Hivemind Times Issue #86

Welcome To The Hivemind Times!

Gremlins and freakazoids, hope this Friday finds you feeling just wonderful. I am Graydon and this is the Hivemind Times. 

This week has been fun over here at HQ. So happy you all got to see some of the hard work that went into making the Hivemind Game (it makes a great mothers day gift by the way). Medications name bracket definitely was a normal ahh video too so please give that a viewing if you haven’t yet hehe. 

Any fucking way lets get to why you are here, weird food recipe, poems, Rozey’s love life, and tunes.

Have a good weekend foos.

- Graydon

WEEKLY PLAYLIST

Tony’s back with another classic playlist.

MOVIE REVIEW

A few weeks ago my world was shattered. My almost near perfect life turned into a broken home with only me left inside of it. I felt as if I must’ve made a great cosmic error and angered the universe for everything to just turn upside down and disembowel itself in front of me.

While lying in bed unable to sleep, tossing and turning, I decided to just go. I took the train, and then another train, and then a bus to JFK, hoping to just find a flight seat to buy going anywhere. I seriously didn’t bring anything except the clothes I had on, my passport, and my wallet. Vietnam. Leaves in 4 hours. “Fuck it,” I said.

I bought the flight, went through security, and sat at the gate staring out the window. I watched the sunrise and regret overcame me. “I should just go back home” was echoing through my mind, but I pushed past it. I needed to escape. I boarded the flight with great anxiety. Thankfully there was inflight entertainment, and I only watched one movie.

Marley & Me is a heartfelt, often funny, and sometimes really sad look at life, love, and the chaos that comes with both, especially when a dog is involved.

Based on John Grogan’s memoir, the film follows a young couple, John and Jenny, as they figure out marriage, careers, and parenthood while raising Marley, a wildly energetic and completely unruly Labrador retriever. What starts as a simple story about getting a dog slowly turns into something deeper. It becomes a reflection on how time moves, how families change, and how the little moments end up meaning the most.

One of the best things about the movie is how real it feels. Marley is not some perfectly trained movie dog. He is a stubborn asshole mutt. That is exactly what makes him believable. Anyone who has had a pet will recognize both the frustration and the love that comes with it. Marley is not just a pet in the story. He is there through every stage of the family’s life.

The movie mixes comedy with more serious emotions in a natural way. There are a lot of funny moments, mostly because of Marley’s behavior, but it never feels shallow. As the story goes on, it becomes more thoughtful and grounded. By the end, it focuses on growing older, dealing with loss, and the kind of love that sticks with you.

At times the movie feels a bit like a series of moments instead of one continuous story. It jumps from one stage of life to another pretty quickly. Still, that kind of fits the way real life works. Things move fast and not everything gets a perfect amount of attention.

In the end, Marley & Me works because it understands something simple. Life is not about everything going right. It is about connection, loyalty, and the memories you hold onto.

By the time it ends, it hits hard. You will probably laugh a lot, and there is a good chance you will cry too. I know I was. Even me, a dog hater, kinda wanted to try it out by getting a puppy. Maybe I'm just lonely.

Only God knows how many hours went by until we landed in Singapore to then board another flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Once I got off the plane I was amazed by how chaotic but seemingly smooth everything was. Mopeds crowded the streets like seagulls to a dropped thing of french fries on the boardwalk. But people just crossed the streets trusting in God’s help for the mopeds not to slam into them.

I balled out on a really nice hotel where I am currently writing this. Such a great view high up, I'm a fly on the wall but instead of a wall I'm high as fuck up looking down at a real moving city.

As a real armchair historian and appreciator of history I decided the first thing I wanted to visit was the famous Cu Chi Tunnels used in the American Vietnam War. It was a striking reminder of how the Vietnam War was fought on the ground, specifically under it. This vast underground network stretched for hundreds of miles and was used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots, supply routes, living quarters, and even hospitals.

I knew what they were before going but seeing them in person was just unreal. Walking through gave a clearer sense of how intense and resourceful that period of history was. It is not just a tourist site, it is a place that shows the realities of war in a direct and personal way.

But Vietnam isn’t just a war museum for dumb Americans like me, Vietnam is alive in a way that is hard to explain until you are standing in it. The air is warm and heavy, filled with the smell of street food and the constant hum of engines and voices. Everything moves, not in a rushed way, but in a steady rhythm that somehow makes sense once you stop fighting it. The streets are packed, lights glowing off metal and glass, people weaving past each other like it is second nature.

The next day I woke up early, before the heat fully settled in, and walked with no real plan. Maybe I would grab a bowl of something hot from a street vendor, sitting on a small plastic stool watching the city come to life. There is something calming about being surrounded by so much motion while having nowhere to be. I would let myself get lost on purpose, turning down random streets, finding small shops, listening to conversations I do not understand but still somehow feel part of.

Later in the day I left the city behind and headed somewhere quieter. Somewhere green and open where the noise fades into wind and insects. The jungle feels like a different world, thick and endless, sunlight breaking through in pieces. I would walk slowly, taking everything in, trying to clear my head with every step. No expectations, just the sound of nature.

As the sun starts to go down I found a place to sit and just watch. The sky changing colors, the air cooling slightly, everything softening for a moment before night takes over again. It is the kind of place that makes you feel small but not in a bad way. More like a reminder that there is more out there than whatever you are running from.

At night I headed back into the city, letting it pull me back in. Lights everywhere, food cooking on every corner, laughter, music, people living their lives right in front of you. I would eat something new, maybe something I cannot even name, and just exist in that moment without thinking too much about anything else.

Vietnam feels chaotic but controlled, overwhelming but comforting. It gives you space to disappear for a while, and maybe, if you are lucky, to find something you did not even realize you were looking for.

It's around 3 am right now as I'm writing this and I received a text from her. She asked to meet me so we could talk about things and how she wanted to come back, we could maybe start over and she would explain everything.

My heart sank. All of this heartbreak and misery just for her to say maybe we can try again? I don’t know what I'm going to do. Fuck.

- Rozey

HEAD’S UP!!

ALBUM RECS

I may be late to this party or maybe I’ll put you on, either way the emo yeehaw grabbed me by the throat this week and that led me to Jake Minch. Long developing tunes musing over some familiar tropes but with the imagery and emotion to give ‘em all new feelings and meaning.

- Graydon

GRAYDON’S SISTER

Better late than never but you’ll have it now for when you need it!

Did you know Graydon has a human sister? And since our entire family is incapable of having a normal job…I’d like to share mine!

I run a small tropical plant store in downtown Toledo, Ohio. We specialize in unusual tropical plants, hand made bioactive terrariums, oddities and really whatever catches my interest at the time. I also offer classes and workshops within the community to teach plant related skills, terrarium building etc!

I hope if you’re ever in town you’ll stop by! Tell me you’re a Hivemind fan and I’d love to give you a little gift and chat.

- Greer

RECIPES

Aji Verde Sauce

Ingredients

• Jalapeños (2, deseeded if you don’t like spice)

• Garlic cloves (3)

• Lime juice and zest (1 lime)

• Mayonnaise (1/2 cup)

• Cotija cheese (1/3 cup)

• Cilantro (1 bunch)

• Green onions (2)

• Olive oil (2 tbsp)

• Salt (to taste)

Directions

1. Roughly chop the garlic and green onions, then add all ingredients to a blender or food processor.

2. Blend until smooth.

3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*I served this with steak, but it pairs great with any meat, seafood, vegetables, or potatoes.

*Substitute parsley for cilantro if you have the soap gene.

- Graydon

MERCH