Former Member

And for those of us who don’t see plays, there’s always the movie. I used to have the DVD and I’m sure it’s available for download. With a little ingenuity (and a VPN*), a clever teen can watch all sorts of things even if their parent(s) and/or government disapproves. * Virtual Private Network – services that disguise internet traffic by hiding it among other users data streams. Your computer/phone connects to a server run by the VPS service and the data between them is encrypted to prevent tracking. VPNs can sometimes be used to evade geoblockers, allowing a user to view content that isn’t otherwise available where they live. Free VPNs are not worth using. Most operate on a subscription model, but with research, you might be able to find one with a lifetime license. Your download speed with be lowered, but I think it’s a worthwhile trade-off.

Maybe you need to refresh my memory. He seemed more obnoxious than usual. But it’s been a very, very long time since they popped up… ;–)

It’s always fun to see Angie & the Imp. The Imp was even more scandalous than usual too! The Imp is soon whipped, but would never admit it. ;–) I didn’t quite understand why Ariel was droning on while Azrael was presenting the medal.

I do have to wonder how a Richard is able to afford eating out at such a fancy restaurant enough to be recognized by name by the woman at the entrance to the restaurant. Did he and Linda eat there that often? Or do they have a special detective’s discount?

It’s difficult to believe it’s been more than two decades since Matthew Shepard was murdered. Many of your readers hadn’t even been born yet. So much has happened in that time. The LGBTQ+ community has made so many gains, yet still faces tremendous obstacles. Richie, Freddy, Earl, and all those who they represent will be the ones who carry the torch into the future. I wonder what unexpected battles will be won by youthful energy and which ones will be won by battle scarred veterans. As I had predicted, the best that could be achieved between Richie and Richard was more of a truce, with Richie being allowed to live away from Richard and the two not in conflict.

Please join us in The Pit. It’s a closed club, but my impression is that you can ask to join. (I was invited when the site was rearranged.) ;–)

And I still don’t like Jacob, but I don’t hate him quite as much anymore. ;–) ;–)

Mark Benioff is funding a much maligned study on homelessness. Critics just hear of the topic and think they that housing is the obvious answer. But the study is to figure out how best to move people into appropriate housing. Certainly, a large percentage of people just need to be given access to affordable housing. But there is a smaller percentage who needs support as well, usually due to mental health issues. There is also a small group who are so opposed to rules and regulations that they prefer to live on the streets – in the not so distant past, they were the ones living on the frontiers and surviving off the land (before civilization and government arrived). The researchers will also compile and translate best practices from all over. This will make it easier for other cities to work more efficiently and effectively. Soundbites do not convey the full scope of the study or its aims.

In honor of International Masturbation Month…

....leaves more for us.... hehe

I agree that Alex isn’t as evil as he has seemed, but he’s still a dangerous and scary person for Robbie to associate with. Alex (and Luke) are definitely on the list of people in that house who need therapy. Nicola, Daniel, and Amy probably only need a session or two, possibly as a group, but everyone else needs long-term therapy!

I like to think you are my friend, even if we never meet in person! ;–) I sometimes feel like my mental health diagnosis is fraudulent because it’s not as serious as the ones some of my friends have. But that doesn’t really help things because the diagnosis is real. Having doubts is normal. It doesn’t change the fact that you really are what you say you are. There are plenty of others who want to tear us down, we don’t need to let their voices into our heads (my head is crowded enough as it is with my parents’ voices and opinions). I know what I’ve written isn’t particularly useful. But I don’t have any magic words to utter to fix problems. No offense, but I’d use them on myself first, if I had them! ;–)

There’s a Starbucks literally everywhere…

I think Charlie and Noah should dump Jacob. I don’t know how it could work, but I think David would be better than a guy who wasn’t interested in his family or marriage. Especially with an autistic son like Noah, that’s unforgivable.

It? Because I doubt it’s Cujo (which I only remember because I had a Pinto that was just like the one in the movie except that it was blue instead of green). ;–)

Is that what they were showing in the tease for the news? ;–)

I’m trying to figure out how your Southern Drawl relates to the dropped words (and what appears to be two halves of sentences) and misspellings. Some almost make sense, but others are indecipherable. Word Recognition software still has a very long way to go. ;–) I guess it’s not surprising that Grace was able to figure out that there was something magical in the attic. She’s in charge of the whole household and needs to be aware of everything that goes on everywhere. Erik and Seth aren’t quite as clever as they think they are! ;–) If Grace has figured it out from those clues, there are others who work on the estate who could figure it out too. If there are others who have evil designs on either of the Royal families of A’dore and Blethos, they might be monitoring the estate. There would be signs that would look suspicious to anyone paying attention.

I’m pretty sure both The Courtship of Eddie’s Father and The Incredible Hulk (TV show) have been rerun many times. If not, there’s always DVDs and the internet… ;–)

Alex is more interested in a convenient orifice than a relationship. ;–) In most cases he pays about as much attention to what his latest says as he does to farts coming out the other end. ;–)

Is Nicola your drag name, Tyrone? ;–)

Well Mrs Livingstone crossed over a huge line! We all know that teachers are humans and might have opinions about their students that violate laws and regulations. Allowing that bigotry to bleed out in micro-aggressions is difficult to prevent due to the subtly involved. Getting angry enough to tell a student to get his ‘faggot ass’ out of her classroom could mean lawsuits, national publicity, a firing in disgrace, and a huge settlement for the student! (If the student is white and suburban. If this took place in an urban school district, the reaction could be anywhere on the map, from sweeping it under the carpet to becoming national news.) The teacher is just one letter away from being a beloved housekeeper/caregiver who refers to her boss as ‘Mr Eddie’s Father.’ I guess years of being misidentified by his employee made him angry. Very angry. Angry enough to turn green with rage and shred his Levi-suppied shirt every week in his monstrous temper tantrum! ;–)

Too many people think that money can solve every problem. A popular genre for writers of a certain political bent is sudden wealth (nearly always unearned – lotteries; wealth inherited from previously unknown, long-lost distant relatives; and enormously successful lawsuits are popular sources). The author will rail about people who don’t work (hard enough) and leach off the youthful protagonist’s ‘hard-earned’ money – ignoring the actual funding source that the author has written into the story. The protagonist will solve every problem with money, not always strictly legally. The author will also complain about the semi-naked, shameless flaunting of flamboyant and glittery, overly visible Queer people in Gay Pride Parades on TV who give a bad name to all the self-respecting same-sex-loving, butch men – completely ignoring the historical fact that the very visible and flamboyant drag queens and Transpeople were the first ones to fight oppression and were on the front lines, kicking off the LGBTQ rights movement while the closeted, straight-acting homosexuals were busy trying to pass as straight! The protagonists will take advantage of all the rights and freedoms won by the very people they look down upon. The author will dismiss the value and significance of Gay ghettoes (especially to young LGBTQs), but will set up an extravagant Gay compound of like-minded masculine man-lovers by the end of the story (seemingly unaware of yet another irony with their mini-ghetto). Nouveau riche gone wild. [/rant]

Prompt 1001 “Okay, are you and Carolyn comfortable now, and ready for me to complete the Jazz sandwich?” ;–)

Finally Jazz appears! A brief description of his appearance and a very short conversation. Then he disappears again! Obviously, my prompt didn’t work. It must be because it wasn’t numbered. So next time, I’ll have to give it one of those numbers that fascinates you so much! I’ll have to think about the best one (666 came to mind, but that number has apparently already been used). Clearly my proposal didn’t look official enough… ;–)

I still think it was a mistake for Aidan to lie to Heathcliff about his virginity, but I can understand why he thought he needed to. He’s too honest a person to have gotten away with it. As proven by his letting it slip almost as soon as they finished! ;–) But at least they talked some and Heathcliff is learning about how Aidan’s insecurities around sex and body image will affect any potential relationship they have. As if there’s any question about the possibility! It was clear from the very beginning of the story that they’d end up together. ;–)