Former Member

This is the third melancholy Prompt I’ve read this week. I hope it’s not an epidemic like the muse pandemic! There were so many interesting details packed into this short story. When Derek ducked into the kitchen doorway, I pictured him being a very tall man. Being slightly shorter than the average US male, I never have to duck to enter doors unless they’re designed for children! I never have to duck under the grab-bars in trains either (I noticed a tall teenager having to do that earlier this week)! As fewer people read physical books, words like gutter (in this context) will fade into further obscurity too. I was mostly aware of the term through Page Layout software like the old PageMaker and the newer InDesign programs. It’s a word I’d never think of using myself. ;–)

Whatever you want to believe, ELR! ;–)

He admitted it! R Eric is the one who killed Christmas! A Southerner! Not a Socialist Yankee or a radical Californian! A real live Southerner! R Eric killed Christmas! ;–)

The Delkensie machine should be able to translate Cockney, but the idioms and slang would probably be somewhat difficult to explain. My experience with Cockney is from Eastenders, the British soap opera set in a fictional part of London’s East End. Until a just few years ago, most viewers would recognize Pauline Fowler as the former Miss Shirley Brahms from the classic BritCom, Are You Being Served? ;–)

Welcome Mike! If you post more, it’ll seem like I’m posting less. And everyone’s probably tired of hearing from me! ;–)

But age isn’t the determining factor on who wants to be on the rides. ;–) In the mid-‘80s, my youngest cousin was a teenager and I was in my late 20s. Our aunt took us to Six Flags Great America near Chicago. My cousin refused to ride any of the rollercoasters. He did consent to ride on the river raft ride. We practically had to drag him on the gondola ride over the park – he had a death-grip on the center pole! (When he was younger, my brother and I rode, with him in the center, on a ferris wheel where he was terrified. A friend and I took him to see Indiana Jones and he insisted on sitting in the middle – good thing she and I weren’t dating!) He’s a just couple years short of 50 and a grandfather now.

I think Kaleb needs a ride! ;–)

I have my regular bills automatically paid through my Credit Union (better and less expensive than a bank). They automatically send payments to my landlord and for my internet access. Since utility bills change every month, they pull the payment from the account, again automatically. All of this prevents me from forgetting to pay. It’s much easier and less stressful for me. It took a little work setting up and more work when the payment amount changes, but it’s pretty easy. They don’t even ask me to pay the postage when they have to send a physical check (some payments are electronic transfers). ;–) It’s something someone like Andy could do for Eric if the local bank offers the service.

California requires utilities to offer a plan that averages out the costs so there aren’t dramatic jumps in the bills. Of course, our utilities bill monthly, so they’re easier to budget for in any case. The utilities also offer subsidies for low income individuals (like me) too. ;–)

What was that for? Are you feeling guilty? I didn’t mention any names… ;–) Besides, you’re not my type – your bulges are all in the wrong places! ;–)

Sorry. I had no idea. Disabilities are nothing to laugh at. I can think of several authors who need assistance… ;–)

@empresslovesreading's hubby isn’t one of those butch neanderthals who needs to do everything for her? I guess it’s a good thing that he’s evolved enough to not be threatened by a woman who does her own demolition. I think ELR might need her own Habitat for Humanity group to assemble the shed though… ;–)

How many sheds do you have in your yard? ;–)

I knew it! She’s dropping something on my legs! I hope it’s a only feather or cotton ball! ;–)

You’re dropping something on someone’s legs in a future chapter? I hope it’s not mine! I’m keeping my distance when you’re around! ;–)

You forgot the ’n’ at the end of the name! “Bad John, very bad John!” (There, that’s better!) ;–)

There’s a simple solution: don’t write them! ;–)

I’m still wondering how you convince your wife to name your first born child after your high school crush. What kind of logic could you use? What argument will convince her? And after you Come Out, how does it not get revealed to the namesake? How will Novy feel when he learns he’s not the only ‘November’?

Aside from the bedroom and bathroom radiators not working, is it possible that there’s something else wrong with the heating that makes it cost so much while not heating the cottage? You’d think that if half of the system isn’t working, it’d be less expensive to run. Maybe they can force the landlord to replace it with a more efficient system! ;–) My impression is that here in the US, the ‘solution’ would be to place someone like Eric in an expensive assisted care facility even though providing a home care assistant would be less expensive. Because the rules don’t allow much flexibility or for logic to interfere with regulations. But of course, some people think privatizing everything will make them cheaper and more efficient – which doesn’t make sense because the profit doesn’t just magically appear out of thin air! ;–)

Real men don’t cry, really men don’t cry, don’t real men cry? ;–)

Unfortunately, it’s not a fictional TV show.

You know, the one that shows no expression on her face. The one who has put up with stories about her husband grabbing genitals, having affairs with porn stars, and all the other slights with exactly the same frozen look on her face. The one moves like a very expensive robot rather than a real person. ;–)

Will Donny's silicone sexbot be attending that one? ;–)

Each time you have a wedding, you get to do it a different way. You do realize that at some point, your ‘simple’ wedding is going to have to be held in a courthouse and officiated by a Justice of the Peace. You’ve done all the fancy ‘simple’ weddings already and you still have a royal wedding to go! ;–)

🎶 You know I can’t smile without you I can’t smile without you I can’t laugh and I can’t sing I’m finding it hard to do anything You see I feel sad when you’re sad I feel glad when you’re glad If you only knew what I’m going through I just can’t smile without you You came along just like a song And brightened my day Who would have believed that you were part of a dream Now it all seems light years away And now you know I can’t smile without you I can’t smile without you I can’t laugh and I can’t sing I’m finding it hard to do anything You see I feel sad when you’re sad I feel glad when you’re glad If you only knew what I’m going through I just can’t smile Now some people say happiness takes so very long to find Well, I’m finding it hard leaving your love behind me And you see I can't smile without you I can't smile without you I can't laugh and I can't sing I'm finding it hard to do anything You see I feel glad when you're glad I feel sad when you're sad If you only knew what I'm going through I just can't smile without you 🎶 Do you know this oldie? ;–)