loracj

Rest in peace and music, Big Man

2011-06-19T08:47:47Z

We will miss you, Clarence Clemons. More than you ever would have realized.........

Did anyone else watch Fringe?

2008-09-13T11:39:28Z

I finally got around to watching it last night - and icky gross scary stuff aside -
I liked it.
Of course, I may be prejudiced by my love of Joshua Jackson. He still plays the somewhat cocky smart ass, and it's still just as sexy IMO.
I like the lead woman, and the concept to come.

Anyone else want to weigh in?

Hey there flist!

2008-08-21T09:07:25Z

I've been crazy busy with lots of stuff, and an update will follow as soon as I can.
But in the meantime, this was sent to me, and I feel the need to share it.
If you're a cat person or a dog person, this will make you nod your head, or maybe even laugh out loud.

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary......

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary. ..

Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.
Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet.
I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of.
However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event.
However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.'
I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking.
I must try this again tomorrow - but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges.
He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly.
I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.
For now................

There ARE earthquakes in Chino

2008-07-29T20:44:51Z

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/29/earthquake.ca/index.html

My S4 Missing Scene

2008-07-15T17:26:32Z

This takes place right after The Night Moves.

The Day After the Night Moved (apologies for the cheesy title)

The Cohens stood transfixed in their former living room, each with their own thoughts.

Sandy: I didn’t like this house when we first came here. It wasn’t ours, it was Cal’s. And it wasn’t Berkeley. But over the years, we made it our own, raised our son, gained our second son. Our home. Gone. In just a few minutes.

Kirsten: I always loved this house…from the day we moved in, even though my dad liked to remind us that it was his. It was never going to be Berkeley, but it became ours, and we were a family here. I hope it can be fixed.

Seth: Geez. I always hated this house. It always represented everything that I hated about Newport and its class structure. But now that I look at it, it was my home; at least the one that I can remember best, where I grew up. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

Ryan: This was never just a house to me. It was my first real home; a place where people cared and were always there for me. What’s gonna happen if they can’t fix it? Where will we go? No matter where I end up, I know I’ll never feel this way about a house again.

The four of them had their differing reactions, but they could all be summed up the same way:

They were homeless.

Well, not really, but still temporarily without a place to live.

“So,” Sandy said, “I guess we need to find a place to stay.”

“Uh huh,” Kirsten nodded. “A hotel? Until we figure things out?”

“Excellent idea, Mom,” Seth concurred. “A little room service would feel really good right about now.”

Ryan said nothing, but looked at the other three incredulously. It was something to see – what money could do for you. It could fix things that were broken, ease the way for things that were difficult, and apparently even calm the nerves when things looked darkest. The stress and anxiety that he would have expected to surface never made an appearance with his new family. That wouldn’t have happened in Chino.

The Atwoods had always worried about everything; they had to.

His dad dealt with the lack of money by being a fuckup and put himself and his needs first; which resulted in him landing in jail. Even now, Ryan was waiting for Frank to vanish again, or to get caught in some sort of new scheme to complicate everyone’s lives around him.

Trey? He handled things differently. He hid in a bottle or in a cloud of smoke or between random girls’ legs. God only knew what he was up to in Vegas. The lack of phone calls asking for help with bail had Ryan wondering if all those card counting lessons had enabled Trey to accumulate a good cash cushion, which would then allow him to tread the straight and narrow. Nope, it was Trey, after all. He didn’t change; not really. All Ryan could do was hope that his older brother was okay.

Dawn. Mom. All these years, she had fought her addiction to alcohol – and let the men in her life lead her around – from town to town – running from whatever trouble they had gotten into – usually about something unpaid. Her sense of self-worth had been destroyed and her inability (or was it unwillingness?) to fight back had left its emotional mark on her – and on Ryan.

But now that he thought about it, he realized that both the Cohens and the Atwoods faced their problems head on. The Cohens used money to fix it – the Atwoods just escaped any way they could.

“Ryan?”

He emerged from his daydream to realize that everyone else was looking at him.

“Is that okay with you?” Sandy asked. “I mean, it won’t be home, but it’ll do for the present.”

“Sure, whatever you think is best,” Ryan answered.

Sandy didn’t respond, so Ryan knew he was waiting for the official okay.

“Sounds good,” he replied with a small smile and a nod.

“Then it’s settled,” Kirsten confirmed.

She pulled out her cell phone and went outside to make the arrangements.

The Cohen men walked gingerly around the demolished living room, each picking up and examining things, if only to truly absorb what had happened.

“They can fix this, can’t they, Dad?” Seth asked hesitantly, his voice sounding much more like a little boy.

“I’m sure they can,” Sandy responded, his tone indicating that he wasn’t really all that sure. He was holding a piece of one of his college debate awards and his face showed his uncertainty and sadness. He chose to pass off the question.

“They do remarkable things now in construction. Don’t they, Ryan?”

Ryan nodded his agreement thoughtfully, although he wasn’t sure either. He hadn’t ever seen this much destruction in one place, even in Chino, where arson was a common occurrence. But during his time working at construction sites, he had seen some incredible transformations, and his reading had indicated that nothing was truly unsalvageable.

“They can do some amazing things,” Ryan agreed. “But we’ll need an expert to tell us for sure.”

Just as he finished speaking, Kirsten re-entered the house, folding up her phone.

“Come on, boys, let’s go. I got us a suite at the Omni,” she announced. “It’s a little further away than I wanted, but it appears that most of the hotels are booked. It’s all set.”

The men stepped carefully back to the front door and obediently followed Kirsten out to the stoop. Sandy brought up the rear with a last look back before closing the door gently.

“It’ll be fine,” Sandy stated firmly. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”

The suite at the Omni was gigantic – four bedrooms, two on each side of a large living area in between. Ryan’s jaw dropped as they entered, but Seth was apparently not surprised or impressed. His first move was to head to the left side bedroom and flop down on the bed.

“Not too shabby, eh, Ryan?” Seth enthused as Ryan followed behind him into the room.

“Shabby isn’t the word that comes to mind,” Ryan answered as he sat on the other bed, still looking around in disbelief.

Newport was constantly upping the ante, he thought. Even their hotel rooms were beyond description. He remembered Oliver’s and realized that most residents of Newport were used to this; that it wasn’t a big deal to have a hotel room as big as most houses he’d ever lived in. But he had to admit; it didn’t suck.

The two boys sat quietly for a few minutes before Sandy’s voice broke the silence.

“Boys, how about some fish tacos?” Sandy suggested.

“Dad. Awesome,” Seth praised, along with Ryan’s nod.

“Okay, here’s the money. There’s a good place right around the corner,” Sandy instructed.

Seth moaned as Ryan rose to take the money.

“Come on, bro,” Ryan encouraged. “You have all day to lie around, and you have to eat sometime.”

“I thought we were going to have room service,” Seth whined.

“Get some fish tacos to go with that ‘whine’,” Sandy said. “Room service breakfast. Tomorrow.”

“Ryan? Did I ever tell you what a wise man Sandy Cohen is?” Seth commented with a smile. “Dad, you’re right. Room service breakfast totally rocks.”

Ryan again smiled and nodded his agreement, the best way to deal with an enthusiastic Seth, as he led him out the main door to the hall.

While the boys were getting dinner, Kirsten and Sandy were resting in their room when Kirsten’s phone rang.

“Hello?”

“KIRSTEN! Oh my God! Are you in labor? I tried to call your home phone but no one answered. Is everything all right?” Julie’s concerned and frenetic voice came loudly through the phone.

“I’m fine, everyone’s fine,” Kirsten responded softly, hoping to calm Julie down. “We’re at the Omni.”

“The Omni. What are you doing there?”

“Our house wasn’t exactly livable. We need to get an assessment of the damage before we can even think about staying there. Right now, it’s not safe.”

“I didn’t realize,” Julie said, “since our house is intact. You’re right, certainly. You can’t stay there and jeopardize the baby or anyone else. But why didn’t you call me?”

“Honestly, I didn’t think of it,” Kirsten admitted, “in the moment, all I could think was to get a place to stay – and quickly. That was my first priority.”

“Well, you know that you’ll have to come and stay here,” Julie declared. “This house is enormous so there’s plenty of room for everyone. Kaitlyn and I would love to have you for as long as you need.”

Kirsten hesitated. This was something she couldn’t decide on her own. It required a family vote.

“I have to run it by the family first,” Kirsten said. “I’ll call you right back.”

She hung up before Julie could protest, then turned to Sandy.

“Julie wants us to move in with her and Kaitlyn,” she said slowly. “How do you feel about that?”

“I’m fine with it,” Sandy agreed, “and the boys might like having their girlfriends in close proximity.”

“I hadn’t considered that,” Kirsten mused, “but we could always set some ground rules.”

Sandy sighed.

“I know you want the boys to stay young forever, honey,” Sandy sighed, “but you know they’ve probably already been there, done that, right? Keeping them from their women might only make them more determined.”

“I know they’re grown up now, and yes, I realize that they’ve probably had sex,” Kirsten said wistfully. “I just have to get used to the idea. But we’ll ask them about staying there over dinner.”

The boys returned shortly thereafter and the family sat at the table to eat. Sandy broached the subject.

“Boys, how would you feel about staying at Julie’s for a while?” he asked between bites.

Seth and Ryan exchanged glances.

“Sure, if that’s what you want,” Ryan replied. His first thought was that it was where Marissa had lived, and there would be reminders there. But maybe it would be a good thing – they were mostly good memories, and he had to face them some time. Besides, Taylor would be there, and she always managed to cheer him up. Maybe there could be some private time with her. It was a big house, and he was sure that Taylor would have already scoped out some excellent hiding places.

Seth was torn. He thought about all the quality time he could share with Summer and was probably considering spending some time in the same places that Ryan was. But it did mean giving up room service, one of his favorite things ever. He winced inwardly, thinking that if Summer knew he was actually considering choosing room service over her, a major rage blackout would be coming his way. Maybe there was a compromise.

“So….,” Seth suggested, “How about we wait until tomorrow?”

Sandy and Kirsten smiled as Ryan laughed out loud.

“You’re so transparent,” Ryan smirked. “You want to make sure you get that room service breakfast first, right?”

“Ryan, my man, we’re young. We need to experience all aspects of life, especially room service,” Seth declared.

“You’re right,” Sandy concurred. “Everyone should experience room service breakfast at least once in their lives.”

“We’ll go there tomorrow – after breakfast,” Kirsten said. “I’ll just go call Julie.”

The next morning, Julie, Kaitlin, Summer and Taylor were preparing to meet the Cohens – all with different things on their mind.

Julie: Was pleased that she could finally do something for her best friend, while spending time figuring out the sleeping logistics.

Kaitlin: Was looking forward to having everyone together, like a real family.

Summer: Was happy that Seth would be there with her – he needed time to bond with their newest family member...Pancakes.

Taylor: Was already thinking of less traveled nooks and crannies where she and Ryan could get better acquainted.

After a large and sumptuous (Seth’s word) breakfast, the Cohen family checked out of the hotel and drove over to the Cooper residence. They pulled up to the house and headed for the front door, where their hosts were waiting.

They were all of the same mind now.

Their extended family...all together...the way it should be.

Seth's Master Plan - Chapter 5

2008-06-18T10:02:43Z

Special thanks to fredsmith518 for her assistance in finding an ending for this. She helped me to find a way out, and gets all the credit.

Dedicated to chazper for her sentence, and to mel39 for the challenge.

Chapter 5 – The Day of

Taylor woke first the next morning immediately anxious. She knew that even though Ryan was relaxed and content after last night’s adventures, he was still likely to freak out when he saw the costumes. So she snuck into the bathroom with her phone and texted Seth a warning that they would be there soon, and he should be prepared for the wrath of Ryan.

She showered quickly and dressed, then Ryan stirred.

“Hey,” he said. “Where you going in such a hurry?”

He reached for her arm to pull her back to bed.

“The Cohens. We’re spending the day there.”

Ryan moaned his displeasure.

“When we could spend the day here? In bed?”

“Yes, my dear, I’m sorry,” Taylor said. “I too would prefer the pleasures of the flesh to a bagel breakfast. But we’re already committed, and they are expecting us.”

She leaned down for a kiss, and wriggled quickly out of his grasp.

“Come on. I promise a reward later,” she said seductively.

“Well, if you put it that way,” he acquiesced, rising and heading for a quick shower.

“Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be ready,” he yelled from the shower.

They headed over to the Cohens. Taylor was uncharacteristically silent, which only made Ryan’s concern worse.

“Taylor, why can’t you tell me about the costume?” Ryan asked.

“Because…if you’re going to be angry, I’d rather you do it when everyone else is there. You’re less likely to punch something, or worse, drive off the road.”

“Oh, great. I’ve been roped into something. I should have known when Seth told me it was his idea.”

“But it’s a great idea!” Taylor gushed. “It really is.”

“We’ll see,” Ryan said sternly. “I may have to rethink my cooperation.”

They pulled up at the house and walked inside, Taylor taking Ryan’s hand to try and control the situation. But when they encountered Seth upon entering, Ryan started in immediately.

“Ok, BRO, what didn’t you tell me?”

Seth threw Taylor a look, one that said ‘you were supposed to make it better, not worse,’ and she sent back a shrug.

“Come on, I’ll show you,” Seth said, leading the way into the den.

Hanging on the racks were costumes. Full reindeer costumes. Brown furry outfits - white balls for noses, except for Sophie’s red one - and the aforementioned antlers.

There was silence in the room as Ryan took in what would be expected of him. Then he broke the silence; softly and firmly:

“I don’t care if it’s Chrismukkah. I am NOT wearing that outfit.”

“But Ryan….,” Seth said, his voice pleading.

“No buts, Seth. I should have known. It could never be that easy, not with you at the helm. You played me, and I don’t like it.”

Seth sat and pouted while Taylor took up the cause.

“Ryan?”

“Yeah?

“I did promise you a reward, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember,” Ryan said. “But as good as an incentive as that is, it’s not enough to get me to wear that.”

“Well, then, what about Sophie?”

“What about her?”

“This is all for her. She’s so excited – she’s telling everyone that her family will have the best costumes. She’ll remember this forever.”

He didn’t want to even consider it, but Taylor was hitting him where he lived. He loved Sophie madly, and wouldn’t want to disappoint her. He knew what it was like to be disappointed by your family. You never really got over it. He was stuck…again.

“Okay,” he said reluctantly. “You win. I’ll do it.”

Seth and Taylor both jumped up and down with glee, then they both tag team hugged him, which he wriggled out of immediately.

“But…”

“Anything, Ryan, anything, “ Seth promised.

“Yes, anything,” Taylor answered with a knowing glance.

“If I do this, I know there’ll be pictures…and Sophie will want to share them with her play group, and of course the Nana. That’s unavoidable. But if I EVER see any of them anywhere else but within the confines of this house, there will be hell to pay,” Ryan warned them. “You need to swear on your lives, because I can promise you, that would be what you’d be risking.”

Taylor and Seth simultaneously held up their hands.

“We swear,” they said in unison.

That evening, the party went off without a hitch. Seth was bursting with pride, and told anyone who would listen that it was his idea. The Cohens’ extended family costumes won first place – a trophy for the mantle. It was glass and had etchings of a Christmas tree AND a menorah to cover Jesus and Moses (Seth’s words). It even noted the year and the title of Best Group Holiday Costumes. Diana had outdone herself, and Sophie was thrilled.

“We wonned!” cried Sophie, her face wreathed in smile, the Rudolph nose jauntily off to one side. She grabbed it with unseemly haste, earning a ‘Sophie Rose!' from their mom.

Sophie thought quickly and said, ‘tank ou’, so sweetly that the room erupted in spontaneous applause, causing Sophie to break into a toddler joy dance, which led to more laughter.

Seth snuck a look at Ryan. He was smiling as broadly and happily as anyone else there. Seth couldn’t seem to help himself as his camera phone captured the moment for posterity.

Not long afterwards, Sophie crashed, slumping in a tiny brown heap on Ryan’s feet. He scooped her up, trophy and all and carried her out to the car.

On the ride home, Seth ran down his plan check list.

Family all present and correct? Check.

Happy? Check.

All down to awesome Seth organization? Double check.

Life was good.

Seth's Master Plan - Chapters 3 & 4

2008-06-16T18:17:53Z

Convincing Ryan – Chapter 3

After a few hours of playing with Sophie, Ryan and Seth left to go back to the dorm exhausted.

“That was fun, wasn’t it, bro?” Seth asked as they pulled out of the driveway.

“Yeah, she’s awesome,” Ryan agreed. “But so much energy. How does she keep going?”

“I think Mom and Dad are hoping that all that play will conk her out early. It’s a little TMI, but they’ve actually hinted to me that they don’t get as much alone time as they used to. I think they’re looking for volunteer baby sitters.”

“Okay, that IS too much information,” Ryan said. “But maybe one night the two of us should take her out and give them some quiet time.”

“Sure,” Seth agreed. “The amusement park would be perfect. When Summer comes home this week, she and I can take her on the rides with heights and you can handle the rest.”

“Cool,” Ryan said. “Maybe next week? Once Taylor gets home? She can come too.”

“Okay.”

They rode in silence for a while and Seth decided to just go for it. No time like the present.

“Ryan?”

“Yeah?”

“I have this idea…and I want to run it by you…but I want you to hear me out, and not interrupt until I’m done.”

“Is it YOUR idea? ‘Cause that usually means me working hard and you supervising. I’m not up for that anymore, Seth. You have to do your share. You’re a big boy now.”

“Well, yeah, it’s my idea…”

“Then, no. Just no. Whatever it is, NO.”

“You’re not even gonna listen?”

“Nope, ‘cause if it’s one of your ideas, I know I won’t like it.”

Seth scrambled quickly to come up with a good approach.

“Okay,” he acquiesced, “you already said no, so now you can at least hear me out.”

“Fine,” Ryan agreed, “since I’m a captive audience anyway. You probably planned it that way.”

“Ryan, you think I’m always up to something.”

“That’s because you are.”

Seth took a deep breath and laid out his plan to Ryan, making it sound like all they needed was antlers, and leaving out the part about having to wear anything else.

“I mean,” Seth said, “with antlers on, and with Sophie doing Rudolph with the nose and all, everyone will know who we are with a minimum of effort. Even if we all go with one big harness and walk in line.”

“Sophie would love it,” Ryan commented. “She’d have everyone playing a game with her all at the same time. And she’d always remember it.”

He paused.

“As long as I don’t have to keep the antlers on, or stay harnessed to everyone,” Ryan said firmly. “Right?”

“Right, buddy,” Seth assured him. “It’s just for the entrance.”

Ryan considered it a few minutes more as they pulled up to the dorm.

“Okay,” Ryan agreed. “I’m in.”

Seth let out an inward sigh of relief that he had gotten away with it so far. He could only hope that things would go smoothly when Ryan found out the rest. By then, Taylor would be there. He had a feeling he’d be enlisting her powers of persuasion.

Chapter 4 – The Day before the Night

The four of them had spent the day with Sophie. As planned, they took her to the amusement park, and kept her entertained with rides and face painting and more rides and food and even more rides. With all four of them in attendance, they were each able to get a break from Sophie’s non stop exuberance, and as Seth had promised, Ryan didn’t have to get on any rides with heights.

Ryan and Taylor were sitting in silence on a bench watching Seth, Summer and Sophie on the ferris wheel, with all of their stuffed animal booty taking up the rest of the seat.

“She really cleaned up today,” Taylor commented. “And she’s having so much fun. I wish I had this kind of family growing up.”

“Yeah, me too,” Ryan agreed. “But at least we can live it now, through her.”

He put his arm around her and she snuggled in.

Ryan’s brain was still processing Seth’s ‘great idea.’ It didn’t sound too bad, actually. Being tied to Taylor could prove to be interesting after the party; after all, it had been a while since he’d been ‘entertained’, and he guessed from her texts that she would be inspired and more than willing.

“You know,” she said, “ we haven’t had ANY alone time since I’ve been home.”

“Great minds,” Ryan responded. “I was just thinking the same thing. How about tonight? My roommate will be gone.”

“It’s about time,” Taylor said. “I thought he never went out.”

“Well, I did kinda ask him to stay elsewhere tonight.”

“Good boy,” Taylor said, innuendo in her voice. “We can practice being tied up for tomorrow night.”

Ryan smiled, his mind already there. He knew it would be something that Taylor would find…worth revisiting.

But little did he know, Taylor had more than sex on her mind. Seth had begged her to be the one to tell him about the costume.

’Taylor, please, you have to help. I know he’s gonna freak out when he finds out. If you do it right, he won’t even care.’

‘I’ll do my best,’ Taylor agreed. ‘I can be very convincing when I want to.’

Ryan had said something else, but she had missed it.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Nothing important,” Ryan replied with a big grin. “Just trying to decide who gets to go first.”

They dropped Seth, Summer and Sophie back at the house, where Sophie was already asleep from the car ride. Then Ryan and Taylor headed back to the dorm – with completely different things on their minds.

Ryan’s hand was already working its way up her thigh, so Taylor knew where his mind was. Hers was right with him, but she did her best to multitask, to enjoy while trying to figure out how to approach the costume subject.

Before?

No. He was obviously already ready to go. Didn’t want to ruin that buzz.

During?

No again. She wanted it as much as he did; no point in interrupting. And his hand was doing marvelous things to her – and he was only on her thigh.

So it would have to be after. She’d make sure that he was tied up and captive to her before she broached the subject. She’d insist that she go first.

It was a good thing that the halls were deserted when Ryan and Taylor headed upstairs to his room. They were practically undressed before they reached his door.

“Ladies first,” Taylor announced as her eyes roved the room for proper ties.

While Ryan stood watching in amusement, his eyes darkening with lust, she searched until she found the perfect ties. Literally. Ryan’s ties. She stopped in her tracks because she knew his eyes were on her, stripped down in seconds flat, then held the ties out to him.

“Ready?” she asked, twirling the ties in her hands until Ryan grabbed them from her.

“Oh yeah,” he growled, taking her arms and walking her backwards to the bed.

He lifted her up and lay her down, then tied each hand to the headboard, and each leg to the bedframe.

“No bedposts,” he muttered, “but no problem.”

Taylor lay there with nothing but a smile as Ryan took off the rest of his own clothes and took charge of the situation.

One hour later, Taylor was a jellied mess, her breathing still ragged from the earth shattering orgasm that Ryan had provided her, and he sat up smiling like a Cheshire cat.

“So…,” he said, his eyes searching her body up and down, ”is it my turn now?”

“It most certainly is,” Taylor affirmed. “I just need a minute. Can you untie me, please?”

Ryan untied her legs, then leaned in for a kiss as he undid the ties on her wrists. She stood up and wobbled her way to the bathroom.

“Be right back,” she said. “Don’t move.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be here.”

After a few minutes, Taylor returned to the bed where Ryan lay waiting. She took her time tying him up, pausing to gaze upon him and build the suspense.

“You’re kidding, right?” Ryan said, frustrated. “I let you go first. You’re gonna make me wait?”

“Patience, my dear, patience,” Taylor purred.

After a few more minutes of torture, she more than compensated for the delay, making Ryan squirm with pleasure before he exploded with release. She rolled over and lay next to him as he came back to coherency.

“So…,” Taylor said softly, leaning in to kiss him.

“Uh huh,” Ryan replied, still catching his breath. “That was amazing.”

Taylor reveled in the moment for a few more seconds, then took a deep breath.

“So…this party…,” she began.

“Yeah, it should be fun for Sophie,” Ryan commented, stroking her hair.

“There’s a little more to it than Seth let on,” Taylor indicated, snuggling into him as she spoke.

“I figured as much, considering it’s Seth,” Ryan admitted. “K, what else is there?”

“Well, there’s more to the costume.”

“How much more?”

Taylor paused, then plunged ahead.

“It’s kinda hard to explain,” she said. “You need to see it for yourself.”

“You’ve never been at a loss for words,” Ryan noted. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“Let’s sleep on it,” Taylor said.

“Sleep? What’s that?” Ryan murmured as he kissed her again.

Seth's Master Plan - Chapter 2

2008-06-14T12:22:20Z

Thanks to all for reading a Chrismukkah story in June. As for all of your theories, Ryan's reaction probably won't be as monumental as you expect, so apologies there. But I hope getting there will be enjoyable just the same.

previous here

Getting Ryan in the Right Mood – Chapter 2

Seth woke up in the morning with a strong sense of purpose, accompanied by a equally intense sense of dread. He was so excited that the plan was falling into place. But he also knew that Ryan would be difficult. He could only hope that he could convince him. He wanted to convince him on his own as a point of honor. But he always had Taylor in reserve as his last resort. Ryan might agree to just about anything, as well as enjoying whatever inducement she would try. He wanted to give it his best shot first, though.

He dressed quickly and headed for the kitchen, where his parents sat in the breakfast room with Sophie. He poured himself a travel cup of coffee and told them that he was going to go see Ryan today, since he had no classes.

“Be careful,” Kirsten said.

“Good luck,” Sandy said.

It was interesting to Seth how they each had a different take on the day to come. Kirsten seemed worried that Seth would push too hard and make Ryan angry, and Sandy appeared convinced that Ryan wouldn’t give in, no matter what.

He saluted them both smartly, left the house, and jumped in the Rover for the quick drive to campus.

He pulled up to Ryan’s dorm, parked and was headed down the path to the front door when he spotted him sitting under a tree with a book.

He always was a reader, he thought. But… On his day off. No classes. No work. And he was reading a book. Sheesh. Should I try to surprise him? No, better not to piss him off right off the bat.

“Hey, bro!” he greeted him as he approached.

“Hey,” Ryan responded with a grin. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I knew you were free today, so I thought we might hang out. It’s been a while.”

“Seth, we hung out last week.”

“Yeah, but it seems longer. Maybe it’s ‘cause you’re a college guy now.”

“You are, too.”

“It’s not the same. I haven’t really taken any of my main courses yet.”

“Okay, Seth, if you say so. So what did you have in mind for our hang?”

“Well, I thought we might do a little Chrismukkah shopping. I need to get a few more gifts, and I’m guessing you do too.”

Ryan sat a minute considering Seth’s suggestion.

“Yeah, I do,” he admitted. “I’ve been considering gift cards to avoid picking out presents. I always worry I’ll get the wrong thing.”

“Now you don’t have to worry,” Seth said. “We can go together. We can formulate our plan of attack on the way, maybe even chip in on a few gifts, and it’ll be done before we know it.”

“Okay, sure,” Ryan agreed. “Wait here, I’ll go get my wallet.”

Seth knew that Ryan wasn’t a fan of the shopping, so he was relieved that Ryan was so agreeable. Phase one of his plan included a trip to the video store for both of them, with a gift for Sophie in mind. So far, so good.

They drove to the mall in the Rover, with Seth throwing out ideas, and Ryan giving his thumbs up or down. They arrived at the mall, mapped out their plan of who was to purchase what at the directory and headed in separate directions, agreeing to meet back in front of the video store in an hour.

“Divide and conquer, Ryan,” Seth said as they split up.

“Yep,” Ryan said, “the sooner we start, the sooner we’ll be finished.”

They both did their shopping, although Seth’s mind was elsewhere, as he thought about how he would approach Ryan with the idea. The hour passed quickly, too quickly, and before he knew it, it was time to meet him in front of the store. He said a silent prayer to Jesus and Moses right before Ryan arrived.

“All done?” Seth asked.

“Yep, that was a good idea,” Ryan admitted. “Now there’s only the wrapping.”

“No worries there, bro, I am the expert on the Chrismukkah trimmings,” Seth promised. “We’ll store everything in your room, and it’ll only take one evening to get it all done.”

“Cool,” Ryan said. “So what do we need to get in here?”

“Well,” Seth began, “we have to start Sophie’s cartoon education. The crap that’s on TV now won’t cut it. She needs some classic stuff.”

“I don’t know that much about that,” Ryan said wistfully. “I mean, I watched cartoons, but I had to watch without sound so that I didn’t wake my mom.”

“That’s fine,” Seth said. “I was raised on them. The Sandy and the Kirsten were always working on Saturday mornings, so the cartoons were my babysitter. Allow me to handle this.”

“Okay,” Ryan said, following Seth’s lead into the video store.

Seth led him to the children’s section, and proceeded to explain to Ryan the ins and outs of good and bad children’s videos.

“You’ll be all set if you ever have kids,” Ryan commented. “You probably know more about most of this stuff than kids do.”

“Yeah, I guess I do,” Seth said. “I do love my cartoons.”

They came upon a kids’ classics section, and Seth paused.

“K,” Ryan said. “Are these really classics?”

“Yes, my brother, they actually are. This store must have changed managers since I was in here last.”

He reached for The Wizard of Oz.

“This is definitely one,” he pointed out.

“That one I know,” Ryan said sarcastically.

Seth picked a few more, then settled in front of the holiday movies.

“We should get a few of these,” he decided out loud. “Even though there aren’t any Chrismukkah ones.”

“Are there even any Hanukkah ones?” Ryan asked. “I don’t think I’ve heard of any.”

“I don’t think they ever made their way to TV,” Seth admitted, picking up a lone Hanukkah one that he’d never seen before. “But she needs a rounded education, so that she can make the same educated choice I did.”

“But you didn’t make a choice,” Ryan pointed out. “You kept both.”

“And so will she,” Seth determined. “But she needs exposure to both so that she gets why she needs both in her life, and understands the true meaning of Chrismukkah.”

“Agreed,” Ryan said. “So which Christmas ones are the best?”

“Well, since we only have one Hanukkah one to give, we should be equal opportunity gift givers,” Seth said. “Besides, there’s only one that really matters to a little kid, anyway.”

“Which one is that?” Ryan asked. “Enlighten me.”

Seth picked up Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

“This one,” he stated firmly, “is the quintessential kids’ Christmas movie.”

“I remember that one,” Ryan said wistfully. “It was on every year, and my mom liked it, so we got to see it.”

“Yep, it’s number one on my list, always has been,” Seth agreed.

Seth wanted to bring up the party, but it wasn’t time. Yet.

“So, I think this’ll be enough,” he concluded. “With all the other gifts she’ll get, she’ll be plenty occupied.”

“Agreed,” Ryan said. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay,” Seth said, “I’ll drop you off at the dorm and bring these home, unless you want to pop in and see the family.”

“I’ll come with you,” Ryan decided. “I can help distract them while you hide the packages. After all, you are known for the stealth.”

“So true,” Seth agreed. “Then I’ll take you back to the dorm.”

“’K.”

They drove to the Cohen home. It was lunchtime for Sophie, so Seth instructed Ryan to go around the back and surprise them while he went through the front and up to Ryan’s room with the packages. He heard loud squealing from Sophie, so he knew that the family was sufficiently occupied as he stashed the gifts. His plan was to broach the subject with Ryan on the way back to the dorm, after he had been exposed to a little bit of Cohen togetherness. He hoped that it would put him in the correct frame of mind.

Seth's Master Plan - Chapter 1

2008-06-12T15:44:50Z

earlier stuff here

ETA - oops - copied Fred's title inadvertently - apologies

Seth’s first stop was his mom. She was in the bedroom sorting through Sophie’s hand-me-downs to give to charity. He figured she would need no convincing and she was right. She was very excited about the idea.

“Seth, I think it’ll be great. And Sophie? As Rudolph? Perfect. She’ll be adorable,” Kirsten gushed. “I’ll even find someone out of town to do the costumes, so it’ll be a secret until the day of.”

“That’s awesome, Mom. I knew the Kirsten would come through,” Seth praised her, beaming.

He pecked her on the cheek and sauntered out of the room to call his next accomplice…Summer. He checked the clock as he walked by the kitchen – it was seven o’clock on the East Coast. A good time to call.

The phone rang twice before she picked up.

“Cohen! “

“Hello, my little buttercup,” Seth said.

“Okay, buttercup?” Summer asked. “Are you for real?”

“You are my buttercup, and I love you,” Seth intoned.

“I love you, too,” Summer returned, her voice indicating that she suspected something. “So, what’s on your mind?“

Seth cleared his throat before beginning.

“Well, there’s this holiday party,” he started.

“I thought we were done with those when your family moved to Berkeley,” Summer interrupted. “They are always a disaster. Something always goes wrong; someone punches someone, someone drinks too much…”

“But this is different, my sugar plum,” Seth insisted. “It’s Berkeley, first of all, so there’s no Newpsies to content with, and even better, it’s a costume party!”

There was a short silence on Summer’s end of the phone; he hoped she wasn’t thinking about dismissing the party without considering it.

“So, what’s your idea? I know you have one,” she asked.

“Santa’s reindeer,” Seth said. “All of us – you and me, Mom and Dad, Bullitt and Julie, and Ryan and Taylor. With Sophie as Rudolph, of course.”

“I love it,” Summer gushed. “It fits perfectly, since we’re sort of a family anyway. But there’s a fly in that ointment.”

“Sure,” Seth said. “What’s that?”

“You’ll never get Ryan to agree.”

Seth sighed.

“I know, he’ll be a problem. But I figured if I get everyone else on board, he’ll have no choice.”

“He’ll have a choice,” Summer warned. “He’ll just say no.”

“Well, if all of us gang up on him, I’m hoping he’ll cave. Taylor should be able to convince him, if we can’t.”

“She does have a way with him, that’s true,” Summer agreed. “I guess it’s worth a shot. So…what do you need me to do?”

“Just text my mom with your size,” Seth instructed. “You know how bad I am with that stuff. She’s taking care of getting the costumes made.”

“Are you sure you want to start that? What if Ryan does say no?”

“He won’t. We’ll convince him,” Seth said, crossing his fingers. “Okay, my love, I must be going. I have to let everyone else know.”

“K. Don’t forget, Taylor is nine hours ahead of you. She spends a lot of time on line, so you’re most likely to catch her on SKYPE. Or do you want me to get in touch with her?”

“Nope. This is all mine. I’ll handle it.”

“So you’ll let me know how it goes? With Ryan, I mean?”

“Of course, my little turtle dove.”

“I think that’s enough now, Cohen. You never do know how to end something gracefully, do you?”

“Message received. Bye for now. Love you.”

“Love you too. Mwah.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Seth took a breath, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and looked at the clock again. It was four fifteen. So that made it one fifteen in the morning. He figured it was worth a shot…after all, Taylor didn’t really sleep all that much.

He went up to his room and logged on to SKYPE, and there she was. ‘TTFN’ was her screen name. She said it was ‘Taylor Townsend for now’. She spotted him immediately and the computer’s speakers rang soon after.

“Seth! Is that you?” she squealed, the speakers reverberating with her enthusiasm.

“Yes, Taylor, it’s me,” he replied.

“How lovely to hear from you, mon ami. How are you?”

“I’m fine, Taylor, everyone’s fine.”

“Summer?”

“Fine.”

“Sandy? Kirsten?”

“Fine?”

“Sophie?”

“Fine.”

“Ryan?”

Seth knew she wanted to know more than just fine when it came to Ryan, but he wasn’t taking the bait. He had places to go, people to talk to.

“He’s fine, too. So listen, Taylor…”

Taylor then proceeded to interrupt and babble on about her and Ryan, how she hated being away from him, but that she loved Paris, and then went off on a tear about some protest going on there now to save a historic building, which she was participating in on Ryan’s behalf, because he would care about it, and how Summer would be proud of her activism. She went on and on, and Seth decided to let her get some of it out before stopping her. It was Taylor, after all.

When he could finally take no more, he interrupted.

“TAYLOR,” he practically yelled. “I have a reason for calling besides to get the play by play of your recent life.”

“Oh,” she said in a small voice. “I’m sorry, Seth, but you know how I get. You give me an ear, and I’m off.”

“That’s fine, Taylor. It’s one of the things we have in common, isn’t it? But listen, here’s why I called.”

He gave her the details and there was more squealing on her end.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea, Seth. But what about Ryan?”

Everyone had the same issue, Seth thought. They were right; Ryan would be the toughest nut to crack.

“I’m hoping that once everyone else is willing, we’ll be able to convince him. We may need you to work your magic on him.”

Taylor giggled.

“Well, there is this one thing…..”

“I don’t need to know,” Seth cut her short. “Just keep it on the back burner for now. We’ll know if we need it once you get here for break.”

Seth reminded Taylor to text her size to Kirsten, then finally said his goodbyes. In return, he received good bye in at least six languages, and lots of blown kisses.

He signed off and slunk down in the chair. Four down, three to go. He was already tired of repeating the same idea, even if it was a good one, and actually considered recording it and playing it for Julie and Bullitt, but changed his mind. This needed the personal touch.

Julie and Bullitt had moved to Berkeley soon after the Cohens. Bullitt could do business from anywhere, and usually had his phone attached to his ear. Julie wanted to be near Kirsten, especially since now they had Brandon, and he was only a little younger than Sophie.

He yelled to his parents that he was taking the Rover, and drove to Julie’s house. Kaitlyn was visiting Jimmy, and was spending the holidays there. Whew, he thought, that would have thrown off my math completely.

He parked and rang the bell. Bullitt answered the door, and as Seth had expected, the phone was at his ear.

“Hey there, Seth. Hang on two shakes, gotta close a deal here,” he said, waving Seth inside. “Julie’s on the patio.”

Seth walked through the house as he listened to Bullitt ream out someone on the other end of the phone. He smiled. He found himself thinking of Cal, and wondered what things would have been like had Cal been more like Bullitt; more friendly, more willing to compromise, but still a really good businessman. He could do all those big deals, and still be there for those he loved. But it wasn’t meant to be that way, he realized.

Bullitt was still yelling and Seth was still smiling at his verbal antics when he closed the sliding doors behind him and walked onto the patio, where Julie was working in her garden.

“Seth,” Julie said, standing and pulling off her garden gloves. “This is a surprise. Is everything okay at home?”

“Yeah, everyone’s fine,” he answered, thinking about his conversation with Taylor. The bigger his extended family got, the more ‘fines’ he would have to supply.

“How’s Katy doing?” Seth asked, hoping to change the dynamic a little.

“She’s great,” Julie replied, reaching up to wipe sweat from her forehead. “Jimmy says she’s a great sailor, and she’s studying up a storm in her free time. He thinks she’ll be able to take her GED when she gets home. She wants to be a vet. Makes sense since she used to be all about the horses.”

“Yeah,” Seth agreed. “Even when she brought home that little rat dog, you could tell she had a knack with animals.”

“I hated that dog,” Julie remembered. “But you’re right, her compassion knows no bounds, for everyone and everything.”

Seth thought that maybe Julie was referring to herself, but chose not to pursue the topic.

“Anyway, the reason I’m here,” Seth began, “is to invite you to a costume party.”

“I heard about that through the grapevine,” Julie said. “We weren’t planning on going.”

“Well, I’m here to change your mind,” Seth said firmly, just as Bullitt joined them on the patio.

“Change her mind about what?” Bullitt asked.

“Oh, I hadn’t bothered mentioning it,” Julie explained, “since I know how busy you are. You wouldn’t be interested.”

“In what, Miss Julie?”

Seth decided to take the plunge himself since Julie was apparently downplaying it. He knew Bullitt would love it.

“There’s a holiday party,” he said, “and it’s a costume party, and I have this great idea that we can all do together. The whole extended family.”

“Well, son, let’s hear that idea. You Cohens throw a good party.”

“It’s really the community sponsoring it,” Seth admitted, “but it should be awesome.”

Seth elaborated his entire pitch, including letting Bullitt be Dasher. Since he was the biggest, he could be the leader. He knew that his dad wouldn’t mind, and Bullitt would eat it up.

He was right. By the time he was through, Bullitt had convinced Julie that she’d make one sexy reindeer, and Julie promised to contact Kirsten the next day to help her with the costumes.

Seth left their house whistling, thrilled that he had everyone on board. Everyone, that is, except Ryan. He decided to table his presentation to him until the next day.

A Chrismukkah story in June

2008-06-12T13:27:15Z

Rating: A little R for some 'action'.
Beta: The lovely fredsmith518 - with apologies to my usual beta mel39.
This was her show - so I asked Fred for her assistance, and she was an excellent sounding board and a tremendous help with all things pov.
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, but oh how I wish they were - the fun we would have.

This was written for mel39's Chrismukkah 2007 sentence challenge. Great thanks to chazper for my sentence. It's very tardy, but C, it wasn't your sentence that held me up - it was my muses.

You Gotta Have a Plan

The Idea - Prologue

Seth came home from classes in the early afternoon, and as he pulled into the driveway, he was reminded yet again how happy he was that he had chosen not to go away to school. It allowed him more time with his family, which in Berkeley meant fun and comfort, not pressure and conflict. He missed Summer, sure, but they talked often and texted, and she was coming for the holidays, like she always did. He spent lots of time hanging with Ryan, he had more time with Sophie, and was able to watch his little sister grow up.

He found out that his dad had dropped his mom off at the community center. She was on the committee that was planning the holiday party. And for the first time in his life, he was sure, he was excited about it. Maybe because it was in Berkeley, and not in Newport.

All those Newpsie parties were just cocktails with those damnable same old hors d’oeuvres, with the same waiters, and even the same tree, having remained the same since Julie had changed it when she was with Cal.

Seth found out from his mom that Diana Sutton was the head of the party committee. Born and raised in Newport, she had attended college out of state, and only spent time there when necessary, choosing to live in a quiet community outside of Los Angeles. While on a cruise to Mexico, she met a very rich widowed lawyer. They got married soon after, and she insisted that they not settle in that enclave of excess known as Newport. Seth guessed that she must be a smart and interesting woman to want to get out and stay out, so he volunteered to pick his mom up and eavesdrop at the door. Maybe there would be something different, considering who was running things.

Just as he’d hoped, he got the lowdown on the good stuff. They were planning a costume party – with families dressing in a group theme. There was some grumbling about the idea, mostly from those who didn’t have family nearby. It was then agreed that you could ‘make your own family’ from those who were available, and as Seth peeked in to gauge their reactions, he could see the excitement on their faces, the wheels already turning in their heads. He had trouble containing himself; this was more than he could have asked for.

On the ride home, Seth feigned surprise when Kirsten told him. He pretended to be blasé, while inside he was jumping up and down. Kirsten brought it up over dinner and asked Sandy o think about it. His reaction was lukewarm, but he agreed to think it over for a day.

Seth’s mission had begun. He already had the perfect idea for his extended family, and couldn’t wait to present it to them, one at a time.

After dinner, Seth approached his dad first. He found him in the study poring over a pile of papers, his brow furrowed. He couldn’t help but giggle softly; Sandy’s furrowed brow resembled a cuddly animal.

“Dad? Got a minute?” Seth asked from the doorway.

“Sure, son. I’ll give you two,” Sandy kidded, pushing the papers aside. “What’s on your mind?”

Seth plopped down in the armchair opposite his dad, then shifted his weight a few times to get comfortable, indicating indecision and hesitance.

“Just spit it out, Seth,” he instructed impatiently.

“Okay, well, you see, it’s like this,” Seth began. “About the costume party?”

His dad nodded…and waited.

“I have this idea,” he began, “and I personally think it’s the best idea ever; for all of us....you and Mom, me and Summer, Ryan and Taylor, Bullitt and Julie. There’s even a spot for Sophie. It’s perfect.”

“And?” Sandy asked.

“Well, I think it’s a good idea, but I don’t think everyone else will, and I think I’m gonna need your help in convincing them.”

“AND?” Sandy asked again.

“Okay, here it is. There’s eight of us, right?”

“Right.”

“And Santa had eight reindeer.”

“I’m glad your childhood education wasn’t a complete waste, son.”

“So I’m thinking that we could each be one; a reindeer, that is. We could get brown felt material and find someone to sew costumes; maybe even get hooves to wear on our hands and feet……and we could wear antlers on our heads.”

Seth was now leaning forward, gesturing with his hands as he described the outfits.

Sandy was scratching that same brow, but hadn’t said a word. While Sandy considered it further, Seth continued.

“Dad? Earth to Dad. Isn’t it a good idea?” Seth pleaded. “And Sophie can be Rudolph – we can get her a clown nose!”

Sandy finally spoke.

“I like it, Seth. I do. But I’m considering what the others might think,” he mused. “Your mother will love it, and I’m sure that Summer and Taylor will too. Bullitt is always up for a little fun. But Julie? Not so sure. And have you thought about Ryan’s reaction?”

Seth’s smile faded.

“Actually, I was saving him for last,” he said ruefully. “I know he won’t want to – but I figured if everyone else agreed, it would be enough to convince him.”

“I don’t know, son,” Sandy said. “I think you can count on Bullitt to convince Julie. He can buy her something sparkly to sway her. But Ryan – he’s a different story. You know how he is about anything that’s even remotely silly.”

“Yeah,” Seth agreed. “I know. He wouldn’t even wear a Mexican hat when we went to Tijuana.”

He gulped when he realized what he had said. Damn.

“Sorry, Dad,” he continued. “Sore subject.”

“Indeed,” Sandy nodded. “A subject best left in the past.”

The two men sat in silence as they considered the options.

“Well,” Sandy suggested, “I agree – you’re probably better off getting the others first. Once everyone else is on board, we’ll talk to Ryan. In the meantime, I’ll try to think of the best way to handle him.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Seth said, patting his shoulder. “I knew you’d help.”

“I didn’t say I could do it,” Sandy warned. “I only said I’d try.”

Seth rose with a sigh.

“I’m off. Wish me luck.”

“Lots of it, son. You’re gonna need it.”

Musing about Dawson's Creek and Joey Potter

2008-06-11T13:35:26Z

Okay, I admit it. I'm recording the old eps off "the N" (tv for teens). I missed a lot of it first time around, and I do love me some JJ.
Anyway, I just watched the ep where Joey and Pacey have gotten back together, and they chaperone the professor's teen daughter's semi-formal, where she breaks up with Pacey AGAIN to go back to Eddie, who has just returned from California.

I never realized how confused Joey Potter really was. I mean, yeah, she's pretty, and she gets all the guys to tell her that.... But she really gave Dawson and Pacey the MAJOR runaround trying to decide what she wanted. Now, I would have chosen Pacey over Dawson in a heartbeat, and Eddie, as nice to look at as he is, is way too uninspired for me. But the fact that they all keep coming back after being rejected by her is completely annoying.

Now I know that she ends up with Pacey, and that makes me happy, since she chose who I would have. But I have to wonder why any guy would put up with as many mixed signals as she sends, and still be there in the end.

I know - FICTION - NOT REAL. Like the kids on 90210 sleeping with each other at various times - then finally realizing that they needed some new characters for them to sleep with.

But still.....

Then again, Katie's with Tom Cruise now....and appears to be in somewhat of a hypnotized state (or is that my imagination?). Will life imitate art? Will there be an intervention? A reprogramming?

To my anonymous gift giver

2008-06-03T09:16:23Z

Thank you so much for my gold star. It made me smile broadly.

Thank you Harvey Korman

2008-05-30T08:56:45Z

For all your wonderful characters on the Carol Burnett Show. You always made me laugh - and it was even funnier when you couldn't control your own laughter.

And a special thanks for Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles. I think that might be my favorite comedy ever, and you're one of the reasons why.

Rest in peace.

Got a Light - Chapter 24

2008-05-26T13:03:29Z

We're nearing the end of Frankie and Ryan's journey. Thanks as always to

mel39 for her stellar beta services,

and to 60schic for her assistance in finding the right voice.

catch up here

Chapter 24

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, my head,” I moaned out loud.

The morning sunlight shone through the crack in the shade and was hitting me right in my eyes. I closed them again, but my head still hurt. A lot. I dragged myself to a sitting position and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Jeez, even that hurt. I shuffled to the bathroom and turned on the shower, hoping that would help to wake me up.

I stood under the spray for what seemed like an eternity, and eventually the fog lifted enough so that I could keep my eyes open. I wrapped myself in a big towel, and sat down on the closed toilet.

What happened? I mean, I knew what happened; I met Ryan for lunch, but I don’t think I ate anything. Nope, my stomach answered with an angry growl, you didn’t. Okay, if I can’t be sure if I ate yesterday, then I definitely drank too much…without eating. Thus the major hangover.

I dressed in my comfy sweats and went downstairs, taking each step gingerly to avoid the simultaneous pounding in my head as my feet hit the steps. I pulled a bagel out of my freezer to toast, started the coffee, then sat down to recap yesterday’s events.

The only problem was I couldn’t remember that much. I remembered getting to the bar, ordering a beer, and rehearsing what I would say. Then I remembered seeing him. And I remembered a particularly long pee in the ladies’ room. Other than that, the whole trip was a blur.

As I got up to butter my bagel and pour my coffee, bits and pieces came back to me. Ryan walked me home. Why did he do that? Oh, right, ‘cause I couldn’t walk. He must have helped me inside. He was here…in my house. And he got me a glass of water. Did I even say thank you? How long was he here? What the hell did we talk about? Shit. Maybe he left a note? I didn’t see one. I went back upstairs as quickly as my body would allow and looked around. No, nothing. Maybe downstairs? I made my way back down – but there wasn’t a note there either. Damn.

I sat eating my bagel and drinking my coffee, begging the hangover gods to take pity on my soul, which should have known better, hoping to recall anything that I might have said to Ryan. I was angry, I know that. Did I yell at him?

My head hurt even more trying to force memories out. I would try a walk on the beach. Maybe the salt air would help to clear the cobwebs, and if I was lucky, maybe even help me to remember SOMETHING of what I said.

-------

Ryan had a clear schedule that day. His current project was waiting on inspections that wouldn’t be done until Monday. His original plan was to sleep in, but his night was filled with thoughts of Frankie, so it wasn’t a restful sleep, but at least he didn’t have to go to work. He was grateful for that; he had a lot on his mind, and it would have been difficult to concentrate.

He lay in bed, still reeling over what he and Frankie had discussed. She never moved. He never called. They had literally dropped each other without even realizing it, and it was all a misunderstanding; a lack of clarification. Unbelievable.

He rolled out of bed and into a shower, then dressed and went to make coffee, which he took outside. As he sipped, he remembered the last thing she said to him…

“I love you.”

It was a statement made under the influence, and he knew better than to take it seriously. But then again, didn’t you say what you really meant when you were drunk? He honestly wasn’t sure.

He knew that he loved her. That he wanted her in his life. More than anything. But it was dangerous territory. What if she didn’t want him? He wasn’t about to put himself out there again. It would hurt too much if she didn’t feel the same.

It was a nice morning. The weather report had promised bright sunshine and warmer, and amazingly they had gotten it right. For once, he had a day off with decent weather. He gazed out at his view of the water, and knew it would be a perfect morning to spend at the beach. He needed to sort out his thoughts, and could think of no better place.

--------

I put on my sunglasses to shield my still sensitive eyes from the glare before I drove to the beach. I parked and found a vacant bench to sit on to people watch until I felt a little more like myself. The beach was a popular destination that morning; lots of walkers and joggers and kite fliers and roller bladers and castle builders, all enjoying the nice weather. When I felt a little more human, I set out down the boardwalk first, planning on switching to the sand on the way back.

There was a nice breeze and I pulled off my baseball cap to let the wind catch my hair. I knew it meant I would be dealing with major tangles, but it seemed to help in my quest to find my normal. I kept up a nice pace and when I reached the end of the boardwalk and walked down to the water, there he was. Coming toward me. I made an effort to push my hair out of my eyes and stood my ground, hoping that I hadn’t done anything really bad, like telling him to fuck off or something. What if he didn’t even talk to me? Or want to?

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

Ryan noticed the familiar vehicle in the parking lot. She was here…somewhere. He smiled to himself; they obviously both gravitated to the same spot when they had things on their mind. He jumped out of his truck and used the fender to stretch out his muscles a little before breaking into a run down the beach, eyes searching the sand for her familiar form. He had to say excuse me at least a few times as he bobbed and weaved through the groups of people enjoying the beautiful day. He finally reached a clear path and spotted her in the distance, heading his way.

He wondered what she remembered from yesterday. Did she remember telling him she loved him? Did she even remember he was there? He didn’t know what he would say when he reached her, but he was determined to make things right between them. He wanted her. Badly. And he was going to make sure she knew it.

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

Ryan finally reached me, my feet having failed to move.

“Hey,” he said, breathing heavily from his run.

I was grateful that he spoke first, even if it was only one word.

“Hey,” I answered.

We both stood there for a moment and looked at each other. I knew I didn’t know what to say, but I needed to know what happened. So I plunged forward.

“So,” I said haltingly, “I had a little too much to drink yesterday.”

He laughed. But it wasn’t a mocking laugh; it was more like a sympathetic one.

“Yeah, I guess you did,” he answered, still smiling. “It happens.”

“And I didn’t eat first,” I admitted. “I should know better.”

He nodded.

“Well, we all make mistakes,” he said.

Another short silence followed until I broke it yet again.

“Can I ask you a question?” I said cautiously. “I kinda have a few blank spots.”

“Sure,” he offered. “What do you need to know?”

“Everything?” I admitted. “I know you helped me get home, but I don’t remember much else.”

“I can tell you all about it,” he said. “How about we find a seat somewhere?”

“Okay,” I agreed.

We walked down the beach, side by side in silence until we spotted a vacant bench in a small cove, a distance away from all the nice day celebrants. Good, I thought. This way if he tells me embarrassing things, it won’t be within earshot of strangers.

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

Ryan was equally happy to find the deserted bench. He hoped that a little private time would be in order after she heard what he had to say. But he refused to get ahead of himself. As much as he wanted it, she had to want it too.

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

We sat on the bench, inches from each other, both gazing out at the water. I thought maybe I should just ask questions, but then he started talking.

“By the time I got to the bar,” he began, “I think you were already on your way.”

I nodded my agreement.

“Yeah,” I confessed. “I got there early, and ordered some liquid courage.”

“I think it helped,” he continued, “’cause you started in on me pretty quickly.”

“Oh,” I said, crestfallen, “was it really bad?”

“Not really,” he said, “but you accused me of dropping you like a bad habit.”

I remembered that part now. I was really angry.

“But I told you that you dropped me by moving to L.A.”

“But I didn’t.”

“I know that now,” Ryan said sadly. “I found out yesterday. We both were angry and hurt, and it turns out it was for no reason.”

I sat for a moment, completely shocked. As he was recounting the events, I was remembering.

“So anyway, you went to the bathroom after that, and when you came back, you insisted that we had more to say, but you were pretty far gone, so I offered to take you home,” he continued. “You started to object, but I think by then you knew you would have trouble getting there by yourself.”

I nodded in agreement. Now I could remember him helping me home.

“You couldn’t even find your sunglasses, and they were on your head,” he joked. “I think you were way past gone.”

I laughed out loud.

“I’ve done that before, and sober too,” I admitted. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Don’t be,” he consoled me. “It does happen to the best of us.”

“Yeah, but that wasn’t the best time,” I said sadly. “We needed to talk, and I blew it.”

“We talked,” Ryan explained, “once I got you home.”

“Okay,” I said reluctantly. “Please continue.”

“So I got you home, and made sure you made it upstairs okay,” he went on, “and got you a glass of water.”

Again, his retelling it was bringing it all back.

“Wait,” I interrupted, “did I fall down the stairs?”

“Almost,” he said, “but I caught you.”

I now remembered his arms around me on the stairs and how good it felt.

“Anyway, we continued our discussion once you were settled,” he said.

“And?”

I was eager to hear if we resolved anything.

“And,” he said slowly, “we discussed what happened. How I thought you left town and didn’t call. How you thought I just stopped calling. How neither of us realized what had happened, and how fucked up it was that we both dropped each other because we weren’t really communicating.”

He stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Did I get nasty? I sometimes do that when I’m wasted. But I never really mean it. I’m usually only angry with myself.”

“No,” he said softly. “You weren’t nasty… at all.”

“So what happened?”

He paused for a minute, seemingly considering what to say or how to say it.

“You were falling asleep….,” he started.

“AND?”

“Right before you dozed off…,” he continued.

“AND?”

I couldn’t imagine what I had said then that was causing him to hesitate. What could be so awful that he couldn’t get it out?

“You said ‘I love you’.”

I looked up at him and into his eyes for the first time since he had begun.

“I did?”

“Yeah,” he said, his face crinkling into a smile, but an unsure one.

“And what did you do?” I asked. The suspense was killing me.

“I kissed you on the forehead and left,” he said.

“Oh,” I said, dejected.

“You were asleep,” he said.

I FELL ASLEEP? He must have thought I was already dreaming when I said that. I had to tell him that it was meant for him. I had to tell him. But before I could say anything, he turned to me and leaned in.

“I left because you fell asleep, but we weren’t finished,” he said, his face now close to mine.

I waited, because it seemed like he wanted to say more.

“I had more to say, but there was no point,” he continued.

I agreed.

“I didn’t remember most of this,” I admitted, “so you’re probably right.”

“So…this is what I would have said,” he started again.

I waited again, hoping against hope that he would say what I wanted…no, needed to hear.

“I’m sorry…for everything,” he said.
“Me too,” I agreed.

“I miss you,” he went on. “More than I ever thought I could miss anyone.”

Tears welled up in my eyes.

“Me too,” I admitted, sniffling slightly.

“I want you in my life,” he said, his blue eyes meeting mine.

“Me too,” I said again.

“And…I love you,” he said, his face full of hope.

The tears that had welled up finally found their way down my face as I leaned forward to kiss him softly on the lips.

“Me too,” I whispered, kissing him again, “but you already knew that.”

Got a Light - Chapter 23

2008-05-15T14:44:53Z

Thanks to my beta mel39 who always finds my oopses in the nick of time.
Thanks also to 60schic for the readthrough and the vote of confidence.

catch up here

Got a Light – Chapter 23

Thursday came quickly and I lay around the house after breakfast, running over in my head what I wanted to say to Ryan when I saw him. I had managed up until now to keep my cool, but there was no guarantee that I would be able to control my anger once he was in front of me. I determined to do my best to be rational; I was a grownup after all, and should be able to present my case without hysterics or tears. I should.

When it was time to get ready, I dressed quickly and headed out the door, leaving earlier than necessary, so that I could have a drink for courage before he arrived. It was close enough to walk there; that’s why I chose it.

=======================================

Ryan hurried home after a morning meeting at the latest job site to shower and change. He knew he shouldn’t show up for his lunch with Frankie not looking his best. After all, she needed to know what she gave up when she moved to L.A. He managed to work it out so that he arrived right at one o’clock. He didn’t want to appear too eager. But he was – to see her and look into her eyes; even if it was just to say good bye again.

======================================

I got there around twelve-thirty, chose a table in the corner for privacy, sat with a view of the door and ordered a beer, knowing that it would take the edge off my nervousness. It arrived and I drank it quickly, breathing deeply in between gulps. I was considering what to say and was on my tenth or eleventh scenario and my third beer when he walked through the door.

=======================================

Ryan walked into the bar exactly at one, removed his sunglasses and stood in the doorway waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dimmer light. When he was able to see clearly, there she was at a table in the corner, distracted by something on the big screen tv. He was relieved that her attention was elsewhere, because she definitely would have noticed him staring at her from afar. She looked even better than he had remembered. Maybe she had found someone to make her happy – happiness had a way of showing on a person. He took a deep breath and walked toward her.

====================================

There he was.

I needed to keep my wits about me. He came over to the table, an unsure look on his face, and I could have melted into his arms right there. But I had a reason for meeting him, and in order for me to really move on, I needed to speak my mind without the physical attraction that was still so palpable taking over.

===========================================

“Hey,” I said, my voice slightly slowed by the alcohol.

“Hey yourself,” he answered, signaling the bartender for another for me and one for himself before pulling out the chair next to me.

He leaned in for a peck on my cheek, then pulled back, seemingly unsure of what would happen next.

A few seconds of silence followed, broken by the bartender sending over the beers. For all my bravado and rehearsing, I wasn’t sure how to begin. Fortunately, he spoke first.

“So, how’ve you been?” he asked, his eyes searching my face.

“I’m good, and you?” I replied.

Both skirting around the elephant in the bar.

“Good,” he answered back. “Busy.”

“Me too,” I said.

Was the elephant getting bigger or was it the beer?

“How’s the new job going?” he asked.

“It’s really good,” I answered. “It’s the perfect fit for me.”

“I’m happy for you,” he said.

His tone was genuine. He cared enough to see me happy. But why didn’t he realize that he had made me happy; happier than I’d ever been before? I decided to take the plunge.

“You are?” I inquired, feigning surprise.

“Of course I am,” he answered, his tone changing to one of hurt. “Why would you think I wouldn’t be?”

I downed the rest of my beer and waved my hand for another.

“Well, you did kinda drop me like a bad habit,” I said sarcastically. I think I was already slurring a little, but I didn’t care. I had started this, and I was going to finish it.

“What are you talking about?” Ryan said, apparently surprised by my tone.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” I answered as my next beer arrived and I took a large swig.

“No, I don’t,” Ryan responded, confused. “I dropped you?”

“Yeah,” I said, my temper rising at his pretense.

“Who moved to L.A. without even asking me what I thought?” he asked, his voice rising.

Now I was confused. Was it the beer? More than likely.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stated firmly. “Who moved to L.A.?”

“You did,” Ryan said, “and you didn’t even consider my feelings.”

I sat dumbfounded, unable to respond. I didn’t move to L.A.; my job is only based there. Why did he think that? I was angry and confused and drunk and had to pee really badly. I tried to stand up and fell back into my chair.

“I have to pee,” I said unceremoniously, standing slowly this time and holding onto the table.

“Let me help you,” he offered.

“NO! I’m fine,” I insisted, and weaved my way to the bathroom.

I reached the bathroom and literally fell onto the toilet for an extensive pee, all the while wondering how I was going to get up. I sat there for what seemed like an eternity, then braced my hands along the stall walls and stood upright.

I made my way to the sink and leaned on it for support. I checked my reflection and knew I looked more than a little wasted. Damn. I was only trying to keep myself together and I had gone too far. Ryan was still out there, waiting for me, and I hadn’t a clue what to say next.

I threw some water on my face and went back to the table where he was indeed waiting. He even stood up on my return to hold my chair for me.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

“Yep. Fine and dandy,” I chirped, trying to get through the haze that had taken over my brain.

“I’m gonna take you home,” Ryan determined.

“No, I’m fine. Besides, we didn’t eat,” I moaned.

“Yeah, I think that’s your problem,” he said. “No arguments, you’re going home.”

I wasn’t in any position to argue; I could barely stand up, and food wouldn’t help at this point. I was too far gone. He stood up and took my arm to help me up, and the electricity from his touch shot through me. I chose to ignore it the best I could. He led me to the bar, where he handed the bartender some bills, and guided me to the door. I watched him as he put his sunglasses on with one hand, and wondered what had happened to mine.

“I had sunglasses,” I said. “I don’t know what I did with them.”

He reached on top of my head and pulled them off for me.

“Here they are,” he said with a smile.

I managed a small smile back as I put them on and we went outside. We walked in silence until I finally managed to squeak out an apology.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I mean, I’m sorry I drank too much.”

“It’s okay,” he answered.

“No, it’s not,” I insisted. “I wanted to be a grownup and handle this maturely. Instead I’m drunk, and you have to help me home.”

“We can talk again,” Ryan said softly, his arm around my shoulder, guiding me toward my house.

“No, I wanna talk now,” I whined. I knew that I was acting like an idiot, but the beer had taken over.

“Okay,” he said, stifling a laugh, “we can talk now. Can you at least wait until I get you home?”

“Okay,” I sniffled.

We shuffled along until we reached my house. I walked ahead of him, pulled my keys out of my pocket, climbed the stairs, and aimed for the doorknob, only to miss and fall backwards into his arms.

He held me there for a few seconds, looking down on me with ‘that’ look; those intense blue eyes that could see inside me. I forced myself to look away as he helped steady me to my feet again.

“Here, give me those,” he offered, taking the keys and reaching around me to open the door. He pushed it open and waited for me to enter.

Ryan hesitated in the doorway. He wasn’t sure if he should go inside. After all, she didn’t ask him. But she wouldn’t make it upstairs to her bedroom without help, that he was sure of. He looked inside and there she was, leaning on the wall, having not moved more than a few steps after entering. He decided he’d stay long enough to get her to bed, and let himself out. He stepped into the front hall and shut the door behind him.

I heard the door close behind me, and turned my head to see Ryan standing there.

“I think you’re gonna need some help,” he suggested. “I’ll help you get upstairs and get you a big glass of water.”

“’K,” I acquiesced. “And then we’ll talk, right?”

“Right,” he promised with a wink. “Now let’s try those stairs. I’ll be right behind you.”

I aimed for the stairs and found the banister, only to still teeter on the first step, and true to his word, he was there to keep me from falling, hands on my waist. The sensation was familiar, and I almost let myself forget for a moment how angry and hurt I still was, but then I remembered and plunged forward, taking the rest of the steps quickly.

He followed me to the bedroom, where I lowered myself to sit on the bed, then he turned to go downstairs.

“I’m going to get you that water now,” he said. “Don’t move.”

“I don’t think I can,” I answered with a pout.

I listened to his footsteps on the stairs and thought how nice it was to have someone there with me. But I still hadn’t said what I needed to say, and I was determined to get it out.

I leaned over to untie my sneakers, only to almost fall again, and again he was there to prop me up.

“Easy there, tiger, let me help you,” he said, setting the water glass down and kneeling to untie my sneakers for me. He swung my legs up onto the bed and propped up the pillows, making sure I was comfortable. Each time he leaned in, I could catch his scent and those memories came flooding back. I pushed them down yet again.

“You okay now?” he asked softly.

“You’re not leaving,” I stated firmly. “We still have to talk.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “Is it all right if I sit down?”

“Yes,” I allowed, “as long as it’s over there,” gesturing to the chair next to the bed so he couldn’t look directly at me.

“You didn’t call,” I said sadly, tears forming in my eyes. “You just stopped calling. No good byes, no explanation. You could have at least told me it was over.”

He attempted to interject, but I held my hand up to stop him.

“Please let me finish.”

“I was so excited about my job, and wanted only to share the news with you, and you weren’t even excited for me. You were so important to me, and it would have made it that much better to have you be happy for me. Instead, as soon as you heard, something changed. You changed. And then you just didn’t call.”

Ryan just sat there in disbelief. Did she really expect him to be happy when it meant she was leaving him? For a JOB?

“You were the first guy in a long time that I even considered letting into my life. You showed me how to live again, and I thought we had something really special. When you didn’t call, it hurt. A lot. How could you do something like that?”

Ryan was angry. What about him? What about the fact that she was eager and willing to choose a job instead of him? She needed to know what he felt, how what happened affected him. She thought she was the one that got hurt? He took a few deep breaths to collect himself before answering.

“So,” he said, “first of all, I didn’t drop you. You dropped me. You took a job in Los Angeles without even a thought for me or our relationship. When I realized that I didn’t matter enough to you to even consider how I would feel about you moving away, I didn’t bother to call. Why would I?”

I sat upright, my head still spinning.

“What? Moving away? Who’s moving?”

“You are….were,” he said. “You took a job in L.A. and you moved there.”

“No, I didn’t,” I corrected. “I didn’t leave. The job is a telecommute. I only go to L.A. once a month!”

“Wait,” he said, “you never moved to L.A.?”

“Nope, been right here. Except for the monthly meetings. Then I go for a few days, and come right back home.”

“Wow,” he said.

“You thought I moved?”

“Yeah. I thought that what we had didn’t matter that much to you, so you left,” Ryan admitted. “Maybe if you had told me.”

“I thought you knew,” I replied sadly, sliding down on the bed to lie down flat. “You should have known that I wouldn’t leave you.”

Ryan sat in the chair, head down, his brain trying to absorb what Frankie had just told him. If he had known, or she had known, this would never have happened. Would they still be together? He stood up and stretched, then looked over at Frankie. Her eyes were practically closed. He pulled the covers up over her, and leaned in, giving her a light kiss on her forehead.

“Bye,” he whispered.

“I love you,” I murmured, tugging the covers up around my neck.

Ryan stood there for a few seconds watching her as she slept. Was it the alcohol talking, or did she really mean that? He knew he loved her. Seeing her again had reminded him how much. But she was wasted; she probably wouldn’t even remember this in the morning. He walked softly down the stairs, out the door and back to the bar where his truck was. He had no idea what happened next.

Got a Light - Chapter 22

2008-05-07T21:23:42Z

I know - You've forgotten all about this story. Well, I know some of you haven't, as I've been nudged on more than one occasion. I looked back and horrors! it's been since October since I've visited this world.

Thanks to my bestest beta mel39 for her keen eye as always.

A special thanks to 60schic for her counsel and assistance on all fronts....without her, I would still be stuck in what do I do and where do I go now mode. Thanks to her, I'm back into it, and chapters should be a little closer together in coming.

refresh your memory here

Chapter 22

Three months had passed. I had just returned from my monthly meeting, and the job was going very well. John made the decision to reduce the overhead of a big office, and most of the staff worked from home anyway, so all of our personal stuff had been packed for us and moved to the new home base, John’s new house in a residential area near the beach. He took us all there to show it to us. The upstairs was where he lived, and the whole downstairs was a home office, which was really all that was needed. Turns out that someone knew someone who knew someone, and he had gotten a bargain. We all received webcams for future meetings, so that trips to L.A. would be fewer. But there was still enough room for the occasional in-person gathering.

We all had our own specific areas and projects, but were contacted for brainstorming on more than one occasion. I really enjoyed hearing the others’ opinions on my projects, as well as giving input to theirs, which made the webcam even more valuable for group discussions from all over the country. What made it even better was that I loved what I was doing. Some days I worked mornings; other days, evenings. Every once in a while, I’d wake up in the night with an idea, and head to my computer to make sure I didn’t forget it. My time was my own as long as I met the deadlines.

I saw my friends frequently now. We met for dinner mostly or drinks. There was talk of kids and parents and work, and we laughed. A lot. It was almost perfect.

Almost. As I unpacked my duffle bag, I realized that the only thing that was missing was someone to share my life with. I hadn’t had much time to sit and brood, but when I did, my thoughts turned to Ryan. I still wondered what had happened between us; or rather, what hadn’t. We had that magical time together, and just as quickly, it was over.

I was grateful for the time we shared and that he had helped me to live again. My life would be much different if I hadn’t met him. I might never have pulled myself back up and found this great job. I don’t know what direction my life would have taken..

But I wondered if he still lived in the area. I ran my errands the way I always had before, and never ran into him. I couldn’t imagine that he had moved away; that house had been his dream, and it was all him. I even visited my favorite beach on occasion to work through a tough assignment or to clear my head. I will admit to hoping he would appear, and at the same time, relieved that he hadn’t. What would I say to him? I had actually spent time thinking about it.

‘Thanks for not calling.’

No, that wouldn’t be right.

‘So, how’ve you been?’

Nope, not that either. Casual wouldn’t work.

I honestly didn’t know what I would say, so maybe it was better that I hadn’t seen him. We’d both moved on with our lives, but I would always wonder what had happened.

My married friends occasionally had dinner parties, and always had a ‘guy for me’ there. They were nice enough, but I found myself comparing all of them to Ryan, and they could never measure up. Ryan was a fantasy, and no man would ever fit that criteria. Besides, I was content with the way things were, right?

I sighed a deep sigh and unpacked the rest of my stuff, took a shower, dried my hair, pulled on my pajamas and crawled into bed. I was exhausted and fell into a sound sleep.

…………………………………………..

The alarm went off at five a.m. in Ryan’s bedroom. He moaned his dissent and swung his legs over the side of the bed, forcing his body into a sitting position. He had to sit up because he couldn’t use the snooze button to catch a few more z’s. He wasn’t one of those people. He’d sleep until noon.

He never should have stayed up so late, he thought as he stretched his still sleeping muscles. The latest project had been a resounding success, and all the guys on the crew had insisted they go out to celebrate, so he went, but he never planned on staying late. He had finally extricated himself around one and the walk home, although wise considering his alcohol intake, only served to wake him up again. The last time he had seen the clock, it was two-thirty. Two and a half hours of sleep, and a busy day ahead of him. Even being a morning person wouldn’t help him today.

He stood and stretched again before jumping into the shower. It was there that his mind drifted to thoughts of Frankie. He thought of her often. His memories were happy ones, but they were tinged with regret and sadness.

He didn’t know what had happened. He thought they had something worth keeping and building on. But then she had taken the job in L.A., and hadn’t even thought to consider his feelings. She hadn’t even asked him what he thought; she just presented it as a done deal. He knew then that she hadn’t felt the same about him that he had about her. She was the first woman in a long time that actually had him considering the possibility of a long term commitment, although he had never said it out loud. Good thing, he admitted to himself. How embarrassing would that have been; to suggest living together or even marriage, and to have her shoot him down in favor of a job?

He stepped out of the shower and dressed for the day in his ‘I’m gonna get dirty today’ clothes, and went to the kitchen, where the well-timed coffee was already waiting. He poured himself a cup and reached for his well worn work boots, pulling them on between sips.

He wondered if she had found happiness in L.A. Had she met someone? Was the job what she really needed to complete her life?

He chastised himself for spending so much time thinking about her. Stop it – he told himself – you’re wasting time on someone that obviously didn’t want you enough to stay in town. She didn’t think enough of you to even ask how you felt about her moving. He shook his head vigorously in an attempt to remove the thoughts.

He poured the rest of the coffee into his travel mug and headed for the door, closed and locked it behind him, then jumped into his truck to start his day.

………………………

I woke up the next day filled with ideas for my current project, so I practically ran downstairs to get coffee, then headed out to my deck with my laptop to get them down before they faded away with the morning fog. It looked like rain, but so far the drops hadn’t found their way down to the ground, so I settled in to get some more work done before even getting dressed.

The morning flew by; there was no clock outside and I had barely noticed the one on my laptop. If it hadn’t been for the coffee kicking in, inspiring me to need the bathroom, I would never have noticed that it was almost noon, and the sky had darkened considerably. So I closed up shop and headed inside before the heavens opened.

I had accomplished a lot in a short time; it was one of the best things about this job. When the mood struck me, I could crank out results quickly. When it didn’t, the times that I worked like a maniac more than made up for it.

My plan for the day was to go and restock the fridge. I had let that slide, being so busy, and now that it was raining, I was in the mood to cook. Soup maybe, or a stew. So I went upstairs, dressed quickly and headed out in the misty beginnings of a storm to the supermarket.

……………………………………….

After finishing some paperwork at the office which took most of the morning, Ryan headed for the job site, then realized that he had promised muffins or donuts for the for the guys as thanks for all their hard work. So he made a left turn and headed for the best baked goods in town – located inside the local supermarket.

He arrived and headed straight for the bakery section, then strolled back and forth in front of the display, trying to decide what looked good. He finally made his decision, asking the clerk for crumb cakes and apple turnovers in equal amounts, then took his purchases to the check out line. He reached for his wallet, and a recently acquired business card fell to the ground. He bent down to pick it up, and when he stood up again, there she was.

Frankie. Two rows down. He couldn’t help but stare; was it her? He kept his eyes on her, trying to confirm what he was seeing. She was wearing a baseball cap so he couldn’t be sure. But she must have felt his eyes on her because her eyes turned to meet his.

Their eyes locked for a split second, and he could swear he saw hers well up with tears. She turned her head away and headed out the door quickly, with a quick backwards glance. Was she running from him?

He was tempted to drop his purchases right there, but didn’t want to cause a scene, so he waited his turn, tapping his foot impatiently, then practically threw the money at the cashier and almost ran out the door to follow her. But he was too late. By the time he got out there, she was gone.

He headed back to his truck, ignoring the rain pelting down on his head, and climbed in, still focused on that moment that their eyes met. She looked beautiful, as he had remembered, even in that hat. He had always liked her in hats. He started up the truck and sat there, idling the engine. She moved to L.A.; why would she be shopping here? Was she just visiting? He finally put the truck in gear and drove on, still wondering what she was doing back in town.

…………………………………..

I pulled into my driveway, turned off the motor and just sat there…staring at the rain beating down on the windshield. Ryan…was…..there…. Looking right at me. And I looked back. But did nothing. Except run. As fast as I could.

I finally pulled myself together enough to bring my groceries into the house and put them away, the whole time reminding myself to take deep breaths. But when I was through, and finally sat down, the tears came – in buckets. For all my bravado, and my ‘I don’t need anyone’ posture, it would have been obvious to anyone, including me, that I was a long way from being over Ryan.

I never expected to see him again, although I did want to. I never expected myself to react that way, although I did need to. I needed that good cry, I thought, as I sniffled my way through a few tissues. He saw me and stared right at me, but didn’t say a word. I guess I was grateful that he didn’t; if he had, I might have broken down in the middle of the store. This way I could fall apart in peace.

Once I had collected myself, I decided to continue my original plan and cook. I had purchased the makings for stew, so I started assembling the ingredients, hoping to keep the tears that threatened to return at bay. I turned on the radio to my favorite oldies station, and found myself bopping around the kitchen to the music. I was almost finished getting everything into the pot when the phone rang. I opted to let the machine answer it; after all, during the day, it was all about the solicitor phone call, and I wasn’t about to let that ruin the mood I had been able to establish.

The music was loud so I couldn’t hear whatever message was left, and I ignored the fact that one was there while I completed my preparations. When I was officially done, and the stew was simmering on the stove, I went to the living room and hit play. I heard the voice and had to sit down.

“Frankie? It’s Ryan.”

His voice. It was the same. And it did something to me.

“Hey, I know it’s been a while. I saw you today in the supermarket. I thought we might get together and catch up. How about lunch sometime? You name the time and place and I’ll be there.”

I sat stunned in my chair. He sounded sincere, and yet it was like we were college roommates or something; like we could reminisce about the fun we had and part company again. I couldn’t believe it. I knew I had to meet him, if only to speak my mind about what happened, and to tell him what I thought of him dropping me like a bad habit.

I was simmering with anger at his nonchalance as I got up to check my stew. I had to calm myself down. I stepped out onto the deck into the rain and let it wash over me, soaking me again in the process, but it felt good. I was able to find my way to thinking rationally about it, and made the decision to call him back and set a time to meet him. Was tomorrow too soon? Yes, I reasoned, don’t seem too eager. The next day would be soon enough and would give me time to figure out what I was going to say.

I dialed his number (which was unfortunately still committed to memory) with a shaky hand, silently hoping he wouldn’t be home. He wasn’t and I was relieved. The message came on and I heard his voice. I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts, then left my message:

“Hey, Ryan. Good to hear from you. Lunch sounds nice. How about the sports bar on Thursday? Around one? If you can’t make it, let me know, otherwise I’ll see you then.”

I hung up the phone, hoping that my voice hadn’t quavered too much, or given anything away. I wanted to save it all for when I saw him again.

TV commericial thought

2008-02-09T11:25:32Z

Has anyone else noticed the plethora of Beatles songs in commercials lately?
CHASE - Any Time At All
TARGET - Hello Goodbye
etc.
I remember reading a while back that Michael Jackson is the owner of most of the Lennon/McCartney catalog. So perhaps he's finding a way to earn some income, since it's likely that anything else he might choose wouldn't generate $$$.

Never mind the fact that the LifeWater commercial from the SuperBowl had the lizards dancing the zombie dance from Thriller.

Just wondering.

The sentence challenge

2007-09-16T17:34:24Z

Thanks to ctoan for being the ringmistress of this event.

This is written for mel39.
I couldn't very well ask Mel to beta her own story, now could I, never mind the fact that she's a traveling gal, so........
A HUMONGOUS THANK YOU to 60schic for her invaluable beta skills and helpful suggestions, including the title. It's a better story because of her.

For Mel39: Julie calls Ryan and asks for his help with Kaitlin.

The Less Related Sister

Ryan got out of his car at the beach and began his morning ritual. A good stretch, a good run, and his morning coffee fix waiting when he finished.

It was a beautiful morning, bright and blue, with just a hint of sun. He stretched slowly and carefully, remembering the lessons of previous muscle pulls. When he was satisfied that he was warmed up, he started his jog along the water’s edge. As he ran, he moved to the uneven sand, revisiting the damp water’s edge at different intervals. He found that it broke up the run to use the different surfaces.

The sun broke through the morning mist and the air’s temperature rose which had Ryan slowing his pace. Damn those extra fifteen minutes of sleep. He chastised himself for forgetting to set his alarm.

He reached the pier, his halfway mark, and headed back in the other direction, cursing having stayed up too late. There had been a party on campus, with lots of people and lots of music, something he normally would have skipped, but his roommates insisted. He had to admit he had a good time. A few beers in the quad and hanging with the guys had been a good distraction, and it was worth it, even if his head was still a bit fuzzy.

He finally had a day to himself after running himself ragged for a week. School had been busy; there were assignments from day one, and work had gotten busy since all the kids had finally settled in. There was lots of disposable income around, and the Italian restaurant that had hired him based on his El Pavo Guapo references was always hopping. He had planned this day off all week, and had driven to Newport first thing, so that he could enjoy the beach. It was probably one of the only things that he missed living in Berkeley.

Taylor was in France, determined to finish the semester there before a transfer to Berkeley in the spring. Seth and Summer were in Rhode Island, along with Anna, and the three had formed their own alliance against pretentiousness, which seemed to run rampant there. Sandy was busy fixing what was broken in the local PD’s office. Kirsten was busy with Sophie, and setting up her new baby clothing line with Julie’s help. Everyone had found their niche, at least for the moment. He smiled, grateful that things seemed to be on an even keel for the first time in a long while.

As he neared his Jeep again, he checked his watch and was satisfied to note that he had done the distance a little faster than usual. He used the towel on the seat to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and drank down a bottle of cold water from his cooler. He had certainly earned his coffee this morning.

Taking his coffee from the car, he sat on the bench facing the ocean and took a large swig. He hadn’t decided how to spend his free day yet; maybe just sitting here listening to the sounds of the surf for a while was a good start. He closed his eyes and took in the warmth of the sun.
At times like this, he found his mind drifting back to Marissa. He still missed her, although the pain had faded. She would be on the boat with her dad now, searching for whatever she needed to find. If she had lived, they would be in touch now, sharing their experiences from an ocean away. He was sure of that. They were linked forever in their friendship, no matter where their lives took them. He was sure of that, too.

The honk of a car horn startled him out of his reverie. He opened his eyes to see Julie exiting her BMW and heading toward him with a wave of her hand.

Uh oh, he thought, this can’t be good. They had reconciled their differences after Marissa’s death, but still, if she was looking for him, there was trouble ahead. So much for a quiet day of solitude. He rose to greet her.

“Julie,” he acknowledged with a brief hug. “What’s up?”
“I’m so glad I found you,” Julie said, relief flooding her voice. “I found out from Kirsten that you took the day off, and I’ve been looking everywhere. I need your help.”

He was right. Trouble ahead.

“It’s Kaitlyn.”

This got Ryan’s attention. Kaitlyn had been fairly quiet since Marissa’s death. But he hadn’t been in touch with her like he had promised, being so busy with school and work. He knew now that he should have been more vigilant in keeping tabs on her, if Julie was worried enough to track him down.

“What about Kaitlyn?” Ryan asked, prepared for anything.

“She’s been skipping school,” Julie explained. “I just found out today. The school called and I happened to be home. I guess she’s been fielding the phone calls since I’m usually not there in the morning.”

“A lot of kids skip school,” Ryan said, trying to reassure her. “It doesn’t mean that she’s in trouble.”

“Normally, I’d agree. I know that Marissa did. Hell, I did too. But she’s usually so up front with me. We’ve been honest with each other about everything since the accident.”

Julie’s frustration was evident. Frank left right after the baby was born, but she had found a comfortable life with Bullitt. Patrick was growing like a weed, and she was thrilled to have a little one around again. Kaitlyn had been thrilled to have Bullitt as a surrogate dad and a new baby brother; it was what she wanted. So why was she doing this?

Ryan considered what she said. She was right; Julie was always right there in your face, but she gave as good as she got. She had no pretense at all and would admit any transgressions to anyone who’d listen. Her daughter was no different.

“So where is she now? Do you know?” Ryan inquired.

“She could be anywhere,” Julie fretted. “I’m guessing the gym or maybe the mall. I was going to try and find her but then I thought better of it. You’re much better with her, I was hoping you’d be willing to give it a shot. She’s more likely to open up to you, I guess.”

Ryan and Kaitlyn had bonded after Marissa’s death, and then even more so after Patrick was born and Frank left. Ryan had been there, done that with Frank. Kaitlyn had sought him out to talk about it, as someone would confide in a big brother. Julie was right; he probably could get through to her.

“OK, I’ll try,” Ryan agreed. “I’ll see if I can track her down and find out what’s going on. No promises, but I’ll do what I can.”

“Thank you so much, Ryan. I didn’t know where else to turn,” Julie admitted. “You seem to have a way with the Cooper women.”

Ryan smiled, remembering the use of that line before.

“Nah,” he said bashfully. “I just seem to be good with other people’s problems.”

Julie laughed.

“Yes, you do. You were always there for Marissa. I know that now,” Julie confessed. “If only…”

There was a brief look of longing on her face which disappeared with a shake of her head.

“We have our memories, right?” she said cheerfully.

“Right,” Ryan acknowledged, feeling the moment of longing along with her. “Keep your cell on, and I’ll call you as soon as I know anything, okay?”

Julie nodded, then gave Ryan’s hand a quick squeeze.

“You promise you’ll call?” she reminded as she headed for her car.

“Absolutely,” he promised.

As Julie drove away, Ryan considered his options. Where would she go? Probably not the mall OR the gym; those were places that people would notice her as someone who should be in school. More likely she was hanging out somewhere where she could blend in or disappear.
He finished his coffee and jumped into his Jeep to start his search. He started the engine, then shut it off. He knew where she was.

Ryan remembered after Marissa died, he ran into Kaitlyn on the beach. Near the ice cream shop. She was sitting on the bench that faced it….alone…..with her own thoughts. He had approached her to ask if she was okay, and she had been crying. Ryan encouraged her to share what she was feeling, and she told him about their family trips for ice cream when she was little. She admitted to Ryan that even though she and Marissa fought, she missed her every day. He told her he did too, and put his arm around her to comfort her.

The ice cream shop wasn’t there. It had collapsed in the earthquake. But they were rebuilding, and Kaitlyn had mentioned that she wanted to work there when it reopened. Maybe it was the memories; maybe the geeky guy that she had bonded with; maybe even the free ice cream. She at least was looking forward to the future.

Ryan headed out on foot, hoping that he would find her there.

There she was, on that same bench. This time she was watching the rebuilding with intense interest; or was she just staring into space? He approached her slowly, but made enough noise so that she’d hear him coming. She turned at the sound of his shoes scuffing the boards behind her.

“Hi, Ryan,” she sniffled, trying to hide the fact that she had been crying.

He flashed back to the last time they met this way and he struggled briefly with his own emotions before speaking.

“Hey, Kaitlyn. Long time no see,” he answered, sitting down next to her.

There was a comfortable silence as he joined her in observing the workers.

“So …you thinking of going in for construction?” he kidded, hoping to make her smile.

It worked. The sides of her mouth turned up slightly.

“Yeah, I thought I might,” she answered sarcastically. “It runs in the family, right?”

Ryan smiled back.

“I could give you a few pointers, write some references,” Ryan offered, continuing the joke.

“That’d be awesome,” Kaitlyn replied, her smile fading.

“So…,” Ryan started again, “what’s new?”

His question was met with more silence.

“Katy? You in there?”

“Yep, I’m here. Wherever that is,” Kaitlyn responded, her expression unreadable.

Even if Julie hadn’t told him that something had shifted with Kaitlyn, Ryan would have known with one look. It was all in her face, whatever it was. She looked like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. He figured he might as well just dive in.

“Okay, so your mom sent me to look for you,” he ventured carefully.

Before she could voice the protest he saw coming, he continued.

“Now don’t freak out. She was worried about you and thought maybe I could help.”

Kaitlyn had been avoiding his glance for fear of losing it. But it was too late. She burst into tears, burying her face in his chest.

What was it with him and crying women, he asked himself as he embraced her. He sat very still and stroked her hair until she cried herself out. When he sensed she was done, he went across to the burger place, grabbed some napkins from their outside table, brought them back to her and sat back down.

“Blow your nose,” he joked. “Snot is not pretty.”

Kaitlyn laughed this time.

“Don’t say snot, Ryan,” she giggled, seemingly relieved to have released some of the tension she had been holding in. She blew her nose, wiped her eyes, and let out a large sigh.

“Thanks,” she said gratefully. “I needed that.”

“Now tell me,” Ryan insisted. “What’s going on? Crying like that, it must be serious.”

Kaitlyn sniffled again.

“It’s not a big deal,” she confessed. “My hormones are running a little high right now.”

“Well, tell me anyway,” Ryan said firmly, choosing not to pursue that statement. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me.”

Kaitlyn sighed. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Try me,” Ryan persisted. “Can’t hurt to try.”

Kaitlyn stood up and faced him.

“Nothing feels right,” she started. “I go through the motions at school, but everything else seems to be passing me by. I can’t get interested in anything, so I do nothing. The kids at school are all brainless rich kids, and I don’t seem to fit. You know what that’s like, right?”

Ryan nodded his head.

“I do,” he agreed. “It’s hard to find your place, especially in high school.”

She continued, “I’ve been doing all the things that I know mom suspects. I drink, I smoke, I do drugs whenever I can find them, I sometimes even have one night stands. I know from what happened with Marissa that it’s not an answer, but it takes the pressure off, you know?”

She looked down at Ryan, who was nodding his understanding.

“I’m smarter than this, I know I am. I can run circles around the other kids, and without working too hard, I can get into a good school and make my mom and Bullitt proud. But that won’t fix this feeling, this sense of being outside looking in.”

Ryan sat in silence, contemplating what she said. He did know what she was going through. He found himself thinking of himself back then. The only reason he hadn’t fallen into that trap was the way he grew up. He supposed he could thank Trey and Dawn and even Frank, because without enduring what he did, he could have spiraled down easily back in Chino.

“You are smarter than this,” Ryan concurred. “And you can do anything you want. You are a Cooper after all, and one tough broad.”

This elicited a laugh from Kaitlyn, so he had accomplished that.

“I mean it,” he continued. “You are. You need to find something that interests you, something that you want to do. Not for your mom or for Bullitt, but for yourself.”

“That sounds good, but what?” Kaitlyn asked. “Seriously, how did you find something?”

“Actually, I kinda fell into it working construction,” Ryan said. “I found out how much I liked the way buildings were designed, and got curious about all the different aspects of it. Kirsten helped too, just by being involved in building, then I spent that time interning at the Newport Group. It gave me some direction beyond going through the motions. After I found that, it didn’t matter that I didn’t always fit, because I had something that I wanted to learn about. Something that gave me a reason to be.”

He paused, and noted that Kaitlyn was paying attention. Who would have thought that he was so good at this? Maybe he should have become a guidance counselor, or even worse, a shrink? He shuddered inwardly at the thought.

“Is there something that does that for you?” he asked Kaitlyn. “Something that you always notice and take time to investigate?”

She shook her head.

”Nah, nothing like that,” she assured him. “Nothing that makes me feel alive.”

Ryan wasn’t giving up.

“Come on, there has to be something.”

After thinking a bit more, she shook her head again.

Ryan wracked his brain for ideas. He didn’t really know her that well, did he? He tried to think back to when she was younger; when he first met Marissa. She was a major pain in the ass, and always had something to say about everything. He remembered how snotty she could be in her quest to be a mini Julie.

Then it hit him. Like a ton of bricks.

“I have an idea,” he offered. “Care to take a ride?”

“Sure, why not?” she agreed. Whatever he had in mind, it probably wouldn’t help, but she knew he was trying, so she decided to humor him.

They walked back down the beach in silence to Ryan’s Jeep. They climbed in, and Ryan headed north.

“So, are you going to tell me what this great idea is?” she asked.

“Nope, you’ll have to wait and see,” Ryan teased.

“A little music, maybe?” Ryan offered, turning on the stereo and tuning to a Rooney CD.

“Not bad,” she admitted to him. “It’s old, but it’s still good.”

The two of them traveled about an hour with just the music for company, Kaitlyn occasionally singing along off key, purposely to invoke a reaction from Ryan, which it did. He winced at some of her notes, but it was worth it to see her having fun.

Ryan pulled down a side road and stopped a short way in. He reached into the glovebox and pulled out a bandanna.

“Here, put this on,” he instructed. “This needs to be a surprise.”

“A bit kinky, aren’t we, Ryan?” Kaitlyn retorted, only to receive a scowl from Ryan. “Okay, okay, I’ll play along.”

She tied the bandanna over her eyes and pretended to gaze out the window as he drove further up the side road.

“Can I see?” Kaitlyn asked, curious as to what he was up to.

“Not yet,” Ryan said firmly, stopping the car and getting out. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

“Hey, don’t forget me,” Kaitlyn warned. “A young blindfolded girl alone in a Jeep is an easy target.”

Ryan laughed. That was the Kaitlyn he knew.

“I promise. Be right back. Sing something,” he offered, “to pass the time.”

Ryan walked toward his destination and laughed again hearing ‘la,la,la’ over and over again to the tune of the Jeopardy theme song. The kid was really something.

He had decided to try the stables where Kaitlyn had spent so many happy hours. He remembered Marissa telling him that it was all her sister cared about, those damn horses. He entered the office, found the owner, Steve, and explained who he was and what he had in mind.

Steve was thrilled at Ryan’s suggestion. They could only hope that Kaitlyn would feel the same.
He joined Ryan on the walk back to the Jeep, far enough away so that the aroma of a horse farm wouldn’t tip her off, and waited while Ryan helped her out of the car.

“About time, Ryan,” she complained. “I was on my fourth time around with that song.”

“We’re not alone now, Katy. So behave,” Ryan instructed.

“Ooh, more mystery,” Katy continued. “OK, where are we?”

“Not yet,” Ryan said, leading her down the path carefully, Steve on her other side.

When they reached the barn, she sniffed the air.

“That smells familiar,” she noted. “Am I allowed to guess?”

“You can look now,” Ryan allowed. He removed her blindfold to show her the same horse farm where she had ridden as a child.

It was populated with many horses and ponies of all sizes and colors, all blissfully enjoying the late morning sun. Kaitlyn took it all in, inhaling deeply with a smile.

“So, Steve here, and I, we have this idea,” Ryan explained.

“I’m listening,” Kaitlyn said, reaching to pet a small brown pony that had approached to nuzzle her.

“Steve has a work study program here. It’s riding therapy for kids with problems; some physical, some psychological. You’d have to come here every day after lunch and do whatever needs doing. A lot of it is helping the kids take care of the horses and stables, and helping many of them learn to ride. He’s been looking for the right student to fill the position, and he remembers you. When his dad owned this place, you practically lived here.”

Ryan paused to see her reaction. Her face reflected how happy she was just being here.
Sometimes a trip down memory lane could be a good thing, he thought.

“And when school is out for vacation and summer breaks, I could pay you for your time,” Steve elaborated. “I need someone who is good with horses, and if I remember correctly, you’re a natural.”

Kaitlyn looked at the two men, both proud as peacocks for concocting this whole thing. She had to admit, even in those few short minutes, she felt at home. Like she belonged. How did he do it? How did Ryan manage to find something that had never dawned on her?

She walked hesitantly back to Ryan and embraced him with a tight hug.

“You’re the bestest big brother ever,” she enthused. “I don’t know how you did it, but you found it. The one thing that I was missing.”

“You found it, little sister,” Ryan said, blushing slightly at the compliment and the hug. “I just pointed the way to remind you.”

Steve shook Ryan’s hand.

“You helped me out, too,” he said. “I was wondering who would be able to handle this, and you found her for me. Many thanks. Now, Kaitlyn, why don’t you come with me and I’ll give you a tour?”

Kaitlyn reached for Ryan’s hand.

“Come with us, Ryan,” she pleaded. “Maybe you’ll learn something.”

“Nah, you two go ahead,” Ryan said. “I have a phone call to make. I’ll catch up.”

He watched as the two horse people headed inside the barn, then reached into his pocket for his phone. Time to call Julie.

Just when you thought you'd heard everything

2007-05-17T23:23:44Z

Amy Fisher and Joey Buttofuoco having dinner, holding hands and kissing, shortly after they both file for divorce from their spouses, a few miles from where she shot his first wife in the face, and almost 15 years to the day from that event.

Unbelievable.

Unsettling TV news

2007-05-15T13:44:36Z

Just heard that JJ got a job as exec producer/writer for Heroes.
This distresses me greatly.

Looking for songs

2007-05-11T10:20:54Z

I have 3 free downloads for iTunes, courtesy of Ticketmaster, for purchasing yet more tickets for Bob Dylan for Mrloracj.
As most of you know, I'm a little out of the loop on the current music scene (see Dylan above).
I'm at a complete loss - don't have a clue what to download.......can anyone offer good individual song suggestions?

Giggles for a Wednesday

2007-05-09T10:37:43Z

Too good not to share:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGnYw-OuCnI

SMART ASS ANSWER #6 It was mealtime during a flight on Hooters Airline.
"Would you like dinner?" the flight attendant asked John.
"What are my choices?" John asked.
"Yes or no," she replied.

SMART ASS ANSWER #5 A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate.
As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his
trench coat and flashed her. Without missing a beat, > she said, "Sir, I
need to see your ticket not your stub."

SMART ASS ANSWER #4 A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the
grocery store but she couldn't find one big enough for her family.
She asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?"
The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."

SMART ASS ANSWER #3 The cop got out of his car and the kid who was stopped
for > speeding rolled down his window.
"I've been waiting for you all day," the cop said.
The kid replied, "Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could."
When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way.

SMART ASS ANSWER #2 A truck driver was driving along on the freeway. A sign
comes up that reads, "Low Bridge Ahead." Before he knows it, the bridge is
right ahead of him and he gets stuck under the bridge.
Cars are backed up for miles. Finally, a police car comes. The cop gets
out of his car and walks to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and
says, "Got stuck, huh?" The truck driver says, "No, I was delivering this
bridge and ran out of gas."

SMART ASS ANSWER OF THE YEAR A college teacher reminds her class of
tomorrow's final exam. "Now class, I won't tolerate any excuses for you not
being here tomorrow.
I might consider a nuclear atta ck or a serious personal injury, illness, or
a death in your immediate family, but that's it, no other excuses
w hatsoever!"
A smart-ass guy in the back of the room raises his hand and asks, "What
would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter
sexual exhaustion?" The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering.

When silence is restored, the teacher smiles knowingly at the student,
shakes her head and sweetly says, "Well, I guess you'd have to write your
answers to the exam with your other hand."

Computer tech question again

2006-11-24T20:43:33Z

I need help (yes, I know, that kind too) with my computer.
I recently downloaded Microsoft Explorer 7 - as per the popup on my computer. So ever since that, my computer is locking up on AOL, and other sites are inaccessible. I need to reboot to get back into anything, and it's trying my patience.
I didn't have any problem with previous versions of Explorer; to be honest, I use Firefox for most of my internet activities.
I could just delete Explorer, I know, but there isn't a previous version on here, since it overwrote it when I downloaded.
Wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to how to fix this.

Pic from People Magazine Nov 27th

2006-11-20T14:21:22Z

Ben is on pg 2 - top right - eye candy for all ages.

For brandywine421 Lack of squee?

2006-11-10T13:11:38Z

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

As we used to say in high school - fucking "A" for awesome episode yet again.

ETA: gotta love that snowglobe - Thanks to muchtvs for making room for me.