Kitt

LOL if i vote for all the stories i like there really isn't much point in voting at all - it would only add one vote to every total! They are all well written stories that I will enjoy going back and reading again. We should talk to the admins about having a tag word like holiday or contest or something to make it easy to search them out next Christmas!

Ok - as i said in the other thread - I will not be voting. No way I am going to have one of my three authors be singled out because i love all 3 of em! But seeing the number of likes as i read the entries I must say i am completely surprised at the low number of votes.

Zach seemed to me prior to this chapter to be "on the outs" with his parents due to his complaining about their refusal to allow a car, and the way Gathan was talking about it. Perhaps it was only Gathan he was on the outs with, but to me it seemed to extend further. Still, it looked to me that Will was trying to be considerate of how Zach would feel in the situation. That he (and I) was mistaken in the situation and Zach was happy to have his parents there doesn't change that his calling wasn't a completely selfish thing. As I said before, some selfishness, not total. And you still did not answer my question. Perhaps I have been out of the dating game too long to remember correctly. While it was by no means everyone behaving in a callous way, I recall many people being out for themselves and not really considering the potential partners feelings past the immediate circumstances. Mendoza came across to me as a guy looking to hook up with a hot guy and not even thinking much about tomorrow, at least till the hookup didn't happen today.

I think sometimes you carry things to the extreme Tim. Had Brad stopped at inviting himself along, or as you put it - offering the ride in the limo - the entire situation would have been different. Had the Hayes asked him to pick them up on the way through it also would have been different. But for him to invite more people to someplace he had invited himself along in the first place was overstepping and I think maybe a tad of tiptoeing was in order. The key word about the phone conversation with Zach was totally sir. I admitted in my statement that there was a degree of selfishness in losing play time to having his parents there. I also think, however, that the same sentence you quoted to prove your point proves mine. “You’re OK with them being there?” I asked, and there was no way he could miss the surprise in my voice. He laughed. “Yeah, I’m OK with them being there. I like it when they come to my games.” “Cool,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment. Will's being surprised that Zach was ok with his parents being there indicates he was under the impression that their presence might have bothered Zach. Did it "cut into his fuck time with Zach" as you so delicately put it? Yes. Would that disappoint any young walking hormone? Yes. And by the way - in my experience many people, both male and female, do not outgrow the "walking hormone" stage till well into their 20's. Matt still seems in the stage, and you seem to consider him much more mature than Will. He seems less so to me. And if you go back through the pertinent forums, I am fairly sure you will find I wasn't one of the people who thought emancipation was such a terrific idea - he may be much more mature than most 15 year olds but that doesn't make him so in all areas. Mendoza? Ok - so maybe he DID know. Doesn't mean he would not make the overture. Would I in that situation? No, but then not everyone puts others thoughts and feelings ahead of their own do they? Out of curiosity, do you always ignore a question if the answer would prove to be a bit off of your stated opinions? This is the second time I have asked a direct question of you in discussion of the story line and the second time you completely ignored it.

Jimminy Cricket! I thought I was the tech challenged one in the family! https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/topic/38136-holiday-themed-story-eventcontest-voting/

I am curious, why is it you see Brad's thinking about Will's feelings as tiptoe maneuvers? I saw it as him finally realizing that he simply cannot bull his way through every situation by seizing control and taking over. He realized that was essentially what he did ( Mark's reply said it much better than I could) and chose to deal with it now allowing things to be handled more calmly in advance of the flight or alternately giving the whole thing time to settle if it did deteriorate into a fight. In the past Brad simply would have said nothing and let Will blow up when they landed in Ohio unexpectedly. I also wonder why you see Will calling to talk to Zach as being totally selfish? Granted there was probably more than a little truth to the thoughts about not being as free to play as if Wally and Clara were not there. We are talking about 15 yr old walking hormones after all, but as far as we ( and by extension Will) know at this point Zach isn't on the best terms with his parents. I would have appreciated a heads up from a friend were I in that position, and I think that was a big part of the reason for calling Zach. If you were on the outs with someone in your family and they showed up without any warning would you be comfortable with it? As for Mendoza hitting on Brad, since when is any guy not directly involved in someones life supposed to be aware of the emotional turmoil going on in someones head? Mendoza may not be aware that Brad Shulter even knew Robert Hayes, let alone that Robbie was his significant other and killed on 9-11. Not everyone is following the CEO's private life, nor does everyone follow the lives of Hollywood insiders. He saw someone he found interesting and gave it a shot. I am more inclined to question his hitting on the big boss out of a "sleep your way up" mentality than i am to think he is trying to hit on an emotionally vulnerable guy.

Oh my, when you decide you want to play you really make the most of it! This was a delightful update of an old theme and I loved it!

What a lovely gift to find on Christmas Morning! Thank you! It's nice to see Will finally making a friend that he ISN'T trying to get into bed, That he needs friends that don't have benefits is something that I don't think has occurred to him yet. Seems Brad is finally learning too. I can remember a time that he would just have kept quiet about having invited the Hayes' and let Will's temper pop when landing Ohio. Telling him now gave things the opportunity to be handled calmly and time to settle if things did go south. There is hope for the father/son duo yet! I also think its time to call a shrink for Matt, his behavior is bordering on self destructive over the last few chapters. Regressing to his slutty phase, conflicts with Wade, temper outbursts on the ice, pushing Wills buttons over Tony...sounds to me like he is not dealing with things after the tragedy. Maybe Nana will step in again and put things right there too over the weekend. I am really liking that old lady! May I be like her when i grow up! Thank you again. A fix from my purveyor of literary addiction on Christmas morning was a fantastic way to start my day, and my family thanks you too! Hehehe - I sat here quietly reading instead of rousting them all before dawn! Have a very Merry Christmas!

Sort of weird to look at. If the earthquake photos hadn't been black and white it would have been extremely difficult to see where the old stopped and the new started in some of them.

Thank you - for being the wonderful writer you are, for sharing that writing with us, and for thinking of us during the holiday season. Have a wonderful and safe holiday.

Ok - what am i doing wrong - cant get to Joann's story!

Way to go Nana! She reminds me so much of my own grams it's scarey! Ethan has met his match! I thought Matt had outgrown those party till he puked nights and the constant casual hookups. Guess he still has a bit of growing up yet to do too. I find myself wondering if there is some sort of a breakdown coming for him - he seems rather one sided in dealing with the losses - yes he lost his father, a man he had just recently come to know, but so did his partner, and he seems to lose sight of that at times. A completely enjoyable chapter sir! I can't help but hear the tick tick tick of the climbing coaster tho. May you and your family ( both natural and your writing team) have a wonderful holiday.

WL will be creating a voting thread, I would suppose sometime today. I'd do it but you all know how tech challenged I am!

I'm not sure where you are coming from trebs, but when I took poly-sci the term illegal alien referred to someone who came into a country in violation of existing laws at the time of their entry into the country. It has nothing to do with how well liked a particular group is or if someone complains about their lot or steps out of line. Granted there have been issues where people have abused political power, but it is hardly fair to label immigration laws as just another form of prejudice.

Friends come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. The lifers are few and far between, but you will know it when you trip on one. In the meantime - enjoy the reason or the season. Cia is right with one exception, life is pretty random. Build a plan - work towards it, but stay flexible enough to grab the brass ring if it happens to swing past early! There is nothing weird about you wanting things to be easier for Mikie. You care. That's what makes you a good person. As for mom - again Cia is right, there isn't a lot you can do there. There are others around you that you can turn to tho for support. Let them ( us ) be there for you!

Wings has hers set to just after midnight

Tis done and on its way back WL! I think I need to recluse myself from the voting tho - I have 3 authors with work in! Hehehe - that DOES let me get advance reading on some of the stories tho!

With those moves i hope brother doesn't spend too much time in the clubs!

You have already taken the first step. Lots of people feel the way you do. Now maybe some of the people who were there will do the same. that is to speak up when they see racism being spouted that way. A rock slide can start with a single rolling pebble.If you influenced two people to stand up for what is right, and they influence two more...

NO - YOU WERE NOT WRONG! While everyone has a right to their opinions, and to be a racist ass, there is a time and place to voice those views, and in a restaurant ( even fast food) is NOT the place! I wish more people had the nerve to say something in a situation like that!

What is it they say about good men doing nothing?

Cute title! Can't wait to see the story!

Good Question. Did the boy happen to have it at a rather explicit point of the story? Or did the teacher take the tablet and read the entirety to know what it was and classify it as smut? I think I would be more upset that the boy apparently was reading while he should have been doing something else, Tell him to put the dang thing away and pay attention then. Hardly matters what it is that he was reading if it wasn't during free time, and if it was, well then was she reading over his shoulder? Maybe the one vice principal I was forced to deal with is correct and I am "way too liberal". Odd that - my family thinks me the most conservative of our lot!

I am with AJ. The show made little to no sense to me BEFORE this incident. It didn't shock me that he held prejudiced views, nor did it shock me that A&E are now trying to control the damage. What DOES shock me is that someone thought the show was a good idea in the first place. But then - I don't much care for any of the so-called reality TV shows. Might as well make a weekly series about me doing the laundry - its about as interesting in my opinion.

I thought the water speakers were sort of interesting. Someone gets drunk at a party and you could occupy them for hours while you hide their keys/car.