#Illinois Craft Beer Week

[chicagobeerpass]

Chicago Beer Pass: Italian Ice Season

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White have themselves a really fun beer from Hopewell Brewing. This citrus lager was brewer to resemble a Lemon Italian Ice, a lightly tart Lager fruited with Meyer lemon... such a fun drink!

Now with Illinois Craft Beer Week behind us, the guys recap a couple events that took place last week including Beer Under Glass and Mayfestiversary. The guys have a handful of news they heard from Beer Under Glass as well as some stand out beers that might be worth looking for if you're on a hunt this Sumer for something new. Nik also shares a bit about his adventure to Miskatonic Brewing Company. Finally, the guys wrap things up with a bit of news including a couple new breweries opening in Chicago.

Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (74.1MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

[chelseeebe]

we can’t be friends.

a little fake dating situation in which eddie must pretend to be your boyfriend to keep up pretences, but then feelings start to become hazy and now he’s not sure if you could ever be just friends again.

a/n: i’m reading this back and actually not liking it as much as i first did hahahaah but i hope you enjoy!! i just wanted to reiterate my hate for the duffers and the fact that they didn’t give him any other t-shirt other than that dang hellfire one>:(

18+. mdni. smut. mentions of bad parent/s. modern au i guess but it’s hardly mentioned. no use of y/n!

eddie wasn’t expecting to walk in to you so stressed.

it was the usual thursday movie night but you’d answered the door with a green complexion and the look of a deer in headlights.

“what’s wrong?” he perplexes, shutting the door behind him as you continue to pace the living room floor.

you sigh, blinking at him as you stop for a few seconds. you’re contemplating something, sizing him up with your eyes narrowed. it makes him a little unsettled if he’s honest.

“next week, are you free?”

“what?” wondering what the hell that had to do with your nervous exterior.

“are you free?” you press.

“uh.. probably, why?” not an inch of sense in your words.

“you wanna come on vacation with me? i mean- it’s not so much a vacation but a family reunion, but can you come?” chewing on your fingernail.

“when? what? why?” rattling through all of his questions all at once.

you sigh again, frustrated with his lack of understanding, “family reunion, i can’t do it alone eds..” your hands cycle around the air, “josh was supposed to come with me but obviously.. that’s not happening so can you come?”

eddie’s face finally un-scrunches. it all made sense now.

you’d spoken enough about your crazy parents and subsequently just why you’d moved halfway across the country to get away from them to understand why you didn’t want to go on your own.

he’d also been elated when you’d told him that you and josh had broken up. eddie had never liked him, in fact, if were given the chance, he thinks he’d punch him square in the face.

that hadn’t really helped you of course, so he kept it mostly to himself. but if the opportunity were ever to arise, he’d do it. no shame.

“oh, shit, why didn’t you just ask me in the first place?” he laughs, rolling in his eyes in jest as he collapses on the couch.

“i’ve asked everyone.. and i mean, everyone and they couldn’t, i was scared!” your body relaxes, coming to join him on the couch.

“oh thanks,” eddie scoffs, “so i was the last resort?”

“no,” you prod him in the side, “i didn’t think you’d wanna come, that’s all.”

“yeah right,” chuckling as you hand him a beer, “i don’t mind, i’ll suffer for you,” popping the lid off and taking a swig.

“thank you,” you exhale, leaning back against the couch, “really. it means a lot.”

“so what are we doing? skiing? sightseeing?” eddie probes, making himself comfortable.

you scoff, “oh no, it’s at my aunt’s beach house in illinois.. it’s big enough for you to have your own room and shit, you’ll just have to pretend to like craft beer and talk baseball with my dad.”

eddie’s head hits the back of the couch, groaning loudly, “baseball? man, i dunno if i can make it anymore.”

you throw him the dirtiest glare, “you’re not funny.”

despite your words, he falls into a fit of laughter truly not making your scowl any lesser. he knows you appreciate him deep down, given the fact that you hadn’t hit him yet.

-

the drive across indiana isn’t too bad, eddie only wishes he hadn’t let you control the music for the entirety of the journey.

“just..” you exhale, glancing warily over at him from the passenger seat, “just be normal, okay? don’t let them piss you off,” nodding with every word.

“you don’t trust me?” he grins, earning a deathly glare. “i won’t piss them off.. don’t worry,” turning his sarcastic mocking into kindness.

your eyes squeeze shut before you slide out of the door, doubting your choice to bring eddie along.

your parents open the door with a wide smile and their arms extended, pulling you in before looking over at eddie, obviously slightly taken aback with the man at their door.

he offers his hand out, “i’m eddie, nice to meet you sir,” feeling very judged and not at all surprised, not with all your horror stories.

your dad takes his hand, gripping on tight as he eyes him up and down, “so this is the boyfriend,” humming quietly, “it’s good to finally meet you, son.”

eddie freezes, eyes sliding from your parents to you to find you in the exact same position.

boyfriend?

“uh..” you fumble, mouth opening and closing somewhat like a fish, “yes! yes.. this is him,” chuckling nervously.

oh shit.

his week of rest and relaxation was about to become a week of performing and lies.

you watch eddie anxiously, your eyes speaking a thousand words. praying he doesn’t mess up, doesn’t embarrass you in front of them.

“yeah.. yeah, that’s me,” he nods hurriedly, going to shake your mom’s hand, “lovely to meet you.. miss.”

now eddie wasn’t opposed to pretending to be your boyfriend but fuck, really? he needed at least a week to prepare and rehearse, rather than you throwing him into a week of improvisation at a whim.

the literal second the door to your shared bedroom shuts, eddie spins on his heel, jaw clenched with an exasperated expression.

“what the fuck?” he whispers, rather loudly.

“i’m sorry!” you hush back, eyes wide, “i- i.. i didn’t have a choice! fuck, i’m really sorry,” anger turning to regret as you flop onto the bed, head in hands.

well great. now he feels guilty. you’re almost sobbing when he joins you on the bed, pressing his lips together in frustration.

“hey! it’s fine.. it’s fine,” he assures, “shit, it’ll be fun,” bumping his shoulder into yours playfully.

you sniffle pathetically, looking up at him with tearful eyes, “i’m really sorry.. i panicked,” bottom lip wobbling.

god, you look like the reincarnation of bambi.

his heart pangs, guilt wracking his chest for the slight overreaction.

“i know,” nodding slightly, “it’s okay.. it’ll be funny, you know?” he’s not sure that it’ll be anymore funny than it’ll be stressful, but he’s prepared to see this week through.

for you.

-

it’s the little things that make a relationship a relationship. things eddie hadn’t ever considered.

like the seemingly insignificant touches and the casual kisses. all things he now had to meticulously plan and prepare for.

nothing was ever too much. a gentle peck on the cheek or a graze of the knee. things no one would really notice unless you weren’t doing them.

you grab his hand walking to the table for dinner and he almost starts cackling until he remembers, now hoping that his palm wasn’t sweating too much.

that night in bed, you turn to face him, tiny smile creeping onto your face, “i think my cousin likes you, i mean- did you see the look on her face when you walked into dinner?”

eddie lets his phone fall onto his chest, flabbergasted at your suggestion, “what are you talking about?”

you hit his arm, furrowing your brows, “c’mon, she was totally checking you out, don’t pretend you didn’t notice,” rolling your eyes in jest.

if he’s honest, he really didn’t notice.

he’d been too preoccupied by you in that damn dress to care about anyone else at the table.

eddie didn’t get to see you dressed up often and the dress was sitting just right, he couldn’t exactly focus on much else.

“oh, are you getting jealous?” he mocks.

you tut, shaking your head, “maybe after we’ve fake-broken up you two can get together.”

“you are jealous,” he laughs, sliding his phone onto the nightstand and settles into bed, “what if i don’t wanna fake-break up?” only half-serious as he says it.

“well then i’ll get a fake-restraining order against you,” poking your tongue out before turning the lamp off. “goodnight, eddie,” he can hear the smile in your voice as you roll over.

there’s a quiet, niggling little voice somewhere in the back of his mind. or maybe it’s his heart speaking.

whatever it is, he doesn’t feel the need to acknowledge it. at least not right now anyway.

-

eddie supposes that a vacation at your aunt’s beach house would entail seeing you in little clothing but he can’t help the little woah from leaving his mouth when you walk out of the bathroom in a tiny bikini top.

“don’t be fucking weird,” you frown, eyes trailing down to his hot dog swimming trunks.

“i’m not!” he exclaims, still trying to draw his eyes away from your chest, “i’ve just never seen.. them,” eyes widening at your revealing bikini.

your eyes roll to the back of your head, expressing your disgust with a small groan.

the entire day is made significantly harder by your top, or lack thereof. eddie finds his gaze slipping downward and every so often has to remind himself that he’s not actually your boyfriend and he doesn’t have the rights to ogle you.

it’s just hard to focus on a thing your dad says to him when you’re sat in front of him like that.

his limits are tested when your cousin suggests a game of tennis. already calling eddie for her team as you get into position on the opposite side of the court.

perhaps you were right, her unnecessary, constant touching sent alarm bells ringing in his head. not that he’s paying it any mind, too distracted by your chest as you bound around the court.

so much so, he completely misses the ball, letting it bounce off of the court and into a hedge somewhere.

“eddie!” she shrieks, running off to collect the ball.

your eyes lock from over the net, your brows threaded together, “how about we swap teams? you join me,” pointing your finger at his face, gesturing for him to join you, which he does with a smile.

mostly just glad to be away from her wandering hands but also, he gets to prove a point.

“you are jealous,” eddie smirks, hushed tones as he speaks into your ear. you’re so close now, enough to touch.

he wants to.

he wants to so bad.

even if it were just to make your cousin seethe with envy.

“me? never,” smacking your racket gently at his leg, earning a nasty glare from your unhappy cousin who smacks the ball far too harshly towards him.

-

he’s too hot and bothered to do much after such an exciting game of tennis, walking in stride with you as you enter the large house. blabbering away about something or nothing when your mom announces her presence rather loudly.

“oh god,” pulling a face as she eyes your outfit, “you really should coverup sweetie, nobody wants to see that,” cackling away to herself.

eddie’s floored, utterly stunned that she’d ever say something like that, let alone to your face. your despairing expression stabs him in the heart, choking him from the inside out.

“well i do,” grinning at the lady in front of him.

“of course you do, you’re a man,” the older woman sighs, “i think it’s a little disgusting to just.. have everything out there,” gesturing to your chest, “women should have pride in their appearance, you know?”

you blink, chewing the inside of your lip as you nod. shrinking into yourself as you glide up the stairs. in an ideal world, he’d call her a bitch and move on with his life, however, he supposes that probably wouldn’t be wise.

she tuts, shaking her head at the stairs, “she’s always so offended.. can’t say a thing to her.”

eddie bites his tongue, diverting from what he truly wanted to say to offer some mild criticism, “maybe you shouldn’t have said anything at all,” shrugging as he flies past her and up the stairs, hot on your trail.

the bedroom’s empty though the en-suite door is closed, a muffled sniff coming from the other side. he hates that she’s made you cry, that she’s capable of even making you feel bad when you had absolutely zero reason to.

his knuckles rap against the door, pressing his cheek to the wood, “it’s me.”

there’s a small scuffle and then the lock clicks though the door remains closed. having to console you after the amazing afternoon you’d had feels wrong.

he creeps inside, closing the door behind him. you’re slouched on the toilet, tears leaking down your warm cheeks. it’s a punch to the gut to see you like this. all those harsh stories you’d recalled to him suddenly made a shit ton of sense.

“you okay?” eddie asks, the answer already overwhelmingly obvious.

“yeah,” you sigh, wiping your sodden cheeks, sniffling for good measure.

“you shouldn’t listen to her,” he affirms, perching on the bathtub, “don’t let her upset you.. it’s not worth it,” although his words probably fall on deaf ears, you already know this.

“i know..” staring up at him with your puppy dog eyes, “i’m sorry, she just.. ugh,” snarling your lip, “she knows how to make me feel like shit.”

“what the hell are you apologising to me for?” eddie jokes, poking you in the arm, “she’s just jealous,” choosing wisely where to go from here, “she doesn’t look as good as you do and she doesn’t like that.”

his words crack a tiny smile on your lips, mission accomplished.

“thanks,” you nod, “i mean that. thank you for even coming with me.. i couldn’t do it without you.”

his heart swells a little, or a lot really.

this is a dangerous game, he thinks. wanting nothing more than to cradle you in his arms.. blur the boundaries a little more.

how much more blurred could they possibly get before eddie had to admit to his feelings?

he’s not sure he wants to find out.

-

on reflection, it had been a pretty good week. at least eddie thinks so, pretending to be your boyfriend wasn’t exactly normal or anything he’d ever pictured himself doing. but he’s enjoyed it nonetheless.

despite a new found, deep hatred for your mother, he doesn’t think the rest of your family were that bad. willing to volunteer for any other vacations you might be forced to drag him on.

nowhere near as testing as he once thought it would be. in reality, the hardest part about it all was that he had to go home alone tomorrow.

as both of you lounge on the bed, the tv prattling on in the background, he smiles, gently elbowing you in the side.

“y’know this week has been fun,” reminiscing on all the stupid things he’s had to do to sell this story.

one night, you had helped yourself to a little too much wine. stumbling all over the vast garden as your family watched on in horror. so eddie did what any good boyfriend would do and slung you over his shoulder, giggling into his back as he manoeuvred his way up to your room.

not only the public displays of affection come back to him, but also the seemingly minuscule ones. where only you were involved. sneaky laughs and glances that only the two of you could understand.

“mhm,” you hum, sliding your bookmark into your book, “it has, thank you for doing this,” before leaning over to place your book onto the bedside table.

“i’ve enjoyed it,” he meets your eye, that same uncomfortable fluttering starts again in his chest, “being your ‘boyfriend’ i mean.”

you shuffle, turning to face him properly, “well.. i’ve enjoyed being your girlfriend,” lips twitching into a smile.

there’s something in the silence, a tension that feels ready to burst.

eddie does something he might live to regret, something so idiotic and foolish that put your entire friendship at risk.

he leans forward, hastily connecting your lips in what must be the world’s most awkward kiss.

you hesitate for too long of a moment, jerking your head back to stare into his eyes.

he’s done it. he’s ruined the single best thing he had left.

an apology begins to form on his tongue but your lips silence him, your hand finding his cheek to bring him closer. eddie’s eyes fall shut, slowly accepting this, that you wanted it too.

he repositions himself, at your mercy as you tug on his hair, now hovering above your body, elbows sinking into the mattress.

he can feel you now, your chest brushing against his, the way your heart rate seems to match his, thumping away in your chest.

“we should.. we should stop,” eddie pulls away, breathlessly panting with your lips still tracing over one another.

“no.. no,” you shake your head, your eyes shiny and full of something he can’t place.

“what?”

“kiss me again,” you demand.

he’s not quite certain he’s hearing you right. fear had forced him to tear himself away but now you were asking for him to do it again?

eddie falters for a second too long, forcing you into kissing him, smashing your lips to his as your fingers scramble to find the back of his neck under his hair.

oh my god oh my god oh my god.

your entire family are in this house and he’s going to desecrate this innocent bed with you, his fake-girlfriend.

he feels your knee slide up his thigh, allowing him more space between your legs. now it’s more than just your chests meshed together, his poor sweatpants tightening with every slight buck of your hips. blood rushing to his cock as you gasp and sigh into his mouth.

he has to pull himself back into the room when your hand slides from his neck to his crotch, lightly tracing over his throbbing cock.

making out could be easily laughed off but this- this was serious.

“you.. you wanna do this?” he asks, gasping for breath as you continue to kiss at the side of his mouth.

“i want to do this,” you reaffirm, dipping your hand into the waistband of his sweatpants, drawing out a hoarse groan from his throat.

your hand wraps around the base of his cock, leaving a trail of kisses to his jaw.

his eyelids flutter, struggling to stay open as you start pumping your fist, thumb circling his leaking tip.

“oh my god,” eddie breathes, jolting his hips into your fist.

this entire week he had been internalising all of these intrusive thoughts and feelings about you and now it felt like he might genuinely cum all over your hand, not even five minutes into this.

it doesn’t at all help when you’re panting and writhing around underneath him, delicate fingers making him feel like he’s flying.

“f-fuck,” he stutters, grabbing your forearm, “you have to stop,” regaining just enough composure to reopen his eyes.

“why?” concern rippling through your voice.

now he falters, gazing into your lust filled eyes, pupils all blown out and crazy. it would be despicable if he were to divulge his embarrassing secret to you.

so he takes your arm, pinning it above your head before starting his descent, a paper chain of kisses and light grazings down your neck and chest.

it’s entirely too intimate for just friends, fake relationship or not.

“oh,” you sigh, head rolling back onto the pillow.

eddie has control now, regaining power without a damn clue of what to do with it. your shorts come down with his free hand with a little help from you, your ankle now comes to rest on his shoulder.

he should feel stronger than he does, rather more intimidated and fearful that he’s going to disappoint.

“please..” you pout, “please touch me,” he wonders if you can sense his anxiety.

he lets go of his grip on your wrist, trailing down your quivering body until he meets your lower stomach. this new position allows him access to your heat, wet and waiting for him.

“shit,” he mutters, sliding a solitary finger between your slick folds, watching as your chest heaves in response. “you’re so pretty,” he can’t help but blurt out.

“shut up and touch me,” you snap, chasing his touch with your hips.

eddie’s not going to deprive you of that now, is he?

circling around your clit, noting the way you groan and grab onto his arm. not that he thinks that there’ll ever be a second time for this.

your eager hands grab at his sweatpants, hoping that that’ll be enough of a hint.

he’s not going to last long, that’s for certain.

fed up with his stalling, you tug his sweatpants down, aiding him in sliding them off and onto the floor with a muffled thump.

your arms fan out across the mattress, glancing down at the minimal space between your bodies and then back into his eyes.

his entire body shudders as he slides into your eager cunt, bumbling through all of the profanity in his vocabulary. watching as your jaw falls slack, wary that you couldn’t make too much noise.

perhaps it was the fact that he’d been brushing off any even slightly sexual thought for an entire week or maybe it was just true but eddie swears that no one had ever felt this good before.

“fuck,” he wails, hips slamming against the backs of your thighs, digging his fingertips into the soft, mailable flesh of your hip.

just the way you grip onto the blanket makes him dizzy, letting his eyesight go hazy, a blurred picture of you sprawled underneath him.

the pleasure is insurmountable, something snapping in his stomach when your hand reaches out for him, gripping onto his forearm.

“eds,” you gasp, just loud enough over his barely contained grunts, “more,” sickening eyes doing all the work for you.

there’s not much more of him left to give, already nudging against your soft spot, repositioning your calf higher on his shoulder to allow him deeper, receiving a sweet whimper in return.

“yeah,” you pant, over and over, fingernails latching onto his skin. his arms start to shake, still holding himself up over you as his orgasm begins to catch up with him.

“shit.. i don’t- i don’t think..” eddie swallows, struggling to stay composed as you tighten around him, looking up at him through batting eyelashes.

it makes his stomach twist, barely able to move as his high comes crashing down, overtaking his senses, sweaty bodies colliding as he collapses on top of you.

“oh shit.. oh my god,” he whines, release painting your thigh, the sheet and even your fucking t-shirt.

he’s not ready for a child but he’s certain that’d have been worth it.

eddie glances at you, subsequently moving from your body onto the mattress. the entire high he had been feeling comes tumbling down, now faced with the reality that you were no longer just friends.

the ceiling becomes incredibly interesting, both of you avoiding eye contact as the silence somehow grows louder.

for a room that was just full of lewd, filthy noises, it sure is quiet now.

the blanket rustles and eddie dares a peek, you stand at the edge of the bed, disheveled and still slightly flustered.

you look down at the stain he had left, tutting quietly, “thanks a lot.. gonna have to change now,” adding a soft chuckle.

“sorry.. cheaper than a baby though,” adding to your banter, it’s indescribable the relief he feels.

eddie watches as you rummage around in your suitcase, no longer shying away as you pull your shirt over your head, shimmying into your clean clothes.

when you rejoin him in bed, the tension is mostly gone, the lamp clicking off, encompassing the room in total and utter darkness.

there’s a further moment of silence wherein eddie isn’t sure if he should bolt and hide or embarrass himself further and say something stupid.

something- someone, brushes against his ribcage as you shuffle, your hand coming to rest on his stomach.

there’s not a word exchanged between you but eddie takes the hint, sliding your hand further over his midriff. it’s a pathetic attempt at cuddling but it makes him flutter all the same.

-

eddie wakes up sprawled face first across the bed, blinking at the bright light, not a trace of you in the room.

he fucked up. he fucked up so bad that you’ve decided to find your own way home and left him here.

shit.

he clambers out of bed, pulling his hastily discarded sweatpants back on, remembering every last detail of your night last night.

the guilt comes in waves, and then embarrassment and shame jump in to make it worse.

years of friendship down the drain and for what?

he just about builds enough courage to leave the room and venture downstairs, creeping out onto the hall when you come bounding up the stairs, meeting him in the cramped corridor.

“hi,” smiling coyly, playing the oblivious game.

“hey,” he nods, reciprocating the smile.

nothing was ruined. you’re fine.

“i was just coming to wake you..breakfast’s ready,” you fiddle with your thumbs, a completely different version of yourself than the one he saw last night.

“oh good,” eddie blinks, “i’m starving,” wanting to smash his palm into his face the second the words come out.

“great!” you exclaim, the painful cringe coming through on your face too.

the two of you walk down the stairs in silence, sitting at the table with a small knowing glance.

this house is huge. he’s sure no one else would’ve heard.

he’s midway through his coffee when your dad leans across the table, probing the two of you, “so, will you be trying for kids anytime soon?”

eddie damn near chokes on the searing hot liquid, coughing his gulp back up into the mug, combatting the burning sensation travelling down his throat and also up into his cheeks.

why would he ask that? over breakfast no less.

“uh no.. nope,” you answer for him, thankfully.

“that’s a shame,” your father stands from the table, sliding his plate into the soapy water before making his way over to eddie, clapping him on the back, “you’re gonna have to make an honest woman outta her first son,” before shuffling off into the living room.

he wants to die. in fact, he’d much rather the ground open up and swallow the two of you alive than to be sat at this breakfast table.

judging by the look on your face, you share the sentiment.

-

he’s going to tell you. he’s going to tell you. he’s going to tell you. he’s going to tell you.

he’s just not sure when or how. it’d be unfair for him to unload his feelings unto you at the beginning of the journey, not to mention also extremely inconvenient if you didn’t feel the same.

but then he’s also acutely aware that if he doesn’t force those words out soon, that they may never come out.

he’s just finished loading your bags into the back of his van, admittedly a little sad to be leaving.

it’s like, he could no longer pretend that what was going on was real. that last night might’ve just been a mistake and you want to cut ties here.

your phone blares from your hand, holding up a finger as you walk away to take the call.

eddie rehearses what he’s going to say to you. well, tries to.

i think you’re super cool, how about i become your boyfriend for real?

he cringes at the thought of it, it wasn’t really the declaration of love that you deserved.

the door opening startles him, your demeanour had done a complete one eighty, your shoulders slumped as you slide into the seat in silence.

“you all good?” eddie asks, wondering what had changed in such a short time.

“uh.. yeah.”

“y’sure?” he probes, not entirely convinced by your change in attitude.

“that was josh,” you swallow, looking straight ahead out of the windscreen, “he wants to see me when i’m back.. to talk.”

“oh,” he replies flatly, “wow okay.”

the life he had dreamed slowly crumbled before him, it was foolish to think that you’d just want to settle down with him now. he’d gotten ahead of himself and now had to reap the consequences.

“yeah..”

eddie doesn’t utter another word, instead, turning the key and starting the long, painful drive home.

maybe he’ll throw himself out of the van on the interstate. punishment for letting himself even slightly believe that you’d be interested in him too.

-

josh is waiting outside of your building when eddie pulls up, smug grin in tow.

tempted to just keep driving, smash into the side of his expensive shiny car and then reverse over his spindly little body.

that doesn’t happen of course.

instead, eddie keeps his head ducked low, muttering a low see you later before you clamber out. there’s so much left unsaid, even a complete idiot could see that.

he doesn’t watch as you walk over to your ex, certainly doesn’t want to see how his hands meet the small of your back and the way you seem to relax into his touch.

not a chance.

it’s eating him alive. even with the windows rolled down entirely, he’s sweating. as if it’s gnawing at his skin, trying to find a way out.

fuckfuckfuck.

tyres screech along the tarmac, his hands shaking as he turns the wheel. something otherworldly and dangerous overtakes his senses as he tears off back down the same road he’d just traveled.

and maybe he’d regret it and maybe it’d ruin your friendship forever but this week couldn’t have been for nothing.

you had to at least know.

eddie’s palms are wet, holding onto the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip. he doesn’t recall the journey to your apartment being so fucking long but he feels like he’s in this stuffy van for an eternity.

the moment he pulls onto that familiar street, bile rises in his throat.

maybe josh would have sweet talked his way back into your life and he’d get his ass beat. or maybe you’d laugh him out of there, telling him to never contact you again.

he supposes that there’s not much left to lose now.

eddie hops out of his van without so much as a look back, bounding up the short path as the door swings open, nearly knocking him for six.

“eddie,” you remark, phone gripped in your hand. your jaw hangs open, what looks like tears stain your cheeks. “i was trying to call you.”

frankly, he’s still out of breath from the exhilaration of it all, struggling to find his words as he stares gormless at you, “my phone’s dead.. i didn’t- didn’t know.. what’s wrong?” mind immediately jumping to josh.

what had he done?

“nonono.. nothing’s wrong, i just..” you trail off, your gaze not once breaking, “why are you here?”

eddie’s mind goes blank, why was he here?

to tell you that he thinks he’s in love with you? he can’t say that.

“you.. left something- in the van.”

idiot.

total fucking fool.

“oh!” swallowing the shock of his arrival, “what? what is it?”

why are you both dancing around this? he’s sure you feel it too. maybe. that could be the adrenaline speaking.

“nothing.. you didn’t leave anything- i don’t know why i said that.” shaking his head, if he weren’t so nervous, he’d have been crippled with embarrassment. “look, i have to tell you something,” biding his time, hoping your crazed ex won’t pop out of a bush and pummel his head into the ground.

“eddie..” you start, that solemn tone he was dreading to hear.

“no, let me say it,” he tries again, clearing his throat, “i need to s-“

“-eddie,” cutting him off mid-sentence, bounding up to him with your arms extended, throwing them around his neck as you press your lips to his.

it’s almost enough force to knock him on his ass, his hands coming to meet your waist in an attempt to stabilise both of you.

you pull away, lips still pouted slightly, “sorry.. what were you gonna say?”

eddie can’t recall a word of the speech he’d halfheartedly rehearsed. “well shit.. doesn’t matter now,” once again pressing his lips to yours, swaying in the evening breeze as everything seems to fall into place.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 8.2

Holidays

Airborne Forces Day (Russia)

Airmobile Forces Day (Ukraine)

Aviation Day (Slovenia)

Bonalu (Telangana, India)

Bunny Day (Japan)

Congolese Genocide Day (Congo (DRC))

Crabhog Day

Day of Airborne Forces (Russia)

Day of Azerbaijani Cinema (Azerbaijan)

Day of Maiden Katrica (Elder Scrolls)

Day of the Water Nymphs (Macedonia)

Deez Nutz Day

Dinosaurs Day

802 Day

Emancipation Day (Several Caribbean nations)

Escalator Day

Ewe Day (French Republic)

Fallen Paratroopers Remembrance Day (Ukraine)

Fiesta La Patrona (Spain)

Greenwich Mean Time Day

Hydroxychloroquine Day (India)

I Came I Saw I Conquered Day

Ilinden Day (Republic Day; Macedonia)

International Golden Lion Tamarin Day

International Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Day

Jabotinsky Day (Israel)

Lady Godiva Day (Coventry, UK)

Little Mix Appreciation Day

International Jewish Day

International Pony Day

Lady of the Angels Day (Costa Rica)

Lincoln Penny Day

Mark Lee Day (K-Pop)

Mary Prince Day (Bermuda)

Mindfulness Day

National Blockchain Day

National Boob Day

National CAD Day (a.k.a. National Computer-Aided Design Day)

National Children’s Day (Tuvalu)

National Coloring Book Day

National Ex-Girlfriend Day

National Hugh Day

National Jacqueline Day

National Rap Music Day

National Sisters Day

Our Lady of the Angels Day (Costa Rica)

Pantsu Day (Japan)

Paratroopers Day (Russia)

Republic Day (North Macedonia)

Roma Holocaust Memorial Day (EU)

Take a Penny, Leave a Penny Day

World Anglo-Indian Day

World Feed the Poor Day

World Find a Four Leaf Clover Day

Yeezy Day (Adidas)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Make Some Old-Fashioned Lemonade Day

Miracle Treat Day (Dairy Queen)

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Independence & Related Days

Butuan City Charter Day (Philippines; 1950)

Declaration of Independence 1st signed (US; 1776)

Kabankalan City Charter Day (Philippines)

Makira Ulawa Province Day (Solomon Islands)

Napoleon Bonaparte made 1st Consul for Life (France; 1802)

1st Friday in August

August Bank Holiday (UK) [1st Friday]

Bandcamp Friday [1st Friday]

Braham Pie Day (Minnesota) [1st Friday]

CafeSmart Day [1st Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

Health Advocate Day [1st Friday]

International Beer Day [1st Friday]

International Mustache Day [1st Friday]

Jeans for Genes Day (Australia) [1st Friday]

Moxee Hop Festival begins (Washington) [1st Friday]

National Water Balloon Day [1st Friday]

Tomboy Tools Day [1st Friday]

Twins Day Festival begins (Twinsburg, Ohio) [1st Full Weekend, begins 1st Friday]

Umuganura Day (Harvest Thanksgiving; Rwanda) [1st Friday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 2 (1st Week of August)

Gallop International Tribal Indian Powwow (thru 8.11)

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (Sturgis, South Dakota) [1st Friday for 10 Days] (thru 8.11)

Twins Days (thru 8.4) [1st Full Weekend; Friday thru Sunday]

Festivals Beginning August 2, 2024

Appalachian Arts & Crafts Fair & Festival (Buckley, West Virginia) [thru 8.3]

Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival (Cary, North Carolina) [thru 8.3]

Blueberry Arts Festival (Ketchikan, Alaska) [thru 8.4]

Blueberry Festival (Wilton, Maine) [thru 8.3]

Brat Days (Sheboygan, Wisconsin) [thru 8.3]

Brew at the Zoo (Columbia, South Carolina)

Calgary Fringe Festival (Calgary, Canada) [thru 8.10]

Charlestown Seafood Festival (Charlestown, Rhode Island) [thru 8.4]

Clark Potato Days (Clark, South Dakota) [thru 8.4]

Cowtown Days Festival (Ellsworth, Kansas) [thru 8.4]

Creamery Picnic (Stevensville, Montana) [thru 8.3]

Dublin Irish Festival (Dublin, Ohio) [thru 8.4]

Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Edinburgh, Scotland) [thru 8.26]

Edinburgh International Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland) [thru 8.25]

Festa Italiana (Naperville, Illinois) [thru 8.4]

Festival of the Flowers in Medellín (Medellín, Colombia) [thru 8.11]

Fish Sandwich Festival (Bay Port, Michigan) [thru 8.3]

Glad-Peach Festival (Coloma, Michigan) [thru 8.4]

Glengarry Highland Games (Maxville, Canada) [thru 8.3]

Gorolski Święto (Jablunkov, Czech Republic) [thru 8.4]

Grape Country Craft Beverage Festival (Dunkirk, New York) [thru 8.4]

Guča Trumpet Festival (Guča, Serbia) [thru 8.4]

Indiana State Fair (Indianapolis, Indiana) [thru 8.18]

Locomotion Festival (Felton, California) [thru 8.4]

Mossyrock Blueberry Festival (Mossyrock, Washington) [thru 8.4]

New Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm and Horse Show (Augusta, New Jersey) [thru 8.10]

Newport Jazz Festival (Newport, Rhode Island) [thru 8.4]

North Branford PoCo Festival (North Branford, Connecticut) [thru 8.4]

Old Time Harvest Festival (Jordan, Minnesota) [thru 8.4]

One Love Reggae Festival (Wiesen, Austria) [thru 8.3]

Otakon (Washington, DC) [thru 8.4]

Pluk de Nacht Film Festival (Utrecht, Netherlands) [thru 8.10]

Possum Festival (Wausau, Florida) [thru 8.3]

Reggae on the River (Piercy, California) [tgru 8.4]

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (Edinburgh, United Kingdom) [thru 8.24]

Scranton Jazz Festival (Scranton, Pennsylvania) [thru 8.4]

Sidmouth Folk Festival (Sidmouth, United Kingdom) [thru 8.9]

Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally (Binghamton, New York) [thru 8.4]

SunSka Festival (Vertheuil, France) [thru 8.4]

Sweet Pea Festival (Bozeman, Montana) [thru 8.4]

Taste of the Coeur d'Alene (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) [thru 8.4]

Tokyo Idol Festival (Tokyo, Japan) [thru 8.4]

Vintage Ohio Wine Festival (Kirtland, Ohio) [thru 8.3]

Watsonville Strawberry Festival (Watsonville, California) [thru 8.4]

World Cosplay Summit (Nagoya, Japan) [thru 8.4]

Feast Days

Ahudemmeh (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Albert Bloch (Artology)

Alfonso A. Ossorio (Artology)

Arthur Dove (Artology)

Barley Day (Pagan)

Basil Fool for Christ (Russian Orthodox Church)

Bei Dao (Writerism)

Chateaubriand (Positivist; Saint)

Death of King Rufus Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Distribution of Charity Moneys (Strictly Imps Only; Shamanism)

Dryads Day (Greek Wood & Water Gods)

Elias (a.k.a. Ilia or Elijah the Prophet; Christian; Saint)

Etheldritha (a.k.a. Alfrida; Christian; Saint)

Eusebius of Vercelli (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Anahita (Ancient Persia; Everyday Wicca)

Feast of Our Lady of the Angeles of the Portiuncula (Franciscan Order)

Fomorian King Bres’ Agricultural Gifts Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Håkon Stenstadvold (Artology)

Holling C. Holling (Artology)

Ilinden Day (St. Elijah Day; Macedonia)

Isabel Allende (Writerism)

James Baldwin (Writerism)

Jan van Scorel (Artology)

John Radecki (Artology)

John French Sloan (Artology)

Justin Russolillo (Christian; Blessed)

Khao Phansa begins (Buddhist Lent; Thailand)

Lady of the Angels’ Day (Costa Rica)

Martian Time-Slip, by Philip K. Dick (Novel; 1964)

Monster Monster (Muppetism)

Peter Faber (Christian; Saint)

Peter Julian Eymard (Christian; Saint)

Perdono di Assisi (Pardon of Assisi), the plenary indulgence related to St.Francis of Assisi originated in the church of Porziuncola (Catholic Church)

Richard Wilson (Artology)

Robert Holdstock (Writerism)

Robert Goddard Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Samuel David Ferguson (Episcopal Church)

Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten (Artology)

Sidwell (Christian; Saint) [Farmers]

Stephen I, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Theodots (Christian; Martyr)

Thomas of Dover (Christian; Saint)

Vermicelli Day (Pastafarian)

Virgin of Los Angeles Day (Costa Rica)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

American Graffiti (Film; 1973)

Castle in the Sky (Studio Ghibli Animated Film; 1986)

Doc Hollywood (Film; 1991)

Doing Impossible Stunts (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1940)

Don’t Look Back, by Boston (Album; 1978)

Emma (Film; 1996)

Europa Report (Film; 2013)

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (Film; 2019) [F&F]

Follow That Bird (Film; 1985)

In the Heat of the Night (Film; 1967)

It’s a Greek Life (Rainbow Parade Cartoon; 1936)

Lady, Play Your Mandolin! (WB MM Cartoon; 1931)

The Others (Film; 2001)

The Pebbles on the Beach, by Clarence Ellis (Geology Book; 1954)

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, “The Moonlight Sonata,” by Ludwig Van Beethoven (Piano Sonata; 1802)

The Suburbs, by Arcade Fire (Album; 2010)

Testament of Youth, by Vera Brittain (memoir; 1933)

2 Guns (Film; 2013)

Weird Science (Film; 1985)

Today’s Name Days

Eusebius, Julian, Petrus, Stefan (Austria)

Anđela, Arnir, Euzebije (Croatia)

Gustav (Czech Republic)

Hannibal (Denmark)

Helger, Helgo, Holger, Olger (Estonia)

Kimmo (Finland)

Julien (France)

Adriana, Eusebius, Juliam, Julan (Germany)

Justinianos (Greece)

Lehel (Hungary)

Eusebio (Italy)

Norma, Normunds, Stefans (Latvia)

Alfonsas, Guoda, Gustavas, Tautvaldas (Lithuania)

Karen, Karin (Norway)

Alfons, Alfonsyna, Borzysława, Gustaw, Ilia, Karina, Maria, Stefan (Poland)

Stefan (Romania)

Gustáv (Slovakia)

Ángeles, Eusebio (Spain)

Kajsa, Karin (Sweden)

Alf, Alfie, Alfonsina, Alfonso, Alford, Alfred, Alfreda, Alfredo, Alonso, Alonza, Alonzo, Alphonso, Fonzie (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 215 of 2024; 151 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of Week 31 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 28 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 28 (Wu-Xu)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 27 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 26 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 5 Purple; Fryday [5 of 30]

Julian: 20 July 2024

Moon: 4%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 18 Dante (8th Month) [Chateaubriand]

Runic Half Month: Thorn (Defense) [Day 10 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 44 of 94)

Week: 1st Week of August

Zodiac: Leo (Day 12 of 31)

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

Summer in Thibsburg

Two weeks, two whole weeks, of uninterrupted responsibility-free, socially inept nerd bliss. It was not an experience I had had since I was seven, when I had spent the summer back in Minnesota, and found that the friends I had had there, while grown-up, were still not quite grown-up enough to match my needs.

When I was twelve, I had gone on vacation with my mother to various art museums, eaten too many fancy meals. The following year I had been an exchange student in Buenos Aires for the better part of two months, but it had been more of a summer camp than a real vacation -- we had stayed in a dormitory, gone on excursions with the other exchange students in the program. I had been enclosed in a bubble.

Then, when I was a junior in high school, I had gone on a big family vacation to London and Paris with my mother and father. My father, in particular, had seemed to be taking too much pleasure in those two weeks. The theaters, the craft beers, the evenings spent appreciating historical art, and my mother's pouting disapproval. I had stayed home.

I wanted to go to the beach, to go swimming. I wanted to go up to northern Minnesota, to Grand Rapids, to Galesburg, and I was insistent about it to a degree I had not been at any other time of year. My parents were unusually quiet -- I was not used to seeing my father refuse to put on the radio. I had rarely even seen him drive without the radio on. I thought I might have to take the bus to some of my destinations.

"What's wrong?" my father asked, as we drove up the suburban Illinois highway.

"I want to go to Thibsburg."

"That's an odd destination."

"Not as odd as you make it out to be," I said. "You do have to go to Thibsburg sometimes, for work, right? And you go to, like, Galesburg, and Grand Rapids, and all kinds of other places. All I want to do is go to these places and hang out with these people, that's what I want to do. And you and Mom always say no to everything I ask for, but this time you're saying no to everything I ask for, too."

I had no doubt that I was "overreacting." I knew I had no chance of getting my parents to allow me to spend all of June and July in Thibsburg while I hung out at the house of my friend Norman and the people I had met on a forum, and got high with the kids at the mall and watched television while doing something called "lifting," which was essentially weight training. But still, I could not get these places out of my mind. I kept thinking about it.

"Why do you want to go there?" asked my mother.

"Because I've never done it, and I want to. It would be something different than what we do, and I want to change our patterns. We spend all our time doing the same stuff, day after day after day. It's boring. Summer is supposed to be fun, not 'boring' and 'the same.' Isn't that how summer's supposed to be?"

Mom and Dad exchanged glances. "We usually go to Scotland in the summer, and here you come along talking about how we're a family of boring stuffed shirts. Maybe we are, but that's not your fault. We went to Scotland last summer, and the year before that, and the year before that. Where did this come from? Damn, what is this outburst about, anyway?"

"Somebody at school said something. I hate those guys. They keep saying, 'Nerds like you, they should be banned from the planet, this is what would happen to Earth if the machines were given control, they should be killed before they try to breed, I'm just trying to help the planet' -- stuff like that. And they say it to my face, even though it's true. It doesn't make any difference to them that I'm an atheist and I haven't believed in any religion in years and years. They act like there's always been a war going on between nerds and non-nerds, and that the nerds could never win, even though you know they're wrong about that, because you're a nerd and we can't help it."

"Why do you like Thibsburg?" asked my father. "You've never been there. If it's so great, and you've never been there, isn't there something wrong with that?"

"But it's not good because it's great, it's great because it's good."

"Huh. The idea of 'not great because great' is an interesting one."

"Bet you've never thought of it before."

My mother sighed, turning to stare out the window.

"I like Thibsburg because it's different from here," I said. "It's a little town, it's far away from big cities, it has its own culture, and its own people. I'm not used to that, and I want to get used to it. I want people who aren't just part of the system, which is a word I've come up with for 'the shit my parents always force me to deal with.'"

Dad laughed. "Jesus. There's a bit of a hostility there, I think."

"It's hostility to the system, not my parents."

"You're going to Thibsburg?" asked my mother.

"I am. And then I'm going to Boston."

"Yeah? And where is that from?"

"From people at school. I don't know them, really. They're from the Boston area, and they invited me to spend the night at their house for a friend's party. I don't know why they invited me, but I'm not going to say no. Maybe they're being nice to me because I was nice to them."

"Who were they?" asked Dad.

"I don't know any of them except by their names. One of them is named Ian."

Mom looked at Dad. Dad shrugged.

"You know, 'Ian' reminds me of -- you remember, a few years ago you had this friend named Cecil, with the quiet voice? You remember him, don't you?"

"Sure. He lived near here, in Benson. I heard about him through work."

"You'd probably get along with Cecil. I can tell you that."

"I'm not smart enough to get along with Cecil," I said. "Cecil's a genius."

"They're not going to let you stay with them for a whole week, right?" asked Dad.

"No. They're having a friend's birthday party. I can stay for the party and then I'll have to leave."

"Or they might let you stay at their house for a bit."

"Yeah. Their houses aren't really any bigger than the houses around here, anyway. It's not like they're going to invite me to a place where they live in mansions or whatever."

"Whatever," said my mother.

(This is part of the fiction I wrote in 2013 about an online forum in which I'd been active since the end of 2012. Now I'm reworking it and posting it on my tumblr.)

[original post]

[brookston]

Holidays 8.31

Holidays

African Traditional Medicine Day

Anniversary of the Withdrawal of the Last American Soldier (Afghanistan)

Baloch-Pakhtun Unity Day (Balochistan, Pakistan)

Cow Chip Tossing Day

Crop Dusting Day

Day of Solidarity and Freedom (Poland)

831 Day

Festal Day (Order of the Eastern Star)

Flag Day (India)

Franchise Appreciation Day

Hari Kebangsaan (Malaysia)

International Blog Day (a.k.a. International Day of Blogs and Bloggers)

International Day for People of African Descent (UN)

International Day of Obstetrics & Pregnancy

International Lawn Day

International Overdose Awareness Day

Jack the Ripper Day [Killed 1st Victim: Mary Ann Nichols; 1888]

Limba Noastra (Day of Our Language; Moldova)

Long-Haul Truck Driver (Russia)

Love Litigating Lawyers Day

Memorial Day for the Victims of Repression (Uzbekistan)

Merdeka Day (Malaysia)

National Asiatic Cheetah Day (Iran)

National Box Car Day

National Cinema Day (UK)

National Cowgirl Day

National Dan Day

National Day (Vietnam)

National Diatomaceous Earth Day

National HalfCut Day (Australia)

National Language Day (Moldova)

National Leslie Day

National Matchmaker Day

National South Carolina Day

National Zoo Awareness Day (UK)

Nature Day (Finland)

North Borneo Self-Government Day

Opioid Misuse Prevention Day

Overdose Awareness Day

Princess Diana Memorial Day

Rabbit Rabbit Day [Last Day of Every Month]

Romanian Language Day (Romania)

Sărbătoarea (a.k.a. Limba noastră; Language Day; Moldova)

Take a Seat Day

Tank Day (Lešany, Czech Republic)

Teacher’s Day (Singapore)

Walnut Day (French Republic)

We Love Memoirs Day

White Rose Day (Australia)

Withdrawal of the Last American Soldier Anniversary Day (Afghanistan)

World Distance Learning Day

World Sanskrit Day

World Solidarity Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Eat Outside Day

Grape Blessing Day (Armenia)

International Bacon Day [also 12.30]

Invent A New Sandwich Day

National Chourico Day

National Trail Mix Day

Vegetable Day (Japan)

Independence & Related Days

Befshire (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Kyrgyzstan (from USSR, 1991)

Malaysia (from UK, 1957)

North Borneo (Self-Government Day; Sabah, Malaysia)

Surigao City Charter Day (Philippines)

Trinidad and Tobago (from UK, 1962)

5th & Last Saturday in August

International Bacon Day [Saturday before 1st Monday in September]

International Bat Night [Last Saturday]

International Cosplay Day [Last Saturday]

International Play Music on the Porch [Last Saturday]

Iroquois Indian Festival (Albany, NY) [Begins on Last Saturday]

Pony Express Day [Last Saturday]

Sandwich Saturday [Every Saturday]

Schemitzun begins (Green Corn Pow Wow; Mashantucket Pequot, Connecticut) [Last Saturday]

Six For Saturday [Every Saturday]

Spaghetti Saturday [Every Saturday]

Speak Kind Words Saturday [Saturday of Be Kind to Humankind Week]

World Day for the End of Speciesism [Last Saturday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 31 (4th Full Week of August)

National Buffalo Chicken Wings Days (Buffalo, New York) [thru 9.1]

Festivals Beginning August 31, 2024

Amish Country Cheese Festival (Arthur, Illinois) [thru 9.3]

Apple Harvest Celebration (Willcox, Arizona) [thru 9.8]

BBQ & Craft Beer Festival (Monmouth Park, Oceanport, New Jersey) [thru 9.2]

Bloemencorso Eelde (Eelde, Netherlands) [thru 9.1]

Boothbay Harbor Tuna Challenge (Boothbay Harbor, Maine)

Bremerton Blackberry Festival (Bremerton, Washington) [thru 9.2]

Bumbershoot (Seattle, Washington) [thru 9.1]

Canadian International Air Show (Toronto, Canada) [thru 9.2]

Caribbean Food And Wine Festival (West Friendship, Maryland)

Connecticut Renaissance Faire (Lebanon, Connecticut) [thru 10.14]

Corn Maze (Middlefield, Connecticut) [thru 11.3]

Eastport Salmon and Seafood Festival (Eastport, Maine) [thru 9.1]

Food Truck Festival (Waterloo, Iowa)

Garlic Town U.S.A. (Bennington, Vermont)

Girdwood Fungus Fair (Girdwood, Alaska) [thru 9.1]

Harvest Wine Fest (Albuquerque & Las Cruces, New Mexico) [thru 9.2]

Hatch Chile Festival (Hatch, New Mexico) [thru 9.1]

John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (High Point, North Carolina) [thru 9.1]

Kansas City Renaissance Festival (Bonner Springs, Kansas) [thru 10.14]

Keystone’s Oktoberfest (Keystone, Colorado)

King Richard’s Faire (Carver, Massachusetts) [thru 10.20]

Milan Melon Festival (Milan, Ohio) [thru 9.2]

National Buffalo Wing Festival (Buffalo, New York) [thru 9.1]

Ohio Renaissance Festival (Harveysburg, Ohio) [thru 10.27]

Okinawan Festival (Waikiki, Hawaii) [thru 9.1]

Renaissance Faire at Sleepy Hollow (Des Moines, Iowa) [thru 9.15]

Richmond County Fair (Staten Island, New York) [thru 9.2]

Romeo Peach Festival (Romeo, Michigan) [thru 9.2]

Seafood Festival & Craft Show (Westport, Washington)

Taste of Hamburg-er Festival (Hamburg, Pennsylvania)

Taste of Madison (Madison, Wisconsin) [thru 9.1]

Taylor Sweet Corn Festival (Taylor, Arizona)

West Cape May Tomato Festival (West Cape May, New Jersey)

West Jefferson Annual Ox Roast (West Jefferson, Ohio) [thru 9.2]

Wild Rice Day (McGregor, Minnesota)

World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off (Brady, Texas)

Feast Days

Aidan of Lindisfarne (Christian; Saint)

Alter Ego Day (Pastafarian)

Aristides of Athens (Christian; Saint)

Bryan Organ (Artology)

Cuthburh (Christian; Saint)

Dominguito del Val (Christian; Saint)

DuBose Heyward (Writerism)

Feast of Grapes (Ancient Minoa; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Fourth Onam (Rice Harvest Festival, Day 4; Kerala, India)

Frey’s Blot (Pagan)

Gai Jatra (Cow Festival, in remembrance of people who died the previous year; Kathmandu Valley, Nepal)

G. Willow Wilson (Writerism)

Henry (Muppetism)

Isabel (Christian; Saint)

Joseph of Arimathea (Christian; Saint)

Jouffroy (Positivist; Saint)

Mária Balážová (Artology)

Nicodemus (Christian; Saint)

Paulinus of Trier (Christian; Saint)

Paul Reubens Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Raymond Nonnatus (Christian; Saint)

The Ritual Walk of the Eyos (Lagos; Everyday Wicca)

Roger Dean (Artology)

Wala of Corbie (Christian; Saint)

Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria (Christian; Saint)

William Saroyan (Writerism)

Yumiko Ōshima (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏��� Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [48 of 71]

Premieres

All Or Nothing At All, recorded by Frank Sinatra (Song; 1939)

American Idiot, by Green Day (Song; 2004)

Andor (TV Series; 2022)

Bad, by Michael Jackson (Album; 1987)

The Big Sleep (Film; 1946)

Bolero (Film; 1984)

Bugsy and Mugsy (WB LT Cartoon; 1957)

The Commuter, by Philip K. Dick (Short Story; 1953)

The Constant Gardener (Film; 2005)

Document, by R.E.M. (Album; 1987)

Fly, by Dixie Chicks (Album; 1999)

Foundation and Earth, by Isaac Asimov (Novel; 1986) [Foundation #5]

Get Rich Quick (Disney Cartoon; 1951)

Goat’s Head Soup, by The Rolling Stones (Album; 1973)

The Great Gildersleeve (Radio Series; 1941)

Jack Ryan (TV Series; 2018)

Only Murders in the Building (TV Series; 2021)

Orient Express, by Graham Greene (a.k.a. Stamboul Train; Novel; 1932)

Pluto’s Judgement Day (Disney Cartoon; 1935)

The Psychology of Intelligence, by Jean Piaget (Science Book; 1947)

Radetzky March, by Johann Strauss (March; 1848)

Raising Demons, by Shirley Jackson (Memoir; 1957)

Solid Serenade (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1946)

Soul on Ice, by Eldridge Cleaver (Memoir & Essays; 1968)

The Threepenny Opera, by Bertolt Brecht (Play with Music; 1928)

Wildest Dreams, by Taylor Swift (Song; 2015)

The World According to Garp, by John Irving (Novel; 1978)

You Gotta Be a Football Hero (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1935)

Today’s Name Days

Paulinus, Raimubd (Austria)

Josip, Nikodem, Optat, Paulina (Croatia)

Pavlína (Czech Republic)

Bertha (Denmark)

Arved, Arvi, Arvid (Estonia)

Arvi (Finland)

Aristide (France)

Aidan, Anja, Paulinus, Raimund (Germany)

Bella, Erika (Hungary)

Aristide (Italy)

Aigars, Aira, Labite, Vilma (Latvia)

Raimunda, Raimundas, Vilmantas, Vilmantė (Lithuania)

Berta, Berte (Norway)

Bohdan, Paulina, Rajmund, Rajmunda, Świętosław (Poland)

Nora (Slovakia)

Ramón (Spain)

Arvid, Vidar (Sweden)

Aden, Aidan, Aiden, Ayden, Edan, Edana, Eden, Edina, Egan, Egon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 244 of 2024; 122 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of Week 35 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 1 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 28 (Ding-Mao)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 27 Av 5784

Islamic: 25 Safar 1446

J Cal: 4 Gold; Foursday [4 of 30]

Julian: 18 August 2024

Moon: 5%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 20 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Thilorier]

Runic Half Month: Rad (Motion) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 73 of 94)

Week: 1st Full Week of September

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 10 of 32)

Calendar Changes

Muin (Vine) [Celtic Tree Calendar; Month 9 of 13]

[traipseartist]

May 14th & 15th - South Bend and Beyond

The final two days of the trip are condensed into one blur because visiting my family in South Bend, Indiana was in the middle. The McMillen clan likes late nights, cards, wine, and Oingo Boingo, so it's hard to say where Tuesday stopped and Wednesday began.

Lewis and I packed out of Pike Lake early, deciding not to swim at the Milwaukee metropolitan area's finest open-to-the-public swimming lake in the 55°F morning temps, alas. Since we'd been dragging our feet on early mornings this whole trip, we decided to set out before 10am and plodded around Chicago in slow but probably still record time.

We decided to detour out of Milwaukee before heading down to Illinois as a sort-of salute to my original plan and so that I could relive the glory of this city as my 15 year-old self remembers it. I was also on the hunt for some New Glarus Spotted Cow, one of my favorite easy-drinking beers that you cannot nab beyond Wisconsin state lines. We search for beer and liquor stores (uncannily all open at 9am or earlier) and come up short for the kind of craft selection we know must be lurking here somewhere. After browsing past Bacardi Whipped Cream Vodkas and Colt 45s I give up and resort to Reddit which points us to... a local grocery store? named Woodman's. Lewis remarks upon my uneasy disposition that Woodmen gave us good luck in Omaha and perhaps they'd have more than your domestic spread.

Oh. So, did they have more than Corona and Bud? This was no grocery store. Woodman's is a beer SUPERSTORE that happens to sell bread and laundry detergent out the back. We lollygag in the aisles of just Wisconsin local craft beer for about half an hour, overwhelmed with the selection and exasperated that we cannot buy it all (Bad Farm Pilsner? Ma'am this is a Wendy's Summer Sour? Billy Rae Citrus IPA? Get! in! my! cart!). We buy my New Glarus, a Hazy called THE NEEDLER (depicting a pine tree with a Snake-esque head scarf tied around it's erm... tip? running recklessly and dual wielding those weird alien guns from Halo 2), and a dark beer as requested for Elaina who would touch base with Lewis at his final destination in DC.

We got settled in Stacey once more, but after 9 full nights together, we were beginning to feel the fatigue of travel, shared space, and the unwavering rhythm of Stacey over rough pavement. It seemed that all of what was left of Wisconsin and Illinois smelled like sulfur, we surmised, because of swamp gas or the like. The dense cloud cover and less-than-warm conditions began to invite a sort of listlessness amongst us.

We changed and got cleaned up at a gas station before finding breakfast--today we were aiming for Culver, my military(ish?) boarding high school in the middle of rural Indiana, then finally my Uncle Joe and Aunt Wendy in South Bend about an hour's north for dinner and some familiar (to me) faces.

We stopped at Pancake Point in Gurnee, Illinois for brunch and an attempt at clearer heads only to be immediately endeared to a character of a waitress who swore Lewis was her son's friend--but not. When we told her of our journey, she chittered anxiously about a road trip she'd just made to Colorado to visit her son and how all of the McDonald's looked the same(!) after a while. Lewis and I had to restrain ourselves from asking if this tiny, maraca of a woman was available for adoption and instead ate GIANT bowls of hash browns piled high with eggs, peppers, beans, chorizo, and the tastiest homemade pico. I nibbled at a pancake while we tried to shake our funk and hype ourselves up for the next four hours of driving into the cornfields of my past.

Fortunately, it was Alumni Week at Culver when we rolled in, so two strangers wandering the campus did not make us extra-out-of-place to the teenagers plodding about the quadrangle in their regulation recreation attire. I took Lewis to my favorite pockets of my adolescent years and gawped unattractively at all of the buildings they've since demolished and all of the buildings they've since built as is my job as a graduate.

I felt sheepish as I continued to run into faculty that remembered my face (especially those responsible for... disciplinary action) and fought my impulse to revert to my younger self (it's 4pm on a Tuesday... I should be at Speech practice right now!) but a small part of me was overjoyed to find the place still felt like home some 13 years later. Also wow... what a fucking ingrate I was for not truly appreciating the endless resources available to me as a bratty little teen (Horses! A photography lab?! A library and academic buildings peppered with ancient art??? A FULL SIZE THEATER FOR PERFORMANCE AND TECH!?) Lewis asks if this ruined it for me--college and the great beyond. I mused on the question. I never thought that any place should be like Culver... it is its own animal, its blessings almost inseparably tied to its curses. But no doubt, it changed everything in me as much as I want to temporally separate myself from this tiny cornfield bubble with time and distance.

After doing a small circle (the campus is enormous, acres and acres, it's hard to relay without a map and a meter stick) around the heart of the main quad, we boarded Stacey once more and rode the hour north to South Bend to meet with Joe, Wendy, and their children Jacob and Rachel at their home in Granger, IN.

By the time we were back on the main highway going north, the sulfuric smell was absolutely overwhelming in Stacey's cabin and I began to suspect that it was not the Midwest that was the stinky culprit. An hour later, after parked in a beautiful suburban neighborhood, thankful and light headed upon arrival, we pop the hood in front of Joe and Wendy's beautiful darkly wooded, 1970's style single family home to be greeted by a weak fountain of acid seeping down the side of Stacey's main battery. Oops.

While Lewis phoned AAA, I greeted the family. The kids were bumming it for the week at home because Rachel was graduating this weekend and was prepping by being hung-over by day, and partying by night (and some day, too) with her classmates on campus. Jacob was lassoed into redoing the front deck for her ensuing graduation party the coming weekend. Jean, Wendy's mother, was also there to set us straight with her sharp strategy in a few rounds of 3-13 we'd have later into the night.

Lewis and I were happy to be surrounded by some other humans for a bit, to eat veggie pizza (and share with the winded AAA guy swapping out Stacey's innards) and pet a dog or two. We slept hard and fast in a spare bedroom, anxiously awaiting tomorrow to race home and meet my Mom and Grandfather at Pittsburgh International before flopping down in a place familiar to us both.

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

I anticipated we would scuttle home in a boring and direct fashion along the Ohio turnpike because time was of the essence and Lewis and I had not been historically early risers for this trip. Mom & Pop were to touch down at 5pm and it's a tight 6 hours back home from the outskirts of South Bend.

Unfortunately for them, and maybe fortunately for our timetable, their Southwest flight was delayed a full five hours due to weather surging up through the Columbus, Ohio region that was dramatically disrupting air traffic.

Amazingly, after replacing Stacey's battery, she no longer needed the precious white glove service of hand-jumping and we took it as a sign of renewal in its own way, waving good-bye to relatives I'd see again in 48 hours time for a graduation ceremony, we hit the road for the final lap.

It didn't take but two hours before Lewis and I decided to deviate from the sling-shot trajectory we had up until this point mostly avoided taking as a matter of principle. We slid up to the coast of Lake Erie to visit the Port Clinton lighthouse and eat a few french fries while looking directly at a giant body of water for a bit. Port Clinton appeared to be preparing for the Walleye Festival (???) that would arrive the coming weekend and so the town felt a lot less sleepy than was surely normal, despite being adorned in adorable maritime statues and public parklets that betrayed the slow plod of this place otherwise.

We poked around the promised light house, the chilly shore of Erie, a store for the supernatural (I bought a new pair of sunglasses to replace a pair I had gifted to a nail salon back in Minneapolis). We ate french fries while listening to the bartendress relay her morning struggle of finding someone to cover her shift while she took her son to the doctor for a surprise broken arm. We stared hard into the distance, still processing all that had gone and all that was yet to come, and rolled into Stacey for the last time. Pittsburgh bound, at last.

I read an experimental piece Lewis is working on from his bestickered laptop from the passenger's seat. We listen to the end of a playlist all about lyrics, and when we start to recognize bridges and tunnels, we breathe a sigh of relief. I play 31 by Ceann and sing the words at the tippy top of my lungs when we pull into my driveway at the tippy top of Stanton Heights:

"Soon we'll be home In the places I know Where the boys say "Yinz" And the girls say "Ope" 31 miles east of Ohio(oooo) Where Iron still flows In watering holes We'll go where the Monongahela goes To the city that was built from underground For Pittsburgh I am bound!"

[brewyork]

Niteglow celebrates launch of Bushwick brewery

Niteglow has officially launched its first New York-brewed beers. The well-polished taproom is an all-day space that operates as a coffee shop during the day (as Dayglow) and a taproom at night (as Niteglow). The first beer brewed on premise in the rear brewery space on Wilson Avenue in Bushwick is Rare 03 NY Brown Ale, a coffee-spiked 5% ABV Brown Ale made in collaboration with Barcelona-based Nomad Coffee. Two other beers are currently fermenting in the tanks, including a Pale Ale that will debut at the taproom tomorrow.

While Niteglow has origins in Illinois, where its co-owner and brewer Jonny Ifergan got his start in beer and spent more than three decades of his life and where Niteglow beers were initially brewed as the brewhouse got up and running, this spot has planted its roots in New York. They’ll be focused on brewing with New York State ingredients as a licensed Farm Brewery. The Rare 03 uses New York-grown pale malt from revered Massachusetts maltster Valley Malt, darker malts from New York Craft Malt, and New York-grown Columbus hops. The forthcoming H03, a bright Pale Ale I got to sample earlier this week, utilizes New York-grown Centennial and Cascade hops. In my conversations with Jonny, it’s clear he’s passionate about New York beer agriculture, understanding processes and fermentation, and appreciating the art of the pour — all of the draft beers at Niteglow are poured from Lukr taps, and the three core traditional Czech-style pours are offered. And yes, there are milktubes.

Niteglow is open seven days a week from 11am-11pm at 8 Wilson Avenue in Brooklyn, the space that was previously home to Non Sequitur Beer. This is their grand opening weekend and they’ll roll out more new beers gradually while they also offer guest taps from the likes of other New York breweries like Wild East, Wayward Lane, and Drowned Lands. Cider, cocktails, NA beer, and snacks from La Cabra Bakery are also available.

[sofyachy]

Misinformation Cookies

Last night, I had a wild hair to make "misinformation cookies" for a potluck. Think fortune cookies, but with less fortune, more bullshit. I came up with 3 dozen unique, artisanally crafted lines of bullshit, but sadly, the making of the cookies is not going to happen in time for the potluck. If you need an idea for a Halloween potluck, feel free to use these:

Facebook algorithms account for 84% of the cockroaches in your breakfast cereal.

Soylent Green is made of cheese fries.

A European underwear model is moving to your city and wants to put $50,000 in your bank account.

Alaskan senators just voted to curb climate change by redirecting the Alaska Pipeline to blow air conditioning back at the arctic.

The Queer Extremists are coming for your shoes!

You have used up all your allotted internet points for the week. Your social media posts weren’t getting enough likes, hearts, or ha-has.

He’s behind you! He’s behind you! Duck!!!

You can melt away that pesky belly fat with a diet of 90% spray cheese.

Mitch McConnell is the way he is because he’s the reincarnation of Mae West and he never figured out what to do with that knowledge.

Q-Anon is putting mind-control drugs in Starbucks’ pumpkin spice lattes!

Ghosts are real. It’s just that they’re not that into you.

J.K. Rowling has seen the error of her ways and announced that Percy Weasley is a transwoman.

Ryan Gosling definitely does not maintain his looks by drinking the blood of the innocent.

Your shirt tag is sticking out.

The 2020 model of pugs have been recalled due to excessive derpiness.

Left-Wing Extremists want us all to convert to metric time! Get ready for 100-minute hours and 10-hour days!

Right-Wing Extremists are coming for your beer!

Science has proven that the vaccine for Wandering Lung Disease causes deadly farts in 73% of gassy rats.

Borneo isn’t a real island. It was drawn onto maps by the cartographers who are profiting from fundraisers aimed at saving the orangutan, which doesn’t exist either.

In 1969, NASA accidentally overshot the moon and hit Alpha Centauri instead. They faked the moon landing footage because they were so embarrassed by their bad math.

You’ve got some schmutz on your face.

Scientists have just bred a new species of Super Squirrel that can pick locks and open doors. They’re coming for your nuts!

Vikings didn’t have horns on their helmets. Those were actually Go Pros so they could capture the looks of terror on the Saxons’ faces when they pillaged.

Science has proven that vampires exist. But they don’t drink blood or shy away from sunlight. They do sleep all day and love catnip. Actually, vampires are cats.

One of the extras in The Rocky Horror Picture Show was Richard Nixon.

Exploding Death Spiders have crossed the US border. Entomologists say they will reach Illinois by next week.

Did you know? You can make your own home remedy for appendicitis with baking soda, lemon juice, and neon puffy paint.

Halloween is a liberal conspiracy to teach kids that making and wearing costumes is fun.

Big Candy doesn’t want you to know that the secret ingredient in the plain orange-and-black-wrapped Halloween candy is wood glue.

Science still cannot prove that Kanye West isn’t an android controlled by aliens.

The top 1% control 58% of all percentages.

Tomorrow’s forecast: partly cloudy with a 52% chance of localized tornado bombs.

Whatever you do, don’t look up.

Nancy Pelosi is three raccoons in a pantsuit.

Your message here $5.00

Climate change is a hoax perpetrated by a few really, really smart trees.

[96thdayofrage]

Goose Island workers tried to unionize before the COVID-19 pandemic. The company pushed back — and then laid off leaders of the effort.

Like many union drives, workers at Goose Island Beer Co. began organizing quietly, in spring 2019.

For months, a core of employees leading the effort at Chicago’s oldest brewery met covertly with colleagues — coffee shops in the morning and bars at night, with full workdays in between — offering visions of a more equitable workplace.

By early 2020, as many as 75% of Goose Island’s approximately 125 employees eligible to join a union expressed support, organizers said in interviews with the Chicago Tribune. Months of toil seemed poised to succeed.

But then, weeks before taking the union drive public, organizers ran into a pair of buzz saws. First, management learned of the plan and responded with what several organizers believe was an aggressive and occasionally intimidating effort to thwart unionization.

Weeks later came the second hurdle: the COVID-19 pandemic. With all but essential production employees furloughed or shifted to working from home, momentum waned.

Finally, on June 2, 2020, citing a downturn due to the pandemic, Goose Island laid off what union organizers estimate to be at least 20 employees. Among those sent packing were several vocal union advocates, including the three core organizers.

The Chicago Tribune spoke with seven former Goose Island employees involved in the union drive, some at its core and some who were supporters; five were laid off.

Several people active in the union drive say they don’t doubt the company was under financial strain at the time. But they also believe Goose Island used the layoffs to target leading union activists and to finish off their efforts. According to current and former employees, the idea of unionizing Goose Island has withered away.

“I don’t know if I think there were only layoffs because of the union drive,” said Grace Vasquez, a core organizer laid off during summer 2020 after nearly three years as a server, bartender, tour guide and floor manager. “But I think who got laid off was in direct response to the union drive.”

Goose Island declined to answer questions about the union drive or the layoffs. But in a statement from Goose Island president Todd Ahsmann issued Sept. 17, the company said it “always respected our employees’ right to decide for themselves about union representation.”

The statement attributed the layoffs to the pandemic, which it said “significantly impacted our business” and led the company to combine sales and marketing forces for Goose Island and its subsidiary, Virtue Cider, “to share expertise, maximize resources and focus on opportunities that will allow our business to adapt to the changing industry.” The pandemic also led to layoffs at the brewery’s two Chicago bars and shuttering the Philadelphia pub Goose Island launched in 2018, the statement said.

“The incredibly difficult decision to separate with some sales, marketing and pub employees, both salaried and hourly, was entirely based on the new operating realities facing our industry, particularly bars and restaurants,” the statement said. “We continue to be grateful for their contributions to the company during their time here.”

Like many businesses, Goose Island’s global parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, struggled during the pandemic, with revenues declining 3.7% in 2020, according to its annual report to shareholders.

But a bright spot was in the U.S., where Anheuser-Busch led the nation’s beer industry in dollar growth, according to market research firm IRI, due in large part to the company’s “above core portfolio,” which includes craft breweries such as Goose Island, the report says.

Brewing discontent

Goose Island’s response to the union drive as described by organizers is similar to the approach often taken by companies trying to fend off unionization, said Nik Theodore, a professor of urban planning and policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago who has studied employer reaction to unionization.

[Most read] The Arlington Heights Bears? Here’s what to know about the possible move from Soldier Field, with reaction from City Hall to the suburbs. »

Employers usually oppose unionization, he said, to stave off rising costs associated with a labor contract and losing unilateral power over employees.

When confronted with a union drive, a company may respond first with the suggestion that issues can be handled in-house without a union, Theodore said. Escalating tactics often include mandatory meetings, anti-union literature and warnings that moving forward would cost jobs or benefits, he said.

Cevapi sandwiches are part of Chicago’s latest Balkan food craze, and Kiosk Balkan Street Food makes a great one »

In some cases, Theodore said, laying off employees at the core of a union drive can be seen as a final step when trying to quash such efforts. In such scenarios, he said, employers will cite business needs to justify layoffs and may also lay off employees not affiliated with union drives along with union leaders.

Positive incentives are also commonly used, he added.

“It’s not all about punishment,” he said. “Some people will be promoted. Some people will get bonuses or will get raises. It’s a signal: ‘As a company, we are here to take care of you.’”

Organizing has been a continuing theme in the beer industry since San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing unionized two years ago, which one labor lawyer called “a potential watershed moment” for the beer industry. Since then, brewery workers in Minneapolis and Cleveland have also taken steps toward unionizing.

At Goose Island, the broadest support for unionization was at the brewery’s Clybourn Avenue pub, where the brand launched in 1988. Multiple former pub employees said they felt like second-class citizens compared to workers at Goose Island’s Fulton Street headquarters.

Bartenders at the Fulton Street taproom had a base pay close to three times the hourly rate as bartenders at the Clybourn pub, according to people who have worked at both locations. Adding in tips, the disparity could map out to $30 to $40 an hour for Fulton Street bartenders compared to about $15 to $20 an hour for bartenders at the Clybourn pub.

Just opened: Black-owned Provaré puts Creole spin on Italian, and 7 more new Chicago-area restaurants »

But frustrations ran deeper than money, some former employees said. At Goose Island’s holiday party in 2018, the former employees said, Clybourn pub employees had to serve workers from the Fulton Street headquarters, which led to broad discontent.

Vasquez, who was among those serving at the party, said workers felt “embarrassed, ashamed, unlucky and unappreciated” to wait on people they thought of as peers.

[Most read] Surviving kin of Chicago’s famous O’Leary family ready for new chapter following harrowing past. ‘I think it’s time for closure.’ »

“It was always a stressed and tense space,” Vasquez said of the Clybourn pub. “The staff isn’t respected by other parts of Goose Island. There was always an ‘us against them’ tension.”

Unionization efforts began the following spring. Each department had its motivating issues, organizers said, with some upset at the sense they would be paid better doing the same work elsewhere, including at the U.S. parent company, Anheuser-Busch, which bought Goose Island from founder John Hall in 2011.

Goose Island sale 10 years later: Anheuser-Busch got what it needed from the deal, but what’s left for Chicago beer drinkers is more complicated. »

Employees sometimes put in hours of unpaid work outside their scheduled shifts, according to a former employee and union organizer, who did not want to be named because he remains active in labor organizing at his current job and other workplaces.

One common motivating issue among workers, especially brewers, was safety, particularly repetitive injuries and chemical exposure, the former employee said. Many of the most effective safety standards at Goose Island were passed down from Anheuser-Busch; several brewers hoped to see a contract that would further cement safety as a priority, he said.

A brewery can be a physically demanding workplace, with kegs that can weigh upward of 160 pounds and minor construction projects at beer festivals and events, the former employee said.

In some cases, former employees felt, safety didn’t seem like a primary concern.

In a September 2019 example, union organizer Maddie Mathie said she was changing a keg in a refrigerated room at the Clybourn Avenue pub when she became lightheaded and felt as if she might pass out. When she told management something was amiss, she said, a manager asked if she had remembered to eat breakfast.

Black-owned breweries are rare, but more are opening in Chicago. Here’s why that matters. »

Another manager checked the keg room and confirmed something was wrong, according to Mathie, which led to the discovery of a poisonous carbon dioxide leak. The situation was resolved, but Mathie said management never addressed the issue broadly with workers or provided instruction in case such an issue were to happen again. Managers joked for the rest of the day that she had been “the canary in the coal mine,” Mathie said.

“I always felt there were a lot of things handled too casually, and that further instilled this idea that no matter what happens, things will blow over,” she said.

Ahsmann acknowledged the 2019 incident in a statement Sept. 22, saying a “CO2 tank was inadvertently left open during routine tap line maintenance. This was addressed immediately in accordance with our protocols.”

[nwbeerguide]

Now available via Tavour, Southern Grist Brewing expands the number of states where you can find their beers!

Images sourced from Southern Grist

Press Release

Southern Grist was behind the "Black is Beautiful" beer and is growing rapidly! If you have any other questions about them or are working on another article related to anything I can help with I would love to connect! Please let me know what you think of this article!

In just five years, Nashville, Tennessee's Southern Grist Brewing has crafted an incredible 722 unique beers, opened two highly-trafficked taprooms, and conjured a loyal following of craft-brew drinkers that extends well beyond state lines. 

And today, through the online beer retailer Tavour, Southern Grist’s one-of-a-kind brews are available in the following 22 states, for the first time ever: 

California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington State, and Wisconsin!

That’s right! Using the app-based bottle shop, beer drinkers from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeast corner of Florida will now have the delicious opportunity to fill their fridges with the highly sought-after brews from these Tennessee craft kings!

It all started back in 2016, when Southern Grist’s co-founders Jared Welch, Kevin Antoon, and Jamie Lee left the corporate world to pursue their shared dream of opening a brewery. Two years later, they traded in their original 430 square foot brew space with a 3.5 barrel system for a 9,900 square foot space with a much larger 20 barrel system. It’s here that the trio and their crew craft an impressive 2-6 brand new beers each week!

And, that’s just to keep up with demand! Jess Gonzales — Southern Grist’s Brand Manager — tells us that before COVID-19, “We would have folks from not only our local craft beer community, but also the surrounding states, line up outside our warehouse hours before releases.”

Some Southern Grist fans take it a step further. “We've heard about everything from paying strangers to stand in line to snag bottles, to some folks that flew in from around the world to celebrate our 4th Anniversary with us, to bottles selling on the secondary market for up to 30 times what we've sold it for!” 

Today, with the help of the Tavour app, snagging Southern Grist brews is as easy as clicking a button. And Gonzales, along with the entirety of the Southern Grist team, can’t wait for craft beer drinkers across 22 new states to get a delicious taste of Southern Grist for themselves!

“Simply having people who haven't had the opportunity to get their hands on our unique beers is truly exciting. With our commitment to quality ingredients and passion for constantly pushing the envelope on what beer can taste like, we love experiencing the reaction from first time SGB beer drinkers!” 

With everything from a New England IPA stuffed with nostalgically delicious cereal marshmallows, to a Barrel Aged Imperial Stout Braggot aged in vanilla bourbon barrels for 16 months on heaps of vanilla caviar, Southern Grist has something for every beer lover. 

That’s one of the many reasons the Tavour team is thrilled about their newest craft friends. Tavour’s Business Development Manager, Libby Bourchert, describes Southern Grist as, “one of the best breweries in the country. Most beer nerds have heard of Southern Grist, because they have a great reputation and amazing beer. They are SO creative with their recipes. BIG fan.” 

from Northwest Beer Guide - News - The Northwest Beer Guide https://bit.ly/3gJVKTL

[chicagobeerpass]

Chicago Beer Pass: Ready For Beer Under Glass

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White  have themselves a mixed six-pack to celebrate Illinois Craft Beer Week. Hopefully everyone has taken the week to explore a few new places or at least visit some old favorites. As the guys crack open a few local beers they talk about Brad's trip to Montana and Nik's trip to Indiana for Dark Lord Day. The guys are recording this one day before Beer Under Glass which closes out Illinois Craft Beer Week, so if you are looking for something to do on this long weekend, grab a ticket and head to Union Station.

Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (73.2MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

[richfieldbranch]

Mike’s Picks - Week of April 6th

Hello again to all our Richfield Library Patrons. We’re back this week with more suggestions to keep you busy while you're stuck at home. All library programs, outreach, and meeting rooms have been canceled until at least May, so hang in there! The books are all available through Hoopla or Overdrive, you can click the title to access it’s listing, or find all our materials at https://akronlibrary.org/browse/digital.  As always, I miss you, and please send me an email to let me know how you're doing, or if there's anything I can do for you.

Mike Daly, Adult Services Librarian 

mdaly@akronlibrary.org

Crafts:

For all you Richfield Crafters out there missing your monthly crafting fix, I have attached a couple of timely links to help you pass the time during the great quarantine.

Do-it-yourself Covid Masks

The first link was posted by the U. S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams. It's very simple and doesn't require sewing. You can find the video at: 

https://www.wwlp.com/news/health/coronavirus-local-impact/surgeon-general-heres-how-you-can-make-a-cloth-mask-today-in-just-a-few-easy-steps/

NPR also explains how they should be worn, and offers some different options for making them (including one where you just cut up an old t-shirt, no sewing or stapling or anything):

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/04/03/826996154/coronavirus-faqs-is-a-homemade-mask-effective-and-whats-the-best-way-to-wear-one

This one is what my wife used to make our family's masks. It does require a sewing machine, but the results were quite professional and easy to wear. There are hundreds of online tutorials if you do an internet search for “making Covid masks”. This one is from USA Today:

 https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/04/04/coronavirus-face-mask-tips-how-make-fabric-instructions/2945209001/ 

And finally, Joann Fabric has provided this pattern that does not require elastic or string, but instead has fabric straps:

https://www.joann.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-LibraryJoAnnShared/default/dw4148ae36/static/landingpage/assets/MaskInstructions_V2.pdf

Easter Pom-Pom Craft

Here's a couple of simple craft for all ages. They're really easy and the end products are very cute. All you need are scissors, rubber bands, old fabric, and some yarn. For bunnies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8DYHOSpL50 

and for chicks:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz0o-dBhAKA  

There are many more available on You Tube.

Books:

Non-Fiction

The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West by David McCullough

McCullough tells the story of the settling of the Northwest Territory, at the time a wilderness northwest of the Ohio River containing the future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. His main focus is on the founding and growth of Marietta, Ohio. Included in the Northwest Ordinance were three remarkable conditions: freedom of religion, free universal education, and most importantly, the

prohibition of slavery. McCullough tells the story through five major characters: Manasseh Cutler, Revolutionary War veteran General Rufus Putnam, Cutler’s son Ephraim; and two other men, one a carpenter turned architect, and the other a physician who became a prominent pioneer in American science. A must read for anyone interested in Ohio history.

Code Name: Lise, the True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Decorated Spy by Larry Loftis

This book was an exciting read. I had never heard of Odette Sansom or the women of the SOE. In 1942 Odette Sansom, a French woman married to and English man, decides to follow in her war hero father’s footsteps by becoming an SOE agent to aid Britain and her beloved homeland, France. Five failed attempts and one plane crash later, she finally lands in occupied France to begin her mission. It is here that she meets her commanding officer Captain Peter Churchill. Loftis paints a portrait of true courage, patriotism, and love—of two incredibly heroic people who endured unimaginable horrors. He weaves together the touching romance between Odette and Peter and the thrilling cat and mouse game between them and a wily Gestapo agent.

Fiction:

This week I've been rereading some of my favorite books. The titles listed below are an eclectic mix, so everyone should find something to like. They are also long which will help you kill some time while stuck at home.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

This was my favorite book in high school. Lose yourself in the adventures of Frodo and Gandolf in their epic battle of good versus evil. All three titles, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King are available for down as Ebook or audio on the library website.

The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens 

Although not as well known as Great Expectations or Oliver Twist, this Dickens classic is my favorite. A serial romp through Victorian England, this book is in turns funny, sad, and touching. Don't give up because the 19th Century language is unfamiliar. You will be rewarded if you persevere. 

The Ebook is available through Project Gutenberg: 

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/967/967-h/967-h.htm 

and the audio book is available at LibriVox:

 https://librivox.org/the-life-and-adventures-of-nicholas-nickleby-by/ 

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

The first and best of Follett's historical novels about the fictional English city of Kingsbridge, it's an Oprah Book Club choice as well. The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known, of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect, and of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena. The book tells of the struggle that will turn church against state and brother against brother. The book, as well as the two sequels, A World Without End and A Column of Fire, are available for download as Ebook or Eaudio on the library website.

And finally.................

Monday April 9th is

Fresh Tomato Day

“A tomato may be a fruit, but it is a singular fruit. A savory fruit. A fruit that has ambitions far beyond the ambitions of other fruits.” E. Lockhart

“Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” Miles Kington

“It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.” Lewis Grizzard

Tuesday April 7h is

National Beer Day

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Benjamin Franklin

“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer.” Abraham Lincoln

“Beer's intellectual. What a shame so many idiots drink it.” Ray Bradbury

Wednesday April 8th is

International Feng Shui Day

“You don't have to believe in Feng Shui for it to work. I just know it brings me money.” Donald Trump

“I once drew a picture of Jack Nicholson in The Shining. But I put it away after a Feng Shui expert told me about the bad vibes” David James

“My view on Feng Shui: don’t put your bed in front of the door because you won’t get in.” Jonas Eriksson

Thursday April 9th is

National Gin and Tonic Day

“The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen’s lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.” Winston Churchill

“Of all the gin joints, in all the world she walks into mine.” Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in Casablanca

“I don't know what reception I'm at, but for God's sake give me a gin and tonic.” Dennis Thatcher, husband of Margaret Thatcher

Friday April 10th is

Global Work from Home Day (Very Appropriate!)

“All happiness depends on courage and work.” Honore de Balzac

“Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.” Leo Tolstoy

Saturday April 11th is

National Pet Day

“Sometimes losing a pet is more painful than losing a human because in the case of the pet, you were not pretending to love it.” Amy Sedaris

“Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.” James Cromwell

“Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.” John Grogan

More to come next week!

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 8.31

Holidays

African Traditional Medicine Day

Anniversary of the Withdrawal of the Last American Soldier (Afghanistan)

Baloch-Pakhtun Unity Day (Balochistan, Pakistan)

Cow Chip Tossing Day

Crop Dusting Day

Day of Solidarity and Freedom (Poland)

831 Day

Festal Day (Order of the Eastern Star)

Flag Day (India)

Franchise Appreciation Day

Hari Kebangsaan (Malaysia)

International Blog Day (a.k.a. International Day of Blogs and Bloggers)

International Day for People of African Descent (UN)

International Day of Obstetrics & Pregnancy

International Lawn Day

International Overdose Awareness Day

Jack the Ripper Day [Killed 1st Victim: Mary Ann Nichols; 1888]

Limba Noastra (Day of Our Language; Moldova)

Long-Haul Truck Driver (Russia)

Love Litigating Lawyers Day

Memorial Day for the Victims of Repression (Uzbekistan)

Merdeka Day (Malaysia)

National Asiatic Cheetah Day (Iran)

National Box Car Day

National Cinema Day (UK)

National Cowgirl Day

National Dan Day

National Day (Vietnam)

National Diatomaceous Earth Day

National HalfCut Day (Australia)

National Language Day (Moldova)

National Leslie Day

National Matchmaker Day

National South Carolina Day

National Zoo Awareness Day (UK)

Nature Day (Finland)

North Borneo Self-Government Day

Opioid Misuse Prevention Day

Overdose Awareness Day

Princess Diana Memorial Day

Rabbit Rabbit Day [Last Day of Every Month]

Romanian Language Day (Romania)

Sărbătoarea (a.k.a. Limba noastră; Language Day; Moldova)

Take a Seat Day

Tank Day (Lešany, Czech Republic)

Teacher’s Day (Singapore)

Walnut Day (French Republic)

We Love Memoirs Day

White Rose Day (Australia)

Withdrawal of the Last American Soldier Anniversary Day (Afghanistan)

World Distance Learning Day

World Sanskrit Day

World Solidarity Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Eat Outside Day

Grape Blessing Day (Armenia)

International Bacon Day [also 12.30]

Invent A New Sandwich Day

National Chourico Day

National Trail Mix Day

Vegetable Day (Japan)

Independence & Related Days

Befshire (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Kyrgyzstan (from USSR, 1991)

Malaysia (from UK, 1957)

North Borneo (Self-Government Day; Sabah, Malaysia)

Surigao City Charter Day (Philippines)

Trinidad and Tobago (from UK, 1962)

5th & Last Saturday in August

International Bacon Day [Saturday before 1st Monday in September]

International Bat Night [Last Saturday]

International Cosplay Day [Last Saturday]

International Play Music on the Porch [Last Saturday]

Iroquois Indian Festival (Albany, NY) [Begins on Last Saturday]

Pony Express Day [Last Saturday]

Sandwich Saturday [Every Saturday]

Schemitzun begins (Green Corn Pow Wow; Mashantucket Pequot, Connecticut) [Last Saturday]

Six For Saturday [Every Saturday]

Spaghetti Saturday [Every Saturday]

Speak Kind Words Saturday [Saturday of Be Kind to Humankind Week]

World Day for the End of Speciesism [Last Saturday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 31 (4th Full Week of August)

National Buffalo Chicken Wings Days (Buffalo, New York) [thru 9.1]

Festivals Beginning August 31, 2024

Amish Country Cheese Festival (Arthur, Illinois) [thru 9.3]

Apple Harvest Celebration (Willcox, Arizona) [thru 9.8]

BBQ & Craft Beer Festival (Monmouth Park, Oceanport, New Jersey) [thru 9.2]

Bloemencorso Eelde (Eelde, Netherlands) [thru 9.1]

Boothbay Harbor Tuna Challenge (Boothbay Harbor, Maine)

Bremerton Blackberry Festival (Bremerton, Washington) [thru 9.2]

Bumbershoot (Seattle, Washington) [thru 9.1]

Canadian International Air Show (Toronto, Canada) [thru 9.2]

Caribbean Food And Wine Festival (West Friendship, Maryland)

Connecticut Renaissance Faire (Lebanon, Connecticut) [thru 10.14]

Corn Maze (Middlefield, Connecticut) [thru 11.3]

Eastport Salmon and Seafood Festival (Eastport, Maine) [thru 9.1]

Food Truck Festival (Waterloo, Iowa)

Garlic Town U.S.A. (Bennington, Vermont)

Girdwood Fungus Fair (Girdwood, Alaska) [thru 9.1]

Harvest Wine Fest (Albuquerque & Las Cruces, New Mexico) [thru 9.2]

Hatch Chile Festival (Hatch, New Mexico) [thru 9.1]

John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (High Point, North Carolina) [thru 9.1]

Kansas City Renaissance Festival (Bonner Springs, Kansas) [thru 10.14]

Keystone’s Oktoberfest (Keystone, Colorado)

King Richard’s Faire (Carver, Massachusetts) [thru 10.20]

Milan Melon Festival (Milan, Ohio) [thru 9.2]

National Buffalo Wing Festival (Buffalo, New York) [thru 9.1]

Ohio Renaissance Festival (Harveysburg, Ohio) [thru 10.27]

Okinawan Festival (Waikiki, Hawaii) [thru 9.1]

Renaissance Faire at Sleepy Hollow (Des Moines, Iowa) [thru 9.15]

Richmond County Fair (Staten Island, New York) [thru 9.2]

Romeo Peach Festival (Romeo, Michigan) [thru 9.2]

Seafood Festival & Craft Show (Westport, Washington)

Taste of Hamburg-er Festival (Hamburg, Pennsylvania)

Taste of Madison (Madison, Wisconsin) [thru 9.1]

Taylor Sweet Corn Festival (Taylor, Arizona)

West Cape May Tomato Festival (West Cape May, New Jersey)

West Jefferson Annual Ox Roast (West Jefferson, Ohio) [thru 9.2]

Wild Rice Day (McGregor, Minnesota)

World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off (Brady, Texas)

Feast Days

Aidan of Lindisfarne (Christian; Saint)

Alter Ego Day (Pastafarian)

Aristides of Athens (Christian; Saint)

Bryan Organ (Artology)

Cuthburh (Christian; Saint)

Dominguito del Val (Christian; Saint)

DuBose Heyward (Writerism)

Feast of Grapes (Ancient Minoa; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Fourth Onam (Rice Harvest Festival, Day 4; Kerala, India)

Frey’s Blot (Pagan)

Gai Jatra (Cow Festival, in remembrance of people who died the previous year; Kathmandu Valley, Nepal)

G. Willow Wilson (Writerism)

Henry (Muppetism)

Isabel (Christian; Saint)

Joseph of Arimathea (Christian; Saint)

Jouffroy (Positivist; Saint)

Mária Balážová (Artology)

Nicodemus (Christian; Saint)

Paulinus of Trier (Christian; Saint)

Paul Reubens Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Raymond Nonnatus (Christian; Saint)

The Ritual Walk of the Eyos (Lagos; Everyday Wicca)

Roger Dean (Artology)

Wala of Corbie (Christian; Saint)

Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria (Christian; Saint)

William Saroyan (Writerism)

Yumiko Ōshima (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [48 of 71]

Premieres

All Or Nothing At All, recorded by Frank Sinatra (Song; 1939)

American Idiot, by Green Day (Song; 2004)

Andor (TV Series; 2022)

Bad, by Michael Jackson (Album; 1987)

The Big Sleep (Film; 1946)

Bolero (Film; 1984)

Bugsy and Mugsy (WB LT Cartoon; 1957)

The Commuter, by Philip K. Dick (Short Story; 1953)

The Constant Gardener (Film; 2005)

Document, by R.E.M. (Album; 1987)

Fly, by Dixie Chicks (Album; 1999)

Foundation and Earth, by Isaac Asimov (Novel; 1986) [Foundation #5]

Get Rich Quick (Disney Cartoon; 1951)

Goat’s Head Soup, by The Rolling Stones (Album; 1973)

The Great Gildersleeve (Radio Series; 1941)

Jack Ryan (TV Series; 2018)

Only Murders in the Building (TV Series; 2021)

Orient Express, by Graham Greene (a.k.a. Stamboul Train; Novel; 1932)

Pluto’s Judgement Day (Disney Cartoon; 1935)

The Psychology of Intelligence, by Jean Piaget (Science Book; 1947)

Radetzky March, by Johann Strauss (March; 1848)

Raising Demons, by Shirley Jackson (Memoir; 1957)

Solid Serenade (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1946)

Soul on Ice, by Eldridge Cleaver (Memoir & Essays; 1968)

The Threepenny Opera, by Bertolt Brecht (Play with Music; 1928)

Wildest Dreams, by Taylor Swift (Song; 2015)

The World According to Garp, by John Irving (Novel; 1978)

You Gotta Be a Football Hero (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1935)

Today’s Name Days

Paulinus, Raimubd (Austria)

Josip, Nikodem, Optat, Paulina (Croatia)

Pavlína (Czech Republic)

Bertha (Denmark)

Arved, Arvi, Arvid (Estonia)

Arvi (Finland)

Aristide (France)

Aidan, Anja, Paulinus, Raimund (Germany)

Bella, Erika (Hungary)

Aristide (Italy)

Aigars, Aira, Labite, Vilma (Latvia)

Raimunda, Raimundas, Vilmantas, Vilmantė (Lithuania)

Berta, Berte (Norway)

Bohdan, Paulina, Rajmund, Rajmunda, Świętosław (Poland)

Nora (Slovakia)

Ramón (Spain)

Arvid, Vidar (Sweden)

Aden, Aidan, Aiden, Ayden, Edan, Edana, Eden, Edina, Egan, Egon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 244 of 2024; 122 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of Week 35 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 1 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 28 (Ding-Mao)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 27 Av 5784

Islamic: 25 Safar 1446

J Cal: 4 Gold; Foursday [4 of 30]

Julian: 18 August 2024

Moon: 5%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 20 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Thilorier]

Runic Half Month: Rad (Motion) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 73 of 94)

Week: 1st Full Week of September

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 10 of 32)

Calendar Changes

Muin (Vine) [Celtic Tree Calendar; Month 9 of 13]

[tsthrace]

Hi! For the "A Writer's Ask Game," would you please consider #10, #13, #15, #19, and #30? You can choose not to answer all of those, of course. Thank you!

10.  Do you set yourself deadlines?I’m not gonna lie: I let external factors dictate my deadlines. It’s why I ask for prompts (or songs, in my case). When someone sends a prompt, I feel like I’ve made a promise to them, and so I’m usually pretty diligent about following through. 

The other external factor that drives me is my need for validation and affirmation. While I try to not let it steer my creativity too much, my desire to get feedback motivates me to write and post. It’s not the sole motivation—I just love writing, and I write the kind of stories I want to write—but once an idea gets into my head, I want to get it out of me and into the world ASAP so that other people can let me know what they think. I don’t live and die by feedback, but I’m certainly not immune to it.

So no, I don’t really set hard deadlines for myself.

13.  Describe your writing process from idea to polishedUsually an idea attacks me at some inopportune time, like when I’m showering or driving. So I try to rinse off as quickly as possible and jot a few notes down, or I pull out my phone at a red light and open the notepad. All my stories start as one or two central ideas or specific images that I build around. This is how Punching in a Dream started:

Then I’m a bit of a pantser. The plot usually arises as I write, though sometimes I’ll jot notes at the end for ideas on the next move. Occasionally I’ll know how I want a story to end, and I try to guide the plot in that direction, but it doesn’t always comply. Like I said in a previous ask, I write pretty slowly and carefully, spending a lot of time crafting every sentence, so this is not a fast process. 

After it’s written, I do another quick read-through—not really an edit since I basically laboriously edit as I write. Once I’m satisfied that there are no embarrassing typos, I post. I don’t let it sit for a day or a week, I just post it. Then I find an embarrassing typo (because I always reread the posted version as if it’s different from what I just read literally ten minutes ago) and edit the post. Then a week later, when I’m rereading the story from the perspective of a commenter, I find another embarrassing typo and edit the post again. 

Call it “polished” or call it something else.

15.  How do you deal with writer’s block?I don’t. Writing fic is a fun, relaxing hobby for me, so if I feel blocked I let it go until it feels fun and relaxing to write again. I’ve found when I approach it in that way, I don’t really get writer’s block. It’s like insomnia. You start sleeping when you let go of thinking about sleeping. 

19.  How do you keep yourself motivated?Like I said above, I let go of writing when I don’t feel motivated which counterintuitively helps me to stay motivated.

30.  Favorite idea you haven’t started on yetOkay, so I want to write a multi-chapter crossover of Clexa and Station Eleven. 

(Cue dramatic voiceover.) 

Clarke was on a plane home from Europe when the flu struck—one of the lucky few whose planes were free of the sickness. They make an emergency landing at a small airport in Illinois. Back in Washington, Lexa returns from a work trip in the mountains to her and Clarke’s Seattle home to discover the mailman dead on the sidewalk, holding their bills.

Everything collapses: the energy grid and with it all communication. Cell networks are the first to go. Then the internet. Then television. Everything goes dark. Opportunists loot the stores and gas stations run dry.

There’s no reason for Lexa and Clarke to believe that the other is alive. Most of of the human population is gone, eradicated by the fast-acting, highly contagious infection. Clarke can’t go 100 miles safely, let alone the 2,000 miles to Seattle. She’s a doctor and her skills are essential in her new community. But even as she settles in, she often catches herself looking in the direction of the sunset.

But Lexa is a survivor—no, really, her job is to teach people how to survive in harsh environments—and love and longing drive her towards the sunrise for the adventure of a lifetime.

(Cue soaring orchestral number and Lexa’s backpacked silhouette against a vast landscape of rolling mountains.)

—

I was drinking a beer when I answered this one, and it was a blast. Thanks for asking!

(Questions came from A Writer’s Ask Game.)

[brookston]

Holidays 8.2

Holidays

Airborne Forces Day (Russia)

Airmobile Forces Day (Ukraine)

Aviation Day (Slovenia)

Bonalu (Telangana, India)

Bunny Day (Japan)

Congolese Genocide Day (Congo (DRC))

Crabhog Day

Day of Airborne Forces (Russia)

Day of Azerbaijani Cinema (Azerbaijan)

Day of Maiden Katrica (Elder Scrolls)

Day of the Water Nymphs (Macedonia)

Deez Nutz Day

Dinosaurs Day

802 Day

Emancipation Day (Several Caribbean nations)

Escalator Day

Ewe Day (French Republic)

Fallen Paratroopers Remembrance Day (Ukraine)

Fiesta La Patrona (Spain)

Greenwich Mean Time Day

Hydroxychloroquine Day (India)

I Came I Saw I Conquered Day

Ilinden Day (Republic Day; Macedonia)

International Golden Lion Tamarin Day

International Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Day

Jabotinsky Day (Israel)

Lady Godiva Day (Coventry, UK)

Little Mix Appreciation Day

International Jewish Day

International Pony Day

Lady of the Angels Day (Costa Rica)

Lincoln Penny Day

Mark Lee Day (K-Pop)

Mary Prince Day (Bermuda)

Mindfulness Day

National Blockchain Day

National Boob Day

National CAD Day (a.k.a. National Computer-Aided Design Day)

National Children’s Day (Tuvalu)

National Coloring Book Day

National Ex-Girlfriend Day

National Hugh Day

National Jacqueline Day

National Rap Music Day

National Sisters Day

Our Lady of the Angels Day (Costa Rica)

Pantsu Day (Japan)

Paratroopers Day (Russia)

Republic Day (North Macedonia)

Roma Holocaust Memorial Day (EU)

Take a Penny, Leave a Penny Day

World Anglo-Indian Day

World Feed the Poor Day

World Find a Four Leaf Clover Day

Yeezy Day (Adidas)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Make Some Old-Fashioned Lemonade Day

Miracle Treat Day (Dairy Queen)

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Independence & Related Days

Butuan City Charter Day (Philippines; 1950)

Declaration of Independence 1st signed (US; 1776)

Kabankalan City Charter Day (Philippines)

Makira Ulawa Province Day (Solomon Islands)

Napoleon Bonaparte made 1st Consul for Life (France; 1802)

1st Friday in August

August Bank Holiday (UK) [1st Friday]

Bandcamp Friday [1st Friday]

Braham Pie Day (Minnesota) [1st Friday]

CafeSmart Day [1st Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

Health Advocate Day [1st Friday]

International Beer Day [1st Friday]

International Mustache Day [1st Friday]

Jeans for Genes Day (Australia) [1st Friday]

Moxee Hop Festival begins (Washington) [1st Friday]

National Water Balloon Day [1st Friday]

Tomboy Tools Day [1st Friday]

Twins Day Festival begins (Twinsburg, Ohio) [1st Full Weekend, begins 1st Friday]

Umuganura Day (Harvest Thanksgiving; Rwanda) [1st Friday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 2 (1st Week of August)

Gallop International Tribal Indian Powwow (thru 8.11)

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (Sturgis, South Dakota) [1st Friday for 10 Days] (thru 8.11)

Twins Days (thru 8.4) [1st Full Weekend; Friday thru Sunday]

Festivals Beginning August 2, 2024

Appalachian Arts & Crafts Fair & Festival (Buckley, West Virginia) [thru 8.3]

Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival (Cary, North Carolina) [thru 8.3]

Blueberry Arts Festival (Ketchikan, Alaska) [thru 8.4]

Blueberry Festival (Wilton, Maine) [thru 8.3]

Brat Days (Sheboygan, Wisconsin) [thru 8.3]

Brew at the Zoo (Columbia, South Carolina)

Calgary Fringe Festival (Calgary, Canada) [thru 8.10]

Charlestown Seafood Festival (Charlestown, Rhode Island) [thru 8.4]

Clark Potato Days (Clark, South Dakota) [thru 8.4]

Cowtown Days Festival (Ellsworth, Kansas) [thru 8.4]

Creamery Picnic (Stevensville, Montana) [thru 8.3]

Dublin Irish Festival (Dublin, Ohio) [thru 8.4]

Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Edinburgh, Scotland) [thru 8.26]

Edinburgh International Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland) [thru 8.25]

Festa Italiana (Naperville, Illinois) [thru 8.4]

Festival of the Flowers in Medellín (Medellín, Colombia) [thru 8.11]

Fish Sandwich Festival (Bay Port, Michigan) [thru 8.3]

Glad-Peach Festival (Coloma, Michigan) [thru 8.4]

Glengarry Highland Games (Maxville, Canada) [thru 8.3]

Gorolski Święto (Jablunkov, Czech Republic) [thru 8.4]

Grape Country Craft Beverage Festival (Dunkirk, New York) [thru 8.4]

Guča Trumpet Festival (Guča, Serbia) [thru 8.4]

Indiana State Fair (Indianapolis, Indiana) [thru 8.18]

Locomotion Festival (Felton, California) [thru 8.4]

Mossyrock Blueberry Festival (Mossyrock, Washington) [thru 8.4]

New Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm and Horse Show (Augusta, New Jersey) [thru 8.10]

Newport Jazz Festival (Newport, Rhode Island) [thru 8.4]

North Branford PoCo Festival (North Branford, Connecticut) [thru 8.4]

Old Time Harvest Festival (Jordan, Minnesota) [thru 8.4]

One Love Reggae Festival (Wiesen, Austria) [thru 8.3]

Otakon (Washington, DC) [thru 8.4]

Pluk de Nacht Film Festival (Utrecht, Netherlands) [thru 8.10]

Possum Festival (Wausau, Florida) [thru 8.3]

Reggae on the River (Piercy, California) [tgru 8.4]

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (Edinburgh, United Kingdom) [thru 8.24]

Scranton Jazz Festival (Scranton, Pennsylvania) [thru 8.4]

Sidmouth Folk Festival (Sidmouth, United Kingdom) [thru 8.9]

Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally (Binghamton, New York) [thru 8.4]

SunSka Festival (Vertheuil, France) [thru 8.4]

Sweet Pea Festival (Bozeman, Montana) [thru 8.4]

Taste of the Coeur d'Alene (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) [thru 8.4]

Tokyo Idol Festival (Tokyo, Japan) [thru 8.4]

Vintage Ohio Wine Festival (Kirtland, Ohio) [thru 8.3]

Watsonville Strawberry Festival (Watsonville, California) [thru 8.4]

World Cosplay Summit (Nagoya, Japan) [thru 8.4]

Feast Days

Ahudemmeh (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Albert Bloch (Artology)

Alfonso A. Ossorio (Artology)

Arthur Dove (Artology)

Barley Day (Pagan)

Basil Fool for Christ (Russian Orthodox Church)

Bei Dao (Writerism)

Chateaubriand (Positivist; Saint)

Death of King Rufus Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Distribution of Charity Moneys (Strictly Imps Only; Shamanism)

Dryads Day (Greek Wood & Water Gods)

Elias (a.k.a. Ilia or Elijah the Prophet; Christian; Saint)

Etheldritha (a.k.a. Alfrida; Christian; Saint)

Eusebius of Vercelli (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Anahita (Ancient Persia; Everyday Wicca)

Feast of Our Lady of the Angeles of the Portiuncula (Franciscan Order)

Fomorian King Bres’ Agricultural Gifts Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Håkon Stenstadvold (Artology)

Holling C. Holling (Artology)

Ilinden Day (St. Elijah Day; Macedonia)

Isabel Allende (Writerism)

James Baldwin (Writerism)

Jan van Scorel (Artology)

John Radecki (Artology)

John French Sloan (Artology)

Justin Russolillo (Christian; Blessed)

Khao Phansa begins (Buddhist Lent; Thailand)

Lady of the Angels’ Day (Costa Rica)

Martian Time-Slip, by Philip K. Dick (Novel; 1964)

Monster Monster (Muppetism)

Peter Faber (Christian; Saint)

Peter Julian Eymard (Christian; Saint)

Perdono di Assisi (Pardon of Assisi), the plenary indulgence related to St.Francis of Assisi originated in the church of Porziuncola (Catholic Church)

Richard Wilson (Artology)

Robert Holdstock (Writerism)

Robert Goddard Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Samuel David Ferguson (Episcopal Church)

Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten (Artology)

Sidwell (Christian; Saint) [Farmers]

Stephen I, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Theodots (Christian; Martyr)

Thomas of Dover (Christian; Saint)

Vermicelli Day (Pastafarian)

Virgin of Los Angeles Day (Costa Rica)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

American Graffiti (Film; 1973)

Castle in the Sky (Studio Ghibli Animated Film; 1986)

Doc Hollywood (Film; 1991)

Doing Impossible Stunts (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1940)

Don’t Look Back, by Boston (Album; 1978)

Emma (Film; 1996)

Europa Report (Film; 2013)

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (Film; 2019) [F&F]

Follow That Bird (Film; 1985)

In the Heat of the Night (Film; 1967)

It’s a Greek Life (Rainbow Parade Cartoon; 1936)

Lady, Play Your Mandolin! (WB MM Cartoon; 1931)

The Others (Film; 2001)

The Pebbles on the Beach, by Clarence Ellis (Geology Book; 1954)

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, “The Moonlight Sonata,” by Ludwig Van Beethoven (Piano Sonata; 1802)

The Suburbs, by Arcade Fire (Album; 2010)

Testament of Youth, by Vera Brittain (memoir; 1933)

2 Guns (Film; 2013)

Weird Science (Film; 1985)

Today’s Name Days

Eusebius, Julian, Petrus, Stefan (Austria)

Anđela, Arnir, Euzebije (Croatia)

Gustav (Czech Republic)

Hannibal (Denmark)

Helger, Helgo, Holger, Olger (Estonia)

Kimmo (Finland)

Julien (France)

Adriana, Eusebius, Juliam, Julan (Germany)

Justinianos (Greece)

Lehel (Hungary)

Eusebio (Italy)

Norma, Normunds, Stefans (Latvia)

Alfonsas, Guoda, Gustavas, Tautvaldas (Lithuania)

Karen, Karin (Norway)

Alfons, Alfonsyna, Borzysława, Gustaw, Ilia, Karina, Maria, Stefan (Poland)

Stefan (Romania)

Gustáv (Slovakia)

Ángeles, Eusebio (Spain)

Kajsa, Karin (Sweden)

Alf, Alfie, Alfonsina, Alfonso, Alford, Alfred, Alfreda, Alfredo, Alonso, Alonza, Alonzo, Alphonso, Fonzie (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 215 of 2024; 151 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of Week 31 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 28 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 28 (Wu-Xu)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 27 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 26 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 5 Purple; Fryday [5 of 30]

Julian: 20 July 2024

Moon: 4%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 18 Dante (8th Month) [Chateaubriand]

Runic Half Month: Thorn (Defense) [Day 10 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 44 of 94)

Week: 1st Week of August

Zodiac: Leo (Day 12 of 31)

[pbwsports]

Driveways, canyons, pools: NFL players create clever workouts

A farm. A field. A canyon. A pool. Even a driveway. As NFL players wait for a return to normalcy before the 2020 regular season begins, they have had to get creative with how and where they train.

The ripple effects of these unprecedented times -- nationwide social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic and an unknown timetable for a vaccine --have altered the professional sports landscape, and the NFL is no exception.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell authorized the reopening of all team facilities this week, in accordance with state and local regulations, although coaches and players who are not undergoing rehabilitation are prohibited from entering team buildings. While a handful of clubs took advantage of this allowance, states such as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Washington and California are still imposing heavier restrictions that affect a dozen team facilities.

EDITOR'S PICKS

Road map to sports: How the big leagues are navigating a return

How college football is looking to answer its coronavirus testing question

Could your smartwatch detect the coronavirus?

These inconsistent regulations have also changed the responsibilities of NFL strength trainers, who have spent time remotely assessing the workout needs of players, including their access to resources, as well as acting as liaisons for online equipment purchases. NFL teams were permitted to provide each player with up to $1,500 worth of workout equipment. Nevertheless, players have had to find inventive ways to stay in shape.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins uses his parents' driveway as his outdoor gym. New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate mowed a track into a steep canyon near his home. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver James Washington designed a training regimen on his Texas farm. New Orleans Saintslinebacker Demario Davis has his personal trainers living with him. Giants linebacker Blake Martinez became the beneficiary of a state-of-the-art gym. And Cleveland Browns punter Jamie Gillan grabbed some beers and built a "grubby" garage gym.

Even though players' locations, living situations and resources differ, there's a lesson shared by all: There are no excuses.

Big-money quarterback staying with parents

The playful jab is uttered without warning, hurled from the driver's side of a passing vehicle.

"Go Pack, go!"

And in that moment of lighthearted jest, Kirk Cousins can only ignore it. He knows the stop sign in front of the house makes him a sitting duck every morning.

Four times a week, starting promptly at 9 a.m., the Vikings quarterback gathers equipment from the garage and arranges it neatly on the long, curved pavement leading from his parents' house to the sidewalk. Resting on a wooden chair is his laptop, connected by videoconference to his longtime personal trainer, Chad Cook, who is 450 miles away in Atlanta. This is a glimpse into what constitutes the 2020 NFL offseason.

2020 NFL offseason

• Big questions » | Power rankings » • Free agency: Tracker » | Grades » • Draft: All 255 picks » | Grades » • Fantasy: Cheat sheets » | Projections » • 2020 schedule » | More NFL coverage »

"I like my privacy, so being out in the driveway, on display for the whole neighborhood to see is probably less than ideal. But desperate times call for desperate measures," Cousins said with a smile during a recent ESPN interview. "If it means a guy drives by in a truck and yells, 'Go Pack, go!' at me while we're working out, then so be it."

The manicured lawns of this Orlando, Florida, suburb serve as a backdrop to Cousins' regimen and his attempt at normalcy in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

It's not a "home gym" by any means, Cousins concedes, but he insists he has everything he needs: a medicine ball, jump-rope, foam rollers, free weights and a football. And, the most essential tool of all: the laptop he uses to connect with Cook.

"[Every car will] see me doing my shuffles across the driveway, or my cariocas, or doing the jump-rope or different plank exercises, core work, medicine ball, lunges -- whatever it may be. And different people honk or wave, so it's kind of fun," said Cousins, who signed a two-year, $66 million extension with the Vikings in March.

Spotty Wi-Fi is a challenge when working out outdoors, but sheltering in place with his parents was by design: The nine-year veteran and his wife, Julie, now have plenty of reinforcements when it comes to taking care of their sons, Cooper, 2½, and Turner, 1.

"I kind of laugh when I talk about having two like I have 10," Cousins joked, "because compared to other guys in the league who have three, four, five, six kids, having two is not a big deal."

Dealing with this adversity has reaffirmed his commitment to his craft. It also taught him that the Public Broadcasting Service can be a football player's, as well as a father's, best friend: "'Daniel Tiger['s Neighborhood]' on PBS can be a lifesaver."

'Strict training mode' means living with trainers

The plan was to be in Nashville, Tennessee, for a month, but Demario Davis' offseason residence has become his permanent dwelling during the pandemic. His 7,500-square-foot house, purchased last offseason, is a saving grace of sorts, equipped with enough room for his wife, Tamela, and their four children under the age of 6.

And his two personal trainers.

Davis' trainers, Jose Tienda and Piankhi Gibson, typically work with him in two-to-three-week "strict training mode" spurts before heading back to their respective homes. They'll return to Nashville soon for another extended stay with Davis.

Peyton's Places

To celebrate 100 years of pro football, Peyton Manning travels the country to see the people and places that made the NFL the NFL. Watch on ESPN+ » More »

As the 31-year-old enters his ninth NFL season -- and the final year of his contract -- he is determined not to lose ground to a youngster who might be aiming for his spot.

Mid-morning acupuncture and soft tissue work with Tienda give way to afternoon aqua training in a neighbor's pool with Gibson. Davis pauses for dinner and to help put the kids to bed. But before long, he's headed back for more body work. He crawls into bed around 12:30 or 1 a.m. on those rigorous training days.

With Louisiana still reeling from 35,316 confirmed COVID-19 cases (and 2,485 reported deaths) as of Thursday, Davis wasn't surprised Saints coach Sean Payton -- who was the first known NFL figure to test positive for the coronavirus -- announced there would not be virtual workouts, meetings or workout sessions at the team facility.

"The virtual offseason really wouldn't have fit the flow of how we operate down there," the veteran linebacker said of the Saints, who have one of the oldest rosters in the NFL. "We don't have a young team. ... He knew with our experience level, the strong leaders we have at each position, that we'd get it done as far as training."

While Davis is eager to play, he said he won't waste time guessing when the season will start.

"The pandemic don't know nothing about football season. The virus ain't just like, 'Oh, football season's coming, let me chill out,'" he said with a laugh. "So I'm going to train and stay in shape because that's just a philosophy of mine -- you stay ready at all times. But I think it's a discredit to people who are on the front lines working, and the people who are being affected by it, when we're just thinking about how fast we can get back to sports."

'Grubby little gym' becomes labor of love

The police officers approached without warning.

Jamie Gillan had been punting on a turf field almost an hour away from his Tremont, Ohio, residence, completely unaware of the state's shelter-in-place orders. With nonessential businesses closed, the Browns punter -- nicknamed "The Scottish Hammer" -- had used local fields to practice his kicking drills. That is, until he was no longer allowed.

"[The officers] were like, 'Yeah man, we want to let you punt. We love the Browns and everything, but it's just the rules,'" the Scotland-born special-teamer explained in his thick brogue.

Faced with the prospect of quarantining alone, Gillan chose to go be with family.

He made trips to the liquor store and the supermarket -- packing his truck with several bottles of bourbon for his father, "120 eggs and 16 racks of bacon" -- and then he and his German shepherd named Bear traveled seven hours to southern Maryland to stay with his parents and 19-year-old sister.

Best of NFL Nation

• Darnold will benefit from Flacco and Gore • Cards lineman mentoring at ASU • Pats' CB adding safety to his skill set • Gilbert poised to emerge for Steelers • Ravens' Queen a hit despite inexperience

The rural area around his parents' house affords him space to practice his booming kicks, and there's a "massive" field, owned by a friend, which Gillan uses, too. But the self-described "workout junkie" had to get creative with strength training. Soon his parents' garage became his gym.

Unable to buy equipment online because of limited inventory and "skyrocketing" prices, Gillan purchased old equipment from a local high school: barbells, bumper plates, 40-, 80- and 100-pound dumbbells and bands. He purchased rubber matting from a local tractor store.

He searched Facebook Marketplace for a squat rack, but he and his father, Colin, who is a former rugby player and member of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force, came up with a better solution -- they would construct their own.

"We came back [from Lowe's], cracked open some beers and just started building it," Gillan said with a chuckle. Even with old, rusty weights, his "grubby little gym" was everything he needed.

Gillan said his resourcefulness was forged during four years playing at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a historically black university. During offseasons when he and his teammates didn't have access to the gym, their surroundings became their workout room. They bench-pressed and squatted logs, they did dips and pullups on metal bars at local parks, and Gillan hopped fences to punt on neighboring fields when access to their football field was prohibited.

"One thing I notice about a lot of historically black colleges is they're very underfunded," Gillan said, stressing that he and other student-athletes had to be creative. "Maybe it got me prepared for this weird period."

State-of-the-art amenities ease the transition

Blake Martinez's father, Marc, had a master plan: purchase a plot of land 15 minutes from the family home in Tucson, Arizona, and build a facility for his son to train and live. It didn't take long for the idea to become Martinez's reality.

The linebacker thanks his father every day for his ingenuity, as well as his construction company.

The 18,000-square-foot facility -- conceptualized and built last year -- "has everything a football player would need," said Martinez, a 2016 fourth-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers who signed a three-year, $30 million free-agent contract with the Giants in March.

NFL on ESPN+

Relive the NFL's greatest games, original series and more. Watch on ESPN+

The warehouse-looking steel structure contains "a miniature version of a college weight room," a full-length basketball court, a 30-by-15-yard turf field and an outdoor sand volleyball court. It also doubles as a residence, with three bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen on the second level for him, his wife, Kristy, and their young daughter.

"It kept getting better and better as it kept getting built," Martinez said. He works out for two hours in person with his longtime trainer, Glenn Howell, four times a week.

But familiarity with his new franchise is a luxury Martinez, 26, doesn't have.

With New York and New Jersey being one of the epicenters of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, Martinez doesn't know when he'll be able to travel to the facility or even meet members of the Giants organization for the first time.

"It's not like I've been on the team for a while and I know the guys already. So, it's been tough in that aspect, connecting with guys," he said.

Martinez said the pandemic has taught him "I literally have zero excuses not to show up the first day and make sure I'm 100 percent ready to go and help push all of the younger guys to that level if they haven't gotten there yet."

Making use of California canyons

Golden Tate's stunning San Diego views come at a price.

"I've just got to watch out for rattlesnakes," the Giants wide receiver said with a laugh.

When stay-at-home orders were issued in California in mid-March, Tate took advantage of his surroundings -- namely, the canyon his house is built on.

"It's not the best condition to be running in," admitted the 11-year NFL player, who mowed a 7-by-40-yard patch of grass on a steep incline. "But it'll suffice right now. It's better than doing nothing."

Team work makes the dream work! Uncle @tatethagreat & LoLo helping me get my daily catches in. Hope everyone has a great Friday! #FamilyFriday

20 people are talking about this

Tate, a married father of two small kids, purchased PowerBlock dumbbells and a Jugs machine from which he catches about 100 balls a day. He bikes at home on his Peloton and uses mountain bike trails for his aerobic conditioning. But finding a flat surface for route running has been a challenge. So, too, is self-discipline.

"Over my career, I'm so used to having someone -- an instructor or the guys around me -- push me. And right now, I'm forced to push myself," said Tate, who turns 32 on Aug. 2.

The veteran receiver played through the 2011 NFL lockout, but he said the coronavirus pandemic is unlike anything he has experienced.

"I feel bad for the first-, second-, third- and fourth-round guys who are expected to come in and help the team right away, but they're not having the same opportunity to grow as a player, not getting those reps on the field," he said.

"The offseason is when you have the time to really focus on the fundamentals of the game, the bigger picture and the details of the game. And it looks like right now we're going to show up for camp -- if we show up for camp -- in the middle of the fire of trying to figure out who's going to make the team and trying to get ready for a season. That can be overwhelming."

Strengths trainers turned investigators

With their players scattered across the country, NFL strength and conditioning coaches feel more like part-time sleuths and office managers than in-person trainers.

"We kind of went more into equipment sales and trying to be a liaison to help guys get set up and make sure they're doing the right thing," said Justus Galac, now in his seventh year as the New York Jets' head strength and conditioning coach. "What we found was, guys in the Southern states and more into the Midwest had more access than our guys in the Northeast and West Coast."

Amendola shows off his backyard workout

Danny Amendola impresses with some nifty, one-handed catches while working out with a helmet on in his backyard.

Strength trainers have been tasked with identifying what their players need from a performance standpoint to achieve their fitness goals, regardless of where they live and what resources they have access to. "Even though they might have access to a Steak 'n Shake parking lot or they might be in a third floor of an apartment," said Justin Lovett, the Los Angeles Rams' new head strength and conditioning coach.

Lovett was hired in the midst of California's coronavirus shutdown, but unlike during the 2011 lockout year, when he was on the Denver Broncos' staff, communication is permitted and has proved paramount. But there have been challenges.

"The biggest problem with the rookie class is they don't have the money that some of the older guys do," Galac said. "Not saying millions of dollars, but able to go buy equipment, pay for a trainer to take care of them, buying more food that you may normally not have to buy because the facility provides it. All those little things are adding up for these guys. And the rookies, they have no idea. And it's not their fault."

This time of year is crucial for strength staffs, not only for getting players in shape but also for getting new players up to speed with their programs. "And we've lost that," Galac said.

In fact, the Jets' weight room underwent a face-lift this offseason, complete with a new floor, turf accents and equipment. "And nobody's using it," Galac said. "It's sitting empty. The players haven't even seen it yet."

Finding space and serenity in the countryside

James Washington misses football. And, occasionally, his farm.

The 26-acre property the Steelers wide receiver purchased near his hometown of Abilene, Texas, made it easy for him to comply with social distancing rules. It also afforded him space to work out and keep in shape by way of chores. Washington, who was an agribusiness major with a concentration in farm and ranch management at Oklahoma State, finds the countryside calming. He enjoys the views of passing cars, wheat fields and cattle pastures during his eight- to 12-mile rides on his recently purchased bicycle.

His workout setup, which included an assortment of resistance bands sent by the Steelers and his high school dumbbells retrieved from his parents' house, was complete with the arrival of a Jugs machine, which he kept in the barn and carried to a flat area in one of the pastures.

ESPN Daily podcast

Monday through Friday, host Mina Kimes brings you an inside look at the most interesting stories at ESPN, as told by the top reporters and insiders on the planet. Listen

However, staving off boredom is a challenge whenever he's in Pittsburgh, a more crowded city with fewer options for keeping busy.

"When I was in Texas, I'd work out, do my virtual [team] meetings and then I'd have to find something to do cause I can't just sit in the house," Washington said last week, after he, JuJu Smith-Schuster and fellow receiver Ryan Switzer worked out in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's home weight room. "Being on the farm really helped me a lot, because there was always something that could have been done."

Washington loves his farm so much his recent stay in Pittsburgh was short-lived. He returned to Texas on Wednesday to celebrate Memorial Day weekend with family and tend to his most recent purchase: cattle. The time away from the Steelers' facility has also given Washington time to think.

"It just doesn't feel right," he said. "Everybody feels like we should be at the facility, doing physical stuff, getting ready to go. ... Even if there's no fans, we still have to go out there and just go 110 percent, even if it would feel weird. Fans help make the game. It's really crazy to think about.

"Just being away from things, you really find out how much you miss the sport. It sucks. That's really what I figured out. That I love football." Source - ESPN