Former Member

The Hidden Ones is available free here on GA – it’s neither a Kindle special nor a GA Premium story. (And there are some Kindle stories offered at no cost on Amazon’s site, usually to tempt you to buy the sequel. But the quality of the free stories does not match the best of GA. I have read that there are non-Amazon sites that list the free stories, but don’t know where they might be.)

Because that’s the usual state of dress she sees with all of Tracy’s male guests? ;–)

Dismissive bosses are very frustrating when you actually do know your job better than they do. Especially when their poor opinions reduce your potential pay raises or promotions. I had more than a few of those. Fortunately (or not), they frequently get promoted quickly and leave to frustrate someone else with their stupidity… ;–)

Bill, Liam, William? ;–) Fred better watch his back! ;–)

Back around ’88-90, I volunteered for an AIDS education and support agency. They weren’t very careful about maintaining original copies of documents we used regularly and they didn’t have access to the document source (created by a larger, more established non-profit). So Xeroxed copies of Xerox copies meant that the text was not as sharp and clear as it should have been and there were sections that were missing due to sloppy copying methods. These days, documents are more likely to be generated on computers and printed out fresh and clean. Or they remain in electronic form. But as platforms and formats evolve and change, old data is not always migrated and is sometimes lost in that manner…

Mom and Jimmy seem to think that the Gay Virus is incredibly virulent! Mere association is enough to transmit the infection. They believe it is impossible to prevent even the most heterosexual male from succumbing to the unbelievably enticing wiles of the ordinary Gay teen. Makes me wonder why? What traumatic event happened to Mom that turned her so homophobic? Who around her was the trigger – a religious leader? And with Jimmy, is he fighting tingling of attractions to other boys? Is he jealous of Tracy because he wants Jack himself? Or was he molested as a Cub Scout?

If you respond too rashly, you end up being the target of their wrath for not allowing them to make such a critical decision about their own life. Quite often, they will return to their abuser anyway. Not only will you have regret, but you will probably be estranged from them in the end.

homophobic. Homeopathic relates to homeopathy, the treatment of disease by minute doses of natural substances that in a healthy person would produce symptoms of disease.

It’s a delicate dance when someone doesn’t want to admit there’s a problem…

So, in retaliation, you’ve posted a big blank space? ;–)

Backup your photos to multiple locations and different formats. If a fire damages your computer, you might not be able to recover the hard drive. Cloud services are vulnerable to hacking. All of those fancy devices are easily stolen. The more valuable they are to you, the more places they should be stored. Friends and relatives who you’ve shared pictures with are good sources for recovery if you’ve lost everything. 35 years ago, my sister-in-law had a fashion photographer friend take pictures of her wedding to my older brother. Unfortunately something went wrong and the photos were ruined. Fortunately, my family loves taking pictures, so there were many pictures of the ceremony itself. But none of the other traditional wedding photos. It was a somewhat similar situation – and they’re still married. ;–)

For-profit charter schools, ‘reality’ TV, infotainment mascarading as news, 24 hour cable channels devoted to promoting lies and conspiracy theories, social media as the primary ‘news’ source for millions, science-deniers in charge of major federal agencies… A few decades ago, all of these would sound like the highlights of a nightmare apocalyptic science fiction story. I have to rely on my state to protect me from the worst policies of the federal government.

I can imagine people getting electronic memory and processor augmentation implants in the not-too-distant future. Naturally, they’d be linkable to computers, smart phones, tablets, smart watches, and other devices. And theoretically susceptible to computer viruses. I love technology, but I don’t use Siri or any of the other Assistants. I don’t trust Google and Amazon. And I’m terrified of the evil intentions of the Smirking Weasel™ in the hoodie.

Clearly, you’re not in one of the areas experiencing a heatwave. Today it was about 90°F (32°C) here near the Bay and 105°F (41°C) just over the hills. The humidity is a little high at 36%. The temperature near the Bay will drop a few degrees, but the humidity is rising into the 80s and 90s in the morning before it drops below 50% in the afternoon. (Over the hills, it will be even hotter tomorrow.) Oakland hit a new record for the day at 90°F (32°C). Right on the Bay, Oakland Airport also set a new record for the day at 94°F (34°C)!

Frameline43 included a documentary about the Twin Peaks called Through the Windows. It explained the history of the bar beginning with the two Lesbians who created it as a fern bar for Gay men. While it is often stereotyped as an old men’s bar (disparagingly referred to as ‘the Glass Coffin’), its patrons see it as welcoming to all (unlike some neighboring bars that cater primarily to attractive young [usually white] men). ;–)

Wren is a mostly New World family of birds with a short, stubby body and a characteristic ‘sticky-uppy’* tail. Wren Kingston was a recurring character on Pretty Little Liars played by Julian Morris (also seen as Adam Berryman in Man in an Orange Shirt). * Yes, this is a Doctor Who reference. It's a quote of Wilfred Mott describing the Tenth Doctor’s hairstyle in The End of Time. ;–)

511.org will stop providing arrival information and trip planning this month – their arrival information via phone is still operational. They suggest several other sites and apps, but none cover all the Bay Area transit agencies as comprehensively. They want to force you to use apps that collect your information in exchange for providing government generated information that they’ve gotten at no charge. And the new Central Subway to Chinatown and North Beach/Washington Square has been pushed back to and is now projected to open in February 2020. It was delayed in part because a contractor used the wrong type of rail and it had to be removed and replaced with the correct rail that actually meets the design specifications. The contractor is responsible for any cost overruns related to the delays. Further delays are possible. The project manager moved to a new job working for Caltrain on their much delayed electrification project which is also associated with California High Speed rail..

@Valkyrie is a surgeon when not writing here? ;–) My younger brother put a Snoopy bandaid on his Pinto station wagon when it got a dent in the early Eighties. It didn’t make it a better car, but it was pretty dependable anyway. The Pinto got a bad rep that was undeserved since it was certainly no worse than its major competitor, the Chevy Vega with its not-ready-for-prime-time aluminum engine and Flintstone car floors. ;–)

Makes you wonder who owned the content in the box first. Who appropriated it from its original owner? How many hands has it passed through? Who does it really belong to? ;–)

Love, the floral industry. ;–)

So? Next week? ;–)

The Bluegrass Cycle: Bluegrass Prelude Bluegrass Symphony Bluegrass Encore ;–)

Bluegrass Encore! ;–)

Wayne takes us on a journey to an exotic and foreign location in Gay fiction: rural Kentucky! Wren is a recent architectural graduate with an unsatisfying social life and career path. He is called to return home due to a serious illness in the family. We learn about the strange customs and habits of an unexplored part of the world. Conflict is soon introduced, but friendship is rekindled. How will Wren resolve the need to be himself with the demands of family and society in his birthplace? Wayne brings to life a seldom discussed corner of the world. He makes you forget about the scam-artist in a white suit with his pressure cooker and ‘11 herbs and spices’ (probably just 11 forms of salt!). And no mint juleps are served. ;–)

Well, you tied up most of the major loose ends. Although you created a few new ones. Perfect for when you write the sequel: Bluegrass Opera? ;–) Is Travis going to end up in a sandwich? Will his ‘love muscle’ get any exercise at all? Will he be punished by both his Master and his Mistress for his nasty habits? Or will he be rewarded by being allowed to sniff all sorts of dirty underwear? Maybe Travis and Candice will pick up one of the innumerable ‘curious’ Marines and Sailors (who are stationed all over the San Diego area) for a little kinky fun… ;–) I get the feeling that Kyle’s secret won’t remain very secret for long. Matt’s hints and Kyle’s slow reaction time will make things obvious to all their friends fairly quickly. Even if many of them won’t want to talk about it! ;–) Wren & Caleb have a nice assortment of friends. I think that circle will grow as they live together longer. Just as with Matt & Kyle, there will be some who won’t want to acknowledge their actual relationship, preferring to think of them as just close friends or roommates. ;–)