Former Member

As we enter the Holiday Season, it’s a good time to think about doing something for others. Many people write a check to their favorite charity – and while that’s not a bad thing, getting out and actually doing something makes you feel even better! Volunteering your time can be more valuable than you think! You might have skills that can assist others. Many groups give bicycles to children in need around this time of year. Someone has to assemble them. But not everyone has the skills to wield a wrench or pump air into a tire. There are groups that go out to repair, remodel (for accessibility), and repaint homes of the elderly and disabled. There are groups that go to schools or playgrounds to upgrade the facilities. Many groups assemble food baskets for those in need. Considering the name of this site, you might also think about what needy LGBTQs could use. While there are many among us who are living very comfortably, others are struggling to survive. A particularly high percentage of Transpeople are living far below the poverty level, with an extremely high unemployment rate. Women, People of Color, and young people are particularly vulnerable groups in our community. In many areas, there are no services available – or the services available are not LGBTQ-friendly (even in very Progressive regions). Giving blood is also something that is useful around this time of year because not only is there more need (due to accidents), but many of the usual donors are away on vacation. But blood banks could use your help all year round. (Unfortunately, the US FDA still bans donations from some Gay men.) Many people want to volunteer to serve holiday meals in homeless shelters and rescue missions. But most of these groups feed the needy every day of the year. Volunteering on a different day is more useful to those groups. Many homeless shelters would be thrilled to have groups come in to serve a meal once a month. They’d be even happier if they could get a different group come in every day of the month (or even some of those days). When I stayed in one county-run shelter, the sheriffs delivered “County Trays” that were left-overs from the nearby jail – the prisoners assembled the trays. County Trays were served twice a day, every day except for the once or twice a month when groups came in to serve a Saturday or Sunday lunch. A different shelter in a different city and county, run by a non-profit, had been able to arrange to have groups bring in dinner almost every night – only one or two nights a month didn’t have a group come in (they never served lunch at that shelter). One of the ‘groups’ that came in was a mother and her very young children. She’d cook up a huge pot of soup and serve it with salad. One group always brought in pizza, and one always brought in fried chicken, both were purchased. And yet another group was a bunch of teenaged boys – I found out they planned the meals, prepared them, and served them to us (that explained one menu). ;-) Assembling hygiene kits for homeless people is popular too. But think about all the things you have to have every day just to live your life. All those sample-sized supplies don’t last very long. One new pair of socks will wear out long before the next year when new hygiene kits are distributed. Sometimes it’s useful to ask someone who works with the homeless to find out what the actual needs are. You might be surprised at what they’d really like to have donated! If you are a landlord, consider renting to tenants who have a more difficult time finding housing because of their histories. If you need to reduce the risk, consider working with a group that prescreens their clients. Some groups even maintain contact with their clients to ensure they are following the rules and paying their rent on time. I realize that not everyone has the time, energy, or ability to do things for others, but everyone has the ability to be grateful for what they have and for the kindnesses shown to them by others. Thank the people who you don’t usually notice. Be considerate to the Sales Associate who will still be dealing with the slow lines long after you’ve left the store. Spread smiles when everyone else is frustrated and angry! ;-)

Will Dane see climbing trees as just as dangerous? Or will he see men climbing one of those very curved palm tree trunks and want to duplicate their efforts? We used to climb all over plumeria trees, but while they’re easy to climb because of their shape and low height, they’re dangerous because their branches aren’t very strong!

When I’ve had that problem, I’ve refreshed the page and then clicked to tell the software that I didn’t want the unposted text. This clears the field and lets you start over. I can never delete it once it’s there. ;-)

It’s interesting to me that a chapter of a different story that I also Follow was recently posted that has the theme of what some consider the worse song, MacArthur Park. Of course, not everyone agrees with that assessment and quite a few different artists have recorded their own versions of the song. Not the original, but probably the best known and the biggest hit was a disco-version by Donna Summer! What a contrast! (I wonder if any professional has covered both songs? It would be interesting to have them both on the same single!)

That’s what I was thinking. We only know what Kaiden believes. We don’t know what was actually going on with Jake!

Interesting...One would think the genre would not take away from the quality of the story... Well, this proves that it actually can.

Trick’s 4-year-old cousins. At first I thought I was getting stories and characters mixed up again! ;-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NORTHIE. *sings: and many more....*

That’s because the twins are drowning out all the rest of us! ;-)

Yes, but would Davis be interested in Kaleb now that he’s met the firefighter? (Personally I prefer the usually much leaner EMTs. But neither of those profession, nor the police, is particularly welcoming to LGBTQs.)

I have no doubt that should you need to for the sake of the story arc, you could come up with a logical and convincing reason why Jake was acting like that! ;-) And considering that the story “has already been written, well, more or less,” you’d have already plotted it and put it into words already! ;-)

I hope you didn’t let Kaleb and Davis have their fight just so they could split up and find new partners. While Davis and the firefighters sounds like there are possibilities, I do not want you to pair Kaleb with Topher! Redemption is fine and all, but that’s going too far! ;-)

Do you often use our Comments as inspiration for new stories? ;-)

@Sam Wyer: no comment on this part? ;-) I realize the other part of my Comment was much more interesting! It certainly amused me to run with @Rndmrunner’s idea and extrapolate a possible future with Kaiden as Miss Havisham. Kaiden could turn into Jean Pargetter! ;-)

This cover may be smoother and it doesn't have Bruce Springsteen's grit, but it's still a beautiful rendition. .

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." ~ J. K. Rowling

We have to remember that this is all seen from Kaiden's perspective. We don't really know what's going on with Jake. We don't know if there's a convoluted, but somehow plausible explanation for what Kaiden saw. We only know what Kaiden knows. But if Kaiden does turn into Miss Haversham, 45 is still young enough to turn things around… Book Two could take place a quarter of a century later. Other authors have had middle-aged characters meet years after a romantic misunderstanding. (That was the backstory for the long-running BBC series As Time Goes By with Dame Judy Dench and Geoffrey Palmer too.) @Rndmrunner, you could be inspiring @Sam Wyer to quickly rewrite the rest of the story! You could be the reason why the story takes a strange detour! Your idea could inspire a whole new phase of Kaiden and Jake's lives! (You could be at fault for Kaiden wasting 25 years of his life!). ;–)

The only trouble is that some cheaters hide the fact that they are cheating. So while you're not cheating, he is and you end up being the other guy! You might be an unintentional participant!

I’m glad Peter & Eric are using their influence to get more LGBTQ journalists invited to cover their lives. And with Eric helping Peter, hopefully there won’t be any embarrassing statements as often get quoted when a young LGBTQ celebrity first Comes Out. Eric at least has a basic grasp of LGBTQ history, something that isn’t usually taught in schools – although California passed legislation requiring LGBTQ history to be included in public schools (but, of course, there are a few retrograde schools districts that are resisting). ;-)

I loved the line, but how could a Canadian capitalize her name like that – it’s ‘k.d. lang’! ;-)

Yes, @Cole Matthews, I am reading the evidence. But since I am neither a doctor or firefighter, I have no idea what it all means! I am clueless! As usual. ;-) What Twyla said fits with the feeling that Jake did not commit suicide. But I’m no closer to understanding who might have killed him. Or why they wanted to do so in the first place. I am enjoying Ben and Clay interacting. Along with Rush, they’ve quickly become the best part of the story. I am wondering if/how Clay will assist in solving the mystery though… ;-)

I’ve been watching Season 6 of the reboot. The revelations about River Song just keep shocking me! The first revelation completely bowled me over, the next revelation wasn’t quite as surprising, but it was still totally unexpected! But I won’t say what any of them were – as River Song says, “Spoilers!” ;-)

Of course, the Giving-Your-Spouse-a-Car-For-the-Holidays concept confuses me too. For most people, a car is a big enough purchase (second only to a home) that both partners in a couple would need to decide about the expense. What happens if both partners make the same decision and buy each other cars? I doubt most couples could afford the huge dent in their budget (especially since the cars always seem to be expensive luxury vehicles). It seems like a very sexist gift where one partner thinks they don’t need to consult the other over such a major decision. But then again, I grew up poor. I don’t have a trust fund. My daddy didn’t give me a ‘little loan’ of a million dollars…

The annual GMC Black Friday ad always annoys me. The smug new GMC buyer gloats about not having gotten up early to buy the deals at stores. She brags about having saved hundreds of dollars. This is a false equivalency. The friend has purchased gifts for friends and relatives. The new truck owner has selfishly only gotten something for herself. But it’s probably effective for its apparent target market who think only about themselves.

Poor Zoe. All alone with her two best friends paired off with people she already knew. It’s no wonder she’s jealous. ;-) And if Trick doesn’t start expressing his wants and desires, he and Cody will eventually drift apart. At some point, there will be a misinterpretation that won’t be cleared up. They’ll both be frustrated because they want each other, but don’t understand just what happened. Cody can’t read Trick's mind. ;-)