Former Member

You could always answer them in a Spoiler! I’m sure everyone else would agree not to peek! Nobody would ever violate that sort of private message… ;–) ;–)

Was it a ploy to get some tasty snacks that he wasn’t otherwise going to get? ;–)

I’m kind of surprised that this wasn’t the final chapter. Nick’s fostering became permanent. Both boys are happily dating. This is where many authors would end the story…

Alex seems to realize that his thing with Brandon shouldn’t continue. But how will Alex break the news to him? And how quickly will he end whatever it is they currently have? ;–)

Will Jeremy’s mother be more accepting if Alex is the partner? Because, of course, grandchildren can happen even if Jeremy never gets married or finds a partner. Does she really need the grandchildren, or is that just the excuse for homophobia?

There are a lot of authors who use way too many commas. Most of whom speak English as their first, or often their only, language. I sometimes get the feeling they start off with a comma after each word and then take out ¾ of them – if we’re lucky! ;–)

Has @AC Benus seen this Topic yet?

Isn’t that the rule they took from Latin and have incorrectly applied to English? And since that’s how real people speak, the rule shouldn’t apply anyway. We are all fools for trying to twist how we speak to fit nonsensical rules. There’s a difference between formal English and tortured English. Now aren’t you glad I’m not an author? ;–)

Or as clueless as a techie… ;–)

Are they alerting you to the release of methane? That’s a greenhouse gas! Your dogs are warning you about Global Warming! That’s more intelligent than Fratboy fart flares!

I got a five. I’m sure there are many authors I’ve PM’s who’d be shocked the number is so low! California English is much more relaxed than the version they speak in Chicagoland. We’ve had a bigger infusion of non-Indo-European languages here along the Pacific Rim.

Lunar New Year? ;–)

It sounds like Jack special ordered a new pet! ;–)

Attack dog and attack cat: those are two very good reasons why I have no pets. Plus you have to feed them (more money I don’t have) and take care of their droppings. All in all, way too many negatives for the minor benefits. ;–)

I was going to mention this last night, but I was sleepy and forgot… ;–) Back in the mid-‘60s, my elementary school class went on a field trip to the Honolulu Zoo. We all stood in front of the Kookaburra exhibit and sang the Kookaburra song to the birds. ‘Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be!’ More than five decades later, I still remember the lyrics! ;–)

I went to sleep after I Commented on ch22 – just before you posted this chapter! There wasn’t anything new when I turned off the display, I checked. In fact, I almost didn’t read the chapter last night because I was going to sleep… ;–) So Jamie is sort-of playing summer league (if a non-sports fan hasn’t screwed up the sports metaphor) fighting fires in the States, as opposed to Mutual Aid? Here in California, CalFire starts asking Fire Departments to send specific numbers of equipment and fire fighters to a wildfire. When CalFire call, the state pays, often getting reimbursed by the Feds. When it’s local, the one calling pays, sometimes getting reimbursed by the state. We used to have a fairly well defined wildfire season, but now it only pauses while it’s raining… Or, in the case of something more local, if a Fire Department is overwhelmed by a fire, they’ll call neighboring departments for Mutual Aid. Sometimes the help will take care of regular calls while the home team (yeah, another sports metaphor!) battles the big one. In other cases (as with urban-interface fires) they’re fighting side by side. I remember driving home on October 17, 1989 after the Loma Prieta Earthquake. I had been at work in the East Bay about 50 miles away from the epicenter and they wouldn’t let us leave for another 90 minutes. When I was finally allowed to go home, everyone was driving much faster than normal. In the freeway pass through the East Bay Hills, there were caravans of Mutual Aid fire trucks rushing towards Oakland and the site of the Cypress Structure collapse.

I’m not sure I understand why Jamie was so upset and apologetic. It wasn’t as if he was the one who called to arrange the meeting with Sam. While I think it’s important for Jamie to tell Ben what happened, I don’t think he instigated anything with Sam even if he didn’t do enough to prevent it.

PBS Newshour repeated a portion of an interview with Amos Oz (who died today) where he compares pregnancy with the process of creating a character. Is that anything like how it works for you? As a non-writer, it’s an interesting concept to me. ;–)

I remember. I remember everyone holding our breaths while the capsule was out of radio contact on the dark side of the moon. My Protestant minister father was thrilled that the Astronauts quoted Genesis. Almost all the climate change deniers are old enough to remember seeing the black and white footage too…

I survived. I got to see my favorite Aunt & Uncle, my closest cousin & her family, my older niece, and my (Lesbian?) Aunt. Oh, and somehow endured my older brother being there too. ;–)

Thank you, Dugh, that's very sweet of you ❤️ It's a pleasure to remember you read the FB tales. You may or may not know it, but Wanamaker's organ has a Saint Louis connection too. It was ordered by the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company to be the largest, most complex pipe organ in the world. It was installed in the Cass Gilbert designed Festival Hall; or put another way, designed to be the centerpiece of the centerpiece building of the World's Fair. I believe daily concerts were given on the organ, and the hall was a concert venue seating 3,500 people at a time. Mr. Wanamaker was enchanted and had the tradition (along with the organ itself) installed in his new flagship store.