Former Member

No, you wouldn’t! You’d be his second happiest reader! I even suggested a title to Ron when he posted the story here! ;-)

Sounds like they had lots of fun harmonizing together. ;-)

In my area, there is a big problem with people from outside the region coming here and holding those incredibly dangerous slideshows where crowds gather to witness witless drivers spinning their cars in donuts. Motorcycle gangs gather to create havoc on freeways with wheelies and other hazardous stunts. But there’s also the local Sonoma Racetrack that runs monthly course and drag races for amateurs (roll cages and other safety equipment is required) to give speed demons a safe and legal place to do their thing! ;-)

There’s always at least one in every family. But at least in my family, they’re less vocal in their homophobia. It’s bad in its own way, but they’re easier to ignore. ;-)

Not a Holden – or even a Chevy? ;-)

Mason is a jerk! ;-) Will Julie be joining Jamie on his trip? ;-)

I never realized that actually happened! The bullying I endured was mostly name-calling and some shoving plus spitting by one idiot. I guess I got off pretty lightly even if it didn’t seem like it at the time! ;-)

Drake to Jimmy: 🎶 Don’t Give Up on Us, Baby! 🎶

But I’m sure he’s guilty of other sex-related crimes due to the fact that he’s a teacher. If they can’t find legal justification for firing him, public opinion about a teacher who records a student having sex in a school restroom should cause him to leave ‘voluntarily.’ Morally, he is reprehensible even before we start discussing his threats against Billy! ;-)

He hangs around the boys restroom and films kids in there! He has kiddie porn on his phone! If that’s not a true deviant, what is? ;-) He needs to be forced to register on the Sex Offender List and lose his job!

The chapter title, The Missing Plumber, should have been a clue to us. I hope Andy hasn’t been in a coma for these 2½ months! Is Dewsbury covering up a murder now? What are these people capable of? ;-) Who guessed Dewsbury, a lead pipe, and, Tyrone’s bedroom? ;-)

And risk Tyrone figuring out how to Prank Andy by sending nasty messages to all his contacts? ;-)

Now where did I leave my pitchfork? ;-)

? ;-)

Richard Preston, Drake, and Calliope. What a strange, mismatched set of names their parents chose. Is there a story behind the names that aren’t apparent to readers? Richard’s Preston’s name is not uncommon. But Drake and Calliope are very odd names outside TV and movies (clueless Joey Tribbiani as ‘Drake Ramore’ on Friends always pops into my mind, but Professor Ludwig Von Drake and the musician are the only others I can think of). 😉

Drake finally said out loud what he didn’t want to admit to himself, that he loves Jimmy! ;-) Hopefully, Jimmy will be willing to listen to him now. Poor Jimmy has been through the wringer just as much as Drake has over the weekend, but also since they stopped dating. Jimmy seems so defeated that he might not want to hear what Drake has to say after all this time. I’m not sure I’d blame him. Drake is very high maintenance! ;-)

In other words, pretty much a typical military guy in the ‘70s! People who voluntarily join the military (and there were many during the Vietnam War) tend to be much more conservative and more rigid in their thinking (ie issues are black and white with no shades of gray) than the general population. They see themselves as law and order types and they want to enforce the rules (as they see them).

I think I was in my mid teens, but could have been older. I had classmates whose fathers were in the military during and/or after the Vietnam War ended. There were a few who were kind of wild, but most had very strict fathers. (In junior high, I had one classmate in gym class who had beautiful long ‘dishwater blond’ hair way past his shoulders. One day he returned to school with a standard boy’s haircut! His father forced him to get at least one haircut a year and he had just gotten it! It turns out he had light brown hair after it had been cut. Sigh, Kyle Hammernes. I wonder what ever happened to him?) Most of the military and ex-military personnel in the San Diego area in the ‘70s were Marines or Sailors due to the several bases there.

[wild speculation] Can Ashley remember an occasion when Devin seemed more distracted than usual? When he forgot things that they had talked about? When he seemed more nervous and unsure of himself and seemed different from his usual self? Could the twins have pulled the switch trick on her to see if Kevin could perform with a girl? Is she absolutely sure? It couldn’t be proven with a DNA test! She could be forced to allow Kevin access to the baby… ;-) [/wild speculation] There was a case where a pair of identical twins had been having sex with the same girl who got pregnant. She sued for child support, but didn’t know which twin had fathered the child. The judge decided that the ‘innocent’ twin who wasn’t the father couldn’t be forced to pay. She got no child support since it couldn’t be determined which one was ‘guilty,’ they both were judged ‘not guilt.’ Scientifically, there’s evidence that two sperm might be able to fertilize the same egg under certain conditions. There have been natural, non-IVF fraternal twins that had different fathers. Things are not always as clearcut as we’ve been led to believe!

I’m wondering how welcome Uncle Kevin and Uncle Cameron will be. Will the Lynches Vances try to prevent them from spending time with their future niece or nephew? Will Ashley and Devin share custody of the child? Will the Williams be paying child support? Will Devin finally get back together with Paul? ;-)

Is your avatar experiencing a blizzard or extreme fog? ;-)

I live in an area with an extremely high cost of living and I was still able to keep my budget below the $200 allotment without the assistance of the food bank. They took my fingerprints and what was essentially a mug shot when I applied for benefits. The offices where you apply for benefits have extremely long lines in order to discourage applicants. Those are the ‘punishments’ for the crime of being poor in California!

By the way, when I became eligible for Social Security Disability, I no longer qualified for CalFresh.

Those who are in charge of creating new terms decided that Food Security and Food Insecurity were the appropriate words. They're used to describe populations as large as countries or continents and as small as families and individuals. On the smallest scales, it could have to do with the cost of food (as with Eric) or it could have to do with access (as in ghetto-type environments where residents are forced to do their grocery shopping in small convenience stores, gas stations, and liquor stores since larger, most economical options avoid the area for more profitable suburbs). I was shocked the first time I noticed that a gas station I used to patronize sold gallon (3.87 L) jugs of milk through their payment window! In the case of cost prohibitions, many urban and suburban areas have food banks to supply free food (often donated edible, but date expired foods or excess farm produce). In the case of access limitations, some cities (such as San Francisco) are working with convenience stores to increase the amount of fresh and nutritious foods available. Farmers Markets are another way to increase availability of fresh produce in urban areas. Eric is in a very difficult position since he does not live in a more highly populated area and the resources are few or nonexistent. It sounds like the UK doesn’t have a food stamps-type program like the US. The US Department of Agriculture runs the program, now rebranded SNAP (or CalFresh in California) and they use EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) cards to distribute subsidies to very low income households. Consumers can purchase groceries (including snacks and convenience food, but not prepared hot food, alcohol, pet food, or hygiene supplies) using the debit-like card. The card is refilled once a month. In some places, grocery stores are packed at midnight when the funds are deposited and customers rush to buy food. One problem is that many consumers waste their funds on soda, snack food, deserts, and other junk food. On the one hand, no one is teaching SNAP users how to prepare meals from scratch with cooking classes or even recipes (although most large grocery stores and food manufactures offer them online – but we know the catch here!). On the other hand, any moves to require those things would punish people like Eric who struggle with food preparation due to his physical disabilities. When I was homeless, there was one shelter that allowed clients to use kitchen facilities. CalFresh meant that I was able to buy a wider variety of foods than were supplied by the County (trays from the nearby County Jail, prepared by the inmates, and delivered by Sheriffs). I was able to buy salad fixings that were ignored by the shadier residents who would steal ice cream and other more sought out treats. ;-) There is widespread cheating of the system with many CalFresh recipients selling their benefits at fifty cents on the dollar! Purchasers not only get a 50% discount, but they avoid the grocery bag fees. Sellers of benefits often waste the cash on drugs, alcohol, tobacco, fast food, and vending machine snacks! I was getting $200/month. When I first applied (before I became homeless), I was able to purchase a months worth of groceries for significantly less than the $200 I was getting (I didn’t buy a lot of meat). Even now my monthly grocery budget is under $200. I have my mother to thank for teaching me how to buy things on sale, avoid buying too many prepared products, and cooking basic foods. ;-)

Claudio Abbado, Renee Fleming, Frederica von Stade, Kathleen Battle and the Berliner Philharmoniker in a live New Years performance of the finale from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier.