Former Member

Does anyone read the letters to Svyaty Mykolay? I think most post offices around the US arrange to have volunteers read through the letters to Santa that they receive to try to fulfill the kids’ wishes in at least a small way. Many organizations arrange giving trees where each card lists a child’s age and gender – and sometimes, first name. People are encouraged to take a card and buy a gift for the child on the card. The gift with the tag is returned to that organization for anonymous distribution to the child. ;-) Other groups collect toys and games, trying to match children to the gifts. Everyone loves buying gifts for little kids. But gifts for teenagers, especially boys, are less frequently donated. And while some teenagers (boys and girls) appreciate sports equipment, some of us were never athletic. Not all households have computers and electronics, so video tapes, CDs, and DVDs are not alway appropriate either. Not all students read at their grade level, so books are not always appreciated. Not all kids would have friends to play board games with because some neighborhoods are not safe to wander around in. It’s difficult to know what kids would want, especially if you don’t have kids of your own. ;-)

For some odd reason, cats and dogs like me even though I have rather indifferent feelings towards them. ;-)

Getting Levi to trust adults will be a long, difficult struggle. I think all three kids need to get therapy, but Levi especially. He seems to be the one who feels the need to protect his siblings' emotional well-being. ;-) It won't be easy for the kids to adjust to a sudden, large, very close family. A large, very close, and very intrusive family. And the horse! ;-)

I think having Ryder talking to his young fans is probably almost as important as his scheduled therapy sessions. It forces him to think outside himself, yet also relate his past to their current lives! It takes so much out of him, yet he seems to gain even more than the kids do! ;-) Clearly Ryder needs to work on his Cognitive Dissonance since his perception of a ‘curse’ is not what the rest of us see. I definitely understand how difficult it is to change how you view those specific things. I also have been diagnosed with Cognitive Dissonance (but I don’t believe I’m cursed). ;-) Maybe Oli and Benji can start a Messiah Youth fan club! ;-)

Meanwhile, in a parallel world the anti-Ace has completed the final chapter of this story. With Ryder singing Love is All Around (The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme), Teddy spins and tosses his Tam o’ shanter in the air! 🎶“You’re gonna make it after all!”🎶 ;-)

Naturally, Alex shows up at precisely the wrong time! But now Alex’s father will finally get in trouble! I’d say that Sue and Don should foster Alex and Luke, but once again, Daniel would be the one to suffer the most should that happen! Amy would love having another playmate around and Sue would have two more kids to mother. I’m not sure Don would be the worst person to impose rules on Alex. ;-) Sue is definitely acting suspicious! I think everyone is right: she’s planning a surprise party for Robbie’s adoption. And I think Tom will be a guest! ;-) I wonder how Alex will announce Robbie’s past sexual interactions with Tom? What would be the most embarrassing and disruptive? How can Alex ‘unintentionally’ cause the most chaos? ;-)

You’re a horrible tease! Yes, a body was found, but we haven’t heard how he’s connected to the case – the police haven’t even contemplated a connection! Just another random bit of information! ;-) On the other hand, Rush now seems to have more time to research the case! The client seems reenergized by his information. Even the lawyer appeared to be willing to reverse course and not just push settlement. ;-)

What kind of psych doctor would even consider breaking confidentiality of someone who’s not even his patient? That’s a huge violation of trust! And in this case, it was apparently based on a rumor spread by the odious Nate! Based on just that one slip, the hospital should be filling two vacancies! If I were the hospital administration, I’d be looking into whether Nate has been selling confidential patient information to TMZ, Fox Snooz, and People Magazine! He should be taken to court if he’s doing things like that! Huge fines and a very long prison sentence!

John Mahoney was best known for playing Martin Crane on Frazier. But he also had a significant role in The Brokenhearted Club as the Aloha Shirt wearing Gay mentor/restaurant owner. He appeared on ER as an elderly drag queen. too. I heard a rumor that John was Gay, but Wikipedia says, “Mahoney scarcely talked about his private life, but in a 2002 article he revealed he had been in several relationships, although he never married. He suffered from colon cancer in the mid-1980s.”

Poor TJ has suffered so much at home and school. I certainly didn’t have the perfect childhood, but we never really went hungry, there was always food in the house. And my older brother was annoying at times, but he was too busy with his own life to beat me up! ;-)

I thought the song goes, “Hello, it’s me!” ;-)

@R. Eric and @Hellsheild might be adopting? ;-)

Personally, I do enjoy visiting Disneyland, but it’s not a very good representation of Southern California or the entire West Coast. But Disneyland is significantly more expensive than it was in the ‘80s when I last visited. And if you’re interested in rollercoasters and other rides, Six Flags Magic Mountain is a better park to go to. Hollywood, on the other hand is mostly a tawdry neighborhood within the city of Los Angeles – there isn’t a whole lot there. I hate LA, but even I have to admit there are worthwhile places to see. Griffith Park Observatory, the location used in Rebel without a Cause* and The Terminator†, might be of interest to some movie fans. Los Angeles is not as old as San Diego or San Francisco, but there are things of historical interest like Olivera Street. Along with San Francisco and San José, Los Angeles has one of the three remaining Japantowns in the US – LA’s is called Little Tokyo. Architectural places of interest range from the Walt Disney Concert Hall to the Bradbury Building that was used in Bladerunner. But the West Coast is much, much more than the dirty LA basin. The Bay Area encompasses not only San Francisco, but also San José/Silicon Valley, Oakland, and the Wine Country. San Diego has its own charms with the World Famous San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. California has many National and State Parks, many of which feature Redwood and Sequoia Trees, including Yosemite and Muir Woods. There are other Parks and Preserves in our deserts. Historians interested in World War II could visit Tule Lake, WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument; Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front; Manzanar National Historical Park; and Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial. And then there are the states of Oregon and Washington. Arguably, the West Coast also includes Alaska, Canada’s BC (British Columbia), and Mexico’s BC (the Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur). Altogether a much more varied and interesting Coast than the East Coast! ;-) * Rebel without a Cause starred James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo. Sal was bisexual while James Dean seems to have been somewhere other than zero on the Kinsey Scale.. Also in the cast was Jim Backus most famous as Thurston Howell III on Gilligan’s Island and the voice of Mr Magoo. † The Terminator featured the semi-Closeted Paul Winfield as a police lieutenant who questioned Sarah Connor.

I think I remember predicting that the boys would be fostering or adopting some of their students! ;-) I’m wondering if someone pushed Levi so he’d fall down the stairs (like Robbie) or if the twins were roughhousing and he fell by accident. ;-) The kids living in a closet at school reminds me of the protagonist in A to Z – as well as a story I remember reading as a child where a brother & sister live in a museum in NYC. ;-)

Clearly written by someone who has only been to the evil Los Angeles basin and done the Disneyland/Hollywood weekend tour. ;-)

Why do I get the feeling that R Eric loves the holidays as much as future-Prince Eric? ;-) Personally, I prefer the Salad Bowl metaphor over the Melting Pot theory. With the Salad Bowl, the ingredients retain their individual characteristics while adding to the overall flavor and texture! With the Melting Pot theory, everything becomes just one bland mixture – when left-over paint is recycled by blending everything together, it ends up a very boring off-white. Things are much more interesting when we add new cultures to our society without dissolving their uniqueness at the same time! ;-) It seems the Royal Family is not the only part of the country enjoying the renaissance of Makarovia! ;-)

That works too! But I was thinking Charlie and Jacob might both enjoy Messiah’s music… ;-)

From Andy’s description of Bob, it’s difficult to imagine anyone being interested in a guy like that, but who knows what kind of kinky fantasies Mrs Dewsbury has hidden in her brain! ;-)

This can’t be the first time this has happened with Tyrone. They’ll want to keep things quiet, mustn't have any Gay rumors starting! I think Dewsbury knocked Andy out so she could move him to another room by herself (fewer witnesses)! ;-)

Since the only time I can remember watching a TV show (or movie) that featured a veterinarian was All Creatures Great and Small, I’m going to imagine that was ‘Tristan’ who almost missed the recital! (I guess those dates with all the young women weren’t successful because they weren’t men? The Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, was the reason I started watching All Creatures!) ;-) I can’t remember my father ever missing any important events in my life, but even as a child I was aware that his job (as a Protestant minister) was more important than family to him.

I think maybe someone should introduce Charlie and Jacob to Ryder Sullivan and Messiah! ;-) First 5 California* runs TV PSAs that promote reading and singing to children – and not necessarily just in English! They suggest counting things with your children too. Interacting with kids rather than occupying your (or their) attention with electronics. ;-) My neighbors speak Spanish at home and rely on their oldest kids (teenagers) to translate for them. I don’t know how much English their youngest toddler understands, but she responds to my very bad Spanish better than when I speak to her in English. in 2016, I gave them a set of die with pictures on them that are designed to be used to generate story ideas – kids or parents create a story based on what images come up. This past holiday, I gave them Uno, hopefully that will get them to teach their baby sister numbers in both English and Spanish! I also gave them Trouble because counting is an important part of the game and would possibly be a little more interesting for the older kids than most counting games for young children. ;-) Timmy. I love how Charlie is able to interact with him. Kids on the Autism Spectrum typically don’t interact with others they don’t know. ;-) Charlie has several very special gifts! A very lucky young man! Most people don’t have even one gift as special as Charlie’s. ;-) * The funding comes from a tobacco tax and the idea was spearheaded by Rob Reiner.

I sent you a picture! I’m there with hundreds of others in the Castro Theatre waiting for the next episode of When We Rise during a special advanced preview that was attended by many of the real people who were portrayed in the miniseries! The creator of the series was there with his husband, but I never got to see Tom Daley!

The 2005 reboot was produced by Russell T Davies who created Queer as Folk and other TV programs with overt LGBTQ content. Doctor Who’s queer content hasn’t been as prominent, but aside from visible LGBTQ characters, there have been inoffensive references to same-sex attractions. There have been things that only a Gay man would think of (a jukebox plays Tainted Love and a Britney Spears song in the very distant future just before our Sun dies). Plus this trend has continued even after Russell left the show – the newest Doctor is a woman – regeneration is a form of Trans, right? ;-) The reboot is currently just beginning its 11the season, but British TV seasons are shorter than most US season (around a dozen episodes vs 22-26 episodes). ;-) I think @Wesley8890 would join me in recommending the series! ;-)

And California’s Sacramento Delta which is filled with earthen dikes that have been poorly maintained over the years – several different kinds of disasters could cause salt water from the San Francisco Bay to incur, disrupting the flow of potable water to much of the lower two-thirds of the state!

No offense @Phoenix1977, but with Great Apes, larger testicles are correlated with promiscuity and smaller testicles with monogamous behavior. ;-)