Former Member

Olivia was aware enough of her Gay fans that she did the Physical music video, one of the Gayest videos of the era! (The director of the video has no personal information listed on his Wikipedia page, IMDb entry, or professional website. That always makes me wonder since straight people go out of their way to mention their spouses regardless of the context or relevance.)

What a contrast between The Barn, an adult venue, and school, a bastion of immaturity led by an ineffectual Principal. ;-) As has been mentioned, it should be interesting to see how said Principal treats Oli after he name-dropped her on national TV. It’s a good thing that Mark and Wendy will be there too. Witnesses in case Ms Flores behaves badly! ;-)

I agree with @Timothy M., that’s a very strange thing to say. Do the police think it was a female bully? I can’t recall boys or men ever being targeted because they are male! ;-) Judging by the fact that there haven’t been any female Canadian Prime Ministers yet, and that until just recently, sexy young Justin Trudeau was incredibly popular, it doesn’t seem like Canada is an anti-male country! One of the major Canadian icons, the RCMP Mounties, is always portrayed as male. The Canadian National Sport (vying only with the pointless anti-sport, Curling which is about as much a sport as the ribbon-waving Rhythmic Gymnastics) is the über-masculine Ice Hockey! Only the less-known Canadian Mascot, the Beaver, hints at something not-male, albeit in a derogatorily macho way. ;-)

Usually, it would be entered as photographic evidence, but then there was the Michael Jackson trial… ;-)

Usually it’s not just Mary, but all three who look Anglo-Saxon rather than Semitic. If religious art weren’t usually censored, I’m sure that many depictions would feature uncircumcised penises too! I’m sure there weren’t any cherubs floating in the air, holding up strips of cloth to protect Jesus’ genitals from sight while he was allegedly being crucified. ;-) It’s too bad they couldn’t have had the courts force the meeting to be held in a neutral location like a restaurant or hotel meeting room. It might have made things a little easier for Chet. Eric and Mike could have been in a nearby table or room waiting for him. Avi and Eli could have walked Chet to his Dads if he wanted to leave his grandparents’ party. ;-)

Well it seems like much of what we speculated about the pictures and the other facts of the case were right! ;-) I think it’s a really good thing that the Assistant District Attorney is a woman. She’s more likely than most men to be sympathetic towards a sexual assault victim as well as Gay teens in general. While there are exceptions, many (if not most) straight men have a difficult time feeling as compassionate to those two groups. Women (and minorities) in those types of jobs have often had to fight harder to be taken seriously by their supervisors and coworkers. This usually means the women (and minorities) are actually better at their jobs than their coworkers since marginal candidates leave for less demanding positions elsewhere. ;-)

I guess asking a former teacher wouldn’t be cool. But inviting the sponsor of the disbanded GSA would be a nice way to stick it to the administration without violating any of those new rules! I wonder if she’d agree? ;-)

It seems to me that David & Andrew would have a difficult time adjusting to life in a two bedroom apartment while living on just a teacher’s salary. ;-)

I think an interesting story arc might be for David & Andrew to lose their wealth somehow. Nick’s new family would then need to rely on him to assist them in figuring out how to deal with their new reality! Except for the very worn-out and tired ‘persecuted’ Libertarian martyr theme, this sort of story arc hasn’t really been explored. ;-) There have been way too many stories about extremely wealthy people. The story usually ends up being how money is used to solve all their problems. While it’s a nice fantasy, most of us are not One Percenters and never will be. ;-) Most of us are struggling to some degree to survive on the wages we earn. Life is difficult. Appreciating smaller things as Nick does would be interesting lessons for David & Andrew. ;-) It would be very unlikely that people like David & Andrew would ever become homeless, but it wouldn’t take very much for most of us to get to that state. A house fire with insufficient insurance, an unexpected flood when the house is not in a flood plain and thus not insured for floods, or an extremely serious medical problem that puts you deeply in debt . And once you’re homeless, everything seems stacked against you ever getting housed. ;-) Initially discovering what sorts of services are out there is the first problem you deal with if you’ve never been homeless. ;-) Assuming you live in at least a moderately large urban area, there are many groups out there to help you. And once you find the first non-governmental agency, you quickly discover many others. You find out that some people really want to help – and most attach no strings to their assistance. Most areas have Food Banks, many areas have groups that serve free meals at least some of the time. In some areas, there are agencies that serve lunches and/or dinners. If you’re lucky, there are free meals every day for lunch and dinner! (And in those areas, you’ll still see cardboard signs begging for money for food because either the sign holder isn’t actually going to use the money for food or the sign holder doesn’t like the free food that’s available and wants to eat fast food instead. Only very, very rarely is it the case that the sign holder is unaware that the free food exists.) ;-) Based on my personal experience of slightly more than two years of homelessness (followed by five years plus of being housed), I can tell you that being homeless takes an incredible amount of time. Lots of waiting in long lines. Lots of having to show documented proof of everything you claim. Being dealt with as though you were a criminal and treated with deep suspicion by the government agencies charged with serving you. It’s all part of an unstated plan to discourage applicants from following through in order to keep costs down. You have to be persistent and keep track of everything – incredibly difficult tasks when you have no home. ;-) You also need to know that if you have a mental health problem, you need to make sure that you get signed up for psych therapy right away. You need to get things documented (even better if you have an existing documented history). If you are depressed, and anybody would be depressed if they were homeless, you need to get things recorded officially. When you apply for General Assistance, if the silly test they give you doesn’t indicate that you’re depressed, ask to talk to their doctor anyway (they won’t tell you that’s an option). You also need to apply for Social Security Disability for that depression. The fact that you have started the process with SS will allow you to get General Assistance (a cash loan from the county) while Social Security is processing the case – much longer than without the SS case. ;-) Some non-governmental social services agencies offer free laundry services, take full advantage of them, don’t waste what little money you have at laundromats if you don’t need to. Make sure to sign up for free medical care through your county, it’ll cover your prescriptions with no deductible or copay. CalFresh/SNAP (aka food stamps) will allow you to buy food (including snacks, soda, and desserts, but not alcohol, pet food, or things like soap) using an EBT card (it looks like a debit card and is also where the GA is deposited every month). Also look for barber colleges because they offer very low cost haircuts! You want to avoid looking ‘homeless’ so you can avoid most of the stigma. ;-)

It’s amazing what Billy can do when he actually thinks about someone else for a change! Turning down the internship with Jack’s firm is something he should have done long ago. Deciding to take Mary Caldwell, a student who has never been mentioned before, to the Prom is another good thing! Billy needs to think outside himself more often. ;-) Now, what can Billy do to convince Brett of his regret? I have no idea. And, at this point, it seems as though Billy is just as clueless. ;-)

Your doctor will look like a human Barbie doll with Triple-Ds and flawless skin. She’ll keep you lying there for a very long time. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the very intense ‘therapy’! ;-) Not my taste, but whatever floats your boat! ;-) Instead of hugs, I offer teasing! ;-)

No wonder Teddy is working 365 days a week! ;-)

In Ace’s ‘short little summer story’! ;-)

I knew Teddy was working a lot of hours, but that’s ridiculous! Have they figured out time travel 30 years from now? Or did they change the calendar? ;-) I know! You were channelling Oli when you wrote that! A thirteen year old would exaggerate like that! ;-) But now that it’s out there, maybe that could be part of the next song Ryder & Oli write! ;-)

An Avoidance Personality! That’s me! Even when I panic, I shut down rather than deal with the problem! My best friends don’t think I’m panicking because I’m not running around in circles! ;-) I don’t mean that I thought Richard was royalty, I should have used this example instead. A Gay friend of mine and his straight female roommate were feeling their biological clocks ticking. She knew he was Gay when they became roommates. They both wanted kids and weren’t having success dating (a critical difference from Richard). They decided to see if he could ‘perform’ with a woman. It worked and they got married and have at least two kids. His other Gay friends rejected him for his ‘betrayal’ and I was one of the few who remained friendly (although we drifted apart over the decades). He still identifies as Gay even though he appears to be straight or at least bi with the wife and kids. ;-)

I could never live where it snows every winter! I never have so far and I have no intentions of changing that. Humans weren’t intended to survive in those sorts of conditions, we are a tropical species! ;-)

New Year in April! I remember reading that one culture celebrated the New Year on April 1st. I don’t know if it’s tied to the lunar calendar like Easter or if their year begins in the spring. How odd would that be – pranks on New Year’s Day? ;-)

I’m waiting to hear you describe Oliver’s Opera or Symphony (every genre, right?)! ;-)

You need a list to remember that Jill, Harry, Teddy, and Oli are all Haners? Or that Ryder and Florence’s last name is Sullivan? Oh, you meant your characters’ last names! ;-)

The anti-Ryder, Andy Gibb had just turned 30 when he died. He was suffering from drug addiction and depression. He was the baby brother of the Bee Gees. Poor older brother Barry survives after all three of his brothers died (they died in reverse order: Andy, Maurice, and 35 minute older fraternal twin Robin). ;-)

I think the transition was unrealistically fast. It’s my impression that several daytime visits are required before overnight visits are allowed. And that it takes several weeks or even a month for approval to be processed. All to ensure that neither side is really uncomfortable with the decision. Plus the agency needs to make sure that they are sending the child to an appropriate new home. ;-) But I think an attorney would be able to assist a group home with fundraising at the very least. A theater professor might be able to get the kids involved in theater activities like acting, prep work, and other associated tasks. Things that might make the lives of the boys at the group home just a little bit more interesting and fun. ;-) I think they shouldn’t forget where Nick came from. ;-)

Apple has a utility called Stickies that used to be more prominently visible on the Mac. It’s the software version of Post-It Notes and there’s an unrelated freeware clone available for that other OS. Apparently it’s still included on the Mac, but it’s hiding as a widget in Dashboard. It’s also included as an example in some versions of Xcode. ;-) You might want to use Stickies or Post-It Notes for those sorts of details… ;-)

I think Oli will be able to overcome his nervousness over interviews and plane rides. He’ll have plenty of chances to get used to them in his future! Eventually, he won’t need Jill, Harry, and Teddy as support in those situations. ;-)

It’s funny how Jill uses Harry’s name all the time (usually when he’s in trouble), but Harrison never uses her name (did he forget it too?)! ;-) I’ve read that some authors keep notes on things like birthdays and physical characteristics. ;-)

I agree with @BlindAmbition- it doesn't matter how long it takes. You in your way will always honor him and the love he selflessly gave you. That's you paying back what you owe him. I know, cuz I'm in the same boat