#favorite season 1 outdoor close up shot

[gayerthanevertbh]

competitor - training season pt. 1

natasha romanoff masterlist | series masterlist | navigation

summary: you were a fierce competitor who aspired to be the top female tennis player in the world, and there is no way you can compete with the famous natasha romanoff on the tennis court. every time she volunteered to coach you, there was a condition: to sleep with her. with this routine, both of you grew closer than ever. however, another woman had already taken her place in court before you could even see her. game, set, match. who will you choose? natasha weakens you, but louise jones revives you.

warnings: natasha being extremely seductive, mentions of sex, and manipulative natasha - minors dni

notes: this story is probably my favorite since i could say it's very well written but enjoy x

Whoosh!

That was the initial sound that sparked my passion for tennis. It is all about the way players approach the game and their level of enthusiasm when hitting the ball. It captivates me to the point where I could sit and watch tennis matches all day if I had to. I lean back with a Coke in one hand and inhale deeply, taking in the scent of the outdoors. Then, following a brief interval, an additional whoosh! was produced. With every missed shot, MJ's grip on the racket tightened as she stood on the tennis court. She stared at the net, frustration written all over her face as sweat glistened on her forehead. Usually she was so calm, but tonight she felt like she was being betrayed with every serve and return. I sympathized with the other players as I watched from the sidelines. Something was obviously wrong since her movements had become stiff and jerky, replacing her customary grace. Today, the game served as more than simply a pastime; it served as a battlefield for whatever was bothering her.

“Thirty, love.”

“Fuck!” I felt a chill run down my spine as I overheard MJ furiously hurling her racket across the court. When I think of MJ, I picture an optimistic, self-assured, and cheerful person who uses very few profanity words. I suppose she did not hit the ball properly because this is the first time I have heard it. 

MJ was defeated when her last serve went slightly outside the line. As the umpire's call resounded throughout the quiet court, Michael Jackson's shoulders lowered in surrender. With a fake smile, she approached the net and held out her hand to her opponent. Her expression of sportsmanship was masking the annoyance and despair I could see in her eyes from where I was standing on the sidelines. It was hard to see as her once-bubbly confidence crumbled and was replaced with a worn-out acceptance of her loss. I wanted to soothe her as she turned away from the net, but I didn't know how to say it. 

MJ didn’t win.

“30, 40.”

I got up and went over to MJ, who was slumped over on the bench after the game, because he looked beat. As she chugging away with all her might, she grabbed the water bottle from my hand and gave it to her. "Something is not right," I said.

“Damn right,” she said as she threw the bottle out of the way. “Fuckin’ Garcia did it all. I was close, so close!”

“I think there’s something wrong with your leg.”

She slowly shifted her gaze to me and emitted a fake laugh. “If there was something wrong with my leg, then I wouldn’t play in the first place.”

As we sat down next to her on the bench, I let out a sigh and watched as the court became increasingly silent as everyone left. After that, I told her the truth while turning to look her in the eyes. Denying it while continuing to wipe off her perspiration, she shakes her head. One thing that should be known about MJ is that she possesses an unwavering sense of pride, particularly when it comes to tennis. So it was; she was supposedly one of New York's top young female players. Perhaps she was feeling overwhelmed by her family's expectations that she excel as a player or that her argument with Jason had a negative impact on her mood today. She refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem with her. Like her, I aspired to be the best at what I do; she is confident in her abilities. 

“Are you coming later at my place?” I asked. 

“I don’t know; Jason wants to have dinner with me. He said that he got me a new coach.”

“Oh?” As I observed her rise to her feet, an arch formed in my eyebrow. “It must be nice to finally get a new one. Clint wasn’t so great, I assume?”

MJ shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know; yeah, maybe.”

“Is there something wrong? I hate to push your buttons—”

“It’s just embarrassing, Y/N,” she says with a loud groan. “My parents were watching me! Now they’re going to tell me that I need to do better, I have to be better.”

After a brief moment of silence, MJ spun around to give me a mischievous smile. “What about you, Ms. Rogers? Aren’t you going to train for today?”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t have a coach. Besides, I’m too tired for today. I’ll probably do some drills tomorrow morning.”

"Well, if you need anything, just send me a message. You know I’m just one call away, Y/N. I can hire you a coach if that’s what you want.”

"You have been there for me through thick and thin; I am doing fine," I told her, burying my nose in her neck and embracing her tightly. “Let me know what happens with Jason.”

I parked the car by the curb and silenced the radio, squinting as I thought about the game from earlier in the day. If I have to be the best, I have to do more training, I thought to myself with a loud sigh coming out of my mouth. I was a huge tennis fanatic as a kid and used to binge-watch matches on TV. In particular, the tennis legend Natasha Romanoff, who was a friend of my father's. I climbed out of the vehicle, secured the door, and made my way inside my home. Just as I was about to make my way to the kitchen, I heard the patio door open. I peeked out of the picture and saw my dad and his friend Natasha enjoying some orange juice and sandwiches. Seeing her makes my heart race; it is almost a wake-up call. 

Whenever I saw her on TV, I felt an instant crush on her. I mean, who could resist Natasha Romanoff's allure?

Just as I was ready to leave, my father's voice reached my ears. “Y/N, you’re home! Why don’t you join me and Natasha for some snacks?”

I walked out of the house and waved to Natasha, who looked even more menacing despite her calm demeanor. I can feel her stare crawl against my skin, tightening my throat. “Hi, Nat.”

With a deep, rough voice, she says, "Hello, darling," and removes the cigarette from her full lips. “Did you train today?”

“No, I just watched MJ’s game today.”

"MJ, Mj," she muttered to herself, possibly trying to recall who MJ actually is. Her words trailed off after that. She grinned and turned her head back to face me. “Carter Jones’ daughter? I’m surprised that she plays.”

“She’s a huge fan of you,” I said with a giddy voice. And so am I. “Have you been visiting Carter?” She took a drag from her cigarette as I poured myself a glass of orange juice and took a seat next to my father. 

“No, I haven’t. We’re sort of in a thin line right now.”

“Is that so?” my father asked. 

She comments, "Susan and I were not going to work in the first place," bringing up Carter's spouse. She and Susan were a couple in the past, as my father told me. I must have been so young to have forgotten that she was with Susan. “How’s MJ? Still hotheaded?”

I nodded with a small smile on my face. “Still very hotheaded.”

She blew the smoke from her mouth and looked at me silently. The atmosphere grew more intense the longer she stared at me. “I see. How old are you now, hon?”

“I just turned 22.”

“In college, I assume?”

“Yes, I study at Standford.”

With a devilish smile, Natasha gives my father a wink. “She’s following your footsteps.”

He pats on my shoulder as he lets out a squeezed laugh. “I didn’t force her to go there, for your information. She even begged me to let her in!”

“Dad, stop—”

“Have you gotten yourself a coach, Y/N?” My throat was getting even drier, and Natasha asked, licking her teeth and pushing her used cigarette into the ashtray. Given that I have not been able to locate a suitable coach in London, this was one of the more difficult questions. In addition, I am not even sure if tennis is the sport I want to play. To be honest, I was only intelligent in terms of academics. Apart from that, though, who am I really meant to be? I was obsessed with tennis; it was my life. But if I am not good enough, how can I love tennis?

“Uh, no. I haven’t.”

Leaning back against the chair, she smacked her lips after finishing her glass of orange juice. “I would want to coach you, but I’ve been very busy these days.”

As she extended her hand to hold my hand, I felt my cheeks flushed—not literally. I laughed nervously and scratched my arm. 

“T-that’s fine, Natasha. I know how busy you are.”

“I’m only here for a couple of weeks. I’d stay here even more if I’m not being called back to New York.”

I got up, kissed my father's cheek, and said in a hushed voice that I was going to bed early. I smiled courteously at Natasha as I turned to face her again, and he nodded and squeezed my arm. “I’ll take a nap, see you guys later.”

Before I left the garden, she gave me one last smile. The more I hear my footsteps, the more my heart races, and I return to my room as if nothing had happened. Is she aware that she is forcing me? She has always drew me in, even as a young girl. She seemed like a sister to me at first, but as I kept seeing her on magazine covers, my admiration for her beauty grew. As the coach I used to have before said, love means zero. 

Love means nothing. 

When I woke up, it was already late at night. At the moment, I sighed and headed for the kitchen, grabbing my bottle of water. As I poured myself a cold glass of water, I opened the refrigerator and discovered a container of food that they had most likely eaten at dinner. I put it on the counter. I started to consider asking MJ to find me a coach before the next week began while I was eating there by myself. However, I was astounded to see Natasha emerge from her room and make her way to the kitchen.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were up.” After Natasha brought it up, she grabbed my glass and drank nearly half of it. 

“I must’ve been so tired that I forgot dinner,” I chuckled to myself. “Sorry if I disturbed you.”

“You didn’t.”

She took a big breath and peered at me with her dark green eyes, observing that my red polka-dot shorts were paired with simply a tank top. Grinning, she moved on, opening the refrigerator and filling my glass with water. “Sorry, I was thirsty.”

“It’s okay.”

I caught her wearing a tight black shirt and gray leg-hugging jogging pants as we stood there silently. Even at night, her appearance was ethereal. For fifteen years, I was younger than her; in fact, I was practically two decades younger. Maybe she would give me a chance if I were older or if she were younger. 

But I can’t look at her that way; I just can’t.

"It is cold," she remarks once more in that deep voice, glancing out the large window in front of us. “Why are you wearing that?”

“I prefer the cold,” I replied. 

“Well, I think you should wear something more... Less revealing.”

Was she critiquing my choice of dress? Though I was confused, I refrained from showing her my feelings for fear that she would take offense. I definitely did not want to witness Natasha becoming enraged. When I was younger, I recall witnessing an argument between my father and her regarding tennis. She threatened him by stomping her foot on the ground and hurling her glass, causing her to grab his neck. They never talked about what had happened that day, so I have no idea.

“Do you not like the way I dress?”

She took a breath and shook her head. “I think if you wore something like that in public, I’d be angry.”

“Excuse me?”

“You know, if you haven’t been aware, I’ve been protective when it comes to you. You are Steve’s daughter, after all. Of course, I have the right,” She leaned in closer to me, shrugging her shoulders. I could feel my head being tickled by her breath. “Have you gotten yourself a coach?”

“I-I was supposed to call MJ, but you distracted me.”

“Is that so, darling?”

I took another swallow and found myself drawn to her once more. This was wrong, I thought to myself. This is just so wrong.

“I actually have a proposal for you, Y/N. But you can turn it down if you’d like.”

My heart skipped a beat as I felt her hand slide the strand of hair behind my ear and smile. I tried to look away as quickly as possible, but I was unable to. I simply could not stop staring at her, absorbing every second of it into my being. 

Was she attracted to me too?

“I would coach you to be one of the best players out there if you return something.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying not to smile from the excitement. “W-what is it?”

Natasha licked her bottom lip and cocked her head slightly to the side, as though she was tempted to kiss me. But she leaned closer until I could feel her breath on my ear. 

“I will coach you if you agree to sleep with me.”

What?

“Huh—”

“That’s right,” she says again, but this time it becomes more devious. “You heard me.”

My whole body tensed up, and my cheeks flushed. It is unbelievable that someone of her caliber, Natasha Romanoff, would ask me to have a sexual relationship if I would just allow her to mentor me. Though I was aware of my desperation, was this really what I wanted? I stepped back, trying to get my bearings. If I were to sleep with her, on the off-hand basis, I would also get to train under one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. She was aware of the way in which she was treating me; she could discern that I harbored feelings for her.

“But my dad would know—”

“He will never know, sweetheart.” With a cooing voice, she interrupts me and puts both her hands on my waist. “We only get to know this. No one will know that you’re whoring yourself out for me, baby girl—I mean, no one will know that we’re sleeping together if ever.”

“Whoring? Myself?” I let out a tiny laugh as I shook my head in response, as if this were all a joke to me. “You’re kidding, Nat. Right?”

“Do you want to be the best?” Natasha asked in a demeaning way, and I quickly felt the need to stop talking. It was best if I had said nothing at all first. “Then if I were you, you should take this as an opportunity.”

“How is this an opportunity if I’m going to let you use me?”

“My, my, raising your voice at me, are you now?” With a quiet giggle, she made a threat, her gaze fixed on mine. She put her hand on my forearm and brought it up to her navel. “I’d shut that mouth if I was going to sleep with you tonight. But you know what, I’ll let you have time to think about it.”

Natasha took my arm and walked away, whispering, “Goodnight, darling. I need an immediate answer starting tomorrow.”

Something was leaking out of my core as soon as she left me in the kitchen by myself. I was so mad at myself and that she would turned me on that I squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe I would be a normal girl if she were not enticing me with her tonight. However, the truth is that I would like to open up to her. I’d do anything for her. 

It was Natasha Romanoff; who could compete?

[glassofspoiledmilk]

Unlikely 𓇢𓆸

SYNOPSIS: Tooru Oikawa has kissed many girls, but kisses don’t mean much do they?

WC: 0.7k

Flufftober fic 1: first kiss

TOORU OIKAWA - a boy with a reputation larger than him. He was a “lady’s man”, the kinda guy you’d swoon over at the mall, a guy with all the girls he could ever dream of having.

Unfortunately, with such a high reputation comes high standards.

Standards in which I certainly do not meet.

The moment flys by me as I feel a tap on my shoulder.

“Y/N?” My friend asks with a concerned look.

“Hm?” I reply as I looked up at her, regaining my consciousness.

I was in school.

“I don’t get this part…what’s slope?” She said as she intently looked down at her paper, searching for answers she couldn’t seem to find.

“You have to grab the points” I say as I gesture down to her paper.

“Ohhhh” she reply’s.

“Anyway, you still wanna go to the game later? I heard Oikawas got something up his sleeve, it being so close to the end of the season and all” she says with a giddy smile.

“Why would I want to go watch him get swarmed by a bunch of chicks” I reply, scribbling an answer onto my paper.

“Oh please you wish you were them” she jokes.

“Whatever” I add as I roll my eyes.

“But I seriously think you have a shot with him!” She adds excitedly.

“Don’t get my hopes up it’s not worth it” I sigh.

“He tries to talk to you all the time, you just ignore him” she adds while drawing little hearts on the corners of her paper.

“When has he ever tried to talk to me?” I reply with a confused expression.

“Yesterday in the library he asked you to show him where the fiction books were, and then asked you what your favorite was” she says with a deadpan tone.

“He just needed help, that’s totally different” I argue.

“Yea and asking for your favorite was totally necessary, and he got the book too!” She exclaims.

“Maybe he’s a book enthusiast” I suggest.

“When has he read anything ever, also I can name like a hundred other times he’s talked to you!” She practically screams, which was followed by the loud ringing of the bell.

“Just please come to the game!” She begs as I grab my books.

“Fine but you have to get me something from the concessions” I laugh.

“Deal” she happily replies as we walk out of the classroom.

The day flew by me, and before I knew it I was walking up unstable bleachers in a humid gym.

“So wait who are we playing again?” I ask as I stuff my face with compensation chips.

“Karasuno I think” my friend says as she plops down into the spot next to me.

“It should be a good game then” I add as I watch the teams warm up.

I wasn’t really interested in the game at all. I mean with minimal volleyball knowledge, I could just barely make out what was happening.

I wasn’t really focused on the game though.

Just his entourage of girls at the bottom of the bleachers.

I scoffed.

The score was 3-2, we won by a hair.

“Damn that was a close game, can’t believe we won though!” My friend said as we walked into the cool outdoor air.

“You sure you don’t need a ride?” She asked.

“Yea I’m good” I replied.

“Alright I’ll cya!” She added as she walked to her car.

“Hey Y/N!” An unfamiliar voice said from behind me.

“Uh..hi?” I said as I slowly turned around.

Oikawa was standing behind me.

“What did you think of the game?” He asked.

“Oh I uh..I thought it was good. You played well” I replied nervously.

“Anyway I wanted to ask you about something” he says, the tone turning slightly more serious.

“Oh what’s up?” I reply with a concerned look.

“Have you ever kissed anyone?” He says as he leans against the brick gymnasium wall.

“Uh..no..no I haven’t” I hesitate.

“Would you like to?” He says with a cocky grin.

“I-I don’t know..I mean why would you wanna kiss me.?” I stutter, my face completely pink.

“Because I like you, and I wanna kiss you?” He says as he steps forward, placing a gentle hand on my side.

“So what do you say?” He whispers softly in my ear.

“I wouldn’t mind..” I replied, feeling my heart betting out of my chest.

He smiles, and abrupy pulls me in.

His calloused hands had a tight grip on my waist as his soft lips pressed against mine.

As we slowly pulled apart, all words left my brain.

“So I guess this is my way of asking you out” he winks.

“What do you say?”

“Yea…yea I’d love to”

[ashwinthathablog]

Dog Photo Dog: Unique Ideas for Creative Dog Photography

Dogs are more than just pets—they're family members, companions, and bundles of joy that bring endless happiness into our lives. Capturing their unique personalities and playful antics in photos is a great way to preserve those special memories. If you’re planning a dog photoshoot  or want to snap some cute dog photos, here are some unique ideas to make your dog photo dog moments stand out.

1. Theme-Based Dog Photoshoots

Create a photoshoot around a specific theme. Whether it’s a seasonal theme like Christmas or Halloween, or something whimsical like a superhero or fairytale vibe, dressing up your dog adds an element of fun to the photos. Imagine your pup as a dashing hero or a cute princess in these dog and photo sessions!

2. Include Props for Personality

Props can make your dog’s personality shine in the pictures. Use items like colourful balloons, chew toys, or a picnic setup. This is especially great for showcasing the playful nature of dogs, resulting in adorable animal dog photos.

3. Outdoor Adventure Shots

Take your dog photoshoot outdoors to parks, beaches, or hiking trails. Natural lighting and scenic backdrops make for stunning shots. Capture your dog running, playing, or simply enjoying the surroundings for a dynamic and lively gallery of dog photo dog photo moments.

4. Action Shots with Their Favorite Activities

Highlight your dog’s favourite activities, such as fetching, jumping, or swimming. Action shots are perfect for showcasing their energy and enthusiasm. These dog photos not only tell a story but also add an exciting, candid feel to your gallery.

5. Capture Their Bond with Other Pets

If you have a cat, why not organise a cat photoshoot alongside your dog? The playful interaction between a dog and a cat creates adorable and heartwarming cat photoshoots that highlight their unique friendship.

6. Black and White Elegance

For a timeless and artistic look, try black-and-white photography. This style adds sophistication to dog photos and captures the emotions in your pet's expressions beautifully.

7. Close-Up Portraits

Zoom in on your dog’s unique features—those sparkling eyes, wet nose, or fluffy ears. These cute dog photos create intimate portraits that highlight the individual charm of your furry friend.

8. Dog and Photo Session with Owners

Incorporate yourself into the dog photoshoot! Dogs are happiest with their humans, and capturing the bond between you and your dog adds a heartfelt touch to the photos.

9. Silly and Playful Poses

Dogs are naturally goofy, so embrace the silliness. Whether they’re mid-yawn, caught with a funny expression, or playing tug-of-war, these candid moments make for memorable dog photo dog collections.

10. Celebrate Milestones

Capture milestones in your dog’s life, such as birthdays, adoption anniversaries, or first adventures. These themed dog photoshoots create lasting memories and are perfect for sharing on social media.

Why Choose Ernest Media Photography for Your Pet Photoshoot

At Ernest Media Photography, we understand that every pet is unique, and we’re passionate about creating stunning dog photos that reflect their personality. Our team specializes in capturing the magic of animal dog photos and cat photoshoots, ensuring every image is as special as your furry friend.

Let us help you create timeless memories of your beloved pet with creative, professional pet photoshoots that you'll cherish forever.

Book your pet photoshoot today with Ernest Media Photography and let’s turn your ideas into reality!

[mooounicsss]

The Top 5 Ways To Use A Trail Camera This Season

Anyway, what is accepted and accepted by people is trail camera sale.

Hunting is one of the oldest and most popular activities in the world. And with good reason: it’s a great way to kill some time outdoors, capture some great photos and potentially bag a big animal. But hunting isn’t just for seasoned hunters—even novice photographers can take advantage of trail cameras this season. In this blog post, we’ll explore the top 5 ways to use a trail camera this season. From scouting out new game trails to capturing stunning wildlife scenes, read on to learn everything you need to get started with trail cams this year.

Tips for Taking Pictures

Trail cameras are a great tool to use during the hunting season. Here are some tips for taking pictures with your trail camera: 1. Choose the right camera for your needs. There are different types of cameras available, so make sure to choose the one that is best suited for your specific hunting scenario. For example, if you're looking to take pictures of game in close range, a compact camera might be a better option than a larger model. 2. Scout out the area you'll be hunting before setting up your camera. This will help you get an idea of the best places to set up your camera and capture photos of your prey. 3. Consider setting up multiple cameras in different areas if you're looking to capture a variety of wildlife shots. By having several cameras set up around an area, you'll be more likely to catch footage of animals crossing your path or interacting with each other. 4. Keep an eye on your trail camera constantly while hunting so that you can quickly snap photos when something interesting happens. This way, you'll be able to capture footage that will truly reflect how you enjoyed your hunt!

Shooting Tips

If you're looking to take some great wildlife photos this season, there are a few tips you can follow to help get the shots you want. One of the best ways to do this is by using a trail camera. Here are some tips for shooting with a trail camera: -Choose your location wisely. Make sure the location you choose has good wildlife viewing opportunities, and is free from obstructions like tall trees or other structures that could block your shot. -Prepare yourself and your camera properly. Set up your camera in a spot where it will be safe from weather conditions and debris, and make sure your lenses are clean and free of dust or lint. -Set the timer correctly. Try setting the camera to take pictures every 1, 2, or 10 minutes, depending on what kind of wildlife you're looking to capture. If you're trying to capture large game like deer or elk, try setting the timer for 30 minutes or longer so you have plenty of shots without having to wait too long between each one.

Conclusion

Trail cameras are a great way to capture images of wildlife in the wild, without having to physically be there. They offer a unique perspective that can be hard to obtain otherwise, and they make for great photos and videos year-round. Here are five ways to use your trail camera this season: 1) Take scenic shots of nature - A beautiful forest or valley with a trail camera perched high up will give you an amazing view that would be difficult or impossible to get any other way. 2) Catch sneaky critters in the act - Watching animals come out of hiding and explore your garden or park is always fun. If you have a good lens, you can even get close up shots of them! 3) Document Special Events - A camera set up near the entranceway of your child's soccer game will capture all the excitement as parents rush in to pick their kids up after practice. Or set it up at your favorite fishing spot and watch as people come in for lunch every day. 4) Capture Memories With Friends - Trail cameras are perfect for capturing memories with friends outdoors, whether it's hunting together or just hiking together. Shoot some video before setting off on your adventure too! 5) Capturing The Momentum Of Life - Whether it's a family picnic captured on video or vacation photos from when everyone was rushing around trying not to miss anything, trail cameras can really bring life back into old times Photos

[haylanmakesstuff]

Day 1 & 2 of my 21 day Skeksis Costume Build

I usually work as a seasonal Interpretive Ranger for outdoor agencies, like National Parks and Forests, and last year when I got back from working all the way across the country from my home, I had less than a month to pull a Halloween costume off! I always make my costumes from scratch (except things like shoes, but I often alter them, etc.)

I wasted about a week of my time debating what I should do. I had a few ideas but I wasn’t crazy about them. I often feel like I need to be CRAZY excited about whatever I make. When I didn’t work during the summers out of state, I would often start my costumes any time between late June and early August depending on how ambitious it was. Now I had less than a month!

I had been watching The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and was thinking about how since I was a little kid I’ve always wanted to make a Skesis costume. Then I realized – I didn’t have a job or anywhere to be until school started, so why not go nuts and make one in just 21 days? I did just that. I took pictures along the way to be able to show how I did it…now welcome to the first post detailing the experience!

Also, I had posted about this costume on a Halloween Costume Club I used to run as a Facebook group and actually had people being jerks about it. I am not here for your negativity. I am here to share my process and love of crafting with others, and I am happy to answer questions, too. No, you don’t have to make this costume or anything in just 21 days, even I would usually start months in advance and only work on it intermittently for a better product, I just didn’t have that option in 2019. But please, I’m here to share the happiness of crafting, not to hear how stupid you think my hobbies are. 

First, the end game:

Now, let’s back up 21 days and start from the beginning. I kept a calendar with notes on what I worked on because I eventually wanted to go back and make this post. Currently (July 2020) I am updating the costume for a second Halloween (if that happens during this pandemic) and those updates will be the last post of this series. Enjoy!

DAY 1: OCTOBER 10TH

Today I worked on the head/face, and eyes. Go big or go home, because if I couldn’t make the most important part of the costume, then the rest is cancelled.  I first gathered a bunch of screen shots of Chamberlain from the new Netflix show, googled images of the character, the puppet, and models. I started the head and completed that process before I realized I liked Skekso’s character design WAY more than The Chamberlain. And I had seen Chamberlain done several times before online and realized I wanted to take on a new challenge. That’s why you’ll notice the head shape is that of Chamberlain and not of The Emperor.  That morning I went to craft stores and hardware stores and got the stuff I would need to start off. This would mean many trips to these places, and since I live in a partially rural area, it’s a drive for me so I try to limit these visits so I don’t waste all my creating time driving. You’ll see each material listed as we go along.

First, here is Skekso, The Emperor from Dark Crystal; Age of Resistance, so you know what he looks like from the source material. If you haven’t seen this show, obviously I would recommend it, and would tell you start with the show, not the movie from the early 80’s, because the show is a prequel. I think to new viewers the movie may be more exciting if you see some of the back story on why it’s happening.

So now to the build:  

1.)    I started with plastic craft mesh in white to make a skull shape:

 I used a paper pattern so my sized would line up correctly, etc. You’ll notice I’m not only terrible at math, but I absolutely hate it. Not a great quality for a Maker and I have to compensate A LOT for my lack of math love and skills. I missed a lot of school growing up and never actually learned stuff like long division until college, so….make do! Our weaknesses and flaws won’t end us, we just find a way around them.

2.)    Once I got the plastic mesh pieces the right shapes, I glued them together with hot glue, very carefully.  I cut out a spot for the eyes making sure the future-eyes that were still ping pong balls fit snuggly. Notice all of my shopping and material decisions are heavily reliant on being light weight – I’m only 5’2 and not very strong, I knew I couldn’t pack a 50 pound costume around all night. I can keep my carry-on bags under 20 pounds usually, so I was confident in tricking this costume to be as light as possible.

3.)    Next, I used upholstery foam from the craft store (look in the furniture/upholstery section) to coat the mesh skull with without any contours, etc. That will all come later. I also made my favorite 3 ingredient pumpkin cookies that are the BOMB. Let me know if you want the very short recipe.

4.)    After I had all the basic forms of foam where I needed them and hot glued on, I started carving out the foam into the various shapes and valleys to look like Skekso. This took a long time and make a crazy mess, so beware if you have pets, roommates, or husbands – you’ll owe them some of those cookies to put up with your bull.

5.)    Then, I started on the eyeballs. Keeping it lightweight, I used regular old ping pong balls.

In the background, to the left of this picture, you’ll see a yellowish-hand. During this time I was also making a Halloween Decoration/Party Decoration; a full size Dementor from Harry Potter, for my yard for the month of October, and for November when I have an annual Hogwarts Feast; both of which I will showcase on here later! I liked these hands so much I ended up adapting a fancier version for this Skekso costume, so more on that later.

  DAY 2: OCTOBER 11TH

                       Face, teeth, eyes, and head dress.

1.)    Today I continued painting the eye balls, giving a base coat of off white, painting the iris and pupil, and veins. I used acrylic for all of this, but dipped the reds and pinks in water before using tiny brushes and toothpick points to create the veins. I actually glued a part of a wooden skewer (thicker than a toothpick) short, maybe 1.4 inches at most, to the back of the eyeball so I would always have something to hold onto without messing up the paint job. I figured this would be handy when gluing it into the head later, and it was.

I also continued the carving of the foam on the head from yesterday, finally getting it where I wanted it, ready for the next stage.

2.)    Next, I drew dark spots of different sizes on the jaws of the head to see how many of what size teeth I wanted Skekso to have. I used a picture as reference and got it as close as I could. Counted how many large, medium, and small teeth there were, so I knew how many to make.

Then, clearly, it was important that I sang him a little song of encouragement. It could be reenacting that scene from Alien 4 that’s so darned sad too, hard to say.

Now I know what you are wondering: What the heck am I wearing on my head? No, I don’t have a mushy skull like a bitty baby, I’m actually preparing myself to get used to the helmet that will be used for the costume later. I am not sure how heavy it will be, so I want to get used to the bike helmet, and you’ll see later I slowly add some weight to it. Yeah, I look kinda crazy, but at least I got to do it in my own home. And I am not superhero Christine McConnell – I never dress in anything but slouchy pajamas for the most part if I’m heavy into a crafting project. I want comfort and not to ruin everything I own because shit gets messy! 

3.)    Now that I know how many and what sizes teeth I need, time to make them. I bought a shit ton of Crayola Modeling Magic for this costume because it’s lightweight and I am used to using it. I used only white, mold it how I want it, then it dries for at least 24 hours for these little teeth. Anything bigger will add time – you’ll see more made of this later. Here are the little teeth on a pretty platter to dry:

4.)    Now time for more work on the head: I painted the mesh inside of the mouth black so it couldn’t be seen once the head is done. The mouth will be slightly open so you can see the teeth. If I had more time, I would have made a tongue, to.

5.)    First unexpected fix: when working on the head I noticed I didn’t like how wide part of it was, between the eyes. The head already is Chamberlains head shape instead of The Emperor, so I used a stitch through the middle to pull in the eyes, making the bridge of the nose narrower.

   That’s all for today! And it was a lot. Come back for more posts about my journey through the Cliffs of Insanity to build this Skeksis costume in 21 days. Happy Halloween All Year!

[tarrastovar]

Tarras Tovar – Swedish Champion in Squash Some of my moments in squash.

No. 1 / Mohibullah..

Drysdale Cup, the Junior World Championship, Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London, 1972.

Mohibullah Khan from Pakistan, seeded no. 1, in the final beat Peter Verow, Englands no.1, in 3 games and 30 minutes. /I lost in the quarter/. After the match, Mohibullah took of his new white Fred Perry shirt with dark blue monogram M.K., folded it, and put it back in the original plastic bag as if it was never used… I remember seeing the iron marks on the shirt after the match. He never passed the showers… “The lessons for me”: Pakistanis are fit on the court.. they seldom sweat in Europe.. if they don´t need to shower, they don’t.. and they are very good in squash…Squash Incidents, for the History Department.

No.2 / The Yellow Dot.

Drysdale Cup, early rounds, RAC, London, 1971.

One of my junior team mates in the Swedish National Junior Team, /we can call him Lars/, was warming up on the Centre court. The normal, a bit tense atmosphere was in the air. A packed gallery, with many well-dressed ladies and gentlemen in suits. Several officials from the English SRA, including John Horry and the referee Jack Gilles. After a couple of strokes from my friend, we could see that he was not happy with the bounce of the ball. He took up the ball, looked at it. Turned around to Jack Giles.. –“This is not a yellow prick”.. –“Jack, do you have balls with a yellow prick?”….

/For non Swedes, dot in Swedish is called prick/

 No. 3 / Inflation in Egyptian Club.

Gezira Sporting Club, Cairo, Dec 1975. In training for the Swedish National Championship, in Mars 1976.

My coach Abdel Wahed Aziz, a fantastic coach and friend, had the idea to train in Cairo for the Swedish National Championship. I followed his advise, bought a ticket and travelled to Egypt. In Cairo at the best club, Gezira Sporting Club, with several pools, squash, tennis, gym, polo, horse track, restaurants and bars. I looked forward to 3 fantastic weeks of hard training… Some of the best Egyptian players played at the club, Gamal Awad and his brother Mohamed Awad to mention the best. The courts at the time was outdoor courts with a cotton cover if rain should start. During one of my matches the first week, rain started and the cover was not in place until the floor was covered with water. A very interesting experience to slide around the tiled floor, /no wood flooring/. The match continued with a funny flat and strange bounce of the ball. My squash improved considerable during those weeks, playing different players of world-class, in a different environment to say the least… However, off court I was not used to service from servants and ball boys doing their best to please a Swedish guest. Every time I was served a drink, food, washing of clothes or a sport massage, I gave some Egyptian piaster in tip. Not much in Swedish currency, but enough for 20 of the service personnel to every morning stand in a line and do a military salute when I entered the club.. -“Good morning Mr. Tarras”, as they bowed. I didn’t understand why I got the extra treatment until one of the older members in the club explained. –“ You give to much in tip, to many piasters to the service boys.. You create inflation in the club, please stop”.

/Two of my other favorite clubs in Cairo are Heliopolis Club and The National Club also called Ali Club/

No. 4/ My second National Senior Title..

Linkoping, March 1976, Swedish National Senior Championship.

After jungle training in Cairo and some extreme hard training for 2 months in Stockholm.

Quarterfinal against Mike Nathanson, a Saturday morning on the way to the semi-final. Semi at the center court against Lars Kvant in the afternoon. Lars had up until that year always difficulties beating me. We started at 16.00. Full house and packed in the gallery. Two all in games after almost an hour. The fifth new dry shirt on, a half-liter of Gatorade and two salt tablets, before entering the court and the fifth.. I was quite tired but in an extraordinary fighting spirit and fit like never before /or later/. Lasse who is a fantastic fighter started very well in the final game 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0 serve back etc. 5-0 and 6-0 in his favor. At 0-6 in my perspective in the fifth, I wasn’t on top in any way… I felt the pressure, as any good player feel stress being down 0-6 in the final game. I remember the closeness to the cracking. Ideas about trying wild winners often come up under physical and mental pressure. But I stayed disciplined, thinking of the old saying and advice, that it’s never too late to turn the match. He could start to relax etc.. I got the serve back and 1-6, 2-6, 3-6, 4-6, 5-6 in one hand without losing the serve. My thought was almost back in the match, hang on I told myself. 6-6, 7-6 and Lasse started to feel the pressure, to my pleasure… He also looked tired and a bit stiff in the legs. The effort and success in the last 5 minutes up to that moment gave me more adrenalin pumping in the blood system. Next 8-6 and match point, still without losing the serve from 0-6. A long and very tiring rally, with plenty of deception and tricks, ended with a nick shot from my side in the backhand front corner. The match. Lasse was very quick to congratulate. –“ I saw the silver cup at the tin, was his reflection”. The lesson for me was, Never Give Up. When the opponent starts “seeing the cup at the tin”, go for Lex N-G-U. The next day I was unstoppable in the final vs. Mikael Hellstrom, and my second title a fact. Squash is fantastic when preparation, a clear strategy, and the flow are in place at the same time…..

 No. 5/ Strip Poker on the court..

In the early 80’s, I was in the starting process of a relationship with a very nice looking, intelligent, and in squash very promising girl /no names/. That summer we had exclusive access to a squash center for training. The center was closed to the public for the summer. The idea was that I should increase her squash skills as much as possible in a couple of weeks.. We did all kinds of traditional training in the first week. The second week, I felt that we should renew our training method to get excitement and creativity back. I introduced some new rules.. The rules: The match is played in the best of 13 games. After every game you lose, you have to take off one piece of cloth. After three games, the shirt, the skirt, and the wrist band were off.. After six games the picture was different.. I will always remember the matches that summer, as something extra regarding fighting spirit, motivation, and excitement on court…

 No. 6/ In Sportsman’s Bar at Hong Kong Football Club, Happy Valley, Hong Kong, Mars 1992.

First time I met Colin Butterfield at my HK club, he told me after our match /my win 3-1/ why he was in Hong Kong. His words: -“I was working as a pilot for RAF in England. But I have problems with loops and advanced spinning, I used to vomit in the mask and cockpit. My balance is a bit to good.”  After some severe vomits, the RAF management wanted a meeting with Colin and started: -“We have two news for you Butterfield. One good one and one bad one. Which one would you like to hear first?”Colin: -“The bad news.”RAF Colonel:- “You are fired from the Royal Air Force. /Colin had a salary of approx. 40.000GBP a year/.Colin: And the good news?”RAF Colonel: -“We have arranged an employment for you with Cathay Pacific, as captain on 747’s”. / The salary at Cathay was four times the one at RAF at the time/.My reflection: -“Always go for the bad news first”.

 No. 7/ The World Team Championship, Birmingham, UK, April–May 1976.The Swedish International Team, myself, Lars Kvant and Mikael Hellstrom were in top form in late April after a very tough and long season. Team leaders were two brothers and former Swedish Champions, Ulf “The Organizer” and Bosse “The Doc” Jacobsson. During the ten days long event Bosse had had his pockets full of chocolate bars for distribution to us players at the right time to keep our blood sugar level at a perfect level. After several group matches, we were in the quarter final against Egypt. Micke started by taking on Gamal Awad. After some very good play and some fireworks from Gamal, Egypt won the first match. The second match was Ali Aloba and myself. As I had played a lot in Egypt, I knew their strength, tricks and weakness and was prepared. I played one of my best matches in my career and won 3-1. With 1-1 in matches the final and deciding match was between Lars Kvant and Mohamed Awad. Lasse started well but Mohamed slowly worked himself in to the match. At 2-2 in games and 8-8 the tension was “On a Top”. A couple of minutes later 9-9, with match points going to Sweden, and back to Egypt several times. After yet some minutes Mohamed sneaked a lucky shot in to the nick, and closed the win for Egypt. Very close but no cigar for Sweden. However neither before 1976 or after, have The Swedish National Squash Team done a better result in the World Team Championship.

[vateacancameos]

Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1393 Fandom: D.E.B.S. (2004) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Amy Bradshaw/Lucy Diamond Characters: Lucy Diamond, Amy Bradshaw Additional Tags: Autumn, Established Relationship, Post-Canon, Pictures, Belgium (Country), Foliage, Marriage Proposal, except not really, Well maybe a little, Lucy spoils Amy, One Shot Series: Part 1 of snapshots of autumn Summary:

Part of the snapshots of autumn series, which tells stories of ladies in love during autumn, this story can be read independently.

Lucy and Amy get away from sunny Barcelona during the fall, spending some time in the Belgium countryside so Amy can take pictures for her end-of-term project. This is a little one-shot of them being adorable while Lucy spoils Amy.

Story:

The click of the camera pulled Lucy’s gaze away from the mirror smooth lake, and as beautiful as that view was, it was the new view that made her grin like a fool. Amy’s camera dropped away from her face so she could return the smile.

“Gorgeous,” she said, her gaze fond.

Lucy shrugged. “I promised my girl the best autumnal landscapes on the continent. Glad I could deliver.”

Amy let the camera hang loose on the strap around her neck so she could bring her hands up to cup Lucy’s face. “Not what I meant, but those views are beautiful too.”

Read the rest under the cut.

Even after a year and a half, Lucy still got that warm feeling when Amy complimented her. She would never have believed two years ago that she’d be happily in love now. She’d given up on it, only for it to fall in her lap—or more accurately, her soup. And even after she and Amy had found each other, as amazing as it was, she’d not let herself believe it would last, even as she was fighting tooth and nail to win Amy’s affections. But here they were, Belgium in the fall, Amy looking positively adorable in a teal toque and matching fingerless gloves, smile wide as she took in the brightly clothed trees around them.

Lucy couldn’t have made it more perfect if she tried—the scent of bonfires in the air, a light fog cloaking them as they stood at the edge of a lake—and she silently thanked Scud’s random knowledge of secret but photographic European locales.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, but this is only the beginning, babe,” Lucy said. She kissed her girlfriend before turning her so Amy could look out on the lake again, Lucy holding her from behind.

“Lucy! This is already the best vacation ever. You don’t have to take me anywhere else.” Amy’s protest was half-hearted. She knew Lucy loved spoiling her, but Lucy knew she still felt the need to make at least a token protest.

“You can’t take pictures of just a single place. That would make for the most boring end-of-term project ever. Next up is Versailles, then of course we have to visit a few German castles.”

“How long is this trip supposed to be? I do have classes, you know.”

Lucy hugged Amy a bit tighter. “We’ll be back in Barcelona next week, promise. But we have to take advantage of the fall colors while they last, they’re only around for a short period after all. And you’ve been so busy with school and me getting my business off the ground, we both needed the break.”

“Mmm,” Amy hummed. “I still don’t know how you found out that fall is my favorite season.”

“Scud, of course. Well, Janet, really, who told Scud, who told me.”

Amy laughed. “Of course.” She slipped out of Lucy’s arms, straightening her down vest and rubbing her arms. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I could use a hot drink and a fire. I’ve gotten too used to the warm beach climates.”

“You love it here,” Lucy teased, but went to grab their bags so they could head back to the chateau she’d rented for the weekend (just because she’d gone legit didn’t mean she hadn’t kept enough dough in the bank to keep them living comfortably; her girl deserved the best).

“Oh! We need a picture of the two of us.”

Amy latched on to Lucy’s hand with her own, pulling them close. Lucy went willingly but pretended to put up a fight. “Ugh, why?”

“Because we are an adorable couple, the landscape is gorgeous, and I want to remember this fantastic trip.” Amy’s grin turned into a pleading pout. “Please?”

Lucy sighed dramatically, and let her face be smooshed next to Amy’s for a self-portrait. She scowled as fiercely as she could to make Amy laugh later when she looked at the pictures, but switched to a grin when Amy put her arm around her waist for the second picture. For the final picture, she turned to plant a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek, and was thwarted when Amy did the same, and they locked lips. Which turned their picture-taking session into a make-out session, Lucy barely managing to remember to slide Amy’s camera softly to the ground before it could fall.

She’d have to thank Scud for the vacation idea. Later.

🍁🍂🍁

They were sitting in front of the outdoor firepit by early evening, hot drinks in hand and a shared blanket over their laps. Lucy put her arm around Amy so she could lean in to see the pictures on the tiny camera screen that Amy was scrolling through. She didn’t know much about art—except knowing which pieces were worth stealing, which she didn’t do anymore anyway—but the pictures were gorgeous. They managed to capture the atmosphere perfectly—the mist ghostly, the leaves brilliant, the air crisp.

“You’ve got an amazing eye, babe,” she told Amy, snuggling closer. “Pretty soon, you’ll be selling your art for millions, and I can quit my job to become a trophy wife, lazing around the cabana all day.”

Amy chuckled. “I’m still in school, and I’m not even the best in my cl- oh my God, did you just propose?” Her eyes wide, mouth open with shock, Amy turned to face Lucy.

“Oh, shit,” Lucy said. She’d been thinking about it more lately, but she hadn’t talked about it with Amy at all. “I- I mean, no? Yes? Maybe?” She bit her lip as she looked Amy in the eye. Had she just ruined everything? She knew Amy loved her, but did she love love her?

“No, yes, maybe? Well which is it?” Amy was very still, her face still a mask of surprise.

Lucy grimaced. “Ummm, whichever you want it to be?”

Amy gave her that stern, squinted-eye scowl she’d perfected with the D.E.B.S. that Lucy had always found just a little bit sexy. “Which do you mean it to be?”

With a sigh, Lucy slumped back on the bench, looking at the flannel blanket in their lap. “Well, I guess I’ve thought about it. Vaguely …?”

“Vaguely.”

“Well, yeah. You know. Like, I’d like to, at some point, when we’re both ready. No rush!” She chanced a glance up at Amy, who was biting her lip like she did when she was happy or worried or wanted to fool around. It was always adorable, and it gave Lucy hope.

Amy’s eyes were wishful surprise. “Really?”

Lucy cupped her cheeks in her hands, giving her a quick kiss before pulling back to look her in the eyes. “I love you, Amy Bradshaw. There’s no one else for me.”

“So … you’re proposing?”

“No!” Amy’s face fell, and Lucy hurried to reassure her. “I want to propose for real, with a ring, a candle-lit dinner, string quartet, all that romantic stuff.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Amy whispered. “I don’t need that. I just need you.”

“But I want to. You deserve the best.”

“You need to stop spoiling me!”

“Never.” Lucy turned away so she could snuggle back in at Amy’s side. She sipped her hot cider and smiled. Amy wanted to marry her, Lucy Diamond, former supervillain, current boat captain. She was the happiest woman alive.

They sat in silence for a time, the only noise the snap of the logs on the fire and the occasional evening bird call.

“You know …” Amy eventually said, low in Lucy’s ear. “If you wanted the perfect moment to propose, it would’ve been here, today.” She motioned to the bright red, gold, and orange trees around them, the fire in front of them, the chateau next to them.

Lucy playfully dug her fingers into Amy’s side. “You’re terrible, you know that? Why do I want to marry you, again?”

“Because I’m adorable, and you love me.” She shot Lucy her most innocent smile.

Giving up teasing completely, Lucy smiled at her girlfriend. “Very true. I do love you. So much.”

Amy smiled fondly in return, leaning in to peck her on the lips. “I love you too, Lucy Diamond.”

Maybe that day would’ve been the perfect time to propose, with the gorgeous views and the intimate setting, but Lucy was content to wait. Any time was perfect, when she was with Amy.

[withabackpackandcamera]

September 15th, 2020

Day 2: The Alaskan Road Trip Begins!

After a good night’s rest, Cynthia and I woke up for an early start to the day. My task was to get the rental car from Enterprise. Her task was to finish up an interview scheduled at the last minute. I got picked up by the Enterprise people, saving me some time and energy, and before long I had our blue Ford Fusion ready to go. Once Cynthia was completely done with her work and the car was all packed, we dropped by Fred Meyer, the local grocery chain, to buy some goods for the trip. The usual snacks for the car ride, filtered water in case we needed it. Cynthia bought herself some breakfast from Starbucks and a little further down the road, I picked up a breakfast biscuit from McDonald’s. With tummies filled, we were off to start our long 250-mile road trip up to Denali. 

The drive out of Anchorage was spectacular. The mountains surrounding the city were something to behold. The clouds were dense and picturesque. The fall colors lined the highway and became prettier as you drove further out. The first stop on our list of stops was Thunderbird Falls, located about 30 minutes outside of the city. Once we got to the parking lot, we parked the car, decided not to pay for the quick visit there, and hiked about a mile in and then a mile out to see Thunderbird Falls at the end of the trail. The hike was very pleasant and very quiet without too many other hikers on the trail. The fall colors were in full force all along the trail, with vibrant greens, yellows, oranges, and even reds. The waterfall itself, however, wasn't too spectacular. From the viewing deck, Thunderbird Falls was pretty far and small, so we spent very little time viewing it before turning back to the car. 

The next stop was Reflection Lake, which was located just around the corner (sort of) via a drive from the Thunderbird Falls parking lot. There, we took a short walk to a lake that really reflected all the fall colors surrounding it. We spent a little bit of time there taking photos and appreciating the view before moving onward toward Talkeetna, the next planned stop on the road trip.

And again, the drive was pretty spectacular with all the yellows and oranges surrounding the road. The weather wasn’t the greatest with heavy clouds and some rain throughout the trip. But still, the views were incredible. The drive to Talkeetna from Reflection Lake was about 1.5 hours and required us to take a little detour off of the main road. Once we arrived there, we walked through town, which ended up being a little street of shops and restaurants. Even so, it was still a neat stop. The buildings housing the shops and restaurants there were old school and definitely fit what you would expect from a rural, frontier town. 

We walked down and then back up the street, taking photos here and there. By this point, we were pretty hungry and after being on the lookout for food, we ultimately decided on pizza for lunch. The pizza place we tried was called Mountain High Pizza Pie and it was a good choice! The first reason was because we had a yummy small Italian sausage and basil pizza that was just right for us. And secondly, the restaurant had great covered outdoor seating that gave us a little escape from the rain that started to come down while we were eating. 

We peeked around town and window shopped for a little bit longer after lunch but as the rain started to fall more steadily, we made our escape and started heading back toward the main highway. Because I had spotted a nice, photograph-worthy view of some fall colors and a float plane on the way in, I decided to take a quick stop on the way out of Talkeetna to get the shot. We stopped by the float plane docking area and I walked around the area, trying my best to get the best photographic angle for a picture of the float plane and the surrounding fall colors. From the easy-access viewpoints, I couldn’t get the right photo. So I kindly asked the folks manning the front building if I could venture down closer to the water to grab a photo and they were extremely nice and said sure. Getting down to the water allowed me to capture some decent shots so I slowly made my way back to Cynthia at the top and we eventually left the area for the main highway. 

And it was mostly driving and some stopping from Talkeetna to Denali. We made some quick stops here and there for photo and video ops. We tried stopping at some designated Denali viewpoints along the main highway but only found thick clouds and rain obscuring our views at both viewpoints. No Denali. After what seemed like a forever drive under the clouds and rain, we finally reached Denali National Park. By this time, it was after-hours (i.e. after 5PM when the main visitor center closes) and we didn’t have to pay or anything. So we drove into the park to get a glimpse of what the park was all about before doing a full day in the park tomorrow. We drove as far into the park as we possibly could without a lottery ticket (since you needed to win permission to drive past a certain point) and that was up to the Savage River. After driving all the way in and getting our sneak peek at Denali National Park, we slowly made our way back out of the park toward Healy, where we were planning to get dinner and stay the evening. We didn’t expect too much with this drive into Denali National Park given how late in the evening it was when we arrived. But fortunately, for us, on our drive out, we spotted a car that had stopped in front of us. As we slowly approached, we looked around to see what they were stopping for. And low and behold! A moose on the side of the main road! We sat in our stopped car in awe for a few seconds before pulling out our cameras to capture a photo of the moose from the safety of the car. It was so neat to see a moose! And super lucky given our low expectations for the short trip into the park at the end of the day!

After watching the moose for a few minutes until it vanished from sight, we restarted our short drive into Healy and stopped for dinner at 49th State Brewing Company in Healy. It was a neat brewery and restaurant for sure! A nice outdoor area that I imagine being full of people in the high season and with good weather, a neat inside with cool decor, and pretty good food! I tried their Brut Cider, Grapefruit Lager, and Hoppy Cream Ale. They weren’t bad but I didn’t like them enough to pay more money. So we just ordered the East Fork Flatbread and Gold Star Peak Burger. Both were delicious and we luckily had some food left over to bring back to the lodge. 

Once we were done eating, we drove down the road and checked into the White Moose Lodge for the evening. The room was comfy and did the trick. Before calling it a night, I turned on the TV to watch a replay of the Clippers getting embarrassed by the Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semis. So embarrassing! Loved ending the night with that! As for the plan for tomorrow? An early start for a long hike. 

5 Things I Learned/Observed Today:

1. The main trees that line the highways of Alaska are alders, birches, and aspens. Those form the foundation of Alaska’s roadside fall colors. 

2. Growing up, I learned that the largest mountain in North America was called Mount McKinley but during this trip, I realized that this name was no longer used. Denali was the original name for Mount McKinley. In the Athabascan language, it means “The High One.” In 1896, some random gold rush reporter named William Dickey decided on his own to rename Denali after presidential candidate William McKinley to honor him as McKinley was a proponent of Dickey’s favorite issue: the gold standard. The name stuck and then became official in 1901 after McKinley was assassinated. Ever since, people have been trying to revert the name back to its original name (and get rid of that symbol of cultural imperialism) but due to politics and people in Ohio (where McKinley was from), the name change was blocked for nearly a century (and a lot of failures since 1975). Finally, the mountain’s name was changed back to Denali in 2015 with the help of Obama and Co. 

3. Mount Denali is the highest peak in North America, standing at 20,320 feet. Denali has two main peaks with the highest being its south peak.

4. When the park shuttle buses stop running after the high season ends in early September, not everyone can drive past the 15-mile point of Denali National Park. Only those who enter and win tickets from the lottery for all-access to the park can do that. You can drive anywhere within the 15 miles if you don’t win the lottery. But you can also walk in as far as your legs can take you if you want. You just can’t drive. And after lottery weekend, where people who won tickets can drive around wherever they want, cars can then drive up to 30 miles into the park, at which point there is no further driving. Too bad we missed that opportunity by a weekend or two. 

5. Mount Denali and the mountains of the Alaskan Range are so high that they can significantly affect the weather and climate in the area. They can concentrate and channel air into strong winds that can cause the weather in the area to change quickly. High mountains like these also cause a rain shadow, where wind and moisture are trapped on one side and condense into clouds and rain before reaching the other side (in this case, the northern side of the mountains), causing a rain shadow effect over interior Alaska, where one side (the southern side) is wet and the other side (the northern side) is dry. The weather is also the reason why Denali is so difficult to view (because of clouds) on many days of the year.

[tabloidtoc]

OK, April 17

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: The Robin Williams nobody knew -- his last words, inner struggles and loving heart 

Page 1: Big Pic -- Scott Disick lifts daughter Penelope and plays with her cousins Saint West and North West and a pal 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 4: Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich’s second chance -- just two months after separating Brooks and Julianne are giving their marriage another shot 

Page 6: After years of rumors regarding her well-being Britney Spears is preparing to set the record straight on a TV chat or podcast interview 

Page 7: Buzz has been building for months over the possibility of Matthew McConaughey running for governor of his home state of Texas, Elizabeth Hurley has openly drooled over George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney isn’t happy about it, Charlize Theron may seem intimidating to some but not stuntwoman Dayna Grant -- everyone knows how Charlize is an acquired taste and isn’t too social in Hollywood and it’s a breath of fresh air for Charlize to have a genuine friendship

Page 8: Kathie Lee Gifford is mourning the recent death of her dear friend and colleague Regis Philbin and plans to team up with his widow Joy Philbin to honor him in any way she can, Kristen Stewart was nervous enough when she signed up to portray Princess Diana in the upcoming biopic but her anxieties have only worsened because of her touch and go romance with screenwriter Dylan Meyer, fresh off her 79th birthday Martha Stewart is upping her efforts to find a sexy new suitor and she’s turned to close pal Snoop Dogg to help make that happen 

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- from blush to magenta stars rock pretty pink frocks -- Regina King, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lashana Lynch 

Page 11: Cynthia Erivo, Sarah Hyland, Laura Dern 

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Olivia Munn vs. Kris Jenner, Minka Kelly vs. Hailee Steinfeld

Page 13: Gwyneth Paltrow vs. Chloe Bennet 

Page 14: News in Photos -- Brooke Shields works out in her backyard in the Hamptons 

Page 16: Tallulah Willis and her mom Demi Moore both don pieces from her new clothing line Wyllis, pregnant Katy Perry showed off her baby bump at the beach in Santa Barbara, Tom Felton skateboarding in a Venice park 

Page 17: Madelaine Petsch and her dog Olivia, Demi Rose 

Page 18: Ashley Benson and G-Eazy hold hands while hiking, Jon Bon Jovi lip-synching, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson crafting with daughters Jasmine and Tiana 

Page 19: Elsa Hosk on a weekend getaway, Brody Jenner and his dog, Chrissy Teigen and daughter Luna were twins 

Page 20: Catching Rays -- whether for work or plays stars are spending the season outdoors -- Dorit Kemsley in a water-gun fight with her kids, Bella Hadid shot a campaign for Michael Kors in L.A., DJ Khaled on his custom Sea-Doo 

Page 21: Christina Milian and boyfriend Matt Pokora in St. Tropez, Ireland Baldwin with her dog on the beach, Shanina Shaik on vacation in St. Tropez 

Page 22: Carol Alt at the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival

Page 23: Katie Holmes picked up some CeraVe while running errands, Hannah Ann Sluss waited for a cab in L.A. 

Page 24: Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy’s love nest -- the pair are slowly but surely settling into their new abode 

Page 26: Take It Easy -- your favorite stars share their secrets for staying cool calm and collected -- Elizabeth Hurley, Jennifer Aniston, Selena Gomez, Heidi Klum, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley 

Page 28: Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner’s first days as parents to daughter Willa 

Page 29: Though movie buffs were excited to hear that The Pelican Brief’s Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington would be reuniting 27 years later to star in the upcoming Netflix drama Leave the World Behind but the casting news didn’t sit well with Julia’s husband Danny Moder, though Jim Carrey and Renee Zellweger ended their romance two decades ago Jim recently confessed that Renee was the great love of his life and before the interview he quietly reached out to her in hopes of rekindling their friendship and maybe more but Renee isn’t eager to jump into a relationship right now, it’s only been seven months since Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden welcomed their daughter Raddix via surrogate but the pair are already thinking about baby No. 2 

Page 30: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are hunting for property in the California countryside to set up a home and a working farm, since Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel hit a rough patch last November he’s agreed to draft a midterm agreement to help Jess feel more secure in their marriage -- Justin’s pledged that any proven cheating will result in Jessica getting the lion’s share of their assets as well as primary custody of the kids, Love Bites -- Ciara and Russell Wilson welcomed their second child together, Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young engaged, Vanessa Morgan announced she’s expecting a son in January then three days later the baby’s father Michael Kopech filed for divorce 

Page 32: Cover Story -- Robin Williams’ untold story -- Robin’s meteoric rise and heartbreaking fall six years after his tragic death 

Page 36: Sandra Bullock’s wedding joy -- Sandra secretly wed longtime love Bryan Randall in a superromantic ceremony on her birthday 

Page 38: Reality Bites -- these stars got their first moments in the spotlight appearing on unscripted TV shows -- Cardi B, Lady Gaga, Kesha 

Page 39: Emma Stone, Aaron Paul, Jamie Chung, Laverne Cox, Josh Henderson 

Page 40: Interview -- Ellie Goulding -- music therapy -- the British singer explores her darker side on her latest album 

Page 42: Gisele Bundchen fit at 40 -- find out how Gisele got into the best shape of her life 

Page 43: Forty Never Looked So Good -- see how these supersvelte stars who also turned the big 4-0 this year stay in shape -- Jordana Brewster, Olivia Munn, Zooey Deschanel, Kristen Bell 

Page 46: Style Week -- Olivia Culpo’s collaboration with Prive Revaux 

Page 50: Sassy school-year must-haves -- Storm Reid 

Page 52: Dorm Decor -- Kiernan Shipka 

Page 54: Entertainment 

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Page 58: Buzz -- Rebel Wilson trying to lose weight in 2020 

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Jennifer Aniston reacting to her Emmy nomination for The Morning Show, Prince William on the worst gift he’s ever given Duchess Kate, Melissa Gorga on teen daughter Antonia, Mark-Paul Gosselaar on rewatching Saved By the Bell for his new podcast, Catherine Zeta-Jones on how she and Michael Douglas will celebrate their 20th anniversary this fall 

Page 61: Trista Sutter on why The Bachelorette ends in more lasting relationships than The Bachelor, Andy Cohen on auditioning for a role on Sex and the City, Billy Eichner tweeting about Taylor Swift’s new album Folklore 

Page 62: Horoscope -- Leo Charlize Theron turned 45 on August 7 

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Zachary Quinto

[houston-notlikethecity]

A Hockey Life by Matt Cullen

Part 1

One of the worst parts about growing up was having to make a malt.

Don’t get me wrong, the ingredients are pretty simple. And I loved drinking them. But if I had to make a malt, that meant one thing: I lost a hockey match on our outdoor rink.

My father, Terry, built an outdoor hockey rink in our backyard. Me and my two younger brothers, Mark and Joe, spent every spare minute we had on that ice. We’d come home from school, change and hit the rink. Every birthday party was on the rink. We hooked up lights onto the roof and would play until it was dark and all we could see were the bright Minnesota stars above.

All I’ve ever known in my life is hockey. My earliest childhood memories were on that rink in Virginia, Minnesota. That’s all I really wanted to do as a kid, was be on the rink and play with my brothers and friends. There was nothing better in life. I know it’s the same story for a lot of guys, but that’s how I fell in love with hockey.

If we weren’t spending our night in the backyard, we were usually attending one of my father’s high school games. From my youth until I was 10 years old, my father was the hockey coach for the Virginia Blue Devils. And I imagined myself being a Blue Devil one day. But when I was in the fourth grade he took over as coach of the Moorhead Spuds.

(I remember being so mad. I didn’t want to be a spud. I wanted to be a Blue Devil! They had such a cool logo. What even is a spud? A potato? We’re going to be potatoes? It’s so funny thinking back at how upset I was at the time).

I still remember going to watch my dad coach. My friends and I collected programs and would tear out the pages. If our team won the game we would count down the final seconds and throw those pages into the air like confetti and celebrate like we just won the Stanley Cup. In between periods my brothers and I would play mini sticks with the team doctor in the hallway.

When we got home there was always one final chore for the night. We shoveled off the outdoor rink and flooded the ice so that it would be nice and solid for the next day. On the nights before a big game or tournament Dad would bring out a bucket of hot water. It was like we were Zamboni-ing it. It felt like big time. The ice would be super smooth after. The stakes were high.

And those tournaments could get pretty intense. My father, my brothers and me would mix teams for a 2-on-2 matchup. The losing team had to make the winning team malts and serve them to the winners.

So if I was making the malts, it meant that I had lost. But if I had won, then the losing team had to make malts for me and my teammate. The only thing better than the sweet taste of victory was the sweet taste of drinking that malt.

Part 2

In Minnesota, high school hockey is king.

We didn’t have NHL on the Fly or ESPN Hockey. The NHL was another planet. To kids growing up in Minnesota in the 80s, playing for your high school team was the dream.

My favorite moments were when my dad would let me in the locker room. I was in awe of the high school players and wanted to be them one day. For me, it was the equivalent of my children being in the locker room with Sid and Geno.

To us Minnesota kids, high school hockey was the NHL. And playing for the state championship was our Stanley Cup.  

Every year my family would drive three-and-a-half hours south to the St. Paul Civic Center to watch the tournament, whether my dad’s team was in it or not. I remember it had clear boards and was filled with 15,000 people watching. It was the highlight of my whole year. It was like a holiday.

My best memories of my high school career at Moorhead was playing in that tournament. For a kid growing up around high school hockey, that was the ultimate. I played in the tournament during my sophomore, junior and senior years. Unfortunately, we never won the title, but we were runner-up twice and finished third the other year.

What sticks out most was my senior year. I was playing with my brother Mark and we had a good team. That year I started thinking that I was good enough to maybe play in college and maybe, someday, the NHL. We made the state tournament again that year. We faced Rochester in the semifinal and the game went into double overtime. I scored the game-winner to get us to the final, though we didn’t finish it off in the last game of the season.

Losing was tough. Obviously, I wanted to win. But I think losing in those games was good for me in the long run. Losing in the finals and never quite getting there, I felt like there was maybe more I had. I felt that this isn’t my big moment. There’s maybe more ahead. I don’t know why I thought that. I’m not sure where it came from. But going through my head during that defeat was that my big moment was still to come.

Part 3

I jumped over the boards at Maple Leaf Gardens and skated to the faceoff circle to square off against Hall-of-Famer Mats Sundin. It was October of 1997. Two years ago I was just a high school senior.

Now a member of the Anaheim Ducks, I was about to skate my first career shift in one of the NHL’s most historic venues. I lost the faceoff, a defensive zone draw. The Maple Leafs had a shot on net and the coach called me off the ice. It was a short shift, but I’ll never forget it.

Everything was so new to me. I was living in California on my own, the farthest I’ve ever been away from home. I was balancing all these new experiences from dry cleaning, being on the road and keeping up with an apartment. Not to mention learning how to play in the NHL.

Being a rookie in the league was a lot different back then. I was really quiet my first year, if you can believe that. We had an older group and the rookies were treated like rookies. We only spoke when spoken to. I came home from the rink one day and called my brother and I said ‘You won’t believe this, but I didn’t say one word at the rink the entire day. I was there for five hours, didn’t say one word to anybody.’

My welcome to the NHL moment happened on Day 1. Teemu Selanne walked into the room and took out his skates. He hadn’t skated the entire summer and his skates had rust on them. He threw them on and was the best player on the ice from the first day. I was thinking, 'This is crazy. This is a whole new level of hockey.’ I was on a line with Teemu that first year and he scored a career-high 52 goals - but believe me, it was no thanks to me.

I spent most of my four seasons in Anaheim skating alongside Teemu and Paul Kariya. And they taught me so much about the game.

Teemu was such a fun-loving, easy-going guy. He loved the game. He just played for fun and enjoyed it. Paul was super intense and serious, the ultimate pro. It was super cool to see both sides of them.

But the thing I learned the most that year was from Paul, who was also my roommate on the road during my time there. He taught me how to be a pro. He was super structured and detailed, trained like crazy. He showed me how much you have to commit, how much you had to put in to being a pro if you wanted to be good at it.

Paul would stretch every night before going to bed, so I started stretching every night. I think that was one of the biggest reasons I was able to stay healthy throughout my entire career and play until I was 42 years old. I stretched throughout my whole career.

Coming out of high school I was pretty green. I didn’t realize that in an 82-game season you should be working out. I didn’t do things like that.

I always think back to spots in my career and people that came across my path, I think it’s for a reason. I learned so much from Paul, who remains a close personal friend to this day. Without his guidance I don’t think my career would have gone where it did.

Part 4

My hockey career hit a crossroads in the summer of 2005. I was 28 years old and worried that my career might be coming to an end. My last year in Anaheim and the next year-and-a-half with Florida were unmemorable. Then the NHL lockout happened. I knew if I had another bad season, retirement might come earlier than I anticipated. You can fall off the map pretty quickly in the NHL.

Then came a dilemma. Two teams called me with a contract offer. One was my hometown team, the Minnesota Wild. The other call came from Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford.

Minnesota was my hometown and was offering more money. Carolina seemed a much better fit and I already had built a relationship with Peter Laviolette, who coached me with the U.S. at the World Championship.

The chance to come home to Minnesota seemed too good of a dream to pass up. Going to Carolina would require a huge risk and huge leap of faith. I talked with my wife Bridget and we prayed. Something told me to take the risk and go to Carolina.

We had an interesting group. There were some unknowns like Eric Staal, Justin Williams, Andrew Ladd, even myself. There were also some older, veteran guys like Ray Whitney, Cory Stillman, Rod Brind'Amour and Brett Hedican. We had Martin Gerber in goal and a rookie, Cam Ward, as the backup.

Sports Illustrated picked us to finish 30 out of 30 teams. But everything came together in a way that I never experienced. We got off to a great start and things just worked out. I scored 25 goals and had one of my best years. We finished second in the East and added guys like Mark Recchi and Doug Weight at the deadline.

We opened the playoffs against Montreal at home and lost the first two games. It was awful. I was thinking our great season was coming to an end. We switched goalies and Cam stepped in and he was lights out. He played unbelievable and won the Conn Smythe.

We beat Buffalo in Game 7 to get to the Stanley Cup Final and faced Edmonton, a Cinderella team that was an eighth seed in the West. We had a chance to win the Cup on home ice in Game 5, but lost in overtime. Then we went to Edmonton and got pounded.

Game 7 was back in Carolina. It was the most fun game I’ve ever played in. The crowd didn’t sit the entire game, they stood the whole time. It was intense. I hadn’t experienced that before. I was nearly 30 years old, but I felt like a little kid.

We battled and held on for a 3-1 win, and you can’t even believe it’s actually happening. After Aaron Ward handed me the Cup, I did a quick twirl. There was a sold-out crowd in the building, but when I looked up all I could see was the Minnesota stars and the hanging lights on that outdoor rink growing up.

All those games I played with my brothers and friends, pretending to be playing for the Stanley Cup, and there I was, holding this trophy high above my head and living that dream.

Our families joined us on the ice for the celebration. And I remember all those times when things didn’t work out. Not winning Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey as the best high school player (with all due respect to Erik Rasmussen, of course). Not getting drafted in the first round.

And I remembered that feeling of losing in the state final my senior year, when I believed that my big moment was still to come. And this was it. This was the big moment I was waiting for. We reached the pinnacle of the hockey world: Stanley Cup champions.

And no one will ever take that away from us.

But what I really took away from that group of guys was leadership. There were a lot of good leaders on that team, and they all weren’t wearing letters on their jerseys. You see it takes a large group of leaders on your team to win.

And for some of those older guys, this was their only and last chance to win a Cup. You see how fleeting your opportunity is for winning a championship. They fought so hard for it. They put so much into it. It was eye-opening to see how much it meant to them.

I know I’ve said it before, but really do believe everything happens for a reason. Instead of playing it safe, taking more money and playing in my home of Minnesota, I took a chance on Carolina. I went into that year thinking it could be my last one in the NHL. And I ended it by lifting the Stanley Cup.

Part 5

There are few things I loved more than coming home after a game and flooding my own outdoor rink. I would drive home, put on my warm clothes, fill a thermos with some wine and go outside and drink it while I flooded the rink.

By that time I was back in Minnesota, having signed a contract with the Wild. My chance to come back home came true after all. And it seemed like the perfect time to go home, play out those three years, retire a Wild and live in Minnesota.

By that time, I also had a family. Three young boys of my own: Brooks, Wyatt and Joey. And for the first time in my life, it was my job to build the rink in the backyard. I had never done it before, but it was so fun. I felt like I was my dad.

I wanted to give my boys all the things that I had growing up, except now I’m the old guy flooding the rink. They were still very young in those years. Joey had just been born a few months before (I actually watched him being born on Skype from my hotel room while I was playing with Ottawa in the playoffs against the Penguins).

When I skated on that outdoor rink, it was the first time I had done so since I left my home in Minnesota in 1997. I was just as excited as the kids to be on the outdoor rink. It was the coolest thing. It certainly brought back a lot of memories, but mostly I felt my life coming full circle.

That included sharing in the Cullen family tradition of attending the Minnesota high school tournament. We actually saw a young Jake Guentzel skating there for Hill Murray on that ice sheet. I definitely didn’t think I’d see him scoring 30, 40 goals in the NHL alongside Sidney Crosby one day. It’s funny how it works out.

But those three years in Minnesota, it was really about family. We spent holidays at home with my boys and the entire family. It was a really special experience getting to play at home. I really enjoyed it. It gave the kids the experience of growing up on the outdoor rink.

It was during that time in Minnesota that they started to really love the game. For me as a dad, that was the ultimate to be able to share it with them.

Part 6

The phone didn’t ring on July 1, 2015, the annual start to NHL free agency. I had just finished two great years in Nashville, but my future was still unclear. I still wanted to play even at 38 years old, but I was pretty sure that it was the end.

That day came and went without a call. Then the next day came and went. Then the next week. Then the next month. Even so I continued to train and keep myself ready just in case an opportunity came up. At least I would be in shape and could make a decision for myself. I didn’t want it made for me because I was out of shape.

One day in early August, the phone rang. It was Jim Rutherford.

Bridget was out for a run. When she got back, I said, 'You’ll never guess who just called.’ And she goes, 'Was it Jim?’ It was crazy. She just knew.

As usual with these decisions we talked for a while and prayed on it. But we felt like we kept getting these opportunities and it would be crazy not to jump on it and give it a try. We took that leap and went to Pittsburgh.

The rest speaks for itself. We won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships the next two years, the first team to do so in two decades. It was a historical run.

I just pinch myself and think about how close it was to not happening. Those were probably the best years of my whole career and life with the Penguins. Going through all that with the boys and Bridget and that group of players, the whole organization, everything was perfect. It was beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

I certainly couldn’t have imagined it the way we started that first season, though. We had such a terrible start that nobody had any expectations. I remember my son Wyatt coming to me at Christmas and crying because we had dropped out of the playoff picture.

Then Mike Sullivan came and we made a bunch of changes. Things started rolling from there. It was a unique group. It was a special group. That first year everything came together, and we were having so much fun. We were like a machine, all the way to the Cup.

The second year it was the same group, but it was a totally different year. We had to really lean on each other the most that year. The expectations were high going in and it brought our group closer together. It was rewarding because we stuck together through so many ups and downs.

I’ll always have the Cups and those memories. But when I think back on those times what really stands out is watching my boys with those guys. A lot of the guys would come over to my house, Chris Kunitz, Nick Bonino, Sidney Crosby, Ian Cole, Marc-Andre Fleury, Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin. We’d all have a couple glasses of wine and the guys would play mini sticks with the boys (the most intense games were between the boys and Patric Hornqvist; I know you’re shocked).

That, for me, was the coolest thing ever to watch. It was like the boys were part of the family. They’d come in the locker room after practice trying to avoid doing homework. They’d steal gum. One time, Joey hid in Ian Cole’s change stall. He jumped out and scared the crap out of him.

Those are the memories I’ll treasure, probably more than anything. Just seeing them around the room every day. I know the boys will remember it forever.

Part 7

I’ve been in a constant state of almost-retirement for the last few years. But coming into this last season, I knew that no matter what it would be the end. Even if we had won the Cup I would have been done. Playing those last few years really gave me the clarity to know this was it.

It was an emotional time, but I knew it was coming. It just felt right and I was really at peace with everything when it was over.

I felt like it was only right to retire in Pittsburgh with everything that the organization had given me and done for me. I’m so happy I came back and finished my last year in Pittsburgh. I wouldn’t trade that last year for anything.

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting. More than anything I’m just so appreciative of everybody that helped me along the way. Looking back on it there are people that came into my life at the right time to lead me one way or teach me something. It’s not an easy thing to play for that long of a time. It takes so many people to step out of their way to help you, and I needed a lot of help!

And the friends I’ve made along the way, whether it was Eric Staal or Mike Fisher or Ryan Suter or Paul Kariya or the guys in Pittsburgh. There are just too many to name and I’m sorry if I left anyone out.

I just hope I had a positive impact with my teammates wherever I went. I tried to be the best teammate that I could be throughout my career, and be there for other people, try to be a good example.

But the biggest lesson I’ve learned from my 21 years and 1,500-plus games in the NHL is that you have to take a risk.

By my nature, that’s not me. I’m not a risk-taking guy. I think you’re given certain opportunities in life and if you’re willing to take a risk and throw yourself in all the way then special things can happen. For me, that was the case. We leaned on our faith a lot and took leaps of faith. Thank God we took those chances and opportunities where He was sending us.

I remember waking up in the middle of the night many times these last few years thinking, 'What am I doing? I’m 40 years old. I don’t think I can play another year in the NHL.’ After each time I signed the past few years I woke up in a cold sweat, not sure if I could still play.

Honestly, if I could play forever, I would. All I know is hockey. I’ve never done anything. I never wanted to do anything else. I don’t know anything else.

I may have skated my last shift, but I’m not hanging up my skates just yet. After all, there is a sheet of ice in Minnesota that needs to be flooded every night. That’s where you’ll find me, sipping my thermos. Maybe, even using the hot water to get the surface nice and smooth so the next day me and my three boys can have our own little intense 2-on-2 tournament with a malt on the line, skating in the open air, on the outdoor rink, under the hanging lights, under the Minnesota stars.

For me to be able to take them to the rink and play with them on the ice, as a dad, that’s as good as it gets. I couldn’t ask for more. That’s what I had as a kid and to be able to share it with my kids is my greatest joy.

It’s funny. When I was a kid, I used to hate making those malts. Nowadays, it’s not so bad.

[Whitney’s note - all images are from the original story. Please click through to the source, there’s also a video that goes along with this]

[historymortician97]

Green House Bistro (Legitimate Review)

Inexperienced residence bistro – an organic café in the heart of nature! The nearer we consume to nature, the higher and healthier we can be. In case you fancy the vegetables; whether or not it is the natural surroundings decked up with vegetation or farm to table clean, neighborhood and organic food, the green residence bistro by means of jehan numa retreat in bhopal will be your next meals habitat. Green residence bistro assessment

Green residence bistro review

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the complete body is in sunglasses of black while the flooring is executed with traditional pink bricks as utilized in rural housing. Area is thinking about all sorts of plant life, in various sizes and colors that breathe existence into the café. You may also spot a few lovely plant installations that raise the natural experience of the vicinity. Green residence bistro indoor 2

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The menu – organic nearby and clean

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Inexperienced house bistro vegetable lawn

for, eg. You'll discover quinoa integrated of their salads that is a gluten-free pseudo-cereal and a high fiber historic grain that originated in the south american mountains nearly 5,000 years in the past.  

“green house bistro is all about farm to fork concept, and we're happy to be the pioneers of green ingesting in the metropolis. We emphasize on natural meals and serve what is grown beside the desk. Our personnel arrives early inside the morning and handpicks clean herbs and leafy vegetables from the lawn each day. The bistro is pretty new, and we are hopeful that the human beings of bhopal will gradually take delivery of the idea of natural and sluggish food.”

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[twdmusicboxmystery]

The Patterns of the Death Fake-Outs

Happy Monday! Glad to be back with some new theories. I’m about to make up for my week-long absence with a long post, so settle in. Today we'll talk about death fake outs a little bit more. I’ve thought about them a lot since the end of S9 and mentioned them a few times. But I wanted to lay out the pattern I’m seeing for you fore S10 begins because I’m already seeing this pattern with Carol and Ezekiel. I want you guys to be able to watch for it.

So, quick review. There are going to be four major death fake outs over the course of the series, from S4 to S15, which is what Gimple planned when he took over in 3x16/4x01. Beth hinted at them when she said, "I'm not Michonne, I’m not Carol, I’m not Maggie…but I made it." 

I believe that those four ladies, including Beth, are each one half of the couples that will be involved in the death fake outs. The major difference is that Beth herself is the person who seems to have died, whereas with each of the other three couples, it's the man who seems to have died.

The first major fake out was, of course, Beth. That happened in S5 and I don’t need to go through that for most of you. We’re all very familiar with it.

Next was Glenn’s in S6. Glenn seemed to be dead from 6x03 to 6x07. That was his death fake out. And even though it was of small duration, I remember how big a deal it was, was among the fans. They were split pretty evenly about whether he was alive or not and it caused a major stir in the fandom. TD was one of few groups who correctly predicted he would live. Plenty of other people hoped or believed he would, but I say we correctly predicted it because we looked at the symbolism around him, which was the same as the symbolism around Beth. If Beth was alive, Glenn must be too. And we were right.

More recently, we had Rick's fake out in S9. Unlike Beth and Glenn, the writers made it very obvious to the audience that Rick is still alive, but it was still a fake out where Michonne, Daryl, and the rest of TF are concerned.

I said at the end of last season that I was seeing that there would probably be a death fake out for Ezekiel coming, and I stand by that. I’ll explain why as we go along. I don't know if Ezekiel's fake out will be like Beth and Glenn’s, where they don't tell the audience what's going on, or if it will be more like Rick's, where it’s very obvious to the audience that he still lives. I think it could go either way.

So, I’d been thinking about the symbolism we see around each of these fake outs, which I’ll go over here in a minute. That led me to think about the actual sequence and realize there’s a very specific and discernible pattern do these fake outs as well. We can use this to prove that Beth is still alive and also to help us see the pattern as it plays out for Carzekiel.

Symbolism we see around the fake out:

1. Grady lighting. Many TDers have discussed this over the years. We often see an indoor setting that is dark on the inside but with light streaming in from outside, which makes it kind of murky and shadowy inside. Most of us think of this as “Grady Lighting.”

A.   For Beth, it actually is Grady, seen above. Though, I think you could also argue that the veterinary college in 4a, which had a whole lot of Grady foreshadows may also have qualified, especially as Daryl was there.

B.   For Glenn, it was the pet shop. Same kind of lighting, plus Glenn had a lot of Beth’s dialogue there. It was also in the pet shop that we saw the 5:10 time on his pocket watch.

C.   For Richonne, I'm thinking it was probably the school that held the amusement park. The amusement park was outdoors, of course, but they fell through the roof of the school before finding all the food, and the inside of the school had the murky lighting we’re looking for.

D.   I also think we already saw this for Carzekiel this past season. In the movie theater. This was another place we saw lots of suspicious Bethyl-like symbols, including a blonde walker who had the top of her head taken off, and a movie poster with a serious/Sirius piggyback on it.

2.    Cages. We often see small, pet-sized cages around these couples and especially around their death fakeouts.

A.   The original cage symbol we saw was the bird cage in Beth’s cell.

B.   For Glenn, again the pet shot. There were tons of DOG cages there (dog = return) and I remember also seeing one in 6x07 when he was chasing Enid. There was a bird cage hanging in the background nearly identical to the one in Beth’s cell.

C.   To be honest, I’m not 100% sure where we saw one around Richonne. (I haven’t had time to go back and rewatch all of S7 and S8, which I really should, so if anyone has any insights, let me know.) But I’m pretty sure we saw one in 7x12, either at the school/amusement park or while looking for supplies.

D.   We may see more cages around Carzekiel as the fake out gets closer, but in the movie theater, the popcorn machine with spokes sticking out did act as a cage of sorts for the walkers.

3. Candlelight dinner. Everyone remembers this as one of our favorite Bethyl moments, right?

A.   So of course the obvious one was in Alone for Bethyl.

B.   Remember that in 6x12, we saw Maggie and Glenn eating dinner together by candlelight while talking about the upcoming trip to the Saviors’ compound. I remember everyone talking about how much it LOOKED like the Alone dinner, but of course, where Beth was concerned, nothing ever came of it. Not in that season, anyway.

C.   With Richonne, it was their candlelight dinner in 7x12.

D.   I don’t think we’ve seen this for Carzekiel yet. Once I go over the sequence, you’ll understand why. But I think we’ll see something like this for them this season, before Ezekiel’s death fake out happens.

So, here's the thing. Over the seasons, every time one of us TD-ers see this kind of symbolism, we tend to just yell, “Beth symbolism! Beth symbolism!” And we’re really not wrong about that. But we also weren’t always seeing the big picture. I’ll admit that. Because while there are definitely ties between Beth and these symbols, in each case, they were put in the episodes less to show that Beth was about to show up, and more to symbolize the coming death fake out for these particular characters.

So for example, when Glenn used thee green balloons to tell TF he was still alive, we hoped that meant Beth was right around the corner. She obviously wasn’t. But we weren’t wrong about what that symbolized either. It was just present in S6 for Glenn, rather than Beth. But that doesn’t mean that she won’t follow Glenn’s arc of being alive and returning to Maggie eventually.

So now let’s talk about the sequence. While thinking about all of this, something came to mind.

A few years ago, I was doing a re-watch of S4 and I saw something that absolutely floored me. In episode 4x11, we saw a very similar sequence to Beth at Grady. This is the episode where Glenn wakes up in the back of Abraham's truck and demands they pull over so he can get out and walk back to start searching for Maggie. When he wakes up, the camera starts very close to his eyes and they flutter open much like Beth’s did at Grady. 

I was really shocked to see that because this happened before Beth was even taken in 4x13. There’s no way anyone could have zeroed in on this back once episode aired. So, here’s what this made me realize.

Every death fake out involves a romantic couple, and the following is always true of this arc for them:

1.    There is a foreshadow of it that’s not always obvious until later.

2.    Their romantic relationship is previously established.

3.    They go through what I’m going to call a trial separation. This is not the fake out. It’s a short separation BEFORE the fake out happens, and is characterized as at least one of them (perhaps both) searching for the other and having great faith that they will find each other again.

4.    At the beginning of the trial separation, a PLACE is lost and not regained.

5.    The one who will eventually be presumed dead wakes up without their significant other and the camera zooms in on their eyes as they flutter open. Just something they always put into this sequence.

6.    They come back together after the separation for a short time before the actual fake out happens.

7.    After the fake out, the other member of the couple has to realize the one they thought was dead is actually alive and they have a time of happiness together. It’s important to note that characters involved in the fake outs can die for real (Glenn) but this sequence had to play out FIRST, before he actually died on the show. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Glaggie:

1.    I believe the foreshadow here was when Glenn became sick with the virus. If you pay attention to what is done and said (Maggie talking to Beth through the door, and Hershel through the glass) there’s a lot of themes about her losing him and needing to go be with him again.

2.    Their relationship was previous established before this sequence began in S4 because they’d been a canon couple since S2. No sweat.

3.    Their trial separation happened in 4B. Glenn and Maggie both searched for one another, having faith they would find one another, and they eventually did. Abraham even razzed Glenn for his devotion, saying, "I get it. You have to find her." 

And this was also when a lot of the fandom grew angry at Maggie because she was so devoted to finding Glenn and seemed to have forgotten about Beth. My fellow theorists and I have talked about why they did things that way back in 4B. For the most part, we’ve always thought they wanted to establish Beth and Daryl’s relationship and that they were all each other had. But I also think it was for the sake of this pattern. Maggie needed to be solely looking for Glenn and him solely looking for her. Having her also look for Beth would've muddled the pattern and the writers didn't want that, even if it made Maggie look a bit shallow where Beth was concerned.

4.    The place lost at the beginning of the trial separation was the prison. They lost it when it went down, which is how they got separated, and even after they reunited, no one ever went back to the prison.

5.    As discussed above, once separated from Maggie, Glenn woke up in the back of Abraham’s truck and they did the eye flutter thing.

6.    Glenn and Maggie came back together after the separation in 4x16. The actual death fake out didn’t come until more than a full season later in 6x03.

7.    After the death fake out, Glenn eventually returned to Maggie and she realized he was alive, and they had a season of happiness together before his actual death. RIP Glenn.

Bethyl:

1.    How was this foreshadowed? Well, take your pick. There were about a hundred. But the one I’m going to focus on is the walker going through the roof of the Big Spot. I may talk about this more later, but with the helicopter on the roof and the exact same sequence happening for Carzekiel in 9x01 (Ezekiel going through the glass floor) it’s obvious there’s a connection between this symbolism and what’s currently happening in the show.

2.    Their relationship was established very quickly, in 4x12 and 4x13. The instant it was established (the candlelight dinner) the separation instantly began when Beth was kidnapped.

3.    The trial separation was, of course, when Beth was at Grady. Remember that in 5a, Daryl was super positive about her being alive and had tons of faith that he’d find her. So he was also actively searching for her. While Beth couldn’t really search for Daryl in a physical way, I think her question at Grady (“The man I was with, is he here too?”) was symbolic of her searching for him as well.

4.    When the trial separation began at the end of 4x13, the place they lost was the funeral home. They’d seriously discussed settling there, but left when Beth was taken and never went back.

5.    Beth, of course, woke up at Grady, without Daryl, and they did the close-up, eye flutter thing with the camera.

6.    They came back together VERY briefly in the hallway at Grady, but that fulfills the end of the trial separation. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much time—only a few minutes—before the death fake out began.

7.    Of course we haven’t seen them come back together and Daryl realize that she’s alive yet, but I’m hopeful that it’s coming up soon.

Richonne:

1.    7x12 was one great big foreshadow for the Rick death fake out. Doesn’t get much more clear than that.

2.    Richonne’s relationship went canon in S6, and their fake out arc didn’t start until S8, so the relationship was previously established.

3.    It’s a little harder to pin down where Richonne’s trial separation happened. After disussing it with @wdway, we’re thinking it was during S8 and AOW. Remember that at the beginning of the season, Rick left Alexandria while Michonne stayed behind. They made a big deal about him leaving. In keeping with pattern, this wasn't a matter of Michonne thinking he was dead. She didn’t know where he was and they were separated, but she fully believed he would return, and he did. believed he would return simply didn't know where he was or what was going on.

4. The place they lost was Alexandria, when the Saviors bombed it. I’ll admit this one is slightly different because they didn’t leave it and never return, but they also couldn’t return to the same Alexandria again. It had been bombed. They had to completely rebuild. So I think it still works.

5. Rick’s eyes fluttering open has happened several times, actually. Including in Carl’s vision for the future (Old Man Coda) and in 4x11 (same episode as we saw it with Glenn, which just proves both these death fake outs were already planned in S4) when he woke up in the Claimer house.

6. He and Michonne reunited, had the heartbreaking task of burying Carl together, and had some time to be happy together (and with Judith) before Rick’s death fake out happened in 9x05.

7. Like Beth and Daryl, we haven’t seen Michonne realize Rick is alive or the two of them reunite yet. But it’s kind of a foregone conclusion for them, as we already know Michonne is leaving the show this season to go to the Rick Grimes films. So obviously they’ll reunite at some point, and I’m thinking she’ll find out Rick is alive sometime in S10.

Carzekiel:

We’re still at the start of Carzekiel’s arc, so not as many of these steps have happened for them. But a few of them have.

1.    As I said above, the foreshadow here was when Ezekiel went through the glass floor in the museum in 9x01. It was kind of a combination of the walker going through the roof in 4x01 at the Big Spot, and Michonne thinking she’d lost Rick for a minute in 7x12, and then hugging him when she saw he was okay. Carol did the same thing here. 🤗Death Fake Out! 🤗

(Btw, this is why I think the walker that goes through the roof of the Big Spot represents Beth. I always kinda suspected, but with this happening to Ezekiel in 9x01, I think it’s the tie I’ve always looked for. The exact same thing happened in 4x01 with Daryl in Carol’s place. Meanwhile, the helicopter on the roof of the Big Spot ties Beth’s fake out to the helicopter people.)

2.    Their relationship is obviously well-established now. It grew in S7 and they came together in S8. Before their fake out arc began, they’d been living together as husband and wife for many years.

3.    Trial separation. We are right smack dab in the middle of their trial separation as we speak, y’all. Carol leaving Ezekiel at the end of S9 represents the beginning of their situation. So that’s where we are in the sequence and we should be able to chart it moving forward.

4. The place they lost when it began is, obviously, the Kingdom. Which they had to abandon for the winter due to bad plumbing and other problems. Now, maybe they’ll resurrect the Kingdom (pun totally intended!) as a community in future seasons, but AK said Carol would never go back to her life there with Ezekiel, so for her at least, it’s a permanent loss.

5. We haven’t seen Ezekiel’s eyes flutter open yet that I’m aware of. But given where we are in the sequence, I wouldn’t expect that we would have. In each other case, it was during the trial situation that we saw this (after Maggie and Glenn were separated, after Beth was taken to Grady, etc.) so I think we’ll see this at some point in S10. 

5.    Carol and Ezekiel will probably be apart for time. I think the come back together at least see each other at some point—probably not get back together entirely, but see one another; maybe even have a candlelight dinner together—and after that, Ezekiel’s death fake out will happen die. Again, I don't know if the audience will be privy to the fact that he's alive or not, but Carol will definitely think that he's dead.

6.    Obviously, as we aren’t far enough in the sequence yet, we haven’t see them reunite after the death fake out either. But remember the foreshadow of him falling through the floor in 9x01.

So just wanted to lay the sequence out for you so we can watch for it with Carzekiel.

I also think it’s worth throwing out there that we’ve also seen this with Al in FTWD. I believe she’ll be part of a fake out sequence as well. I don't know if she’ll be the person who seems to die or if it will be Isabel, but we saw a lot of the same symbolism around her when she met Isabel and a lot of similar things to Bethyl’s arc in S4. And of course Isabel, like Rick (and possibly Beth) is with the helicopter people. Not everyone watches FTWD, but if you do, that'll be something to watch for as well in the back half of the season.

And the more I think about it, the more things I think of that we always see. Another one is the lost shoe/foot symbolism. The shoe Beth sees in Inmates, and I know Rick pulled the shoe/foot off one of the army walkers in 7x12. The other two, I’d have to go back and find, but the point is that a lot of the symbolism we’ve pointed to for a long time because we KEEP seeing it is there to show the death fake out sequences.

This is the pattern of the fake out. We’re just waiting to see Rick and Beth return, and we’re in the middle of the sequence right now for Carzekiel. So, we can watch for these things going forward. Thoughts?

[whiskynottea]

June 3: Favorite Season 1 Outdoor Close Up Shot

Jamie in his favorite spot at Leoch, reconsidering what is right and wrong, and choosing Claire over everything else.

[dianagabaldonthegoddess]

June 23rd: Favorite Season 3 Outdoor Close-Up shot.

Outdoor Locations: 1) Cumbernauld, Scotland 2)Midhope Castle in Abercorn, Scotland

Episode 1: The Battle Joined

I love these two close-ups of Jamie in this episode for many reasons but I like that they show the differences of how he's waiting for death and surviving it throughout everything he's been through. They're both very beautiful and heartbreaking shots.

[notameeksassenach]

Outlandish  Landscapes

June 3 - Favorite season 1 outdoor close-up shot?

Episode 1x01 - Sassenach

I just love this picture of the close up of the Forget-Me-Not that Claire goes looking for at the base of the standing stones at Craigh na Dun. If it weren’t for that flower, our favorite time traveler may never have falling through time and into the arms of our favorite Scot!

[scotsmanandsassenach]

June 3: Favorite Season 1 Outdoor Close Up Shot? #OutlandishLandscapes