Former Member

I think you’re intentionally forcing me to ‘interrupt’ or ‘interoperate’ the crazy things that you say! ;-)

Teddy and Ryder better make sure to keep the curtains, drapes, or blinds tightly closed at night! ;-)

It’s like I’ve said before, both Ryder and Oli will benefit from Ryder staying at the Haner house. Ryder is already starting to teach Oli how to control his behavior and Oli is helping Ryder enjoy music again! Both of them benefit from their interactions and relationship. ;-) But maybe Teddy is the biggest beneficiary since he gets a calmer baby brother and a Ryder who is beginning to heal. ;-) I’m still a little anxious about how Harry will respond to Ryder… ;-)

Sometimes, @R. Eric, your writing takes ‘interoperation’ to figure out what you’re trying to say. ;-) Too bad every military fight isn’t a snow fight! But of course, Kim Jong-un would stick a rock inside his snowball and wet it to turn it into an ‘iceball’! Others would try different nasty tricks too. It wouldn’t be an innocent, child-like game…

I get asked if I work for the California Tourist Board! ;-)

I am very happy that Jake’s grandmother supports him and loves him enough to help him show his love to Robin! This reminds me of an ancient Apple laptop ad from the mid-‘90s, part of the What’s on your PowerBook series. The ad featured a young man and one item listed was a “Love letters to Chris”. The possibility that ‘Chris’ might also be a man was only hinted at because the ad was placed in The Advocate magazine. ;-) Those were the days when Absolute vodka, light beer, cigarettes, and HIV medications were the only mainstream corporate brands that usually advertised to the LGBTQ community. It was still considered risky to be too blatant in their marketing to Gay people. It wasn’t like it is these days when seemingly every major corporation uses a rainbow version of their logo in their June Gay Pride ad! ;-)

I'm listening to two sections from David Daniels this evening. One from Handel, one from Bach.

2030 and Teddy can still drive a car? They haven’t been replaced with autonomous vehicles yet? No Tesla personal flying machines? ;-) And, since it is the year 2030, do paparazzi fly drones to follow their prey wherever they go? Or has legislation caught up with technology and banned the practice? Otherwise, I can imagine drones circling the Haner home 24/7, some with thermographic, infrared cameras to monitor Ryder’s every move even when he’s indoors! ;-) Nasty Nate is finally gone! It is such a relief when a toxic coworker finally leaves! Everyone else is so much calmer and relaxed! ;-) Things seem to be going well with Teddy and Ryder. Teddy seems to be so worried about how Ryder will deal with Oli, but I think he’s still seeing his brother through the annoying-sibling filter! I think Oli will calm down around Ryder, just as he did in the hospital. I believe Ryder and Oli will compliment and assist each other in ways that others cannot. ;-)

Thanks for the shout-out. I haven't read all of the replies here, but one thing I sometimes do is have the person talking about the new locale be an outsider. That way, so-called mistakes may be simply common misconceptions. Say a visitor comes to SF and mentions Frisco. A local character can say that's something not heard around here except by visitors. And you, @Timothy M., have an ongoing brilliant setup with Clueless Camping. Our narrator is a visitor to Denmark, and you get to be our guide to all the best things to see and do Brilliant!

This man is kind of the flip side of Eric from Never too Late. Both are older and lonely, but this guy was very Out when he was younger and had many boyfriends. But in a few years, he could be signed up and waiting for his Andy too, alone and isolated with a very low income (apparently no TV or movie residuals). I can imagine him angry that his volunteer didn’t recognize him, as famous and loved as he is! ;-)

That’s okay, in Alameda County (Oakland and Berkeley), the county mental health facility is called John George (apparently after a County Supervisor) – it’s where they take you if you are 5150.

How frustrating for the General that others don’t feel the need to have armed personnel running around with guns! Such a fundamental part of his life is useless. It’s inconceivable to someone who thinks in terms of guns, grenades, missiles, and ICBMs. ;-) This is why so many police agencies have such big issues with violence. Since the majority of police officers have military backgrounds and police departments are organized like military units, that’s the mindset. Few in the military are trained in negotiation and peaceful means for conflict resolution. It’s almost as though they were in preschool, still learning that hitting isn’t allowed… ;-) You have John and George. Where are Paul and Ringo? Or will they be introduced later? ;-)

How do you think I know about the Danish? ;-) Armistead Maupin wrote the Tales of the City series, mostly set in San Francisco. The first few books were originally serialized in the newspaper. When we first moved back to the Bay Area in 1978, I started reading the serial and was shocked and pleased to discover locations and events that were mentioned on the news! The stories, while heavily fictionalized, helped me understand the culture and geography of the Bay Area. ;-) If you read the books or watch the three TV miniseries, you should be aware that the earliest books are more fantastical and madcap than the later books because Armistead thought he needed to have a hook at the end of each newspaper entry. Eventually he realized that his readers would continue to read the series even without the silly tricks. Since he was writing each column just before it was published, the story incorporated real-life events pretty much as they happened. It also meant that when he wasn’t feeling well, there were no new columns in the paper and there were no predictions as to when the story would resume! ;-)

Since all the stories here are posted in various forms of English, I’d be more concerned with how they mangle Danish! And that they didn’t mix in things that are Swedish, Norwegian, German, or Dutch! Maybe even Austrian (eg the pastry Austrian bakers created)! ;-) I’ve read stories set in Hawaii, a state I lived in as a child. One author was convinced that everyone sprinkles in Hawaiian words, one per sentence – because that’s what they do on Hawaii 5-0! As if Hawaii were a foreign country instead of a US state of nearly 60 years and a US territory for another 60 years before that! The Hawaiian language was suppressed for much of that time. The 2015 estimated population of Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders is just under 10%. Politically and economically, the state is dominated by whites and Asians.

I am so frustrated! This is so confusing! None of it makes sense to me! What was Twyla talking about? Was there another guy? Someone she almost mentioned? Aargh! On the other hand, it’s great to hear that Clay and Ben are building their relationship! It’s interesting that Ben identified a comfort food of Clay’s. Clay seemed shocked that Ben cared enough to notice! ;-)

My brain just isn’t organized for either figuring out mysteries or winning debates. I’m just not a logical person. My brain gets way too caught up with trivia and unimportant details. ;-)

I hope this doesn’t mean you were reading while you were driving @croyde! ;-) #31

Does Eric have a concert in New York? A world tour with a Makarovian stop? I’m sure he has a fan base there since Gays make up such a large percentage of the population! ;-) Johnny seems to have married a woman just like his mother! ;-)

I think Carter feels like he found someone who he understands and who understands him because they share a similar background. I think Carter truly believes he is sparing TJ the hurt that he has endured in the past. They don’t seem miserable when they are together. (Sorry @BlindAmbition.) ;-)

Except for people who work for themselves, people who regularly work more than 40 hours a week are almost always working multiple jobs. My first job, ironically my only Union job, I was required to work 46.5 hours a week during the holiday season. At minimum wage, even if you work 40 hours, you’re still below the poverty line. There are some cities in the US that have raised their minimum wage to as high as $15/hour, but those are also in areas with an extremely high cost of living. Many employers in those cities are forced to offer higher than the minimum for jobs that are usually paid minimum wage in other areas just to fill positions – and many of those employees commute long distances to be able to afford housing! High paying jobs, like those in tech, increase the number of service jobs to cater to them – someone has to make all those Amazon deliveries and craft all those fancy Starbucks drinks! But developers only want to build high-end housing, driving low-income residents out of the area or into homelessness!

I thought only Canadians were under the misconception that Curling is somehow a sport – kind of like Rhythmic Gymnastics, I think! ;-)

Oakland is also a county in Michigan as well as the name of a famous golf course. ;-)

Unlike many of the others, I have read the Vanyel books in the past, although it was a long time ago. When I worked in a bookstore, I asked my manager’s wife (who came in often) for recommendations of LGBTQ content in Science Fiction/Fantasy. Mercedes Lackey was one of the authors she suggested. I think I found out about the Vanyel stories via Amazon. ;-) Based on previous experience, I generally avoid both fanfic and Science Fiction/Fantasy online because so much of it is too derivative and unimaginative. I especially steer clear of anything that mentions were-anything or vampires in the tags or description! Obviously, I’ve made exceptions over the years, but even some published books that other people love have felt too derivative to me (including the one that MTV turned into a series). ;-) I’ve read some really horrific drivel that has been posted as extensions of Beautiful Thing and Tales of the City. ;-)

@Timothy M. My love for your writing finally overcame my dislike for another person associated with this story. I think if the Detective spends more time with Frankie, as I hope he does, he’ll realize that his employer has been abusive in the hours that Frankie is forced to work. No employee is legally allowed to work all day every day without time off. Frankie’s employer owes him a substantial amount of overtime pay for making him work more than 40 hours a week! Clearly, Frankie would not want to lose his job, but the conditions he works under need to be improved. Providing air conditioning in the booth would be just one improvement that should be provided. They’ve been taking advantage of a disabled person! I would demand a sequel to this story, but only after you complete one or more of your three currently incomplete stories – or if we get to the year 2040 first! ;-)

2030. That’s my prediction for Part Three. But you keep sneaking in all these little stories when I’m not looking! ;-)