#Noah Rowe-Mayer

[badmovieihave]

Bad movie I have Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 2023

[slapshot-to-the-heart]

Flatbush & Atlantic: part x

part i part ii part iii part iv part v part vi part vii part viii part ix

And we’ve finally come to the end of Cass and Mat’s story! I want to thank every person who’s read this over the past few months, especially those of you who have reblogged, commented, and shared this with your friends. Your feedback means the world to me, and please tell me what you think of this final part! I’ve also got some ideas floating around for an epilogue, so don’t be surprised if that pops up in the next few weeks.

part x

May 21 (fri)

For once, it wasn’t Cass’ alarm that woke her up. Her internal clock didn’t let her sleep in past 6, but as she lay in her bed, comforter pulled up to her chin and curls up in a haphazard messy bun, a realization struck her. She didn’t have anything to do, and that was just about as far from normal for her as possible. Normally, she’d be hopping in the shower at this time, getting out and shoveling some cereal down her throat before running to catch the train, or desperately trying to finish some last-minute reading before an early lecture. Her grandparents’ flight didn’t land at JFK until 1, and she wouldn’t need to leave until an hour before that to get Mat and drive to the airport. 

Padding out to the kitchen, she just caught Ryanne, who was about to leave for a clinical rotation. “What department are you in this month?” Cass asked.

“OB/GYN,” Ryanne responded. “I got to observe a birth the other day, and it was one of my favorite things I’ve gotten to do so far. Obviously I don’t know for sure yet, but I think I might want to match into it. You get to do a little bit of everything — there’s some surgery, some routine care, some deliveries. And with the Black maternal health crisis, I figure we need all the Black OBs we can get as a country.” 

Cass smiled. “That’s wonderful, I’m glad to hear.” She knew that Ryanne had been a little stressed out with the prospect of trying to pick a residency; she hadn’t felt drawn to any of the other rotations she’d gone through quite like this one. 

“What about you? What’s your schedule like today?” Ryanne asked as she poured coffee into her travel mug. 

Cass flopped down on the couch, looking over at her. “It’s just...I have nothing to do. Nothing needs to get done. No cases to read, no essays to finish, no paperwork to file or anything. Chris gave me this week off for finals anyways, so I couldn’t even go into the office if I wanted to because there’s just nothing for me to do. Do you know how rare that is for me?”

Ryanne laughed. “Cass, I’m in med school. The last time I had a true ‘off day’ was two weeks ago, and even then I spent most of it studying.” She slung her backpack over one shoulder. “See you tonight, have a good day, babe!”

After some toast and a smoothie, Cass was back on the couch, trying desperately to think of something to do. She thrived on being busy, thrived on feeling like she was needed and contributing to something worthwhile. Pushing herself up, she walked back to her room, deciding to change and go out for a run. Cass liked to keep in shape and exercise as often as she could, even though it had been a few years since she had been on an organized sports team. She was usually able to make yoga classes at the school gym twice a week, but typically didn’t have the spare time in the mornings for a run. And by the time she got back it was almost always dark, way too late to even think about going out alone. 

Lacing up her tennis shoes and grabbing her AirPods and keys, she set out, down the stairs and past the door. As she jogged down the streets, making familiar turn after familiar turn, Cass realized something remarkably profound. Every place she passed had played a part in the last three years. St. Lucy’s, where she had stumbled in with inconsolable tears after her abuelo’s stroke, lighting a candle and praying with some old Italian woman for his recovery. The bodega on the corner run by Carlos Gonzalez, one of the first people she met when she moved to the city and the only one who knew how to smoosh her sandwiches down how she likes. The Edible Arrangements where she, Stella, and Ryanne had bought Alicia a congratulatory fruit bouquet for finally asking out her coworker Juliette. They had been dating for six months. The high school she passed every morning on her way to the subway station. These were the people and places that had made her life what it was, and she owed them her thanks. 

An hour and five miles later, Cass decided to call it quits, walking the last few blocks back to the apartment as a sort of cool-down. She jumped in the shower, throwing her hair up in a towel once she got out and resigning herself to watching whatever was on TV. Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives it was, apparently. Four episodes and one snack break later, it was time to get in the car to head over and pick up Mat. Cass drove down Manhattan Island, tapping her fingers in boredom as she hit yet more traffic. It was noon, why was there even traffic in the first place? She pulled into the visitor’s spot in the underground lot of Mat’s apartment complex, taking out her phone. Just got here! Mat popped out of the elevator a few minutes later, holding a bouquet of tulips. “Sorry I’m late, I was going back and forth between tulips and sunflowers for awhile, but I figured the pink was maybe a better choice? What do you think?” Cass started to laugh, and Mat looked offended. “What?”

“Babe, it’s so sweet that you want to impress my grandma, but have you thought about how the poor flowers will fare?”

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Cass adjusted her seatbelt, leaning over. “We’re going to be out for awhile. We’re not going straight back to their hotel. So…” she prompted.

“They’ll wilt.” Mat finished, his face falling. 

She covered his hand with her own. “Don’t worry. It’s a sweet gesture and I’m sure she’ll appreciate them. We’re all going out for dinner after the ceremony tomorrow, why don’t you bring them then?” 

He perked up. “I’ll run up and put them back in a vase, be back in a few!” Mat gave Cass a quick peck on her cheek, leaving her with just one question. Mat owned vases? He slid back into the passenger’s seat shortly after, clicking his seatbelt in and connecting his phone to the speakers. 

Cass rolled her eyes. “I don’t know a single guy your age who’s not obsessed with John Mayer. It’s kind of weird, honestly.”

“You don’t like him?” Mat asked curiously. Cass was usually into more guitar-based, acoustic stuff, so he figured she’d be into at least some of his stuff. 

“Some of it,” Cass responded, pulling out of the lot and onto the street. “Go ahead and play it, I don’t mind at all. Not what I’d usually put on if I’m alone, that’s all.”

Mat nodded, looking absentmindedly out the window. “So, what should I know about your grandparents?”

Cass’ face immediately burst into a smile at their mention. It was always so clear how much she loved her family, and that was one of Mat’s favorite things about her. How hard she loved. “Alright, so it’s Dolores and Roberto Cabrera. They’re wonderful people, I genuinely think you’re going to like them a lot. They’re both super fluent in English, so don’t worry about communication. They originally immigrated to Texas when they were in their teens, abuela was a housekeeper at a few hotels in San Antonio and abuelo worked in the fields for awhile before getting a job at a little hardware store in town, where he worked until they retired. My mom’s the middle of four, two older sisters and a younger brother.”Mat listened intently. “My abuelo’s a little more rough around the edges, so don’t be surprised if he gives you  a little bit of a hard time, but it’s not out of malice or anything. He’s always been very protective over us, my mom and her siblings, and now us three. He might do the whole ‘nobody’s good enough for my Cassidy” thing, but he’ll get over it. He means well.” 

She glanced over at Mat, who was looking decidedly nervous. “Seriously, chou, it’s going to be fine. Abuela’s totally different, they’re like polar opposites. I can almost guarantee that she’ll say something to the effect of ‘if my granddaughter loves you, I love you.’ Very much go with the flow, she’ll probably want to come over to your apartment and cook for you.” Her expression softened. “As long as you’re kind and respectful, they won’t have an issue with you, Mat. They’ll see that you treat me how I deserve to be treated and love me like I deserve to be loved.”

Cass pulled into the garage by the international arrivals terminal, cutting the gas and checking the time. “The flight was supposed to land at one, so they should be getting out of passport control by the time we get inside.” It was a little after one thirty, but if there was anything Cass knew, it was just how long customs could take at an airport as big as JFK. Even in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, and even though her grandparents were travelling on their American passports and could use the citizen’s line, she had heard that it could take upwards of an hour or two to get through. 

The concourse was pretty bare apart from a few kiosks selling “I ❤️ NY” shirts and a surprisingly busy Noah’s Bagels, so Mat and Cass made themselves comfortable on one of the rows of plastic chairs lining the room. The arrivals screen had marked their flight from Mexico City as having landed nearly an hour prior, so it was little surprise when Cass popped up from the chair, straightening her shirt and walking over to a couple that he could only assume were her grandparents. Mat quickly followed, catching up to her just as she threw her arms around her grandma. “Abuela, te extrañé,” she said, the sound muffled by Dolores’ scarf. She pulled back, kissing her grandpa on the cheek before stepping over to Mat, one hand placed reassuringly on his back. “Abuela, abuelo, this is Mat, my boyfriend.”

Mat stuck his hand out, shaking theirs. “Mr. and Mrs. Cabrera, it’s so amazing to finally meet you. Cass speaks so highly of you, and she always talks about her summers in Hermosillo.” 

Dolores pulled Mat in, embracing him from the start just as Cass had expected. “Mat, it’s wonderful to finally meet you. Cassidy has told us so much about you, it’s clear she loves you a great deal.”

Mat ducked his head and blushed. “I’m not sure if she can love me more than I love her, but I’m happy to be in such good company.” 

He took both of their suitcases as Cass gestured to the sliding doors. “I want to get back to the car before they charge me for another half hour,” she said. 

Mat slid the bags in the trunk of the car as Dolores got in the passenger’s seat. With a gulp, Mat realized that meant he had to sit next to Roberto. He had been perfectly nice on the walk over, but as Cass had warned him, it was clear that he was a little guarded. Whether that was just his personality or whether Mat had yet to earn his trust hadn’t been determined. 

Her grandparents had been to New York once or twice before, but it had almost always been just to fly in before driving up to visit Cass’ family in Connecticut; they had never really been able to see the city. Cass  felt strongly that that had to change, so she had arranged for a mini-tour of Manhattan before they got dropped off at their hotel for the night. “So, Mat,” Dolores said, turning around in her chair, “Cassidy tells us you’re a hockey player? That must be so exciting, how long have you been playing?”

Mat nodded. “Yes ma’am. I play for the Islanders, so we’re right here in Brooklyn, but I live over in Manhattan. I’ve been playing the sport since I was four or so? Really little. But I just finished my fourth season on the Islanders. And it is exciting, I love being with my team and being on the ice, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.” 

“That must keep you busy, though?” Roberto asked gruffly. 

Mat froze. He couldn’t lie and say that he was home all the time, able to be there for Cass as often as he’d like to, because he wasn’t. But if he let on just how often he was gone, would that make him even more wary? “Oftentimes, yes,” Mat began slowly. “The team’s usually on two or so road trips a month, they’re usually about a week long. But they’re balanced out with plenty of home games, and there’s lots of guys who balance the job with a family and other responsibilities. I’m always excited to be able to be back in New York, I love it here. And to be with Cass.” Roberto nodded, not seemingly totally satisfied but content enough to not push the issue further. 

“He’s really good about spending time with me, abuelo, even though we’ve both got busy schedules,” Cass added, catching Roberto’s eye in the rearview mirror. “We meet in the morning before a class to get coffee, or lunch in between studying if I’ve got time. I go to every game I’m able to when he’s playing here in the city, or over in Jersey. We spend plenty of time together, he doesn’t blow me off. You don’t have to worry.” He seemed much more at ease with his granddaughter’s response. 

It was a whirlwind three hours around New York, Cass playing chauffeur as they went to the top of the Empire State Building — her pick — in St. Patrick’s Cathedral  — her grandpa’s pick — and around Central Park, stopping at one of the many pretzel carts for a snack. They dropped them off at the hotel, Cass’ eyes getting misty as her grandma pulled out the serape stole from her purse. Her fingers danced over the colors, the stripes of red and blue and pink and green, and knowing that it was made by the hands of someone so important to her made it all the more beautiful. The rest of her family was driving in later that night, after Nick got out of school, so everyone wouldn’t be together until the graduation ceremony the next day. 

The couple decided to get takeout on the way back to Mat’s apartment, Mat jumping out of the car to run in and pick up the order while Cass circled the block until he was out. As they sat on the couch, cuddled into each other as they broke into the boxes of Chinese food, Cass thought absentmindedly that Mat handled his chopsticks way better than she ever would have given him credit for. Her grandparents had been on her mind. More specifically, her grandparents and Mat had been on her mind. It wasn’t that she thought he had messed up in any way — she was positive he’d absolutely won over her grandma and her grandpa was slowly but surely coming around — but some lingering concerns about what they might think about their relationship. “I’m not sure that they’d actually care, but when you talk to them tomorrow maybe don’t mention how often I sleep over here? They’re wonderful people, but they’re a little old school about this stuff.” 

“This stuff?” Mat asked curiously. 

“Living together, sex before marriage, that kind of stuff.” 

“And how do you feel about it?” 

Cass raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you think you could ever get me to do something I didn’t want to do? I’m way too stubborn for that.” Mat threw his head back, laughing. “But seriously. I don’t make the decision lightly, because commitment and intimacy in that way is something really big and important to me. You already knew that I don’t do hookups, it’s just not my thing. But I can see this, us, going places. I want us to go places. And I’ve never been very good at listening to people when I don’t want to. So I’ve made my peace that my choices might not be ones everyone would be thrilled with, but it doesn’t really matter to me as long as I have you.” 

Mat nodded, putting down his food to card one hand through her curls. “I get that, I do. Obviously that’s not so much the attitude with a lot of the boys, but your principles are part of what makes you who you are, and I love who you are. Every part of you.” Cass smiled against his neck, leaning down and kissing him on the shoulder. “I want us to go places too, I hope you know that.”

“Glad to hear.”

They ate without speaking for a few more minutes until Mat broke the silence. “Where do you see yourself in five years?” 

“With you,” Cass answered honestly. “Here, or we could get a nice brownstone over in Brooklyn.” 

“Somewhere with a yard,” Mat mused. 

“Yeah, a yard would be nice,” Cass agreed. “I’d like to get a dog, I’ve always grown up with dogs and it would be nice to have someone to keep me company when you’re gone.” Her family’s two dogs, Patches and Scout, were back at the house in Connecticut, and on more than one occasion, Cass had made the two-hour drive up just to see them. She paused, glancing down at her hands. “In five years? You’d better have put a ring on my finger by then, Mat. I’ll be almost thirty. Approaching old maid status” 

Mat laughed, an easy, breathy sort of laugh that somehow erased all of the tension in the room. “I think you should double-hyphen.” 

Cass looked at him doubtfully. “Cabrera-Shaw-Barzal? Yeah, I’m going to have to pass on that one.” 

He shrugged, the corner of his lip pulled up in a half-smile. “Just saying. It’s got a ring to it.”

“Have you given much thought to what you’d want to do with your name when you get married?” Mat asked curiously. It really didn’t matter much to him, since it would ultimately be Cass’ decision, but he didn’t want to assume anything regardless. And it didn’t escape Cass that he said when, as if it was certain, as if it was a given. The surety made her heart flutter. 

Cass shook her head. “Not particularly. On one hand, I do like the idea of the whole family having the same name. It seems nice. Unified. But I don’t want to feel like I’m erasing my culture and who I am just because I’m getting married. And all due respect, chou,” Cass poked Mat’s cheek, “but Cabrera Shaw’s the name on my degrees. Cassidy Barzal didn’t go to law school.”

“Very fair,” Mat said with a chuckle. 

Cass took a deep breath. If it seemed like they were having the “future talk,” she figured it was best to go all in. “Do you want kids?” she asked, tentatively, hesitantly. It was obvious that Mat was good with kids, she’d seen as much, but being good with kids and wanting children of your own were two very different things. Cass had wanted to be a mom since she knew what a mom was, and even though they probably should have brought up the topic earlier, she wasn’t sure what she’d do if he said no. Thank God, she never had to find out. 

“Definitely,” Mat said, nodding. “Not now, obviously, we’re young and haven’t really settled down yet. If you got pregnant we’d make it work, but I don’t think either of us is looking to be parents right away. But in a couple years, once we’re married and have a proper house with space...Yeah, I’d like to have kids.” He looked over at Cass. “What about you?”

“Always wanted kids,” Cass responded fondly. “I loved growing up with siblings, and I know my parents were the same way. Two or three, I think. I’ve thought about adoption too, but obviously that’s way in the future.”

Mat kissed the top of her head. “We’ve got time.”

 May 22 (sat)

 The graduation ceremony itself wasn’t until noon, so Cass had more than enough time to get ready after waking up at 7. Alicia barrelled into her room at exactly 7:22, throwing a shirt at her and telling her to get dressed. Cass stumbled out of the room ten minutes later, pulling on socks and grabbing her phone from the charger by her door. “What are you guys trying to pull?” she asked, yawning and trying to wipe the sleep out of her eyes. 

“Uh, we’re going to the diner, duh,” Stella said with a smile, tossing Cass her purse. “Come on! You know it fills up early on weekends.” Glen’s Diner had become an apartment staple over the past few years, the restaurant having been the first place the four of them had eaten in the city when they moved, not having bought groceries yet and not wanting to pay the premium for delivery. It was cheap, open 24/7, and Cass would swear up and down that their blueberry pancakes were the best she’d ever had. 

They were seated just after 8, happily slurping coffee and stealing bites of each other’s breakfast twenty minutes later. It was a nice day and hadn’t gotten too hot yet, so they decided to walk back after finishing the meal. In reality, “going back” meant Alicia stopping to buy a new necklace, listening to a busker for a few minutes, and petting no fewer than five dogs on the one-mile walk. There was still plenty of time before they had to leave for the ceremony, but after Cass did her makeup and tamed her curls, there was just enough time to watch an episode of Parks & Rec before having to actually get her stuff together. Not as flexible as she once had been, Ryanne helped zip up the back of her dress, a white lace bodycon from her sorority days that she had definitely worn to at least two semiformals. Hey, Cass thought as she straightened her hemline, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 

She had ironed her robe and put it into a dress bag the night before, and gently folded her school stole and the serape from her abuela into her purse. Mat’s necklace hadn’t left its place since Valentine’s. Her dad’s parents had given her a beautiful pair of pearl studs for her undergraduate graduation, and it felt only right to wear them for her next step. She fastened the ankle straps on her heels, and popped her head out to the living room. “Everyone ready?” She was met with a chorus of “yeses,” and grabbed her keys from their dish by the front door. 

“Let’s go get our girl graduated!” Alicia hollered into the street. 

The girls had originally objected to Cass driving herself to her own graduation, but relented as soon as Cass reminded them that she was the only one who knew where to find the free parking, and the rest of them only drove sedans. “Cheryl has way more room. Y’all want to be cramped on purpose?” 

“Fair point,” Stella had said begrudgingly. 

Exactly twenty-six minutes later, Cass pulled into a spot about two blocks away from the arena where she would be graduating in an hour’s time, hugging each of her friends as Ryanne handed her the dress bag. “You’re going to kill it in there,” she said, rubbing her back. 

Cass laughed. “Ry, all I’ve got to do is walk across a stage without tripping.”

She shrugged. “It’s a fine art that few have mastered.” 

Cass entered through the side, flashing her ID to the security guard standing by the door. Half an hour later, everyone had been ushered into their seats, carefully arranged in alphabetical order. For the most part, Cass was friendly with everyone in her class; if they weren’t outwardly hostile to her, she saw no reason why they deserved anything other than kindness, but was relieved to see Robin sitting next to her. “You excited?” Robin asked, brushing a piece of her auburn hair behind her ear. The lobby doors must have opened, because as she asked, crowds started to mill into the seats, waving at anyone who would catch their eye. 

Cass bounced her head. “I am, but it’s kind of surreal, you know? I knew we’d get to this point, obviously. It’s what we’ve been working towards for seven years, really. But the idea that it all essentially comes down to this…”

“An hour, a few handshakes, and a piece of paper,” Robin helpfully supplied. 

She nodded. “Yeah. It’s almost anticlimactic in a way? Like sure, we’ve got our JDs after this, but knowing we’ve still got to pass the bar. We’re not over the finish line yet.”

“Columbia has a 97% pass rate, and you’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, Cass. And I’ve spent three years surrounded by the smartest people I’ve ever met.”

“Fair,” Cass said, “it’s just kind of a weird feeling, you know?” Robin nodded. “And plus, for most of us, we’ve pretty much spent our whole lives in school. Aside from positions as summer associates, or part-time jobs and internships, we don’t really know how to do anything other than school. It’s just a little bit of a daunting thought to suddenly feel like we’re being thrown out to the wolves without really knowing what to expect.” Cass’ phone, which she wasn’t technically supposed to have but had snuck in anyways, chose that moment to buzz with a text notification. It was from Mat.

Met up with the crew! Can’t wait to see you walk across that stage, Cass. I love you and we’re all so proud of you. Mat had attached a photo of everyone she had brought with her — both sets of grandparents, her parents and siblings, and roommates. 

“Your boyfriend is nauseatingly cute,” Robin observed, looking over her shoulder at the message. 

Cass laughed. “That’s true, but I knew what I was getting myself into.” The music started ten minutes later, and the ceremony began. If Cass was being honest, she didn’t really remember much of anything from the first half of the ceremony, before the conferral of diplomas. She was so excited and nervous and unbelievably ready all at the same time that all she recalled from the dean’s speech and the student speeches were vague comments about their “awesome responsibility” and “duty to pursue truth and justice” and “commitment to fight for what is right over what is easy.” 

As soon as she realized it, her row was being ushered into line to receive their diplomas. “Cassidy María Cabrera Shaw.” She heard her name, but really had no clue who had spoken it. The dean? One of her professors? As Cass walked up the steps and across the stage, the only thing she could think was don’t trip don’t trip don’t trip. Then she was handed a diploma, flashed a brilliant smile for the photographer, and shook hand after hand after hand before walking off the other side of the stage. She was pretty sure she could hear Mat and Noah yelling their congratulations from her seat on the floor. 

Having a name towards the front of the alphabet meant that Cass was almost always called on quickly in class, or on roll call, or at graduation, as the case was. But that meant that she had to sit, quietly and politely, for the other four hundred names to be called. And it took awhile. After Robin Cahill came Wesley Coleman, then Samuel Cogswell, then Fiona Chan. Cass didn’t mind having to sit through the whole thing, especially when Fiona, Les, Samaira, and her other friends crossed the stage — she cheered as much as anybody — but it was a long time to be sitting in a folding chair and the thousands of people packed into a small space didn’t help her temperature regulation. 

There was the benediction and congratulations, and then the recessional of the graduates. Graduates, Cass thought. She was a graduate. She had finished, she was done, she had accomplished the one thing she wanted most to do since she was a little girl watching Legally Blonde for the first time, looking at Elle Woods and thinking I can do that. And she had. Her feet carried her to the back room of their own accord, where she picked up her bag and was engulfed in a flurry of hugs, congratulations, and kisses on the cheek from her friends, the people who she had spent countless late nights in the library with, bar hopping to celebrate the end of finals, and afternoons on each other’s apartment couches, yelling fact patterns at each other and trying to come up with an analysis before the timer went off.  

Following the stream of sky blue graduation gowns, Cass walked outside, waving at her family when she spotted Eliana hanging off of a lamppost in the courtyard to get a better view. Her sister nearly tackled her as she made her way to the group. “Cass. I already knew you were brilliant, and I still think  you’re the smartest out of any of us,” she gestured between the two of them and Noah, “but now you’ve got the degree to prove it. I’m so proud of you.” 

Noah was next. “You worked hard, and I know how badly you wanted this. You’re a really good sister.” He wasn’t usually a big talker, and Cass’ eyes definitely got a little misty as he spoke. He had verbally committed to Minnesota State the week before, and Mat might have been more excited than even Cass when he heard the news. It was an incredible program that had a serious track record of sending players to the NHL, and she was so proud to see her little brother doing what he loved. Her mom and both grandmas were crying, as expected, and Grandpa Joe wrapped her up in a hug as soon as he got the chance. 

Mat had been hanging towards the back of the crowd, not wanting to feel like he was intruding on family time, until her dad nudged him forward. “Go say hi to your girl, Mat,” Patrick said.

“Will do,” Mat said, squeezing Cass’ hand and pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head. “Sometimes it blows my mind how incredible you are,” he said. “Everyone’s already said how smart you are, and every bit of that is true. But you’re so much more than that, you know?” His thumb rubbed over her hand. “You’re beautiful, and curious, and you always keep me on my toes. You’re so passionate about your work, and you’ve got the biggest heart out of anyone I know. You’ve never met a person you didn’t want to help. And I promise I’m not biased just because I’m in love with you.” 

Cass gave a watery laugh, blinking and thanking God she had the foresight to wear waterproof mascara. “God, I love you, Mat.”

Her dad had always been the picture type, insisting on documenting every waking moment. He was the living embodiment of “pics or it didn’t happen,” for better or worse. He took a few of her with her law school friends, then Alicia snapped one with just her immediate family, then there was one with everyone. Cass also got a picture with Mat, where he was bending down to kiss her, the tassel on her mortarboard just barely brushing his nose. Then she was in one with all of the seniors on the law review, and a friend pulled her away for a few with the Latinx Student Association. By the time they finally managed to tear Patrick away from his camera, it was time to head back to the hotel and get ready for dinner. 

Mat got Patrick to send him the photo of him and Cass, and was about to post it on Instagram when he hesitated. “Hey, is it cool if I post this?” Mat said, showing Cass his phone. Most people knew who she was, and he had posted pictures of her before, but they had never been this obvious, this clear, this real. 

“Go for it.”

Mat pressed post. So, so proud of my incredible girlfriend @casscshaw for graduating law school. You’re one of the smartest, most empathetic people I know, and you’re going to make an amazing lawyer. 

Cass grinned, a big, genuine smile as she was surrounded by her family, the people who meant the most to her — whether they were related or not. She looked up at Mat, who was smiling softly down at her as he reached one hand up to fix her tassel. “What’s next?”

[ncomiis]

i pulled an all nighter and this happened

— flashback: creative writing class. beginning of junior year.

naomi sits patiently at her desk, waiting for the rest of the class to fill in so that the creative writing class could begin. she was really excited for this since writing has been a way for her to let all that darkness within her out. it was a form of therapeutic expression. so far she recognizes a few faces. the blair maxwell was sitting a few seats away next to her beau daniel taupo  ( whom naomi has had a crush on since middle school but has made no attempt in telling him because hello; he was dating the blair maxwell ) then brother and sister duo bryce kings and damaris lennox sitting in the front row. so far, they’re the only students in the classroom and naomi can tell this class is going to be small. she wasn’t sure if she liked that. just then, her best friend verena enters and naomi smiles, waving her over.

“ you’re in this class? no way! it’s going to be so much fun. how was your summer? we didn’t hang out as much as i wanted us to. my dad and his family went on a cruise so i was left housesitting. which i mean, is whatever i don’t even like the bahamas.  ”  she shrugs her shoulders, rambling to the other girl and too busy trying to play catch up that she doesn’t notice when cristian ramos (  cleveland high school’s bad boy slash heartbreaker ) and his friend enter the room and take the seats directly in front of them, as if there weren’t other empty desks littered around the room.

the smell of cigarettes hits her hard and she cringes, wasting no time in tapping the stranger   cristian’s friend ) on the shoulder,  “  you stink.  ”  naomi boldly says, interrupting their conversation and raising her eyebrows as he turns around.

“ and you’re annoying.  ”  the words fall from his lips so swiftly yet heavy and naomi sits there, a little stunned. 

“  i’m sorry, what?  ”

“  deaf too, apparently.  ”

naomi snorts and looks over at verena, giving her a who is this and why is he talking to me like that look. vee just shrugs and looks down at her notebooks, going back to ignoring the interaction all together. she’s about to reply when the teacher walks in and begins to introduce herself to all eight of them; setting the class into motion.

— time jump to after class.

“ and he has a name. micah. very fitting.  ”  and once again, naomi interrupts whatever he’s doing as she leans against the lockers that lined their high school’s hallway.

“ naomi, or should i say cry baby. please don’t flood the hall with your crocodile tears. ” micah looks so unimpressed as he shuts his locker closed and gives her a bored look.

“ i’m not— are people still saying that about me? ” suddenly, she’s no longer interested in telling him off but more into wanting to finding out what her peers have been saying behind her back.

“ yeah, they also say you grow a tail when there’s a full moon and that you have a daniel taupo shrine in your room. is he your favorite member of one direction?  ”  the end of his lips quirk up into a smug smirk and she frowns, crossing her arms against her chest. she can’t lie, there’s a slight pink tint coating her cheeks at the mention of the ginger haired boy.

“ you still stink. ”  and with that, she turns to walk away from him and that embarrassing conversation.

“ and you’re still annoying.  ”

naomi laughs to herself slightly, remembering the first time she met micah byeon. the memory feels like it was lifetimes ago. a time where things were normal in her life. no kids, no ghosts, no murders, no serial killers. just an angsty teenager trying to graduate from high school. her laugh slowly fades and she’s in silence, laying in the backseat of her car where she’s been sleeping for the past few days; too embarrassed to ask any of her other friends if she could crash at their place and too broken to go back home.

she thought that the pain would go away a few hours after the big fight and that maybe, just maybe, she’d be able to return the following day where they’d make up and forget any of it ever happened. but naomi isn’t dumb, she knows that simple i’m sorry’s wasn’t going to fix the mess she and micah had made. it wasn’t going to fix them. if anything, the pain has only gotten worse and no one knows she’s hurting. she briefly mentioned it to daniel the night of, but she didn’t tell him the whole thing. he didn’t need that on his conscious,

not now and not ever.

letting out a small sigh, she sits up and ignores the headache, climbing into the driver’s seat and turning the car on. she sits there, emotionless and pretty dead on the inside as she thinks of what her next move is going to be. the party she and verena had planned was slowly creeping up and she was in no mood to attend, let alone dress up for it. with everything going on with her and micah and zach; the last thing naomi castillo wanted to be is festive. but alas, she had to go. it was her party after all, and she didn’t want to raise any red flags within the team. she wanted them to at least have one night where they could have fun.

— flashback: becoming roommates. end of senior year. high school.

“ i’m in. ”

naomi’s eyes move from the textbook in front of her and up to meet micah’s, a confused look on her face.

“ what? ”

“ i said i’m in. you sure you’re not deaf?  ”

with a roll of her eyes, she bookmarks the page and shuts the book, waiting for micah to further™ explain himself.

“ your craigslist ad. for a roommate. saw it last night and thought why the hell not? i can’t afford to live in the dorms.  ”  

naomi’s face lights up and she lets out an excited squeal,  “ oh my god? yes of course. yes! this is going to be so much fun. i found the apartment about a month ago and it’s like, right near campus. i expected it to be super duper expensive but it’s not. and it’s really nice. ugh, i can’t wait to decorate for all the holidays! do you celebrate christmas or do you do like do hanukkah because—  ”

“  i regret this already.  ”

this time, her laugh is mixed with a few sobs as she begins to cry, head resting on the steering wheel. how could they let it get this bad? they were supposed to break the cycle their parents had so selfishly created. they were supposed to be stable. they were supposed to be happy.

“  oh god, micah… what did we do?  ”  she says to herself, replaying the argument over and over in her head.

“ you’re the one who decided to fuck a serial killer, and you’re the one who decided to have his kids. no one told you to do that shit, and ava and noah sure as hell didn’t ask to be born. all of that? that’s on you. you’re the reason you have twins right now, and you’re the reason you’re so motherfucking tired. whatever the fuck it is that you’re so upset about? frankly, it’s probably your fault, too. ”  she lets out a cry, hitting her palm against the wheel

“ i don’t care what you want. ” another cry, another hit.

“ i don’t need to project my shitty childhood onto them naomi, you’re already giving them a one. ”  this time the hit is harder and the cry is intense.

“ get out of my apartment.  ”  and finally she breaks down again, feeling her chest shake as the sobs come out stronger and stronger, vision blurring as the tears pour out.

things weren’t supposed to go like this. they were supposed be different. where the hell did they go wrong? silverwood? each being too broken to fix the other? or was it because they depended on each other far too much? the pressure, the weight was too much for these broken birds to handle. one of them had to snap first.

wasn’t it funny that they both snapped at the same time?

the seconds that pass feel like hours but naomi is finally able to semi recover from her breakdown. taking a few deep breaths, she wipes the tears away and reaches over for her water bottle, gulping down the whole thing before tossing the empty plastic into the backseat.

putting the car into reverse, she backs out of the parking lot of the hq and onto the main road, making her way towards last place she should be at the but the first place she finds herself going to.

her dad’s house.

— time jump.

the argument made naomi realize a lot of things about herself. the main being that she was her mother. there were no similarities, no, they were the exact same person. from their mood swings to the bedridden depression to the way they treated their kids. naomi had always been preoccupied with trying not to be like carson that she didn’t even realize she had become alejandra. the realization hit naomi hard and still, she doesn’t know how to react to it.

at first she was very confused but slowly, it all began to make sense. the reason why she and her father never got along, her fervour heart, why her brother ran away the second he turned eighteen, her inability to keep her emotions in check. it all screamed her mother and it was right in front of her the entire time. how could you be so blind, naomi? all the years you spent asking why things where the way that they were;  the answer was in the mirror, staring right back at you.

taking a deep breath, naomi enters the familiar neighborhood and she slows down once the house is in sight. her palms begin to sweat and she feels a ping of fear shoot up her spine as she pulls in to the driveway.

you can do this. no you can’t. yes you can.

after fighting with herself for a few minutes, she finally cuts the engine off and steps out the car ( first making sure she looks and smells presentable ) walking up the steps to the front porch and knocking on the door.

she knows he’s home, his car is parked out front. she doesn’t see jacqueline’s which eases her nerves slightly. she wanted to confront her dad alone and not in the presence of the woman who helped ruined her life.

naomi’s train of thought is put back on track as she hears the door unlock then open, revealing the man of the hour.

“ naomi? what are you doing here? everything okay? where are the twins?  ”

things have been weird with her dad since he was attacked by mayer all those months ago. he doesn’t scold or nag on her as much as he used to. don’t think he doesn’t do it though; because he does. about two weeks ago he called only to tell her off for buying the wrong medicine when noah got sick. mortin, naomi. the name is not that hard to remember.

“  i finally get it.  ”  she ignores his questions, instead letting her statement stand in place of an answer

“  get what? you’re really starting to worry me.  ”

“ why you left mom. why you left us.  ”  

he goes silent and his eyes divert from hers, she notices the shift in his attitude.

he opens the door and motions for her to come inside and she does, turning to face him as soon as the door closes behind him.

they never talk about it. they never talk about her mom or her death or him leaving when they needed him the most, no. the only thing they talk about is how bad of a mother naomi is and how irresponsible she is as an adult. any time she’s ever tried to bring it up, he either gives her some bullshit answer of how things were hard for her to understand and that she’d never get it.

but boy was he wrong.

“  naomi please don’t do this now…  ”

“  it’s hard taking care of someone who feels all at once then nothing at all. it’s hard to love someone like that, huh?  ”

silence.

“  i loved her.  ”

“  i’m sure you did.  ”  words come out flat,  “ especially with how much you talk about her.  ”

“  you don’t understand naomi—  ”

“ but i do, dad. i do understand because i’m going through it right now. i’m hurting like she was and i walked away like you did.  ”

and for the first time since she was a child, carson shows emotion towards his daughter. not sternness or disappointment, no, he shows something she’d never thought she’d see him express.

empathy.

“  what happened to my little girl?  ”

“  my mother died, my brother left and my father stopped loving me.  ”

“  i never stopped loving you naomi.  ”

“ then why did you push me away? why did you choose jacqueline and matthew over me?  ”  voice cracks as the questions pour out, heart racing a hundred miles per hour as she anxiously waits for him to reply.

his jaw tightness and she knows she’s hit a spot but she doesn’t care— it’s time for the two of them to finally sort this shit out like the adults that they were.

“  you reminded me so much of her. i couldn’t do it. i couldn’t go through that again.  ”

“  oh fuck you, carson.  ”  

“  naomi vienna castillo—  ”

“  you’re my first heartbreak, did you know that? because of you i have problems with getting close to people because i’m scared that they’re going to leave me like you did. you were a selfish asshole, you only thought of yourself and because of that mom killed herself and lukas left!  ”

“  i tried fixing things. i was by her side at every waking moment. i took her to the doctor i got her the help she needed but she refused to take it. she liked being that way. she loved watching her family fall apart— ”

“  please, don’t—  ”

“  no, no,  ”  her shakes his head, interrupting her,  “  you want to come to my house and tell me that you know what it’s like but you don’t know. you really don’t. the crying, the screaming, the—”  things begin to get intense. naomi has never seen her dad this way and honestly? it’s frightening.

“  the sleepless nights. the mood swings. the leave me alone’s and the please don’t leave me’s.  ”  she finishes his sentence, and that stuns him.  “  i told you that i know what it’s like. and it pains me that i walked away just like you did. for the past month i’ve been feeling the same exact way she was. i couldn’t stand being around my kids, i ruined my relationship with zach and i left micah. this family has a problem with walking away when things get tough and i’m tired of it, carson. i’m sick and tired of it i need you to finally man up to your fucking mistakes and make things right. ”

“  what do you want me to say? i’m sorry? fine. i’m sorry, naomi. i’m sorry for leaving you and your brother with that basket case…  ”  naomi doesn’t listen to the words that come after that, no, instead her mind takes her back to the argument and how she had used the same word to describe herself. it all feels surreal, how things just keep coming back in a full circle.

— flashback: police station. after silverwood.

naomi sits in the police station, away from everyone else. they’ve just been rescued from silverwood and were currently waiting for the ambulance to arrive so that it could take them to the nearest hospital. she sees everyone reunite with their families. daniel’s parents are crying and checking to see if he was okay. damaris and bryce are with some of their family member’s and vee is also with her parents, deep in conversation but with their arms around her. even blair’s dad was here, hugging his daughter with a relieved look on his face. the only people missing were micah and cristian. micah had left with the first ambulance that was on the scene since his condition was the worst of them all ( apparently mayer had stabbed him in the church and he had lost a lot of blood; which worried the fuck out of naomi ) and cristian was currently being questioned.

she had been approached by some of the other parents and even some police officers, asking if there was any family that she wanted to contact to let them know she was fine.

“  no, there’s no one.  ”  she answers,  “  i’ll be okay.  ”

“  … and i told you to stay away from that micah boy. i told you he was bad news and you didn’t listen. you just had to let him move in and look at you now, having episodes like alejandra and coming to my house in the middle of the day throwing a fit. you asked why i pushed you away, well here’s why, naomi. here’s why.  ”  she opens her mouth to say something but the words come out, instead she stands there, defenseless to his words.

there’s a long pause. long enough for carson to know that he’s about to fuck everything up with his next words. 

“ i don’t regret leaving, naomi. it wasn’t a mistake. ”

her throat tightens at the confession and she feels like she’s having an out of body experience.

“ mom... mom killed herself because of you and you... you don’t care you just left... you killed her.  ” she chokes out, feeling the room spin around her as she came to the realization that carson castillo was the true villain in her life.

not mayer. no. her father.

and as if on cue, mayer appears next to carson and this only causes her to stumble back slightly.

“ oh, naomi. this goes deeper than you thought, doesn’t it? both of the prominent men in your life are killers. one offinig your own mother and the other, slowly chipping away at you until you meet the same fate as her. ”

“ s-shut up please, ” she cries out, covering her ears and shaking her head.

“ what would it take, naomi? for you to end it all. for you to jump and fly. fly away from your fucked up life. because there’s really no way to fix all of this. you should just put yourself out of your own misery. ”

“ PLEASE. ” she cries out, dropping to her knees.

“ what’s wrong— ” her dad begins to walk closer to her

“ g-get away. stop. ” she stretches her arms out, causing carson to stop in his tracks.

“ she looks just like you. your mother. very beautiful, the two of you,” mayer kneels beside her, ghostly fingers comes out to caress the spot on her neck that’s been hurting ever since she’s been seeing him.

naomi winces.

“ i know ava’s going took like both you and her. let’s hope she doesn’t inherit the crazy that comes with the castillo women.  ” he speaks, tone of voice as calm as her.

“ but if she doesn’t get it from you then she’ll definitely get it from her daddy.  ”

— flashback: hospital. after silverwood incident.

“ jesus christ naomi. ” carson walks into her hospital room, jacqueline hot on his heels as they stand at the foot of her bed.

“ what are— how— who— ” naomi’s confused, she never told anyone to call them to let them know where she was. in fact, she was very specific on making sure that they didn't find out. well, not yet at least.

“ daniel called us. are you really this ignorant? you didn’t even call. i was worried sick. see i told you, i told you this was a bad idea. ”

“ dad... ”

“ and you did it anyway. this is so typical of you naomi. when are you going to realize that your stupidity has consequences? this was all fun and games in high school but now you’re a full grown adult and you’re still doing this shit.  ”

“ yeah, dad i’m fine. my leg is broken because i got it caught in a bear trap. a serial killer tried murdering me and my friends in a town crawling with demonic ghosts, i was kidnapped by a set of cannibal twins and oh— i’m pregnant. but no, don’t let my problems intervene with your lecture. please, continue.  ”

the room falls silent and the tension becomes so thick and awkward, it’s like a mirage.  

“ you’re pregnant? oh my god, just when i thought things couldn’t get worse. ”

naomi looks down as she feels the tears forming in her eyes.

“ oh, here come the waterworks. ” jacqueline’s annoying voice cuts through the air and that is enough to let a few tears fall.

“ dad i can— ”

“ who’s the father? ”

the question catches her off guard and naomi has not had enough time to come up with a lie for it, so instead she stays quiet.

“ answer me. who is it? is it micah? i’m going to kill his punk ass— ”

“ it’s daniel. ” as soon as the words leave her lips, she regrets them. naomi knows how much her father hates micah and he would follow through with his words of killing him if she admitted to being pregnant with micah’s kid. thankfully she was not but she was too ashamed of telling him the truth. plus, she knows how ‘fond’ carson is of daniel, so his reaction would definitely soften at the news.

“  does he know. ”

“ no. ”

“ are you keeping it? ”

“ dad…  ”

“ are you keeping it? ”

“ i don’t know. ”

“ we’ll talk about this when you’re home. ”

and just like that, he leaves. no tears, no hug, no kiss, no i’m so glad you’re alive, no anything. naomi castillo almost died and it didn’t even phase her father.

naomi stands from her spot, mayer’s energy gone completely but still feeling the tension between her and her father.

“ coming here was a mistake. i knew that but like a dumbass bitch i still came. i still tried giving you a second chance. because that’s who i am—  i try to see the good in people. but there’s nothing good left in you anymore, carson. frankly, i don’t think there ever was anything good to begin with.  ”  she snaps back into reality, looking at him straight in the eyes as she speaks.

“ naomi— ”

“  you’re dead to me, dad. ” she says the last word with such hatred and intensity, she wants him to know that she means it. that she’s finally done with him and all his emotionally abusive bullshit.

not waiting for a reply she pushes past him as she walks out the door, much like she had done to micah days earlier, and gets into her car, ignoring the fact that he was calling after her and following her.

“ don’t do this, vienna. you’re going to regret it i promise you. i can’t lose you too. ” and she laughs, finding it funny ( even though it isn’t ) that he was even saying that. just a few minutes ago he was telling her off, not even bothering to give her a proper apology, blaming her for how fucked up she was, being the heartless person she knew he always was. and now he wants to play the grieving father?

fuck. that.

she cranks the car up, putting it in reverse. she sees him standing a few feet away from the car and she rolls down the window to say:

“ you lost me the day you left. ”

— flashback: hospital. seeing micah for the first time since silverwood.

“ micah … micah where is he?!  ”  naomi frantically looks around, trying to see if she can catch a glimpse of her best friend. it’s been days since they were rescued from silverwood and naomi has no idea what his condition has been or where he was. there’s a panic within her and one of the nurses tries to calm her down, informing her that if she kept freaking out like this, they were going to sedate her.

“ no you don’t understand, i need to know where he i— micah.  ”  as soon as she sees him walk through the doors, naomi gets up and runs over to him  ( well as good as she could with the boot around her broken leg ) , wrapping her arms around him. she tries not to squeeze him too hard, knowing he’s probably still recovering from all the wounds silverwood has left on him. but she holds him tightly enough for him to know how happy she is to see him.

“ you fucking idiot, you scared me. ” she says through her tears, pulling back to inspect him, seeing his face was bruised and bandages on his arm.

“ i scared you? not the ghosts or lunatics in silverwood? ”

“ fuck off, you know what i meant. ” she pulls him in for another hug, so glad to see that he was okay.

naomi wouldn’t know what to do with herself if something had happened to micah. if she lost him. they’ve been ying and yang for so long, that she feels so deeply connected to him, more than she has with anyone ever. he was her rock as she was his. they kept each other from floating away into the abyss that was the world. they kept each other from being chewed up and spit out. micah byeon has had such a powerful impact on naomi castillo and her life that she really would not know what to do if he were to go away.

she loved him.

sniffling, she catches whiff of hospital all over him and she cringes.

“ you stink. ”

pause.

“ and you’re annoying. ”

[sabriputrinada]

Free Download SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome audiobook free Book by Mary Beard

[Audio Books] SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome audiobook free by Mary Beard

A sweeping, revisionist history of the Roman Empire from one of our foremost classicists. Ancient Rome was an imposing city even by modern standards, a sprawling imperial metropolis of more than a million inhabitants, a 'mixture of luxury and filth, liberty and exploitation, civic pride and murderous civil war' that served as the seat of power for an empire that spanned from Spain to Syria. Yet how did all this emerge from what was once an insignificant village in central Italy? In S.P.Q.R., world-renowned classicist Mary Beard narrates the unprecedented rise of a civilization that even two thousand years later still shapes many of our most fundamental assumptions about power, citizenship, responsibility, political violence, empire, luxury, and beauty. From the foundational myth of Romulus and Remus to 212 cenearly a thousand years laterwhen the emperor Caracalla gave Roman citizenship to every free inhabitant of the empire, S.P.Q.R. (the abbreviation of 'The Senate and People of Rome') examines not just how we think of ancient Rome but challenges the comfortable historical perspectives that have existed for centuries by exploring how the Romans thought of themselves: how they challenged the idea of imperial rule, how they responded to terrorism and revolution, and how they invented a new idea of citizenship and nation. Opening the book in 63 bce with the famous clash between the populist aristocrat Catiline and Cicero, the renowned politician and orator, Beard animates this 'terrorist conspiracy,' which was aimed at the very heart of the Republic, demonstrating how this singular event would presage the struggle between democracy and autocracy that would come to define much of Rome's subsequent history. Illustrating how a classical democracy yielded to a self-confident and self-critical empire, S.P.Q.R. reintroduces us, though in a wholly different way, to famous and familiar charactersHannibal, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Augustus, and Nero, among otherswhile expanding the historical aperture to include those overlooked in traditional histories: the women, the slaves and ex-slaves, conspirators, and those on the losing side of Rome's glorious conquests. Like the best detectives, Beard sifts fact from fiction, myth and propaganda from historical record, refusing either simple admiration or blanket condemnation. Far from being frozen in marble, Roman history, she shows, is constantly being revised and rewritten as our knowledge expands. Indeed, our perceptions of ancient Rome have changed dramatically over the last fifty years, and S.P.Q.R., with its nuanced attention to class inequality, democratic struggles, and the lives of entire groups of people omitted from the historical narrative for centuries, promises to shape our view of Roman history for decades to come.

Read SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome audiobook free by (Mary Beard)

Duration: 18 hours, 32 minutes

Writer: Mary Beard

Publisher: Recorded Books

Narrators: Phyllida Nash

Genres: Phyllida Nash

Rating: 4.45

Narrator Rating: 4.33

Publication: Sunday, 01 November 2015

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome audiobook free Reviews

Dave P.

This felt like a College lecture. I really enjoy Roman history but this was dry & bounced around a lot with no real cohesion or story. I really wanted to be pulled in by the author but I kept being disappointed. She doesn't dwell on one subject i.e., Caesar for very long or discuss their conquests for example. It just bounces around with no feeling either way. I felt like I was in the back of my classroom again but falling asleep.

Rating: 3

Gregory M.

Roman history complete, balanced, and entertaining. Loved it.

Rating: 5

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Spirit Awards 2020 Winners – Complete List

The 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards were handed out in a ceremony Saturday afternoon in Santa Monica, Ca. Hosted for the second year in a row by Aubrey Plaza, here are the nominees and winners as announced.

READ MORE: Oscars 2020 Predictions: Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern and, oh yeah, “Parasite”

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Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe Greener Grass

James Montague & Craig W.

Continue reading Spirit Awards 2020 Winners – Complete List at The Playlist.

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How to watch, who’s performing, who was snubbed and more

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It’s already been a big year for 18-year-old Billie Eilish who was just announced to perform at the Grammy Awards and received 6 Grammy nominations.

USA TODAY

Brace yourself, Billie Eilish and Lizzo fans: The 2020 Grammy Awards are shaping up to be a big night.

The Grammys are quickly approaching, and this year’s ceremony looks like it’ll live up to its rep as “Music’s Biggest Night.”

Will “Bad Guy” singer Eilish come out on top? Will Lizzo leave feeling “Good As Hell” with trophies in hand? Will Lil Nas X land some wins, or will the “Old Town Road” rapper be left in the dust? Oh, and when is it again?

From the breakout nominees to the surprising snubs, here’s everything you need to know going into this year’s Grammys.

What time are the Grammys?

The show will broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday, Jan. 26. It airs on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

How can I watch the Grammys on TV or online?

Well, if you have regular TV, on CBS. If you don’t, the show is available for streaming on CBS All Access and on live TV packages through services such as YouTube TV and Hulu live TV. 

You can stream all the red carpet arrivals on Grammy.com.

Notable 2020 Grammy nominees

Lizzo received the most nominations – eight, including album (“Cuz I Love You”), record and song (“Truth Hurts”) of the year. She’s followed by Lil Nas X and Eilish, who are tied with six nods each. Artists with five nominations include Ariana Grande, H.E.R. and Finneas O’Connell. 

Eilish, 18, joins Lizzo, 31, in the album of the year category with her genre-bending, critically acclaimed debut “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” The trend-setting teen, whose music has amassed more than 15 billion combined streams across platforms, is also up for record and song of the year for No. 1 hit “Bad Guy.” That makes her the youngest nominee in Grammy history to be nominated in all four major categories, according to the Recording Academy.

Lizzo received the most Grammy nominations this year, with eight, including album (“Cuz I Love You”), record and song (“Truth Hurts”) of the year. (Photo: Don Arnold, Getty Images)

Lil Nas X, 20, whose real name is Montero Hill, is similarly up for best album with his eight-song debut “7.” “Old Town Road,” his country-rap collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus that topped the charts for a record-breaking 19 consecutive weeks this summer, is nominated for best pop/duo group performance, and his follow-up single “Panini” is up for best rap/sung performance. 

Grande’s five nods include record (“7 Rings”) and album of the year (“Thank U, Next”). The best album category is rounded out by Bon Iver’s “I, I,” Lana Del Rey’s “Norman F***ing Rockwell,” H.E.R.’s “I Used to Know Her” and Vampire Weekend’s “Father of the Bride.” 

10 best albums of 2019, including Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey and FKA Twigs

Grammy nominations: Lizzo leads, Billie Eilish makes history, and ‘Old Town Road’ scores

Who got snubbed?

Though this year’s nominations shined a light on new artists, established favorites, such as Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen, were left in the dark.

10-time Grammy winner Swift made history in 2016 by becoming the first female artist to win album of the year twice, for “1989” and “Fearless” (a feat managed a year later by Adele, with “25” and “21”). Swift’s Grammys streak has slowed: Her divisive “Reputation” earned just one nod in 2018 for best pop vocal album, and this year, she garnered only three nominations, including song of the year for “Lover.”

Her critically beloved album “Lover” failed to land a best album nod but showed up in best pop vocal album. Her pro-LGBTQ anthem “You Need to Calm Down” eked out a nomination for best pop solo performance but missed out on record of the year. 

Taylor Swift is no stranger to Grammy wins, but this year, she has only three nominations. (Photo: Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images)

Similarly, 20-time winner Springsteen has been a reliable Grammy presence since 1984 and was honored in 2013 by the Recording Academy’s charity arm as MusiCares Person of the Year. The Boss returned this summer with the country-tinged “Western Stars,” which marked his first album of solo material since 2012’s “Wrecking Ball.” Voters didn’t welcome him back with open arms, snubbing “Western Stars” and Springsteen entirely. 

Grammy snubs 2020: Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen miss out on major nominations

Alicia Keys will host the Grammys for the second year in a row. (Photo: Emma McIntyre, Getty Images for Billboard)

Who’s hosting the Grammys?

After hosting the 2019 Grammys, Alicia Keys is back and ready to take on the gig for the second year in a row. With 15 Grammy wins, Keys is certainly qualified.

“It’s almost like a marathon: You can’t just run a marathon (once),” Keys said of her desire to host a second time. “I feel like now, more than ever, I’m familiar with the space on multiple levels. It’s going to be an exciting, inclusive, beautiful experience, and that’s what I want to create.”

2020 Grammy nominations: See the complete list of artists up for an award

Who’s performing?

This year’s Grammys should be a big night for Eilish and Lizzo, not just because of their nominations but also because they’ll each make their Grammys stage debuts. 

Demi Lovato will also take the stage, marking her first live performance since she was hospitalized after a possible drug overdose in 2018.

“I told you the next time you’d hear from me I’d be singing,” Lovato wrote on Instagram Tuesday, along with the announcement.

Also returning to the show is Grande, who didn’t attend last year after a dispute with Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich.  

Ehrlich will be honored in a tribute performance Sunday featuring artists involved in his 40-year career. Performers will include Camila Cabello, John Legend, Cyndi Lauper and Ben Platt, among others.

Power couple Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani will perform together at the show for the first time. Additionally, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lil Nas X, BTS, Diplo and more will join forces for an “Old Town Road All-Stars” performance.

Aerosmith, Run-D.M.C, Charlie Wilson, Bonnie Raitt, Camila Cabello, H.E.R., the Jonas Brothers, Rosalía and Tyler, The Creator will all also take the stage.   

Sunday’s show will also pay tribute to rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was shot to death outside his Marathon clothing store in the South Los Angeles neighborhood where he was from in March 2019. DJ Khaled, John Legend, Roddy Ricch, Kirk Franklin, Meek Mill and YG will honor Hussle’s legacy with a performance. The late rapper is nominated for three awards this year including best rap song. 

Who’s presenting?

Famous faces set to hand out the golden gramophones include Trevor Noah and Jim Gaffigan, who are both nominated for Best Comedy Album, as well as Brandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker, who are also set to perform.

Also presenting are previous Grammy winners Common, Cynthia Erivo, Dua Lipa, Billy Porter, Smokey Robinson, Shania Twain, Keith Urban and Stevie Wonder, as well as past Grammy nominees Ava DuVernay and Bebe Rexha. 

Music industry titans Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne will also hand out trophies.

How are the Grammy Awards different this year?

This year’s Grammys will have more women, people of color and young people choosing who wins.

Responding to criticism that the awards show has lacked diversity among nominees and winners, the Recording Academy invited 900 members to join the voting body, emphasizing women, people of color and those under the age of 39, or some combination of the three. 

Who will be honored at Grammy Awards events?

Grammys fun kicks off way before the main awards show begins.

One of the most famous lead-up events is record producer Clive Davis’ star-studded pre-Grammys gala, held this year on the Saturday night before the show.

At this year’s gala, three-time Grammy winner Sean “Diddy” Combs will be recognized as the 2020 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons honoree for his 25-year career in the music industry.

The Friday before the Grammys, rock band Aerosmith will be honored as the 2020 Person of the Year for MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charity for musicians in critical financial need. The band earned the title for their philanthropy and impact on music history.

They will be honored with a tribute concert featuring Gary Clark Jr., Alice Cooper, Foo Fighters, H.E.R., the Jonas Brothers, Emily King, John Legend, John Mayer and Yola, among others.

The Tuesday after the Grammys, late music icon Prince will be honored with an all-star tribute concert featuring Beck, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Chris Martin, Usher, H.E.R., the Foo Fighters, Earth, Wind & Fire and others.

Contributing: Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY; Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press 

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TAKA Michinoku 25th Anniversary ~SIMPLE IS BEST~ - 9/4/2017; NJPW in CMLL Update; NJPW at BOLA Update

Earlier today in K-DOJO, founder (and Suzuki-gun member) TAKA Michinoku held his 25th Anniversary show. His debut came on 9/4/1992, in a match against Super Tigrito in Universal Pro-Wrestling; by the end of the year he would be a founding member of Michinoku Pro Wrestling along with Great Sasuke. From 1997-2001 he was in WWF, and formed K-DOJO in 2001. Some of TAKA’s friends and rivals through the years appeared on this show (Great Sasuke, Dick Togo), as did his Suzuki-gun leader Minoru Suzuki, and in the main event, TAKA teamed with Kota Ibushi against IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and Gedo. Hope this show made tape. Results:

Kaientai Dojo TAKA Michinoku 25th Anniversary Show ~SIMPLE IS BEST~ - 9/4/2017, Tokyo Korakuen Hall

Yoshihiro Horaguchi & Marines Mask d. Taylor Adams & Dickey Mayer (Horaguchi > Adams, German Suplex Hold, 3:33)

K-DOJO First Class Special Tag Match: Hi69 [NOAH] & Yasu Urano [FREE] d. Daigoro Kashiwa & MIYAWAKI (Urano > Kashiwa, Modern Times, 7:16)

Joshi Special Tag Match: Io Shirai [STARDOM] & HZK [FREE] d. Bambi & ERINA (Shirai > ERINA, Moonsault Press, 8:06)

Michinoku Legends Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ricky Fuji, Kotaro Yoshino & Dinosaur Takuma d. The Great Sasuke [MPro], Super Delfin [Kaisen Pro] & Dick Togo [FREE] (Yoshino > Delfin, BG Tornado, 7:26)

Kaji Tomato, Taishi Takizawa, Shiori Asahi & Yuma d. Tank Nagai, Ayumu Honda, Kunio Toshima & Kyu Mogami (Tomato > Honda, Red Eye, 8:30)

Special Singles Match: Minoru Suzuki [SZKG] d. GO Asakawa (Gotch Style Piledriver, 12:08)

TAKA Michinoku 25th Anniversary Special Tag Match: Kazuchika Okada & Gedo [CHAOS] d. TAKA Michinoku [SZKG] & Kota Ibushi [FREE] (Gedo > TAKA, Gedo Clutch, 16:52)

Friday was the CMLL Gran Prix, which featured a few NJPW wrestlers. Indeed, Michael Elgin made the biggest impression, going all the way to the last two men, before being eliminated by winner Diamante Azul. Elgin notched two big eliminations in Volador Jr. & Ultimo Guerrero. Juice Robinson took out Dragon Lee before Volador eliminated him. Satoshi Kojima in his CMLL debut took out Valiente, before he was eliminated by Ultimo Guerrero. Former IWGP Tag Team champion Matt Taven also featured, and nearly suffered a huge injury at the hands of Mephisto (miscommunication - Mephisto went for Angel’s Wings, Taven assumed a powerbomb, and landed on his neck) but saw out the match.

Elgin and Juice are now out of CMLL - Elgin wold go to PWG BOLA the next night (see below). Kojima meanwhile is making a tour of Mexico. Last night he wrestled twice, both on the losing side: he was DQ’d in a trios match teaming with Rush & Pierroth against Volador, Diamante Azul & Kenny King at Arena Mexico, but also lost against Hechicero in Lucha Memes at Coliseo Coacalco, and was seconded by Mima Shimoda in the match. It appears Kojima will be staying through 9/16/2017, the 84th Anniversario show for CMLL.

There were also several NJPW wrestlers participating in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s annual Battle of Los Angeles weekend. 

On Night 1 Friday, Bullet Club’s Marty Scurll defeated “Flash” Morgan Webster with a crossface chickenwing, while Suzuki-gun’s Zack Sabre Jr. submitted Jonah Rock. In the night’s main event, Ricochet defeated Flamita to advance.

Night 2 was Saturday, which Scurll & Sabre reunited as the LDRS to defeat Ricochet & Matt Sydal. Michael Elgin, fresh from CMLL, was submitted by Matt Riddle. In the main event, Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks defeated a trio of Penta el 0M, Rey Fenix & Flamita (Omega > Flamita, One Winged Angel). 

Last night was the Final rounds. Ricochet would defeat both Desmond Xavier and Travis Banks to advance to the finals. Both Scurll and Saber would fall in the quarterfinals. In the end, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team co-champion Ricochet would outlast Jeff Cobb and Keith Lee to win the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles, making him the only two-time winner of the event (he also won in 2014).

Tomorrow begins the Road to Destruction tour. Since it’s no longer a holiday, results will be late, THANKS DAY JOB.

Road to Destruction - 9/5/2017, Aichi Nagoya International Conference Hall

Tetsuhiro Yagi v. Ren Narita

Yuji Nagata & Tomoyuki Oka v. Manabu Nakanishi & Katsuya Kitamura

KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi, Hirai Kawato & Shota Umino v. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku [SZKG]

Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Trent Beretta [CHAOS] v. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens [Bullet Club]

Juice Robinson, Togi Makabe & David Finlay Jr. v. Kenny Omega, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa [Bullet Club]

Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hanson [ROH] & Raymond Rowe [ROH] v. Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. [SZKG]

Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Will Ospreay & Rocky Romero [CHAOS] v. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi [Los Ingobernables]

[obplayhouse-blog]

OB Playhouse is proud to present:

DOG SEES GOD: CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD

presented in alternating rep with:

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN

DOG SEES GOD: CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD By Bert V. Royal

Directed by Juztine Tuazon

The teenage years have rained down hard on the beloved Peanuts gang. CB is in mourning over the passing of his beloved dog. His best friend is too burnt out to provide any moral support; his little sister has gone from born-again to goth; his girlfriend has been locked up behind padded walls, and his other friends are too preoccupied with partying to care. Things start to look up when he meets a bullied artistic soul who provides the friendship he needs to navigate these tumultuous teen years; but the drug use, suicides, eating disorders, violence, and sexual confusion circling around the group leads him to a beautiful and haunting ending.

“A welcome antidote to the notion that the Peanuts gang provides merely a slice of American cuteness.” -NY Times  

“Inventive, raunchy, hysterically funny.” -NY Post

This production of Dog Sees God is the first play produced by OB Playhouse in the three years they have produced live musicals in OB.  Running in rep with the musical You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, audiences are in for an eye-opening look into the lives of these classic comic strip characters.

Dog Sees God is rated M for adult language and mature content.

April 18th-May11th Thursdays & Saturdays @ 8:00pm Sundays @ 7:00pm Industry Night Performance Sunday 04/28/19 @ 7pm

General Admission $28 VIP Front Row $42

BOGO tickets on Thursdays with code “2for1” Save $8 on Sundays with code “sundayfunday”

CAST 

Chris Bona  - CB  

Jacquelynn Nguyen  - CB's Sister  

Andrew Aguilar - Van  

Daniel Toosi - Matt  

Shaun Lim  - Beethoven  

Courtnee Dempsey - Marcy  

Ashley Graham  - Tricia  

Kimberly Marron  - Van's Sister

Seating is first-come, first-served. Late Arrivals 15 minutes past showtime will not be admitted into the performance. *Tickets are nonrefundable*

Lobby opens one hour before curtain. Seating begins 30 minutes before showtime, first come first served. Late arrivals will not be seated 15 minutes after the performance begins.

Ticket URL: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=97922  

Event Site: https://www.obtheatrecompany.com/dog-sees-god--confessions-of-a-teenage-blockhead.html

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1220915131407958/

Tickets also available through Goldstar, Groupon, and ArtsTix

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN

Based on the Comic Strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schultz Book, Music, & Lyrics by Clark Gesner Additional Dialogue by Michael Mayer Additional Music & Lyrics by Andrew Lippa

Directed by: Heather & Bill Deerfield  Musical Direction by: Kirk Valles Choreography by: Dawn Marie Zuniga-Williams

The classic comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schultz is coming to life in OB! Join Charlie Brown and his pals in this family friendly musical that is full of heart. All of your favorite Peanuts characters are here:  headstrong Lucy is still hopelessly in love with the piano virtuoso Schroeder who won’t give her the time of day, Linus and his blanket are still endlessly taunted by the precocious perfectionist Sally, Snoopy ever attached to his beloved dog house sings to his supper, and the iconic blockhead himself, Charlie Brown, leads the way through a year in the life of the Peanuts gang. This 1999 revised version brings us additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and dialogue by Michael Mayer to complement these classic Schultz characters and songs from the original 1967 musical.  

Running in rep with the play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, audiences are in for an eye-opening look into the lives of these classic comic-strip characters.

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown is rated E for everyone

CAST 

Charlie Brown - Patrick O'Connor  Linus - Jeremy Williams Schroeder - Noah Williams Lucy - Georgia Ladd Sally - Stella Coleman Snoopy - Analisa Reyoso

April 19th-May 12th 2019 Fridays @ 8:00pm Saturdays & Sundays @ 2:00pm Industry Night Performance on Monday April 22

Kids General Admission $19 Adult General Admission $28 VIP Front Row $42

Save $8 on Sundays with code “sundayfunday” Seating is first-come, first-served. Late Arrivals 15 minutes past showtime will not be admitted into the performance. *Tickets are nonrefundable* Lobby opens one hour before curtain. Seating begins 30 minutes before showtime, first come first served. Late arrivals will not be seated 15 minutes after the performance begins.

Ticket Link: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=97923   Event Site Link: https://www.obtheatrecompany.com/you-re-a-good-man--charlie-brown.html

Facebook Event https://www.facebook.com/events/532359977252689/

[sdconnection-blog]

By Elizabeth Gillingham

Henry students perform at the All Southern California Honor Band

Noah Krasner and Alex Cagle attended the All Southern California Honor Band in January.

(l to r) Noah Krasner, Dr. Jeremie Arnold, and Alex Cagle (Courtesy of PHHS)

They were invited to audition and were chosen to play through a competitive process.

High school students had to give a live audition which included sight reading and playing a prepared piece.

The director of their group was from the Cal State Long Beach Symphonic Band.

The practices were held in Anaheim for three days and then the show was in Arcadia on Jan. 22, 2017.

Krasner’s favorite part was meeting high school students from different schools across the state.

PHHS wins a Civic Learning Award of Merit

The Civic Learning Award for public schools is co-sponsored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye.

They recognize and value the important role of public schools in preparing students for participation in our democracy, and have a partnership to support civic education in California. The awards are designed to both celebrate successful efforts to engage students in civic learning and to identify successful models that can be replicated in other schools.

The Civic Learning Award program has three levels: Awards of Excellence, Distinction, and Merit. Winners were selected by a panel of experts based on the depth and breadth of their civic learning classes, clubs, and programs.

Award of Excellence winners will receive a personal visit from Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye; Award of Distinction winners will be visited by an appellate court justice; and superior court judicial officers will provide recognition to schools receiving the Award of Merit.

PHHS was one of 47 schools in the state and one of two in the San Diego Unified School District to earn this distinguished award. Much thanks goes to Social Studies Department chairperson, Mrs. Taunya Robinson for submitting our application to our teachers who help organize the program.

Henry students named as Eagle Scouts

Eleven years ago, Henry seniors Anthony Jaynes and Parker Frye joined Cub Scout Pack 308 as Tiger Scouts. They both completed their advancement requirements and moved up through the Cub Scout ranks. Jaynes earned his Arrow of Light Award, the highest award in Cub Scouts.

In March of 2010, Jaynes and Frye crossed over to Troop 51 and became Boy Scouts. As the boys advanced through the ranks, they went on numerous hikes, camping trips and other scout activities; were involved in community service activities; held leadership roles within the troop; and earned numerous merit badges towards their rank of Eagle Scout.

For Jaynes’ Eagle Project, he led a crew to build and deliver a multipurpose conference table for the Ronald McDonald House at Rady’s Children’s Hospital.

Frye, a Henry senior, earned his Eagle Scout rank for painting a map of the United States at La Mesa Day School.

Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The designation “Eagle Scout” was founded over 100years ago. Only 5 percent of Boy Scouts are granted this rank after a lengthy review process.

Both students played on Henry’s Rugby team and participated on the Robotics team.

Student of the Month

Our Kiwanis Student of the month for February is Andy Nguyen, president of the Park Beautification Club. He has planned, coordinated and completed off-campus, city park cleanups consistently.

Student of the Month Andy Nguyen (Courtesy of PHHS)

The students in the club pick up trash, wipe down tables and benches, and have even raked up leaves. They do this without any support from the recreation centers.

Nguyen has been able to solidify a solid team of helpers and has beautified parks all over the city including parks in City Heights, North Park and around Henry.

Nguyen is dedicated, respectful and a true steward for the environment. He announces the chosen park at Environmental Club meetings with strength and confidence. They clean, rain or shine.

He has even faced some challenges from park visitors that felt the need to discourage his group, but he continues to move forward with his passion. He has even been seen handing over all of the recycling they collected to an elderly woman that looked like she needed the money.

Not only is Nguyen a proactive student, he is always a person to help struggling peers, volunteers to help his community, and he is the first to tell someone that everything will be okay. He’s respectful, caring, smart, and positive.

Nguyen’s Japanese teacher said that he has always been a pillar of the Japanese classroom.

First as a junior in a class of freshman and now as a senior in class of sophomores, Nguyen has always been an excellent role model to his classmates. Rather than letting himself be phased by this situation, he stepped up to the plate. He helped out around the class whenever possible, befriended everyone, and quietly showed his classmates what it looks like to treat others with respect.

Henry Students compete at SDSU Japanese Academic and Cultural Proficiency event

On Saturday, March 4, Henry sent seven strong teams to the Japanese Academic and Cultural Proficiency competition at SDSU. The event, sponsored by the Japan Society of San Diego & Tijuana, included teams from Scripps Ranch High School, San Dieguito Academy, Canyon Crest Academy, and Torrey Pines High School.

Students were asked to perform communication tasks in Japanese, read kanji, and answer questions about Japanese culture, history, and geography. This was only the second time our school has participated for several years, and the result of five months of intense preparation.

All of the teams did an excellent job of representing Patrick Henry and their three pillars — Be Welcoming, Do No Harm, and Use Choice Words. The competition was particularly fierce this year, but one Level III team (Japanese 5/6) did make it into the finals. After an intense public lightning round, they tied for third place and took home a trophy.

(l to r) Back row: Alex Cagle, Vinh Nguyen, Khang Le, Nina Ly, Cameron Coates, Brandon Matsumoto, Faith Perry, Britney Packer, Jia Ma; Front row: Eric Le, Amy Huynh, Emily Dinh, Lan Nguyen, Khuong Nguyen, Bonnie Nguyen; Not pictured: Alan Nguyen, Anthony Do (Courtesy of PHHS)

When the organizers didn’t have enough trophies on hand, they were also gracious enough to suggest that the other tying team have the trophy. Those students are Cameron Coates (12), Brandon Matsumoto (11), and Khang Le (11). 

The teams also participated in workshops where they learned about Japanese arts from community groups.

“Overall, I’m so proud of our awesome students — everything they’ve learned, the way they worked together, and how they conducted themselves when the pressure was on,”reported teacher Mimi Malphurs.

Help needed for PHHS Grad Nite

Parents of Patrick Henry seniors are diligently working to give their students a safe and entertaining place to celebrate their graduation. We are working on securing Belmont Park for Grad Nite on June 14, 2017. Grad Nite is an all-night alcohol- and drug-free celebration off-campus for graduating seniors, planned by parents and friends with help from the community.

The price of the ticket includes admission, entertainment, food, and bus transportation. If you would like to help support our students that need financial support, please contact Carrie Mayers at carriemayers@cox.net.

We appreciate any amount of donation you can give.

—Elizabeth Gillingham is principal of Patrick Henry High School.

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Mission Valley Carjacking at Promenade

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Original Article Provided By: MissionTimesCourier.com News from Patrick Henry High School – March 17, 2017 By Elizabeth Gillingham Henry students perform at the All Southern California Honor Band Noah Krasner and Alex Cagle attended the All Southern California Honor Band in January.

[redcarpetview]

SXSW Conference Announces Keynotes Yasmin Green, Garth Brooks, and More Featured Speakers!

        SXSW 2017 is only a week away, but it’s not too late to reveal more exciting programming! We are pleased to announce two additional Keynotes for the SXSW Conference: Jigsaw Director of Research and Development Yasmin Green (Tuesday, March 14), and country music icon Garth Brooks in conversation with Amazon Music Vice President Steve Boom (Friday, March 17).

        Explore what’s next in the worlds of entertainment, culture, and technology with newly announced Featured Speakers including basic income pioneer Michael Faye, Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, rap legend Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Surgeon General of the United States Vivek Murthy, director and immersive artist Chris Milk, actor Nick Offerman, singer-songwriter Mike Posner, actress Jenny Slate, Recode co-founder Kara Swisher, Game of Thrones actresses Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams, multi-platinum recording artist T.I., and more.

       “This diverse, eclectic group of icons, artists, and pioneers represent the spirit of unexpected discovery that SXSW has become known for,” said Hugh Forrest, SXSW Chief Programming Officer. “I’m so excited that the new badge system will empower more of our attendees to discover even more of this great content.”

      New for 2017, the Interactive, Film, and Music badges will now include expanded access to more of the SXSW Conference and Festivals experience. Attendees will still receive primary access to programming associated with their badge type but now also enjoy secondary entry to most other SXSW events.

        Register to attend SXSW and gain access to this compelling, new programming and even more during the 2017 SXSW Conference & Festivals from March 10-19 in Austin, TX.

                 Keynote Additions

Garth Brooks and Steve Boom (Music Influencers) – Garth Brooks is an American country singer and songwriter. He is the first artist in history to receive seven Diamond awards for his albums — certified by the RIAA at over 10 million album sales each — and remains the number one-selling solo artist in the US. Steve Boom is Vice President of Amazon Music, responsible for Amazon’s streaming music business globally, which includes Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music, in addition to Amazon’s digital download music store.

        Yasmin Green (Tech Industry) – Yasmin Green is the director of research and development for Jigsaw. Green leads the team’s innovation efforts and oversees projects on counter-radicalization and fragile states. Green helped create the Redirect Method, which uses targeted advertising to divert at-risk audiences away from extremist content online.

        Previously announced SXSW Keynotes include Lee Daniels (3/12), Jennifer Doudna (3/11), Gareth Edwards (3/13), Adam Grant (3/13), Zane Lowe (3/16), Cory Richards (3/10), Nile Rodgers (3/15), Jessica Shortall (3/12), and Jill Soloway (3/11). Learn more about our 2017 Keynotes »

       Producer and Director Lee Daniels. www.facebook.com/Lee-Daniels.

            Featured Speakers Additions

A$AP Ferg, Mike Bruno, Angela Yee, and Charles Atta (Music Industry) – Hip hop artist A$AP Ferg, Billboard editorial director Mike Bruno Mike Bruno, The Breakfast Club host Angela Yee, and C3 partner Charles Attal will discuss how technology’s rapid evolution has changed the entire music landscape: from how an artist produces and creates music, to how it’s distributed (streaming platforms) and monetized, to ultimately how a fan consumes and experiences it.

           Fred Armisen (Entertainment Influencers) – Fred Armisen is one of the most diversely talented performers working today with credits that run the gamut from acting, producing, and writing in both comedy and music. Armisen will join Bob Odenkirk for A Conversation with Bob Odenkirk.

      Lou Adler, Paul Tollett, and Scott Goldman (Music Influencers) – Lou Adler is a Grammy Award-winning record producer, music executive, talent manager and co-owner of the famous Roxy Theatre in LA. Paul Tollett Is the president and CEO of Goldenvoice and the co-founder of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Scott Goldman is vice president of the GRAMMY Foundation.

      Dean Baquet and Jim Rutenberg (Journalism) – Dean Baquet is executive editor of The New York Times, a position he assumed in May 2014. Baquet serves in the highest ranked position in The Times’s newsroom and oversees The New York Times news report in all its various forms. Jim Rutenberg is Media Columnist and former political correspondent for The New York Times.

         Michael Brown Sr, Jason Pollock, Bernard Ewings, Sandra Abron, Patrick Green, and Mariah Stewart (Making Film & Episodics) – This panel will discuss the historic events which took place in Ferguson, Missouri in August of 2014. The death and treatment of Michael Brown sparked worldwide protests for his justice, and soon after launched the cultural phenomenon of ‘Black Lives Matter.’ The hashtag #JusticeForMichaelBrown became a worldwide trending topic.

        Diane Bryant (Intelligent Future) – Diane M. Bryant is executive vice president and general manager of the Data Center Group for Intel Corporation. Bryant leads the worldwide organization that develops the data center platforms for the digital services economy.

      Andre Cymone and Dez Dickerson (Music Influencers) – As original members of Prince’s band The Revolution, Andre Cymone and Dez Dickerson will share memories, recollections, and insights from their first-hand experiences during the rise of the iconic and influential musician.

       Michael Tanner, Cato Institute.

          Michael Faye, Michael Tanner, and Annie Lowrey (Social Impact) – Michael Faye is the co-founder of GiveDirectly and Segovia Technology. Michael Tanner is an author and Cato Institute senior fellow. Annie Lowrey covers economic policy for The Atlantic and is writing a book on universal basic income for Crown.

      Warren G (Music Influencers) – Warren G is a West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. In 1990, he formed the group 213, named after the Long Beach area code, with his friends Nate Dogg and Snoop Dogg. Their discovery by Death Row Records and Dr. Dre helped elevate them to international stardom.

      Jonathan Greenblatt and Evan Smith (Social Impact) – Jonathan Greenblatt is the CEO and sixth National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Evan Smith is the CEO and editor-in-chief of The Texas Tribune and host of the weekly interview program Overheard with Evan Smith.

      Noah Hawley (Entertainment Influencers) – Noah Hawley is an Emmy®, Golden Globe®, PEN, Critics’ Choice, and Peabody Award-winning author, screenwriter, producer and director. In addition to his work on Fargo, Hawley is currently executive producer, writer, and showrunner of the series Legion from FX Productions and Marvel Television.

      Kerri Walsh Jennings and Anthony Katz (Sports) – Kerri Lee Walsh Jennings is an American professional beach volleyball player and three-time Olympic gold medalist. Anthony Katz is the founder of Hyperice.

       Melanie Lynskey (Entertainment Influencers) – Melanie Lynskey is a New Zealand actress. She gained critical attention for her award winning performance in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures. Lynskey’s next movie I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore opposite Elijah Wood and directed by Macon Blair will air on Netflix.

      Mike Maples Jr. (Startup Village) – Mike Maples Jr. is the Managing Partner at FLOODGATE, a venture capital firm. Some of Mike’s investments include Twitter, Twitch.tv, ngmoco, Weebly, Chegg, Bazaarvoice, and Demandforce. Maples will join Scott Cook (Intuit) and Katie Roof (TechCrunch) on the Make Your Ideas Matter session.

          Run-DMC. Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com/The Recording Academy

         Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (Music Influencers) – Darryl McDaniels is a legendary music icon. From the first rap group to grace the cover of Rolling Stone to the first to appear on MTV, Grammy nominated Run-DMC changed music, culture, fashion, and language, and made American history.

        Chris Milk (Entertainment Influencers) – Chris Milk is CEO and co-founder of Within, a technology and media company whose mission is to define VR as a new medium for experiential storytelling, and co-founder of virtual reality production company Here Be Dragons.

       Vivek Murthy (Health) – Dr. Vivek H. Murthy is the 19th Surgeon General of the United States. As America’s Doctor, the Surgeon General’s mission is to advance the health of the American people. Murthy brings the best available scientific information to the public by issuing Surgeon General’s Reports on critical issues and communicating directly with the public.

      Nick Offerman (Entertainment Influencers) – Nick Offerman is an actor, writer, and woodworker best known for his role as ‘Ron Swanson’ on NBC’s hit comedy Parks & Recreation. Offerman recently starred alongside Michael Keaton in The Weinstein Company’s The Founder.

      Alexis Ohanian (Tech Industry) – Alexis is the cofounder of Reddit, bestselling author of Without Their Permission, and an activist for the open internet. He currently spends his free time investing in and advising startups.

      Mike Posner (Music Influencers) – Multiplatinum pop singer and songwriter Mike Posner quietly became one of the world’s most inescapable and recognizable voices. In 2016, his second full-length album, At Night, Alone (Island Records), bowed at #12 on the Billboard Top 200 and included the triple-platinum smash “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” — which amassed over 1 billion worldwide streams.

      Residente (Music Influencers) – Residente is a Puerto Rican rapper, writer, producer and founder of the alternative rap group Calle 13. He has won 24 Latin Grammy awards in total, making him the Latin artist who has won the most gold-plated gramophones.

      Jenny Slate, Gabourey Sidibe, Danielle Macdonald, Cindi Leive, and Janicza Bravo (Entertainment Influencers) – Jenny Slate is an actress, comedian, and best-selling children’s author. Gabourey Sidibe is an actress who made her film debut in the lead role ‘Precious’ in the Oscar Nominated film Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire. Danielle Macdonald is an Australian actress and breakout star of Patti Cake$. Cindi Leive is the editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine and glamour.com. Janicza Bravo is a writer and director based in Los Angeles.

     Kara Swisher, Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor (Journalism) – Kara Swisher is a technology journalist, co-founder of Recode and the 2017 SXSW Interactive Hall of Fame inductee. Jon Favreau served as Barack Obama’s head speechwriter from 2005–2013. Lovett was a speechwriter for Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama. Tommy Vietor served as President Obama’s National Security Spokesman.

       T.I. (Music Influencers) – Multi-platinum recording artist Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris has won three Grammy Awards and has sold over 10 million albums in the US alone. He is an artist-owner of TIDAL, joining JAY Z, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lil Wayne and others in offering up exclusive music, videos, concerts and other content. His full length album Us Or Else: Letter To The System was released in December.

      The beautiful Sophie Turner on Red Carpet Arrivals during the 2016 SAG-AFTRA Awards in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Naomi Richard.  

            Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams (Entertainment Influencers) – Sophie Turner is an English actress best known for her role as ‘Sansa Stark’ on HBO’s Game of Thrones. Maisie Williams is an English actress who made her professional acting debut as ‘Arya Stark’ in Game of Thrones. Turner and Williams will appear in conversation with David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for the Game of Thrones Showrunners session.

      Join Us March 10-19

     Register to experience these fantastic sessions and discover what’s next at SXSW 2017. Explore the full list of previously announced Keynotes and Featured Speakers. Browse programming for the entire SXSW Conference and Festivals on the online schedule, download the SXSW GO app, and start building your own personalized schedule today.

      We’ve got at least one more big big announcement for SXSW 2017 scheduled for early next week – stay tuned to this space to learn more.

       The countdown to SXSW begins…see you next week!

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