1970s: New jobs, new courses and women assassins
It's valentines day, and in San Sequoia Michael is making an effort. He starts the morning by offering Robin chocolates and flowers. A bit predictable perhaps, but Robin seems to appreciate it.
After breakfast, the two head out to the local park, where they stroll around the area, watch the clouds pass by, and - well Michael at least - watch the kids and thinking about having their own one day. He can imagine bringing them to a park like this. Pushing them on the swing, playing some hoops...
Later on in the day, as Michael can barely keep his hands off Robin, they catch a movie. Jaws have been on for a while, but neither have seen it, so they do. Robin, unlike most girls (or so Michael thinks) actually loves scary movies. He himself is a bit more uncomfortable, and the movie has him swearing he'll never swim in the ocean again, while Robin is just thrilled by the action.
They talk about the movie as they cook together. In this regard, Michael is learning that it's not always a good idea to be like his father. Robin actually expects him to help with the cooking, and the cleaning up. He's rather enjoying himself too, even if he's not as good as she is.
It's only after dinner, as they sit down to watch the news that they realise that there has been an assassination attempt on President Ford. Here, in San Sequoia no less! All the while they were enjoying their movie, somone nearly killed the President. Neither one of them can believe their ears as the news presenter goes on: "The suspect, 45-year-old Sara Jane Moore, was taken into custody at the scene. Authorities say she had been interviewed by the Secret Service just yesterday, but no motive has yet been established."
"What is the world coming to?" Robin asks. "He was just shot at two weeks ago, and they didn't have enough sense to strengthen security?"
"They must be connected," Micheal comments. "I mean, two women? Women don't shoot people. Or at least they didn't use to."
"You's a bit old to be one of Manson's women, don't you think? The other one was what, 25? 26?"
"How would I know? I just... two women? And how could they not have kept tabs on her if they knew she posed a risk? I just don't... What happened to just protesting when you don't like something?"
For Carl, the assassination attempt on the president is not something he pays too much mind. Instead he is focused on trying to go from a mascot in a horridly warm suit, to making the team. He spends most of his days at the gym, working out, but also mentoring the others in the team when he can.
"Man, what do I need boxing for? I just need to hit the hoop?"
"Are you telling me upper body strength has nothing to do with that? Come on, dude, punch!"
It's not always easy, when all he wants to do is be on his own and hide from the world, but in the process, Carl starts overcoming his fear for crowded places. Now if he could only stop waking up in the middle of the night bathing in sweat maybe this moving on with life thing would actually work.
At Foxbury, it's time for a new term to start, and this time Ken is determined to do better. He sets out with his homework early, but without checking which lessons he has first he still ends up scrambling at the last minute with the one homework he should have started with.
And even when he tries to study, there are plenty of distractions.
Susan, has already been up for hours on that first day of class. She's done all her homework, and some additional studying, and before class she makes sure to go over the material one more time just in case.
Even though Ken left just at the latest minute, and Susan has been outside the lecture hall for a good half an hour, they both make it in on time.
But being better prepared has it's drawbacks. Nervous for the semester, Susan has burned her candle at both ends, and when the lecturer starts she feels her eyelids getting heavier. Does his voice has to be so...soothing? The room so warm? She tries everything in her power to stay awake, but at the end of it, she still sleeps through most of class.
Her professor is not impressed.
Returning home, Susan feels like a failure, but still just as tired as before. Instead of doing her homework she falls asleep on her bed.
Trying to learn from her mistakes, Susan tries to slow down a bit, finding energy where she can as the term goes on. She still works hard, but her new professor is now has an image of her as lazy, and it doesn't matter how much notes she takes, and how much homework she hands in on time, he still doesn't think she does enough. Her only hope now is to nailing the term paper, so she focuses extra hard on that, and forces Ken to do the same. She will not have her cousin miss another deadline, even if he'd rather spend time with the girls around campus than working the typewriter.
Susan finds other ways to raise her energy, like panting an apple tree on campus, hoping it will grow into a tree. She spends a lot of time by her little mound of dirt, reading her homework out loud to it to inspire it to grow more.
There is a new girl, Isabella, at their dorm, Susan and Ken both find her nice and easy to talk to, but Elisabeth does not like her, she's far too friendly with Ken for her taste.
So instead of Ken chasing after Elisabeth, she is now making sure he knows she's there.
And makes sure Isabella sees them.
When Ken for the umpteenth time suggest a little "fun" in the shower, fully expecting another no, Beth to his surprise readily agrees. Ken definitely likes this development.
For Susan, those kinds of things are just distractions, or so she tells herself as she plunges into her homework. But as much as she wants to focus on the right thing, it's not always easy when Ken decides that Wednesday night is a perfect night for a keg party. As much as she'd like to be better at focusing on her schoolwork, there is no way she can with a party raging in the common room. And to be honest, she's quite enjoying herself too.
The next morning, however, she pays the prise as she doesn't even have the energy to get up and eat before she has to run to class. She grabs a sandwich on the way and swears at whatever ability Ken has to stay awake through anything.
Ken on the other hand, is trying to keep up with homework. Which would be easier if his roommates didn't constantly disturb him. First Devin wants to ask if he can put in a good word to Susan about him, and what she likes when it comes to men. Then Stephen comes in asking the same thing and Ken wants to tell them both to leave him alone. One he doesn't really care about his cousin's love life, second, she's always been into far cooler guys than the both of them.
"Sure I'll ask her about you," he tells them both instead because agreeing is just so much faster.
And so the end of term comes with just as much of a rush to finish everything as last time. Susan rushes from final exam, to presentation, to another final exam, and just has time to submit her paper before deadline.
Ken takes it easier, swearing he's well prepared. He's handed in his term paper, and can spend the day with Beth instead. (Beth kind of likes the jealous looks she gets from Isabella. That will teach her to keep her hands off Ken.)
Then the grades come in. Susan is horrified at her D-.
"I fell asleep ONCE! I did everything else perfectly, and I know I aced that test!" she protests.
Ken, on the other hand, is flabbergasted. He's gotten higher grades on his coursed than he thought he would, except for one. "Why do I have an F? I didn't even take four courses. I had three."
"Of course you didn't, the standard is four."
"But I only went to lectures for three, and I studied for three."
"I suppose that explains the F, then," Susan says, feeling a bit better when she sees that her GPA is still better than Ken's.
After breakfast, the two head out to the local park, where they stroll around the area, watch the clouds pass by, and - well Michael at least - watch the kids and thinking about having their own one day. He can imagine bringing them to a park like this. Pushing them on the swing, playing some hoops...
Later on in the day, as Michael can barely keep his hands off Robin, they catch a movie. Jaws have been on for a while, but neither have seen it, so they do. Robin, unlike most girls (or so Michael thinks) actually loves scary movies. He himself is a bit more uncomfortable, and the movie has him swearing he'll never swim in the ocean again, while Robin is just thrilled by the action.
They talk about the movie as they cook together. In this regard, Michael is learning that it's not always a good idea to be like his father. Robin actually expects him to help with the cooking, and the cleaning up. He's rather enjoying himself too, even if he's not as good as she is.
It's only after dinner, as they sit down to watch the news that they realise that there has been an assassination attempt on President Ford. Here, in San Sequoia no less! All the while they were enjoying their movie, somone nearly killed the President. Neither one of them can believe their ears as the news presenter goes on: "The suspect, 45-year-old Sara Jane Moore, was taken into custody at the scene. Authorities say she had been interviewed by the Secret Service just yesterday, but no motive has yet been established."
"What is the world coming to?" Robin asks. "He was just shot at two weeks ago, and they didn't have enough sense to strengthen security?"
"They must be connected," Micheal comments. "I mean, two women? Women don't shoot people. Or at least they didn't use to."
"You's a bit old to be one of Manson's women, don't you think? The other one was what, 25? 26?"
"How would I know? I just... two women? And how could they not have kept tabs on her if they knew she posed a risk? I just don't... What happened to just protesting when you don't like something?"
For Carl, the assassination attempt on the president is not something he pays too much mind. Instead he is focused on trying to go from a mascot in a horridly warm suit, to making the team. He spends most of his days at the gym, working out, but also mentoring the others in the team when he can.
"Man, what do I need boxing for? I just need to hit the hoop?"
"Are you telling me upper body strength has nothing to do with that? Come on, dude, punch!"
It's not always easy, when all he wants to do is be on his own and hide from the world, but in the process, Carl starts overcoming his fear for crowded places. Now if he could only stop waking up in the middle of the night bathing in sweat maybe this moving on with life thing would actually work.
At Foxbury, it's time for a new term to start, and this time Ken is determined to do better. He sets out with his homework early, but without checking which lessons he has first he still ends up scrambling at the last minute with the one homework he should have started with.
And even when he tries to study, there are plenty of distractions.
Susan, has already been up for hours on that first day of class. She's done all her homework, and some additional studying, and before class she makes sure to go over the material one more time just in case.
Even though Ken left just at the latest minute, and Susan has been outside the lecture hall for a good half an hour, they both make it in on time.
But being better prepared has it's drawbacks. Nervous for the semester, Susan has burned her candle at both ends, and when the lecturer starts she feels her eyelids getting heavier. Does his voice has to be so...soothing? The room so warm? She tries everything in her power to stay awake, but at the end of it, she still sleeps through most of class.
Her professor is not impressed.
Returning home, Susan feels like a failure, but still just as tired as before. Instead of doing her homework she falls asleep on her bed.
Trying to learn from her mistakes, Susan tries to slow down a bit, finding energy where she can as the term goes on. She still works hard, but her new professor is now has an image of her as lazy, and it doesn't matter how much notes she takes, and how much homework she hands in on time, he still doesn't think she does enough. Her only hope now is to nailing the term paper, so she focuses extra hard on that, and forces Ken to do the same. She will not have her cousin miss another deadline, even if he'd rather spend time with the girls around campus than working the typewriter.
Susan finds other ways to raise her energy, like panting an apple tree on campus, hoping it will grow into a tree. She spends a lot of time by her little mound of dirt, reading her homework out loud to it to inspire it to grow more.
There is a new girl, Isabella, at their dorm, Susan and Ken both find her nice and easy to talk to, but Elisabeth does not like her, she's far too friendly with Ken for her taste.
So instead of Ken chasing after Elisabeth, she is now making sure he knows she's there.
And makes sure Isabella sees them.
When Ken for the umpteenth time suggest a little "fun" in the shower, fully expecting another no, Beth to his surprise readily agrees. Ken definitely likes this development.
For Susan, those kinds of things are just distractions, or so she tells herself as she plunges into her homework. But as much as she wants to focus on the right thing, it's not always easy when Ken decides that Wednesday night is a perfect night for a keg party. As much as she'd like to be better at focusing on her schoolwork, there is no way she can with a party raging in the common room. And to be honest, she's quite enjoying herself too.
The next morning, however, she pays the prise as she doesn't even have the energy to get up and eat before she has to run to class. She grabs a sandwich on the way and swears at whatever ability Ken has to stay awake through anything.
Ken on the other hand, is trying to keep up with homework. Which would be easier if his roommates didn't constantly disturb him. First Devin wants to ask if he can put in a good word to Susan about him, and what she likes when it comes to men. Then Stephen comes in asking the same thing and Ken wants to tell them both to leave him alone. One he doesn't really care about his cousin's love life, second, she's always been into far cooler guys than the both of them.
"Sure I'll ask her about you," he tells them both instead because agreeing is just so much faster.
And so the end of term comes with just as much of a rush to finish everything as last time. Susan rushes from final exam, to presentation, to another final exam, and just has time to submit her paper before deadline.
Ken takes it easier, swearing he's well prepared. He's handed in his term paper, and can spend the day with Beth instead. (Beth kind of likes the jealous looks she gets from Isabella. That will teach her to keep her hands off Ken.)
Then the grades come in. Susan is horrified at her D-.
"I fell asleep ONCE! I did everything else perfectly, and I know I aced that test!" she protests.
Ken, on the other hand, is flabbergasted. He's gotten higher grades on his coursed than he thought he would, except for one. "Why do I have an F? I didn't even take four courses. I had three."
"Of course you didn't, the standard is four."
"But I only went to lectures for three, and I studied for three."
"I suppose that explains the F, then," Susan says, feeling a bit better when she sees that her GPA is still better than Ken's.
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