BigBen

Ah, Nohr is home! ❤️

I didn't realize that everything in that post could be read as a euphemism! 🤣

I'm glad to see Aunty and John getting along so well. Yes, it does look as though John had better learn to do the chores, but milking is not hard, it just takes practice. I never did it enough to get any good at it. But I do know enough not to pull on a teat; that will upset the cow. What you do is hold the teat and squeeze it from top to bottom by tightening your fingers in succession. It's tricky, but you can get really good at it with practice. My uncle would warm his hands before touching the udder, because cold hands make the cow uncomfortable.

I suppose he's just looking to promote tourism in the shire, but given that he invited himself to the ceremony, he really does deserve to get into trouble. Not to mention Sgt. Brooks, the policeman and bully!

Pastor had better think twice about how he treats Stephan and Nohr. If Michael let him see him, the pastor had better pay attention.

Poor Jeppe! 😢 I'm glad Stephan had the courage to intervene in the situation.

I grew up in the days before the Internet, before DVD's, and even before VHS (ancient video technology that died out with the dinosaurs). It was brutal. If you wanted porn, you had to either figure out where your dad hid his stash, or else cadge a ride to a newsstand and somehow persuade the owner to sell you a copy of a dirty magazine. But if you were underage, you probably had to shoplift it, 'cause he wasn't going to sell it to you. It was brutal back then, I tell you! 🤣

I don't remember my first time hurting like that. The young man I was with suggested that I use lots of lubricant and kneel on the bed. He then knelt behind me, and told me to take my time sitting on him. That way, he said, I could control the speed and pressure and need not fear getting hurt. He was right. His method worked well, and we had a great time together. I was surprised by how right it felt to have sex with a man. The problem came afterward, because at that point I was still so indoctrinated by my Baptist upbringing that I started to freak out when it was over. Poor love, he deserved so much better than that! He swore he'd never deflower a virgin again, and yet he was exactly the right guy for my first time. I saw him around campus a few times after that, but was still too scared and conflicted to get together with him again. It took several years before I grew comfortable with my sexual identity. I wish I knew how to find that guy, so that I could make amends, even after all these decades. He deserved better from me. Nohr and Stephan are so lucky to be that comfortable with themselves and to have found love at such a young age.

A gorgeous bearded Swedish hockey player named Henrik? Can anyone read this and not think of Henrik Lundqvist? 😁 Yes, Ford is an English name, but Mats Zuccarello is Norwegian, despite his surname.

He's likely to want to make trouble if Kevin and Glen get together.

See That's a common Protestant custom. The idea is not to cheapen the Eucharist by doing it too often. I suspect that this accompanies a low-church, non-sacramental way of thinking, much like the Baptist church I attended as a child. I have since become an Episcopalian, and when I first attended an actual Mass, it was an extremely powerful experience. I was blown away. My experience is that when it is possible to receive Communion daily, it enhances the experience, it does not "cheapen" it.

By "pants," do you mean underpants or trousers? I generally wear gym shorts and some sort of shirt around the house, because I currently live with people. When I lived alone, I often didn't bother to put on anything at all after getting out of bed. At some point in the day, I generally tire of being sloppy, and at that point I shower and put on real clothes. Whether I then put on long trousers or short pants depends on the season.

I didn't think they'd last all that long, after declaring their love! These boys are just so sweet.

On the other hand, I'm enjoying the pace. I'm reading the story to watch people living their lives, not for the sake of drama. I'm terrible at mysteries, so I don't really enjoy that part of the story, anyway. What I am enjoying is Gil's take on the things going on around him and the quiet way he and Pete live their lives. For drama teachers, they have a remarkable lack of drama in their lives.

The ceremony in this chapter is Jexon's graduation from basic training at AFDA. We haven't seen what's going to happen at Corunna yet. It's got to be important, if the Governor-General is attending, but I thought this was a bit too early for the restoration of the base to be finished yet.

Especially for randy teenagers!

There was something peaceful about this chapter that I simply love. I am also enjoying the religious elements in the story. Many gay people are quite reasonably anti-religious, given how prejudiced some believers are, but I learned many years ago that the Bible isn't as clear-cut as the bigots pretend. And come to find out that most Christians aren't prejudiced at all. That was a revelation to me. I am missing being able to go to church. My parish is limping along with on-line services, but it's just not the same.

This is very reminiscent of an Amanda Cross novel. Her detective, Kate Fanshaw, was a professor at a women's college in New York, based on Barnard, where the author was a professor at the time—her real name was Carolyn Heilbrun, if I recall correctly. I was told that the early novels were romans à clef, and that Professor Heilbrun was rather savage in some of her characterizations. I didn't know anyone at Barnard well enough to be capable of guessing which character was based on whom, but the stories were good reads. Interestingly, in comparison with this story here, the NYPD detective assigned to Kate Fanshaw's first case became her boyfriend and later husband as the series progressed. Though Reed (the husband), so far as I recall, never became a professor himself, lol!

Hairy blond guys are still one of my fetishes. 😀

I used to know a fellow named Thor. He was of Scandinavian descent and good-looking enough to be a god, that was for sure! If I'd been even twenty years younger . . . (sigh)

"Colleges may be thought democratic by people who don’t spend a lot of time around them. But I’d found them as stratified as anything." Reminds me of the story of someone ringing up Harvard to speak with A. L. Lowell. The response from the switchboard was "The President is in Washington, conferring with Mr. Wilson." I'm really enjoying this story, can't wait to find out what happens.

in Christian mythology, Michael is the chief of all the angelic beings. The name is derived from the Hebrew for "One who is like God." Stephen comes from the Greek word for "crown." Also, St. Stephen was the first deacon and the first martyr—he was stoned to death. I assumed you chose the character's name because of that. Whether or not, it does add resonance to the story.

“It’s like everywhere I’ve ever worked,” he continued. “The potential’s so high. People have so much ability. Then they fight.... over so little.” I forget whom she was quoting, but my mother always used to say that the reason academic politics got so vicious is that there was so little at stake. 😁

From the wording, this has to be at least the summer after his first year in college. He talks about doing well there. Eighteen-nineteen is such an awkward age. You're legally an adult, but still dependent on your parents. I went to college in the City, which was about two hours from our home in Connecticut. It was perfect, just far enough away that my parents couldn't bother me, but close enough to get home anytime I really wanted to. I'm trying to think where in Jersey that train station would be, because the Amtrak line runs through New York. So this must be a stop on one of the NJ Transit lines. I'm liking the story so far. This is an engaging kid, and something tells me he's going to have a good time working at the camp.

I love the small, easy steps Stephen and Nohr are taking to get closer. I'm glad they're not rushing. I also admire Stephen's bravery. To move off to a foreign country with a basically unknown relative and learn to speak a different language--he's doing very well. Of course, having an archangel whispering encouraging remarks in one's ear from time to time has to be a big help!