Fortress Of Summer

Happy Birthday to the prettiest quarterback in the NFL! Pats fans in New England have been celebrating the day with birthday greetings, buying Brady-decorated cakes, and piling in at training camp and enjoying the day with a little serenade. :)

Tom is now the oldest active player (excluding kickers/punters) in the NFL. Lookin' good for 39, Tommy! ;)

First day of training camp drew over 12,000 people (I was one of the 12,000), and the first four days drew over 72,000. Monday night was a practice limited to season ticket holders and citizens of Foxboro and 24,000 showed up.

Before the game the team inducted Kevin Faulk into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Kevin wore a Brady jersey under his jacket as he did on Draft Night. At the end of the ceremony a surprise guest appeared: Tom! Who just happened to be wearing a Kevin Faulk jersey. What a couple of sweethearts! :)

More Alan/Ian fun in Lemon Meringue Wedding Pie. :)

Hi, luvs!

I made my annual trek down to Foxboro with a couple of friends this year. OF COURSE it was as hot as blue blazes, as Dad used to say. :) It was 95 degrees and high in humidity. Everyone was melting. The place was crowded, and my buds and I had to go up on the hill instead of the bleachers because when we got there at 9:15 (practice started at that time), every bleacher seat was already gone. Crazy! We found a good spot up by a tree and had some shade, which was a godsend!

We cheered and chanted, "Brady! Brady! Brady!" for our quarterback, who is being forced to sit out a QUARTER OF THE SEASON FOR NOTHING!!! I plan on making a post about that sorry situation before the season begins. >:( Anyway, Tom was there, looking gorgeous as always. I think he was a tad disgruntled about having to share first-team reps but he understands that his back-up, Jimmy Garoppolo (another hottie, I kid you not), needs to get ready because he's the starter for the first four games. Everyone was a little lethargic on this first day as the heat was unbearable.

We saw the usual training stuff, and enjoyed watching 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Tom looked good and Jimmy G. wasn't bad. Hopefully the plot against the Patriots fails miserably this season as Coach Belichick and the team forge ahead. It would be the ultimate payback if they won the Super Bowl again this year (No. 5 for Tom!).

When we decided to leave when practice was over, I stood up a little too fast and got dizzy and had to sit down again. We had stayed hydrated but the sun did give me a touch of heatstroke. Once I rested for a minute I was good to go. I think my recent health problems probably contributed.

Anyway, a hot but interesting day. Usually I eat a First Down Frank sold at the concession stand but the thought of a hot dog in the excessive heat did not appeal to me, so I had brought a plain hamburger roll and ate that as a snack with my bottled water. Yep, bread 'n' water! :)

We stopped on the way home after cooling off in the car's a.c. and had a proper lunch. Back home I hopped in the shower and relaxed the rest of the day on my deck, reading and drinking more water. I felt fine by the end of the day.

So begins the 2016 training camp season!

Anyone getting excited? :)

Title: Deadline/Headline (1/2)
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters (this chapter): Lois Lane, Clark/Bruce, Perry White, Lucy Lane
Genres: Action/Adventure
Rating (this chapter): G
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
General Summary: Lois is tracking a hot story while keeping an eye on Clark as Bruce circles around her naïve partner.
Chapter Summary: Lois is handed a journalistic plum while suspicious of Billionaire Brucie’s intentions towards Clark.
Date Of Completion: September 20, 2015
Date Of Posting: July 19, 2016
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC does, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 2669
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author’s Note: One of my favorite tropes: Lois fiercely protecting Clark! :)

( I loved everything about the newspaper business, even the damned deadlines. I love chasing down a story, getting at the truth, and getting that front page byline. Sure, I’ve got an ego. You’ve got to have one to be a star reporter in this business. )

Hi, luvs!

As you can see by the icon on this post, I am busy utilizing my userpic packages and gathering more cool pix to showcase. I can't resist Clark using his heat vision to cook the hot dogs and burgers on the grill. :)

Speaking of cook-outs, I did attend one over the weekend with the requisite menu: hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta salad, potato salad, garden salad, chips, dips, pickles, olives...you know, good stuff! :) Everything tastes better on the grill!

P.S. To get the full effect, check this post out on my journal with its cook-out theme! :)

( Writing talk behind the cut )

Happy Fourth Of July to my fellpw Americans!!!

View a parade, eat a hot dog, watch some fireworks. Chill at the beach or at the backyard barbecue. Have fun! :)

By-The-Sea XVI: Seaside Idyll is a sweet, delicious Steve/Diana tale written for the 2015 dcu_bang.

This 1954 movie encapsulates the Korean War: William Holden's fighter pilot character is unhappy about being called up for Korea after serving in World War II. He'd been making headway in his civilian life like a lot of returned G.I.s and now was yanked back to fight in a war that wasn't exactly popular. What if his good luck was all used up in the last war? The prime real-life example was the Boston Red Sox' Ted Williams, who was called up for Korea after three years' service in World War II. Five prime years of his baseball career was lost to war.

Excellent jet fighter sequences and color photography with top-notch acting by Holden, Grace Kelly and Mickey Rooney.