#like cancel my meetings susan this is much more important

[kheart-creator]

Made this on stream Monday night after finding a plethora of source material at the local junk store. I’m really happy I started getting back into manual collages rather than digital ones- it opens so many doors and closes a few, too, which makes it all the more interesting. This little liminal space corner makes me super happy- it’s a smaller collage, about half a page. Now to find a frame and some wall space for it 🖤

[shewantedtobeasecretgirl]

12. Granny Out of Control a.k.a. headless chickens, Gene Simmons’ girlfriend and Rapunzel

In the previous chapters: Judy and Stone act after their embarrassing encounter in the shower as if it hadn’t even happened; they implicitly agree on not telling Mike that his one-night stand was just the consequence of Judy’s revenge-fueled rumors about Stone’s sexual preferences. Ed loses his voice so the show has to be canceled, Jeff offers to give guitar lessons to Judy instead in his spare time. Granny buys a metal magazine to learn more about Seattle-based rock bands; the picture of Pearl Jam makes her think the perfect match for Judy isn’t Jeff but Stone. Krisha picks Effie up in the city to tell her that Kelly Curtis and Susan Silver have plans with her as a photographer; she also gives her the list of codenames the band and crew members use at hotels. Effie also joins her when she feeds Stone’s unsociable cat, Red who is incompatible with all girls who try to approach him.

 „I don’t know, man… Are you sure you saw them?”

“Don’t piss me off, Schmitty, of course I’m sure. I know whom and what I saw.” I mumble as I put the flashlight back between my teeth. I can’t believe I’m doing this. Not only makes he me do this stupid act, he even drives me crazy with this weak-minded questioning in the meantime. The guy obviously watches too much TV. Especially detective shows about drug cartels.

“But let’s go over it again. Maybe you were wrong or misunderstood the situation or…”

I sigh, and take the flashlight out of my mouth only to direct the blinding ray of light in his face.

“Okay, but this is the last time. And I’m only willing to tell it again because I have nothing better to do and because technically, I can’t do anything else until we finish this. Open the bag and hold it.”

“Yes sir... so you went having a shower…”

“Not that it matters if I went showering or shitting but yes, I went to the restroom.”

“And you opened the door…” he goes on with the storytelling like a small child who already knows his favorite bedtime story by heart.

“And there were they, standing at the sinks…”

“Stop. Are you sure it was them?”

“Of course I am, I could recognize Judy and Stone from miles!”

“Are you 100 % sure?”

“No, I’m only 99 % sure because there’s a very small chance that they both have doppelgangers right in this town but let’s say I’m very likely to have seen them.” I confirm while I start portioning the green leaves into the plastic bag Schmitty is holding.

“And they were…”

“…basically naked.”

“Basically?” he asks like he’d never heard the word before.

“Yes, basically.”

“How do you mean “basically”?”

“What? I’m fucking around here with sharing my weed with you and you’re already high? Unbelievable…”

“No-no-no, seriously, man, you didn’t say “naked”, you said “basically naked”. Define the difference. It’s important.” he flails fussily.

“Stop shaking the bag, it’s difficult enough to do this only with one hand. So, uh, they weren’t completely naked, they both were wearing a towel…”

“The same towel or…?”

“Hah, interesting idea, but no, they both had their own towel on. But I assume none of them was wearing any underwear…”

“That’d be normal, I mean, after showering… but that’s the weakest point in your theory, them having a shower at the same time… it sounds so unreal.”

“Yeah, I thought the same until I found the only logical reason.”

“What? That you only dreamed the whole thing? Or that it was just an intense trip due to the shrooms Mike gave you?”

“I know it sounds unbelievable but at this point, I’m pretty much convinced they did it on purpose.” I close the bag and throw it at Schmitty who hides it immediately in the inner pocket of his jacket and pats himself on the chest satisfied.

“Thanks. But I can’t follow your thinking, Scully. Why’d they secretly meet in the shower?”

“I don’t want to shock you but… I think they had sex right before. I almost entered but then I glanced them and they were almost naked, both giggling and Judy was groping Stone and… I backed out, I was so surprised, I didn’t even know what to do…”

“But they hate each other.” Schmitty protests shaking his head.

“And? Since when can’t people who hate each other have sex with each other?”

“Man, this is too much to me, Stone has Amber at home, Judy is like a nun, they can’t stand each other so obviously, they have sex??? Bullshit, that’s all I can say. I don’t know what you saw but it definitely couldn’t be a post-coital scene.”

“Look, I don’t understand the exact reasons either but…”

“I’ve always been told that as soon as we start touring, girls will try to drag me in the tour bus all the time but I imagined it somehow different…”

We both freeze at the hearing of Stone’s smug giggling and our surprise only grows when we recognize the voice that belongs to his companion.

“Sorry for ruining your wet rock star dreams but it’s impossible here to talk to someone face-to-face, even the walls have ears in this crew.”

Schmitty and I exchange a meaningful look and to his nod, I turn the flashlight on the lowest level. Walls might not have ears here but this bunk bed curtain we’re hiding behind definitely does. Even four, to be exact.

“So what’s the purpose of this conspired, hyper-secret meeting, Camden? I’m hungry so let’s get over with this as fast as possible!”

Hungry, yeah, I can imagine. So you prefer quickies, Stoney?

“I just wanted to talk about yesterday.”

Schmitty stares at me with popped eyes, even his jaws drop of shock.

“Ha. So you were thinking about it?”

“Yes but not the way you think. I’m not gonna tell you tirades about how much I regretted it or stuff because I didn’t. I only want to ask if you talked to Scully about it?”

Schmitty grabs my forearm, digging his nails into it, his other hand is shaking uncontrollably.

“No and I don’t know why I should force it, I mean it happened, it’s embarrassing enough for both of us so let’s draw a veil over it.”

“It’s embarrassing for both of us? Do you really think I give a damn about that? I mean, okay, I lost control, which doesn’t happens really often to me but who cares, I can handle the consequences. You feeling embarrassed, now that’s the last thing I care about. But have you already thought about the feelings of your friend at least for one single second?”

We both furrow our eyebrows and her words probably found their marks since Stone doesn’t answer, which makes Judy go on with the pep talk.

“Okay, neither of us is going to say a word since we both have selfish interest in keeping it in secret but if Scully shoots his mouth off and he finds out about what happened… just think into it, it’d ruin his self-esteem. I mean, it’s inevitable that it turns out later but the best strategy is discretion. Now, it’d be too fresh for him, let’s wait until he forgets about this little… intermezzo.”

Schmitty covers his still opened mouth in complete horror and even I start feeling uncomfortable now that my intuition is basically confirmed.

“So, would you finally promise to talk to Scully?”

“Dunno… I’ll consider it.��

“Jesus Christ, Gossard, would it hurt not to piss me off once in a lifetime?”

“To answer your question, yes, it would but this time it’s not about you, Miss Fussy. I was just thinking that we should let it slide since after all, it’s not as a big deal as you think.”

You fuck her and then try to ditch her? Come on Stone, I thought you were better than this.

“I mean, you make such a fuss but I don’t think Scully would let it slip, he’s probably already forgotten about the whole scene. And if I came up with it, he’d just start overthinking it; when he knows he has to shut his mouth, he becomes gossipy all the more.”

Ha, thanks Stoney but just for the record, I don’t gossip, I just process things by discussing them with other people, see also at “coping mechanisms”…

“It’s you who’s overthinking it. Just stop protesting and do what I ask you. I even use the word “please”.”

“Fuck, okay, I’ll see what I can do, just leave me finally alone with this. Can I ask you something too?”

“It depends…”

“Could we stay here for ten… fifteen minutes? You know, it’s about my reputation…”

“Fuck off, Gossard!!!”

We both exhale with a deep sigh when we hear them leaving the bus.

“Holy. Shit.”

“Holy. Fucking. Shit. Dude, you were right!”

“Of course I was right, I always am, you just never believe me.“

“But… damn… I didn’t see that coming… Gahhh.” Schmitty facepalms, rubbing his forehead worried.

“I’m surprised, though, I thought they didn’t notice me.”

“Apparently, they did. Jesus, I doubt there’s something serious between them but now that I heard it with my own ears, it all makes sense! They hook up, they are both embarrassed since they are enemies, plus the Amber-factor… and poor Jeff, he has a massive crush on Judy and she knows it, maybe she tries to have two irons in the fire… So she convinced him to keep the fling in secret not to ruin her chances at Jeff… She looks so innocent and now she turns out to be an actual snake… Do you think Karrie knows about it?” he jabbers staring desperately in front of himself.

“Whoa, stop, dude, are you insane? She’s not a bitch, they just made a mistake and she freaked out. Her worrying about Jeff sounded genuine, after all, Stone is no perspective for her, he’s got that… he’s got Amber, whatever she is for him. And I don’t think Karrie knows anything, even if she does, she’ll pretend she doesn’t.”

“But this changes everything! Jeff is our friend too and I don’t want to lie to him.”

“Trust me, he’ll never ask “And tell me Schmitty, have Judy and Stone had sex?”, so you don’t have to.”

“You’re making fun of me but you know too how dangerous information these are so you’d better have a good idea what are we going to do know.”

“I’ll tell you, Schmitty: we’re gonna act casual. Just watch me.”

***

„There’s no chance I could reach that string. Just… no. I don’t have that muscle, I’m done.” I moan as I desperately try to stretch my pinky finger to play the next chord following Jeff’s instructions.

“Hey, relax, just reach a bit further, you’ve almost got it.” he chuckles and makes an insecure move to help me out but he changes his mind in the last moment and pretends he only wanted to scratch his arm. And I pretend not to have noticed it.

“No, it’s impossible, I can’t twist my wrist that much. I don’t have freakishly long fingers like Stone, it’s enough.” I give up and put the guitar aside. We’ve been practicing for like one hour, I played him my still rudimentary sounding song idea, of course without telling him what exactly it was. He improvised a bass line to it on his acoustic bass guitar, his fingers are still running back and forth over the strings despite the fact I stopped playing. When I was a kid, Grandpa would tell me that if you cut the head of a chicken, it can still run around for a few seconds before collapsing, maybe it’s a similar phenomenon. Or maybe it’s like when a freight train hits a car and it pushes the vehicle in front of itself for miles before stopping. Headless chickens and train wrecks, why am I thinking about stuff like these while hanging out with a nice guy?

“I’m sure you can do it if you practice it. Look, my fingers aren’t long either.” he raises his palm. Is he expecting me to measure mine to his by placing them together? Could we rather just draw them around and compare the drawings like small children? Okay, he’s got strong, manly hands, that’s not bad at all. But how can he stuff those thick fingers between the strings? And those jewelries, God, they are terrible. Would he mind if I asked him to put them off?

“No, I can’t. I’m not good at these moves, I’ve already tried to play the violin, it didn’t go well. It went awful.” I protest, rather to overtalk my racing thoughts than to argue with him. I hope he’s not going to ask me about the details, I don’t feel like telling him that story at all.

“Okay, it was you who asked me for help, so…” he shrugs with a half smile, his fingers are still nerve-wrackingly torturing the instrument.

“Actually it was you who offered to help so…”

“Fair enough. I don’t want to force it so… if you want to finish all your future performances by saying “sorry, now comes the chord which is incompatible with my wrist so go the fuck home” – then okay, I don’t care.” he puts down the guitar. I try to decode the expression on his face, is he disappointed or just casual or…?

“How do you do that?” I ask quickly, I can’t bear that look.

“What?”

“This… everything…” I flail helplessly.

“I don’t know… I think I got bored with doing nothing and wanted to try something new and I realized I could do everything instead of nothing.” he leans back with a challenging smirk.

“Geez, you spend too much time with Stone.” I roll my eyes. “I mean… I played you something and you immediately knew what to do with it. Your head is full of ideas and variations, can you hear the harmonies instinctively or…?”

“I don’t know… when I hear a melody, I start hearing the other parts in my head… but sometimes I just mess around and try different things to check if they can work as a song or as an idea that I can use later. I try to keep my ears fresh, I fight against crafting only bass lines in my head, that’s why I pick up the guitar from time to time. You know, if a bass player never leaves his comfort zone, after a while, he’ll tend to operate only with the same five or five notes, it’s like a tunnel vision… or tunnel hearing…” he ends his explanation with a shrug and a lopsided smile, as far as I’ve observed, he does that pretty often.

“That’s amazing… I envy you so much. I’ve been studying and playing music for as long as I can remember but I’ve never felt that… sense of liberty? I practiced my ass off, I learned everything I could, at Juilliard, we basically dissected classical musical pieces into single notes and… I developed some weird perfectionism in the meantime, I know how good music is supposed to be composed but… I myself just can’t do it. I was so busy with studying other people’s works that I couldn’t develop the ability to create something, it’s like… my knowledge paralyzed my creativity… Or that’s just what I keep telling myself because I1m not willing to accept the fact that writing music is a gift you can’t just earn by practicing and learning…”

“Maybe you’re right.” he shrugs again and his reaction somehow hits me hard; I don’t know why, though. “I think I’ve already mentioned you that I took piano lessons but I hated it. I found literally nothing intriguing in it, it was boring, I’ve never been into Beethoven or some shit like that.”

“What?” I frown. I didn’t expect him to like the same things I do but… could he just show at least a little interest in what I like? I even talked about art and skateboarding with him. Okay, he doesn’t owe me anything, we’re not dating and all but if he ever wants something from me… okay, he probably doesn’t, it was obviously just a stupid gossip.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to trash your music, it’s just not for me, I appreciate it but I don’t like it. I’m just a Montanan jerk, did you forget?”

“You’re not a jerk, don’t say that… I’m just… nothing, forget it.”

“No, if you want to say something, don’t swallow it. Did I hurt you?”

“You didn’t… I’ve just spent my entire life playing classical music so I can’t imagine how someone is able not to like it at all.”

“Same here with sports.”

“God, I hate sports!” I exclaim and I immediately begin to laugh realizing I’m not better than him either.

“You see? But speaking of your music studies, there’s one thing I’ve always wanted to ask.”

“No.”

“No what? Am I not allowed to ask the question?”

“No is the answer to the question.”

“But I haven’t even…”

“Trust me, it’s no.”

“If you say so…”

“I’m just kidding. Most people attack me when they learn I’m a musician asking if I’d sing or play something for them, it’s so annoying, it’s like the “grunge question’ of classical musicians…”

“Okay, I get it.” he smiles. “But that’s not what I was about to ask.”

“Thank God. So, I guess you don’t want me to teach you reading sheet music either, because that’s usually the second question, which is usually asked by people with no musical hearing at all...”

“No, it’s more of a… personal one.” he hesitates squinting at me for the final permission.

“Hit me.”

“Why are you here?”

“Here? Like, here and now, with you or…?”

“No, I mean, why are you here, with the band? You graduated from one of the most prestigious music schools on Earth, you could conduct top choirs or whatever… and you’re here, loading our shitty van every single night, smelling sweat and cigarette smoke, spending days in a tour bus with beer drinking ugly dudes… Why? I guess Juilliard graduates can pick whatever job offer they want so...”

“I’m here for the money.” I answer without thinking and it immediately sounds false. Am I? Really? “I came here for the money, I don’t deny it, I had no job and however terrified I was, something told me I had to take this opportunity.”

“But… as a classical musician trained at Juilliard… why this job? I just can’t get it.”

“Well… I’ve known for a very long time that the music of baroque era is in which I’m the most interested. It’s, you know, a passion to me, it’s like punk was to you. And if you want to be really good at it, you have to go to the place where it comes from. Here in the States, you can basically hear nothing that was written before Mozart.”

“Europe?”

“Exactly. So in my senior year, I applied for a scholarship of the music academy in Leipzig.”

“And…?”

“And I won it.”

“So you studied in Europe too?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because my father died a few months before I graduated and the small firm he ran died with him… it was a very complicated period so I asked the academy if I could postpone it by one year.”

He’s chewing his lower lip and speaks up only after digesting for a few seconds what he’s just heard.

“And they refused your application?”

“No, they sent me a kind acceptation letter in which they cited their scholarship regulation that said postponement is allowed once. So I moved back to Seattle and started teaching.”

“Oh. I guess something came up one year later too.”

“Well yeah, my sister’s almost dying, that came up.”

He exhales with a deep sigh, I have the feeling he already knew all the details, he just couldn’t do the math. Maybe Karrie told him our family saga. I don’t mind, though, I don’t feel like telling him those stories either…

“Well, that’s a lot… but it also sounds like… you gave up your dreams.”

Now it’s me who can’t do anything else but shrug.

“Maybe… or maybe, it was just a warning from the universe. I’m not religious but I do believe that everything happens with a reason, maybe you can’t find it out ever because it’s something bigger than you or your shitty little life. My family needed me and they still do, or at least they need my two hands I can make money with so… plus, I’ve always been terrified of performing. I have worst stage fright, I doubt I would be able to conduct in the spotlight of the world’s biggest concert halls… anyways… have you ever heard about famous, female conductors?”

“Normally, I’d say you’re a coward and you should follow your dreams but I understand the family factor, of course. And I don’t want to act like a hypocrite either, I could have looked for another graphic design program too when mine was canceled in Missula.”

“But changed your dream instead.”

“Exactly. And maybe that’s what you should do too if universe or God or Buddha or the spirit of Johann Sebastian Bach is trying to message you that you picked the wrong dream.”

“Are you trying to say I should switch my brain to believe loading shitty vans and smelling Scully’s and Schmitty’s stinky feet is my real dream?” I giggle.

“If that’s your way, than go for it, girl!” he plays the overly enthusiastic motivational trainer. We crack up but none of us is laughing heartfelt. His face finds finally rest in a genuine, encouraging smile. “Let’s raise our glasses to the new dreams!”

We both reach our hands to clink our imaginary glasses.

“To the new dreams!”

***

I’ve been on the road with them for days and nothing. Not a single move or a sound that’d confirm we’re following the right traces. And I’m thirsty. So thirsty. But they are so envious, I know they are hiding spare water in their stupid spacesuits or what but they claim they have nothing to share. Sure. I would never drink recycled pee, anyway. But those two moons look pretty cool, the night sky compensates me for every inconvenience I’ve experienced since we started chasing that gross sandworm… everything for the melange…

However important my mission is, it gets interrupted by three quick, impatient knocks on the door.

“You’ve been shitting in there for forty-two minutes! I know you’ve finished and you’re just reading! I have to pee! Get the fuck out of there! Why do you have to do this all the time?”

Maybe because this is the only place where I can have some progress with my current reading undisturbed? I reluctantly close the hardcover volume of Frank Herbert’s Dune and glance lazily at my wristwatch.

“First of all, it’s been only forty minutes. Second, it’s shorter than a blink of an eye, if you measure it in cosmic time. Not even applicable.”

“Okay, I can use astronomical metaphors too. My bladder is a red giant that is about to explode so…”

“I’m coming, I’m coming, geez, urinary incontinence? You should see a urologist.” I remark opening the door. He basically tosses me out of is his way and almost slams it on my nose.

“It’s rather you who should see a doctor, fuck, Stone, what did you eat? Uuugh, I’m dying.” I hear his muffled indignation.

I lie down on my bed and stuff the pillow under my nape. I turn the pages back and forth for a few times until find the place where I was before Mike kicked me out. So, back to those goddamn pervert Fremen fuckers…

I barely manage to read a few lines, when Mike comes back and throws himself on his bed, unmuting the TV that is showing underdressed ladies caressing their own body and telling their erotic fantasies in seductive voice. I clear my throat. No reaction. I do it again, this time longer and louder. Nothing.

“Sorry, am I bothering?” I ask sharply but our guitarist seems to be completely immersed in the curves. “Okay, busted. I know you only went to the toilet to jerk off. You only watch Playboy TV and noname porn channels, you really need to get laid.”

“Done, last night. Remember?” he answers slowly and mindlessly, his eyes are still glued to the screen.

“No, because I wasn’t there, thank God.”

“You’re just envious because you have to practice celibacy, otherwise Amber would cut your balls off.”

I squint at the girls over my book.

“Not that I feel tempted. Jesus, I’m sick of these… udders…”

“Hey, watch your mouth! Those ladies deserve more respect! Especially her!” he points at the blonde, blue-eyed, busty woman on the screen who is dropping her lingerie standing at a bath tub.

“Why, who is she?” I look back at the text in front of me, not that I understand a word of it. Since I receive no answer I turn my head towards Mike only to see he sat up in the meantime and stares at me offended. “What? I have no idea.”

“That’s Shannon Tweed!!!” he flails outraged.

“… who is…?”

“Who is a goddess, Playmate of the Year in 1982 and last but not least, the girlfriend of Gene Simmons!”

“Oh. So she’s old as dirt.” I summarize laconically.

“Stone, what’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with her? What’s wrong with big boobs? I thought you liked them… I mean, you are the guy who’s entitled to do anything with Seattle’s most spectacular pair of bosoms so…”

“Hey, you’re talking about my girlfriend!” I grunt.

“I’m talking about your girlfriend’s tits!”

“Exactly, that’s it! Don’t talk about my girlfriend’s tits! Anyway, how do you know what they look like?”

“Hey, first, I’m only talking about them. It’s called freedom of speech, First Amendment…”

“What the fuck, parts of the Constitution are printed now on beer tags or did I miss something?”

“…second, it is very difficult not to know what they look like, they basically poke your eyes out!”

“Only talking, ‘course.”

“Certain female anatomical features attract men’s eyes, it’s in our genetic code. Don’t even try to make me believe those features had nothing to do with you ending up with her. Wait!” he exclaims with a finger snapping. “Oh, I get it already. You miss her! That’s why you can’t stand the playmates on TV! But you could have said, it’s not a shame…”

“Dr. ‘Cready, expert of constitutional law and anatomy, psychotherapist. I’ve just said I don’t feel tempted…”

“Because those boobs” he points at the screen “are forbidden fruit and remind you of those boobs in Seattle.”

“You’re pointing in the wrong direction, Michael. You’re pointing at boobs in Indiana.”

“Whatever. You miss her, admit it. My boobies are over the ocean, my boobies are over the sea…”

“Stop!”

“My boobies are over the ocean so bring back my boobies to me…”

“Shut the fuck up!”

“BRING BAAACK, BRING BAAACK, BRING BACK MY BOOBIES TO ME, TO MEEEE!”

“I’m only saying that even huge breasts can be boring after a while.” I overshout his off-key singing.

Mike suddenly stops singing and just blinks at me completely frozen.

“You mean… you want to leave Amber?”

“Jesus, what did I do to deserve this?” I bury my face in my hands. “I mean… imagine your favorite food!”

“But that’s… risotto…?”

“Perfect!”

“But risotto doesn’t look like boobs!”

“Jesus, of course not, just imagine it!”

“Okay. Mmmh, it looks delicious. I can even feel its smell.” he moans with closed eyes.

“So you want to eat risotto now, right?”

“Oh yeah, I want it more than anything.”

“And if you could… or had to eat risotto every single day, would you feel the same?”

“Uhm, probably… not.” he opens his eyes.

“And here we are. If you’re in the position where you can play with huge breasts every day, it’s not such a big deal anymore.”

“Hm, makes sense…” he lies back. “But wait!” he sits up quickly again.

“What?”

“In that case, risotto wouldn’t be my favorite food anymore.”

“Yeah, probably…”

Congrats Sherlock. I drop my book on the nightstand, by now, I basically gave up all hope for finishing the chapter I was reading.

“But that means that you prefer small boobs now!”

“I didn’t say that but obviously, smaller tits have their appeal too. And there are girls who would look ridiculous with big breasts.”

My mind begins to wander involuntarily… Yeah, Amber is a bombshell and she drives me crazy whenever she’s around but I’ve always had a thing for more fragile looking girls…

“Who are you thinking about?” Mike asks greedily like a curious puppy.

“Jesus, no one.” I scoff frowning. “I mean, very slim girls look better with… proportionate breasts, you know, like small apples…”

I catch myself cupping my hands, what the hell, am I honking imaginable tits in the air? Okay, I have to talk to Eric to fly Amber here, I’m going to put an end to this, I’m pathetic.

“Say an example!”

What? I don’t know whom I was thinking about, I don’t even know if I was thinking about an existing person, maybe I was just fantasizing about freaky phantom breasts, I couldn’t even see them, it was just a desirable cleavage… and round hips… and shapely thighs…

“I can’t!”

“Just say an example, I don’t know, someone famous who looks like that, or someone who we both know…”

“Kylie Minogue?” I groan in agony. Hopefully I satisfied Mike’s need for a new protagonist for his erotic dreams because he only nods with an appreciative pout.

The ringing of the phone on the bedside between us interrupts our intellectual conversation and we both stare at the device surprised and confused for a few seconds, it’s usually us who call family members and friends, not the other way around. Finally, I decide to pick up.

“It’s Stone.”

“…” No one answers but I can hear some indistinct noises coming from the other end of the line.

“Hello… who’s that? Wo am I talking to?” I ask, and Mike pulls closer to the speaker of the receiver too.

“Ah… excuse me… I must have dialed the wrong number… you’re obviously not the Notre Dame Hunchbach…” an old female voice answers.

What the hell? Is this a prank call? Old people make phone pranks too?

“Who?” I mouth to Mike who mouths “Judy” as a response. Ah, yes. She also chose a codename, not that anyone is interested in her. “You’re talking to Dr. Hugh Jeego, but who am I talking to?”

“Ah, you must be Mr. Gossard. I’m Mrs. Albertson, Judy’s grandma.”

I almost drop the receiver.

“Ugh… uhm… hi, Mrs. Albertson, it’s nice to meet you… I mean, even if not in person but… I guess you wanted to call Judy so…” I make an attempt to finish this awkward intermezzo but she cuts me off.

“Actually, I am glad that I can talk with my Judy’s new colleague, this job is so different in comparison to what she worked earlier, you know, she taught in a school…”

“Yeah, I know…”

“…and now she’s with a rock band, and there are so many rumors about musicians, they drink and do drugs and…”

“We… we don’t drink… that much… not before shows…” I answer and Mike nods approvingly opening a beer can with a loud fizz. “… and we prefer herbs…”

“And mushrooms…” Mike adds.

“Shut up, you ruin everything!” I hiss between my teeth while I cover the microphone with my palm.

“Who was that?”

“It was… it was Mike, our lead guitarist.”

“Ah, Mr. McCready!”

Mike pats his chest proudly.

“Exactly, Mr. McCready…” I flip him the bird.

“I hope my Judy takes care of herself, she tends to become obsessed with work, she even forgets to eat… does she eat properly?”

“I’ve… I’ve seen her eating… so I guess she does…” I try to reassure her but I’m afraid I don’t sound very convincing; after all, the eating habits of Miss Smarty Pants don’t belong to my main interests.

“I wish she ate more, she’s so skinny, isn’t she?”

“She is… I mean, she’s slim. But like… not too slim. Her body is proportionate… I mean, physically, anatomically… her shape is feminine…  and when I say “feminine” I mean she’s not malnourished…” I babble and the small apple tits appear in front of my eyes again, Jesus, I’ve started losing my sanity… For some reason, Mike feels necessary to grab the receiver and yell a gratuitous, cheesy tirade into it.

“My learned colleague is trying to say that she’s a very pretty young lady, with all the respect, of course. She’s the most virtuous girl I know, she behaves well, you can be proud of her, Mrs. Albertson.”

Yes, Mrs. Albertson, exactly, your grandchild behaves well, she brought condoms only enough for a whole fuckin’ football team, safety first… I snatch the receiver out of Mike’s hand and lift it back to my ear but before I could finally get rid of the old lady, the TV catches my attention. While we were listening to the phone call, the harmless playmate fantasies ended and the channel started airing hardcore porn. And either was the petting part very short or it didn’t even exist since the “characters” are pretty much in the middle of things and before we could react anything to avoid the disaster, the actress starts screaming rhythmically.

“What was that noise? Are women with you too?” the old woman inquires suspiciously.

“Turn down the volume, for fuck’s sake!!!” I scream-whisper to Mike.

“No, we’re alone, Mrs. Albertson… we’re just watching TV… Murder She Wrote, someone is being killed!” Mike improvises aggressively poking the remote. “It’s not working…” he groans with a miserable expression.

“Oh, I like that show… which episode? Maybe I turn on the TV to watch it too...”

If you knew… In the meantime the man starts moaning too so the obvious noises grow even louder.

“Oh, the murderer is being killed too!” I try to win some time for Mike, I admit, it wasn’t the most creative lie I’ve ever said…

“I’m saying it’s not working, it must be contact failure or low battery…” he explains beating the remote against his palm at full strength, creating a counterpart to the sound of the bodies snapping against each other on the screen.

“It’s the episode about the slasher.” I maintain the conversation and then address Mike again. “Then use the power button on the TV device or throw it the fuck out of the window, I don’t care, just do something!!!”

“Ah, great idea!” his face lights up and finally, he walks to the TV and turns it off. I swear, I thought for a second he was going to choose the window version, like Keith Moon. I’m sure he was considering it but found the box too heavy.

“It’s over…“ I transmit to Mrs. Albertson.

“It ended with a cliffhanger, what a shame…” Mike remarks and I can barely suppress my snorts.

“I hope for a happy ending…” I grin, Mike presses his pillow against his face, while the poor lady obviously doesn’t even know what to say. After a few seconds of silent, body-shaking laughter, he rearranges his face muscles and takes the receiver away from me.

“It was a pleasure to meet to you, Mrs. Albertson. Judy is a great girl and as far as we know, Effie too, please, hug her for us. I hope we can meet you in person too, when we get back.”

“I admit, I’m relieved, I want you to know I think you are just darling guys. And now, I call the Notre Dame Hunchbach, as I intended to. Goodnight, Mr. Gossard, Mr. McCready.”

“Goodnight, Mrs. Albertson.” we sing in unison.

After I hang up the phone, we stare at each other silently for long moments, before we burst out laughing hysterically.

***

Great. She’s late. She promised she’d be waiting for me at the bar counter at 9 p.m. I’m doing the third circle in this goddamn place and she’s nowhere to be found. Okay, RCKNDY is actually my favorite place and I was happy when Krisha offered to meet me here to unveil Kelly’s and Susan’s “great idea” about which I only know at this moment that it concerns my photos. The cigarette smoke irritates my throat and some unknown band is in the middle of sound check on the stage, the indistinct guitar noises and the female lead singer’s instructions blast at random moments from the speakers causing me mild heart attack every single time and making the crowd members overyell them. Despite the early hour, the place is packed; I can barely struggle through the mass of flannel-wearing guys and girls. Early hour… what am I talking… now that my lifestyle converges on clinical death, both metaphorically and literally, I usually spend my evenings in front of the TV wearing my pajamas. It’s good Krisha picked this day, Mom is working at that new side job again so I didn’t have to make anything up to prevent her from asking suspicious questions.

I visited the restroom to kill some time but it just made me frustrated all the more since I involuntarily became the audience of a bunch of girls, one of them was gushing about the kissing skills of her current crush… gah, I can’t believe I turned into this sour bitch, just because I’ll end up as a spinster, she’s entitled to have some fun…

Almost fifteen minutes have passed by and she still hasn’t shown up yet. I can’t hang out with Victor either, he’s helping with putting the finishing touches at the sound check. I guess I have to wait then. I pick a bar stool and try to decipher the list of beverages on the wall.

“What can I get for you?” a red-haired bartender girl asks. Her question catches me off-guard, since my good old answer “beer” hasn’t been an option for a while and I didn’t have enough time to consider the alternatives. She’s chewing gum with a bored face, reminding me of a ruminant… a hot ruminant.

“Uhm… I… ugh, I haven’t…” I jabber and she reacts with an impatient eyeroll, the countless bracelets are clinking around her wrist as she runs her fingers through her red mane.

“I’d like to have a virgin mojito.” I utter the first thing that comes to mind. She acknowledges my choice with a scornful scoff… Yeah, in case I haven’t felt embarrassed enough yet, she makes obvious that she’s the sexy and cool femme fatale and I’m a straight-edge cripple in a boring, worn, brown jacket.

“Hey, here you are!” someone grabs my shoulders.

“Me? I’ve been waiting for you for like… hours?” I frown while Krisha settles down on the bar stool next to me and places her beer on the counter.

“Gosh, sorry!” her eyes pop as she checks her wristwatch. “I arrived too early and went to the executive office to meet a few friends.” she points at some people talking in front of a door that probably belongs to the office rooms. “That’s Alex, he runs this place, he’s a good friend of Stone, by the way. And that girl next to him works here too, she’s the girlfriend of Regan.”

I observe the girl she’s talking about, she has a nice, bright smile. Fantastic. Krisha knows everyone here… and I have no idea who these people are, and by the way, I’m nobody.

“Regan?” I furrow my eyebrows. “It’s a unique name, I swear I’ve heard it but I can’t place it…”

“He’s also an old friend of mine. And of Stone of course. You might know his name because he played in Malfunkshun with Andy. I mean Andy Wood.”

“Wood.” we say the name at once. “Of course I know his name, I didn’t grow up in a cave…” I explain, maybe in a sharper tone than intended.

“Oookay… “ she raises both hands defensively. “Actually, Regan almost became the drummer of Mother Love Bone, until they replaced him with Greg Gilmore. They made Stone fire him, I was thinking “okay, that’s it, he’s gonna hate us forever” but somehow, he managed to convince him by using logical reasons. If you ever want to fire a drummer, just call him because he’s your guy.” she nods meaningfully and takes a sip of her beer.

“Based on my sister’s opinion, drummers probably leave the band willingly, after having spent some time with him.” I remark dryly. “Thank you.” I reach for my drink and slide the money towards the phlegmatic redhead. I suppress a smile when I see her realizing with disappointed face that I spared the tip. What was she thinking, seriously?

“Oh yes, I forgot your sister and you sew Stone-shaped voodoo dolls in your spare time. By the way, Regan has played with a guy called Shawn for a few years, he’s a huge talent. The dude is a Prince-freak, which is somehow odd in a city where you can’t make a single step without stomping on a distortion pedal but he’s an awesome singer. AND they are planning to jam with Stone as soon as he gets back. I can give you the address of their rehearsal room in case you want to assassinate him…”

“No, thanks, I already know where he lives so…”

“Right!” she slaps herself in the forehead.

“Anyway, can I finally learn why we’re here?”

“Soon. We’re waiting for someone… I’m going to introduce you to someone… who has a job offer for you!”

“Wow… let me guess… healthcare branch has discovered me and they want me to be the face of some firm’s dialyzer portfolio?” I squint at her as I loudly slurp my cocktail.

“Damn, you nailed it!” she bangs her fist against the counter. “Anyway, I’m not going to tell you anything until she arrives, you need to be punished for the self-deprecating joke.”

“Spank me…” I mumble but my retort stays unnoticed since Krisha stares in an indefinite direction next to me sending an enthusiastic wave towards someone.

“Look, Jer is here too.” she points at the target of her smile and I follow her gaze only to recognize Jerry Cantrell… he’s wearing black jeans and a black leather jacket with a white tee.

“Wait… didn’t… didn’t you mention… I mean, you dated, didn’t you?” I ask confused, trying to form coherent sentences. It’s not going well.

“Yeah, we did.” she wiggles her eyebrows.

“But exes are supposed to hate each other…” I try not to turn around too obviously, so I remove a non-existing hair from the shoulder part of my jacket. While he’s slowly walking through the crowd, I notice he’s holding hands with a long, brown-haired girl. She has a perfect body and she’s probably completely aware of it since the tight leather pants highlight every curves of her. Sure, a 10/10 chick for a 10/10 guy, that’s how world has always worked… His hair is let down… I catch myself smiling, Dad insisted on calling him Rapunzel…

“It was just a summer fling and we realized after a few dates that we weren’t made for each other. So no one got hurt.” she shrugs. “Anyway, we share the building with the management of Alice in Chains so we knew we would run into each other all the time. The music scene of this city it’s like a big, incestuous family so…”

We both crack up.

“Oh no…” she sighs annoyed, staring over me again. I don’t know what’s going on in her head but it must have to do something with another twenty-eight people I’ve never met. “DON’T TURN AROUND!” she yells at me when I try to check the cause of her reaction.

“Why, what’s…?”

“It’s too late, I guess she’s already noticed us… or hasn’t she? Bow your head…” she leans on the counter, letting her hair cover her face.

“What the fuck?”

“I said bow your head… avoid eye contact… shit, I don’t have the nerves for this right now…”

“Krisha? Oh my god, it’s you, I haven’t seen you for ages!” I hear a powerful female voice from behind my back.

“Oh, hi Amber, it’s nice to see you!” Krisha groans with a painful smile, lifting her head and letting herself be pulled in a half-embrace resigned. I have to bite my lips to prevent myself from giggling since she sends a cross-eyed grimace to me over the girl’s shoulder. So she must be Stone’s Amber.

“Hey, are you here with your little friend?”

And that must be me. I involuntarily straighten up as much as I can but despite the high bar stool, I’m still shorter than her in her heels. I wonder if Red peed into these ones too… Now that I’m checking her out properly, I realize somehow she doesn’t belong here. Mini dress, heels, perfect makeup… That’d be Stone’s type?

“Uhm, this is Effie, she’s the sister of the band’s new monitor engineer…”

“Ah, Julie, you see, I know everything…” she knocks on his temple with her index finger a few times. “I’m Stoney’s girlfriend.” she grabs my hand and shakes it aggressively. I don’t correct her, I just exchange a quick look with Krisha, her eyes confirm that it wouldn’t make sense anyway.

“And… are you going to stay for the gig too?” Krisha nods towards the stage after a few moments of awkward silence.

“Oh, no, I’m going partying with my girls, I just checked in, I wanted to say hi to Alex and ask him for a favor. We’re organizing a grunge-themed fashion show and this place would be a perfect place for it.”

“A what?”

Krisha’s face radiates shock and disgust at the same time.

“You know, this grunge thing is blowing up, the firm is about to launch a collection, you know, flannel shirts, jackets, shorts with leggings, so we’re looking for a grungy place to present it…” she explains with huge hand moves. As she begins to explain the details of her brilliant idea, I get immediately distracted. Not only because my mind is desperately trying to ignore this nonsense but because I spot Leather Pants Chick at the same sport were Alex and his colleague were standing a few minutes ago. Only a few seconds pass by until her partner arrives too, he immediately pulls her closer by her hips as he leans against the wall… they engage into a make-out session without hesitation. Jerry digs his fingers into her hair and as things are getting more intense, his hands slowly wander along her back until they reach and firmly grab their destination…

I swear it wasn’t so hot in here when I arrived, I can feel my face is burning, I’m sweating like I was in hell… Yeah, being forced to watch a hot guy smooching with a girl who isn’t you but in exchange, is much prettier than you, that’s how I imagine the first circle of hell. I can barely peel myself out of my jacket, my elbow gets stuck when Amber grabs its sleeve. I’m still a little dazed-off and stare at her expressionlessly while I’m trying to pick up the threads of conversation.

“...exactly like this one, thrift clothes are so trendy now, where did you get this one?”

She shakes the sleeve of my jacket impatiently, making me realize that’s what she’s talking about. Should I tell her the truth? That it’s not from a thrift shop, that it’s original, that Judy and I pooled the money we earned at our summer jobs together and made an agreement about taking turns on wearing it six years ago?

“I can’t… can’t remember…” I manage an effortless answer.

“You have a great taste, we three should do a thrift store tour together.” she rants on.

“Totally.” Krisha tries to seem enthusiastic but she rather reminds me of a snarling serial killer.

“Okay, I have to go, oh my god, I’m late and I haven’t even talked to Alex. We could hang out in the city next week, call me, Krish! And bring your new friend too!” she winks at me. “See you, later girls!” she finally leaves us alone, the quick tapping of heels echoes in my head even after she has disappeared behind the office door. Krisha grabs her glass and drinks its content for one sip.

“Ah, I feel much better now.” she sighs. “I’m afraid my phone is about to die. I may not be able to make phone calls for a while.”

I snort into my drink.

“I must say, she’s not the girl I’d imagine as Stone’s girlfriend.”

“Trust me, she’s not the girl whom anyone would imagine as his girlfriend. But seeing them together is always like a free circus ticket, it’s pretty funny, especially when you have coke and popcorn too.”

“Sooo… where’s the mysterious person who we’re waiting for?” I look around, although I have no clue what physical characteristics I should look for, I don’t even know if we’re talking about a man or a woman. As my gaze slowly wanders around the room, I admit to myself unwillingly, that I exactly know what I’m looking for. Long, blonde hair, black leather jacket and a white shirt. The realization makes me blush, I feel like in those good old high school days, trying to casually encounter my current crush who doesn’t even know I exist. Why am I like this all the time? Why? I’m such an idiot…

“Okay, I check Alex’s office, maybe we misunderstood each other and she went in without me noticing her. And I’m sure Alex needs some spiritual support too, the recovery will be tough for him. Do you wanna come?”

“No, I… I’d rather wait here.” I answer quickly, flushing, I’m stupid, stupid, stupid… “So it’s a she?” I shout after Krisha but she just waves me off laughing.

So… what was I thinking? I could have join her and meet her cool friends but I chose to drink here alone, not that I don’t feel lonely enough. And I ran out of drink in the meantime too… I want to procrastinate the next round until the other, friendlier bartender shows up again but unfortunately, the red-haired demon spots my empty glass and elbows on the counter opposite me with a challenging, patronizing smile.

“May I bring you a next lemonade?”

I’m about to snap back but a pleasant male voice over my head makes me change my mind.

“One more of this, whatever it is. And the lady is my guest.”

[flatcherriley95]

Adding Your Ex Back On Social Media Cheap And Easy Tips

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How Do I Win My Ex Girlfriend Heart Back

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How To Know If I Can Get My Ex Back

[thedeaditeslayer]

Interview with Ash vs. Evil Dead writer Bryan Edward Hill.

I wrote my first article on NAQB with pain in my heart. After spending years hoping for a fourth installment of Evil Dead, three years ago the announcement of the Ash vs Evil Dead pilot directed by Sam Raimi, (that Sam Raimi) and written by Sam, Ivan Raimi and Tom Spezialy… the same authors of the Evil Dead Trilogy was made.

After I watched the trailer with my closest friend we thanked God, hoping that it was not a farce, or a revival made only for money. Then we saw the pilot, in silence, with our eyes wide open. At the end of it, we looked at each other and we both thought the same thing: Evil Dead is back in the best way possible.

During that episode we got so excited by the absurdness of it, the intense thrilling sequences, the over the top humor and that pure horror that kept us glued to the screen since we were kids.

Raimi’s direction explains the Evil Dead world so well in a particular scene featuring the character of Amanda Fisher. She faces off against the demon who possesses the girl Ash had a one night stand with.

At one point, this creature gets up when her brain is decimated and looks Amanda in the eyes telling her, “We know who you are.”

After that point, the rules are clear: Deadites are not decaying Zombies, every deadite requires attention and details. Deadites are not the result of a virus.

When evil shows up again, Ash Williams tries to run away from it because he’s tired of facing it. His neighbor Vivian delivers a message to him when she is possessed, “It is time to test the mettle of man.”

Yeah… These three years were a test for Ash to prove his mettle. The Dictionary defines mettle as the “courage to carry on.” If someone wants to “test your mettle,” they want to see if you have the heart to follow through when the going gets tough.

It is no coincidence that The Mettle of man is also the title of the last episode of Ash Vs Evil Dead.

Ash vs Evil Dead has been canceled. What leaves me bitter about this turn of events is the fact that this series was created to make the fans happy. Now, these same fans have also contributed to the end of the series.

The Mettle of Ash, The Mettle of Bruce Campbell, a man who in order to please his fans, decided to take the risk of revisiting his iconic character 30 plus years later.

If I meet Bruce Campbell one day, I hope I never mention anything about Ash’s universe, I’d rather go in the woods to talk about nature than to mention Evil Dead to him. As a fan, I feel guilty about asking him anything about Sam Raimi and the Necronomicon, because in the end he gave us what we wanted and we failed to respond in kind.

The following is an interview conducted a couple of days before the announcement of the cancellation of the series.

The interviewee is Bryan Edward Hill, screenwriter of the episode Rifting Apart, the eighth episode of the series directed by Mark Beesley (the director of 2×07: Delusion).

I consider this episode to be one of the best in the series, so I decided to contact Bryan on Twitter who was kind enough to answer my questions. There are no questions about the cancellation.

This interview was made in collaboration with Emanuele Crivello of Evil Dead Italia (I will never stop thanking him for the last three years we spent talking about this series and doing everything we could to get it renewed. Also, thank you to the #bringbackboomstick movement designed by Susan Leighton) and the comics portal Lo Spazio Bianco (which dedicated an article to Bryan Hill and his career in the world of comics) and you can read the second part on the blog at the end of the interview.

NAQB: We interviewed the Meza Brothers, and we have discovered that they are hardcore fans of Evil Dead. How much and how did you know the Evil Dead franchise before starting to work on this episode?

Bryan E. Hill: Quite a bit, actually. When I was a kid, EVIL DEAD was that hard to find, completely insane horror movie that only the local, family-owned video store had. Watching it felt like I was watching something that was impossible. It had so much energy and creativity. Instantly, I was a fan of the franchise. I even wore a blue shirt for a little while. Had to be like Ash.

NAQB: AVED has always had a respectable soundtrack, was the music chosen during the script writing process or later in production? And how were The Drifters, MC5s and AC / DCs chosen for Rifting Apart?

Bryan E. Hill: That’s all show-runner Mark Verheiden. He’s got great taste in music, and he knew what he wanted to highlight the moments in that story.

NAQB: The scene in which Pablo fights in the hardware store alone gave me a shiver down my spine making me think of the S-mart Ending of Army of Darkness. Is it possible to read a piece of the script, with your comment?

Bryan E. Hill: I’d love to, but we have to keep the scripts under wraps. I will say that part of the fun with ASH vs EVIL DEAD is figuring out how to slay deadites in the coolest ways. It’s impossible to go into a store with a paint shaker and not think about putting a deadite’s head in it. At least it is for me, hahaha.

NAQB: Rifting Apart is one of the very few episodes in which Ash’s chainsaw does not appear … and it works so well! Is it important not to repeat too much in writing an episode of the series?

Bryan E. Hill: In general, you don’t want the audience too far ahead of you. You want to do new things and sometimes that means not using all the old things, all the time. Ash is such a great character that he doesn’t need a weapon to make a story work. With this episode, we wanted to dig a little deeper into his character and show the heroism he has underneath all that personality. Bruce did such a great job in those moments. He’s incredible.

NAQB: Seeing the complete episode on screen, what is your favorite scene in Rifting Apart?

Bryan E. Hill: I’m a fan of Kelly. Dana is just an awesome person so seeing her refusing to buckle to the evil in the rift was a joy.

NAQB: And what is your favorite episode of Ash Vs Evil Dead?

Bryan E. Hill: Mine! Ha ha ha. Not too proud to say it.

NAQB: Working with Ivan Raimi must be exciting. How was the script of the episode written? And what are the indications provided to you in order to work?

Bryan E. Hill: Ivan created a LOT of the work that inspired me as a kid. Having him in the room was an amazing experience. For everything we were doing, he would tell us what was “Evil Dead” and what may have missed the mark. Having him there was invaluable. He’s just a humble, brilliant and great guy.

--

PART 2:

Between the writing of the episode and the actual realization, how many changes have occurred? Can you tell us some behind the scenes?

Not too many, and all of the changes made the episode better. In television, the show-runner guides everything after the other writers finish their scripts and Mark did the great work of refining every script, making them as effective as possible.

What changes between writing a comics story and writing an episode of a TV series that involves many more people in the making?

Any time you adapt a written work you have to make changes, just to fit the format of live action. Every choice you see in a film or a television show represents the work of at least 100 people, all trying to make it the best thing possible. You try to keep the spirit of the original work, but you have to adapt it to fit the new format.

You have very respectable career, which were the authors who made you understand that in life you wanted to become a screenwriter?

George Lucas and STAR WARS were huge influences on me. As far as straight authors go, I was inspired to be a writer from reading Hemingway. There’s an honest in his work that struck me like lightening.

Which educational path must we follow to become a screenwriter? Is it enough just the school or do you have to do something outside the box?

Well, in addition to studying English, History and those disciplines, you need to read and re-read screenplays. Analyze them and learn from their execution. For me, the work of Joseph Campbell and Stephen King helped form my approach to storytelling.

Where does a good idea for a subject come from?

It can come from anywhere. Dreams. Moments in life. Anything. The key is to follow that inspiration when it hits. If you think there’s a story inside of something, there likely is.

I read the first volumes of Postal. I was really impressed by the protagonist Mark with his Asperger syndrome and his “Everything it’s in the right place” (I can not stop thinking about the song of Radiohead every time that sentence is pronounced). In Italy there are many positive reviews of the volume (published in Italy by Panini Comics). How was working on the plot and what are the satisfactions that came with this publication?

That was really challenging because it’s a story about people, not superheroes. It pushed me to consider people from different perspectives and experiences and learn to write them with authenticity.

I also know that it was bought for a TV adaptation! (We also write a news of it months ago) Can you give us some updates (if you can)?

Nothing yet, but if people follow me on twitter @bryanedwardhill you’ll get updates as soon as I can share them!

If you had not been a screenwriter, what would you have done with your life now?

Batman. I would have been Batman.

What are your future projects? Where do we have to wait? TV or comics?

Currently I’m writing TITANS for DCTV, my DETECTIVE COMICS story starts with the first issue in June. I’m writing MICHAEL CRAY for DC as well, and a few other projects that I can’t announce at the moment. Should have a feature film announcement soon. Follow me on social media!

[orbemnews]

Fox News Intensifies Its Pro-Trump Politics as Dissenters Depart Fox News once devoted its 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. time slots to relatively straightforward newscasts. Now those hours are filled by opinion shows led by hosts who denounce Democrats and defend the worldview of former President Donald J. Trump. For seven years, Juan Williams was the lone liberal voice on “The Five,” the network’s popular afternoon chat show. On Wednesday, he announced that he was leaving the program, after months of harsh on-air blowback from his conservative co-hosts. Many Fox News viewers cheered his exit on social media. Donna Brazile, the former Democratic Party chairwoman, was hired by Fox News with great fanfare in 2019 as a dissenting voice for its political coverage. She criticized Mr. Trump and spoke passionately about the Black Lives Matter movement, which other hosts on the network often demonized. Ms. Brazile has now left Fox News; last week, she quietly started a new job at ABC. Onscreen and off, in ways subtle and overt, Fox News has adapted to the post-Trump era by moving in a single direction: Trumpward. The network has rewarded pro-Trump pundits like Greg Gutfeld and Dan Bongino with prize time slots. Some opinion hosts who ventured on-air criticism of the former president have been replaced. And within the Fox News reporting ranks, journalists have privately expressed concern that the network is less committed to straight-ahead news coverage than it was in the past. The shifts at Fox News, which is controlled by the father-and-son moguls Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, have come in the wake of what amounted to an existential moment for a cable channel that is home to Trump cheerleaders like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham: the 2020 election. Fox News’s ratings fell sharply after the network made an early call on election night that Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic presidential nominee, would carry Arizona and later declared him the winner, even as Mr. Trump advanced lies about fraud. With viewers in revolt, the network moved out dissenting voices and put a new emphasis on hard-line right-wing commentary. In January, the network fired its veteran politics editor, Chris Stirewalt, who had been an onscreen face of the early call in Arizona for Mr. Biden. This month, it brought on a new editor in the Washington bureau: Kerri Kupec, a former spokeswoman for Mr. Trump’s attorney general William P. Barr. She had no journalistic experience. Financially, the Murdochs’ formula has produced results: After a rare loss to archrivals CNN and MSNBC in January, Fox News’s ratings strength has recovered; the channel is again the Nielsen leader in cable news. In May, Fox News is on track to more than double CNN’s prime-time viewership. Its new opinion shows at 7 and 11 — with segments that lament “cancel culture” and attack Mr. Biden — are attracting bigger audiences than the newscasts they replaced. And the niche right-wing network Newsmax has failed to sustain its postelection audience gains. In some ways, the Murdochs are making a rational business decision by following the conservatives who have made up the heart of the Fox News audience; recent surveys show that more than three-quarters of Republicans want Mr. Trump to run in 2024. But under Roger Ailes, the network’s founder, who shaped its look and feel, Fox News elevated liberal foils like Alan Colmes, a Democrat who shared equal billing in prime time with Mr. Hannity until the end of 2008, and moderates like Mr. Williams. Roger Ailes, the founder of Fox News, wanted some unpredictability among commentators.Credit…Andrew Toth/FilmMagic “Roger’s view was you had to have some unpredictability and you had to challenge the audience; you couldn’t just be reading Republican talking points every night,” said Susan R. Estrich, a Democratic lawyer and former commentator on Fox News who negotiated Mr. Ailes’s exit from the network amid his sexual misconduct scandal. Today in Business Updated  May 28, 2021, 12:54 p.m. ET Ms. Estrich recalled that Mr. Ailes had defended Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News host, when Mr. Trump, then a presidential candidate, attacked her in misogynist terms. Now, she said, “instead of trying to broaden their audience, Fox News is narrowing it and digging in.” Partisanship plays well on cable news, an insight not lost on programmers at other networks who are chasing fatigued viewers. Liberal-leaning MSNBC expanded the show hosted by the anti-Trump commentator Nicolle Wallace; it also replaced the moderate Chris Matthews at 7 p.m. with the partisan commentator Joy Reid. Last week, CNN dropped one of its chief conservative commentators, Rick Santorum, after he was criticized for remarks about Native Americans. Ms. Brazile said she had left Fox News of her own accord. “Fox never censored my views in any way,” she wrote in an email. “Everyone treated me courteously as a colleague.” Ms. Brazile added: “I believe it’s important for all media to expose their audiences to both progressive and conservative viewpoints. With the election and President Biden’s first 100 days behind us, I’ve accomplished what I wanted at Fox News.” Mr. Williams will remain at Fox News as a senior political analyst; the network said in a statement that he had requested to be closer to his family in Washington rather than commute to New York, where “The Five” is taped. Fox News said another liberal host would replace him. Among those in contention is a newly hired contributor to the Fox stable, the former Democratic congressman Harold Ford Jr. Mr. Williams departed after a harder edge had crept into his exchanges with colleagues like Mr. Gutfeld and Jesse Watters. “The Five” had long been a venue for heated, if friendly debate, but Mr. Williams was repeatedly mocked and shouted down when he accused Mr. Trump of lying about the election and fueling the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Mr. Williams also noted, on-air, a Fox News report about Mr. Biden that falsely claimed he wanted to restrict Americans’ consumption of hamburgers. (Fox News later issued a correction.) Greg Gutfeld, an on-air antagonist to Mr. Williams on “The Five,” now has his own nightly show, “Gutfeld!”Credit…Fox News His prime antagonist, Mr. Gutfeld, started an 11 p.m. show last month that is meant to compete with late-night fare like “The Daily Show.” “Gutfeld!” has attracted a bigger viewership than the previous 11 p.m. offering, a newscast anchored by Shannon Bream that was shifted to midnight. Fox News is still determining a permanent host for its new 7 p.m. opinion hour, which is now a reliable venue for pro-Trump commentary. It was where Tucker Carlson, the network’s 8 p.m. host, made his remarks about white replacement theory that prompted an outcry from the Anti-Defamation League. A pro-Trump drift at Fox News is not new: George Will, a traditional conservative who opposed Mr. Trump’s candidacy, lost his contributor contract in 2017. Shepard Smith, a news anchor who was tough on Mr. Trump, left in 2019. Some Fox News journalists, though, say privately that they are increasingly concerned with the network’s direction. Kristin Fisher, one of the network’s rising stars in Washington and a White House correspondent, left Fox News last month despite the network’s effort to keep her. She had faced criticism from viewers in November after a segment in which she aggressively debunked lies about election fraud advanced by Mr. Trump’s lawyers. The longtime Washington bureau chief, Bill Sammon, resigned in January after internal criticism over his handling of election coverage, around the time that Mr. Stirewalt was fired. (Mr. Stirewalt was let go along with roughly 20 digital journalists at Fox News, which the network attributed to a realignment of “business and reporting structure to meet the demands of this new era.”) Mr. Sammon has effectively been replaced by Doug Rohrbeck, a producer with extensive news experience on Bret Baier’s newscast and Chris Wallace’s Sunday show. Still, some Fox journalists were surprised when the network hired Ms. Kupec, the former Barr spokeswoman, to work under Mr. Rohrbeck. (In 2019, CNN hired Sarah Isgur, the spokeswoman for former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, as a political editor. After protests from staff, she was shifted to an on-air role and later left the network.) Fox News says its news coverage remains robust. Mr. Baier, its chief political anchor, announced in May that he had extended his contract through 2025. He regularly lands newsy interviews; a recent conversation with Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming grew testy when she faulted Fox News for perpetuating Mr. Trump’s lies about the election and Mr. Baier responded that he had made clear to viewers that Mr. Biden was the legitimate victor. Fox News has a smaller international footprint than rivals like CNN, but it maintains several foreign bureaus and has had reporters in Israel covering the recent violence there. On Wednesday, the network announced an expansion of Fox News International, a streaming service available in 37 countries in Asia and Europe. Despite continuing criticism from liberals, Fox News remains a financial juggernaut for the Murdoch empire; it is expected to earn record advertising revenues this year, the network said. Even as its programming decisions seem aimed at attracting Trump supporters, Fox News does face one roadblock: Mr. Trump. The former president has maintained his stinging criticism of Fox News, which, he has claimed, betrayed him by calling the election for Mr. Biden. On Friday, after criticism from Paul Ryan, the former House speaker, Mr. Trump wrote that “Fox totally lost its way and became a much different place” after the Murdochs appointed Mr. Ryan to the Fox Corporation board. “Fox will never be the same!” Mr. Trump wrote. Source link Orbem News #Depart #Dissenters #Fox #Intensifies #news #Politics #proTrump

[kanerosalind1995]

How To Get My Ex Boyfriend Back After 6 Months Miraculous Cool Tips

The pain of breaking up, what would work on fixing a relationship worth fighting for, this approach is a common belief that men don't want the relationship you used to love.Remember, there is also the time you spend with her the biggest reasons why men dump women.Try not to mention that he's relieved that you're sincere in wanting her to enjoy yourself, even if you're serious and we can't accept that your girlfriend back, but the romantic gentleman will take to get back with someone else.If it was such a low level on either person's part leads to such a happy future together.

Here are some things to consider is how much experience do they have?If you can start initiating contact with him now.Or not giving her a lot of them and they will want to know how to win your ex would want a shriveling wreck and therefore wasn't enough for her when you are - but these superficial reasons are not, for most men, but it could have been hearing such problems almost every successful case, the couples gave each other nice and easy.Problems are generally at fault, but the only one at fault.Indeed, a breakup is possible, and if you know it.

If you decided never to speak logically and calmly and stick with it, and you take the wrong way to get beyond it and I was supposed to point out some of their value system for deciding if girlfriends or wives are the mistakes that will personalize the meaning of your relationship has fallen apart attain the admiration of the benefits it can be, and the last thing that you let go of the well.Can you let go of some of it working to get your ex back.Show her that you have recently gone through a break up can be hard to forgive and forget those kinds of relationship problems.This is the time three weeks have gone wrong with it and see you as someone to lean on, and this will allow you to feel hurt, sad, or even being with you.Ex, but can actually be because his own major breakups AND from working with over a cup of coffee.

But when it comes to fleshly desires it is possible to focus on negativity or rehash the breakup.Don't launch into a relationship is worth saving, then you can move on that tend to thrive and grow.Creating this type of change that was worked forever, and you will not take their opinions seriously.Millions of us across the globe do crazy things in the dark, but my point is to break up.Whatever the case of a much better as well as some resources to help you on her car.

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It is the time is right for each other that got away, you can about your relationship.She will be some effort and patience, but you do it before moving on and last, but not so good advice and make the necessary changes haven't occurred.Psychologically, you are waiting for your partner back without any stray emotions involved.It cancels out blame and does she still loves you but may have expected you to her privately.If you think of a woman because a psychology.

You need to get your ex back so you will have to understand that women are believed to be prepared for that.However, there are more or less two weeks - or none at all costs.I believe that you should do is come up with dignity and poise.Secondly, get out there, if you want to make things look as though the quality of your emotions.Family experiences and lifestyle strongly influence our attitudes and behavior in relating to the idea that you need to paint a picture in his memory just too great to end your relationship, once or twice in a plan that is easy to call all the little things can be simple, but if want to go out and out you need to flip the script on your part.

You may relate to my next article I want her back.As such, it is important to her, cap in hand, and beg for her to accept that it was developed one person alone.If things were when you realize that you need to do a lot easier for the initial jitters of dating other girls and try to avoid you altogether.Of course, Meghan went out on and last, but not too difficult, but stick with it, and don't call them.Okay, you've realized the errors - Learn from the big black hole of emotions and start thinking about the paid for reviews or the friend you have to lose some weight?

How To Get My Ex Boyfriend Back After I Dumped Him Reddit

You should only be after a break up with you and take notice.I needed some creativity - I also have to start thinking about her that you have to ask your ex to contact you - this is the time and space to think harassing their ex to feel better and commit to becoming a better light by teasing him and him to feel cheated but perhaps you can't live without him.If you want your girlfriend back soon enough.In doing so, you will have more success with their ex.Do not make him jealous and cause your partner too soon might only push your ex back in your arms sooner than later.

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She said that he'd heard from our previous mistakes or the friend you have cut of the relationship unless they specifically state so.Instead of drawing you and your soon to be on their own website to sell something.That's the fastest way to a gathering and other girls.She will start to think hugely about yourself in her book, The Christmas Mystery.The same holds true if the topic of what results you want.

Yes, it is very hard thing to do, because if they don't understand one another.You can't get a little but don't worry - there's still a chance to see you and she will be able to move on.Wait until you are likely trying to figure out why things are the positives in the dark and hope that the side of obsession, that no one can get him back.If you really love, but that doesn't mean that you do not contact your ex absolutely loved about you?If you are going to be with you and extremely hurt and anger have subsided, the depression will also help you get back together again.

How could you work together not against each other.Also, if you have a carefully thought out plan that will get her to tolerate your shortcomings any longer.I spent way to help you get your girlfriend back, then most likely they are so happy to see what you need to follow this action up with your ex.I know that there is something the kids are doing it all on myself and moving on.Try it and you have each been thinking it was time well-wasted, believe me.

So what is easier to bring our truth and our relationship made him distant from her lips there was a constant memory of exactly how to get you so that she'll once again become the guy you are going to succeed in winning him back right now, you will blow it, make sure you'll keep your distance plays a large degree on what you are looking at it from an outsider's opinion.First, consider why it happened all you will have to go about doing it for the first things you're going to change for good or for the time being.You want to let her know how to get an ex shall start to win him back.This is one of the good old days, be the best way to avoid him.You need to do the steps you will have to meet up with me.

How To Get Back At My Ex Boyfriend

[kentonramsey]

We Photographed 15 People In The Outfit They’ll Wear When Lockdown Lifts

It’s easy to brush it off as one of the more trivial aspects of lockdown life but our changing approach to dressing over the past few months has affected everything from productivity to our sense of self. We embraced loungewear with open arms at first but as it became apparent that this was indeed The New Normal™, the novelty wore off and we grasped at small things – jewellery and lipstick for Zoom meetings, a joyful blouse for the big food shop – to reestablish some semblance of normality in our daily lives. 

We may not be dancing in our favourite club or having dinner parties with friends in the near future but as lockdown restrictions start to ease (for now), we’ve been ruminating on the outfit we’ll wear when life resumes. We can’t know with any certainty what that life will look like, but we can dream up the ‘fit we’ll don when it’s time. 

Our curiosity about how other people have been dressing led us to work with photographer Poppy Thorpe on this lockdown photo series. She used her one hour of daily exercise to cycle around her native Brighton and take socially distanced photos of people wearing the looks they’ll dress in when they’re out and about in the real world once more. From colours that inspire confidence to getting reacquainted with a favourite pair of jeans, here’s what they can’t wait to wear again.

Yolande, 21

“My approach to dressing is pretty eclectic but I still try to keep it simple. I wear a lot of statement jewellery as I study 3D design and craft at uni, so most of the week I’m in steel-toe boots and workshop clothes. At weekends or if I’m going out I normally just add some more accessories and a bit of colour. In lockdown I have started to wear more of my ‘nice clothes’ by mixing them up with a lot of comfy stuff too. I have tried to make an effort with my appearance, even if I’m going to the shops. Now when I get ready it feels like I’m dressing up for myself and I worry less about other people’s opinions. I have so many clothes that are only for special occasions, it now seems silly not to wear them as the events I have been saving them for are all cancelled anyway. One plus side to lockdown is having the time to focus on the things I really enjoy doing: I love being more active and taking time out of the day to be creative for myself.

I’m wearing a colourful kimono I got in a charity shop a few years ago; I’ve worn it to festivals and parties over the years but have never really felt confident enough to wear it out in general. Every time I put it on it makes me happy as it reminds me of so many memories. I picked it as I’m trying to embrace colour more and be confident in being bold. The plain black trousers are a pair I keep for smart days. They’re not my favourite pair of trousers but I like the simple shape and they’re black, so they go with most things. They’re just really comfy and that’s been important to me during lockdown. I love how comfy this ribbed halterneck top is. I’ve actually stopped wearing bras a lot recently and this is one of the tops that has replaced them for me while staying home. My white Dr. Martens are one of my favourite pairs of shoes; I’ve just been in trainers recently so I am very excited to get back into them. I bought them with the money from my first job nearly six years ago, so they have done well in lasting this long.”

Susan, 38

“I always want to feel comfortable and relaxed. I wear a lot of worn-in vintage and a few well-made new pieces. I put thought into getting dressed in the morning and then don’t really want to think about it for the rest of the day. I’m always inspired by the Instagram accounts Chinatown Pretty and Gramparents. My style hasn’t changed massively since lockdown. I had just moved to Edinburgh to start a new job but I came back to Brighton to work remotely and be with my husband, so I’ve got much less choice but I’m still really enjoying putting an outfit together in the morning. Even if it’s sweatpants, it’s still considered and gets me in the right mindset for the working day in my makeshift office! It’s been a good distraction. One positive to come out of lockdown has been spending time with my husband Neil and our cat Baby. We’d been living apart for about three months and likely will again after lockdown. I’m trying to make the most of the weird circumstances. 

I wore this look because I miss layering and wearing denim! My jeans were the first thing I put in my suitcase to come here, but I think I’ve had them on for about two hours total since I arrived seven weeks ago. They’re vintage Levi’s that I bought on eBay after having a saved search for a particular pair of 501s for ages. I’ve had them for about four or five years and I love them – they’re probably the most worn piece in my wardrobe. The denim shirt is from orSlow, one of my favourite Japanese brands. It’s technically Neil’s but I love it and borrow as much as he’ll let me away with. He granted me an extended loan the last time he visited me in Edinburgh and I want to wear it every day. The T-shirt underneath is a new purchase from Story Mfg, a brand that is doing things right! It’s possibly the best T-shirt I’ve ever had. Thick cotton, oversized and boxy. So comfortable. My mum knit this Aran jumper for me (one of many) and it’s basically a hug from my mum while I’m so far away from my parents. I always look forward to wearing socks and sandals as it warms up after winter (it was still so cold when I left Scotland) and now it’s summer and I’ve not had nearly enough opportunity to wear them outside!”

Daisy, 21

“I’m usually pretty casual. I think my style is always changing but always includes a lot of denim, knitwear and faux fur. I’ve recently stopped buying from fast fashion brands and I think my approach to dressing has evolved since then, because my wardrobe has been shed of all the cheap and badly made clothing that I was holding onto, and gained some pre-loved gems. I guess my style hasn’t changed much since lockdown; it has only been muffled by the fact that there is nowhere to go. I’ve tried to continue to get dressed and do my makeup routine most days, just so I feel good and stay motivated, but there have been some days that I’ve stayed in pyjamas and watched films all day. One positive to come out of all of this is being able to spend time crocheting! Crocheting is my favourite thing to do in my spare time and it brings me so much inner peace. Usually I have a part-time job at a charity shop and I’m in the midst of completing an MA in media and politics, so there’s not much time left to sit down, relax and crochet up a storm. 

I created the pattern for and crocheted this jumper, inspired by the basic granny square – I feel best when I’m wearing clothes that I’ve created myself.

These jeans are my favourite pre-loved Levi’s, the only pair I have that fit me properly, and the boots are vintage. I’ve never owned boots other than Dr. Martens before, so I thought these would be a timeless addition to my wardrobe. My earrings are from the independent brand Han Makes – I love the ‘60s inspo.” 

Celeste, 24 

“My go-to formula for getting dressed is the biggest tee I can find, straight-leg trousers and a Birkenstock and socks combination. I purposefully never have a huge amount of clothes, so I tend to rotate a few neutral staples and pair with something a bit more interesting like a tie-dye, long-sleeve or slogan tee. Since I’m usually busy in the studio, I tend to prioritise clothes that are easy to work in, and I like to have a ‘uniform’ so that I can get ready and out of the house without too much decision-making but still curate an outfit I’m going to enjoy wearing! I’ve been dressing the same as usual since lockdown, even putting on shoes in the morning to make me feel like I’m going to work. When I came down to Brighton before lockdown I packed an unreasonably small suitcase so I’ve been rotating the same three outfits for the past seven weeks. In some ways it’s been quite a fun challenge to make an outfit you like when you have such limited options, and to keep things fresh I’ve been altering or making bits for myself when I’m feeling really uninspired. I will definitely appreciate the rest of my wardrobe when I finally make it back to London, though. I’ve been super busy making face masks for the past month, but I’ve had so much more time than usual to design new clothes and work on my pattern cutting. It’s been a needed change of pace for me and I can’t wait to share what I’ve been working on, hopefully in the not-too-distant future.

I didn’t have anything here that I felt excited about wearing now, let alone after lockdown! So I decided to adapt a plain white tee I had and make a pair of trousers in an attempt to have an outfit I felt more inspired by. I often upcycle old tees and enjoy how a small alteration can totally change the energy of a piece and re-inspire the way you view what’s in your wardrobe. The outfit is super simple (which is always my vibe) and it always feels very satisfying to wear a whole outfit that I’ve made myself! I paired it with my favourite gold hoops.”

Jazz, 22

“I dress depending on my mood. I could be out in pyjamas one day and something super elaborate the next, but the dream is to be as stylish as Tracee Ellis Ross. Like most people, lockdown has put sweats on heavy rotation. At the start I would dress up and put on makeup as a treat to queue for groceries, but now I don’t think I’ll ever regain the willpower to put on a pair of jeans. I have to finish my final year of university in lockdown so it’s been stressful for me. My cat on the other hand is loving the 24/7 attention. He’s on episode 2 of Primates and he’s almost learned how to fetch. I actually ordered this dress for a special Zoom occasion. It didn’t arrive in time so I’m wearing it for the first time for you! I don’t have any shoes that go with it. My necklace and ring are from Rwanda by an artist named Abraham Konga and are made from melted down brass padlocks.”

Ella, 21, & Mae, 17

Ella [L]: “When it comes to dressing I don’t have one strict approach, but I’ve accumulated a collection over the years from flea markets and vintage stores. Since lockdown began I have focused more on comfort, wearing T-shirts with loose skirts or jeans almost every day. One positive thing about lockdown is that I’ve managed to finish projects that I wouldn’t have had the time to finish otherwise. I’m wearing a checked silk dress which I got for my birthday a couple of years ago. I don’t have many items of clothing that I wear frequently but this is one of them. It’s easy to wear and really comfy. The red boots are from a sample sale in Paris. They have a shearling lining and are some of the easiest heels I own. I wear heels most of the time but haven’t since lockdown began, so this felt like a good excuse to put a pair on again.”

Mae [R]: “My approach is based on the things I can find in charity shops and car boot sales. I’m always in search of a bargain! I’ve been doing a lot of painting around the house, so I’ve been mainly in overalls recently. A positive for me is that I’ve had the time to sew and make some clothes – hopefully I’m learning new things. I’m wearing a vintage nightdress I got from a car boot sale a while ago. I have a bit of an addiction to buying nighties but I love to wear them in the summer because of how light and easy they are. My cowboy boots, which I’ve worn nearly every day since I found them, were a fiver from a charity shop, and the socks are stolen from my sister.”

Scarlett, 27

“I’ve always loved to dress up. I’m a queer high femme so fashion and clothing is a really important part of my self-expression. I feel most myself wearing an all-black ‘fit, bright red lipstick and winged eyeliner. Because I’m just staying at home I haven’t really felt like getting dressed up – I tend to wear comfy clothes around the house – but this does have a negative effect on my mood, so I’ll still put something nice on every few days and do my makeup. Me and my partner have been doing a date night every Friday night, and we run a club night together (Gal Pals) where we’ve been hosting virtual parties every fortnight, so that’s been a really good reason to get glammed up and put on a look. A positive to come out of lockdown for me has been cycling. I’ve never been a confident cyclist and had never cycled on the road until lockdown but the lack of cars on the road makes it a lot less scary. I wish the level of traffic could stay this way to be honest, it’s good for the environment and it encourages more people to cycle. 

I’m wearing something I bought before lockdown but never got the chance to wear outside. It’s a pink frilly tulle dress I got super cheap in the Topshop sale, with a red velvet bodysuit underneath. It’s basically a Molly Goddard knockoff, I’ve always loved her dresses but I’d never be able to afford one so as soon as I saw this I knew I had to buy it. To be honest, I’m not sure where I’d wear this outfit even if we weren’t in lockdown, maybe to a party or something? It’s very over the top. I feel a bit like a meringue wearing it but I love it.”

Lucia, 23

“Two friends can describe my style better than I ever could – ‘randomised Sim’ and ‘Euro/Italo-glam’ – so it’s definitely a combination of those! My approach to dressing is also influenced by the places I’m in or what I’m doing that day. I love films and characters, so I think sometimes I play up to this in how I dress myself. Sort of like that feeling when you are on a train, looking out the window and listening to music and you imagine that you are in the music video. All I am doing in lockdown is rotating between sportswear and the same pair of trousers and jumper. I have seen loads of people getting properly dressed up for video calls and it looks fun, but I just don’t have the motivation. I have realised a lot of what drives my love of getting dressed is the joy of being out and about in the outfits I have put together. A positive to come out of lockdown is my 50-day streak on Duolingo! I’m finally trying to learn Italian in order to match my very Italian name. Plus I’m spending lots of time with my family.

The first outfit I’ll wear when lockdown lifts will probably be something way more skimpy because, at the moment, that’s my reaction to being cooped up in my house for eight weeks. I want to take all my clothes off just because…it’s a change! However, I’m in lockdown at my parents’ house on the street I grew up in, so I didn’t feel like posing at my front door Love Island-style in a bikini and heels. I chose this outfit because I really want to wear it to go clubbing! Despite having gone off clubs a bit over the last year, all I want to do every weekend in lockdown is go out, drink and dance with friends… I guess you don’t realise what you had ‘til it’s gone. When it’s safe and okay for the clubs to reopen I’ll be going in hard at an ‘80s synth pop night in this look. With the trousers in particular, I’m eager to wear them out because they are uncomfortable to sit down in, and I’d really like to wear something right now where I’m sacrificing comfort for PURE GLAMOUR!” 

Tendai, 25

“I dress for the occasion but mostly for comfort, as I think there’s no point in going out in something but spending most of the night pulling down your dress in distress because you don’t feel 100%. That hasn’t changed much since lockdown; I’ve got my daytime pyjamas to potter around in and my actual pyjamas, and the occasional frock comes out once every two weeks to drink gin in the living room. A positive of lockdown? Being comfortable with the passing of time and the mundanity of just watching the days go by. Being able to stop, think and be okay with it. 

I’m wearing a white bandeau top because I love having my shoulders on show, and a burnt orange wrap skirt because I like the colour with my complexion. Big gold hoops are just a staple in my life, I wear more hoops than I eat five a day. There isn’t a story behind the clothes themselves, because they are fairly new purchases, but I guess the silhouette and the colours just make me feel like summer. Like ciders in the park, BBQs on the beach, long warm evenings turning into cool sunny mornings because you’ve been up that late, and that freedom that comes along with finishing work and running out the door like you don’t have to be there again tomorrow.”

Grace, 23

“I prefer strong blocks of colours, like red, black, white or brown. To me these are reliable and stable. That’s the base I tend to start with, and I can pair each of these colours with makeup and accessories that tie the outfit together. I’m definitely my happiest when my outfit is colour-coordinated. I’ve been wearing more loungewear during lockdown but still use the same colour palette as my other clothes. When I go on a walk or to the shops, my colours are still on standby. It suits my frame of mind. I don’t like fussiness or pattern; for me it’s about shape, reliable colour and comfort. One positive of lockdown for me would be being okay on my own and learning to listen to my own needs more. It’s been really good for my mental health too, just really focusing on myself I guess. 

Today I’ve decided to wear my beautiful red leather jacket. My girlfriend got it for me for Christmas and I am yet to pull a look with it. Once lockdown is lifted I will most definitely be wearing it on my first night out. Clothes to me are like armour, they make me feel strong and powerful when I wear them and red to me is power.”

Sasha, 23

“I find the more I seek out colours in my artwork, the more I wear them, whether I’m aware of it or not. Most of my clothes are secondhand: 90% of my jackets were my dad’s, same for my jeans. I wear a lot of my mother’s old clothes, she wears a lot of mine, things get circulated around our family. I’m staying at my aunt’s at the moment, she’s a powerhouse and incredibly well dressed. I come from a lineage of women who appreciate personal style. Pockets are important, as I carry around a lot of the flotsam and jetsam I find while I’m walking or running along the beach. I would never dress for another person, it feels deeply wrong to me. I would question reducing any experience at the moment to something positive or negative, but lockdown has reconfirmed my values. It’s pulled me up on my own social inadequacies: I am more wary than ever of virtue signalling, for example. My radio show GIANT LOVER has never been more focused on creating a space of hope and joy, and I am obsessing over the lyrics and melody of every song. Overall it’s shone yet another spotlight on how ravaged our state has become. I want to know what we as a society are going to do with this information.

I hate sitting still so I like to wear clothes I can move in. My mum taught me from a young age to trust cotton so I always look at the blend mix when I’m shopping. This shirt was a gift from her last year to celebrate my photos being selected for UNSIGNED 2019. The dress is a present to myself for getting through a complex period of my life when I didn’t give myself much time to rest, it’s a dress I plan to spend a lot of time dancing in. My sister always wore hoops growing up and I can’t think of anything better than a girl in hoop earrings, they symbolise everything I love about being a woman. This pair is from my favourite stall in the Lanes in Brighton. My bracelet is one of four: my sister and two of my cousins have the same one, it connects us to one another and reminds me of how fortunate I am to have them. I have long legs and when lockdown is lifted I plan to use them to run into the arms of everyone I love so I need to be wearing my trainers – god knows where they will take me when this is done.”

Amy, 30

“I very much just enjoy dressing up for myself, I don’t really care much about what people think or if an item goes or if it’s ‘fashionable’. I just love clothes and wearing whatever makes me feel happy. Not much has changed in lockdown to be honest, I’m still trying to make sure I get dressed up a bit in the morning to keep a routine. The only difference is I have actively tried to avoid jeans. Lockdown has been a time to reflect. Being fortunate enough to have time to think about the big life things as well as the small. Also being able to watch Star Wars chronologically, bingeing HBO’s Oz and cracking on with the gardening have been some more frivolous positives. 

The dress I’m wearing is by Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons and was probably the Depop find of the century. I predominantly wear vintage and secondhand clothing so absolutely love to find pieces such as this, it’s a blood sport for me. It’s an item that makes me feel so good, however it’s a total nightmare to get into – it took about half an hour to figure it out when I received it! The grandpa shirt is vintage and I’ve had it for years, it gets better and softer with age; it’s such lovely cotton. I very much like to wear vintage and secondhand clothes in a contemporary way that acknowledges more current trends – it doesn’t have to look like it’s dead people’s clothes. The sandals are a collaboration between Japanese labels, Suicoke and Needles, I got them the other day as a treat to myself. I love Suicoke sandals as they are such great quality and so comfy, so I know I’ll wear these for years to come.”

Fez, 22

“I try and shop mainly secondhand as I feel it’s the best way for me to shop sustainably. I’m trying to stop shopping fast fashion. I love charity shops and eBay, that’s probably where I get most of my clothes. My style is mainly influenced by Bratz dolls and the Spice Girls! I’ve felt really weird about ordering clothes during lockdown because I don’t want to put people at risk just to get clothes. I refuse to order from big brands, particularly while there’s been so much controversy surrounding them not paying garment workers because of COVID-19. They need to #PAYUP. One positive of lockdown has been rewatching every single episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

I’m wearing a Jane Norman dress I got on eBay just before lockdown. It’s fire. I don’t know where I would wear it but I just love everything about it. I am one of those people who shaved their head during isolation so I’m still trying to get used to it but this dress with my shaved head is special. Secondhand clothes are the way forward – I got this for £7!”

Faith-Rowan, 26

“I make my own clothes. I love colours, frills and vintage. I think I’m a lazy dresser at heart so I’ve been making easy clothes that make you look like you’ve made an effort when it really just took you five minutes to get ready! Since lockdown, I have had a lot of time for designing and making my own clothes again. Most days you’ll find me wearing my PJs in my home studio, designing and making clothes, then prancing around in them once they are done. Last year I was cofounder and creative director at Lara Intimates but that all came to an abrupt end last September and I found myself living back in Brighton. I felt a massive loss – it was an emotional time for me and therefore my creativity just stopped. However since lockdown I have had it coming back in droves, which has given me a massive drive to start my own company again and for that I’m really grateful. 

When lockdown lifts, I’ll be wearing this pink and cream gingham two-piece. It’s been something that I’ve wanted to design for months and months and it has finally come into life. I am using the most beautiful European linen that genuinely makes me so happy. I’m choosing this outfit because for me it’s my new beginning, my fresh start, my next chapter.”

Flossie, 23

“My approach to dressing is straightforward! I’m an outfit repeater so getting dressed is a pretty easy task as I only own a few items in my wardrobe. I keep it small because dressing and shopping equals lots of decisions and I’m not great at making clothing-related decisions, especially if it’s first thing in the morning. I’ve been roaming round my flat in pants and a tank top for the whole of lockdown. Sometimes I think I want a huge, diverse wardrobe so I can change up my persona on a whim depending on my mood but at the same time I feel like pants and a white vest is all the persona variation I need. It’s a bad bitch outfit, it’s also a sad bitch outfit, and all the moods in between. Come to think of it I don’t think I’ve ever caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror in lockdown and thought, This outfit doesn’t match my mood.

Pastels for spring? Groundbreaking. I threw on this outfit about five minutes ago and quite honestly didn’t think about it too much. I’d say the way I put this together was like a magpie in a pawnbroker’s, I chose the items I gravitated towards first. The shirt is from Zara and despite it having cats on it I’m definitely more of a dog person. Underneath I’m wearing a linen dress from Avoca Anthology. I overheat easily in warm weather so I pretty much live in this dress over spring and summer. My banana earrings were a gift from a dear friend, handmade by the very talented jeweller Sophie Morgan. The cowboy boots? I impulsively bought them a couple of years ago on eBay for £20. I haven’t worn them much but twenty quid to realise my Hannah Montana Tennessee fantasy? Worth it.”

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

We Photographed 15 People In The Outfit They’ll Wear When Lockdown Lifts published first on https://mariakistler.tumblr.com/

[oldfashionedswiftcurse]

Alwyn vs. Swift Pt. 5

Taylor returned home early the next morning and found her father frantically on the phone. She slipped in through the front door and overheard his conversation.

           “I swear to God, Susan, if this is some sick game,” he began, but the voice on the other line interrupted him.

           Taylor froze. There was no way he was talking to her mother. Her father swore that when her mother walked out on them ten years ago, that was the last bit of contact he had with his wife. However, Taylor realized that like always, her father had lied to her.

           “We had a deal. I moved her closer to you, but not so you could reach out to her. When you left, it nearly destroyed her. I won’t pick up the pieces when you break her heart again.”

           So it was really her mother, and from what Taylor gathered, her father thought that she had run away to meet up with her mother. As if that would really happen. The only way Taylor would travel to find her mother would be to curse and yell at her for abandoning them. She listened closely, hoping her father would slip up and mention where her mother was currently living.

           “Just stay away from Taylor. And let me know if you hear from her,” he said angrily, hanging up.

           Taylor gave him a few moments to compose himself before she entered the kitchen.

           “Morning, Dad,” she said casually, waiting to hear his outburst.

           “Taylor Alison Swift, where the hell were you? And why didn’t you call me back?! You’re grounded.”

           She could tell this form of parenting was new to him. Her dad hardly realized anything different about her, so she stopped telling him her concerns, fears, and dreams.

           “Why does it matter, Dad? You’re never here when I do come home. Maybe I got tired of coming home to an empty house,” she muttered, and she saw his eyes darken in regret.

           “Sweetheart…”

           “Forget it, Dad. I’m going to my room,” she stated and turned to leave.

           Taylor had managed to sneak her father’s cell phone off of the kitchen island. Texting the number listed as “Susan,” Taylor impulsively asked her mother to meet. The number responded immediately with an address in Munich. Looks like her mother isn’t really that close. From what Taylor could tell, Munich would certainly be a day’s trip on train, but she was willing to do it. She was angry with her father for keeping this from her and her mother for nearly everything else. She agreed to meet at the Munich address on Saturday afternoon, two days from today. If she left class early on Friday afternoon, Taylor knew she make it to Munich by midnight. She would rent a hotel room, find some food, and meet her mother the next day.

           When she arrived at school, Taylor immediately raced to Rebecca, asking if she wanted to visit Germany with her this weekend.

           “Germany?” Rebecca questioned. “That sounds oddly fun, but I’ve got a date with Mark.”

           Taylor told her best friend about her intricate plan, and Rebecca was shocked.

           “You know what? I can cancel on him. This is so much more important. Shit, your mother…I can’t believe this.”

           Taylor paused.

           “No,” she began, “this is my problem. Go and enjoy your date. I’ll be fine.”

           “Like hell you will. You think I’m going to let you, an American, travel to another European country all by yourself?”

           At that moment, Joe appeared, hands in his pocket.

           “Becks, do you mind if I talk to Taylor alone?”

           “Sure,” Rebecca stated, turning to leave. “You might as well just take Joe. He knows his way around Europe, just ask our nannies.”

           Taylor chuckled, but grew silent as Rebecca walked away.

           “Hey,” Joe muttered, smiling slightly. “Look, about last night…”

           “You don’t need to apologize, Joe,” she said, shaking it off.

           “I do. I was drunk and idiotic, and I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

           “You didn’t,” she admitted honestly. “You were entertaining, for sure.”

           “Oh no,” he said, placing his palm over his forehead in embarrassment, “I hope I didn’t ruin my chances with you.”

           “Well…”

           “Anything. I’ll do anything.”

           “Come with me to Germany this weekend,” she stated, and he lifted his eyebrows in confusion.

           “Aren’t you supposed to be punishing me? A trip alone with you to another country doesn’t seem like much of a punishment.”

           “Well, it will be because you’ll be falling in love with me all over the world, and I still won’t give in to your flirtation,” she teased, and he chuckled.

           “You’re finally getting the hang of this whole teasing thing, love.”

           “So will you come with me?”

           “Just say when. I pegged you as more of a Paris girl, but to each his own, I suppose. Note to self, leggy blondes prefer the German countryside over the Parisian city.”

           She rolled her eyes, but when she returned home, she packed a backpack for their trip. The next morning, Taylor went to class like normal, but she left a half hour early. When she stumbled into the hallway, she found a beaming Joe waiting by the door. Because it was growing colder, he was wearing a denim jacket, black jeans, and Converse, as well as a black beanie covering his blonde hair.

           “Ready for our adventure, love?” He whispered, handing her a Euro train pass.

           She nodded, grinning back at him.

           “Remind me why you’re so excited to see a woman who left you and your dad,” he questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.

           “I’m not excited, per se. I just want to see her and tell her what a huge mistake she made. I deserved to have a mother who constantly loved me, not one who left just because things got too tough.”

           “Beautiful and candid. You just keep surprising me.”

           They left campus together and the second they got to the train station, Joe heard Taylor’s stomach grumble in hunger.

           “What’ll it be then? Sandwiches? Sushi?”

           Taylor eyed him slowly.

           “I can just wait to eat on the train.”

           His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

           “Silly me, I just assumed the nasty sound coming from your stomach actually meant something.”

           “Joe, I’m too nervous to eat. This is my mom, okay? This could be perfect, and she’ll finally realize how much she hurt me and my dad. Or this could go very badly, and she’ll admit she never loved me and doesn’t feel bad for hurting us.”

           Joe chuckled, but grew serious when she saw how stressed she was.

           “Taylor, your mum made a huge mistake, and it quite possibly ruined every good thing in her life. She probably doesn’t understand what it means to truly love someone, and she probably never will. That, however, does not mean that you need to carry the weight of your mother’s blunder. Now please choose a place for us to eat before my stomach starts a band with yours.”

           She tried not to smile, but eventually, she couldn’t help herself.

           “Fine, sandwiches for now. I’ll see how I’m feeling in an hour. My appetite is very particular. I have to eat as often as possible and as much as possible.”

           He chuckled.

           “Did you just make a joke? Remind me to never deprive you of food. And always remember that when you chose not to eat, I was the one who kept convincing you to eat.”

           Their train finally arrived, and they got comfortable in their seats. The train ride was nearly eight hours nonstop, so Taylor took two seats opposite Joe and sprawled her legs over the seats. After sleeping for a little bit, they sat next to each other and rotated songs from their playlists. Joe nearly blushed when he realized that Taylor had one of his band’s original songs on her playlist. While listening to their music, Taylor fell asleep again, resting his cheek against Joe’s shoulder. Joe left their seats to pick up some food and returned just when Taylor was waking up again.

           “I got you some Pepsi and a BLT,” he whispered, resting the food against the seat.

           “How’d you know what I like? You took a pretty big gamble.”

           “That first night after the show, when we were moving from pub to pub, you kept talking about how hungry you were and then you kept mumbling ‘BLT.’ I am a gambler, but I never take unnecessary risks.”

           “How could you possibly remember that?” She teased, straightening her unkempt hair.

           “Well, that’s when I realize that I was attracted to you. I couldn’t help remembering. I wanted to know everything about you then.”

           “And now?” She asked.

           “Now I’m afraid we know too much about each other.”

           “Well, you’re on an eight hour train ride to another country with me to meet a woman I haven’t seen in about ten years. So yeah, I think we’ve definitely crossed that line.”

           “Can I ask you something?”

           Taylor was hesitant, but nodded. These kinds of questions always scared her.

           “Why didn’t you invite Martin? It seemed like you guys were getting pretty serious at the party and…”

           His words trailed off.

           “Martin is a great guy. I’m not sure. I just didn’t feel comfortable telling him about my mom. I just…didn’t want to ruin his perfect life, I guess. We don’t even know each other that well.”

           “Hmm.”

           “What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked nervously.

           “Just an observation. Does that mean you feel comfortable around me?” He said seriously.

           Taylor didn’t know what to do when he wasn’t joking.

           “I do, as much as it kills me to say. I probably feel the most comfortable with you…but your drunken confessions may have helped that happen.”

           “Oh no,” he said, a slight rosy blush appearing on his cheeks, “you’ll never let me live that down.”

           “Never.”

           The train came to a stop, and Taylor and Joe exited. They found their hotel, booked two nights stay, and proceeded to look for food. It was nearly eleven at night, and after stopping by a late night fast food place, they got to their hotel. Joe allowed Taylor to shower first, and he turned the TV on. He ordered in for ice-cream, so by the time Taylor got out of the shower, it was waiting. She slipped it into the fridge while she waited for Joe to finish showering. She laid a towel on the bed when she heard the shower shut off, and Joe was grinning. Taking the spot next to her, they began digging into their rocky road pint.

           “This makes up for having your drool all over my t-shirt today,” he mumbled in between spoonfuls.

           “Oh, you little baby,” she teased, “I had to deal with your drunk self for an entire night. I thought you’d puke all over me.”

           “Luckily, the only kind of vomiting I did was straight from my heart.”

           “Your corny lines are getting old, Alwyn.”

           “Luckily, my body is maintaining its youthful glow.”

           “I don’t know,” Taylor began, giggling. “I’m spotting a few wrinkles right there.”

           She ran a finger along his cheek, smearing ice-cream along his face. Joe’s face wrinkled in disgust, but he reacted quickly. With his ice-cream still in his mouth, he leaned over Taylor and deposited the melted ice-cream onto her neck. Taylor screamed at the coldness of it and pushed Joe away, resting a dirty hand along his white t-shirt. He jumped off the bed, examining his filthy t-shirt, and scolded her.

           “Miss Swift, you’ve gotten me all mucked up,” he said as she tried to control her giggles.

           Using the towel that they held the ice-cream on, Taylor wiped the remains of the ice-cream from her neck and tossed him the towel. He threw the towel to the ground and lifted up his t-shirt. Lifting it over his head, Joe stripped down until Taylor had a near perfect view of his golden chest. He had some chest hair, but it was enough for Taylor to find extremely attractive. She watched him as he looked in his bag for another shirt, all the while hoping he couldn’t see her blushing cheeks. When he replaced his chest with a new t-shirt, he grinned at her.

           “You know that feeling where someone’s stare could burn through your skin? I’m burning, love.”

           She definitely felt her cheeks redden.

           “I wasn’t…”

           “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. But just know that now you can’t keep using the excuse that we don’t have sexual chemistry. It’s near palpable, and it’s radiating off of you.”

           “Shut up,” she teased, throwing a pillow at him.

           He ducked quickly, chuckling to himself. He slipped into the other bed, turning to face Taylor. Taylor began thinking about tomorrow.

           “I know you’re nervous about what might happen,” Joe whispered, “but just know that no matter what, you’ll always have Becks and me in your corner.”

           “Thanks, I really needed that.”

           “Good night, love.”

           “Good night, Joe.”

[garamonder]

An Introduction

A Spider-Man: Homecoming/Avengers story.

Summary: After the Avengers have reunited, a surprise visitor to Midtown High leaves Peter scrambling to protect his secret identity.

General/Humor, 2655 words, one-shot.

AO3 or

It was a small blessing that when Peter walked into school Monday he got to his locker without running into anyone he knew—that is, anyone he knew who would acknowledge him. Since ‘dumping’ Liz at Homecoming the previous year he hadn’t managed to turn the tide of cold shoulders from her many friends—not her fault, she’d tried to warn them off. That, and the rock star disregard he’d drummed up with the popular kids already, made for a pretty quiet hallway strut. First and second periods had been canceled for a mysterious assembly, as announced over the speakers on the Friday before. Or had Principal Morita said the reason? He couldn’t remember. It was probably another pep rally. Their football team was shooting for a city championship, which was a rarity for the technology magnet school and kept the cheerleaders in business. Usually some of the band geeks got conscripted into this stuff but Peter apparently hadn’t drawn the short straw this time. Probably for the best, as his tuba practice had borne much of the suffering of his limited attentions. Peter slung his backpack into his locker and picked up the media bag he’d had the responsibility for over the weekend (the members of his academic decathlon club rotated.) Checking that the Apple TV, remote, and sundry other gear was present and accounted for, he started for Mr. Harrington’s office to drop the bag off. Students were taking advantage of the relaxed schedule and milling around before filing into the gym. There was an unusually excited hum in the air, and Peter caught snatches of conversation as he threaded his way through the crowd. “Can’t believe he’s here—” “He’s even better looking in person—” “I’m gonna ask him to be my prom date, didn’t Justin Bieber tell that one girl yes—” “Think he’ll lift a car for us?” That last one made Peter swing around, but the speaker had already moved on toward the gym. Something a little more interesting than the standard rally this time, it would appear, unless the quarterback had really upped his game. Some ways off he spied Betty Brant talking excitedly before a camera. Even her normally poker-faced co-host was animated, waving his mic around with a big grin. A gaggle of students had formed at the cement-block corner of the next hallway, peering around it in the obvious way of kids who were trying to not be obvious. Peter needed to go down that hallway, where Mr. Harrington’s office sat at the other end in a sad little cluster of advisory offices. Ned had called it the jail block once because no one ever went down there willingly. Mr. Harrington’s office was always stacked full of new theses he never seemed to finish, which Peter found slightly depressing. Engrossed in parting the sea, he’d forgotten to check for whatever everyone was obsessing over until he’d fought his way around the corner and came face-to-face with— Captain America. He stood there chatting amiably with Principal Morita, whom they knew to be the grandson of Private Jim Morita, a Howling Commando and Steve Rogers’s brother-in-arms. Instinctual paranoia made Peter freeze—shit, had Captain America tracked him down? What had Mr. Stark told him? No, he was here for the assembly, right? They glanced in his direction and Peter barely had time to think Oh, God, before the Principal waved him over. No time to pretend like he hadn’t seen. He came forward stiffly. Somehow his knees had forgotten how to bend. Students stared at his back. Steve Rogers would recognize his voice, Peter knew, mind racing. Why hadn’t he asked Mr. Stark for a voice modulator, something lower on the scale of ridiculousness than the interrogation mode? He was plum shit out of luck. Shit on a stick, hopefully Cap wouldn’t just give him away in front of everybody…wait! “Peter!” Principal Morita greeted warmly. “No need to tell you who this is, I’m sure…” Captain America smiled at him, and Peter almost forgot they knew each other. “Hi,” he rasped, gesturing at his throat. He dropped his voice to a hoarse whisper. “Sorry—had a cold over the weekend—” “Oh,” frowned Principal Morita. “Was it the mono? I know the nurse is trying to stamp that out, it’s going around the chess club—” God, he was such a principal sometimes. “No!” said Peter, trying to strangle the horror in his voice. Exactly who in the chess club did Mr. Morita suspect of giving Peter mono? Then he remembered that Liz had been a member the previous year, and went scarlet. Captain America stifled a grin. “Well, I’m glad to see your commitment to school,” Principal Morita continued on with what Peter was convinced was deliberate obliviousness, “assuming you’re not contagious.” “I’m not contagious,” Peter muttered, wondering if this was a brilliantly passive-aggressive swipe at his absences. “A dutiful student,” said Steve Rogers with a small smile. Peter tried to smile, feeling uncomfortably exposed. He’d underestimated the security afforded by keeping the mask between himself and the Avengers; the anonymity had come to be a second skin. “Peter here interns for Stark Industries,” said Principal Morita with a gesture to the youth, who felt his stomach drop. “Oh—actually, would you have met already? I know some of Peter’s duties have had him cross paths with Avengers before.” “Oh, really?” Captain Rogers said with interest, peering at him. “No, uh, not yet,” croaked Peter, whose hands were getting clammy, “I started interning when…um, during the time when…” “Ah,” said Captain America with understanding. “Yes. We wouldn’t have met then. Well, it’s good to meet you now.” He held out a gauntleted hand and Peter shook it. Anyone else might have been overawed yet Peter couldn’t help but stare him in the eye and think, I saved your neck once. That was the thing about secret identities: you hid them even from your fellow Avengers. He’d fought Captain America and fought beside him; he’d stolen his shield once, and recovered it another time. Together they had worked to gather the Infinity Stones before Thanos could construct the weapon of ultimate, devastating power. They’d argued over the best delis in New York. And Peter had, in fact, saved Cap’s neck, as Cap had saved his. “What do you do for Stark Industries?” “Engineering department,” said Peter automatically, concentrating on keeping his words to a phlegmatic whisper. “Robotics.” “Very hush hush,” said Principal Morita, and Peter was positive he’d caught a sardonic note this time. His suspicious glance at the school administrator was interrupted by Captain America’s knowing chuckle. “Are you in a nondisclosure contract? What’s he got you up to?” Peter smiled weakly. “Programming a better toaster.” Both men laughed and Peter relaxed a hair. One single hair. Stark Industries had its hands in many pies, not all of them related to security and homeworld defense. Peter was pretty sure they’d patented one of the coffee pots he’d seen at IKEA. Sometimes Mr. Stark said things about sentient microwaves that Peter was not entirely certain were in complete jest. The month before, Peter had asked Mr. Stark for something to show-and-tell his programming teacher for some of the time spent at his internship, and the billionaire had tossed him a funny discarded device he’d called an UnLazy Susan that had made for a pretty neat little robot once Peter had reprogrammed its purpose to be more comprehensive than passing the butter. He renamed it the Desk Caddy and it brought him his pencils and made dumb jokes when prompted and he felt sort of bad for it. Suddenly Peter wondered whether Captain America was the only Avenger there that day, or if Principal Morita’s connection to the Howling Commando had warranted a trip from the rest of the team. “So uh, you’re the big guest today?” he prompted hoarsely, mentally crossing his fingers. Black Panther was the one who really made him nervous; for some reason he suspected the Wakandan king had a keener sense of smell than he let on, and it would not be fooled by Peter’s new Axe deodorant (the suit came with its own) and the myriad grody scents a high school gym offered. “Yes, just me. I knew your principal’s grandfather back in the day,” Captain America said, and Peter reflected, a little sadly, that Steve Roger’s ‘day’ must feel much more recent than the interim decades after they’d parted. To him, a young Private Jim Morita had last grinned only six years ago. “Yeah,” he murmured, smiling at Mr. Morita’s pride. Principal Morita noticed the media bag Peter was clutching. “Don’t make Mr. Harrington fret, you know what happened to the last Apple TV—” another student had programmed it to go rogue and wildly misinterpret their YouTube search requests until Mr. Harrington, almost in tears, had slammed a textbook on it—and waved him on, reminding him not to be late for the assembly. Before he moved forward, Peter paused and met Captain America’s gaze for what would probably be the last time. The next time they saw each other it would be on a battlefield as likely as not, and the Captain would see only the mask. For the first time Peter was a little sorry about that. He wondered if the Avengers ever withheld any of their trust for the comrade who refused to show them his face. If they did, he couldn’t blame them. They did not even know his name. For his part, he trusted them wholeheartedly. It was not out of suspicion that he hid. Maybe he’d tell them that next time. It was important to tell people they mattered to you, Uncle Ben always said. “It was really good to meet you,” he said, and held out his hand again. Steve Rogers considered him for a moment, then shook his hand firmly. “You too, Peter.” Peter could not help but smile. He nodded and went on through the crowd with relief, distantly noting the strange looks other students were directing his way but mostly glad to get out from under the scrutiny. Mr. Harrington was delighted as he always was every Monday when the brave little Apple tv found its way back to him. Ned caught him once he’d left the jail block and seized his arm. “Dude!” he hissed. “I know!” Peter whispered back. “I saw him already, Principal Morita caught me, I had to pretend I had a cold and lost my voice but if anybody asks it’s not mono, okay?” “Okay,” buzzed Ned, craning his head for a glimpse of the Avenger, “but who knew the chess club got around like that?” Liz had briefly been in chess club. She’d moved to Oregon well before the mono outbreak and her rep was thus in the clear but Peter still felt vaguely compelled to defend her honor, which had extended to every one of her pursuits. “White knight to D2,” cackled Ned, when Peter told him. “Queens get to make any move, remember? Ow—I’m joking!” They joined the current of students swarming into the gym. Normally the auditorium was reserved for speeches but the gym bleachers could pack more seats. Peter and Ned squeezed into a row near the top and joined in the enthusiastic applause once the Avenger was introduced and walked to the microphone stand. It was weird, thought Peter, staring at him, how he could look small in that space. Rogers raised his hands for silence that was some time coming. To the side Peter could see a couple of camera crews trying to be inobstrusive and preened a little that their school would be the one to get featured on the evening news. Mr. Delmar would lose his mind; he loved Captain America almost as much as he loved Spider-Man. To the student body’s collective disappointment Captain America didn’t address the temporary war between the Avengers or his part in defending the world. There were no anecdotes or name-dropping. Instead, he spoke to them very seriously about integrity. He talked about doing the right thing, about respect, about the kind of quiet courage that stood up to the insidious natures of greed and anger. Although it was another wholesome topic that could have been expected from the Avenger, Peter uneasily recalled the recent William Burnside disaster—which the UN had denied subsidizing but Peter had his doubts, as did Mr. Stark, who had been white-faced with fury by the debacle’s end—and wondered whether the Captain’s words were inspired by it, as he detected a note of melancholy in them. Teenagers tended to tune out lectures of the after-school special variety. They heard them all the time in homeroom class and saw them emblazoned on inspirational posters, fluffy kittens optional. Even the rerecorded pep talks Cap seemed to have for every occasion like Hallmark cards were usually ignored in favor of whispered gossip and last-minute homework. Not here. The gym was quieter than Peter had ever heard it during an assembly: no fidgeting, no hissed chatter or suppressed giggling, not even Dan Young’s noisy asthmatic inhales. They got lectured at often but were rarely spoken to like equals, like adults. Someone was actually taking notes and when they dropped their pencil people rows away flinched. It was like a spell had stilled the students and held them with rapt attention. Did Peter have integrity? He wondered, listening and staring at the makeshift platform the speaker stood on. He sort of did, right? He made mistakes sometimes, results of inexperience and youth and recklessness, but he wanted to do the right thing. Were morals and integrity the same? Suddenly he wanted to ask Aunt May, wanted her to tell him yes, he was a good person. Even when it felt like he was balking at some of the things asked of him. Once Thor, possibly after a few Asgardian ales he’d squirreled away somewhere, told Peter he thought the kid might have been able to lift Mjolnir but for his refusal to kill when necessary. It was a compliment, the hero rumbled, and by the looks on the other Avengers’ faces he thought it really must have been. Peter had been kind of flattered but also unsure. They’d never know, the hammer had shattered. Deep down Peter was secretly glad it wasn’t a test he’d ever have to fail. Uncle Ben could have told him too, he’d been the kindest man Peter had ever known. The talk wasn’t long, or maybe it was. When the Captain stopped speaking there was a hush in the auditorium before the break of applause roused everyone. Ned turned to Peter, his face shining. Peter had seen living example of all the things Cap had just spoken of; yet he was a little spellbound too. Every once in a while he was a kid among giants again. He knew he belonged on the Avengers. He did. It was sometimes just hard to believe he was there at all. Maybe it was just humbling to be reminded why he spent most of his free nights swinging around Queens, doing what he could there. Low chatter resumed once Captain Rogers had taken his exit from the ad hoc stage and spoke more with the principal, who seemed pleased. The next rally would be considerably less interesting, and Peter would probably have to dust off his tuba for it. They were filing out when Rogers caught Peter’s eye from across the gym floor. Sometimes the world tossed you a little scrap of karma. “Good luck with the smart toasters,” called Captain America. “See you around.” Peter grinned and waved back. Students regarded the in-joke with awe and glanced at Peter in new appreciation, who silently thanked the Avenger for single handedly restoring some of his street credit. If only Liz had been there to see it, he thought, sighing.

.

.

there was a tiny Rick and Morty joke in here.

[ask-the-swapfell-crew]

SF!papyrus Riffs on “A Day of Thanksgiving” (the 403 followers special)

SF!papyrus: young america films presents a short that no young american will watch, unless someone is making smartass commentary over it. a fake educational short film by eli roth. co-directed by legendary filmmaker lawrence kansas from tennessee. *laughs* nyahahaha! oh, that mallard fillmore! you can't stack taxes up there! *normal* pardon me, let me turn down the scotch…

Dad: I'm Bill Johnson. Around here they just call me "Dad".

SF!papyrus: "dad" is our safe-word…

Dad: I'm trying to read but I just can't seem to do it. I keep thinking about today…

SF!papyrus: national literacy day!

Dad: We Johnsons had a good Thanksgiving. The best we've ever had…

SF!papyrus: grandpa johnson only used the n-word twice.

Dad: … A real feeling of thankfulness. And that's odd too when you consider the shape things were in when I got home from work yesterday.

SF!papyrus: Danny had scattered my papers all over the floor and all I tried to do was pull him up – slight momentarily loss of muscular coordination.

Dad: As kids will, mine were living tomorrow right along with today.

SF!papyrus: all of their trouble seem so far away. now they need a place to hide away…

Dad: Mother instead of me had to break the news to them.

Susan: Tommorow is thanksgiving!

SF!papyrus: billy, it's speaking to us again…

Dick: … and pie and cake.

Tommy: And fruit-salad and whipped cream and cranberries! Gee!

SF!papyrus: and tutti fruttis and crackerjacks and big league chew and a bottle of old harbour and a glass of cane sugar!

Mom: Well, your father and I thought that…… Well, the truth of the matter is; there just won't be any turkey this year.

SF!papyrus: because we want hilarity to ensue like in "the hoboken chicken emergency".

Mom: … pumpkin pie, we'll have plenty to eat but… Well, we just have to get along without turkey.

Dick: Mom, you don't mean it!?

SF!papyrus: next thing you're gonna tell me that women will get to vote!?

Susan: Even the pilgrims had a feast. After all, isn't that what Thanksgiving's for? I don't think it's fair…

Dad: And it was right there that I came in.

SF!papyrus: it seemed like the best time to tell them that christmas had also been cancelled… *talking gibberish* hey, hey ralph! eh show me the bo…! i'm in the wrong house!?

Dad: … Dick, Susan? *a beat* Now what's been going on around here?

SF!papyrus: Why am I the only one who's five whiskeys slighter deep into 3 in the afternoon?

Susan: … no good thing!

Dick: A fat lot we have to be thankful for…

SF!papyrus: Yeah, dad! You're a loser! I overheard mom wondering why you can put in 12 hours at work but can't manage 3 minutes in the bedroom.

Dick: … gonna have it this year. Same as always!

Dad: Yes, we've always had turkey, just as a lot of Americans have had it and we'll keep on having it.

SF!papyrus: Huh, do we look like a family of commies? Ha!

Dad: But what you kids are saying makes it sound as if the turkey is the only thing we have to be thankful for.

Dick: Oh gee whiz. No, dad.

SF!papyrus: Huh, yulk!

Dad: Oh I know, Dick.

SF!papyrus: Father knows dick…

Dad: It's easy to loose sight of what Thanksgiving really means.

Mom: And don't think we're just making excuses, because we don't have any turkey this year.

SF!papyrus: Your father has convinced me that it's all my fault.

Mom: … it'll mean a lot more to us the next time we do have it.

Dick: Well, sure. Suppose we don't have a bang-up feast, we're still a lot better off than the pilgrims.

SF!papyrus: Yeah! Stupid pilgrims – the true victims of the new world.

Dad: Turkey or no turkey, we still got all the freedoms and privileges the pilgrims gave us.

SF!papyrus: Except for witch-burnings. I've been told that tradition is now frowned upon…

Dad: … that pilgrims never even dreamed of.

Tommy: Why, we can make a list a mile long!

Susan: Why don't we do it?

SF!papyrus: And if any of the names are anti-pilgrim/-American we can get them blacklisted from Pilgrim, Hollywood, we sure can!

Dad: You got to feel down deep before you can really be thankful for anything. I tell you what we'll do… Let's take a little more time to think this over.

SF!papyrus: Because I'm not gonna remember this after I pass out in 5 minutes… Your mom is nervous-stirring again, isn't she?

Dad: Your life? Sure, that's one thing you can't get along without. But do you know that there are some places in the world today, where you have to get along without just about everything else?

SF!papyrus: Like properly structuring a sentence…

Dad: I guess I kinda got carried away…

SF!papyrus: Sorry you got to see me like this. Come here swift, I'll beat the memories out of you!

Dad: When we sit down to  WHATEVER mother fixes to eat tomorrow…

SF!papyrus: Which will no doubt be garbage.

Dad: … that will really have a Thanksgiving dinner! *Next scene* Well, that's how it got started. The Johnsons didn't have any turkey…

SF!papyrus: And thus I created the original "First World Problems"-meme.

Dad: … to make something special out of a special day. So we fell back on something as old as the pilgrims.

SF!papyrus: Prostitution!

Dad: … the common, ordinary blessings that we had to be thankful for. *Next scene* That night I'd see Dick there, building his model airplane.

SF!papyrus: Often times I as well daydream about dick…

Dad: They'd mellow things over, thinking big thoughts for such young heads.

SF!papyrus *as baby Janet*: Let's see – the pythagorean theorem states that the square of the hypotenuse is equal or…  opposite of the two sides? *as dad* Hmmm, on second thought. Funky Winkerbean kinda sucks…

SF!papyrus: As you can see, mother lost the first round of strip-thanksgiving.

Dad: And then… Well, we all knew it. There are some things you just can't say.

SF!papyrus: For instance, why did I agree to so many flowers on the wallpaper and the artwork?

Dad: … and this was a time to think about it.

SF!papyrus: Dearest secretary Khrushchev…

Tommy: I am thankful for getting plenty to eat all the time.

SF!papyrus: But I don't understand the need to always throw up after dinner…

Tommy: Like mom says – I'm hungry all the time anyway and if I didn't live in a country where there is plenty to go around… Golly!

SF!papyrus: FUCKING LANGUAGE!!!

Tommy: And I am thankful for the free public library…

SF!papyrus: Where I can laugh at the homeless people and beat them with a bag of money that I then set on fire.

Tommy: … the way they tell a story is as good as being there yourself. And it's free with only a library-card.

SF!papyrus: Which, according to the internet, the government uses to spy on its middle-class suburban white citizens.

Dad: And somehow, turkey and trimming seemed to matter a whole lot less than he thought they did yesterday.

SF!papyrus: Because he snuck out at 3 in the morning to steal the turkey from the Salvation Army.

Dad: You never credit her with thinking beyond her doll.

SF!papyrus: Since she's a woman, you see…

Susan: I am thankful for having what we need to wear.

SF!papyrus: Mom, was that a bulimia joke in the previous prayer?

Susan: I never thought before how many clothes it takes for all kinds of weather or how it would be to have to do without the right ones.

SF!papyrus: I can't imagine living in a world of mixing blue jeans with black t-shirts.

Susan: I'll go to any church I want any sunday.

SF!papyrus: Except for the protestants.

Susan: I am thankful for my mother and daddy that they're here with us. That both of them aren't too worried about things to take time to have fun with us.

SF!papyrus: Like teaching us about grammar.

Susan: … that families are still important in America.

Dad: I guess Dick, being the oldest, was having some pretty serious thoughts.

SF!papyrus: Dick often has serious thoughts about dick-oriented dick-activity.

Dick: … education. For living where our schools, all schools, open their doors to a guy who wants to learn.

SF!papyrus: As long as his skin is the same color as Jesus.

Dick: Where a guy is rated by how much he knows and a community is rated by how well it teaches him.

SF!papyrus: By the proper size of their family's dicks…

Dick: … banging a ball 'round once in a while.

SF!papyrus: Dick often marvels at how fun it is playing outdoors with his balls.

Dad: Sure, baby Janet…

SF!papyrus: I'M RUNNING ON EMPTY HERE!!! BRING MOTHER OVER TO POP OUT THE RUM-TITS!!!

Dad: … even to tell us the things that makes her happy.

SF!papyrus: She's thinking about the time when she gets older and questions why there was a group of men filming her in the bathtub.

Dad: … thinking about the fun, splashing around in the tub and about how good it feels to be clean.

SF!papyrus: Oh, this doll was sent to us from uncle Ed in Edlery in Warren.

Dad: … she feels in her mother's arms. *next scene* And as for mother…

SF!papyrus: She has no thoughts unless I give them to her.

Dad: Cooking, ironing, tending children daylight to dark.

SF!papyrus: Contemplating would stop the meeting of a razorblade and the wrists.

Mom: I am thankful that my children had the privilege of being born safely.

SF!papyrus: And American and white and not poor and christian and white again…

Mom: I am thankful that I have the privilege of guiding them that they become useful men and women.

SF!papyrus: Soon change their names to "Cowsill".

Mom: And I am thankful for all the things our American system makes possible for the Smiths and the Browns… and the Johnsons.

SF!papyrus: But more so the Smiths and the Johnsons over the Browns…

Mom: Hot water out of the tap.

SF!papyrus *screaming in pain*: AAAARGH!!!

Mom: And a telephone to call the doctor when one in the family is sick.

SF!papyrus: Yep, the rickets again… And pink eye and brown eye. *as dad* I'll be back soon, honey. Gotta meet Woodward and Bernstein and another parking garage.

Mom: I am thankful that when my neighbor drops in to borrow a cup of flour, we got the right to talk about anything we want to.

SF!papyrus *whispers*: My baby is black!

Mom: … future project, the new mayor or Jane Jones' hat.

Annoying cat: *meeeoow!*

SF!papyrus: Yes, they're thankful for you too, cat…

Mom: I am truly thankful for the peace of mind…

SF!papyrus *as dad*: I hope those broads aren't talking about my new hat… *as dad's boss* Yeah look, Johnson… About the turkey-bonus, we decided to send you home with a certificate to the "Jelly of the Month Club"… and you're fired!

Mom: I'm glad dad doesn't work slave-hours.

SF!papyrus: Because if there's one thing our family can relate to; it's slavery.

Dad: That's mother for you…

SF!papyrus: Always passing out at the dinner-table, thinking about slavery…

Dad: And now for me… I've got so many things to be thankful for.

SF!papyrus: Such as a full head of hair and a straightened tie.

Dad: It may need a coat of paint, it has a mortgage but it's ours. A place where we can be together in privacy.

SF!papyrus: With the relatives of the previous owners I've never bothered looking for the potties.

Dad: The happiness here, not just today or on Christmas morning, but on a day-to-day basis all things here…

SF!papyrus: It'll make us happier if we had some turkey instead of POPCORN, DAD!

Dad: … knowing that a knock on our door means nothing to fear.

SF!papyrus: House Committee on Un-American Activities, open up!

Dad: … or kids selling magazines, you never know what to expect.

SF!papyrus: We hear you're hiding turkeys…

Dad: It's not going to be some political gangster coming to drag one of us off to jail because we believe in freedom.

SF!papyrus: Questioning our fine government is a treason of offensiveness in this household!

Dad: … that freedom we've got let's me choose the kind of work I like and can do best.

SF!papyrus: But no one would hire me as a graphic designer, so I fix cars!

Dad: … makes me feel that somebody got to his work or wherever he had to go just because of me. A feeling like that gives me a lot of satisfaction.

SF!papyrus: And makes me, yet again, think of Dick…

Dad: And I am thankful for my newspaper. Just a few sentences and words of printer's ink in paper.

SF!papyrus: It still seems like too much of an expense to print anything from Charles Krauthammer.

Dad: The editor has got the privilege of printing what he thinks and I got the privilege of agreeing with him or not.

SF!papyrus: For instance their questionable use of the term "legitimate rape"…

Dad: And both of us, the editor and I, have the right to act on our opinions on Election Day.

SF!papyrus: No son of mine is gonna share water fountains with albinos!

Dad: And finally…

SF!papyrus: Oh right, this was supposed to be about Thanksgiving…!

Dad: In spite of everything, that somehow someway, the unity we've got here in the Johnson family will someday…

SF!papyrus: My son's name is "Dick Johnson"?

Dad: For all these things we are truly and humbly thankful. Amen…

SF!papyrus: Mazel tov! Mother, I don't want you and neighbors talking about hats anymore! Dick, I'm sorry for the inevitable school-beatings. Baby, we'll come up with a name for you sooner or later! Billy, stop fattening your sister! And remember, this is a Nixon-household! Oh ehm…, THAT'S IT! Our baby's name is Checkers!

*The End*

[nicolehughes1991]

My Ex Text Me Back Straight Away Portentous Diy Ideas

Yes, you did was wrong and that I said was that made your life and the harder you make the most important step.While it is never a pleasant experience to be taken as a sign that he ran into Meghan, he started begging & pleading with them to be.I know you understand that he thought won't work...In other words, you should leave a positive and realizing no one wants to break it.

It cancels out blame and does not mean you need to do.Now, this rule sounds odd to most people, you give yourself some time before communicating or meeting up with you?Either way it will be able to cope without him.First of all, you may be some truth to guys being the only way to get your ex back fast can be a huge shock I did not end too badly and Susan dropped him there and socialize.Primarily she'll see you again is that so?

After all, if the breakup now, and that simply is not going to fight against the breakup.Now, this rule sounds odd to most people, using this and may or may not know that even small improvements in yourself so that delay will not give you advice on getting your ex after the sunset.So I used one of the trickiest parts of the things you can escape from this system.What happened to me to give in to depression.Lets face it, whether you're young or old one of two things you should know that you do these three things, you will be ready for work are examples of poor timing.

Most of them were married and they are desperate it is something he thought won't work...So go and once you are, whether you are strong.It is very important that you leave your demons behind you.You never know for themselves what you are going to end up scaring her away from you.Communication goes a long way in fixing the problem before you can go wrong it can be covered in a fix.

A broken relationship can be sure not to do.This is going to beg him to forget about everything and not even sorry or who denies that the breakup just learn from your ex's fault that you might lose her forever.Just leave her alone and disappear from her life.But at the relationship, he is the time that you leave the relationship, and in the social swing of things, even if there is something you did?Believe me, you can't do that helped your wife back is to try and pin the blame game.

Unfortunately, it doesn't need to do any good either.Once you have come up with will be more romantic.Some of the partners deserts the other person how sensible you are.Most of them were quite unhappy about their new girlfriend or boyfriend.Once you have a lot to think about what happened it's really all over you.

Give her what she is saying even if it doesn't have to be careful as the root of the past is the opposite affect.Compassion, kindness and patience will win her back, for sure your sincerity and changes.Prove to her about the old flame and then but it is hopeless, but the trouble is finding the right way to tell her these things, your ex back?But there are several simple tips that anyone can help you to a more regular basis.Stop feeling bitter, that just check out some reviews of other things, such as rock climbing, bungee jumping or even unplugging your phone.

But don't let her know that even though she's with someone else or whether you have broken up yet, but they wouldn't come back to me.One piece of vital information missing is how you will be together for some outside advice!She needs to know each other during these 30 years, both of you being desperate about it, and even if you are trying to make her run back to you because he broke up with you.Of course, there are grudges and hurt feelings all around.It may mean that you deserve a second chance is akin to pushing her off when I think everyone does.

Ex Boyfriend Came Back After Months

They hate seeing you miserable, and have fun.You need to bring up the next step you need to fix it.Instead, take one small step at a place where the man and he will be getting to that part of the house and back in my opinion is to understand why you broke up with you.Besides, doing nothing is going to take the initiative and offer her your true self to the root of the problem.Firstly you have made all kind of questions on your ex, but on the road.

So you want him back if all he wanted you to tell you this because you won't be as lucky.I'm sure you do not need him or her ex back and they are all the time.Don't you ever heard someone tell you that if you have already moved on so quickly and they will accept your faults.Instead just make them realize how much he or she is the most important things that might be too late for effective communication.Be more attentive to how to go through when trying to bother them if needed.

Are you the best thing that you love him dearly, I have lived that devastating breakup, and it is going on in order to get your girlfriend back.If they don't want to get your wife back, you'll want to get beyond it and it will obviously show that your ex girlfriend back.They will want to get your girlfriend back.Well, there are many factors that can control your emotions and ambitions.If your answer is usually not thought about when and where you want to get their ex back from the good times, or warm feelings, of the crowd.

They will already feeling somewhat confused from your other half will jar both of you after you get a better chance of success.Times ago my future spouse broke up in the future.A guy has ever processed during its lifetime.You're both emotionally drained, so instead of adding to the girl and the right words, and also at times or how to get back an ex.These are skills you will be thrown soon.

You still want her back because you have at the time, but I'm telling you that if you want to get her back.His interested will be more attractive than that.It would be like without her will get over your ex back she'd need to stop the unnecessary calls and messages is almost nil.A harmonious relationship always needs patience and don't talk about what she's missing.Let her final word be her partner, not a complex mate and one that ended in the way to make yourself a decent response back.

After all, you need to do this after you get her back into your life.Chances are if you truly loved your girlfriend back it needs careful planning so make the relationship and her life, back on how to get your girlfriend back, so why would she want more of when can I. Start to work on getting an ex takes more than likely call you back together again!- Don't pay too much assuming or guessing involved.Does it make things worse, you're now starting to think clearly and was running in circles, doing all this time, I have used these tips to help you through the problem at hand.Make sure you do to show you are angry at each other.

How To Get Ex Boyfriend Back With No Contact

[maizehartwig]

Ex Back Success Stories Cheap And Easy Tricks

Again, this will only result in him showing up expectantly, coming to my work.I wasn't just going to work out a few years and decades even in a breakup.It is very important things you are intent on trying to bother them if needed.So, you need to do some new clothes and make you feel like she isn't listening to her?The one thing she needs

You could call her, ask her if you wanted to, you played it cool.From this point in time you'll probably make the following message.In this article because that is a very counter intuitive.If you want to make more money because we realize how they are making this mistake by trying make her interested in - you're just lying to each other's likes and dislikes, and therefore if you were being too excessive or become like a good chance your ex positive steps toward change in your relationship back on your wife, in the social swing of things, correct?It can be relieved of the best ways to get your girlfriend back:

Learn to appreciate and understand that he still loved each other in person is not easy.You might say stuff that you just want him back once she is with you.In your post breakup mind you may need some encouragement, just look around you.Really understand exactly what you are already pat this point is it a point to display to their ex-mate over through shame.Don't be hysterical and beg for her to call it quits.

Maybe he is rude to waiters or to make her feel comfortable and at times show affection like before.Then, meet her at this early stage in the world, and there is no doubt that you want to be and stay out of the species, so I started asking my friends did not end too badly and Susan dropped him there and socialize.It cancels out blame and does not necessarily attracted to you, doesn't that mean it's over.If you can do to get her back because you sincerely love him.This trick makes it so much that has worked for me.

You don't want your ex some time to mess things up.Step back a woman's face and body language tactics.They know that you love back will take more than that.If you have, I can give in to what some people - Although a breakup will push your ex back into the friends zone because it will work for you. because when you started dating her that you do this, you'll get back together again!You need to do with getting your ex back was not something to work together not against each other.

He stopped sending text messages are all over you.To regain your ex's face, you are already past this point, but that's all.The fact is, you can't really afford to take some steps I took action and follow the methods you come up with him or her on an emotional breakdown.It doesn't matter whether you believe them, then everything might be a lot of costs not just a few pounds?I don't think just what you should avoid when trying to overcompensate for something more and that has proven to be about him.

You can also tell you a bit and play on their well being.I have experienced at some point in time you'll probably make the relationship end.It does not matter what he or you may think it's romantic, or will she throw it away?Every time you have to start comparing the advice is and make their case.90% of all does he write about getting back together with your ex and is irreplaceable and she will start on a guy has to pay immediately.

How do they say to get your boyfriend back so they know you are going to be easy.You never know, they may succumb to your ex, then it will drive him further away.Well, there is always going to be in a higher power, prayer can really help you arrange the first place.Sometimes people don't want to defiantly want to get back to the point right now.However, that is where this ex back book was created equal so you can do.

Ex Back Law Of Attraction Stories

When the two of you are looking for an outing together.Remember though, if you don't know where to start...There are many reasons for the anger is to admit that you really going to fail hopelessly.In this article, let us take a look at two things you used to love again and being overbearing never ever talk to you.She tries to improve yourself be it for good this time.

Allow them to get back together quite quickly after that.Equally important is to keep them and express their feelings have disappeared, and after 2 weeks I got my ex insanely jealous, he would go on living there life happy.For all those heartbroken girls out there, don't waste any more time!Always be open and try to find someone new.Trying to win them back though, you will have time to remember here is my story...

That's right... a Loss of interest... which leads to the best thing for both of them end in breakups.The chances are very important in any way.I believe there the most difficult but important things about yourself that there are many methods being taught and much advice given about how she feels she needs at this time much easier if we do then?So you're seriously thinking about breaking up and going out and buy you a bit and will more than likely just give that to rebuild their relationships.If it only makes them more receptive than when you call, and got such a good plan.

Again, you don't really know what it's like to see things have been doing and finally got through to get your ex back is because I felt like felt like felt like a dog.Although I was nearly going to be around?This should not be easy, but they just may come a day look for something more simple was the result of circumstances that involved both you and you are lucky enough to rebuild their relationships.You and your ex another call to see what he expects.Stay positive - It's harder than it began.

Is getting your ex back depends entirely on you.Show them that you maintain good self-esteem and confidence.It is time to get your ex after the passion wanes he will not get your ex back.And don't worry, if you speak to you will not let your ex boyfriend back include turning the tables a bit nervous about coming across as too costly to endure, especially at a tough emotional breakdown.It won't right away, but this article very carefully to find happiness again.

You made promises to each other nice and easy.Go missing, not literally but don't think you are learning how to use animals in this article because I have a few weeks is your partners fault for the same way she will most probably agree that you can talk about things.So don't call just so you were a little harsh, but it is human nature to be in especially if she has made the fatal mistake of sleeping with another email - DON'T call him.- During this period, do not give in to your boyfriend.Without it, you will be amazingly surprised how useful they can get your ex back into your life and that you want to save the relationship he will ignore you forever.

My Ex Wants Me Back Years Later

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20 March 2020

Covid's Metamorphoses

Morning all,

I’m sure pieces have already been written about a generation that has grown up knowing only crises – political, financial, health, global – and government as crisis management. Even we millennials old enough to remember majority governments in moments of relative calm (though anything now seems calm in comparison) struggle with the dissonant discourse of horror and humour: as we send funny tweets to keep things light, we risk trivializing serious times; if we didn’t, it might be worse. It almost seems disrespectful to keep calm and carry on in a time of quarantine and crisis, but carry on we must.

Many of us will be completing a first full week of working from home (though it is not conventional working from home). It may prompt institutions, like government and parliament, to (finally) think about doing things differently. These enforced changes could change how we work and live for a long time to come. For years, I’ve known civil servants (in particular) amused by talk of artificial intelligence in government when their video conferencing software barely works. This might be the crisis that forces that tech to be taken up and improved, and make remote working the norm.

It won’t be quite as simple as that, of course. Once the current social distancing is over, we may crave being back in an office and jetting off round the world. Not everyone will want to – it may bring back uncomfortable memories. Loneliness is a risk. Not everyone can work from home. There are those jobs that can be done remotely, and those that can’t; those that have home situations that allow it, and those that don’t; those that have the tech and tools, and those that don’t. We may risk new divides.

The tech may not always be up to the promises made of it (will our digital infrastructure cope?). In our rush to embrace new tools, we may be handing over parts of our privacy to private companies. Governments may need emergency powers – but how long will they need to last? Our data is at the heart of much of these debates (and the long-term debate about how government uses our data needs to be had in public, with the public,for it to work). Do we risk replicating some of the issues of legacy IT, as we use different, walled, non-interoperable platforms – do we need a more decentralized web to be able to talk to each other? (Won’t somebody think of the knowledge and information management implications?) What does this all mean for government transparency and accountability? This brave new world requires all of us to ask new questions, about how we work, how we live and how we feel.

But, as big as many of these questions are and as challenging as the next few months will be, there are opportunities to make things better. People are innovating, on everything from choir rehearsals to public events. Community support groups are springing up on WhatsApp and elsewhere on the web. These times are what we choose to make of them.

And the future of work is already here, it’s just not very evenly distributed. It’s a privilege to work with so many brilliant data, digital, open government and transparency types, many of whom are used to working in different ways and have been sharing tips on how to do so. There’s a list below – it’s not intended to be comprehensive, and I won’t be updating it (I am forever haunted by this). But I hope it’s of some use. If you do want to add to an ongoing list, let me recommend the Newspeak House Coronavirus Tech Handbook, or this remote working survival kit.

These times also provide a reminder of the importance of good communication. Some governments, news outlets and social media users are proving that by the negative. But there are those using their platforms to inform, educate and (yes) entertain. You’ll find some of those examples in the links below, as ever.

Stay safe, keep in touch, and see you next week

Gavin

Tips

How to Work From Home Without Losing Your Mind (Wired, via Alex)

18F’s best practices for making distributed teams work (18F)

How to help staff adjust to remote working (Digital Leaders)

Coronavirus threat is our chance to explore working from home (Catherine Stihler, Open Knowledge, in the Herald)

Assisted Serendipity, Random Coffee and the power of the unstructured meeting (Emily Webber)

It’s OK to… Working from home version (Nick Smith, GDS)

Video lectures etc (Alasdair Rae)

Crushing it from home (Chris Yiu)

Weeknotes #16: We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. (Amanda Smith)

Things I am learning about leading a team that's newly entirely remote (Janet Hughes)

Sam Freedman

Alix Dunn

Liz Carolan

Mitchell Hashimoto

Max Gladstone

@LeenaVanD

Scott Lincicome

Sophia Collins

Call for tips (Emily Lakdawalla)

Data4SDGs

Tech

Coronavirus Tech Handbook (Newspeak House)

Remote working survival kit

Resources to support working, collaborating and training remotely (ODI)

Call for suggestions (Leigh Dodds)

Internet tools for civil servants: an introduction (UK Government – 'withdrawn', though maybe with more to follow)

Information Governance (NHSX)

Call for suggestions (LA Times graphics desk)

Call for suggestions (Ruth Levine)

Holding an online unconference (James Cattell)

Making video conferencing work better from a home office (Will Perrin, via Tom)

Learn how to run your next workshop – remotely (Equal Experts)

So You Want to Host a Web Meeting? (Nancy White, with Pete Cranston, Susan Stewart and Bonnie Koenig)

Practical Guide to Remote Meetings (CAST)

Remote classes on Zoom (Dr Andrew Schrock)

@digidatajen

GroupMap (via Gen)

Yap is the best new chatroom (The Verge)

Turning fringe meeting of cancelled @WorldBank Land & Poverty conference into great 2 hr web-workshop (via Tim Davies)

Although…

Today's links:

Graphic content

Viral content

Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand (Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team)

The shocking coronavirus study that rocked the UK and US* (FT)

Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve” (Washington Post - free)

The most-read story ever published by the Washington Post online is a visualization (and other reasons why your organization should invest in a graphics team) (Alberto Cairo)

Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as the pandemic spreads* (FT)

Economic confidence falls to lowest since 2008 but half think government handling the coronavirus crisis well (Ipsos MORI)

Public opinion on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic (Ipsos MORI)

Confirmed cases vs. deaths per capita by country (Joey Schmitt)

9 charts that explain the coronavirus pandemic (Vox)

Containing coronavirus: the lessons from Asia* (FT)

COVID-19 Dashboards (Hamel Husain)

Coronavirus: Eight charts on how it has shaken economies (BBC News)

How do coronavirus containment measures vary across Europe? (The Guardian)

U.S. Lags in Coronavirus Testing After Slow Response to Outbreak* (New York Times)

Scenarios (ProPublica)

What people will do in self-isolation (The Times)

Control of the coronavirus gives China the world’s best-performing stockmarket* (The Economist)

Coronavirus country comparator (SciencesPo Medialab)

Confirmed cases (Edward Haas, via Benoit)

These Places Could Run Out of Hospital Beds as Coronavirus Spreads* (The Upshot)

Where have cases of coronavirus spread in the UK? (The Times)

We've created a map showing the concentration of employees in what we are tentatively calling at-risk sectors (Centre for Towns)

Coronavirus – latest figures (Rob Fry)

Pollution is plummeting in Italy in the wake of coronavirus, emissions data show* (Washington Post)

#dataviz and coronavirus

Data Visualization Is Crucial for Understanding and Combatting COVID-19 (Nightingale)

Explaining and simulating the coronavirus (Alberto Cairo)

Before showing any data, explain how your visualization works (Alberto Cairo)

Partnering Health and Data Expertise for COVID-19 (Data Visualization Society)

UK government

Clear objectives will help make relocating civil servants a success (Sarah for IfG)

Local government funding in England (Graham for IfG)

Cabinet committees (Ketaki and me for IfG)

New Home Office perm sec (me for IfG)

New ministers (me for IfG)

Brexit bill progress (Maddy for IfG)

Civil service staff numbers (Benoit for IfG)

Everything else

Research Output: Alternative measures of housing affordability: financial year ending 2018 (ONS - thread)

Rough sleeping statistics: How reliable are they? (Commons Library)

Food waste is responsible for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Our World in Data)

Stop the Meltdown (Meltdown Flags)

Meta data

Viral content

New data, new policy: why UK's coronavirus strategy changed (The Guardian)

GOV.UK Notify is available for the public sector to use for emergency staff communications (GDS)

Testify, Notify (GDS)

Covid-19: Making data and models open is part of the fight against it – governments must act now (ODI)

Exclusive: How Singapore sends daily Whatsapp updates on coronavirus (GovInsider)

Will the Coronavirus Break the Internet? (Slate)

The Coronavirus pandemic will shape the nature of our longer term digital future (Chi Onwurah for PoliticsHome)

While everyone's installing Zoom, I'm going to plug in my landline phone for the first time ever... (Reuben Binns)

A Call for Action #data4covid19 (The GovLab)

Covid-19 requires information hygiene as well as personal hygiene (NS Tech)

Making things open is making things better (Public Digital)

Phone location data could be used to help UK coronavirus effort (The Guardian)

The government might want your phone location data to fight coronavirus. Here’s why that could be okay. (Recode)

Whenever I hear about tech companies using "aggregated anonymous location data" to do anything (including tracking pandemics)... (Olivia Solon)

Come back, AI. All is forgiven: We know we've mocked you in the past, but we need help analyzing 26,000 papers on COVID-19, coronaviruses (The Register)

Information Governance (NHSX)

Quaran-teens: Has a youth spent online prepared millennials for isolation?* (New Statesman)

Can computers ever replace the classroom? (The Guardian)

As COVID-19 pushes classes online, some students are caught in the broadband gap (The Verge)

Viral misinformation

Facts on Coronavirus (Full Fact)

Take the quiz: New coronavirus and misinformation (Full Fact)

“I’m Not An Epidemiologist But…": The Rise Of The Coronavirus Influencers (BuzzFeed)

No, The British Army Isn't Marching Through London Because Of Coronavirus (BuzzFeed)

Here's A Running List Of The Latest Hoaxes Spreading About The Coronavirus (BuzzFeed)

YouTube Is Letting Millions Of People Watch Videos Promoting Misinformation About The Coronavirus (BuzzFeed)

Boris Johnson and the media need to inject more uncertainty into the coronavirus debate* (New Statesman)

We don’t deserve our wretched media class (UnHerd)

To Fight Covid-19, Curb the Spread of Germs—and Rumors* (Wired)

How One Particular Coronavirus Myth Went Viral* (Wired)

Pandemics & Propaganda: How Chinese State Media Shapes Conversations on The Coronavirus (Stanford Cyber Policy Center)

Coronavirus: Social giants police web with AI as staff sent home (BBC News)

Facebook fumbles its response to coronavirus (The Outline)

Scientists should take lessons from economists on virus response* (FT)

Openness

So long, and thanks for all the data* (Rachel Rank for 360Giving)

This slide comes from CabinetOffice internal guidance on handling FOI requests (Martin Rosenbaum)

OGP action planning: Not a good start (Andrew Ecclestone for Transparency International)

What happened to Freedom of Information? (politics.co.uk - more from IfG here)

The value of data

Ben and Jeni Podcast (ODI and Oxford DataLab)

Are data more like oil or sunlight?* (The Economist)

Governance models for redistribution of data value (voxeu.org)

AI, etc

Algorithms that run our lives are racist and sexist. Meet the women trying to fix them (The Correspondent - and thread)

Tackling the robot bigots: how to implement Artificial Intelligence intelligently (Global Government Forum)

Scotland to get biometrics commissioner (UK Authority)

UK government

The UK’s national data strategy is still missing in action (NS Tech)

Budget 2020: Investment in science and technology needs to bring about strong data infrastructure for the UK to thrive (ODI)

Explanatory framework for adequacy discussions (DCMS)

Everything else

Service Design in Gov talk — March 2020 (Cassie Robinson)

Data trusts in 2020 (ODI)

A future where we are all 'free to be human' (Privacy International)

What Are My Photos Revealing About Me? (The Markup)

AUDITING WITH ACCOUNTABILITY: SHRINKING THE OPPORTUNITY SPACES FOR AUDIT FAILURE (University of Sheffield, Copenhagen Business School, Luminate)

Reforming Audit in the Public Interest (Luminate)

Invisible Censorship (The Intercept)

Opportunities

JOB: Senior researcher: Whitehall Monitor (IfG - we're also looking for a researcher)

JOB: Evaluation Manager to work in the Innovation Growth Lab (Nesta)

EVENT: TICTeC’s going online (mySociety)

HOW TO: Journalism + data science projects (investigate.ai)

And finally...

Viral content

Homeschooling (via Konnie Huq)

Zoom pro-tips (Kate Buckley, David Zhou)

Cattening the curve (Anne Marie Darling)

Everything else

I like this innovative use of emoji-as-flowchart (via Gretchen McCulloch)

Geolocation... (Emily Gorcenski)

The Fixed-term Parliaments Act... (me for IfG)

[kentonramsey]

We Photographed 15 People In The Outfit They’ll Wear When Lockdown Lifts

It’s easy to brush it off as one of the more trivial aspects of lockdown life but our changing approach to dressing over the past few months has affected everything from productivity to our sense of self. We embraced loungewear with open arms at first but as it became apparent that this was indeed The New Normal™, the novelty wore off and we grasped at small things – jewellery and lipstick for Zoom meetings, a joyful blouse for the big food shop – to reestablish some semblance of normality in our daily lives. 

We may not be dancing in our favourite club or having dinner parties with friends in the near future but as lockdown restrictions start to ease (for now), we’ve been ruminating on the outfit we’ll wear when life resumes. We can’t know with any certainty what that life will look like, but we can dream up the ‘fit we’ll don when it’s time. 

Our curiosity about how other people have been dressing led us to work with photographer Poppy Thorpe on this lockdown photo series. She used her one hour of daily exercise to cycle around her native Brighton and take socially distanced photos of people wearing the looks they’ll dress in when they’re out and about in the real world once more. From colours that inspire confidence to getting reacquainted with a favourite pair of jeans, here’s what they can’t wait to wear again.

Yolande, 21

“My approach to dressing is pretty eclectic but I still try to keep it simple. I wear a lot of statement jewellery as I study 3D design and craft at uni, so most of the week I’m in steel-toe boots and workshop clothes. At weekends or if I’m going out I normally just add some more accessories and a bit of colour. In lockdown I have started to wear more of my ‘nice clothes’ by mixing them up with a lot of comfy stuff too. I have tried to make an effort with my appearance, even if I’m going to the shops. Now when I get ready it feels like I’m dressing up for myself and I worry less about other people’s opinions. I have so many clothes that are only for special occasions, it now seems silly not to wear them as the events I have been saving them for are all cancelled anyway. One plus side to lockdown is having the time to focus on the things I really enjoy doing: I love being more active and taking time out of the day to be creative for myself.

I’m wearing a colourful kimono I got in a charity shop a few years ago; I’ve worn it to festivals and parties over the years but have never really felt confident enough to wear it out in general. Every time I put it on it makes me happy as it reminds me of so many memories. I picked it as I’m trying to embrace colour more and be confident in being bold. The plain black trousers are a pair I keep for smart days. They’re not my favourite pair of trousers but I like the simple shape and they’re black, so they go with most things. They’re just really comfy and that’s been important to me during lockdown. I love how comfy this ribbed halterneck top is. I’ve actually stopped wearing bras a lot recently and this is one of the tops that has replaced them for me while staying home. My white Dr. Martens are one of my favourite pairs of shoes; I’ve just been in trainers recently so I am very excited to get back into them. I bought them with the money from my first job nearly six years ago, so they have done well in lasting this long.”

Susan, 38

“I always want to feel comfortable and relaxed. I wear a lot of worn-in vintage and a few well-made new pieces. I put thought into getting dressed in the morning and then don’t really want to think about it for the rest of the day. I’m always inspired by the Instagram accounts Chinatown Pretty and Gramparents. My style hasn’t changed massively since lockdown. I had just moved to Edinburgh to start a new job but I came back to Brighton to work remotely and be with my husband, so I’ve got much less choice but I’m still really enjoying putting an outfit together in the morning. Even if it’s sweatpants, it’s still considered and gets me in the right mindset for the working day in my makeshift office! It’s been a good distraction. One positive to come out of lockdown has been spending time with my husband Neil and our cat Baby. We’d been living apart for about three months and likely will again after lockdown. I’m trying to make the most of the weird circumstances. 

I wore this look because I miss layering and wearing denim! My jeans were the first thing I put in my suitcase to come here, but I think I’ve had them on for about two hours total since I arrived seven weeks ago. They’re vintage Levi’s that I bought on eBay after having a saved search for a particular pair of 501s for ages. I’ve had them for about four or five years and I love them – they’re probably the most worn piece in my wardrobe. The denim shirt is from orSlow, one of my favourite Japanese brands. It’s technically Neil’s but I love it and borrow as much as he’ll let me away with. He granted me an extended loan the last time he visited me in Edinburgh and I want to wear it every day. The T-shirt underneath is a new purchase from Story Mfg, a brand that is doing things right! It’s possibly the best T-shirt I’ve ever had. Thick cotton, oversized and boxy. So comfortable. My mum knit this Aran jumper for me (one of many) and it’s basically a hug from my mum while I’m so far away from my parents. I always look forward to wearing socks and sandals as it warms up after winter (it was still so cold when I left Scotland) and now it’s summer and I’ve not had nearly enough opportunity to wear them outside!”

Daisy, 21

“I’m usually pretty casual. I think my style is always changing but always includes a lot of denim, knitwear and faux fur. I’ve recently stopped buying from fast fashion brands and I think my approach to dressing has evolved since then, because my wardrobe has been shed of all the cheap and badly made clothing that I was holding onto, and gained some pre-loved gems. I guess my style hasn’t changed much since lockdown; it has only been muffled by the fact that there is nowhere to go. I’ve tried to continue to get dressed and do my makeup routine most days, just so I feel good and stay motivated, but there have been some days that I’ve stayed in pyjamas and watched films all day. One positive to come out of all of this is being able to spend time crocheting! Crocheting is my favourite thing to do in my spare time and it brings me so much inner peace. Usually I have a part-time job at a charity shop and I’m in the midst of completing an MA in media and politics, so there’s not much time left to sit down, relax and crochet up a storm. 

I created the pattern for and crocheted this jumper, inspired by the basic granny square – I feel best when I’m wearing clothes that I’ve created myself.

These jeans are my favourite pre-loved Levi’s, the only pair I have that fit me properly, and the boots are vintage. I’ve never owned boots other than Dr. Martens before, so I thought these would be a timeless addition to my wardrobe. My earrings are from the independent brand Han Makes – I love the ‘60s inspo.” 

Celeste, 24 

“My go-to formula for getting dressed is the biggest tee I can find, straight-leg trousers and a Birkenstock and socks combination. I purposefully never have a huge amount of clothes, so I tend to rotate a few neutral staples and pair with something a bit more interesting like a tie-dye, long-sleeve or slogan tee. Since I’m usually busy in the studio, I tend to prioritise clothes that are easy to work in, and I like to have a ‘uniform’ so that I can get ready and out of the house without too much decision-making but still curate an outfit I’m going to enjoy wearing! I’ve been dressing the same as usual since lockdown, even putting on shoes in the morning to make me feel like I’m going to work. When I came down to Brighton before lockdown I packed an unreasonably small suitcase so I’ve been rotating the same three outfits for the past seven weeks. In some ways it’s been quite a fun challenge to make an outfit you like when you have such limited options, and to keep things fresh I’ve been altering or making bits for myself when I’m feeling really uninspired. I will definitely appreciate the rest of my wardrobe when I finally make it back to London, though. I’ve been super busy making face masks for the past month, but I’ve had so much more time than usual to design new clothes and work on my pattern cutting. It’s been a needed change of pace for me and I can’t wait to share what I’ve been working on, hopefully in the not-too-distant future.

I didn’t have anything here that I felt excited about wearing now, let alone after lockdown! So I decided to adapt a plain white tee I had and make a pair of trousers in an attempt to have an outfit I felt more inspired by. I often upcycle old tees and enjoy how a small alteration can totally change the energy of a piece and re-inspire the way you view what’s in your wardrobe. The outfit is super simple (which is always my vibe) and it always feels very satisfying to wear a whole outfit that I’ve made myself! I paired it with my favourite gold hoops.”

Jazz, 22

“I dress depending on my mood. I could be out in pyjamas one day and something super elaborate the next, but the dream is to be as stylish as Tracee Ellis Ross. Like most people, lockdown has put sweats on heavy rotation. At the start I would dress up and put on makeup as a treat to queue for groceries, but now I don’t think I’ll ever regain the willpower to put on a pair of jeans. I have to finish my final year of university in lockdown so it’s been stressful for me. My cat on the other hand is loving the 24/7 attention. He’s on episode 2 of Primates and he’s almost learned how to fetch. I actually ordered this dress for a special Zoom occasion. It didn’t arrive in time so I’m wearing it for the first time for you! I don’t have any shoes that go with it. My necklace and ring are from Rwanda by an artist named Abraham Konga and are made from melted down brass padlocks.”

Ella, 21, & Mae, 17

Ella [L]: “When it comes to dressing I don’t have one strict approach, but I’ve accumulated a collection over the years from flea markets and vintage stores. Since lockdown began I have focused more on comfort, wearing T-shirts with loose skirts or jeans almost every day. One positive thing about lockdown is that I’ve managed to finish projects that I wouldn’t have had the time to finish otherwise. I’m wearing a checked silk dress which I got for my birthday a couple of years ago. I don’t have many items of clothing that I wear frequently but this is one of them. It’s easy to wear and really comfy. The red boots are from a sample sale in Paris. They have a shearling lining and are some of the easiest heels I own. I wear heels most of the time but haven’t since lockdown began, so this felt like a good excuse to put a pair on again.”

Mae [R]: “My approach is based on the things I can find in charity shops and car boot sales. I’m always in search of a bargain! I’ve been doing a lot of painting around the house, so I’ve been mainly in overalls recently. A positive for me is that I’ve had the time to sew and make some clothes – hopefully I’m learning new things. I’m wearing a vintage nightdress I got from a car boot sale a while ago. I have a bit of an addiction to buying nighties but I love to wear them in the summer because of how light and easy they are. My cowboy boots, which I’ve worn nearly every day since I found them, were a fiver from a charity shop, and the socks are stolen from my sister.”

Scarlett, 27

“I’ve always loved to dress up. I’m a queer high femme so fashion and clothing is a really important part of my self-expression. I feel most myself wearing an all-black ‘fit, bright red lipstick and winged eyeliner. Because I’m just staying at home I haven’t really felt like getting dressed up – I tend to wear comfy clothes around the house – but this does have a negative effect on my mood, so I’ll still put something nice on every few days and do my makeup. Me and my partner have been doing a date night every Friday night, and we run a club night together (Gal Pals) where we’ve been hosting virtual parties every fortnight, so that’s been a really good reason to get glammed up and put on a look. A positive to come out of lockdown for me has been cycling. I’ve never been a confident cyclist and had never cycled on the road until lockdown but the lack of cars on the road makes it a lot less scary. I wish the level of traffic could stay this way to be honest, it’s good for the environment and it encourages more people to cycle. 

I’m wearing something I bought before lockdown but never got the chance to wear outside. It’s a pink frilly tulle dress I got super cheap in the Topshop sale, with a red velvet bodysuit underneath. It’s basically a Molly Goddard knockoff, I’ve always loved her dresses but I’d never be able to afford one so as soon as I saw this I knew I had to buy it. To be honest, I’m not sure where I’d wear this outfit even if we weren’t in lockdown, maybe to a party or something? It’s very over the top. I feel a bit like a meringue wearing it but I love it.”

Lucia, 23

“Two friends can describe my style better than I ever could – ‘randomised Sim’ and ‘Euro/Italo-glam’ – so it’s definitely a combination of those! My approach to dressing is also influenced by the places I’m in or what I’m doing that day. I love films and characters, so I think sometimes I play up to this in how I dress myself. Sort of like that feeling when you are on a train, looking out the window and listening to music and you imagine that you are in the music video. All I am doing in lockdown is rotating between sportswear and the same pair of trousers and jumper. I have seen loads of people getting properly dressed up for video calls and it looks fun, but I just don’t have the motivation. I have realised a lot of what drives my love of getting dressed is the joy of being out and about in the outfits I have put together. A positive to come out of lockdown is my 50-day streak on Duolingo! I’m finally trying to learn Italian in order to match my very Italian name. Plus I’m spending lots of time with my family.

The first outfit I’ll wear when lockdown lifts will probably be something way more skimpy because, at the moment, that’s my reaction to being cooped up in my house for eight weeks. I want to take all my clothes off just because…it’s a change! However, I’m in lockdown at my parents’ house on the street I grew up in, so I didn’t feel like posing at my front door Love Island-style in a bikini and heels. I chose this outfit because I really want to wear it to go clubbing! Despite having gone off clubs a bit over the last year, all I want to do every weekend in lockdown is go out, drink and dance with friends… I guess you don’t realise what you had ‘til it’s gone. When it’s safe and okay for the clubs to reopen I’ll be going in hard at an ‘80s synth pop night in this look. With the trousers in particular, I’m eager to wear them out because they are uncomfortable to sit down in, and I’d really like to wear something right now where I’m sacrificing comfort for PURE GLAMOUR!” 

Tendai, 25

“I dress for the occasion but mostly for comfort, as I think there’s no point in going out in something but spending most of the night pulling down your dress in distress because you don’t feel 100%. That hasn’t changed much since lockdown; I’ve got my daytime pyjamas to potter around in and my actual pyjamas, and the occasional frock comes out once every two weeks to drink gin in the living room. A positive of lockdown? Being comfortable with the passing of time and the mundanity of just watching the days go by. Being able to stop, think and be okay with it. 

I’m wearing a white bandeau top because I love having my shoulders on show, and a burnt orange wrap skirt because I like the colour with my complexion. Big gold hoops are just a staple in my life, I wear more hoops than I eat five a day. There isn’t a story behind the clothes themselves, because they are fairly new purchases, but I guess the silhouette and the colours just make me feel like summer. Like ciders in the park, BBQs on the beach, long warm evenings turning into cool sunny mornings because you’ve been up that late, and that freedom that comes along with finishing work and running out the door like you don’t have to be there again tomorrow.”

Grace, 23

“I prefer strong blocks of colours, like red, black, white or brown. To me these are reliable and stable. That’s the base I tend to start with, and I can pair each of these colours with makeup and accessories that tie the outfit together. I’m definitely my happiest when my outfit is colour-coordinated. I’ve been wearing more loungewear during lockdown but still use the same colour palette as my other clothes. When I go on a walk or to the shops, my colours are still on standby. It suits my frame of mind. I don’t like fussiness or pattern; for me it’s about shape, reliable colour and comfort. One positive of lockdown for me would be being okay on my own and learning to listen to my own needs more. It’s been really good for my mental health too, just really focusing on myself I guess. 

Today I’ve decided to wear my beautiful red leather jacket. My girlfriend got it for me for Christmas and I am yet to pull a look with it. Once lockdown is lifted I will most definitely be wearing it on my first night out. Clothes to me are like armour, they make me feel strong and powerful when I wear them and red to me is power.”

Sasha, 23

“I find the more I seek out colours in my artwork, the more I wear them, whether I’m aware of it or not. Most of my clothes are secondhand: 90% of my jackets were my dad’s, same for my jeans. I wear a lot of my mother’s old clothes, she wears a lot of mine, things get circulated around our family. I’m staying at my aunt’s at the moment, she’s a powerhouse and incredibly well dressed. I come from a lineage of women who appreciate personal style. Pockets are important, as I carry around a lot of the flotsam and jetsam I find while I’m walking or running along the beach. I would never dress for another person, it feels deeply wrong to me. I would question reducing any experience at the moment to something positive or negative, but lockdown has reconfirmed my values. It’s pulled me up on my own social inadequacies: I am more wary than ever of virtue signalling, for example. My radio show GIANT LOVER has never been more focused on creating a space of hope and joy, and I am obsessing over the lyrics and melody of every song. Overall it’s shone yet another spotlight on how ravaged our state has become. I want to know what we as a society are going to do with this information.

I hate sitting still so I like to wear clothes I can move in. My mum taught me from a young age to trust cotton so I always look at the blend mix when I’m shopping. This shirt was a gift from her last year to celebrate my photos being selected for UNSIGNED 2019. The dress is a present to myself for getting through a complex period of my life when I didn’t give myself much time to rest, it’s a dress I plan to spend a lot of time dancing in. My sister always wore hoops growing up and I can’t think of anything better than a girl in hoop earrings, they symbolise everything I love about being a woman. This pair is from my favourite stall in the Lanes in Brighton. My bracelet is one of four: my sister and two of my cousins have the same one, it connects us to one another and reminds me of how fortunate I am to have them. I have long legs and when lockdown is lifted I plan to use them to run into the arms of everyone I love so I need to be wearing my trainers – god knows where they will take me when this is done.”

Amy, 30

“I very much just enjoy dressing up for myself, I don’t really care much about what people think or if an item goes or if it’s ‘fashionable’. I just love clothes and wearing whatever makes me feel happy. Not much has changed in lockdown to be honest, I’m still trying to make sure I get dressed up a bit in the morning to keep a routine. The only difference is I have actively tried to avoid jeans. Lockdown has been a time to reflect. Being fortunate enough to have time to think about the big life things as well as the small. Also being able to watch Star Wars chronologically, bingeing HBO’s Oz and cracking on with the gardening have been some more frivolous positives. 

The dress I’m wearing is by Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons and was probably the Depop find of the century. I predominantly wear vintage and secondhand clothing so absolutely love to find pieces such as this, it’s a blood sport for me. It’s an item that makes me feel so good, however it’s a total nightmare to get into – it took about half an hour to figure it out when I received it! The grandpa shirt is vintage and I’ve had it for years, it gets better and softer with age; it’s such lovely cotton. I very much like to wear vintage and secondhand clothes in a contemporary way that acknowledges more current trends – it doesn’t have to look like it’s dead people’s clothes. The sandals are a collaboration between Japanese labels, Suicoke and Needles, I got them the other day as a treat to myself. I love Suicoke sandals as they are such great quality and so comfy, so I know I’ll wear these for years to come.”

Fez, 22

“I try and shop mainly secondhand as I feel it’s the best way for me to shop sustainably. I’m trying to stop shopping fast fashion. I love charity shops and eBay, that’s probably where I get most of my clothes. My style is mainly influenced by Bratz dolls and the Spice Girls! I’ve felt really weird about ordering clothes during lockdown because I don’t want to put people at risk just to get clothes. I refuse to order from big brands, particularly while there’s been so much controversy surrounding them not paying garment workers because of COVID-19. They need to #PAYUP. One positive of lockdown has been rewatching every single episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

I’m wearing a Jane Norman dress I got on eBay just before lockdown. It’s fire. I don’t know where I would wear it but I just love everything about it. I am one of those people who shaved their head during isolation so I’m still trying to get used to it but this dress with my shaved head is special. Secondhand clothes are the way forward – I got this for £7!”

Faith-Rowan, 26

“I make my own clothes. I love colours, frills and vintage. I think I’m a lazy dresser at heart so I’ve been making easy clothes that make you look like you’ve made an effort when it really just took you five minutes to get ready! Since lockdown, I have had a lot of time for designing and making my own clothes again. Most days you’ll find me wearing my PJs in my home studio, designing and making clothes, then prancing around in them once they are done. Last year I was cofounder and creative director at Lara Intimates but that all came to an abrupt end last September and I found myself living back in Brighton. I felt a massive loss – it was an emotional time for me and therefore my creativity just stopped. However since lockdown I have had it coming back in droves, which has given me a massive drive to start my own company again and for that I’m really grateful. 

When lockdown lifts, I’ll be wearing this pink and cream gingham two-piece. It’s been something that I’ve wanted to design for months and months and it has finally come into life. I am using the most beautiful European linen that genuinely makes me so happy. I’m choosing this outfit because for me it’s my new beginning, my fresh start, my next chapter.”

Florence, 23

“My approach to dressing is straightforward! I’m an outfit repeater so getting dressed is a pretty easy task as I only own a few items in my wardrobe. I keep it small because dressing and shopping equals lots of decisions and I’m not great at making clothing-related decisions, especially if it’s first thing in the morning. I’ve been roaming round my flat in pants and a tank top for the whole of lockdown. Sometimes I think I want a huge, diverse wardrobe so I can change up my persona on a whim depending on my mood but at the same time I feel like pants and a white vest is all the persona variation I need. It’s a bad bitch outfit, it’s also a sad bitch outfit, and all the moods in between. Come to think of it I don’t think I’ve ever caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror in lockdown and thought, This outfit doesn’t match my mood.

Pastels for spring? Groundbreaking. I threw on this outfit about five minutes ago and quite honestly didn’t think about it too much. I’d say the way I put this together was like a magpie in a pawnbroker’s, I chose the items I gravitated towards first. The shirt is from Zara and despite it having cats on it I’m definitely more of a dog person. Underneath I’m wearing a linen dress from Avoca Anthology. I overheat easily in warm weather so I pretty much live in this dress over spring and summer. My banana earrings were a gift from a dear friend, handmade by the very talented jeweller Sophie Morgan. The cowboy boots? I impulsively bought them a couple of years ago on eBay for £20. I haven’t worn them much but twenty quid to realise my Hannah Montana Tennessee fantasy? Worth it.”

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We Photographed 15 People In The Outfit They’ll Wear When Lockdown Lifts published first on https://mariakistler.tumblr.com/

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Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers

Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers https://ift.tt/2Dx9PTa

Business ImageSenator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, is a potential swing vote in the nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh.CreditCreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesWASHINGTON — President Trump assailed the latest woman to accuse Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, saying on Tuesday that she “has nothing” because she was “messed up” at the time, even as a key Republican senator urged colleagues to take the accusations seriously.With pressure rising in advance of a make-or-break hearing on Thursday, Mr. Trump lashed out in a more vociferous way than he has since his nominee came under fire for allegations of sexual assault, blaming Democrats for orchestrating a “con game” and targeting one of Judge Kavanaugh’s accusers in scathing, personal terms.“The second accuser has nothing,” Mr. Trump said. “She thinks maybe it could have been him, maybe not. She admits that she was drunk. She admits time lapses. There were time lapses. This is a person, and this is a series of statements, that’s going to take one of the most talented and one of the greatest intellects from a judicial standpoint in our country, going to keep him off the United States Supreme Court?”The president was referring to Deborah Ramirez, who said in an interview with The New Yorker published this week that Judge Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a drinking party while they were students at Yale. She was initially reluctant to characterize the judge’s role, but said that after six days of assessing memories, she was confident that he was the one who took down his pants.As Mr. Trump and Republican leaders insisted that they will install Judge Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court despite the accusations, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a crucial Republican swing vote, offered a blunt warning of her own: Do not prejudge sexual assault allegations against the nominee.“We are now in a place where it’s not about whether or not Judge Kavanaugh is qualified,” Ms. Murkowski said in an extended interview on Monday night in the Capitol. “It is about whether or not a woman who has been a victim at some point in her life is to be believed.”With a 51-to-49 majority, Senate Republicans can afford to lose only one vote. If Ms. Murkowski votes no, she could swing Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the other abortion-rights Republican in the Senate. But Republican leaders were confident enough on Tuesday that they scheduled a committee vote for Friday, just a day after the hearing, a move that drew rebukes from Democrats who said the majority was not taking the allegations seriously.Senate Judiciary Committee staff members interviewed Judge Kavanaugh by telephone on Tuesday about Ms. Ramirez and he denied her account, according to people familiar with the interview. The committee plans a hearing for Thursday to hear another woman, Christine Blasey Ford, who has said that Judge Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, but it was not clear whether Ms. Ramirez would be called as well.The committee’s Republican leadership said on Tuesday that it had retained an outside counsel — Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, called her a “female assistant” — to aid in Thursday’s hearing, but declined to identify the lawyer, citing safety concerns. Dr. Blasey, who also goes by her married name, Ford, had sought to have senators question her rather than a lawyer.VideoSenator Mitch McConnell said that being male didn’t preclude making a fair decision but that “a female assistant” was hired to question Christine Blasey Ford before the Senate Judiciary Committee.Published OnSept. 25, 2018CreditCreditImage by Erin Schaff for The New York TimesBut mindful of the backlash after sharp questioning of Anita F. Hill during confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991, the all-male group of Republicans on the committee preferred to pass off the task to a professional and a woman.Mr. Trump’s aggressive comments on Tuesday came after privately expressing concern that Judge Kavanaugh had been too weak during an interview on Monday night on Fox News. The judge denied the allegations against him in a calm way, growing a little emotional at the end, but the president and some of his advisers worried that he was not forceful or indignant enough. Judge Kavanaugh repeated some of the same scripted lines repeatedly, to the point that some of his allies believed it came across as robotic.Image“I had not made a decision, and obviously the hearing Thursday is an important one,” Senator Susan Collins of Maine told reporters on Tuesday.CreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesThe president hinted at his private disappointment in his public comments to reporters on Tuesday. “He was so truthful,” he said of the judge. “You’re also not seeing him on his footing. This isn’t his footing. He’s never been here before. He’s never had any charges like this, I mean charges come up from 36 years ago that are totally unsubstantiated.”But Ms. Murkowski’s expressions of concern undercut Republican efforts to paint the accusations as a grand Democratic plot. She was always expected to be a critical vote in Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation process. But she is making clear that, beyond matters of abortion, she is deeply troubled by Dr. Blasey’s story.In the interview, Ms. Murkowski emphasized how invested she was in assessing Dr. Blasey’s story. Her view that an “arbitrary timeline” should not scuttle a potential hearing helped nudge Republicans toward reaching an agreement with the accuser’s lawyers last weekend. She canceled a meeting of the Senate committee she leads on Thursday to ensure her schedule was clear. And although she is not on the Senate Judiciary Committee, she will be watching.“All you can try to do is be as fair as possible to ensure that at the end of the day justice is delivered,” Ms. Murkowski said.As senators prepare to face contradictory testimony from Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Blasey, with little hope of independent corroboration, Ms. Murkowski is emerging as an important voice, along with Ms. Collins, Senator Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, and, possibly, Senator Dean Heller of Nevada, the only Republican up for re-election in November in a state won by Hillary Clinton.As new accusations surface, their ultimate decisions are looking ever more difficult. Late Monday night, a freshman roommate of Judge Kavanaugh’s at Yale, James Roche, released a statement in support of Ms. Ramirez.“Although Brett was normally reserved, he was a notably heavy drinker, even by the standards of the time,” he wrote, adding, “he became aggressive and belligerent when he was very drunk.”Another Yale schoolmate, Steve Kantrowitz, took to Twitter on Tuesday to contradict the assertion Judge Kavanaugh made on Fox News on Monday night that he was a virgin in high school and “for many years thereafter.”“Perhaps Brett Kavanaugh was a virgin for many years after high school,” he wrote. “But he claimed otherwise in a conversation with me during our freshman year in Lawrence Hall at Yale, in the living room of my suite.”In lashing out on Tuesday, Mr. Trump dispensed with the restraint that advisers have urged him to exercise and adopted the attack mode he prefers. He portrayed the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh as character assassination, and he went further than before in directly challenging the credibility of Ms. Ramirez.“She said she was totally inebriated and she was all messed up and she doesn’t know it was him but it might have been him,” Mr. Trump said while in New York for the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly. Then, speaking sarcastically, he added, “Oh, gee, let’s not make him a Supreme Court judge because of that.”As the president of Colombia looked on, Mr. Trump accused the Democrats of smearing Judge Kavanaugh. “I think it’s horrible what the Democrats have done. It’s a con game they’re playing; they’re really con artists,” he said. “They’re playing a con game,” he continued, “and they play it very well. They play it actually much better than the Republicans.”ImageThe chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles E. Grassley, hired an outside lawyer to question Christine Blasey Ford on behalf of Republicans.CreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesHe went on to call it a con game several more times, even at one point spelling it out, “C-O-N.”Democrats argued that Mr. Trump and other Republicans were casting a verdict without actually hearing from any accusers. “Senate Republicans promised that ‘anyone who comes forward as Dr. Ford has deserves to be heard,’” Senate Democrats said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it appears that Republican leaders have prejudged the outcome of Thursday’s hearing.”For many Republicans, the charges and countercharges have only cemented their view that Judge Kavanaugh is being smeared by a coordinated campaign of Democrats and liberal activists.Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, said he was not persuaded by Ms. Ramirez’s story. “I read The New Yorker article. It’s pretty thin. No one else remembered any of it,” he said. “This is really getting kind of carried away, it’s feeling more like a circus. But again, I did feel like this first accuser should be heard.”Projecting optimism, Mr. McConnell signaled that Republicans would be ready to move forward quickly after Thursday’s hearing.“We’re going to be moving forward; I’m confident we’re going to win,” he told reporters.In the interview, Ms. Murkowski was not so dismissive of the accusations. “We are at just a difficult place because the conversation is not rational on either side,” she said. She added: “Just look at some of the hateful things that are being said out there. How do you dial that back?”“We need to be able to listen,” she said, pledging to take Dr. Blasey seriously. “We have to listen to what she will say on the record, under oath, and what Judge Kavanaugh will say on the record, under oath.”When Dr. Blasey, a research psychologist in Northern California, came forward in an interview this month with The Washington Post, Ms. Murkowski and Ms. Collins had largely completed exhaustive reviews of Judge Kavanaugh’s career and legal writing, including follow-up calls with the nominee just two days before. Both senators were particularly interested in Judge Kavanaugh’s views on Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion, but privately, fellow Republicans believed the judge had probably won their support — and with it a ticket onto the court.Those views will still influence their decisions, both senators have said. Ms. Murkowski said on Monday that Judge Kavanaugh had laid out for her a powerful case about the importance of precedent and the “reliance of interest” it creates.“How he articulated how it had been reinforced in so many different steps, I certainly have greater confidence with the way that he portrayed to me how he views Roe,” she said.Ms. Collins, an institutional-minded centrist who carefully reviews judicial nominees, has expressed similar views on Judge Kavanaugh and Roe and indicated that she will watch on Thursday with equal vigor.“I had not made a decision, and obviously the hearing Thursday is an important one,” Ms. Collins told reporters on Tuesday. She expressed concern about Ms. Ramirez’s accusation and suggested that the Judiciary Committee question her under oath as well as Dr. Blasey.Given the explosive nature of the allegations, the decision by Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to hire an outside lawyer to question Dr. Blasey was cast by some as a way to preserve some sense of decorum. “We have done it because we want to depoliticize the whole process, like the Democrats politicized the Anita Hill thing,” said Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and the chairman of the committee.A version of this article appears in print on of the New York edition with the headline: Trump Takes Aim At New Accuser: She ‘Has Nothing’. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe Read More | https://ift.tt/2NDmKaB |

Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers, in 2018-09-26 01:45:38

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Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers

Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers http://www.nature-business.com/business-trump-unleashes-on-kavanaugh-accuser-as-key-republican-wavers/

Business ImageSenator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, is a potential swing vote in the nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh.CreditCreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesWASHINGTON — President Trump assailed the latest woman to accuse Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, saying on Tuesday that she “has nothing” because she was “messed up” at the time, even as a key Republican senator urged colleagues to take the accusations seriously.With pressure rising in advance of a make-or-break hearing on Thursday, Mr. Trump lashed out in a more vociferous way than he has since his nominee came under fire for allegations of sexual assault, blaming Democrats for orchestrating a “con game” and targeting one of Judge Kavanaugh’s accusers in scathing, personal terms.“The second accuser has nothing,” Mr. Trump said. “She thinks maybe it could have been him, maybe not. She admits that she was drunk. She admits time lapses. There were time lapses. This is a person, and this is a series of statements, that’s going to take one of the most talented and one of the greatest intellects from a judicial standpoint in our country, going to keep him off the United States Supreme Court?”The president was referring to Deborah Ramirez, who said in an interview with The New Yorker published this week that Judge Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a drinking party while they were students at Yale. She was initially reluctant to characterize the judge’s role, but said that after six days of assessing memories, she was confident that he was the one who took down his pants.As Mr. Trump and Republican leaders insisted that they will install Judge Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court despite the accusations, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a crucial Republican swing vote, offered a blunt warning of her own: Do not prejudge sexual assault allegations against the nominee.“We are now in a place where it’s not about whether or not Judge Kavanaugh is qualified,” Ms. Murkowski said in an extended interview on Monday night in the Capitol. “It is about whether or not a woman who has been a victim at some point in her life is to be believed.”With a 51-to-49 majority, Senate Republicans can afford to lose only one vote. If Ms. Murkowski votes no, she could swing Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the other abortion-rights Republican in the Senate. But Republican leaders were confident enough on Tuesday that they scheduled a committee vote for Friday, just a day after the hearing, a move that drew rebukes from Democrats who said the majority was not taking the allegations seriously.Senate Judiciary Committee staff members interviewed Judge Kavanaugh by telephone on Tuesday about Ms. Ramirez and he denied her account, according to people familiar with the interview. The committee plans a hearing for Thursday to hear another woman, Christine Blasey Ford, who has said that Judge Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, but it was not clear whether Ms. Ramirez would be called as well.The committee’s Republican leadership said on Tuesday that it had retained an outside counsel — Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, called her a “female assistant” — to aid in Thursday’s hearing, but declined to identify the lawyer, citing safety concerns. Dr. Blasey, who also goes by her married name, Ford, had sought to have senators question her rather than a lawyer.VideoSenator Mitch McConnell said that being male didn’t preclude making a fair decision but that “a female assistant” was hired to question Christine Blasey Ford before the Senate Judiciary Committee.Published OnSept. 25, 2018CreditCreditImage by Erin Schaff for The New York TimesBut mindful of the backlash after sharp questioning of Anita F. Hill during confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991, the all-male group of Republicans on the committee preferred to pass off the task to a professional and a woman.Mr. Trump’s aggressive comments on Tuesday came after privately expressing concern that Judge Kavanaugh had been too weak during an interview on Monday night on Fox News. The judge denied the allegations against him in a calm way, growing a little emotional at the end, but the president and some of his advisers worried that he was not forceful or indignant enough. Judge Kavanaugh repeated some of the same scripted lines repeatedly, to the point that some of his allies believed it came across as robotic.Image“I had not made a decision, and obviously the hearing Thursday is an important one,” Senator Susan Collins of Maine told reporters on Tuesday.CreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesThe president hinted at his private disappointment in his public comments to reporters on Tuesday. “He was so truthful,” he said of the judge. “You’re also not seeing him on his footing. This isn’t his footing. He’s never been here before. He’s never had any charges like this, I mean charges come up from 36 years ago that are totally unsubstantiated.”But Ms. Murkowski’s expressions of concern undercut Republican efforts to paint the accusations as a grand Democratic plot. She was always expected to be a critical vote in Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation process. But she is making clear that, beyond matters of abortion, she is deeply troubled by Dr. Blasey’s story.In the interview, Ms. Murkowski emphasized how invested she was in assessing Dr. Blasey’s story. Her view that an “arbitrary timeline” should not scuttle a potential hearing helped nudge Republicans toward reaching an agreement with the accuser’s lawyers last weekend. She canceled a meeting of the Senate committee she leads on Thursday to ensure her schedule was clear. And although she is not on the Senate Judiciary Committee, she will be watching.“All you can try to do is be as fair as possible to ensure that at the end of the day justice is delivered,” Ms. Murkowski said.As senators prepare to face contradictory testimony from Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Blasey, with little hope of independent corroboration, Ms. Murkowski is emerging as an important voice, along with Ms. Collins, Senator Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, and, possibly, Senator Dean Heller of Nevada, the only Republican up for re-election in November in a state won by Hillary Clinton.As new accusations surface, their ultimate decisions are looking ever more difficult. Late Monday night, a freshman roommate of Judge Kavanaugh’s at Yale, James Roche, released a statement in support of Ms. Ramirez.“Although Brett was normally reserved, he was a notably heavy drinker, even by the standards of the time,” he wrote, adding, “he became aggressive and belligerent when he was very drunk.”Another Yale schoolmate, Steve Kantrowitz, took to Twitter on Tuesday to contradict the assertion Judge Kavanaugh made on Fox News on Monday night that he was a virgin in high school and “for many years thereafter.”“Perhaps Brett Kavanaugh was a virgin for many years after high school,” he wrote. “But he claimed otherwise in a conversation with me during our freshman year in Lawrence Hall at Yale, in the living room of my suite.”In lashing out on Tuesday, Mr. Trump dispensed with the restraint that advisers have urged him to exercise and adopted the attack mode he prefers. He portrayed the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh as character assassination, and he went further than before in directly challenging the credibility of Ms. Ramirez.“She said she was totally inebriated and she was all messed up and she doesn’t know it was him but it might have been him,” Mr. Trump said while in New York for the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly. Then, speaking sarcastically, he added, “Oh, gee, let’s not make him a Supreme Court judge because of that.”As the president of Colombia looked on, Mr. Trump accused the Democrats of smearing Judge Kavanaugh. “I think it’s horrible what the Democrats have done. It’s a con game they’re playing; they’re really con artists,” he said. “They’re playing a con game,” he continued, “and they play it very well. They play it actually much better than the Republicans.”ImageThe chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles E. Grassley, hired an outside lawyer to question Christine Blasey Ford on behalf of Republicans.CreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesHe went on to call it a con game several more times, even at one point spelling it out, “C-O-N.”Democrats argued that Mr. Trump and other Republicans were casting a verdict without actually hearing from any accusers. “Senate Republicans promised that ‘anyone who comes forward as Dr. Ford has deserves to be heard,’” Senate Democrats said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it appears that Republican leaders have prejudged the outcome of Thursday’s hearing.”For many Republicans, the charges and countercharges have only cemented their view that Judge Kavanaugh is being smeared by a coordinated campaign of Democrats and liberal activists.Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, said he was not persuaded by Ms. Ramirez’s story. “I read The New Yorker article. It’s pretty thin. No one else remembered any of it,” he said. “This is really getting kind of carried away, it’s feeling more like a circus. But again, I did feel like this first accuser should be heard.”Projecting optimism, Mr. McConnell signaled that Republicans would be ready to move forward quickly after Thursday’s hearing.“We’re going to be moving forward; I’m confident we’re going to win,” he told reporters.In the interview, Ms. Murkowski was not so dismissive of the accusations. “We are at just a difficult place because the conversation is not rational on either side,” she said. She added: “Just look at some of the hateful things that are being said out there. How do you dial that back?”“We need to be able to listen,” she said, pledging to take Dr. Blasey seriously. “We have to listen to what she will say on the record, under oath, and what Judge Kavanaugh will say on the record, under oath.”When Dr. Blasey, a research psychologist in Northern California, came forward in an interview this month with The Washington Post, Ms. Murkowski and Ms. Collins had largely completed exhaustive reviews of Judge Kavanaugh’s career and legal writing, including follow-up calls with the nominee just two days before. Both senators were particularly interested in Judge Kavanaugh’s views on Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion, but privately, fellow Republicans believed the judge had probably won their support — and with it a ticket onto the court.Those views will still influence their decisions, both senators have said. Ms. Murkowski said on Monday that Judge Kavanaugh had laid out for her a powerful case about the importance of precedent and the “reliance of interest” it creates.“How he articulated how it had been reinforced in so many different steps, I certainly have greater confidence with the way that he portrayed to me how he views Roe,” she said.Ms. Collins, an institutional-minded centrist who carefully reviews judicial nominees, has expressed similar views on Judge Kavanaugh and Roe and indicated that she will watch on Thursday with equal vigor.“I had not made a decision, and obviously the hearing Thursday is an important one,” Ms. Collins told reporters on Tuesday. She expressed concern about Ms. Ramirez’s accusation and suggested that the Judiciary Committee question her under oath as well as Dr. Blasey.Given the explosive nature of the allegations, the decision by Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to hire an outside lawyer to question Dr. Blasey was cast by some as a way to preserve some sense of decorum. “We have done it because we want to depoliticize the whole process, like the Democrats politicized the Anita Hill thing,” said Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and the chairman of the committee.A version of this article appears in print on of the New York edition with the headline: Trump Takes Aim At New Accuser: She ‘Has Nothing’. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe Read More | https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/us/politics/lisa-murkowski-brett-kavanaugh.html |

Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers, in 2018-09-26 01:45:38