frosenblum

The lightness after the heaviness was welcome. What a great supportive community these folks have created. It was great to "hear" Belle's laughter, the camping trip is the perfect thing for her.

Peter? Peter? Peter????? I think I need to borrow Carlos's spreadsheet of all thousand characters.

So this whole story is just one long cliffhanger? 😬

Wow! I knew that Ye thought big, even running for President in 2020. But I had no idea he also dabbled in composing classical music. 🤑

"CJ was always impressed with the women Carson dated; they were usually a mixture of brains and beauty, and Katie fit the bill." And yet twenty years later Carson is still single. Commitment issues, perhaps.

This was a fun chapter. Even the serious stuff was treated with a light touch. Bravo. I'm sure the tone will change when the Russians stomp in.

I had to google that. It's the same as the game I know as "telephone."

It's not much different nowadays for classical composers. The results of a 2019 survey of 200 U.S. classical composers of commissions in 2017-2018 (871 total): the median payment was $1,500. Most fees were below $5,000, with 37% done for no fee. The major outlier was $300,000 for an opera. There are very few composers making a living from composing -- they also teach, etc. Vivaldi actually did quite well financially for most of his life, with steady jobs with orchestras, choirs, noble and royal patrons and even as an opera impresario, writing music, selling scores, teaching, and conducting. Alas: "Like many composers of the time, Vivaldi faced financial difficulties in his later years," with his works going out of favor as musical tastes shifted. Vivaldi moved to Vienna to be a composer in the imperial court of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, who admired his music. But shortly after Vivaldi arrived in Vienna, Charles VI died, leaving Vivaldi with no patron or income. And, as you say, he died a pauper.

Very well written, emotionally challenging chapter to read. Also, very enlightening about Loren, about Jay, and about how deep the trust is that they've developed. 84Mags said: "In households with abuse, statistically it is common for siblings to be at different risks for abuse. [A] abusive parent(s)/guardians tend view the abused child with misguided perceptions. Abused children are twice as likely to have a disability or developmental delay and are viewed in a negative light. They are seen as having behavioral problems and as the cause of stress for the abuser. " Long1jo asked, "why just him when they were twins?" Having a newborn baby is major stress for the parents, and I imagine twins could feel like more than doubling that stress, especially they were not expected. And if they were not "good" babies (crying a lot, not sleeping well, colicky, etc.), it would be easy for the abusive parent to blame the second baby for all the stress. And if Lars was a "good" baby and Loren was the "bad" baby?

Quantity was all that mattered when I was a teen. I hadn't learned yet about quality.

This was a fun chapter. Loren is such a focused guy when he's working. It was great to see him lose focus for a second, while filming!!!, when he sees Jay.

That's only 4x a day. (Oh, to be a teenager again.)

WOW! I did not see that coming. Now I understand your "Chapter content warning: ... Nah! That ruins the fun." You have a weird idea of fun. I hope Ingle is okay. Poor Dirk.

Another great chapter. Long-lasting deep relationships. Nice to get a hit of Brad and Wingnut. Looking forward to check-ins with old friends in the next chapters, and meeting some new ones.

Was Idaho, cowboys, and Montana inspired by the executive officer in Hunt for Red October? That's a movie I never get tired of watching every year or so.

Mystery stories occasionally have bullets made of ice. Is that a myth?

Heart-warming chapter. "It take a village to raise a child" put into action. Yes, yes, yes!!

Your stories are painstakingly executed, handcrafted, special gifts designed to give each of us pleasure. Of course, you want to know how much we liked (or disliked?) them. How else could you improve your craft, in order to give us even more joy?

Trouble seem to follow the main character in many of Quoka's stories. This isn't the first time Jexon has dealt with similar situations on the base.

"Armand just smiled to himself. He was thinking about his small bedroom at home. Thinking, ‘this is nice, but I wouldn’t trade my room for this.’" Colin may have to bite the bullet and downsize/give up his luxurious life if he wants a relationship with Armand.😁

Using ecofriendly, non-polluting, biodegradable bullets, no doubt. What else would you use with a Tesla!

A powerful chapter, quite moving. It's a big step to start to get in touch with one's feelings. It can be quite frightening facing what you've kept hidden from yourself, a voyage into the unknown. Your image of "a carapace of normality" really struck me. What a great turn of phrase.

Another great chapter. Although I have a little whiplash from the the shift in gears from the Vail chapters added to the shockers of Domogarov's defection and CJ adding CIA operative to his resume. We don't have to worry about Northman uttering even a squeak about CJ's trip to DC for IVF consultation, not once Vince and Jimmy scare the shit out of him about what will happen to him if he utters a whisper about it. By the time CJ gets around to making a bucket list, he might have to scrounge around to find anything to put on it. President, check. Mayor, check. Ambassador, check. City Council member, check. State department visa clerk, check. CIA operative, check. Given my Friday schedule, I usually don't have a chance to open GA till the afternoon. By then, there are so many reader comments and speculations, as well as Carlos's replies and hints and misdirections, that it's like reading whole second chapter of the story. My weekly twofer deal. Thank you to all of you.

DC Mayor. That's quite a challenging job, particularly with Congress having ultimate control. There's been an elected Mayor and city council only since 1975. Everything the Mayor does is in the national spotlight. No DC mayor has then been a presidential candidate. I'm looking forward to CJ's election campaign (especially as every Mayor so far has been black) and his governance in such a challenging position. I know it'll be a while before you write that story, and I'll patiently wait.

As I remember from your other story, it's Jevikal and Kadin who make it to Benden Weyr, and barely at that. I hope my memory is faulty and Kemi also makes it.