#i have already planned everything i need to do for the next 48 hrs and ur stupid fucking policy research paper proposal

[officialjimmybuffett]

how to email professor about them being disrespectful of ur time and to please post assignments not 24 hrs before they’re due

[liesmyth]

OH I love talking about running plans! @halosudne you've Unlocked a Special Interest, I'm afraid.

Current schedule

My current base building schedule is very chill. Mostly easy pace, not many workouts, fully allowing myself to take as many walking breaks as needed. I try to run 5 times a week, though I don't stress if I have to make it 4. My long runs went from 40% of total weekly mileage (back when I was doing, like, 15k to 20k a week) to 30% now that I’m running more.

For example, this week it’s like:

DAY 1 — 7 km easy run (If I can’t sing along to my playlist I’m going too fast) DAY 2 — Workout. 10 min @ tempo pace, 6 km total (1.5 km warmup, 10 min @ tempo pace, easy pace cooldown) DAY 3 — 9 km easy run  (If I can’t sing along to my playlist I’m going too fast) DAY 4 — 6 km easy, including strides (5K easy pace followed by 6x100m strides — short bursts of accelerations until you’re nearly out of breath, hold that pace, gradually slow down. Jog or walk until your breath is even, repeat. Cooldown jog at the end) DAY 5 — Long run, 13 km (Start @ recovery pace; I go by heartrate and vibes. Then gradually increase pace through the run, end up at a slightly faster than easy pace. Just a bit winded.)

This all adds up to 41 / 42 km. Next week I’m aiming for 46-ish, the week after 48 to 50, and then I should be plan ready.

My upcoming plan

I’m base building for the Pete Pfitzinger HM plan level 1. I’ve already done a few of his plans, including the HM level 2 plan, but I would NOT recommend them because they’re so mileage-heavy and pretty tough. Just the level 1 half marathon plan starts at 50 km/week, and peaks at 76 km (31 mpw to 47 mpw, if you believe in freedom). It can be a lot!

However, I DO recommend reading his book if you are interested in the science behind running training plans, because he really lays it out in a very accessible way, and explains the rationale behind his training plans and how to tweak them for any necessities. He also has base training plans that really worked for me.

I have a spreadsheet and everything from the last time I did one of his plans, lol, and my schedule will look a bit like this. As I said... it can be A LOT.

Various plan recs

If you like something lower volume, I recommend the Hal Higdon plans! They’re staples for a reason. Once again, though, I recommend 1) reading the book if you can swing it OR 2) look for information about the plans (r/running is a treasure trove for that!) just so you’re familiar enough with the logic behind the programming to be able to change whatever you need if you miss a few runs or have to scale it down or up.

BAA (the Boston Athletic Association) have a wealth of training plans free on their website.

Also, I trained for my first race ever following the “Garmin Coach” adaptive plan on my Garmin smartwatch – I know this is a long shot BUT if you happen to own a Garmin I really recommend the adaptive plans if you’re struggling to build mileage. The programming changes week by week depending on how you’re proceeding and it’s a neat feature

Time goals etc

I have no idea what kind of time to aim for for my HM, mostly because I really haven’t run seriously for a while so I have no idea what my running fitness baseline is right now. Next week I’m doing a lactate threshold field test to help me figure out where I’m at. I like to do all my easy runs and recovery runs based on heart rate AND my workouts based on goal speed, so that’s a cool data point to have! 

How it works: it’s a time trial run — 20 minutes warmup, then 30 minutes ALL OUT EFFORT RUN. No goal pace, just run at max sustainable effort for those 30 minutes, then cool down for as long as you need. 

It’s a low-tech, no-throwing-up needed alternative to any “max HR” kinda field test, and it’s useful (TO ME) to determine what effort / intensity / time goal I can expect to aim for during my next training cycle. I’ll report back on how that goes :D

(Here’s a more detailed guide, just ignore the part about how you need a chest strap because I respectfully disagree). 

[florrickandassociates]

TGF Thoughts: 5x02-- Once there was a court...

Season five is off to a great start. I’m feeling more energized about TGF than I have in ages, maybe since the beginning of season three. After the mostly standalone premiere, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the rest of the season. Episode two introduced a lot of new elements that I’m intrigued by and excited about, so here’s hoping the rest of the season can sustain that energy. (Many) more thoughts under the cut.

And, again, since the most consistent thing about Tumblr is its inability to roll out new features that are actually helpful, here is a link to view the post so you don’t have to read it all on your dash. (Omg, Tumblr, not only do you force people to keep reading on their dashes but you also jump down to the middle of the post when the full version opens? Do you have ANYONE beta test these features?)

Reddick/Lockhart is bustling when the episode opens. The fact they’re calling it Reddick/Lockhart seems like an indication that Liz chose to partner with Diane—it's not. The firm just needs a name, and it can’t have Boseman in it. (The signage still says RBL... for now.)

Everyone in reception is talking animatedly, except for Carmen Moyo, who’s just taking it all in. You might be tempted to read her as nervous. You would be very, very wrong. But we don’t know that now. Right now, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume she’s Maia 2.0. This scene strongly parallels Maia’s first day at the firm (opening with the reception saying “Good morning” and the firm name, then showing new associates waiting for an orientation by David Lee). And in that scene, Maia is absolutely nervous, like you’d expect a new hire might be.  

Carmen focuses on another associate’s hand. I assume this is meant to be a parallel to how Maia fidgets with her rosary ring in that initial scene. Carmen then peels a price tag off her portfolio—possibly another Maia parallel, since the portfolio Diane gives Maia is such an important symbol in Maia’s arc.

I also see shades of Alicia and her first scene here—Alicia's silent and focuses on small details (the thread on Peter’s jacket) too.  

I don’t say any of this in hopes of comparing Carmen directly to either of those characters. Carmen is not like any other character this show has had before. But these parallels are quite good at establishing character, building intrigue, and showing contrast (even if you don’t see them as parallels, we’re still getting a lot about Carmen just from watching her reactions, even if we don’t yet have the context to understand how to read Carmen). Since I’m now thinking about Maia and Alicia, I’m also now thinking about how Carmen is different from them and triangulating her spot in this universe—that's a good thing. She’s not a copy of either character, but I understand a little more about what the writers are telling me about her from the parallels.

The RBL sign in the background is being taken off the wall. It falls and adds even more chaos to reception.

David Lee walks in and screams, “Stand up! Those seats are for clients.” This is the exact same language he uses in the 1x01 scene; this is definitely an intentional parallel.  

Btw Carmen already has more personality than Maia and she’s been in one episode so far! I didn’t hate 1x01 Maia, but I will say that nearly everything that intrigued me about early Maia was that I could project more about Alicia (whom I, obviously, care a lot about) onto her. I can and will compare Carmen to Alicia, but when I do, it won’t be because Carmen is an interesting lens through which to analyze Alicia... it will be because Alicia is interesting precedent to use to understand Carmen.  

I still hate Maia, yep.

David Lee accidentally instructs a client to stand and then has to save face, heh.  

In David’s tour of the office, we see the partners squabbling. Sounds about right. And STR Laurie is still a thing, which explains why David is there (though not why he is giving a tour).  

Throughout the tour, we get a lot of shots of Carmen. Again, she’s silent and looks like she could be nervous. (Spoiler: this is a fakeout and when you rewatch this scene, you can see what new cast member Charmaine Bingwa is doing here—expertly putting on a face that looks like anxiety in one context, but is actually just Carmen calmly sizing things up.)

Marissa eagerly joins the tour. “That’s right. They’re letting you play lawyer, Marissa. How nice,” David says. Carmen takes this in, too. “Fucking prick,” Marissa mutters. Carmen hears.

David Lee introduces “someone from HR” which is a great sign that HR is very effective at this firm.  

In the conference room, the partners are still arguing about who should replace Adrian. Diane tries the “all options are open to us and we plan to decide in the next 48 hours” strategy, but this audience is too smart for that. Madeline asks about the new leadership structure. (I am kind of hoping that one nice side effect of having to kind of shoot the season in a COVID bubble will be that we’ll get more small recurring characters. Madeline’s been around for a little while but we’re already seeing her get to do more this year.)

“Diane and I are going to run the firm together. For now,” Liz says. Oh, no, Liz, do not open the door to change. Letting the partners know you’re not sure is probably the worst strategy. You’ve gotta decide or they’ll sense weakness.  

“Just the two of you? A black firm being run by a white woman?” a partner asks. “Well, I’m not running it alone. I’m here to assist Liz,” Diane says, trying to deflect. “Really? Because she needs assistance?” he counters. Diane doesn’t know what to say, but she and Liz both know these questions aren’t going to go away.

HR is running an orientation for the new hires and it involves having them all take pieces of toilet paper. Man, I hate ice breakers. Carmen takes a moderate amount and then passes it to Marissa, who takes only one square. Carmen notes this and makes eye contact with Marissa. And this is where it starts to become obvious that Carmen is not nervous—just observant and not chatty. Carmen knows Marissa is one to watch from how David reacted to her presence. She gives Marissa a look that’s meant to be noticed and start a conversation. It works, and Marissa explains that for each square you take, you have to share a fact about yourself. Carmen hates this and hides the rest of the toilet paper so she only has one square.  

Liz tries to say there will be a discussion about the partnership, and Daniel (that’s what the captions call him, though they do reference him as “Barry” at one point but I'm like 99% sure I know which actor is Barry and it’s not him) says it feels like they’re just being told what the new state of things is. Liz says she hears him but right now they need a senior associate to backfill Lucca.

Daniel doesn’t think they need one. I don’t get why, unless it has to do with the budget cuts.  

“We need someone with real experience to take on her caseload,” Liz notes. Hell yeah you do!

Liz asks if any of the partners want to take over family law. None do.  

After the meeting, Liz asks Diane if she can call a head hunter. Diane approves. David Lee pops up to ask which one of them is taking Boseman’s office and they haven’t discussed it yet. I love that they managed to order a sign with their names on it before they’ve talked about how being partners will actually work.  

(Also, Adrian’s office is quite obviously going to end up with Liz. And it would be weird if it were Diane, anyway, because it’s Diane’s old office from Lockhart/Gardner and it would look it if she sat there again lol)

David notes that an empty corner office looks like failure. He is correct. He gives them until Friday to decide.

Marissa does not like the ice breaker at all and pointedly notes she only has one secret, and it is that she used to be married to a mime. She makes a whole bit out of it and then whispers to Carmen, “I usually just make things up.”  

Carmen’s next and she finally gets to speak her first words of the series. You know who else didn’t speak at all in her first scene? Alicia Florrick. Very different scenes, but I can’t help but think this is intentional. From what I’ve seen of Carmen, both she and Alicia use silence strategically and are comfortable with quiet. Alicia’s first scene is silent because she doesn’t need to use words to be expressive, but it does establish that she’s going to be a character with a lot of internal thoughts she won’t vocalize and that she’s observant and tries to maintain composure. Sure, you can watch the first scene of Pilot and just see a woman who’s stunned into silence, but when you watch it knowing Alicia and realize how much of the essential parts of her character are in her totally silent intro sequence that kicks off the show... it’s kind of amazing.

So comparing Carmen’s introduction to that? I mean this as a huge compliment. Carmen deploys silence for reasons both similar and different to Alicia. While Alicia uses silence to maintain some kind of boundary between her inner thoughts and the outside world, Carmen uses it to get a chance to observe and take things in without showing her cards. (We do see Alicia do that as well, especially at work, but I would call this a side-effect of Alicia being a quiet person rather than her intention; Carmen seems to be more conscious of how she uses her silence.)  

Carmen is from Victorville, California. That means nothing to me but I’m sure there’s some significance. Carmen mimics Marissa’s response when asked for her secrets—she also responds with, “secret,” emphasizing she only has one. But what she says next also shows her in contrast to Marissa. She says her secret is she hates games. We already know so much about her and she’s said like ten words!  

I think it’s smart to set Carmen up as a contrast to other characters. I know who Carmen is not because of how she differs from more familiar presences like Alicia, Maia, and Marissa. Marissa hates ice breakers, but her reaction to them is to use them as an opportunity to say something funny and over the top. Many others (including probably both Alicia and Maia) would likely resent the activity but play along and say something unremarkable (I could see Alicia overthinking it and sharing something surprisingly quirky though!). Carmen just does not give a fuck, and in a different way than Marissa doesn’t give a fuck. Marissa insinuates that she thinks the whole activity is stupid... Carmen just flat out says it. I would not pull this move on my first day of a new job! And that is the point—who is this person who is so self-assured she’s willing to insult HR on her very first day of her very first job as a lawyer?  

ALL OF THIS FROM A FEW WORDS AND SOME WELL-ACTED GLANCES! As I said, I’m very intrigued by Carmen. I have some questions about the logistics of this plot, her endgame, and how she’ll function when brought into the firm drama/debate plots, but for now, I only have good things to say.  

Liz interrupts the ice breaker to announce that everyone will be assigned a mentor. She then pauses to greet Marissa, which Carmen, again, notices. Liz is really there to say that they’ll be working on client maintenance that day, and each new hire will get to help with one of their clients. When she reads off their top clients, all the hands shoot up—except Carmen’s.

Madeline’s last name is Gilford. Noted. John’s last name is Wilson.  

No one raises their hand to assist with Oscar Rivi, who is in a maximum-security prison. Carmen confidently raises her hand.  

Barry’s last name is Poe. Noted.

Marissa and Carmen exchange glances. Super curious to see how this evolves. There are too many Marissa/Carmen exchanges in this episode for the writers to not plan to have them interact more in the future.

I’m kind of loving that it seems like the show’s leads are now Diane, Liz, Marissa, and Carmen. Diane’s obviously great, Liz is someone who’s been deserving of leading material for ages, Carmen seems interesting, and I’m so impressed they have managed to make Marissa, usually good in small doses, into a character who can handle larger plots without wearing on my patience (like that awful Elsbeth centric episode of Wife).  

Diane has a client who received a summons directly, which Diane finds strange. But, since she is already working with this client on the same case (teaching kids during COVID) in another court, Diane is optimistic about this second suit. She thinks it could set a good precedent.  

Diane introduces Phoebe, an associate who will help out on the case. Diane says she’s not personally going because it’s a formality and Diane needs to work on the brief. I’m like 99% sure Diane isn’t personally going because Diane’s role here is to convince the client she’s getting senior-level attention while having junior people do the work, but nice story!  

Diane asks Marissa to go along with Phoebe. Marissa thinks she’s going to get to argue in court... Diane says no, Marissa gets to hand hold a client.  

Oscar Rivi is basically Lemond Bishop, which is the only explanation I have for why RL would represent him. And, you’ll recall, I didn’t understand why RL would represent Bishop either. But we’ll just have to go with it.  

(I think representing multiple drug lords is probably a bigger PR issue for RL than having a white partner! How come no one ever talks about this! Actually, new complaint: wasn’t Liz, who now has more power than before, the one who was most against representing Bishop?)  

(I guess it may make sense that she’d be more okay with this Rivi dude than Bishop. Whatever Rivi’s done, I don’t think he’s threatened Liz’s kid like Bishop did!)  

(Also, I’m fine with them switching it up and suddenly having this new drug kingpin. Mike Colter is obviously unavailable since he’s a lead on Evil, and I was tired of Bishop anyway. If the writers stop using Bishop and Sweeney as shorthands for corruption I will be very happy; I don’t think there’s much more mileage left there. Speaking of, Dylan Baker popped up in 2x02 of Evil!)  

“I don’t want you to be intimidated,” Barry tells Carmen as they arrive at Rivi’s prison. Carmen reads articles about Rivi on her phone, saying she’s taking notes. Barry tells Carmen to “sit, listen, leave.” But then he discovers his ID is expired (he didn’t get it renewed during the pandemic) and he can’t go visit Rivi as a result. Carmen says she’s fine alone—she'll sit, listen, leave. She’s calm and not at all cocky as she says it, and it really takes until she’s actually talking with Rivi to realize that she’s not (just?) a hypercompetent law school grad trying to impress. She doesn’t seem to care at all what people, no matter how powerful, think of her, as long as she’s able to find security of any sort. (Tbh, it is kind of amazing she doesn’t get fired in this episode.)  

(I’m getting ahead of myself but in Alicia’s first ep, she also changes up strategies on the partners. Alicia does it almost without realizing she’s gone against their wishes—she's just sure of the right strategy—and Carmen does it much more intentionally.)  

Marissa and Phoebe can’t locate Judge Wackner’s court. Marissa asks a security guard she’s friendly with (of course she is) for help. He says there’s no Judge Wackner there, and the security guard notices that it’s a summon for a “9 ¾ Circuit.” The guard laughs at the Harry Potter reference; Marissa is not amused. They leave the courthouse when Marissa spots a sign for “9 ¾". She follows the sighs down an alley. Phoebe wants nothing to do with this; Marissa and the client are intrigued. They end up in a store called Copy Coop and are directed to a warehouse.

In the warehouse, an argument is resolved through Rock, Paper, Scissors. Then it’s Marissa’s turn. She asks for a continuance just like she was supposed to, but she uses the wrong phrasing. Judge Wackner notices. That’s when Marissa notes she’s not a lawyer, and Wackner responds that he’s not a licensed judge. So it’s fine that Marissa isn’t a lawyer.  

Marissa tries to protest again that she’s not a lawyer, and Wackner basically tells her to proceed anyway. The client wants to stay, weird as this fake court seems.

Carmen reads with Rivi. She stares at him, getting him to speak first. His translator asks if there’s another lawyer with her; she just introduces herself. The translator does a terrible job of translating Rivi’s complaints, sharing very little of what Rivi said with Carmen.

Unsurprisingly (to me at least, because scenes like this ALWAYS have the twist where a character doesn’t let on that they speak the language until the exact right moment), Carmen speaks Spanish.

She lets Rivi know she speaks Spanish AND insults the translator in one go. Pretty big move. That gets Rivi’s attention and he kicks out the translator. He asks who she is and she repeats her name again (characters reacting like this will never not remind me of “Who are you?” “Kalinda.”).

Carmen notes that she’s just out of law school, explaining that’s why she’s eager to help. She doesn’t reveal that by mistake—she's using it to her advantage.  

Credits! As I predicted, things are blowing up again this week like normal. No more kittens and puppies. There’s a new couch that blows up in the credits. Wackner’s desk also makes it in. I can’t remember if the purses were in this position before; they might be new. All the exploding TVs show footage of January 6th (which I hear is going to be a major theme of the season, though it’s not heavily featured in this episode). And the zoomed in shot of the closet (that I’ve never really liked) is gone, as is the falling curtain!  

I still hate the font of the logo for this show. I also don’t understand why the show seems to have three logos—the one that’s the TGW logo but with “fight”, the one in the credits, and whatever the one they’ve come up with for this season’s marketing materials is. I like that they’re trying with the marketing of this season but I don’t get why the show has three logos.  

While I’m talking about the marketing, can we just talk about the “Goodbye Lucca” graphic the official social media account posted? It had a fucking crown drawn over her head like this is a 2013 Tumblr shitpost!!! Who are they targeting with this?! WHO ARE THEY MARKETING TO? DOES THIS WORK ON ANYONE??? It literally says, “Chi-Town” on it. I cringed so hard. Sometimes I feel like the marketing of this show is meant to cater to the people who would, like, watch the credits of last week’s episode and be like, “Yes! It IS all now puppies and kittens! Everything bad in the world has been resolved!”  

But hey, at least it’s better than the absolute trash they used to post for TGW. Remember when there’d be episodes about Alicia making career moves and they’d be like, “#TeamPeter or #TeamWill????”  

OR, OR OR OR, the fucking time they tried to crosspromote TGW and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show (yes) with a tweet that read, “All ‘Saint Alicia’ needs is a pair of wings&she practically turns into an Angel.” I... have no words.  

Hey, Caleb is back! I was not expecting them to actually wrap up his arc with Liz. I think I’m actually pretty thankful it’s ending like this—he comes back for what I assume is one last episode and I don’t actually have to deal with the Liz/Caleb plot. Apparently the writers were setting that up so they could do some plots about power dynamics and interracial couples and who is seen as having power. Caleb and Liz were going to have an encounter with the police, who were going to listen to Caleb instead of Liz even though this encounter would’ve taken place in Liz’s house and Liz is the name partner and Caleb the employee. Interesting enough, but anything boss/employee just squicks me out and I don’t need it around and Liz deserves better.

But I did like Caleb as a character, so I’m glad he gets an exit, unlike past characters who have just disappeared. (Remember Robyn Burdine? Or that time Taye Diggs was a major character for two seconds?)  

Liz was NOT expecting to see Caleb as a candidate for Lucca’s old role. Things are instantly awkward. I guess Caleb left STR Laurie?  

Diane immediately senses that things are awkward with Liz and Caleb. Caleb is very professional throughout all this. Diane gets an important call and leaves the room, so Caleb and Liz can chat privately.  

Caleb says he thought Liz was reaching out; Liz says she should’ve reached out but things ended abruptly. Love that Caleb checks that no one else is in the room with Liz before getting even more personal. He says they should just act like nothing ever happened between them and Liz asks if he can do that. “I’m the employee. Of course I can,” he says. This is why you don’t sleep with employees.  

He says he really does want the job and he liked the firm. Liz says she’ll talk to Diane. Caleb says if it doesn’t work out he’ll be fine.  

Phoebe tells Diane about 9 ¾ and Diane does not understand... at all. “If it has no power, and it doesn’t have jurisdiction, what does it have?” Diane wonders.  

A little more on the case: RL is representing a woman who taught a small group of students during the pandemic, and some parents are suing her for preaching socialism at the children.  

The woman suing did NOT like being called a Karen by her daughter or being compared to the family from Parasite. She wants a refund.  

Marissa objects and makes up her own grounds, realizing that since it’s not a real court, she can object for any reasons she wants—as long as they follow common sense.  

These scenes could so easily feel ridiculous, like a gag that goes on for too long. They do not. There’s just enough zany humor and theatrics to make the 9 ¾ court feel surreal. And, most helpfully, Wackner is a GREAT judge. He is engaged with the work and only concerned with the facts and arguments rather than politics. He’s tough but fair. He’s direct and he maintains control over his court. He’d be one of the best judges in a normal court. His sincerity is enough to make you wonder why courts DON’T operate like this. It’s easy to see why the characters are sold on this BS-free, rational, and effective system, even if it makes no sense that it would exist and it has no power. It’s simultaneously idealistic (if only things were resolved fairly) and threatening (how can something like this exist?! What does it mean that the real courts are so ineffective that there’s a need for something like this?! What happens if this goes beyond what are basically mediations for simple issues?).

This type of thought experiment is where TGF excels. I think they were going for something like this with Memo 618 (which hasn’t gone away!), but that arc always felt like it was on the verge of going off the rails. Mandy Patinkin’s performance and the writing for the 9 ¾ court already have me more invested in this than I was in Memo 618.  

Marissa tries yet again to wait for help to arrive, but Wackner insists that they keep things moving. She tries to stall and ends up referencing George Clooney. Wackner cuts through that, too—he hates speeches “unless I'm giving them, and even then I’m just trying to stall.” Then he holds up a sign that reads, “CUT THE SHIT” and the audience laughs. He says this isn’t the kind of court where you can just run out the clock. Kind of ridiculous that real court IS that kind of court, no? (And that’s why this is an effective device so far.) (I say so far because I have watched content from these writers for long enough to know that things that work in small doses or initially can go wildly off the rails.)  

Marissa changes strategies and does what she does best: she goes on instinct and adjusts her strategy as she goes. She eventually catches the woman accusing her client of teaching socialism in a lie about Parasite. It’s very Legally Blonde and very smart of Marissa. And I’m rather proud of myself for seeing what Marissa was doing (getting the woman to commit to a time frame and then baiting her to talk about a moment that proved the time frame fake) before she revealed what she was doing.  

Sarah Steele is so good in this scene. I love her smile when she realizes the woman took the bait, and that she reacts with “AHA!” instead of something more proper. This is pretty much the perfect court for Marissa.  

Diane and Jay arrive; are confused.  

Carmen leaves Rivi after quite a bit of time has passed, making Barry nervous. Carmen tells him very little and repeats that she sat, listened, and left. She told the translator to go fuck himself (almost in those words) so she’s gotta know that Barry will hear what happened from someone. She does not care. She lies to Barry like it’s nothing.  

Diane does not understand the 9 ¾ court, nor does she understand why a non-lawyer like Marissa is arguing. She does not understand why losing in this venue would matter or why a lawyer she knows (ha, I looked him up to see if he’d been on Wife or Fight before, and he has... as a totally different character!) is there.  

“Okay, I’m losing my mind. Look, this is not legal. We have got to get out of here,” Diane says. Toni, the client, wants to stay.

I don’t actually know the answer to this—would there be repercussions to someone who is a member of the bar participating in something like this? Everyone knows it’s not real or binding, so nothing is being misrepresented, but this FEELS illegal?  

Toni notes that a lot of people suing her are there watching, so walking out or losing would look bad. She also likes Judge Wackner because he is “better than the judges in real court.”

“Diane, what is real?” the client asks when Diane points out again that this court is fake. The client’s spent 8 months on this case in limbo, so this feels like reality to her. Fair point.  

Diane chats with the other lawyer and asks what he’s doing here. He says he’s getting paid—with business down and court dockets backlogged (how much would that affect a large firm that settles most cases out of court? I’m actually curious about this), it’s a good source of money.  

Diane realizes it’s basically arbitration. Then says she doesn’t understand anything anymore. The other lawyer replies, “Sure you do. That’s why this is throwing you. Welcome to 2021.” Yup.  

Diane goes with it. A former teacher is on the stand. He’s got a grudge and wants money, so he’s helping out. He tries to say something that is the most obvious hearsay ever... and Wackner has no problem with it. Marissa likes that.  

Wackner basically says he’s fine with hearsay because he can use his brain to figure out what’s real and what’s fake, just like we all do every day. Crosstalk is also allowed.  

Wackner also doesn’t allow for bullshit breaks where lawyers tell clients what to say, because he “likes the truths found in sudden utterances.” All his rules make a lot of sense. They are all also counter to every single sneaky legal strategy these characters tend to use.

Toni made a comment that she “couldn’t fall in love with anyone who voted for Trump.” That gives a point to the plaintiff. Diane notes that this belief is shared with most of the country, and Wackner asks her if she shares it. “I’m not the question,” Diane replies, because she definitely doesn’t want to talk about her husband who worked in the Trump administration.  

Wackner flat out tells Diane that Marissa should argue instead of her. “Marissa is not a lawyer,” Diane tries to say. “Well, I’m not a judge!” Wackner responds. And that’s it for the day.

Diane asks Jay for intel, and then we get one of the most effective Jay scenes in a while—he bonds with the Copy Coop security guard, who only has good things to say about Wackner. I like how the writers use COVID in this episode—they treat it like it’s recent past (fingers crossed) and reference it when it makes sense, like how the courts are backlogged, or this guard was laid off.  

The security guard notes that he thinks Wackner is building something good in his spare time. He also notes that Wackner is a big Grateful Dead fan.

Carmen takes it upon herself to visit someone else in prison to help Rivi. She points out they’re under surveillance and convinces this other dude to take the fall for Rivi so he can go free. It’s very smart. I assume this is all her own strategy, as we see her look up this other dude before she’s even met with Rivi, though it’s possible Rivi came up with some of it.  

There is something about Carmen’s demeanor when she deals with clients that is very Alicia-like in interesting ways. She’s very direct and unflappable in a way that people seem to take to (remember how all the creeps loved Alicia?), and she only shows emotion when she decides to. The similarities stop there. Carmen doesn’t seem remorseful or conflicted (Alicia always did). Sociopathic definitely isn’t the right word for her, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it didn’t cross my mind. Carmen knows that her clients are bad guys. That doesn’t trouble her. And she doesn’t try to take the easy way out—she does more than she needs to. I don’t know what she’s really trying to do here, but I suspect she does.  

Carmen is 28, just fyi.  

Liz gets a call from Charles Lester. Obviously, Lester now works for Rivi, because Rivi is New Bishop. (Usually I’m a bit against saying any character is the new version of an old one, like how Lucca was not the new Kalinda (even if she was brought in to bring new energy to the space Kalidna occupied) or how Carmen is not the new Lucca (same), but I’m pretty comfortable saying Rivi is New Bishop. He’s not the same personality, but he... is New Bishop.)  

Lester notes that Rivi only wants to meet with Carmen from now on. Liz does not understand this and she’s not thrilled with it. She notes that Carmen is a first year who has been there for two days, but she doesn’t want to lose Rivi’s business so she goes along with it. Was that Carmen’s endgame? Job security? Does she not care about the RL job and see a good opportunity to... just represent Rivi without a firm behind her? I can’t tell.

(This is where I could see this arc faltering. I get why Liz keeps Carmen on—she doesn’t want to lose the client—but I don’t really understand why Liz wants Rivi as a client. Losing Carmen who’s been there for two days and Rivi who she probably doesn’t want to represent seems like a fine outcome to me. And, beyond that, if Carmen doesn’t care about the firm and also doesn’t need them, what’s in it for her to stay? I don’t think she really cares that the firm would have more resources to use in defending Rivi. Like, why isn’t the outcome here just that Carmen teams up with Lester and leaves RL behind?)

Diane listens to the Grateful Dead and writes down lyrics she can use in court. Kurt gets home from work. Diane asks him if he thinks she should give up her name partnership since it’s a black firm. Kurt asks if she’s the best lawyer there. She says no, but she’s one of the best, and besides, it’s a bad look and she wants to do what’s right for the firm. “You and I disagree on so much. You obviously ask my opinion because you know that I will argue something you know you won’t,” Kurt says. This is a very good, and very accurate, response.

Diane keeps going, though. Kurt plays along and starts talking about identity politics. Diane starts debating back, ignoring that Kurt is not really wanting to play devil’s advocate. Kurt doesn’t give Diane an easy out and tells her she’s right—she should step aside. That’s not what she wanted to hear. Kurt laughs and then goes to take a shower.  

Liz is eyeing Adrian’s office when Carmen walks up. She’s invited Carmen to talk to her. She asks her how things are going. Carmen just wants to know if she did something wrong. Carmen says she likes the firm and it’s great to be out of the legal clinics.  

Liz shares the news that Rivi only wants Carmen going forward. Carmen is pleased and says that’s surprising... though she looks more pleased than surprised.  

Liz suggests maintaining a professional distance, to which Carmen replies “I’m very professional.” “Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Liz tries to backtrack. “Is the firm dissatisfied with my work?” Carmen asks bluntly. Liz says no. “It’s my intention to treat all my clients like humans. Even the ones who might be murderers, or definitely are murderers. And I think Mr. Rivi might be responding to that because it’s something that he hasn’t received at this firm previously,” Carmen notes. This is QUITE the tone to take with your boss.

One question I have—and this is mostly inspired by the recap at I think Vulture?-- is to what extent Carmen knows what she’s doing. It seems like a lot. I can’t tell how much Carmen knows vs how much Carmen THINKS she knows. She’s definitely smart, and I don’t think she is an idealist (when she says her intention is to treat her clients like humans, she means that’s her strategy), but she is young and new to the law and only out for herself, which makes her vulnerable.  

Liz does not take well to Carmen’s talk and notes she’s talking about her personal safety. Carmen thanks her and says she’d understand if Liz doesn’t want her on the case.

There is something a little unnerving about Carmen. She keeps saying things that are boldly inappropriate but masked by how professional and correct her arguments sound (like the line about treating clients like humans). And she has a way of gaining power over a conversation. Liz squirms way too much in that conversation and loses some of her control as a result.  

I just need to know more about her!!! The fact that I can’t understand her makes her immediately interesting.  

Diane and Liz interview Julius for Lucca’s position. They all know it would be a demotion for him, but they’re seriously considering it. I feel like this would look awful for the firm and they are going to handwave it anyway after a few lines about how bad it would look.  

Diane quotes the Grateful Dead in court and it works. The other lawyer tries to quote songs too... it does not work.  

Carmen gets Rivi a bunch of candy bars from the court vending machine so he can have a snack he enjoys. The security guard doesn’t want to let Rivi eat them, but Carmen is right that this is permissible. The guard smashes the bars in defeat. Carmen opens one for Rivi.  

It is a little distracting to see the main characters pretend that COVID is in the past when the extras have masks, but honestly, that’s kind of what life is like right now?

Carmen zones out a little in court—not sure if she just does that or if she is trying to look unfamiliar with the rules so people will go easy on her/have low expectations. I think it’s a combination of both, considering that we’ve seen her laser-focus on things elsewhere in the episode AND she tells the judge it is her first day in court.  

Court stuff happens; Carmen’s strategy works.  

The judge tries to give Carmen advice and a warning. Liz is also there, watching, which is good because I was shocked anyone would let Carmen do this unsupervised.  

Carmen is also kind of like if you removed all of Maia’s worst traits (her selfishness, her spoiled brat attitude, her sense of entitlement) and skipped right to her willingness to partner with Blum.

Liz and Carmen talk again, this time about the reputation of the firm. Liz notes that Carmen is clearly capable and reminds her sternly that she needs to conduct herself in a manner that does not put the firm at risk and that’s the only reminder she’s going to get. Carmen twirls a pen and stares at it instead of listening to Liz. She says she’s just listening like she’s perfectly innocent. It’s the right thing to say and, again, it’s SUPER UNNERVING.  

“Wow. You really don’t give a shit what people think about you, do you?” Liz says in frustration. “I’m here to do a good job for my clients,” Carmen notes. Is she??? Does she just not care who she’s representing and want to do a good job, and that’s her whole motivation?? I would find that interesting but I need more to believe it. She’s so perplexing.

(Again, I don’t really get why Liz hasn’t fired her, because if she and Carmen keep having these interactions, Liz IS going to end up ceding all of her power and looking weak. But maybe Liz is as intrigued as I am.)

Liz also tells Carmen she’s going to be her mentor. Carmen says thanks and that she respected Liz’s father. Liz does NOT take that well. Audra’s reaction—a mix of shock, irritation, and confusion—is perfect here. I think Carmen is trying to say that she respected Carl Reddick—but she has no such respect for Liz. (It could also be about the sexual harassment, but I don’t think that’s public knowledge.)  

I noticed earlier that the courtroom was #305 and was wondering why they chose that number (it’s similar to Courtroom 302, the book that inspired the bond court arc, which is why 305 stuck in my mind). I see now that the Copy Coop’s address is 305. Heh.  

Turns out that the woman suing Toni is someone who would break COVID protocol and be generally terrible. I’m shocked.

Wackner decides to skip closing arguments and rule. He sides with Toni.  

See, this is where this kind of thing is dangerous. Wackner is great and fair. But you can’t really replicate a system like this (though I also think this system would fail if replicated on too large of a scale; the reason it works is that everyone involved is buying into it and if it were to be corrupted no one would buy into it unless forced to—and if people are forced to buy into an extrajudicial system then that’s its own problem). What if some other judge were to just decide to skip closing arguments or decide suddenly a trial was over? That could be unfair in so many different ways.  

After the resolution of the case there’s clapping and even Diane is surprised at how reasonable the verdict was.

Wackner then insists that everyone shake hands because “the thing we all crave most is respect and acknowledgement.” They also have to say, “I respect and I love you.” And they do! And no one even seems that unhappy with it Marissa and Toni are super into it.

And, someone in the gallery wants to get Marissa’s number because she did such a good job. Yep, sounds about right.

Diane fills Liz in, and Liz can’t believe it. Liz wants to hire Wackner (jokingly). Then she says she wants Julius since they know and trust him. Diane’s good with that, but she also chooses this moment to playfully let on that she knows Liz slept with Caleb. We’ve seen Diane observe Liz’s reaction to Caleb/mentions of Caleb all episode, and I don’t think it’s coincidental that Diane brings this up now, and in a friendly way. Diane doesn’t need to bring it up. I don’t think Diane needs the answer. I think she just wants to throw Liz off without making it obvious that’s what she’s doing.

I really, really hate to say it, because my whole thing about this season is wanting to see Liz be a great manager, but I don’t... actually think... Liz is a great manager? She’s second-guessing herself far too much. She’s more thrown in this scene than Carmen, who has like two days of experience, is by anything she encounters. And worse, she doesn’t hide it when she’s thrown. I think Liz is very smart and capable, but this episode is a pretty good case for why she might not be able to manage alone.

I know I’ve said that I want to see Liz manage and think she’d be good at it. I still think she could be. But I’ve also tended to think that Liz is a good manager and Adrian talks down at her, and I’ve dismissed some of her less strategic ideas as the fault of the Adrian/Liz dynamic. But nothing in this episode seems out of character, so now I’m less sure. (And to be clear, Liz not being a great manager isn’t a problem with the show, it’s actually pretty interesting to me.)  

(Here are some of the things Liz has done in this episode alone that she needs to stop doing to be more effective: 1) Everything about her reaction to Caleb (and the fact she slept with him-- and yes I would, and did, say this about Will too so this is not a double standard!) 2) Not having a clear plan when meeting with the partners, even though she—and not Diane—is the one who is seen as having power. 3) Not being able to hold her own nearly as well as she should be able to with Carmen. I’m curious to see how the other partners hold up, and in fairness to Liz, I may be able to make this criticism of any character who doesn’t just immediately fire Carmen.)  

And, I say all of this now because Diane in this scene is SO smart and SO strategic. She mentions Caleb to disarm Liz, then casually notes that she thinks Liz should take the corner office since it’s a black firm.  

Liz isn’t sure if she should thank Diane for that (it is a little patronizing) but she does anyway.

Diane has another “last thing” to say, and it’s that she wants to bring on another partner, a black one. She wants to be in the discussion and to retain a name partner position. Liz says yes, as long as she has any power over the decision. This is a very smart move for Diane. It’s a compromise that’s to her benefit, and she makes the request of Liz at exactly the right time. I think Diane likes Liz as a person and wants to work with her, but she’s definitely buttering her up. This is kind of like an audition to show Liz that she should stick with Diane—Diane will be friendly with her! Diane won’t judge (but definitely knows about!) her indiscretions. Diane is reasonable and not power-hungry! Diane is understanding!  

(And again, to be clear, I don’t think Liz is falling for Diane’s trap or anything. If Diane is smart enough to plan all this out, Diane is absolutely someone you’d want to keep on as a name partner. It’s just that Diane showing how smart she is, is a pretty stark contrast to Liz getting disrespected by a first-year associate.)  

(And, because I feel like I'm being quite harsh on Liz, I don’t think Liz has handled the Carmen situation badly... yet. I just see signs that Carmen is able to shift the balance of power in her favor without really trying, and that Liz is getting flustered. I think Liz mentioning the mentorship is a way of Liz asserting power, and I think/hope that now that Liz knows the situation, she will try to regain control. And, I could very easily see this same plot happening but with Diane—it's just that there are a few other plots where Liz seems flustered in this episode alone, so it feels like a pattern. I’ll be looking out for more of this.)

Marissa and Carmen, both with large folders of casework, get in an elevator together. “So. I guess it begins,” Marissa says as the episode ends. I very much want to see more of Marissa and Carmen interacting. Mostly, I just want to see what Carmen does when she’s in situations that aren’t about representing a client or defending her work. I know what type of lawyer and employee she is, but who is she as a person?  

Wow, this might be the most I’ve written about characters on TGF—as opposed to plots—in quite a while. I think that’s what has me so excited about this season. Carmen is interesting as a character because she’s so unique (or, perhaps, because she feels so much like a part of this universe yet so little like any other character—that's why I keep trying to compare her to others and find out where to place her). The 9 ¾ court is interesting because Wackner is so grounded, because it challenges Diane’s sense of reality in a way that’s new and interesting (this whole series is about making reality seem like it’s shifting under your feet; this is a new take on a familiar theme), and because it is a great match for Marissa’s personality and will give her a lot of opportunities for growth. It seems like we’re heading for some interesting material with Diane and Kurt, and there’s been a little bit of a tense undercurrent in their interactions in these first two episodes—I truly can’t tell if it’s supposed to be part of their banter or if there are mounting frustrations; I think the former but could see it being the latter. And, as I’d hoped, Liz is getting a lot more material.  

[drivingsideways]

hi, I've been going through your jtbc life tag, and seeing your commentary on how the writer lacked in some parts, how differently would you have written it had you helmed it?

How delightful. This no-name fic writer unencumbered by entertainment industry realpolitik would:

1. Write the elder Ye sibling as a woman. Why not? Are women not allowed grief and misdirected rage? Are they not allowed to shake the world? I submit that they are. I don't think there needs to be too much change to Ye Jin-woo's role/ characterization for this to work. The love story between the siblings remains absolutely the same. 

2. HOWEVER. I would not go into a pointless red herring plot about possible murder. Ye Seon-woo and Ye Seol-hee find out about the funds misappropriation; unfortunately Director Lee passes away before he can take any action. With Deputy Director Kim in line for the job, and also their PRIME SUSPECT, ER star doctor Ye Seol-hee gets into battle mode.

3. Meanwhile! Sungkook stalwarts ( and People Who Have Had An Unspoken Thing Between Them for twenty odd years , two marriages, two divorces, and two kids betwixt them) Chiefs Joo and Oh are in the process of figuring out What To Do About the Problem of CEO Gu Seung-hyo. Chief Joo and CEO Gu clash very publicly, and Chief Joo's MORAL COMPASS and (unfortunate!) popularity with the staff make him a front runner for director's post because the Kim Tae-Sang subplot gets resolved a little faster. But! CEO Gu knows Chief Joo would be a total disaster and he thinks Chief Oh would be an acceptable compromise? So he's trying to figure out how to get an in with her, because they seem to be A Team, and she speaks her mind but doesn't do any real politicking; ffs, she hasn't even put her name on the list. How now?

4. Hello, junior NEUROSURGEON Lee No-eul of the sunny smiles and unfortunate taste in friends, but BETTER taste in mentors i.e Chief Oh's special fave. Lee No-eul is his in! She seems a sensible sort- they end up sitting having a  meal together at the cafeteria when she walks up and introduces herself and they actually have a particularly good conversation about the govt’s latest regulations re: health insurance- and she adores her sunbae.

5. But how to? Enter Kang Kyung-ah, who LUCKILY has befriended Lee No-eul, VIA Ye Seon-woo, whose love for Lee No-eul could be seen from SPACE, Gu Seung-hyo thinks, but to which No-eul remains charmingly oblivious. But that's not *his * problem, he just needs No-eul to latch onto the idea that Chief Oh should be the next director.

Isn't it time this hospital put women in leadership roles, Kang Kyung-ah asks No-eul over coffee and chatter about kittens. CEO nim was honestly surprised not to see any names in senior management. Of course, the field at the moment was narrow, this was probably something they needed to work on, but Chief Oh has the chops, doesn't Dr.Lee think so? Dr. Lee does think so. Perhaps Dr. Lee should tell her sunbae that then, and y'know, drop the hint that CEO nim would be very happy to see her name on the list. (It would be great drama if this becomes a point of contention between Ye Seol-hee and Lee No-eul rather than you know Romantic Problems Caused By Best Friend Falling For Known Enemy)

5. Chief Oh knows she has the chops. But- there's Chief Joo to consider. She loves him, but god, the man needs to learn to work around things to move them forward, instead of being the tree that won't move. Plus it's a LOT OF WORK, and it's not like she's not already STRESSEDT. Alright, whatever, she's gonna do it.

6. Well, Chief Joo thinks it's a brilliant idea, and really wants her to win, but wait, WHAT, you don't think Gu Seung-hyo needs to be taken down entirely, he just needs to be kept in line? HE HAS SEDUCED YOU WITH HIS CHARM AND HIS PROMISE OF BETTER EQUIPMENT FOR NEUROSURGERY. ARE YOU GOING TO BE SELLING VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS NOW, IS THAT WHERE THIS IS GOING? (How could you betray everything we've stood for all these years?? How can you betray everything we’ve been to each other all these years?)

7. I feel this would be a great time to bring things to boiling point with a nursing staff strike? Kim Eun-ha was a fave minor character that I would have liked to see more of, and I think her whole cause of better pay/ working conditions for nursing staff would be a great crisis point to really go all out with Our Golden Trio, as Seung-hyo, Chief Joo and Chief Oh take different positions on this, while the directorship remains in the air. 

7. So, well, it's VERY difficult and there's PINING like crazy, but like, when push comes to shove, THEY ARE THERE FOR EACH OTHER OK? He votes for her of course (though he doesn't tell her that), and she brokers a decent compromise for the nursing staff AND gets him a budget for those rural clinics he’s been dreaming of, but oh no, can she ever forgive him for Things That Happened and Oh No Can He Ever Forgive Me For Crossing Sides etc. The Pining (TM) reaches such stratospheric levels that even Ye Seol-hee takes time off from fucking things up to notice. [”How Sungkook’s Hospital betrayed it’s staff by breaking the first ever strike” reads the top online story for a week ]

(What's going on with them, she asks her bestest friend Lee No-eul, who shrugs, philosophically, pats her hand and says, not something you'll understand, you have to know what Real Romance is for that. Hmmph, says Ye Seol-hee, and grumps for a week, but No-eul also notices that these days Seol-hee keeps running off to take calls in secret and it turns out that secret is firebrand reporter and giraffe Choi Seo-hyun? Oh! thinks Lee No-eul, that's adorable, and she tells Seon-woo , and they both look at each other and burst out laughing, and Seol-hee finds her life even more UNBEARABLE thanks for nothing)

7. The point is, Gu Seung-hyo thinks, the point is, Chief Joo and Director Oh are there for each other, their bond wasn't something that even his interference (for admittedly selfish reasons) had broken, and y'know what, he's not a kid, he's emotionally aware enough to admit that he'd really like something like that for himself. What would that even be like, he thinks, as he cuddles Nighty, to know that you weren't alone, and that someone would love you despite your fuck ups or for them, even? And FINE, he wasn't immune to the attraction of deeply moral men who worked 48 hrs straight and fell asleep in supply closets, and NEITHER was he unaware of the way he maybe sometimes found himself taking a little extra care of his appearance on the days he had a meeting with Director Oh, but none of this could be allowed to matter, the point is that they'd never see him as anything but an outsider, and anyway, the way things were going, he'd probably have no cause to see them every single day--

8. "Gosh, listen to this man making us reveal our age," Director Oh says at the farewell dinner they organize for him. It surprises him that it's dinner, that the restaurant is cosy, warm, instead of business-like. It doesn't surprise him in the least that the low, warm lighting accentuates the twinkle Chief Joo's dark eyes as he replies, or that it makes the red of Director Oh’s lipstick headier than the wine they’re drinking. It’s their favourite restaurant he finds out, a small joint that serves Ethiopian food, they’ve been coming here for twenty years, and everyone knows them and they know everyone, and oh, y’know, when he’s in town and not so busy, would he like to join them for their weekly dinners here? 

9. But WHAT ABOUT THE ROMANCE you ask, every kdrama needs a romance, not just subtextual OT3! You’re absolutely right! Not to worry, Kang Kyung-ah is totally on the job! “How adorable is Ye Seon-woo!” she tells Lee No-eul on one of their many dates where they don’t discuss Gu Seung-hyo at ALL, “If I were ten years younger I’d totally hit that!” No-eul laughs, but is also a little embarassed, that’s like her best friend ok, and then Kyung-ah adds, “Not that he’s got eyes for anyone but you!” and No-eul goes, what? and Kyung-ah goes “what?” and then No-eul has a whole ten days (while the Ye siblings are on their seaside vacation) where she’s trying to figure out if a) it’s true and b) what she feels about it and c) then that gets VERY clarified when she finds out that Seon-woo MIGHT DIE and when they are back she’s like, listen up Seon-woo, if you have plans of dying without surgery, just gonna tell you that’s not on the cards, and Seon-woo is like, do you have an alternate plan? and Lee No-eul, neurosurgeon extraordinaire and a woman who knows what she wants, is like, you betcha, we gonna get married and have five kids, and Seon-woo is like *swallows *, “If you say so”, and she’s like “I do.”

FINI. 

[austarus]

Harry Wells x Reader Crisis of Infinite Wells (Part 2 of 5)

**A/N: The picture/edit/gif does not belong to me. It belongs to @marry-me-harrywells​

Word Count: 4144

Part 1   Part 3    Part 4    Part 5

You brushed your damp hair from any remaining knots, the remnants from the warm shower no longer lingering on your body. Taking in a breath, you smelled freshly of raspberry delight from your shampoo and conditioner combo. Nothing beats getting clean. Placing the hairbrush down, you braided your locks into a French Braid that Jesse had taught you to do. You sighed at the thought, turning to look at the picture frame that remained on your bedside counter. It was just last year that everything was ok. A shiver had gone down your spine.

The frame held a picture of you, Harry, and Jesse at a Christmas Gala back on Earth 2. Your fingers ran over the cool glass when you picked up the fame, taking a seat on your bed. Jesse and you had wide grins, thoroughly enjoying the night, while Harry had a small smile laced onto his face as he stood in between you both with an arm around you and her, a glint of light evident in his deep blue eyes. Harry and Jesse had been making progress on restoring his intelligence, something that Marlize DeVoe hadn’t done a great job of doing Jesse had commented. And much to the dismay of some of Jesse’s hero group, Jesse pushed forward with helping her father. Honestly, you knew Harry wasn’t just going to sit around and be an Average Joe. What was it that Cisco called them? Jesse and the Quicksters? Yeah, that sounds about right. You laughed to yourself a bit, remembering how Harry hated the name your friend had given Jesse and her group.

Vrr, vrr

Your phone vibrated, bringing you out of your thoughts. Lowering the picture frame into your lap, your fingers still danced over the glass pane. Picking up your phone, you saw a text notification from Cisco.

Ciscito: Hey, you still up? (10:45 PM)

You: Yeah, what’s up Vibe? (10:46 PM)

Ciscito: I think Chester and I made the necessary modifications needed to connect the Cerebral Inhibitor to the Mindscape machine. Schematics and diagnostics seem to be running smoothly, but without a test run we can’t be too sure. (10:48 PM)

Ciscito: Have you talked to Cecile? (10:49 PM)

You: Yeah, she said she’s free all of tomorrow, but if something were to come up she’d let me know. Also, I sorta got persuaded into babysitting Jenna next time Cecile and Joe need a date night, but that’s fine with me. (10:51 PM)

You: That’s why I’m going to have Harry and Sherloque, maybe even our salty German Wells be our fresh pairs of eyes for this. (10:54 PM) One wrong calculation and well…

Ciscito: Ugh, please don’t mention said Herr Wolfgang “stick-up-my-ass” Wells (10:55 PM)

Ciscito: You feeling ok? Need me to come over? (10:55 PM)

You: No, I don’t wanna steal you from Kamila. She’s going to need you with what she experienced in the Mirror Dimension. And Eva’s still on the loose. (10:55 PM)

Ciscito: But are you feeling ok? (10:55 PM)

You: Honestly, I’m scared Cisco. What if I’m wrong? What if all of this is wrong? Like I said I’m just a doctor, I don’t know if my thought process even works with the new rules of physics with this new timeline… What if I’m the reason that I don’t get to see Harry again? That we don’t get to see him and Jesse. (10:57 PM)

Ciscito: Hey! No! You listen to me, and you listen to me well. We’ve done this before. We didn’t think it was possible for multiple universes to even exist, but it did. Closing the breaches to trap Zoom, we figured it out with Harry. Nazis from Earth-X crashing the West-Allen Wedding suddenly happened, but then we saved the day with everyone. (10:59 PM)

Ciscito: Hell, we didn’t even know how to perform an exorcism until a couple of weeks ago! Scientifically might I add, despite all the things Cecile brought in. We Expecto Patronum-ed the shit out of Thawne. He’s just lurking around like the pissed off, red-eyed Voldemort that he is now. (11:00 PM)

Ciscito: My point is, have a little faith in yourself. If it’s anything that HR taught me, is that you don’t have to be a genius or a physicist to come up with a plan to save the ones you love.  (11:00 PM)

Ciscito: Remember that. (11:01 PM)

You: Thank you Cisco, I really don’t know what I’d do without you. 11:01 PM)

Ciscito: Yeah, I mean, that’s why I’m here. All in a good day’s work, you know. Doing the Lord’s job, blessing others with my existence and advice.  (11:02 PM)

You: Wow, Ciscito, I can practically feel the narcissism through the texts. (11:03 PM)

Ciscito: Is that what you still have me on your phone as? (11:04 PM)

You: You’ll never know~ (11:05 PM)

You: Goodnight Ciscito~! (11:05 PM)

Ciscito: Wait (11:06 PM)

Ciscito: No, this is serious! (11:06 PM)

Ciscito: CHANGE IT!! (11:06 PM)

***

With hurried footsteps, you entered into the Speed Lab seeing the Mindscape machine all set up with the Cerebral Inhibitor perched on a nearby table. Chester was working on creating some algorithms for Sally and the other STAR Labs Satellites while Cisco tinkered with the Neural Splicer. Nash was already in the room, hovering over them and messing with Cisco. The leather jacket you wore seemed to carry a bit more weight on your shoulders, you made a head nod at each of them. You peeled your jacket off, not being able to stand it against you anymore. Not really registering Chester’s chattering and enthusiasms to Cisco about opening up multiple dimensions and the endless possibilities of technological advancements that could come from such discovery, you took a seat on a mobile stool nearby. Running a hand through your hair, your brain rifled through your doubts. What if I end up frying Nash’s mind? A pang of hurt struck your chest because then not only would he be dead, but so would all the other Wells if your assumptions about due to their existence in his mindscape were correct consistent wavelengths. Their hypothetical blood would be on my hands.

Once Cisco had threatened Nash to leave him to work in peace, you approached the slyly grinning adventurer. “Hey, I just wanted to thank you.” You pocketed your hands in the back pockets of your jeans and gave him a small smile.

“For what?”

“I don’t know. I guess for taking a chance on me and coming back. Even if you didn’t know what was going on.”

Nash pursed his lips for a moment, shaking his head for a bit, “Oddly enough, I had a gut feeling that told me an adventure always comes with your Team’s calls.” A cheeky laugh left him. “You guys just always go out looking for trouble, huh.”

*Speak for yourself,* you deadpanned in your thoughts, but let him continue.

“Lucky for you all, I happened to be available, so why not pop in. If this does work, then…” The dark-haired Wells trailed off, looking over the Speed Lab, “Then you get your Wells back. But-”

“-But?-” You raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, crossing your arms.

“You owe me.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, little lady. You owe me and when the time is right,” he paused in thought, “I’ll cash that favor in.”

You scoffed and unfurled your arms, an incredulous look on your face, “What? Nash, you-”

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Cecile interrupted you, entering the labs with Baby Jenna in her stroller. You rolled your eyes at him, gesturing and mouthing that this conversation wasn’t over. Nash just smirked to himself. Heading over to Cecile, you gave her a hug. “Jenna gave me a bit of a tantrum getting dressed today.”

“No problem, thanks for doing this Cecile.”

“Always here whenever you guys need me.” The metahuman attorney gave Jenna a toy to stay preoccupied until this was over. Cecile turned back to you, a look that’s all too familiar crossing her face. “You couldn’t sleep.” You made a sheepish look before heading over to one of the computers, setting up the software to monitor physiological and psychological functions. Cecile followed close, reading you, “Or more like you didn’t want to sleep.”

You opened your mouth to speak only to be cut off by that motherly look she had on her face. Closing your mouth, you shut your eyes for a moment before reopening them, “I guess I was nervous. I mean, a lot’s at stake here, Cecile.”

“Uh -uh, what did I say about negative attitudes in my labs,” Cisco strode close, handing you the one MAD 2.0 after setting down the Neural Splicer. You stuck your tongue at him, “We want him back just as much as you, all of them, so don’t worry. We’re Team Flash. When have things not gone our way?” You and Cecile just made a face at him as he handed Cecile one MAD 2.0. “Actually, don’t answer that, anyway- Party people, let’s get a move on.”

You and Cecile put on the MAD 2.0’s meanwhile Cisco sedated Nash, who’s currently lying on a gurney and had the MAD 2.0 on already. Caitlin had told him the sedation would last a few hours, but would keep Nash’s body under normal cellular and molecular regulation. Making eye contact with Cecile, you nodded as if to say that you were ready. Your nerves spiked slightly in anticipation, the hairs at the back of your neck sticking up. She held a hand for you which you took, shutting your eyes in focus and allowing her to transport you into Nash’s mind.

***

Opening your eyes, you find Nash right in front of you before looking around. *I guess what you indulge in becomes your mindscape* you thought as your eyes scanned the cold-looking cave walls with lights hung up on them to illuminate the paths.

“Alright, I’ll be monitoring your vitals until Caitlin comes back, but in the meantime Cecile and I will be here in case anything happens,” Cisco voiced out to you and Nash, but you had stopped listening and pushed past Nash. But where? You had no clue, you just needed to start moving.

“Ah, hey-” Nash followed with quick steps until he was beside you. “Shouldn’t you be letting me lead the way? This *is* my mind and everything. I’d know it best.”

“Perhaps, but I didn’t see you moving. The one who’s supposedly quick on his feet as a multi-versal explorer.”

“Snarky, I can see why Harry would like you,” Nash let out a little laugh, his words making you grin slightly. “And it’s geological myth-busting, ah-thank-you-very-much.”

You pursed your lips for a moment and stopped, turning towards him, “Be honest with me Nash, do you think I’m being delusional about this?”

“Delusional? Never. Conflicted? Slightly. But hopeful,” he adjusted his jacket and started walking with you in toe, observing the caves and mentally remembering where he had last seen both Wells doppelgangers. “Even with that shred of doubt within you, I can see that you haven’t let it consume the hope you have left. Hope is important, it gives life meaning. How else would a physician such as yourself come up with a brilliantly thought-out plan?”

He glanced at you with a quirked-up eyebrow, sending you a witty smile that was oddly comforting. Maybe because he wore the face of the man you trusted the most. You smiled to yourself and looked on ahead. Hope, sounds something up Kara’s alley really. You both had passed by a couple of exits or cave-memory outlets actually.

“So, based off what Cisco told me when he exorcised Thawne out of you, each cave outlet has a memory of yours? Whether good or bad. And only you’d be able to get into it?”

“Give or take. Thawne apparently rifled through all my memories, so I’m less keen on having the others do the same.”

“Did you install a little battle droid or something, Solo?” You joked.

“Ha-ha, not exactly. And an adventurer never shares their secrets without getting something in return.”

“Touché, Nash. Touché.”  

You two continued to walk for god knows how long (Cisco checked in to say that 35 minutes had passed since you’ve entered, and that Caitlin had finally returned) until voices reached your ears. Stopping in your tracks, you and Nash were currently on the top part of a slight rocky incline structure within his mind. He stopped beside you, squinting at the sight in front of him. From a good distance you can see a group of Wells, in an enclosed circle, heatedly discussing something with each other as insults and science-y words were thrown around. Very loudly, might you add. They were none-the-wiser about yours and Nash’s appearance. From afar, one wore a dark fedora and the other had platinum white hair while the remaining two had dark hair. One dark-haired Wells had their back facing you. Is… is that one wearing sunglasses inside a cave??? Your eyes widened as one of the voices distinctly made your heart jump: gruff, sarcastic, and full of irritation towards the other men.

“Oh my god,” fell out of your mouth in a shaky whisper, standing stunned in place. Your body refusing to even synthesize tears at this point.

At that same moment, Nash had turned his head towards you, reaching a hand out to stop you, “Ah, hey- (Y/N) don’t-” but you had already started running down the slight incline. Not too steep enough to pick up way too much speed, but good enough for you to keep running.

“Shit,” Nash cursed, yelling out to one of the Wells in the group that he can see clearly just as you had started running. “Sherlock!” Nash made his way down the incline albeit a bit slowly, gauging the forthcoming interaction with the group.

“Hm, its Sherloque,” Sherloque immediately perked up at the sound of the voice calling his name incorrectly, eyes easily spotting you in the dim-ish part of this mind-cave as you were closing in. “Uh, ’arry. ‘arry!”

“What?!”

“Incoming,” the detective quickly altered his doppelganger and pointed a finger behind him. “Incoming très vite!” The other two Wells turned as well with confused looks.

“What?” Those words left Harry’s mouth, turning his body around in one fluid motion only for your body to launch into his arms. Knocking the tall Earth 2 genius back a little, but not enough to have you both fall to the ground. Your arms wrapped around him tightly as your head buried itself in his chest.

Harry had stood there, the shock leaving his body after a second or so. His arms circling around you instantly, a soft expression crossing his face as his eyes shut. The dark-haired man breathed you in. Reopening his beautiful baby blues, he kissed the top of your head before you both pulled away slightly. A hand gently cupped your face while the other held onto your upper arm as if checking if you were an illusion or not. It always blew your mind to pieces and made your heart swell at the way he handled you. How his callous hands can manipulate machinery and tools, yet gently caress you as if you’re made of the most fragile material to ever exist on any earth.

“Hey,” he whispered in that gruff voice of his, eyes filled with such warmth at the sight of you. Your hands rested on his firm chest, a thumb rubbing the material of his black sweater. His thumb brushed your cheek, feeling the growing heat on your skin. Feeling you against him. It was weird. Your psyche self and his interacting like this in Nash’s mindscape, yet feeling utterly and impossibly real to the touch.

“Hi,” you responded with that silly star-struck grin never leaving your face, the heat on your cheeks growing. You might as well had heart eyes popping out of your face. You saw him check over you, seeing if the Crisis had done anything in any way to change you from what would have been something so familiar.

Sherloque had a small smile on his face at the reunion, Sonny had that wide smirk on his features before nudging the uptight German beside him. Said German only rolled his eyes slightly as he adjusted his glasses but knowing deep down that it’s nice to see someone else other than a Harrison Wells doppelganger. Wolfgang won’t admit it because it’s just not his style. Nash had stood a little back behind you, nodding at the three gentlemen as the couple in front of him literally forgot the existence of him and the other Wells men.

Sherloque cleared his throat, “Now is that anyway to say ‘ello to us, good doctor?”

You blinked snapping out of your trance with Harry, looking over to the rest. You and Harry broke apart from the hug with you doing a tiny excited wave, “Hey, sorry about that.” At the same time, Harry’s hand found yours and intertwined your fingers together.

“No problem, Doll,” Sonny responded in that Brooklyn accent of his. Harry raised an eyebrow at him.

Wolfgang was the last Wells you made friendly eye contact with, but you noticed something. “I like-” you gestured to the slight facial hair on his face, “-the goatee thing you’ve got going on . It suits you.”

“Danke,” Wolfgang’s cheeks were dusted a slight pink color. He played with his glasses a bit.

“Now what brings a beautiful dame like you to these dark depths?” Harry shot a glare at Sonny for the pet names, he mistakenly held your hand a bit tighter and it made your heart beat a bit louder. You only raised your eyebrows at this Wells as he had spoken to you. Sonny just shrugged to which Harry narrowed his eyes even more. Oh, if looks could kill.

“We-” Nash started, stepping close to stand beside you while Harry was on the other side, “-have a proposition.” You five now stood in an enclosed circle.

You gulped, licking your lips and criticizing yourself for getting too caught up in the moment when every second should be spent on your theory, “I think I found a way to bring you guys back.” The Wells men froze, their eyes lighting up for a fraction before glancing at one another. Sherloque nodded at you. “Each and every one of you.” You snuck a peek at Harry, who’s eyes met yours instantly.

“Vell,” Wolfgang was the first one to break the silence that had shifted, “let’s hear it. Bitte.”

***

You explained your theory to them about multi-dimensions, the equipment that would be used, and what Team Flash had been doing so far. You couldn’t help but glance at Harry and Sherloque, receiving encouraging nods and a proud smile. “I just wanted to run this down with you guys because rewriting the laws of physics seems to be your area of expertise.”

Each Wells had their minds working through the information you had just given them, the cogs in their brains already turning in order to isolate a critical factor that can ruin it all.

“It shouldn’t be as tricky as multiverse hopping, amiright?” Sonny joked.

You gave a sheepish smile at the cheery Wells. I can ironically see why they call him Sonny. “I-I know I’m just a doctor, and- Barry and the others said it makes sense. Chester and Cisco are working to manipulate the Cerebral Inhibitor to the Mindscape while adjust the Neural Splicer for the Cerebral Inhibitor in order to return your psyche’s back to your bodies.”

“Aber ein problem,” Wolfgang interjected, gesturing with a hand while he had an arm crossed across his chest. “How are you going to take into account zhe dimensional breaches? Has Team Flash found ein dimension to extract it’s properties in order to make a sufficient extrapolator?”

“No,” you draw out your answer, “but that’s where you all come in.” Sherloque’s eyes held that curious glint as you continued, “All the Wells will be the key-”

“To opening up dimensional breaches to Earth-Prime.” The Frenchman finished. You nodded, biting your lower lip.

“Recording each entrance and cataloging it for future use in case something else were to happen,” Nash interjected, adjusting a gloved hand. Why does he wear those all the time?

“And it’s up to us, all of us to crack this… dimensional code. To solve a new problem,” Harry added on. You turned to him, your thumb rubbing his hand.

“Harry, you figured out how to close the breaches. Without a doubt, I have faith that you and the others can open these dimensions. That all these Earths are just hidden somewhere tricky to make us lose sense and hope of finding the ones we love.”

“But- and excuse my English- there’s a fuck ton of Wells and Earths in here and out there. How would efficiently cataloging even work with that much information and coordinates, my friends?” Sonny brought up an excellent point. One you hadn’t thought about because honestly you didn’t think you were gonna get this far. You were essentially at a loss for words.

Wolfgang cleared his throat, raising a pointer finger, “Ja, vell, before zhis crisis had occurred I created a neural memory chip in vhich I vas able to register every Vells across the multiverse from our strange und large Council. Basically, downloading zhe information into my own memory as vell as my psyche. Vas not easy, but after some time it vas a success.”

“Wolfgang, that’s amazing.” You said, feeling that hope inside you swell up again and taking down the pesky doubt that had been gripping your heart these past couple days.

“Danke, schatz.” The German Wells mumbled the last part to himself, but Sonny and Nash heard him. “I believe zhat a Council meeting ist overdue.”

“I guess, I should leave that to you guys.” You shrug your shoulders a bit, sadly letting go of Harry’s hand.

“Nein, halt-”

“Non, (Y/N)-”

“Hold on, doll-”

“Babe-”

Your eyes widened in confusion at there protest. “What?” Nash only rolled his eyes, crossing his arms because he really didn’t want to attend a stupid Council meeting with all those “idiots”.

“The others are…” Harry pursed his lips and glanced off a bit before looking at you. He didn’t want to say it.

“Stubborn? Irritably hardheaded? Unnerving?” You suggested and crossed your arms at you. “Yeah, I know. I’ve dealt with like four Wells already.” Harry raised an eyebrow at you, but he knows that his flaws were something you’ve grown to love and accept of him. As you’ve told him before obviously.

“Zhe ozhers vill need convincing-”

“-yeah, they’ll actually sit down and listen to ya, doll. Instead of getting at each other’s throats like the last couple of times and having all hell break lose like an all out mafia brawl.”

With confusion laced on your face at this new information regarding the council meetings you can see why Nash hates attending them. Your eyes wondered at Sherloque who had remained quiet in thought then to Harry. Each exchanged looks before Harry spoke up, “I think what this idiot is trying to say is that it’s best for you to propose the idea.” You opened your mouth to say something, but Harry cut you off. “I will be right beside you. Sherloque, Wolfgang, and I have sorta… taken charge of the entire council.”

“Like the Roman Triumvirate?”

“Just without the power-grabbing, backstabbing, and domination.”

“What about Sonny?” You all looked at the Brooklyn-accented Wells.

“Yeah, I actually don’t know why he hangs around us.” Harry deadpanned to which Sonny pouted with an eye roll.

“Hey, I’m your guys faithful secretary and advice guru, basically your hype man.” You had not seen Harry roll his eyes so much and so hard at the New York Wells. It made you want to laugh so much had your situation not been filled with a serious tone. “So, what do you say, doll?”

“I-” Your eyes danced to each Wells, sighing and looking down for a moment before locking your gaze onto Harry. “I don’t want to make a fool of myself,” you whispered.

“You won’t. Babe, I’ve got you,” Harry took your hand in his larger one once again, “Just like you’ve been by my side before.”

“Sherloque?” Calling his name snapped him back to reality, but it did not mean he had not been listening to you.

“100% with you every step of the way, petit fleur.” He tipped his hat at you, a knowing small smile on his face.

“Alright,” you let out a breath and shrugged. Harry grinned widely, especially at the fact that you would be staying longer. “Lead the way.” What else do I have to lose?

French and German Used:

très vite – very fast

danke – thank you

danke, kleine frau – thank you, little lady

bitte – please

und – and

aber ein problem – but one problem

petit fleur – little flower

[fanficnewbie]

“Fighting for Forever” - Chapter Nine: Open Heart Fanfic

This is my first story/series. The first 5 chapters are adaptations from the first 4 parts of “A Weekend with Dr. Ramsey” series with permission from @alwaysmychoices and then I continue my own original work in chapters 6-14.

I start this adapted storyline during Chapter 15 of the original OH series. There is a bit of AU, where I play around with the storyline a bit and insert two days between MC leaving the country club and returning to her apartment to find Landry packing. Some situations have been changed to keep with the original vision of @alwaysmychoices and make the story work in the direction I wanted it to go. However, I find my way back to the original in Chapters 6-8 and then move on past the ending of Book One during chapters 9-14.

My MC is female, Francesca Houseman, who has only had eyes for Ethan Ramsey from day one.

FULL SERIES

Chapter Nine: “Seven Days”

3681 words

This entry tells how Francesca and Ethan continue their relationship after Naveen makes Ethan her direct boss.

(NSFW)

“Oh…My…Gawd!” Francesca gasped as her hands reached behind her head and clutched the edge of his desk, her body arching up, “Ethan…!”

She was on her back in Ethan Ramsey’s office with her dress bunched around her waist and his head buried between her thighs. His tongue moved artfully against her sensitive nub while his fingers moved rhythmically inside of her, systematically setting her body aflame. Her lab coat was crumpled on the floor next to them, her panties carelessly tossed aside. Ethan leaned forward on his desk chair, clutching her thighs, singularly focused on making her climax. Francesca’s eyes shut tight and her head started swimming as another shock of pleasure raced through her when Ethan clamped his mouth down and sucked. Her thighs spread wider and her hips pushed into his mouth, “Yes Ethan, please, don’t stop…”

He was just getting started.

***

It had been a week since they had last seen each other, even longer since they had had sex, not since that night in her apartment after the celebration at Donohue’s. The next day Naveen had been promoted to Chief of Medicine and Ethan confirmed as the head of the Diagnostics team, with Francesca tapped as the team’s Junior Fellow. The rest of that day was a blur and it wasn’t until the next that Ethan had gone to Naveen to discuss his new relationship with Francesca. He explained how he feared her presence on his team would cause problems. Naveen didn’t share his concerns.

“That’s nonsense. The hospital has no policy against you dating, we just need to be aware of it and now I am.” Naveen smiled brightly, clearly thrilled that Ethan had finally let his guard down with the charismatic Dr. Houseman.

Ethan was not as easily convinced. “But this all happened when we technically weren’t employed here and now it’s different. How can I properly manage her when my personal feelings are mixed up with my professional ones?”

Naveen smiled knowingly, “The same way I managed you.”

“What?!”

“Ethan, do you really think I didn’t harbor personal feelings for you from the beginning? Knowing your background and your issues with your family; seeing your potential and your willingness to sacrifice everything to become the best? It wasn’t long before I started to see you as the son I would never have, even if I wasn’t prepared to share that revelation with you or anyone else. Still, it didn’t stop me from pushing you – in fact, I would argue it made me even more inclined to see you succeed and become the preeminent physician you are today.”

Ethan was silent as he mulled Naveen’s words over, “I just don’t want people to think she’s getting preferential treatment because of me. I don’t want my status to compromise or overshadow hers.”

“A worthy goal but again I’ll remind you that even though staff eventually learned that you were my favorite, it didn’t take long for you to develop your own personal reputation.” Naveen watched Ethan thoughtfully, “That being said, if you are overly concerned about the optics, then keep it amongst yourselves. There’s no reason why your relationship with Dr. Houseman should be public knowledge. I’ll alert HR for their records but beyond that, you handle this how you two see best.”

Ethan slowly nodded, finally accepting the possibility that he could be in a relationship with Francesca and be her boss. “Okay, thanks. I’ve never considered the need to advertise my private life, it’s not anyone’s business anyway. We’ll keep it quiet.”

“Great, that’s settled. Now, one more thing before you go…”

***

That night Francesca found herself in Ethan’s apartment... helping him draft a speech for a medical conference in Chicago that Naveen was making him attend in less than 48 hours. Ethan was not happy that he was given so little time to prepare, but word of his successful phage therapy had gotten out and the organizers wanted him to give an address on the procedure. Naveen saw it as the perfect opportunity to promote Edenbrook’s reputation and showcase Ethan as the new leader of their elite diagnostic team.

Ethan saw it differently, and after handing Francesca a few pages to proofread, he grumbled his discontent once again. “It just makes no sense for you not to be there. You solved this, not me.”

Francesca only smiled. She was actually happy she wasn’t going. After everything she’d been through over the past few weeks, she craved some sort of normalcy and was excited to get back to her patients.

“The only thing that isn’t fair is that I’m here in your apartment fully clothed and working on a speech. I already told you, I’m completely fine not going to the conference. You have the experience for that sort of thing, not me.”

He grumbled again as he started typing out the next section, “Well you won’t gain experience until you start doing this sort of thing. As for the clothes part…”

“It’s fine, I can wait 3 days. I’d prefer not to, but I can.”

“About that…”

Francesca looked up to his apologetic expression and was immediately nervous. Ethan had already told her that Naveen had blessed their relationship, but they were to keep it quiet. She readily agreed as she was more than happy to avoid being the subject of even more hospital gossip. But now she worried that he hadn’t told her the full story.

“I’m actually going to be gone twice as long. Alma Hudson reached out, they want me to be baby Ethan’s godfather. So I’m going to swing over to Minneapolis after the conference for a quick ceremony.”

Her face lit up with relief and excitement, “That’s amazing!” She crawled across the papers and files to give him a big hug. As she pulled back, she realized, “So now I have to wait 6 days?”

“Seven actually.” He grimaced at the thought of not seeing or touching her for the next week. “Look at it this way, I’ll have to wait just as long.”  

She tilted her head, “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

He chuckled, “Hey, I since I’m the one extending the trip I promise to make it up to you when I get back.”

She bit her lip, “How?”

“Just trust me.” He leaned in for a lingering kiss that almost threw them off course until he pulled back. “We really need to focus and finish this.”

She was breathless and flushed but she knew he was right, “Yep,” she agreed as she pulled back to her side of the couch and thought to herself, seven days.

***

A week later Francesca was helping one of her interns through a consultation with a patient when she heard her name over the loudspeaker, “Dr. Houseman, please report to Dr. Ramsey’s office.” It startled her; she knew that his flight had landed that afternoon but she hadn’t expected him to return to the hospital until the next day. She’d been at his apartment throughout the week to take care of Jenner and had planned to go over that night to officially welcome Ethan back. He obviously had other ideas. She tried to remain nonchalant as she addressed her intern,  “Um, Dr. Matthews, you should be able to finish up here.”

The young doctor was eager to prove himself, “Yes Dr. Houseman. I’ll page you if there are any issues, but I’m confident I can handle this just fine.” She nodded, smiled at the patient and walked out of the room. As she headed down the hallway, she noticed Bryce walking towards her with a shit-eating grin on his face, he lowered his voice to a whisper as they passed, “Your boyfriend has returned…” Her face flushed as she turned to call after him, “He’s not my ----“, but she stopped herself as she realized that their distance had grown enough to eliminate the option to be discreet. Bryce looked over his shoulder, his eyes twinkling and raised his arms in mock innocence.

“Ugh!” As she pushed the elevator button, she regretted ever confiding in her roommates about Ethan. Then she reminded herself that she actually never did, they had managed to figure it out for themselves. But ever since she was caught by Sienna and Elijah sneaking him out of their apartment, her relationship had been one for constant fodder amongst the small group. They all knew it was top secret but they loved teasing her about it whenever the opportunity arose. She could only imagine the crap she was going to get since they all would have heard her being summoned over the PA system.

Ethan’s body reacted just hearing her knock on the door. He had originally planned on waiting until after her shift to see her, but once he got back to his apartment and finished unpacking, he realized he didn’t have the patience to delay any longer. “Come in.”

She walked in, slightly flustered. “Hi. You’re back! I didn’t think you were coming into work today.”

“Rookie… lock the door.”

She hesitated, she knew that tone and it made her stomach flip. Looking at him, she pushed the door shut behind her and then reached her hand back and clicked the lock.

He stood up from behind his desk and motioned her to him, “Come here.”

She walked closer to him, but stopped just out of his reach, “Is there something I can help you with doctor?”

He studied her, the way her curls framed her face and rested lightly against her shoulders. How her brown eyes gazed at him intently and how her dress, while extremely professional, still managed to hug her curves in all the right places and provide just enough cleavage where he could see her breasts slightly move with every breath. When she was close like this it took all of his energy to not touch her, kiss her, make her his.

Francesca noticed him taking in her body and felt a familiar heat rising from her core, she bit her lip.

He exhaled, “I told you I’d make up for extending my trip.”

“You did.”

“I’m here to do just that.”

She glanced at the clock and did a quick calculation of her afternoon. “I have some time, what exactly did you have in mind…?”

***

He had to cover her mouth with his hand when her orgasm hit, her lower body lifted off the desk and her thighs tightened against his head as she convulsed against his tongue. “Oh my…fuck…I can’t…oh god!” Her whole body shook at the euphoric blaze that rippled through her in successive waves of intense pleasure, rocking her against his mouth with movements completely out of her control. Even after she calmed a bit, she still struggled to catch her breath. She tried to pull herself away from him but he held her thighs tighter and would not stop. Her pleasant residual flickers of heat started to refocus into jolts pinging through her body, the divide between bliss and pain coalesced.

The room started to go out of focus, tears streamed down her face as she reached to grab his head, unsure if she wanted to pull him away or keep him close. Her lower half still trembled beneath his experienced mouth and by this point her breath was ragged and her mind jumbled. She started stammering anything she could think of to get him to stop, and to keep going… “I forgive you; you’re forgiven… just please…I can’t…oh my…yes…god…I’m gonna---”

His hands were still locked on her thighs, his mind and ego totally focused on her achieving another orgasm. It had become his favorite sight, watching her become completely undone because of his touch. Francesca covered her own mouth and stifled her scream as a new set of waves crested through her, she closed her eyes and let the heightened explosions run through her. It was as if her body wasn’t her own anymore, it was just pulsing flames of ecstasy that completely consumed every nerve ending. An unknown amount of time passed until she could catch her breath again.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Ethan watching her with a smug look on his face. She was still breathing heavily as she sat up, but she wasn’t completely satisfied. The past several days and nights of yearning and longing had left her aching in a place his tongue couldn’t reach.

“Stand up.”

Her breathless command startled him into obedience. He stood and she immediately went for his belt. He sucked in his breath when she pulled out his stiffened member. “Francesca, this afternoon was supposed to be all about you, pleasing you.”

She stroked him as she looked up innocently. “You don’t think this will please me?”

He groaned and pulled her up to him, kissing her deeply before responding, “You tell me. What exactly would please you Dr, Houseman?”

She smiled as she gently squeezed him, putting her lips back to his, all of her denied carnal desires over the past week pouring out in one succinct request, “I want you to take me Dr. Ramsey. Right here. Right now.”

She swore she heard Ethan growl as he pushed her back on the desk while his pants and boxers were dropped further down his legs. He stood and pressed himself against her, teasing and coating himself in her moisture, now a mix between the juices from her body and his mouth. Francesca moaned at the sensation and looked up to see Ethan’s gaze burning with intense desire as he positioned himself against her. She took a deep breath but still let out a small cry when he swiftly entered her, groaning as he pulled her towards him and began thrusting into her, his pace steady and unrelenting as he claimed her. She covered her face with her arm to stifle her moans and whimpers.

Ethan’s hands gripped her hips as his pelvis continued to move against her. The past week of sexual frustrations had boiled over for both of them. His labored breathing and grunts mixed with her inaudible noises of sexual excitement as they both struggled to keep quiet. Francesca used her other hand to reach down to work on herself. She felt his hand move from her hip and replace hers, his finger rubbing across her sensitive and swollen nub, “oh my god, oh my god”, she quickly lost the power to form coherent words as he continued manipulating her.

Ethan leaned down and whispered into her ear, “You like this? You want me to keep going?” She was panting now, the intensity of the pleasure rolling through her core had her gripping the edges of his desk again, her body urgently moving against his. She struggled to form the words as the room swirled around her, “Yes, I, please… keep going…” 

He obeyed, focused on giving her exactly what she wanted, continuing to drag his fingers back and forth on her nub, he let go of her hip and pushed one of her legs over his shoulder. She moaned as she felt him gain more entry inside of her. He used the new position and his free hand to balance himself better on the desk and gain a bit of leverage. Lengthening his strokes and increasing his pace, he felt his own climax boiling but he needed her to go first. He wanted to watch her, to feel her orgasm fueling his. Knowing she was already on the edge he leaned down into her ear and ordered, “Cum for me Francesca.”

Her mind barely processed his words before her body obeyed. White-hot ecstasy tore through every cell in her body, emanating out from her hips, shooting up her torso and out through her extremities. Francesca’s body arched up into Ethan’s, her eyes rolled back in her head and she cried into his mouth as he covered hers with his. She trembled on the desk, as the rapturous pleasure completely consumed her and her heated spasms on Ethan’s length brought him to his end. He released himself inside of her, burying his head onto her shoulder to stop his own cries of euphoric bliss.

Collapsed and tangled together on the desk, Francesca and Ethan both worked to get their bearings, breathing, and heart rates back on track. After several minutes she pulled his face to hers and kissed him deeply, tugging gently on his lower lip and smiling against his mouth, “Welcome back.”

He smirked and pulled himself up, bringing her with him so she was sitting facing him, He returned her kiss. “Thank you, doctor.”

She moved off the desk, taking a moment to steady herself before she grabbed her panties and lab coat from the floor. He pulled up his boxers and pants and gave the space they had just occupied a wry look, “I’ll never look at this desk the same.”

She looked up slightly amazed, “This is the first time you’ve done something like this in your office?”

He was thrown by the question, “Why are you so surprised?”

She tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her dress, “I just assumed that…”

He raised an eyebrow, “You assumed that I had sex in here on a regular basis? This is my office, a place for professionalism, not personal exploits.”

“Not even Harper?”

Ethan shook his head, “No. The thought never even occurred.”

She put on her lab coat and walked over to him, “So what was I doing in here then?”

He pulled her to him and rubbed his thumb gently across her lip, “Rookie, as in every other area in my life, you are the exception to the rule.”

She giggled and went to kiss him again when her pager went off. She reached down to pick it up and kissed him on the cheek instead, “Duty calls. Gotta go.”

She stopped at the door and turned around, “So I was planning on coming over after work...”

“Of course, you’re off at 9pm right? I’ll have dinner waiting.”

She laughed, “Yes, please send me the takeout menu so I can order in advance.”

Ethan glared at her mockingly, “Don’t underestimate me, Rookie.”

***

Several hours later Francesca was in Ethan’s dining room eating a second helping of pad thai while he gave her a foot rub from another chair. She was incredulous at the story he was telling her.

“You’re the one who made Landry transfer to Mass Kenmore? How am I just finding out about this?”

He shrugged, “Why does it matter? He’s gone.”

“I dunno, it just does,” she smiled as she pointed her fork at him, “It kinda makes you my superhero. You helped to rescue me from certain doom and you vanquished my enemies.”

He patted her foot, “I think you’re getting carried away. There’s no way I would want someone like that on Edenbrook’s staff. But after he showed his willingness to help Naveen, I also wasn’t trying to kill another doctor’s career over some revenge fantasy. He just needed to be taught a lesson so I took it upon myself to teach it.”

She looked at him mischievously, “He leaps tall medical buildings with one single jump!”

Ethan rolled his eyes. Not one for hero talk he changed the subject. “Did Aurora end up moving in while I was gone?”

Francesca finished her last bite of food and put down her plate, suddenly serious. “No, not until next weekend. That’ll be interesting though. I mean I know we’re keeping it a secret but Harper already knows about us and now Aurora will have inside information. Like nights when I’m not there it’ll be pretty obvious that I’m here. Are you sure Harper is okay and won’t cause problems?”

Ethan stopped his massage to look at her, “Francesca, you have to stop worrying about Harper. First off, that’s all in the past. We were done before you came along. Second, I don’t answer to her for my life decisions so whether she’s good with us or not isn’t my concern. Now, all that being said, I actually happen to know that she is more than fine with it. She’s a good friend and she wants me to be happy, as I do her. Harper is not some young jealous intern and she won’t be causing us any problems - whatever that even means. She’s much too mature and professional for behavior so childish.”

Francesca bit her lip and Ethan sighed, “What?”

“It’s just when we did the new f.M.R.I. machine a few months back and I asked you about her, your hypothalamus lit up. It was an indication that you still have feelings for her.”

Ethan ran his hands through his hair. “You know, your stubbornness is one of the things that attracted me to you but I see now that it’s also going to drive me crazy.”

Her eyes widened, “What?!”

“Rookie, I just told you that she’s a good friend so of course my hypothalamus lit up. I do still have feelings for her, just not those kinds of feelings. I’m rather sure I already explained this difference to you. The only person I have those kinds of feelings for is the pain in my ass sitting across from me right now.”

He gave her a sarcastic smile and she returned it, “But I’m your pain in the ass.”

He shook his head, “God help me but you are.”

The next morning Francesca rose from beneath the stack of pillows she had buried herself under a couple of hours earlier to block out the morning light. She rubbed her eyes, stretched and smiled to herself at the reason for her residual soreness: glorious morning sex. Ethan had woken up early to go to the hospital per his usual, but she had managed to delay him for a little while, not that it took much convincing. Careful not to disturb Jenner who was snoozing at the end of the bed, she got up to take a shower and get ready for work herself. She had her first meeting with the Diagnostics Team in less than 4 hours and she couldn’t wait.

Her future had never looked brighter and she couldn’t wait to see what was in store.

CHAPTER TEN

[kxlebcross]

multiples of three, please.

oh man i cant believe ur making me do maths at 4:18 am... but here goes nothing! (it’s gonna be long so i put it under a read more)

3. Ever done any drugs? uhhhh... yeah, for a short period yrs ago i had a friend group and with them we smoked weed pretty much every weekend... they did some hard drugs too but i never dared trying those cuz im a lil bitch lmao aaaaand i don’t do that anymore, it’s an expensive hobby to have and i usually waste my drugs money on pc games and ordering food srgsdfg

6. Describe your dream home. probs somewhere in a big city, close to the center because i love being a big city kid.... a mid-sized flat with lots of plants and those neat cat playgrounds mounted on the wall because i plan on having at least 4 cats in the future asdsd and i’d love to have a bigger balcony which i could transform into a little jungle and hand a hammock there and just chill and listen to the city’s noises at night when i can’t sleep

9. Do you watch porn? you may not believe but i actually don’t sdgsdfg the horny teen phase is over for me, if i wanna interact with anything pornographic i just read fanfiction dfgsdfgsf

12. What’s one of your fantasies? i hope it’s not supposed to be an erotic one lmao but i really wanna go on a road trip through europe, just pack up my shit and drive around, also i wanna visit haunted places all around england and get into the gaming business as a game translator/tester eventually

15. Are you in a relationship? thank god not anymore... and honestly i don’t miss it anymore, all of my previous ones were disasters and ended in a really ugly manner so.. no, i’m all good with my cat

18. What tattoos do you want? i don’t have specific plans for motives - though i’d really like a kitsune mask somewhere and a moon and one song quote. i’d like to have my whole left sleeve done, maybe part of my back, a half sleeve on my right hand and something smaller on my ankle - and i’m actually open to anything the tattooists would pick out; i care more about who’s gonna create my tattoo than what’s it gonna be, as my actually existing 2 tattoos r also premade, randomly picked out ones (though they accidentally matched up in some way and look pretty neat imo)

21. Describe your best friend. that’s a hard one.... i don’t think i have one anymore. i used to have this girl in my life, M, who i was really close to, but we had a fallout in october and she never came around to fix this even though i was open to the idea... so i lost my best friend, which is kinda sad considering that she was the only person i could open up to in the last 3 yrs. but hey that happens! i moved on and have a close friend still so im all good.

24. What are three places you want to travel? i really wanna visit scotland! it has this specific atmosphere i really long to experience, and i wanna see the landmarks and grassy fields and loch ness and haunted places and just roam around there for a while. i also wanna see moscow - it’s been sort of an obsession of mine since reading glukhovsky’s metro series, and also it’s a beautiful city worth visiting. i’d also like to get on the trans-siberian express but that’s not a specific place dsfsgdf the last place would be the aokigahara forest in japan - also one of the places i feel drawn to for ages now. found out about it years ago and since it’s been sort of a plan of mine to visit one time. if i manage to graduate university my mum promised to send me on a trip to japan - so if it works out, ill be on my way there baby! (i just need to work on my language skills first sasdfgf)

27. What’s your pet peeve? loud breathing, loud chewing... generally people being loud and annoying. ppl not covering their mouths while coughing. ppl who walk super slowly and take up all of the walkway like FUCK OFF OF MY WAY GODDAMMIT. in games when the npc walks a lot slower than ur running, but walking a lot faster than ur walking so its impossible to keep up with them. ppl not using headphones in public spaces. old ppl demanding respect when they treat u like shit. ppl forcing their religion on u (im looking at u auntie). ppl slurping their drinks. couples almost f*cking each other in public places... just get a room smh

30. Tag someone you want to talk to but have been too shy to message. oh i don’t need to tag them cuz i already got over that shyness and they totes know already that i wanted to talk to them for a while! (i admitted to it in the tackiest, cheesiest, most awkward anon ask i ever sent in to anyone sdfgsdf)

33. If money was no object, what would your wardrobe be like? pretty much the same as now, all black and flannels and jeans, cuz i rly thing that major clothes shopping sprees r a waste of money sdfdf but i’d probably own a lot lot more shoes like custom made cat patterned vans and some more nikes and some creepers cuz i wanted to get some of those for like yrs now dfgdfg

36. Do you still have feelings for any of your exes? uhhhh... kind of? not romantic ones tho, i just miss the long talks and the trust and understanding between us. i never got the closure i needed to move on and it still left some bad feelings towards her so its a weird mix of resentment and sympathy, and i try to not think abt it too much.

39. Are you a virgin? hahahahahahahahah, no, really. 

42. Describe the hottest person you know. the hottest person i personally know is one of the ppl i used to be on my universitys e-sport team on with dfasd i always had a weak spot for ppl taller than me and hes literally model material with nice cheekbones and the perfect jawline and the best sense of humor ever. though he’s a widowmaker main in overwatch and thats a big big minus for him :(

45. What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on? lmaooooo thats a funny one listen up... so i was fresh out of breakup and wanted to make some friends.... wait for it.... ON TINDER. i live in an university town so i was like kewl imma make some ppl my age (until then all of my friends were A LOT older than me) and have some friends and if romance happens then it happens, w/e. so i set up this bar night with this one guy, i believe his name was David? so David and i meet up for drinks, i grab a gintonic and we sit down to talk... what he never knew abt me is that i am on the adhd spectrum and i have to get my hands busy with smth so i can focus on what im saying otherwise my thoughs r all over the place. so im casually keeping my hands busy with just spinning my locked phone there and back, or just  messing around with the lime slice on my glass and at a random moment David goes like “u know.... i hate when ppl cant stop messing around with their phone” and im like ????? dude im literally just spinning it, not even messaging anyone or unlocking it or shit. and he goes on this rant that he always expects ppl to pay full attention to him when talking, looking at him (i never look ppl in the eyes cuz i tend to just go into panic mode from long eye contact and also i think its creepy to just stare at someone constantly) and just not doing anything else except paying attention to him so i go on explaining to him that i need to keep myself busy and im not doing it to annoy him - but he keeps on insisting so i excuse myself to a cigarette (he also hated smokers lmao) and call the widowmaker main friend from the previous question and am like “hey man i have the worst date of my life can u be at this place in 40 minutes and then we hit the night life” and hes like fine so i go back to David and tell him “sorry mate i just remembered i have my last bus home in 30 minutes and the next one is in 1,5 hrs and i really cant stay out that late so can we wrap this up and schedule an other meeting some other time” and hes like fine... got me to the bus stop, i sat on the bus.... got off at the next bus stop, met up with widowmaker main guy and went out for drinks and decided to never go on tinder dates again sdfgsdfg

48. Describe your ideal partner. thats a hard one, hey! but i dont think i have an ideal, guess ill work with anyone whos a decent human being who wont require me to be the housemaid and cook and clean and do everything for them. oh and they totally need to know how to use a washing machine... one of my exes was incapable of this (and here i was thinking that in 2018 ppl saw a washing machine already... looks like i was wrong and im still not over that incident 2 yrs ago). oh and they gotta be fine with the idea of never having kids cuz theres no way im putting myself through raising one of those, im a man of career and money, totally not responsible enough to raise another living human being sdsdgdf

[landenqnqh432-blog]

An Integral Part of Survival Gear: Honey Buckets

"Do you have oil lights, candles or a flashlights you can depend on if the power heads out? I bear in mind when we had the bad ice storm a few years back. I was attempting to carry a flashlight in one hand and also dump my deep freeze with the other one. Your home was dark and also chilly however not chilly enough for a deep freeze after 48 hours with no power. We decided we would certainly go to our child as well as her family in a town regarding 37 miles away.

So we hunted up coolers and also boxes, took the back seat from the van and packed them in. It was cold enough outside that we might leave the food in the van over night. The next day our neighbor phoned call to tell us the power came on around noontime. The point is, had I been much better prepared, I might have used both hands to unload the deep freeze and also it would certainly have been quicker. The depressing point is that I had the oil lights and also the 36 hr candle lights, I simply didn't have them organized to find them at night. It was so cold we just intended to leave and obtain warm. So regulation top, do not simply buy the things, but have them organized in one location prepared to order swiftly when the demand occurs. Who recognizes, catastrophe may get us out of bed in the middle of the night and we would certainly have to leave rapidly!

One way to arrange would be to purchase a survival pack with all the items in readiness. However, if you have a lot of loose products in a pile already, a multi pocket knapsack is readily available. There is one for grownups and one for children. These would certainly be excellent to hold your supplies. Then you can continue to get single things you may need to add along. One more device to make use of in organizing, is a huge steel trash bin. Making use of a hefty covering, cover all your digital equipment, such as radios, a meter that spots nuclear quantities and the like, and also place in the container. In case of a nuclear attack, these will certainly be kept in tact and not melt. Make sure to consist of some Potassium Iodate Tablets in this can along with keeping a few tablet computers in your restroom medicine closet. Be sure you have the directions with them to recognize what to take and when to absorb instance nuclear fallout is coming your method. In case you do not have any kind of, just Google and also discover your option. The ones I simply saw has a day today of 2018.

So you do have to ensure to look at days and maintain them can continue to fill the can with various other items as well as position the cover on. And by the way, talking nuclear fallout, the very best information I have actually found gets on this site that talks the majority of every little thing you need to recognize. You can publish the write-ups out in PDF kind, so you can prepare and after that maintain the information with your survival materials. We can never be too ready as well as a lot of us are very not really prepared. Besides, what can take place right here in America? I think we are starting to see that a lot can and has actually taken place already in the last 2 years. I took a mobile, metal workplace file and also positioned a great deal of kitchen kind devices in it we could need if we needed to leave and also harsh it temporarily outdoors. Simply think of points you use all of the moment and also have extra of these points ready to go. For example, blankets, pillows, resting bags, and the folding towel patio chair. Maintain these entirely in one space or wardrobe to be able to get swiftly.

There are some excellent combination lighting and interaction items readily available, like a flashlight radio, a flashlight with a military knife, and also a lantern radio to name a few. Keep in mind to store batteries if any are required for the items you are saving. Also, you might wish to take the batteries out of and of the things, tape to to the bottom of each product, so they will be discovered simple. Things like the shake flashlight and also some solar things do not take batteries. Like everything else you keep, you will certainly need to undergo from time to time and utilize anything that can head out of day and replace it.

You should have shelter and also warmth products, like a 2 guy tent or bigger for a household, blankets, ponchos, body warmers and also other survival gear. See to it you carry hand some real cozy clothing, outer wear as well as boots for everybody in the family. Your cars and truck needs to have a survival pack ready with a few of the food bars, water boxes as well as other products you may need if leaving quickly and even if your auto breaks down. I typically try to have my auto gas container complete a lot of the moment, because we never ever know when an emergency will come up as well as we need to be prepared. In some locations you would certainly not be able to discover a gas station open in the middle of the evening. Besides in the most awful scenario, (keep in mind Katrina?) you may not be able to get gas.

One more thing that is extremely vital. Have a household plan of what to do in a disaster. As an example, mobile phone or any other telephones may not work for interaction. You need to plan a specific area to satisfy, that you all understand about, as well as get there as quickly as possible if an emergency situation would arise. A big catastrophe could be mayhem as well as it may be hard to discover each other. It is truly difficult to prepare for all the many points that can happen; yet if we do our best it will assist us a great deal when catastrophe does arrive."

[holdenczxo846]

Enjoyable Outdoor Camping as well as Food Storage Tips

"Do you have oil lamps, candle lights or a flashlights you can depend on if the power heads out? I keep in mind when we had the poor ice storm a few years ago. I was trying to bring a flashlight in one hand and also discharge my deep freeze with the other one. Your house was dark and also cold but not cool sufficient for a deep freeze after 48 hours without any power. We chose we would certainly most likely to our child as well as her family in a town regarding 37 miles away.

So we hunted up coolers and also boxes, took the back seat from the van and loaded them in. It was cool sufficient outside that we might leave the food in the van over night. The next day our neighbor phoned call to inform us the electrical power came on around midday. The factor is, had I been much better prepared, I can have made use of both hands to discharge the deep freeze as well as it would have been quicker. The unfortunate point is that I had the oil lamps as well as the 36 hr candles, I just really did not have them arranged to find them in the dark. It was so cold we only wished to leave as well as obtain warm. So guideline number one, do not simply buy the products, however have them arranged in one place prepared to get quickly when the requirement occurs. That knows, calamity might get us out of bed in the middle of the evening and we would certainly have to leave swiftly!

One method to organize would certainly be to purchase a survival pack with all the things in readiness. Nonetheless, if you have a great deal of loosened items in a stack already, a multi pocket backpack is readily available. There is one for grownups and one for children. These would certainly be terrific to hold your products. After that you can remain to acquire solitary things you might require to add along. An additional tool to use in organizing, is a huge steel garbage can. Using a heavy covering, wrap all your digital equipment, such as radios, a meter that identifies nuclear quantities and so on, and area in the container. In case of a nuclear assault, these will be kept in tact as well as not melt. Be sure to consist of some Potassium Iodate Tablets in this can along with maintaining a couple of tablets in your restroom medication cupboard. Be sure you have the directions with them to understand what to take as well as when to absorb case nuclear fallout is coming your method. In case you do not have any type of, simply Google and locate your option. The ones I just observed has a day currently of 2018.

So you do have to see to it to examine days and keep them can continue to fill up the can with other items as well as position the lid on. And incidentally, talking nuclear fallout, the most effective details I have actually located is on this website that tells all the majority of whatever you require to recognize. You can print the posts out in PDF type, so you can prepare and afterwards maintain the info with your survival products. We can never be as well prepared and also the majority of us are very unprepared. After all, what can happen below in America? I assume we are starting to see that a great deal can as well as has happened currently in the last two years. I took a mobile, metal workplace data as well as positioned a lot of kitchen area type tools in it we could require if we needed to run away as well as harsh it for a time outdoors. Simply think about things you use all of the moment and have extra of these points prepared to go. For instance, coverings, pillows, sleeping bags, and also the folding fabric patio chair. Maintain these all together in one space or closet to be able to grab swiftly.

There are some outstanding combination illumination and also interaction products offered, like a flashlight radio, a flashlight with an army knife, and also a lantern radio among others. Bear in mind to save batteries if any type of are required for the items you are keeping. Likewise, you might want to take the batteries out of and of the products, tape to to the bottom of each thing, so they will certainly be located simple. Points like the shake flashlight and also some solar products do not take batteries. Like everything else you save, you will certainly require to go through from time to time and make use of anything that can head out of day and replace it.

You need to have sanctuary and heat items, like a 2 guy camping tent or larger for a family, coverings, ponchos, body warmers as well as other survival equipment. Make certain you carry hand some actual warm garments, external wear as well as boots for every person in the family. Your automobile should have a survival pack ready with a few of the food bars, water boxes and also various other items you might require if leaving quickly or even if your car breaks down. I normally attempt to have my car gas container complete most of the time, since we never ever know when an emergency will show up and we need to be prepared. In some places you would certainly not have the ability to discover a gas station open in the middle of the night. Besides in the most awful situation, (keep in mind Katrina?) you might not be able to obtain gas.

An additional point that is very vital. Have a family members plan of what to do in a disaster. As an example, cellular phone or any other telephones might not work for communication. You must intend a certain location to satisfy, that you all know about, and also arrive as promptly as possible if an emergency would certainly occur. A large disaster could be disorder and also it may be difficult to locate each other. It is truly difficult to prepare for all the many points that might happen; but if we do our finest it will certainly help us a lot when disaster does get here."

[soap-brain]

gonna take a sec here and talk about my life in some detail bc things are happening

so like. life is fucking great atm. technically.  because there are finally people who are ... idk, interested in me and like me for me and where i don’t have to hide and who are willing to talk with me and who are here for ravenna, and not just bits and pieces of her. and ... that’s really fucking great and i’m hanging out with people who geniunely like me. and ... that’s never happened to me before (lol i am so happy i’m away from my dearest lea i hope you get fuckin’ rekt or smth you toxic bitch) (seriously though i am super happy to be rid of her, i’m feeling ... so good honestly, it’s such a relief). i’m going to a poetry slam tomorrow, we went out for dinner and drinks yesterday and sometime next week me and a couple others are going to see the new thor. so that’s awesome.

but ... i also feel like i don’t have enough time. not because i’m having such an active social life (i’m not, i’m just hanging out a normal amount), and not in the “oh my god my life is almost over i’m going to die soon i’m so old” kinda way, but just ... twenty-four hours in a day is fucking nothing. i’m currently trying to plan out my days in a bit more detail, because my general plan isn’t working too well for me, and ... there is so fucking little time. like ... tomorrow, for example. i know i’ll be fucking useless before 9am. i’m aiming for 8am but idk how well that’s gonna go. so say i start at 8. i go over my flash cards until ten, which is two hours. you’d think it’s a lot but i have a LOT of flash cards to learn. after that i’ll take a half hour break. then i’ll get ready for my presentation on monday until noon. then i’ll take another half hour break, and then i’ll take half an hour to get ready for anatomy class aka look over my topic and do research for that. then i’ll take an hour off, have lunch, write a little maybe (even tho idk what to have for lunch unless i go get bread before starting my day). then from two to three i’ll go over my flash cards again. from three to five i’ll do extra work on my presentation, maybe on my topic too if i need to, or i’ll continue working my way through the textbook. then i’ll  have an hour off and we’ll go to the poetry slam at six, and that is on until nine. i’ll get home, wash up and hopefully hit the bed at ten, which i need because otherwise i will have world’s worst time getting up the next morning. and ... the tally is seven hours of work (including smaller breaks and stuff), and ... that’s just not enough time. i don’t know whether seven hours of work is even enough, but in that time i also didn’t hit the gym at all, i didn’t vacuum, i didn’t do my laundry, i didn’t shower (which i absolutely need to do tomorrow), i didn’t clean up my desktop, i didn’t make a meal plan for next week etc etc.  and i still didn’t watch any of the sectio chirurgica eps, didn’t watch any more tas or voy, didn’t write, didn’t read ...  there just isn’t enough time and that’s so frustrating. because i’m so excited to go to the poetry slam tomorrow and i’m so excited to learn all this (even if it is a bit of a drag sometimes lmao), and i am still kinda excited about anatomy class, and i am excited about working out, and i am excited about writing, but ... there is no time, you feel? and on monday i’ll get up to be at the store at 8, so i can get breakfast items and generally do my shopping, and then i still have an hour before class so i can go over my presentation again, and then i’ll spend five hours at uni if i do go get lunch with the others (and i do want to, so), and then i’ll probably manage to squeeze two hours doing flash cards into the afternoon, but i also want to go the gym, which’ll take 90 mins approx, and then when i come back it’ll be shortly before eight, so i gotta eat by then, and then i can maybe squeeze in another hour or so of studying, either going through the textbook or preparing for the next class on tuesday, and then it’ll be nine thirty pm, and then i gotta get ready for bed, but i didn’t yet watch the new disco ep, but if i don’t go to bed at ten, then i know i won’t be able to get up early the next morning. there just isn’t enough time to do everything i need to do and want to do.  and then i’ll have pretty much the same day on tuesday, and then i’ll have wednesday off, so that’s where i might sleep an hour longer usually, but this week i have an appointment at 8:15, and then i’ll try to put in five hours of studying plus two hours of going to the voluntary seminar which i probably should do, and then i’d like to go to the gym as well, so boom, eight hours+ done for. and then the week after next it’s my little sister’s birthday on tuesday, so i should her present sent before the weekend so it arrives on time, but i don’t know when to even shop for the present, so i’ll have to do that on friday or so, and then two days after her birthday i’ve got an exam, so i also gotta study a lot for that, and then two weeks after that december is going to start, and ideally i’d have all the presents ready in the first week of december so i can relax the rest of december and don’t have to worry about that and can instead focus on starting to study for chemistry so i pass that at the end of the semester, but there’s also another exam on the organs very shortly before christmas, and then at the end of january there’s the third exam which i think is neuroanatomy, and then two days after that there’s the final on anatomy class, and sometime around that time i’ll have to do the chem exam, and then i’ll likely visit my parents again so i’m there for my mom’s birthday, and then i’m going to come back because a) i have some more uni (in my holidays, i know) and b) a great friend of mine is visiting so close to me, and then i’ll get to see them which i usually don’t (bc they come all the way from america so like ...), and then the new semester will start already and i just hope i’ll have had time to already pre-study for that. oh yeah and on one of the first days of december another really great friend of mine has their birthday, and i wanna do something for that, and i already know what, but it’ll take a lot of time.

just ... time. i don’t have nearly enough. i need 48 hrs every day, honestly.

anyways. i am super happy though. life is finally going really great. i still have a lot of work to do with my personality and who i am vs who i want to be, but ... seriously, while moving seemed so bad because i would lose my “one true friend” (who then freaked out about me “destroying the friendship” and “not taking her feelings into consideration”), and i’d have to start completely anew and i’d be all on my lonesome, it turned out to be so good for me. i’m so incredibly happy. i just seriously need more fucking time :D

anyways, i’ll go now, i’ll do some planning. if you read all the way until here, you get a free ... a free ... a free emoji. reply to this post with anything and you shall receive your free emoji for all your troubles :DDD

[femstyles]

Do all those asks!

Here ya go anon!

01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents? Thank god I do. They're my greatest cheerleaders.

02: Who did you last say “I love you” to? My husband

03: Do you regret anything? I really try not to because I'm a firm believer that the things I've done in my past have helped me become who I am and I'm really proud of who I am. But there are some things I wish had been different sometimes.

04: Are you insecure? About some things yeah

05: What is your relationship status? I'm married

06: How do you want to die? I would like to go to sleep and not wake up again. I'm afraid of my death being painful or long suffering.

07: What did you last eat? I had a bowl of cocoa crispies cor breakfast

08: Played any sports? Yeah I played softball and did marching band, and I tried out tennis and track too

09: Do you bite your nails? No not really

10: When was your last physical fight? High school

11: Do you like someone? I have the biggest crush on Michael

12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours? No, but close to 48 hrs

13: Do you hate anyone at the moment? Nope! (Steong dislike though... yes)

14: Do you miss someone? Yeah, a few people

15: Have any pets? Yes! Two kitties named Tigger and Bug

16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment? I'm very sleepy, and also excited for the next few weeks

17: Ever made out in the bathroom? Not a public one but yes

18: Are you scared of spiders? I hate those assholes

19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? No I love where I am

20: Where was the last place you snogged someone? My apartment hallway I guess

21: What are your plans for this weekend? Going to visit my cousin in laws and maybe go to the fair

22: Do you want to have kids? How many? Yes I want 2

23: Do you have piercings? How many? Yes. I've had 6, but I think only 3 or 4 are open still

24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)? Writing/English was always my best subject. The only subjects I was bad at were history (I cant remember details, just the stories) and chemistry.

25: Do you miss anyone from your past? I already answered this but yes I do

26: What are you craving right now? More sleep and fast food

27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? Yeah

28: Have you ever been cheated on? Yeah

29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? Yes

30: What’s irritating you right now? Some family drama lol

31: Does somebody love you? A few people do

32: What is your favourite color? Umm.. pink?

33: Do you have trust issues? No not as bad as I use to

34: Who/what was your last dream about? I had a dream that I was on a cruise with Michael and we got off the boat to swim and there were alligators and hippos in the water and there was some dude trying to make them go away with some kind of spray lol

35: Who was the last person you cried in front of? Michael I think

36: Do you give out second chances too easily? No, not anymore. I need to know there will definitely be change.

37: Is it easier to forgive or forget? Forget for sure

38: Is this year the best year of your life? I think it's up there. Last year was probably the best.

39: How old were you when you had your first kiss? 14 I think

40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked? No but it sounds fun!

51: Favourite food? Sushi :)

52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? More or less. It's hard when bad things happen, but I do think that there is some sort of reasoning even when you cant see it

53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? Cuddled my cat and watched parks and rec

54: Is cheating ever okay? Nope. Just say you're not happy and go

55: Are you mean? I try to live my life speaking kindness. I have mean moments. But I dont think I'm mean.

56: How many people have you fist fought? None.

57: Do you believe in true love? Yes I do. When you know you know.

58: Favourite weather? I love summer

59: Do you like the snow? Eh. At first, but after like 2 weeks I'm over it

60: Do you wanna get married? I've been married for a year almost

61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? Yeah

62: What makes you happy? Cats, food, sleep, my friends, my family, music/bands

63: Would you change your name? I changed my last name. I use to hate my first name but now I like it. So no?

64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? No lol I love kissing him

65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? I mean I'm married to him soooo

66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? As pre piously established, my husband is my best man friend so yes

67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? Michael

68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? Michael

69: Do you believe in soulmates? Yes I do

70: Is there anyone you would die for? Theres a few people actually I think

[gxrobs]

Haven't given y'all an update for a while so hopefully this won't be too long (its so fucking long...If you wanna scroll to the last paragraph there is a long story short )but I know some ppl feel personally invested in my love/sex life so here it goes!! 

Last time I was posting I was still obsessing over my neighbor and going crazy over wanting to fuck him again / wanting the time of day from him. Well, now I'm pretty much over that and for a few reasons - ya he's totally hot, like a real life babe, but he's also like the biggest asshole I've ever met and I can't even believe I was dickmatized enough to look past how badly he treats me / most women when he's not trying to fuck them. The only time he was ever "nice" to me was like the days leading up to us sleeping together and the only time after that he's been nice to me is like 2am drunk in his apartment (and not even nice just him making comments about my boobs or waist or something) but still...not really including me in conversation. Every time I see him I just try to be cordial and say what's up but he's just like "hi" and that's it. Honestly he’s probably weirded out by me being into him after we fucked (bc of various social media followers, yall know i post EVERYTHING) which I guess is fair because ya... it was kinda weird. So if he's been rude to me the last month to get me over it -- it worked. Over him! He aint that great....I've definitely slept w guys w better bodies and better attitudes. Fuck him and his Connor Mcgregor tattoos lmao.

ANYWAY, so after that fiasco I went to New Orleans and had sort of a shitty time at first just because the friend I went with was on some other shit, and we weren't getting along. So I started swiping away on tinder and matched w this guy Johnny and I wasn't really into it at first but then once I got a little drunk I was like "meet me" but I actually ditched him (fell asleep for 3 hrs) anyway eventually I met him and he walks up and he's immediately x3 hotter in person than he was in any of his pictures AND he comes up with a thick Greek accent and y'all.....I love the whole (eastern...ish) harsh European accent so I was like DAMN! So we had a great time, has great sex and by the morning we were pretty amazed at how into each other we were and the connection we had both physically and emotionally was wild and we spent the next two days together basically just fucking and talking about everything ever in life and it was a really great time and I'm prtty sure he's my soulmate. We even have plans for him to come and visit me in Florida next month! So that's cool, got that little babe in my pocket. Some issues arise w the language barrier because hes not the most fluent English speaker (he's only been here for like 6 months) and I obviously don't know any Greek so it's tough buuuuuut there's that. Also, what's wild is he's only 21!!!! Which is CRAZY? Never really into guys romantically who are anywhere near as young as I am so having a connection w a 21 y/o is crazy to me. Also...he looks so young compared to the guys I'm usually with (with the exception of my neighbor who is only like 22 every guy I've been with in at least the last 6 months has been 28-48) but in 10-20 yrs when he is in his prime god damn is he gonna be a killer... he looks like the spitting image of a younger, leaner,Max Riemlet tbh (Wolfgang from sense 8)

But despite me having found my "soulmate" I still have to live a life in Saint Augustine and get laid somehow so I've just been going out, meeting people and occasionally tindering. Last night I ended up sleeping with someone who I slept w when I was 19 and it was underwhelming (AGAIN) just like it was when I was 19...he was better I guess. We watched TWO fucking movies and drank and then it literally was like 20 mins of making out and I couldn't take it and it was so late and I was like "ok can we just fuck now" and he finished in...you guessed it....less than a minute...and I was like "uh ok I hardly moved??" He was like "yeah but you were moving from the inside and talking to me and making sounds" and I was like like LOL. I mean I guess...because he did feel good for the 45 Seconds but i like tried to move my hips with him and he made me stop cause he was gonna cum and then like 10 seconds later I think all I said was "ur cock feels so good" then he was like "oh shit" and fucking busted GOD DAMN IT?? So to have sex...I can't move....and I can't talk??? Lmao ok. I rlly did feel like a 19 y/o. Luckily (or maybe unluckily?) he lives literally across the street from me so I just got dressed and went home but before I went I was like "uh do u wanna take my number?" Yknow, because he felt good for the bit and I was thinking maybe if he just gets used to me he can go longer and I'm like HOW convenient would dick right across the street be??? Because dick right upstairs obviously work out... But he like paused for a few seconds and I was like "ok nvm thanks for cuming in a minute and not even trying to give me an orgasm have fun dude" and left and then he messaged me on tinder and was like "here is my number if you wanted it I'm deleting tinder now because i cant deal with fucking peoples feelings up" and I was like HA HA HA "I'm literally chilling idk what about that could've hurt my feelings but I left my glasses there if you could put them in my mailbox that would be great" and he said some shit about how he got dumped a week ago and how it's "not a good way to get over himself" but I didn't reply and I woke up in the morning and my glasses were where I asked them to be so I guess that's good. 

Also, I'm back on my Mitchell bullshit. We matched on tinder and I didn't say anything because i was trying to BE STRONG but I think it was Friday night and I drunk called him and he didn't say SHIT all day then last night at like midnight before I went over to that guys house he messaged me "you rang?" and we fell into our usually rapport and then later today he texted me so now we are back to talking? Maybe? Probably not.... and if we are I already know how it's gonna go but I'm a weak bitch I know i’m sorry but honestly he doesnt even hurt anymore. 

So yeah, that's where I'm at. Long fucking story short: I'm done w my dick head neighbor crush, I met my Greek soulmate in NOLA and miss him everyday but a future w him is next to impossible, especially bc he goes back to Greece in April and has to join the military....so I need to fill the void by getting laid and going back to the familiar rollercoaster ride of pain that is Mitchell. That's all folks. 

[sosmomlife]

Hudson’s Journey

Hey all!!! It’s Andrea here.  I’m sure many of you are trying to figure out how to navigate this crazy change in our world.  Some of you have children at home and are trying to juggle “home schooling” amongst other things, like your own work, a new baby, a partner who has been laid off, etc.  This week our school board officially rolled out distance learning so this meant my husband Andy and I were going to implement more structure to the day.  I’m a teacher and he is off of work right now so this should be easy, right? 100% WRONG!!!!  Here’s a little story of our oldest who has been through a lot and battles with his emotions and abilities every day of his life. 

That cutie (ya ya I may be biased) in the picture above is Hudson. He will be 8 in June. Just before he turned 4 I took him to watch a baseball game and as we were walking beside 3rd base (outside of the diamond) a ball came hurdling across the field, hit the top of the fence and smacked Hudson right in the head. He dropped so fast and I was terrified. I will never forget the "clunk" sound; like a coconut cracking open. I was terrified but he was conscious and settled down after about 10 minutes. He was very clingy so we called EMS just to check him over and make sure he was ok. They came, did a quick assessment and left it up to me to decide if I wanted him to go to the hospital.  By that point he was acting himself so I figured I would just monitor him and if anything got worse I would take him to the ER. I did question why he didn't have a goose egg  (I always heard that no goose egg could be a bad sign, but the EMS responded with "ya that's weird." They pretty much made me feel like I wasted their time so off I sent them not wanting to be “that crazy mom.” As the day progressed Hudson went from playing hard outside to wanting to lie down every couple of hours. I thought it was the heat or that he didn't sleep great the night before.  That night I had him sleep with me and he was very restless. He kept waking up and saying that his head hurt a lot where he got hit but then he would go back to sleep.  The next morning he seemed pretty good other than not wanting breakfast (which isn't normal) because his tummy hurt  (which is normal for my dairy sensitive boy). He went to his first t-ball game (I know I know...what were we thinking taking him to play baseball) in the morning but came home and crashed hard on the couch. He was off and on all day and we questioned taking him to the ER but then he would get up and play like he was totally ok.  At 6 pm after noticing his entire left side of his head was swollen I decided to call Telehealth to get their opinion and they said to take him to the ER immediately.  They always say that so I still wasn't too worried. Hudson slept the whole car ride to Stratford General and when we arrived he was happy and hyper. The waiting room was so busy that I contemplated leaving. Hudson was putting on a show for all the other "patients" Re-enacting how he got hit in the head by the ball.  I definitely thought we would be sent home because he seemed totally fine.

We got called into a room before a lot of people who arrived before us. We didn't wait long before the doctor came in to do an assessment.  Right away the doctor felt the swelling and said it's a boggy hematoma meaning he has a break in his skull. I was shocked and terrified but the doctor assured me that most of the time its small and no big deal. It will heal on its own she said. She sent him for a CT scan and I was told I could be in the room to watch the images of his little skull and brain..or as Hudson says his "big" brain.  The first images started coming up and all of a sudden I was asked if I wanted water and taken out of the room. I instantly knew something was wrong but tried to wait calmly for Hudson to come out.  They had previously told me it would be about an hour before the radiologist looked over the scans but within 5 minutes the doctor came to see us.  The scans showed a significant break in his skull and a small bleed on the outside of his skull. I started imagining the worst and stupid scenes from Grey’s Anatomy started rushing through my head. I was so scared and upset but I knew I had to calm down so I could call Andy and give him the news.  The neuro team in London was going over the scans and transportation was being arranged to take us to Victoria University Hospital in London. Hudson in all of this was still happy and entertaining anyone who came to see him.  Before we left I was assured that Hudson would be fine  because we made it past the crucial first 24 hours. We spent 48 hrs in London for observation and had the greatest healthcare team supporting us throughout the entire ordeal. The next month we were on high alert and Hudson had a couple of seizures (which is common after a concussion). We spent the next year going for check ups every few months with the Neurologist in London. Everything went great so Hudson was released at the one year mark. We thought we were in the clear, but don't let that fool you, the paranoia of our kids getting hit in the head or falling and hitting their head is extremely high to this day. Ugh!

Fast forward to a year and a half ago when Hudson started grade 1. Since the "accident" Hudson's behaviour had definitely changed, he could barely remember anything that happened the day before, let alone a week before. He was super fidgety, always touching his face and wiggling around on chairs. We would ask him to do 3 things and he would forget everything we asked him after he walked away. We were often annoyed and frustrated and we were struggling with managing his "lazy-like" behaviour. I knew there was something else up but people kept assuring me he was acting like a “typical” boy.

After a couple of months in class I had a meeting with Hudson's teacher to discuss his progress and behaviour. I mentioned the head injury he had sustained and the thought of possible ADHD and she thought it might be a good idea to have him psychologically assessed. We went through the lengthy process of a psychological educational assessment and received a thorough analysis of him. Everything the psychologist explained made so much sense: low executive functioning skills, low average working memory, low average processing speed, extremely low visual perception and fine motor coordination, broadly average academic skills, high average oral skills and finally anxiety due to the need he feels to please everybody. It was a huge eye opener for Andy, but wasn't as surprising to me, being in the educational world has exposed me to a number of students with these exceptionalities. It did however make me feel like an ass for thinking my child was not listening and being a lazy jerk whenever I asked him to do a list of things (ie. get ready for school).

Since Hudson was 6 at the time of the assessment the psychologist would only provide a provisional diagnosis of ADHD as his brain is still developing as well as due to the uncertainty of the impact he might have from the brain injury. We spoke to a neurological psychologist about doing a neurological assessment but he said at Hudson's age the results and recommendations would be the same as his previous assessment so to just wait until his next assessment at 10 when he can better communicate his thoughts and feelings.

With the current assessment report we received we were able to get an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) created for Hudson at his school. This IEP will stay with him throughout his educational journey as it is needed. The staff at Hudson's school have been so amazingly supportive. They have been following his psych ed assessment recommendations which includes things like, more breaks, strategic seating (close proximity to teacher and good choice of friends), more time to complete work, chunking of work, more oral testing and no repetitive tasks if he already shows he can do something.

I wish I could say that knowing his limitations has made us better at parenting him but in all honesty it hasn't. Sure we check ourselves more but the frustration and annoyance is still there. Some days more than others. I have actually just put a reminder in my phone for the start of each month to re-read Hudsons psych ed assessment and Occupational Therapist report. Just reading it again to write this blog post reminded me of so many things I had forgotten and was treating Hudson unfairly with: "you just have to do 20 min of work...why can't you just do 20 min and then be done....if you spent all the time that you have been sulking typing you would be done by now...." and so on and so on. Sigh. It's a learning process for all of us and I just need to keep telling myself the way I tell him that practicing what is hard is the only way it will get easier. So I will practice my patience as I help him practice working through his challenges and in between we'll go play some sports because we're friggin’ awesome at that.

~Andrea

[andrebooker7532]

Journey to an Award-Winning Software

We met up with Mr. Fortier, Founder and CEO of KLF Group, a Montreal-based, Canadian company that just won “Best Software as a Service (SaaS) Provider 2018” at this year’s Canadian HR Awards for its newest venture Applauz Recognition, to ask him how he feels about employee engagement and try to understand the reasons behind the success of his startup.

Your company, the KLF Group, just won “Best Service Provider” in the 2018 Canadian HR Awards for Applauz Recognition, your new employee engagement software. Firstly, congratulations! You must be very proud. But before talking about Applauz, can you tell me a bit more about how you first became an entrepreneur? Back in 2005, I was twenty-five years old then, I had just lived through a very successful exit working for a tech company and I was eager to get right back into the mix, that’s when I founded the KLF Group.

The first product we launched was Game Access, a subscription-based, online video game rental service. We were the first in Canada to provide such a service and we were quite successful and quickly became the biggest video game distribution service in the country.

Soon after, we were presented with a massive business opportunity when a Canadian bank asked us to become their sole fulfillment partner providing them with a video-game and electronic rewards catalog to supplement their customer loyalty program.

While working on the strategy to launch the Bank’s program, we realized how customer loyalty programs were undeserving their customers. We saw a weak product offering, overpriced merchandise, excessively long shipping times and almost no customer service. After we conducted a thorough SWOT analysis of the industry and how it was being serviced, we realized that all the reward distributors at the time were using a “sell-to-buy” points reward model essentially acting as a simple broker and providing no added value to their rewards program participants. The opportunity to disrupt the industry was made clear to us.

Once we understood how we could enter the market, we were determined to disrupt it entirely. So, in 2009, after extensively testing our logistics model we launched Loyalty Source, our first venture into the loyalty rewards industry. Our initial service offering was really simple. We wanted to provide a modern rewards catalogue filled with the most recognized brands, ship every order within 48 hours and offer impeccable customer service. The market responded favorably to our approach. I’m proud to say that, today, Loyalty Source is the biggest rewards fulfillment provider in Canada.

We didn’t stop there! We were hungry for more. While working in the loyalty and recognition space we again spotted an opportunity, a blue ocean if you will, the Employee Engagement industry had completely neglected to cater their services to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Really. We must have looked through dozens of Employee Engagement software solutions at the time and found them all to be expensive, difficult to use and almost impossible to manage without a dedicated HR team. That’s how our next venture, Applauz Recognition, was born.

We developed Applauz in response to what we saw as a glaring oversight within the employee engagement industry. We realized that there were over 1 Million SMBs in Canada, all facing employee engagement issues to varying degrees, but they didn’t have the same budget as Fortune 500 companies to address them.

That’s when you came up with the idea to build Applauz? Because your customers had needs that the market couldn’t fill? Exactly! SMBs are vital to the Canadian economy since around 98% of all businesses have fewer than 100 employees! (source). Applauz was created to help SMBs build amazing work cultures where employees are rewarded, recognized and retained.

With Applauz, we set out on a mission of building a turn-key Software as a Service (SaaS) solution specifically designed for small and medium-sized businesses. So, we developed Applauz with all the most important and effective employee engagement features every business needs, without adding any of the over-engineered bells and whistles that other software vendors added to their programs. Applauz, by contrast, is extremely quick to implement and super easy to use, oh, and and it’s also ultra-affordable!

Tell me how you came up with Appy the Applauz mascot. Well, when we founded Applauz in 2017, we were wrapping our heads around our branding. We really wanted our product and logo to reflect the many things our software embodies: happiness, positivity, teamwork, technology, modernity — we wanted it to really appeal to business owners and come across friendly and inviting. I wanted a logo that stood out from the overused lower-case letter or star symbol we say the industry adopt as a de facto standard at the time.

After going through hundreds of design ideas our designers presented me with, I saw that friendly little robot, I knew that was it! We had found our mascot. That’s how “Appy”, our robot mascot was born.

Tell me about the feedback you get from Applauz customers, and what they think of your software. What are some of the things you hear most often? Good question! I often get people asking me “What’s the catch?”! (laughs). Usually, this question comes from business owners and HR executives when I tell them the software is free to use.

Another reaction I get oftentimes is surprise. Business owners and HR executives are taken aback by how easy it is to implement their employee engagement program with Applauz. They genuinely love the fact that everything is simple and intuitive. Really all they have to do is sign up, add their employees to the program and they’re good to go.

Is there already a specific type of SMB that registers? Not really. At first, were thought it would mostly be technology companies, but it wasn’t the case at all. We have municipal and federal government offices, NGOs, manufacturing companies, retail businesses, you name it! Applauz users are really diverse!

Now that you’ve won your second industry award since launching Applauz, do you see a difference in how the brand is being recognized or perceived by the industry? What’s next for Applauz? Absolutely. With Applauz we’ve set out to change the way managers and employees engage with each other every day. We believe that we can really help companies build extraordinary workplaces. It’s become our mission.

We’ve got a lot of projects going on. We’re now developing partnerships with other Human Resource software providers to make it even easier for business owners to use Applauz. We have great plans for Applauz. Our team is super motivated and their mission is nothing short of reinventing how companies value and support their internal cultures.

Last question: do you have advice for young entrepreneurs launching their own startup? It might seem cliché but just keep dreaming, and don’t be afraid to dream big! It’s about setting goals and striving to attain them. Success isn’t easy. It was never meant to be. Work hard, dream big, move forward.

One of my favorite quotes is by Vincent Lombardi: “we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it because in the process we will catch excellence.” And I can accept excellence (smiling).

Visit Applauz Recognition at : https://applauzrecognition.com

from personivt2c http://employeeengagement.ning.com/xn/detail/1986438:BlogPost:200971 via http://www.rssmix.com/

[ismokeitsite]

I smoke regularly, and pass tests a couple times a year for work. To address the recent rash of testing questions, here is how i do it. (Long)

I smoke regularly, and pass tests a couple times a year for work. To address the recent rash of testing questions, here is how i do it. (Long)

There seems to be an annoyingly large amount of posts on this sub relating to testing and “detoxing”. This is my two cents based on being a regular, but light to moderate smoker, who has to pass drug tests a couple times a year for contract jobs.

Tl;dr - There isn’t one. Read it all. If you aren’t interested in reading the whole thing, best of luck on your test...

I did a lot of research many years ago on how to clear for a basic urine test, and I have refined this into a method where I can clear reliably with a weeks notice without any fancy or expensive “detox” products or fake urine. I have never tested my method with less than five days notice, so please keep that in mind.

Also, your body type, activity level, and smoking habits are all factors in how well this will work for you. I use a one-hitter most of the time, and use it on average once a day, and sometimes a fat blunt on weekends. I get the munches when I smoke, bad. But I’m also an avid cyclist and I live in a city where walking and biking are the most efficient modes of transportation, so I get a lot of exercise. YMMV.

THC is fat soluble. That’s why you can make canna butter and oil with it. It also means it folds itself easily into your body fat. This is why you will test positive for weeks after your last puff at times. As your body uses that fat for energy, the thc metabolites are released into your blood. Thc metabolites are what is left over after the thc is done messing with your brain. I will be using them interchangeably here, but it’s the metabolites that are being tested for.

My strategy is dilution of my urine along with steps to mask that dilution. I self-test to make sure that I’m doing it right, and to time it correctly so when I go into that stall, I know I’m good to go.

First, before I even need to start the process, I make sure to have plenty of dip tests on hand. I use easy@home thc tests from Amazon. They are cheap: ~$1 each in bulk, and calibrated to 50ng/ml or 50 nanograms per milliliter of urine. This is the FDA standard.

Second, I almost always know well in advance when I will be testing. I know this isn’t usually the case with most folks, but I have cleared with as short as five days notice, and could probably shorten that to three, but I haven’t tried it. I welcome the community to confirm my experiences with this method.

The scenario:

OK, negotiations are complete, the contract is signed. HR contacts me with the inevitable barrage of things I need to do to satisfy the clients HR department. This always includes a drug test. I always have a good sesh around this time because I know I’ll be on a t-break for a while, dammit.

Stop smoking, do not consume any thc or cbd products. It sucks, but you have to.

Suck it up.

Diet and exercise are your friends at this point. You need to clear some of that thc infused fat that’s settled around your belly and ass. You won’t get it all, but losing some helps the next step. 2-3 days before d-day, switch it up and stop exercising and start eating. Eat a lot. Also start drinking water, lots of water. You are trying to put on a layer of clean fat and hydrate your body to cause a “whoosh” the day of the test. A whoosh is where you are so hydrated that you are peeing every hour or so and it looks like water. You cant work up to a whoosh in less than 24-48 hours unless you are routinely well hydrated. Most of us aren’t...

Dilution is a common tactic, so most tests are designed to check for this. Stick one of those thc dip strips in water, and it will show negative, but the control line will give you away. That control line is testing for urine, not water. Things like creatinine and other compounds that are normally found in urine. Also color, if it’s clear, you wont pass.

What you need to do to mask your dilution strategy is add extra color and creatine, which breaks down to creatinine, to your system.

B-complex vitamins, the cheap ones from wal-mart, add plenty of color to your piss. It will make it neon yellow on a normal day, and during the woosh it will look fairly normal.

Next is creatine, you can get this from red meat, fish, and supplements. I eat a lot of meat and fish already. So, I use an energy drink called bang for my creatine. It has a ton of taurine and caffeine in it, so it’s not for everybody, but it works for me. Not only as a source of creatine, but to help get the woosh started.

So, 3 days out, eating way more than normal, and drinking a lot of water. If you’re doing creatine supplements, you should be taking them now until after you test according to the package instructions.

2 days out, I drink a bang and continue drinking water and eating a lot of carbs and fat. I test late in the day or before bed just to gauge how I’m doing. I frequently will still be positive at this point, but I don’t panic. If I test first thing in the morning, I will be positive. In fact, I tested myself at several points during the process just recently to show you. Pic at the end.

The day before the test. More of the same. This last time, I tested positive first thing in the morning on this day, but by noon, when I was pissing about every hour, I was borderline negative. Right on track... Drink my second bang, and test in the evening. This one should be negative, if it isn’t, you might need to consider fake urine.

The day of the test. Eat and drink! I do my third bang and a big breakfast. Then I self-test. If this one isn’t negative, I’m fucked, but it hasn’t been a problem If I’ve done everything right so far. I still do it for confidence at the testing facility. I take a couple water bottles with me and drink one on the way and one in the waiting room.

Take the test. Don’t be an idiot and try something stupid. They have seen it all. If you were positive on your self test, you will be here too. If you didn’t make alternate plans like a fake pee kit by this point, oh well...

Also, try your best to stay clean for a few more days just to be sure until you are on the job. No news is good news, and asking about it is a red flag for sure.

After I start the job, I celebrate with a big, fat blunt. Until the next contract...

Further reading: Google “creatine”, “woosh urine” “thc metabolites” Any search involving “thc”, “detox”, or anything related to passing a drug test will result in lots of good information mixed with claims that the only way to do it successfully is to use a certain product. Trust me, those products, if they work at all, are variations on this method. And this way is much cheaper...

Here is a link to the pictures of the tests, dated. I tested on the 30th. And just to prove a point, I just did another test, and I’m still positive. Proving that this is dilution, not total “detoxing”.

https://m.imgur.com/a/Emer67b - And yes, they’re upside down, you can still see the damn lines. And according to the test website, even the faintest presence of a “T” line is considered negative.

Peace.

Tl;dr - Just fucking read it.

Submitted July 01, 2018 at 04:04PM by stonerdaddy via reddit

[economistontherun]

I loved the swim! aka Who am I?

On my adventure to my first Ironman, the Philly Escape Series Olympic distance triathlon was my first race of the tri season. This is my third attempt at swimming this race. The swim was cancelled both times prior. It is in my backyard so I can bike to the start and I know the bike and run course well. My coach put my goal as a hard training day to get more experience in an open water river swim, get comfortable with my new Liv Avow tri bike and focus on perceived effort and heart rate, and finish with a strong run. I was so excited to race with my tri club friends and the great people of Philadelphia. 

Race Prep - Night Before

I find the process of making lists, collecting and categorizing my gear and finally putting it into piles and packing it my bag to be soothing to the pre-race chimp brain. I check off the items as I pile them and then cross it off when I put it in the bag. At my first No Limits Endurance Ironman Training Camp in Lake Placid, I was thrilled to know that others share my freakish organizational quality. 

I like this Training Peaks print out with the space for goals on the top :-) 

Nutrition & Breakfast

Notes for nutrition and directives for T1 & T2 in a zip lock for transition set up (I’m such a dork). 

Dinner @ 6:30 pm

2 slices of Pizza, cheese and crackers, Founders All Day IPA & water with Nuun

Breakfast @ 3:30 am 

6:30 am start for the race (more on that later) with 5:30 am transition closing 

1 plain bagel with peanut butter

1 coffee black

1 bottle of water with Nuun lime flavor

Banana at 5:00 am 

1 non-caffeine Peanut Butter GU at 5:50 am pre- swim 

- The swim start was rolling and I didn’t get in water until 7:00 am. I was hungry & I grabbed a half a banana from a table. You do crazy things when you are hungry. 

Nutrition Plan for race

Swim - 1 Gu pre race start - (this was not enough and I have to figure this out. I saw a woman taking shot blocks into the swim tucked under her wetsuit..hmmm. I will have an opportunity to try this again in the 5K OWS swim in July. I have time to get this right for IMLOU. 

T1 - Salted Carmel GU with water

Bike - 90 minute bike bottle - 4 scoops of Perpetuem and 12 oz of water for 4 3 oz sips every 20 minutes

2 bottles of water with Lime Nuun 

T2 - Salted Carmel GU 

Run - 1 Salted Carmel GU and water on course (no gatorade) 

Swim

The swim start was a 3/4 mile walk north of transition on the Schuylkill River. It was a self seeded rolling start with a downstream 1500 meter swim. The swim was organized with many canoes & even scuba divers. I felt really safe in there. Any of my anxiety from the swim melted away as I walked with my T3 tri club members and started talking to two women doing their first triathlon. I self seeded at the back of the 35/front of 40 minute group. It was wetsuit legal for my sleeveless and it was exactly the right choice for 74.8 degrees. 

I found that the cure for nerves was waiting around long enough that you just want to get in the water and swim! The swim was great. I didn’t have the shock of the water hitting me when I jumped in. I just got in (the bottom felt a bit weird on my feet) and I started my rhythm breathing from the right 3 breaths, then switch to the left for 3 breaths. I did have the sensation that I wanted to get it over fast, but I put myself back in my box of one buoy at a time. I loved that the distance on the buoys counted down instead of up. 

I wasn’t touched by anyone except when I touched another swimming trying to pass them. Yes, ME, passing someone!!! I felt myself moving into what felt like a steady effort and got better as the swim went on. 

I started out to the left of the buoys and then made my way back toward the buoy line. I even found a yellow line connecting them and followed that without having to sight as often. I swam really straight after that! There was a point that I realized how much the swims in Mirror Lake helped me to handle the water in the river. There was one section of chop and I visualized the swim that was really choppy and I calmed down and kept at it. 

It was the coolest thing to be swimming under the Columbia Bridge and seeing the college crew logos from the water that I always see them on Kelly Drive. It was so much fun!!!! 

PR for the distance: 1500 meters 32:48 (2:00/100 yards) my Garmin had 1:57/100

Reflection: In the future I would seed myself in the 30-35 minute wave. This would help me to get out of the water faster and not be one of the last athletes off the bike and on the run. (Need to figure out calories better with a contingency plan for delayed start).

T1 - Gotta speed this one up - 3:42

I knew where my bike was and had my crib sheet to get going quickly, but I had trouble getting my wetsuit off my ankles. I think I’ll be trying Pam on my ankles next time. Thinking back on it, I definitely “toodle” and in part that I treated this T1 like a 70.3 T1 and not trust that I have everything I need. 

Bike 

Got on the bike and took a caffeinated salted caramel GU. 

The bike is two loops through Fairmount Park. I know this route and the hills. This is a benefit in that I know when the hills end although I found myself looking forward to the hills, shifting into a lighter gear and keeping my HR in the desired zone. I know it is the correct approach but I really can’t stand getting crushed by people on the hills. I suspect that what is happening with my bike is what happened when I first starting training with heart rate and running. There was a disconnect between pace and HR, but now it is dialed in. The same thing will happen as I continue to train. 

This was the first race with my new bike “Louise.” I went into it wanting to reach my target HR, keep a cadence around 80-85 on average, anticipate shifting and avoid the klunk and drink and eat throughout. 

My secret goal was to finish in under 90 minutes, but that will come. I was able to take the downhills with much more control. Brake before the turns instead of in them, work the flats in aero and have one heck of a great time riding my bike outside with so many people in MY CITY! My average speed was better too! 

I got to see my biggest supporter, my husband, at the top of one of the hills! It made my day to see him there. At the second loop, he said - PUT the HAMMER DOWN. I laughed because this is an inside joke about the size of the Hammer fuel containers in our house. 

I felt like my nutrition was on point. I need to check my watch because it didn’t go off every 20 minutes and I ended up taking a sip at the end of the ride. I don’t know if this impacted my run at all. I had a GU right when I got off the bike. 

I am super stoked over my bike handling in hydration. When the front torpedo needed to be filled, I decided to fill it with the bottle behind my seat when I was going up hill. Slow enough to change the bottle, yet enough momentum to allow for balance. I did it! I even yelled “Woo Hoo!” It’s a challenge to get that bottle in the back container blind. Victory! 

This was a great bike! I had so much fun on this ride! I pushed the entire time and learned that I am totally capable of doing that! Lots of room for improvement and this ride was a view of what is to come. 

PR for Distance: 40k 1:33:24 

Louise’s first race! So much fun!!!! Photo Credit: Gerard

T2- Less thinking and more automatic moving - 2:11

Triathlon is not a glamour sport when it comes to putting your body through the paces. I was well hydrated and as soon as I got off my bike, I peed myself. Yup. Just like that. Never had that happen before. Saved a trip to the portopot. I had an extra bottle of water that I washed myself off with and away I went. I laughed as I exited run out thinking of how Maria (my fearless coach) was going to laugh at this story. 

Run

This is an out and back two loops of the 5k run right on the surface of the sun. I should be able to crush this course, but not today. I stuck to my plan taking it easy for the first mile until I got my legs under me. It took longer this time than when I remember before. I used my mantras from the “Calm the F*** Down” book to push back the heavy legs. I should be able to run faster. I managed to do a progression run and my HR was between Zone 2 & 3 but I still felt like there was part of this run that I could have mentally pushed. I counted to 100 over and over on the 2nd loop and it made it go by faster. 

It was hot (91 degrees). I kept drinking water and putting it over my head. My shoes were so wet the insole moved and if the run was any longer I would have had a blister issue. No gatorade on the run, it made my stomach flip over the idea of drinking it. I had some cramping in my belly, thought maybe it was salt or calories so I took a GU. 

I passed so many people who were doing the sprint or were barely running at this point. I just wanted to go faster and then maybe I was good with where I was. It is hard to say. I find it very difficult to go into the same pain cave I can tolerate or set my mind to endure 5K or 5 mile running race. It is a challenge to get my adrenaline to the same level during the run in a triathlon. I still have a lot to learn about this portion of the race. 

The other thing about this race is that there are athletes already on the run course when riders like me are heading into the second loop of the bike. Riders pass them on the course. The bulk of the athletes seem to be on the run course when I have about 2 miles to go on the bike. I actually said out loud - this is your race and only your race, you are going to PR today! They are all running their own races. This put me back into the driver’s seat of my own awesome day!  

Later, when I was riding home, I saw people still finishing up the run course. They were awesome! We are all awesome. We got to swim, ride bikes and run. I am always grateful and think of how my mom would love to be running again, but her body won’t let her. It inspires me. Gerard and I are so fortunate to be able to do what we love and support each other. How can we not smile? 

10k Run  - Negative Split :-) 53:27 

Total Finish Time: 3:05:30 - 6 minute PR for Olympic Distance 

Next stop - a first - a 5K swim..... In other words - “Clear Your Mind of Can’t.” 

Victories:

Great open water swim! No anxiety and was able to get to steady pace.

Safely and successfully filled front water bottle & returned back bottle into cage.

Hit my HR targets for bike and pushed through the times when my mind and body wanted to relax and settle in. 

Road over the crest of the hill & other bike skills

Ran a negative split/progression run for 10k

Kept positive even when it got tough 

Had so much fun & I am really believing in my success to become an Ironman in Louisville.