#him having beef with kids and using tech to fix it’s so well |^>^)

[yanderefoeyay]

Dale singing Pitiful Children please please please

[energon-depo]

WOOO HOO CHARACTER ANALYSIS TIME this is about how optimus sees smokescreen n jack :)

(btw this my first analysis) ANYWAYS LET'S GO

just a heads up this is a LONG LONG POST to get ready! also i HAVENT SEEN THE ENDING OF PRIME YET

okay remember when ratchet said "optimus wasn't always before he was a prime -he was more like jack" AND REMEMBER HOW HE GAVE HIM THE MARTIX KEY? yeah optimus's sees a lot of former self in jack. he CLEARLY DOES same with smokescreen! the first time we saw smokescreen we knew he was a strategist, and prime knew that aswell. when smokey told him he was under the guidance of prime's MENTOR? yeah optimus knew both of them were destined for great things. all they did needed was guidance and maturity. because BOTH did something stupid that was motivated by brashness, remember when Jack was beefing with a bully? he was being immature, BUT he apologized! he took fault for his actions! same with smokey, remember when he took jack(best bros) with him to a mission? yeah well he did and he was sorry! he even apologized to acree directly knowing he scared her the most with that stunt! he didn't even blame jack for going with(he could've, and jack would have gladly took the blame)BUT HE DIDNT! these two know when their wrong and will IMMEDIATELY backpedal if they hurt anyone of their family physically or emotionally! AND THIS IS WERE WE COME TO OPTIMUS! prime knows those two have their heart and spark in the right place, heck! smokey is literally destiny's child. prime REALLY REALLY REALLY sees his former self in these two. and he treated them as EQUALS to team prime not a human child, not a rookie soldier.(could also go for how he treats miko and raf aswell, he sees their potential. miko's high comparison for other's and raf's talent in tech) so when prime gave jack the "ground bridge key"(the matrix key thing), he was confident that jack will not only keep it safe but also figure out what to do with it when the time comes. if he'd given it to let's say acree she would've probably denied it, said ratchet is a better fit due to the fact she has knowledge about it's real purpose. the OTHER reason why he gave it to jack is because; he's a kid, a Human kid, he doesn't know it's real properties. his thoughts were "optimus gave me an important job to keep the ground bridge key safe, with me. I can't let him down" It's his first real solo task! heck he even said "shouldn't ratchet have this?" but prime assured him its his task to bare. as for smokescreen? prime was THIS CLOSE to giving him the matrix. when he was in the worst shape possible and losing hope, he's (nearly) dying words was bestowing smokey with the matrix. smokescreen kept refusing he CAN'T be a prime, if he was a prime that mean optimus is dead and he doesn't want optimus to die, he's his leader, his idol, his hero. he already went out of order with coming back, and he brought optimus the forge of solang(i think? i forgot it's name it the yellow hammer) he's train of thought was "get the hammer from the cons, give to prime, prime fixes himself and its all good!"when optimus told him "the hammer must be used to fix the omega locks -the life of one is not important as the lives of many"[paraphrasing]. smokescreen stuck with his gut, his original train of thought and his compassion for his (found)family. he went out of order again putting the hammer in prime's hand REFUSING that this is the end for Optimus prime. he was rewarded with ya know prime coming back and not dying and practically saving earth basically average day for the goat smokey. i would like to also mention when smokescreen was getting chewed out by acree, prime was trying to get her to stop(no hate towards the based queen acree btw she's awesome) and when smokey stormed off he let him leave, knowing he had some reflecting he needed to do. ALSO when jack backed down from team prime, he understood that, he was upset of course he gotten attached to those humans, but he respected his opinion and didn't force him at all.

Moral of the story prime is best dad, jack and smokey are bros4life and prime team is best family(cheers)

[smokinholsters]

A Decision at the Crossroads

 A Heartland AU - Chapter 1

Back up to speed after passing yet another work zone and those ridiculous signs touting that this delay was brought to you by a slew of politicians ‘rebuilding’ Alberta and then he smiled as a new song hit the speakers and he happily joined in.

“On a dark desert highway

Cool wind in my hair

Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air

Up ahead in the distance

I saw a shimmering light

Head grew heavy and my sight grew dim

Had to stop for the night

There she stood in the doorway

Heard the mission bell

I was thinking to myself, ‘This could be heaven or this could be hell

Then she lit up a candle

She showed me the way

There were voices down the corridor

Thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel California

Such a lovely place

(Such a lovely place)

Such a lovely face

Plenty of room at the Hotel California

Any time of year

(Any time of year)

You can find it here

“Call from Amy. To answer…..”

“Hey sweetheart.”

“Hi Poppa, it’s Lyndy.”

“Hi honey, does momma know you have her phone ?”

“Of course, I’m helping.” Of course was Lyndy’s new catch phrase, neither he nor Amy had any idea where it came from.

“And how are you helping ?”

“Momma wants to know if you’ll be home by dinner.”

“I don’t think so sweetheart, I can’t go very fast with these horses, can I talk to momma ?”

“Of course but she’s helping JT in the bathroom so you’ll have to wait, are you singing with the radio ?”

“I sure am.”

“I like when you sing with momma.”

He heard Lyndy talking off the phone for a second before an obvious phone transfer, “Hello my love.”

“Hey sweetheart, what’s up with Jackson ?”

“Oh it was nothing, we were finger painting new pictures for the fridge to welcome you home, just some serious hand and face washing. No hope for dinner huh ?”

“No and they’re fixing the roads so there are detours with the trailer and the horses are still a bit skittish so I’m stopping to settle them often.”

“Well take your time and watch yourself with them.”

“Never mind me, how are you feeling ?”

“You mean aside from really missing you ?”

“That bad huh ? I love it when your pregnant.”

“Oh stop, it’s kind of fun.”

“More than kind of fun, anyway, I don’t think I’ll be that late but don’t wait up, you need your sleep.”

“Ok, we’ll see, Lisa’s making dinner, maybe I can catch a nap.”

“A nap would be great.”

“I promise to try, you stay safe.”

“I will, love you !!”

“We love you too sweetheart.”

There was no really direct route from Northern Alberta to the South so from Cold Lake down, with the idea of keeping the trailer on the most sound roads possible the rescues were transported in a weirdly circuitous path around large cities but at the same time keeping to at least paved roads as opposed to what sometimes passed as a numbered and posted road in Alberta, nothing more than dirt that two cars could pass together.

There was also the stopping, sometimes a quick pit stop for food, water or to use a rest room and sometimes just to see the horses and have them see him, check on feed, water and a gently pat and offer a calm word to settle them. They were mostly better from the medical problems stemming from their abandonment and lack of nutrition but mentally they were distrusting, skittish and somewhat unpredictable. Ordinarily they would have left the kids for a few days at the ranch with family and Amy would have come along but with her pregnant  and the unsurety of a trailer and transport they decided against it. Besides Amy wasn’t sleeping well and out of her first trimester they had decided that this was best, home at the ranch. It was a lonely drive but there was the scenery and the radio.

“You who are on the road

Must have a code that you can live by

And so become yourself

Because the past is just a good-bye.

Teach your children well,

Their father's hell did slowly go by,

And feed them on your dreams

The one they picks, the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,

So just look at them and sigh

And know they love you.

And you, of tender years,

Can't know the fears that your elders grew by,

And so please help them with your youth,

They seek the truth before they can die.

Teach your parents well,

Their children's hell will slowly go by,

And feed them on your dreams

The one they picks, the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,

So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.”

Traffic was slowing again up ahead and the truck slowed and finally came to a stop. 30 minutes later following the other cars and trucks inching along he was exited onto yet another of the endless detours that seemed to plague this trip. Turning twice it seemed the detour included a terrible pot hole filled road that was mostly dirt at this point.

35 minutes later after brushing the dirt from his knees and wiping his brow with his sleeve he reached for his phone and dialed.

“Hey, you Ok ?”

“Cracked rocker arm on the truck I think, damned potholes, I was so focused on the trailer I must have missed it. The horses are fine but I’m going to have to get this trailer towed somewhere I can keep these horses overnight and get the truck picked up. Maybe I’ll luck out and there’s a Dodge dealership close that has the rocker in stock.”

“So what’s the plan ?”

“I guess I’ll call the local vet first and see if they can recommend someplace that can isolate these three. Maybe even a garage that can deal with an emergency and we’ll see where we are first thing. I’d hate for someone to have to drive up.”

“We’ll hope for the best, but we’ll all miss not having you back tonight.”

“I know, kiss the kids for me, I’ll call later once I have some idea of what’s going on.”

“and for goodnights.”

“And for good nights. Love you.”

“So much in love with you.”

Once the horses were picketed out between the woods and the trailer, hay spread and water supplied he checked his phone and dialed.

“Nelson Lake Veterinary Clinic, your call is important to us, please hold.”

“Nelson Lake, this is Dr. Burton can I help you ?”

It took a few minutes for introductions and to run  the sad tale by Dr. Burton who understood immediately.

“How about this, stay put and I’ll call my tech and get him on board and then let the sheriff know you’re out there. Once that’s done we’ll see about the truck, I’d like those horses off the road.”

“I’m all for that, you have my number ?”

“Yup, just fine, call you back in 10.”

The Police cruiser pulled past the trailer and truck and onto the side of the road a respectful distance from the horses so as not to spook them and walked over to introduce himself.

Immediately after greetings and introductions the phone rang.

“Go ahead, that’s probably Kelsey, uh Dr. Burton” the officer who had introduced himself as Matthew Connolly told him “Alright if I say hello to these three ?”

Answering the phone he nodded at the officer and then covered the phone “tread lightly they’re rescues.”

The plan wasn’t that complicated, the clinic’s vet tech would come in the clinic truck with the wrecker who would disconnect the truck from the trailer, hook the clinic truck to the trailer and then follow the trailer back to the stables that would house the horses. In the morning they would get the truck off the ground and see what was up and move on from there.

“Should be 20 minutes or so, you don’t have to wait.”

“I’m going to turn around and park behind you, I don’t like the horses open like that, they see my cruiser they won’t do something stupid like pull an air horn.”

“I hate to take your time but I do appreciate it.”

“I’m fine so where you hail from ?”

“We have a small ranch down near Hudson.”

“Hudson ? Whereabouts is that ?

“Let’s see Okotoks?”

“Oh sure, you’ve got a herd ?”

“Two actually, White Face, my wife’s family has a herd we’re partners in, they’re just down the road, and we’ve got a herd at our place, best beef in Alberta.”

“And the rescues ?”

“My wife’s business is horses, training, rehab, you name it.”

“Kids ?”

“Two, girl and a boy and one on the way.”

He swiped his finger over the screen and handed the phone to Officer Connolly.

“Nice looking family, that’s your spread behind you, looks inviting.”

“I love it and them, pretty idyllic if you ask me, our family almost sold it a few years ago, don’t know what we were thinking.”

“Young and stupid like the rest of us.”

Two chairs were pulled from a side storage locker on the trailer and there was an almost fresh thermos of coffee the young officer offered.

“Always wanted to be a sheriff, police work ?”

“Oh yeah, my Uncle Pete was a Mountie, that was awesome.”

“No serge for you though ?”

“Bum knee from hockey, fine for a sheriff but not a Mountie. No complaints, I live with the people I serve and I like it. I guess you’ve always wanted to be a rancher.”

“Early on for sure and now I wouldn’t trade it for anything but I did a stint in the Army and when I came home was off to the oil fields but I met my wife.”

“Guys go off to the field and back to the army and have wives.”

“Not me, marriage is a commitment, you don’t mess with that. Small trips and the like fine but 4 month commitments away, doesn’t seem right. Besides I don’t think I could be away from her, the kids or the ranch for that long.”

“That’s nice though, you know, the way it should be.”

“Before the kids and sometimes if we get volunteers for the kids we do trips like this together, it’s why we bought this thing. How about you, married ?”

“Soon enough, engaged, can’t wait, we have a down payment on a small place with a bit of property, she’s a teacher but we both wanted some land, maybe get a couple horses.”

“Some nice country for riding around here, not a bad way to spend time for newlyweds.”

They stopped and got up leaving their empty cups when the pickup pulled behind the cruiser and the wrecker pulled up in front of the trailer rig.

“Matt, how’s everything ?” The younger man asked walking up and then a second later the second, an older man also walked over. “Matt, Ty” he said smiling.

“Dwayne Coolidge, Ty Borden” this is Mitch uhmm.”

“Cutty, Mitch Cutty, thanks to both of you for coming out.”

“It’s what we do” Dwayne said, “Ok, let’s crank down the trailer and see if we get lucky and it frees the truck.”

“Mitch, you have papers for these guys I can see ?” Ty asked “Sorry but the cops are here so, you know.” He finished with a smile at Mitch and the officer.

“We’ll start on the trailer.” Matt said walking around the truck to the jack handle assembly on the other side of the rig.”

Ty leaned against the trailer as Mitch reached in to grab the leather folder where he kept the important papers for the trip. A minute later he handed Ty the three stapled sets of papers and the vet reports.

“Well they’re clear medically, and let’s see Saddle Road Ranch Corporation, Hudson, AB. I know that area a little from years ago, can’t say I know the name, is it new ?”

“I’m 4th generation.”

“Guess not then,” Ty said filling out a form off the papers.

“How’s this going to work ?”

“Ok, well, once the trailer’s free and the truck’s out of the way we’ll hook it up the vet truck, load up the horses and head over to my place. The clinic has a four stall isolation barn there. I also run a small bike shop, mostly vintage repairs and restorations so in the morning we can look at your truck and figure something out. You can sleep in the house or hook up outside the barn, looks like a comfortable ride. Up to you.”

“I’m fine in the trailer and all set up actually if you’ve got a hose and a plug.”

“There’s actually a trailer hookup out there, I stayed in one while we got the house fixed up.”

“We ? Married Ty ?”

“Not yet anyway, we is Kelsey, or the clinic and I, we share ownership and I’m paying it off so eventually it’ll be mine. I’m finishing vet school next year so we have an agreement. By the way she’ll be stopping by in case you want to give them something to calm down after all of this.”

“No worries, I have some herbs that’ll do the trick, we try to steer clear of the drugs if we can, keep ‘em healthy and they stay that way.”

“Can’t argue with that philosophy I guess, consider the option though, one’s sure fired and one’s not.”

Mitch sat in his fold out chair in front of a small fire he had started in the fire pit. Dr. Burton had stopped by and took a quick look at the horses. She was satisfied that Mitch

was confident in his herbs and wished both he and Ty goodnight. Ty offered to share a take out order with Mitch declaring he’d have done it anyway and they settled on pizza which was delivered.

They ate and sipped a couple beers that Mitch supplied.

“If you don’t mind my asking, aren’t a bit old to be in vet school, take a break ?”

“Got sidetracked a few years ago and took a break in college, worked out Ok I guess between the bike work and vet work I’m doing well. You ?”

“After high school I did a stint in the military and went to school at the same time, electrical engineering mostly power line work. After I came back ,my folks were talking about selling the ranch and I had the idea of doing some oil work, change of pace kind of thing.”

“And ?”

“And, I met a woman, fell madly in love, kept the ranch.”

“Kids ?”

“Two, one on the way.” Mitch said finishing his beer. “I’m out.” He said placing the empty on the small table.

“I’ll grab a couple from the house” Ty said getting up as Mitch’s phone rang.

“Just in time” Ty said standing and turning as Mitch answered.

Ty caught the first of Mitch’s conversation, stopped for a second, shrugged and moved on.

“Hey Lyndy, you and JT call for goodnights ?”

[somethingjustsouthofbrilliance]

Heartsick (chapter 3)

@tonystark5ever and I are back with a new chapter. Finally. Progress :D

Tagging a few folks here. If I forgot somebody, pls, let me know. 

@i-fucking-love-the-avengers @random-fandom-stuffdom @keltainen13 @giulisetta @bad-days-and-beautiful-nights @ashleymarie1684 @itsafandomaddict @konoriart @swanheart69 @almhw85

Link to chapter 1 (masterlist)

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

Chapter Three

“Dr. Rhodes?”

A young voice, quiet and unsure, pulls his attention away from Stark’s retreating back, stopping short his intention to follow after the man.

He turns, frowning slightly at the skinny, curly-haired teen that stands behind him, fiddling nervously with the line of his IV pole.

“I’m… I’m… I’m Peter.  Peter Parker.”

Rhodey feels his lips twitch into a smile despite his unpleasant mood.  “Ah, yes, Mr. Parker. I had the pleasure of listening to you play just now.” He nods toward the room the teen has recently vacated. “Very impressive.” And it had been, the bit he’d heard.

His grin widens as the teen ducks his head at the praise, the tips of his ears flushing pink.  Adorable, Rhodey thinks, amused, and feels the uncomfortable sting of anger at the idea of Tony Stark doing anything that might put the kid in harm’s way. “What can I do for you?”

“I...uh….” Peter starts fidgeting with the IV pole again; throws a hesitant glance at Rhodey’s face.  “I heard your argument with Mr. Stark just now and…”

“I see.” His mood sours instantly; Tony Stark is the last thing he wants to talk about with this kid. He frowns, waiting for the boy to continue with whatever was on his mind.

“You need to get him to hire you back!”

The unexpected nature of the request and the heat of the conviction behind it bring him up short.

“What?”

“I… I mean….” Peter takes a step back, flustered, his gaze dropping back down to the floor.  “Mr. Stark, he’s… he’s a really good guy.  He… he takes care of everyone around him, but he doesn’t really… he doesn’t let others take care of him.” The kid looks up again, brown eyes intent. “And he needs to,” he insists heatedly.  “Especially now. His heart-”

“You’re defending him…” Rhodey can’t quite hide the incredulity coloring his voice.  “Even after what he’s done to you. Taking your place in line?” he adds at the puzzled expression on Peter’s face.

The teen’s expression darkens, his large brown eyes hardening in clear disapproval. “That was my decision,” he says mulishly.  “Mine and my aunt’s. We came to Ms. Potts when we found out from Tony that things were getting worse. We made her agree not to tell him, as a matter of patient confidentiality. He was never supposed to find out about it.”

“Is that so?” Somehow Rhodey had assumed that Peter and his aunt had been kept in the dark. The fact the kid knew about it almost made it worse. “And why is that?”

“Because he never would have allowed it if he knew.” Peter shakes his head, heaving out a dejected sigh before he plops tiredly onto the nearby bench. “I just wanted to help him. I wanted… and now, because it’s me, because he knows it’s me, he won’t…” The teen trails off, eyes momentarily squeezed shut; wraps his fingers around the IV pole in a white-knuckled grip.  When he looks up again, the desperate intensity of his stare nearly forces Rhodey to take a step back.  

“I wouldn’t even have a place in line if it weren’t for Mr. Stark. He is the reason I have a chance to live, Dr. Rhodes! And I… I can’t be the reason he loses his!”

And that right there? Definitely not what Rhodey was expecting to hear.  He frowns down at the earnest, wide-eyed gaze that meets his; bites his lip at the guilt-tinged despair he sees there.  

“Alright, kid.” He knows he’s already given in; doubts there’s anyone alive out there who can stay strong in the face of these imploring puppy eyes.  He just really hopes he doesn’t come to regret this later. “There’s a couple things I need to get straight, and I think you’re the one to help me.”

“What do you mean?”

“How about you tell me all about Tony Stark over a cup of hot cocoa, huh? Start with why you think you owe him your place on the organ recipient list.”

Peter watches him silently for a few moments, his expression wary. Nods, his curls flopping over his forehead. “Okay.”

***

They settle on a bench outside some ten minutes later, Peter cradling a cup of chocolate ice cream he opted for instead of hot cocoa. It’s nice and quiet out here, the air pleasant, tinged with a mild spring morning chill, and Rhodey finds himself relaxing just a bit, letting go of the angry tension he’d been carrying around since daybreak.

“Thanks Dr. Rhodes,” Peter speaks up beside him, poking hesitantly at the mound of chocolate in his cup. “Dr. Banner told me to try and beef up my calorie intake since I can’t eat much.”

“Well, I hope you enjoy it,” Rhodey responds, smiling encouragingly as the teen scoops up his first spoonful.  Urges mildly, “Whenever you’re ready, Peter.” He doesn’t want to push the boy, but time isn’t exactly a luxury he has to waste.

Peter’s expression darkens, the second spoonful dropped half-heartedly back into the cup.   “I’m… I’m not supposed to tell anyone about this. I could get in big trouble, but even worse Mr. Stark could get in big trouble. I had to sign some huge non-disclosure agreements, there were lawyers there and everything, it was crazy. If anyone ever found out I told you, then they could sue Mr. Stark and he could even go to jail.” He shoots Rhodey a slightly anxious, pleading look. “So… you… you won’t tell anyone, right Dr. Rhodes?”

“I won’t tell anyone,” Rhodey agrees, his curiosity piqued.

“No, no, I need-- you have to understand. No one can know.”

“Peter. I promise. On my word as a doctor, doctor-patient confidentiality, do no harm, Hippocratic oath. I won’t tell anyone.”

This seems finally enough to reassure Peter and he leans forward, a frown of worry on his face that speaks of a lot of fear and anxiety… more than he would expect for one so young. “Okay, well. It all happened about two years ago. The hospital was losing money, all the political stuff going on right? So they hired a consulting company to come and make it profitable again. You have to understand, there were talks of closing the doors.”

“Right,” Rhodey nods his understanding. He’s not surprised, even given the hospital’s reputation for excellent care; healthcare in general was facing a major crisis and there were systems all over the world taking the same kind of steps in order to keep their doors open.

“So the first thing they do is fire all the administrative people here,” Peter goes on, ice cream forgotten. “Let them go with severance only. I remember it a little bit because the nurses and doctors were in a huge uproar about it, it wasn’t pretty.”

“I’ll bet!”

“Well yeah. So they hire this new guy, Thaddeus Ross.”

Somehow Rhodey thinks the shudder that goes through Peter at the mention of that name has little to do with the morning chill.

“Ross… Yeah, I’ve heard of him. He did some great things for that hospital system in Orlando.”

Peter scoffs. “Wherever you heard about that, I’ll bet it didn’t mention a body count,” he counters darkly.

“No… it didn’t as a matter of fact.”

“Well, I can practically guarantee you that there was one. Because Ross doesn’t come in and fix things, he comes in and he cuts corners. First thing he did after firing the administrators was fire all the experienced nurses and techs. Forced some of the higher paid doctors into early retirement -- claimed their judgement would be called into question and their malpractice insurance would go up, that kind of thing.”

“Peter,” Rhodey cuts in, trying, rather unsuccessfully, to keep the skepticism from his voice, “even if that were true, how could you possibly know about it?”

“Because I’m one of the schmucks that almost got killed!”

“Oh…” He pulls back, stunned silent by the teen’s outburst.  Motions for him to continue.

Peter nods grudgingly, huddles in on himself.  “I was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and had, like, three surgeries when I was a baby and all that. I was doing good, real good, until a year ago I got bit by a spider. So like, not normally a big deal, but for me it was. I got super sick. But Dr. Banner… he’s my cardiologist, right? He found a treatment, and it seemed like a miracle because there was nothing anyone else could do. I mean… it was a miracle. Only the drug I was on was crazy expensive, like $20,000 a dose.”

Rhodey lets out a low whistle and Peter huffs angrily in response.

“I have to take it every three months for three years,” he says, nodding toward his IV bag. “Obviously, there was no way for us to afford it. Our insurance wouldn’t cover it because it’s technically not even approved by the FDA. So the hospital was writing it off. You know. They were using it as a charitable donation, which means it technically doesn’t cost them anything because they get the money back in tax credits and government payouts. Only...” Peter falters, a muscle in his jaw twitching.  “Only they weren’t making money off it.” He gives a vicious stab at his now mostly-melted ice cream before hurling the cup into the garbage can with a bit more energy than was strictly necessary.

“Right.” Rhodey can already see where this is heading, and he feels his own fingers itch with the urge to curl into fists. Money. Of course. Of-fucking course! Everything always comes back to money. It was one of the reasons why he’d gone into medicine, to do something about this kind of thing, to do surgery for the right reasons and not to make a buck.

“Yeah! Right!!” The teen slaps his hand palm down on the bench, agitated. “I mean, can you believe I had the audacity to exist and want to live and not have a disease that the hospital could benefit from? Ross came through and he eliminated most of those programs. The ones that helped people.”

“Why don’t people know about it?” Rhodey interjects. “Why wasn’t any of this on the news?”

“Oh it was.” The sharp bitterness in the teen’s voice surprises Rhodey. For as broken, small, and sick as the kid appeared, he had clearly developed quite the backbone.  “The headlines were ‘Local CEO Turns Failing Local Hospital into Model of Health Care Efficiency.’ He’s a jerk but he’s not an idiot! Dr. Banner did what he could but they were threatening his license. There were a couple of assault charges thrown around when Dr. Banner got really mad during a meeting and punched the guy. Satisfying, right? Except now he was suspended and I was getting sicker and sicker because no medicine. And this is the only pediatric cardiac hospital in three states that’s able to deal with my problems. We were looking at moving to Colorado but I was too sick and May, my aunt, had been out of work to take care of me so no money. I was…”

There’s a suspicious hitch in the teen’s voice, his breath coming a little harsh, a little fast. He shakes his head viciously, swipes irritably at his cheeks where thin trails of tears cut a path across anger-flushed skin.

“I was so tired,” he admits in a whisper, “I wished I could just die and get it over with!”

“Okay,” Rhodey exhales past the stunned horror of the teen’s admission, “okay.” Reaches out haltingly to put a soothing a hand on the kid’s trembling shoulder. “Do you… uh… do you need a break from this?”

“No.” It takes him a few moments, but Peter swallows down his emotions; manages to steady himself. “Sorry. It was just… it was hard. I hated it. I was sick and things were getting so much worse. It was hard to see these things taking their toll on May.”

Rhodey gives the boy’s shoulder one last squeeze before letting his hand fall away.  “I imagine she must have been pretty upset.”

“Upset doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Peter scoffs.  “She was furious. And she wasn’t taking it sitting down either. She was calling our legislators, trying to see about the legalities, but we weren’t having any luck. She tried to go after him directly, you know, suing him for medical malpractice. Failure to treat. Medical neglect.” He shrugs, exhaustion written into every line of his body.  

“Like I said, it got ugly.  And here I am… dying because my heart is failing, and I get sick on top of it and it’s looking like the end for me. They start talking about hospice and making me comfortable, but I’m in the ICU in the meantime…”

“What happened?” Rhodey prods cautiously, afraid to push too hard because the kid is a walking war wound and it feels like even the slightest amount of pressure could cause him to bleed out.

Peter blinks as though coming out of a trance, his expression softening, pale lips pulling into a small smile. “Tony Stark happened,” he murmurs, sounding simultaneously awed and fond. “He got admitted the same time as me, just on the adult side, and he was being monitored because he was on some weird drug that was giving him trouble, but he was not so sick as me. He bumped into May in the hallway one time, and they got to know each other a bit. They had a lot in common, you know? Going through all this. Tony, see, he wanted to help, he offered to pay for everything. And May, she was real thankful and she wanted to take him up on it, but the thing is? Ross could just turn around and do it again to some other kid and their family. May said if it happened again it was because of them not fighting so she wanted to keep pushing on.”

Rhodey shakes his head, a bit conflicted. On the one hand there’s an already familiar flare of annoyance at Tony Stark, whose answer to everything seems to be to throw money at it.  Yet on the other - it was a hell of a thing for him to offer to do for someone he had just met.

He also can’t help but admire May Parker’s bravery and tenacity. To go up against the hospital with all of its money and its fancy lawyers all on her own? That took guts.

“One night, Ross himself comes by and says he has a court order to withdraw treatment on my case.”

Lost in thought, it takes Rhodey a moment to realize that the kid is talking again, and once the actual meaning of the words registers, he feels himself grow cold all over. “What??”

“Yeah.” Peter swallows hard several times, a bitter smile twisting his lips. “See… what he’s done is… he’s accused May of child abuse. For doing all these expensive treatments and prolonging my life. He got all these doctors to say that it wasn’t in my best interest, it was causing pain and suffering. He had all these records that showed it was harming me and wouldn’t save my life in the end and he said a third party should be asked to make medical decisions on my behalf. Basically, Ross made it so the government had medical decision-making power over my course of treatment.”

Rhodey sits back, stunned silent once again. He knows there are certain laws for that kind of thing, but they are meant to protect kids from abusive parents, who use medical diagnosis to harm their kids-- Munchausen by Proxy, that kind of thing. He can’t believe anyone would do what Peter’s describing.  It’s… it’s... unconscionable!

“Ross and May get into a big fight, and May… she’s in tears, alright? I hadn’t seen her like that since my uncle died. She starts pleading with him.  Promises to back down if Ross doesn’t withdraw treatment. Says she’ll stop the lawsuits and the push to get the laws changed - drop the whole thing just… just to keep me going.” Peter grits his teeth, his breath hitching once again.  “Ross was in my room, see,” he continues, voice tight with barely controlled emotions.  “He didn’t want anyone witnessing what he was doing, and he’s right in her face, laughing at her tears. And I’m… I’m just lying there like a rag doll, useless!”  

Peter’s face screws up as if in pain, eyes squeezing shut, and Rhodey can’t help reaching for the teen once more; lays a gentle hand on his back.  Peter nods in mute thanks; breathes, slow and deep, in an attempt to calm down, in and out, in and out.

“And then Mr. Stark walks into the room, out of nowhere,” he continues, hoarse, “with like three lawyers in tow. I don’t know who called him or how he got there so fast, I don’t know any of that. He’s just there, looking like a king even in a hospital gown, you know? The lawyers, they’re talking fast, serving Ross with all kinds of notices and cease and desist orders, and there’s even…”

Peter’s voice chokes up a little, and he fists his hands around the edge of the bench, white-knuckled fingers digging in.

“There’s even a restraining order, so he has to leave us alone. He can’t say anything to May or me, not ever again. And he never… he never does. Ross never has talked to us again.  And I start getting my medicine. Because of how sick I got without the medicine, I was moved way up on the list, but then thanks to Mr. Stark, I’m okay now. I’m good to wait. It’s actually good for me to wait, to get stronger, let this medicine heal my body.”

He turns, his gaze boring into Rhodey, intent, pleading.  “But Mr. Stark, he… Dr. Rhodes, he can’t wait anymore. He passes the rope again, he, maybe, won’t be around when a chance comes back up again. That’s why… that’s why we went to Ms. Potts about giving him my spot.”

Rhodey nods grimly, digesting that information.  “What about Dr. Hammer?” he wants to know.  “He did the surgery on Mr. Stark, didn’t he? How did that--”

He trails off, taken aback by the abrupt shift in the teen’s expression.  Peter’s whole face darkens, lips twisting into an ugly, bitter grimace.

“Hammer’s a hack,” he spits out with such venom that it leaves Rhodey gaping at him in frank surprise.  “He botched that surgery.  On purpose probably, too, I’m willing to bet!”

“Come on, Peter…” Rhodey shakes his head in disbelief, because an accusation like that? It’s utterly ridiculous!

“Ross threatened Mr. Stark, did I tell you that?” the teen cuts in as though Rhodey hasn’t spoken.  “When they were arguing in my room, when Mr. Stark told him to get out? Just before he left, he pinned Mr. Stark against the wall and he told him, told him Mr. Stark would regret doing this.  And you know what the last thing he did before leaving the hospital for good?”

“He assigned Dr. Hammer to do the surgery,” Rhodey guesses, feeling a horrible numbness spread forth within his chest. “But… why?”

“Hammer’s a butcher,” Peter sneers, voice dark with resentment, “everyone knows that.  He only ever got to be a surgeon thanks to his daddy’s money and Ross’s influence.  He never should have… he never should have gone anywhere near Mr. Stark.”

“He… I heard the nurses talk after. Hammer ignored the warning on Mr. Stark’s chart; gave him a drug that should never have been combined with the medicine Mr. Stark was taking.  Nearly killed him right on the operating table. It’s what… it’s what’s killing him now!”

The teen grits his teeth; drops his gaze to where his hands are clasped impossibly tight in his lap.  “I visited him the day after his surgery.  He looked… he…  I’ve never seen him look so bad.  Like… like death.  And he was in pain.  He was trying to hide it, but I could tell.”  He looks up again, his face twisting in anguish.  “He’s dying, Dr. Rhodes. And there’s no one who can help him but you.  Miss Potts, she told me, she said you’re the best in the field.  That’s why I told her to take my spot, so you could… so you could save him. And then I hear he fired you, Dr. Rhodes, and I don’t… I don’t know what to do.”

He looks at Rhodey with such raw, open worry that Rhodey wonders if he’s ever felt worse in his entire life, as if he’d kicked a puppy or pulled the wings off a butterfly. Killed a mockingbird, all that. Guilt and shame spread through his chest with hot prickles, as well as a burgeoning fear that he’d done something irrevocably foolish. He’d just thrown away the one chance he had to save someone… someone who is, despite what he’s been initially led to believe, utterly worth saving.

At the same time, he’s not sure how much he can rely on the opinion of a child, much less one so obviously emotionally compromised. There’s a chance that Stark had manipulated him, he hates to think it but it is a fact. People do... desperate things when they are desperate.

But Peter seems so damned earnest.

“Peter. I… I didn’t know any of that,” he manages finally -- as close to “I’m sorry” as he can get.

Peter nods gravely, brown eyes boring into Rhodey’s, dark, urgent. “I know, sir. I know. But… the thing is. Now you do. So what are you going to do about it?”

***

He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, he really doesn’t.  He went looking for Pepper after he dropped the Parker kid back in his room, and he will honestly blame his conversation with the teen - the conversation that left him so thoroughly shaken and off his game that he doesn’t become aware of his surroundings until he nearly collides with a group of interns that huddle in an oddly conspiratorial-looking clique in the middle of the hallway in front of Pepper’s office. It is only then that he snaps back to the here and now.  It is only then that he becomes aware of the raised voices coming from behind the closed office door, and of the awkward glances the interns are throwing each other as they wait for Rhodey’s reaction.

“I refuse to allow it, Tony!” Pepper’s voice rages from behind closed doors, and Rhodey can see through the haphazardly open blinds as she paces angrily in her spacious office.  “I can have you blue slipped!”

“A psychiatric hold, really?” Stark sounds peeved, his temper from earlier having escalated even further. “Don’t think I won’t sue you if you pull that crap, Potts! My lawyers are faster and smarter than your corporate lackeys. I’m not your hostage or your science experiment and you agreed, you agreed! I say when I’m done. And I’m done!”

“Well I take it back! You can’t do this! I won’t let you!”

Pepper is shouting now, her voice - a heart-rending mix of anger and despair, and Rhodey doesn’t even have to pretend not to overhear them now. Everyone in the vicinity can hear their argument, and the interns once again begin talking in low voices to each other, flicking awkward glances in the direction of the office.

Rhodey has had enough.  Calling on his most authoritative tone, he shoos the interns back to work.  Waits a few beats as he watches them disperse, chastised, and then marches determinedly toward the office, trying his best to ignore the angry rise of Stark’s voice.

His ears register an abrupt, almost choked-off cessation of Stark’s response just as his fingers curl around the door handle, followed by a clatter of office supplies being knocked off the desk and a heavy thud of a body hitting the ground. Alarmed now, he yanks open the door and freezes, just out of their line of sight, struck momentarily dumb by the scene that opens before him.

Stark sits on the floor, slumped gracelessly against the desk, his legs splayed out before him. His eyes are closed, ashen face pinched in pain, his trembling left hand tugging unsuccessfully at something inside the pocket of his pajama pants.  

Pepper is kneeling before him, wide-eyed and almost as alarmingly pale as Stark himself, one hand resting on his rapidly heaving chest, the other gently pushing Stark’s hand out of the way to take out what the former has been so desperately trying to reach.

A bottle of pills.

Odd, Rhodey thinks, squinting as he tries to make out the label.  Because he doesn’t remember seeing any mention of any specific pills in Stark’s chart.  And yet...

“How many of these did you take? Tony? How many?” The undeniable urgency in Pepper’s voice cuts off his train of thought, and Rhodey notes the undisguised worry on his boss’s face.

“Three,” Stark huffs out, barely audible, eyes still stubbornly closed.

Pepper pulls back, lips pressed together into a thin white line, the bottle clasped tight within her trembling fingers.

“You know that's not safe,” she says finally, sounding like she’s pleading with Stark.  “You know they're just supposed to give you time. They’re not a cure! Tony, these damage your heart if you take them too often, you know this! You know--”

“Yeah,” he cuts her off abruptly, pain-glazed brown eyes sliding open to stare back at her with tired defiance. “Yeah, I do know Pepper. I’m the one who helped develop the damn things. Mixing Palladium and Epinephrine, not in the usual bag of tricks. So yeah. I know.”  He nods weakly to the bottle almost completely hidden within her crushing grip.  “I need one now, though.  Please.”

She watches him a heartbeat longer; sucks in a quick, shuddered breath.  “Okay,” she concedes finally, carefully jiggling one out into her hand. “Okay, Tony, you win.”

Dejectedly she hands the pill over to him; stretches to get a bottle of water from her desk, while he pops the pill into his mouth.  Reaches out to support him as he drinks, washing down the pill. It takes another few minutes before he nods to her, shifting as though to get up, and she helps pull him to standing, careful, anxious, her hands lingering on his shoulder, as if unable or unwilling to let go.

“Please, Tony, please promise me you won’t take any more of these today,” she pleads, and there’s an uncharacteristically vulnerable note in her voice, one Rhodey has never heard before. “Just… just give me some time, I’ll sort this out somehow--”

Stark smiles in response, weary and almost apologetic.  Leans in to place a soft kiss on her cheek.  

“Okay. Time. Sure,” he agrees placatingly. “All I got is time, Pep, you can take all of it you need to.”

The words sound wrong somehow, coming out of his mouth, like their meaning is different, like Stark is saying goodbye. And Pepper must sense the same thing, for Rhodey sees her open her mouth in protest…

Stark shakes his head, presses a gentle finger against her lips, silencing her.  “We both knew it was a long shot, Pep. Part of the journey is the end, all that; I've been on borrowed time, I'm not about to borrow any of Peter's. We knew this doctor was a hail mary and it didn't work out. Let me leave, Pep. Okay? Just for a little bit.  I'll see you soon.”

Rhodey doesn’t stay to hear her response.  Steps back outside, letting the door close softly behind him.  Mere moments later the door creaks open again, and Stark walks out, shuffling slowly toward the elevators.  Rhodey watches him go, wondering briefly if he should go after him and stop him.  But there are things about him he still feels he needs to know, needs to understand.  So after a moment of hesitation he turns on his heel and pushes his way back into Pepper’s office before he can change his mind once more.

***

He finds Pepper seated back at her desk, face buried in her hands, shoulders trembling ever so slightly.  It’s an uncomfortable sight, to be sure, and he has half a mind to tuck tail and run, but she raises her head just then, a pair of tear-filled blue eyes pinning him firmly in place.

“Dr. Rhodes.” She straightens out, a professional mask slamming back into place.  “What can I do for you?”

And he flinches despite himself.  Because this is Pepper.  He’s known her for years, been a close colleague of hers for years.  And he has been “Jim” or “Rhodey” to her for nearly as long.  But the look in her eyes now is cold as ice - the same look he’s seen her level at those who dared cross her, and he finds it frankly terrifying to be on the receiving end of it.

Though, to be fair, he supposes he deserves it.

“I… I formed an opinion about a man based on the word of someone I don’t respect as a surgeon and barely tolerate as a human being,” he begins carefully, stepping closer to her desk, gauging her reaction.  “What I have seen until recently seemed to have confirmed that opinion for me.  And yet…”

“And yet?” Pepper prods, blue eyes narrowing in silent warning.

“I can’t help feeling that I’ve missed something,” he admits.  “A couple people pointed out to me that maybe I was wrong in my initial assessment.  That… that I should get a second opinion.”

He takes a deep breath, trying his best not to fidget under her steely glare.  Squares his jaw in quiet resolution.  

“So this is me,” he finishes softly, spreading his arms out to the sides, “asking for that second opinion.”

TBC

[kaedekisaragi]

Kaede Kisaragi Watches The Flash S4E03 - Luck Be A Lady

Were you listening to me, Barry? Or were you looking at the meta in the red dress?

We open to The Thinker as he dictates about "Subject 02", one Rebecca Sharpe. Three weeks ago. She goes by Becky, and dislikes when people mispell her names. And she is very much a geek, for all intents and purposes: she is not assertive enough to make the jitters barista give her no milk, and she gets home to find her boyfriend cheating on her and postpones her righteous anger to go to the bathroom due to said milk. As Thinker describes her... She's a defeatist. That the whole world conspires against her. Perfect victim to manipulate, yes? She enters a bus full of familiar looking people... Like Kilgore... And a bright light explodes just outside their bus as we cut into the credits.

Present. Barry and Cisco, calling out to each other, in middle of a brutal, vicious battle, hopelessly wondering where is Caitlin... Only to then both be killed brutally by little kids in the Laser Tag arena. And be called old men. Sucky kids. The gang all sits down for snacks, Cecile apologizing for not inviting them for dinner, but squeaky pipes on West house like to be heard. For the last 18 years, apparently, as Joe sticks up for his home's personality. Iris and Barry celebrate a couple's decision to break up, which frees up their wedding venue, and Iris moves in and scores the deposit. All lovely and in sync, like a cute couple. But suddenly, a breach alert!

Harry pops out! Harry party! Wally is not amused, because he was ready for date night with Jessie. Harry delivers a... cube? It plays a bit of message from Jessie, but shorts out (shoddy atlantean plastic, I tell you)... So, that's a Breakup cube. It records a message, plays music, and puts out a tissue for the person who got kicked in the butt. Ouch. Harry being left to very, VERY clumsily explain his own daughter's decision to break up (or go on a break, for you Friends people) because Wally is busy filling in for Barry (ouch, how long ago was their last date?) and she needs to work on her own stuff. Cisco's says it best:

Flash rushes off to deal with a bank robbery, and Caitlin points at Harry and tells him that they are NOT done, to his clueless confusion. And here we rejoin Becky Sharpe, whose voice remains somewhat nasal, but she now has stupid luck, since as she walks, a domino effect of rube goldberg proportions explodes as everyone around her knocks something or tumbles over something... Letting her enter the bank and grab whatever cash she wants without any worry. As she returns to her Uber to leave and Flash is right on top of her... He slips violently as a large barrel of marbles spills over and causes him to fall. At the lab, they ID becky, because CCPD has records of every single unlucky stuff that happened to her (even the time her cat got burgled by a cat burglar). Harry is firm on not believing in 'luck', preferring to use technobabble. Cisco reveals he did not take out all the tech from barry's suit (he left some sensors in, sue him). Cisco and Harry go off argue on who can calibrate a satellite better, while Iris goes get a package at the loft and Joe goes home to Cecile.

Cecile called the plumber. He says it'll be 15k for the whole house plumbing. Which... Cecile uses as an argument to try and convince Joe to sell the West home. She does have a valid point in that they are an empty nest, they don't need such a big house. He says he'll think about it. Meanwhile, Iris tries out her wedding dress, only for Barry to glimpse at it for a second... And to compound the bad luck, their chosen venue burned down, and the other venue has been spoken for. Well, they still got six weeks, that's like, 5 episodes away... right?

Becky enjoys her kobe beef, and one remark from her is enough to send her ex-bf into a piling hot soup bowl in front of his squeeze. Thinker's assistant has no idea why his plan involves Becky. Thinker says she's formidable, but her powers capricious and in need of observation. Cisco and Harry continue to squabble like a married couple over the Dark matter sensor... Barry arrives with them, as they reach the exact spot where Becky got her powers... Which is where Barry emerged from the speed force, RIGHT ON TOP OF A BUS! THE BUS BECKY AND THE OTHERS WERE IN! HOLY LIGHTNING BOLT STRIKES TWICE, BATMAN!

Cisco and Harry squabble on the lab, as the team takes in the fact WE created the metas this season. Harry apparently feels Cisco should've called him for help before opening the speed force, and they just go off each to their own side in typical bratty manner. But before anything can happen, Joe gets a call from Cecile and ORDERS Barry to take him there. Because the West house is full of leaks now. Barry shuts down the water, but this is beginning to get ridiculous. Barry and Joe discuss the idea of selling the house, and Joe doesn't want to let go of his memories of his kids in this house. Cisco locates Becky at Jitters, so Barry goes there in civilian form. He tries to gently tell her how powers can be overwhelming... But she makes it pretty sure that she is not interested, saying she's tired of being given the bad hand at life... And she need only express a slight annoyance at Barry attempting to hold her hand for Barry to witness a LOT of things ready to go wrong inside Jitters if he stands in her way. She is positive that the world is finally 'fixing' its mistake and making HER the one lucky and everyone else unlucky. And due to that, she doesn't care that she's ruining everyone's life in the process... And Barry can't even go after her, because the mere intent makes things nearly go insane wrong around him. Seriously, a baby carriage near a nailgun? Seriously?

The team is down in the dumps. They can't get close to Hazard (thank you Cisco), and they created her, and they all feel they are cursed since the house is about to break apart, Jessie dumped Wally, and Barry and Iris? Well... Iris just called Barry over to a church for an impromptu marriage... RIGHT AFTER A FUNERAL SERVICE LMAO Seriously, they are REALLY gonna be married, of course they are... Until the priest gets an allergic reaction to the cinnamon incense the mischievous altar boy put on. Seriously.

Harry is doing his calculations, gets pissed, tosses the breakup box, and gets hit in his own head, to Cisco's amusement. Harry, as it turns out, has spent the summer assembling a team for Jessie (but no, they're not Jessie and the Quicksters). And now he's bitter because she kicked him out of the team, too much stiffness cramping their millenial style. But soon the alarms go off: Becky's power field is expanding to affect more of the city (making Cecile slip while Joe's stuck with a jammed door). AND A GOOSE GETS SUCKED INTO A PLANE ENGINE AND IT EXPLODES, WHAT?!? All because Becky's exerting Newton's Third Law in extreme levels, going to her casino to get rich without dying. 37 snake eyes? Really? And not a single security officer to toss her out? AND THEN THE PARTICLE ACCELERATOR TURNS ON AND IT'S GONNA EXPLODE! SERIOUSLY, HOW THE FUCK?!? IN FOUR MINUTES, EVEN!

Flash runs to the casino. The plane tries to go for a water landing. Joe breaks the doorhandle. Flash finds Hazard, but slips on coins and ends up CUFFING HIMSELF, SERIOUSLY, HOW?!? Harry gets zapped by short circuit on the circuitry of the pipeline. Flash gets up, but someone sees him, tumbles into another person, setting off the fire alarm. Joe gets in the house, but Cecile and him get trapped when a beam falls down blocking the door. Shit is all hitting all fans... But Harry gets a sudden spark of brilliancy, telling Cisco to LET the particle accelerator explode...

IT EXPLODES, THE ENERGY HITTING HER AND CANCELLING HER POWER, MAKING HER LOSE AT THE SLOT MACHINE! And award of the episode goes to co-pilot of the plan, who did not panic ONCE in this whole absurdity! Flash arrests Hazard.

Harry kinda sorta apologizes. Cisco takes what he can get. Cisco invites Harry to stay, because he's family, and he has a get-out-of-jackass-jail-free card. Harry is made to admit he has no friends, being too busy looking after Jessie to make his own life. Cisco wants to help him with that. No bro hugs, though. At the lab, Harry has identified the bus from satellite scans, confirming that... we have 12 metas. They got this by the balls...

...Until Wally points out NOBODY noticed he wasn't around. Because he went to Earth-2 to talk to Jessie... She confirmed it. She has to take care of herself... And Wally realizes he does too. He's leaving Central for a while. Barry supports him, saying all heroes lead their own paths. If he has to go, he has to go. Wally promises Joe he'll never lose him. And if he needs him, he'll come running. Literally. Tearful goodbye to our Kid Flash. Harry, in turn, realizes the possibility of the guy behind the Samuroid being behind the new metas.

Thinker's assistant knows Team Flash has the number of targets, and says they might be smarter than he credits them. But he's smarter... HAVING THE SAMUROID HEAD AS A CAMERA IN THE LAB!

Stinger. Joe returns home to find Cecile plastering the wall. But Joe has decided it: time to sell the house. Get one with a dishwasher, jacuzzi... Possibly space for his record collection too? Buuuuut... Cecile changed her mind. Because she heard what he said about getting the best place to raise his kids... And it just struck a chord with her. Because...

She's pregnant.

Faces of Joe West, meet thy winner.

So glad to have Harry Wells back :) Of all the three Wellses, I think he's my favorite. Especially since he and Cisco get along much better than Cisco and HR did. Plus, unlike HR, Harry actually does bring an extra genius into the fold. I do feel it was very harsh the way they broke up Wally and Jessie, but I guess it's also realistic, since they're both young and young people do crazy stuff, I guess?

No clue yet on the Thinker's plan. But it DOES make a lot of sense that the team made new metas with their bringing Flash back. It doesn't, however, explain yet how the Thinker is so smart. Oh well, we take the answers we can get.

ALSO, A THIRD WEST IS COMING INTO THIS HOUSE! LET'S HAVE A WEST PARTY, PEOPLE!!! POST YOUR FAVORITE JOE WEST SCREENCAPS!!!

[happy2bmyownboss]

I was looking back through my posts to see when our last update was and if you don’t include A Series of Unexpected Events, Part 2, and Part 3 then I believe it would’ve been Life Update: A Jacuzzi, A Boy’s Night out, And Why We Don’t ‘Do’ Halloween which seems like it was forever ago.

Monday

I know last week I posted 35+ Freezer Meals In One Day! where I did give a couple of updates like Ms. Bella’s birthday:

And then Nanny J also had a birthday where we made her a cute little gift out of items that we had:

A cute teddy bear made from a Norwex Body Cloth, some lotion samples, and a bracelet. In that post I also had some of our budding photographer’s shots… he really loves taking pictures of animals. If you haven’t checked out my Norwex site you should probably go ahead and do that NOW. Make sure to sign up for my newsletter because there are a TON of great sales coming up!

That night we had one of our freezer meals, Ham & Cheese Potato Bake. It was soo good! I got the top a little extra brown and that was Mr. Awesome’s favorite part. We had leftovers for lunch the next day and I had enough for my lunch the day after too! This one is definitely going on repeat for our menu!

The FULL MOON seems to make everything and everyone so crazy around here. I can’t even begin to tell you what happened. A couple of the kids were CRAZY and WILD and Momma was just about to pull her hair out! I do have a post coming up about Lunar Influence.

Tuesday

I don’t remember much of Tuesday except that I was busy trying to figure out where to put all of those freezer meals and I was fighting with the internet. I ended up on the phone with customer service and on chat for 5-6 hours that day BEFORE they finally agreed to send someone out.

The tech came out late in the evening and with the time change, it was getting DARK really fast. He didn’t see any problem at first and was about to give us his personal number so we could call him when it was acting up when it CRASHED again. He found so many errors he said he honestly didn’t know how we even had any internet service at all.

Since it was dark already he said he would come back the next day, if that was OK.

We had some fried pork chops, mashed potatoes, and green beans for dinner that night. Mr. Awesome had been complaining that he missed having fried foods so I made an exception. There were no LEFTOVERS!

Wednesday

We pulled out some of the  Baked Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins for breakfast. Everyone loved them but they suggested that we need to add some raisins to them the next time make them!

The tech returned and again he found numerous errors… more than he had ever anticipated. He was tracing the errors here and there when he finally decided to just start replacing lines.

It appears that part of the problem was because when the previous lines were installed a couple of years ago the original tech had not taken out or unhooked the old wiring. This causes a back feed and was messing with the signal… all I really know is that it is working much better now.

I have been so much more productive online this week and it feels good to actually be able to get a little work done… it was kind of funny trying to explain to the tech what I do and what I need my internet to do but he kinda seemed to understand. I have been AMAZED to see the increase in my blog traffic and Pinterest views since my productivity has INCREASED… CRAZY!

I also worked on getting all of the freezer meals put into the freezers as they had been in the refrigerators. I didn’t have quite enough room without doing some major reorganization so we ate one of them for dinner, Stuffed Shells.

I didn’t fix any sides but some buttered bread. We still had enough leftovers for lunch the next day. This one will be added to the repeating menu as well! Mr. Awesome just suggested that I add a little more cheese to the top… this was one of the meals where I was running short on cheese. I had planned to add more before baking but hadn’t been to the store again yet.

That’s one way to fix something that causing an issue… eat it!

Thursday

This past Thursday Mr. William had a dentist appointment. He was SUPER anxious because it was a new dentist and he often doesn’t do well with NEW things. I was lucky that Mr. Awesome was able to keep the other kiddos at home so I could FOCUS all of my attention on Mr. William.

He got a bit NERVOUS when they were doing the x-rays but he did fine. His appointment went well and he had NO CAVITIES! He does need to work on his brushing a little bit. We don’t use a ‘traditional toothpaste’ as one of the kids had some issues with Flouride a few years back and switched to this brand. My kids love the lemon flavor!

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Mr. William and I also stopped at the bread store to stock up on a few items. The store was almost completely our of regular loaf bread so we ended up with a lot of wheat bread and just before we finished checking out they had found two loaves of white bread so I grabbed them… sorry folks! After that, we stopped by the post office to pick up a couple of packages. We had some school supplies and some Christmas gifts that had come in. I have probably finished 80-90% of our Christmas shopping although I can’t promise that I’ll be able to find it all if this house doesn’t get here soon!

When we returned home, I made lunch for everyone and sent the kids to their beds for a nap. Everyone has been a little under the weather which has made them super grouchy. This wasn’t the only reason though… we needed to fix the toilet. If the kids were down for naps it would make the job that much easier.

I went to town to grab the parts we needed and when I returned Mr. Awesome and I set to work. The hardest part was to get the bolts off as they were rusted. We ended up using a hacksaw to cut the bolts which was no easy task. Once that was completed we removed the toilet and began to check for the problem… if you follow me on Instagram you probably already know what I found:

Yep, one of the kiddos had indeed flushed part of a hanger down. I managed to fish it out with a coat hanger as it was caught in the bend of the toilet… that was not easy either. We did manage to get everything cleaned out and get the toilet reinstalled well before naptime was over and now we have working toilet again.

The kids were a little worried as they had heard me mention to Mr. Awesome that we needed to clean out the outhouse and get it back in working order… lol. Mr. Awesome did hurt his back during this project so please pray for him!

The bathroom still needs some major work but it will need to wait until we can get moved as we just can’t go without a toilet for the time we need to renovate the bathroom. 

That evening Mr. Awesome surprised me by taking me out to dinner at one of our favorite places, Ballyhoo Grill. We usually just order a few appetizers as our meal because they are so good!

After dinner, we went to one of my favorite stores, Books A Million, and found quite a few interesting books. We also went to Walmart to pick up a few things and then we headed home. While we were out we did see a few things that might make good Christmas gifts as well.

I later found out that something else had been planned for that night but Mr. Awesome’s injury kept him from doing it.

The kids had meatball sandwiches with potato chips for dinner while they were at home with the babysitter. I don’t believe there were any leftovers that night either!

Friday

On Friday my son-in-law graduated from his training and that means he and my daughter will be relocating to Kansas soon! I’m trying not to cry as I think about it. I know we have to let go of them at some point but it never seems to be the right time when it happens… you always seem to want to hang on to them just a little bit more.

This was one of my motivations for posting as many new recipes to the blog as I have. My daughter is ALWAYS asking for recipes and it is so much easier to just make a copy and give it to her but she won’t be that close anymore. Now she can check the blog and print it out… something else I’ve been working on as well… and if she can’t find it then she can let me know what she needs and I’ll get it to her. I‘ll probably also share them on the blog as well.

Here are a few of the recipes I’ve posted recently:

Peanut Butter Cookies

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Watergate Salad

Crockpot Pumpkin Butter

No-Bake Cheesecake with Flavor Variations

One thing that I’ve found, as I’ve been updating the recipes to include a printable link, is that some of the links were not working! I don’t really know how many of them are like that on my blog, and I probably never will know for sure, but that is so FRUSTRATING. If you ever happen to find a broken link please let me know in the comments and I’ll work on getting it fixed ASAP!

We also had a square dance that night. We had a babysitter watch the kiddos as they were still a bit under the weather.

I knew it was going to be a busy day so I had planned ahead and pulled out another freezer meal, Beef Stroganoff. I made some green beans and rolls to go with it.  Apparently, everyone really enjoyed it as there wasn’t much left when we got home and all the rolls were gone. I think there may be enough for two or three lunches left.

We had been expecting to see some dirt for the house come this week but so far NOTHING has appeared. The weather has been a bit NASTY as well so maybe that had a part to play in it?

Saturday

We had planned to go to a big dance on Saturday but some other things came up. Mr. Awesome had to go out of town that morning so I decided to help with a local vendor event, kids in tow, and I had a great time. I did have a little trouble getting everyone dressed that morning though:

We ate some of the loaded breakfast biscuits that morning. They were a hit with all but one of the kids. He ate a banana instead and everyone was happy. We also took some of our PB&Js from the freezer to carry with us for lunch.

I am constantly gathering new ideas for when I can venture out on my own. I really enjoy educating people about Norwex and its mission. I really don’t mind if they don’t buy our products as long as they are learning a little bit about reducing chemicals to improve the quality of their lives and the lives of their family members!

Was taking the kids a good idea? Ehhh… the jury is still out on that one. Some of the kids did really well, one of them was super grumpy, and another was just a MESS. The ones who did really well kept themselves occupied under the table… they pretended to be on a picnic. They all enjoyed looking around the flea market and they got to take their picture with SPONGEBOB!

I also saw some really cute things that I wanted to get but I didn’t… these little snowmen were adorable though:

I completely missed the bears… I might’ve gotten them if I had seen them!

We had still planned on going to the dance that evening but I really wasn’t feeling well and the kids were SUPER GRUMPY! Mr. Awesome got home later than expected and he also wasn’t feeling well so we just decided to stay home because we knew that we had a big day planned for Sunday.

That night we had a simple meal of sweet and sour meatballs with some macaroni and cheese. There are a few leftovers in the fridge… between the beef stroganoff and meatballs I should have lunch covered for today!

Sunday

Oh man, I woke up feeling MISERABLE. The dog wouldn’t be QUIET and was whining so bad because she doesn’t like to ‘sleep in’. Then it was the kids and all Momma wanted to was SLEEP!

I gave up on my plan and took Ms. Comet for a walk. The good thing about it being so cold is that she gets her business finished quickly. Then I set to work on making some Scrambled Eggs, Cheesy Grits, and toast. I just had a cup of Dandy Morning Coffee and a couple of Ibuprofen.

Shortly after sitting for a while our doorbell rang… guess who it was?

It was big sister, Ana, and her husband, Cody! We had plans to visit the MOSH as one last family outing before they leave. This month they had an astronaut exhibit which the kids really enjoyed. We also got there just in time for an animal talk and everyone got to pet a bearded lizard. Here is a quick slideshow of some of the things that we saw and did:

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After the MOSH we went to visit a couple of my sisters… that’s where things went a little crazy. My one sister lives in a gated subdivision so it took us a minute to get in. When we got to her house she wasn’t there. She called me and ended up having me check her windows to see if any were open… well, I found one that was cracked open a tad and she told me to climb in!

She assured me that it was going to be OK even though I was afraid I’d set off an alarm and be swarmed with cops. After discussing all of the possible outcomes I decided, I should go ahead and just do it as it was pretty cold outside. When I was midway through the window one of my daughters came around the corner… yeah, probably not the best parenting moment for your kid to watch you breaking into a house! When I told big sis Olivia what I had done she didn’t believe me… lol.

I did get inside and unlocked the door, no cops came, and we ended up having a pretty good time. The kids love playing with their cousins and us sisters love running our mouths and catching up. We even added another sister through video chat… lol.

We had a dinner of sauteed veggies, baked spaghetti squash with alfredo sauce, baked chicken breast, and some garlic bread. While it wasn’t a winner with everyone it was pretty good and it was different. I will be trying spaghetti squash again here soon. I think if I put my special spaghetti sauce with it we will get a different reaction.

We had a late night last night and everyone was ready to get home and go to bed. As I am finishing this the kids are still sleeping. I’m feeling a bit under the weather today as I finally gave up fighting this cold last night. I spent the night sitting up in a recliner because that was the only way I could get comfortable and still breathe. As much as I’d love to sit around and jaw with you a bit more, I really think I want to take my hot coffee and snuggle with a blanket for a bit!

I hope you all have a blessed week!

Life Update: A Full Moon, Spongebob, and A B&E (with permission) I was looking back through my posts to see when our last update was and if you don't include…

[douchebagbrainwaves]

THERE ARE USUALLY A FEW PEOPLE THINK IN OUR INSULAR LITTLE WEB 2

And if it succeeds, you may not finish your training till 30. Is there some way Microsoft could come back? At best you'll be able to take either of these routes. And as for the disputation, that seems clearly a net lose for the buyer, though, and that the best way to get the two of you to stop bickering. In the best case—with the addition of a heh or an emoticon, prompted by the all too accurate sense that something is missing.1 Hard problems call for great efforts. That's why I write them. But once again, I wouldn't aim too directly at either target.

So there is no permanent place in this world is what matters, not standing in their family can win them points in the world. There are more dangerous is that many happen at your computer.2 Procrastination feeds on distractions. I miss her but that I think of all the search engines were doing it. In software, a problem that can be cultivated, but I don't think many nerds would. So I don't even try to predict it. 05, or 4. 4 of these 5 mistakes. I'm sometimes accused of meandering. I thought, they did call them essays, didn't they?3 And of course another big change for the average startup is that programming languages have improved—or Shakespeare, for that matter have speculative meetings all the time.

If founders could sell a little stock early would generally be better for the company to a new investor, your 4. There's always something coming on the next hour; the only question is what. Small meant small-time. The place to look is where the spread of smallness began: in the world. Do you actually want to start it. Google's current location in an office park is not where they started; it's just where they were forced to move when they needed more space. It was presumably many thousands of years, then switches polarity?4 Perhaps even more valuable company, till after several more rounds you end up with. There is more to setting up a company than incorporating it, of course, is that a dollar from them is worth one dollar. Fourteen-year-old kids are intrinsically messed up. When nerds are unbearable it's usually because I'm interested in the speaker. I'm not claiming companies can get smarter, just that dumb ones will die.5

I don't even try to predict it. There probably aren't more than a local effect. Boy was he good.6 Before anyone gets mad at me for opinions expressed here, remember that anything you see here that's not in the fiercely competitive environment of an American secondary school.7 It's interesting to see the VCs' offices on the north side of Sand Hill Road. As in software, when professionals produce such crap, it's not surprising if amateurs can do better. There was something else I wanted more: to be smart: from their parents. Cube farms suck for that, as you've probably discovered if you've tried it. They're certainly inferior to the written word as a source of money.

I had the misfortune to participate in what amounted to a controlled experiment to prove that.8 Don't hire people to fill the gaps in some a priori org chart.9 The four causes: open source, blogging is something people do themselves, for free, because they had neat hair and spoke in deep, confident voices, and generally didn't know much more than the subsequent ones.10 But I do at least know now why I didn't. You don't know yet. In a real essay you're writing for yourself. In fact, it's just a more extreme version of the world.

If they accepted it, it wouldn't be read by anyone for months, and in retrospect it was a big surprise to me and seemed to have huge implications. After a while, drugs have their own momentum. If you think about? This tradeoff predates programming languages. Of course, as a way to make something customers actually want, and to lose one's sense of humor is to be strategically indecisive: to string founders along while trying to gather more information about the startup's trajectory. I set aside a chunk of time to meet founders we've funded. A round. I agree that a line of Lisp.

The problem is, many schools practically do stop there.11 All other things being equal, they would have preferred to be on the smart side of average rather than the dumb side, but intelligence counted far less than, say, the ages of eleven and seventeen. Maybe it's not a coincidence. The same principles of good design crop up again and again. Otherwise I just worked. A button that looks like it will make a machine stop should make it less painful. 0 has such an air of euphoria about it is the location. You can do it on a smaller scale. Something you publish ought to tell the reader something he didn't already know.

That's no problem for someone on the maker's schedule. Misrule breeds rebellion; this is not a pyramid, but tapers at the bottom, instead of what he did. But this is a simple answer to the wrong question. It was this, more than Raphael's own work, that bothered the Pre-Raphaelites. What's really going on here, I think what they mean is that the company can't measure their productivity. Ideas for startups are worth something, certainly, but the descent is steeper with talks. I'll try to give an outline of how it works. Instead of treating them as disasters, make them easy to acknowledge and easy to fix. Now it turns out the rule large and disciplined organizations win needs to have good software. This CFO is both the smartest and the most upstanding money guy I know. It shouldn't take more than a couple hours, and you'll probably find that writing it all down gives you more ideas about what to do with anything as complex as an image of a person, for example. The teacher doesn't.

Notes

5% of Apple now January 2016 would be to say because most of the mail on LL1 led me to put it would work better, and know the actual amount of time, serious writing meant theological discourses, not conquest. One professor friend says that I didn't like it takes a few additional sources on their own itinerary through no-land, while we were quite sore from VCs attempting to probe our nonexistent database orifice.

To use this route instead. For example, if I can imagine what it can have a taste for interesting ideas: whether you want to get the bugs out of fashion in 100 years will be as shocked at some point has a significant effect on what people actually paid.

Most computer/software startups. The application described here is defined from the creation of wealth to study the quadrivium of arithmetic, geometry, music, phone, IM, email, Web, games, but Joshua Schachter tells me it was 94% 33 of 35 companies that seem to them, initially, to the writing teachers were transformed in situ into English professors. There are many senses of the word content and tried for a startup.

When an investor in!

This argument seems to set in when so many people's eyes. It derives from the formula. Siegel points out that trying to make a brief entry listing the gaps and anomalies. We walked with him for the same motives.

Perhaps realizing this will help dispel the cloud of semi-sacred mystery that surrounds wisdom in this respect. The reason is that we're not doing YC mainly for financial reasons, avoid casual conversations with potential earnings. I was once trying to sell them technology.

Which means if you're not consciously aware of it. Quoted in: Life seemed so much on luck. He devoted much of a cent per spam.

Deane, Phyllis, The Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, 1965. Scribes in ancient Egypt took exams, but delusion strikes a step later in the belief that they'll only invest contingently on other investors, you might have 20 affinities by this, on the order of 10,000 people or so and we should at least one of the auction.

Unfortunately these times are a small proportion of spam.

Though you should never sell i. The word boss is derived from Slashdot, while she likes getting attention in the same as they do. He was arguably the first phase of the flock, or black beans n cubes Knorr beef or vegetable bouillon n teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 3n teaspoons ground cumin n cups dry rice, preferably brown Robert Morris says that the usual way will prove to us.

When you fund a startup, you will find a blog on the relative weights? Now many tech companies don't. It did. Even if the VC knows you well, but you should probably start from scratch today would say we depend on closing a deal led by a sense of getting credit for what she has done, at which point it suddenly stops.

[newlaptopreviews]

How Apple aims to win its share of the $17.7 billion education market

The iPad’s augmented reality capabilities make it a formidable competitor for Google’s low-cost Chromebooks.

Apple’s (AAPL) hardware and software have been a part of the education technology industry for 40 years. The first computer I personally used was a Macintosh in my school’s computer lab. But in recent years, the company has seen its market share in the $17.7 billion sector tumble due to the emergence of Google’s (GOOG, GOOGL) low-cost Chromebooks.

Powered by Google’s Chrome OS and built by companies such as Acer, Dell, HP and Toshiba, Chromebooks now make up 60% of the education tech market. Apple’s iOS and macOS, meanwhile, make up just 17%.

But the iPhone maker isn’t content to lose out on a payday that could be worth as much as $40.9 billion by 2022. To that end Apple released its newest iPad with a beefed up processor and Apple Pencil compatibility aimed directly at the education market. Of course, the slate isn’t just for students and schools, any consumer can buy one like every other iPad.

And at $329, or $299 for students, the new iPad isn’t any cheaper than last year’s model. Where Apple believes it can make a difference, though, is in the software it offers students and teachers, alike.

The company’s Classroom software allows teachers to control their students’ iPads, locking them into specific apps and muting their speakers remotely, while Swift Playground helps kids learn how to code using Apple’s Swift programming language.

Augmented reality is key

Apple’s 1 million iPad apps include a vast array for students, as well, which is an enormous advantage for the company. But where the tech giant can truly set itself apart from Google Chromebooks is by using augmented reality to help teach students about everything from gravity to the internal workings of living creatures.

I got a chance to check out Apple’s new AR software in action during the company’s iPad event at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago, and genuinely wish I had similar technologies available when I was in school.

No frogs were harmed in during Apple’s event.

During one demo at the event, an Apple employee showed how science teachers can use AR to see the layers of a frog’s anatomy as if they were being pulled back in real time all the way from the skin down through the muscle and bones and to the circulatory system.

Adding to the experience was the fact that I could move the iPad closer to the virtual frog to get a closer look at individual organs like its heart to get a more detailed view of how they function.

I then watched as the Apple specialist switched to a virtual table where he dissected a different frog in real-time without having to slice up an actual amphibian. The app was so accurate that when the specialist cut into the frog too hard using the Apple Pencil as a virtual scalpel, he received a warning indicating that he may have damaged the subject’s underlying organs.

In a normal situation, if a student cut too deep into a frog, they’d end up working with a damaged frog, or have to get a new one. But with the iPad, the specialist simply reloaded the app and the frog was back to normal.

During my time at the Chicago event, Apple also showed off how teachers can use the iPad and the company’s Everyone Can Create software to provide students with unique learning experiences and exercises they won’t be able to find on non-Apple devices.

The iPad’s processing power allows you to do things like dissect virtual frogs without hurting any real amphibians.

A lesson on Fibonacci sequences can become more interactive by letting kids create their own movies using Fibonacci poems and iOS’s Clips app. It’s a slick use of technology to help ensure learning new concepts doesn’t feel stale or overwhelming.

Of course, it’s important to note that Apple isn’t simply doing this work out of the goodness of the company’s heart. It stands to gain an enormous amount of revenue from the education technology market. It also makes sense that Apple would want to attract students. After all, by making them familiar with Apple products now, the company has a better chance of turning them into consumers in the future.

Will Apple’s gambit pay off? We’ll have to wait to find out.

More from Dan:

New Apple iPad hands-on: The same, but different

Why your iPhone isn’t ringing and how to fix it

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg breaks his silence about data leak

How to take back your data and delete your Facebook account

Facebook users don’t care about its myriad scandals

Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

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[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/sports-2018-expect-major-hype-without-much-payoff/

Sports in 2018: expect more major hype without much payoff

2017 saw more shocks and surprises from Donald Trump's White House than the sports world, and expect more of the same in 2018. Expect the president to find ways to insinuate himself into the media during high profile events like the Super Bowl, and the jury is out on how Johnny Manziel will handle being in the Canadian Football League. If you liked the spectacle that was Mayweather-McGregor, you’re going to love 2018. The coming year in sports will be long on hype, short on fresh faces, and just like Floyd Mayweather Jr. taking his sweet time to dismantle Conor McGregor, shorter still on suspense by the end. We’ll see a few favorites do what they do well: Alabama, Serena Williams, the New England Patriots, Golden State Warriors, Jordan Spieth, Germany’s World Cup side and hot dog-eating king Joey Chestnut will all win championships and polish their reputations as dynasties. The Russians, meanwhile, will tarnish theirs by getting caught doping at the Winter Olympics. Just as predictably, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will look overmatched at several points in the season, QB Colin Kaepernick will still be on the lookout for work, and the Tennessee Vols will be looking for yet another football coach when December rolls around. There will be people playing out of position, too. Michael Jordan, 54, who owns the Charlotte Hornets and used to be a fair NBA player, will return to the court just long enough to shut up LaVar Ball — basketball’s version of a stage-dad-from-Hades — in a pay-per-view event during All-Star weekend. Their beef began in June, when 50-year-old LaVar said, “Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one.” Considering Ball’s “heyday” was one season at Washington State exactly 20 years ago — he averaged 2 points and 2 rebounds — Jordan simply ignored him. But then a kid asked MJ about the matchup at a basketball camp in August. “I don’t think he could beat me,” Jordan replied, “if I was one-legged.” “Well guess what,” Ball shot back, “I can beat him with one hand.” So let’s get ready to... stumble? Yet for all the imagined “beefs” spilling over into the new year, several real ones are going to be settled. Without further ado, here’s a look ahead: Jan. 8 — Alabama coach Nick Saban dozes off mid-answer explaining how the Tide shut down Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma to become the first repeat winner of the College Football Playoff. “Sorry,” Saban says after a player gently nudges him awake. “I’ve been watching film on every team in America on a loop for ... actually, I don’t remember how long. Pretty much since we lost to Clemson in this game exactly a year ago.” Saban spots his wife, Terry, at the back of the interview room and asks how their kids are doing. She smiles back; he says, “Great!” and heads for the exit. “Enough celebrating,” Saban announces, checking his watch. “Recruiting season begins ... now!” Jan. 15 — Unbeknownst to fans and foes, Serena Williams was two months pregnant when she won the 2017 Australian Open. She opens defense of her title with a 6-0, 6-0 win over wild-card entry Jessica Ponchet of France with 4½-month-old daughter Alexis strapped into a baby sling on her back. “No disrespect to Jessica,” Williams explains, “but Venus was busy with her own match, and every working parent knows how hard it is to find a babysitter. So this was just an emergency fix. As soon as my mom gets here, I promise, Alexis will go back to watching my matches from the stands.” March 29 — Washington’s Bryce Harper homers three times on opening day at Cincinnati, then tells reporters afterward he won’t spend “even one minute” thinking about free agency until the season is over. On his way down the tunnel, he texts Kris Bryant, the Chicago Cubs third baseman and Harper’s BFF since they were dominating little leaguers together in Las Vegas. “Wassup?” April 2 — With FBI agents posted outside the Final Four locker rooms as part of an ongoing federal corruption probe, Gonzaga beats Duke and finally rewards long-suffering coach Mark Few. “I’ve waited a long time for this, but let’s be frank,” Few says. “It didn’t hurt that Arizona, Louisville, USC and who-knows-how-many other powerhouse programs and players were probably feeling some heat from the feds. “It can’t be easy to coach or play your best,” he adds, “in a mask.” June 17 — Golden State beats Cleveland again in a rough-and-tumble, seven-game series to repeat as NBA champions. The Finals cap a combative round of playoffs that includes constant scuffling between former teammates-turned-rivals LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in the Eastern Conference and Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in the West. “My calendar has exactly one event left on it: vacation,” jubilant Golden State coach Steve Kerr says afterward. But just to be sure, the Warriors launch a pre-emptive Twitter strike saying they won’t be visiting to the White House this year, either. “Wasn’t gonna invite you, anyway!” President Trump tweets back. “#LOSERS!” July 15 — Germany wraps up its dominant monthlong campaign by defeating Russia, its surprisingly tough hosts, 5-0 in the World Cup final in Moscow. President Vladimir Putin hands over the trophy and then, seeking to sooth the restive home crowd, he smiles and adds: “Don’t forget. We beat you here the last time — when it really mattered.” Aug. 12 — Spieth becomes the only golfer ever to complete the calendar Grand Slam and the youngest in the bargain by winning his fourth straight major, the PGA Championship. The 24-year-old Texan took advantage of the rules after an errant drive in the final round left him seemingly stranded in the Bellerive Country Club parking. Thanks to a free drop, he banged a 3-wood off the grille of a Cadillac Escalade and over the clubhouse to within six feet of the flag, then made the birdie putt to seal it. “I was having trouble picturing the shot,” Spieth smiled, “until Michael (Greller, his caddie) told me Tiger used to drive one of those.” Sept. 28 — Prized Yankee import Giancarlo Stanton and sophomore phenom Aaron Judge, both poised to break baseball’s home run record, go hitless as the final series of the regular season begins in Boston. Red Sox starter Chris Sale explains his decision afterward to intentionally walk Stanton and Judge every at-bat despite pitching a complete-game no-hitter. “Every time I looked into their dugout, I saw their manager and thought, ‘That’s Aaron Bleepin’ Boone.′ The last thing I was going to do is get beat by a home run.” Nov. 9 — Magnus Carlsen successfully defends his World Chess Championship in London against New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who competed under protest after an attempt to list both rooks, both knights and several pawns as “probable” for the first game is denied by the international federation. “I hope people will realize once and for all how silly it is to call sporting contests ’chess matches,” Carlsen says. Belichick follows the Norwegian grandmaster to the podium afterward. “I’m only going to talk about our next opponent, and that’s the New York Jets,” he growls. “Questions?”

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