Former Member

Followed by another odd thirty weeks when he posts A Silent Song? ;–)

I would think that some doctors would warn against buying this elephant because of the possibility of suffocation…

Interesting premise. No obvious connections to the previous story in the series. I’m extremely curious as to where @Wayne Gray will take us! ;–)

I vaguely remember hearing about a Lesbian couple who ran a campground from somewhere in the South, possibly Alabama. They had lots of trouble with vandalism and harassment. It’s been a few years, but they were in the news several times. :–( I’ve never heard of Hiouchi before. But the fact that Greg goes to the Crescent City Home Depot explains that. There are lots of communities in far northern California that aren’t mentioned in the news in the Bay Area unless there’s a disaster, usually a large fire. I’m more familiar with small communities in Southern California due to wildfires when I lived in San Diego. The region isn’t as large as far northern California. And San Diego is part of the region, unlike the situation where the Bay Area is a separate region from far northern California. (The Bay Area is actually more central California, if you split the state into thirds. But Central California is more defined as the coastal area between SF and LA. A similar area to the east is the Central Valley, north of LA and up to Sacramento.) It’s always surprising how we might think we are successfully hiding a huge secret from our friends, but discover that they’ve already figured it out. Of course, if they tell us before we are ready, we’ll probably deny it and retreat further into the Closet. It’s not something that most friends would want to risk. Greg is lucky that Clay accepted him as he was. It sounds like Greg was more a part of Clay & Mason’s family than he realized. Some other authors would have Clay gradually realizing that his feelings for Greg were much more than work partners and friends and would have them become a romantic couple – or would pair Greg with Mason! But that doesn’t seem like your style, @Wayne Gray. I expect to read more twist and turns. I expect many red herrings and unanticipated occurrences. And I’m wondering how this story relates to a certain Mafioso. ;–)

Shouldn’t a young and sexy Robert Redford be tapping his finger to his nose at a young, sexy, and alive Paul Newman? ;–)

It sounds like Tyler has been in the city for a while now. He has at least one friend among the skateboarders who knows about his allergy to insect stings. And that’s not something you’d tell someone you’ve just met. I’m trying to imagine a stiffed toy large enough to safely give to an infant, but small enough to hang on a keyring. I can’t imagine anything small enough to fit in a pocket, so Tyler’s dad must leave the toy hanging out of his pocket. I wonder what the butch warehouse workers he works with think of that? ;–)

You mean me?

Your stories are too stressful for me to read. I’ll read the last one you’ve posted, but I don’t think I can read any more of them. I know there are many others who love these sorts of intense stories and they’ll just eat them up! ;–)

I lived in Manoa Valley in the early- to late-Sixties when I was a child. My parents knew people who lived in Makiki. We moved to San Diego the same summer that Barry Obama moved to Indonesia. ;–) This was a terrifying story. There are some entitled people who believe they deserve more than anyone else. Alex was happy to be given head whenever it was convenient for him with no emotional attachment. I suppose that’s okay if both parties agree to the situation, but clearly, Shawn did not. But I cannot hold Alex completely responsible. Shawn might not have felt like he had a choice, but it was always up to him whether to continue in a toxic situation or whether to take charge of his own life. Shawn wants to blame Alex, but neglects to acknowledge his own responsibility. The fact that Shawn still lives at home (apparently into his late twenties) suggests a certain amount of emotional immaturity. I’m not saying I’m any better than Shawn because I was also still living with my parents into my early thirties. But while I also did not graduate from college, I did work. But since my jobs were basically entry-level, I didn’t make a lot of money. So finances were a reason for not moving out.

An exploration of the odd customs of the Great White North. Traditions that include opening a tube with a party hat and small gift which has a small explosive that causes a bang. They’re a strange hybrid of Mother England and the behemoth to their south. ;–) Actually, it’s a short story about a group of friends who gather to celebrate the secular winter holiday. The host is from a country that does not have a tradition of this holiday, so he invites a coworker to help him plan and execute the preparations. The host has an ulterior motive… ;–)

It doesn’t sound like anywhere in California (that I know of, anyway) – wetland park in the city? I know that Oakland has Lake Merritt, a tidal lagoon (or estuary) and wildlife refuge, next to the downtown area, but it’s not really a wetlands park. ‘Tanner Springs Park’ doesn’t sound familiar. I decided to cheat and look it up on Wikipedia – and @mfa607 is right! ;–)

No, my parents died in 2002 and 2004. It’ll be 15 years this fall since my father died. I’ve lived a whole lifetime since then, having been homeless for a little over two years, and having been housed again for more than six years now. ;–)

I have read that the majority of homeless women are sexually assaulted at some point. And many who might not have been assaulted will trade sexual favors in return for protection or other benefits. Women and young people are extremely vulnerable to assault, sexual or physical. Trans people are the most vulnerable to assault and harassment – many shelters do not provide protection, blaming the victim for the attacks. Religious-based organizations are probably the worst in that regard, often denying Trans people services or refusing to acknowledge their chosen name and gender identity. But homophobic and Transphobic staff will sometimes ignore what’s happening right in front of them.

This is why the much derided San Francisco homeless study is so important. Even though everyone is an individual, there are usually clusters of people who share similar issues and can be served with many of the same strategies. Simply providing housing for every homeless person, while an admirable (but very unrealistic goal in most major cities), will not solve the underlying problems. The lack of affordable housing does exasperate existing and ongoing problems. Getting an addict who wants to quit into housing does increase the chances of their eventual success. This is a case where housing first before treatment does make an enormous difference. Studies have proven this to be effective. But for others, such as those with severely mental health problems, isolating them away from the support they need causes more problems than it solves. Many, but not all, homeless people need easily accessible services – preferably in the same building. Many homeless people have multiple issues that need to be resolved for them to live alone successfully.

The naked fairy sprinkles his magic dust and poof; the characters’ clothes disappear as they go on a naked romp through the bush. But don’t get me wrong, there is a very serious side to this story. Read how a couple of enlightened teachers guide their students through the class of unlearning. We are all born naked of body and naked of mind. But as soon as we are born parents and society plus political, social and religious leaders want to cover that body and instil their own beliefs in the mind. On the surface some of this story might appear misogynistic, but look deeper for the real message. There is some great stuff here that all young men need to discuss. Oh, by the way, you may need to shake your own moral compass to ensure it is pointing the correct way. Take the bare-butt ride, you’ll love it.

My parent actually discussed this with us when we were still teenagers. They didn’t want to be kept alive on machines and they had DNRs (Do Not Resuscitate orders). We were able to be with my mother after she collapsed and when into a coma – they only gave her pain medication to keep her out of pain. When my father died, he was living in an Assisted Care facility and somehow, the EMTs were not informed of his wishes and attempted to resuscitate him but he died anyway. My brothers and my friends know I do not want to be kept alive on machines either. I have also told people that they will not be allowed to wear black, only bright colors. There will be no religious sermon or hymns either. ;–)

Oh boy! Pregnancy is difficult under any conditions, but being homeless exasperates any problems. Jim & Beccy (with Jason, maybe?) need to get housed and stabilized quickly! The big secret is out about John. While there was some of what he feared would happen, he has people who believe him and what he is trying to do with The Boot. I think people will get over any suspicion they might have… ;–)

There are some homeless people (a small minority) who refuse to live inside, often because they refuse to be restricted by rules and regulations. It’s not clear what the Major objects to, since the boys are unlikely to impose harsh rules on him. It’s clear he values his independence over the comfort of housing. There might be some mental health problems as well…

Such amenities may exist in some hospitals, but not the ones I’ve visited. I’ve heard stories of some hospitals offering restaurant-quality food too. In most cases, the exorbitant cost goes to medical CEOs, pharmaceutical CEOs, insurance company CEOs, medical equipment CEOs, and just about everybody except for the people who actually care for patients and for just about everything except the care of the patient themselves. Our priorities are being ignored by huge corporations. I don’t understand how Senators and Congresspeople can claim that consumers actually prefer the existing system over a system that eliminates several profit-sucking levels from our health system. It’s shocking that they can make those claims with a straight face. I don’t understand how they keep from breaking out in a giggle-fit while they speak! All while they enjoy fully government-funded (aka tax-payer funded) free healthcare! I avoid one of those entities by choosing to use my county-run health system. I am covered by the Federally-run Medicare and state- and Federally-run MediCal insurance. But part of my coverage is provided by a private insurance company that makes a profit on my health (or illness). I still have to pay for some of the cost of my prescriptions and clinic visits, although they are subsidized.

Hospitals are run very differently in the UK (compared with the US). In all the hospital waiting rooms I've ever had to sit in, the staff only directed you to the room. No refreshments were ever offered. The rooms were very sterile and uninviting. And I’ve had the ‘pleasure’ of occupying many different waiting rooms in numerous different hospitals in many different cities.

Jo’s unconventional appearance is part of what makes her more relatable to her charges. She doesn’t look or sound like the other adult authorities that they normally have to deal with. Her rebellious appearance throws them off guard, allowing her to build a connection with them and begin to help them with their problems. ;–)

The music industry just announced that vinyl records are about to overtake CD sales in the US for the first time since 1986! Of course, they’re fighting over 9% of the music market these days, about the same as digital downloads. Streaming accounts for about 80% of the market… Vinyl overtook CDs last week in the UK. What’s been hidden in all these stories is that they’re taking about revenue, not unit sales. There is a huge markup on vinyl that dwarfs the already oversized markup on CD prices. I can remember record albums going on sale after christmas in the Seventies for just $2.00 each. Even with inflation, that cannot justify the greed of the music industry. The physical materials for either records or CDs is in the pennies. The vast majority of the difference is going into the recording industry’s pocket and not going to the musicians who actually created the music.

Yes, but having that vague feeling and being able to identify exactly what the problem is are two very different things. He mentioned his feeling to the group and was still trying to figure out what was wrong. On the other hand, John forced their hand and made them rush in without giving them time to prepare properly. It was a no win situation. I can’t imaging Vlad P in the Kremlin taking orders from a Tzar…