Luke's Character Reference

January 9, 2007

To whom it may concern:

In the nearly ten years that I have known Luke Danes, I have come to know him as an honest and decent man. He’s also one of the most kind and caring persons I have ever met.

I’m a single mother and I raised my daughter by myself. But once Luke Danes became my friend in this town, I never really felt alone. 

Luke and I have had our ups and downs over the years, but through it all, his relationship with my daughter Rory has never changed. He’s always been there for her no matter what. He was there to celebrate her birthdays, he was there cheering her on at her high school graduation. Luke has been a sort of father figure in my daughter’s life.

With his own daughter Luke wasn’t given the opportunity to be there for her first twelve years, but he should be given that opportunity now. Once Luke Danes is in your life, he is in your life forever.

I know from personal experience what an amazing gift that is and not to allow him access to his daughter would be to seriously deprive her of all this man has to offer, and he offers so much. 

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Lorelai Gilmore.

S07:E12

How the Hartford Half Live

Items mentioned/purchased 

~ Baccarat crystal candlesticks

~ Large bronze hat-rack adorned with dragons and weasels - a gift from Lorelai the first (Emily Gilmore's mother in law)

~ Biedermeier Hutch

~ Gift certificate for a weekend at the Birchgrove Spa. Treatments include: salt glow, scalp massage, watsu massage pool, back facial, collagen facial and eye treatment; Egyptian mud bath.

~ Portrait of George Washington

~ Cigar Humidor that belonged to a Lieutenant in the army during World War One. It was kept in his field office in France. There are carvings in the bottom that could possibly be coded messages.

~ Baccarat unicorn

~ Hand-painted China set designed in 1870 for the Shah of Persia including soup tureens, sauce boats etc.

~ Venetian apple ornaments from Giorgio Baldi's studio.

~ Brioni menswear in an assortment of colours. Plus accessories and Italian loafers that feel like butter; an assortment of jewellery appropriate for a man with a moustache; and the most expensive moustache comb.

~ Diamond watch.

~ Crystal bar glasses with gold leaf pattern.

~ Chippendale desk.

~ First edition Faulkner's.

~ 18th century Blou printing press.

~ Diebenkorn.

~ Leaves of Grass in Greek (100 year old edition).

~ Acreage/compound for the extended family at Cape Cod.

~ Romeo y Julieta cigars.

~ Wunderschoen chocolates from Switzerland.

~ Mrs Eleanor Shubic's silver lighter.

~ Macallan whiskey.

~ Antique sewing box.

~ La Mer Youth Serum.

~ Absinthe serum with Gingko extract.

~ Fruit from Harry and David.

~ Ginku kitchen knives.

~ L'Arpège Restaurant in Paris.

~ Monte Cristo cigars.

~ 2006 green jaguar.

~ Lava stone counter in the bathroom

~ Duncan Phyfe coffee table.

~ Cedar closet.

Emily Gilmore's schedule

Wednesday

~ Dry cleaners

~ Daughters of the American Revolution meeting

~ Symphony Luncheon 

~ 3pm hair appointment

Thursday

~ Water aerobics class

Friday

~ Dinner at home with Richard, Lorelai and Rory

Emily's additional commitments

~ Opera Committee 

~ Hospital Board

~ Horticultural Society

Lorelai's Diner Talk

~ Two scrambled eggs on toast = Adam and Eve on a raft and wreck 'em!

~ Hamburger and a strawberry ice-cream with chocolate sauce for dessert = Burn one, then pass me a pink stick and put some mud on it!

~ Coffee with cream and sugar = Hot blonde with sand.

~  Put it in a cup to go = Foot's out the door.

~ Turkey burger with onions = Wimpy with a rose pinned on it.

Emily's dream wedding for Lorelai

~ Russian winter wedding theme - the Romanovs

~ Snow-white roses

~ Trees with white lights and candles

~ Snow everywhere

~ The Bride arriving in a silver sleigh with white horses

The alternate wedding theme Emily thinks Lorelai would prefer

~ Reception hall in Luke's diner

~ Burgers and fries for the dinner

~ The Bride walking down the aisle with a ketchup dispenser in her hand

Lorelai's code names 

~ Squeegy Beckinheim

~ Tookie Clothespin

Lorelai and Rory eats four Thanksgiving meals

~ The Kim's tofurkey with Christian hymns

~ Sookie and Jackson's deep fried turkey

~ The main event at Luke's Diner

~ Evening dinner party hosted by Emily and Richard

Cute coffee house names

 ~ Jitters

~ Spill The Beans

~ Higher Ground

~ The Mudhouse 

~ Sludge

~ Regular Joe

Food/things that Jackson likes

~ Lamb chops with Sicilian olives, rosemary and garlic

~ Warm potato and chorizo salad

~ Beef jerky

~ Corn bread

~ Fried marshmallow pie

~ Creedence Clearwater Revival

Sherry Tinsdale's C-Section

You have been cordially invited to Sherry Tinsdale's C-Section on Friday, February 7th, 6pm.

Join the girls for a toast, a hug, a wave to the mommy as they wheel her off.

Dinner at Sushi Sushi and then back to the hospital for a formal viewing of brand new baby Georgia. 

RSVP at your earliest convenience.

P.S. Gifts are not necessary, but always appreciated.

Myra Waldo's Travel and Motoring Guide to Europe

~ Sleep amongst 13th century tapestries and chocolates made by local artisans.

~ Stay in a place built for Napoleon III's Doctor.

~ There must be a Chagall in the bathroom.

Luke and Sookie's Breakfast Options

~ Ricotta Fritters

~ Cajun Eggs Benedict (cayenne pepper added to the Hollandaise sauce)

~ Brioche French Toast with caramalised  hazelnuts

~ Pears poached in Madeira

~ Sheared eggs with cream and chives

Lorelai's Birthday Week Plans

Monday: Facials at Sloopy's after school.

Tuesday: Watch a double feature at the cinema.

Wednesday: Shopping at Sephora.

Thursday: Complimentary makeover.

Friday: Big, fat, fabulous Birthday. 

Birthday cake: Four-foot chocolate cake with individual vanilla cupcakes on top spelling 'Happy 16th Birthday Lorelai' with both buttercream and whipped cream frosting.

Make and serve the world's biggest pizza.

Music: One song from each year in Lorelai's life.

Schedule of activities during the final week of Rory Gilmore's life before she enters the ivy-covered hallowed halls of Yale University

Thursday: Get presents out to friends then hit the mall.

Friday: Get an early start and hit three of the crappier movies that are out then have dinner at Emily and Richard's home.

Saturday: Hit New York and see art galleries; hit the strand; pizza at John's.

Sunday: Pick up all the stuff needed for school and then barbecue at Sookie's.

Monday: Mani-pedi; facial; haircut; go to the psychic; stock up for Tuesday.

Tuesday: Godfather I, II and III with extra showings of the Sofia death scene over and over as long as the mallomars hold out.

There is also enough biscotti from Milan to last the rest of the week.

International friends of Emily and Richard

~ Gundersons in Zurich

~ Egerholms in Denmark

~ Rezoscos in Florence

~ Talbots in London

Sookie caters for a children's Lord of the Rings party

~ Brie with lavender honey and bourbon-sugared pecans

~ Crudities platter: blanched veggies with lemon-garlic aioli

~ Assorted charcuteries

~ Gravlax

~ Macaroni and cheese with a jalapeno-chipotle cream sauce

~ Chocolate cake with a rum-raisin tropical fruit ganache

Emily's Local Restaurant Recommendations

~ For business luncheons: Portofino's. 

They give attentive service without rushing you and it's wonderful Italian food.

~ For steak: Lil's.

~ Emily detests Thai food and prefers Chinese food but only if it's authentic.

~ Romantic atmosphere: Mill on the River.

Very dark. Very atmospheric.

~ Seafood: Persephone's.

Specialties: Sea scallops and cedar plank salmon.

Food that Emily serves when Richard is not present for dinner

~ Raspberry souffle

~ Chicken Kiev

~ Fennel and potato puree with a touch of chilli

Luke's personal phone number

860-294-1986

Rory and Lorelai orders at Luke's diner

~ Scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and half bacon, half sausage.

~ Chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries.

~ Boysenberry pie with ice-cream.

~ Hot fudge sundae.

~ Cheddar cheese burger served rare and with barbecue sauce on the side.

According to Mrs Kim

Fries are the devil's starchy fingers.

Fries are a gateway food. They lead to harder things: pizza, movie popcorn, deep fried snickers bars.

Luke cooks romantic meal for Lorelai

Lamb and artichoke stew.

Penne with pesto and potatoes.

Roasted garlic and rosemary focaccia.

Tomatoes stuffed with breadcrumbs and goat cheese.

Ricotta cheesecake.

Amaretto cookies and coffee.

Soft shell crab amandine on a bed of wild rice.

Miss Celine - Fashion Consultant to the Gilmore's / Keeper of the Clothes

Rory: Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina.

Lorelai: Natalie Wood.

Luke: Eli Wallach.

You cannot wear green around grass. 

Red goes wonderful with nature.

Never underestimate the power of a good shirt.

A young girl is completely and solely judged by her appearance. I always start every wardrobe from the top - the hat. It's the first thing that God sees.

Wedding dresses: There can't be too much lace as long as it's Italian.

Until you actually become a man, you must try dresses on like a woman. And that means all of them.

Emily and Richard renew their marriage vows

Venue: The Rose Room at the Windsor Club.

Best Man: Rory.

Maid of Honour: Lorelai.

Music: 20-piece band.

Song for first dance: Wedding Bell Blues.

Paris' breakfast cereal combos

Captain Crunch on a foundation of Rice Krispies with a perimeter of Shredded Wheat.

Five different kinds: three sweetened with a mix of non-fat milk and half & half.

Logan has dinner at the Gilmore house

Peonies as dinner table centre pieces.

Avocado salad with beet dressing.

Roast beef.

Rory organises a DAR event

Venue: Hollywood Canteen.

The Swing Dolls: a tribute band to The Andrew Sisters.

Salmon puffs; macaroni and cheese; buffalo wings; jalapeno poppers

1940s silverware.

Hand-painted plates: off white, new but made to look vintage.

Rory's 21st Birthday Plans

What Rory and Lorelai originally planned: 

• Go to Atlantic City
• Sit at a Blackjack table at 11:59
• Order Martinis
• Play 21 when Rory turns 21
• Take winnings and buy 21 things
• There was a thing about 21 guys

Emily plans a 'fun and youthful' party for Rory instead:

• Invitations lined with lace
• Guest list consisting of DAR ladies; Logan; Lane and boyfriend; Paris and boyfriend; the Cheevers; cousins from Bridgeport; Lorelai
• Buffet, sushi, beef carving station 
• Bar
• Heaters on the patio
• Special trays of passed sidecar and gin fizz
• Trays of passed hors d'oeuvres
• Chocolate praline crunch cake
• Chocolate boxes as party favours
• Votives
• Specially concocted signature drink for Rory containing: champagne, vodka, pineapple juice and grenadine served with cherries

Dinner with Reverend Boatwright at the Gilmore house

Pot roast and mashed potatoes.

Baby carrots.

Parker House rolls with Irish butter.

Ice cream sundae.

Luke and Lorelai's wedding plans

Duck sausage rolls.

The perfect wedding dress: the bodice is a blush-coloured silk tulle with crystal beads on it; the skirt is a blush silk tulle with a blush silk/satin lining; the back goes into a train; it has a cream satin sash.

Strapless wedding dress = summer wedding.

Summer = daisies.

Daisy invitations.

Rose covered church. Out the back there's a separate function hall with floor to ceiling windows and doors that open out. Behind the hall is a 1850 fully restored carousel.

Pastor Todd.

June 3rd.

The bad smelling perfume that Luke bought for Lorelai for Christmas

It's a cross between Love's Baby Soft and 'Curious' by Britney Spears with a little hint of Lysol.

Sookie disguises some of Lorelai's favourite foods and serves them up to Emily and Richard 

Macaroni and Cheese: Pasta a la Sookie / Pasta a la fromage.

Mini hot dogs: Bratwurst.

Taquitos: Blinis.

Emily prepares young Charlotte Courtwright for society living (table manners and etiquette)

Making cocktails: Martini with a twist for Lorelai; Scotch on the rocks for Richard; Gin & Tonic for Emily and Club Soda for Rory.

Dining service a la Russe: servers bring each course in turn rather plopping everything on the table at once.

It's the duty of the gentleman to the lady to her seat.

Immediately upon sitting, one must place one's napkin on one's lap. There is no need for a flourish. The ability to use a napkin is nothing to brag about.

The forks: salad, fish, entree, roast.

Potage au cresson.

When the conversation lags, a good guest should be prepared to introduce a new topic. Keep it light. No politics. No religion. Think of things you've read regarding travel, arts and leisure, and Sunday styles.

High tea: Maintain proper spacing and distance. No used utensil must touch the table again.

Emily's fish order and storage

Salmon, swordfish, king mackerel and tuna in the downstairs freezer.

Trout, sea bass, snapper and bluefish upstairs in the butler's pantry.

Sookie caters for Chin-Chin's Farewell

Walnut, arugula and Gorgonzola crostini.

Caraway cornbread with apricots and bacon and a little jalapeno jam.

Beef tenderloin chiffonade with focaccia rounds.

Sweet potato biscuits with pork tenderloin and apple chutney.

Fat-free brownies.

Kirk's favourite seat at Luke's Diner

Close to the cash register and kitchen which guarantees plenty of face time with the boss.

Climate wise it's positioned between two air conditioning vents which creates a nice cross ventilation.

Lorelai's opinion on certain cars

Sports cars think they are better than other cars.

Hatchbacks have SUV inferiority complexes.

Sedans are afraid to get dirty.

***10 years later...

Roy Choi's pop-up at the Dragonfly Inn

Green pea congee with fried shallots, spring onions, cilantro, chili oil and abalone.

Celebrity chefs that Lorelai didn't like

Roy Choi - moved her coffee machine.

Anthony Bourdain - parked in Sookie's spot.

April Bloomfield - too much pork.

Alice Waters - a little flighty.

David Chang - Al's Pancake World does the same thing.

Rachael Ray - no one is eating anything.

Food that Naomi Shropshire swiped from the waiter 

Fluke carpaccio with lime and chili's (ordered by Dr Reynolds).

Burger (ordered by Ms Kipney).

What Ho!

More delights from Jeeves and Wooster

IQ of a backward clam.

Weekly meeting of the Drones 'fine arts' committee.

Brown Harris Tweed for train travel into the countryside.

1930's Aston Martin Convertible, KW 4597.

Blumenfeld junior's lunch: jam roly-poly pudding; oysters; ice-cream and plenty of chocolate.

Good afternoon Manchester; fancy bumping into you Basingstoke; I didn't see you at the club last night Cleethorpes.

Martini with a dash of absinthe.

Were it not for the juice of the grape or the grain, weddings would be a thing of the past and proposals but a dim memory. Without it, we blabber.

The Pure Aloha Oath

 

First encountered on the Hawai'i episode of Somebody Feed Phil featuring Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha

3 Foot 10 & in High School

Young Sheldon's fears

• Dogs
• Birds
• Insects
• Germs
• Hugging
• Button fly pants
• Rivers, ponds, lakes, oceans, estuaries
• Corduroy
• Root vegetables
• Squeaky balloons
• Tinted windows
• Take a penny, leave a penny
• Fireworks
• Potbelly stoves
• Dust bunnies
• Fuzz on peaches

The Texas Holy Trinity

~ God
~ Football
~ Barbeque

Meemaw's Secret Brisket Recipe

1 tablespoon cumin

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

3 tablespoons dried mustard

1 cup Lone Star Beer

Young Sheldon's Bathroom Schedule

~ Number one

First thing in the morning

Then again in the afternoon

Once more in the late afternoon (4pm/4:30pm depending on his juice intake)

Then a quick piddle before bedtime

Young Sheldon's Food 

~ Meat cooked to at least 165 degrees, except for chicken, which is 180.

~ The different foods can't touch each other on the plate.

~ Ketchup and mustard must come out of a packet. No bottles.

~ He likes spaghetti.

Young Sheldon's Favourites 

Colour: blue and khaki

Ice-cream: vanilla and orange sherbet Push Up

Food: spaghetti with cut up hot dogs in it

Young Sheldon's Drink specifications

Chamomile tea: One teaspoon of honey. An ice cube to cool it off.

Ginger ale: Canada Dry. Room temperature. Mostly flat.

Young Sheldon's objections to certain pets

~ Turtles carry salmonella.

~ Gerbils caused the plague.

~ Birds will steal his hair to make a nest.

Young Sheldon's preferred shoes

~ Brown Sperry Penny Loafers

Young Sheldon's sandwich

~ Smuckers strawberry jelly.

~ Jif creamy peanut butter.

~ White sandwich loaf from Happy Hearth Home Bakeries.

Random information

~ Home telephone number: 409-356-6049

~ Home address: 5501 Grant Avenue, Medway, Texas

Intro outfits/costumes

~ Bow-tie, cowboy boots and briefcase

~ The Flash

~ Spock/Star Trek

~ Einstein

~ Astronaut 

~ American farmer?

How young Sheldon plans to spend the $100 his meemaw gave him

Dipping his toe in the exciting world of the stock market by purchasing three shares of RadioShack.

 

As a shareholder, he will be partial owner of his very favourite company.

(Whilst his twin sister Missy bought a cotton candy machine).

Young Sheldon's rite of passage

Instead of rock and roll music, his concert was a lecture on black hole topology.

Instead of a stage dive, he would dive into knowledge.

Instead of guitar-shredding solos, he would witness universe shredding hypotheses.

Instead of a charismatic frontman dazzling the audience, there will be, well the exact same thing.

Carnegie's Methods

Excerpts from the book 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'

Don't criticise, condemn or complain

Any fool can criticise, condemn and complain - and
most fools do.

But it takes character and self-control to be under-standing and forgiving.

A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men.

Give honest, sincere appreciation

There is only one way to get anybody to do anything and that is by making the other person want to do it. 

How? By giving people what they want.

Some of the things most people want include:

1. Health and the preservation of life

2. Food

3. Sleep

4. Money and the things money will buy.

5. Life in the hereafter.

6. Sexual gratification.

7. The well-being of our children.

8. A feeling of importance.

The power of appreciation. The nourishment of our self-esteem.

Appreciation is different from flattery. Flattery seldom works with discerning people. It is shallow, selfish and insincere. 

The difference between appreciation and flattery?

Flattery is - cheap praise. Flattery is telling the other person precisely what they think about themselves.

Figure out the other person’s good points. Then forget flattery. Give honest, sincere appreciation. 

Arouse in the other person an eager want

Bait the hook to suit the fish. 

Look at the other person's point of view.

How can I make this person want to do it?

Become genuinely interested in other people

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you

can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.

It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow

men who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others. It is from among such individuals that all humun failures spring.

Smile

A man without a smiling face must not open a

shop.

Your smile is a messenger of your good will. Your

smile brightens the lives of all who see it. To someone who has seen a dozen people frown, scowl or turn their faces away, your smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds.

The value of a smile:

It costs nothing, but creates much.

It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give.

It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.

None are so rich they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits.

It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign of friends.

It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and Nature’s best antidote for trouble.

Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anybody till it is given away.

And if in the last-minute rush of Christmas buying some of our salespeople should be too tired to give you a smile, may we ask you to leave one of yours?

For nobody needs a smile so much as those who have none left to give!

Remember a person's name

If you didn’t hear someone's name distinctly, ask them to repeat. If someone has an unusual name, ask them how it is spelled.

Be a good listener and encourage others to talk about themselves

In order to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves and their accomplishments

Give exclusive attention to the person talking to you.

Talk in terms of the other person’s interests

The royal road to a person’s heart is to talk about the things they treasured most.

Make the other person feel important and

do it sincerely

Radiate a little happiness and pass on a bit of honest appreciation without trying to get something out of the other person in return.

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.

Avoid arguments

Nine times out of ten, an argument ends with each of

the contestants more firmly convinced than ever that he is absolutely right.

If you argue and rankle and contradict, you may achieve a victory sometimes; but it will be an empty victory because you will never get your opponent’s good will.

A man convinced against his will

Is of the same opinion still.

Show respect for the other person's opinions

Men must be taught as if you taught them not

And things unknown proposed as things forgot.

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only

help him to find it within himself.

Be wiser than other people if you can; but do not tell them so.

One thing only I know, and that is that I know nothing.

Don’t argue with your customer or your spouse or your adversary. Don’t tell them they are wrong, don’t get them stirred up. Use a little diplomacy.

If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically

By fighting you never get enough, but by yielding you get more than you expected.

Begin in a friendly way

It is an old and true maxim that a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall. So with men, if you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart; which, say what you will, is the great high road to his reason.

The sun can make you take off your coat more quickly than the wind; and kindliness, the friendly approach and appreciation can make people change their minds more readily than all the bluster and storming in the world.

The Socratic method

When talking to people, don’t begin by discussing the

things on which you differ. Begin by emphasizing the things on which you agree.

Keep emphasizing, if possible, that you are both striving for the same end and that your only difference is one ofmethod and not of purpose.

The 'Socratic method' was based upon getting a 'yes, yes' response. He asked questions with which his opponent would have to agree. He kept on winning one admission after another until he had an

armful of yeses. He kept on asking questions until finally, almost without realizing it, his opponents found themselves embracing a conclusion they would have bitterly denied a few minutes previously.

Let the other person feel that the idea is theirs

Make suggestions and let the other person think out the conclusion.

Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires

I don’t blame you one iota for feeling as you do. If I were you I would undoubtedly feel just as you do.

Three-fourths of the people you will ever meet are

hungering and thirsting for sympathy. Give it to them,

and they will love you.

Throw down a challenge 

The way to get things done, is to stimulate

competition.

That is what every successful person loves: the game. The chance for self-expression. The chance to prove his or her worth, to excel, to win. That is what makes foot-races and hog-calling and pie-eating contests. 

The desire to excel. The desire for a feeling of importance.