Altimexis

What an interesting question. This should be on the front page, and not in Dom's blog. What would I do? Well, since I grew up trying to ignore my feelings and pretending that I could cure my sexual orientation by simply willing myself to be straight, it's rather complicated. I grew up thinking homosexuality was a mental disorder, so certainly I could cure it myself. If someone had offered me a pill when I was a youth, damn right I would have taken it. The only glitch would have been in getting up the courage to ask my parents or my doctor so I could get the pill. That is, assuming I could have even brought myself to admit I was gay back then. :wacko: Now that I'm middle aged and married, the question almost seems moot. If taking the pill would eliminate my attraction to men and spruce up my sex life with my wife, I would be sorely tempted, but I would definitely hate to lose what I have here, and what I've found in writing gay fiction. I love my wife and I have no intention of ever having gay sex, so being able to "correct" my feelings would be nice. The very fact that my life ended up the way it did is reason enough to give this serious consideration. If my parents could have spared me the anguish I had growing up by doing something when I was in utero, I hope they would have done it. Of course, things were different growing up in the seventies. If I were growing up today, I'd like to think that my parents and I would have been more accepting. Would I as a parent try to change a child's sexual orientation in utero? Sadly, I think I'd have to be selfish there. As much as I'd like to be open minded and accepting, it would be a lot easier to change one child than to change society. Until society can be as accepting as it should be, why would I want to put my child through the potential abuse they might suffer at the hands of the religious right and bigotry? This issue is not a whole lot different than the exodus of people to the suburbs. A lot of us believe in city life and in the goals of urban renewal, and the only way to truly improve the quality of city schools is to send children from stable homes there, but when our kids reach school age, the city house always seems to go on the market. No parent wants to make their own kid a sacrificial lamb. Now the interesting thing to me is that if a scientific basis for homosexuality is actually ever found, wouldn't it be rather hypocritical for a man of the cloth to want to change it? If God designed us this way, why should we try to tamper with God's will?

Caution - spoilers ahead: Well, this was an interesting chapter! What a wonderful scene Comicality has painted for us: Billy, Bobby, Brandon and Sam, all at the same lunch table. Billy may have been mortified and wanted to shrink down to nothing, but I'm sure even he will ultimately see the humor in it. I can just picture the conversation. And when Sam asked Brandon and Bobby if they thought Billy acted gay? That was priceless. That's what Billy gets for asking Sam the question. It's ironic that Sam was the only one at the table who wasn't gay. Sam has to have a good idea that Bobby's gay, so it wasn't in the best taste for him to ask that, but won't he be surprised when Billy comes out or is outed to him? I really love how this is evolving. So what about Simon? Both Billy and Simon think it's the other person who pulled back on their friendship, when the reality is it was both of them. But Billy sure came close to saying that the reason was Simon thought he was gay. But Simon never said that, so by asking it and making it sort of obvious, Billy has really set himself up here. Remember, it was Simon reacting to Billy's becoming physical with him that drove a wedge between them in the first place. Billy was a real asshole tonight with Simon. I'm not sure Simon's homophobic as Billy thinks - I think he reacted negatively to Billy sort of coming on to him. I kind of think that Simon's going to figure this out. The question is, will he confront Billy with it, will he blurt it out when they have another argment, will he try to tell Billy he's OK with it or will he just ignore it? This should be interesting!

Wow, this gets curiouser and curiouser. :wacko: But what about the title - Storm warning? If this wasn't the storm, then what is? Can't wait 'till next week!

Oh yes, it's there now. Just as Billy starts to wonder for the first time, we are inevitably drawn to wonder if this is the calm before the storm. There are so many hanging issues and Billy seems to have touched on most of them in BC 104. Bobby is still a time bomb waiting to go off and Billy is beginning to realize this. He knows it's coming, but he keeps putting off doing anything about it, making a blow-up almost certain. What will happen when Bobby blows up and potentially outs Billy to the school? Or will he just go to Brandon and scare him off? To me this is the biggest hanging thread in the story. However, Sam is another interesting hanging thread. Billy actually got up the courage to ask Sam if he thinks Billy acts gay. I think this is Billy's way of testing the waters, but the answer he got back was a bit more than he bargained for - not only doesn't Billy act gay, but Sam would certainly know if his best friend were gay - come on now. So this leave Billy torn - come out to Sam and risk losing him as a friend because he's gay, or come out to Sam and risk losing him because he never told him he was gay. Of course, the longer Billy waits, the worse it will be, particularly now that he's tested the waters. Too bad Billy's only 14 (how many years has he been 14 now?) and doesn't know this yet. Now what about Jamie Cross, Billy's secret long-time crush? I can't recall if we ever learn if he's a junior or a senior, but what is he doing talking to a lowly freshman like Billy? Why would he invite him to a party for juniors and seniors? Does he like Billy, or does he like Billy. We all know how hot and popular Billy is, even if he's the last person to know it. I'm betting it's the former, just because Billy's a nice guy and very popular, but who knows. What would Billy do now that he's got the boy of his dreams, only to find that his original crush - the one he thought was impossibly out of reach - wants him? There are so many things that could happen at that party - I don't even want to think of all the possibilities. At least it's pretty far off, in Billy Chase days, anyway. I wonder if Billy will take Brandon to the party. So what about Brandon? I think the scene with Brandon was amazing - he totally opened up to Billy - if Billy doesn't get it yet, then he's way to dense to be allowed to live, even if he is only 14. Brandon just expressed it so well, and it's exactly the sort of thing Aaron went through in my story, Love in a Chair. Brandon tried to ignore his feelings and to pretend that his JO fantasies were just a phase, but then he fell in love with Billy and he couldn't ignore them any more. Brandon's afraid of being gay. He couldn't have been much more direct - maybe Billy could hide his emotions and stay in the closet, but Brandon was way too far gone to hide his emotions - that's why he's been avoiding Billy. An interesting irony here is that Brandon actually wondered allowed what he's going to say to his dad. Billy, on the other hand, is so busy hiding in the closet that he hasn't even thought about what he'll tell his dad, or his mom, or anyone for that matter. The bottom line is that while Billy accepted his being gay much more quickly, Brandon is actually dealing with it. Billy is a freshman and he has at least two boys chasing after him and maybe an upper class man interested in him and he's popular and visible - his risk of being outed while still only a freshman in high school seems a little high to me, and when that happens, things could spiral out of control for Billy. As I said, it's too bad he's only 14 - he needs to do some grown-up things, and doesn't know how.

Actually, most commercial VHS tapes have copy protection, too. The scheme is easier to work around than with DVD's, but it's still a pain in the ass. If you try to copy from VHS to VHS, the recorder will fail to sync and the copy will be unusable. My DVD recorder simply refuses to record from copy-protected tapes. There are signal conditioners on the market that will strip the copy protection off the signal and restore the proper sync pulses, but they are illegal. You can probably pick one up on eBay. I've heard that the root kit system really messed up some computers, locking up the DVD drive and requiring that the computers be shipped back for repair - Ouch! I think that's a major part of the reason for the class action law suit. I'm willing to bet that there are some bootleg ARccOS software decoders out on the net, but beware, some of them are probably vehicles for viruses. One other option is to use one of the broadband download services such as Apple's iTunes - the catch is that you need to hook your computer up to your TV or watch the movie on your computer. It's often cheaper to download a movie than to rent it, if you have a fast connection. Good luck.

Hi Viv, I think I was one of the ones who threatened you. :ranger: Anyway, there is a great discussion on the misinterpretation of the bible as it applies to homosexuality by C James in his wonderful story, For the Love, Chapter 13. It is largely because of Leviticus that I find it impossible to believe that the bible is God's word or even inspired by God. If God were writing a document to apply to all eternity, then why don't we grab some Canadians and Mexicans and turn them into slaves? The bible says it's OK and if it's the direct word of God . . . . On a more personal note, any of you who have been following my own story, Love in a Chair, know that I'm happily married, yet I profess to be gay. My life has been straight as straight can be - I'm everything the Christian Right would say a gay man should be - I've suppressed my natural urges (well, except when it comes to my right hand) and I have a picture-perfect heterosexual relationship, having been monogamous for more than 20 years! Yet, here I am, posting gay fiction on a gay sight, writing about sex between high school boys and promoting homosexuality. I would like to think I'm promoting normalicy - I'm the one who's abnormal. Don't get me wrong - I love my wife dearly and have no regrets, but I arrived at this state because I was coerced by society into ignoring what God, if there is a God, intended for me. How f**ked up is that? :wacko:

Dom, Poor guy - I know how you feel! I think we all do - we've been there. Just concentrate on getting well and don't let the rest of the world bother you. The jerks out there don't matter one bit and they're not worth expending even a molecule of glucose getting aggrivated thinking about them. There isn't a lot I can add in terms of medical advice that hasn't already been said here. I wish I'd cought this thread at the beginning, though, as I certainly hope you're already doing better and so my advice is terribly belated. If you're still having trouble keeping anything down, you need to see a doctor - don't try to treat this yourself! If you're having diarrhea and it turns black, go directly to the ER, do not pass go and do not collect $200. Seriously, black stool means either one of two things - either you've been using Pepto-Bismal (bismith turns stool black), or you have internal bleeding. I nearly died in Paris that way and probably would have if I hadn't been a doctor and quickly recognized what was happening. In addition to clear liquids, you need to replenish the salts you lose with diarrhea. You can pick up an electrolyte replacement formula at any drugstore, or you can simply buy a product such as Gatoraide (or however it's spelled). When you start to feel hungry, start with a typical BRAT diet - that's bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. I particularly like to mix Rice Krispy's with applesauce - it's tasty and feels good going down, and it requires no cooking at a time when you don't feel well. If you can boil some water, though, I recommend chamomile tea - it's a natural urbal remedy that really does calm an upset stomach. I survived a very nasty bout of Montezuma's Revenge in Mexico that way. Finally, at any stage of the game - even when you're still on clear liquids, I recommend yogurt. You need to replenish and repopulate your gut with the natural bacteria that help to digest food and keep you well. Probiotic therapy is still something that's on the fringe of medicine, but there are some good clinical trials now and I think we'll see a lot more acceptance in the future. In terms of medicines, I recommend Tylenol for fever and pain (and you can take it in a liquid form), an over-the-counter antihistamine such as Benadryl or Chlor-Timetron for the sinffles and chamomile tea for nausea. If the nausea and vomiting are severe, I recommend calling your doctor for prescription of a suppository to calm things down. The main thing is that nature needs to run its course. Vomiting and diarrhea are natural mechanisms the body uses to rid itself of things it doesn't want. Hope you get well soon. :ranger:

Thanks, Comsie. This was a great chapter. Finally things are starting to happen for Billy - in a good way. I just hope he doesn't mess it up, but he's only 14 and a freshman in highschool, and there are soooo many things that could go wrong. Billy has to be one of the least insightful people out there - he didn't see Sam taking his girlfriend away when the signs were there for weeks, and he's been so oblivious of the attention he's been getting, especially from Brandon. Brandon is so fragile right now - I don't think he's really fully accepted his sexuality yet and could so easily be crushed if Billy were to have sex with Bobby again, or even to come out to some of his friends, which he at least needs to do with Sam. I think Brandon would be crushed to find out that Billy had sex with Bobby even after Billy professed his love to Brandon. This could get really messy. And I think that Bobby is going to have a tough time dealing with Billy's rejection, assuming Billy really says no to him next time. <Sigh> Billy really needs to get Bobby and Jimmy together before a jilted Bobby makes a scene at school and outs Billy in the process. There's still the issue of Billy's declining school performance - the **** will really hit the fan if he flunks something. Will Billy be able to come out to his parents? It's going to happen at some point, whether he's ready or not. Here's to the next 100 chapters. Actually, I hope Com brings this to a happy conclusion before then - I don't think I could stand another few years of this.

Dom, first of all, you should post an announcement in the hosted author's announcement forum. A lot of Domaholics are probably checking for new chapters of With Trust and may not be tracking your blog or your main page. Secondly, if you abandon this story, I will personally hunt you down. Finally, regarding your bird, perhaps you should switch to a different phone with a more complex ring tone.

Boy, I take the time to do something as unimportant as going in to work, and the other posters have left me in the dust. Basically, I agree with everything that's been said. I think that Veronica's recounting the story was fine as written, and I think CJ mentioned crossing the county line multiple times. I also think he referred to the towns as county seats, so I really don't think he needs to change anything with respect to these aspects of the story. Graeme is right about the ending - too trite. Now for the seriousness of the police chase and the bullet riddled body, I think we're way past homophobia. I think the whole thing with the church demonizing the boys and everything that has been associated with that so far is nothing more than a smoke screen. The real reason is on that data stick. Just how a 14-year-old Eric fits into it all is curious, however. I'm thinking that if he could blackmail his brother and his brother's boyfriend, perhaps he's blackmailing the Piedmont police or a relative of the sheriff. Perhaps whatever's on that data stick must be pretty damaging to the sheriff - perhaps proof of taking bribes?

Your sons first tooth to go - what a milestone. That's sweet. Regarding writing, please don't forget your fan base. FBTE is really an extraordinary story. I used to look forward to your every-other-week posts. Each week it was either "Yes! another chapter tonight!" or "Damn, still another week to go". Then your posts became fewer and further between. I know as well as anyone how real life gets in the way of everything, but maybe you need to scale back on some of your other GA stuff so that you can finish FBTE.

Dom, I hope you feel a lot better soon! :wacko: