Always in style

Pieter, Dieter's brother, was known to his friends for different qualities:

one) a certain willingness to roll the dice and revel in the outcome

two) a certain indecision when it came to choosing headgear

three) a certain fondness carried long past childhood days, for his boyhood here, Bartholomew Cubbins

If you are afraid to shake the dice, you will never throw a six.

Always a smile

A true friend is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else

Dieter could always be counted on for a smile… Never for gas money, his turn for a round, or for the occasional picking up of the tab… but with a smile like his, his friends didn’t mind (much).

Familial resemblance

Family

Carmine knew, bone deep, that her roots were where her roots were. After some unfortunate experimentation in college, she returned home, solidly embraced who she was and what her place in the family was. Her parents glowed with pride.

Ingenuity in the new year

This is the year when ingenuity stands high on the list.

As they waited for the return of the sun and the sweetness of the spring air, Lorelei McTavitt and her maid had exerted every effort to remain cheerful and optimistic over long winter afternoons. Their project had borne fruit: Kismet the budgie could warble in four distinct languages.

Olympic Dreams

The harder the fall, the higher the bounce.

Competitive synchronized levitation required delicate balance, a certain degree of resiliency, a willingness to push boundaries, and a finely tuned understanding of Newton’s Third Law. The Orbulous twins, Orlon and Olson, were at the height of their game. Now that wrestling was on its way out of Olympic competition, they hoped their sport might take its rightful place on the world stage.

An intervention

You should have a talk with a friend today.

The kitchen staff at the Hotel Garamond were justifiably proud of their reputation... it took some doing to hang on to that fourth Michelin star. So they were not pleased when patrons started complaining about the food. Turns out that someone was ordering the customary high quality provisions but what was being delivered was a grade or two below that. Somewhere in between, money was changing hands.

Their suspicions centered on Silvestrio. He dressed half too flash for the money they knew his pay envelope to hold. They were pretty sure he was bent. They'd give him one chance to straighten out; if that didn't work, they'd talk to Baxter and Ambrose.

Three's a company

When Milligan and Morton hit the scene, there’s was always the chance that one or the other (or both!) would suddenly explode in a display of temper that had become legendary in their circle of friends. It seemed that only the presence of the more balanced, level-headed Quentin had any chance at keeping the histrionics at bay.

Avert misunderstanding with calm, poise, and balance.