#you want a hiking buddy who's just as excited to be stuffed in a sleeping bag for the night?

[tea-time-terrier]

The growth of this little creature even just compared to last year (but especially her first months home) is wild!

Her confidence is ever growing and this weekend she participated in multiple swim times, walking over her first suspension bridge, and jumping off her first dock!

[introvertguide]

Easy Rider (1969); AFI# 84

The current movie under review from the AFI top 100 is the counterculture road film, Easy Rider (1969). As a note for anybody looking for screen captures, this is also the title of a magazine with many scantily dressed women next to vehicles, so be specific with your google image search. The film combines the hippie lifestyle with the beatnik concept of being free from "the man." It spoke to a lot of Americans at the time who were fighting back against government restrictions on one hand and the freedom of Civil Rights on the other. The film ended up making almost 100x the budget and was one of the first super performing, low budget indie films. The film was written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern. It was produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It is funny to think about now, but it was basically Peter Fonda's hippie son and some of his buddies getting together and making a movie about a road trip. Well done! Before we go any further, let's get the normal warning out of the way...

SPOILER WARNING!!! I AM GOING TO SPOIL THE MOVIE THAT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE A MAJOR PLOT!!! WHAT STORY THERE IS I HAVE SPOILED SO WATCH THE FILM FIRST IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO RUIN IT FOR YOU!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

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Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) are freewheeling motorcyclists. After smuggling cocaine from Mexico to Los Angeles, they sell their haul and receive a large sum of money. With the cash stuffed into a plastic tube hidden inside the Stars & Stripes-painted fuel tank of Wyatt's California-style chopper, they ride eastward aiming to reach New Orleans, Louisiana, in time for the Mardi Gras festival. This all happens either in silence, in Spanish, or beneath the in-coming planes at an airport, so there really isn't any dialogue. It truly is exposition at the most basic level. What the director is basically communicating is "two guys got some money, here's how, now don't worry about it and enjoy the travel montage."

During their trip, Wyatt and Billy stop to repair a flat tire on Wyatt's bike at a farmstead in Arizona and have a meal with the farmer and his family. It is kind of interesting because Wyatt talks later about nobody being willing to help him, yet he is invited to use the barn and tools and then invited to have dinner with the whole family. Later, Wyatt picks up a hippie hitch-hiker, and he invites them to visit his commune, where they stay for the rest of the day. The notion of "free love" appears to be practiced, with two of the women, Lisa and Sarah, seemingly sharing the affections of the hitch-hiking commune member before turning their attention to Wyatt and Billy. The people at the commune seem to like Wyatt and want him to stay, but Billy doesn't seem to fit in and he is antsy to get back on the road. As the bikers leave, the hitch-hiker gives Wyatt some LSD for him to share with "the right people".

Further down the road, the two see a parade and playfully join the back. The pair are immediately arrested for "parading without a permit" and thrown in jail. There, they befriend lawyer George Hanson (Jack Nicholson), who has spent the night in jail after overindulging in alcohol. After the mention of having done work for the ACLU along with other conversation, George helps them get out of jail and decides to travel with Wyatt and Billy to New Orleans. As they camp that night, Wyatt and Billy introduce George to marijuana. As an alcoholic and a "square", George is reluctant to try it due to his fear of becoming "hooked" and it leading to worse drugs but he quickly relents. It is funny when Wyatt calls it "grass" and George doesn't know what that means. I don't know about other areas, but any 13-year-old where I live would most likely know what Wyatt was talking about.

Stopping to eat at a small-town Louisiana diner, the trio attract the attention of the locals. There is a booth packed with young girls next to a booth packed with what I can best describe as hicks. The girls in the restaurant think the trio are exciting, but the local men and a police officer make degrading comments and taunts. Wyatt, Billy, and George decide to leave without any fuss. They make camp outside town and talk about how their freedom scares a lot of people. In the middle of the night, a group of locals attack the sleeping trio, beating them with clubs. Billy screams and brandishes a knife, and the attackers leave. Wyatt and Billy suffer minor injuries, but George has been bludgeoned to death. Wyatt and Billy wrap George's body in his sleeping bag, gather his belongings, and vow to return the items to his family. This happens really fast and I wasn't really sure what had occurred or that George was dead. First time I saw this, I was looking at something else for 30 seconds and turned back to see Wyatt and Billy going through a wallet. I rewatched and the time between George going to sleep and the duo going through his wallet after death was about 37 seconds.

Wyatt and Billy continue to New Orleans and find a brothel that George had told them about. Taking prostitutes Karen (Karen Black) and Mary (Toni Basil) with them, Wyatt and Billy wander the parade-filled streets of the Mardi Gras celebration. They end up in a French Quarter cemetery, where all four ingest the LSD the hitch-hiker had given to Wyatt and experience a bad trip. I had to double check the name, but it is the same Toni Basil of "Oh Mickey, You're so fine, You're so fine you blow my mind, Hey Mickey!" fame.

The next morning, as they are overtaken on a two-lane country road by two local men in an older pickup truck, the passenger in the truck reaches for a shotgun, saying he will scare them. As they pass Billy, the passenger fires, and Billy has a lowside crash. The truck passes Wyatt who has stopped, and Wyatt rides back to Billy, finding him lying flat on the side of the road and covered in blood. Wyatt tells Billy he's going to get help and covers Billy's wound with his own leather jacket. Wyatt then rides down the road toward the pickup as it makes a U-turn.

Passing in the opposite direction, the passenger fires the shotgun again, this time through the driver's-side window. Wyatt's riderless motorcycle flies through the air and comes apart before landing and becoming engulfed in flames. A helicopter shot shows the carnage as the truck drives away and the credits roll.

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This movie is not what I would call my personal favorite, but many critics have praised it for the dialogue, visuals, and story. I am assuming when mention is made of the dialogue, it is in reference to Jack Nicholson, because the two lead characters are that mix of uncomfortable and annoying that you get with sometimes who is inebriated in some way. They repeat themselves, say phrases that make no sense and then laugh about it, and constantly say "what?" so the line is just repeated. The actors were often high during the making of the film and that is not at all surprising.

It seems funny to me that Dennis Hopper acted, directed, and partly wrote the script for the film, yet he gave himself the part of basically the third wheel. The character of Billy seems like he wants to be rich and have nice things but has fallen into the hippie lifestyle. He seems uncomfortable with the drug deal at the beginning. He doesn't want to pick up the hitcher. He wants to leave the commune and get back on the road. He insults George and has to apologize. He is the first to talk about the girls at the diner. He wants to go get prostitutes at the place that George talked about. He is the one that flips off the guys in the truck. Billy is the driving force of everything that goes wrong.

We can't talk about this film without mentioning the soundtrack, because it is kind of what the movie is famous for. Songs on the sound track include: "The Pusher" and "Born to Be Wild" (Steppenwolf), "The Weight" (The Band), "If 6 Was 9" (Jimi Hendrix), and "It's Alright, Ma" (Bob Dylan). Try putting this soundtrack on while driving and you will realize how perfect it is for a road trip. I don't think there has been a better grouping of driving songs.

So does this movie belong on the Top 100 American movies? Well, I guess. It was a watershed independent film during a time of major change in America and the world. It caught the interest of many in a generation and that is interesting enough to experience. Now would I recommend it? Not really. The film was kind of boring and the end is not satisfying. It is fascinating on many levels and I thought that the conversations that involved the character of George were good, but all lot of the movie is kind of slog. The campfire conversation between Wyatt, Billy and the hippie is just painful. It is maybe ironic, but this is a road trip movie that doesn't really move. It is worth watching if you are interested in the time period.

[hutchhitched]

Screw West

Written by: @hutchhitched​

Prompt 137: Friends to lovers road trip au! Katniss wants to take a summer off to explore the country, Peeta volunteers to go with her. Bonus points if one of them is an absolutely oblivious idiot. [submitted by anonymous]

Ratings/Warnings: T

A/N: I’m continuing to post the nine @everlarkficexchange prompts I took and then sat on throughout the early months of the pandemic. Usually, I travel a lot during the summer, but not so much in 2020. Instead, I wrote this story for you. Enjoy!

___________

  Peeta Mellark sifted through a stack of notes and sighed in frustration. “None of this makes sense anymore,” he grunted. “I thought the point of planning this was to have a, I don’t know, plan or something.”

 Katniss Everdeen, his best friend since their freshman biology class a million years ago, looked at him in amusement and rolled her eyes.

 “I thought you were supposed to be the spontaneous one in this friendship, Mellark” she laughed. “I promised you a road trip, but only if you’ll help me figure out some kind of time frame for when we’ll be back. I have lesson plans to write for the fall, you know. Some of us actually have a schedule. I know this was my idea, but you did agree to join me.”

 Peeta grinned at her mischievous smile and shrugged. He’d been hopelessly in love with her since forever, and she had no idea how excited he was that she’d agreed to him accompanying her on her trip. The fact that she’d told him she wanted to take the summer to explore the US, and he’d called in every favor he could at his job to make this happen was something he’d never admit. He’d had to lobby his editor pretty hard to convince him that Peeta could write his column remotely and that doing so from different tourist destinations would actually strengthen his following rather than diminish it. Haymitch Abernathy only budged when the newspaper’s owner, Effie Trinket, pressured him to agree. Peeta wasn’t about to question Haymitch’s approval. With orders to keep the costs to a minimum and turn in his stuff on time, his boss had told him to report back after Labor Day.

 So, he’d broached the subject with Katniss, hoping she hadn’t been joking when she said she wanted to head out and see all the things she’d never had a chance to in her childhood. He’d been absolutely ecstatic when she’d hugged him hard and thanked him for being her road trip buddy across America. The problem was they had no idea where they were going, no concrete plan, and absolutely no idea how to make a firm decision.

 “Maybe we could start on the East Coast and work our way south first,” he suggested, but she shook her head.

 “I think I’ve done that. I mean, we both grew up in the Appalachians. Didn’t you see about as much of the eastern seaboard as you’ve ever wanted to? I haven’t been to Florida, but it seems kinda similar to the outer banks in North Carolina and the Low Country in South Carolina and Georgia. I’ve definitely been there.”

 “Yeah, I guess you’re right, but it seems like a waste to head due west when we’ve got the time to ramble a bit.”

 “Screw west? What?”

 “Due, Katniss. Due west.”

 “Ah. That makes more sense.” She nodded thoughtfully, but then made a note. “Maybe we can swing back through the South on the way home later in the summer?”

 “Sounds good,” he agreed. “So, we’re going north first?”

 “Maybe just west like you said? I don’t know. I want to see what’s on the other side of the mountains. I’ve never been further than Pittsburgh that direction, and that’s just kind of sad.”

 “So, we’re going to drive through flyover country.”

 “Exactly. Something’s gotta be there, huh?”

 “I guess we’ll figure out why everybody calls it that, anyway.”

 Katniss flipped through an outdated atlas for a few minutes and finally shoved it to the side. She turned her body toward him, and he looked at her, desperately trying to hide his affection. He felt like a heart eye emoji every time she was in the same room.

 “I think we ought to just pack for every situation we can fathom, get in the car tomorrow morning, and start driving. We’ll figure it out then. And we’ll be together, so it can’t be that bad, right?”

 “Right,” he breathed, his heart caught in his chest. “I guess I better go home and pack. Pick you up at 8:00 tomorrow?”

 She leaned over and gave him a hug that made him want to bury his face in her neck and press kisses there until she moaned his name.

 “See you then.”

 He left shortly afterward, walking to his car with a pang in his stomach. He was headed out on an unplanned road trip with the love of his life, and she had no idea how he felt. He had only one thought as he started the car and headed home.

 “I am so screwed.”

 ****

 Bleary-eyed and anxious, Peeta pulled into the Katniss’ driveway at 7:58 am the next morning and honked lightly on the horn. He knew she was up since she’d texted him three times asking him if he was awake and on the way and, oh, would he stop by their favorite coffee shop and pick up pastries and espresso? If he wasn’t half in love with her (okay, completely in love with her), he would have turned off his phone and gone back to sleep.

 Except he wouldn’t. He’d jump out of bed every single day just for a glimpse of her, and that was more truth than he ever wanted to admit when it appeared she had no interest in him outside of their very close friendship.

 Heaving a sigh, he climbed from the car and bounded up the steps to her door to knock three times in rapid succession. It opened, and Peeta had to bite the inside of his right cheek not to embarrass her by telling her how gorgeous she looked. Because she did. She was sleep rumpled, but her face was lit up with excitement. So excited she was practically wiggling, she flung herself at him for a massive hug and then motioned him inside.

 “Are you taking all that?” he asked when he spied the mound of luggage by the door. Or a pile of random stuff was maybe a better way to describe it. There were a couple of boxes, a cooler, a duffel bag, a backpack, and two grocery bags stuffed full of shoes and what looked like swimming paraphernalia.

 She shrugged and walked down the hall to the bathroom. “I packed up some snacks and things I thought we might want, and I have my electronics and some books, and we agreed to pack for any occasion, so I’ve got swimming stuff and a couple of jackets if it gets cold in the mountains, and who knows how hot it’ll get? And hiking boots. I want to do everything, Peeta. Ev-er-y-thing!”

 And could he help it if that shot straight to his dick? Because he wanted to try everything, too, except he wanted to try it all with her. Naked and in bed. Kissing and rubbing together and—

 “I’m so screwed,” he whispered before grabbing her backpack and cooler and stalking out to the car.

 ****

 Katniss hopped into the passenger’s seat with a wide smile and bounced a few times before fastening her seatbelt. She turned to him, glanced at the backseat to make sure she could access everything they might need in the new few hundred miles, and crowed, “Road trip!”

 He couldn’t help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. It was adorable—she was adorable—and he was suddenly flush with eagerness to spend the next few weeks with her. They hadn’t really decided on how long this would go, just that they would be together and make it up as they went along, but he hoped he had at least three weeks since he had the okay from work to be gone the entire summer. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could stretch it into a month or more. Like Katniss, he hadn’t seen much of the US past the Appalachians, and he was looking forward to discovering what the nation had to offer.

 “So, where are we headed?” he asked, his foot on the brake and hand on the gear shift. She laughed and leaned into his shoulder. He gulped and swallowed hard at the feel of her soft skin against his arm.

 “I thought maybe we’d head out of town first,” she teased.

 He shot her a wry smile and rolled his eyes. “Yes, thank you. Very informative, as always. Which highway?”

 She turned fully to face him and tucked her left leg up on the seat. Her eyes sparkled, and she leaned toward him as she wiggled in her seat.

 “Where have you always wanted to go?”

 “Anywhere with you,” he said softly and then snapped his mouth shut. He hadn’t meant to say it, but she was so adorable. She’d never understood the effect she had on him, but he was powerless to resist her pull. Whatever power she had over him had only grown over time, and he wanted to spend every day of the rest of his life with her. If not that, then he wanted to freeze this very moment in time and live in it forever.

 “So kind,” she scoffed, “but I’m serious, Peeta. I’ve never been further west than Pittsburgh, unless Nashville counts. What’s out there, anyway?”

 “I have no idea,” he murmured, but that didn’t matter to him. What he wanted was right in the car with him, even if she had no idea how he felt, or how he’d felt about her for the past ten years.

 With a shrug, he put the car in reverse, backed out of her driveway, and headed for I-64. After all, it took them due west.

 ****

 Peeta glanced over at the woman sitting in the passenger seat and asked for what felt like the hundredth time, “Okay?”

 Katniss nodded, the ghost of a smile twitching on her lips. The windows were partially down, and a breeze blew through the locks of hair that had escaped from her braid. They were somewhere in central Kentucky, and he felt like he’d won the lottery.

 Lush forests of deciduous trees graced the sides of steeply sloped mountains that fell to a valley in which the interstate bordered a swiftly flowing river. Wildflowers sprung from cracks in rock along the side of the road, and the air smelled fresh, a little like spring and also a bit similar to a summer barbeque right before a thunderstorm. It was humid and sticky, but the circulation kept them from sweating too much. Besides, they were saving a shit ton of gas by not running the air conditioner.

 “Want me to drive?” she asked, and he glanced over at her. Her cheek rested against the headrest as she looked at him, and his stomach dropped to his knees. She was so beautiful.

 “At the next stop, sure,” he managed and shifted in his seat. If he left himself, he’d start imagining scenarios that would only get him in trouble—some in which she leaned over and did more with her mouth than talking, and that seemed disrespectful to his friend.

 “How much longer do you want to go today? I mean, the whole point of this is to see what’s out there, and we won’t be able to when it gets darker.”

 “Is there some place you want to stop? Anything catching your eye?”

 “Not really. This is pretty, but we don’t have to stay on the interstates if you don’t want to. They make the trip faster, but that’s not really the point, is it?”

 He nodded and watched the signs for a few miles before signaling and exiting. He needed to use the restroom, and he wanted to take a look at the map and figure out where exactly they were in relations to a place he’d gone with his family when he was young. They were in the general vicinity of somewhere that held special memories for him, and he wanted to make some new ones with his best friend.

 Once they were back in the car, Katniss in the driver’s seat this time, he handed her the keys and suggested they head south on the highway instead of getting on the entrance ramp. When her eyes sparkled, he knew he’d made the right suggestion. They’d been traveling for over five hours, and they’d done nothing more than watch the scenery pass outside the window. It was time to be part of it.

 It took another 45 minutes or so until he saw the sign, and he directed her to the second exit into Daniel Boone National Forest. Back when he was younger and his parents still pretended to like each other, they’d taken a family vacation and stayed at the park for a few days. He and his two brothers had hiked and played happily for hours, and that time was still one of his favorite memories from when his family was together.

 “It’s beautiful,” Katniss gasped as she pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car. “We’re going for a hike, right?”

 “Yeah, sure. I mean, if you want to. I came here with my family when I was younger, and that trail has a little waterfall at the end, if I remember right.”

 They changed quickly into their hiking boots and set off through the woods. It wasn’t a tough hike over slightly sloped and fairly wide space. They met other couples and families, many holding hands, and Peeta yearned to reach for Katniss and walk with her hand folded against his. They got to the waterfall by late afternoon and took the time to sit quietly and listen to the wind in the trees. Visitors popped in and out, but they didn’t mind the intrusions. Eventually, each left, and they had the place to themselves for a little while before another group stumbled into the clearing to see the falling water. Eventually, though, the sun dropped further in the sky, and Peeta suggested they head back to the car, find a place to stay for the night so they could shower, and then grab dinner. The snacks they’d had in the car during the drive just wouldn’t satisfy him after such a long day.

 It took a little while, but they finally stumbled upon a small mom and pop hotel in a tiny out of the way town. Peeta offered to get their luggage while Katniss checked them in, so when he followed her to room 415, he wasn’t prepared for what faced him. Katniss worked the key (an actual key, not a keycard) into the lock and opened the door. Her surprised, “oh!” should have been enough for him to figure it out, but he still gaped when he stepped into the room and saw…

 There was only one bed.

 Flustered, he offered to ask for another room, but Katniss waved him off like it didn’t matter. She reminded him that they’d fallen asleep on the couch together dozens of times since they’d known each other.

 “This won’t be any different,” she insisted and grabbed her toiletry bag and some fresh clothes. “I’m going to shower, and then you promised me dinner.”

 Peeta watched her retreating back and sank onto the lone bed. Bouncing a little bit on the firm mattress, he looked to the ceiling and whispered, “I’m so screwed.”

 ****

 Dinner was lovely, if Peeta said so himself, and he did. It wasn’t much, really just a local family diner with a menu focused on home cooking and large portions, but it left them both full and satisfied. Better than that, they’d talked a lot. It probably helped that they were facing instead of sitting next to each other in the car. He was grateful for the laughs and intimacy over the meal, but now he sat on the edge of the mattress, his leg shaking as he waited for Katniss to finish in the bathroom.

 Because, did he mention? There was only one bed.

 The bathroom door opened, and he shot up to standing. Katniss tossed him a distracted smile as she crossed the room. She wore ragged sweats and wrinkled t-shirt he’d seen her in a hundred times, so at least he didn’t have to worry about her wearing some sort of lingerie (not that he would have expected that since they’d always planned to share a hotel room, if not a bed).

 “I’ll just…” He trailed off and waved toward the bathroom, and she nodded while scrolling through her phone.

 He stared at himself in the mirror and berated the image there for being so awkward. This was Katniss. They’d been friends for forever, and he loved her deeply. This wasn’t that big of a deal. She’d camped out on his couch dozens of times, and they’d woken up together with no problem at all. There was no reason to think this would be any different.

 The light was off in the room when he emerged from the bathroom and made his way to his side of the bed. Carefully, he pulled back the covers and climbed in, careful to keep himself on his half. When he was settled on his back, he glanced over at Katniss to see her back to him.

 “G’night,” she murmured, and he returned the sentiment before nestling below the covers and falling asleep after several long minutes during which he cursed his overactive imagination.

 He slept dreamless until just before waking, when he envisaged driving a car through a red-sanded desert. The car sped down a hill, and he pressed the brake a few times before admitting to himself that they weren’t working. Panicked, he looked to his right to see Katniss with a smile on her face as the wind blew through her hair. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back as they charged toward a rock wall.

 Bolting upright in bed, he gasped and shook at the vividness of the dream. Katniss still slept next to him, her hair splayed around her head on the pillow and her legs tangled with his. She remained on her side of the bed otherwise. She hadn’t cuddled into him overnight, and he wondered if he should be relieved or disappointed. He decided to allow himself a little of both and quietly untangled himself from her and made his way to the bathroom. The last thing he needed was for Katniss to wake before he could get his anatomy under control.

 Once the door was closed behind him, he breathed out for several seconds. His morning wood was uncomfortable, so he spent a few minutes attempting to quell it. Unfortunately, his mind continually flitted to the image of Katniss lying in the bed, her face angelic, and her hair fashioning a halo around her head. After a few minutes, he turned on the shower and stepped inside. Cold water should do the trick.

 A few minutes later, he was clean and completely unsatisfied but in control ready for breakfast. Katniss sat on the edge of the bed, bleary-eyed and grumpy. When he greeted her, she grunted and stumbled to the bathroom without a word.

 “So, further west today?” he asked when they had checked out and snagged a booth at the local Waffle House. He’d forgotten how good and cheap the breakfasts were there, and he inhaled a stack of pancakes and some ham while she picked at an omelet. He studied her over his coffee and then stole a sip of her orange juice. When she didn’t protest, he nudged her foot with his. “What’s wrong?”

 She shook herself and managed a wan smile. “Nothing. Just tired. I didn’t sleep great last night.”

 “We don’t have to go as far today. We can take it easy.”

 “Sure. That sounds good. I’ll take the first shift.”

 She drove silently, while he studied the map, both physical and on his phone. He guided her back to the interstate and then pulled out his laptop and typed a few notes. They helped him organize his thoughts and gave him an excuse to stay quiet.

 “What’s there to see in Paducah?” she asked, startling him from his bubble.

 He shrugged and typed the city into his phone. He glanced at the map for a few seconds and then offered, “There’s a local brewery. We could check it out. Stay there tonight. Not in the brewery. In Paducah, I mean.”

 That turned out to be the perfect plan. They checked into a hotel (two beds this time) and walked several blocks to the brewery where they found a table and ordered. The beer helped them both relax, and it wasn’t long before they were chatting and laughing like normal.

 “So, Paducah’s now the furthest west you’ve ever been. Feel any different?”

 “Totally. My life is complete.” When he laughed, she continued, “I mean, no. It doesn’t feel much different. What does feel new is this trip at all. I’ve never really done this—strike out on a whim and let the road take me where it wants to. It feels good to let go of all that control. Thanks for giving me the chance to do that.”

 “Of course. I’d do anything for you. You know that.”

 “Uh, I hate to tell you this, but there’s a woman over there that looks like she really wants to do a few things to you,” Katniss said and pointed her half-empty glass over his shoulder. He glanced behind him and gulped.

 “Wow. She’s undressing me with her eyes, isn’t she? That’s bold, since I’m here with you.”

 “Yeah, but you’re not really here with me, are you? I can make myself scarce if you want to…” she trailed off suggestively, and he fought to keep his face blank. He didn’t need another reminder that she didn’t see him as anything more than a friend, but here it was. God, it hurt. Every single time she expressed her lack of interest, it broke his heart a little bit more.

 “I really don’t.”

 “You might not have much of a choice. She’s headed over.”

 Panicked, he gulped his beer and beseeched her, “Feel free to be my girlfriend. Save me!”

 She snorted just as the woman appeared at their side, and the stranger dismissed Katniss with a disdainful glance before speaking to him. “Hey, there, handsome,” she drawled. “I’m Glimmer. Can I buy you a round?”

 “Uh, well, I—”

 “Excuse me,” Katniss said and slid off her stool. He watched helplessly as she made her way to the restroom and left him alone with his unwanted guest.

 “Now, that we’re alone,” Glimmer purred and ran her hand over his forearm. She settled into the vacated stool and smiled widely. “So, what’s your name, honey?”

 If he wasn’t already head over heels in love with his best friend, he might find this woman and her southern accent charming, but that wasn’t the case. He didn’t want this washed out version of a companion. He wanted Katniss. He hemmed and hawed for several minutes, attempting to discourage her without being rude, but she was more insistent than he liked. He caught Katniss’ eye as she stood by the bar ordering a beer and shot her a pointed look. Thankfully, she seemed to get the point. She paid for her two beers and threaded her way back to him.

 “I got you another, babe.”

 He grabbed the glass and thanked her, but Glimmer still didn’t take the hint. He introduced the two half-heartedly and watched with humor as Katniss studied Glimmer and thanked her for keeping Peeta company while she was gone.

 “I think he’d like me to stick around,” Glimmer said pointedly, and Katniss turned to him.

 “Is that so?” And then she leaned in to kiss him.

 Shocked, Peeta didn’t know what to do at first. The kiss remained chaste for a few seconds, but his mouth opened involuntarily. She didn’t hesitate to sweep in with her tongue. She pressed into him, and he let go of his beer to cup her face as he tangled his lips with hers.

 Suddenly, Katniss broke away and grinned at him while he gaped at her. “You’re welcome.”

 He blinked a few times and realized Glimmer was gone. Katniss resumed her seat and calmly took a sip of her drink and then suggested some options for the next day. Peeta ducked his head and pretended to listen. Now that he knew how she tasted, he had no idea how he was going to be content remaining friends. After a few minutes, he excused himself so he could regroup in the bathroom. There he faced himself in the mirror and whispered his road trip mantra.

 “I am so screwed.”

 ****

 The next day they crossed the Mississippi River and stopped briefly in St. Louis to visit the Gateway Arch and eat, even though the barbeque was different than what they were used to. Both preferred the vinegar base and coleslaw of the Carolinas, but what they had wasn’t bad either. When the waiter asked for feedback, he suggested continuing on I-70 and comparing what they’d had for lunch with that in Kansas City.

 “It’s sweeter. Almost caramelizes on the meat. You might like it, and it doesn’t hurt to try different styles if you don’t really have an agenda.”

 That was how they ended up in an upscale hotel near downtown Kansas City and eating ribs and burnt ends for the second time that day.

 “This is definitely better,” Peeta groaned through a mouthful of pork, and Katniss agreed.

 “So, I’ve been thinking,” she mused. “We’re pretty deep into the Midwest, and nothing really looks much different, right? I think we should slow down. We’re halfway across the country, and we’ve been gone three days.”

 “I’m okay with that,” he agreed.

 “I vote for staying here for a few nights. Relaxing, sight-seeing, swimming, maybe putting together a little more of a plan. Eventually, I want to make it to the west coast. Drive up and down the Pacific Coast Highway, maybe see the redwoods, but there’s about a zillion national parks between here and there. Can we go? Please?”

 “Of course, we can. We can visit whatever you want. I told you I’m all in before we started this thing.”

 A smile split her face, and she threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Peeta.”

 He gathered her to him and held her to his chest for several minutes before she pulled away. He didn’t even bother to say it out loud this time. He simply closed his eyes and internally chided, “I am so screwed.”

 ****

 A week later, Peeta wanted to die. If he’d thought he loved Katniss before, he was irrevocably, head over heels, undyingly in love with her now. Waking up with her day after day, sometimes in the same bed, sometimes just in the same room, was excruciating. She was grumpy and irritable in the morning, but it was absolutely adorable. He loved watching her let loose and enjoy herself more than he’d ever experienced back home in Virginia. They shared more than they ever had and dug up memories he hadn’t even remembered until she punched something loose in the back of his brain. Before long, it seemed like she knew, not just his mind, but his entire soul.

 It was so easy with her. He felt like his best self with her, and his writing was flourishing. She talked through lesson plans and ideas about how to arrange her classroom and shared her thoughts about moving into counseling as a better way to help her students. They talked about their families, their current lives and what they imagined for the future, and she told him about her past boyfriends and asked about his girlfriends.

 Sometimes, Katniss looked at him while he drove. He often wondered what she was thinking, but he didn’t have the guts to ask. He relished the feel of her skin under his fingertips when she handed him snacks from the vastly depleted stash in the backseat, and he gave himself a bruise pinching himself when she wore one of his t-shirts the day they stopped to do laundry in a small town in eastern Colorado. He drove where she suggested and snapped pictures of her in front of breathtaking scenery and took selfies of them both when she asked. When she shivered in the mountains in Colorado, he shielded her from the wind by holding her against his chest, and he groaned gratefully when she rubbed his tight shoulders at the end of the day. By the time they made it to Wyoming, they’d stopped correcting the hotel clerks who automatically booked them to single rooms. It saved money, and neither of them minded that there was only one bed when they got to their room.

 “This may be the most beautiful place I’ve ever been,” Katniss announced when they stopped in the Grand Tetons. They’d agreed to spend a week exploring Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park, and neither of them regretted it. The views were spectacular, and the weather was perfect.

 “It’s gorgeous,” he agreed, but he wasn’t looking at the view. He tried to shift his gaze when she turned to look at him, but he was frozen, unable to tear his eyes from hers.

 He could tell when she figured it out. Awareness dawned on her face, and he held his breath. Terrified, he shifted back and forth and tried to wave it away, but she stepped toward him and grabbed his wrist.

 “Peeta?”

 “I’m s-sorry,” he stammered. “I didn’t mean— I, uh— See, I wasn’t—”

 She waited quietly when he ground to a halt, but his stomach and heart were both ripped open wide. She didn’t feel the same way. He’d always known that, but now she was going to say it, and he wasn’t prepared.

 “Can I try something?” He was too dismayed to answer, so he nodded and held still. “I just want to see.”

 A soft breeze ruffled his hair as she stepped toward him and tugged him down by his shirt. His face was an inch from hers, and she studied him carefully before closing the gap and kissing him softly. He breathed through his nose and allowed her to lead, but she pulled away before it deepened. Disappointed, he couldn’t help comparing it to the one back in Paducah in the overcrowded brewery with Glimmer as a witness.

 “It’s really beautiful here, but I’d like to be back to the car before sunset. Can we go? Don’t want to get caught in the park by mistake,” she asked, her voice cool and detached.

 “Sure,” he agreed. He followed her as she started down the mountain, trailing far enough behind that he could shield his regret. He’d always held out a little bit of a hope that she’d return his feelings someday, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards. She was as unaffected by their kiss as he was destroyed by it.

 Making sure she didn’t hear, he hissed, “I’m so screwed,” at least five times through the ache in his chest.

 By the time they got to his car, he was barely holding it together. He started the vehicle, backed out of the parking spot, and headed to their hotel. The thought of sleeping next to her that night was almost more than he could bear, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Sighing, he turned up the volume on the radio and concentrated on driving since the steep, winding roads necessitated more attention than usual.

 A few miles from their hotel, the radio faded into static, and he reached to change the station before resting his hand on the gear shift between the seats. When they pulled into the hotel lot, and he shifted into park, he was shocked when she covered his hand with hers. Twisting his palm, she tangled her fingers with his and stared at them for long, tense moments.

 “Katniss?” he croaked. She didn’t respond at first, but then she squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

 “Let’s go in,” she said softly.

 He swallowed hard and studied her face. “Are you sure?”

 She nodded and unfolded herself from the car. She was already to the door of their room before he could move. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she slipped inside. A second later, the curtains closed and the door cracked open again. Peeta watched as her hand emerged and hooked the Do Not Disturb sign on the handle.

 “Oh, God,” he breathed and scrambled from the car. “I am so screwed!”

[seoulfulcity]

July 13, 2018: Taekwondo, Nanta, and More Chicken Bus

안녕하세요,

I had two cultural events planned on Friday, taekwondo and the Nanta cooking show, and I was running on only three hours of sleep - I knew I was going to be cranky all day. Friday was a jam-packed day which is the reason why I have a separate blog just for it.

KU ISC holds cultural events scheduled on Fridays with limited spots. We are required to register for the events the week prior to the event on Thursdays. There is a maximum capacity of 200 for taekwondo, so it took a while to fill up the event. The other event at 9:30 AM was the calligraphy class - we were given the option of either taekwondo or calligraphy.

We were not so lucky on the second event, or so we thought. Florence, Joyce, Sophie, Thai, Davy, and I were out last Thursday eating budae jjigae (부대찌개) at Biya at 9 PM, the time for registration. We missed the mark and registered at 9:01 PM and the Korean cooking class filled up very quickly. We settled for the Nanta show for that day at 1 PM.

Friday, July 13, 2018: I woke up 8:30 AM for the 9:30 AM meet up for taekwondo class that day. I got ready and walked up the hill past CJ International to the Tiger Dome by 9:20 AM.

We had to check in and had us memorize our belt number for the commemorative black belt we get at the end of the course. I was assigned to belt number 131 with my full name written in Korean: 크리스토퍼.

We lined up to get our dobok (도복), the taekwondo uniform, and dressed up in the locker room. We were asked to line up and sit down to watch the students with black belt show some tricks by breaking woods in different ways.

We warmed up with a partner by stretching out, doing high fives with each other while jumping and spinning, and running across the gymnasium back and forth; then it was our turn to learn some taekwondo skills. Sabeom-nim (사범임), the Korean word for a taekwondo teacher, taught us three important kicks in the martial arts: front kick (ap chagi/앞 차기), side kick (yeop chagi/옆 차기) and back kick (dwit chagi/뒷 차기). We practiced for an hour before having to line up to do the kicks with the students with black belts.

After the session with the students, we were separated by gender and were assigned partners to practice the kicks with. I was assigned to a Singaporean on the first round before rotating and ended up with someone from Hong Kong to practice alternating kicks with. I ended up with a Korean buddy in the last rotation named John (Yejoon-hyung/예준형) who tried to carry a conversation with me. Yejoon-hyung (예준형) is known in Korea University as a Bowling Master and invited me to go bowling with him one of these days. He also works at an escape room in Hongdae and suggested for me and my friends to go when he's working so we get a "special", whatever that meant.

Yejoon-hyung (예준형) was my partner to break wooden boards with. We had to show sabeomnim (사범님) how we break the board in half and alternate with our partners.

Fun fact: it's actually easier and than I thought - I expected some pain at some point.

We finished at 12:30 noon, just in time for us to meet at ROTC, in front of the Tiger Dome, and take the bus to watch the Nanta cooking show.

While collecting my commemorative black belt, I got a splinter on my right foot, which started bleeding profusely. It took a while to remove the splint since I had nothing to work with but I got it out nonetheless.

I left Tiger Dome, walked down the hill past CJ International, and hiked up the hill to Frontier House to leave my belt and folder in my dorm before going back to Tiger Dome and board the bus.

Most of the buses were packed, so I boarded the empty fourth bus and contacted my friends who were going to go in the same bus with me. Matt, Davy, Florence, Minki-hyung (민기형), Joyce, Wendelyn, Balzhan, Deedee, Bonnie, and I ended up taking over the back of the bus.

We reached Hongdae for the Nanta cooking show within thirty minutes. Frankly, I did not know anything about Nanta besides it being a show about cooking, so I was not really very excited about it besides the fact that I was together with my friends.

We sat on the back of the auditorium where the stage welcomes us students from KU ISC before starting the show.

The premise of the show was about three great cooks getting assigned to prepare a meal for a wedding that was happening in an hour. The manager had a nephew who was visiting him and asked if he could help, although he was very messy and clumsy. With the tight schedule and an inexperienced surprise cook, the show was one hell of a comedy show.

During the middle of the show, the performers went around the audience to look for a bride and groom. The female performer heard us yell at her to choose Minki-hyung (민기형) to be the groom, which she obliged even against his wishes. The performers dressed him and his bride up in traditional Korean wedding outfits and had them eat soup.

Minki-hyung (민기형) looked so uncomfortable, awkward, and confused on stage which added to the comedy since the crowd bursts out in laughter whenever he would react in a confused manner.

After the show, we met up Lina and Jonathan to congratulate Minki-hyung (민기형) for his wedding and walked around Hongdae to eat lunch.

We settled for Meat-ing Meat Buffet and Salad and stuffed ourselves with meat, side dishes (banchan/반찬) and took soju shots. There was about 13 of us, so we were separated into three tables: I was seated with Minki-hyung (민기형), Lina, Jonathan, and Matt.

Towards the end of the meal, the five of us were at seven soju bottles and we were getting rowdy from the drinking games. The workers had to come to us multiple times to tell us to be quiet and slow down on the drinking since there were families around.

Sophie joined our table from the dorms just as we were leaving. We walked around Hongdae and watched people busking to BLACKPINK's “DDU-DU DDU-DU (뚜두뚜두)”, EXO's “Growl (으르렁)” and BTS's “Fire (불타오르네)”. Most of the people in the group wanted to go to Yeouido Park (여의도공원) to meet up with Valentino and Cara and take pictures with the I SEOUL YOU sign after; but I was running on a few hours of sleep so I wanted to go back to my dorm and take a power nap.

I arrived at my dorm around 5 PM and did not wake up until 11:45 PM to 200 notifications on Kakao Talk group chat asking everybody to go drinking at Chicken Bus.

I leapt out of bed, showered, and sped walked to the location to about 14-15 people drinking and eating chicken.

I joined in to play Titanic with Cara, Erin, Wendelyn, and Florence and purposely sank the soju shot just to chug the entire mug of beer to start the night. I walked and sat on the opposite end of the table with Leonard, Thai, Minki-hyung (민기형), Sophie, Lina, Joyce, and Jonathan to play Never Have I Ever, Piccolo, and Heads Up for the rest of the night. It wasn't until later in the night when we realized Valentino and Bonnie never woke up from their naps and missed the night out with everybody

It was Minki-hyung (민기형) last night with us for a week since he was flying to Hong Kong in the morning for vacation, so he left the gathering early and we said our goodbyes.

Not long after, we walked back to Frontier House, with all the Chinese and Singaporeans singing and yelling Chinese songs. Thai joined in and played Cambodian songs with me and Leonard later since we were feeling left out While on the Frontier stairs, Leonard decided to scale up the stairs, as if he was rock climbing. When he reached the final board, he fell and landed right on Thai. The board fell and narrowingly missed my head. Thai started complaining about his back and we helped him walk up the stairs. Leonard and Davy walked Thai up to Global House while the rest of us stayed in front of Frontier House to talk and get rowdy - loud enough that we woke Bonnie up, who was sleeping on the upper floor.

We decided to go down the slope to the CU convenience store and get rowdy over there, away from the dorms and the sleeping students. Erin, Matt, Florence, Wendelyn, Jonathan, Lina, and Bonnie sat in front of the CU convenience store to talk about Asian squats, Miss A, NCT, and whatever drunk conversations were happening. Matt was actually reunited with his high school friend, who happened to be studying in Korea University during he summer also, and she told us stories about how Matt would struggle in Chinese class and he would look over at her for answers whenever their teacher would ask him questions.

We went back to our dorms late 3 AM for me to find a blue shower mat in my shower. I thought my roommate went out of his way and unnecessarily bought a shower mat, but we later found out everybody had one.

It was an eventful day, I must say. I will really miss everybody once I get back to Los Angeles.

I am currently writing this on the Saturday of our fourth week and we have two weeks left in the program. The four-week students had their graduation on Thursday and it makes me much more scared whenever I think about how close I am to never being with the same friend circle ever again. I suppose this will make me appreciate every single time I spend with them from now on. Until then!

고마워요, Chris 「크리스」

[tlcrescuepa]

New Post has been published on To Love a Canine Rescue

New Post has been published on https://tlcrescuepa.com/week-end-update-schools-out/

Week-End Update: School's Out!

The pups are excited because, now that school’s out (or coming to a close), the kids are home more which means they’re happily getting more play time. People are also turning their attention from end-of-year activities to “let’s add to the family” ones and we all hope that means more gotcha days to celebrate.

Ariel, mom to Carli FKA Djali, Kovu, Louie, Meeko & Arya FKA Rajah, completed her treatment for Heartworm and celebrated by getting adopted & changing her name to June. The last of Annalee & Tito FKA Thor’s pups, Colonel (now Maric), Orville & Roxy (now Bella) were adopted (we have a little more to report on this family later in our post) as were the remaining P pups: Pia, Poncho & Pryor (now Brees). Also packing their bags for greener pastures were: Butters, Dexter, Dolly (mom to Luna Tonks FKA Diana), Gina, Ginger (aka Gingersnap), Mia, Nikki, Richard, Ringo (Tracie’s pup), Shiloh & Tina!

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Butters

Colonel now Maric

Dexter

Dolly

Gina

Ginger

Mia

Nikki

Orville

Pia

Poncho

Pryor now Brees

Richard

Ringo

Roxanne

Roxy now Bella

Shiloh

Tina

Ariel now June

Annalee (Anna Lee), Tito (FKA Thor) & pups

Speaking of Annalee & Tito (FKA Thor), it turns out that Annalee isn’t a Morkie she’s a Yorkie-Shi Tzu mix and Thor FKA Tito actually is a Chihuahua. We have some updated pics of Maric FKA Colonel & Teddy FKA Rza (who’s been going to work with dad but doesn’t seem to be doing any actual work). That’s not all we have from this family, we also have a nice update from Maggie FKA Greta & Dublin FKA Mangus below too!

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Maric FKA Colonel’s DNA results

Maric FKA Colonel

Teddy FKA Rza working hard or hardly working?

Maggie (Magnolia) FKA Greta

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“We just wanted to touch base with an update on Magnolia/Maggie FKA Greta.  Maggie has fit right in to her new home.  She has spent much of her first weekend snuggling an sleeping.  Not sure my Mom and family could love her anymore than we do.  She has definitely found her comfort zone.  She has slept through the night two of her first three nights and doing pretty well with her paper training.   She has changed my Moms life in the most amazing way.  My Dad passed alway almost three years ago after fighting to recover from a stroke and Ginger their beloved dog passed away about 6 weeks ago.  She needed someone to love  and care for and Maggie is the perfect fit. 

My kids are over the moon too, we live on he same street so this weekend was a busy one for her.  It’s nice to even see my teenagers smile and play with her.  

We can’t thank you enough and will send you updates”

Dublin FKA Magnus

Dublin FKA Magnus

“We are so happy! We have named him Dublin as in Ireland. We have a vet appointment scheduled for this Friday. Dublin seems to be acclimating really well, he is going to the bathroom outside, he plays, cuddles, and sleeps a lot.”

      We also received DNA results from mystery mutt Minka FKA Mae

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  Rocky FKA Prince

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“Hi. All is going very well. We renamed him Rocky.  He is a great dog. Sits already. Started walking on leash. And pretty much housebroken.

Thank you again.”

  Bentley FKA Butterball (Angeline’s pup)

Bentley FKA Butterball

“Bentley Christopher (Butterball) has GROWN to be a big boy. He has almost a year old and is the very best friend to his human brother Drew and his doggie mommy who is also adopted- Sasha Heather Marie (Voorhees Animal Orphanage)”

      Sugar FKA Angelica

‘Most amazing animal she has ever had. Sugar is now her certified service dog and alerts her to any breathing changes and will wake her up from nightmares.”

  Ruby FKA Giselle

Stella & Ruby FKA Giselle (right)

“Hi TLC, attached is a photo of Ruby (momma Giselle) four years after her adoption. We were lucky enough to get Ruby four yrs ago this month. She is doing great, loving her life with her BFF Stella. We love her so much. Wanted to thank you again for Ruby and for all that you guys do!!! Ruby has a fantastic life here. Someone is always here for our pups we even find vacation rentals that allows two dogs… Our pups have visitors all day long, every day. They even have two mailmen with treats. So life is great, you guys did good by Ruby. Thanks again.”

  Astrid FKA Lydia

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“Hi all, 

Time has flown by- we’ve been meaning to send you an update on Astrid (TLC name: Lydia) since her one-year adoptiversary this April!

Astrid is thriving having her very own house. Her hobbies include sleeping on the couch, disemboweling her stuffed toys, and making sure that the postal service always knows that they’re under supervision when they come to deliver packages. She loves having her own backyard. She didn’t really understand about chasing balls at first, but our cat enjoys playing with tennis balls, and heaven forbid he have something she doesn’t… so she learned. Now softballs have become her favorite toys and she loves to use our deck as a runway to launch herself into the chase.

She’s really come into her own and has a huge personality. Like any herding dog bred to be an independent thinker, some days she uses it for good and other days… let’s just say she has her own intentions. She’s getting the hang of this whole “no, you may not chase that goose, that goose, that goose over there, OR that duck” idea. She doesn’t always understand other dogs when they try to play with her, but she does have some particular friends, notably every Corgi she’s ever met. We’re not sure she knows she isn’t a Corgi herself, because she gravitates to them at the dog park. On the flip side, her other best friend is a Newfoundland and her hiking buddy is a Collie, so at least she gets to play with all sizes.

We love her to bits, and are so grateful she’s come into our lives.

I’m attaching some pictures of her recent adventures. We’ll try to do better about sharing updates with you!”