Former Member

This is what happens when we are not honest in our actions. My favorite revenge story involves someone bumping my car into the red zone in order to squeeze her Volvo into a space much too short to fit into. I got a ticket because of her rudeness! So I let most of the air out of one of her tires. Since it was in front of my apartment, my neighbors and I watched while sitting on the steps to the entrance. She returned and drove off, completely oblivious… ;–)

Oh, no. My creativity comes in very tiny bits. Writing was always something I struggled with in English class. That and spelling (but my parents helped improve my spelling over time with family games of Scrabble and Boggle). Everything I did was too derivative and unoriginal. I have trouble creating something coherent because my thinking is very disorganized. I’ll leave the writing to my favorite authors who are much more talented than I could ever be! ;–)

So, you’re not one of those very pretentious Gay men who insists that everyone use his formal full name all the time? Or one of the ‘creative’ Gay men who come up with unusual ways to spell their name to seem more exotic? (Myke? Myk'l? LaMichael?) ;–)

We learn such intimate details of your life in the Comments section! ;–)

Coming Out to one’s self means that you are acknowledging and accepting that aspect of yourself. It is the acceptance that your sexuality, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity differs from most people. It is an acceptance that you are part of a minority which faces additional struggles merely for being who we are. It’s not so much that we were hiding a secret from ourselves. More that we often try to deny that aspect of ourselves in hopes it will go away. For some it is a temptation that keeps coming back no matter how hard we try to suppress it. This is likely a part of why LGBTQ+s suffer from higher rates of depression, suicide, addictions, and other mental health issues.

Limited word count? That makes each bite even sweeter, fine work distilling those thoughts. v

All of these pieces are great. I enjoyed them like thought candy, one small, sweet bite at a time. Thanks for posting. v

Even in France? The home of gourmet food and fashion-forward clothing? No daily fresh bread? ;–)

When I was homeless and staying in the county-run shelter, the Nurse-Practitioner described orange juice as sugar water. All orange juice. So even though I used to always drink orange juice, I now rarely buy it (and only Simply Orange juice). ;–)

The bacon and scrambled eggs were probably factory prepared for reheating in the hospital, but probably arrived cold. The orange juice probably arrived tepid, but still factory sealed. The toast was probably day old bread toasted in quantity in ovens – and cold as well. Even though Jack had a choice, I doubt they are even fast food quality. I’m guessing the food has the same sources as most school lunchrooms. Is that four stars out of one hundred? ;–)

The Golden City is very unlike this story, but nominally set in the same universe (Ryder is mentioned in passing as a young, Gay musician). The Golden City features a high school teenager from a small town in Texas who is orphaned and adopted by his long estranged maternal uncle. He moves to live with his father in San Francisco, the most un-Texas city in the country. I think you’ll like it too. ;–)

I’d have to hide my efforts in that notorious cesspool site where editing and spellchecking is apparently banned. ;–)

You may have seen my comment about needing to write an entire story with no dialogue because I’m so bad at it. I have plenty of ideas, but don’t know how to create an interesting story arc and conclusion. I know that some writers don’t worry about any of those issues (or spelling, grammar, and punctuation), but they seem unaware that their stories are sorely lacking in critical areas. I wouldn’t want to look like one of those authors! ;–)

I think if I ever wrote a story, they’d make me post it in The Pit! Hey wait a minute, they don’t moderate new posters there. I wouldn’t have to wait in a queue until my rep points got high enough! ;–)

My world is filled with people of all sorts of gender, sexual, and sexuality identities; national and ethnic origins; linguistic backgrounds; religious preferences (including undecided and Agnostic); immigration statuses; ages; interests; professions; and housing situations. My life is richer and more interesting because of those differences. I have learned much more from people with these various differences than if I had remained isolated in the suburbs where I grew up. Even though I am risk averse, I have learned to enjoy foods and cuisines from all over the world (but I’m still refusing to eat my quota of micro-pellet plastics via seafood). I have come to appreciate what I have more because I’ve learned about people who grew up with much less (money, stuff, resources, education, love, and support) than I did when I was growing up. I enjoy learning about new things from new people, especially when they display the intersectionality of the real world. Ooooo! Lots of really scary terms there! Maybe someone should set up a frightening Halloween Anthology using all these trigger words and concepts! Much more terrifying than clowns, ghosts, mass murderers, or unexplained internet outages. ;–)

Every interview ever conducted on American Bandstand: "It's got a good beat, and I can dance to it."

That Civic had survived my years earlier rushing-to-work-on-a-rainy-day-slide-into-the-curb-because-I-was-speeding-and-dislodged-the-radiator one-car ‘accident’. ;–)

I was always under the impression that Team Nathan had more fans than Team Tom ever did! ;–)

I don’t think either Jeff or Tracy are the right guy for Jack. I’m wondering if Jimmy is obsessed with harassing Jack about being Gay because he suppressing his feelings for Jack (the other guys are just following their leader). I’m wondering if nearly losing Jack might cause Jimmy to reconsider his priorities and decide he’s going to act on his long-denied love for Jack. I know it’s a cliché, but clichés often exist (just like other stereotypes) because there are many examples in real life! ;–)

I’d say ‘gandered,’ but that implies something much less invasive than he’ll experience! ;–)

Jake sounds like he grew up in a bygone era, but misinterpreted the recent gains of LGBTQ+s. #MeToo applies to wealthy, entitled Gay men as well. Even if they [Kevin Spacey] don’t want to use the term ‘Gay’ to describe themselves.

I got sideswiped by a red Volvo that decided he didn’t want to wait when his left-turn signal turned red. He ‘merged’ right into me and left a long red stripe down the left side of my Civic. He claimed it was somehow my fault (because I accelerated into ‘his’ space) and the idiots at my insurance company decided we were both at fault and settled the claim with each paying their own claim. Had they seen the intersection in question and witnessed that very same behavior occurring regularly, they would have known there was no question about fault. My understanding is that it’s illegal to cross the solid white line when you’re in a left-turn lane. Unfortunately, the Oakland PD is overwhelmed by other, more important tasks and do not investigate any non-injury auto accidents (or car break-ins). I didn’t have a camera, video camera, or smartphone at the time, so I could not take pictures/video to support my claim. It’s a dangerous five road intersection only because drivers are impatient and ignore traffic laws.

On the Grapevine, one problem is that it’s a long, steep incline that’s heavily traveled by semis. The Tejon Pass cuts through the Transverse Range which separates the LA Basin and the San Joaquin Valley. It’s more than 4,000 ft (1, 250 m) in elevation. The two valleys are much, much lower. The snowfall usually only happens a couple days a year at most.

Unless we live in the Sierras or other mountains that regularly get snow every year, few Californians know how to drive in icy or snowy conditions – people from snowy areas cannot believe that the CHP always shuts down the Grapevine and Tejon Pass when there’s an inch or two of snow on the freeway. Perhaps Ms Sexton could test her skills in icy conditions when she visits. I can easily imagine her believing her skills are greater than they actually are… ;–)

Men who would hire an underaged hustler would certainly be likely to also be amused to see that same hustler get unintentionally drunk. :–(