Former Member

Robbie doesn’t realize that the longer he takes to reveal (not necessarily ‘confess’) the exact relationship he had with Alex, the more difficult it will be and the worse the reaction from Nathan will be. He thinks he’s taking the easy way out, but the delay only makes the stakes higher. He just needs to rip the bandaid off all at once! ;-) But Robbie’s not too bright… ;-)

I just read the latest chapter (12) of Protecting David VI: Christopher Grows Up by T. Audette. It violates just about everything that I complained about in the What Do You Skip thread – except misspelling and bad grammar. Incredible wealth – check! Multiple abused boys adopted by Gay couple – check! (but the sole adopted son of the original couple grows up to marry and adopt three abused boys.) Wealth used to solve every problem – occasionally. Being Gay is infectious – just one previously straight adopted son finds a boyfriend. Adopted sons turn out to almost all be Gay – sort of: two Gay, one straight, and one apparently bisexual. ;-) But Terry write so well, it kind of transcends the stereotypes. It’s the best of this sort of fantasy I’ve read. Readers who enjoy this type of story should read what is possible. ;-) I emailed Terry to thank him for the new chapter after a very long delay between updates. He let me know that he’s been having health problems that have distracted him from writing. He’s having surgery in December. I wish him well.

@Wesley8890 I don’t remember Dr Calhoun saying he had recorded the meeting. I thought Wesley recorded what Miss Jones told Wesley. Am I confusing stories again? ;-)

Well your revision has taken most of the drama out of the confrontation with Miss Jones. But I still think Dr Calhoun would not have had the dismissal discussion until after Wesley was excused to return to class. I think Calhoun would have sent Wesley to get the pass from the nosy secretary and closed the door to keep personnel matters private. Wesley probably would have heard the beginning of the screaming match as he left. Calhoun would have called Wesley’s dad to offer the job – to do otherwise is unprofessional.

There’s always Lyle Lovett’s cover of Stand by Your Man from the Crying Game soundtrack. The cast of Four Weddings and a Funeral also sang the song.

I was not expecting that last kiss! ;-) I suppose every country has a version of the US Army Corp of Engineers. A group set up to build things like roads and temporary bridges so the military can get where it needs to go during a war. They’ll need to add water and sewage treatment capacity to deal with the influx of personnel too. Hopefully Olek’s agreements require that the foreign governments to pay for those improvements! ;-)

It depends on whether being shafted is a physical or metaphorical experience! ;-)

You do realize that getting shafted isn’t necessarily a good thing… ;-)

On GA, I feel like I get the shaft all the time! ;-)

But not the shaft? ;-) Oh, I didn’t go there did I? Oops! Yes I did. ;-)

The lower half is russian [sic]? But you just said they’re not Irish! Are you deciding this on the fly (or are you Hollywood-style schizophrenic*)? ;-) * The fake version that screenwriters have come up with rather than the actual mental health condition.

So he’s always saying “yes” to his father (отец)?

Considering the known population of JAM’s school, being Gay certainly isn’t unique! ;-)

Are the Hawks Irish? If they are, Rob could call his father “Da”! Get it? ;-)

Whenever I sing along to Howard Jones’ No One is to Blame, I switch the gender to male. (‘And you want him. And he wants you.’) Tom Robinson recorded Ricky Don’t Lose that Number (his cover version of Steely Dan's Rikki Don’t Lose that Number). Openly Gay, Tom is definitely singing to a man. And then there’s the Male Version of Cher’s Strong Enough off the CD Single. When you listen to this version, someone is bisexual since she’s singing about her lover sleeping with a man. Cher knows who her fans are! I even have an entire CD, Inside Out, where Cam Clarke has switched the genders in all the songs he recorded. But it’s not as good as the others. I also have several CDs each from Openly Gay groups including Romanovsky & Phillips and Pansy Division.

Why does this sound like one of my intentional misinterpretations? ;-)

I’m sorry, @Ronyx, but I like my reimagining of Allen’s future better. I’d like to think of him surviving until the Cocktail was developed and techniques developed that allow people to achieve undetectable viral levels. I realize your ending was much more common until fairly recently and the majority of those with diagnosed with AIDS died. But I am very happy that Joey was able to find a career that gives him the chance to make a huge difference in the lives of all those children! In the elementary school that I attended from 3rd grade, the only men on staff were the Principal, the janitorial staff, and a lone male teacher (he seems to have taught remedial subjects for 6th grade male students, but he must have done more than that). Male elementary school teachers were really extremely unusual back in the ‘60s! ;-)

It seems to be the convention that the spouse of the relative is listed in parenthesis in obituaries. So Twyla’s husband’s name is Steve. But considering the venue, that’s a logical assumption! ;-)

The guy who killed 5 people in Northern California a few days ago had serious mental health problems, but he refused to get treatment. His sister said his refusal tore their family apart. It’s difficult to force an adult into mental health treatment. It’s a really difficult dilemma where you don’t want to infringe on someone’s personal rights, but you want to protect the public simultaneously – plus it’s extremely difficult to predict just how dangerous someone might be in the future… ;-)

I liked how the US General added to Eric’s idea of terraced farming with the greenhouse concept! I recently saw a report on the Netherlands where they use greenhouses to increase farm production significantly – enough that they are the number two in agricultural exports only behind the US! (The Netherlands is physically an extremely tiny country!) It’s more expensive initially, but the increased production pays off in the longterm. Another concept is farming inside buildings – climate and lighting control increase production too. Using LEDs, they can adjust the color of the lighting to precisely the lighting that the plants grow best under. The fact that they’re using LEDs means that they can position the lights wherever the plants need it most, including the sides instead of just above. Produce like spinach and salad greens are grown vertically on walls or columns (much easier to harvest since it’s not growing on the ground). Because the buildings don’t allow insects and other pests inside, the plants can be grown without pesticides, also decreasing costs. Water is saved because it’s recycled and reused. Naturally, some water needs to be replenished since some water is incorporated in the produce itself, but a whole lot less than in outdoor fields.

I think Rory Williams is one of my favorite Companions, even if he suffers from that all too common flaw of heterosexuality. He’s kind of nerdy or dweebish, but not really dorky – otherwise he’d be adorkable. He gets flustered and confused, but doesn’t seem helpless on his own – unlike so many pre-reboot Companions! I just wish he were blond or redheaded, older, and available! ;-)

Can we pretend everyone believes Anna is a virgin and sacrifice her to @craftingmom’s muse? Maybe they’ll be enough Karma overload that it’ll work with @Timothy M.’s muse too! One can only hope! ;-)

For my 45th birthday, I gave several of my friends CDs that I’d burned with some of my favorite music. I printed labels to resemble a 7” record (the old 45 rpm Singles format) with the text “droughtquake’s 45” (with my RL name rather than my online persona). The music started out with a Coming Out theme. I think I had more than one version because several of the songs had duplicate track numbers and I don’t see Bronski Beat’s Smalltown Boy listed even though I know I included it. Constant Thing – Jesse Hultberg [lyrics include ‘I was raised a straight boy, but I’m not that way’] No More Tears (Enough is Enough) – kd lang & Andy Bell A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes – Cher No Matter What – boyzone Hideaway [Little Louie Vega Mix] – Erasure Crazy for You – Madonna You Know I Love You… Don’t You? – Howard Jones Yes I Am – Melissa Etheridge Whenever You Need Somebody –Rick Astley I’ll Be There – The Jackson 5 Wild Boys – Duran Duran I’ll Be Loving You (Forever) – New Kids on the Block ? Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World – Israel Kawakawiwo'ole

Will Adam have enough to spare? (It should be peace of mind! This is why we need to know the origin of phrases to know how to spell them.) ;-) I remember when Hawaii was trying to gender-equalize their laws, they changed their marriage laws (pre-Same-Sex Marriage) so the new couple could take the husband’s last name, they could take the wife’s last name, they could swap last names, or they could choose a new last name. At the same time they changed other laws so a new child could have their father’s last name, their mother’s last name, or a new last name could be given. Potentially very confusing, but in reality just making it easier for anyone to continue their culture’s naming conventions. (This seems to cover the Scandinavian/Slavic conventions: Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (retired Icelandic President), Benny Andersson (of ABBA), and the Slavic equivalents (-ovna for a daughter and -ovich for a son).

Or maybe you can trade your muse in for a different model, @craftingmom. You might check with @Timothy M.. He might be interested in a trade! ;-)