Staying Cool

Trent reminds us at right that today is National Firefighters Day, and glad we are of it. Thank you, firemen everywhere!

I read somewhere that this is also Star Wars Day ("May the Fourth Be With You!"). Lame, but there it is.

Greenpeace celebrates its 38th birthday today, which is relevant in part here because Daria was originally conceived to be a Greenpeace fan.

Alice Liddell (rhymes with "fiddle") was born this day 158 years ago. You know her better as Alice in Wonderland, as she was the inspiration for those stories. Thank you!

PPMB

• EVEN NEWEREST! Before the Deprogramming, by Kristen Bealer (Part 1): The last thing Jane wanted to do when she got home from Glenfield Middle School every day was baby-sit her niece and nephew, but no one else was available. Trent was always busy with his new "band," which had no drummer and still hadn't produced a single song. Wind only came home when his wife Claudia threw him out, which happened frequently but not predictably enough to rely on. No one had seen Penny in three years, although Jane was reasonably sure she was still somewhere in Central America. As for Jane's parents, well...they only showed up when they were least expected, not when they were most needed. Even at thirteen, Jane knew that all too well.
  
• NEWER! The Candidate, by Liz Ruiz (Part 2): Quinn took a last look around her backyard before she took a seat on one of the patio chairs. Even though she had thoroughly prepared for that meeting she still felt uneasy. For one thing, she hadn't any idea of the identity of the person that her husband will be leading into the backyard at any moment now. She would have felt much better if she had known just the gender of her guest. Sometimes you just had to leave some things to fate, she supposed.
• NEW! A Family Deal, by Dennis (COMPLETE!): "Okay," said Jake, "I'm going play a game of hearts with my beautiful wife and my two great kids." "Hearts?" Daria said. "Poker or nothing." Helen nodded. "It's a waste of time if you're not playing for money."
  
• Finn Morgendorffer 45: Quarter Past Midnight, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 1): He knew that, if he went over to Jane’s now, he’d hate himself. He’d hate himself as he talked to her, listened to her fears about colleges, fears Finn knew Jane had. Hate himself when he pulled her close, feeling her rapid heartbeat and shallow breathing. And, for the first time, he’d hate the love-making they’d do after he soothed her.
• EVEN NEWEREST! The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 27): "I thought that Pat Seven would try to call me, but I guess he remembered that I wasn't getting any mail," said Quinn. "I mean, I swore to him that I still wanted messages but that I was grounded and that I couldn't answer any of them. Mom would have probably dumped him off the phone if he did call. Stupid Mom. I mean, if Pat stops going out with me, it looks like I've lost him...!" "But you weren't going out with him at all," Jill said. "You just wanted to go to the Yacht Club."
  
• NEWER! The Smiling Menace, by Roentgen (COMPLETE! despite it being part 6 of 58): "I'm attempting to keep an ancient artifact lost in the Time Wars from falling into the wrong hands... the TOOTHBRUSH OF RASILLON!" The item appeared on the viewscreen, along with awe-invoking incidental music. It was a toothbrush, and damn, it was a fine-looking toothbrush. Nice bristles. Good, sturdy handle. Gallifreyan engraving. A real classic. "That is one sweet sweet toothbrush," Quinn said.
• NEWEST! Unnamed story (Three-peat! New Ideas Thread Wins Again!), by Trscroggs (COMPLETE!): "Damnit, I thought killing those two knuckleheads would be a good thing!" Daria yelled in frustration.