#my vs pinks i’ve had since high school are STILL going strong i don’t want to buy from them anymore though 😭

[heartual]

new pair of underwear immediately tore first time wearing them when they’re my size and everything 🧍🏻‍♀️

[mytennisdiary]

Australian Open 2021 - Day 1

Sunday, Feb 7 - Sunday Feb 21

This is my first attempt at recording my impressions while watching a major tennis tournament. I am watching from my home in Pleasantville, NY via the YouTube TV app on my Playstation 4. This is the 3rd tennis major since my father passed away in August 2020. I’m considering turning the finished product in to a book. I can imagine creating short books for every major sporting event I watch. It’s just an idea, but one which interests me today.

Monday, Feb 8

I’m not watching any of the first day live since Super Bowl 55 was last night. The Bucs beat Kansas City convincingly behind Brady and a strong performance from their defense. I begin the tournament on Monday morning.

It’s in the mid-60s in Melbourne, unseasonably cool for this time of year. The tournament is being broadcast on ESPN and much of the talk revolves around the complicated logistics of holding a tournament in a country that has practically eradicated Covid-19 and wants to keep it in check. The run up to the tournament was dominated by headlines about players being confined to their hotel rooms for 19 hours a day; potentially more in the case of those who flew on the same planes as players who were quarantined. Meanwhile, outrage at the preferential treatment given to star players by Tennis Australia has also made waves, with players such as Tennys Sandgren publicly airing grievances. Top players were allowed more members in their parties. They stayed at different hotels and had more expansive access to practice facilities. Patrick McEnroe and Mary Joe Fernandez are the initial commentary team. They are happy to have a crowd back in the seats, but to my eye the number of attendees is rather meager. 30,000 people are being admitted each day, but they are split into 3 sections and not allowed to go to other areas of the ground.  They claim that Rod Laver arena will be about half full for the final. Another wrinkle is the introduction of a fully automatic line-calling system. One of the strangest aspects is that players still have the ability to challenge calls, but since the same system that provides the challenge replays makes the call in the first place, they have no chance to actually win the challenge. The challenge now feels like something vestigial whose purpose has shifted from practical to therapeutic, allowing players to see the call in more detail without any ability to alter it. When a ball was close to the line, either in or out, they will put a little alert up that says “close call”. It’s strange, but the commentators seem to think that this system takes a bit of pressure off the players since they don’t have to be so focused on spotting close calls for themselves and knowing when to challenge. Another interesting detail about the line calling system is that they’ve programmed it to make calls with the voices of first responders from Australia. Masks are not required for fans in the stands. Some are wearing them, but others are not. Apparently, you are supposed to wear them when moving around the grounds. A lot of talk about how things are ostensibly normal, and yet there are these strange restrictions on this tournament. Seems like the restrictions might be more for appearances than anything else. Guess you would have to know what kind of big local events (concerts, sporting events) are being held and what conditions are like at those.

An interesting aside came from Chrissy when she discussed players warm-up routines. The players put in 30 minutes to an hour of hard cardio and strength training. Chrissy joked that the exercise they get just in warm-ups is what she used to get in a match. The courts are apparently playing a little bit quicker this year, even in the cool conditions. Apparently Tennis Australia used a different company to lay the surface of the courts this year and the quicker bounce was something that they had specifically in mind. The reason for the speed up has to do with there now being less sand/grit on the top of the surface than years past. They’re also using different balls this year after a lot of complaints last year that the balls were fluffing up. Also had a couple of matches on Margaret Court arena disrupted by birds.

The broadcast begins with Osaka vs Pavlyuchenkova. Osaka is wearing a bright orange skirt with a black top and leggings, decorated with a blue, tan, and black camouflage pattern. Osaka pulled out of warmup tournament in semifinals with a shoulder “niggle”. She looks calm and balanced, hitting the ball deep into the court and attacking the corners off of short balls. The days of the inconsistent Osaka that followed her first 2 majors seem long behind us. Pavlyuchenkova looked uncomfortable with Osaka’s power early in the match. She did respond in the second set, imposing her will to a greater degree. However, it was clear that she was pressing to go for more to get ahead in points. Every time she made inroads Osaka countered with dazzling play. Osaka’s only weakness appears to be her approach to net, which doesn’t quite look smooth. She runs around balls to hit her two handed backhand which appears to be her more comfortable shot. Osaka wins 6-1 6-2 in just over an hour.

Simultaneously, V. Williams vs Flipkens were locked in a tight veteran battle. Venus, now 40 years old was wearing an aqua colored dress and a white tennis cap. Her hair is shorter than I’ve ever seen it. She’s always had a tendency to look a bit gangly and off balance, but there is still some of the smooth grace she used to display. Venus didn’t win a single set in a major played in 2020, but she took the first set in a back and forth afair here. Flipkens, a 35 year old Belgian who wears sporty glasses and plays without a coach. She doesn’t give Venus a lot of pace and is looking to attack short balls and second serves with her forehand. The match was not without drama. Flipkens was able to make her uncomfortable with slice and did a good job anticipating her shots. That being said, Venus’s power ultimately carried her through. 7-5 6-2 in around 90 minutes.

The next match featured S. Williams vs Siegemund. This is Serena’s 11th attempt to win her 24th career major. She’s wearing a pink, red, and black patterned body suit, not entirely dissimilar to the catsuit she word in Paris two year ago. Her left leg is entirely exposed, whereas her right leg is covered. She looks like she could be attending an aerobics class in the 80s. Siegemund, the 31 year old German, is a quality player, and like Pavlyuchnkova has been given an unfortunate draw. She likes to take the ball early and slice off the forehand. Serena was broken on her first service game, but quickly recovered. She has the easy power working today and looks to be rolling. Chrissy and Renee agree that Serena looks calm and in control; a good sign for her. Another talking point for Chrissy is Serena’s movement, which she thinks looks better than it has in years, especially charging to nets after drop shots. Siegemund never looked comfortable, especially dealing with Serena’s returns of her soft serves. 6-1 6-1. Apparently Serena is a big Tom Brady fan. I know she lives in Florida. Their were jokes about their ages in the post-match interview.

B. Pera vs Kerber has started 5-0 for Pera. She’s an American citizen born in Croatia who I’ve never seen before. She’s tall, but not too tall. Seems to have strong legs. Hits good flat ground strokes. The forehand is powerful although can go off at times. Kerber, now 33, hasn’t played well in a while. Her best showing at a major last year was the 4th round. Pera did show some nerves, letting Kerber back into the match, but Kerber couldn’t recover from losing the first 9 games of the match. She just doesn’t have an offensive weapon. And although she can come up with amazing shots when she’s on her heels, she just doesn’t do it consistently enough to win matches at a high level any more. Bernarda Pera is certainly one to watch for the future. 6-0 6-4 in just over an hour.

Monfils and Milan both out in a couple of first round five-setters to unknowns. Gael was holding back tears in an emotional post-match press conference.

The next big match on Laver was Thiem vs Kukushkin. We joined it at 5-5 in the first set just in time to see Them broken by the krafty veteran from Kazakstan. Thiem dug in, playing some long rallies with his slice backhand before asserting himself with some big shots. Grueling and gritty first set won by Them is a pretty comfortable tiebreak. Interesting Kukushkin fact, his wife is actually his coach. Apparently she went to school to be a coach, giving her a lot more training to do this than most of the coaches who are just former players. I wonder what you learn at coaching school. A comical moment occurred when it turned out that the woman in Kukushkin was not actually his wife/coach. In fact,  Kukushkin and her apparently split and McEnroe read a note on air from Kukushkin saying that he way annoyed that commentators kept mixing up his new girlfriend with his ex wife. They also told a story about Kukushkin who, growing up in Russia, used to play in an empty swimming pool, as well as on wood courts at a nearby prison, by necessity. Apparently wood courts really used be a thing. Jason Goodall said he played on them in england. Kukushkin is hitting it big off his forehand, as big as Thiem, but it just isn’t enough.  Thiem wore Kukushkin down throughout the match. 7-6 6-2 6-3

We went over to Zverev vs Giron. Zverev, in a sleeveless tank top looks like he’s read for the beach. Giron is an American who played college tennis at UCLA. He’s broken through in the last 18 months. I think I’ve seen him once before. McEnroe says he’s a counter-puncher with a “clean” backhand. Not that big and no big weapon, but seems to be rounding into form. Giron moves very well and is able to time his contact with ball in a way that makes him dangerous on a faster court. Zverev was swinging hard in the first set but making way too many errors. Giron got up big in the 1st set tiebreaker but then tightened up. He failed to convert 4 set point chances as Zverev got more conservative and played rock solid. However, on the fifth one, Giron pulled out the set when Zverev couldn’t do enough with his shots. The 2nd serve continues to be a problem for Zverev. He lets Giron back into the 2nd set. Zverev oscillates between being aggressive and dictating points and then falling back and being too passive, especially in tense moments. He almost let the 2nd set tiebreak get away, but pulled it out on his 3rd set point. Zverev was dialed in from the 3rd set on and Giron went away. 6-7 7-6 6-3 6-2

Taylor Fritz, the only seeded American man pulled out a 4 set win against Ramos-Vinolas. 7-6 3-6 6-2 7-6

Bianca Andrescu returned to women’s tennis with a 3 set win over the Romanian Buzarnescu. She teared up after the match.

Tiafoe vs Travaglia got some coverage next. Travaglia has a low ball toss and his serve can come at your pretty quick. Both he and Tiafoe seem to tighten up at key moments. There were 6 breaks in the first set and Tiafoe barely outlasted Travaglia in the tiebreak. Travaglia had played 3 matches in the last 2 days and the first set seems to have deciding in breaking his spirit. When Travaglia started slamming his thighs with his racket it was clear that his legs were failing him. Tiafoe seems to be at his best when he plays steady and cuts down his mistakes. He doesn’t seem to have the kind of weapon that could threaten a top player. 7-6 6-2 6-2

Dimitrov vs Cilic met in a battle of former top 10 seeds. Dimitrov served big to close out the first set. Cilic is a bit of a shell of himself, but he still found the ability at times to dictate with the serve and forehand. Despite showing some nerves in the conclusion, Grigor looked far superior athletically. 6-4 6-2 7-6

Augere-Aliasime vs Stebe saw Felix winning pretty comfortably. However, Gilbert discussed how Felix is 0-7 in his career in finals, often getting blown out. He seems to have problems with nerves which lead him to lose games in bunches. 6-2 6-4 6-2

Careno-Busta took out Nishikori in straight sets.

Halep vs Cabrera showcased a young Australian talent who doesn’t quite look ready for the big time. Halpe is neutralizing her power effectively and, as always, is able to change the kinds of looks she gives her opponent to keep her off balance. She baits Cabrera into repeatedly going for too much. The match was called by commentators from Tennis Australia. 6-2 6-1 Halep is playing doubles with a young Australian girl too. They got a wildcard to this event. 

Djokovic vs Chardy was the final match on Rod Laver. One of the big talking points about Djokovic is that he has beefed up and put on some more muscle. He kept Chardy off balance all match. Chardy didn’t play badly, but Novak just frustrates guys and forces them to do too much. Novak had some nice lunging volleys and short responses to drop shots. 6-3 6-1 6-2 in about 90 minutes.

Kyrgios vs Ferreira Silva sees Kyrgios return to action after 11 months. His forehand looks strong. He’s a good frontrunner. Served it out easily.

Shapovalov vs Sinner was the marquee matchup of day 1 on paper. Sinner, the 19 year old, riding a 10-game winning streak had just won an ATP title the day before against Travaglia, but he had looked visibly exhausted doing so. Ranked 31, he’s the underdog against the 21 year old Shapovalov, ranked 12, but Dennis has lost his last 6 matches. Sinner’s biggest weakness is his first serve. Shapovalov’s weakness is his defense. He doesn’t have enough of a steady, reliable game when his weapons aren’t working. Sinner wins the first set after getting up an early break. Sinner seems to get the ball so deep so easily. Shapovalov has problems with consistency. However, Sinner isn’t capitalizing on his many break point chances and Denis is hanging around. Interesting fact; Sinner was an excellent skier earlier in his life. Brad Gilbert praises Sinner for his ability to diffuse power, something Shap doesn’t do as well. By extension, Sinner’s hard-down-the-middle return gives Shap problems. Shap is able to come up with some spectacular shots on the run and Sinner does seem to eventually let down in long points with errors. Shap’s errors tend to happen earlier in points, particularly on serve returns, which for him are inconsistent. Shap also seems to get too upset when he loses points. Very demonstrative when compared to Sinner who is so calm. Denis had some easier service games in the second set and his forehand seems to be hurting Sinner more. Brad Gilbert is calling this match with Chris Fowler. I think that Gilbert is one of the best color commentators. He has some of the most insightful observations about tendency and strategy. He also has a goofy side and he loves to tell stories. He feels like a real character and not a robot. He always pulls out irreverent nicknames; so far “Escape from Alcatraz”, “Weekend at Bernie’s” and “Sin City”. Sinner just not taking advantage of break points; he’s 1 for 11 early in the 3rd set. He fought off a few early in the 2nd and 3rd sets in ways that might just be breaking Sinner’s spirit. (Sinner escorted a moth off the court with his racket). Shapovalov, winning a lot of points off his first serve and displaying a much more successful defensive approach, has turned the match completely around. After dropping the 2nd set, Sinner was looking listless, making a lot of errors. Then, halfway through the 4th set Sinner had a second wind and suddenly was showing positive emotion. He started giving Denis a different look, dropping back on the return, and he cut out a lot of the errors. Shapovalov got into an argument with the chair about not being allowed to go to the bathroom and then called the trainer. They played a really tight first game of the fifth set. Shapovalov was able to dictate play with his forehand and push a tired Sinner around the court in order to eventually get the break. Then Shapovalov pulled out some underhand serving and aggressive serve-and-volley play. He took advantage of Sinner’s extremely deep return position, a strategic decision that seems to have been a mistake since Sinner often didn’t get his returns deep enough and was able to be caught being pushed too far off the court to recover. Sinner never went away, pushing the set all the way to 5-4 and even having a break point chance which he missed by a couple of inches on what would have been an incredible cross court winner on a Denis approach to the net. Shapovalov showed nerves, but ultimately finished the match strong with a winner. Best match of the first day by far and potentially a preview of many future matchups which will come far later in tournaments than the first round. 3-6 6-3 6-2 4-6 6-4 in an almost 4-hour battle.

Maxime Cressy, a young serve-and-volley American, got a straight set win and will play Zverev in the 2nd round.

[littlebookmermaid]

Q&A

Rules: Answer these 92 statements and tag 20 people. I was tagged by @shailyesshadow

LAST: 1. Drink: Mango/Passion juice 2. Phone Call: A salesdude 3. Text message: My sister 4. Song you listen to: I know it was “The Lightning Thief” musical soundtrack 5. Time you cried: Last night; I was laughing so I don't think that counts. But I cried while reading a book two days ago. 

HAVE YOU: 6. Dated someone twice: Haha no. 7. Kissed someone and regretted it: Ehum, no. 8. Been cheated on: Nah. 9. Lost someone special: Yeah 10. Been depressed: Yeah “been”  11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: No, never. I would hate to lose control over myself like that. 

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS

12. Light turquoise 13. Light Pink 14. Ocean blue

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU: 15: Made new friends: Yeah 16. Fallen out of love: Never fell in 17. Laughed until you cried: Yeah last night.  18. Found out someone was talking about you: Only bad things I hope. 20. Found out who your friends are: Did that years ago.  21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: Haha no.

GENERAL: 22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: I don’t have that many Facebook friends because I don’t like when people I don’t know anymore knows things about my life so I know a lot but obviously not every one. (Like childhood friends)  23. Do you have any pets: No :(  24. Do you want to change your name: No, I like it. My first name is a little boring but I like it together with my middle name.  25. What did you do for your last birthday: I was on vacation to Berlin and we had our last day in the city on my birthday.  26. What time do you wake up: Weekdays, around 7.15 if I have class, if I’m free 9-9.30. Weekends depends but around 10-11.30. I love to sleep in. 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Wrote my NaNoWriMo novel. 28. Name something you can’t wait for: Christmas and my next vacation. 29. When was the last time you saw your mom?: Two days ago.  30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: So many things. I wish I lived in a different town/country. I wish I was braver and had the ambitious to shoot for the stars. But nooo...  31. What are you listening to right now: Taylor Swift and The Lightning Thief musical. Haha. 32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: I had a classmate with that name and I do believe I talked to him once or twice during those three years. 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: Mean, self centered and egotistical people. Men that take advantage of young girls and my own insecurities.  34. Most visited website: Youtube, Twitter and Tumblr probably.  35. Mole/s: Are you asking if I have moles? Yes yes I do. Lots of them actually. And I like all of them. I had to remove one on my back a few years ago because it didn’t look.. kind.  36. Mark/s: A scar on my eyebrow from chicken pox, a very faint scar on my nose from banging a window, a bigger one on my knee from stabbing myself and the scar on my back from the removal of the not so kind mole.  37. Childhood dream: Superstar obviously.  38. Hair color: Strawberry blonde I think. It depends a lot on the season as well. But blonde with a hint of red basically.  39. Long or short hair: Long! Always had long hair. It’s very wavy and curly as well so cutting it short would not end well. It would curl itself up and I would look ridiculous.   40. Do you have a crush on someone: Real people? No. Fictional characters? yes.  41. What do you like about yourself: I am very grounded. (I’ve lived through a lot and I think that’s the reason.) I’m also not afraid to be who I am; even though I’ve been (and still are) teased for my interests. I also love my hair.  42. Piercings: Ears pierced when I was six or maybe seven.  43. Blood type: No idea, I asked a nurse about it once when she took a blood sample from me but she couldn’t tell me.  44. Nicknames: My name is so short that a nickname would be weird. My mom calls me Emsan and it makes me feel like I’m five but I know she likes calling me that so-  45. Relationship status: Single forever.  46. Zodiac: Capricorn 47. Pronouns: She/ Her. 48. Favorite TV Show: One tree hill, Friends, Once upon a time, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Race to the edge probably, Galavant, used to be into Jane the virgin but haven’t seen it in a while.  50. Right or Left Hand: Left. But I throw with my right hand and I can cut with it too.  51. Surgery: Nada.   52. Hair dyed in different color: When I was 19 I died it darker and it looked weird so no thank you.  53. Sport: I've been dancing a lot, ballet, hip hop, modern, jazz etc... I’ve also played soccer for many years.  54. Vacation: What vacations I’ve been too? Hm, lots of cities in Sweden, Copenhagen, Berlin, Paris (twice), London (four times), Barcelona (twice), Girona (Spain), Mallorca, Rome, Tunisia, Greece, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Wilmington, Orlando, Miami, Key West... I feel like I’ve forgotten something.  55. Pair of trainers: Old ones from 2013.

MORE GENERAL: 56. Eating: Sweet potatoes forever and always. 57. Drinking: Coke Zero forever and always . 58. I’m about to: Write my NaNoWriMo novel.  58. Want: To travel more.  59. Get married: Yes. 60. Career: I’m in school to become a teacher for kids (6-10 year) but I would like to publish a book someday.  61. Hugs or kisses: Hugs! I always like when couples hug more than kiss in movies/series. It feels more personal to let someone embrace you like that. 62. Lips or eyes: Eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about anyone’s lips. 63. Shorter or taller: I’m short because most of my friends are tall. But I’m 165 cm so I think I’m pretty average.  64. Older or younger: I honestly don’t understand how to answer these. On me or other people? I have an old soul and a young heart.  65. Nice arms or nice stomach: On me? Stomach cause I have spaghetti arms  and I like them like that, but on other people I like nice arms. ( I should probably work out)  66. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive haha 67. Hook up or relationship: Relationship. 68. Troublemaker or hesitant: I’m hesitant I wish I was more of a troublemaker but I have some sort of moral code that I can’t get rid off. Annoying right?

69. Kissed a stranger: Yeah once. 70. Drank hard liquor: Hm... once. (Or three times but one occasion.) 71. Lost glasses/ contact lenses: Don’t wear it. 72. Turned someone down: Yeah 73. Sex on the first date: Haven’t been on a date. 74. Broken someone’s heart: I legit don’t think so. 75. Had your heart broken: Yes. Not romantically but- it’s been shattered that’s for sure. 76. Been arrested: No hahah! I would love to see people’s faces if I got arrested.  77. Cried when someone died: Obviously. 78. Fallen for a friend: No.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 79. Yourself: Not a lot no. 80. Miracles: Yes 81. Love at first sight: yeah 82. Santa Claus: What do you mean by this? Is he not real?  83. Kiss on the first date: Depends I guess. 

OTHER: 84. Current best friend name: Annabeth Chase  85. Eye color: Dark green/brown/hint of blue. 86: Favorite movie: The Little Mermaid. 

Wow this was fun. I don’t think I’ve been so open on this site before. I hope you all know me better. Or perhaps I don’t. 

Anyway I have no idea who to tag (definitely don’t have 20 people) But I went through my activity page so here’s five; answer if you want too! :) 

@afearlesspaperairplane @fanwriter02 @nerdwithoutglasses19 @hello-em75 @missmisty4ever

[acountrygirlsfun]

Okay I'm in a winter mood so give me 1 from the christmas list (winter expectations vs. winter realities), like maybe foolish, California-raised-winter Stiles going to school in New York and being a giant ball of rage and sweaters because WIND AND SNOW AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT RAINS ICE??? and Derek (neighbor or fellow student or prof) who drags him out shopping for decent winter gear

@redneckyacht this isn’t exactly what you asked for but i hope i got close ;) 

Derek bustled himself throughthe crowded sidewalk to get into his favorite coffee spot. It’s a tucked awaylittle place that makes espresso as strong as Starbucks without the price tag.He’d found the place a long, long time ago when he was a teenager and needed anescape from his family. Today though, all he’s escaping is the wind. It’s onlyOctober but the wind has already got that bite to it that means he’ll beordering a hot coffee today.

The chime sounds in the storewhen Derek shoulders his way through the door and the familiar barista greetshim with a smile. The place is practically teeming with people and it surpriseshim. He must be frowning because Allison laughs at him.

“Don’t worry, Derek,” she sayswhen he makes it to the counter, “it’s just midterms. Your precious hiding spothasn’t been ruined.”

He huffs at her, unsurprisedthat she read him like a book. As much as his sisters like to claim he’sreclusive and non-emotive, he doesn’t go out of his way to make himselfunreadable. He’s just private. That’s all.

Which means he’s in somewhat ofa pickle: there are no open tables.

Derek orders his latte with alittle caramel drizzle, pays and turns to find somewhere to sit while he warmsup. But there are no open spaces. The comfortable chairs by the front windoware occupied, as are the tables and the stools along the bar. The booths alongthe wall are all full of people with books and notebooks spread out in front ofthem.

He walks to the end of the bar,to wait for his coffee, when he spots an open seat.

A young man is sitting in thebooth back in the corner, no one is across from him and he has only a laptopopen in front of him. His large iced drink is nearly gone, so he’s been therefor a while. He takes another sweeping glance around the shop but no one hasgotten up to leave and there’s white flakes starting to flutter outside thewindow. He swallows his slight discomfort and it’s decided. He’s going to sharea table with a stranger.

Allison calls out his name thathis coffee is done and Derek turns around.

“Thanks, Allison,” he saysquietly with a smile and she returns it, like usual.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Hale,” sheanswers just as quietly.

Oh yeah, he is one of the Hales. Hopefully that won’t pose aproblem in getting his seat. Most people don’t know who he is. But even thoughhe’s not his mother (the mayor), his sister Laura (chef at The Den), hisbrother Alex (the senator’s aide) or his sister Cora (the budding professionalphotographer), people sometimes do recognize him from those rare times everyoneattends an event together.

He has no problems being one ofthe less-accomplished children of Talia and James Hale. He’s got Genevieve onhis side of being normal anyway. AndJacob and David are still deciding what they’ll do after high school this yearbut Derek thinks they’ll be just as average and content as he and their oldersister are. Half of the siblings being in the public eye is more than enough inDerek’s opinion.

With fingers mentally crossedand coffee in hand, Derek approaches the booth. The man is quite focused andeven as Derek’s fingers start tingling as the feeling returns to them he feelsbad for interrupting what is obviously a determined train of thought.

“Excuse me,” he says gently butthe man still flinches in surprise and Derek winces visibly and hunches hisshoulders a little. “Sorry, I hated to interrupt you but there’s nowhere elseto sit. Can I sit across from you? I’ll be quiet as a mouse,” Derek assures himbut the man is already nodding and smiling slightly.

“Yes, sure! I’m almost doneanyway so it’s no trouble,” he says and Derek is glad he is sitting downbecause the man’s voice makes him feel kind of funny.

“I’m Derek,” he says after he’sput his coffee on the table and is shrugging out of his overcoat.

“Stiles,” the man answers andDerek gives him a questioning look.

“That’s my name, Stiles. It’skind of a long story why but my real name is unpronounceable so I’ve beenStiles since about kindergarten,” he explains and Derek nods along inunderstanding.

“I’ve been Derek since birth,”he replies making Stiles laugh shortly and Derek finds himself entranced withthe way his expressive brown eyes crinkle at the edges. And Derek could swearthey actually twinkled.

Stiles shakes his head but turnshis attention back to his computer and Derek pulls out his phone. But thelatest news stories can’t hold his attention while he sips his coffee and getsproperly warmed up from his time out in the cold. He doesn’t really know howsubtle he’s being in his glances but he can’t help it.

Stiles is just very…he’s veryattractive. And Derek hasn’t explored these types of feelings for anothermember of his sex since college. “Since college” he thinks and scoffs tohimself. He’s only been out of school for a year and a half. But it’s probablybeen closer to three since he found himself appreciating another guy as much ashe is Stiles.

Stiles has these broad shouldersthat are stretching his long sleeve shirt for all it’s worth. And his hair isfluffy and soft looking. His long fingers dance across the keyboard as hetypes. His mouth is- nope. Derek cannot let himself think those kind ofthoughts for the person across from him. Not yet at least.

He doesn’t know how long he sitsthere, half his attention on Stiles the other half on his phone but it’sdefinitely not long enough. Stiles stops typing, clicks around briefly and thenthe laptop is snapping shut and Derek startles a little when Stiles looks athim directly after.

“So Derek,” Stiles starts, agleam in his eye.

“Yes, Stiles?” he asks, humoringhim, happily.

“Care to do this again?” he asksand Derek smiles.

“Yes I would, although, maybenext time we can talk a little more?” he asks a little sarcastically.

“Oh yes, because next time Iwon’t be up to my ears in midterms,” Stiles says seriously and then reachesacross the table, plucks Derek’s phone from his lax grip with those longfingers and presumably types his number into it.

The phone next to Stiles’ laptopbuzzes and Derek sees his number on the screen.

“There,” Stiles saysdefinitively and hands Derek his phone back. “I’ll let you know when midtermshave ended and I rejoin the land of the fully conscious,” he explains with awink as he packs up his stuff to leave and Derek manages to gather himselfenough to smile back.

“Look forward to it, Stiles,” hesays as Stiles starts to walk away.

“Look forward to it,” he saysagain quietly into his coffee, surprised by just how much he means it.

Derek is waiting it what hasquickly become his and Stiles’ booth at the coffee shop for Stiles to arrive.It’s been over a month now since they first met and Derek has learned moreabout Stiles in that time then he did in his whole relationship with Jennifer.Of course, it helps that Stiles enjoys talking.

He’s learned that Stiles camefrom California to go to school in New York. And that he stayed in New York tofinish grad school. He’s in his last semester and when he’d been working whenthey first met, Stiles had actually been writinga midterm, not preparing for one as Derek had thought. He’s basically done withhis education but he has teaching hours to complete and only revisions on histhesis.

But Derek has learned otherthings too, things Stiles hasn’t had to talk about. He knows Stiles both misseshis former home and yet doesn’t want to go back. He thinks Stiles has had somekind of loss in his life from the way he talks sometimes, eyes getting a faroff look. He also learned that Stiles hateswinter.

Derek has tended to hold histongue when Stiles complains, mainly because it’s really amusing how the manturns into a bundle of rage beneath his numerous layers of clothing andouterwear. Derek hasn’t gone so far as to snap pictures of Stiles when he’slike that but it’s been very difficult not to.

He also has tried to curb hisurges to try and offer suggestions of how Stiles could be warmer but. Stiles isa grown man and he’s been in New York for at least the last 5 years. And Derekis self-aware enough to know that just because he can afford nice qualitywinter gear doesn’t mean everyone else can. So, he’s kept his mouth shut in aneffort not to offend the guy he’s trying to date.

They’ve met for coffee 6 timesin the last 4 weeks and Derek knows that Stiles is interested. And Derek knowsthat he is interested. He just doesn’t know if he’s ready to tell Stiles abouthis family and put that kind of pressure on things. He doesn’t want to wait though,doesn’t think it would be fair to develop a relationship and then springDerek’s position as a New York socialite on Stiles after the fact.  But are 6 non-dates enough time before trustingsomeone with this kind of information?

Derek feels himself make thedecision when he sees Stiles walk into the shop from the frigid weatheroutside. He’s no longer an angry ball of sweaters and scarves but looks trulymiserable as he walks back to their booth. Derek texts their driver to comepick him up in 10 minutes at the coffee shop.

Laura may be the Hale childknown for rash decisions, especially in the significant other department, butDerek is willing to risk it.

Stiles orders his drink and thenhurries to come sit down across from Derek.

“Hi,” he breathes as he startspeeling off layers.

The thin soggy mittens getpulled off his long, red fingers. Frostbite.

Derek’s resolve hardens further.

His ears are pink, his cheeksand forehead, too.

“We’re getting you better winterclothes,” Derek greets. “Today,” hestresses.

“What? Why?” Stiles asks, tiredand no real heat to his questions.

“Because you’re frostbitten and chilledto the bone and your coat is worthless,” Derek says plainly and Stiles perks upat his last word.

“It kept me warm in California,why wouldn’t it keep me warm here?” he counters and Derek shakes his head.

“Not all winters are the same.And not all winter coats are the same. Look I grew up here right? Trust me whenI say there are better options out there, please,” Derek says softly, reachingout to hold Stiles’ cold hand.

Stiles groans and entwines theirfingers together.

“Oh you’re so waaarm,” he enthusesand Derek smirks. His point is made he thinks.

Allison makes her way around thecounter with Stiles’ coffee and puts it down with a pointed glance at theirhands and then at Derek.

“Tell me you’ve taken him on adate somewhere other than this coffee house,” she says, hands finding her hipsas she looks down at him a little to emphasize her concern.

Stiles squawks but Derektightens his hold on Stiles’ hand.

“I’m about to take him on ourfirst date, thank you very much,” he replies to her narrow eyed glare, happythat his phone buzzes with a text from the driver saying he’s arrived.

“If it’s alright with you, wecan go right now,” Derek asks towards Stiles whose eyes are wide and his cheekshave gotten pinker if that was possible.

“Yeah, yes,” he agrees easilyand Derek grins at him.

“Okay, great!” Derek says andthen looks up to see Allison rolling her eyes at them.

“Boys,” she mutters as she walksaway and Derek tugs on Stiles’ hand before letting go.

“Grab your coffee, leave yourmittens and let’s go,” he says and Stiles shrugs – the mittens are in tattersat this point anyway – before he stands with his coffee in one hand and reachesout to grab Derek’s again with the other.

Derek ducks his chin a littlewhen he smiles before he starts walking towards the door and out to the waitingcar.

“So I have some things to tellyou,” he starts as they make it out to the sidewalk and Derek spots the car upthe street waiting.

“Okay,” Stiles answers, onlyslightly wary.

They make it to the car andDerek decides confidence is key so he just reaches for the door and opens itfor Stiles to get in first.

“Hop in,” Derek says, smileprobably showing his nerves slightly.

Stiles doesn’t really questionit, just gets in and skootches over for Derek. With the door shut and thewarmth of the car surrounding them Derek relaxes a little.

He tells Dave where he wants togo and then turns to Stiles.

“My mom is the mayor,” heconfesses and Dave just rolls up the partition in silence.

Stiles looks at Derekexpectantly.

“Yeah? And?”

“And- and I needed to make sureyou knew that before things got too serious,” Derek says plainly and Stiles’face softens as he reaches out for Derek once again.

“I’m glad you trust me enough towant this to get serious,” Stiles answers, “but I’ve known who you are thewhole time,” he adds gently.

Derek thinks on that for amoment before he says, “Well, that makes the next part easier. I’m going to bepaying for this first date but if you want, you can get us a snack from thebakery.”

Stiles grins before leaningforward to press a kiss to Derek’s cheek.

“I look forward to it, Derek,”he replies and Derek can feel himself grinning as they sit back and let Davemaneuver them through NYC traffic.

He is too.

[childressink]

The Care and Cultivation of Climbing Roses

or

My Second Son Spreads His Roots

By

Kim Childress

  Though I have the proverbial “green thumb,” a love for all things gardening, I’ve never been good at growing roses.

My first love of gardening sprung from helping my father as a young child, planting flowers and vegetable seeds in neat little rows.

In elementary school, I was part of a group of five kids able to take high school courses early, and one experiment we did was recording the growth of green bean seeds in different situations, like sunlight vs. none, and I became fascinated. In college, I usede horticulture to fulfill my science obligations. After moving to Michigan, I have fallen in love with MSU’s Children’s Horticultural Gardens at Michigan State University, and every time I visit, I’m inspired to go back to school just so I can walk the gardens any time.

Watching something grow from a small seed I planted actually brings for a feeling from me much like what I experience when I think on my children. Watching my plants grow, transplanting when they’ve outgrown their spaces, watching them spread inside and outside–flowers, houseplants, herbs, SCOBY, whatever!

Gardening is therapeutic for me, and puts me in a meditative state of mind. I learned how to can vegetables later in life (shout out to my mother-in-law Esther for teaching me how);  my house is filled with houseplants (shout out to Mom and Dad for teaching me–and feel free to leave me all your houseplants in the will 😉). And now I even home-brew komboucha, which is basically fermented tea. Tea fermented by a SCOBY, or symbiotic Colony of bacteria and yeast (compare to the yeast starter of sourdough bread.) This probiotic tea has been brewed for thousands of years, and this drink works in the gut the same way as apple-cider vinegar. (If you don’t know, research it.) But basically my SCOBYs are floating fungi, floating and growing in black tea and sugar, and basically a mushroom-type plant that looks and feels kind of like a jelly-fish. I am a komboucha moonshine queen!

To this day, I continue experimenting with every plant I grow, in any way I can think of.

However, I cannot grow roses.

Rose growers know this flower is temperamental and highly reactive to its environment. Everything has to be just so—the soil acidity, the need for watering at specific times, the constant threat of a multitude of diseases, and they are highly susceptibility to attack from all kinds of insects. Over the years, every rose plant I planted, died.

Until my climbing roses.

For some reason, they didn’t die. In fact, they survived and grew hardy, and they continue to grow in front of my house to this day (going on seventeen years). At our old house, these same roses grew for ten years into a complete and beautiful arch above our front door (and became a favorite spot for family photos). During the time we lived in that house, my roses grew nearly fifteen feet! I watched them grow taller every year.

And when we moved, I took my roses with me. I wrote it into our contract.

Unfortunately, my dad didn’t know about our seller’s contract. My father helped pack and move and experienced a crazy-hard day of frenzy that comes with moving a house of four young children (including a baby). In the middle of it I said, “We still have to dig up the roses.”

Mind you, my father knows his plants. He is responsible for my early exposure to the gardening life. And in a moment of moving madness, with one clip of the sheers, my father cut my fifteen-foot beauty down to two feet. In his defense, he didn’t know of my plans (obsessions), and he apologized. (I forgive you father!). It’s only a plant after all, and pruning does encourage growth…

In that moment, knowing there was nothing I could say or do, I simply turned, went back into the house, and continued packing boxes. I may have cried. I don’t remember. I think I was in shock.

And yet, my roses proved hardy grew at a much faster pace at our new home, stronger than ever. Plus, I had learned new things, like spotting shooters, branches that shoot out of a main stem that hog nutrients and never flower. Shooters suck nutrients away from the buds and blooms. The “fruit.” (Some gardeners call them “suckers.”)

I wholly acknowledge many ways I nearly killed my roses. Summers where my roses bloomed but faded quickly. Sometimes my roses needed attention because of black spot or some other fungus, but I was too busy to care for it the way it needed. Yet, my roses grew and grew.

Today they are hardier than ever! I have given away splices and grafts that have taken root and blossomed. I see them now growing in the yards of my friends and neighbors. Exactly as I have seen my second son doing upon entering college and learning to cultivate and care for his own fruit and branches, just as I had to learn how to care for my roses. And now his fruit blossoms, and his roots spread and grow deep and strong, while my son continues to grow into a man.

Over the years, I admit, there were times I may have missed shooters and insects or a creeping fungus, all of which spread through the main plant and quickly devour leaves and flowering buds if not treated. All those years I could have cut diseased or infested branches at the stem before they had a chance to suck life from the main plant–but I just didn’t know. So many things I could have done better. Or sooner.

But my roses have proved to be hardy. They also like to fight. I have begun cultivating the wild roses found around our home, since my first climbing rose plant, which continues bursting forth every summer into gorgeous displays of deep red flowers. The new, wild roses are pale pink in color, and I have divided and replanted them into beautiful columns of sweet-smelling loveliness. However, climbing roses have thorns which are different from regular rose bushes. Climbing roses are true briers. I can easily imagine them as the kind of briers that would surround a castle with a sleeping princess inside, briers no one would want to battle. Their thorny branches cling and catch and don’t let go. The thorns implant themselves into any open skin, throbbing painfully until removed.  They catch in my hair, on my coat, my hands, my face. Trimming the branches is a battle of wills.

Attack of the Climbing Roses!

I have nearly succumbed to these thorns more than once, thinking of throwing down my sheers and just letting them go wild. And every time I work without gloves, no matter how hard I try, I never walk away without scratches and thorns to remove. I will not stop, and they will not stop fighting back. And my roses thrive and blossom. I watch with pride as they burst open each spring. Their sweet scent is not overpowering, but it’s strong enough to waft through the house and cause passersby to pause. I dry rose petals and use them in gifts of all kinds. My roses bless the lives of so many.and my roses remind me of my son, Adam.

I see rose petals left behind wherever he goes—with perhaps a few thorns. I watch in amazement as you thrive and spread your roots wide, wishing I would have done better at times, regretting my mistakes, but learning from each one. And learning with you, learning from you. Seeing you grow into this man I barely recognize, thanking God every day for the blessing you are, and watching with pride as you go forth into this world.

My Second Son Spreads his Roots Milestone Moments in Parenting The Care and Cultivation of Climbing Roses or My Second Son Spreads His Roots By Kim Childress…