Former Member

This was so completely unexpected – both your take on elves and you writing about them! ;-) Life got in the way of reading this sooner. ;-)

Oh my! Their reception is going to be held in a ‘Beef and Pizza joint’! But Nan would have loved having a rave reception! ;-)

I admit it. If there was an uncensored clip of Harry’s naked adventures in Las Vegas, I would have watched it! I’d definitely want to see a Harry-with-another-man sex tape – I’m not so sure about a hetero sex tape though. There’s definitely an appeal even if it’s just getting off. ;-) It’s a very good thing that Olek’s video never got online anywhere.

I agree! ;-) Lots of people don’t understand (or refuse to acknowledge) that there’s a difference between behavior and identity. Gay is an identity that we choose to embrace. MSMs, Men who have Sex with Men, do not identify as Gay regardless of their sexual activities and behaviors. Some people identify as either straight or Gay rather than bisexual because of the stigma the identity brings. A few do not chose that term for political reasons (Tom Robinson identifies as Gay for that reason even though his sexual and emotional attractions fall into the bisexual spectrum). Personally, I am on the end of the Kinsey Scale, but I have many friends who are bisexual in either identity or behavior – and there’s one very sexy bisexual man I know who I’d date in an instant, but he’s not attracted to me [unrequited lust]. ;-) There is also a much reported, but since disproved study that reported that bisexuality did not exist. Along with the common pattern of people saying they are bisexual as a prelude to actually Coming Out as Gay or Lesbian (because it seems less threatening?), that report helped to convince many people that bisexuality was just a phase on the way to a ‘real’ sexual identity. Bisexuals exist and bisexuality is real. Just because you [plural] or I do not experience something does not mean it does not exist for others! ;-)

We’ve been reading all those horrible things that happened to Bren & Milo and the whole time Penny was causing her own brand of disgusting right under our noses!

At least according to Modern Family, Columbians set off fireworks on Christmas! ;-)

But what kind of pessimist would I be if I noticed anything other than the unbearable Arctic sub-30° F (sub-0° C) weather! It’s like a new Ice Age! Ice belongs in ice trays, not on lakes! The horror!!! ;-)

If the Nazis hadn’t done what they did in Germany in the ‘30s and early ‘40s, no one would believe things like that could happen in the modern world. Of course, there are deniers who disbelieve the truth. And there are those who have brought back various aspects of the Nazi horrors today! There are many movies about the era that are well worth seeing. Bent and the documentary, Paragraph 175, about what happened to Gay men. Sophie’s Choice about a fictional Polish woman’s experience. Schindler’s List, The Pianist, Europa Europa, Defiance, and many others about the Jewish experience. A movie that might be more suitable for children is The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Wikipedia has a more comprehensive list of films that deal with the Holocaust in Europe.

Dead-Composers Society proudly presents 12 Days of Christmas 2017 Music to keep you merry and bright Please enjoy and happy holidays! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mozart’s performance of Handel’s Messiah – Worthy is the Lamb; Amen

Can Robbie negotiate to only be adopted by Nicola, Daniel, and Amy? ;-)

Even before my younger brother and his wife adopted my niece, my parents specified in their living trust that adopted grandchildren would be treated exactly the same as their biological grandchildren. It was very important to them that all their grandchildren be treated equally. There was never any difference in how they were loved. ;-)

My youngest cousin and my youngest niece were both adopted. My youngest cousin was kind of preparation for my nieces & nephews that came much later – I bought him gifts when he was young. I’ve never been able to spend much time with my younger niece, but she’s a very beautiful young woman who is also a dancer. ;-)

You don’t have to settle for a girl (no offense to all the women reading this or might be falling for Wesley). You could find a guy to get married to and have kids with! You’re definitely more nurturing than most people! Any kids who you take care of will be extraordinarily lucky! ;-)

So what is Wesley Louis’s plan? Will you try to become a foster parent? Will you attempt to adopt a child? Will you try to find a surrogate? I just cannot imagine you not becoming a parent at some point in your life! Even now you’re already better prepared than many parents I’ve come across! ;-)

Just like all kids, I thought my parents were unfair most of the time. I never noticed all the special things they did just for me – I just took it all for granted. As I grew older, I realized that my parents were different from many others since they remained married until my mother died. I realized that my parents did the best they could with the very limited resources, especially financially, they had. ;-) I didn’t like it at the time, but my parents were very consistent in telling us “It’s too expensive.” and “We can’t afford it” when we asked for things. It never worked to ask the other parent because they’d say exactly the same thing. When I recently told a young woman about that, her response shocked me, “You can do that?” Of course you can! And you should! Just because a kid wants something doesn’t mean you have to give it to them! Love, food, and shelter are essential, most other things are not. ;-)

So the good twin is the one with the remarkable vocabulary (‘Mason is the epitome of a douche bag’) ;-)

We’ll forgive you and your evil twin for your transgressions since you’re giving us more chapters! So which one of you is the motorcycle-riding strapping young man? ;-)

It’s always fun to read how different your stories come out! ;-) As I said in my Comments on Loring Lane, service workers labor very hard for little compensation. Public transit or old, unreliable cars are typical. Many customers do not see you as a person. I was never lucky enough to meet anyone at work who I wanted to date who wanted to go out with me – either coworker or customer! ;-)

Most customers have no idea how difficult it is to work with the public. People who work with the public are almost always minimum-wage hourly workers. The work is tough, the compensation inadequate, and you get very little respect. Plus you usually have to work on those days when everyone else is off! ;-) I wasn’t expecting the ending that you came up with! I guess I’m in a cynical mood. But Karla deserves a happy ending too! ;-)

🎶“Don’t stop🎶 🎶Thinking about tomorrow!🎶 🎶Don’t stop🎶 🎶It’ll soon be here!🎶

Tomorrow I’m celebrating Christmas with my favorite Aunt & Uncle, my favorite cousin and her family, and an elderly Aunt who I’ve spent many holidays and celebrations with. I won’t have seen my two brothers or their families since last year (one niece I haven’t seen in several years, I haven’t seen her brother or her mother in about a decade) – and they all live only about 15 minutes away from my favorite Aunt & Uncle! All of our families used to gather for both US Thanksgiving and Christmas with my mother and favorite Aunt alternating hosting duties. Things gradually unravelled especially after my mother died. But while it sometimes feels like my own family has abandoned me, I get to enjoy spending time with the part of my family that still wants me around! ;-) Since I no longer have a car, It takes me about 3 hours each way on BART and Caltrain where my uncle will pick me up at the station. On Thanksgiving I somehow managed to catch an Express train – I was able to watch 2 episodes of Doctor Who while I waited! It’s the only time I get to ride in a regular train (I own N-Scale models of the Caltrain locomotives and passenger cars just like the ones I ride). ;-) Edit: My older brother, his wife, and my older niece showed up! I did my best to engage with them, attempting to catch up on what they’ve been doing. My brother and sister-in-law weren’t very responsive, but I can say I tried. ;-)

I had been wondering how this story would end. But you figured out a very realistic and meaningful conclusion. Very nice! When I think about the little gifts my mother used to put in our Christmas Stockings, I don’t remember the socks and underwear (we were poor) or even the special candy (I liked Jordan Almonds and mints)! I remember the pens and odd Japanese stationery sets (like the credit card sized kit that somehow even included a tiny pair of scissors). ;-)

Do you do Christmas Crackers in Canada? It’s not something we do in the US (as you all know). I only became aware of the tradition by watching movies and TV shows (including Queer as Folk) from the UK. ;-)

I can be as oblivious as Beau. I was doing volunteer work with the AIDS Project back in 1989. We were distributing condoms and safe sex information. I couldn’t figure out why some guy was walking towards me with his head leaning way over to the side. Someone had to tell me he was cruising me! ;-)

I don’t know what the effects are for overdosing on Tylenol (aka acetaminophen or paracetamol for you Brits!), but it seems clear that Robbie has taken way too many pills already! I think Daniel needs to alert Sue. She’d know how to deal with an overdose like that. ;-) While Don’s thoughts about Robbie’s future seems to have a tiny bit of concern for Robbie himself, they seem mostly based on how Robbie’s sexual orientation might affect Don. Don is being very unrealistic about the whole thing and seems stuck in a world 60 years in the past. Once again, I am starting to wonder whether Don made a similar choice in his own past and chose his ‘Fran’ over his own ‘Nathan.’ ;-)