Former Member

Melville’s novel, Pierre, features a mystical, self-playing guitar. In my screenplay of the same work, I made much use of Bach. Here are a few selections. Hope you enjoy www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tUnHDgB2ko

Did you clean the fan already?

I like to think that the lunch meant closure for Liam and Alek. Now Liam can move on even if it means someone besides Nathan. ;-)

I was aware of the preservation work that the Library of Congress did, but I didn’t realize how organized the selection process is. While it’s good to know that LGBTQs are represented in those two registries, there are many other important LGBTQ recordings that need to be preserved. I know that Outfest, LA’s LGBT film festival, has done some preservation work, I don’t think anyone is organized or well-funded enough to do it on a larger, more methodical way. And there are bits and pieces of LGBTQ history that gets thrown out by hetero relatives who are, at best, unaware of the cultural significance of old home movies and other documentation. Find a way to have your important artifacts preserved while you are still alive and can make those decisions. Generations worth of information was lost during the worst ravages of the AIDS crisis.

:-) I guess A-team is happy with this chapter. I was more than one time told, that it never works getting back together after a break up. I know better, it depends on the circumstances. ;-) Very sweet, emotional and touching chapter.

I've been wanting to join in, but found most of my opening lines are too compact to be good for this game. I stumbled on my opening for Part 3 of Hair of the Dog and decided to do it on the third line (the caterpillar example above has it on the third line ) My post-cum walk on the grass over to the creek – and to Junior – was a nice one. I stepped out of my sneakers, tied the laces together and flung them over my shoulder. The grass licked between my toes and made my cock stir to life again. And then the murders began. ———— Yeah...? What about doing it for famous opening lines, say, like this one: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. And then the murders began. ———— Or this one: Call me Ismael. And then the murders began. ———— Thanks for posting this, Mac. It's fun!

The National Recording Preservation Board, whose members are appointed but the Library of Congress, make the selections. The US Library of Congress is a very serious institution. The National Recording Registry announcement is one of several annual events. There is a similar National Film Registry for movies. Cabaret, Castro Street (documentary), Dog Day Afternoon, Midnight Cowboy, and Paris is Burning have been preserved alongside the odious Charleton Heston’s naked butt (Planet of the Apes). There is a National Film Preservation Board that narrows down public nominations and the Librarian of Congress and his staff make the final decision.

The (US) Library of Congress preserves sound recordings that “are culturally, historically, or artistically significant and/or inform or reflect life in the United States’ in the National Recording Registry. This year, three songs were chosen that are closely associated with the LGBTQ Community, Sister Sledge’s We Are Family, Judy Garland's Over the Rainbow, and David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Wendy Carlos’ Switched on Bach, Cole Porter’s You’re the Top, Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, Little Richard’s Tutti Frutti, the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack, and a Studs Terkel interview with James Baldwin are among the previously selected recordings I recognized as having LGBTQ connections. They all join Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a Dream speech and many other worthy choices.

This is very well written, Cole. Sometimes it's extremely hard to show the 'show don't tell' part of the standard advice concerning writing, but you've made it digestible in a brilliant way. I was watching an old film the other night (A Story from Chikamatsu), and I was again reminded how easily that playwright creates relatable people who are just going along to get along. Outwardly, we are drawn by our own emotions to want them to be good, but then Chikamatsu has them do something mercenary; it snaps us back to reality. He shows they are just people after all. Reading your piece reminded me of that. This a craft we all must be willing to study with an eye to self-improvement. Thanks for writing this! And tanks to Renee for organizing this effort. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crucified_Lovers

Sasha was ling up school and had things to do. What is Sasha doing? I was beginning to feel like what David kidded me with becoming…a rice wife having a day with the girls. A rice wife? Tony shrugged then raised his eyes to heaven for Devine patience. Divine. Nothing was going to waxed below the belt, let me set that straight. Going to be waxed… (Awwww! I’m still going to imagine you getting very sensitive places waxed anyway!) He asked kissing him as my arms came around him. I asked. “If by dressing better and getting all this shit done to make people take notice of you. I do it with no regrets.” “…done will make people take notice of you, I do it…” (That’s a comma I put there.) Only a woman and gay man would do that. Or. I suppose you’ve been told you can be a b¡t¢h when you want to be! ;-)

....so apropos of this time in the world... Plato also said: ‘Wherever it is allowed to be established as Law that a man cannot love a man, it is due to three things: Malice on the part of the lawmakers, Tyranny by the leaders, And cowardice by the people.’

One of my favorite Hawthorne quotes is on the writing process: "Easy reading is damn hard writing."

The Oakland/Alameda County Coliseum Complex has one of the best locations as far as accessibility is concerned. To the west is I-880, the major north/south East Bay freeway. To the east is the Coliseum Station that serves both Amtrak and BART, which also has an automated connection to the Oakland International Airport. With both the Warriors and Raiders leaving in a few years, and the A’s needing a new stadium, the complex is likely to undergo some massive changes. It’s possible the A’s will get a new stadium on this site with the old stadium and the arena being demolished. It’s also possible the A’s will get a new stadium near the harbor, but that location has transportation issues much worse than the new Warriors arena. In any case, I expect that there will be many proposals for housing and retail since it’s such a prime location – likely much more upscale than the surrounding area. Oakland has always been the tougher, working-class step-sister to the very egotistical, self-centered, and glamorous San Francisco. Tomorrow, Oakland will pick itself up and get back to work. Because that’s what Oakland always does. Don’t even think about returning again, Mark Davis.

Very interesting chapter. I had to laugh, when Kellar was so relieved that they don`t have to dress up for the marriage ceremony. My maid of honor said, she would marry naked just with a few flowers an strategical points glued to her, only to avoid buying a wedding dress and some relatives she would have to invite. The union of the packs seems astoundingly peaceful. It seems that shifters are wiser than humans. ;-) I like how Tobyn talked to Hugh. And I am really curious what Connors story will be. Tanks for sharing Lyssa

Will must really have been damaged if his brain created a second personality. (I thought I’d Reviewed/Commented on the first chapter along with at least one other reader.)

Oh yeah, I thought craftingmom wrote Downhearted.... Guess not

...She has before... Just sayin'

Okay, I've been thrashing around in the dark long enough Here's my partial list. Good luck to me in this guessing game (I'll need it!) The Real Me - W_L Chasing Jayce - Aditus Outwitted - J.HunterDunn Getting Caught - jfalkon Served Cold - Puppilull Happy Birthday! - MacGreg Downhearted - Valkyrie

Touching poem. You might want to check us out over on the Live-Poets Society thread; Mikiesboy says we're all 'Mad Poets' anyway

I am diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety. I was recently tested for many things including ADD (I’m definitely not hyperactive), but I don’t meet enough criteria to be diagnosed as ADD or ADHD. Many of the criteria I do meet can also be symptoms of depression or anxiety. It’s also possible that some of the other things they discovered during the testing are masking symptoms of ADD. I know that I am much more sensitive to background noise (including Muzak) that others can ignore and strong smells bother me (I do not wear colognes or perfumes). My cousin was diagnosed as hyperactive and was on medication back in the ‘70s, so they’ve been diagnosing kids with hyperactivity for a long time.

Should they change their name?

I’m not unhappy! It was fun to have an entire scene with Jazz shirtless. (Too bad Carolyn was there! But it is funny that Miriam was there the first time he took his shirt off in front of Carolyn. Pale people blush so nicely!) I’ll put away my pitchfork for now… ;-)

Man wantabe? is usually spelled ‘wannabe.’

“Freud would suggest I did subconsciously hoping you would find out.” …’did what I did subconsciously hoping…’ or ‘did subconsciously hope’ but as written it’s wrong. So Colin is Tony is Seth? ;-)

Goodwill runs stores in many cities across the country selling used clothes and doing job training at the same time. Out of the Closet* runs stores in California and Florida. *But I just found out that the extremely controversial AHF (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) out of LA owns them. Michael Weinstein (AHF’s founder) keeps trying to push Propositions in California after he was successful with one that has basically forced porn production out of LA County. The laws he wants to enact are of questionable value and sound much better than they are effective at their stated goals. There are also vintage stores that sell formerly stylish or trendy clothing and other items. Oakland’s Pointer Sisters wore vintage clothing when they first became famous (Fire, He’s So Shy, Slow Hand, and others). At least one Goodwill store advertises relatively heavily in October as a Halloween costume store!