Former Member

Is the third option a time-share? We know that the Friends of Lomax™ all have access to large amounts of disposable income. If they all bought into the place, they’d all have the option to stay there whenever they had time. ;–)

I hear they make great doorstops! ;–)

Okay, so now I remember all of those stories from when they were published here. But it’s been a very long time since I read Uninvited Guest. I remembered Gallagher & Martin when they popped up in Naked Calendar, but hadn’t remembered the story that introduced them. ;–) Thank you for answering all the questions! ;–)

He’s committing slow-motion suicide with his drinking. :–(

Splitting the story into two parts gave all of us readers the chance to talk things through and figure out what we thought and believed. You helped me to expand my concept of who and what Malcolm knows about their identity. Sexuality and identity are fascinating topics to me. I’ve had more than one ‘discussion’ comparing and contrasting sexual behavior and sexual identity. There are many who cannot understand that sexual behavior does not automatically relate to identity. Some subscribe to an irrational theory that a single event automatically transforms a person’s orientational identity – kind of a ‘One Drop Rule.’ A person can have sex with a man and a woman and identify as straight, Gay, or bisexual because identity is something that each individual chooses for themselves. A virginal teen can know their own sexual identity long before they ever have sex. Conversely, a person could have many sexual experiences without knowing their orientational identity. And some people will later come to realize that their true identity is not what they had long believed. ;–)

I think of Teddy’s strategy as wearing a mask. I had my Store Employee Mask, my AIDS Project Volunteer Mask, and my LGBTQ+ Activist Mask. When I put on my mask, I was able to do what I needed to do at the time – things that I would never be able to do otherwise. I hate speaking in front of large groups, but I did it while wearing my Volunteer Mask. My therapists couldn’t understand why I wasn’t able to take my outspokenness about being Gay while I was homeless and apply that energy to other aspects of my life. I’m not really me when I’m wearing a mask. ;–)

Always a fan of the Sith, I see! ;–)

I know the chef story was posted here, but withdrawn when it was published. I can’t remember the charity doctor/lawyer story, but I’m forgetful. I’ve been trying to remember if I ever read any @lomax61 story with that combination, but haven’t been successful… and Brian’s not helping! ;–)

@dutch woman, I didn’t know about that saying either. Maybe it’s a Father Christmas thing (Father Christmas didn’t get through immigration)? Sinterklaas made the trip across the Atlantic and Americanized his name to Santa Claus. But Piet got held up at Ellis Island and was deported back to the Netherlands. ;–)

In my previous apartment, I had a nice older gentleman as my neighbor across the hall. I can’t remember his name anymore because it was about twenty years ago, but he was mentioned to me when I first moved in as Mr _____. All of my other neighbors were introduced to me by first name. I’d see him in the hallway in passing and when retrieving mail. He was always cheerful. He was active and got out regularly. He had a son, but wanted to remain independent and lived alone. One day, I noticed that the postal carrier was trying to stuff more mail into an already full slot. I thought that was strange because he never left town and checked his mail daily. When I came home from work, there was a police car and the coroner’s van out front. All my neighbors were gathered on the steps in front of the building because the smell was so strong. Apparently he had fallen in the bathroom and had died earlier in the weekend. No one noticed anything until there was a very strong, very bad smell. I think they might have had to replace the floor before it could be rented out again. I should have said something when I noticed the mail slot. I’m afraid that will happen to me. My clinical depression and anxiety keep me in my apartment most of the time. Even when I leave to go to the library or to do grocery shopping, I don’t always see any of my neighbors. I asked my postal carrier to check up on me if my mail starts piling up.

At least Harrison doesn’t refer to his wife as ‘Mommy’ (Reagan) or ‘Mother’ (Pence)! ;–)

Math-dancing! I love the idea!!

If you let me know where to send them, I’m sure I can find some hungry homeless men who would even eat fruitcake. Oh, that wasn’t what you meant? ;–)

Hey @Wayne Gray! I decided to donate to my local Police/Firefighter campaign for toys/meals and they use Paypal for donations. PayPal is running a promotion for #GivingTuesday, so I tried to find The Raven Project but it wasn’t one of the agencies (RCAA might be). I also donated to a local homeless services agency through that promotion. ;–) I did a DuckDuckGo search for ‘The Raven Project’ and found a Facebook page and the link for their sponsoring agency, Redwood Community Action Agency. They have a link for donations through PayPal, just make sure to designate where you want the funds to go in the Notes. I decided to send them a little donation. ;–)

I, on the other hand, was hooked as soon as I saw who was showing up for the story! ;–)

So, not Trout? ;–)

The best of Lomax all together for the holiday! What could go wrong? (Will Trout crash the party?) ;–)

I can't wait to see how everybody gets along with each other. Although Trevor worries that people won’t get along, I’m sure that they’ll click and become life-long friends. How can they not? They’re all Friends of Lomax™!

Nope. Not good enough. I’m sending it back! ;–)

It’s #GivingTuesday. Does The Raven Project have a website with the ability to accept online donations? If not, there are several other worthy causes that serve that general population on a national or international scale. ;–)

Such childish behavior! ;–)

I am not sure why, but the last few days I have been thinking about George Gershwin's tragically short life. I guess it started when I bumped into a (born-died) parenthetical after another composer's name. Born the same year as Gershwin, but died in 1990. My mind boggles to consider what directions Gershwin would have taken music from 1937 to 1990. Anyway, here is about the last orchestral piece he completed before receiving his brain tumor diagnosis. "Walk the Dog" is sure to make you smile and put a spring in your step. More informed folks will marvel at how perfect the composition is, and how brilliantly arranged too

I’m sorry your Aunt and cousin are so hostile. As I said, in my family they’d pretend they weren't fighting. Anyone who paid attention would be well aware of the tension and bad feelings. But nothing would be overt. In some ways, it would be good for you and your mother to show up even if the aunt and cousin weren’t welcoming. Is christmas the big holiday, or is it New Year’s Day? My family never celebrated NYD much because the historical traditions are closely tied with Buddhist traditions and customs and my father was a Protestant minister. Plus my grandmothers both lived in Chicago when I was growing up in Honolulu and San Diego – my mother wasn’t going to prepare yet another feast so soon after US Thanksgiving and christmas.

Another problem with philanthropic grants is that the funding typically only covers parts of the cost of program being supported. Grants can also impose restrictions based on the biases of the funder that might run counter to the best use of the funds or prevent serving certain segments of the population. Some do not cover ordinary business expenses like rent or basic office supplies. US government restrictions on funding abortions can adversely affect the health of women. Some funders, often religious in nature, prevent AIDS service organizations from reaching out to sex workers or even LGBTQ+s! Hundreds of thousands have died due to bigotry. Maybe Harlan can suggest to a Don or two that they might want to send a little money (in the range of rounding errors or pocket change to them) to a little program in an out of the way corner of California… ;–)

I wasn’t expecting Harlan to be the connection to Guarded! But Harlan should be able to assist his father financially and more importantly, emotionally. Undergoing serious medical treatment with emotional support from family and/or friends is a bit less stressful than doing it on your own. Even having Harlan accompanying him to the Bay Area is helpful, although considering the stated condition of Gary’s truck, I hope Harlan drives! ;–)