#Cricket lessons in New Jersey

[cricmaxclub]

Expert Cricket Coaching in New Jersey | CricMax Cricket Academy

Looking for professional cricket coaching in New Jersey? Join CricMax Cricket Academy and take your game to the next level with expert training, personalized coaching programs, and world-class facilities. Suitable for beginners, advanced players, and youth cricket enthusiasts! For More - https://cricmax.com/cricket-coaching-new-jersey

[sohiam-blog]

Now that all the cricket guys know me

Yes, auto parts wholesalers such as the Steering Rack Pros have what you want and at deep, discount prices. Reputable online wholesalers buy directly from the manufacturers and pass on big savings to you. No dealer mark ups, no third party charges. Is one of the most important events on our calendar, NYI operations vice president Phillip Koblence said in a statement. Only is it an excellent opportunity to stay current with the latest developments in BSD, it also allows us to maintain direct, cheap jerseys strategic ties with the thought leaders of a community that has contributed so much to the advancement of open source software. Addition to presentations and networking opportunities, NYCBSDCon is also hosting two BSD Certification Associate exam sessions during lunch both Saturday and Sunday..

In the community college world, things are different. Associate's degrees) and sometimes budget constraints, these colleges hire mostly adjuncts to teach their classes. To become an adjunct, wholesale jerseys you will need at least a master's degree. Let's now talk about treatment. First of all don't give aspirin to a child with fever. It is associated with Reye's Syndrome: A serious multi organ failure with potentially catastrophic brain injury.

Cheap Jerseys free shipping They're gonna are acting now. Just where Hamas yeah. You all professor turned president. The news was not as bad as it could have been for the Orlando Magic. wholesale nfl jerseys  Arthroscopic surgery performed Sunday on Anfernee Hardaway's left knee confirmed cartilage damage, but the all star point guard is expected to be sidelined only two to four weeks. The team originally thought he might miss up to six weeks.  Cheap Jerseys free shipping

wholesale nfl jerseys On the outskirts or outside of the law it's become us now kind of you know within bounds and and is in fact it hurry up. You know he's a character that I think can you for Easley step over that line. And get on board at least with the broadest sense of you know this is more.  wholesale nfl jerseys

Cheap Jerseys from china But if I smoke, then I have to go through all of this again. www.cheapjerseyschinatrade.com  No fucking way. Even if everything is making me want to punch the world. PolitiFact New YorkTV and MediaWeatherEditorialsLetters to the EditorAdam ZyglisStateToo much cute:Hunter Frenette, 7, was attending his first regular season game Sunday. But with the Bills already eliminated from playoff contention, Hunter and his stepdad, Shane Witmer, decided to make a sign that looks toward next season."Maybe next year," the sign read, with crying throwback logosbelow."Next year's really the year," Witmer said. "We're going home and throwing this in the garbage in the hopes we don't have to use it next year."Maybe hang on to that a little longer, Shane.  Cheap Jerseys from china

nfl jerseys "The message we are sending to consumers is after a period of I'm going to call it stasis, or slumber, the brand has re awakened and re discovered its roots," www.cheapjerseyschina8.com  said Sartor. "If you look at the roots of this brewery, the roots on which it was founded by Ed McNally, it was real simple. It's just to brew outstanding, quality craft beer.  nfl jerseys

Cheap Jerseys china Right? Yeah, about that last one: "Most gyms charge heavy monthly membership rates especially for new recruits," explained Dallas. "At my gym, the rates are usually about $300 for the first month." Want private lessons? That's an additional $50 an hour. Now throw in another couple hundred dollars for the equipment..  Cheap Jerseys china

Cheap Jerseys china In the afternoon, you're free to spend some time at a museum or monument before heading back on the bus for an evening arrival in Harrisonburg. Travel Mates motor coaches offer large tinted windows, reading lights, www.cheapjerseysfromchinasale.com  reclining seats, DVD and VCR and flat screen monitors. Sometimes it's to sight see or it may centered be around an event, such as seeing a play at the Kennedy Center.  Cheap Jerseys china

nfl jerseys Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; 2. Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; 3. Under Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; 4. There are some tools of the trade you'll want to consider to be an effective driver. They are pretty simple for the most part. In my car I always try and carry:A large flashlight can help you read mailboxes.  nfl jerseys

Cheap Jerseys from china It might be the Ashes, the India England series or the India Australia series. Now that all the cricket guys know me, it is established. Initially, I had to wait for many hours to get autographs. This even holds true in the world's most disgustingly peaceful countries. Japan's only major terrorist attack since World War II was that time cultists released sarin nerve gas into the Tokyo subway, but that was nowhere near as bad as. Australia has had notably few terrorist events and zero mass shootings since 9/11.  Cheap Jerseys from china

Cheap Jerseys china If you can find the physical manual, find it online Most are available. Find with Google. Also Google using fabric with XXXmodelBrand Insert your brand and model name or number of your own machine. 5. Bring only necessary take alongs to the job interview. Make sure you have specific directions about the location of the job interview.  Cheap Jerseys china

Cheap Jerseys free shipping While in Montreal, the couple would learn that they were expecting their first child. Jackie Jr. Was born in Los Angeles in November. Live.,. Streaming.,. Online.,. With research it has become less absurd because to some degree it is true. Alcohol can pass from the lungs into the blood stream. You see, alcohol evaporates pretty well at room temperature have you ever left a bottle of wine open for a few days and tasted it? When you smell alcohol you have alcohol molecules in your nose which you have inhaled Cheap Jerseys free shipping.

[madhattermoffits]

by Rhonda Moffit, Moffits-Mad Hatter Adventures  March, 2020

With such very busy lives, every so often we love to unwind with a weekend adventure. This recharges our batteries and allows us to find inspiration and appreciation that propels us into the forthcoming work week and beyond. Our most recent weekend adventure took us to Martin’s childhood, as his relatives lived in Hannibal, Missouri, when he was a boy. He, much like Tom Sawyer and creator Mark Twain, ran around this historic Mississippi River town as a youngster having fun and learning life’s early lessons. What many do not realize is the incredible history of this locale….so read on and see what we discovered.

One of the places that I, Rhonda, book for our clients that visit Hannibal that has had great reviews is the Garth Woodside Mansion Bed and Breakfast. We were anxious to check this place out for ourselves.

John Garth and Helen Kercheval were married on October 18, 1860. They had two children, John David and Annie. Sometime after the Civil War broke out, in 1862 or 1863, Garth moved his family to New York City. There he was engaged in banking, brokerage, and manufacturing. They returned to Hannibal in 1871, and Garth started a successful business career. Garth purchased a farm southwest of Hannibal and constructed his Italianate Second Empire summer residence about a mile outside of the hustling city in 1871,  which he named “Woodside”.  On the farm he raised and bred shorthorn and Jersey cattle.

As a businessman Garth entered many ventures. He was one of the organizers of the Farmers and Merchants Bank and served as its first vice-president. He became president in 1880, a position he held until near his death in 1899. He was also president of the Hannibal Lime Company, president of the Missouri Guarantee Savings and Building Association, and president of the Garth Lumber Company in Delta, Michigan. His wife and daughter funded several memorials to him, including the Garth Memorial Library Building, dedicated in 1902, and a tower and set of bells at the Trinity Episcopal Church.

Son John perished at the age of 21, sadly, while he was undergoing an appendectomy.  Family photos adorn the walls of Woodside.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name of Mark Twain, not only grew up in Hannibal but had multiple visits back to visit friends during his lifetime. One of his childhood friends was in fact John Garth.  Samuel Clemens visited Woodside on several occasions, preferring to stay with his friends. He had his own particular favorite bedroom in the house and spent many hours laughing with the family in the downstairs parlor. When he published Life on the Mississippi, Clemens sent the Garths a copy. John Garth replied, “Thanks for the book. Each and every one at Woodside has enjoyed it greatly.” A note from Clemens to his manager requested a copy of Huckleberry Finn to be sent to the Garths upon its release. John Garth died in 1899.

There have only been six owners of the mansion since it was built, and most all of the original furnishings are still used. This brings me to the beds. Oh, the beds! This particular bed is valued at $55,000, being one of the most valuable in the United States. It is said that Mark Twain slept in this bed and the hand carved craftsmanship is beautiful. Other furnishings are original to the house as well, and it is truly like stepping back in time. Because Woodside has changed owners so infrequently, many of the belongings of the Garth family remain. The current innkeepers/owners (very friendly!) allowed us to roam the entire house and grounds and we were able to see everything the house has to offer, which is a lot.

After exploring the mansion and visiting with the llamas (resident livestock), we ventured into downtown Hannibal and decided to eat at the Mark Twain Dinette. Martin regaled me with tales of when he was sent by family to the Dinette to buy and bring home a jug of their homemade root beer. They have made the root beer onsite since going into business over 76 years ago, and it does not disappoint! If you visit, you should try one of their pork tenderloin sandwiches- it is enormous and one of the main dishes that they are known for.

After dinner, Martin walked me around the Mark Twain historic buildings- my own private tour.

It was fantastic. We then journeyed the short drive back to Woodside and enjoyed the rest of the night with complimentary wine, a fireplace, and a large jetted tub that I really wish I could bring home with me.

The next morning, we were provided a yummy breakfast and had some wonderful conversation with other guests. There are cottages at the rear of the property and they provide a beautiful view and private hot tubs on their decks. These are quite popular, and from what I gleaned from conversation with the others many like to return a couple times a year just to rejuvenate.

The next part of our adventure took us to Lover’s Leap. The views from this historic location are remarkable, and it was a beautiful day to behold.

Next, we traversed to Mark Twain Cave.

Made famous in Mark Twain’s writing, this location is the real deal. They offer tours, so of course we were all in. We went 250 feet below ground and saw everything we could see in the miles of tunnels made of limestone. Samuel Clemens even signed the cave wall when he was young- if you look in the center of the following image you can see “Clemens“.

Many, many people have been to the cave over the years- here I am, wandering around trying to get a feel for it- and loving every minute.

There are over 260 passageways, and it is easy to get turned around in the labyrinth. There is also a “marriage rock” within that has a story. There was a woman who discovered one of her ancestors had signed the cave wall and she had her wedding in the cave under the signature as an homage to the relation. Also look carefully in the photos for the signature from 1865. There are so many echoes from the past.

The Mark Twain Cave was discovered in the winter of 1819 when Jack Sims tracked a panther into what appeared to be a small den. He later discovered it was an extensive underground network. Twain included a lot of the cave in his book “Tom Sawyer”, as he found it to be a true source of inspiration as a child. He and friends used to light candles and enter the cave to explore it. The “Discovery” entrance is the original entrance (green sign) that was used, as you can see in the image.

Also notable:

Joseph Nash McDowell – He bought the cave in 1848 and was the owner during Mark Twain’s childhood. He is infamous for putting his recently deceased daughter into a copper cylinder and placing the cylinder in the back of his cave hoping to further his theory of human petrification. When Hannibal residents learned of this act, they begged him to remove her and bury her as was deemed proper.

Here is an image of where both McDowell’s daughter’s corpse was stored and where Jesse James placed his signature in the cave.

Jesse James — After a botched robbery attempt he hid out in Tennessee. In 1879 he decided to head for Independence, MO to assemble a new gang. On his way through, he signed his name in the Mark Twain Cave which is dated September 22, 1879, sixteen days before he robbed a train in Independence with his new crew, and only three years before his death.

The cave was a remarkable adventure and we spent a lot of time exploring it.

Also in Hannibal is the home of the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown. Molly was born in this house just a few blocks away from the home of Mark Twain. Margaret Tobin Brown was an activist and survivor of the Titanic. Born in 1867, she was the daughter of Irish immigrants. In her lifetime, she and her husband rocketed to fame during the Gold Rush. In a lifeboat as the RMS Titanic sank, Molly shared layers of clothing and urged others to survive the disaster. She used her status to inspire others to fight for children’s and worker’s rights for the remainder of her life.

For all of us Disney fans, Hannibal is also a special place. It is the birthplace of voice actor and musician Cliff Edwards, better known as the voice of Pinnochio’s Jiminy Cricket. Edwards was born in Hannibal and left school at the age of 14 to move to St. Louis. He taught himself to play the ukulele, choosing it because he said it was the cheapest instrument in the music shop. He was nicknamed “Ukulele Ike” by a club owner that could never recall his actual name, and it stuck.

Hannibal has so many stories, and there is so much to do and to see. If you visit between April and November you can even take a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi courtesy of the Mark Twain- they even offer dinner cruises. We plan on returning again soon, and before we departed, we returned to the Mark Twain Dinette to grab a root beer for the road. OK, we actually bought a case to take home. What a wonderful getaway!

Hope you enjoy sharing our adventures- be sure to give us a like, a comment, or at least have a drink of this fabulous root beer next time you are in Hannibal for us!

******

  GET YOUR FREE VACATION QUOTE HERE!

***

Are you visiting Disney in the future? We have some amazing packages available and can save you time and money so you and yours have the best time possible! After all, one of us is a former Cast Member.  Fill out our form HERE to receive your FREE quote. Our services are completely free for you to utilize and you will get YEARS of experience on your side when booking with Moffits: Mad Hatter Adventures.

Always consider booking with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planning agency, such as Mad Hatter Adventures. We will be available to assist you with everything from finding the best value for your travel party to getting dining reservations and Fastpass+ attractions lined up.  Just get in touch with us at moffits@madhatteradv.com or watch our adventures on Facebook. We don’t just book travel, we LIVE it!

Images copyright Moffits: Mad Hatter Adventures, 2020

      A $55,000 Bed, Mark Twain, Jiminy Cricket, Jesse James, Root Beer and Spelunking- It’s A Weekend Getaway Adventure to Hannibal, Missouri by Rhonda Moffit, Moffits-Mad Hatter Adventures  March, 2020 With such very busy lives, every so often we love to unwind with a weekend adventure.

[theawkwardterrier]

things left behind and the things that are ahead, ch. 10

AO3 link here

Drea is the only one of his kids who Steve successfully gets into baseball. Rosie at age six tells him seriously that she has other, more important things to do than watch grownup men get excited about a ball, Em sits patiently through a couple of games that she clearly has no interest in, and Nate, when offered a chance to visit the ballpark for the first time at five years old says, "If you would be happy about it," in such a sweet, guileless way that Steve chokes up and tells him right away to forget about it. (Peggy is only too happy to have him look for someone else to bring - while she knows the rules by now and has watched a few games herself, he thinks that she'd have happily abdicated her seat to any passerby who wanted it. It's fine: she once tried to explain the rules of cricket, and he thinks he might still be comatose.)

But Drea loves it enough for all the rest of them, collecting cards, scanning the sports section each morning as the season approaches, and talking statistics like they're her second language. Nothing much has changed for her since they moved to Maryland: she has a group of boys to trade cards with, her best friends even as she enters junior high, and she's still a solid early choice in a schoolyard or street pickup game.

Steve's too cheap to shell out for Orioles season tickets - they live closer to DC, so getting to Baltimore is less convenient especially for weeknight games, but he's pretty sure that Washington loses their team sometime soon and he doesn't want his daughter getting attached and going through the same heartbreak he did - but he makes sure to take her to a few games a season, just the two of them.

It's a beautiful May Sunday, and the Orioles have just absolutely trounced Kansas City. Steve tosses their hot dog wrappers in the trash on the way out - four of his, one of Drea's - and wraps his arm around her, kissing the top of her baseball cap-covered head as they join the chattering crowd on the way back to their car.

"That was a great game," he says. "I think the O's have a good chance of making the series this year, huh?"

"I'm not very much like other girls, am I?"

It's more momentum than anything that keeps Steve walking. "What do you mean?" he asks carefully, looking down at her. The brim of her cap blocks him from seeing her face, but her shoulders hunch a little under his hand.

"I'm not like Mom," she says. "Or like Emma."

"Well that’s good, because I don't know if I could handle two Emmas. We'd never be able to finish all the desserts." Steve jokes. "And it would be a pretty big coincidence if you were like Mom." Everyone in town is used to the Carters by now, but when they had moved down from New Jersey five years ago, the variation in looks between the children and their lack of similarity to either parent had brought reactions ranging from pity to outright disdain.

"That's not what I mean." Drea starts to walk a little faster, even knowing that her dad can keep up. Her words come out in small, breathless bursts, and Steve aches a little at the bravery it is taking her just to keep speaking them. "It’s just...they know about girl stuff. Mom knows when to wear fancy gloves and pearls and it never looks weird, and Emmy just knows how to talk with other girls. They understand everything without even trying. They like this stuff. The only stuff I like is boy stuff."

"Hey," he says, pulling her to the side of the crowd so he can stop and bend to face her. He peers into the shadow beneath her ball cap, finding her jewel-dark blue eyes. "You're a girl. Anything you like is girl stuff."

She turns away from him. "Yeah, okay."

"I know that Em is a certain kind of girl—" Emma has already requested her own set of mixing bowls for Christmas. Practically the only time she wears pants is in the garden. She used to spend entire afternoons pouring “tea” for a dozen dolls and stuffed animals, signing politely to them as she sipped with an extended pinky. "But your mom put up with a lot during the war, and even now there are plenty of people who say that she isn't doing the things a woman should do. And what about Rosie? She doesn’t exactly fit into a box."

"It's different for me than it is for Rosie." That she says it simply, without a sigh or a teenage eyeroll, makes him sad. Even sadder than that: she's right. As much as he doesn't want it to be, it is different for her than it is for Rose, or Emma, or even Peggy.

"Okay," he says. "You're different than some girls. But that doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. And I would hate for you to change the way you are or the things you love just because you felt that you had to fit in.” He tries to smile. “Besides, Bucky and the family are coming to visit over the summer and I promised them a good time, which means a trip to the ballpark with the two of us."

This time she does sigh, a tiny hiccup of not being entirely understood or at least of realizing that her father can't fix everything for her. "Yeah," she says again. "Okay."

Steve stands to his full height once again and hugs her against his side for a moment. He and Peggy have changed a lot, but there are some things even more stubborn than they are.

Tonight was supposed to be a date night with Steve, but there’s been a new FBI head for three, nearly four years now, and Peggy is only just getting around to inviting him and his wife for a collegial dinner engagement. Steve very sweetly said that he doesn't mind any of the time that he gets to spend with her, but she knows that this isn't exactly his idea of an enjoyable evening out. She'll have to remember to make it up to him.

"Which one?" she asks Drea, holding three dress options in front of herself. There's a deep, vivid scarlet number, a classic flared black, and a black and aubergine paneled silk with the tags still on.

Drea considers. "The red. Daddy likes it when you wear red."

"So he does." She strips off her robe and leaves it on the back of the chair as she slides the dress over her head, moving to the mirror to do up the last of the zip and smooth it over her hips. Peggy keeps herself fairly trim, but it's been a while since she wore this particular dress, and one never knows how things might have changed.

In the glass, she glimpses Drea, her black hair tangled and wild around her shoulders as always, her knees tented as she tucks nearly her whole narrow body into the white T-shirt she's wearing: one of Steve's undershirts, no doubt. Drea practically lives in them as it gets warmer. If it were prior to Lula-Cat's escape of the previous summer, the beast would surely be purring on the bed beside her favorite Carter, allowing herself to be petted as she got fur all over Peggy's clean pillowcases.

She is almost fourteen, Peggy realizes with a pang, and not only because her children are growing up even more quickly than she had expected. They will have another year of people plausibly believing her to be a late bloomer, perhaps not even that. She, Steve, Drea and her doctor have an appointment soon for a discussion, and Peggy makes a note to sit down Howard with as well. The little tools he's made for Emma - the vibrating clip for her swimsuit for when they go to the beach, the egg timer with its flashing lights - have been helpful, but the things he could make for Drea might be lifesaving.

As she moves to the vanity and fixes her face, traces on her vividly red lipstick with a practiced hand, thinks for a moment and adds pearl earrings and a simple crystal necklace which Steve gave her for their fifteenth anniversary, she fights to keep both the fear and calculation from her face. Drea already looks melancholy enough.

Peggy sits at the edge of the bed to put on her hose and her pumps. She is just about to get up and take in the final product when Drea says from beside her, "Mom, can you teach me how to put on makeup?"

Peggy pauses for just a moment, then asks, "What brought this on?" She allows only a tiny amount of surprise into her voice. It would be unbelievable otherwise, but the true amount of shock she feels at the question would be insulting, would drive her daughter away.

"Some girls at school are starting to use it. And I—" Her voice falters a bit, then comes back stronger, perhaps too strong, as if she's given herself a stern lecture. "I think I should also know how."

"I think you're a bit young for it, and I'm not sure that 'because everyone else is doing it' is a particularly good reason," says Peggy, continuing over the beginning of Drea's protestations. "But if that's what you truly want, I can certainly give you a lesson or two." She sighs, perhaps a bit theatrically. "Goodness knows I'd have liked for Rosie to ask before she made her first attempts."

It works. Drea laughs a little, remembering Rose's early experiments with cheap drugstore eye makeup and vending machine lip color in a particularly revolting shade of tangerine that gave her a rash.

Peggy stands, smoothing her dress one final time and going over to the closet. She takes out a handbag, and riffles through Steve's tie hanger, selecting a red one which will match her dress and coordinate well with the gray suit she had watched him put on earlier.

"Are you ready?" Drea asks, her voice a bit less dispirited than it had been a few moments earlier, and Peggy nods and moves toward her. Drea spritzes the perfume precisely, two sprays that float in the air for Peggy to walk through. She had always touched on her own scent, a bit at each wrist and at her throat, and just a drop or two on a sachet in her brassiere, but then the children had come along, and now this was a particular tradition whenever one of them helped her get ready.

"Be good for Rose," Peggy says as she leaves the room, and Drea calls back, "If she's good to me."

Rose herself is sitting sprawled out in the doorway of her bedroom, scribbling into a notebook. She is in the midst of a hard-fought campaign for presidency of the upcoming senior class, and lately seems to have decided to plop herself down whenever an idea might catch her. Her legs aren’t long, even at the end of her growth spurt, but she’s positioned herself so they stretch out into the hallway and Peggy steps over them as she passes.

"Don't forget about bedtime," she reminds her eldest, and Rose makes a vague affirmative sound before she places a firm full stop at the end of whatever sentence she is writing and, stretching, looks up at her mother.

"What did you say?"

"Bedtime," Peggy repeats firmly. "Your siblings must adhere to it. As should you. I know that school is coming to an end, but it isn’t here yet."

"Fine," Rosie says with a wave of her hand, and Peggy knows that she'll see the bedroom light snap off just as they turn up the driveway. She starts on her way again (if Rose wants to develop poor sleeping habits, that is her responsibility) but then turns back.

"And be kind to your sister," she tells Rose, dropping her voice a bit. "I think she's having a hard time."

"I can make her a Surprise," Rose suggests, and Peggy shudders, and not just because of Rosie's notoriously poor cooking skills. Drea is the only one of the children with clear memories of her birth parents - she was five when they were killed in a fire while out for their anniversary dinner. One of the things she remembers most clearly is the multitude of casseroles her birth mother made: Hamburger Surprise, Tuna Surprise, Potato Surprise... Peggy has no doubt that they were as ordinary, or perhaps as lackluster, as any example of such a dish, but Drea had built them up in her mind, built them up for Nate, who had no memories of their parents, such that she had spent her childhood requesting various types of Surprises for birthday meals or following an especially good report card.

Steve has turned into a good cook and with Emma at his side they can turn out almost anything, but a Surprise has never been Peggy’s idea of fine cuisine.

"Supper is already being taken care of," Peggy says, adding the thankfully for you only mentally. She can smell Sam's Cornbread in the oven now, can hear the airy silence downstairs, punctuated with little sounds that signify Steve refereeing a fight between Emma and Nate, likely about how much spice to add to the chili. "Just be nice to Drea."

"If she's nice to me," Rosie says, and Peggy refrains from lifting her eyes upward and asking why she had been given two daughters who were so similar and yet refused to realize it.

"Everyone's finished their schoolwork, but make sure that Nate’s book report ends up in his bag. And Emma is trying a new recipe for creamed Brussels sprouts - please tell everyone that they must at least taste it. Don’t simply take the whole pot and bury it in the garbage pail, and certainly don’t try to throw it in the woods the way you did the spinach," Peggy tells her shrewdly, but a new idea seemed to have struck and Rosie is back to her notebook again.

Peggy moves on. Rose has minded her siblings before, and Peggy doesn't want to be late to the dinner and cause an inter-agency incident; Howard would never let her hear the end of it. Besides, she and Steve will have an opportunity to discuss Drea in the car over - there comes a point where even a night away from the children is never truly away from the children.

Rosie lets Nate and Emma stay up for an extra half hour to cement herself as a Cool Older Sister. Once they're asleep, she knocks on Drea's door, barely waiting to be invited before she enters.

Drea is lying on her back on her bed, tossing a ball up and catching it.

"Be careful it doesn't hit your face," Rose says, hoping that it doesn't come out mean or bossy the way her words sometimes do when she's talking to Drea.

"It’s never happened to me before.” Drea doesn’t take her eyes off the ball. “Just because you’re still scarred from the Wiffle Ball Incident—”

“You said you wouldn’t ever mention that!” Rose comes in and closes the door all the way. “Ugh, just move over.” Drea groans as she sits up against the headboard, but she tucks her legs up to make room and Rosie takes a seat. “Look, I heard you asking Mom about makeup and stuff. Are people giving you trouble at school? Because I’ll give them a talking to if they are.”

“You’re not queen of the high school yet. No one has to just listen to you when you go blab in their face,” says Drea, jutting out her chin, although they both know that when Rosie gives someone a talking to, it not infrequently involves violence. (There had been a question about whether or not she was even allowed to run for the student council based on the number of detentions and suspensions on her record.)

“You’re my sister,” says Rose, setting her own chin. “And if someone’s making problems for you, I’ll take care of it.”

Despite herself, Drea laughs. “You sound like Jimmy Hoffa.”

“Maybe, but Mom would make sure that I covered my tracks better than he did.” Rose lies back across the bed, legs just long enough for her feet to still touch the floor. She turns her face, her hair fanned around her as she looks at Drea, curled up at the head of the bed. “You know I’m serious, right?”

“I know. But it’s not really someone in particular, it’s just...life.”

Rosie sighs. “Yeah.” She puts out her hand, and Drea scooches down to grasp it. “Life’s hard.”

Sarcasm is on the tip of Drea’s tongue - “Tell me more, oh wise one!” - but instead she stays quiet and holds her sister’s hand until their parents return.

Drea and Steve go with Bucky, Layla, and their kids to watch a blowout Orioles win during their vacation at the end of July - Drea cheers louder than anyone. In August, after they've returned from their own vacation, Peggy sits Drea down at the vanity and walks her a half dozen different beauty products, while Rose comments loudly from the bed. Just before school starts in September, Drea uses her allowance to get a flat iron and gives herself three burns learning how to use it.

The Orioles lose the Series to the Mets, and Drea starts wearing dresses for the first time since she was a child.

It won’t be any help, Steve realizes as she sits down across from him at the breakfast table, settling her skirt self-consciously, sitting up straight and crossing her ankles with awkward politeness, to remind her once more that she doesn’t need to do this. She has a good head on her shoulders, and she’s using it to process everything in the world that tells her otherwise. He remembers what Peggy has said about it, that she’ll come back to herself, she’ll come back to them, when she’s ready. So instead he says, “Hey, kid,” and when she looks up at him, he smiles and tells her, “there’s always next year, you know? Always another shot if we need it.”

And to his relief, she smiles back, the expression familiar, wild-edged and lovely, the same as it’s always been. Hello in there, he thinks.

“Yeah, Dad,” she says. “There’s always next year.”

More chapters here

[hecallsmehischild]

IZ Fanfic - Hey Spacejerk - Bonus

Surprise! So these fragments are not part of the story. However it took me a few tries to get the last chapter the way I wanted, and I wanted to put those efforts somewhere. While they didn’t fit exactly right, I really liked certain aspects of them. So consider them bonus snippets. No, there will not be more about them. They are just failed attempts at the final chapter of Hey Spacejerk.

Attempt #1: Child vampire stakeout

The hall light flickered as Dib kicked at the ratty brown carpet runner. Someone had drunk staple-gunned it in place so it sported several trip-hazard folds sticking up to catch unsuspecting shufflers. Though the competing stereos and crying babies might cover up an approach on floorboards that cracked like gunshots, it wasn’t good to take those kind of chances. A painful encounter with a Jersey devil had taught him that paranormal creatures living in plain sight often knew when they were being hunted and took detailed inventory of their home-base’s typical sensory input. They rarely missed subtle changes like, say, an unfamiliar set of footsteps. With that in mind, Zim had been sent up the side of the crumbly apartment building to watch for the target’s departure and signal an all-clear.

He lifted his hand up to his nose, his finger hovering just over the bridge of his glasses. Pushing his glasses up would send a cricket chirp to Zim, an unobtrusive check-in that wouldn’t compromise his position. A tap to the right glasses arm would open two way communication. A tap to the left glasses arm would send audio without receiving any. The new setup had drastically reduced their blunders in the last few months.

If Zim didn’t chirp the all-clear signal in ninety seconds, Dib decided, he’d chirp to see if things were still okay.

Of course things were fine. He scolded himself, jamming his hands in the pockets of his signature floor-length black trenchcoat. Zim would have alerted him if he’d run into anything he couldn’t handle. There had been that one situation with the fae… but they weren’t inspecting a mushroom ring this time. Zim would be fine.

There. Two quick chirps through the receiver in his glasses frame. All clear. Dib strode down the hall, giving a wide berth to the radiator that smelled like something had died underneath and took the stairs two at a time. Questionable-looking brown smears covered long stretches of the wall and the air was thick with the smell of marijuana. Up. Up. Up to the seventh floor and down the hall, passing doors with numbers crooked, upside down, or just missing.

Apartment 704 had the same tired red paint that every other door had, but none of the peeling paint or mold spots. Strips were missing, but the surface had been sanded smooth, and there wasn’t a sign of mud or stains. The door was already ajar. Cautious, Dib tapped the bridge of his glasses once, double checking with Zim.

Two fast chirps back and Dib entered, shutting the door behind him. Under his feet was a worn but clean little rainbow doormat. The walls, though beige, fairly gleamed. The threadbare carpeting was flush with the floor. Dib ran a gloved hand along the counter and pulled it back dust-free.

“Doubtful I could find any germs, even with microgoggles,” Zim marveled, poking his head into the fridge and freezer. “Nothing here. Empty refrigerator. Cleaning supplies in the cupboard, but no food.”

Dib glanced at a small bookshelf crammed with raggedy paperbacks. He pulled one out at random. “The Selection. Kiera Cass.” He stuck his tongue out. “Cover tells me it’s a princessy love triangle.” He slid it back in its place.

Zim grabbed it back off the shelf, inspecting it. “Love triangle. Terminology to describe a recurring concept in various mediums of storytelling where creature number one cannot decide whether to mate with creature number two or creature number three. Sometimes creature number two and creature three want to mate with each other, and creature number one is furious. But how can you tell just by looking at the picture on front?”

Dib shrugged. “Eh, publishers tend to put very similar visual cues on books that emphasize a particular ‘recurring concept’ in their storytelling.”

Zim inspected the book, thumbing through a few pages. “Note to PAK, begin database of published book covers for cross referencing.”

“I’d count that as less important than figuring out that you shouldn’t go shouting your name at the fae when they ask.”

“It was one time! I was not warned! When are you going to stop mocking me?”

“The day you stop reacting.” Dib pulled a couple more books to check for hidden compartments but his enthusiasm was fading. A couple anime and cartoon posters hung on the wall, their edges carefully repaired with tape. A twin mattress with overlarge mickey mouse bedding was crammed into the corner. No TV, no electronics, and according to Zim, no food.

Dib lifted the mattress. Underneath was a ziplock bag with a few dollars and coins in it, but nothing else. “Zim, you got visual confirmation of her leaving? ‘Cause right now we’re not getting more than circumstantial evidence.”

“She took the fire escape down.” Zim pointed at the window he had likely used for his own entrance. Dib approached, scratching a nail along a pane. A thick layer of jet black paint curled away under his nail. Blackout curtains hung on a bent rail overhead.

“I was expecting a hidden store of blood somewhere,” Dib admitted. “But it doesn’t look like she has the cash to get a hidden cold storage system, and you already checked the freezer.”

“Those are children’s cartoons, are they not?” Zim pointed at the cheerful bedspread. “Perhaps your informants overestimated her age.”

“That’s possible, but who knows how long she’s been whatever age she is, too.” Dib sighed. “This is a mess. No way to determine if she’s a threat or not from this.”

Zim cleared his throat. “Perhaps, Agent Mothman, we should consider waiting here and speaking to her when she returns. Perhaps she has something to say for herself.”

Dib slowly slid the book he was holding back in its place, keeping his eyes on the shelf. Stilted formality was a cue Zim had locked onto from their lessons about saying-what-you-mean-without-actually-saying-it. If she was anywhere, she was probably at the window, and he wasn’t going to spook her by glancing over. “You have a point, Agent Spiderlegs.”

Reason dropped: They’re way too competent, so it’s been a long time and that makes it harder to do exposition right. Also for what purpose are they here? Is it to protect this child vampire? Is it to recruit her? See if she’s a threat or not? Exactly what is their standing in the Eyeball by now? It kicked up more questions than I was willing to answer in a final chapter but MAN did I love playing with setting clues for a bit.

Attempt #2: PAK replacement trials

“Would you stop twitching already?” Dib squinted along the headlamp’s beam into the mess of Zim’s PAK. “Okay, so there’s a blueish glassy cylinder in here that’s filled with tiny bead-like things. Glass is cracked.”

A long string of Irken curses followed this observation.

“Right. I take it that’s not easy to get ahold of. Start figuring out how to explain to me what this does and I’ll see if we can’t find a substitute you can use to patch it up.”

“That is pure Meekrob valgrathstal! You cannot just substitute and patch like you’re repairing a ship’s hull! This is a component of my existence!” Zim screeched.

“Well we don’t have a lot of other options, Zim!” Dib flipped the PAK shut, rubbing his eyes. “That’s enough for now. I don’t think we can probe farther in until we have some materials to repair you.”

Morose, Zim twisted around to face his workspace. Reaching into the top drawer, he pulled out the makeup kit Dib had pieced together for him and began applying a white paste to his face. It was a temporary solution that served a double purpose as water repellent and a base over which Zim would apply a nosepiece, prosthetic ears, and tan foundation.

Dib plopped down on his bed and sighed. It was going to be rocky for a while on their new pay level, but Agent Darkbooty had thrown in a deposit on a mediocre apartment near Zim’s old base, as well as some used furniture. Hopefully in a few months they could scrape together enough funds to start experimenting with earthly substances that had a shot at operating as replacement PAK components.

The damage from the Tallests’ attack on Zim plus his internal battle for control had cost Zim dearly. Attempting to activate any sort of hologram triggered an agonizing shock, and until Dib could reach the deeper circuitry to remove the pain/pleasure conditioning hardware, they would have to rely on low-tech special effects to mask Zim’s appearance. And Zim could no longer initiate repairs on his own PAK, as the amount of time he could separate from it had been cut in half. In addition, he now he required something akin to sleep in order to function properly. For about five hours per day, Zim had to shut down all PAK functions except life support and lie comatose. It was up to Dib to “restart” Zim, and Mars have mercy if he was even thirty seconds late.

He wished Zim would cut him some slack when he slipped up. On the other hand, Zim was swallowing huge amounts of humble pie while learning, so maybe Dib just had to let the browbeating sessions go.

Reason dropped: was too much of a downer. Slipping too much into exposition. I wanted to reward the protagonists more than this.

[gwentoryfics]

okay thank you all for bearing with me this week 💕 i’m going to do a little summary of my adventures & the nct 127 concert after the cut (don’t want to take up too much blog space with this stuff since this is technically a pentagon blog). i should be pretty much back on track on monday, since i’m going to be traveling again this weekend.

if you don’t want to read below the cut: i’ve driven 24+ hrs for the sake of kpop and have 13 more to go, the concert was awesome AND i got offered the job that i’ve wanted.

yes, you read that right 24+ hours of driving. i moved to wisconsin about six months ago, but my best friend still lives in pennsylvania (where i’m from). so yes, i could have gone to the nct concert in chicago, but i drove all the way to pa (13 hours) so that i could take my friend to the concert in new jersey (which was another 4 hour drive). FRIENDSHIP.

she & i got to newark like 30 minutes before the concert started, got to the prudential center like 3 minutes before the concert started, and stood outside for like 10 minutes waiting for the freaking mobile tickets to load on my phone. cricket wireless sucks lmao but lesson learned: always load up your tickets at the hotel BEFORE you get to the venue.

thankfully we didn’t miss anything because they started about 10 minutes after 8pm. we had pretty good seats too, directly across from the stage and not too far back. i think they were technically p3 seats? i don’t remember.

the boys opened with cherry bomb, and each member got a little introductory dance break throughout the song. i don’t remember the rest of the song order, but they had a fantastic set list. there was a portion of the concert that was ballads & more mellow songs, and i nearly cried when they sang “no longer.” it’s not one i listen to very often, but i’ve never witnessed such heartfelt, vulnerable vocals live. it was so powerful and doyoung & taeil just simply amazed me with their talent (the other boys too, of course, but the two of them particularly stood out to me with the raw strength of their live vocals). 

they also premiered three new songs from their upcoming album and i’m so stoked for the new music to come out next month!! “jet lag,” “highway to heaven,” and “superhuman.” it was so cute - after “jet lag,” they paused to talk a little, and haechan said something to the audience to the extent of “that was so nice, didn’t it almost feel like we went on a date together?” and all of the other guys were like SDLKFJINIO STOP IT HAECHAN. 

after two hours, they wrapped up and said “we have just two songs left!” but of course everyone knows there’s going to be an encore. still, i saw people leaving after the boys left the stage, which was crazy to me. because once the boys came back, they premiered “highway to heaven” and “superhuman,” and i think they did some other songs too? WAIT after they did “superhuman” the oldest members went to get changed again while the younger members talked with us about the album. then the younger members changed while the older members did a contest to see who we thought was the coolest member lmao basically the whole encore added an extra 45-50 minutes of content. SO DON’T MISS IT.

anyway, the concert was incredible and nct 127 is so so talented and they all did such a good job with their english, too. they clearly put in a lot of work for this concert and i appreciate their dedication so much. 💕

after the concert my friend and i drove through the sketchiest part of newark to try to go to ihop, but ended up not eating there because it seemed so unsafe lmao probably the most stressful part of the trip.

yesterday after we left our hotel, we made a short trip to NYC even though we tell ourselves every single time that we’re not going to go into the city again. BUT there’s a kpop store and i wanted albums mwahaha (and also i needed more face powder from innisfree). i purchased the new stray kids & the new pentagon albums, and i’ll probably post some photos/videos of genie:us later. i’m so in love with it lol

got back to my house last night, and i have to drive another 3 hours today to get my friend back to her home. then i’m going to spend some quality time with my parents tomorrow, and on sunday my boyfriend, dog, and I are all piling into the car and making the 13 hour drive back to wisconsin. 

WAIT AND I FORGOT THE BIGGEST NEWS

I GOT THE JOB

AHHHHHH

there’s this healthcare software company that i applied to work for back in november. they had a technical writer position open (basically someone who writes documentation, nothing creative). i applied and got rejected after a phone interview. okay, whatever.

end of january, i decide to try applying again. i had added some freelance writing experience to my resume and i hoped that might help my chances. this time i was invited on-site for an interview. i think that happened towards the end of february? they said “we’ll let you know one way or the other in two weeks.”

two weeks passes, then another week, and another week. i kept getting in touch with my hr contact about it and she said over and over “i’m so sorry, we don’t have an answer yet but i’ll let you know as soon as we do.” okay, cool. i’ll be patient.

in the mean time, i took a job doing copy writing for a small marketing company. the healthcare software company finally got back to me at the beginning of april, saying that it’s a no this time. 

then last week, my roommate (my bf and i live with one of our friends) said he’s basically being forced to move to dubai for work, which means he can’t help us out with rent anymore, which means that my copy writing job will no longer be sustainable. i freaked out because now i have less than a month to get something figured out before he moves.

so i emailed my hr rep at the healthcare software company, saying ‘hey you considered me for a quality assurance position too, is there any chance that could work out since the writing position is a no go?’

and she got back to me this past monday saying ‘oh hey we actually just got approval to bring on more writers and we were talking about offering you the job. can i call you to chat about the details?’

UH YES OF COURSE YOU CAN

she offered me the technical writing job that afternoon, and i accepted wednesday morning. i’ll be making more than enough to support me and my bf (who can’t work right now due to a yet-to-be-diagnosed mystery illness - that sounds sassy but i swear it’s not, he’s actually very sick). i can actually afford rent and food for both of us and it’s like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.

i don’t start until the beginning of june, but i am so so so excited. i can’t believe that i can actually make a living wage doing something with writing. 

this ended up being way longer than i intended, and i don’t expect any of you to actually read this brain dump. i just wanted to share all of the fantastic things that are happening right now 💕

[podmusical]

The Ballad of GG Scrumptious, Part 1

Credits and Lyrics for Episode 7 of Days of Future Fuzz

starring:

“Narrator” - Jordan Gelber Golden George Scrumptious - Andrew Radford Butler

written by Jonathan A. Goldberg music by Matt roi Berger

recorded, mixed and edited by Marcus Bagala and Will Melones

NARRATOR

Oh hello there, what’s that?  You want a story?

Something real and true, but perhaps, too, allegory?

Oh well, let me see, let me see, let me have a drink

And think up a story worth your time - let me think-

Ah! I’ve got it, and it’s got it all!

A hero and prophecy, a warning, a fall

A promise, a history - hidden, but crucial

And a secret you’ll never guess - though maybe you will

I think you look smart, I mean, you came here to me

When you needed some fun - that’s as smart as can be.

So what do you say?  Let me lay out the scene

Let’s start at the beginning, the best place to begin:

Born beneath a lard-shaped star

The moon was in the House of Starch

(The house, by far, the fattest -

Like being born in a fry basket)

His mother labored in great pain

16 lbs, this fellow weighed

And his eyes shown like a grease stain

Skin glowed like a casserole fresh made

His mama named him Golden George

Papa Scumptious was overjoyed

Said “we’ll call him GG for short.”

He was in the kitchen by age two

Cooking breast milk cheese fondu

Had his mama spooked - but one taste she knew:

Her boy cooked naturally

Over time his talents grew

And his confidence grew too

Said he would shape the world of food,

Fast and Casually.

He sang:

GOLDEN GEORGE

My gifts know no restraints

Soon all the world will know my name

My gift to all shall be

An escape from drudgery

Via culinary artistry.

NARRATOR

So how do you like him? Guess he’s our hero

The boy with a wish and a gift… and an ego.

But this amico was on to somethin’ -

The world is bitter and cold and troublin’

But nothing’s so warm as something straight out the oven

And filling you up and giving you comfort

Adjusting your dials and pushing all your right buttons.

So why not toot his honker when he’s so much to offer?

Food and drink HEAL - and this boy was a doctor

But he needed more than a gift or a wish

He needed more than an ego - he needed a DISH.

GOLDEN GEORGE

It’s time to make my fortune

So let the world prepare

I’ll save their mouths from boredom

All other chefs beware!

I’ll keep the oil flowing

I’ll keep the oven hot

I’ll find the dish that shows them

What I’ve got!  Yeah!

Teryaki steak tips!

Buttered sweetbread fries

Cheese-laced onion blossom

Ranch on the side

Now, here’s my masterpiece! It’s

Piled high with 7 cheeses

What taste, what artistry

Baked Macaroni - I’m a genius!

NARRATOR

And though it sounds simple, and maybe you laugh

That macaroni pasta put GG on the map

That macaroni pasta was better than yours by half

His use of thousand island dressing WAS astounding

Over seven layers of cheeses, french AND italian

And one that might be Russian but ain’t NO body telling

Mm mm!

See, the recipe’s a secret, and GG’s smart to keep it

Cuz everyone wanted what that bastard was selling

The momentum of this dish on every wish list

Was enough to propel him to the highest echelon

Of chef’s and give him what they all were eyeing:

FRANCHISING!

But as GG sat in his kitchen, in Centralia New Jersey

Sizing up contracts, showered in glory

He felt a worry, an itch left un scratched

He was lost in the dark, lost his spark, all seemed black.

Something ached in his twice baked heart

Tho his macaroni was a work of art

All that work felt artless heartless

See, at the top, the drop’s all you got left

Now, his hostess was a beauty queen

Named Melanie Marie Manzine

Triple M saw GG’s depression

And so she pulled him near to tell him:

TRIPLE M

“I watched you build this place -

The joy that played across your face.

Why not give everyone

A taste thereof

Fill your menu with that joy and fun.”

GOLDEN GEORGE

Fun?  Yeah,

NARRATOR

thought GG,

GOLDEN GEORGE

that’s the one!

The ingredient I had, but since had shunned

I’ve been so high on my own hot air

I’ve lost the fun that got me there.

Food should always be fun!

It’s entertainment for tongues!

That was obvious once

But I was blind I was dumb

As to what I’d become!

Goodbye to former pursuits!

Better to give and include!

Without further ado, I present you

A place where the food can always lighten the mood

The all new GG Scrumptious, where fun is always on the menu!

NARRATOR

Well, you can guess what happened next

Oh, you can’t?  Well here it is:

GG rethought the plot of his vocation

He let go of the top and focused on elation

The silly joy and fun of stuffing your face and

Drinking your weight in

Milkshakes and

When his restaurant reopened after a short renovation

It was a success!  He was met with adulation,

And opened up franchises in 7000 plus locations!

GOLDEN GEORGE

GG Scrumptious, where fun is always on the menu!

NARRATOR

And he married his muse! Yes he truly fell for

That clever, wild woman who’d been running the door.

Triple M and double G had their lives intertwined

By a wild west rabbi named Tex Rubenstein

Beneath a papermache macaroni

In the most beautiful mixed-denominational ceremony

GOLDEN GEORGE

Finally everything is right

I love my work, I love my wife

This is more than I ever could have hoped for

TRIPLE M

[Crying]

GOLDEN GEORGE

What’s this?  My love, why do you cry?

Tell me and I will make it right!

There is no worry we’ve in sight

TRIPLE M

“GG, I’m pregnant!”

NARRATOR

What?  You don’t feel the tension?

Yes of course a child’s a blessing

It’s just - oh, I get the impression

You’re missing a key component to our hero’s depression.

So, for a second let’s leave the present.  

It’s time for a little history lesson…

Long ago when the world was young

When the restaurant game had not yet begun

Casual eateries didn’t exist

And the only fast food was that you couldn’t catch

If early man sought something good to eat (yeah!)

He’d best fall down on his knees and pray to the gods of drink and feast.

It was the perfect way,

And would still be today, but…

A lesser god of feast was this gal Edesia

Ha - your face betrays you never heard the name.

You missed nothing if you never met her

Though she thought she was an up and comer in game

She made a plan to be

The greatest god of food and drink in history

She’d show humans the holy ways

And thus secure their love and praise

Till the end of days

Well she didn’t wait more than a thousand years

When a man hit bottom and her chance appeared

A failing chef named Ray of the Romulus line

Stumbled in and begged at the foot of her shrine

He wanted fame and a chance to succeed

He was a fine mix of talent and greed

She saw her play

And she didn’t delay

Gave him a vision:

Her, descending on the gravy rain.

The salty brown drops

Washed his pain away

And she offered him the deal

That saw the world changed

In her vision, she said to him:

EDESIA

“Oh Ray unknown, how your talent and your pallet go to waste

As well you know, Gods tip the balance, and in their talons grip your fate

In this market how can you make

Your name known?  Oh no!

But I’ve a deal that, if you should take,

Your fame will grow, and grow, and grow!

I see your wonder, see the hunger in your eyes

With my secrets you’ll stun ‘em be their culinary prize

All that I charge of you

Is never have a child - your praise alone is mine

Yes, no children shall you bear

Though many will you claim as hairs in time

Yes the king of food for all your days

The people will taste and they will praise

O’er all you’ll reign, you’ll not be done

You’ll rise so long as the sun has rays

You’ll rise so long as the sun has rays

You’ll rise so long as the sun has rays

And only set when the Rays have son.”

NARRATOR

You’ll rise so long as the sun has rays

And only set when the Rays have son.

Well Ray thought that sounded mighty fair -

A heavenly answer to his despair.

He bowed in praise, swore his faith blindly

Which, for gods, is legally binding

Ran down to town to his deep fried peacock eye food cart

In an hour he’d sold out, he was the talk of the town, his food a work of art!

And it grew and it grew and it grew and it grew

And Ray learned the secret that the Gods all knew

And he used them to create a new empire

Food that’s fun served fast, with cheer

Paired with a casual atmosphere

Fills all with food, yes, true, but too - delight!

People could not get enough

They came to get their faces stuffed

How nice! … for Ray…

The gods of food and drink were forgot

Edesia too, it seems her plot

Backfired.

And Ray looked down over all he commanded

By his death, to 1042 locations had he expanded

And as the ages changed, so did Ray’s descendants menus

As they took the empire to new, exciting venues

The Visigoth Grill, Crusader’s Crudo

Pita the Great, Dynasty Noodles

The Original Scythian Style Pub

Bennigans, Arby’s and Stubbie’s Subs

Mongol Flay It Yourself Easy Horse

And on and on til present day, of course.

And the most powerful chain on down that line

Was the Ray’s Pizza Franchise

Featuring Real Ray’s, Original Ray’s, Real Original Ray’s

Famous Ray’s, Infamous Ray’s and Ray’s of other Names

From the first Ray’s cart, this chain had continued

And you could still order peacock eyes off the secret menu.

And they ruled all the franchises with an iron fist

Ah - but how did Ray’s have heirs, if Ray’s never did have kids…?

Listen to this:

Oh it was all part of Edesia’s promise

Which was so poorly thought out it was almost comic

The contract was written up by the best lawyer of the time

Marcus Legislatus, and the print was very fine

As his wife had written it all by hand

And Marcus had married the most beautiful cricket in all the land!

But we don’t have time for that part!

What matters is the deal at this vile contract’s heart:

The Ray to Play Stipulation…

…which stated

That any chain restaurant whose owner mated

Forfeited their first born child to the Rays

Or they handed in their restaurants - either way, they all paid.

And the chains turned over became the Ray’s

And the children turned over - well, the Ray’s they became

Many chains tried to avoid this doom:

Ray Kroc hid his son in a Grimace costume

Papa John put Baby John in a basket of reeds

Dave Thomas sent Wendy to live in a tree

But each was found out, and each child was claimed

And through old, evil magic, was changed to a Ray…

Mama chef, papa chef, RUN! Hide your child away.

Look how the Rays come, on the 5th birthday of,

Oh!, what you most love, they’re gonna take away, and,

Oh!, what you most love -They’re gonna make a Ray.

They’ll file in, eat up all that you’ve got

And you must feed them your best - whether you wanna or not.

Then when they’re done - oh! - that’s when you give ‘em either

The first child of your blood, or all of your franchises

All that you’ve built, oh!, is it worth the pain

Worth all the guilt - oh - to see your child a Ray?

Many parents chose of course their child to keep

But many a chef was overcome with greed

And that’s how the Rays stayed on top of the game

And that about brings us up to date.

So now you may be keen

To the fear that chilled GG

When Mel

Said that she was with son…

All he’d made, all he’d created

Was to crumble lest he gave their

Son…

What was to be done…

GOLDEN GEORGE

My dear please dry your tears

You’ve nought to fear for our son’s life…

Let the Rays take all I’ve made,

I promise I won’t contemplate

The trade of child for franchise…

NARRATOR

Well, Triple M was overjoyed

But you and me, we know our boy

GG’s not the sort

To sell himself short

He doesn’t give - he takes!

And he’d fight, he might even tempt fate…

Sure he’d changed his ways,

But to give up everything he’d made?? it-

Was a thought that repulsed him, everything he hated.

Well GG Jr came short months later

And his parents love - well, it couldn’t have been greater

And though GG’d been conflicted on what was to be done.

He’d greatly underestimated how much he’d love his son.

GOLDEN GEORGE

Feel how his smile calms me

See how his hands are strong

He’ll be flipping frying pans before too long!

God, he’s such a nat’ral!

See him with that spatula!

One day all that I’ve made will be… no…

NARRATOR

Yes…

And two weeks before lil G turned 5

A letter came in the mail, said “It’s Time.

We march your way in 14 days.

Prepare our feast.  Signed, the Rays.”

Outside there was a storm, but there was a knock at the door

GG turned and saw dripping on his floor

A chef, clad all in mauve

How’d the man get inside?  GG worried this was bad

But the chef simply smiled and acted as if he had

All the answers in the world.  And GG eased, suddenly calm.

He offered the Mauve Chef a drink, but then the chef dropped a bomb:

He looked GG in the eye

And the Mauve Chef said:

MAUVE CHEF

“I can save your son

Save all that you’ve done

But you must be brave,

No matter the pain

And do as I say.”

To be continued…

[gokul2181]

Tanmay Srivastava, top run-scorer of India's 2008 U-19 WC winning team under Kohli, retires | Cricket News

New Post has been published on https://jordarnews.in/tanmay-srivastava-top-run-scorer-of-indias-2008-u-19-wc-winning-team-under-kohli-retires-cricket-news/

Tanmay Srivastava, top run-scorer of India's 2008 U-19 WC winning team under Kohli, retires | Cricket News

MUMBAI: Tanmay Srivastava, who top-scored for the India under-19 team which emerged triumphant in the 2008 Colts World Cup in Malaysia under Virat Kohli‘s captaincy, retired on Saturday at the age of 30. A left-handed opener, Srivastava had scored 262 runs in six games @52.40 in that tournament. In the final at Kuala Lumpur, he scored 46 – the highest score by any batsman on either side – as India edged out South Africa by 12 runs by the D/L method in a low-scoring game. He then played for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, and became the leading run-getter for Uttar Pradesh in the 2008-09 first-class season. Last season, he replaced Unmukt Chand as the captain of the Uttarakhand team. In 90 first-class games, Srivastava scored 4918 runs at an average of 34.39, with 10 hundreds and 27 fifties. In List A cricket, he scored 1728 runs in 44 games@44.30, with seven hundreds and 10 fifties. “It’s time to bid adieu to my cricketing playing career! I’ve built memories, made friends, achieved the best I could in these years playing Junior Cricket, Ranji Trophy and most importantly being a good performer in U-19 World Cup,2008 and bringing the cup home with the team!!,” Srivastava tweeted on Saturday.

It’s time to bid adeu to my cricketing playing career! I’ve built memories, made friends, achieved the best I could… https://t.co/C3WqL8o1Vy

— Tanmay Srivastava (@srivastavtanmay) 1603532049000

In a detailed statement that he tweeted, Srivastava said: “I have decided to hang my boots and call it a day as I announce my retirement from all formats of domestic cricket. From now on, I will only play for my company ONGC. Cricket has given me all that I am today. It has given me life’s greatest lessons and some amazing mentors, coaches, teammates and friends. “I have had some very good memories on and off the field. As a child, when my father took me to the stadium, many a times I was injured and couldn’t play. He always told me that there will be many moments like these in life when you will face a fall. They must not make you weak but motivate you to come back stronger. “I was an 11-year-old when I joined the Green Park cricket hostel to focus on cricket, which was my only passion. At 13, I represented India under-15 and it was a dream come true when I wore the India jersey. Year 2008 was all about winning the U-19 World Cup, and memories about holding the national flag proudly still makes me go weak in my knees. I consider myself lucky to have played alongside and shared the dressing room with the greats of Indian and international cricket and I’m humbled at how, even today most of them are just a call away, sharing their experiences to help me learn. “UPCA has been my second home and I am very thankful to them for all the support they have given me over the last 18 years and are still continuing to do so. Sh Rajiv Shukla ji has been a constant source of blessings and support for all these years. I also want to extend my thanks to the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) for giving me the opportunity to represent the state in the last season. “I would like to thank all the selectors, coaches, physios, trainers, management and support staff that have been a part of my cricket journey. A heartfelt gratitude to all my friends for believing in me when I was at my lowest. A special thanks to Paras Anand (of SG) for believing in me and truly standing by its motto of ‘believe, become’ and for supporting me with the best equipment throughout my career, irrespective of my ups and downs. “Throughout my career, my mom and dad have been my pillars of support and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. A special thanks to my family, extended family and friends who are family, for always being there for me. Last, but not the least, a warm thank you to my wife Reetika, who has not only supported me through thick and thin, but also given me the most blunt but right comments and advice that no one else could have.”

Source link

[judefan839-blog]

making it fresh at each store in the mornings

Yep. It can totally be done, as the below video demonstrates (especially if you're not a huge guy   Choi was 5 foot 4 inches). If you can get your head through it, everything else from your cheap nfl jerseys shoulders to ribs kind of compress he was able to squeeze all of his parts through in 30 seconds.

wholesale jerseys The Wiggles release albums, videos, books, toys, clothing and even a furniture line. As well, the Wiggles' name endorses healthful edibles such as fruit snacks, yogurt and applesauce. In recent years, Wiggles spinoff groups have been created in Latin America and Taiwan.  wholesale jerseys

wholesale nfl jerseys Also known as the Hudson river bridge and the Columbus bridge, the George Washington bridge which connects Fort Lee to Manhattan was inaugurated in 1931 after a construction period of almost 4 years. It is a two level suspension bridge that www.cheapjerseysofchina.com cost about USD 52 million to build. The architect of the bridge, Othmar H.  wholesale nfl jerseys

wholesale nfl jerseys from china SSA is basically available for parents of a girl child, which enables them to invest so as to build a corpus to fund the education and other things relating to the girl. This account requires a minimum of Rs.1,000 to be opened and the guardian can add multiples of Rs.100 every time they want to add to the account. The account has an upper limit though, meaning parents can only invest a maximum of Rs.1.5 lakhs per calendar year.  wholesale nfl jerseys from china

The same phenomenon of visible anonymity is true to a greater or lesser extent of many modern players who have discovered commercial endorsements are a satisfactory outlet for limited self expression and a reasonable way of conveying a sense of yourself to the public. And the structure of the modern championship competitions helps of course the back door means never having to say goodbye after one game. Players (there are many of course entitled to wear the traditional bal bocht) have moved into an era Cheap Jerseys from china where the disconnect between themselves and the places they come from isn't yet dangerous, but has become a source of concern..

Cheap Jerseys china Craftsmen. Visionaries who really building pieces. They do it for instant gratification, for fame, but they haven't done anything. Continue south on Vt. 22A into the predominantly agricultural community of Addison. The marshy lowlands that lie off to your right, starting about 5 miles south of Vergennes, are part of the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area, a stopover for waterfowl using the Lake Champlain migration corridor.  Cheap Jerseys china

Cheap Jerseys china Along both rows of trellis wires, hammer in large nails on both sides of the posts. Then, cut several lengths of a lighter gauge wire the same length as your entire trellis. Attach chain links to each end of this wire and hook the ends to either end of your trellis.  Cheap Jerseys china

Then I was posted to the 179th (I think) Field Regiment a holding Regiment in Cooden, near Bexhill. After Gib the weather was horrible cold and wet yet sometimes there were sunny days. I went to technical mathematical lessons and learned to drive a Bren Carrier quite different as steering is by slowing down one track and speeding up the other.

wholesale jerseys The California legislature is passed it twice and in previous years and as good possibilities www.cheapjerseys-football.com open the governor will sign it this year. So there's a real momentum behind this in the basic premise is. Every vote should count the sign and the candidate with the most votes should win the election.  wholesale jerseys

cheap nfl jerseys "We talked about it earlier," said manager Tom Trebelhorn. "It's just a different look. People want me to change the lineup. Last week did you see Mason get held and no call; did you see Heap get held and no call; did you really see Gnata's hold yep a call; then I see the choke hold on Kruger and NO CALL. D line holding is a tuff call to make, but we get it more then any other team. Why, our D makes to many plays to s l o w down the pretty boys.  cheap nfl jerseys

Cheap Jerseys from china The life of the female Irish cricketer involves 6am gym sessions two or three times a week, several squad training sessions (including on Friday nights) and, in the summer, matches all weekend. Work and the rest of life are what can be fit in around cricket. These demands explain the unusual age profile of Ireland's wholesale jerseys squad in the recent Women's World T20.  Cheap Jerseys from china

A few years after Joyce had left the business, a newspaper reporter discovered that Tim Hortons had actually begun using frozen dough for their doughnuts rather than making it fresh at each store in the mornings. Furious with the new management decision to pull away from his Fresh motto, Joyce publicly criticized the company. Idea of using frozen products thoroughly disappointed me, says Joyce.

Cheap Jerseys free shipping So, whereas some would say camping is best avoided at all costs, I'd say, a camping trip every once in a while is essential to a healthy sense of self. And just to help you along I've put together a list of my top 10 camping tips. Just take note, I consider myself quite a novice camper, so if you're way beyond this, please add your suggestions to the comment section below!.  Cheap Jerseys free shipping

Cheap Jerseys from china ::carries around everywhere:: Finished that, and grabbed a cap from my parents. Wallgreens(No know how spell), I guess and picked up some presents for Kathy twas her b day. (::glomps Kat and Ciel:: To Westmoor we go.^^) The party www.cheapjerseyssalesupply.com guests was a very small number compared to last year Cheap Jerseys from china.

[judefan838-blog]

organizing competitions between company teams

Under the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement that runs through 2020, each team may carry an eight man practice squad, along with one additional international player whose citizenship and primary residence are overseas. Following an August 2014 agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA, teams may add two more players to Cheap Jerseys free shipping their practice squads for the 2014 and 2015 NFL seasons. Practice squad players can't play in games unless called up to the game day roster, but do practice with the team each week.

wholesale nfl jerseys from china If the workload gets harder for James Reimer with injuries, trades and new players both now and after Feb. 29 so be it. Tough when you lose guys to injury and Dion (Phaneuf) in the trade, but we digging deep, the goalie said. Kids all over the world love Dr. Seuss and all those stories which have maintained their appeal for twenty years. There are plenty of moms and dads who grew up with Dr.  wholesale nfl jerseys from china

cheap jerseys Futbol Americanohas a long history in Mexico, dating to 1896 and the first official game in Veracruz. Mining businesses soon helped to popularize the game, organizing competitions between company teams. By the early part of the 20th century a professional www.cheapjerseysofchina.com championship had been played, and the National Student Organization of American Football the Mexican version of the NCAA was established to regulate the sport in schools..  cheap jerseys

Cheap Jerseys china "We love going to the Yale football games," Steve Rushin said. "Our 6 year old son, Thomas, is also sports obsessed and worships Jack. He can't wait to go on the field after games and put on his cousin's helmet and sprint across the goal line. Ed was recommended to the county by Mike Hendrick, the former England and Derbyshire seamer who was then Ireland's coach. "Coming from Ireland, there was a big inferiority complex," Ed remembers of that time. "We just assumed everyone from England was much better at cricket.  Cheap Jerseys china

nfl jerseys 1 North Carolina, 3 2, in overtime for its eighth national title Sunday in Louisville, Ky. In the 81st minute, sophomore Jill Witmer streaked down the sideline, crossed to the other wholesale jerseys side of the circle and took a hard shot that flew into the net behind North Carolina goalkeeper Sassi Ammer. The Terps came out for warm ups wearing red pants.  nfl jerseys

Cheap Jerseys free shipping However, I dare say that's not a sentiment shared by too many Vikings fans and I have no idea where he resides on the Vikings' war room draft board. McCarron from Alabama. All are candidates to be drafted by the Vikings.. A stems from the two thirds vote requirement of Prop. 13. In San Diego County, officials say the decision spells disaster.  Cheap Jerseys free shipping

wholesale jerseys from china Cycling history is dotted by stars who dominated their eras. Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault. But none of them bestrode the sport like Merckx, the one man forest fire. Told him to take off his pads. I might have to throw www.cheapjerseys-football.com them on. Gaborik had an early goal and an assist in his home debut with the Kings, who fell just short of matching the longest winning streak in franchise history.  wholesale jerseys from china

nfl jerseys When recruits go visit Duke or North Carolina, they see historic Cameron Indoor and the storied Dean Dome. When recruits visit Virginia who has had nowhere near the success FSU has had in basketball recently they see the newly renovated John Paul Jones arena, considered one of the best arenas in the nation. And that's not even mentioning practice facilities..  nfl jerseys

Braxton Miller, on a regional cover of Sports Illustrated last week as a Heisman Trophy contender, went through his paces at quarterback. He looked good during a 7 on 7 passing drill and a two hand tap scrimmage between the No. 1 offense and top defense.

cheap nfl jerseys Gilkenson was on Broadway as a child in the original Sound of Music (she played Marta) and in The Music Man. She also took piano lessons from the great Marvin Hamlisch. Not only that, but Mr. Baseball is a hugely popular sport across the United wholesale nfl jerseys States. Men, women and children; all play this game passionately. Playing baseball is a great way to have fun and improve your fitness.  cheap nfl jerseys

wholesale nfl jerseys from china When we arrived, in Maine, we took the carriers to the restroom, proceeded to take each puppy out of it, one by one, put their polartec coats on each and placed them back in the carrier. The women standing in line for the stalls were amazed at how organized we were and enthralled with the Papillons, themselves. They had no idea that they had had these (4) legged passengers on board.  wholesale nfl jerseys from china

wholesale jerseys from china Truth be told, it was not the best location to sell upscale men suits, yet Saul felt the street was home. Used to sit on the bench in front of my store and tell people Greenwood Racetrack was down the street from me. Track is long gone, but Korry is stronger than ever.  wholesale jerseys from china

Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be www.cheapjerseyssalesupply.com independent, trust, non self governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.Article 4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.Article 5.

[meidestiny-blog]

They will let you know if they are interested

The foundations of hipster culture and style are debatable, but whatever originating hairs are split, it is clear that they are based on both irony and sincerity working in tandem, at different times, to differing degrees. There is ironic performance in these things: trucker hats (they are not truckers), nerd glasses (they are not nerds), grandpa sweaters (they are not grandpas), keffiyeh scarves (unless showing genuine political solidarity with Palestinians, ironic), bobo sneakers from 1986, wife beaters T shirts, mustaches, tight jeans, cotton knit sweaters, hoodies, church bake sale T shirts, braces, tube socks, sweatbands, all of that. 

This is the ongoing thrift shop aesthetic that lends its wearers a late 1970s, '80s or '90s feel as well as a sense of imagined economic class devolution that makes them feel more real (object lesson: The working class and social outcasts are more authentic than the bourgeoisie and popular).wholesale jerseys from china If you looking for a taste of fiber art, wholesale nfl jerseys from china this is the place. The gallery, owned by Misenko, is located in an old 1940s creamery. It basically three art spaces in one, exhibiting 170 artists, many of them living within 50 miles of Hudson. 

Downstairs, autographed jerseys of legends White, Joe Montana and Magic Johnson as well as those of Bills teammates Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Cornelius Bennett and Darryl Talley line the walls along with large mementos of the record breaking 199th sack.people get the wrong impression about Bruce, said Perry, https://www.wholesalejerseyslan.com/ a native of nearby Chesapeake, Va., who played nine NFL seasons and now coaches the Green Bay Packers safeties. See arrogance, but most successful people have some arrogance. Bruce has toned down from when he played, but if you don respect him, he going to let it be known.  wholesale jerseys from china

Cheap Jerseys china ROBINSON: Absolutely. I mean, the NCAA, I know it's framed, typically, in the media as sort of when people talk about the NCAA, they think it's this sort of, you know, bogeyman in Indianapolis, and that's sort of what people concentrate on. But the reality is, the NCAA is comprised of it's the universities; it's the institution; it's the presidents; it's the power conferences and the conference commissioners.  Cheap Jerseys china

Cheap Jerseys free shipping "We are all professional cricketers," he said after training at the Sher e Bangla National stadium on Sunday. "They (Australia) want to win and they will do whatever it takes to try and get a win. Sometimes, Cheap Jerseys from china we use it for motivation and some other teams retaliate.  Cheap Jerseys free shipping

wholesale nfl jerseys from china Given how common cattle are, it is odd how little many people know about them. For example, while people can name several species or breeds of birds, dogs, and cats, knowledge about various cow breeds is far rarer. While understanding cattle taxonomy is perhaps not vital for most of us, understanding issues related to cattle farming is becoming increasingly important as the world's population grows..  wholesale nfl jerseys from china

cheap nfl jerseys Wait for Nike to get in contact. They will let you know if they are interested, at which point they may send a representative to meet with you and the rest of your team. http://www.okcheapjerseys.com/ Put on a show for them, perhaps by giving them tickets to one of your games or by showing them the work you do in the community.  cheap nfl jerseys

cheap nfl jerseys "It's really just to shoot on the goalie and have some fun," says Donna.Aidan is now outgrowing the rink, having reached the stage where he needs to train regularly on a real regulation size ice surface, and where weekly practices and games at the club take up much of his time.That, coupled with the family's upcoming move, is why he will be saying goodbye to his own private hockey box.

The Taylor house a grand, 6,200 square foot 1911 Queen Anne Revival with six bedrooms and a commanding Fraser River view is on the market, and Donna says they will be sad to leave the rink behind as they take up new digs on the North Shore, Cheap Jerseys china but "we're kind of like Gypsies."And they certainly have no regrets about putting in that little basement rink.CHEO strikes partnership deal with two Toronto children's hospitalsCHEO has launched a formal partnership with two Toronto children hospitals in an attempt to improve pediatric care in the province while cutting costs. 

RockGarden Medicinals is the third medical marijuana grower to pop up within an hour drive of Parliament Hill. The mother son team behind the business is hoping to be awarded a licence from Health Canada this [ / posts list >Vaughn Palmer: Rush job in Site C review won't answer $9B questionsAs New Democratic Party Leader John Horgan tells it, his proposed review of the $9 billion Site C hydroelectric..  cheap nfl jerseys

Cheap Jerseys free shipping The Tories have promised to promote it (in their own half cocked kind of way). Labour has made great hay with how unfair it is to advocate one style of family over another. Every sort of relationship is equally valid, said Ed Balls, https://www.cheapjerseys18.com/ and anyway if we cut newlyweds some slack on tax, the children of non marrieds will be bullied at school.  Cheap Jerseys free shipping

wholesale jerseys from china A: It's certainly a natural desire to help relatives in need and take care of future generations. But use extreme caution when giving out your money. Jack Whittaker, a West Virginia contractor who won a nearly $315 million Powerball jackpot in 2002, quickly fell victim to scandals, lawsuits and personal setbacks wholesale jerseys from china.