Former Member

That was with typewriters! When proportional type became the standard for personal as well as professional use, we followed the professional example (as seen in books, magazines, newspapers, and other professionally created documents). Double-spacing indicates that the writer learned how to type on a typewriter and never got rid of the bad habit. Schools teach us lots of inaccurate things for various reasons. History books often try to inject some unhistorical ‘facts’ in an attempt to make the stories seem more interesting. Almost all of us (in the US) are very aware that George Washington didn’t chop down a cherry tree. Many of us are aware that the Pilgrim fairytales paint a much rosier picture than the actual historical events would indicate. Many things are glossed over because they make adults uncomfortable. My high school history books ended before the Vietnam War because the editors knew that feelings were too raw and the events were too controversial to get into at that point since the US had only negotiated a retreat and a de facto surrender a few years before the books were published. Teachers don’t usually tell us when we are learning about an LGBTQ person in English, Science, or History class, but a couple years ago, California passed legislation that requires public schools to include lessons about LGBTQs in class. Much as they’ve been trying to make sure students are aware of women, people with disabilities, and/or People of Color who have done important things, California is trying to extend that to LGBTQs as well. Most of what we are taught focuses on the white men who have done things, the people who are not white men are usually discounted and ignored. When the only female scientist most people can recall is Marie Curie who died of radiation poisoning, we lose the possibility of a future female scientist curing cancer, resolving string theory, creating new products that men would never think of, or exploring the depths of our ocean trenches. When teachers neglect to mention that there are many famous and best-selling LGBTQ authors, we discourage a new generation of writers who might create new genres in fiction, write incredible new forms of poetry, or reinvent existing tropes and genres. When people with disabilities are repeatedly and consistently overlooked, we end up with a class of people with huge unemployment percentages. [climbing off soapbox]

We are a separate nation! Our flag says ‘California Republic.’ Our Governor Newsom referred to California as a Nation-State. We are the fifth or sixth largest economy in the world! ;–)

Missing words! The quote I chose is a good example. ‘For what do I need an editor for? Is it spelling, grammar… what?’ (Also, since you’re using proportional type [ie the letters aren’t all the same width], you should only use a single space between sentences.) ;–)

So I guess California can stop sending all that massive foreign aid! ;–)

You guys still act like you’re a separate country! Different language, different customs, different foods… ;–) You’re either going to sink into the Atlantic along with everything else east of the Sierras when the Big One hits, or a super-sized hurricane will just wash all of you into the ocean! ;–)

He’s obviously famous, even a non-sports fan like me is aware of his name. Apparently he owns the only two remaining Toyota Scion dealers left in the world after Toyota shut down the sub-brand. I wonder if his Colorado Chevy dealership also sells Geos, or if his Colorado Chrysler Jeep dealership still offers Plymouths? I’m sure his Cadillac store doesn’t sell La Salles anymore… He has an obvious connection to Denver and Colorado, but he graduated from high school in Granada Hills (which might explain the Southern California dealerships). I’m guessing that his Stanford connection is why I’m aware of him. Other Bay Area connections include John’s second wife, a former Oakland Raider cheerleader; John’s daughter, Jessica who also attended Stanford; and John’s father, Jack, who was head coach at San José State. The local sports guys on the news like focusing on athletes who have Bay Area and Northern California connections (including Mr Inflategate himself [aka Mr Gisele Bündchen] who was born and raised in San Mateo [located between San Francisco and Silicon Valley]).

Only you would digress to a discussion of farts during dinner! ;–)

I don’t know about Aussie Rules Football, but I know that some soccer players wear briefs, but others appear to wear nothing under their shorts. There are plenty of pictures of players whose shorts are pulled up or otherwise expose their floppy bits. I’m sure they’d post pictures of exposed rear straps if they wore athletic supporters, but I’ve never seen any. ;–) I’m pretty sure that soccer players from the US do wear jockstraps or other supportive underwear. ;–)

"Flight seemed like a good idea." I've been there before. Rich description of a few moments when the alteration occurs. Thanks for posting, v

I’m expecting to meet Jett’s dad next too! But I think I’d like to see Zane and Carina comparing notes! Jett & April seem unwilling to discuss Theo. At this rate, with everyone knowing little bits and pieces about Theopril and discussing things around little Jay, Jay will put the pieces together and tell Jett the truth about Theo! ;–)

I’m glad I’m not the one being interrogated by Sauhn-druh! I would wilt pretty much the same way Rhett would if he were being questioned by her. It’s a good thing Rhett is safely on the other side of the country. ;–) I’m sure Sauhn-druh is great as a businesswoman since women have to achieve higher standards than men do to be taken seriously. She has probably had to fight harder to get where she is than if she had been a man. But she doesn’t seem to know how to turn that down to be a good parent. Grant is lucky that William is not driven in the same way. ;–)

I’ve heard that at least one winery is producing alcohol sanitizer gel due to the sudden increase in demand. There’s a distiller in San Francisco doing the same. Elsewhere, a massive brewery and a perfume producer have converted some of their production lines to make alcohol gel too. There’s a company in Silicon Valley making face shields using 3D printers and laser cutters. The printers make the parts that hold the clear plastic on the wearer’s head. The laser cutter forms the shield itself. Some school kids donated the use of their 3D printers to increase production. All over the world, seamstresses and others are making masks. Some are intended to use coffee filters or hepa filters. Others are intended to cover N-95 masks to keep the valuable masks cleaner during extended use. All these efforts help to karmically balance the hoarders out there.

With a name like ‘kbois,’ I saw the ‘boi’ (I was going to say ‘part’ here, but thought better of it!) and always thought you were male! ;–)

“I lied!” Have to say I chuckled while reading this. Neat threads of humor twined through the action. I enjoyed this quick, tasty morsel this morning. Thanks, v

Yes, please keep your fingers on the keys. This appears very interesting. Though I just jumped in here, I will go back to review the preceding chapters soon. Thank you for writing, thank you for posting. v

Christmas on March 25th? The shepherds would be more likely out in the fields with their flocks at this time of the year… ;–)

Even with my mild symptoms, control is vital. I’ve never even tasted a sip of alcohol or a puff of pot (much less anything harder). I never wanted to lose what little control I have. That was reinforced by an immediate family where no one ever smoked or drank and the only alcohol in the house was for cooking.

Terrence McNally was survived by his husband, Tom Kirdahy (VT Civil Partnership 12/20/2003, DC marriage 4/6/2010, NY legal Marriage 6/26/2015). He had survived lung cancer, but died from complications of COVID-19. PBS’ American Masters presented Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life – I was able to see it at the Castro Theatre during Frameline42 (about a year before PBS showed it).

Just tell them you’re emulating your favorite Disco Era hair bands! ;–)

I recently read A to Z so all the characters except ADA Williams and the Defense were familiar. I was kind of hoping for a confrontation between Andy & Ray; where Andy nails Ray as the despicable person he is. But happy that Ray is nailed anyway and shown to be the coward he is. Spectacular ending that seemed to be missing from A to Z. Thanks for your hard work Parker and for allowing us to see your marvelous talent. It's all to frequent that stories like Andy's of abuse are swept under the table in real life. This one has a happy ending but it is make believe.

@Lux Apollo I just put this on, and thought you might enjoy hearing it

There are about three or four different Topics in the Lounge about Gay movies to watch. Additionally, in The Pit, I posted my thoughts about the movies, documentaries, and shorts I saw at Frameline40, Frameline41, and Frameline42. I gave up on it last year (Frameline43) because they changed the Festival Program listings, no longer including brief synopses of the shorts, which made it very difficult to remember the up to six or seven short films in a Program. The Festival Program also changed formats from magazine-style to much less informative format similar in size and thickness to a DVD case that some others found easier to carry.

I want to see Jett’s father meet Theopril’s father! ;–)

I almost forgot Beautiful Thing. It’s set in a working class council estate (housing project). It was another TV movie that was released theatrically. The soundtrack consists of the music of The Mamas & the Papas and ‘Mama’ Cass Elliot, except for the Beautiful Thing Medley. Hettie MacDonald went on to direct Blink, regarded as the best episode since the reboot of Doctor Who. It was during the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) era. But the Doctor and Martha Jones barely appear in the episode except for clips viewed on videotape. It was a terrifying Weeping Angels story. Ben Daniels plays the part of the boyfriend of Jamie’s mother, Sandra. He is a neo-hippie who comes across as a soft, seemingly weak man against the brash, ambitious Sandra. Ironically, Ben is the only Openly Gay actor, at least of the major characters.

My Beautiful Launderette was originally produced for TV (which explains the relatively low quality image), but was released theatrically in the US and other countries. It has an intersectional set of interlocking themes: a Gay romance, Pakistani-English immigrant experiences, and the struggles of unemployed working-class white English youth. It was one of two movies that introduced Daniel Day-Lewis to US audiences along with A Room with a View.