lucretiaseeks

Two short vignettes, slices of life. An established couple in rural Virginia has strong community ties and looks to the future. A single entertainer prepares for a show and reflects on his found family, the support he's received, and the opportunity to use his talents to give something back.

A truly lovely story for the holiday! Thank you for writing it.

“Long considered myth, freakishly large rogue waves are very real and can split apart ships and even damage oil rigs. Using 700 years' worth of wave data from more than a billion waves, scientists at the University of Copenhagen and University of Victoria have used artificial intelligence to find a formula for how to predict the occurrence of these maritime monsters. The new knowledge can make shipping safer.“ https://phys.org/news/2023-11-ai-formula-monster-years-worth.html?fbclid=IwAR3u5WSaiTfDqVpkpKaiconJdBnw7gjuShp90cKqqykkFMTqJpVRPJf0szQ_aem_AeSx3UMsiPxaDb3_3PDh8rypkhAKRnJlbw7T53jR_8dpfB2msJzVkfLR9m_YYPfN3cU#google_vignette

I'm continuing my deep-dive into some of CH's background stories (no idea why I've been obsessing this way...). Anyhow...It looks as if Alex Minsky's FB page hasn't been updated in a few years, and the business website given there is defunct. I'm wondering if anyone has any update on how he's doing...I hope he's OK.

So much feeling in not-so-many-words. Terrific job.

Yes. A notable school for sure. In the film I mentioned (in my top 10 fave LGBT films), the main character Trevor dreams of going to school at CalArts, but he’s juggling a lot of family dysfunction that threatens to derail him.

I never get tired of that scene...the airhorn startling him from behind. ❤️

Is this a Shelter reference? ❤️ (...cannot figure out how to upload an image...) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0942384/mediaindex Terrific chapter! And I'm also anxious for the dinner party and the reveal of Travis' father. My guess is Stefan - or maybe I just want it to be so.

Who shall we cast for Trevor and Shane?

It’s a good idea. I’ve been imagining Joan Crawford or Glenn Close.

Meteors, now...lightning strikes earlier...choking on Thanksgiving dinner. There have been several others. It's really terrific how many creative ways readers came up with to rid this world of Bridget 🤭

Nice catch. I didn't notice it my first time through.

https://www.google.com.hk/maps/place/Seychelles/@-11.8462572,52.6656893,5927119m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x225c21fd70bead3b:0x32d3d0a0d349daf7!8m2!3d-4.679574!4d55.491977!16zL20vMDZzdzk!5m2!1e4!1e2?entry=ttu When I read this story, I return time and again to Google maps...I just spent quite a few minutes rotating the earth and looking at the sea between the Seychelles and Western Australia. The pass between Bernier and Dorre Islands and the Shark Bay area is interesting too. https://www.google.com.hk/maps/place/Carnarvon+WA+6701,+Australia/@-25.3181249,113.0373091,169045m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x2be3c132c8ff0047:0x500f638247a11c0!8m2!3d-24.8838363!4d113.6570584!16zL20vMDRkNWIx!5m2!1e4!1e2?entry=ttu

Yay! I want to emphasize that I in no way meant my comment as a criticism. It was perfectly clear from the context that the term was related to rating healthy foods. It's good for me to learn new things .

This is really terrific, and I'm looking forward to reading more. Brian and Toby seem like terrific people, and I've informed myself about E numbers now (American, here...).

Carlos really didn't like Lisa! lol

I see this was quite the controversial chapter back in the day. I'm not a parent, myself, but I am a teacher and deal with teens all the time. I can certainly see the point of some who thought the conversation with CJ was unnecessary or went too far. No matter what I think about where a teenager is, I must assume I'm wrong. Experience has shown me that they're usually ahead of where I think, and far ahead at that. They need frank discussions in a safe space. Ideally their parents are providing it, but often they cannot or will not. Is the innuendo appropriate for the relationships here? It certainly wouldn't be for a teacher. To me, the lovely part of this is that after being rejected by his mother (and stepfather, though I see him as less important), CJ is being wholeheartedly accepted as gay and one of the guys. And he can see that he will be firmly embraced however he chooses to be gay at a future time. That's rare and priceless. The heteonormativity bias is a hard one to get past. It occurs to me that another factor here is that these men are Brett and Cesar's (and later CJ's) family of choice. In my experience, those family dynamics are different from those of a biological family. The roles are more fluid and 'authority' less well-defined.

As others have said, on this read-through, I'm enjoying perusing the comments too. It's impossible not to respond to some of them, so folks will be getting notifications about reactions to comments from long ago I understand some folks' opinions about Brett's over-the-top wealth. It does sometimes seem as though our favorite fictional characters often do not have to contend with some of the everyday drudgery the rest of us do. I think I understand why CH made the choice, though. Serious political contenders usually do need to have a lot of money. A politician who isn't beholden to donors who expect favors in exchange is a powerful idea. In any case, I don't need too much realism with my reading pleasures. (Werewolves, anyone?) In CH's notes, he's candid about the political agenda here. It's interesting because as much as I like the series, I find myself agreeing in some areas but not others, which I found surprising. It's easy to grow accustomed to being in an echo chamber, I guess. It speaks to his talent (and perhaps personality) that I can feel objective about the differences I've found. I think he's tried to address folks' reservations about the top 1% by ensuring that there's responsible tax-paying, philanthropy, and service occuring. I recognize and appreciate the effort even if I'm not completely convinced.

This reference to "Love on the Rocks" and subsequent Tyson Hill allusions in this work had me excavating the internet to to find McNally's series on https://crvboy.org/ earlier this summer. (I liked it very much too.) I love the all-male dynamic within Cesar and Brett's household where CJ can be in his shorts and drink from the OJ carton. It feels comfortable and real. The sly humor is engaging, and the banter ('Asshole!') feels genuine - the affection these men have for one another shines through clearly. I see the similarities between Ty and Mike's household and Cesar and Brett's. McNally's characters have a comparable shared male affection - for George, between the Hill brothers and their father, a circle expanded to include Mike. And in general the way the men relate to one another feels familiar and authentic. (As an aside, I didn't love Vince's character - he wore on me quickly. I have a low tolerance for straight people tossing around pejoratives, and ultimately I didn't think he deserved the affection and loyalty Ty and Mike showed him. It's too bad we don't have a crossover scene with CJ schooling Vince about his bullying.) Now it's time for CJ to meet more of the Elite Eight and gain some insight into the various types of relationships represented within the group...

I'm finally on my way with my planned re-read of the CJ stories. @Gary L It's fun to revisit these characters with our future knowledge of the story developments. As unlikable as the egg donor and the stepfather are, it's reassuring to know that CJ has a soft place to land when so many others in similar circumstances do not. Having that security means that CJ can grow into the man he will ultimately become. I always find myself wishing that CJ could have been with Cesar and Brett from a younger age. But I guess Cesar and Brett needed some time to get their relationship established. Also CJ and Rich's relationship deepened from their years together; I doubt the brothers would have been as close as they are if CJ had left the Florida home earlier. I like that Cesar's background is similar to (what I've read about) CH's with the Miami, Cuban, motorcycles, and accounting connections. I find myself wondering what else might be autobiographical. I'm bracing myself for the upcoming onslaught from Cesar and Brett's circle of friends. On my first reading, I remember being thoroughly confused by the Elite Eight and the various names, nicknames, and alteregos. Of course, by this point, I have them all sorted, but it was a daunting task at first! Will anyone else read this with me?

True confession: Although I’ve enjoyed this story and the suspense in its entirety a couple of times, sometimes I go back and re-read just the Trevor/Shane storyline. They are that good, and Bridget and the villains are that disturbing.

You're most welcome. I'm happy to join you. And I'd love to chat with people about the stories if maybe the comment sections are still active? I'm very bad about commenting especially on older works where I doubt anyone is following.

Wow...I didn't expect that - not such a good surprise! But I love the ending, and hope it's only an ending for now. I'd love to read more about River and Gavin as they grow together and navigate college and thereafter. Great job!

I'm just now starting this one. It looks to be a lot of fun. I'm enjoying River's voice, and I'm wondering where in TN is the small, rural arts college? I went to one of those. Thanks for your hard work!