Entertainment
A Week of Outfits: Cynthia Guerra
When I asked Cynthia Guerra to describe her style, her answer made me smile. “I want to look like a gift,” she laughed. “I like to wear frills, patterns and colors that make me happy.” Here, the Long Beach-based baker, who’s known for her adorable Kawaii-style cakes, shares five outfits she put together in a week…
Above: Shirt: vintage. Dress: Free People. Jeans: Forever21. Hat: And Then. Socks: Sanrio, similar. Shoes: Nike SB.
T-shirt: Little Light. Skirt: Little Light, similar. Purse: Custom by Hello Sisi. Socks: Sanrio, similar. Shoes: Lisa Says Gah, similar.
“In high school, I loved theater and the idea of physically creating the characters in a story. For my personal style, I found inspiration from Kawaii culture. As a teen, I was always reading the latest Fruits Magazine, and at 16 I dyed my hair pink.”
“When my mom was a girl, she was really into Hello Kitty, but my grandparents couldn’t afford any of the items. So, when I was in first grade, my mom took me to a store to buy pencils, stationary and a backpack. She said she’d wanted those things as a little girl and was so happy that she could give them to me. My love for all the Sanrio characters took off from there.”
Top: thrifted, similar. Apron: White Bark Workwear. Jeans: Forever21, similar. Socks: Target. Shoes: Carel Paris.
“I started baking boxed mix cakes as a hobby in my early twenties, when I was living in Vegas and working in retail. For friends’ birthdays, I would always surprise them with cakes. Then I reached a point in my career where I felt like I had no direction. My mom suggested I take baking more seriously. The idea of pivoting to a new career scared me but in a good way.”
“When I turned 30, I moved in with my grandma in Long Beach, California, and signed up for the cheapest baking classes I could afford. Right before the pandemic, I got my first official baking job: a pastry baker at Susie Cakes. But when everything shut down, I was let go. During my time at home, however, I practiced every day. I baked and decorated cakes and posted them on Instagram. Then, one day, a stranger from Instagram asked if they could buy a cake. I worried that my work wasn’t good enough to sell, but I pushed myself. After that, I started selling more cakes and joining pop-ups, and my business has been growing ever since.”
Overalls: Ford x Sydney Sweeney collab, bought on Depop, similar. Top: pajama top from a shop in Chinatown. Shoes: Blundstones.
“I fell for these overalls because they represent two sides of me: cute and sweet, and being comfortable getting dirty and getting work done.”
“I wanted to decorate my headphones, so I bought a clear headphone case, glue adhesive, little charms, and pearls. I worked on it while watching my favorite shows, like Chef’s Table and The Peanuts. You know how people like doing puzzles? Making these headphones was like my version of a puzzle. I ended up decorating my phone and laptop, too.”
Top and skirt set: Garden of She. Socks: Urban Outfitters. Shoes: Converse.
“During my free time, I treat myself by visiting different bakeries. My favorite spots are Bub and Grandma’s, Colossus, and Okayama Kobo. When going on these solo dates, I always dress up. I work so hard, so why not have fun? Dressing up is a way of celebrating the life I’ve built.”
Thank you so much, Cynthia! You are wonderful.
P.S. More women share their week of outfits, including an author who scores the best finds at Target, and a designer who dresses like the rainbow.
(Photos by Nicki Sebastian.)
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Entertainment
Get Ankers 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $60 less at Amazon
SAVE 15%: As of April 22, you can get the Anker Prime 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $339.99, down from $399.99, at Amazon. That’s a 15% discount or $60 savings.
$339.99
at Amazon
$399.99
Save $60
Working off a laptop is great until you realize you only have two ports and need to plug something in. If you’re hooked up to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse, you’re pretty much out of luck on the rest. Not only that, but your previously uncluttered desk will most likely look like a Best Buy exploded (a rat’s nest of cords isn’t cute or helpful for anyone getting work done).
If you literally hate mess and cords as much as I do, you need a docking station to hide all that chaos and protect your aesthetic. Right now, Anker’s Prime TB5 Docking Station is on sale for $339.99 at Amazon, down from $399.99. (That’s a $60 price cut.)
Mashable Deals
Are you going to use all 14 ports at the exact same time? Probably not, but you’ll never have to dig through your bag for a specific adapter again. You just plug a single cable into your laptop, and the dock handles the rest. It features a Thunderbolt 5 upstream port, two Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports, two USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, SD and TF card readers, a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, an audio jack, and your choice of HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 2.1. It’s also fast enough to transfer a 150GB file in 25 seconds.
Entertainment
How I scored ad-free Paramount+ Premium for only 99 cents
SAVE $26: As of April 22, returning subscribers can score two months of ad-free Paramount+ Premium for only 99 cents per month with the code N8C27L. Usually $13.99 per month, that’s $26 in savings. Just note that your mileage may vary.
$0.99/month for 2 months (save $13/month) with code N8C27L
If you’re looking to save some money on your streaming lineup, my number one recommendation is to cancel your subscriptions. While it doesn’t work for every streamer, many will offer you a special discount to come back. Not to mention, you’ll be eligible for any new deals that may appear that are marketed to “new and returning customers.” Case in point: as of April 22, returning subscribers can get two months of ad-free Paramount+ Premium for just 99 cents per month.
I’ve tested this out myself, so I can vouch for it. When you navigate to Paramount+ and sign in to your existing account, you’ll be prompted to pick a plan. Select the Paramount+ Premium monthly plan for $13.99 per month. On the “Welcome back!” page, scroll down to the box that says “Have a promo code?” and enter N8C27L. Once you hit “apply” the price should drop to just 99 cents per month.
Credit: Paramount+
That’s all, folks. You can take advantage of two full months of ad-free Paramount+, Showtime, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, CBS live TV, UFC fights, and more for less than two bucks. That’s $26 total in savings.
Mashable Deals
Paramount+ has a surprisingly hefty library. Subscribers can enjoy Paramount+ Originals like Landman and RuPaul Drag Race All Stars, Showtime series like Dexter Resurrection and Yellowjackets, CBS hits like Survivor and NCIS, and nostalgic shows from Nickelodeon and MTV. Not to mention, there’s a lineup of movies that’ll keep you fully entertained for your two-month promotional period. Just be sure to cancel again before the second month is over if you want to avoid paying full cost. You can always sign up again when another deal arises. I know I will.
Entertainment
How Stargate SG-1 Used A Classic Trope To Emotionally Wreck Its Fans
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Garfield and Friends said it best: “Oh no, we’ve resorted to an evil twin storyline.” Star Trek: The Original Series did it the best with Mirror Universe Spock, and ever since, it’s been a lazy excuse for every series to use when they run out of ideas. The exception is Stargate SG-1’s sixth episode, “Cold Lazarus,” which plays with the trope by making the twin less evil and more confused.
When fans say they skip this episode when rewatching, it’s not because it’s a lazy, poorly written episode. In fact, it’s the opposite. The ending of “Cold Lazarus” is a pivotal character moment for Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and a gut punch to the audience.
Stargate SG-1’s First Evil Twin
“Cold Lazarus” opens with the SG-1 team on a planet that doesn’t look like Vancouver (it was a giant pile of sulfur at the port of Vancouver). The desert landscape is dotted with shattered blue crystals that look like the remnants of a civilization until we see a crystal eye-view of O’Neill, a mysterious light knocks him out, and all of a sudden, a second O’Neill is looking down at the first. Turns out, the crystals are the civilization.
Fake O’Neill is trying to figure out who O’Neill is and what SGC is all about. When he pulls out photos of his family, it takes Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) by surprise. O’Neill’s never mentioned his wife, Sara, or his son, Charlie. Confused, the Fake O’Neill goes to the home, where Sara is disgusted he’d come by and thinks it’s a sick joke that he’s asking about Charlie. If you’re wondering if you missed a key part of O’Neill’s backstory, don’t worry, this is the first time that either Sara or Charlie is mentioned, and tragically, we soon learn why.
No One Ever Dies
Charlie shot himself with O’Neill’s gun. Fake O’Neill starts to piece this together when he goes into Charlie’s old room and breaks down, prompting Sara and him to finally have the conversation about their shared grief. Back in SGC, the crystal’s nature is revealed to be an energy alien calling itself Unity, which accidentally killed a Jaffa, and the Goa’uld shattered them in retribution. That’s when O’Neill stumbles back through the Stargate, and the team realizes the mistake they made.
The Fake O’Neill is soon captured at a local hospital, suffering from Earth’s radiation, where he explains that he sensed O’Neill’s pain after he took his form and wanted to help ease the suffering, as nothing ever truly dies to Unity. To prove its point, Unity transforms into Charlie, giving O’Neill and Sara one last chance to see their child. Fans who haven’t lost a child can understand the emotion, but for fans who have, this scene is emotional torture, in the best way possible.
Jack knows this isn’t Charlie, but he talks to him like he is, and then they walk together through the Stargate back to Unity’s planet. It’s a beautiful moment that explains so much about O’Neill’s throwing himself into work and how even his friendships remain professional. “Cold Lazarus” may have started out with the “evil twin” trope in full effect, but the ending is proof that even early during its run, Stargate SG-1 was going to be the greatest.
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