Former Member

I’m sure even if he doesn’t attend that church, word would have spread about the irresponsible, scandalous, and uncontrollable Billy Roberts! ;-)

Maybe his rant at church? ;-)

And it has taken a ‘disabled’ girl to teach him about fighting for your own rights. Billy has always backed down when confronted by adversity. It’s time for him to stand up against Mr Taylor, Mr Hartley, Jack McKenzie, Carl Stevens, and the principal. It’s time to stand up for himself and Brett. ;-)

It looks like Billy is finally learning what love really is. ;-)

Billy’s mother would have mentioned the homophobic Billy Graham. ;-)

Tragedy has affected Teddy in the past, but it’s always been more of a second-hand experience. What happened with Ryder happened to Ryder, not to Teddy directly. There’s always been a separation. Aside from Ryder’s faked infidelity, nothing has affected Teddy directly. This was something that was related to something that Teddy did or didn’t do. He feels more responsible since it happened when he was doing his job. This hit him harder than it might have for many others since most of his life has been a kind of fairytale – with that little 13 year gap. ;-)

And yet you ask me a question! ;-)

Well now. How convenient that the idiot detective didn’t really delete the images! Crooked, but not that crooked! In the US at least, they could try suing the detective for his behavior. But not only should the department terminate him, but he should be prosecuted by the government. Maybe even face time in jail. Police are held to a much higher standard for good reason. ;-)

Finally closure with Susan. ;-) Everyone else was very polite even though there was a celebrity in the shop and later a loud argument. In many places, all the cell phones would be out recording everything so it could be sold to TMZ or some other tabloid venue. A nice holiday gift for Eric and Mike! ;-)

Teens are less time-intensive than infants or young children. A teen can be very difficult, but it’s usually more emotional and intellectual in nature than with a younger child. The issues are very different, but they’ve had recent experience with Oli to get them accustomed to what they might need to deal with. ;-) Eight! Eight! Eight! Eight! Eight! Eight! Eight! Eight! ;-)

My impression was that Mark’s dad was okay with LGBTQ people. I hope the impression wasn’t wrong. But would a father attack his son – or the person he might blame for causing his son to be disciplined at school? I really hope I’m wrong. Even if it’s not Oli or Mark, they probably know the kid! Maybe Ryder can get his house remodeled quickly. There might be an abused teenager who needs two dads! Teddy & Ryder will need their own home when they foster or adopt those three (or eight!) kids! ;-)

A quote for Moggy. "I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war; that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." Martin Luther King, Jr.

R.I.P.

My audio systems would never have won any contests, but they certainly didn’t rattle the car! The goal was balanced sound. I wasn’t driving around in a portable disco even if I was blasting Erasure and Pet Shop Boys! ;-) It grates on my nerves when I hear idiots blasting their poorly installed car stereos and you can hear the rattles! They have vibration dampers to put on metal surfaces so they don’t vibrate! But I also don’t need to have their subwoofers so loud it overpowers my TV inside my apartment! I’d say it was too ghetto, but they’d probably think it was a compliment and turn it up! Ya feel me? ;-)

Holden always seemed like Pontiac to me. A GM brand with a very sporty image. Not plebeian like Chevy or pretentious like Oldsmobile [now gone], Buick, or Cadillac. ;-) Holden never sold cars in the US under its own name. My only exposure to the brand was in car magazines. 1972 was when I first started reading them. I subscribed to at least 7 or 8 titles at one time or another, including the UK’s Car magazine and Japan’s very expensive Car Styling. My interests shifted to Mac computers (and Gay porn) over time. I let my subscriptions lapse about a decade ago, just before I was evicted and became homeless. I only have a single magazine subscription now (N Scale Railroading, a model railroading magazine). ;-) I no longer own a car, but among the ones I owned were a 1984 Mazda 626 4-door sedan, a 1995 Honda Civic 4-door sedan, and a 2006 Scion xA (aka Toyota ist, it was based on the Toyota Vitz/Yaris/Echo). I paid about the same for each car, but they dropped down a size category each time! They were all fun to drive, but never particularly powerful. I liked each of them when I had them. I installed my own stereos too. Each time the audio systems got a little more complex and sophisticated – the xA even had component speakers (I had to have holes drilled for the rear tweeters) and a Bazooka subwoofer. ;-)

GM’s Holden Torana (an Aboriginal word meaning “to fly”) The Torana was based on GM/UK’s Vauxhall Viva. The Viva was similar to the Opel Kadett of the same era. But the Torana was also sold in a I-6 version (up to 202 cid/2.2L). 1974 and later versions of the Torana were similar to the Opel Ascona (which was sold in US Buick-Opel dealers as the Opel 1900 between 1971 and 1975). But unlike the Opel and Vauxhall versions, the Holden was even available with a V8 at some periods of its history. Holden Monaro was exported and sold as the 2004-06 Pontiac GTO/Vauxhall Monaro. The Holden Commodore sold as the Pontiac G8 (2008-09), Chevrolet SS (2013-17), and Vauxhall VXR8. The Holden Caprice was sold in North America as the Chevrolet Caprice PPV (Police Patrol Vehicle – 2011-17). Local Australian production of all Holdens ended in 2017. (Ford and Toyota also ended Australian production. The Mazda 323-based Australian Ford Capri had been exported to the US as the Mercury Capri in the ‘90s.)

A beautiful moonlit night here....(time for a translation project...hmmm) Nuit d'ivresse et d'extase infinie!

With the band, Oli is interacting as an equal with men in their late 30s. But when he’s at school or with Mark, he’s a very young teenager again! Jill, Harry, and his teachers don’t give Oli enough credit for being able to adjust to those wildly different conditions and expectations as well as he does. ;-) Principal Gordon appears to be a welcome change. It’s a good strategy to meet privately with all the students who previously had been in trouble the most. Let them know that he is approaching things in a very different manner. At least with some students, that will make a tremendous difference since, like Oli, they’ll want to avoid writing papers when Ms Flores would have just imposed detention or suspension. Hopefully, those required papers will help the administration to learn about issue that they hadn’t considered and maybe learn different approaches from student suggestions. At worst, it will allow the students to express their frustrations and anger in a more productive way. ;-) Ryder’s secret is that he has always related to Oli as an equal – even when they first met in the store. Teddy is getting better, but used to treat him like an annoying child. Jill and Harry are still struggling with the idea that Oli is not just a hyperactive, troublemaking child anymore. ;-)

Olivia Drakina? Olivia Drakita? Olivia Drakette? Olivia Drakesita? Olivia Dracena? Olivia Drakaina? Not Olivia Dracula! Not Olivia Dracaena! ;-) Does Drake have a middle name that can be feminized easier? ;-)

There’s a controversy in the Fremont (home of the Tesla auto plant) school district over the curriculum. Some parents are objecting to telling 4th graders that LGBTQ people exist. Come on! This is the Bay Area! You’d have to be incredibly sheltered to not know that there are Gay and Lesbian people everywhere! It’s not like they give how-to lessons to elementary school students! Better to have cold clinical explanations than for them to learn from their ignorant peers! ;-)

It doesn’t seem to be a very active cemetery though. Is it possible that the only relatively recent graves are for Ryder’s parents and grandmother? It might be possible to restrict visitors in that situation. If it’s still an active cemetery, there will eventually be a constant stream of Messiah (and Unity) fans hoping for a glimpse of their hero. I’m surprised they hadn’t been visiting the gravesites throughout this story! ;-)

I refuse to shop in that very unAmerican store. I was forced by my younger brother to enter the store once. And I accidentally bought something on Amazon that was shipped from them. I may pay more, but I support companies that pay a living wage and provide benefits to their employees (like Amazon, Target, Safeway [Albertsons], and Foods Co [Kroger]).

Job? I see Ashley in a rundown trailer park outside the city in an unhappy marriage to a guy who got roped into a wedding with his Baby Mama and her other kids. She’ll be the one sitting on the sidewalk on a busy street with a cardboard sign begging for money to eat (but will really spend it on drugs or alcohol to dull her pain). ;-)

It’s interesting how the homophobes didn’t pay attention in Sex Ed class. They seem to believe that sexual orientation is an either/or question. In their world there is no room for bisexuality, pansexuality, asexuality, or any of the other variations that exist. I personally don’t need to identify as anything other than Gay to know that the other identities are valid and real. My own experience doesn’t negate anyone else’s experiences and reality. And I don’t need others to validate who I am. ;-) It’s interesting how Zero Tolerance is interpreted differently in the real world. There are some schools that take things to the extreme and suspend kindergarteners for saying things. And then there’s this school that only has Zero Tolerance for actions, not words, and still doesn’t react to the kids who are shoving Kevin and Cameron in the hallways. As deville says, the teachers need to be more vigilant! ;-)

Some springtime music Lully: Le Roi du Danse