#channel 2 news basketball coach

[novacorpsrecruit]

April 24, 1987 - GAME 1

Hi here’s a Steddie Drabble from my latest sports discovery while deciphering basketball stats.

gen * wc 1,174 * established relationship

The 1986-87 Indiana Pacers season has been a doozy. Steve would never had guessed that the Pacers would make it to playoffs. Jack Ramsey, the long standing coach of the Portland Trail Blazers recently hired for the Pacers, leading the team into playoffs for the first time since ‘81.

And for the first time in four years, Steve has someone to watch the playoffs with.

When Eddie was still in the hospital, Steve and Wayne would meet in passing, alternating sitting by his side to keep him comfort and to keep him safe. The first two weeks, Eddie was in and out of consciousness, and “unable to protest when I put on the game,” Wayne half joked, nodding to the Cardinals-Cubs game on the television. Steve nodded, sitting down on the other side of Eddie as they watched the game in silence. A few innings in, Wayne scoffed. “You tellin’ me, this Rick Sutcliffe is worth a buck and a half?”

Steve couldn’t help but smirk. “The Cardinals are the ones paying almost 2 million for a short stop.”

“And a damn good one, too,” Wayne added. “Wayne.”

“Steve,” Steve added, properly introducing himself.

Wayne hummed, as if he was thinking something over. “I wondered if that was you. He doesn’t shut up about ya.”

“He’s … something special,” Steve said softly, and he was sure Wayne knew.

And when Steve and Eddie started to date, game nights with Wayne became more common. They started by watching the World Series (an unfortunate season for the Cubs, but at least Wayne’s Cardinals also failed to go into post season). Then into football season (a disappointing season from the Colts). Then a couple of hockey games when the Blackhawks were nationally televised, but the real excitement hit when the Indiana Pacers were playing.

Wayne and Steve were pretty excited when the Pacers made it to playoffs.

On game nights, one of the men would be in charge of grabbing supper, usually pizza or something from the diner on the edge of town. Wayne and Steve would settle in the living room as Eddie went to his bedroom, working on a new song or planning the next campaign. He enjoyed his alone time, allowing the creativity to flow and not worry about if he’s ignoring Steve. During halftimes, Steve would find his way into the bedroom, enjoying time with Eddie before the game picks up again.

Steve was setting up the living room and finding the channel for the first Pacers playoff game. Wayne and Eddie should be off of work and be home soon. Eddie was on supper duty tonight.

Gravel crunched under tires, signifying that one of the two had arrived. A loud slam of a car door confirmed that it was his boyfriend.

“Hey, baby —“ Steve started to greet Eddie.

“What do you mean a basket is called a field goal?” Eddie asked dramatically.

“I — what?” Steve asked a wrinkle to his brow.

“A field goal,” Eddie supplied. Steve watched as Eddie set up the three meals —three? — in the living room. Usually Eddie takes his into the bedroom before the game starts. “It’s fucking basketball. They’re called field goals?”

“I mean — yeah. Field goals,” Steve said, watching Eddie get settled into the couch, burgers and milkshakes spread out on the coffee table. “They’re the two or three pointer shots. If they score, it’s a field goal. They’re mainly called that … in stats.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said, stuffing fries into his mouth. “I read up.”

“On … stats,” Steve said, sitting down on the couch, nearly on top of Eddie. “On basketball stats?”

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “I wanted to know what’s going on in the playoffs.”

“You want to watch with us?” Steve asked.

“Yeah,” Eddie said, leaning into Steve. “You said this was a big deal, so I thought I’d join in.” He took a sip of his milkshake. “Is that … okay?”

“You, Eddie Munson, want to watch basketball with us?” Steve asked. He extended his hand, pressing the back of his palm against Eddie’s forehead. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Eddie laughed, swiping Steve’s hand away. “I asked Lucas if he could give me some pointers.”

“For the Pacers game,” Steve repeated.

“Yeah,” Eddie said with a slight huff. “He said to keep an eye on Chuck Person, said he wouldn’t be surprised if he won Rookie of the Year. He said the Pacers improved drastically with the coach change. That they went from, what, a record of 26-56 to 41-41? That’s fucking impressive. And it looks like a lot of that depended on Person averaging 18 points per game? I mean, he’s no Magic Johnson or Larry Bird or Michael Jordan, but that’s still fucking good, right? For his rookie season?”

Steve couldn’t help but stare, his mouth slightly agape. He had to be dreaming, right? This is his boyfriend rattling off facts and stats in front of him, right?

Eddie waved his hand in front of Steve’s face. “Stevie?”

Steve all but leaped into Eddie’s arms, crashing their lips together in a hard and clumsy kiss. Eddie, known jock despiser, learned sports statistics for him?

“If I knew this was the response I’d get,” Eddie mumbled into the kiss, “I would’ve told you Colts stats months ago.”

Steve groaned. “It wouldn’t have worked as well. Colts sucked ass this season.”

“I know something that sucks good —“

“Please, for the love of God,” Wayne groaned from the front door. The two nearly split, pulling off of each other but staying pressed against one another on the couch. “Not in front of the Pacers.”

“Eddie’s gonna watch with us tonight,” Steve beamed. Eddie took note of his smile, of the energy Steve gave for just Eddie being interested in watching sports with him. Maybe he could get enough cash together to buy three tickets for the next Cardinals-Cubs game.

“Wondered when he’d get his head out of his ass and join us,” Wayne laughed, sitting in the recliner, grabbing his dinner from the coffee table. “Who you got on the game, Eds?”

“Depends on if we can keep the ball away from Wilkins,” Eddie said around his fries. “Ending last season with an average of 30 points per game? Need to keep him away from the net.”

“Jesus,” Steve mumbled, taking a long look up and down Eddie. “Wayne, you might need to take a long smoke break during halftime.”

“Already planning on it,” Wayne sighed. “Turn on the game.”

[canonsinthehead]

Naruto Modern AU/Hollywood pt.2 - Kiri & The All-Star Team

There is a silent hierarchy among all countries and the terrible assumption that bigger countries are better than smaller ones. The large presence and funds of various territories, like the country of fire, wind, earth, and lightning, overwhelms and overshadows small nations, especially in sports where each country dominates certain disciplines.

The land of fire (Konoha): badminton, soccer, gymnastics, and martial arts

The land of lightning (Kumo): Tennis, basketball, and athleticism

The land of earth (Iwa): cross country, marathon, weightlifting, and cycling

But in the last decade, the land of water emerged in the sports scene. It was coming out of years of political conflict that left the country in shambles with record levels of poverty, putting them at the bottom of the economic ladder. Not only was it a smaller nation, but a lot of its endeavors and way of life were unknown to the rest of the world because of the long-lasting reign of violence that controlled the country for decades.

Well, Kiri has been perceived as "these islands far away" with the highest crime rate in the world for the longest but Its newly found peace brought interesting things; industrialization,  a new economy open to the world, the exportation of its products, but specifically the creation of various social classes. This was not the case before, since it was, the government/military vs the rest of the population in poverty.

This modernized economy brought the country a new middle class and other social statuses. It recently started experiencing the concept of celebrities like the rest of the world and most are athletes.

Being surrounded by large bodies of water, any form of water activity has always been intuitive to them. To the point where many accuse them of having a "genetic advantage". Athletes from Kiri/Country of Water can now join world competitions and are killing the game in the water department and making a serious name for their country. They are undefeatable in all forms of swimming kayaking, boat racing, surfing, diving, synchronized/artistic swimming, water polo, etc. Now most of the competitions for these sports are held there.

Kiri is getting recognized overseas for many things, but recently certain people have attained celebrity status for unconventional reasons building a solid international fan base

Mei Terumi, the female president, for her breathtaking beauty

Haku is the new sensation in figure skating. A discipline Kiri started to dominate recently but the young man’s high level of skills made him reach first place in all competitions. His likeability, pure heart, and pretty looks opened many doors for him, he often features in variety shows and commercials. He is also a good friend of the #1 YouTuber/streamer and boxer Naruto Uzumaki and often appears on his channel

Ever since basketball was invented, Kumogakure dominated the sport, but in the past year, the mysterious national basketball team of Kiri has made a name for themselves.

Overnight, a team of 195 cm tall men came out of nowhere and climbed up the world ranking to second place. The team’s name is the Swordsman of the Mist and the current coach is Gengetsu Hozuki It may not seem like it, but many of the members have interesting inheritances and backgrounds.

Kisame Hoshigaki: leader and tallest. Surprisingly decent from a prestigious clan from Kiri. Kisame is an academic genius, who has a diploma in biology from the most prestigious universities in the country of Water but decided to use the basketball scholarship he received instead.

His son Shizuma Hoshigaki is a part-time social media influencer. He is problematic in his own way, but not enough to be canceled yet. Shizuma is not worried because he is a trust fund kid but wishes to outshine his father as a professional swimmer. The jokes write themselves since he barely practices the sport but is among the greatest and fastest the world has to offer (his shark DNA, I guess). He is dating Raiga’s daughter Buntan, and her father is really salty about it

Zabuza Momochi: nobody knows about his background. He is the most muscular. Him and Kisame get the most brand deals and promotions. Zabuza is also one of Haku’s coaches. He took him under his wing under unknown circumstances. He is the first to recognize the boy’s unique talent and aiding him in his journey as an athlete regardless of their differences. Zabuza always had a sweet spot for Haku and considered him like a son. So, he is often absent to prioritize the figure skater’s training.

Kisame knows Zabuza well, they are lifelong friends. The leader lets him get away with missing practices (even if it drives their coach insane). His best friend is a man of a few words, and above all works extremely hard and exercises double their training schedule in his own free time.

Juuzo Biwa: He is the third star player along with Kisame and Zabuza (The Killer Trio). He has no sense of personal space. Ironically, he is the wealthiest because he owns a successful brand of luxury cars coveted by the new high class. He is genuinely funny, and the variety show's favorite.

Raiga: Loudest laugh. Lost a lot of money due to his jewelry addiction. He smokes a pack with the blood of his enemies. The mother of his child is still getting child support payments, and he is bitter, even if they’re legally separated.

Because of His herratic behaviour and anger issues, he is kinda of a self-made outcast. The other members can cooporate as co-workers and teamates but nothing beyond that (Raiga has is own circle of friends). Since Raiga is so unhinged, no matter their coach's efforts, him and Zabuza do not get along.

Hassaku Onomichi: professional dunker. He befriended a lot of Kumo basketball players. He often gets caught up in beefs with anyone.

The popularity of the basketball team has offered them fans all across the world for their incredible talent, pleasant chemistry, unique sense of humor, and good looks to the point where tabloids from Konoha have launched a misinformation campaign to stain their image and effort to defend their basketball teams after getting constantly crushed by those "foreigners".

The last match of the International Basketball League’s series opposing The Swordmen of the Mist from Kiri against The Lightnings from Kumo was the most anticipated and heated match ever organized. Taking place in Konoha, it made record engagement and attendance. For the first time in history, Kumo lost the finale to first timers. The news traveled all across the world and, certified Kiri’s team's celebrity status since they won.

With their success, many shady investors like Gato started to take interest in basketball as a means of proposing Kiri overseas and for other shady dealings. The weight of all those rumors pushed many fans who knew Gato’s involvement in Haku’s career to beg him to change his manager/owner ASAP.

PART 1 next part

[ithinkabouttzu]

Tag game

GET TO KNOW ME :))

Thank you for the tag!! @malarkgirlypop

NAME:

Mac! (excluding the thousands of nicknames I also get called)

PRONOUNS:

she/her

STAR SIGN:

I’m a sagittarius with a taurus rising and a aries moon!

# OF SIBLINGS AND FUN FACTS ABOUT THEM (IF YOU HAVE ANY):

1 younger brother, he is the sweetest little soul ever, but he has no chill 😭 (he got in trouble for putting fireworks up his ass and lighting it on new years day)

1 older brother! He’s very tough and can be very overprotective over me but he’s cool, he also plays american college football which is super interesting !

# OF DOGS & THEIR NAMES

1 dog, one named Ella Bea, who is a gsp rascal and also wants to live under my skin (she has separation anxiety)

And another dog names Bella, who is the sweetest dog ever She’s a brown lab and she’s been with me forever

FANDOMS

Band of brothers, The Pacific, Kpop, Lana del rey, and Cod MW2!!!

FAVORITE COLOR

sunset orange but i’m a pink girlie at heart!

FAVORITE SONG

This song is amazing 😩 go listen to it now!!

FAVORITE AUTHOR (OF ANYTHING READABLE - BOOKS, FANFICS, ZINES, WEBTOONS, WHATEVER)

fanfics:

@malarkgirlypop @softguarnere @bellewintersroe @liebgotts-lovergirl Sorry I can’t think of any more rn 😭

Books:

Twisted Lies - Ana Huang

All Quiet on The Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque

FAVORITE FIC TYPE:

Childhood best-friends to lovers (someone please write a fic like this for sledge 😵‍💫) !! Idk why I love it so much but it’s just so fluffy and sweet, like it’s always been you and it’ll always be you. Also Enemies to lovers! The thought of seeing only the worst side of someone and still loving them, is so beautiful.

FAVORITE HOLIDAY:

Halloween and Valentines!

I love putting up decorations for halloween and for Valentines, I just love, love!!

DO YOU HAVE A PARTNER (ROMANTIC, QPR, ANYTHING!)?:

I had gotten out of a somewhat relationship not too long ago, so i’m just chillin now

HOBBIES:

I love reading, writing, playing the piano, learning korean, honestly just learning new things in general. I’m a total history nerd so you’ll find me watching probably the Smithsonian channel in my free time 😭

FUN FACTS ABOUT ME:

- I actually love studio ghibli movies, they are my absolute favorite!

- I’m also a big football and basketball fan, growing up with 2 brothers that play it and a dad who coaches football, you get the hang of it all pretty quick

- I love cooking!! I’m the main cook in my family and friend group :)

(I can’t think of anyone to tag so i’ll just leave it here :)))

[laresearchette]

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES? THE FIRM (Paramount+ Canada) RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (Paramount+ Canada) AN UNFINISHED LIFE (Paramount+ Canada) WIZARDS BEYOND WAVERLY PLACE (Disney Channel Canada) 8:00pm/8:30pm

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA ONE SHOT: OVERTIME ELITE (Season 2)

NETFLIX CANADA OLIVIA RODRIGO: GUTS WORLD TOUR TOM PAPA: HOME FREE VANDERPUMP RULES (Seasons 3-4)

MLS SOCCER (TSN3) 6:45pm: Columbus vs. New York Red Bulls (TSN3) 8:50pm: Real Salt Lake vs. Minnesota

NHL HOCKEY (SN1) 7:00pm: Flyers vs. Bruins (TSN2) 7:00pm: Kraken vs. Habs (TSN5) 7:00pm: Blues vs. Sens (SN1) 10:00pm: Kings vs. Sharks

MLB BASEBALL (SN) 7:30pm: Dodgers vs. Yankees - Game 4

NBA BASKETBALL (TSN/TSN4) 7:30pm: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves (TSN/TSN4) 10:00pm: Pelicans vs. Warriors

CHUCK AND THE FIRST PEOPLES' KITCHEN (APTN) 7:00pm: Chuck visits the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation in Manitoba where bison are being reintroduced after millions were slaughtered during colonization.

THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES (CBC) 8:00pm

TODD TALBOT BUILDS: THE PASSIVE HOUSE PROJECT (Cottage Life) 8:00pm

THE GREAT BRITISH SEWING BEE (Makeful) 8:00pm: It’s Week 2, and there are three challenges inspired by sport. The sewers are asked to create a half zip fleece, an outfit from cricket kit and a national strip fit for the world stage.

STILL STANDING (CBC) 8:30pm: Windsor, NS: When Nova Scotia Textiles Ltd closed its doors after 106 years in operation, Windsor, NS embraced its reputation as the home of massive pumpkins and its claim as "the birthplace of hockey."

CHURCHY (BET Canada) 8:30pm/9:00pm/9:30pm (SEASON PREMIERE): Corey Carr Jr. faces a major setback when he's passed over for a leadership role in his dad's church, and he boldly announces his departure and plans to lead a ministry in Lubbock, Texas. In Episode Two, Corey adjusts to his new role at Bethlehem Temple, consulting an elderly couple on intimate issues and a young man about lust, while also processing his grandmother's declining health. In Episode Three, with Pastor Stinney on vacation, Corey struggles with preaching and managing a chaotic funeral; Keisha's career success and her sister's advice cause her to doubt her relationship.

LITTLE BIG COMMUNITY (APTN) 9:00pm: On the Island of Hawai'i, Kānaka Maoli have revived an ancient way of life, where caring for the land brings mutual benefit. Meet Alika and Lacyann, who have renewed family traditions, creating a meaningful legacy for future generations.

THE NEW WAVE OF STANDUP (CBC) 9:30pm: Canada's new comics gather for one night of standup at the Just For Laughs Vancouver festival; featuring Faris Hytiaa, Sam Sferrazza, Jordanne Brown.

A GOOD GAME (APTN) 10:30pm: Nathan Shirley coached teenagers in Bosnia for Hockey Without Borders. Today, these players are living the dream of representing their country at the IIHF's under twenty world championships being held in Istanbul, Turkey.

[littleharpethcrossfit]

Tuesday, 14 November, 2023.

I heard on the Weather Channel that all of America is suffering from the excessive heat this Fall.

It was yet another perfect Fall day at the Barn. Sunny and 60 degrees.

Warmup:

3 Rounds

15 Weighted Back Raises (35/26 KB)

30 Second Squat Holds

All of the girls did the warmup.

Strength

Back Squats: 2 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2

Build To A 2 Rep Max

Ed/Shane=275 Timmy/Dana/Herb=215 Chad=195 Tom=175 Sue/Alicia=105 Linda=95 Shannon/Sabrina=85 Kayla/Sandy=75 More Girls than Boys.

WOD:

For Rounds & Fractions

10 Minute AMRAP

12 / 10 Calories Any ERG

8 Perfect Pushups (E= 5 HSPU)

Note: Coach recommend sharing an ERG with a friend and many did but that turned out to be a coaching error since there were 4 rowers and a ski-erg not in use.

Timmy/Ed=9* Coach=8 1/2 Sabrina/Sue=7 1/2 Shane=6 1/2** Chad=6 1/2 Tom=6 (RX-) Linda/Shannon/Sandy/Kayla/Alicia=6 Dana/Herb=5 1/2**

Cool-Down:

Anyhow Dips: 5 / 5 / 5 / 5

Anybody Dips... ??

Notes:

Unfortunately, I can't pick on Kayla or Alicia who were always such fun targets for my sarcasm, and Robert hardly attends since he is busy coaching basketball at BA, therefore the blogs are short and not entertaining.

Last Thursday's blog I vented a little because I tend to bring 50 to 75% of the wine to the picnic, and still people have to raid my cellar at the end of the party. I regret (?) that this bothered Brother Tom who told me tonight that he will bring 4 or 5 bottles this Thursday. I told him that was an over reaction and that I was certain there would be a half dozen heavy drinkers who in 10 years have never carried a box of Gallo to the Barn who were itching to contribute. Never-the-less (I love using that word) we will likely be inundated with guilt-wine this Thursday.

In a related but more acute problem, bring a case of water (H20) instead of wine. We are getting low since you are all suffering from the Fall heat and have been guzzling water to survive.

Thursday we will enjoy WOD/Wine/Snacks. The Weather-persons are uncertain as to what the weather will be since Thursday is so far distant in the future. So I made note of the red sunset, stuck my spit-on finger to the wind, and deduced that we would suffer thru another Fall evening of 60 degrees (+ or - 10) with a 20% chance of light rain. There is a zero % chance of Hurricane, Tsunami, volcano eruption , or asteroid strike; a less than 1 % chance of earthquake even though we are near the New Madrid Fault Line, land-slide, flash-flood, or tornado; with the greatest risk being a grass-fire which Shane predicts as being 20%, primarily due to my tendency towards pyromania.

Note #2:

Due to a complete lack of interest on the part of the exercisers, there will be no Wednesday Mom's workout. Cherrita was ready to ride, as she was last Wednesday.

[wikiuntamed]

On this day in Wikipedia: Wednesday, 30th August

Welcome, こんにちは, 你好, 안녕하세요 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 30th August through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

30th August 2022 🗓️ : Death - Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev, the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union. (b. 1931) "Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 and..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by Leo Medvedev/Лев Леонидович Медведев

30th August 2017 🗓️ : Death - Skip Prokop Skip Prokop, Canadian drummer, guitarist and keyboardist (b. 1943) "Ronald Harry "Skip" Prokop (December 13, 1943 – August 30, 2017) was a Canadian drummer, guitarist and keyboardist. He was also a band leader, was a founding member of the Canadian rock music groups the Paupers and Lighthouse...."

30th August 2013 🗓️ : Death - Howie Crittenden Howie Crittenden, American basketball player and coach (b. 1933) "Howard Royce Crittenden (March 3, 1933 – August 30, 2013) was an American basketball player, best known for his college career at Murray State University and in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)...."

30th August 1973 🗓️ : Birth - Lisa Ling Lisa Ling, American journalist and author "Lisa J. Ling (born August 30, 1973) is an American journalist, television personality, and author. She is a news contributor for CBS News. Previously, she was the host for This Is Life with Lisa Ling on CNN, a reporter on Channel One News, a co-host on the ABC daytime talk show The View..."

Image licensed under CC BY 2.0? by Greg Hernandez from California, CA, USA

30th August 1923 🗓️ : Birth - Barbara Ansell Barbara Ansell, English physician and author (d. 2001) "Barbara Mary Ansell, CBE, FRCP, FRCS (30 August 1923 – 14 September 2001) was a British medical doctor and the founder of the field of paediatric rheumatology. Ansell was notable for outstanding contributions to the advancement of paediatric knowledge, specifically defining chronic joint disorders..."

30th August 1818 🗓️ : Birth - Alexander H. Rice Alexander H. Rice, American businessman and politician, 30th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1895) "Alexander Hamilton Rice (August 30, 1818 – July 22, 1895) was an American politician and businessman from Massachusetts. He served as Mayor of Boston from 1856 to 1857, a U.S. Congressman during the American Civil War, and as the 30th Governor of Massachusetts from 1876–1878. He was part owner and..."

Image by Unknown authorUnknown author

30th August 🗓️ : Holiday - Christian feast day: Blessed Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster "Beatification (from Latin beatus, "blessed" and facere, "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. Beati is the plural form, referring to those who have undergone..."

Image by User Magnus Manske on en.wikipedia

[shop-korea]

Watch "Jody Watley - Don't You Want Me (Extended Mix) 1987" on YouTube

PRAY - HDG - BANKS - ONLINE

COME - SOONER - MY TOKYO

MALE SCIENTISTS - HAVEN"T

PERFECTED - EVERYTHING -

YET - LEGAL - PERMISSION -

REMAKE - 'PROM - PACT' -

IMPROVING - THEIR -

'PROMPOSALS'

CALLING - 'BRATZ THE MOVIE'

MEREDITH - PRESIDENT -

BULLDOGS - NEW MUSIC DEPT

GIRLS - DIRECTOR - FORGOT -

HER - REAL - NAME - SO ME -

CALLING - HER - MEREDITH -

FORGOT - NAME OF - THEIR -

NY - ITALY - FILM -

DREW SEELY - HEADS - BOYS -

MUSIC - DEPT - ALWAYS BOYS -

GIVING - PROMPOSAL -

RE-START - BETTER - YES -

CHEERLEADERS - GREASE LIVE

SANDY - FORGOT - HER NAME 2

HEAD - OF - CHEERLEADERS -

HEAD - COACH -

ASIAN - GIRL - NOW - HEADS -

HER - PROMPOSAL - FR -

'BRING IT ON: NOW OR NEVER'

I - THINK - EAST LOS ANGELES

HER - DREAM - EXCERPTS -

AS - CHEERLEADERS WITH -

ACROBATICS GYMNACTICS -

THEN - ASKS - GRAHAM - 2 -

THE - PROM -

'DINNER - WITH - HIM' - THEN

WILL TELL HER - THEY DANCE

BUT - NEW - BLK - GUY - HAS A

CRUSH - ON - HER - GRAHAM -

'HE - JUST - STOPPED - BY -

WILL - U DANCE WITH HIM' -

HE - ASKS - HER - 2 - PROM -

BOTH - ASK - GRAHAM - NO -

BIRTHDAY - 4 - MILO - BUT -

HE - TAKES - LA TOYA - TO -

ANOTHER - WAFFLE HOUSE -

WHEN - THEY - SAW - MOVIE -

ANDI - TAKES - ADVERTISING -

IN - HARVARD - INSTEAD -

DOUBLE - MAJOR - BUS -

BUSINESS - ADMINISTRATION

ANDI - HOBBY PHOTOGRAPHY

HARVARD - PHOTO - CLUB -

SHE - ASKS - GRAHAM FOR -

THEY - NEED - MODEL 2 PAY -

HIS EXTRA - $$$ - SUGGESTS -

BOYS - GIRLS - BASKETBALL -

TEACH - HER - 2 - HEAD YES -

GIRLS - BASKETBALL - THUS -

HE - FOUND - HER - IN PHOTO -

CLUB - DO - U STILL - NEED A -

MODEL - AS - ENDING

DISNEY AND GBC - PRESENTS -

'PROM - PROMISE 2'

GRAHAM - 2ND YR - HARVARD -

BASKETBALL - SCHOLARSHIP -

HARVARD - UNIVERSITY -

NEW - OFFERING -

COMPUTER - EXAM -

MATCHING - TYPE - TIMED -

AUTO - TABULATED - WITH -

SCORES - CERTAIN - NOS -

2 QUESTIONS -

01) WHY - HARVARD

02) WHAT - DO U - WANT - 2 B

TYPE - 30 MIN

WINNERS - INTERNATIONAL

GRANTS - HOUSING - DAILY

CASH - CARS - FOOD DRINK

CLOTHES - SUPPLIES MORE

ACUPUNCTURE - 4 - BRAIN

2 - HANDLE - SNOW MORE

END - OF - YEAR

MATCHING - TYPE

THEN - 2 QUESTIONS

01) STILL - WANT - HARVARD

02) WHO - U - WANT - 2 B

EVERY YEAR - FULL GRANTS

MASTERS - INCLUDED

ON - THAT -

LA TOYA - ZACH - 'ZOMBIES'

BLK - NEW - MALE - GOT IN

ALL 3 - PERFORMING ARTS

ADD ASIAN CHEERLEADER

MINOR - ACCOUNTING

'PROM - PROMISE 2'

BOTH - COUPLES - MARRY

DIFFERENT - YEARS

INTRODUCING -

HDG - BANKS - ONLINE

AS 3 COUPLES - SEOUL

KOREA - PARIS FRANCE

END - POVERTY - WITH

HDG - BANKS - ONLINE

SPORTS - PROGRAMS

BOYS - GIRLS - THEIR

OWN - TEAMS - ALSO

UNIFORMER - SUPPLIED

WE'RE - SHOWING - THE

WEDDINGS - HONEYMOON

PARENTS - BOTH - OTHER 2

SHOW - UP - THE MALDIVES

BORA BORA HONEYMOONS

SHOWING - ANDI - 1ST BABY

WITH - GRAHAM - A - BOY 2

DISNEY - AND - GBC - ALSO

PRESENTS -

'PROM - PROMISE 2'

DISNEY - CHANNEL

DISNEY+

[foundfamilynonsense]

Problem with girls sports.

I played soccer and basketball when I was a kid. And my favorite experiences were 1. The year in basketball where we were taught by this dad who accidentally taught us how to block the guy way where we you cover your balls and also taught us how to fowl the other team if necessary 2. The year in soccer where I got bumped down to the third rank (1st is best, 3rd is worst) where we didn’t have an actual coach who knew how to couch girls and had only couched boy’s baseball who was Very generous with compliments. And 3. That year I had to play basketball at the Y with an all boys team even though the guys never passed the ball to me.

The key theme of these three years was that the coach was mentally coaching boys.

I quit basketball bc I wanted to focus on soccer and I was ready to go all the way with soccer. Like ready to play through college. But I ended up quitting after freshman year of high school because girls. sports. are. toxic.

Girl’s sports are literally the worst. I fucking loved soccer. But I hated it every time I had to play on a girl’s team. Not that I didn’t like playing with other girls. I did. It’s whenever the coach treated us the way coaches are supposed to teach girls.

With boys, sports are a way to vent aggression. It’s about channeling aggression into something constructive. It’s about working within a team. It’s about finding a community.

But with girls, people are always telling girls to be aggressive. As in: with girls, it’s about creating aggression, as though girls don’t have any already.

This means that, when coaches treated us like girls my fellow teammates because horrible to be around. The whole atmosphere plummeted. Bullying became encouraged. As in my freshman year couch would sometimes join in when kids were picking on other girls. Meanwhile with they guy teams there were always more compliments within the team. People were just nicer. Even the guys who wouldn’t pass to me were just. Nicer that the girls on most other teams.

But there’s more, because on top of the aggression thing (channeling and controlling vs forcing aggression out) there’s also that people take boy sports more seriously.

On the teams where we were treated like guys, it was always about how we were going to win the game. The practices were… practical. We learned things that would actually help us in games. We learned play. I that one basketball year (number 1) we created six different plays and when we dribbled the ball in we’d shout a number (sometimes the coach would even hold up a card) and we’d know what to do. I loved that. Bc we were actually trying to win these games in practical ways. Not just “giving it our all” but learning plays.

But with girls sports…. I would usually finish the season off with less skill than I started. We’d do mindless drills and sometimes we’d run hills but like. Idk. It wasn’t about winning. It was always about “having fun” or “working as a team (but not really).” One time we spent fridays doing nothing but scrimmages. Which…. Was lame. Because that many scrimmages is just useless unless you’re trying out new things. We’d do endless practices where we’d just… pass the ball back and forth between different configurations of cones. We were high schoolers we knew how to pass a ball.

And then there’s about possession of the ball. With girls, we were told to almost never dribble down the field/court. Passing is the only way to go.

But with guys you pass when you have to. If you see an opening you fuckin take it. You pass when your in a tough spot. You pass when the play says you should. But with girls you only dribble when no one’s open. Which is just no fun, honestly. Just basically standing still and passing over and over again is eh. It’s also less fun to watch and just not as good a strategy. Those years where it was a girl league but we were taught like boys? We were head of our league both years. Because other teams just… could not keep up with how prepared we were. Could not keep up with us. Because we were actually taught how to play.

And beyond that we LIKED each other those years. Whereas I HATED the girls in those other years. I had friends, close friends, who were great until we were on a team together and then they became NASTY and so did I. Bc the coaches were telling us to be horrible and aggressive and to find the inner monster.

Just. We need to stop assuming girls are not already aggressive. We need to let girls actually play sports. For the same reasons guys do. And more girls will play!

Half the girls on my freshman team quit. Even the ones who were star players. And the ones who were the meanest and cruelest of the lot. Bc… it’s just a horrible environment.

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/sports/basketball/n-b-a-rules-james-harden-was-not-fouled-on-3-point-attempt/

N.B.A. Rules James Harden Was Not Fouled on 3-Point Attempt

OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry made a point Monday of studying all 16 3-pointers James Harden attempted in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

He wants to be better prepared to defend the Houston Rockets star who has such a knack of drawing his man in to generate contact as he jumps forward to release the ball from long range.

Who knew a debate about landing space would be all the talk going into Game 2 on Tuesday?

Curry said he was disappointed that the officiating has taken over the narrative of the series, and pointed out that Golden State could exhaust its energy on the same issue.

“So what are you going to do about it?” he said. “Hopefully, Game 2, it’s about the game and how we play and making shots and the energy and intensity that we need to play with, knowing what’s at stake, and that becomes the conversation for sure.”

A day after the Rockets complained about the officiating following a 104-100 loss in the opener of the best-of-seven series, the N.B.A. handed Houston’s Chris Paul a $35,000 fine for “aggressively confronting and recklessly making contact with a game official,” while also confirming in its Last-Two Minute Report that no foul should have been called on Draymond Green’s defense of a 3-point try by Harden with 10.1 seconds left that could have tied the game.

The report did, however, state that three Golden State fouls were missed — including two against Curry, each of which would have resulted in his fouling out.

On the 3-point attempt that Harden was adamant was a foul, the N.B.A. said, “Green jumps in front of Harden and would have missed him if Harden hadn’t extended his legs.”

Curry, who the league says fouled both Harden and Eric Gordon in the last two minutes, said the Warriors must understand the “tendencies” of a shooter like Harden to avoid putting themselves in a position where it’s a tough call for the referee on whether the Warriors have encroached on someone’s landing space.

In addressing the issue, Harden referenced a play two years ago during which Kawhi Leonard, then of the San Antonio Spurs, was lost for the season with a left ankle injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Warriors. Leonard came down on the foot of then-Golden State center Zaza Pachulia.

“That can change the entire series,” Harden said after Sunday’s game. “Just call the game the way it’s supposed to be called and we’ll live with the results. It’s plain and simple.”

The Warriors are surprised the Rockets have made their grievances quite so public, with Coach Steve Kerr saying it’s unfortunate this became the focus in a series between the two powerhouses of the Western Conference.

“I thought we were going to talk about the game,” joked Kerr, who pretended to flop Monday on San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ann Killion to make his point.

“Watching the tape, both teams just got after it and competed. But we just watched the tape upstairs. You don’t think there were 10 calls that we thought we got fouled? This is how it goes. And every coach in the league will tell you the same thing: You watch the tape and you go, ‘Man, that’s a foul, that’s a foul.’ It’s the nature of the game. It’s very, very difficult to officiate an N.B.A. game. There’s all kinds of gray area, and in the modern game a lot of players have gotten really good at deception, creating contact. I don’t remember people falling down on 3-point shots all the time when I played.”

Houston Coach Mike D’Antoni said the officials came to talk to him during halftime about missed foul calls on the Warriors closing out on the Rockets’ 3-point shooters.

“I’m going to try to be a nice guy because I really don’t want to give the charity to them, I’d rather have my charity have the money,” D’Antoni said. “So I mean the response was they came in halftime and said they missed them. That’s what they told me. They missed four of them. That’s 12 foul shots. So be it. They’re trying to do the best they can do.”

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

Yuzu on Sunday Charge 25/9/2022

Summarizing from tweets by @axelsandwich:

- Yuzu says his hometown is his pride and he wants to do the best with them

- it's Yuzu's 24th skating year, he remembered the earthquake and felt that he is here today because of the support of the ppl who also went through hard times

- during a video showing his journey from Beijing to becoming a pro skater Yuzu said that at the time of the Olympics his focus was to jump and acknowledge the 4A, but that he thinks he is not the same as in Beijing and still wants to accomplish more as a pro skater (basically)

- they showed when he played in the film: Yuzu said it's embarrassing, he was too nervous and he couldn't do the lines and he decided to not do it again; maybe only if he could play himself

- talking about SharePractice: Yuzu thinks that his warm-up routine could help other skaters and that fs is a sport where hard parts are hidded to the audience, so he wanted to show that the sport side of fs to the fans

- he plans on doing activities in Sendai ; ice rink Sendai has helped him a lot for example in hosting SharePractice

- Yuzu plans to release a new video in October for his YouTube channel, he practically manages the channel including comments and setup and camera himself

- Yuzu wants to be a pro skater who will also do quads and competitive like layouts, different from most pro skaters who jump mostly triples or doubles, for this he needs lots of stamina as when you do an ice show yourself you have to do multiple programs a day unlike in competition where you have 2-3 performances at maximum

- Yuzu wants a "new show" : he focuses on one program with all his emotions but he wants to increase the number and also collaborate more with the music

- about not being limited by competition rules: Yuzu agrees for example he can repeat the same kind of jumps

- for Yuzu becoming a pro skater means that he raises the level from an amateur to a pro-skater

- they show Yuzu Miyagi Sports with baseball Rakuten Eagles: it's the team Yuzu once did a pitch for in 2010 - Yuzu said his pitch was embarrassing as his father is a baseball coach and he could do better

- basketball news, where Yuzu left a supportive message - Yuzu says he can't do basketball

- talk about Shohei Otani, who did a historic thing (lol none of us fans follows baseball I fear😅) : Yuzu says Shohei Otani is amazing and refers to the time as "living in the Otani generation" while the host says Shohei Otani says "living in the Hanyu generation"

- Yuzu says he hoped he was able to convey his appreciation for his hometown

- Yuzu says that no matter the sport foundations are very important

(there was some more talk about the weather, covid etc. normal stuff usually aired in that tv segment not specified towards Yuzu)

[female-buckets]

The arrest of two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner has left supporters anxious about her well-being and fearful that she might become a political pawn.

Russian authorities said Griner had cannabis oil in her luggage and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance -- an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

It's still not clear exactly when Griner was arrested last month, or where she's being detained now.

But escalating tensions between the US and Russia over Russia's invasion of Ukraine has stoked concerns that getting Griner out of Russia will be "very difficult."

'She's been there for quite some time'

Adaora Elonu, a former WBNA player who has also played in Russia, said she was "extremely worried" about Griner.

The state-owned Russia 24 channel said this photo of Brittney Griner was taken at a police station.

"Right now, I'm just very, very concerned -- also knowing that she's been there for quite some time," Elonu told CNN on Tuesday.

She described feeling detached from much of the world while living in Russia. "Being in Russia, I was kind of in a bubble," Elonu said.

"I didn't feel unsafe. I felt as if there was not much happening in that country. I know there was a lot going on outside of the country. But as far as when I was in Russia, we weren't getting much news about what was happening. Aside from my family and friends and my agent, they were letting me know about what was happening. But it was hard to balance what was actually happening and what I felt," she said.

"But once things started escalating, my agent was definitely pushing for me to get out. And I'm glad I listened to his advice and got out."

'There are no words to express this pain'

Griner's whereabouts aren't publicly known. CNN has reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment but has not heard back.

A member of Russia's Federal Customs Service described the charge against Griner to Russia 24, the country's main state-owned news channel.

"A criminal case has been opened against an American citizen under section 2 of 229 YK RF (Russian law) for smuggling of a significant amount of drugs," Irina Begisheva of the Main Directorate for the Fight Against Smuggling of the Federal Customs Service told Russia 24.

In an Instagram post, Griner's wife described the agony of waiting.

"People say 'stay busy.' Yet, there's not a task in this world that could keep any of us from worrying about you. My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats everyday that goes by." Cherelle Griner posted Monday.

"There are no words to express this pain. I'm hurting, we're hurting."

Over the weekend, she thanked supporters and asked for privacy "as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely."

But a member of the US House Armed Services Committee said "it's going to be very difficult" to get Griner out of Russia.

"Our diplomatic relationships with Russia are nonexistent at the moment," Democratic Rep. John Garamendi of California told CNN on Monday.

"Perhaps during the various negotiations that may take place, she might be able to be one of the solutions. I don't know."

He also noted that "Russia has some very, very strict LGBT rules and laws" -- though it's not clear whether those rules and laws might impact Griner's case.

Griner's high school basketball coach, Debbie Jackson, said she worries Griner's case will be used for political purposes.

"My biggest fear is that ... she will become a political pawn," Jackson told CNN.

But the Biden administration is working on trying to get Griner out of Russia, members of the Congressional Black Caucus said after meeting with President Joe Biden on Monday.

"The best news we got today was that they know about it and that she's on the agenda," Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents Griner's hometown of Houston, told reporters.

Noting a potential 10-year sentence for Griner, Jackson Lee added: "We know about Brittney Griner, and we know that we have to move on her situation."

A storied career

Griner has spent her entire WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury and won the league's championship in 2014. The WNBA has confirmed that all other league players have departed Russia and Ukraine.

Like many other WNBA players, Griner plays overseas in the offseason where salaries can be much higher than what female professional basketball players are paid in the US.

She won the EuroLeague Women championship last year with Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg, where she has played since 2015 during her offseasons.

Fans around the world have called for Griner's release, with more than 34,000 people signing the "Secure Brittney Griner's Swift and Safe Return to the U.S." petition on Change.org as of Tuesday.

[laresearchette]

Thursday, March 16, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: ZATIMA (BET +) BUTCHERS OF THE BAYOU (A&E Canada) 9:00pm/10:00pm GOOD TROUBLE (ABC Spark) 10:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT SPRING BREAK NIGHTMARE (Premiering on March 19 on Super Channel Fuse at 9:00pm)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA ANGEL FLIGHT CLASS OF ’07

NETFLIX CANADA THE GLORY INTERSTELLAR SHADOW AND BONE (Season 2) STILL TIME

WBC BASEBALL (SN) 6:00am: Quarter-Final #2

NCAA BASKETBALL (TSN/TSN4/TSN5) 12:00pm: March Madness: First Round (TSN/TSN4)  6:00pm: March Madness: First Round (TSN5) 10:00pm: March Madness: First Round

TENNIS (TSN2) 2:00pm: WTA 1000 Tennis: Indian Wells - Quarterfinals (TSN2) 7:00pm: WTA 1000 Tennis: Indian Wells - Quarterfinals

NHL HOCKEY (SN/SN360) 7:00pm: Penguins vs. Rangers (TSN2) 7:00pm: Habs vs. Panthers (TSN5) 7:00pm: Avalanche vs. Sens (TSN3) 8:00pm: Bruins vs. Jets (SNWest) 9:00pm: Stars vs. Oilers (SNPacific) 10:00pm: Canucks vs. Coyotes (SN1/SNEast/SNOntario) 10:00pm: Flames vs. Knights

BIG BROTHER CANADA (Global) 7:00pm

NBA BASKETBALL  (SN1) 7:30pm: Thunder vs. Raptors

CANADA'S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE (CBC) 8:00pm:  Before the competition gets underway in the Thousand Islands ON, teams react to surprising coaching changes; players compete in three challenges in, on, and over the water, and a second team goes home.

TRIGGER POINT (CBC) 9:00pm: Lana battles her inner demons as she blames herself for the devastating loss; when the counterterrorism team identifies the bomber, Lana is determined to track him down.

THE GREAT POTTERY THROW DOWN (Makeful) 9:00pm: It's back to the Swinging Sixties, as the potters create a psychedelic pair of highly decorative glazed vessels, before guest judge Orla Kiely tests their repeating-pattern skills

THE BEST MAN: THE FINAL CHAPTERS (W Network) 9:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE):  Harper is a best man yet again when his friends reunite in paradise for Quentin's impending nuptials; Jordan, Lance, Murch, Robyn, Candace and Shelby each react differently to Harper's chance to turn "Unfinished Business" into a movie.

CANADIAN REFLECTIONS (CBC) 11:30pm: Millie Did It/ Try to Fly

[notebooknebula]

Leverage Books to Grow Your Real Estate Business with Max Keller & Jay Conner

https://www.jayconner.com/leverage-books-to-grow-your-real-estate-business-with-max-keller-jay-conner/

Max Keller is a Best Selling Author, Investor, Entrepreneur, and National Speaker

Max joins Jay Conner to teach everyone how to create success.

Max went from being a full-time high school Math Teacher to creating multiple successful real estates and marketing businesses. He has published multiple books and currently licensees his lead generation systems to real estate professionals all over the country.

Although business is Max’s new full-time obsession, one thing has never left… the heart of a teacher. Max loves the opportunity to teach, inspire, and share real-world applications that can transform the lives of business owners.

Max earned his B.B.A. in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and his M.A. in Teaching from Louisiana College. He has over 15 years of experience in real estate, finance, and teaching, and he was named the 2019 Industry Innovator of the Year. A few of his current roles are consultant, teacher, author, speaker, and expert panelist. He has flipped over 100 houses and is on a mission to help real estate agents and real estate investors have customers chasing them.

Max created Savior Publishing House as a way to serve his community and help seniors with their real estate challenges. The Savior brand of companies focuses on providing Christian real estate and business solutions to our clients. Max enjoys spending time with his wife and children and engaging in family activities, such as being involved at church and going on vacation. He is passionate about investing time in his family.

Timestamps:

0:01 – Get Ready To Be Plugged Into The Money

1:42 – Jay’s New Book: “Where To Get The Money Now”- https://www.JayConner.com/Book

2:59 – Today’s guest: Max Keller

5:26 – How Max Keller got into the real estate business

7:19 – Max Keller’s first real estate deal.

8:23 – Max Keller’s struggles during his start-up in the real estate business

13:29 – Max Keller’s marketing strategy in finding deals in the senior market

17:41 – They see me differently because I have a book – Max Keller

20:38 – Let Max Keller help you create your own book for your real estate business.

27:34 – ‘Real Estate Investors’ Book Writing Checklist” – https://www.DealsChasingYou.com/Conner

28:57 – Max Keller’s parting advice: Lead with value.

Private Money Academy Conference:

https://jaysliveevent.com/live/?oprid=&ref=42135

Have you read Jay’s new book: Where to Get The Money Now? It is available FREE (all you pay is the shipping and handling) at https://www.JayConner.com/Book

Free Webinar: http://bit.ly/jaymoneypodcast

Jay Conner is a proven real estate investment leader. Without using his own money or credit, Jay maximizes creative methods to buy and sell properties with profits averaging $64,000 per deal.

What is Real Estate Investing? Live Private Money Academy Conference

https://youtu.be/QyeBbDOF4wo

YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/RealEstateInvestingWithJayConner

iTunes:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/private-money-academy-real-estate-investing-jay-conner/id1377723034

Listen to our Podcast:

https://realestateinvestingdeals.mypodcastworld.com/11247/leverage-books-to-grow-your-real-estate-business-with-max-keller-jay-conner

Real Estate Investing With Jay Conner

Jay Conner

00:02:40

My special guest knows how to teach and create success. In addition to that, my guest and friend went from being a full-time high school math teacher to creating in such a short period of time, a moldable successful real estate and marketing businesses. In fact, he’s published multiple books and currently licenses his special proprietary lead generation systems to real estate professionals all over the country. Also, I want you to know that all of those businesses are my friend’s new full-time obsession. But one thing has not changed, and that is his heart of being a teacher.

He’s got a servant’s heart. He’s always looking to give value and he loves teaching. He loves the opportunity to teach, inspire, and share real world applications that can transform your business. In addition to that, my special guest and friend has been investing in real estate. He’s got 15 years of experience in real estate, finance, and teaching. And as a matter of fact, he was named the 2019 Industry Innovator of the Year. Also, he has already flipped over 100 houses. In addition to that, he’s created a company called Savior Publishing House as a way to serve his community and to help senior citizens with their real estate challenges, enjoy spending time with his wife and children engaged in family activities. And something very, very important to him is being very involved in his local church, just like me and Carol Joy. With that, welcome to the show my good friend, Max Keller.

Max Keller

00:04:57

Hey, good to be here. Let’s go.

Jay Conner

00:05:00

It is awesome to have you on here, Max. Good to see you again. You and I are in a fellow mastermind. You and I have probably known each other now for about 3 years or so. And I tell you, it’s just amazing to watch all the phenomenal successes and the growth of your company that you’ve got going on. We’re going to be talking about private money with you here on the show today. But before we jump in, tell us, Max, how did you get into real estate?

Max Keller

00:05:28

It was sort of by accident. So, I was teaching Math at an inner city school. I was coaching football, basketball, and track, and I didn’t want to actually get into real estate full time. I just saw it as a passive income opportunity. My pay was pretty much fixed to being a teacher. And so I was like, I got to do something as my kids were getting older. So what I did was I just wanted to maybe get one or two rentals a year. I figured if I did that over a period of time, I could have a pretty good nest egg and then pass it on. What ended up happening in 2015 was I just kind of got sucked into real estate. I mean, it’s not just a good way to make money over long periods of time, but you can really increase the active income.

So I basically just got a local mentor. I worked all day as a teacher and then at night I would work for him. And within about 3 months I got a couple of houses under contract wholesale. One made about $16,000, which is like 4 months worth of teacher pay. I Then did it again. And then another time. And I just decided I needed to go full-time. And so that’s what I did. I just went full-time, I made the leap, it was a lot easier to source deals back then in 2015, 2016 than it is right now, but there’s still ways to do it. You just have to know what you’re doing, execute, and level up your marketing. And so that’s sort of been the journey that I’m on. I’m in Dallas Fort Worth and it’s very competitive like a lot of markets. And so what happened with me, I just had to figure out a better way to do my marketing because if you don’t have leads in your business, whether they’re for private money or for deals, you don’t have a business. So that’s kind of what happened to me. It’s been an amazing journey and it just keeps evolving every day.

Jay Conner

00:07:19

So was your first deal, a wholesale deal, a fix and flip, what was it?

Max Keller

00:07:23

So I have pretty good credit because I didn’t use it. That’s what’s kind of funny about credit. If you use it a lot, you don’t get very much more and your credit score is low. I had gone through when I was a teacher, like the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University model, so I had all my debts paid off. I didn’t understand how to leverage debt in a good way yet. So, I actually took down my first property with a line of credit, I guess I kind of really wholetailed it, I technically took title to it and then just sold it, like I did a closing 4 weeks later to a cash buyer. But yeah, it was $16,000. I mean, I didn’t squeeze every ounce of juice out of the deal like I could have, but what I did have back then, which was really important, is having some really consistent, solid buyers. And that allowed me to create some opportunities for bigger chunks of cash today. And then it allowed me to leverage into long-term assets.

Jay Conner

00:08:23

What were some of your early struggles when you were starting out?

Max Keller

00:08:26

I think probably the first one was what to focus on and like who to market to. So it’s funny. I do a lot of marketing now and I’ve gotten a lot better at it. But at first, the challenge was that marketing because there’s so many other people sending out the exact same thing to everybody. And so as the competition kept going up in our market, the return on my ad spend kept getting lower and lower. And so I had to figure out basically what I figured out in my market was the problem that we were having was every other investor and wholesaler were sending the same messages to the same people. Like if they’re on my list, they’re probably on other people’s lists, too. And we have hedge funds entering our market pretty early on and they were paying really, really high prices.

So I knew that if I was just going to only compete on price and compete against people who have multimillion dollar marketing budgets, that was going to be a tough order. So the good news is I just thought about what the problem was and said maybe I don’t need to take down every deal in Dallas Fort Worth. What’s the best niche I can focus on? And so what I did and what I would encourage people to consider, even if they’re brand new is like, I just kind of outlined what’s a perfect deal for me. And for me, a perfect deal is one where I make good profit on the deal because of a larger profit deal and a smaller one. They take about the same amount of time. Number two is I want to work with people that aren’t resisting me. Like, I would go over to people’s houses and they would argue with me when I showed them the comps and they hadn’t moved in 20 years.

They don’t have a real estate background. And I was like, this is kind of a joke. And so that was number two. I want to work with people who are like, “You’re the expert who helped me,” and I want to work with people that I just enjoyed working with, who were just nice people that just didn’t have a clear path. And so those are the kind of people I wanted to work with. I made a list when I’d already done about 30 or 40 deals, most of the deals that I’d already done didn’t meet all of those criteria, but the ones that did, you didn’t have to be rocket scientists to figure out what the pattern was and that they were senior citizens, they were senior homeowners. So that was sort of my first marketing A-ha moment, was that there’s this really large, fastest-growing niche in our real estate space that I could target with different messages.

Senior homeowners have different needs than millennial homeowners. They just do. They’re interested in different stuff. They have different questions. So instead of sending everybody the same message, “I’ll buy your house, paid cash in 7 days,” like everybody else is sending, I started sending totally different messages that were very senior-centric. And as a benefit, I got a lot more calls. I had a much higher response rate and then kind of the next thing that happened after that real quick was about a senior’s house. It was the dad, and his adult children were there. So he was probably in his early ’80s and the kids were in their ’50s, early ’60s. People were upset because they’re selling the family home. There’s a lot of memories, Christmas was right over there, but they had to do it.

The dad couldn’t stay in the house any longer. And so the adult daughter said, “I really appreciate everything that you’ve done for us. You’ve helped us out.” I found the dad a new place to live, like a senior retirement home. And she said, “You know a lot about this. Have you ever thought about writing a book about this?” I was like, Jay, my lands, that was the furthest thing from my mind. I was like, “No, I’m a Math teacher. I’m not an English teacher.” But then when I thought about it, I was like, that’s actually a pretty good idea because at the time in the little 3 cities that I focused on in this huge Dallas Fort Worth metro area, I was getting known as the guy who knew a lot about seniors.

But if I wrote a book about seniors and their housing struggles, I could be the guy who wrote the book on it. So that’s what I did. I’ve got a special gift for your audience at the end, by the way. If you’re interested in writing your own book, we’ve created the first of its kind DIY guide. It’s basically the framework that we didn’t have when we wrote our first book, but we have now for all the books that we write. I didn’t realize that a book would be such an incredible magnetic marketing engine for my business. I was selfishly just kind of tired of having the 4-hour Q and A’s in everybody’s living rooms, answering the same questions over and over for 3 years. It was kind of burning me out. So I just wrote the answers to all those questions in the book. I wrote down all the stuff that people should ask, and I just got it printed. It took a couple of hundred hours to write my first one and then I just started giving it to people and it became my ultimate business card. And it really changed the way that I market for deals and then eventually private money forever.

Jay Conner

00:13:30

So, you started focusing, as you just said, on serving and talking with senior citizens that were at the point where they needed to sell their houses.

What are your favorite marketing methods for locating the owners of these houses that may be looking to sell?

Max Keller

00:13:56

Great question. So there’s really 2 categories of marketing methods that we use. They’re the ones that we used before we had a book. And then there’s the ones that are more available to people who are experts, authorities, local celebrities. You, obviously, are in that category. And so what we did initially when we got the book, was basically just the same methods that we were using. Data is more available now than it’s ever been. It’s easier than it’s ever been to find more ways than there’s ever been for people to reach you. What’s really missing in marketing is really understanding who you’re talking to as a marketer and then sending messages that are like reading their minds.

That’s the biggest problem, okay? It’s not the list. Everybody has the same list. Everybody knows how to stack a list. You can go on YouTube, figure it out in 5 minutes. The real challenge is why would they choose you over everybody else? That’s the missing piece. And so that’s what we did. I’ll give you an example, real simple, okay. We’re getting calls from our direct mail, our door-to-door flyers, our normal calling agents and talking about if there are pocket listings. Normal stuff. So people are calling our office, right? We had just gotten the book and sometimes they’re calling with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder because they know that they’re getting all this mail, you know? So they’re like, “Hey, congratulations, you’re going to win the house lottery. You have the opportunity to come over to my house and pay me more than you probably should.”

And so when people call, they’re like, “we need you to come over right now.” And I was afraid that if I didn’t go over there real quick, they would sell it to somebody else. That’s what they teach at all the bootcamps. And that’s probably true if you don’t have a book, but if you do, you don’t have to do that because instead I would just say, “Hey, oh great! Yeah, you want us to come over? Okay. we’ll get to that. Hey, real quick, do you have a copy of our latest book?” And they’re like, “Your book?” like the whole tone changes. I go, “Yeah! We wrote the book on senior housing. I’m the Home To Home guy, the step-by-step senior housing guide.” And I press further.

“So, let me ask you a question. If I send an autographed copy of the book to your house,  you can read Chapter 3 – ‘All The Ways To Sell Your Home with Pros & Cons of Each’ before I come over. Because if you can, then I’ll come over and if you can’t, then I can’t come over. See, I’m the boss of my business. I’m the expert you’re calling and talking to the foundational source for the information that you need. So we’re going to follow my process.” It’s not being rude. It’s just a statement of fact. And so it really increases compliance, which is what you want as a business owner. Because you know the formula to help your clients better than they do. Otherwise, they’d be doing it themselves. Well, what do you think people are going to say when you ask them if they’re going to read an autographed book?

What do people say when they get your autographed book? They can’t wait. So what happens is, I pay a courier about 30 or 40 bucks. I send it over and I go, “Hey, do you still need me to come over right now? Or are you going in to foreclosure?” Then we got like a couple of days. It’s okay, a couple of days. So now I’m on my schedule, which is what I need to run a predictable business. I send the book, they read Chapter 3, but they read the rest of the chapters. Do you know what I mean? They read the story right here with me and my Momo. Do you think people think that guys who take care of their 90-year-old grandmas are scumbags or loan sharks? Heck, no. They’re like, “Man, this is, like, my new grandson, Max.”

So when I come over, they’ve read the whole book. They’ve already spent 4 or 5 hours with me and they see me differently because I have a book, you know? So it just sets the tone really well. It puts the odds in my favor. Then when I come over, I bring them the workbook and they’re just like, “Dang, it’s like Christmas around here.” And then I go through it with them. So instead of just talking about stuff or asking these lame and hard closing questions that nobody likes and it makes you look really slimy, we don’t have to do any of that stuff. Here’s the perfect example, Jay, on page 41. I tagged this page. I go, “Now, Mavis, if you’re looking at some other investors to buy your house, I totally understand that.”

I said to her, “I’d probably do the same thing, but make sure that you ask them these questions. These are the questions you’re going to want to ask to make sure you don’t get roped in with the wrong person. And by the way, you can ask me those questions, too: Do you see the credibility? Do you see the openness?” It’s like lights out. So that’s how we buy houses and it works really well. We attach it to what we’re already doing, but then the other stuff is the stuff that we didn’t even know about, which is speaking to local businesses. So one time I spoke at the probate attorney association, a monthly meeting for my county. Jay, do you think that 30 probate attorneys sitting in a room while you’re standing, that makes you the expert at what you’re delivering? Do you think some of those 30 probate attorneys in the next 2 years are going to know somebody that needs to sell their house?

Jay Conner

00:19:12

Well, it’s the perfect market that is like the revolving door of prospects for your target market.

Max Keller

00:19:19

Yeah. And so I used to think the only way to market for deals was directly to the homeowner with really standard, generic messages that get thrown in the trash. So our messages used to be in the junk mail, but now our books are on the coffee table with all the other autographed books from the local real estate experts, which, as you know, it’s not a huge stack. So, it’s about pivoting when you’ve established yourself as an authority, as an expert, as a local celebrity in your field, whatever it is. It helps make the transition going from an annoying pest, as Dan Kennedy says, to a welcome guest.  We were the pesky salespersons who were only pitching and not listening, but now we’re the educator or the non-fiduciary housing advisor. That’s just a big paradigm shift. And when you’re in front of 30 business owners, there’s an incredible amount of leverage because they know 30 prospects. So in 1 hour you can really speak to 900 people. It’s just super powerful. And I haven’t found any other method of marketing that can replicate those kinds of results.

Jay Conner

00:20:32

Well, you can’t beat the credibility of having a book. You can’t beat the credibility of knowing what you’re talking about and being an expert. So, Max, we got a lot of people here listening to the podcast and I’m sure they’re scratching their heads going, “Well, that’s a great idea, Max, but how in the world do I get me a book?”

Max Keller

00:20:52

How can I get a book? Yeah, great question. I would love to come on here and say, “Jay, I’m just such a hot shot ninja marketer that I planned all this out.” Nothing could be further from the truth. If my market wasn’t so competitive, I would have never spent 200 hours writing a book. I would have just kept scooping up deals like most people were doing in that time in these tertiary, secondary markets, but I didn’t have a choice and it worked out really good. Here’s what happened. I’m getting deals with my book. I’m in masterminds, and we’re actually in a lot of the same masterminds. So I’m in this mastermind and my friends in there, you know, investors copy what works, they’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. And they’re like, “Hey, I kinda like this.”

“I live in Florida. You’re not using your book in Florida. It turns out we got seniors there, too. You think I could use your book?” And I was like, “I don’t know.” Maybe I just didn’t understand. And then my friend in Chicago is like, “Hey, can I use your book? Hey, they got seniors in Chicago, too.” So what we did was we created a system. I brought in some of the who’s who in publishing and we created a licensing program. It turns out the secret behind this book is that 99% of it is about stuff that our ideal prospect cares about. 1% is about us. Most marketing messages are the opposite. All they do is talk about themselves and very little about the person. That’s why they don’t call you. It’s like, “I’m sending out all this stuff. Why are people not calling me?”

Because it doesn’t look like you even understand what they’re going through. So that was sort of the accidental secret sauce from this. So we created a system where we change about 5% of the book, because the ways to sell a house in North Carolina is pretty similar to Dallas and is pretty similar to California, especially with the types of assisted living facilities, all of that’s about the same. So now we just swap them out on the cover. We give them a custom cover and they just pay us a one-time licensing fee to set up their book. In less than 30 days, they have a book and a workbook that they can hand out to prospects. And so they only spend about an hour or two of their time filling out all the information we need to personalize it. We write in their story.

So it just lowers the barriers that make it easier. And the folks that are usually a fit for our program are folks that are active real estate investors. They understand the value of a deal. They have some credibility, but they just haven’t figured out a way to signal it to the people they’re trying to reach. The phone isn’t ringing like it used to. Those are the people that come to us. And we’ve had about 130 students that licensed one of our 4-books systems across the nation. They see that this works and they don’t want to reinvent the wheel. So yeah, that created another, whole new business that I never expected. That’s where I got the award from, with Robert Kiyosaki. Jay, a funny story and I didn’t tell everybody this right.

It’s kind of embarrassing, but in 2005 I actually tried to get into real estate. I was 25. I just got married. The problem was, I wasn’t reading and I definitely wasn’t writing books. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. So I researched CRMs all day, which is worthless. And I created an LLC, which is meaningless. And I didn’t know anything about marketing or lead generation. I stood in line to get Robert’s book for 2 hours. And then I just ended up not doing anything. That’s what happens. I just didn’t understand what to do next. I didn’t have a mentor. I didn’t even know what that was. So it’s crazy to think and I never would have imagined in a million years, 15 years later, I’m getting this award, we’re sharing a stage together and we’re exchanging books. I never would have imagined it.

It was a really cool deal. So it can happen. Books are super powerful and we believe that we’ve made it easier than ever for folks to plug in. And like I said, it’s for folks who want to do senior housing. And then what happened was that, well, once you have a deal, what do you need after that? The money. So we created a licensing program. This is one of my student’s books, Leonard, I’m really proud of him. He’s in Seattle. And because it turns out, guess what? Senior homeowners have questions. And when you give them the book, they look at you really differently. It works the same way with private money lenders. Who knew? So this is Leonard’s book. And then we just swap out covers. Here’s Tim Davis’. So you see how they’re different? But the insides are the same. But here’s the thing, the person you’ve given it to doesn’t care.

They just want to solve their problem. They’re just trying to figure out how to not get into a deal with a lousy borrower. They’re just trying to figure out if this deal really has a discount or not, they just want to have their questions answered. So instead of going to a blog or getting a bunch of emails, which have a low perceived value, we give them something that has a higher perceived value and a higher level of expected authority and expertise. And we just educate and help people. We tell them this isn’t for everybody. Being a private money lender on real estate is not for everybody. This is who it’s for. This is who is not for. This is my book and if you want to go through it together, I’d love your feedback. You know, stuff like that. So it’s been really cool and he’s happy because he didn’t have to rewrite this himself.

And then what we’re good at is helping people apply it to their marketing because just getting a box of books where you wrote one chapter with everybody else, nobody cares about when you fell down a well and you overcome your struggles, they just care about themselves. “What’s in it for me?”, that’s what all the homeowners are thinking. That’s what all the private money lenders are thinking. They won’t tell you that, but that’s what they’re really thinking. So just give them that, but give it to them in a way that establishes your authority and your credibility and it’s scalable and that’s pretty much what we do. And then we created a book system for Gene Guarino. We just did his latest book, and his students licensed it. And then we haven’t even announced this publicly, but we just wrote a book for Eddie Speed and the Richard Thornton, and so there notes students are going to license that out. That’s brand new. We haven’t even announced it, but I guess I spoiled it a little bit. So it’s been really cool to help people because everybody there wants to lead with more value. They want to educate well, I mean, who would ever say no to that? So it’s been cool.

Jay Conner

00:27:14

What you’ve done there, Max, is you’ve created a way that no matter what niche someone has in real estate, they can further invest on how to raise their credibility and actually convert a higher percentage of prospects into actually doing business. Well, I know we’ve got people that want to connect with you. So what’s the best way for people to connect with you, Max?

Max Keller

00:27:37

Yeah, it’s real simple. We made a special link as long as it’s up, so don’t delay, but we’re going to leave it up at least for the first 25 people who download this. So we created a new book called, “The Real Estate Investors Bookwriting Checklist.” It’s basically all the steps that we went through when we wrote Gene’s book and Eddie’s book and Richard’s book. But we didn’t have that when we started and we haven’t seen it in any other books. So it’s a real simple guide that you can use, whether you’re thinking about writing a book or an e-book or you just want to have social media messages that convert better. It’s real simple. Just go to DealsChasingYou.com/Conner. You can download a copy of the book while the link is still up. And then you can go on the website and check out some of the training videos that we have. It talks about the different types of book systems and how it would benefit you because that’s what it’s all about. It’s about getting more deals. It’s about getting more dollars. And when those things get dialed in, the marketing becomes a lot easier. Life just gets better.

Jay Conner

00:28:50

Max, thank you so much for offering that amazing gift to our listeners here. Any final comments and advice?

Max Keller

00:29:01

Just lead with value. Look, I know you can go deep sea fishing and I know there’s some great fishing where you’re at. You can go deep sea fishing and spend 4 hours trying to wrestle a big fish on the boat. That works. People do it. It’s just really exhausting. That’s what it’s like to market in a crowded market, trying to compete against Wall Street with price. That’s what it’s like trying to market without a book. But what we do is totally different. We share what we’re doing. And then we attract the people that resonate with our message. And so they’re calling and qualifying themselves to work with us. And in one of the most competitive markets in the nation, in one of the most competitive times, people are regularly calling us asking if they qualify to work with us. That’s a big difference.

Jay Conner

00:29:49

That’s awesome. Thank you so much, Max. There, you have it, folks.

[andrewmoocow]

Steven Universe Alternate Future chapter 21: Playdate (originally posted on August 2, 2021)

AN: After that really long chapter last week, time for something that's hopefully a lot shorter. And as I write this, I finally saw Space Jam: A New Legacy in theaters, which was a lot of stupid fun in my opinion, so I might have a lot to work with in terms of basketball stuff here. But enough about the movies I've seen, let's see how Spinel is doing.

Synopsis: Spinel comes to Earth to have fun the human way.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven

Sarah Stiles as Spinel

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Jim Conroy as Radio announcer

Jeff Bennett as Fanny pack seller

Tom Kenny as Pepe's Burgers cashier

Daran Norris as Basketball Commentator

Kari Wahlgren, Eden Riegel, Erica Lindbeck & Grey DeLisle as Empire City Vipers cheerleaders

Neil Flynn as The Officer

Featuring Hugh Jackman as Beckham Jordan

James Monroe Iglehart as Coach Matt Monroe

Karen Fukuhara as Makoto Fuji

Jeff Bergman as Ben "Bugs" Avery, Referee

Michelle Creber as Chloe

Kacey Musgraves as Yvonne

And Rhiannon Giddens as Herself

--

One afternoon in Beach City, Steven was once again left alone in the beach house. However, there thankfully was no sociopathic Rutiles wanting to break in and gaslight him into turning against his friends today. Instead, he stood in his room while gazing at a sign that said "Days since Turning Pink" hanging on his wall, with a blank spot that had the number 3 written on it.

"Wow, three days since my last outburst." Steven congratulated himself before patting his shoulder. "Good job Steven, making real progress." However, his pride soon turned into worry as he began contemplating how long it would take before he would explode again. "At least, for now."

Suddenly, Steven heard a loud rumbling sound coming from outside that made everything in his room shake, and he raced outside to find a massive yellow arm descending from the skies and heading straight for him. "Yellow?"

The arm immediately stopped itself before turning over and opening its palm, allowing Yellow Diamond to emerge with her arms folded behind her back and a genial smile on her face. "Good day to you Steven." The Diamond greeted Steven. "I suppose you're probably wondering why I come here today."

"If you're asking for any of the Gems, I don't think they can come today." Steven answered. "They're on the hunt for Black Rutile's current whereabouts, but every time they think they found her, she's always one step ahead of them."

"Everyone on Homeworld is still doing their part to quell her uprising," Yellow responded. "but one of us just wants to see you again." Once Yellow finished speaking, a pink and white blur bounced up from behind her and tackled Steven to the ground.

"Steven!" Spinel cried, wrapping Steven into a tight hug. "It's been so long! How you been buddy?!"

"I'm doing good Spinel." Steven laughed nervously, both at once again hiding everything he's been through recently and at how the last time Spinel's been on Earth, she nearly destroyed it, before disentangling himself from the stretchy Gem's embrace. "So, how have things been going for you on Homeworld? The Diamonds treating you okay?"

"Oh, it's fine Steven, no need to worry!" Spinel assured Steven. "Sure, they do coddle me a bit, but I'm overall livin' the dream there! I get to meet so many new Gems, learn about everything that's happened while I was stuck in the garden, and I also get to use Pink's old room! But I thought it would be nice to get a real taste of Earth without, y'know, trying to destroy it because I was left behind."

"I figured that since I'll be busy all day searching for more Gems allied with Black Rutile, Spinel could use what you humans call a babysitter." Yellow stated. "Would you be willing to watch over her here?"

"Sure, it'd be nice to catch up with Spinel." Steven agreed to the offer before he got an idea. "Hey, I got an idea. Why don't I take you to Empire City?" he asked Spinel. "It's an Earth city not too far from here, and I think you'd really like the sights there."

"Wow, a new place?!" Spinel cheered. "That'd be so much fun!"

"Yes, that would be delightful." Yellow smiled before she retreated into her ship. "Now I'll be back by nightfall, so do come back by then."

"Bye Yellow!" Spinel waved the Diamond goodbye as it flew away from Earth. "So, when can we leave Steven?"

"We can leave right now if you want," Steven answered. "I just gotta get ready first."

"Yay!" Spinel cheered.

--

A few minutes later, Steven led Spinel into the Dondai Supremo and drove away from Beach City to Empire City, and Spinel was super excited to get there.

"Are we there yet?" Spinel asked.

"No." Steven laughed.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"How about I turn on the radio to pass the time?" Steven offered before adjusting the dials on the car radio.

"-nd that was Royalty with My Lord." The radio announcer declared. "And coming up next on 13.2 "The Band", we got Rhiannon Giddens with her hit single Wandering Roads!"

"Wandering roads that carry me home, lead me through both right and wrong." Rhiannon Giddens sang over the radio. "I may love and I may lose, still I know I'll always choose."

"What kinda music is this?" Spinel asked Steven while the song continued.

"This is what humans call country music." Steven answered. "Not a lot of people like it very much."

"Well, I like it." Spinel said before she began to sing along with Rhiannon. "Since the day that you were born, footsteps fall on a path well-worn. Strings that pull, you'll never see. Chains that bind you, set you free. All on your journey home."

"I thought you'd like it." Steven chuckled at the singing Gem as they passed a sign saying "Now entering Jersey", signifying that their long journey to Empire City was almost at an end. "Hey, wanna head to a rest stop?"

"Do I?!" Spinel took a break from singing to answer Steven's question. "Uh, what's a rest stop?"

"That's a rest stop." Steven pointed to a rest area that he pulled the car into before the two got out. "I'm just gonna go to the bathroom, be back soon."

"Sounds good to me." Spinel agreed as she leaned against the Supremo while Steven walked away to the restroom. Although the pink Gem obediently stayed behind at the car, her curiosity of the world around her got the better of her and Spinel decided to look around the rest stop.

Touring the oasis around her, Spinel could see many humans milling about the establishment. Some came alone, while others had friends, family, or both to spend time with at the included restaurants, arcades, and gift shops. And there was one item at the gift shop that caught her eye.

"Find something you like little girl?" the burly gift shop owner with a massive blonde pompadour asked Spinel while she gazed at his inventory.

"Yeah, what's that supposed to be?" Spinel inquired, pointing at a white bag with red heart designs in front of her.

"That fanny pack?" the salesman replied. "It can be yours for only $14.99."

"Sorry pal, I don't have any of that." Spinel declared. "What else can I use to get it?"

"You got a credit card?" the seller asked, and Spinel shook her head. "Check?" Spinel shook her head again. "Lotto ticket?" Again. "Any possessions you can trade me?"

"Still no." Spinel admitted. "I barely know what you're talking about, I just want that bag."

Just then, Steven finally emerged from the rest stop bathroom and found Spinel conversing with the gift shop owner, so he walked up to the pair to see what's going on. "Anything the matter here?"

"I want this thing, but I don't got any of what this guy's talking about!" Spinel explained while sticking a thumb out to the seller and the fanny pack.

"She some kinda hobo?" the seller asked Steven.

"No, she's just an alien with barely any knowledge about our Earth currency." Steven said while pulling out his wallet. "How much for the fanny pack?"

"$14.99." the seller answered, and Steven replied by handing him fifteen dollars. "Thank you kid, here's your butt sack."

"Hehe, butt sack!" Spinel giggled at the name of her new fanny pack while she put it on around her waist. "So what do you think Steven," she asked Steven while showing off her new accessory by swinging her hips. "do I make this look good or what?"

"Yeah, it really suits you." Steven answered before the two began walking back to the Dondai Supremo. "But why do you want that?"

"I just thought the butt sack looked cool." Spinel answered. "Plus, that's what I'm calling it from now on, my butt sack."

"Aside from looking cool, the butt sack can also be really useful." Steven said while turning on the car and driving away from the rest stop. "It's basically a bag, but you wear it around your waist so you can carry stuff while keeping your hands free."

"Sounds neat!" Spinel exclaimed. "So, how much longer till Empire City?"

"Not too long." Steven answered while checking the map between Beach and Empire City on his phone. "The trip usually takes around three hours, so we can find ways to spend the time until we get there."

"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's have some fun!" Spinel declared before she switched on the radio to a country music channel and began singing along, and Steven soon joined in.

--

A few hours later, Steven and Spinel finally arrived in Empire City. The metropolis itself was utterly mindblowing to Spinel, as she saw seemingly endless skyscrapers outside the window and all sorts of humans wandering the streets. Some looked a little like Steven, and others were completely different.

"So this is Empire City?" Spinel asked Steven while he parked the car.

"You bet it is." Steven declared before the two got out. "We're currently in one of its boroughs, Brooklyn. Here you'll find Coney Island, the House of Yes, DUMBO, and many more." He said while gazing at his phone to look up things to do during their trip. "Where do you want to go first?"

"I wanna go to that Coney Island place." Spinel answered as she gazed over Steven's shoulder at his phone. "Are there actual cones there?"

"No, it's only one of the most famous amusement parks in the world!" Steven declared. "I think you'd like it there. Besides, it's only a forty-minute drive."

"Aw, another drive?! But we just got here!" Spinel complained before the two got back in the Supremo.

"Oh, don't get so down," Steven assured as he started the car again and set off for Coney Island. "The journey will surely be worth it."

--

And indeed, the journey was worth it. As soon as the two reached Coney Island and Steven paid for admission into one of the amusement parks, Spinel raced in to try out as many rides & games as she could and won as many prizes as she could fit into her new fanny bag, and Steven indulged in her excitement all the way.

Unfortunately for Spinel, the fun could only last for so long and the pair had to leave to see some of the other sights of Empire City, but she still found it all worth it for all the fun she had at Coney Island.

Steven and Spinel's tour of Empire City soon took them to the Bowery, where Steven decided that they should take a break to eat at Pepe's Burgers, the same restaurant that used one of Greg's songs in their commercials which made him a millionaire.

"Here you go miss, five triple-decker cheeseburgers and two large fries." The cashier announced while handing Spinel five large burgers & two packs of French fries that she happily took away from the counter and back to the table where Steven was sitting.

"Thank you so much for taking me out Steven," Spinel said gratefully while stuffing her mouth full of burgers and tenderly stroking a stuffed rabbit poking out of her fanny pack. "this is the most fun I've ever had in thousands of years!"

"You're very welcome Spinel." Steven smiled happily. "I'm glad you're having fun here, but me? I'm getting kind of tired. We should probably head back to Beach City soon."

"Geez, no need to be a buzzkill." Spinel complained again while eating another cheeseburger. "But then again, we never did something you wanted to do, this has been all about me today. What do you think we should do next?"

"WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY!" an announcer on a television behind the duo yelled, taking them by surprise. "Hey you, sitting down! You on a trip with a friend and they ask what you want to do?!"

"Why, yes!" Steven answered. "That's a little convenient."

"Well, I know what you're going to do today!" the television continued before cutting to an aerial shot of a massive basketball stadium, the sight of which made Steven excited. "Come on down to Maramba Stadium, home to the Empire City Vipers where they'll be playing their most important game this season! It's ECV versus the Keystone Coyotes! Be there, be there, be there!"

"The Vipers, that's it!" Steven realized happily and burst from his seat. "Come on Spinel, let's go see the Empire City Vipers!"

"YEAH!" Spinel exclaimed as she jumped out after Steven. "Uh, who are the Vipers?"

"The Empire City Vipers are my favorite basketball team ever!" Steven explained while pulling out his wallet to show off a basketball card depicting a middle-aged man with large sideburns dribbling on the court. "Their star player is one of my heroes, Beckham "Muttonchops" Jordan!"

"Nice hair." Spinel commented on Beckham's trademark sideburns.

"Come on, let's go!" Steven said while taking Spinel's hand, but the game would have to wait.

"Hold on a second kid!" the cashier stopped Steven and Spinel in their tracks. "You still need to pay for your meal."

"Sorry sir, got a little excited." Steven apologized as he took some money and left it at the table before getting back to racing out of the restaurant.

--

"Ladies, gentlemen, and everything in-between, welcome to the grand playoffs between Empire City and Keystone!" a basketball commentator announced at Maramba Stadium, where dozens of excited fans gathered to watch the epic basketball game, Steven and Spinel included. "We're bound to have a good day today folks, so without further ado, your starting line-up for the Empire City Vipers!"

First off was a young man in a blue and yellow basketball uniform with a smug grin on his face who strolled into the arena with a stride in his step. "BEN "BUGS" AVERY!"

Next up was an excitable dark-skinned fellow who put up peace signs for his adoring fans. "DANIEL "DAFFY" JONES!"

A stout and meek man was up next, giving a polite wave to the spectators. "PERCY "PORKY" FRELENG!"

A much skinner guy was up next, excitedly jogging in place with his tongue out. "RORY "THE RUNNER" MCKIMSON!"

Finally, a much taller, hairier, and more muscular man emerged from the corner to join his teammates on the court, waving to the fans along the way. "AND FINALLY, THE MAN HIMSELF! HIS ROYAL SLAM-JESTY, BECKHAM "MUTTONCHOPS" JORDAN!"

"MUTTONCHOPS! MUTTONCHOPS! MUTTONCHOPS!" the crowds began cheering for Beckham Jordan as the Empire City Vipers took their places on the court, standing face to face with their rivals from Keystone. Although Steven was joining in on the chanting, Spinel was left completely lost.

"I don't get it. What's so appealing about this?" Spinel asked out loud. "What is it about these guys that makes everyone so excited?"

"It's the intensity of the game that gets everyone on the edge of their seats Spinel." Steven replied as the big game began. "Two teams of five players compete to see who can score the most points by dunking the ball into either team's hoop."

"So that's it, just throwing a ball around?" Spinel muttered. "Puh-lease, I did the exact same thing with Pink, and there weren't thousands of humans to watch me!"

"You'll learn to like it Spinel, I'm sure of it." Steven assured his mom's old best friend while the game continued, and Beckham quickly scored a point for the Vipers. "WOO, GO BECKHAM!"

As the game went on, Steven and Spinel's reactions were as different as night and day. While Steven continued cheering on his favorite player, Spinel just watched with a mild interest in the event while stroking the head of the stuffed bunny in her fanny pack. "Hey, I got a question. What's with all the funny names these players have?"

"Those are all nicknames Spinel." Steven explained once again. "For example, The Runner gets his name because he's so fast on the court, Daffy is absolutely unpredictable, and Bugs really likes getting under his opponents' skins."

Down below in the grand game between the Vipers and the Coyotes, Bugs Avery demonstrated just how annoying he could be to his rivals while snatching the ball out of an enemy player's hands. "Gotcha doc!"

"Hey, that's my ball!" the Charm City Coyotes' power forward bellowed.

"No, it ain't!" Bugs sneered.

"Yes, it is!" the other player yelled.

"No, it ain't!"

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it ain't!"

"No, it ain't!"

"Yes, it is!" Bugs declared.

"No, it ain't!" the enemy player said before he suddenly realized that Bugs had played him for a fool. "Wait, what?!"

"And Bugs employs his classic reverse psychology!" the commentator declared as Bugs made a bank shot, scoring a point for the Vipers. "How despicable!"

"That's Bugs's signature move!" Steven exclaimed. "He doesn't even need to use his hands for that one, just a little way with words!"

Just then, a horn sounded as the score was displayed as 25 for the Vipers and 15 for the Coyotes, and below it was a sign declaring "HALFTIME!"

"I say, I say, time out!" the referee exclaimed while forming his hands into a T.

"Looks like we got halftime, folks!" the announcer boomed while the players stopped what they were doing and returned to their respective locker rooms. "Let's allow our stars to relax for a bit while taking a moment for the ECV cheer squad to take the stage!"

As soon as both basketball teams left the court, a group of young women in midriff-baring tops bearing the colors of the Vipers & blue skirts holding matching-colored pom-poms marched out onto the court and got ready to perform.

"Ready?" the head cheerleader, an olive-skinned Asian woman with spiky red hair in a high ponytail asked her squadmates.

"OKAY!" the other cheerleaders yelled as they began to dance. "Come on Vipers, you can't miss! Show them how you really hiss! Just like a rattlesnake, you know how to make them shake!"

"What are those humans doing?" Spinel gasped in amazement at the cheerleaders as they started stacking themselves into a pyramid.

"That's just the Empire City Vipers' cheerleading team," Steven said. "They're really good at pumping up the crowd."

"Please, I can do better!" Spinel boasted before she took off her fanny pack. "Hold my butt sack." Spinel then started glowing and changed her attire to be an exact copy of the cheerleaders' uniform, though with her heart-shaped gem in place of the ECW on the top, while tying her hair into a heart-shaped ponytail. "How do I look?"

"Uh…." Steven muttered confusedly while Spinel struck a few poses in her makeshift cheerleading costume before she bounced away. "Spinel, wait!" Steven called out to the elastic Gem as Spinel took over the cheer squad's pyramid while turning her hands into pom-poms.

"WOO, GO VIPERS!" Spinel yelled as she stood on top of the head cheerleader at the tip of the pyramid, making everyone go deathly silent. "Hey, come on guys! You all love the Vipers, don'tcha?"

"Who's this chick?" one of the cheerleaders at the bottom of the pyramid whispered to another.

"I think she jumped out of the audience." The other cheerleader replied.

"Okay girls, let me down." The head cheerleader commanded her squadmates to carefully carry her down the pyramid and back onto the floor. "Megaphone." She then asked for a bullhorn to speak into. "Will whoever's watching over this stretchy pink girl please come down to pick her up?"

"Spinel!" Steven facepalmed at Spinel's disruption and got up from his seat. "Excuse me, you guys." He apologized to the spectators he sat between before hopping up in the air and hovering over to the court.

"WITCHCRAFT!" one audience member yelled, inciting mutters of shock and amazement at Steven's abilities as he landed next to Spinel, and some even took out their phones to record.

"Spinel, did you really have to do that?" Steven groaned exasperatedly at the pink Gem, who was looking very apologetic. "You just made a big scene all because you just wanted to show off!"

"I'm sowwy Steven!" Spinel apologized while sounding like a little kid. "I thought we were gonna have fun here!"

"I'm sorry too Spinel," Steven replied. "But-"

"Something the matter here?" the voice of a black man wearing a T-shirt bearing the colors of the Vipers asked as he stepped out into the court with Beckham Jordan.

"Hey Monroe, this girl here just hijacked our routine." The Vipers' head cheerleader said, gesturing to Spinel.

"And I see she's got a friend, Makoto." Beckham Jordan replied as he turned his attention to Steven & Spinel, the former left to gasp and gape in utter shock at his favorite basketball player looking right at him. "Something the matter, sport?"

"Sorry, he's a real big fan." Spinel laughed before slapping Steven in the face, bringing him back to reality.

"Thanks Spinel." Steven said gratefully before his jaw dropped again at the sight of Beckham. "Beckham Jordan is talking to me?!"

"Yes, Beckham Jordan is indeed talking to you." The star player of the Vipers beamed. "This is our coach, Matt Monroe." He then introduced the black man. "And I suppose you're familiar with my good friend here, head Vipers cheerleader Makoto Fuji."

"Nice to meetcha, I'm Spinel!" Spinel introduced herself by shaking Beckham's hand and giving him a big kiss that covered most of his head. "And this is my buddy, Steven! Say hi Steven!"

"Uh, uh, hi." Steven sheepishly greeted his Royal Slam-Jesty.

"Looks like lil' flyboy here's a bit starstruck." The commentator pointed out. "Anyone got anything to say or are we just gonna keep up the silent treatment?"

"Come on boy, say something ya big shnook!" the referee called out to Steven, giving him the courage to properly speak to his basketball idol.

"My name's Steven Universe." Steven introduced himself to Beckham. "I'm a super huge fan of you Mr. Jordan, loved you ever since I watched you with my dad on TV back in 2006, I think."

"Ah yes, the good ol' Jayhawk Pussycats." Beckham declared nostalgically. "Nice place, Jayhawk was. If you're ever in the area, come on down to a little place called Los Pollos Hermanos and tell 'em Beckham sent ya."

"So, are we in trouble?" Spinel nervously asked.

"Naw, it's okay girlie." Matt chuckled deeply. "This ain't the first time it happened this season."

"I still recall when we had to call security on that girl." Makoto added. "Though we did give her a free uniform as compensation."

"Hey, I got an idea." Beckham stated. "Steven, why don't you and Spinel come on over to my place after the game so we can shoot some hoops together?"

"Me, play against you?!" Steven gasped excitedly. "It would be an honor, Mr. Jordan!"

"Pleasure's all mine, little guy." Beckham replied gratefully. "And please, just call me Beck."

"Well, that was certainly the weirdest halftime we've gotten this season!" the announcer boomed over the speakers as Steven and Spinel returned to their seats and Beckham to the locker room. "Not only did we get another cheerleader hijacking, but a flying Beckham fanboy too, and a lucky one at that!"

"You still mad about what just happened?" Spinel asked remorsefully.

"It's alright Spinel." Steven laughed. "Besides, thanks to you, I'm gonna play with Beckham Jordan and see his penthouse!" he added before giving Spinel a big hug. "Thanks so much!"

"No prob Bob." Spinel replied just as happily while wrapping Steven in her extendable arms while the game started back up.

--

Eventually, the big basketball game ended with the Empire City Vipers winning against the Charm City 55-49, to the delight of their fans. As soon as Beckham Jordan, Matt Monroe, and Makoto Fuji left the stadium with Steven & Spinel in tow, a limousine was there to drive the five away from Maramba Stadium to their destination at Beckham's penthouse.

"Well, here we are you two." Beckham, now having switched his uniform for a T-shirt & jeans, announced as they got off the elevator at an opulent apartment building and he turned on the lights, revealing a grand living room before them all. "Welcome to my pad and our favorite hangout spot."

"Like what you see?" Makoto, now clad in a burgundy sports bra underneath a tank top with a picture of a dancing frog holding a top hat & cane and some spandex shorts, asked the pair.

"Like it? I love it!" Steven exclaimed while looking around at the big screen TV, massive couch, refined kitchen, an entrance to what he assumed to be Beck's training court, and many, many posters depicting his accomplishments, including one featuring Dogcopter that caught his eye. "Wait, is that the Vipers vs Dogcopter movie?!"

"Yeah, good ol' basically a commercial for my line of sneakers." Beck answered. "I was young and needed the money, but I still had a fun time nonetheless." He then motioned towards a picture of himself shaking hands with a man in a suit who was pointing at Beck with a cheerful smile. "And this is me with Secretary of Health Benjamin Rouleau. Real talkative fellow, he was."

"Protein shake?" Makoto offered while getting some milk from the fridge.

"I'll take one!" Spinel accepted. "Gems don't need to eat, but I'd sure like to."

"Don't need to eat?" Makoto gasped after pouring the milk in a blender and turning to get some more ingredients for the shake like fruit, yogurt, and peanut butter. "Wow, sometimes I wish I didn't need to eat either so I wouldn't hog all the snacks!"

"So, a Gem, eh?" Matt asked while fishing a diamond ring from his pocket. "You mean like this?"

However, the sight of the ring made Spinel very confused and start questioning everything. "Uh, where did you get that?"

"I think it's best we don't ask any questions Spinel." Steven declared just as nervously as he sat Spinel down on the couch. "But to answer your question, Gems are not entirely like your jewelry. They're immortal light-based beings that come in pretty much every color you can think of. Their powers depend on what kind of Gem they are. Like for example, Spinel can stretch her body and bounce around since she was made to be a playmate for my mom."

"And I'm going to assume your mom was a Gem too?" Matt asked while sitting down next to their two new friends as Makoto served the shakes.

"Yeah, she was one of the rulers of all Gems, the Diamonds." Steven continued explaining to the trio. "However, she got tired of her life, combined with being mistreated by her fellow Diamonds, so she disguised as another Gem, faked her death, and started a war."

"And left me behind in the process." Spinel added sadly, eliciting feelings of sympathy and curiosity. "I was made to be Pink's best friend, but she started getting sick of me after she got her own colony, which was Earth by the way, until one day she left me in this garden we played in for the next six thousand years while she went off fighting wars to protect Earth. Then when Steven made his little message to the universe, it happened to reach me and really set me off, causing me to come down with a massive Injector to try and poison Earth."

"Parent issues, huh?" Beckham said while placing a hand on Spinel's shoulder. "Kinda reminds me of my relationship with my dad. Well, minus the whole wanting to destroy Earth because you were made about being left stranded for thousands of years thing. He was really harsh on me, sometimes even a little too harsh. I turned to basketball to vent my frustrations, and with help from friends I made over the years," Beck then pointed to Makoto & Matt, who grinned happily. "I was able to turn that anger around and make myself a legend. Just goes to show no matter how garbage your life is, you can get back up no matter what."

"Wow, neat story." Steven said while sipping his protein shake.

"Indeed," Matt replied before hugging Beck from the side. "Beck and I have been thick as thieves ever since he was starting out."

"And I first met him when I wasn't even team captain of the Vipers cheer squad." Makoto added. "I was super awkward and unsure I even had a future in cheerleading, but Jordan was there to pick me up and help me become a superstar."

"But enough about us, let's get to why you wanted to be here." Beck emerged from the warm embrace of his two friends to point at Steven. "You still ready to shoot some hoops?"

"You bet I do!" Steven answered, dramatically slamming his almost empty drink on the table in front of them before turning to Spinel. "And you and Makoto can cheer from the sidelines Spinel, without interrupting anything."

"Sounds good to me!" Spinel cheered as she assumed her cheerleader outfit once again and bounced on over to Beck's personal court.

--

"This is going to be so much fun." Makoto said while doing some stretches to limber herself up as Steven and Beck took their places on Beck's training court.

"Let's see if you can bend as much as I can, sweetie." Spinel taunted good-naturedly.

"I got some frequently washed yoga pants that'll prove you wrong." Makoto replied.

"Okay ladies, focus on the real competition here." Matt chuckled while getting between Steven and Beck. "Y'all ready for this, boys?"

"I'm so ready!" Steven answered.

"Just give it your all, Steven." Beck told his young fan.

"Now let's slam!" Matt declared before blowing his whistle, cuing the game to start. Steven gunned for the ball first and dribbled it to the basket on the left side of the court, scoring him a point.

"WOO, GO STEVEN!" Spinel cheered while waving her pom-pom hands around.

"Come on Jordan, you can beat him!" Makoto yelled, raising her pom-poms in the air, causing the two to glare at each other.

"Please, I can cheer better!" Spinel bragged to Makoto.

"Wanna bet?" the cheerleader challenged the Gem and pulled her phone from her gym bag to play some music.

"Go go Steven, you're the man! If you can't do it, who else can?!" Spinel began singing while Steven scored another point. "Beckham is still pretty neat, but my pal Steven can't be beat!"

"Come on Beckham, you can do it! You're so good, there's nothing to it!" Makoto began swaying her toned body to the beat as Beckham scored for the first time. "Steven may be your biggest fan, but to me, you are the man!"

"What makes you think he can win this? You are sadly mistaken, miss!" the two began harmonizing. "We could cheer till the end of the night, hope you're ready for a fight song fight!"

"Nice music girls!" Steven called out to the cheerleaders, allowing Beckham to catch him off guard and steal the ball away to score a point.

"Too slow Steven!" Beckham laughed.

"Two to two, gang!" Matt called out. "We're at a tie here, but let's see who can turn this around!"

"Jordan's been doing this for years, and I've been there to give him cheers!" Makoto continued singing as Beckham scored his third point. "Your friend is pretty good little bud, but he ain't got the sweat, tears, and blood!"

"Well cutie-pie, you're dead wrong! Allow me to end this song," Spinel replied while Steven scored his third point as well. "by telling how much Steven can fight! He can take a hit and get up right!"

"What makes you think he can win this? You are sadly mistaken, miss!" Spinel and Makoto declared. "We could cheer until the end of the night, who's the winner of this fight song fight?!"

"AAAAAND the game goes to Beckham!" Matt yelled as his buddy won the fourth point, winning the game. "Good try Steven, but you can't beat the pros!"

"Good game Steven." Beck complimented his young opponent by shaking his hand.

"Yeah, good game." Steven replied, returning the handshake before looking at his watch. "Oh my, Yellow Diamond could be coming back soon! We gotta go!"

"Already?" Makoto said in mock disappointment. "But we were having so much fun!"

"I agree, but I still have a family of my own to come back to." Spinel said. "Hopefully we can do this again someday!"

"Yeah, maybe I could properly introduce you to the rest of the cheer team." Makoto replied.

"By the way, let me get something to remember us by." Beckham said before walking away and coming back with a dirty white & red jersey. "This is my uniform from back when I played for the Jayhawk Pussycats. Be sure to take good care of it, Spinel."

"I will." Spinel smiled before packing the jersey into her fanny pack. "Well, see y'all real soon!"

"Wait, let's take a selfie first!" Makoto offered, pulling out her phone and bringing Steven, Spinel, Beck, and Monroe in for a picture while making some duck-lips. "My thousands of followers are gonna love this!" With that, the selfie was taken.

--

When Steven and Spinel finally left the apartment building that Beck's penthouse suite stood on top of, night was beginning to fall, yet the city still shined brightly like thousands of lanterns all around them.

"This is so beautiful." Spinel muttered in amazement at the pretty lights around them.

"I know." Steven said, just as astonished. "Now, the Dondai shouldn't be too far. I think it's back at Maramba Stadium, which hopefully shouldn't be too far from-"

"Wait wait wait, you hear that?" Spinel asked, turning her finger into a horn that she put up to her ear as she faintly heard someone crying. "Come on, have a listen!" She then put the horn to Steven's ear, making him hear the crying too.

"I think someone needs help." Steven realized before the two began walking closer to the source of the crying, which turned out to be a little blonde girl playing with a cube while she kept on sniffling.

"Where are you?" the little girl quietly sobbed, not even noticing Steven and Spinel before her.

"I think I can handle this one Steven." Spinel declared before she walked up to the girl and got super close to her face. "Hey kid, can you stop crying and look at me?!" However, the girl yelped in fright and suddenly went quiet. "Oy, eyes up here sport!" Spinel continued with a snap of her fingers, but the girl refused to speak. "Not that much of a talker, are ya?"

"I think it's because you're being a little too direct. Let me try." Steven suggested before he sat down next to the child. "Hello, sorry about my friend. I'm Steven, what's your name?"

"Chloe." The girl said quietly. "Are you here to help me?"

"Of course we are." Steven smiled. "Can you tell me where your mother is?"

"I don't know." Chloe answered. "I only turned around and she was gone, and I have no idea where she is."

"It's alright, just stay calm and let us help you." Steven said before pulling out his phone. "Here, I'll call the police to help us out."

"You rang?" a police officer asked while appearing from seemingly out of nowhere, taking the three by surprise. "Apologies for the scare, I just heard someone say police officer and rushed right on over. What seems to be the matter?"

"This kid lost her mom." Spinel answered the officer. "Can you help us find her?"

"Oh sure," the Officer replied. "Just come with me to the station and we'll get to work!"

"Yay!" Chloe cheered, flapping her hands.

"I didn't know humans could do that!" Spinel said before beginning to flap her hands as well. "Am I doing it right?"

"Doesn't matter." Chloe beamed. "Some people always thought my hand flapping was strange, but my mommy always helped me learn how to be myself."

"Sounds like you got a pretty good mom Chloe." Spinel said before she hoisted Chloe over her shoulders and took her for a piggyback ride. "I know what it's like to be left behind, and I won't let it happen to anyone else."

"Thank you so much!" Chloe said and gave Spinel's head a big hug as the two of them, along with Steven and the Officer, began walking to the police station. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Call me Spinel." Spinel answered.

--

Later at the Empire City police station, Steven was having a talk with the Officer in another room while Spinel played with Chloe's cube outside, and Chloe was drawing something.

"So what's with this thing anyways?" Spinel asked Chloe. "Why did I see you playing with it?"

"That's my fidget cube." Chloe replied. "My mom got a few of them to help me focus because I sometimes have a hard time paying attention to things."

"Where can I get one of these?" Spinel asked again more eagerly.

"Maybe when Mom comes, I can ask her to give you one." Chloe suggested before Steven and the Officer emerged from the other room. "Anything Mr. Steven?"

"I was mostly just telling the Officer here about myself, since he did meet my friends in Los Diego." Steven answered.

"Now, all we need to do is get your mom's phone number and she'll be right on over." The Officer said as he picked up a phone. "Could you tell us to the best of your ability?"

"Of course!" Chloe said eagerly. "It's 1 (723) 201-1995."

"Nine-nine-five." The Officer repeated to himself and put the phone up to his ear. "Hello? Yes, this is the Empire City Police Department. Are you the mother of a little girl named Chloe?" he asked someone on the other end. "Good, cause a couple of tourists found her all alone and helped me bring her to the station. Can you come pick her up?"

"There, your mom should be comin' for ya tout sweet!" Spinel declared before Chloe gave her a big hug. "Aw, you're so nice."

"How are you able to memorize her number?" Steven asked Chloe.

"I just have a knack for those kinds of things." Chloe responded before a blonde woman, presumably her mother, came barging into the station. "Mommy!"

"Chloe!" Chloe's mother cried as her daughter came racing up to hug her. "Oh, I'm so sorry for leaving you behind like that! I didn't even notice I left you until the police called me!"

"You can thank us for that ma'am." Spinel stated, introducing herself and Steven.

"You truly are a lifesaver." The mother thanked the Gem. "My name's Yvonne, and thanks again for helping my daughter."

"Oh, that reminds me, Mom." Chloe said. "Would it be okay if Spinel got one of my fidget cubes as thanks?"

"I don't see why not." Yvonne agreed before fishing through her purse and finding a pink cube. "Here, I think it suits you."

"Aw shucks miss, you're making me blush!" Spinel thanked the mother sheepishly when she got an idea of her own. "Here, you can have this Chloe." She said, pulling the stuffed rabbit from her fanny pack and giving it to her new friend. "The least I can do."

"Thanks Spinel." Chloe said, swapping her drawing for the bunny before she and her mother began to leave the station. "Goodbye!"

"You're very welcome!" Steven called after the mother and daughter while Spinel gazed tenderly at the drawing of her and Chloe in her hands. "So Spinel, ready to go?"

"Of course." Spinel sniffed loudly and put the drawing and the cube in her pack.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Steven, tell those Gems I said hi." The Officer told Steven. "And by the way, don't start cracking up too much, if you get what I'm saying."

"I'm sorry, what?" Steven asked, but instead of a proper answer, the Officer disappeared like he was never there. "Who was that guy?" he muttered as he and Spinel left to go find the Dondai Supremo.

--

Soon, the Dondai Supremo finally returned to Beach City, and Yellow Diamond once again parked her ship in front of the beach house as she waited for Steven and Spinel.

"Now what could be keeping those two?" Yellow asked somewhat impatiently while gazing at the night sky when suddenly, she spotted a little car driving towards her. "Oh, there they are."

"Hi Yellow!" Spinel exclaimed, bursting from the car and racing towards the Diamond. "You'll never guess the fun day I had with Steven today! I got a ton of cool stuff from some people we met along the way and learned about human sports!"

"Oh that's delightful, I'm glad you had a good time today." Yellow grinned before becoming more serious. "Now come along, we still have work to do regarding a certain Rutile."

"Okay!" Spinel answered and then turned to Steven. "Thanks for everything today Steven."

"Pleasure's all mine Spinel. Maybe we can do this again someday." Steven said gratefully before Spinel gave him another big hug and then raced back to Yellow's side. "Don't be a stranger you guys!"

"We won't." Yellow shouted back before she and Spinel entered her arm ship and it finally took off into the night sky.

--

"So, what did you and Steven do today Spinel?" Yellow asked Spinel as the ship cruised back to Homeworld.

Spinel took one look at everything in her butt sack, from the Coney Island prizes to Beckham Jordan's Pussycats jersey, the fidget cube, and Chloe's drawing, before giving her answer with a smile.

"Everything."

--

And that's enough of Spinel, Pink Diamond's playmate turned near-destroyer of Earth turned companion of the Diamonds, country music fangirl, wannabe cheerleader and friend to the neurodivergent! Well, for now at least, she will be making a comeback in Part 4. And speaking of Part 4, that Secretary of Health that met Beckham will be making an appearance there as well and played by Ryan Reynolds. Yes, THAT Ryan Reynolds, so technically Deadpool and Wolverine met without even needing to speak to each other onscreen. But anyways, we've all had our fun with Spinel, but next chapter is when we start getting into what I call the Tearjerking Three, consisting of Pumpkin Patch, Mr. Universe and Fragments. Your bodies better be ready, because I'm bringing the feels!

[troped-fanfic-challenge]

Voting for Chopped 3.0 Round 2 is Officially OPEN!

You know how voting works so we wont bore you with a massive post. Remember to rank fics based on the USE of the tropes and theme and to rank ALL fics in each question, so we can avoid any technical difficulties! Please try and read all the fics so you can vote fairly! Reminder, you must include a URL, and you may only vote once, we will NOT count multiple votes by the same person.

You can vote here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WQ9BNFS

Thanks to all our BRILLIANT writers, these fics are so exciting and we are so glad you decided to share them with us!! 

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and i'll never say i love you (but i meant it all along) (Rated T) [Bellamy/Clarke]

Summary: When Coach, a dating system that pairs you with someone for an allotted amount of time and gives no way to bypass its rules, matches Bellamy and Clarke together, they find an immediate dislike for the other. Luckily, they only have to spend twelve hours together and then they can go their separate ways.

That is, until Coach matches them again. And again. And again. Until they start to wonder if something deeper is going on.

Or, Bellamy and Clarke in Hang the DJ

Per Aspera Ad Astra [Through Hardship to the Stars] (Rated G) [Bellamy/Clarke]

Summary: It's boredom one fateful night that leads Clarke Griffin to ditching the first basketball game of the season. That same boredom then leads to her choosing to hang out with one Bellamy Blake – which should feel weirder than it is since they haven't really been friends since his sister's disappearance two years ago.

But then their night really takes a turn.

The two of them discover a strange audio frequency that could change the small town of Arkadia, New Mexico – and the future – forever. Dropped phone calls, forgotten tapes, and strange lights follow Bellamy and Clarke as they race through the night on a scavenger hunt to discover the truth. That maybe there was something more to Octavia's disappearance, maybe there's more to their friendship than being just friends, and that maybe they aren't as alone in the universe as they thought.

through the muted waves (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori]

Summary: Scientists call the Tomorrow People the next stage of human evolution, the government denies their existence, but their cocktail of psionic abilities have made homo superiors the target of Eligius. Even though Eligius has closed the project that allows Tomorrow People to override their genetic inability to kill, they still relentlessly hunt them, desperate to neutralize their abilities. When Murpy wakes up in Eligius headquarters, he knows he’s returned for a reason...if only he could understand his connection to the brown-eyed girl who keeps cropping up on the corners of his memory.

in the red snares (Rated T) [Octavia/Lincoln]

Summary: The prevailing theory around the existence of Slayers (her existence) is that a variation of the alien parasite the miners unearthed deep in the Sub Stratum started infecting hosts in order to combat the vampire parasite. Octavia scoffs at the thought. The theory is probably right, especially since Monty is pretty confident in it, but she still hates the whole thing. The Slayer parasite really needs an upgrade in her opinion.

The Cockroach (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori]

Summary: “This is the cockroach hailing Mission Team Alpha. It’s Sol 30 here on good ol’ Planet Alpha. Not that it’s really a planet, but eh whatever. Technicalities, right? Anyway. Systems check. Arm: healing. Bugs: normal. Radio: shitty. Attitude: good.”

I'm No Hero (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori]

Summary: It’s 2052 and Reapers are wreaking havoc on mutants and humans alike. Murphy is recruited by Kane and Jaha to go back in time to prevent Octavia Blake from starting an international crisis that made the future much worse. But going back to the past comes with some side effects, mainly having to do with some relationships that Murphy left on bad terms.

from angels or devils (Rated T) [Octavia Blake]

Summary: Octavia was dead, and then she wasn't. The nuns say it was the gift of an angel, but they may not know as much as they claim.

Will she be able to learn to channel it's gifts, or will she be claimed by the villain who has followed the Halo through time and space?

Can't Tell if this is True or Dream (Rated M) [Echo/Gabriel]

Summary: “Do you understand your mission, agent?” A cloud of smoke punctuated the Director’s question, streaming from his mouth in thick, grey ribbons.

“I am to evaluate the necessity of the work Dr. Santiago is doing and report back at the conclusion of the investigation,” Echo repeated her instructions. Her lungs filled with second-hand smoke and she stifled a cough.

“I hope you appreciate the delicacy of this mission, Echo.” His intense gaze bore a hole into her’s. “Gabriel is not to know the nature of your assignment.”

She met his gaze with equal intensity as she stood up to leave.

“I understand, sir.”

There are some things written in the stars (Rated G) [Bellamy/Clarke]

Summary: Dear Bell,

I know you have a million questions. When I planned to come see you in Sau Paulo, I knew I wouldn’t have much time, and there was just too much I wanted to say. But also so much I knew I couldn’t. My only hope is that this journal answers some of your questions, and by some miracle saves your life.

My name is Clarke Griffin, a historian. We’ve never met before today, in your time at least. In 2019, I would be just starting my professorship at Arkadia University back in the states. That’s honestly the only reason Murphy didn’t fight me on seeing you — no chance that I’d cross paths with myself. He wouldn’t have been able to stop me, mind you. But he’s definitely the better pilot, so I’m glad he was on board.

I’m getting away from myself. It’s hard to remember a time when you didn’t just instinctively know what I was thinking. It’s felt a little like you’ve just known me my whole life, the way we’ve always been in sync. Let me start from the beginning, just rip the bandaid off…

___

Or the "Timeless" AU you never knew you needed. Submitted as part of the Chopped Challenge: Round 2.

Healing AIs, Healing Hearts (Rated T) [Octavia/Raven]

Summary: Raven and her mother were a perfect team, working with damaged and mistreated AIs and tech. When tragedy strikes, however, Raven has to figure out how to make it on her own. And then there's that new assistant her mom hired, making things interesting.

inconceivable (Rated T) [Bellamy/Clarke]

Summary: The first touch of his fingers on her wrists makes her whole body shiver. She’s so painfully aware of him being just behind her, of the wonder and the impossibility of his existence here, that she has to remind herself to keep breathing as he slowly picks apart the knots binding her hands together. “If I turn around, will you be gone?” she murmurs. “Is this a bad dream? Will you be dead again when I wake up?”

“I’m real,” he says softly, and finally the last knot falls away and her hands are free.

It's practically inconceivable.

(Chopped 3 presents: The Princess Bride. In space, bitches.)

[nerianasims]

Billboards #1 1962

Under the cut.

Joey Dee And The Starliters – “Peppermint Twist – Part 1″ -- January 27, 1962

This is a version of The Twist that apparently exists to promote/capitalize on The Peppermint Lounge, a big New York club run by a mafioso. It was formerly a gay bar. I'd love to read a full history of the place. The song just sort of... exists.

Gene Chandler – “Duke Of Earl” -- February 17, 1962

I have a personal problem with this song. My dad loved it. Which means I was sick to death of it by the time I was 12. I cannot even try to be fair to it.

Bruce Channel – “Hey! Baby” -- March 10, 1962

We played this and sang the chorus in high school band at basketball games. So um. The harmonica part is good. Also when I hear it, it's weighted with waaaay more sexual tension and general drama than is actually within the song. Trying to separate my memories from it, I think it's pretty good.

Connie Francis – “Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You” -- March 31, 1962

Slow and twangy. The narrator's s.o. is flirting with others and being careless. Connie sings with a lot of emotion. One of the lines in the spoken word section is, "Love is life's greatest joy." While I connect with that line, in the context of Connie Francis' eternally heart-broken oeuvre it's pretty hilarious. Too schmaltzy by a degree, with no bite at all.

Shelly Fabares – “Johnny Angel” -- April 7, 1962

Fabares was good on Coach. Not in this song so much. The backup singers are far more interesting. It's a song about having a crush on a guy who doesn't even know she exists. Which is relatable up to the point where other guys call her for dates and she doesn't bother with them because she'd rather sit around dreaming about this guy. Of course, if she actually talked to him she might find out he's a person and not an angel. That kind of thing drove me nuts when my friends did it in high school, so I'm not kindly disposed to this song.

Elvis Presley – “Good Luck Charm” -- April 21, 1962

Elvis sounds like he's doing an Elvis impression in this thing. It's hard to pay attention to what he's singing when it's so overladen with schtick. Irritating.

The Shirelles – “Soldier Boy” -- May 5, 1962

The narrator is in love with a soldier boy. That's it, he's a soldier boy and she loves him -- there's no implied fear or heartache in it. This was around the beginning of the Vietnam War, so I feel bad about what I'm about to say. This song is like nails on a chalkboard to me. The way The Shirelles sing the song, they sound about ten years old. Though I don't know how else they could have sung this melody, which I can't call anything but childish. The Shirelles were capable of so much better than this.

Mr. Acker Bilk – “Stranger On The Shore” -- May 26, 1962

It's a clarinet instrumental. I suppose smooth jazz, but so smooth that I'm not sure "jazz" is the right term. I like it though. It's easy to listen to it, relax, and imagine yourself being swept up by a stranger on the shore. Just a nice little song.

Ray Charles – “I Can’t Stop Loving You” -- June 2, 1962

Ray, I will never stop loving you. In this song, the narrator has lost his love and is determined to live in his memories of yesterday. And, as with all Ray Charles' songs, I believe him entirely. Even with the very 1962 chorus in the background, which only serves to highlight his raw and honest style.

David Rose – “The Stripper” -- July 7, 1962

It's an instrumental. It's that instrumental. You have heard it many, many times. Wailing horns that somehow leer, along with boom-ta-tish. This was a #1 hit? I guess strip clubs back then could send songs to the top of the charts too.

Bobby Vinton – “Roses Are Red (My Love)” -- July 14, 1962

Bored. The woman this guy dated in high school married someone else and he's looking at a picture of the baby she had with the other guy. It could make for a good country song. But as it is, the music is unbearably gloopy.

Neil Sedaka – “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” -- August 11, 1962

I'm trying to remember if there were as many breakup/heartbreak songs that were massive hits when I was in high school and still paying attention to hits as there were the first few years of the Billboard charts. I'm gonna say no. Anyway, this guy doesn't want to break up because it's hard to do. He doesn't sound too upset, and definitely not romantic. He's not happy either -- just kinda whiny. Meh.

Little Eva – “The Loco-Motion” -- August 25, 1962

It's The Loco-Motion. Which I don't think I've ever actually done, as many times as I've danced to this song. It's still a good dance song.

Tommy Roe – “Sheila” -- September 1, 1962

It's about how much this guy loves Sheila. He sure calls her "little" and "little girl" a lot. "We're so doggone happy". Musically there's nothing wrong with the song. It's the lyrics. I find them incredibly annoying.

The Four Seasons – “Sherry” -- September 15, 1962

Sha-aaa-aaa-aa-aa-aa-rie bay-ay-bee. If you hate falsetto, you'll hate this song. While it seems to be a traditional peppy teenage love song, the way Frankie Valli sings it almost tips it over into novelty territory. I find it fun and irritating at the same time.

Bobby “Boris” Pickett And The Crypt-Kickers – “Monster Mash” -- October 20, 1962

It's a novelty song, but a great one. "Great" and "novelty song" aren't supposed to go together. Let alone "classic" and "novelty song." But this one does it. I've heard it many times every October of my life, and I still like it even though it interferes with my birthday. I think that's because it's also a really good dance song.

The Crystals – “He’s A Rebel” -- November 3, 1962

Apparently the version of this song that became a hit was by The Blossoms, led by Darlene Love, and not The Crystals. It's Phil Spector's fault because of course it is. And here's where I get to say: Phil Spector is this towering legend musically. (And towering monster morally.) But there are plenty of times I don't like his "wall of sound," and this is one of them. It sounds overproduced and headache-inducing. Since it gives me actual pain, I can't listen to it enough to decide what I think of it, other than that Darlene Love deserved better.

The Four Seasons – “Big Girls Don’t Cry -- November 17, 1962

Valli's falsetto in this one makes me actually angry. It doesn't help that the lyrics do too. At first, they're good, with the narrator being shocked that his girlfriend doesn't cry when he dumps her. But then she's crying in the last verse, because who wouldn't be upset over losing a screeching, shouting manchild? I like to think she's crying over having wasted any time at all with this jackass. Or maybe she heard his falsetto and now she has a headache.

The Tornados – “Telstar” -- December 22, 1962

Well this is weird. It's a space age instrumental. I am in favor of weird, but I don't like whatever keyboard setting is used through most of the song. It's yet another headache for me. It's also an obnoxiously peppy song, like you WILL be happy or you will be taken away for processing.

BEST OF 1962: "I Can't Stop Loving You." Nothing else comes close. Worst of 1962: "Big Girls Don't Cry."