record is your most prized?

Vincent. As I mentioned, this has been a hard month on the pocket book.

Scott: I’d have to go with Ryan Adams Life after Deaf, mainly because it was the straw that broke the camels back. The records sold out in about five minutes and Continued many of my buddies missed it. It now goes for $700 -

TM

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SM. What do you think the future of vinyl will be?

Scott: Hard to say, really. I mean, it’s not as if new technology will change it’s appeal, it has already more than stood the test of time. It has flaws, but that hasn’t changed anything. I definitely feel the wave of popularity is cresting and will go back down, but as a medium, it’s not going anywhere. I guess it’s faux hip status will go away, but for real music lovers, we’ve always been envious of the dude flipping through his personal collection of records.

It’s romantic, physical, and intentional. You’re not putting an iphone on shuffle; it’s a different experience. There’s not a whole ton of people that get that or will ever care, but those who do aren’t going to change.

SM: Do you think CDs will ever be collectibles?

past days. When that happens, we naturally want more of it. We get posters, we go to shows, we watch music videos, and happily buy vinyl. I personally believe the first time you spin an album that has impacted you that much on vinyl is all it takes. It connects dots. A physical intentional experience with the music you love - game over - I’m in for life.

It won’t ever be a conversation of music quality, art size or residual value. I don’t see it as if you’re putting all specs side by side and picking the best medium for you, at least of all the people I know that collect, that has nothing to do with it.

SM: Anything you want to say to vinyl collectors?

Scott: Yeah a few things.

One: You’re awesome. Thanks for supporting the Scott: Tricky question. Yes, and they already are. I artists you love. Without this support, many artists have a signed copy of Convoy’s Black Licorice, an would never be able to make their next record. album I think I’m the only one out there who loves, Two: If you know someone who says “vinyls” instead but I do. For the longest time, and maybe still, you of the correct “vinyl” or “vinyl records” please don’t couldn’t get it on vinyl, digital, or even illegal mp3. be a dick and correct them. I mean really who cares?

It’s truly a lost record, and I feel one of the best Don’t be that guy.

Alternative Country albums that has come out in Three: Please try your best not to fall down the my lifetime. So, would I pay a premium for that CD? slippery slope of flipping vinyl. Yes, we all come Heck yes. I understand this is a very isolated case, across records we know we could buy and then but I do feel it is valuable. That being said, don’t sell for more money, but that was made for fans to expect to see a SlyCD anytime soon. For those of listen to. If you need money, get a real job and make money the legitimate way, like that artist is trying to interest in Convoy, take a listen here - Youtube do.

Four: If you’re not reading Sly, you should. If you SM: I asked my 13-year-old niece the other day how she gets music and she said iTunes. If I was somebody have tons of vinyl info then join our team. You’ll who strictly downloaded music all my life, how would make great friends across the world and help your favorite bands make a living making music. you convert me to vinyl or why should I even give vinyl a try?

SM: Lastly, have you heard Dark Side of the Moon on vinyl?

Scott: It really all begins with a true connection to an album or artist. We, (speaking of true music Scott: Ha, this has to be a loaded question. Yes, I do lovers), all have that first album that, for some own it on vinyl and It’s Floyd, a must have in any reason or another, hits us deep. Cranking it all the way up is many times the best part of our whole day. collection. Though, a little googling will help you It helps us through tough times, it makes great times find that I am somewhat of a criminal. I was the first individual ever taken to court for copyright that much better, or brings back great memories of

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infringement for mp3s back in early 2000. The album I was busted for sharing with friends was Dark Side of the Moon (happily busted for a great album). In the end, I lawyered my way out of it and lost all my college fund for sharing a great album with people. 15 years later, here I am doing the same thing, just with a different method. I guess people don’t change, just learn a little along the way.

Be sure to check out Slyvinyl.com

From left to right in the photo - Ryan Ribitsch, Scott Wickberg , and Justin Clark

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A New Plane of Existence in Spike Jonze’s Her

In Her (2013), Spike Jonze has created a world that is an invitation and embodiment of technological and intuitive dreams, and uses this world to construct a trans formative story of love.

Her is provocative in so many ways. It challenges us to see the near future through a lens that may not be as far-fetched as initially thought. It is, essentially, a story of the evolution of love, of humanity, of technology, and variations of all three. The cast and performances are superb, ranging from Joaquin’s heartbreakingly emotive journey, Amy Adam’s hopelessly quizzical drift, and Johansson’s role as the antithetical operating system, which is infinitely knowledgeable, yet as inquisitive and curious as a child.

Joaquin’s protagonist, Theodore Twombley, begins the story in limbo.

He is going through a painful divorce.

The separation has him so grief-stricken that he refuses to sign the divorce papers and has vivid memories of intimate moments they shared. It literally keeps him up at night. Sleepless nights and remembrances also signal

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*Spoiler Alert

Review by Andrew Mercado a quality in him that is familiar and tragic, yet also teeming with the singular beauty that is a sense of meaningful, cooperative love – one that provides life and is life-giving, perennial with all, a yearning. His romanticism is further shown during the scenes at his job, in a company called Beautiful Handwritten Letters.

During his time there, Theodore recites letters to a computer and the computer writes them out virtually in a handwritten cursive style, meant to look rustic and personable.

The reverence sent his way in the office is precisely because he writes every letter with the love and sincerity of a person who has deep emotional ties to the receiver.

This romanticism permeates all throughout the first act. He is not exactly searching, but floating through an expressionless space of fear and uncertainty, hoping the bottom does not fall out.

Whilewalking through futuristic LA, he sees a video projection advertising a new operating system, simply titled, OS. The video promises its product to conform to every need and provide

life-like interaction. Intrigued, and following a vague impulse he desperately felt he needed to fulfill, he bought the product and started it up. “Hi, I’m here.” “Um, Hello?” His initial reactions are understandably of guarded disbelief and joking defense mechanisms. The OS reveals her name is Samantha and Theodore asked how she got that name. “I chose it.” “Why?” “I liked the way it sounded.” Here the audience shares the position of curious explorer. Samantha proves to be an intelligent and dynamic identity capable of rational thought, human interaction, and feelings. One wonders how thin the line is between AI and human consciousness, or if there is a line at all. Rather, a gray area presents itself, and expands infinitely into a normalized aberrance. Here the inklings of a relationship begin, and something more. As they familiarize themselves with each other, it becomes apparent there is a connection shared by the interaction they both lack and mean to find in one another.

Theodore’s connection to Samantha is the equivalent of the love of all knowledge and perception humanity has imposed upon the world, without the suffering and problems of humanity. Samantha is, in one way, an infant to her environment, and in others, a timeless beacon of truth and curiosity. She knows the world immediately, but she cannot feel it. Theodore provides her computerized mind with a tangible body of flesh, and these feelings work toward their mutual education and edification. Much of the magic of the movie occurs in the very real and concurrently surreal conversations between them, much of it philosophical, playful, and experimental.

At one point, Samantha observes the anatomy of the human being. She tells Theodore to close his eyes and think about the human body and how seemingly awkward and random it is. One thinks about how we could have looked like anything; we could have had body parts that allowed us to

traverse the world more freely, be less vulnerable.

And Samantha has a penchant for this, for revealing what may be hidden underneath. Theodore’s tutelage is also quite elucidating, but in a quite different manner. He has seen and felt pain, and knows heartbreak. Samantha does not know these experiences like he does; she knows them like a fact and he knows them like a scar, a mold that she cannot feel as corporeally perceptible.

Samantha questions Theodore, digging to the core of the feeling she craves, the interaction she searches for like man searches for the meaning of existence. “So what’s it like being married?” “It’s hard, for sure. But there is something that feels so good about sharing your life with somebody.” “How do you share your life with somebody?” It is boldly honest inquisitive questioning and thinking such as this that animates the character as more than just an operating system, but a living entity in its own right. The insight she gets from him on the human condition draws her nearer to him. He is nearing a point in his life that warrants introspection and requires a further reason to continue living. There are empathetic feelings of wanting to contribute and be contributed to. Samantha provides this sanctuary. They share a desire to share knowledge and themselves. This relationship, more than any others in recent memory, feels like the most genuine and cathartic relationship that has been shared on a movie screen. It makes one rethink the physical and mental nature of love and reevaluate the importance of each quality. In this specific situation, love is built without the initial physical attraction; this accelerates the dynamic of a world. Samantha’s intellect becomes such that it renders her distant to Theodore – a distance that is akin to that of a person that loves her past but must leave it behind to pursue something that is greater than his or herself. This becomes painfully obvious when their relationship goes bitterly awry in the

Continued

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wake of a revelation that illuminates the truly unique and exclusive nature of human relationships.

Theodore’s ex-wife reminds him that he never wanted anything real and he never acknowledged any drama. His head was always in the clouds, and he romanticized his ideal relationship, actually molding his dream into reality in his interaction with Samantha. She was young, impressionable, and her very existence was determined by some short questions asked during the OS setup. He basically created her, in his mind and later in his OS. And while their relationship had great benefits and was shown to be beautifully loving, therapeutic, and progressive, it could not last because of the increasing capacity of intellect and independence Samantha and the rest of the OS continued to grow into. Without giving the ending entirely away, Theodore and Samantha effectively grow apart, but not without a fitting rationale. Samantha and her cohorts continue to exist in another plane, somewhere, and Theodore exists on Earth, nursing another broken heart. His friend, Amy Adam’s character, who has also lost someone, joins him for a short scene that delineates the importance of human contact. Through all of our faults and shortcomings, there has to be tangible human contact to survive – a learned sensation of feeling and the absence of it. While the tandem education of Samantha and Theodore raised important existential questions and insights, a simple rest of Amy Adam’s head on Theodore’s shoulder shows the inevitability of suffering needs to be shared among human beings.

Aside from the phenomenal story, Her has many aspects that warrant a nod or captivation. The production design really gives the city life. It can take some time before one realizes they are observing downtown LA in the near future. Some of the buildings are shown with updated architecture, while others are new entirely, providing an updated feeling of a vast metropolis. It all looks very natural. The minimalistic aesthetics and sleek design provide for a futuristic setting that can very plausibly be twenty years from now. The cubicles donned with drawings of sleeping, presumably dreaming figures, the multiple projections shown on the streets being shared by people, the lofty view out of Theodore’s apartment, the recurring

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colors of soft red and white, all convey the same sense of wonder as the story itself. As was previously expressed, the performances also provide fuel for discussion. Amy Adam’s Amy character is ardent in her search for meaning. While Theodore is going through his escapades and journeys with Samantha, she is struggling with her lonely life after a separation from the husband. Her hopelessness is believable, and fittingly compatible with Theodore’s qualities.

Parks and Recreation’s Chris Pratt lends his acting skills in lovable friend and receptionist, Paul. There are some light and carefree moments in his character that actually contribute to the movie’s overall theme.

The movie as a whole was executed in a way that was very near perfect for all intents and purposes. The story, the art, production design, and acting were all exceptional. But the reason this movie has a chance at achieving longevity and continued studies is the way it approaches our contemporary lives of technology and relationships. It speaks so much about our future and what love can turn out to be or not to be. As the freedom of choice through technology continues, one must think of the relationship between Theodore and Samantha. Their exchange is a beautiful love, but also a blissful escape that, tragically, cannot last. But this also provides an opportunity for triumph – this shows that humanity and technology can grow independently and together. In other words, watch this movie if you have not seen it already – if you have, watch it again!

Rating: 10/10

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An evening with

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Mar i

i a

Tay l or

Article by: Edwin Monico

If you’ve ever taken a wrong turn in Silver Lake, CA then you know how much of an unpleasant experience it can be. Roller coaster type streets, some with no left or right turns, and don’t even think about street parking – it’s non-existent due to overcrowding and Los Angeles’ permit street parking system. Luckily, parking was available when I arrived at the Satellite for a whopping $5 and included valet service, leaving me excited and looking forward to the night ahead. The evening was great if not perfect for an encounter with Maria Taylor, the multi-instrumentalist who has played in Bright Eyes, and is half of Azure Ray.

Maria began the night drumming and transitioning into songs from Something About Knowing, her 2013 solo album that was written in short bursts while her newborn slept.

Throughout the show she hinted at returning to Los Angeles to live while effortlessly engaging with the crowd, joking about touring with her mother and son. Her performance was a mesmerizing display of beautiful vibes and created a lucid environment.

Continued Photographer: Abraham Cuenca

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The dynamic between her and the band flowed flawlessly, especially with Maria’s brother Macey who plays bass. As the show came to a close, the crowd would not budge and Maria came back for an encore that completed a perfect night in Silverlake. Be sure to catch one of Maria’s tour dates in your city and check out her music on Spotify and YouTube.

Sat, Feb 01 Carrboro, NC US Cat’s Cradle Sun, Feb 02 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel Wed, Feb 05 Philadelphia, PA US Boot & Saddle Thu, Feb 06 Brooklyn, NY US Knitting Factory Fri, Feb 07 Cambridge, MA US Middle East Sat, Feb 08 Ithaca, NY US The Haunt Sun, Feb 09 Toronto, CA The DrakeHotel Tue, Feb 11 Chicago, IL US Beat Kitchen Tue, Mar 04 Wien, AT Haus der Musik Thu, Mar 06 Frankfurt, DE Das Bett Fri, Mar 07 Leipzig, DE Nato Sat, Mar 08 Dresden, DE Beatpol Sun, Mar 09 Berlin, DE Comet Mon, Mar 10 Munster, DE Gleiss 22 Tue, Mar 11 Duisburg, DE Steinbruch Wed, Mar 12 Heidelberg, DE Häll Thu, Mar 13 St. Gallen, CH Grabenhalle Fri, Mar 14 Bern, CH Dampfzentrale Sat, Mar 15 Reutlingen, DE Franz.K Sun, Mar 16 Munich, DE

Feierwerk

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Photograph by: Edwin Monico

Photograph by: Abraham Cuenca

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Photograph by: Abraham Cuenca

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How to Impress Her with Less Than $25

Article by: Nicole Mandujano

Whether you’re in a new relationship or have been going out for a while, you know that it can be tough to continually woo your girl, let alone being able to afford it.

It’s a minimum of $20 dollars a plate when it comes to fine dining, and a trip to the movie theatre is hardly memorable. So what can you do with a budget of $25 dollars? Dessert & Wine will Woo even the Girl who has everything

Yes, some prep is required and you’ll need to host it at your place, but you’re pretty much guaranteed to impress.

N o w imagine this, a fun night dedicated to chocolate covered goodness & wine.

All for less than $25.

First, for the wine. It is always safest to buy sweet wine for a first date.

Red, dry wines can be very bitter so unless you know the girl is a seasoned wine drinker, avoid anything too dry. Stop by a liquor store and let an employee know what you’re looking for and then ask them to recommend something in the $10 to $15 range.

Next, you need to hit the grocery

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store to pick up the following: wax paper, large marshmallows, strawberries, and *Candiquik.

Candiquick can be found with the baking supplies. It’s a dipping chocolate that only takes a minute to melt in the microwave. And it costs under $5.

strawberries, covering each one ¾ of the way up. Then the marshmallows, covering them ½ way up. Set everything on the wax paper and continue dipping until you have plenty of both. Wait about 10 minutes and they’ll be ready to plate and serve.

Be sure to set everything out before your date arrives. This will help you come across as guy with the ability to plan and be prepared. She will notice and take a mental note of it.

While this date will be a great opportunity to chat and get to know each other better, it’s a good idea to have a few activities ready to help avoid awkward silences. Board games, Once you’re home and you’ve set the cards, charades, almost anything will do wine to chill, open the Candiquik and just have a backup. Even the simplest get it melted. You can rinse and dry your of activities seem elevated when paired strawberries while the microwave is go- with wine and chocolate.

This entire evening will make ing.

Cut a piece of wax paper and lay her swoon. You’ll get credit for it on a flat surface. This is where you’ll let your dipped marshmallows and Continued strawberries dry and harden.

Once your chocolate is melted, dip your

originality and the brownie points for the planning and effort you put in will surely put you ahead of the game if she may have any other suitors. Plus, the fact that you dipped strawberries and marshmallows in chocolate just for her will make her feel incredibly special. Even if it did only take you ten minutes.

-Nicole Mandujano Style Blogger at LoveNiki.com Email: Niki@LoveNiki.com @MsLoveNiki

A few things to look forward to from the March issue of Sodapop MxPx at the Glasshouse Beer from The Bruery Yuck from England Follow

us on instagram @sodapopmagazine and hashtag #sodapopmagazine if you have something cool you want us to look at.

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Links PG.5 Berlin Modeling PG. 10-11 Daniel Cantagallo Instagram: @dancantagallo PG. 14-19 Photographer: Adam Allen MUA: Ducky Rickman Email: uglyducklingbeautyartistry@hotmail.com PG.24-26 Her poster by: Gian Paulo Bautista PG.28-33 Photographer: Abraham Cuenca Last page Photographer: Wendy Figueroa

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