Former Member

Are we the problem? Is Robbie angry because we’re always discussing his every mood or reaction? We dissect everything he says or even thinks! And we’ve been doing this from before his mother even died! You’d think he’d be used to it by now, but maybe it’s cumulative… ;–)

Maybe that’s the pattern! Maybe the next two chapters will be posted on 6/29/2019 and 7/29/2019! Or even 7/29/2020! ;–)

Uh oh! It sounds like Clay is planning to do something dangerous without telling his fathers! And his shadow, Carl, will probably get involved too!

Who are we kidding? Robbie would want to make use of his sword no matter what the guy looks like! Robbie is a teenager who hasn’t had any since Nathan! ;–)

In 2019, we should Resolve to remember that the whole world does not speak English (which I realize is easier for those of you who speak multiple languages). ;–)

;–)

That’s what they call the Canadian National Railway logo! ;–) Hey, don’t get mad at me! That’s really what model railroaders call that logo. It’s an easy to remember nickname that distinguishes the logo from any others. CSX had a paint scheme called Bright Future, when they changed to blue to a darker shade, it became Dark Future! Probably the most famous scheme was Santa Fe’s Warbonnet with its red stripes over a silver base – variations included Blue Bonnet and Yellow Bonnet. Southern Pacific used a fairly standard serifed font for their name until Rio Grande bought them and adopted the better-known Southern Pacific name – they changed SP's font to one inspired by Rio Grande’s ‘Speed Lettering.’ Model Railroaders are mostly a bunch of old, right-wing men. They aren’t terribly creative. But lot of them love puns.

Zorro, the Gay Blade? ;–)

That accident did something physically to his brain and stress is causing Robbie to black out. I don’t understand why the doctors don’t seem to think he’s having strokes, but I don’t have enough medical knowledge to know what else it could be. Is there a reason why they haven’t done some kind of scan of his brain to see if anything has changed since he was in the hospital previously? In the US, it would be because the insurance company wouldn’t approve of the treatment, not seeing a cost benefit to them paying for an expensive procedure. What is DonnieBoy planning to do? Pray the brain injury away? You know what I think of that! ;–) An out of control Luke is just another sign that DonnieBoy and wishy-washy Sue are overwhelmed and out of their league. Maybe they should consider an exorcism of Luke! Fewer side-effects than medicating a preteen. ;–)

It’s a sad day for Team Rory. Very depressing. I’ll go sulk in a corner now…

Linebackers are pretty intimidating to most of the rest of us… even if they’re not 6’5”! ;–)

Straight guys like to fantasize that Lesbian couples are always searching for a penis – even if it’s attached to a dick like said straight guy. I’m sure the fish/bicycle thing applies here. Usually the ones with those sorts of fantasies cannot find a straight woman who will put up with him! ;–) I used to have a coworker (in the late ‘90s) who went around claiming to be a Lesbian trapped in a man’s body (inspired by Madonna). That abruptly stopped after I offered to pay for the surgery. I was always aware that he was much too fond of his existing genitals to want to be castrated! ;–) Sometimes agreeing with insulting and offensive statements is the best way to get a usually fairly open-minded and intelligent coworker to think about what they’re saying. ;–)

I always thought that Saffy’s Gay brother, Serge, should couple up with Hyacinth Bucket’s never-seen effeminate-stereotypical son, Sheridan. Imagine the hijinks when Hyacinth meets the over-the-top Edina! Picture Patsy’s reaction to Hyacinth's embarrassing family! How would Hyacinth react to Eddy’s house? ;–) See, it’s not just GA story crossovers I think about! ;–)

But I’m sure you carry yourself in a way that makes others aware of your well-hidden fangs and retracted claws… ;–)

One of the scenes I like best from the Tales of the City series (I think they included the scene in one of the mini-series too) takes place on a bus where two young thugs start verbally harassing another passenger by using anti-LGBTQ slurs. Because of the unhappy reactions of the other passengers, one of the thugs wonders if there are any other Gay passengers on the bus. Normal convention dictates that everyone remain silent lest they become the new target of abuse. But Mouse’s boyfriend, Thack, calmly raises his hand and announces that he is. Mouse is horrified and whispers to Thack that we don’t do that, we all stay quiet and they get bored and leave us alone. But Thack has started a trend and other people on the bus start raising their hands and agreeing that they also are Gay! Soon most of the passengers have their hands in the air and the thugs retreat in defeat. Peer pressure at its best! ;–)

Not all of us can be as intimidating as an ex-cop… ;–)

Unfortunately, there are shelters that are forced to charge clients to stay due to the high cost of running and staffing the facility. But there are shelters in other places where the stay is free. I was fortunate enough to stay at three different shelters over a two plus year period which did not charge me money to stay. And there aren’t enough shelter beds for all those who are homeless! One forced their religion on anyone unfortunate enough to need their services. What made it worse was how inaccurate their sermons usually were, even according to the tenets they claimed to believe. Even as an Agnostic, I was able to identify misrepresentations and falsehood that were made. They believe that all homeless people somehow caused their own lack of housing (much like the Gay ‘choice’ theory). They also seemed to believe that all homeless people were drug addicts and alcoholics. All their sermons seemed to focus on those features – and denouncements of Gays were tossed in at random, out of context. People who look homeless are treated like trash. Something to dispose of, something to sweep out of the way. Definitely not something you’d want to have disturbing other patrons or customers in public libraries or fine dining establishments like fast food restaurants! Homeless people napping in public parks and libraries are woken up and chased out so they won’t annoy other users (by their mere presence?). Homeless people are condemned for being smelly, but are often not given access to shower or laundering facilities. A large percentage of homeless people are suffering from mental health problems. One doctor I saw when I was homeless told me, of course you’re depressed, who wouldn’t be depressed if they were homeless! Sleep deprivation only exasperates existing mental health issues. But I still see homeless friends who are trapped in a downward spiral. When you’re homeless, much of your time and effort goes into finding food and a place to sleep. This occupies so much of your time that there’s almost no time left to try to search for a job. People who aren’t homeless sometimes get mad when they see homeless people with cellphones. Usually, those are the same people who complain about homeless people being too lazy to get jobs. But cellphones are essential if you are looking for housing or employment. How else are you going to find out that your application has been accepted and approved? In many cases, there are interlocking issues that prevent people from exiting homelessness. If you have no money and no ID, you can’t pay for a replacement and you might not have an address for the government to send it to. Without ID, you can’t apply for government services. When you get government services, there are strict time limits on how long you can receive funds. Periodically, you are required to renew your benefits, usually in person. All government offices seem to have very long lines and wait times are often in hours, not minutes. Some benefits can theoretically last indefinitely, if you can get medical confirmation of a disability – but expect to be denied initially and need to contest the denial. Persistence is essential, but depression causes most to give up prematurely. A homeless friend is old enough to qualify for a Seniors Transit Card. This would allow him to get a discount on nearly all transit rides automatically. But first he needs to get an ID card. Then he needs to apply for the discounted Transit Card. Both require bus rides that he cannot afford. They cannot be done on the same day because the Transit Card needs his ID as proof of his age. I’ve promised to pay for his bus fares, the cost of the ID card (discounted with a form from a homeless services agency), and the initial cost of the Transit Card. The ID card won’t expire for many years longer than a Driver’s License. The Transit Card won’t expire and can be reloaded at BART (and other rail transit systems) ticket machines and some retail stores like Walgreens (or online with a credit card that he doesn’t have). I think it will cost me between $10 and $15 (the cost of a couple cups of Starbucks for those who are addicted to them?). I was fortunate enough to get Social Security Disability (for clinical depression and anxiety) and have been housed for over five years now.

The kiss seen by millions on broadcast TV during the PyeongChang Olympics. Possibly most ‘remarkable for being unremarkable.’ NBC ‘treated it just as it would treat a kiss between a man and a woman.’ ;–)

June Whitfield died on Friday. In the US, she was known for her role as Edina Monsoon’s sarcastic mother (and grandmother to Saffy) on Absolutely Fabulous. But in the UK, she had an extremely long list of credits in a very long career. ;–)

Woody should have told Connor that his parents are forcing him to stay after school for tutoring from Dewberry. Since ‘everybody’ (except his parents) already know that Woody is Gay, he should report Dewberry. The longer he goes without saying something the more time Dewberry has to molest him! Dewberry has much more to lose than Woody does.

Why wouldn’t an adrenaline junkie fire fighter be a Drama Queen? ;–)

The fireworks people, of course! I didn’t even realize they both said the same thing until you pointed it out and I started wondering what you meant. I was looking for New Year’s quotes and had selected a bunch from a search that pulled up more about the end of the school year than the calendar year. I had two Oprah quotes, but decided to post the second one later today or tomorrow because it fits post-new year better than pre-new year. That put the differently-attributed quotes next to each other! ;–)