#when i tell you i’ve never heard of cornhole before | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

alikaheroes · 2 years

Text

WOW!! What a night. I can finally say I’ve seen @halsey in concert 🥺😭❤️ So thankful! Such a fun time! 💖💖 #LoveAndPowerTour

*Added July 16

Halsey: Love and Power Tour 2022

Five Point Amphitheater

Irvine, CA

Saturday, July 9, 2022

The FivePoint Ampitheater is outdoors and looks amazing

Cornhole games!

Got my Whispers bag for merch (will print the poster at home LOL)

Chicken strips, fries, and a Pepsi

Random friends: Mom with her daughter from Long Beach, guy from Long Beach, Marine girl from San Clemente

The Marias were so good, I highly recommend them.

They played “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High” by the Arctic Monkeys and I loved it

about-face ads, free shipping! With purchase of $50 or more

Chapter 1: The Capture

Love the intro like from the IICHLIWP trailer

THE TRADITION

CASTLE! Mic flip!

Halsey asking if we know what to do when the chorus drops and me shouting OH YEAH!!

Halsey saying to STOP THAT TRACK

She doesn’t usually like to pit cities against each other (random guy shouting, WHAT IRVINE??)

Show is almost 2 hours long, baby, gonna need a lot of energy! She can see everyone all over

My OMG realizing she’s restarting Castle

EASIER THAN LYING HIGH ENERGY

you should be sad is the best country song ever, we all stomped our feet!

Firework shower with the Yeah-Yeah-YeahYeah Yeah

I loooove the rock demo version of 1121 and of course the Die For Me track-I SOLD 15 MILLION RECORDS FOR A BREAKUP NOTE

CHAPTER 2: RELEASE

The intro for Graveyard from the LA show with the Euphoria vibes

“I really like you guys. You’re a cool ass f*cking crowd, I really f’ing love you guys. Wanna sing along with me going forward?

COLORS!! The Badlands feels are so real

How are you guys feeling right now?

Absolutely never ever stops to blow my f’ing mind that I get to perform on stage and perform in front of a crowd that looks like this!

First show she ever played around these parts, Observatory? Asked Sheperd

Played for 100 people (might be generous)

Lighting power run through the kitchen, no fries that night

Don’t wanna spend too much time talking, last night of tour little emotional (aww)

How many people is this your first time seeing me in concert? How many have seen me before?

Oh My Good Goooood? Loudest response for this tour of that question

Can tell you been rocking with me from the beginning

Whether here for beginning, or 5 min before walked in building

Really grateful to have you here

Make sure tonight is the best concert you’ve ever seen in your f’ing life

Hurricane with the Room 93 visuals ahhh

LILITH!! My favorite! I shouted YES because it wasn’t on the setlist the night before and I was too happy to see it! I’m all “AW YEAH” during the beginning before I sing along. I also love the visuals with the Titane vibes

I heard the Lighthouse Siren and was sooo hyped, them O’Jays Ship Ahoy vibes at this concert had me emotional.

“This Woman Will Not Go Quietly” line from the film

One of my favorites, the rock Banshee vibes, beautiful visuals, I’m so in love

killing boys - The whole crowd shouting “I’mma Uma Thurman your ass” was poetic

“You’re gonna hear the weird sh*t before you get the hits because that’s my style, but you begged for this so you better f’ing sing!”

GIRL IS A GUN!!!

YES!

TALK 2 (Chapter 3: Reflect)

Be Kind drawing time!!

Done paintings every single time something different

Those close in her life, do you plan? I mean, come on

No, Absolutely Not

Do you plan what you’re gonna say? Set list before you get there? Same.

This tour has been a lesson for me in embracing surrendering control (mild cheer for that—I did for the song Control)

Used to get on stage wanting so badly it all to be perfect

Looks back on pics of sparkly costumes doing choreography and goes who tf is that?

You guys know that feeling? It’s not just a musician thing. You see pics of yourself when you were younger you’re like who tf is that?

Kinda the same thing, 50 million pictures like that on Google

Ask at the beginning of show, what matters more to the story, is it good or is it true?

Look at self in pictures, true to herself then, being true

Some songs that she’s written doesn’t relate to same way? Does that make them untrue? Words not me anymore even tho they were at some point…little bit of a mindf*ck. Idk, kinda crazy

Most true version of myself is up here with a pen in my hand, canvas in front of me, and like 20,000 people that I love with my f’ing heart (I screamed WE LOVE YOU)

When I look back in a couple years, won’t think omg who tf is that, will think wow, I was so lucky to be that person once in my life, so thank you.

Songs about difficult times, used to be very sad alll the time. Still pretty sad all the time but wanna say if you’re here and share that same mentality, look back at version of you that related to sad songs and not that person anymore, sing your heart out tonight. Get it all out. When you leave, don’t take that old person with you, you’re not that b*tch anymore. You gotta exercise the demons and leave them on the floor

This song is called 100 Letter

100 Letters, everyone had their phones up with lights

TALK 3 (Pre 929)

In the spirit of the show of not letting things being perfect.

Like the worst ever sang, on the verge of tears the entire time.

imma gonna fight this I’m not gonna f’ing cry, I’m gonna do it!

I did not do it. I failed. Miserably haha

G-damn not even halfway through the set and I’m already crying

“Where the f you at?” I coughed.

HALSEY CHANT

Are you trying to make you make me cry? Are you guys playing a game with me? This is some sick f’ing twisted sh*t you’re doing. And you guys trying to make me cry more this is some sick sh

Believe me sang song 100 times it doesn’t make me cry anymore

About to cry because knew what song comes after it, haven’t played it in years

Probably most important song written for self in entire life.Really wanted to perform it in front of you guys tonight

Dad to finally call me, he did (AWW)

I wasn’t in love them (but I sure as F am now!!!)

Done being sad, no more being sad long night ahead of us, TIME TO BE GAY

HONEY

Me: HONEYYYY

Went into 3AM

ME: YESSS

She’s laughing during it so cute!!

Fireworks and playing with guitarist

Talked about how fast song is and you don’t need to know the words

TALK 4 (Thankful to fans, curfew)

I know for a fact people on my team backstage rn like, “She good?”

Are you OK? Did somebody slip you something before the show? WTF is going on?

Soaking up every second possibly can because this is the last night and love what I do so f’ing much

I hope from bottom of night you can see it all over my face how much I love being up here and being with you

Why get out here and do a show 2 horus long

Other do hour, get on stage, F off and leave

Wanna be here every f’ing second until the cops come up and yank me off stage for breaking curfew

F’ing love what I do!

Thank you for letting me do it love you guys so f’ing much!

STOMPING FEET

So Good - like a couple weeks new don’t get too excited.

“I love getting to play this song when he’s standing back there” LOVE TO ALEV

BAD AT LOVE - YES

HOLD ME DOWN

SHE DID THE SPLITS

TALK 4 (BAND/Ring Announcer)

Most incredible musicians and people and friends

So lucky all agreed to come on the road with me

Could’ve been doing something much cooler, I promise haha

Usually make fun of them during this part

Drums - next season of Bachelorette

Keys - Terrified of goldfish

Make something up and embarass them

Too heartfelt, need you guys to be so loud for me

DRUMS: Harry (will you guys please give it up for Harry!)

GUITAR: Liv

Don’t f’ing look at me I’ll cry

KEYS Bonnie

Halsey says she’s calling them out like a ring announcer

AND OVER HERE CHECKING IN AT 245 POUNDS HE IS TOUGH (I audibly said omGGG LITERALLY MY BRAND WITH MY WRESTLING LOVING SELF I lost it here) HE HAILS FROM IRVINE CA

YESS WHOOO

That’s my impression…this is why everyone on my team is gonna say somebody drugged me

Last show with tme as well, grateful to have support on road

Part do 2 more songs, prepare to leave, comeback and do encore

HALSEY CHANT

For what? What did I do? I didn’t even do anthing

WHISPERS

GO BACK AND F HIM

GASOLINE! FIRE (I love hearing my name in it)

Chapter 4: Reflect

Flashing lights and rock music

Jumps up with flames and PYRO

NIGHTMARE

Statistics for Abortion (my camera shut off for it ofc but it was PHENOMENAL)

TALK 5 (Abortion Rights/Political)

Put in show 5 weeks before Supreme Court decision and statistics were much different then

We’re here in our little island

Second to say as long as I have a microphone and stage if your well being livelihood and happiness at stake I will always f’ing be political

In case you couldn’t tell, so many people in the crowd I recognize I’ve met so many times, who stories I know, parents I know, journeys through school work and life that I know, break f’ing heart if something going on in this world cause you bodily harm to get care you need and I did nothing about it

If politics aren’t your thing all good,

Just learned a valuable lesson don’t come to a Halsey concert then.

Little bit of time

CHANT

MY BODY - Audience: MY CHOICE

“THANK YOU!”

Music is political. Everything is political. Brave to leave house come here exactly as you are. Clothes you were. Words you sing. People you love. Things you do. Everything is f’ing political

Running up that hill with the flame bar

WITHOUT ME

Went into audience, guy had sign said his BF broke his heart, Halsey said “F HIM” to flip off hurtful ex

Confetti!!

Acapella,

“Put you up there, I don’t know why” - audience

I Am Not A Woman I’m a God

Irvine. Thank you guys so much for an incredible night. So glad I got to close out this tour with you. This will be my last tour here for a really long time playing shows here in the states so I really love you and I really appreciate you for a great night. Did you have fun? Get home safe. I love you!

Y’aburnee playing on way out

Shareable Review

#Halsey #personal

5 notes · View notes

fruitcoops · 3 years

Note

Hi!! I was wondering if you could do another fic involving jules and coops together? Just like sweet moments between the three? I loved the baby sitting series you did and could not stop thinking about it❤️❤️ Thank you!!

Yeah, of course! I love writing my boy at any opportunity. SW credit goes to @lumosinlove, but the relatives are my ocs!

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sirius asked under his breath as Remus finally—finally—appeared from the mass of people.

“It’s fine,” Remus said around a forced smile to a middle-aged man across the yard.

Sirius hid his mouth by pretending to look down at the nearest casserole dish. He didn’t even know what was in it; nobody had bothered with labels, and everyone’s dishes were the same basic florals in different colors. “I love you, Re, and I totally get the whole ‘meet the parents’ thing, but this is a bit much if I’m being honest.”

“Honey.” Remus’ shoulder pressed against his own. “I’m sorry you’re not having a good time, but my Aunt Jen would skin me alive if I didn’t bring the man I’m marrying to the family reunion. We can leave tomorrow if you really hate—oh, no.”

“Remus!” a shrill, excited voice called. Sirius felt his fiancé straighten up as a tall, redheaded woman in star-painted jeans hurried across the grass with three other women in tow. She reached up and gave Remus’ cheeks a squish, then leaned in a planted a lipstick-stamped kiss to his forehead. “How are you, my duckling? Was your flight alright? Make sure you stay away from the salt or else your feet will swell.”

“Hi, Aunt Jen,” Remus said, grimacing a little at her rib-crushing hug. “I’m doing well, and our flight was fine. How are you?”

“Peachy keen,” she assured him. Dark brown eyes lasered in on Sirius half a second later and he felt his fight or flight kick in. “And who are you?”

“Aunt Jen, this is—”

“It was rhetorical, honey,” Jen interrupted with a pat to Remus’ arm as she stepped closer to Sirius and immediately hauled him in for a hug. She was as tall as Remus, but broader in the shoulders and hips; he had never felt so engulfed by someone. It was a strangely enjoyable feeling.

“Aren’t you a handsome one?” the shortest of the group cooed, as if she was talking to a particularly small dog in a purse. “Our Remus always knew how to pick them.”

Remus furrowed his brows. “Aunt Lisa, this is the first boyfriend I’ve—”

“But he’s not just a boyfriend!” Jen trilled, giving Sirius’ cheek a pat. “He’s a fiancé, something I learned from your mother. Not from your father—oh, I gave him a talking-to about that—and not from you, duck.”

Sirius bit back a laugh at the nickname and spared a glance to his left, where Remus had gone pink all the way to his ears. “Sorry.”

“Introduce us!” the shortest insisted, taking the other two by the hands as pulling them forward with an eager smile.

“Everyone, this is Sirius Black, my fiancé.” Remus gestured between them, and the four women beamed at him. “Sirius, this is Aunt Jen, Aunt Lisa, Aunt Allison, and Aunt Mary, my dad’s sisters.”

“It’s lovely to meet you,” Sirius said, holding a hand out.

“No need to be so formal,” the brunette grumbled with a teasing grin. “We have heard so much about you from Lyall. After those damned pictures—”

“Allison,” Jen hissed.

“—after the damned pictures,” Allison repeated with a pointed look. “I was about ready to drive up to Gryffindor myself and give that lousy son of a bitch a piece of my mind—”

“Allison!”

“—but Lyall talked me down and I have been waiting to meet you ever since.” She finished with a soft huff and gave his arm a quick squeeze. “Remus is a lucky boy to have you. It’s very exciting to see you in person at last.”

Sirius’ heart gave a happy little ka-thump and he smiled. “I’m glad to be here. Thank you for having me.”

“He is so polite,” Lisa said to Remus out of the corner of her mouth with a wink and a thumbs-up. “Good choice.”

“You know what I just realized? We haven’t said hello to Jules yet. We’ll see you in a few, yeah?” Without waiting for an official answer, Remus wrapped an arm around Sirius’ waist and practically carried him away from the table. Once they were out of earshot—and the aunts had busied themselves with one of the younger Lupins—Remus relaxed with a slow exhale. “I am…so sorry.”

“For what?”

“I had no idea they were going to corner you like that. I mean, I did, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be for another few hours. They tend to move in a pack at reunions, like sharks. Or wolves.”

“They’re really sweet.”

“They are,” Remus said grudgingly, though Sirius could read the affection dripping off him like his favorite book. “My dad’s the youngest of five, and I was the first nephew. You can imagine how that went.”

“Baby of the baby?”

“Exactly.”

“Can I ask one thing?” Remus nodded, visibly confused, and Sirius found he couldn’t keep his grin down any longer. “Duckling?”

“I hoped you didn’t hear that,” he groaned as they headed toward the kids’ play area beneath a large oak. “Long story short, it involved five-year-old me, a pond, and a sinus infection that made me sound like a duck when I sneezed.”

“Oh my god,” Sirius laughed, earning himself a light elbow to the ribs. “And the name stuck?”

“Considering she was the one that had to stay with me while my folks were working, she could call me whatever the hell she wanted. Please don’t ask her about it unless you want a thirty-minute TED talk about the ins and outs of my sinuses.”

“She’s a doctor?”

“No, she just overshares.”

“Sirius!”

Sirius looked up and saw a herd of small children racing toward them, led by his favorite person under the age of eighteen; Jules crashed into his legs and squeezed him tight around the waist. “Hey, I missed you!”

Jules propped his chin below Sirius’ sternum and stared up at him with the classic hazel-gold eyes that were far more common than Sirius believed before they arrived in the Lupins’ backyard. “I missed you, too! How’s the team? How’s Harry? Is he still super small or did he do that weird thing that babies do where their legs grow and the rest of them still looks normal? How was your flight? Did you have turbulence?”

Sirius thought for a moment. “Good, also good, growing normally, and yes.”

“Sweet! Come play cornhole with us!” Jules grabbed his hand and dragged him along the grass at the closest thing he could manage to a sprint with Sirius’ added weight—the pre-teen years had lent him gangly legs, though he didn’t seem quite sure how to use them yet. He looked more like a foal than a sixth-grader.

“What the hell is cornhole?” Sirius muttered as the flock of kids ran ahead to grab armfuls of beanbags.

Remus grinned. “Something I’m about to kick your ass at.”

------------------------------------

By the time the sun set, Sirius was exhausted. He had been introduced to dozens of people who looked just enough like Remus to be eerie, as well as plenty who seemed to have been acquired by one Lupin or another over the course of their life. Jules fluctuated between laminating himself to Sirius’ side and disappearing for an hour at a time, only to return more grass-stained and rumpled than ever as he begged Remus to swing him around by the ankles again. His ass had been thoroughly kicked at cornhole and freeze tag; it was a true miracle he hadn’t already passed out into a food coma. For all of his earlier griping, Sirius couldn’t think of a time in recent months when he had been more content.

“You’re a brave soul,” Remus remarked as they sat in the grass together and watched the fireflies wake. Though it was a warm night, it seemed the citronella candles littering the tables were doing their job of chasing off mosquitoes.

Sirius leaned his head on Remus’ shoulder. He smelled like grass and summertime and sunbaked warmth. “Am I?”

“Mhmm. I’m sure most people would have run screaming by now.”

“I like your family.”

A beat of silence passed; Remus rested his temple against the top of Sirius’ head. “I’m really glad to hear that. They’re weird and loud, but I love them.”

“And I love you.”

“Are you saying I’m weird and loud?”

“On occasion.”

“Asshole,” Remus laughed, giving him a nudge that hardly qualified as more than a gentle sway.

“Language, there are eight million kids around.”

“They’re busy.”

Sirius watched as small group run by in a wave of giggles, all clutching mason jars of fireflies with their names written on masking tape. “Thank you again for asking me to come with you.”

“Like I said, Aunt Jen would—”

“Remus.” He fell quiet. Sirius didn’t remember the last time he said Remus’ full name aloud. “Your family loves you so much. They’re everything I ever wanted growing up, and it means the world that you wanted to share them with me. All they want is to see you happy. It was amazing to finally meet them.”

“They really, really love you,” Remus said softly, his voice a little thick. “I had about twenty people tell me how wonderful you are. They all thanked me for bringing you, and not a single one mentioned the celebrity thing. Even my Uncle Jay didn’t say a word about hockey.”

“He was the one in the jersey?”

“I’ve known him for my entire life and I’ve never seen him without one.”

“Huh.” Sirius tucked his face closer to Remus’ neck and let the sound of the bullfrogs in a distant marsh lull him. “What time is it?”

“Almost eleven. The adults will be up for a while, but the kids will start crashing soon.”

Footsteps on the cool grass rustled to their right and Sirius looked up. “Who wants pie?” Aunt Allison singsonged, breaking their quiet bubble with paper plates and utensils. “This one is blackberry, but we have peach, pumpkin, and a few others on the table if you’re still hungry.”

“Just a small piece, please,” Sirius said.

Allison paused and cocked her head, then burst out laughing. “Oh, you’re funny!”

“I am?”

“Don’t fight it,” Remus whispered.

“You are a growing boy,” Allison said as she cut a thick slice and plonked it onto his plate. “And there’s no such thing as too much pie.”

I’m 26, Sirius wanted to say, though he held it in. “Just a small one for me, as well,” Remus said.

“Ha!” Allison snorted. “You’re already too skinny. Eat your pie or you’ll end up a string bean like your father. The NHL might have given you muscle, but it’s useless if you don’t enjoy some of your favorite aunt’s—”

“—woah, hey now—”

“—pie once in a while.” Allison kissed the tops of their heads once both plates were secure and bowing in the middle. “I’m going to make sure the kids aren’t poking around in the river again. Sleep well, you two.”

Sirius stared down at his plate as she wandered away. “I’m honestly going to die if I eat this.”

“Yeah, please don’t make yourself sick on pie. You really don’t have to eat all of that. The aunts and uncles are convinced that none of us are eating properly once we turn eighteen.”

“Really?”

“I wish I was kidding. You’re going to sleep so well tonight, though.”

As if on cue, Sirius stifled a yawn with the back of his hand and cuddled under Remus’ arm again. A familiar shadow bounded over not two seconds later and he barely held down a groan. “Hey, can I join you?”

Remus shrugged. “ ‘course.”

“Sweet.” Jules settled himself across their laps, staring at the sky with his head pillowed on Sirius’ thigh. “Did you have fun? I’m really glad you could come.”

“I had a great time,” Sirius answered honestly. Now please move on so I can take a nap.

“Mom and dad and me got here yesterday, and Aunt Jen kept checking the door for you guys even though she knew you weren’t coming until today. She was worried you wouldn’t like us, I think.”

“That was never an option, Jules.”

“Yeah, I know.” A devilish grin flickered over his face. “Remus is the weirdest of all of us, and if you want to marry him—”

“Get off,” Remus grumbled, shoving Jules’ legs onto the picnic blanket. “You know, you were a lot nicer before you turned eleven. Can I return you and get a new one? I have the receipt somewhere.”

“Nope.”

“That’s all a birth certificate is, right?” Sirius raised his eyebrows. “If you bring it back in good condition, I hear they give you a ten percent discount.”

Jules scowled. “That’s so not true.”

“How do you think I got Regulus?”

“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” Remus asked with a pointed look. “Run along, problem child.”

“Of the two of us, I’m the least problematic.” Despite his words, Jules clambered to his feet and dusted his hands off over Remus’ head. “I’m not the one that got a secret boyfriend and got engaged in a year. I’m so easy. Mom and dad want two of me.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Remus sighed as he stretched out on the blanket. “They had a second kid because they wanted two of me.”

“You’re adopted.”

Remus cracked one eye open in disbelief. “No, I’m not.”

“How do you know?”

“Because—y’know what, go to bed. Or go find the stampede, I think they’re by the river.”

Sirius whistled lowly as Jules scampered off again. “That was impressive. Isn’t your aunt over there?”

“Yep.”

Realization clicked into place. “She’s going to make him go to bed.”

“Yep.”

“You’re brilliant.”

Remus smiled without opening his eyes, and tugged Sirius down by the sleeve to lay next to him. “You’re just figuring that out now?”

The stars were brighter than anywhere Sirius had ever seen; for a moment, he was struck speechless by the endless rivers of sparkling white overhead. He stared until his eyes burned from dryness, then put his head on Remus’ chest and kept on looking. There was no way he could tear his gaze from it. A few shooting stars streaked across the clear sky and he felt his heart skip a beat in pure amazement when he realized there was nothing else he would wish for in that moment. He could listen to Remus’ heartbeat and the sound of his new family talking against a backdrop of the night, relishing in a full belly and cool wind, and simply stay there for as long as he liked.

#sirius black #remus lupin #julian lupin #coops #lupin family #sweater weather #lumosinlove #my fic #fanfic #family reunion

211 notes · View notes

winchesterprincessbride · 7 years

Text

Not What He Expected-Part 5

This is an A/B/O AU

So here it is, my FIRST A/B/O series featuring Alpha! Dean/ Omega! Reader (not Destiel). I am still a Samgirl to the very core of my being, but I thought it would be fun to try something different for a change.

You meet Dean Winchester in a bar when he attempts to come to your rescue after a drunk Alpha tries to take advantage of you. He quickly realizes you’re not what he expected. You’re a very independent Omega who is used to speaking her mind. He’s all Alpha, but there is just something about you, an attraction that makes him want to know more…….

Part 1 (All parts are linked)

Master List

Text messages are in bold.

*This chapter fills my “sunset watching” square on my @spnabobingo card

I spent the days until the weekend enduring constant comments and teasing from Cas and Jimmy. The bickering got so bad that Babi finally ordered them to leave me alone. Darcy came by to visit and the immediately filled her in on current events in my life.

“Sorry to hear about the divorce, Darce. Your Alpha is a dick. He doesn’t deserve you.” Jimmy and Darcy had dated in high school and we’d all been friends for years.

She smiled sadly. “Thanks, Jim! I just wish it didn’t take me so long to realize.” She turned her attention to me. “Where have you been? I haven’t heard much from you since that night at the bar.”

Jimmy and Cas exchanged a look. “That’s because she’s been too busy panting over that hot Alpha she’s seen seeing,” Cas told her gleefully.

“He’s okay if you like tall green-eyed Ken dolls,“ Jimmy said with a smirk.

“Wait a minute….” Darcy began, shooting me a look. “Is it that Alpha from the bar?”

“Maybe,” I said sheepishly. “His name is Dean.”

“Holy crap! I knew you were hot for him that night!” Darcy gave me an amused look. “What happened after we left?”

“Remember that drunk Alpha that wouldn’t leave me alone?” I asked.

“Yeah?”

“Well, he came back for more,” I said with a grin.

“And let me guess? Dean came to your rescue?” She said with a snort.

“Am I missing something?” Jimmy asked, confused.

“I love it when guys think your sister needs rescuing because she’s an Omega,” Darcy told him with a grin. “Alphas either want to fuck her or protect her, sometimes both.”

“Shut UP, Darcy!” I snapped, elbowing her in the ribs. “Cas and Jimmy laughed.

“But then she opens her mouth, and they get the picture,” Cas commented.

“He did ask if I was sure I was an Omega,” I told them sheepishly.

“When are you seeing him again?” She asked eagerly.

“Saturday. Babi wanted you to come and see her when you came by.” I said in an effort to change the subject.

When she left she made me promise that I would keep her in the loop where Dean was concerned. Cas and Jimmy assured her that if I didn’t, they would tell her everything.

I couldn’t decide what to wear. I wanted to look put together, but not look like I was trying too hard. I was meeting Dean’s brother after all, so I wanted to make a good impression.

He picked me up in that gorgeous car of his and I again felt that visceral response at the scent of him. I’ve never experienced anything like this before with any other guy.

Dean’s smile widened when he saw the pie I was carrying. “Did you make that?” He asked eagerly.

I shot him a look. “Of course I did! I don’t do store-bought anything. I wasn’t sure what flavor to go with, so I just did apple. Do you like pie?”

“Pie’s my favorite. You made a good choice. I apologize in advance if anyone gives you the third degree. I’ve just never bought an Omega home before. Sammy especially is dying of curiosity.

“They can’t be worse than Cas and Jimmy, so I think I can handle it,” I said confidently.

When we arrived at Sam and Jess’ place, the cookout was in full swing. We walked around the back, and Dean opened the gate so I could carry the enormous pie without dropping it. A tall handsome guy and a pretty blonde walked over to meet us.

“Oh, pie! She knows what you like, Dean! Here, I’ll take that, It looks great! I’m Jessica, by the way.”

The tall guy handed me a beer. “And I’m Sam, Dean’s brother. You must be Y/N. Dean said your family owns Novak’s. Jess and I eat there all the time.”

I accepted the beer and smiled at them both. They seemed friendly enough. "It’s nice to meet you both.”

Sam turned to Dean. “Uncle Bobby wants to meet her so you’d better find him, Dude.”

I met his Uncle Bobby, and some old family friends Ellen and Jo. A while later his best friend Benny showed up, and he hung out with him, ate burgers, played cornhole, and just hung out. We were all getting along really well.

Benny happened to look towards the gate and he swore under his breath. “Don’t look now, but Lisa is here, Dean.”

Dean groaned and turned in the direction of the gate. “Oh, great.” He muttered. “Did you invite her?” He asked Sam.

“No way! I can’t stand her! Maybe Jess did? Let me go see.” He left us and went to talk to Jess. Jo in the meantime had gone over to talk to Lisa, and then Jess went over, and then made a beeline for Dean.

“I’m so sorry Dean. Jo invited her. They have a yoga class together. She had no idea about you two. Do you want me to make her leave?” Jess looked very nervous.

“No. We can play nice, Jess. I won’t ruin your party.” He assured her.

“So who is Lisa, anyway?” I asked.

“Lisa and I use to date. I caught her in bed with another guy. It didn’t end well.” He said flatly.

“Do you want to leave?” I asked gently, putting a hand on his arm.

“No. I’ve moved on. I want to stay here with you.”

We stayed in the corner talking to Benny and his date, and Sam and Jess. I needed to use the bathroom and Jess walked me into the house and showed me where it was while she grabbed some more drinks.

When I came out of the house, Lisa had joined the group. Here we go. I squared my shoulders and walked over.

“So Dean…” Lisa said in a shrill voice. “This must be who you replaced me with. That didn’t take long.”

“Lisa, you’re drunk. Don’t start.” Dean said in warning.

“What’s wrong? Don’t want me to tell her your secrets?” She spat. “Oh, and she’s an Omega. Have you knotted her yet? He’s amazing in the sack.” She told me, slurring her words. Dean looked so embarrassed.

I’d heard enough. “Look, Lisa is it? From what I heard, it doesn’t take much to scratch your itch. I think you did Dean a favor, he wouldn’t want to you know, catch anything. So why don’t you crawl back under that rock you came from and leave him the hell alone, sound good?”

Lisa stared at me open-mouthed, and then spun on her heel and left in a huff. Benny started clapping. “This one is a keeper, Dean,” Sam told his brother.

“Walk with me?” Dean asked me, holding out his hand. We went through the house and sat on the front steps and watched the sun set. As the sun dipped below the horizon, I laid my head on his shoulder. Dean had his arms around me, and we didn’t really say much, just enjoyed each others company.

“I’ve never seen anyone stand up to Lisa like that. She didn’t know how to respond.” Dean murmured quietly.

He leaned in and brushed my lips with his, and I eagerly responded. A second later I was sitting in his lap, my hands buried in his hair as his mouth ravaged mine. As his lips traveled down my neck, he pulled away and looked at me intently. “My place?” He said in a low voice.

Part 6

@shamelesslydean @sofreddie @pdy93 @abbessolute@tatachot @yoursmilemakesmeloveyou @ayeeitsemry @erin654@silenceofmidnite @stationary-queen @tinkerbellafan@curlyblondexoxo @i-like-it-heavy-so-i-can-panic@lupine-princess @abbymonster17 @authoressskr @peaceloveancolor @sandlee44 @skybinx-blog @percywinchester27 @a-sea-of-fandoms @dorky-and-i-know-it @fangirl1802 @pinknerdpanda @atc74@jayankles @notnaturalanahi@midnightjazzmine @moonlitskinwalker @we-are-band-sexuals@winchestergirl-love @gecko9596 @ronnie248-blog@essie1876@bohowitch@just-another-busy-fangirl@jotink78 @captainradicalpassion@keelzy2 @disneymarina @kittenofdoomage @mrswhozeewhatsis@oriona75 @frankiea1998 @akshi8278@stylinson531@valynsia @dr-dean@theoutlinez @imweirdandobsessed @growningupgeek @luciisthebest @laurenisnot @maddieburcham1 @canadianjelly@muliermalefici @brewsthespirit-blog @ilsawasanacrobat @nanie5@weasleywinchester

375 notes · View notes

cornholeaddicts · 5 years

Text

The Life of A Cornhole Tournament Director

Am I Up Yet?

So you played in a cornhole tournament this past weekend. How’d it go? Were you “that person”? Most people don’t understand what it takes to run a cornhole tournament until you actually run one. Cornhole tournaments are “very profitable” and you should do one to add to your retirement fund, but before you consider doing it, look at the cost involved. While running a cornhole tournament is can be very rewarding, it is also very stressful at the same time. The reward most times is not financial, but sometimes you get lucky. Let’s start with equipment required.

Cornhole Tournament Equipment

BOARDS Finding good boards at a reasonable cost. That sentence does not make sense to any board builder, but as a tournament director you are offering to promote said board builder. A good set of boards is a ¾ inch deck with 3 support braces down the middle. That good set of boards should have a cross brace on the legs for additional support. I learned this from my dear friend Kang Cutes. The cross brace on the legs keeps airmails in most of the time, but also adds a layer of stability to the boards. They aren’t cheap. Material wise they are but add in the labor costs and tooling required and at best with you offering more sales to the builder you are looking at $100 minimum per set. And before you ask, I will never build you a set of boards for $100. BAGS Tournament directors supplying bags is almost a must. Yes, most events are Bring Your Own Bags across the country, but what happens when your neighbor shows up to your event and has no bags? Almost every bag manufacturer will discount their bags in bulk Contact them and ask for a price. Cornhole has it’s down months and most bag makers are looking to make payroll. If you need help with discounted bags in bulk please contact me, lol. SCORE SYSTEMS Score towers out of PVC with numbers on corrugated plastic are common where I’m at. Build a stand out of PVC and screw the corrugated plastic on them and you are good to go. Keep a bunch of clips in a bag and roll with it. A great pointer is to go the $1 store and buy a bunch, they break. *Pro tip – get a lot more then you need, you can use them at home to keeps your potato chips fresh. You can search locally or on the internet for the custom corrugated score tops, but be prepared to spend some money. Best deal I heard is $150 for 50 of them, but what are you going to do with 50 of them as a beginner tournament director. There are advance scoring systems out there, like Digitowerz and Scoreholio, but I have no experience with them. I could do a review if they like, hint hint. SOFTWARE I primarily use Brakelope. Brackelope is available for Apple products only, but it’s the best $10 you will ever spend for the full version. Brackelope has a Live feature, you share the link and everyone can see the bracket and upcoming matches. But you need internet service to use the live function. Most people have unlimited data so learn how to link your phone to the iPad. Sorry I have nothing else, I use Brackelope and personally love it. You Apple ID gets you all you devices for the $10. I have like 6 devices with the “pro version” for my $10, best $10 I’ve ever spent. Respecting your Cornhole Tournament Director So back to the original topic at hand. Running a cornhole tournament isn’t just, here’s the date and lets go. There are weeks of planning and dealing ultimately with the person paying you to provide services. Each phone call is the same story, I want $X to run the event. Here is what I’ll provide and why you need me. Or, if you are lucky enough to have your own venues and take 30% of the pot that is good for you, but everyone needs to understand that comes at an expense. Showing Up - You show up to a cornhole tournament early. It’s 11 am registration and 12 pm bags fly. To your surprise everything is set up and ready to go. Yea that’s right, a good director is their hours before registration setting up! Now I’ve been told I will be late to my own funeral so you get the point. Before I started running my own events I supplied boards to local TD’s (tournament directors). I was asked to be there 2 hours before registration and I thought that was crazy, but doing my own events I understand you need to be prepared and be early. Being early allows for most issues, calling people to bring another score tower, running to get tape as you ran out, realizing you forgot something, etc.

Tournament is Starting - Now the event is getting started. You can’t find teams, someone is drunk already, everyone is asking the same questions, why haven’t I played, I don’t like these bags, when am I up, I didn’t hear your announcement, does a one hop count, how do you score this, why do I have to play a good team this game, is it 2 out of 3, when am I up, my partner left what can we do, I won that game and you entered it as a loss, when am I up again? You are going to hear those questions constantly. It’s like having a 4 year old, trust me I know. My Advice - Don’t ever be scared to be a “bully’. Now when I say that I mean you need these people to support you, you told the person paying you that X amount of teams should show. Be respectful, but the Alpha in the room. Call matches with authority and repeat them. When someone comes and asks where am I playing, be a smart ass. Don’t belittle players but make snark remarks to remind them to pay attention to announcements. Lastly, players need to understand that Tournament Directors have spent their own money on the equipment and are spending time away from their family to run this event. 30% cut sounds like a lot, but most TD's don’t do this alone. I don’t think there is anyone who can successfully run a 40 team event solo. Granted you will get help setting up from your friends, but that will end. A well run event of 40 teams takes at a minimum of two people and about 10 hours of their labor and their time away from their family and for what, $300? Most of you wouldn’t work a Saturday for 12 hours for $300. Wrapping Up - So, next time you feel it’s funny to ask the person running an event dumb questions, think about what they gave up for you to spend a couple hours playing. First to arrive, last to leave. What is your time worth? And don’t be surprised when you ask me a dumb question and I tell you $4,000 for it all and run your own event and I will show. Cause quite frankly I will ask a bunch of dumb questions too. Stay tuned for my future blogs and I will give an a more in-depth look at what it really costs to become a tournament director. Read the full article

#cornholebags #cornholeequipment #cornholetournament #howtorunatournament #tournamentdirector

0 notes

airoasis · 5 years

Text

Top 10 most secluded towns in the United States. The viewer version.

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/top-10-most-secluded-towns-in-the-united-states-the-viewer-version/

Top 10 most secluded towns in the United States. The viewer version.

What’s going on every body it’s time to do an extra most secluded video the last time I did a most secluded city video I obtained a ton of strategies on locations in the u.S. Which can be extra secluded than the ones I had listed and most of the time should were integrated within the video so I wrote down the suggestions from your feedback I did my research and that i got here up with the quality 10 instructed secluded towns now i am sure i’m gonna get a bunch of feedback on this one as good and that’s great feedback likes and even dislikes support the channel youtube appears at interaction and all three or interactions so it is cool with me comment all you want tell me how i am flawed i love it the rules of this record are easy the city or vicinity has to have as a minimum 100 people has to have a submit place of work and must be far far from an actual city so before you do stop typing we do not need to hear concerning the truck stop proper external of some city you are living in that has a trailer park and it can be received five trailers in a cornhole courtroom and it can be in the Oklahoma outback do not even hear that being stated let’s take a appear on the prime ten most secluded towns in the united states the viewer variant quantity ten kremlin montana kremlin is an awfully small town in hill county the city is simplest about 282 acres wide and it is just obtained 100 residents the entire town is a farming group missing a grocery retailer or gas station you can have to pressure forty five minutes if you wish to have those luxuries and that is in significant Sandy sure colossal Sandy is a town in Montana not a nickname we gave my sister when she quit going to the fitness center then if you want to go a different two hours away you can get to the significant metropolis of first-rate Falls Montana that is like a gigantic metropolis via Montana requisites the group is so small there’s only one school and a hearth station that doubles as the put up place of job are you able to assume that the fireplace department races over your house to put out a grease fireplace for your kitchen considering the fact that you don’t have any idea tips on how to cook at the same time they may be punching holes to your drywall to put out the fire that has now grow to be electrical hearth considering the fact that you haven’t any thought wire a apartment and the chief says oh hello I obtained some mail for you within the truck comes again and goes this one’s from the IRS looks like you are getting an audit number nine st.Paul Alaska st. Paul is the primary of three Alaskan cities that made this record st. Paul is a small city of about 500 humans on st. Paul Island in the core of the Bering Sea and it can be tough to get to both figuratively and emotionally figuratively it’s a long difficult plane ride that typically requires a pair days of ready for the weather to clear emotionally that comes from a subscriber she mentioned she knew a lady from st. Paul that said the flight and the boredom took an emotional toll on her that is why she on no account went again the flight to st. Paul is a 3 hour flight over one of the crucial roughest waters on this planet you realize when the flight attendant gives you that protection briefing they might get to that one phase in regards to the water touchdown and simply say within the unlikely occasion of a water landing do not worry concerning the floatation gadget you’ll be frozen strong in 4 minutes after we hit the water number eight point lay Alaska point lay is on the northwest coast of the state of Alaska like many other towns in the northern vicinity there isn’t any roads to factor lake any food any presents town needs they must be introduced in with the aid of plane back within the bloodless warfare generation would had been just a little bit easier the Air force definitely had a small set up there for some satellite tv for pc dishes but these were taken down around 2005-2006 after no longer being used for like ten years the population in 2000 was around 250 residents as of 2015 the population is risen as much as 270 they won 20 people with only about 85 residents within the workforce so that’s not excellent best a couple of 0.33 of the humans absolutely working factor lei is a native village with about eighty percent of the populace being Native Alaskan this factor is way out there there is nothing round it except ocean and land mainly frozen tundra number seven Hewlett Wyoming virtually every city in Wyoming that’s not Cheyenne Casper Laramie is somewhat secluded but you absolutely have the additional secluded Hulett the population as of the 2010 census was once about 385 humans now it can be estimated be round 400 that simply tells me there may be four hundred people in Wyoming that do not like having company gas it has one university a number of areas to consume a grocery store the Golf membership sure Hewlett has a golf course does a town within the middle of nowhere fairly want a golf course that’s absolutely better than the town itself and is unnecessary the closest huge metropolis in Wyoming is Casper and that is about three hours away number six Dalhart Texas Dalhart is one of the larger secluded towns with little over eight thousand individuals as of 2017 this city sprung up from an old railroad Junction back in like 1901 town is in the very northwest nook of the state and 80 miles away from Amarillo and forty miles far from the closest Walmart which is with the aid of Texas specifications fairly bad information the excellent news is that they do have a nice burger position called the grill they serve these gigantic hammers they are excellent number 5 Mackinac Island Michigan now this one made the record due to the fact that it can be kind of secluded and a subscriber wrote me an awfully lengthy e-mail about going to high college here with a four-individual graduating type it was once like a mini novel there is so many words Mackinac Island is residence to about 500 residents as of the 2010 census the closest mainland town is Mackinaw metropolis toward the south there is a couple different ones that might be a bit of closer however that is like the mainland the one solution to the island is via ferry or exclusive boat that’s in the summer or snowmobile or plane within the iciness the island does have an airport there are not any automobiles on this island residents visitors have their alternative of transportation horse bike or walk in the summertime that is in the summer in the wintry weather all people drives snowmobiles this one made the record on the grounds that it has no automobiles also the subscribers mentioned the island isn’t that a ways away during the summer season for the period of the winter it appears so much further away I type of obtained the vibe from that that it is just the weather continues persons far from the island anyway individuals journey their snowmobiles all over the place during the wintry weather father and mother pull their youngsters to institution in the back of sleds and draw proper off the entrance door on the school I inspiration that was once form of neat quantity 4 stay he can Washington stay he can is inside the Wenatchee countrywide forest this place is tucked away to claim the least keep he can has only about a hundred residents and the one method to get to the city is with the aid of taking the ferry up like Chilean a protracted hike a horseback journey or with the aid of flying into Stehekin and a seaplane in view that there isn’t any roads right here those are your only choices I suppose you might swim it however that is a long swim I don’t know if anybody desires to swim that I’ve never been here i know I’ve camped on Lake Chilean earlier than and this location is to this point up the lake I failed to even realize it existed I was once there three days nobody stated it knew nothing about it I noticed the seaplane did not be aware of the place it was once going it was rather fascinating this place is thus far faraway from the whole thing it has zero cell service zero if you want to drop off the grid this is your place now like I mentioned i have never been to that city however I heard it can be quite exceptional the snap shots seem first-rate i’ll go there this summer season i’ll have images for you in June or July i am definite very interested about this situation number three Haines Alaska Haines is a sexy tricky location to get to from Washington State or any of the contiguous states in most cases the simplest way is to fly into Fairbanks or Anchorage drive through the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory you’ll be using about 15 hours that entire riding portion then once again in Alaska you’ll be able to must take the Klondike freeway to get to a ferry on the way to take you to your final vacation spot of Haines Haines has the fundamental standards for city nevertheless if you need something further rather than the requisites and alcohol you’ll be able to must go to the closest metropolis of Juneau which isn’t any simpler to get to it is just a little greater like various areas in Alaska climate plays a important role in travel and discontinue typing not all people best travels for the duration of the summer time I received that on a latest video and anyone mentioned well if you’re worried in regards to the weather just go in this summer time yes that’s a best thought due to the fact that each person’s existence’s that simple that it doesn’t matter what occurs they will just put it off till the summer time number two soup I Arizona soup I is the capital the Havasupai Indian Reservation placed inside the Grand Canyon and about five and a half hours from Flagstaff the community is home to only about 208 residents and is the only position in the us the place mail is still applied with the aid of mules in the contiguous united states by using the division of Agriculture and it can be a just right thing this location is so far off and rough to get to i’m definite if it used to be closer to say some primary avenue it would be overrun by using viewers and a-holes look at it it is powerful most persons that make this trek accomplish that with a certain quantity of respect you are no longer going to peer persons in beach chairs with beer like you can on the river or lake havasu it’s lots nicer simply hard to get to and number one yellow Pines Idaho yellow Pines is placed proper external of the Payette countrywide wooded area and as of the 2010 census the populace was once simplest 32 men and women and i do know that is below the requisites for this record style of broke my possess principles however here is the trap in the woods surrounding yellow pine they’ve a bunch of persons residing in cabins and trailers and the estimate for the 2020 census is that they will get to about a hundred humans the closest town with any chain eating places or grocery outlets is McCall and that’s three hours via the canyon this is an additional location where within the iciness you look like you received somewhat further faraway from the whole thing else this is additionally one of those areas that in case you are living here you feel like you are tenting every day of your existence that is additionally a good situation to move to if you are trying to escape your past so they wouldn’t have any internet tv or matters like that would have web however it’s that satellite tv for pc internet and you recognize that is so sluggish it could take you three weeks to load a website of any information it can be that a ways out all right so that’s my prime 10 most secluded areas in the U.S. The viewer variation hope you guys enjoyed it hope you received some understanding out of it sorry if I mispronounced anything these don’t seem to be places that i have been to that i have some expertise with for the most section so all of it got here from the feedback I gave it a shot I express regret if I mispronounced some thing every body have a exceptional day be pleasant to each other

0 notes

batterymonster2021 · 5 years

Text

Top 10 most secluded towns in the United States. The viewer version.

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/top-10-most-secluded-towns-in-the-united-states-the-viewer-version/

Top 10 most secluded towns in the United States. The viewer version.

0 notes

kaescarribean-blog · 5 years

Text

week three

I should be able to remember more since this is the most recent week, so let’s give this a try!

sunday, august 25

We had invited the entire NSE group to come to Water Island, which we heard would be fun and have live music from one of the locals in town the previous day. A lot of people were tired and didn’t want to go, but this ended up being okay because it was just 6 of us, which makes travel a lot easier!! There are three canadians that arrived about a week later than the rest of us, so we were still getting to know them, but they came which ended up being so fun. The thing about doing anything here is that you can’t rely on anything or anyone to be on time, and due to this, we just missed the 11 o’clock ferry we were planning on taking. However, we decided to ask this man that appeared to be leaving the dock last second if he was going to water island and if he could take us! He was a little hesitant at first, which we said was totally okay, but then something made him change his mind and he welcomed us aboard. It was fun and spontaneous and the guy was from Texas so he knew a little about USC, which was comforting in someway. However, halfway through, the boat broke down! We were starting to think maybe waiting for the next ferry would be the way to go, but then another family came up to us and brought us to Water Island by tying our rope to their boat -- so thankfully it all worked out! Water Island is so small that many people don’t even know its apart of the USVI, and there is only one beach on the island. Thankfully, you can walk to it in literally five minutes from landing at the ferry dock. An amazing feature of this beach was these green tarps that were casting large amounts of shade hung atop of palm trees, giving us some relief from the hot hot HOT sun that we’ve been melting under. This let us stay at the beach and enjoy our time far more than if we didn’t have any shade. We hung out on and in the water all day long, and came back for dinner around 6. The entire trip costed us only $5!! I love getting to go to other islands so easily while I’m here that I probably wouldn’t have if I was just in St. Thomas on vacation or on a cruise.

monday, august 26

This day was schoolwork and swimming and snorkeling. He “taught” us how to float. Next!

tuesday, august 27

A beautiful, beautiful tuesday. I had my jam packed schedule to get through, but we decided that tonight, we were going to treat ourselves and order some dominos. I don’t know if I’ve touched on this yet, but the food here is...we’ll just say subpar. It’s the same exact thing everytime: some sort of chicken, some sort of rice, maybe pasta if you’re lucky, some soggy vegetables perhaps, and an interesting looking “fish”, that they can never tell you just quite what it is. Nothing is healthy, and nothing seems overwhelmingly tasty. So, we figured we would get a pizza, and eat it on the beach. We watched the entirety of the sunset from sun high in the sky until it was pitch dark, and it was the best one I’ve seen yet. The only problem was that the dominos didn’t deliver until it was far past dark out. But, we didn’t care and we stayed down by the beach until we were done eating. It was the kind of evening that made even your bones feel happy and content. The world and the sun and the sky are so beautiful that it is hard to not be at peace when they put on such a show.

wednesday, august 28

Hurricane Dorian! Or rather, tropical storm Dorian for us. I’ve experienced the few “hurricanes” that we’ve had in South Carolina, and while I know STT has been hit pretty hard in the past, I also know too well how unpredictable they can be. My friends were pretty nervous, but I felt calm, cool and collected with the storm impending upon us, sure it would just be some powerful rain and we’d get a day off from it. On this day, it rained and rained and rained and rained, and we had to go to the cafeteria to get our meals in styrofoam boxes (which were nearly inedible, now that I’ve touched on how bad the food is). My roommate and I pushed our beds together and watched an entire season of a show, with the rain falling around us, wondering what would happen to our little paradise.

thursday, august 29

No school again!! I didn’t expect this, and the weather was cleared right up, but the problem was that many classrooms and buildings did experience some flooding and overall debree that needed to be cleaned before classes were to resume. This made sense, but I was still a little bummed because I didn’t want to be cooped up in my dorm all day again today. We walked down to Brewers bay to see if it had been affected, and we were actually very shocked. Seaweed and grass was washed up onto the beach with a million other shells and small sealife, but there was an overwhelming amount of trash deposited into the sand as well. This came, we thought, from a mixture of rundown from the mountains, and sadly, the ocean. We wondered how long it would be until the beach would get cleaned, and we wondered again if maybe we should be the people to go down there and clean it. We played spikeball in the grass next to the beach, headed up for dinner, and then were struck with pouring rain again. Luckily, our friends have a dorm that is literally one door away from the cafeteria, so we sat in there watching a movie while the rain passed. We then came back to my dorm to hangout, and were there for a while before everyone returned to their respective living areas and went in for bed.

friday, august 30

Today, we were all so ready to get off campus after being stuck here nearly all week! I went out to run some errands during the day at Kmart and a department school, then we came back, ate dinner, and went out again! We went to something called Chicken and Bowling, which is essentially what it sounds like but for some reason very fun. It has a DJ and a bar area, as well as other games like cornhole and darts. Almost the entire NSE group came which was fun because it felt like we hadn’t seen each other in years after a few days doing our own thing.

saturday, august 31

Ah!! Last day of august feels so weird, I cannot believe how fast time goes by. Today, we all rallied and went to a brunch place in a district called Frenchtown. It was a small restaurant but had an amazing atmosphere, which smooth jazz playing in the background and paintings hung everywhere and beautiful glasses even for water. Not to beat a dead horse, but we are all feeling so sick and gross because of the relentlessly unhealthy and unsatisfying dining hall, so the food we ate here seemed like the best food we’ve ever eaten. The 18 of us in the small restaurant could not have been more grateful for a meal, and I was happy to splurge to get myself a good eggs benedict -- I figured I wouldn’t have it again for a while. After brunch we all did our own thing for most of the day, and then we went onto plan the big trip we want to go on for Thanksgiving to Puerto Rico. A small problem arose here. Referring back to the picture from week two of a bunch of us on the hike, you can tell we’re a big group. Now, that picture doesn’t even include everyone. In total, I believe there’s something like 20 of us here. We have all done the big things together since now pretty much, but different groups are starting to form, which is totally good and okay!! So, we wanted to plan Puerto Rico with our smaller subgroup of people, because the last time we looked it was nearly impossible to please all 20 people when looking for flights and airbnbs, After a little stress we decided to just do what we felt right, and plan on our own, but we still are truly friends with everyone here! We still haven’t booked our tickets, but we’re planning on it now, at least I hope we do it soon.

0 notes

madhungers · 6 years

Text

“To lead a better life...”

We went to Bob Windt's rooming house on July 4th. It was on the parade route on Park Avenue in Bridgeport.

What was a rooming house? My parents tried to explain. They don't have these anymore, at least I don't think so, where you rent a room in a house by the week, with the bathroom down the hall. There were always some strange people on the porch, as opposed to the ones we saw all the time. They were the residents. Bob was the tax collector for the city of Stratford, he was the only Republican we knew. His two rooming houses were his supplemental income. Everybody's got a dream, everybody wants something more. And I don't remember much about the parade, other than the Shriner cars, of course, and Mister Softee. We didn't have Mr. Softee in Fairfield, only Good Humour, remember Toasted Almond? But the Mister Softee truck was soft-serve, not that we used that term, I had to move to California to learn it, and you'd get a double cone, one filled with vanilla and one with chocolate. Of course you could get a cone with the same flavor in both holes, but then why get a double? And at this late date I believe we can all agree that vanilla has gotten a bad rap. Yes, the supermarket stuff, the drugstore vanilla, is awful, like licking wallpaper, but ever since Haagen-Dazs invaded America, ever since we've had super-premium ice cream, I've come to realize that when done right, vanilla is exceptional, although I still don't cotton to strawberry, it was my father's favorite, I'll eat it, but it's never my first choice. And one more thing, I remember buying an American flag, with forty nine stars in it, before the following year when Hawaii became a state. Or was it Alaska? Was it the next year? I'm not positive, but that flag is one of my few memories of the fifties.

But the sixties are seared into my brain. That was the decade of possibilities, when we strived to be all we could be. That's right, the Army stole our slogan, just like right-wingers ultimately had long hair, every cultural advance is ultimately adopted by the masses, even Republicans rap. But back then, being against the war, listening to FM radio, that was being on the bleeding edge. We didn't hate America, we just hated some of its policies. But we listened to the tribal drum, the transistor, the Beatles, and we realized, maybe there was another way. We were mortified when we heard the Fab Four smoked dope. But then we did too. And when the San Francisco sound arrived it was us versus them, only every young person was then us, unlike today. But that was the power of the war. You didn't want to get your ass shot off involuntarily, for a cause you could not understand. As for the Domino Theory, it's proven to be about as truthful as the Trickle-Down Theory, the experts always tell us they know best, and I'm not denigrating expertise, I'm just saying they're not always right.

And I remember the Bicentennial. I'm shocked, positively shocked I tell you, that our country is 242 years old. Do we get a celebration at 250? The Bicentennial was kind of a dud. There were the Tall Ships in Long Island Sound, but other than that, we just got fireworks. After Watergate, after the resignation of Nixon, it seemed unseemly to have an over the top celebration, so we didn't, and time marched on. I went to law school. I tried to go straight, it didn't take, and then I no longer recognized the country I was living in.

The eighties were supposed to be the time of prosperity. The nineties even more so. But I'm out of synch with the times. I always do best when everybody else does poorly, and vice versa, and now time is running out of the hourglass. I saw all the kids watching today's parade and I realized it was new to them, they were still optimistic, they didn't know what the future might hold, whereas the sand is running out of my hourglass, and it's so weird. The only bands in the parade were rock, other than the bagpipes, baby boomers playing instruments. I'm not sure young kids do that anymore. Remember when the dream was to be in a band? If you're a boomer, you recall. Now the dream is to become famous. Not that we weren't interested in that either, it's just that you could not be famous for doing nothing, no way, you had to achieve something. Boomers were all about achievement. Before it became about money.

But that's what the millennials do best, make money. They know life is hard, and if you don't fight your way to the top you're going to be left behind. Which is why people all over the world are pissed, they've been left behind. My grandparents came to America with no portfolio. They scraped so my parents could go to school and have a better life. And my dad worked hard so I could be who I wanted to be. Almost no one gets to be who they want to be anymore. Go to a college campus, these are the most practical people on the planet, they don't want to end up with the short end of the stick. But the truth is there's only so much stick to go around, and too many people are being left without. And you can't go backward, as much as I'd like to live in the sixties, globalization is here to stay, but the world is in future shock, the rockers have never recovered from Napster, never mind Spotify, and those who can't make ends meet want to make America Great Again, not knowing that it's only bad for them, and back then wasn't so wonderful, and their best bet is to jet into the future. Kinda like VW and MBZ and BMW. That's right, the EPA may be rolling back emissions regulations, but the Europeans can see the writing on the wall, it's a global business, and the rest of the world is sick of pollution, sick of global warming, but don't tell the left behind Americans this is so. They want the right to drive their SUVs and fill them up with cheap gas when the truth is the jobs are in solar, not coal, and sure, electric cars run on electricity, but the truth is an electric engine is much more efficient, not that facts mean anything in today's world.

So after the parade we went for brunch at the Sebastian. They were roasting a whole pig, I'm a meat eater and proud of it, although cow farts are a problem, but if we all give up meat I'm willing to do so. But you vegetarians and vegans without protein, the joke is on you. It's your health that's in jeopardy. And I'm not saying you can't get enough protein without meat, it's just that it's hard, and most people don't, and my point here is I'm into the greater good, I'm willing to sacrifice, that was the ethos of the sixties, that we're all in it together, but now everyone feels entitled and the joke is on us.

So after a cornhole tournament, which Felice ultimately won, three games to two, we retired to the condo to finish "The Americans." America's greatest strengths, its greatest exports, are entertainment and tech. People are hooked on story, hooked on truth, they want to be taken down a path, the more realistic the better. And I've now streamed six seasons of the show, invested more time than I have on any album this year, because...I like the feeling of a darkened room, suspending disbelief, being carried away, that's why I used to go to the movies, back before all there were were genre flicks. And I'm not giving anything away by saying that the Soviet Union signed weapons treaties, that there were Glasnost and Perestroika, that the Wall fell, and now Mother Russia is run by a dictator. What makes a person want to rule, gain all that power? But the truth is democracy lasted in Russia for a very brief period of time. But when it came...

Everything the spies believed in became untrue, their cause was eviscerated, and thinking about this...this is how life goes, you think you know everything and then you find out you don't, or that someone moved your cheese, the goal is to roll with the changes, as REO so hookily told us to do decades ago.

So...

I don't know if we're at the end, if we had a good run, if it's only downhill from here. We used to be leaders, we used to be compassionate, we used to care, sometimes with an underbelly of an agenda, but if you wanted to know where the world was going, if you wanted hope, if you wanted optimism, you looked to the United States, no longer. Now let me tell you how weird this is. We grew up not only believing we could be all we could be, but that we would be better off than our parents. Meanwhile, almost no one I know has achieved this, their parents did better, in many cases they're living off the financial legacy of their parents. And we believed America was about acceptance, about pushing the envelope, we stopped watching moonshots, we'd seen the trick. Now there are seemingly no tricks left. There just isn't enough money. Taxes are bad, the government is wasteful, so we end up with crashing infrastructure and opportunity for the rich only, meanwhile, there's a religious contingent telling us how to live. God was Dead in the sixties and the irony is he's dead again today, millennials believe less, but a minority is influencing the majority, hell, more people voted for Hillary than Trump, but the Donald believes he's got a mandate, as he lies so much no one can keep track. And I don't care if you're a believer, then again, is it really any different than being a Belieber, or a Durannie, or the fan of any teen phenom? But the truth is America has changed. And to those of us who've been around, it's unrecognizable.

And I feel powerless. Hell, they're gonna confirm a Supreme Court Justice in her forties, someone who can rule for forty years, much longer than I'll be alive. But my sixties ethos survives. I believe we can be better. By coming together. By sacrificing for the greater good. Hell, Jimmy Carter had it right when he said to put on a sweater. He may be out of office, but who can afford to run their A/C full blast anymore? Heat their house to 68, never mind 70?

So I don't know where we're going. But I do know the cynical, those wanting us to jet back to the past, those narcissistic, thinking only about themselves, are not going to lead us to a better future. We know what the truth is, which is why inexperienced 28 year old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beat 56 year old Joseph Crowley, along with doing the work. No one in America wants to do the work anymore, other than, ironically, the immigrants. The Mexicans are some of the hardest working people in America, legal and illegal. They want more, they don't complain, they just put their heads down and do their job. But somehow they're the problem. Once people start pointing fingers, beware, because eventually they're going to point the finger at you. No one is inviolate, no one is immune, no one is protected, and the sooner you realize this, the better society gets.

But society is bad now.

The boomers who believed education was primary are pissed they're only professionals, who make a tiny fraction of the income of financiers and techies. So it's not only the underclass, the opioid-addicted, who feel left behind, it's so many Americans, but we refuse to do the hard work to right the ship. So what I do is turn on the television, to be taken away, to learn about life, to experience truth. And what "The Americans" taught me is true believers ultimately lose, the joke is upon them, the key is to be like the denigrated Muhammad Ali, to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Yes, he was a public enemy before he ultimately became a hero, proving, once again, that life is long and change happens, and you're best to do what's in your heart or you'll be left out in this game of musical chairs.

Somebody moved America's cheese. The raw statement that we're the Greatest Country In The World didn't help us when the world caught up. So now we're blaming not only the Mexicans, but the Chinese and even the Canadians, everybody but us.

But the problem is us.

And the sooner we realize this the faster we can turn this ship, that we're on, around. Don't tell me I can't go from steerage to the upper deck. Don't lie to me and tell me about upward mobility when the American Dream is more achievable in Europe. As a matter of fact, I've stopped listening to you. Your job isn't to hate online, your job is to face facts, to jump into the future, to adjust.

And we've got a lot of adjusting to do. All of us need to be thinking how good America can be, as opposed to complaining we're not getting enough. The future train is coming down the track. And it'll have a dash of socialism, a safety net for all, and educational opportunities, and if you're denigrating those on welfare, you've missed the point, they're not the problem, you are. Ain't that America, where we never focus on the facts, just the penumbra, let the culture wars decide our future, as if gay marriage would end civilization.

But now I'm getting into the nitty-gritty, and I'm just about worn out with that. Like I said, my optimism is shot. Then again, when I experience great art, when "The Americans" edifies me and entertains me...

I've got hope.

-Bob Lefsetz

0 notes

junker-town · 6 years

Text

A weekend at Army-Navy, college football’s most heated, petty, loving family reunion

Perhaps no rivalry in college football is as historic and meaningful ... nor as polite.

PHILADELPHIA — Army-Navy is college football's best rivalry, because it's historic and petty and exceedingly polite.

The schools have an extraordinary history of mascot thefts. Army fans and cadets mercilessly make fun of Navy’s midshipmen for their lolly-gagging form during march-ons, when the student bodies enter the field and then go to their seats. Navy fans loved to lord their school’s 14-year winning streak over Army fans, until it ended in 2016.

How’s it feel to lose? “It’s like your puppy dying,” West Point class of 2014 grad Danny Little says. He came from Fairbanks, Alaska, for this game. For him, one of the best things about 2016’s streak-breaker win was that “Navy had never known a loss.”

But amid the schools’ desires to top each other is more mutual respect than in any other college football series. Army-Navy goes as hard as any game, but it’s really light on actual fighting — physical or verbal, in the parking lots or the stands.

The most audacious thing I heard anyone say during hours of Saturday tailgating was a Navy fan yelling “Shut up!” at a woman who’d yelled “Beat Navy!” toward his tailgate. Her response was a smiling “That’s very rude! That’s very rude!”

There are crowds where such an exchange would lead to charges of fan incest (Pitt-West Virginia or the Iron Bowl, maybe), NCAA violations (virtually any SEC game), and the like. You don’t get that at Army-Navy. You get something like this:

“There’s always a little battle of one-upsmanship, and whatever that might be,” says Larry Needle, the executive director of PHL Sports, the agency that brings the game to Philly. “If Army’s bringing in a big tank, then Navy wants to bring in their bigger ship.”

At Army-Navy, there are just two things that feel out of place: the forward pass and any serious trash talk.

James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Philly has this down to a science now. The city has hosted 87 of the academies' 118 games against each other. Needle’s group estimates the city gets an influx of 50,000 people, who take up the majority of the nearly 70,000 seats at Lincoln Financial Field.

"They love to drink," says Jimmy Masiak, the general manager of Tavern on Broad, on Friday night, the eve of the game. "They love to drink. I think that's why they always come to Philadelphia, because we're a drinking city. And they fit right in. They were like locusts last night. They came in and just drank everything."

Masiak's bar required restocks, because an Army-Navy crowd goes through whiskey and bourbon fast; Maker's Mark and Knob Creek, largely. The people who come to town may arrive as rivals, but they're there in the same spirit.

"They're just cutting loose," says David Hall, a Navy vet whose son, Matt, used to play fullback for the Mids. "They're having a good time. They don't get that opportunity. Especially the cadets, they don't get that opportunity all the time."

Army-Navy visitors don’t amount to a full-on takeover in a city of about 1.6 million, but they give businesses a big bump from about Thursday night to Sunday. Wherever they congregate becomes a celebration of college football and common bonds.

These are often the same bars where college kids are showing up in Christmas sweaters to drink and dance to “Jenny from the Block,” while a bunch of Army parents from Massachusetts gather in a corner. Sometimes Army-Navy festivities spill out of the bars, into the streets.

An example: On Friday at 11:19 p.m., a guy sits in the passenger’s front seat of a cab at the intersection of Broad and Walnut streets, outside a Wawa. He yells to a 20-something in an Army jacket, “Nice shirt!”

The red light is just about now turning green, but the guy in the Army gear runs over: “That’s a nice ring!” he tells the guy in the cab, whose driver would very much like to move.

He examines the guy in the cab’s class ring for several seconds, then darts across the road and into the bar, yelling “Beat ‘em! Beat ‘em! Beat ‘em!”

This year’s game is extra contentious because the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, given to the team with the best record in games between these schools and Air Force, is on the line. That annual series often ends in a tie, in which case the trophy stays with the school that had it the year before. Army hasn’t won the trophy since 1996.

“Of the three, we’re not known for being good at football, so this would be huge for us to take this back and prove to everyone that we are that school who’s best at everything,” Little, an Army captain, says. “Because we’re better than Navy and Air Force at pretty much everything else, but being better than them at football’s what matters.”

The stakes are high, and yet good vibes abound.

“There’s nothing bitter,” says Chris O’Connor, a 1989 West Point grad and Army major who served 10 years. We’re talking at a tailgate the next morning, while some Black Knights play cornhole on U.S. Army boards that are covered in snow. “You look at other rivalries, and they actually get angry. Nobody gets angry at each other, and we realize that after this, you know, we’re together, and we have to kind of go out and fight this fight.

“Brothers in arms, I guess, people have called it.”

That’s the prevailing view among people who make the pilgrimage to this game. “Camaraderie” is the word that comes up most when you ask someone why they’re in Philly.

“We love them,” says Rita, a Naval vet tailgating a few hundred yards away who preferred not to give her last name. “We love the Army, because they are our sister service. But we love the Navy.”

At an Army tailgate, outside Lincoln Financial Field.

You’ll meet cool people at Army-Navy weekend. Here are some I met:

A three-generation military family from Greeley, Colorado. None of the four men had ever attended before. The grandfather is an 87-year old Navy vet, a petty officer second-class named Juils Jorgensen who joined up in 1950 and went to Korea. He’d wanted to make this game since that year, and now he was with his kid and two grandkids, who served in the Marines and the Army. “So yeah, I’ve been looking forward to this,” he said. “Matter of fact, I went to see my doctor and I says, ‘Doc, you’ve gotta keep me healthy for another year.’ He said, ‘OK.’”

Tim and Mary Flynn, a couple from La Plata, Maryland. They’re Army people, ever since Tim went to West Point and graduated in 1985. I met him at a bar and asked, “Navy fan?” because it was dark and I thought his yellow and black rugby shirt was actually yellow and blue. He was gracious, and the two of them invited me to their tailgate the next morning. They insisted I come and eat. Two of their kids are deployed now, one an Army nurse in Iraq and the other a solider in Korea. They put on a tailgate for their family, friends, and some classmates of their son, Tim, the one who’s in Korea. They said I’d fit right in.

I think this is why Army-Navy is the most respectful football game in the world, even on a day when boxed Fireball is flowing by about 7 a.m. It’s fun, and it’s a salute to the academies and service members — absolutely. But it feels like a family reunion first of all, with “family” defined broadly. Typically, nobody’s going to be mean at a family reunion.

“It’s the only football game I’ve gone to where everybody’s on the same team,” says Phil Bedard, an Army dad visiting with a group from Hopedale, Mass. “You’re up in the stands, and you could be sitting next to a Navy person, and you’re all on the same side. You’re all kind of rooting for the same thing. You want Army to win, of course, but there’s a camaraderie here that you don’t get at other events.”

The academies have homecoming weekends during the year. But this game has a very Wednesday-before-Thanksgiving feel to it.

“I mean, I can’t wait to get [inside the stadium], because I’ll run into classmates when I get in there that I haven’t seen in 10, 15 years,” O’Connor says.

Not everyone there is an Army or a Navy fan. A tricked-out Rutgers tailgating truck makes an appearance near the stadium with fans who just wanted to be there, and who had some military backgrounds among their group.

“It’s the best college football game of the year,” says David Levy, a 31-year-old Rutgers law student from Brooklyn. “It’s amazing, ‘cause even though they’re heated rivals, everybody’s pretty nice. It’s pretty calm.”

At 11:03 Saturday morning, I’m talking — tailgate-provided Yuengling in hand — with another Army dad about the triple option. We’re wondering if the snow that has blanketed Philly is going to stick on the grass at Lincoln Financial Field.

(It will. Army will win on a snow-aided missed field goal on a day when its players, in all-white uniforms, are literally camouflaged into the field.)

Mary Flynn holds up a phone of her son, Tim, FaceTiming from Korea.

Mary Flynn brings over an iPhone and introduces me to her son, Tim, who’s FaceTiming from Korea.

“Welcome,” he says.

It’s after midnight where he is, and this is the first year in many years that both he and his deployed sister, Aileena, aren’t at this event. But this is still their tailgate.

I can’t describe how intrusive I feel. This should be college football’s most exclusive game, given what you have to give up to become part of the academies or the military branches they service. But Army-Navy welcomes all. That includes writers who fans meet in bars, and even the people on the other side of the stadium — to a point.

“Everybody coming here, coming together, just being one big family even though it’s a rivalry and we want to win," says Aidan Flynn, Tim’s brother and Mary’s son. "And we desperately want to win.”

0 notes