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florrickandassociates · 6 years

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TGF Thoughts: 2x07-- Day 450

Recap under the cut!

Big things, of the secret variety, are happening at LG. The conference room’s walls are covered; NDAs are laid out on the table. There is also one big, comfy looking chair in the conference room, looking out of place amid all the standard office chairs.

Lucca’s the first to ask what’s going on. Marissa isn’t sure—it’s top secret; all she knows is that the partners’ schedules have all been cleared.

“Have you seen this?” Marissa changes the subject. “Chicago lawyer playing cards.” “What?” Lucca asks. “Most wanted playing cards. They already have the four dead lawyers,” Marissa explains. The website peddling these cards? Is in Comic Sans. Thank you, whoever made that choice. I’m guessing you did it intentionally and I appreciate it. It’s an alt-right website, Marissa says. “What are you doing looking at an alt-right website?” Maia asks. “I look at everything,” Marissa states. I don’t think it’s that weird! Weren’t they just on a case about belonging to radical groups online?

Lucca wants to know if any of the RBL lawyers are in there. Marissa says she’s going to order a deck and find out. Maia’s appalled at the thought of giving this group money (tbh I am too).

Maia asks what’s going on in the conference room, and Marissa shrugs and says, “The ways of the partners are mysterious to us mere mortals.” Have I mentioned that I love it when we can see the power structures at work? Because I do.

Marissa tries to get information out of Diane—even how long the meeting will last—but Diane doesn’t say anything.

Luckily for us, we’re viewers and not employees, so we get to know what’s happening. It’s an audition for the DNC’s business, conducted by Ruth Eastman. I didn’t expect to see Ruth back on the show, ever, after how badly the writers botched her season seven arc (so much promise squandered!) But here she is. And she’s used much more effectively in this episode.

While I’m thinking of it, the promo for this episode was in Russian, but nothing in the COTW (aside from a few mentions of collusion) is about Russia. So… was the entire promo a shout-out to the TGW/F/The Americans fans? It wouldn’t be the first time. And I’ll take it.

“We’re in a very peculiar time,” Ruth says. Diane laughs, because a good 25% of Diane’s dialogue these days is just laughter. Ruth isn’t bothered: she says laughing is the “only sane reaction these days.” Diane agrees wholeheartedly. “We’re living in a time of farce, not tragedy,” the writers have Ruth explain. (I phrase it like that because, come on, that’s exactly the point of this season’s tone.)

Ruth is there with an interesting opportunity: the DNC wants a plan to impeach 45 ready to go if a blue wave happens in November, and so they’re auditioning law firms to decide which arguments (and which lawyers) will be the most effective. For now, this all has to stay hush hush, lest voters get the idea that a vote for a Democrat is a vote for impeachment and get scared off.

After some build up, Ruth turns to write on a white board. The marker doesn’t work. “New!” she says, pleasantly, discarding it. She starts the build up again: “This is the question we want you to ponder and answer…” But the next marker doesn’t work either. “WELL, SHIT!” she says angrily, throwing the marker to the floor. This is the best thing Ruth has done on this show.

Carine, a woman on Ruth’s team, volunteers to get more markers. Ruth keeps going with her spiel.

Carine grabs the nearest employee, who happens to be Maia, and asks where the black markers are. They flirt/banter on their way to the supply closet, and Carine thinks Maia looks familiar. Maia deflects the question and shows Carine the markers (they only have pink and purple, because it’s funnier that way).

“Seriously, I know you from somewhere. Where?” Carine insists. Maia thinks for a minute. “Okay, so you know how we just had a little exchange back there and I made you smile, you made me smile?” “Yes, I remember.” “Well, remember that when I tell you who I am,” Maia says. I wonder how many times she’s used (or will use) that line.

“Are you a serial killer?” Carine jokes. “Oh, close. Maia Rindell,” Maia introduces herself. Hee.

Carine recognizes that name. Maia walks away to avoid prolonging the awkwardness, but Carine isn’t as put off as Maia assumes…

Meanwhile, Lucca is working on a case about a film shoot when she notices Francesca walking down the stairs. She excuses herself from a meeting, and her client assumes it’s because she has to pee. His pregnant wife always has to pee, so he feels it is his place to inquire about Lucca’s bathroom habits. No matter how many times Lucca says she doesn’t have to go to the bathroom, the client won’t believe her.

Maia greets Francesca. Lawyer, professional greeter, same diff.

Francesca has brought Lucca a present, and Lucca asks Maia to go deal with her client (“and tell him I’m not going to the bathroom”). I have a question! If Lucca could spot Francesca from the room she and the client were sitting in, can’t the client see that Lucca is by the stairs and not, in fact, in the bathroom? ANYWAY. Maia’s job in this episode consists of knowing where markers are kept, greeting visitors, and informing Lucca’s clients she’s not in the bathroom. Is… there no work for Maia to do? Should I be concerned about RBK’s future? Are they overstaffed?! WHY DOESN’T MAIA DO WORK?

“Very nice meeting you. I think your dad stole some of my husband’s money,” Francesca tells Maia. Ok, People Recognizing Maia is my new favorite running gag. “Sorry,” Maia apologizes. “That’s a good thing. He’s an asshole,” Francesca says, emphasizing asshole. She’s so fun.

In Lucca’s office, Francesca tells her that she’s given up drinking, except wine. Well. That’s… something, I guess?

Francesca’s gift is a stuffed dog that sings “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and claps its hands and waves its ears. It is adorable and grating. “For my grandchild,” Francesca says, touching Lucca’s stomach. Why do people just go and touch pregnant women’s stomachs without asking if they can? I have never understood this.

Over the course of this whole scene, the dog’s flapping ears are visible, at least in part. It is wonderful and distracting and the only thing that could make it more Good is if they were in an elevator.

Even rewatching this scene, with captions on, I cannot see anything other than the dog and its ears. I think Francesca is saying she wants to be in the baby’s life and Lucca’s saying she doesn’t want Francesca involved. But I don’t know. Because ears.

After Francesca leaves, Lucca immediately moves to discard the dog. Francesca doubles back and almost catches Lucca in the act, but the second she turns around again, Lucca shoves the dog in a drawer.

“People understand emoluments,” Adrian is saying when we return to the conference room. They do? By that name? ‘Cause I just had to spell-check that word (even though I know what it means). I’m joking, because I think what Adrian means is that people understand the idea behind it. Still, a weird sentence.

Julius is opposed to the whole idea. He thinks the Dems are starting with the goal and working backwards. Some other partner wants to go after collusion. And Diane wants to go for obstruction, because of the precedents. (And the fact that there are so many paths that could make a good case is why I disagree with Julius. Maybe they’re starting with the goal, but how much does that matter if there are many valid reasons for having that goal? But then, I guess Julius would take issue with my use of “valid”…)

Adrian is against what Andre (the other partner) wants to pursue: collusion. He thinks it has too many Russian names for the public to understand it. Adrian’s whole strategy here is to find the argument that will be the easiest to sell.

Diane is so fired up about this, and I love it. (I also think she’s making the best case.)

“He’s not above the law!!” Diane exclaims. Nobody’s above the law! (Sing it with me!)

Julius won’t quit with these silly arguments. Now he’s comparing Republicans wanting to impeach Obama to what’s going on here. I don’t think it’s just my political bias speaking when I say that’s ABSURD.

Julius’s whole thing is that 45 was voted into office so he shouldn’t be impeached and then removed from office. So… Julius is anti-the concept of impeachment? I think his argument is a little more nuanced than that and he’s making the better case: that impeachment isn’t a tool for political parties that didn’t get their way. I’ll spare y’all my half-informed political rants and instead make this point: I appreciate that even Julius’s points have some validity to them. Too often, this show simplifies these arguments or handles them poorly, and this episode… does a pretty good job.

Ruth steps out for a minute, and reminds RBL of their mission: to choose a strategy, something that will stick the way emails stuck to HRC. (Don’t remind me!! Those goddamn emails.)

With Ruth out of the room, Adrian tries to get Julius to stop losing them a client. Julius says he’ll play devil’s advocate. Then Adrian tries to get Liz to speak up. She’s been watching and taking everything in.

Ruth takes a call about “Barnsdale. Illinois 1st.” She asks Lucca if she can use some random office, and commandeers it before Lucca can respond. She picked a bad office to have a private conversation in, though, because it’s one of the ones with the angled glass walls. These offices—which I’ve been wondering about for WEEKS because they don’t seem the slightest bit private—have gaps in the windows and it seems like (and turns out to be the case that) someone in the hallway would be able to hear every word said inside of the office.

And it just so happens that Lucca overhears the exact conversation she needs to overhear: a Congressman up for reelection is being asked—well, more like told—by the DNC that he can’t run again because he’s a groper. Lucca recognizes what this means: it’s the district Colin was thinking of running in.

So Lucca does what all Good characters would do: distracts Colin at work with her presence until he forgets what he’s talking about, then walks away.

Colin’s first thought is that something happened with the genetic screening. Lucca says it’s not that; it’s about his mother. “I didn’t want to run; my parents wanted me to run,” Colin says when Lucca asks him about the Illinois 1st. “Oh, so you’re not running?” Lucca counters. And Colin? Can’t answer that definitively.

Colin says he won’t run if he has to campaign, but if all he has to do is get the support of the DNC, he’ll run. Uh huh.

Lucca’s fear is that she’s being used for political gain. It’ll look better if she and Colin are together. Colin tries to keep Lucca out of it, even going so far as to say Lucca can tell his mother to “fuck off,” but… you don’t have to watch the rest of the episode to understand that’s never going to happen.

Then Colin asks about the genetic testing. Lucca says, “Oh, everything’s… good.” Colin mentions a family history. Does anyone else feel like she might be hiding something here? This is a weird scene. She’s already said the baby’s fine, yet they have her double back for this conversation AND they mention Colin’s family history? It would not shock me if Lucca was waiting on some test results and keeping it to herself. But also, like, I have seen this show and it would surprise me even less if we never heard about this again.

I may have to take back what I just said about Julius, sadly. Diane makes the more nuanced point I extrapolated from Julius’s words and Julius tries to rebut it. So. Whatever. It’s in early scene cross-talk (you know, the lines that aren’t meant to make a point but are rather meant to show you that there’s heated debate, so you can jump in mid-scene and it won’t feel awkward), and I’ve heard weirder things (like Alicia explaining why we don’t need female politicians in 220, a line I don’t think I was supposed to notice because I was supposed to be paying attention to her poise and the ease of her answers) in early scene cross-talk.

This audition doesn’t seem to be going well. That’s when Liz speaks up. She starts talking about some evidence that came across her desk at the DOJ. At first, I thought the writers were trying to introduce new facts into their hypothetical, and I was disappointed. But that’s not what they’re up to. Instead, they’re having Liz tell an increasingly elaborate, and possibly not baseless (would ANY of you be surprised if pieces of evidence similar to the ones Liz invents actually existed?) story to prove her point. Liz is demonstrating that the story keeps changing. “You’re all missing the point! It’s not about choosing one charge or another for impeachment. It’s about everything. It’s about who he is. It’s about what the presidency is. Charging him with obstruction, that’s going by the old rules. And the new rules are these. ‘I have a tape.’ ‘Where’s the tape?’ ’15-year-old was raped, and I’ve got the evidence.’ ‘Where’s the evidence?’ ‘Same place as the tape.’”

Diane laughs. “My God, this is insane!” Julius replies.

“No, no no no. This is shameless,” Liz clarifies. “And impeachment has to be shameless, or else it’s gonna fail.”

“So. You lie,” Julius accuses.

“No, no no no no no. You just don’t back down,” Liz says. “But there is no tape!!” Julius says. “Uh-uh. That’s what you said. I didn’t say that,” Liz argues. God, that’s what reading the news today feels like. Like logic and facts are no longer persuasive.

“Listen. This isn’t about truth anymore. And it’s not about lying. It’s about who’s backtracking, and who’s attacking,” Liz concludes. I don’t know what to think, and I love that. Liz’s approach is outlandish. It’s also convincing. And it’s maddening. These things should be based on facts. And yet!

I love that I can agree with Liz and think her point is absurd/laughable at the same time. I love that the show is able to capture the way that laughable and strategic can be the same today. It’s super effective.

When Ruth leaves for the day, Adrian immediately begins talking down to Liz in front of all of the partners. “Liz. Liz, Liz, Liz, what the fuck are you doing?!” I do not like this side of Adrian, especially when Liz is (obviously) being strategic and novel.

And also effective! Ruth tells her colleagues at the DNC that “we might have something here.”

Aaaand, credits. Another female writer this week! She wrote an ep last season too. And she’s great: I spent 17 minutes convinced the Kings had written this one because she captured the tone and the big moments so well. Also, I just googled her (her name’s Tegan Shohet) and she has a really fucking impressive resume. She did her undergrad at Harvard, has a law degree from Yale, and she has another degree from Oxford.

Maia and Amy (hello, Amy!) are kissing at a bar after the credits end. They’re out on a double date with Marissa and Drew, the guy from the ricin scare. Drew has this look in his eyes like he’s on something. I don’t like it one bit.

He and Marissa start making out mid-conversation. It’s almost aggressive, and not like Amy and Maia’s kiss just moments ago. Part of that is, I think, that we’re supposed to see Amy and Maia as a bit passionless right now, but it also seems… weird. Something is up with this dude. I don’t trust him.

But I would rather watch him and Marissa making out than hear Amy and Maia state “facts” that screw up the timeline!!!!!!!!!!! LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU WITH YOUR “WE’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR FOUR YEARS” BUSINESS WHEN I LITERALLY WATCHED YOU MEET AT MAIA’S 18TH BIRTHDAY PARTY; I’M BUSY WATCHING THIS AWFUL DUDE STICK HIS TOUNGE IN MARISSA’S MOUTH.

Drew also has no filter. Oh, and then he gets up at hits someone, claiming they took an upskirt of Marissa. But before that happens…

Amy and Maia are talking about getting married! And we didn’t get to see how they smoothed things over after 2x02? What a shock…

(Well, also, I feel like this ep pretty strongly suggests they didn’t really work through that.)

Seriously though, what the hell is Drew doing? What is his deal?

Marissa, who believes someone took an upskirt photo of her, reacts to Drew’s actions as though he’s a hero. She rewards him with a kiss. That makes Maia smile, because… I don’t really know. It makes Amy roll her eyes. Can we have Amy as a regular and not Maia?

“We need to toast your news!” Marissa says, making plans for the second consecutive weeknight. “Our news?” Amy wonders. OOOOOF. That relationship cannot be in a good place.

Maia seems kind of… turned on? By Drew and Marissa.

Amy doesn’t believe that the dude in the bar was actually trying to take an upskirt. Amy thinks Drew just wanted to hit someone. I agree with Amy here.

Amy then asks if they have to see them again. Maia says that Marissa’s a friend.

Amy tells Maia to talk to Marissa because people like Drew can be “dangerous in a relationship.” I had that same thought just from the way he was kissing her in public (it seemed quite possessive). And you know what I don’t need? For another investigator on this show to end up in an abusive relationship.

(That said, this is MILES better than any Kalinda/Nick bullshit.)

Now cameras are being installed in the conference room.

Marissa clearly stayed out for several more hours after Maia and Amy headed home. She’s wearing sunglasses at her desk and can barely answer questions. That’s also a big warning sign. Marissa’s hungover at work. It’s not a pattern yet, but I’d hate to see it become one.

Lucca meets with some partners about her client, Lock. She wants to give them a heads-up, but it seems he’s already left the firm because of Lucca’s pregnancy. Well, he said her “mood swings,” but lol.

Even Liz, who’s very understanding, is inclined to believe the client. Every time Lucca tries to defend herself, someone tries to comfort her or calm her or tells her not to get upset. I love Cush’s delivery of the line, “I’m not getting upset…” because she says it with just a hint of confusion. She doesn’t sound upset (at least not unreasonably so). She sounds like someone who’s slowly realizing that no one will take her words seriously as long as she’s pregnant.

Every time Lucca tries to take action, the partners shut her down and offer to help. It’s just weird. I can’t speak to whether or not it’s realistic because I’ve never been pregnant, nor do I work at a law firm managed mostly by non-parents (or any sort of law firm, for that matter), but it feels like it’s realistic. It’s subtle and the partners are encouraging, but they are making assumptions about Lucca’s work performance and capabilities based on the fact she’s having a baby.

Ruth appears! RBL is now one of four! Naturally Adrian believes this is because of what he and Diane were saying, and not because of anything Liz said. He believes this so strongly he calls Liz aside to give her an order. “No more shit Liz, okay?” He says like she’s a child (a child with a potty-mouth, I guess). She calls him on it. “Adrian, when did you get the impression that you could order me around?” He denies it, and Liz goes STRAIGHT to talking about their marriage. The teacher who married his student for her ties in the legal world CONDESCENDED TO HER? I’m just shocked. (Lol no, this is how I have been picturing their marriage for a few weeks now.)

Adrian asks Liz again to get behind the obstruction charge (Diane’s idea) so they can seem united. She says she’ll consider it.

I wonder if the reason Adrian can’t see that Liz has a plan, and that her plan is working, is that he’s so used to underestimating her.

Adrian and even Julius get behind Diane’s plan. It’s so transparent that they’re trying to show they’re united. “Now, we may disagree, but we find consensus,” Adrian explains. LULZ.

As soon as Adrian says “consensus” and Julius echoes it, Diane announces she’s changed her mind and now sides with Liz. This surprises even Liz! Ooh, will we get more on the Diane/Liz tension?

“I’m tired of ‘when they go low, we go high.’ Fuck that! When they go low, we go lower. Impeachment isn’t just about the law. It’s about persuading people. And if it’s one thing that we’ve seen this past year, it’s that lies… persuade. Truth only takes you that far… and then you need lies.” Guys, I’m seriously terrified by how much I understand this. Even the fact that my first reaction upon hearing this was, “she has a point” and not, “what??? That’s a lie!” scares me. When TGW was airing, I wouldn’t have believed that Diane would ever say this. And I wouldn’t have believed that would be my reaction. But, then, I also wouldn’t have believed this country would elect Donald Trump. What I’m saying is that regardless of whether this is a good strategy or not, or if it’s morally sound, or hypocritical, the way that it’s not easy to dismiss or laugh at is… the point.

Julius calls this “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” “You’re just as bad as you’re accusing him of being,” he explains. ACCUSING? Come on, Julius. If you think the word “alleged” would need to be in a sentence that calls him a liar…

Anyway. Another thing I love about Diane’s speech is that it’s coming both from a character place AND a political place. The next part of her rant makes this point well: “I’m just done with being the adult in the room. I am done with being the compliant and sensible one. Standing stoically by while the other side picks my pockets, while the other side gerrymanders Democrats out of existence. A three million person majority and we lost the presidency. A Congress that keeps a Supreme Court justice from being seated because he was chosen by a Democratic president.”

(I am gonna keep going on this but LOL Julius what planet do you live on where that’s not what happened? FACTUALLY THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.)

Diane has always been the adult in the room. That’s a role she’s fantastic at playing, and she loves it. And now she’s tired of it?! That can’t just be because of Trump. That’s what someone who lost her best friend, lost her husband, lost her money, lost her clout, watched her candidate lose an election, and, finally, felt and still feels like there’s a target on her back would say. Why should she be the one to hold things together when everything else is falling apart? What’s the point of acting like the rules still apply?

Julius says some nonsense about how if Diane really believes that, she’s lost all faith in the law. To which Diane replies that she has a gun in her desk “and I’m this close to taking to the streets.” That, my friends, is someone who is all of the things I said above, and also on drugs, would say. And somehow, that person is… Diane Lockhart.

(And weirdly, while I can’t say it’s necessarily the direction I want to see the writers take Diane, I can’t honestly say it’s out of character. Terrifying, right?)

IT DID NOT CATCH MY ATTENTION THE FIRST TIME THROUGH BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT MAIA IS DOING AT WORK? CHECKING TWITTER. (I mean, I check Twitter at work. I’m sure most people check their phones at work. You could catch the most productive employee on Twitter at work. But somehow we have endless amounts of time to show Maia not working and no time to show Maia working.)

Carine is back, to tell Maia about her own father. He was a disgraced senator, so she’s part of the “damaged offspring club” too. Hey, where are Zach and Grace? Is Zach still in Paris (lol) with his wife (hahahaha) writing his memoir (bwahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahaha)? How’s college treating Grace? ANYWAY. NOT THE POINT.

The point is that Carine and Maia are making a connection.

Also that in one scene, Maia manages to: Surf Twitter on her work laptop, flirt, and make plans to go drinking. Writers, come on. Throw me a bone. Give Maia work to do. (Two of these things are not her fault—Carine and Marissa come over to talk to her—but still!)

Marissa pops by to invite Maia to go out dancing at 10 pm on a work night. Maia turns it down initially, but then says maybe. What does she have to lose? She could show up hungover the next day and it wouldn’t matter. IT’S NOT LIKE SHE HAS ANY WORK TO DO!!!!!!

When Marissa leaves, she’s all “luv uuuuuu” (that is my approximation of the tone) and Maia quietly whispers back “love you.” Am I supposed to be getting the feeling that Maia’s crushing on Marissa? She also smiles a little after Marissa walks away.

“There’s a tweet I think you should see,” Maia informs Lucca. Lucca asks if it’s about work (of course it isn’t; that would require Maia to be working NO I WON’T STOP) and it’s about Colin’s campaign. Specifically, a horribly racist tweet about how he got a “black girl” pregnant (“hashtag Sally Hemmings”)

“So I’m a black girl. A black, pregnant, plantation girl,” Lucca responds. Maia is like “I don’t think it implies that” which, I mean, I buy Maia holding that opinion because it would mean she is super privileged, white, and didn’t pay attention in history class and you KNOW I would believe all of those things. But also, it’s a mean tweet that refers to Lucca as “a black girl.” Why would Maia even want to defend that?

Lucca’s TRENDING too. I wish Lucca would trend. Not for this. I mean publicity for the show.

Also trending is Earth Day. Wanna know something fun about Earth Day? It is in April. Specifically it’s April 22nd (which is a Sunday and the day of the next episode, but I will ignore that because it’s close enough and Earth Day could be trending in advance). Lucca is due in May. She is four months pregnant. WHAT MONTH IS IT, SHOW?

Maia accidentally kicks a drawer under Lucca’s desk and it begins to sing. “What is that?” she asks. “It’s a dog,” Lucca replies, as though that explains anything.

Lucca furiously begins to type—to Tweet! This is a bad idea. Has Twitter ever been a good idea on this show when it was controlled by anyone other than Eli or Marissa Gold? (No.)

Lucca (@lquinn) has fired off a reply tweet (“I’m the black woman having Colin Morello’s baby and my name is Lucca Quinn. Did Sally Hemmings have a law degree? #MoreLikeMichelle”) that is snarky and probably misguided, especially since it’s a trap laid by Colin’s campaign manager NotEli. (He isn’t getting a name.)

More bickering, verging on nervous breakdowns, are happening on the DNC live feed. The juiciest live feed since the NSA was listening to Alicia? Anyway.

“I’ve spend the last few months feeling fucking deranged! Like I’m living in some bad reality show! Going numb! All Trump, all the time! What’s real? What’s fake? Well, you know what? I just woke up,” Diane yells. And by yells, I mean yells. Damn.

Liz takes Ruth outside to try to get her to get Julius out of the audition. Liz always has some kind of plan.

Later, Adrian walks into Diane’s office, concerned. “I have never been more all right,” Diane says. U SURE? Did you just take a hit of something? Adrian asks how much of this is show and Diane is like, it’s a show!

Adrian wants to know about the gun in her desk. Yeah, I feel like that’s a valid concern, given that there is a GUN IN HIS WORKPLACE. Not only is that probably illegal but it’s also a hazard.

Marissa brings more bad news: the Chicago lawyer playing card deck, and we get to hear a few of the names in it. David Lee (IS ANYONE SURPRISED?). Patti Nyholm (Ditto). Laura Hellinger. WAIT WHAT? LAURA HELLINGER IS THE SWEETEST. (Can you tell I just rewatched season 4?) What is there to hate about Laura Hellinger!? Why bring her name, of all the names, into this?!

The partners decide to ignore it for now—why give it more attention?—but Adrian, Liz, and Diane are all in the deck. Damn.

Upon seeing her own face on a card, Diane says, “To answer your question, Adrian, yes, I have a gun in my desk.”

It’s at that moment Ruth interrupts to ask Julius not to join the RBL team for the remainder of the audition. Julius, after hearing he’s out, flips off the other partners. Professional. Though I can’t really criticize him, because it’s not like anyone else is being professional.

Maia tries to convince Amy to go to the dance club with her. Amy has a trial starting the next day and she doesn’t want to go, so it’s an impossible sell. Maia makes a bogus excuse: she thinks she should go so as not to be impolite. To Marissa. She sees. Marissa. Every. Day. She and Marissa are friends. It is not impolite to say no to going to a dance club at 10 pm on a work night with someone you went out with the night before. This is an excuse. Maia wants to go out; Amy doesn’t. So Maia’s looking for any reason she can find to go out.

Maia also misses a crucial detail—that Amy’s trial starts tomorrow so there’s no reason to wish her good luck now. This seemed weird the first time through, but then I realized: Maia and Amy live together. And that’s the kind of comment you make to someone you’re not going to see for a little while.

Lock wants Lucca to be his lawyer again. Lucca suspects that Maia might have called him (no that would involve Maia taking initiative so it’s unlikely). But no. The answer is that he’s on Twitter. And that’s when Lucca realizes that she has power.

She shows up at Colin’s door. “I’m not gonna marry you. I’m not gonna pretend otherwise. I’m not gonna lie, I’m not gonna mislead, and I’m not gonna be the woman who stands by your side. I’m the mother of your child, a close friend of yours, and a registered voter in the 1st Congressional District of Illinois. You want my support, you’re gonna agree to my terms,” she demands.

She goes on: she will do one appearance a month, issue a statement, and do interviews. Damn. Colin didn’t even have to negotiate for that.

Francesca is also at Colin’s house. So is NotEli, whose first words to Lucca are “Wow, that’s pregnant.” Off to a great start!

NotEli’s name is Stephen Rankin-Hall. I will continue to call him NotEli.

Now we get some exposition about the campaign. We’re actually doing this. The writers wrote Alicia out and found a way to bring campaigns back.

More deliberations in the conference room. The DNC is watching in real time, and they’re missing the fire of the deliberations with Julius. Using all the coded language in the world, Ruth requests that RBL show their “more pugnacious attitude.”

As soon as she leaves, the partners prove they got the message loud and clear. “They want us to be street,” Liz says, with a trace of anger. No one’s thrilled about it, but they’re all willing to play along. “I will be the angry black woman,” Liz decides. “And you can be Black Lives Matter,” she says to Adrian. (He chuckles.) “What about me?” Diane wonders. “You keep us calmed. But we can’t be calmed. But you’re the white conscience,” Liz says. LOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOL.

And back to the conference room they go, playing their roles perfectly until they’re screaming at each other about how fantastic Ta-Nehisi Coates is. It’s hilarious. And it piggy-backs off of the point the show made last week: there are certain roles that even (especially) those who call themselves progressives expect people to play based on their race. Diane’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown and she gets to be the conscience because she’s a classy white lady. Liz and Adrian have been strategic throughout all of this and they’re understood when they play up their anger in a very specific, stereotypical way.

(I don’t know that this strategy actually works in the context of the show, since we know that Liz and only Liz is chosen, and I’m going to guess her initial idea helped her more than this show. Even still. The firm is flat out told by the DNC that they will do better when they fit into an easy, familiar (racist) narrative.)

Liz and Adrian sit together in his office after their performance. “I never know how far is too far,” Adrian says. “At least you’ve reached a point in your life where you can admit it,” Liz says. That’s pointed.

Just want to take a moment to say I’m very happy with the addition of Liz. She’s fascinating, Audra’s fantastic, and I can tell so much about Liz from even the tiniest moments. Also, usually characters who are as sneaky as she is towards the other regulars come off as villains. That’s not how Liz comes off, and she was literally introduced as Alicia’s biggest rival and reintroduced as someone who made a move against Diane.

Maia invites Lucca out dancing. She’s going to turn it down anyway, but then Colin, Francesca, and NotEli show up and she has a good excuse not to go.

NotEli and Francesca want Colin and Lucca to get their story straight. “Look, we’re not expecting you to be the good little wife or girlfriend. That’s the old playbook. It stopped working in 2016,” NotEli says. Oh for fuck’s sake. You can’t just add the word “little” in there and distract me from the fact you are talking about Alicia.

But this line reminds me of two things that I’ve been thinking about lately. The first is that the Good Wife narrative really isn’t timely anymore. It certainly was in 2008. It even was in 2011 when I started watching. But now? Who cares? A dude abuses his office, and now, I think, the media is more likely to wonder about what woman is going to run for his seat than about whether or not his wife will stand by his side. Well, either that happens or absolutely nothing happens and millions of people think it’s perfectly okay to have a president who makes comments about “grabbing women by the pussy.” Either way: it’s not the narrative that fascinates people (or the media) today. And if you’re not caught in the middle of a scandal? It’s even less essential. “Family values” haven’t totally disappeared from politics by any means, but this isn’t 2008.

The other thing this line reminds me of is that, well, I fucking miss Alicia Florrick. It may be accurate to say that “the good little wife” is the old playbook. It’s been on the way out for a while now, so it’s only semi-accurate to say it stopped working in 2016. It is, however, accurate to say that The Good Wife ended in 2016. I like the idea of revisiting these themes, in a very different world, with a very different character. What I don’t like as much is that every time I see Lucca get pulled into situations that very, very few people would understand, I can’t help but want her to call up her close friend who’s lived through it. There are very few other moments when I long for Alicia to be on this show. And I still don’t, really, want her to make a guest appearance. But I want Lucca to have a friend. I want Lucca to have that friendship. And I can’t believe that Lucca and Alicia had a falling out, off screen, big enough that Lucca wouldn’t have reached out to Alicia for advice. If they’re not going to give me Alicia, can they at least stop teasing me?

(“Good little wife”? TEASE.)

Anyway I love how blunt Lucca is. For some reason, NotEli believes Lucca and Colin will be asked where their child was conceived, and he also believes this is a question they should answer. Colin starts to answer, saying things got intense when they were on opposite sides. Lucca jumps in and bluntly says, “So we worked through all that tension by fucking in the courthouse restroom.”

NotEli and Francesca stare at her and Francesca laughs, thinking (hoping) Lucca’s joking. But she’s not done. “It was a family restroom, so we locked the door,” she adds. NotEli says maybe they’ll have to massage this a little. Or you could, like, not talk about where you fucked?

And then the toy dog starts to sing, because of course. (It’s less effective this time.)

Now we’re at the club with Marissa and Maia. Maia’s theme song is playing. Seriously, just read these lyrics: “I clock out my 9:00 to 5:00. I’m ready for the weekend to bring me back to life. Don’t live to work, I work to live.” See?! It’s Maia’s song! Working normal hours (in a profession notorious for requiring long hours) and viewing a job as a chore and not something she’s passionate about!

MAIA IS SO AWKWARD, BUT SHE IS ALSO SO COMMITTED TO ACTUALLY TRYING TO DANCE.

(As you might expect, Marissa is not at all awkward.)

Carine appears at the bar when Maia goes to get a drink! They start talking about their fathers until Maia’s like, “Do you really want to talk about this?” and Carine says no. And then Maia says she wants to dance, so they start dancing. And they get pretty into it.

A little later in the evening, Maia and Marissa talk at a table. Marissa has her arm around Maia. “Am I boring?” Maia asks. You want me to answer that, Maia? You are, and it’s not because you have a stable relationship. I actually find that interesting. ANYWAY. In the world of the show, Maia is worried she’s boring because she’s in a long-term relationship.

Marissa calls Maia a “fucking ninja.”

“I feel like I’m cheating,” Maia worries. “You’re dancing. Or do you mean with me? Because I’m ready for anything,” Marissa responds. Is Marissa saying she’s bi? Or is she joking? Or just drunk? I feel like we may see more on this front. But maybe not.

Oh my God. I have accidentally paused the screen on the most awful drunk!Maia face and I’m not going to post it because I’m not cruel.

“What do you want?” Marissa asks. “I don’t know. Sometimes I want stability. Sometimes I don’t,” Maia answers. Hmmm. Much as I would love to see Maia in a committed relationship, what I would love even more is an arc where Maia, whose life had been very stable up until the scandal, realize that actually, maybe she doesn’t need to follow the easiest, most stable path. Maybe she’d rather be single, or with someone else, at this stage in her life. Wanting stability is a very Alicia thing. It doesn’t have to be a Maia thing, too.

(Nope, I will not turn this into a backdoor way to talk about Alicia and her priorities. I am tempted, but I will resist the temptation.)

Marissa just asks Maia wants right now and Maia says, “That’s the question.” Marissa tells her to go dance, but Maia decides to leave instead.

Maia also tells Marissa that Drew is “great.” I am on Amy’s side here…

Carine finds Maia outside and starts to say goodbye when… Maia kisses her. In the middle of the street. Carine kisses her back. And then they get in an Uber together and make out. Nice, Maia.

I don’t have strong feelings on Maia cheating, mostly because I am not sure I consider her a cheater for this. This behavior—and the behavior we’ll get to in a minute—is cheating. But… she’s cheating on someone she’s had doubts about, someone she barely wants to spend time with, someone who testified against her in court (??), and someone we’ve barely gotten to know. That’s not to say that cheating is justified if that’s the case. It’s not. My point is that I don’t know what Maia’s going to do next. If what she does next involves keeping this from Amy and acting like everything is normal, then yes, she is a cheater and ughhhhhh, Maia. But if this is really the final straw/a wake-up call that causes her to either work through her issues with Amy (including actually telling her she cheated) or break up with her, then it feels like less of a betrayal to me. I don’t know where I’m going with this. Moving on. I am sure I will have more thoughts, hopefully clearer and more fully formed ones, once the next episode (that addresses this plotline) airs.

Carine gets called into work, where she falls on the ground because she is drunk. They have to leave, but she wants to stay a few more days!

Ruth tells the name partners the DNC’s decision: they’re hiring a team of lawyers from various firms, and they just want Liz. “Like the Avengers,” Diane observes. Yes, you read that right. Diane made that observation. Diane Lockhart.

Adrian calls Liz “Wonder Woman” and Ruth corrects him that “That’s the Justice League.” Hee. Look at Diane and Ruth, knowing their superheroes better than I do! (Though I actually understood both of those references.)

Will Liz actually take the offer? I’m unsure. I don’t want anything that means less Liz, so I’m hoping either she doesn’t take it or she does but it doesn’t reduce her screentime.

Ruth tells her assistant to turn off the DNC cameras. But he can’t, because Maia and Carine are busy having sex, on camera, in the office. You’re such a good employee, Maia.

Carine would know about the cameras, but I don’t think this is a set-up (I think she’s just drunk, though wouldn’t be shocked if it was a set-up). Maia wouldn’t know about the cameras, but for fuck’s sake, Maia, do you think you’re supposed to be having sex at the office? Oh, you know what? It’s Maia. She probably thinks that’s what offices are for.

(I so badly want to end my recap there, but also, this Trump impeachment Schoolhouse Rock style song is A++++++ and I’m not sure why it exists but I’m glad it does. It’s also by the same guy (Jonathan Coulson) who did all the BrainDead recap songs (if you did not watch BrainDead, you should) so I’m a very happy fan.)

(Omg, and the slow instrumental “If You’re Happy and You Know It” over the credits is great.)

#The Good Fight #TGFThoughts

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haveclotheswilltravel · 6 years

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*As I mentioned in my previous post, I still have a lot of photos and experiences to share from our treehouse adventure in Peru’s Amazon Rainforest! If you missed my previous Treehouse Lodge posts, click here.*

Staying in an honest-to-goodness treehouse in the Amazon Rainforest was quite the adventure in and of itself, however, our days spent exploring were equally as exciting! On our second day, after we returned from a day of spotting wildlife in the rainforest, our guide from the Treehouse Lodge asked if we would like to visit a local village to see how they lived. I was rather hesitant, after our rather crummy “cultural experience” at the Floating Islands in Lake Titicaca, Peru. But holy smokes! I am so glad we decided to take out guide up on this experience! If you’re ever in the Amazon Rainforest (especially near Iquitos, Peru) say yes to visiting the local rainforest village!

The village is only about a 10-minute boat ride from the Treehouse Lodge. However, other than the few lodges and one other village along the river, this is a very remote area. Iquitos is the nearest city and it’s almost a 90-minute boat ride away!

I expected to be bombarded with people trying to sell me crafts (like at the Floating Islands), however, this was a far different experience! We visited several family’s homes, and it was an incredibly authentic experience – and never once were we being pressured to buy anything.

The Sloth Family

Our first stop was at a family’s home, where they had adopted several sloths! The mom of the family had found two sloths as babies abandoned in the rainforest. She raised them and now has them living in her home with her and her family. They have free-range to roam and come down from the trees or roof when they get hungry! I was so shocked when we walked in to see a sloth hanging from the ceiling, haha.

They happily came down for a snack of some leafy plant, and then the family asked if we would like to hold one. They were very calm and relaxed and felt a lot like holding a baby that had massive claws, haha. (Don’t worry he wasn’t hurting me at all.)

Best selfie ever? Haha.

Another adorable family member of the sloths, haha

Anaconda!

After our sloth visit, we went across the river into the village. Our boat driver’s dad took us into his backyard, where he had recently captured an anaconda! He was trying to figure out what to do with it…as he didn’t want to kill it, but also didn’t want to let it go near the village because it was big enough to eat one of the children. Yikes!

He was getting ready to shed his skin and grow again – that’s why his eyes look white.

Jewelry Making

The animals were definitely unexpected, but honestly, the loveliest surprise was how kind the ladies of the village were. It started to rain REALLY hard after we saw the snake. So, we stopped by our guide’s in-law’s home for shelter. They invited me in to show how they cooked in their home.

Gotta fan the coals while you cook!

Then they showed me how to make a beaded bracelet like what they were wearing. I thought that was very nice! I was also terrible at making them, but my husband was really good…which we all thought was hilarious.

My husband, taking over making my bracelet for me.

Soccer games & homes

Soccer is life in South America! It was fun to watch a match while we were walking through the village and admired the local jail (that had one cell for unruly intoxicated folks), the school and church.

the jail

soccer match

Oriole nests

A home

This dog’s name has to be Doby! Haha.

The storm rolling in.

Sunset

After the storm, we were treated to one of the craziest sunsets I have ever seen on our way back to the lodge. It looked as though the entire world was bathed in orange and pink. I loved it!

This was such an incredible experience! And a big thank you to all of the folks who kindly invited us into their homes to share their way of life with us. It’s an experience I won’t forget. And if you find yourself if the Peruvian Amazon one day – definitely visit a local village!

What was the most surprising part of this village visit for you? And what was one of your favorite cultural experiences while traveling? Let me know in the comments!

If you missed my previous Treehouse Lodge posts, click here.*

Thank you to everyone who entered my LIKEtoKNOW.IT giveaway! And congratulations to Kristiane.

Use LIKEtoKNOW.IT & follow me for a chance to win a $50 ModCloth gift card

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*Disclosure: some of these links are affiliate links. Meaning, if you click a link and make a purchase, Have Clothes, Will Travel gets a very small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible! I am also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Visiting a remote village in the Amazon Rainforest was quite the experience - we were most shocked to meet a sloth! (This post is also announcing my ModCloth gift card giveaway winner!) *As I mentioned in my previous post, I still have a lot of photos and experiences to share from our treehouse adventure in Peru's Amazon Rainforest!

#Amazon Rainforest #Amazon Rainforest Village #Iquitos #sloth #Treehouse Lodge

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kathydsalters31 · 4 years

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Chihuahua Wins Over Fearful Boy and also the Internet Falls in Love

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Updated September 9 , 2020|For Dog People

By Rhona Melsky “What if he does not such as pet dogs or dislikes pet cats?”buddies asked Holly Brookhouser regarding Marcelo, the little young boy that she and also her other half Chris were taking on from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. The Brookhouser house was full of rescues: dogs, cats, a bunny, and a hedgehog. “We were alerted during the pre-adoption process and also training that some of the triggers can be pets, so I recognized entering into it that it would be something to be on guard about as well as await,” Brookhouser stated.

Photo thanks to PawsofOz She remained favorable and also believed things would certainly be great, especially since a video of Marcelo and his foster mama featured a dog behind-the-scenes.” But when Marcelo obtained below and also my canines ran to welcome him, he howled bloody murder,”Brookhouser, that chronicles the adventures of her pack as PawsofOz

on Instagram and Facebook, claimed. A Whole New World Marcelo was just 2 years old when he showed up in his new home in Centerton, Arkansas, in 2018. He was frightened having actually left all that he knew ahead to an unknown location with completely brand-new surroundings, plus he only spoke French and also Lingala, his indigenous languages.

Luckily, Chris had examined French in college so he had the ability to aid Marcelo recognize points throughout the very first couple of days. Marcelo had some outbursts where he would scream at his brand-new family in Lingala.

< img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-165533"

loading=”careless”class =”size-full wp-image-165533 “src =”https://www.rover.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/marcelo-laughing-with-mini.jpg”alt width =”608 “height=”797″srcset=”https://www.rover.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/marcelo-laughing-with-mini.jpg 608w, https://www.rover.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/marcelo-laughing-with-mini-229×300.jpg 229w” sizes=”( max-width: 608px)100vw, 608px “> Photo courtesy of PawsofOz To cover it off, he was petrified of the dogs. Initially, Marcelo really did not want the pet dogs around him. That included Mini, a 10-pound senior Chihuahua mix, and

Davey, a 20-pound senior terrier mix. He would relocate away or attempt to swipe at them without making get in touch with if the pet dogs were on the sofa with Marcelo.”I still had not been fazed since I know Mini,” Brookhouser claimed, recognizing Mini’s good natured and also docile temperament. She maintained Davey, on the various other hand, who is

in some cases temperamental with youngsters, additionally far from Marcelo.”But Mini is such a youngster lover that I knew she would appear to him.”The New Normal With Dogs The family members then went into cocooning, consisting of Macy, the Brookhouser’s teen child. They spent all the time on the outdoor patio as well as taken part in have fun with the pet dogs running around so that Marcelo would certainly obtain utilized to the brand-new regular. “My other half would certainly attempt to obtain him to understand in French what was occurring and afterwards in English just describing things,” Brookhouser said.

By being in a kicked back atmosphere and hanging out with family that connected with the canines, Marcelo saw that he might rely on everybody and was able to pull down his guard.

A Love Fest

After about 2 weeks, the family was on the patio and Marcelo gradually tried to pet the felines. The pet cats were a little cautious around him. Mini was there as well. “I asked Marcelo, ‘Do you intend to hold Mini?'” Brookhouser stated. “And he claimed, ‘Oui.'”

Photo thanks to PawsofOz Brookhouser rested Marcelo down and handed Mini to him.”That just sparked the love fest,”

she stated. “He realized that it was truly awesome to be able to hold and also pet her. When I went to take her away at one point, he informed

me,’ No.’He

was informing me it’s his canine.” Although Brookhouser wasn’t amazed, she can take a breath a sigh of relief. A Lifetime of Pets A large pet enthusiast because birth, Brookhouser had moms and dads who took and enjoyed pet cats in strays. “I had a Siamese feline affixed to me from the day I was birthed who slept with me in the crib, “she said. “We constantly had cats and also dogs. I

‘ve never ever been without them.” Brookhouser clearly got the rescue gene from her parents, embracing her initial cat when she moved out on her very own. When she met Chris, he had a family pet cat and also they acquired a canine with each other. When Brookhouser later on figured out the canine came from a

young puppy mill

, she guaranteed never to get another pet and made it her goal to obtain included with rescue work.

Photo courtesy of PawsofOz The pair moved a handful of times due to Chris ‘work. While living in Wichita, Kansas, in 2010, Brookhouser began to offer at a no-kill sanctuary while Macy was in preschool. She collaborated with the medium-size dogs in the back area where she cleansed, fed, and also sprinkled the pets. Along Came Davey

and also Mini Brookhouser wished to embrace a neglected, big older pet. Points changed when she was designated to take care of Davey, that was 1-year-old at the time. Originally on the assisted suicide checklist at the city extra pound, Davey was saved by the no-kill shelter. Davey ultimately used down Brookhouser and she embraced him.

That adhering to summer season, Macy accompanied Brookhouser to volunteer. Eventually, after Brookhouser finished cleaning at the shelter, Macy wanted to consider the little pets.

Photo thanks to PawsofOz “That’s when we saw Mini,”Brookhouser claimed.”She simply clicked with Macy.” Mini had actually been given up at the city extra pound by her owners who had actually shed their work. Thankfully she ended up at the no-kill sanctuary. They began taking the 4-year-old dog to adoption occasions.”Macy would hold her as well as while I talked to people about other pet dogs I was revealing, people would try to consider Mini. Mini really did not want to have anything to do with any person else. Individuals would tell me they had an interest in the Chihuahua however that the little lady holding her claimed she’s not for adoption.”

Brookhouser recognized she was fighting an uphill struggle. Although she really did not assume she wanted a Chihuahua, “Macy was threatening my initiatives,” she stated.

Photo courtesy of PawsofOz For her birthday that August, Brookhouser informed Chris she desired him to

help her clean at the shelter. Due to the fact that it was her birthday celebration, she knew he wouldn’t claim no. When she presented him to Mini, that’s. “He loved Mini, “Brookhouser claimed.”But I placed her back in her cage. When we got to the automobile he stated,’ Are we not earning Mini today?'”They brought her home as well as surprised Macy when they

picked her up from college. A Boy and His Dog

Brookhouser had previous impressions of Chihuahuas that just didn’t fit Mini’s individuality. When Marcelo came right into the photo, Mini was the ideal one to change his mind regarding pets. Mini made her existence recognized but had not been pushy. “She slowly functioned her method right into his little circle,” Brookhouser said. “I believe she realized she needed to be extra patient and also enable him some room.”

It assisted Marcelo to see that Mini was relaxed and also not insane. “She would certainly approach him and roll over on her back and reveal him her belly,” Brookhouser said. “She followed him everywhere.”

After that first time he held Mini, Marcelo came to be take on and also overcame his fear. “It improved his little ego,” Brookhouser claimed. “They came to be inseparable. Mini was happy to have one more little human once more.”

Mini has actually absolutely taught Marcelo to be mild and also kind with animals. And, Marcelo has lots of pets apart from his very own so he can exercise. Brookhouser continues to promote pets with Best Friends Animal Society, and after speaking with her, we found she really canine sits for Rover, too!

The relationship between Marcelo and Mini is more than special. “It shows that rescue pet dogs deserve love and a 2nd opportunity, and that they can aid break through stereotypes and fears,” Brookhouser claimed. “All they recognize is love and mercy and assistance show us concern and empathy.”

And also what does Marcello need to claim about everything? “Mini flights in the auto with me and she plays with me in the backyard,” he stated. Besides, that’s what best friends are for.

Photo courtesy of PawsofOz You can adhere to Marcelo and also Mini on Instagram. Adhere to the PawsofOz rescue pack on Instagramand on Facebook. You can click on this link to publication Brookhouser for animal sitting services. Featured image thanks to PawsofOz. Rhona Melsky is a long time writer/editor, animal supporter, pet dog rescuer, as well as typically qualified singer who shares her house with two cherished rescue dogs and also a partner. sidebar The Dog People Newsletter Subscribe as well as get$25 off animal resting and dog walking!

source http://www.luckydogsolutions.com/chihuahua-wins-over-fearful-boy-and-the-internet-falls-in-love/

from Lucky Dog Solutions https://luckydogsolutions.blogspot.com/2020/09/chihuahua-wins-over-fearful-boy-and.html

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barryswamsleyaz · 4 years

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Chihuahua Wins Over Fearful Boy and also the Internet Falls in Love

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Updated September 9 , 2020|For Dog People

< img aria-describedby=“caption-attachment-165533”

By being in a kicked back atmosphere and hanging out with family that connected with the canines, Marcelo saw that he might rely on everybody and was able to pull down his guard.

A Love Fest

After about 2 weeks, the family was on the patio and Marcelo gradually tried to pet the felines. The pet cats were a little cautious around him. Mini was there as well. “I asked Marcelo, ‘Do you intend to hold Mini?‘” Brookhouser stated. “And he claimed, ‘Oui.'”

Photo thanks to PawsofOz Brookhouser rested Marcelo down and handed Mini to him.”That just sparked the love fest,”

she stated. “He realized that it was truly awesome to be able to hold and also pet her. When I went to take her away at one point, he informed

me,’ No.’He

That adhering to summer season, Macy accompanied Brookhouser to volunteer. Eventually, after Brookhouser finished cleaning at the shelter, Macy wanted to consider the little pets.

Brookhouser recognized she was fighting an uphill struggle. Although she really did not assume she wanted a Chihuahua, “Macy was threatening my initiatives,” she stated.

Photo courtesy of PawsofOz For her birthday that August, Brookhouser informed Chris she desired him to

picked her up from college. A Boy and His Dog

And also what does Marcello need to claim about everything? “Mini flights in the auto with me and she plays with me in the backyard,” he stated. Besides, that’s what best friends are for.

from Lucky Dog Solutions http://www.luckydogsolutions.com/chihuahua-wins-over-fearful-boy-and-the-internet-falls-in-love/

from Lucky Dog Solutions https://luckydogsolutions.tumblr.com/post/629259318043246592

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luckydogsolutions · 4 years

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Chihuahua Wins Over Fearful Boy and also the Internet Falls in Love

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Updated September 9 , 2020|For Dog People

< img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-165533"

By being in a kicked back atmosphere and hanging out with family that connected with the canines, Marcelo saw that he might rely on everybody and was able to pull down his guard.

A Love Fest

Photo thanks to PawsofOz Brookhouser rested Marcelo down and handed Mini to him.”That just sparked the love fest,”

she stated. “He realized that it was truly awesome to be able to hold and also pet her. When I went to take her away at one point, he informed

me,’ No.’He

That adhering to summer season, Macy accompanied Brookhouser to volunteer. Eventually, after Brookhouser finished cleaning at the shelter, Macy wanted to consider the little pets.

Brookhouser recognized she was fighting an uphill struggle. Although she really did not assume she wanted a Chihuahua, “Macy was threatening my initiatives,” she stated.

Photo courtesy of PawsofOz For her birthday that August, Brookhouser informed Chris she desired him to

picked her up from college. A Boy and His Dog

And also what does Marcello need to claim about everything? “Mini flights in the auto with me and she plays with me in the backyard,” he stated. Besides, that’s what best friends are for.

from Lucky Dog Solutions http://www.luckydogsolutions.com/chihuahua-wins-over-fearful-boy-and-the-internet-falls-in-love/

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thepoordogs · 4 years

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14 Years After Yorkie's Disappearance, Dog Dad Receives a Phone Call

14 Years After Yorkie’s Disappearance, Dog Dad Receives a Phone Call

Aaron Webster wanted to give his wife something special for her birthday, so he gave her a puppy. His wife was thrilled as the nine-week-old Yorkie wrapped around the woman’s heart.

It didn’t take long, however, before the puppy, named Remington, disappeared. After two months, Remington was in the backyard of Aaron’s mother and he disappeared. Because he was so small, the family believed that…

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bantamsquash · 6 years

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I have two titles dad and step dad and I rock them both shirt

The dad who fumbled his daughter at the beach then didn’t give her the warm embrace because he didn’t want to get wet is a piece of work. I have two titles dad and step dad and I rock them both. Those feelings manifest. Just thinking of the bigger picture. A person that holds their child like a raged dog isn’t going to be 100% later especially if not now.

I have two titles dad and step dad and I…

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saritashoemaker · 6 years

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Me and my dad in Park City.

Jan 10th, 2018

Dear Aunt Denise and Uncle Jaydee,

We got to run the Provo River!! I ate snow (didn’t check if it was yellow…what’s that supposed to mean anyway?)

Just wanted to write to let you know your plan is working out perfectly for me and Zoey (and Piper).

Dad continues to allow 3 meals a day PLUS has bumped up the walks. I feel like I’m in heaven.

Yesterday we took our usual route to the Provo River. It’s about 2 miles round trip. Ducks EVERYWHERE. Even Zoey loves it. She isn’t limping after plus she practically RUNS top speed home. Two things on that: now I know she has been faking her limp injury to get mom and dad to feel sorry for her and give her treats and extra pets and also she can’t tell time (like I can) and thinks we are going to be fed dinner when we get home from the walks.

Even with Zoey getting that one extra meal (which isn’t that big) she hasn’t gained an ounce.

Piper finally got a new shelf to eat on (and sit sometimes). She seems to love it. I think it’s old and from the thrift store (don’t judge). I put photos at the bottom of my letter.

We took a walk up Y Mountain. I met a lot of other dogs and people. Dad lets me be off leash a lot as long as no one else is around. It was the start of 2018 which fell on a Sunday which meant 75% of the population in our town was at church. The path was snowy/icy but mostly just dirt. Zoey didn’t get to come with us on this trip.

Y Mountain hike. Me and dad.

Zoey played at the school in Park City Utah.

Then another time we got to go with mom and dad to Park City Utah! Have you been there? It is very fancy and filled with rich people (I could smell the money). Folks were friendly but sparse. There isn’t enough snow compared to what they need. Dad says their economy has to be suffering so we bought some stuff there. We went to the school grounds for a walk and I got to eat snow! Did I ever tell you how much I LOVE eating and rolling in snow? I picked this up at Lake George. Did I ever tell you how much I loved Lake George and the mountain life? Not so much on the trailer we lived in (I did not have any room – not complaining…just reporting).

To offset the added costs of our extra meal I worked on ways to pitch in. Everyone seems to be happy with it. Dad says your name a lot (mostly Jaydee) when he sees my contributions.

Just a short list of a few that I’ve really gotten extra good at:

Complete spill clean up

Trashes emptied while mom and dad away (I left recyclables)

Visited and left turds on almost 65% of our neighborhood yards (they were packaged in colorful bags right after). We aim to meet our neighbors in person one day, dad says.

Rearranging furniture (as needed)

Guarding front door, bedroom door, bathroom door and back door IN THE DARK on the DARK WOOD FLOOR (I am so big, I don’t understand why they keep tripping on me).

Oh and I’ve figure out how to get fed sooner than Piper (and even mom and dad!). Both Zoey and I have been taking turns moaning and walking panic-like around the kitchen and living room. I know my Happy Meal is coming soon when I hear “GOOOAWAY!” from Dad. The louder he says it the sooner my dreamy dish arrives. I still haven’t figured out how to eat slowly.

Mom has been feeding almost all of the ducks along the Provo River path every day which is pushing dad’s buttons. The other day she bought an entire loaf of bread home from Smith’s (our grocery store) JUST FOR THE DUCKS. Dad hit the roof and told her she could have extra spending money for DI (our local thrift store) or the ducks…not both. He act’s like he’s the boss of her sometimes. Mom called him “Squeaks” but I don’t know what that means.

We have eaten every meal together since December 22nd last year! This has not happened in my life. The longest they ate at home was 3 days, MAYBE 4. Mom has been in the kitchen a lot baking and making lots of delicious meals. More than normal. They have so many leftovers (I think I get some in my 3 meals too).

The future is looking bright for our family here. We seem to be settling in to our new house.

Dad got a job with a company called Enecon. Now we get to hear about all the machinery and buildings that need to be fixed instead of demolished and replaced. I’ll never get bothered hearing mom and dad talk about work. He says this job is just like when he worked in the textile industry. I am happy he is happy.

Mom is stuck in the mud on getting employed. She has done a lot of applications for a lot of different jobs. One was a waitress job at a Mexican restaurant. She was hired after the owner did a background check on her the same day as the interview. Apparently the place wasn’t a good fit because mom is too much of a neat-nick and the place was a disaster. The longest employee was 9 months (after being open for 6 years). The would not let her push alcohol and everyone knows how much my mom loves margaritas ESPECIALLY with Mexican food.

If she doesn’t get a job I am assuming I will continue to get home-cooked meals. Not to be a downer or anything but I hope she doesn’t get a job.

Piper is getting cat hair everywhere (which I’m helping spread around along with my shedding.)

This basically belongs to Piper.

3 levels just for her.

Double checking on dad.

Piper’s new feeding tower.

Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you knew your plan was STILL being followed.

Tonight is Movie Night! I’m betting on cleaning up some popcorn (just doing my job!)

Please sniff Evie’s butt for me and pass on my regards to her.

Love and miss you,

Kona

Helping mom make surprise chocolate cupcakes for dad.

Mom’s chocolate chunk cupcakes. I wasn’t allowed to get ANY.

Dear Aunt Denise and Uncle Jaydee, Jan 10th, 2018 Dear Aunt Denise and Uncle Jaydee, Just wanted to write to let you know your plan is working out…

#Jaydee Maness #Kona #Letter #Letter from a dog #Provo Utah

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ralph31ortiz · 7 years

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The Most Remarkable Thing About Teaching

A blog and podcast episode about what is important

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

I was talking to my mom and my sister today about teaching. Now, all three of us have been teachers at the high school level. However, I’m the one who’s still in the classroom. And as I was talking to my mom, she’s struggling with memory problems but she was a teacher and way back in the late 1980’s she was brought in to teach a bunch of what they called “Bad Boys.” The school administration really thought these kids were not going to graduate without a great teacher. That great teacher was my Mom.

Listen on iTunes

This is a simul-blog post and podcast episode. This blog post serves as the transcript. It has been edited slightly from the audio version.

What We Remember

So they bought mom in their junior year to teach them a variety of subjects. Several of the teachers had threatened to quit, they said that these were just kids that just didn’t want to learn.

And believe it or not, Mom actually cooked something every day for them. So they would have cake or they would have cinnamon rolls or whatever. And she would say,

“Okay, when we get done with this, this and this, then we’re going to get to eat.”

For these boys, food was about the only thing that worked. Mama doesn’t really remember a lot. But sometimes she’ll look to me with tears in her eyes and say,

“Vicki, do you remember my bad boys? I sure did love teaching those bad boys. They said nobody could teach them but I did. I miss my bad boys.”

Sometimes the harder it is — the happier the memories are of overcoming and the harder we laugh when we think about,

“Oh my goodness I taught that one.”

And we can’t do anything but laugh now. I think I’m going to talk about learning how to collaborate with teachers around the world when I used 128 Kilobit per second modem and took four hours for us to upload a 20-second movie.

I think I’m going to talk about, one day:

how we made apps with different classrooms,

how I taught my kids how to make video games, even the kids who thought they couldn’t do it – especially the kids who thought they couldn’t do it.

I’m going to talk about:

reaching and loving the kid who didn’t like me at first or

helping the kids see greatness in themselves who didn’t even like themselves.

And I want to talk about the little girl who loved art and found out she could be a graphic designer.

And I’m going to talk about the kids I loved and the kids who loved me.

Refill the pitcher

But right now it is summer and we cannot pour out of an empty pitcher. It is time for you and I to fill up our pitcher so that we’ll have something to pour out in the fall.

But here’s another thought. I’ve been working on a post today for Edutopia and right now I’ve got 82 different apps in there.

But I was thinking about this — the very best app in the classroom (when it’s fully charged and at its best) is you, and it’s me.

I’m talking about an engine for change, an engine for learning. You can have kids who are really excited about learning but not every teacher offers it. Sadly, not every teacher has become an engine for learning.

But when you’re excited and you’re engaged – you are a better teacher.

That’s why it’s so hard to really trust a lot of the research around education technology because so many times in education technology the teachers are excited when they’re trying something new. And they get excited about it. And when they get excited about it, then everybody else gets excited.

So it’s really hard to control for the excitement of the teacher because how many teachers are truly excited about keeping things the same? I just don’t know.

Looking at Summer

As you plan, as you think about this summer just really ask yourself,

“Am I topping off my pitcher? Am I replenishing myself so that I can be that exciting teacher in the fall?”

Doc the Dog Marks the Passage of Time

And then here’s another thing, it’s always hard because I want to always be up for all of you who listened to my podcast. It’s important to me to bring excitement because we have so many hard things to handle…

Doc the dog has been part of our family for 14 years. His death today has me considering times and seasons and valuing them both.

but today… so I’ve been teaching for 15 years. The summer after my first year of teaching my dad and mom had their puppy or their dog, Doc, passed away and they got a new dog named Doug, a Jack Russell Terrier. And we’ve had him for 14 years. Well, today we

So I’ve been teaching for 15 years. The summer after my first year of teaching my dad and mom had their dog, Trey, passed away. They got a new dog named Doc, a Jack Russell Terrier. And we’ve had him for 14 years. Well, today we

Well, today (Tuesday) Doc died.

We said goodbye to goodbye to Doc. I’m a little sad about that because our little furry animals are part of our family.

One time I was at a conference and the person asked, how many of you teachers have pets? And they had us hold up how many fingers. And you know, I have four dogs and two cats, and so many of us are nurturers – a lot of us have pets so we know what it’s like.

Time and Seasons

But it’ll tell you one thing that animals teach me; that life is short, that there’s a season for everything. Even as we said goodbye to Doc today – sweet little Doc – we have a new dog that literally just wandered up just a couple of weeks ago and we’re calling him “Three Spot” because has three spots, nothing original there. But he’s a sweet little dog and we’ve made room for him.

School Years

And every year is different. Every year has seasons. Every year has its ups and downs.

Every year has kids that we’re really going to miss and every year has kids that we’re not going to miss.

But as I think about my mom and I think about her talking about the dream she has of teaching those boys and how she misses those days. Sometimes she just says,

“Can I go back and teach those boys? I want to teach again.”

Wake Up and Realize We’re Living the Dream

And that’s her dream.

And you know, I’m living the dream now. And as hard as teaching is – and it’s hard – and as hard as it hurts sometimes, and it does hurt, it’s wonderful.

Teachers, you are the most remarkable app in your classroom. When you get excited when you get encouraged.

So I would just encourage you; take care of yourself, reflect on your wonderful classroom and the things you’ve done and the exciting things that have happened because there’s so many of you who live this every day.

Hard but Worth It

I got a beautiful letter today from a teacher who struggles and she said,

“You know, sometimes I bring food to school because I know that the kids would be hungry and I know that they’re having a hard time and I just love them.”

And we’re all this way, this is who we are.

We sacrifice — really all we have to — to be in the classroom.

The quote I loved from Wonder Woman

And I’m not going to give you any spoilers for Wonder Woman but I did see Wonder Woman. We took mom to see Wonder Woman while dad and my son were burying the dog so that we could kind of get mom away from it.

But there’s a line in there where she’s saving the world and she says,

“I don’t do this because they deserve it, I do it because I believe in love.”

And a lot of times these kids you teach, they don’t’ deserve it.

They’re acting like little turkeys, or just not acting right or they’re fussy or they’re not appreciative or they don’t know that you spent five hours planning that lesson and then it just crashed and bombed.

They don’t know that you planned something fun and then the teacher down the hall who always does worksheets and never does anything fun criticized you in the teacher’s lounge and kind of took the wind out of your sails.

They don’t know any of that.

And I know my friend, Todd Nesloney says kids deserve it and they do, kids deserve great things.

But sometimes, we don’t give kids what they do deserve — not so nice things — because sometimes they misbehave and sometimes they’re ungrateful and sometimes it hurts.

But I’ll tell you this, teachers, your job is so important.

Blessings of Broken Glass

And as I’m writing this, I am listening to my own son in the kitchen and something very large has just broken and I’m going to go in there.

But you know what? I think tonight I don’t think I’m going to fuss about it because I’m just reminded how short life is and even the broken glass is a blessing because of who’s in my life that broke the glass.

That means my son is home and he’s in the kitchen and he’s there and he can break the glass.

And people are a gift, people are just a gift.

And you’re a great gift to your classroom.

I hope you don’t find this too down, I hope you find this encouraging, I hope that you take some time to reflect and I hope you also listen to me.

Not Rested Yet

I’ve been out for two and a half weeks, I should be much more rested than this. Of course, I did start trying to run two miles again. I ran two miles Saturday and two miles yesterday and two miles today. And I’m completely sore and crazy and insane.

But I’m making forward progress.

But today, I was kind of down. And I decided, you know what, I’m going to get up today and try to help as many people as I can because when I help people I never have time to feel sorry for myself and my own problems and my own struggles and worries.

So I just want to encourage you. You do have a remarkable classroom and you are remarkable.

Heal up this summer, get geared up, listen to some old episodes of this podcast, find some new podcasts, learn some new things.

I hope some of you are going to ISTE. I hope to see you there.

Let’s just have a remarkable summer. And take some time to ponder on your remarkable classroom because I know and promise you some remarkable things happened this past year.

And if not, then let’s really try to make this fall and this upcoming year the most remarkable year we’ve ever had.

And it starts with you and me. We’re the apps.

And that is the remarkable thing.

[Transcription created by tranzify.com. Some additional editing has been done to add grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Every attempt has been made to correct spelling. For permissions, please email [email protected]]

The post The Most Remarkable Thing About Teaching appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

from Cool Cat Teacher BlogCool Cat Teacher Blog http://www.coolcatteacher.com/remarkable-thing-teaching/

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punsville · 7 years

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Puns for Kids

The funniest and shortest puns for kids, you always remember while teaching children puns, try to choose the short ones because they are easy for them to remember and register.

Puns for Kids

Why are teddy bears never hungry? They are always stuffed!

What do you get when you cross a snake and a pie? A pie-thon!

Where do polar bears vote? The North Poll.

What did the judge say when the skunk walked into the court room? Odor in the court!

Two silkworms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

Why are fish so smart? Because they live in schools.

The streets in the capital of Afghanistan are paved with Kabulstones.

How does a lion greet the other animals in the field? Pleased to eat you.

What do you get when a chicken lays an egg on top of a barn? An egg roll!

No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery.

Why did the turkey cross the road? To prove he wasn’t chicken!

What musical is about a train conductor? “My Fare, Lady”.

A man drowned in a bowl of muesli. A strong currant pulled him in.

What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk.

What animals are on legal documents? Seals!

Why did the lion spit out the clown? Because he tasted funny!

Why did the bumble bee leave the house? It heard the school was having a spelling bee.

Being struck by lightning is really a shocking experience!

How do celebrities stay cool? They have many fans!

Why do fish live in salt water? Because pepper makes them sneeze!

Dockyard: A physician’s garden.

What did the angry mother say to the boiling pot of spaghetti? Simmer down!

The lights were too bright at the Chinese restaurant so the manager decided to dim sum.

“What’s purple and 5000 miles long?” “Ooh! I know! The Grape Wall of China!”

Every calendar’s days are numbered.

This duck walks into a bar and orders a beer. “Four bucks,” says the bartender. “Put it on my bill.”

I used to be twins. My mother has a picture of me when I was two.

What sound do porcupines make when they kiss? Ouch!

When does a well-dressed lion look like a weed? When he’s a dandelion (dandy lion).

Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a-salted.

A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it is two-tired.

A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

Reading while sunbathing makes you well red.

What do you call a marketplace that sells weird stuff? A bizarre bazaar!

I went to a seafood disco last week… and pulled a mussel.

He had a photographic memory that was never developed.

Why did the golfer wear two pairs of pants to the game? Just in case he got a hole in one.

Q&A Puns for Kids

Q: What does my dog do when he goes to bed? A: He reads a bite-time story.

Q: What do dogs do when watching a DVD? A: They press paws.

Q: Why can’t dogs drive? A: They can’t find a barking space.

Q: Why did the banana go to the hospital? A: It was not peeling very well.

Q: Why did the burglar rob a bakery? A: He needed the dough.

Q: What vitamin helps you to see? A: Vitamin C.

Q: Why did the ice cream cone take karate lessons? A: It was tired of getting licked.

Q: How do you make fire with two sticks? A: Make sure one is a match.

Q: Why did the belt go to jail? A: He held up a pair of pants.

Q: How to hair stylists speed up their job? A: They take short cuts.

Q: Why can’t you tell a joke while you’re standing on ice? A: Because it might crack up.

Q: What do you call a bear with no teeth. A: A gummy bear.

Q: Where do you put barking dogs? A: In a barking lot.

Q: Why didn’t Cinderella make the basketball team? A: She ran away from the ball.

Q: Why didn’t the skeleton go to the dance? A: He had no body to go with.

Q: Who can shave six times a day and still have a beard. A: A Barber.

Q: What stays in the corner but goes around the world? A: A stamp.

Q: Where do burgers like to dance. A: A meatball.

Q: What day to chickens hate most. A: Fry-days

Q: What kind of shoes to frogs wear? A: Open Toad.

Q: What goes up but never comes down? A: Your age.

Q: Why don’t ducks ever have spare change? A: They only carry bills.

Q: Why was the math book sad. A: It had too many problems.

Q: Why did the student eat his homework? A: Because the teacher said it was a piece of cake.

Q: Where do mummies go swimming? A: The Dead Sea.

Q: What do rabbits do when they get married? A: They go on a bunnymoon.

Q: What do you get when an bad rabbit sits on your hair? A: A dad dare Day.

Q: What kind of table can you eat? A: A vege-table,

Q: When do you stop at green and go at red? A: When you’re eating a watermelon.

Q: Why did the girl nibble on her calender? A: She wanted a sundae.

Q: What do you call two banana peels? A: A pair of slippers.

Q: What happens when you tell an egg a kids joke like this one? A: It cracks up.

Q: What is it that even the most careful person overlooks? A: Her nose!

Q: Did you hear about the robbery last night? A: Two clothes pins held up a pair of pants!

Q: Why do you go to bed every night? A: Because the bed won’t come to you!

Q: Why did Billy go out with a prune? A: Because he couldn’t find a date!

Q: Why do eskimos do their laundry in Tide? A: Because it’s too cold out-tide!

Q: How do you cure a headache? A: Put your head through a window and the pane will just disappear!

Q: What has four wheels and flies? A: A garbage truck!

Q: What kind of car does Mickey Mouse’s wife drive? A: A minnie van!

Q: Why don’t traffic lights ever go swimming? A: Because they take too long to change!

Q: Why did the man run around his bed? A: To catch up on his sleep!

Q: Why did the robber take a bath before he stole from the bank? A: He wanted to make a clean get away!

One Liners Puns for Kids

Let’s talk about rights and lefts. You’re right, so I left.

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.

A boiled egg every morning is hard to beat.

Two fish are in a tank. One says to the other, “Err…so how do you drive this thing?”

I went to buy some camouflage trousers yesterday but couldn’t find any.

I’ve been to the dentist many times so I know the drill.

Being struck by lightning is a shocking experience!

Without geometry, life is pointless.

A chicken crossing the road is truly poultry in motion.

The roundest knight at King Arthur’s table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from far too much pi.

I went to a seafood disco last week….and pulled a mussel.

She had a photographic memory but never developed it.

Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t much, but the reception was brilliant!

Enjoyed these puns for kids? Check also:

Cat Puns

Cute Puns

Funny Puns

The post Puns for Kids appeared first on PunsVille.

Source: via Puns Ville http://ift.tt/2pfjjI5 Family, Good, Kids

#Family #Good #Kids

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jessestoddard · 7 years

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One day I was stretching in the little space the tiny University Fitness gym allotted for such activity, and Mae happened to be there doing her Yoga. We were friends and had gone to the Puyallup fair with some mutual pals, like Lisa Yu and another personal trainer from the gym, John Tailor.

By the way, John ended up in a reality TV show called “Too Fat For Fifteen,” and ended up getting his Ph.D. and being teacher of the year in New Jersey. At the time, he liked Mae and was always hitting on her. Sorry, bud.

John Taylor in “Too Fat For 15” Reality TV

I was usually very private, but for some reason, I decided to come clean and needed to confess to someone—so I told Mae I was a homeless derelict. She took pity on me and decided to help. It just so happened that she was house-sitting for some rich doctor friends in Seattle, taking care of their dogs in their frequent absences.

She let me stay at her apartment while she was gone! Can you believe the faith of this woman? To this day, she admits she has never even thought of doing something like that before. I now get to tell people that I lived with her before we even dated. Talk about a crazy conversation starter!

I moved in and even slept in her bed (without her being there of course), while she was gone and my brand new apartment was finishing inspection. Later, when she came back, I moved to the couch as the project continued to be delayed. We had many conversations late into the night and actually got to know each other a little.

When I moved out, I asked my dad to help me build something for her as a gift. She didn’t have a good towel rack in her apartment, so we fashioned one out of wood and added some elaborate scroll saw work on the side of a tropical scene for decoration. We stayed in touch and eventually started dating.

It was near the end of my college years that decided to get back to the theater and I began auditioning for local theater on the professional level. I wanted to see where the dance training, combined with my music minor and acting training combined would take me.

It was then that the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle took note of me and made me one of their premier chorus boys off and on seasonally from about 2000 to 2005. I worked through the ranks as an Equity actor and had a few good roles as well.

My first show was Gypsy, the life of Gypsy Rose Lee, one of my favorite musicals, where I danced with a few other great performers like Louis Hobson (who has some notoriety in Seattle with his own theater and a few IMBD credits), along with Greg Allen, one of the funniest men I have ever met and the greatest tap dancer.

Gypsy at the 5th Avenue Theatre

Greg has made a life of working professionally in the northwest and rarely needs to find other jobs, other than working at a coffee shop here and there between gigs. He made that choice long ago, stuck with it, and I commend him for it. The lead in Gypsy was played by Judy Kay, a fantastic and powerful singer with a long career on Broadway, who we used to see singing in New York at the Macy’s Day Parade. Every night I used to marvel as she closed the show with high notes and a ringing vibrato that filled the halls: “Everything’s coming up roses for me and for you!” I was a regular Joe among true battle-tested professionals.

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Over the years I would perform in shows like Most Happy Fella, the 5th’s 75th Anniversary Gala fundraising events, Hair (twice, where I was the psychedelic modern dancer and acrobat with a giant glow in the dark phallus that everyone obviously assumed was real), A Chorus Line, playing the role of Don, The Wizard of Oz (the hardest show to be ensemble in, with all the crazy set changes and the green unitards), Yankee Doodle Dandy, a Hairspray Promo, Singin’ in the Rain, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, where I got to back up a special show with Lucy Lawless, popular at the time for her role as Xena the Warrior Princess on TV.

Lucy was amazing, tall, beautiful and extremely gracious to us chorus boys and girls. We got to pick her up and twirl her and I was the one with the knee to the ground so she could sit on my lap as she flirted with the audience and sang.

After the show, as we left the stage door in the alley, I had never seen so many ravenous fans awaiting any performer. Even on Broadway, when I later waited for friends to get out of their shows, even the big stars did not draw these kinds of crowds. It also happened that this crowd filled the entire alley and circled out into the street and around the city block, all awaiting with bated breath the appearance of Lucy Lawless.

It was the largest number of Lesbians to ever congregate in one area at one time. We should have called the Guinness Book Of World Records, as it surely would have made the cover.

As with everyone else, Lucy was patient and gracious and took plenty of time to greet her fans and sign autographs. Poor clueless me thought it might be for us boys, and immediately checked my posture and flexed my muscles. I couldn’t understand why they never gave me or the other boys a second look. One of my coworkers had to point out to me that Lucy had a huge Lesbian following that traveled from all over to see her. We could have done a ribbon cutting ceremony of the alley and named it the New Isle of Lesbos.

We all went to dinner at Palomino’s just down the block after the show. Lucy went out of her way to raise us up and even kissed us on the cheek in front of our fans and parents just to make us look good. My uncle to this day is mesmerized by the lifestyle I lived, and everyone enjoyed the pleasant fiction that I had exotic Amazon women singers and dancers hanging all over me on a daily basis feeding me grapes.

Singing, dancing, and acting all at the same time requires a certain set of skills that relatively few people master. I was so fortunate to be allowed into this elite group of people for a short time in my life.

At the time, I had no clue how rare the opportunity or how lucky I was. I was having a blast and working hard and making more money than I had ever made in my life.

During college, I had tried a ton of entrepreneurial ways to make money, including starting a jewelry business, buying “tiny little ads” in newspapers, and even buying and selling real estate. I was constantly reading the papers and thinking outside of the box and going to seminars. It was an incredible time of dreaming and conquest for me.

My friend Gary called me an “Artist-Entrepreneur,” and I began to try to live up to it. I looked into starting a dance school, started an Internet import business before everyone else was doing it, and also took jobs for local ballet companies playing the prince in the Nutcracker or something when I wasn’t working at the 5th Avenue Theatre. I did a couple of runs with a theater on Vashon Island, where the parents and patrons of the theater would house me and feed me while I did the show. I lived out of a backpack and didn’t need much at all to live, so I was very happy.

Also beginning around 2001 I moved to New York City to try my hand there. When I wasn’t in Seattle working for the 5th, I was on an airplane. I found a scholarship that helped with the costs and decided to maximize it.

I stayed with a college friend, Ryan Jones, or “Jones” as we all called him, who had graduated from the UW drama program and married another artist, thereby landing in the Burrough of Queens. Jones was running a non-profit and starting this own theater projects. He now runs a new dance and performance art physical theater company with his new wife in Los Angeles.

It was a culture shock for me, but very good. I rode the trains and subways and lived in spare rooms and on couches for months at a time. I took dance classes alongside New York City Ballet dancers (that could mop the floor with me) and singing lessons from an amazing old sage called Maria Farnsworth who trained New York City Opera singers. I auditioned and honed my craft. I was eating, breathing, and sleeping New York and I loved the Big Apple and all its glory.

I ended up sleeping on a futon at my college roommate, Michael Bilikas’ pad in Greenwich Village. Michael was at this point at NYU dental school, and still on his phone all the time. His place was $1,700 per month for a tiny studio apartment in the early 2000’s, and the place was hopping all night. The only hour of quiet was between the hours of 3 am and 4 am, when the nightlife finally died down, and right before the garbage trucks came to clean up to start the day all over again.

A week before 9-11 I was in still in New York, preparing to fly to the gulf side of Florida to visit with my parents who were on vacation to see my aunt’s new place. She had moved to start over and was tired of the rain and cold in Washington State.

Around that time, Mae had decided on her own to come visit me in our tiny palace of squalor in Manhattan. I was too dense to admit it to myself at the time, but our relationship was going somewhere and she was pursuing me. I had long ceased to pursue anyone and was happy with my only-child alone time, and single laissez-faire lifestyle. I was focused on my fanciful career pursuing the elusive stage.

Mae and I did a little tour and ended up at the twin towers and then decided to have lunch in the financial district. I was comfortable getting around but didn’t really know that area. I decided to take her to lunch, but we couldn’t find even a lowly sandwich place that I didn’t have to take out a mortgage to afford.

I ended up putting an over-priced soup and sandwich on my credit card and tried to be chivalrous. I wanted to stay in New York City, and I secretly hoped Mae would just stay, but we both knew I didn’t have a real job or any kind of financial security to speak of, and we all know how attractive a man is and how secure his lady feels when the best he can offer is a futon in a dental student’s apartment.

I flew out from NYC and directly into the airport that we later found out the terrorists flew out from. I remember how laid back and relaxed that airport was then. The trip to Florida was short, but again reminded me how much I love the sunshine and palm trees.

As soon as I got back to Seattle we saw on TV a plane crashing into the twin towers. We were all in shock and completely stunned by the tragedy. The little airport in Florida and every other airport in the country decided to start increasing the security after that.

Life After High School: Chapter 9 Vagabond One day I was stretching in the little space the tiny University Fitness gym allotted for such activity, and Mae happened to be there doing her Yoga.

#Blog-to-Book

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