Former Member

Elvis Aron Presley. ;–)

I’m sure Rory will be polite (a very English virtue, even if some [soccer hooligans, for example] reject that trait). But will Rebecca emulate Nicola and torment Robbie? Robbie seems to be one of those guys who walks around with a permanently flashing neon ‘Tease Me!’ sign on his forehead! ;–)

So it’s a countdown until Robbie turns 18 then! ;–) A few months to apply for and receive British citizenship (still part of the EU in Robbie’s timeline). A few months to tie things up in Canada. Then it’s Go Team Tom! Right, real-life ‘Robbie’?

This was a fun ending to an interesting series – even if some characters made choices I advised against (RRS). ;–) You all had some recipes even this picky eater would try. But almost all were too complex for this extremely lazy cook. A toast to all the authors and my fellow readers with my non-alcoholic sparkling cider! ;–)

On the one hand, Donnie still has some control over Robbie’s finances if he keeps Robbie in Canada. On the other hand, if Donnie lets Robbie return to the UK, he’ll be much less of an embarrassment to Donnie. How long before Robbie turns 18 and how long until he graduates from high school? Donnie might decide letting Robbie permanently leave Canada is preferable to the continuing disruption and friction Robbie causes. Of course, real-life ‘Robbie’ travels between the two countries regularly. ;–)

Conner has inherited his appearance from his parents. And like all first generation children of immigrants, he will have absorbed more of his ancestors’ culture and attitudes than later generations will. Just like Rory and Fran. ;–)

By now you must be very aware that I’m a can’t-see-the-forest-for-the-trees kind of guy! It’s my nature to ask the irrelevant questions. Plus Frameline film festival is my major form of celebration during Pride Month! ;–)

God’s Own Country? Brokeback Mountain? Man in an Orange Shirt? My Beautiful Launderette? What was Alan watching? ;–)

Such a beautiful story! I’ve read stories about how homophobic the Polish government is. It’s great to have a Polish character who shows that governments don’t speak for all their citizens. There are kind and open-minded people from all over the world! Now why did I expect to see a recipe for Pierogi or the gingerbread with stewed plums at the end? ;–)

Good, I thought it was just me. Conner would be way too overwhelming to me. I need my space. Of course, I don’t think that Conner is the right one for Robbie anyway, even if he’s Swedish! I still think Robbie will return to Tom. Go Team Tom! ;–)

I have thin plastic cover for my laptop’s keyboard. It was molded specifically to fit. It won’t prevent all liquid from getting into the computer, but it does minimize the risk. You can also buy a sealed keyboard that rolls up for transportation. You might look into one of them if you frequently spill your drinks on your keyboard. They don’t feel as nice (for typing) as a regular keyboard though.

The differences in software between your regular computer and this one meant that the text was properly formatted so Safari was able to enter Reader Mode! ;–) Mele Kalikimaka! ¡Feliz Navidad! Happy Holidays!

Was it Sweet Tea? ;–)

I am constantly amazed at how alcohol is such a big part of everyone else’s lives! As I’ve said before, the only alcohol we had in the house when I was growing up was for cooking. And I similarly only have mirin (cooking sake) and vanilla extract in my apartment. It’s a completely different world you live in! ;–) I’ve only lived on the Pacific Coast. My grandparents lived in Chicago when I was growing up. My maternal grandmother only moved out to California near the end of her life. By then she had stopped preparing elaborate meals, like Tempura, for us the way both of my grandmothers had when we were kids.

Perhaps @Parker Owens should consult with Don @Wayne Gray! ;–)

They say you don’t want to use a blacklight in a hotel or motel room. I don’t think housekeeping is unused to those sorts of conditions. Not a job I’d want to have… ;–)

That doesn’t sound very appetizing to me! ;–) Are they wrapping it in paper, then cloth to keep the turkey from falling apart? ;–)

One of the running jokes on The Big Bang Theory is that Leonard’s mother has been conducting psychological experiments on him his entire life – and writing books on the results! I seem to remember that Brett’s egg donor did that to him too. ;–)

This is the sort of thing that gave the English such a horrible reputation for a poor cuisine! ;–) It sounds like they boiled away all the favor! ;–)

I had a friend who identifies as Gay. He long had a straight female roommate who worked for the same company he did. They got along very well and she was very aware that he is Gay. Both wanted to have kids eventually, but were getting older without having found partners. They decided that they’d attempt an experiment to find out whether he could perform in bed with her in one of those ‘if we don’t find husbands by the time we’re X-years-old, we should get married and have kids together’ things! He was successful. They decided to get married and have children together. His other friends were furious! They felt betrayed and thought his very personal decision was some sort of insult to them! They cut off contact with him. When I last saw them (nearly 20 years ago), they had a son and she was pregnant with another child on the way. She drove a minivan with a ‘Family Car’ bumper sticker on it and laughingly commented that people thought she was a Lesbian. They’d been married several years and appeared to be happy and settled. He still identifies as Gay. While his decisions were not ones that I would have made, that’s precisely the point: they were not my decisions to make. Sexuality is complex. Sexual identity does not necessarily correspond to sexual behavior. The boundaries and barriers between different labels are not as cut and dry as some pretend that are. Labels are important and useful when we choose them for ourselves. Especially when we realize that labels are not permanent and can change at anytime for all sorts of reason (which others might not understand). Claiming not to believe in labels is choosing a form of labeling anyway. ;–)

Kippy, Charlie, Ricky, Adrien, and Ricky’s Uncle Bob go on magical adventure with Pip & Frit! We get to see Christmas in a whole new light. Plus Kippy makes a new friend! ;–) Like the best amusement park rides, you’ll have so much fun you’ll be surprised to find it’s over already. ;–)

Even if Dustin was emotionally available, he wouldn’t be a good partner for Aiden. Their experiential difference is too great. Aiden needs a puppy love-type boyfriend first. Dustin would be like trying to learn how to drive in a Lamborghini.

When a story is tagged Complete, it now automatically generates a graphic centered on the bottom of the final chapter (to the left of the Reactions) and that’s missing from this chapter. ;–)

Long before Oscar Stembridge or Ronan Parke, preteen Billy Gilman recorded a holiday album (Classic Christmas, 2000). link