#s: noah crabtree

[thestressedsimmer]

Bailey and Noah were in class today when their classmates started to act up. Bay Bay (my nickname for her), being a good girl, did not join. Now Noah on the other hand....?

[porti0ncontrol]

The Gray Man of the Chelsea Hotel

this article originally appeared at www.theawl.com

Every New Yorker worth their salt knows of and respects the history of the Chelsea Hotel with its vast hellish neon sign hanging over 23rd Street, a lamp for moths such as Dylan Thomas, Holly Woodlawn, Robert Mapplethorpe, Sid Vicious, Edie Sedgewick and William S. Burroughs. It is a ship for lost souls, a sort of Noah’s Ark of the damned - and the parties can be a lot of fun. Seeing those glowing letters forty-odd feet high through a fogged or rainy night can send a thrill up my spine rather reliably.

Naturally any vast sprawling old thing with a predilection for murder, suicides, murder-suicides and overdoses (perhaps we can just use the umbrella-term ‘loose cannons’) is going to attract its share of ghost stories, and I have my own little tale to add to the apocrypha of one of New York City’s most venerable institutions of art, madness and hedonism starring one of it’s most famous permanent residents.

A friend of mine and film producer I work with has a large grandfathered apartment on the 10th floor of the Chelsea, with a roof-deck, that he inherited from his mother who lived there at the place’s height of notoriety in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Every year in the spring he throws a rooftop party where friends and his neighbors all gather to eat, drink and smoke joints on the roof, and there are usually more than a few photographs and super 8 movies being taken as some of the most notorious New York artists mix with some of the most notorious New York derelicts, and for a few hours in June everything is as it should be.

About a year ago in the late fall, my friend and his wife were out of town for a long weekend and he had asked me to stop in once or twice to feed his cat for him and told me I was welcome to hang out at his place and spend the night if I wanted. On the Saturday night of this weekend my friend Lauren and I had gone to see ‘Milk’ at the Chelsea Clearview and as we left I said ‘hey I have access to an apartment and rooftop at the Chelsea Hotel, why don’t we go hang out there?’

After quick shopping for pate and two bottles of Prosecco we were in the elevator (that the ghost of Sid Vicious has been rumored to haunt). Then we were having a cocktail on the antique leather sofa and making a plate of snacks to take out onto the roof.

As a brief interjection to the narrative thrust: the particular ghost which is supposed to haunt the 10th floor of the Chelsea is known as the Gray Man, and he is (to put it mildly) not predisposed to kindness, so to speak. He lurks in the stairwell of the 10th floor and tries to get people to leap to their deaths (mainly children). Keep in mind, I was not thinking of this legend and Lauren had never heard of it at the time.

The roof of the Chelsea Hotel is a dark, twisty and brambling place with towers, odd little doorways to rooftop apartments, narrow alleys and idiosyncratic cornices, and many many dark and shadowed corners. Being up there at sunset with a large gathering of people is an entirely different experience then say, being two waifs in skinny jeans scurrying around a gothic rooftop in the dead of a November night.

Lauren, I will let you know, is a very level-headed and critical person, not prone to flights of fancy, and so we sat on the roof talking about its architecture and various events in our lives when she stopped mid-conversation and turned and looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face. “Chris! Did you hear that?”

I hadn’t heard anything outside of the traffic down on 23rd Street and the occasional jet engine, and when I asked her what it was she said “I keep hearing a man’s voice saying ‘jump, go on jump. You’ll be fine, just go ahead and jump” and explained to me that a bizarre and inexplicable urge to jump off the roof of the Chelsea Hotel had entered her mind and would not be shaken. She asked that we move away from the edge of the roof where we had been perched, which is when we saw it.

A few yards away, half obscured by a chimney-stack was the darkened silhouette of a man, watching us from an inkwell of a corner. It could have been my eyes playing tricks on my mind and I tried to convince myself this was the case. That is up until it moved, stepping back into the darkness behind it.

Lauren and I quickly gathered our things and made our way across the roof, through coal black alleys that felt filled with eyes all the while feeling a menacing presence following behind us, just out of our field of vision - and it was not until we were safely back inside with the sliding glass door closed and locked behind us that we began to feel safe.

My friend has told me before that he feels his mother is still in the apartment she left to him, and so perhaps she kept at bay whatever angry presence dwells on the 10th floor of New York City’s answer to The Overlook. Lauren was visibly and deeply shaken, and we quickly finished the first bottle of Prosecco and did considerable damage to the 2nd before our nerves began to calm. We left soon after.

Later I shared with Lauren the story of the Gray Man, who urges people to jump from the 10th floor stairwell. Having never heard the legend she became positively aquiver and dropped the phone when I told her.

As a final footnote, two years later I had been devouring Patty Smith’s ‘Just Kids’ which recounted her life with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe; a large portion of which was spent in the Hotel Chelsea. On pages 197-98 (paperback ed.) she mentions the composer Lee Crabtree, a fellow resident, and “after several days I asked around for him, and Ann Waldman told me that, facing the loss of his inheritance and the threat of institutionalization, he leapt to his death from the roof of the Chelsea.

Is Lee Crabtree ‘the Gray Man’ or just one of his victims? One of the many casualties of the Chelsea. The incident has never left her mind and to this day Lauren is absolutely terrified of the Chelsea Hotel and refuses to set foot within its walls. Others, it seems, never leave.

***

Note: I was later contacted by the sister and a friend of Lee Crabtree.

Sue Crabtree Spalding: “I am the sister of Lee Crabtree, who reportedly leapt to his death form the roof the Chelsea. Indeed, my brother leapt to his death, but not from the Chelsea. Indeed he was mentally ill, but the circumstances of his death - inheritance/institutionalization as reported by Patti Smith - are fiction. I find it very distressing that this urban myth is still being perpetrated.”

Wayne Ross: “Lee was a very good friend of mine and there are few days I don't think about him. He was kind, gentle and a really great piano player. I was visiting him a week before his death at the Chelsea. I still have a postcard that he sent me after my visit. Anyone is entitled to thier opinions but in my opinion he was not mentally ill. I seriously doubt that he and Patti Smith were even friends. I love Patti Smith records and I'm sure he would have mentioned her knowing that I was so fond of her. At the time he was visiting Gert Shiff a french writer and a comic artist, who's name I don't remember. He played with The Fugs, Bruce Mackay, Eric Anderson, Holly Model Rollers ( if I spelled it right ), Pearls Before Swine and others. He was working on his own music composition with a friend just before he died. Just as Sue said he did not jump from the Chelsea. I have music pieces myself which are dedicated to him. Lee Crabtree could not be the Gray Man it would not fit his personality. Sue is right it is an urban myth. I find it absurd that anyone would believe.”

[llamagal21]

Remembering the Stars of 2018 (Pt. 1)

January 2018

01 – Jon Paul Steuer, Actor – played Alexander Rozhenko in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” – age 33

04 – Ray Thomas, Musician (UK) – founding member of the rock group The Moody Blues “Nights In White Satin” – age 76 (prostate cancer)

05 – Jerry Van Dyke, Actor – played David Crabtree in TV show “My Mother the Car“(1965) and Luther Van Dam on “Coach” (1989-’97) – age 86

05 – John Young, Captain, USN / NASA Astronaut – flew on the first manned Gemini mission (1965) and five more missions including a moon walk (1972) – age 87

08 – Denise LaSalle, Blues Singer – recognized as the “Queen of the Blues”, top hit “Trapped By A Thing Called Love” (1971) – age 78 (complications from a fall)

08 – Donnelly Rhodes, Actor (CAN) – played convict Dutch Leitner on TV show “Soap” (1977-’81) – age 80 (cancer)

10 – Eddie Clarke, Musician (UK) – guitarist for the heavy metal band Motörhead – age 67 (pneumonia)

10 – Doreen Tracey, Actress/Singer – a regular on TV show “Mickey Mouse Club” (1955-’58) – age 74 (cancer)

12 – Keith Jackson, Sportscaster – the voice of ABC Sports’ College football coverage (1966–2006) – age 89

13 – Jean Porter, Actress – contract actress for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who appeared in over 30 movies from 1938-’61 – age 95

13 – Naomi Stevens, Actress – an extremely popular character actress (1950s-’80s) played Mrs. Dreyfus in the 1960 movie “The Apartment” – age 92

14 – Dan Gurney, Race car driver/owner – won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, and Trans-Am Series – age 86 (pneumonia)

15 – Dolores O’Riordan, Singer (IRL) – lead singer for rock band the Cranberries; top hits “Linger” and “Zombie” – age 46 (unknown)

15 – Peter Wyngarde, Actor (UK) – portrayed Jason King in TV shows Department S (1969–70) and Jason King (1971–72) – age 90

16 – Bradford Dillman, Actor – played Luther Sebastian in the film “The Helicopter Spies” which was made from a The Man From U.N.C.L.E. episode – age 87 (pneumonia)

17 – Jessica Falkholt, Actress (AUS) – played Hope Morrison in TV series “Home and Away” – age 29 (car accident killed her entire family)

17 – Simon Shelton, Actor (UK) – played Tinky Winky in the BBC TV show “Teletubbies” (1997-2001) – age 52 (hypothermia)

19 – Olivia Cole, Actress – played Matilda in the mini-series “Roots” (1977) for which she won an Emmy – age 75 (heart attack)

19 – Dorothy Malone, Actress – played Constance MacKenzie on Peyton Place (1964-’68) – age 92

19 – Allison Shearmur, Film producer – worked on American Pie, Jason Bourne and The Hunger Games franchises – age 54 (lung cancer)

20 – Wendell Castle, Artist/Furniture maker – probably the father of “furniture art” – age 85

20 – John Coleman, TV Meteorologist – original weatherman on ABC’s Good Morning America (1975) and co-founder of The Weather Channel (1982) – age 83

20 – Naomi Parker Fraley, she is credited as the inspiration for the Rosie the Riveter “We Can Do It” WWII era poster – age 96

20 – Jim Rodford, Musician – played with the Kinks (1978-’96) then played with redo of The Zombies – age 76

22 – Connie Sawyer, Actress – nicknamed “The Clown Princess of Comedy”, appeared in movies and TV from 1955 – 2014 – age 105

26 – Stacey Young, Model (UK) – she appeared in many 1980’s music videos with her singer husband Paul Young – age 52 (brain cancer)

27 – Mort Walker, Cartoonist – wrote the newspaper comic strips Beetle Bailey (1950) and Hi and Lois (1954) – age 94

30 – Mark Salling, Actor/Musician – portrayed Noah “Puck” Puckerman on TV show “Glee”(2009-’13) – age 35 (suicide)

February 2018

01 – Fidel Ángel Castro Díaz-Balart, Scientist – Fidel Castro’s oldest son – age 68 (suicide)

02 – Dennis Edwards, Singer – lead singer for The Temptations (1968-’77) “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” – age 74

02 – Jon Huntsman Sr., Businessman/Philanthropist – Huntsman was known for his philanthropy including Huntsman Cancer Institute – age 80

04 – John Mahoney, Actor (UK/USA) – played Martin Crane (Frazier’s Dad) on TV show “Frasier” (1993-2004) – age 77 (throat cancer)

07 – Mickey Jones, Musician/Actor – drummer for The First Edition with Kenny Rogers – age 76 (a long illness)

07 – John Perry Barlow, Poet/Cyber Activist – lyricist for the Grateful Dead and founded Electronic Frontier Foundation – age 70

07 – Jill Messick, Producer – “She’s All That and” “Mean Girls” – age 50 (suicide)

09 – Reg E. Cathey, Actor – portrayed Freddy Hayes in “House of Cards” (2013-’17) – age 59 (lung cancer)

09 – John Gavin, Actor/Politician – portrayed Julius Caesar in “Spartacus” (1960); U.S. Ambassador to Mexico (1981-’86) – age 86 (leukemia)

11 – Vic Damone, Singer/Songwriter – “You’re Breaking My Heart” (1949); “On the Street Where You Live (1956) – age 89

12 – Marty Allen, Comedian/Actor – 1/2 of the comedy duo Allen & Rossi, 44 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show – age 95

12 – Louise Latham, Actress – played Bernice Edgar in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “Marnie” (1964) – age 95

12 – Daryle Singletary, C&W Singer – “I Let Her Lie” (1995), “Amen Kind of Love” (1996) – age 46 (blood clot)

15 – Lassie Lou Ahern, Actress – she was a child actress in “Our Gang” films and one of the last surviving cast members – age 97 (flu)

21 – Emma Chambers, Actress (UK) – played Alice Tinker in BBC show “The Vicar of Dibley” (1994-’98) – age 53 (heart attack)

21 – Billy Graham, Baptist Minister and TV Christian evangelist – “Billy Graham Crusades” (1947-2005); spiritual adviser to every U.S. President from Harry Truman to Barack Obama – age 99

22 – Nanette Fabray, Actress/Singer/Dancer – Sid Caesar’s comedy partner on “Caesar’s Hour”1954-’57), played Katherine Romano on the TV show “One Day at a Time” (1979-’84) – age 97

23 – Lewis Gilbert, Producer/Director (UK) – “Alfie” (1966), “Shirley Valentine” (1989), “You Only Live Twice” (1967) – age 97

27 – Peter Miles, Actor (UK) – played Rotane in several episodes of “Blake’s 7” – age 89

March 2018

01 – Bill Burkette, Singer – original member of ‘The Vogues’, “You’re the One”, “Five O’Clock World” – age 75

02 – Ronnie Prophet, C&W Musician (CAN) – performed in Canadian TV shows “Grand Old Country” and “The Ronnie Prophet Show” – age 80

03 – David Ogden Stiers, Actor – played Major Charles Emerson Winchester III in TV show M*A*S*H (1977-’83) – age 75 (bladder cancer)

10 – Hubert de Givenchy, Fashion designer (FR) – “House of Givenchy” – famously dressed Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy (see 1960s Fashion section) – age 91

11 – Sir Kenneth Dodd, Comedian/Singer-songwriter (UK) – recorded “Tears” the #1 hit in 1965 and #3 for all of 1960s – age 90

12 – Nokie Edwards, Musician – played lead guitar and bass for The Ventures, a Hall of Fame instrumental rock band – age 82 (complications from hip surgery)

12 – Craig Mack, Singer/rapper – also known as MC EZ, biggest hit was “Flava in Ya Ear” – age 47 (heart failure)

14 – Jim Bowen, Comedian (UK) – host of ITV’s game show Bullseye (1981-’95) – age 80

14 – Stephen Hawking, Theoretical Physicist (UK) – Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom – age 76 (ALS)

20 – Frank Avruch, Actor – portrayed Bozo the star of “Bozo the Clown” syndicated TV show (1959-’70) – age 89 (heart disease)

21 – Anna-Lisa, Actress (NO) – played Nora Travers on “Black Saddle” (1959-’60) – age 84

22 – Wayne Huizenga, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist – one time owner of the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins and the Florida Panthers – age 80 (cancer)

22 – Charles Lazar, Entrepreneur – founder and CEO of Toy “R” Us toy chain (1957-2018) – age 94

23 – DuShon Monique Brown, Actress – played Connie in TV show “Chicago Fire” (2012-present) – age 49 (heart disease?)

23 – Debbie Lee Carrington, Actress – played Little Bigfoot in Harry and the Hendersons (1987) – age 58

23 – Delores Taylor, Actress – developed the character “Billy Jack’ and starred in all three Bill Jack movies; “Billy Jack” (1971), “The Trial of Billy Jack” (1974), “Billy Jack Goes to Washington” (1977) – age 85 (dementia)

25 – Linda Brown, Civil Rights figure – was the subject of a Supreme Court case which outlawed school segregation (Brown v. Board of Education – 1954) – age 76

30 – Bill Maynard, Actor/Comedian – lead role in “Oh No, It’s Selwyn Froggitt! (1976–78)” – age 89 (complications from a fall)

April 2018

01 – Steven Bochco, TV Writer/Producer – “Hill Street Blues” (1981-’87), ” L.A. Law” (1986-’94) – age 74 (leukemia)

02 – Winnie Mandela, Politician (ZA) – anti-apartheid activist, married to Nelson Mandela – age 81

05 – Tim O’Connor, Actor – played Dr. Elias Huer in “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” – age 90 (cancer)

08 – Chuck McCann, Actor/Comedian – hosted childrens TV show “The Chuck McCann Show” – age 83 (congestive heart failure)

10 – Yvonne Staples, Gospel/R&B Singer – Family gospel group The Staple Singers #1 hit “Let’s Do It Again” – age 80

12 – Alex Beckett, Actor (UK) – played Barney Lumsden in BBC TV show “Twenty Twelve” (2012) – age 35

15 – R. Lee Ermey, Actor – (Sgt. USMC retired) played Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in “Full Metal Jacket” (1967) – age 74 (complications from pneumonia)

16 – Harry Anderson, Actor – played Judge Harry Stone on TV show “Night Court” (1984-’92) – age 65

16 – Pamela Gidley, Actress – starred in “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me” – age 52 (cause not released)

17 – Barbara Bush, First Lady wife of Pres. George H. W. Bush 1989-’93) and mother of Pres. George W. Bush (2001-’09), founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy – age 92 (congestive heart failure)

18 – Bruno Sammartino, WWF Professional Wrestler – “The Living Legend” held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship longer than anyone else – age 82 (heart failure)

18 – Dale Winton, TV Host (UK) – “Dale’s Supermarket Sweep” (1993-’07) “In It to Win It” (2002-’16) – age 62

19 – Ronald Blasket, Comedian/Ventriloquist (AUS) – Gerry Gee’s Jamboree (1959) his doll was named Gerry Gee – age 96

20 – Avicii (Tim Bergling), Electronic music producer (SWE) – “Sunshine”, “I Could Be the One” he was nominated for 2 Grammy’s – age 28 (suffered from acute pancreatitis)

21 – Verne Troyer, Actor – played Mini-Me in Austin Powers movies (1997,’99,&’02) at 2′ 8″ tall he was the worlds shortest actor – age 49 (possible alcohol poisoning)

23 – Bob Dorough, Musician/Songwriter – composed and performed the “Schoolhouse Rock!” series of educational cartoons – age 94

27 – Kristin Nelson, Actress – married to Rick nelson and appeared regularly on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” – age 72 (sudden heart attack)

27 – Paul Junger Witt, Producer – TV shows “The Partridge Family”, “Golden Girls” and movies “Dead Poets Society’ – age 77 (cancer)

29 – Robert Mandan, Actor – played Chester Tate on TV sitcom “Soap” (1977-’81) – age 86 (a long illness)

Source: https://fiftiesweb.com/dead/dead-people-2018/

[junker-town]

Best and worst moments from Saturday’s 9 NFL preseason games

It was a busy evening in the NFL.

Saturday we had a full slate of preseason NFL games. A total of nine games were played, and there was plenty of action to take in throughout the evening.

The Panthers and Titans played the lone afternoon game and gave us lots of scoring to kick off the day. The 34-27 win for the Titans was highlighted by a pair of former college standouts — Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey.

In the evening, we had everything from the Cowboys looking dominant, the moment group celebrations were born again, a kick six, throwing a fumble, and Kellen Moore bringing the Cowboys down quickly. Oh, and Pat Mahomes looked pretty darn good.

Here’s the best and worst from Saturday’s games.

BEST

1. Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry party like it’s 2015

The 2015 Heisman Trophy went to Derrick Henry because he racked up 28 rushing touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey had to settle for second even though he had a ridiculous 3,864 all-purpose yards.

Both players played just the first half of a preseason matchup Saturday, but their performances head-to-head mirrored that 2015 season.

Henry bulldozed his way to two touchdowns and 36 rushing yards on 16 carries against one of the NFL’s best rushing defenses.

McCaffrey had just five touches, but tallied 33 rushing yards, 39 receiving yards, and scored a touchdown of his own.

Both players should play prominent roles in 2017 and absolutely nobody who watched college football in the last two years should be surprised by that.

2. The Dallas Cowboys’ opening drive was perfect

One of the biggest criticisms of Dak Prescott last season was that he didn’t find Dez Bryant enough. On the opening drive, Dak and the Cowboys offense went 95 yards down the field, capped off with a Dak-to-Dez touchdown.

Prescott finished the evening 7-of-8 passing with 106 yards, a touchdown, and a passer rating of 158.3.

It’s preseason, and the Colts defense looked pretty bad to start this one off, but the Cowboys should feel good about seeing Prescott handle them with ease.

3. The Detroit Lions broke out a wonderful group celebration

The NFL decided to chill when it comes to penalties on celebrations during games. It didn’t decide to let things be a free-for-all, but one of the things players can do now is group celebrations.

It inspired this double dutch by the Lions after a Marvin Jones touchdown.

The catch was great... the celebration was even better! #NYJvsDET det-lions http://pic.twitter.com/hT2yYHbhor

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 20, 2017

We’ll give that one a 10/10. Here’s to hoping that gets surpassed multiple times as the season goes along.

4. A 109-yard kick six to end the half

It does not matter if it’s preseason. If you take a kick back 109 yards in any football game, you deserve praise. Deonte Thompson did that to close out the first half for the Bears against the Cardinals.

109 YARDS TO THE HOUSE!!! Deonte Thompson returns the missed field goal and runs it all the way back for a @ChicagoBears TD! #CHIvsAZ http://pic.twitter.com/k9IfkZMoIY

— NFL (@NFL) August 20, 2017

Give that man some oxygen. (Chris Davis’ was still better because of circumstances.)

5. Michael Crabtree could be a Harlem Globetrotter

Michael Crabtree — chain-snatching victim — took Troy Hill’s ankles on his way to the end zone against the Rams.

This is just filthy.

Oh my. @KingCrab15 #LARvsOAK http://pic.twitter.com/NuWrO30krM

— NFL (@NFL) August 20, 2017

That’s some Allen Iverson, Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry, And 1 Mixtape, Harlem Globetrotter level ankle-taking.

WORST

1. Kellen Moore

After Dak Prescott’s hot start, Kellen Moore came in and quickly cooled things off. He was stripped by Barkevious Mingo, and Lavar Edwards took the football back to the house for six.

Moore completed just 10 of 21 passes in the game. Third-string rookie Cooper Rush entered later and threw two touchdowns.

2. Noah Brown destroying Colts punter

Noah Brown — who blindsided us with arguably the best catch in college football last season — blindsided Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez, who was down on the field for a solid minute.

Former Colts punter Pat McAfee tweeted some advice for the new guy on the block:

Head on a swivel cuz @Rigojio88

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 20, 2017

3. Look alive!

The Patriots’ Justin Coleman didn’t get out of the way of this punt, but lucky for him, teammate Kenny Moore recovered it.

If there’s one team you really don’t want to do that on, it’s the Patriots. Bill Belichick won’t have it.

4. Brian Hoyer’s non-throw

Brian Hoyer somehow managed to throw the ball -3 yards, where Denver was able to recover the football near midfield.

Hoyer is expected to be the starter for the 49ers going into the season. Kyle Shanahan couldn’t have been too confident after seeing a blooper like that one.

5. All these penalties, only for them to be offset

Pete Morelli could barely keep himself from laughing after the Broncos and 49ers combined for five penalties on one punt. It’s hard to blame him, especially when you hear another official giving him help on making the call.

Preseason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #DENvsSF http://pic.twitter.com/i2NXYncFBD

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 20, 2017

6. Christian Hackenberg compliments the Lions for something they didn’t do

Welp.

Hackenberg said he thought Lions did a great job studying their tape. Stafford said team barely watched tape at all prepping for this game.

— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) August 20, 2017

The Jets only managed two field goals in the 16-6 loss, both in the fourth quarter.

We’re halfway through the preseason, folks. It’s only going to get more interesting.

[rabbittstewcomics]

Episode 089

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 review, Top 10 April sales, Injustice 2, Bane Conquest 1, GotG: Mother Entropy 1, GotG: Mission Breakout, All-New Guardians of the Galaxy 1, Black Bolt 1, Jean Grey 1, Eternal Empire 1, Youngblood 1, Swordquest 0, TMNT Funko, The Damned 1, Catalyst Prime Noble, Alterna (Lilith Dark, Adam Wreck, Croak, Amazing Age), Secret Empire 1, Free Comic Book Day!, Batman 22, Dark Tower trailer, Defenders trailer, Thor by Aaron, DC Editorial shake-up, Doctor Who S10E04

Details: Injustice 2 1 by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Juan Albarran; Bane Conquest 1 by Chuck Dixon, Graham Nolan, Gregory Wright; Guardians of the Galaxy: Mother Entropy 1 by Jim Starlin, Alan Davis, Mark Farmer; Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout by Christopher Hastings, Edgar Salazar, Allen Martinez; All-New Guardians of the Galaxy 1 by Gerry Dugan, Aaron Kuder, Ive Svorcina; Black Bolt 1 by Saladin Ahmed, Christian Ward; Jean Grey 1 by Dennis Hopeless, Victor Ibanez; Eternal Empire 1 by Sarah Vaughn, Jonathan Luna; Youngblood 1 by Chad Bowers, Jim Towe, Rob Liefeld; Swordquest 0 by Chad Bowers, Chris Sims, Ghostwriter K; TMNT Funko Universe by Caleb Goellner, Nicolas Pena, Ronda Pattison; The Damned 1 by Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, Bill Crabtree; Catalyst Prime Noble by Brandon Thomas, Roger Robinson; Lilith Dark 1 by Charles C Dowd; Croak 1 by Cody Andrew Sousa, Francesco Iaquinta; Adam Wreck 1 by Michael S Bracco; Amazing Age by Matthew David Smith, Jeremy Massie, Christine Brunson

03 May 2017 Comics Countdown

10. Goldie Vance 12 by Jackie Ball, Hope Larson, Noah Hayes, Sarah Stern

9. Paper Girls 14 by Brian K Vaughan, Cliff Chiang

8. Giant Days 26 by John Allison, Max Sarin, Liz Fleming, Whitney Cogar

7. Batman 22 by Tom King, Joshua Williamson, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson

6. Spider-Gwen 19 by Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez, Rico Renzi

5. Eternal Empire 1 by Sarah Vaughn, Jonathan Luna

4. Star Wars: Poe Dameron 14 by Charles Soule, Angel Unzueta, Arif Prianto

3. Manifest Destiny 28 by Chris Dingess, Matthew Roberts, Tony Akins, Owen Gieni

2. The Damned 1 by Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, Bill Crabtree

1. Deathstroke 18 by Christopher Priest, Joe Bennett, Norm Rapmund

Check out this episode!

[thestressedsimmer]

this.... is going in concerning directions.

[thestressedsimmer]

.... aw yeah, it's all coming together.

[thestressedsimmer]

It's Bailey's birthday! Of course, Willow stayed up all night putting up streamers and balloons. Orange, of course, since that's Bailey's favorite color.

She also bought her a brand new outfit as a gift. To be honest, these kids only get special things on their birthdays and holidays since there are so many of them - but she found the cutest little sweater dress on plopsy and it seemed Bailey's style!

And look how GOOD she looks in it! (Jack and Jill both wanted to give Bailey happy birthday! hugs and kisses. They also made her some homemade crafts for her birthday, but that's not pictured.)

Bailey's birthday falls on a Monday. She got to take the day off from school, but of course the boys still had to go. Noah used that opportunity to shop for a gift at the school supplies store. A private journal!

She pretty instantly put it to good use. Willow prepared some food and a birthday cake (she's not aging up because of my custom aging system, but house parties always need cake and it's about the AMBIANCE) and Bailey put the Backyard music [her favorite] on blast. IT'S PARTY TIME!

Noah's half sister, Orion, happened to be good friends with Bailey. So she was invited over to the party. Look at what a cutie she grows up to be!

In the middle of the party, little Carter stole the show by deciding to clap along to the music!

Just a little bit of appreciation for Bailey's newest party outfit. I'm not really a fan of orange, but she somehow always manages to pull it off.

One of the guests caught Noah's eye....

The feeling was mutual!

The party ended up winding down soon enough. Willow had a little too much whiskey and it was getting pretty late. Alessandra told Noah to text her and Bailey gave all of her friends hugs. Now it's time to get overtired (and hyped on sugar) toddlers and infants in bed. It is a school night for the teens too...

[thestressedsimmer]

Noah went in and got his wisdom teeth removed. Willow was not about to let them mess around with anesthesia, it's too dangerous, so the poor guy is going to have to deal with the pain.

Don't worry! He has pain medication to help!

[thestressedsimmer]

Carter decided to be a drama king and learn to sit up in front of everyone.

Charlotte wasn't as impressed. She did that, like, a week ago.

[thestressedsimmer]

This one actually surprised me. It's pretty rare that dads call the kids - but Christopher and Kyle are both the only living dads left and.... decently involved in the kids' lives.

He must have heard about him getting his wisdom teeth removed and wanted to check in and wish him luck with the procedure!

[thestressedsimmer]

[thestressedsimmer]

[thestressedsimmer]

Willow was up a good portion of the night preparing baskets for the kids - but in her mind, they all deserve it. The older kids all had candy in their baskets, but the two infants had all sorts of sensory toys!

The kids woke up early (six AM, to be exact) and excitedly tore into their baskets. But after that? The hunt was on. The egg hunt, to be specific!

"Who hides an egg in the mailbox?" Bailey grumbled. But before she could come inside? THE FLOWER BUNNY appeared. And was immediately swarmed by the Crabtree children.

I'm pretty sure Ulysses fought him for eggs at some point, but I don't have pictures of that. What I do have pictures of? Is Jill making friends with the Flower Bunny.

At this point, it was getting pretty late. So after getting everybody wrestled into their special outfits, Willow asked the older kids to keep the younger ones occupied while she worked in the kitchen. They had family coming over at 4:00 on the dot!

The grand meal was a ham dinner - but there were also some desserts out for everyone. It took a good few hours for Willow to get everything done, so little Carter got hungry. Luckily, big bro Noah came to the rescue!

The guests started arriving and Noah's dad - Christopher was one of the first! He was excited to see him and immediately rushed over to catch him up on all of the drama at school - and how he's officially the captain of the football team.

Willow called everybody to eat - because Jack had been trailing behind her saying, "mama, i'm hungry!" And she figured it wasn't fair to make them wait any longer.

At some point, Kyle seems to have forgotten that they aren't really allowed to have a romantic relationship anymore now that they have a son.

Watching sports, of course, is an Easter tradition of many and the Crabtree family is no different. Of course, Willow was mostly amused at how much Ulysses looks like his dad!

Eventually, the party started to wind down and the dads gave their kids hugs goodbye. Christopher told Noah to keep up his studies. Kyle? Told Ulysses that he wants more 'epic prank' stories the next time they see each other.

One by one, the kids filed up to bed. Exhausted and crashing from their sugar highs.

[thestressedsimmer]

[thestressedsimmer]

I honestly don't know what Noah was doing. I was busy playing with Bailey. But now he has detention and is going to miss football practice.