conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What could be a title for a story about Dean, John, Green with the genre: Humor & Entertainment, Humor?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: A title for this story could be 'The Fashion Committee'
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the first five paragraphs for this story.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The Fashion Committee
  This year the Green Pastures Emerging Talent scholarship will be awarded to a student who shows promise in the field of fashion design.
  To apply, candidates must submit an application by February 15, detailing their interest in fashion, discussing their inspirations, and describing their approach to designing and constructing garments. The top applicants will be invited to show their work at a fashion show at Green Pastures Academy of Art and Applied Design on Saturday, May 4. Those selected to take part in the fashion show will also be invited to attend an introductory workshop on Saturday, March 2.
  The contestants must document their design process by keeping a fashion diary (which the judges may ask to see), and they will be asked to submit drawings, photos, and other research materials, such as mood boards. We will be looking for students who demonstrate ingenuity, creativity, and an ability to be responsive to the needs of their chosen models.
  The winner of the fashion show will receive a one-year scholarship to Green Pastures Fashion Program. The competition is open to students entering grades 10 through 12. For full details and the application form, please see: www.fashionscholarship.greenpasturesacademy.com.
  Dress for your destiny. Do it now, even if your destiny hasn't happened. If you want to be an astronaut, wear white. Be puffy. Add patches. Want to be a hedge fund manager? Wear a beautifully tailored suit, even if you have to wear a fast-food uniform over it. Dressing for your dreams makes them 75 to 85 percent more likely to come true!
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me five more paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Jacques and Mischa checked on me. The first time, they opened the door to the shop, which was small, considering the riches contained within, glanced around, and quickly backed out when they saw me talking to the young salesman, who was dressed like a modern Pilgrim, and the owner, Mrs. Lasky. We were discussing whether the metallic silver double organza with hand embroidery might be incorporated as a panel in the front of the skirt. The second time my dad and Mischa looked in, I was in deep meditation over a bolt of zibeline silk, one of duchess satin, and a breathtakingly beautiful hand-painted taffeta silk. Mischa and my dad smiled, and I could see how pleased they were for me. I can't imagine anyone has ever been as happy as Charlie Dean was right then.
  After I chose the fabrics and picked out the trimmings of threads, boning, boning casing, fabric for the linings, interfacing, and fasteners, I was exhausted but thrilled. I'd managed to stay within the budget, but only barely. I texted my dad. He and Mischa must have been waiting outside because he came right in, went to the counter, and paid for my purchases, peeling bill after bill off a roll of cash, like the biggest spender at the high rollers' table. It was a lot of money. I reached into my purse to add the few hundred dollars I had saved, and he gestured me away.
  At the salesman's concerned look she touched his shoulder. "Don't worry, Roger. I would never replace you. Unless Charlie moves here after she graduates from high school."
  I decided then that I would let Mischa keep the gown when the competition was over. I wanted her to find other places to wear it. Maybe her NA group would have a fancy dress dance? Maybe she'd marry my dad in it! Or maybe the dress would just sit in her closet and remind her she was special.
  I slept most of the way home, and so did my dad. I woke briefly as we passed through Ladysmith and saw that my dad was still sleeping. Mischa, on the other hand, was wide awake, steering us safely home.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the last five paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: I suppose I ought to say something about the home situation. My dad had a small relapse shortly after the show and is currently on methadone. He is attending his meetings; he has not sold everything we own or met a new, inappropriate lady, which is a relief. We are nearly a Hallmark household!
  A few days after she dropped by to see us, Mischa left for Vancouver. Then my dad heard that she left her treatment program and disappeared. I have no idea where she is, but I wish her well and I will keep the Mall of Reborn Dreams dress for her until she comes back. The dress may be the capstone piece of my Resilience Rising Collection™.
  To conclude this style diary, here's something that every young person, fashionable or not, growing up in a difficult family needs to know: keep it together. It will eventually be over. You will turn seventeen or eighteen, and you can move out and start your own life. You do not need to take on the problems of your progenitors. Find something that makes your heart sing and your brain expand, and let it carry you past all the ugliness and over the low spots. Oh, it's not easy. Certainly not. You will make mistakes, but you will overcome.
  As Jo has gotten to know me better, she says she's worried that if I'm not careful, I'll turn into one of those brittle people who will smash into a thousand pieces if someone hits me just the right way. She's so direct! It's exhilarating! But she's not correct. People thought the same thing about Diana Vreeland, and look at the amazing life she had.
  I send every good thought to the people who test read the manuscript: Bill Juby, Susin Nielsen, Andrew Gray, Serah-Marie McMahon, Robin Stevenson, Sara Davidson, and Stephanie Dubinsky. You all made it better. Extra special thanks the various people who gave me technical advice on making clothes and metal art: Anne Adema and Jason Gress and his metalworking students and Jason Ritter. Extra, extra special thanks to my husband, Jim, for everything, always.