Podcasts about Duh

Jay Paterno - Son of Joe Pa, former Penn state coach and current Penn State Board Member - joins the pod to talk about the Penn State coaching search, the state of college football and his new book. Also - Sherrone Moore and Michigan. Duh. Later, College Football Playoff talk, NFL teams that Shea likes but shouldn't, and NFL teams that Shea doesn't like but should, Dylan's degen of the week, Emails - and of course - Phillip Rivers. Get it in yall. CODE for 20% off NicoKick.com orders: SHEAINIRV Sponsor Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and statements expressed by Shea in Irving are solely their views and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of Nicokick.com or its affiliates. WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. Underage sale prohibited. link: https://nicokick.com/

Chroma111. She does backflips Purple cosmos Whole turnover— We set the whole world on its stomach; A Whole corpse So so wrong Oh oh oh, You made me fall in love Oh, You made me fall in love “Jimmy Gets Belligerent” Hey. Yeah. Remember when Anne Hathaway went into God Mode? FLASHBACK: ANNE HATHAWAY goes into GOD MODE. CUT IMMIDIATELY BACK TO: Yeah. Well this is that, but Jimmy Kimmel. oh boy. Yeah, that. {enter the multiverse} lol. Please writing gods tell me how and why this dude is running around the multidimentions carrying briefcases of sedatives and other recreational enhancements— JIMMY KIMMEL enters EXTREMELY CONFUSIEDLY. And also, why, Apparently he remembers nothing at all, While everyone else in this entire arc seems to have some sort of familiarity within these paradoxes?? I don't know. But I love Jimmy Kimmel. Duh, who doesn't? Yeah alright— but you know why? DAVID LETTERMAN MOO-HA-HA! Yo what the fuck. That dude is kind of evil. TINY KIMMEL (staring into the old ass television SET in a hypnotic state, mimicking with his own version of this evil, diabolical laugh.) Ehheehee!!! DAVID LETTERMAN discovers TELESYNTHESIS via his late night ENDEAVORS, all the while unmasking the true secret to TIME TRAVEL and THE MULTIDIMENSION, unlocked. YOUNG(ER) LETTERMAN Yessss, come to me dear child! Yeeeesssssssss. Damn. Yeah. That right there. That's how it works, apparently. L E G E N D S MOOHAHA! wtf. CC Sometimes we see the things in the TV which are plainly meant to see, but so often overlooked… {Enter The Multiverse} Stephen Colbert Lost Light I was thinking fondly about that scene at the end of the first season of The Studio— That nearly final shot from the finale where the light hits Seth Rogen's smiling eyes, and made them seem ten times bigger than they ever thought they could be— or how maybe possibly, How you never quite noticed how beautiful they are, because you're always remarkably distracted by his charm, and his trademark laugher, or his other well known markers. But I was thinking about it for a second time today, because I was also still somewhere somehow working on the other part of my projects that were although, still falling apart, however important— this ramshackle chaos between all of these media monarchies, the hosts of late night television —though some departed— and an arc that was coming together from scenes i'd already written in hiatus but still probably couldn't find, even if I tried… and the basis of it was really so dark and so off from what the regular gesture or any of those personalities was as established, I sometimes stayed off it, even if though the vision in my mind that made the anchor of something that was supposed to come from that side of the project, was so vivid in the moment, as if I was watching the actual finished product played back or played out in my mind. The reality of my actual life had become such a cruel joke that I no longer really even wanted to cave in and just write it, because I was so particularly embarrassed of how i'd even thought of [any of] that. But here was this, Mr. Stephen Colbert, whom I adored severely, who also had eyes that were quite shiny and large and round that made him, with his boyish face and little dimples, quite cute to look at— but more like a teddy bear, than any vicious or decrepit sexual monster, like some of the other [aforementioned], or so, not mentioned for other reasons. To be clear, this is what, from what I would gather, could come with the job, but the job was also another job, and had its own sort of chronicled problems and equations to solve that I could gawk at, if I watched enough of them. So far, however, there was only really only never more than one I would ever flock to for my gawking, and because I was so enamored by it, I mostly never bothered the others, until it came up in my project as something so artful that it would cause such a gentle heart murmur as one did— This sudden image of Mister Colbert standing in a stream of light in however an outward darkness, with the expression one might call a ‘longingness' as if in all the light had been forgotten—and now was shining on him with such a glow that it took the warmth inside my glow from it, as I saw this, a man of shadows seeming to have come to a final moment of some hope left. But was it lost? Was it false hope? And what had happened? Last I left dear Colbert and our other dearly beloved in a twist of fate— a paradox at the proportion of Titans, in that this, a pocket watch, and a very daunting silver pistol, seeming to be stuck inside a hall of some sort where the linoleum floors and barren abandonment amongst the tattered and ripped unkempt nature of either of them— —Or at least I believed in my head— it were Mr. Kimmel and Colbert, but the scene had been somewhere so long gone and forgotten that I could not remark on which other host it was, that had the memories of all the paradoxes still sharp and hard on his mind, while poor Kimmel somehow seemed, even after a thousand rounds of groundhogged circumstances— (that is to say ‘over and over')— to not remember anything that had happened? But what did happen? And still this was far off from that same shadowed dark place where now in this vivid moment Mister Colbert stood looking up into the light with such grace as if to say, maybe he was thankful for what was approaching— but what? In this pale and yellow warm light streaking across his already very shiny eyes and pleasant face he seemed to be seeking some relief and may have even found it, but was now alone in this place, silver pistol still clutched in his hand, and standing even in the dark set, some percentium arch, rather, as the floor beneath his feet seemed even that rubber type you'd find upon a stage somewhere… But where had I drifted off? I'd come to New York all those years ago mindlessly writing about what appeared to be that same watch, or a watch—a pocket watch, that was somehow rather important to the plot, also. It had to have been important because, at least I thought, it was Morgan Freeman that brought it up [in the first place]. And of course I couldn't overlook at all how anyone I'd written about or thought of fondly just rather seemed to show up in these shows where the hosts were so good at their job they sometimes almost entirely disappeared in plain sight — and for a moment the spectacle was that they even seemed to have removed themselves as a whole from the eyes of the camera, and the audience at the job. A well-done late night host is often a man inside a hole— a suit in the dark where there's not light, because in essence, in the man, he must remain as trapped and as silenced as I have been, or I am, as I write this. And perhaps that's why I found them here, in a foreign land, in my prison trap where I keep my eyes from the rest of the world that cannot have them, under my public sunglasses and ‘why-try' when I am forced to go out into the world and have at it, but always quite missing my mark and stumbling back into the box with much damage and the excitement of a child on Christmas to see my cat, and a warm box, and an hour of something to laugh at. But this project was no laughing matter— mostly because it was sadness; sadness which I kept composed— [the neighbor exits quietly] Oh she IS capable of shutting the door normally. Look at that. —Sadness which I kept composed as darkness, woven into songs as verses or poems as proses without ever giving it a single thought of what was reflected or why it was I was decided to watch that. {Enter The Multiverse} After all, we began chasing Skrillex into forests with monsters, and now balance the delicate calorie deficits of all of what they have— the actors and actresses, media titans, and even politicians, as I burn through my own light like the Palisades fires, where ironically my legend was born before I'd even think to write it; L E G E N D S Somewhere in a place inside my mind where my diaries and lost unrequited love would become sometimes my light and sometimes my darkness and the forced focus of becoming nothing without actually being done— this sort of infinite place that has to exist somewhere in my mind, because it does— and also out in the world — [the door slams violently] Nevermind, she sucks. They all suck. —because thst's where it comes from. So what of Colbert, and the Gun, and the watch, and the Owl, and all of our friends on the trains, in the mazes and libraries? I hadn't not the slightest cause to reckon where the rest of it was because the tragedy of the story was still being just as lived as it was written. The variable pertaining to how many times I had seemingly fallen in love with nothing more than just a shadow or simple reflection of my own thoughts— Glimpses into mirrors and corridors of infinite in all the effective possibilities of the things I'd ever wanted. Perhaps the darkness was that without searching, I wanted to be loved— And it was here, the whole time, quantified and personified in the people that had so much of it, that I could take the idea of such and skate on it, like a complex sort of obstacle, that it wasn't directed at me— but then it was— because I was looking to deeply into something I loved, That it would come back in the form of something, no matter what it was. Long after the perfume was gone, the diamond eyes would still remind me of an Owl that I had once seen and even become, but since arriving in New York and staying too long, had not come back. There certainly was a piece or part of me that had lived and died here, but I was unsure what it was yet. But what of Colbert? Even this was an incomplete and intercepted thought, or concept. All I looked at was him in this light, clutching this little gun that I loved because it was so silver and so polished and so small, And the words “Lost Light”. So perhaps I'd write that song next. [The Festival Project ™] —Death of a Superstar DJ Chroma111. INT. CRYPT. ROCKEFELLER PLAZA. I told you he was a genius! [a mechanical sound erupts from the cooridor above.] Hey! What happened?! BILL MURRAY Well, that's easy! You're trapped. Copyright © The Complex Collective 2025 The Festival Project, Inc. ™ All rights reserved. Chroma111. Copyright © The Complex Collective 2025. [The Festival Project, Inc. ™] All rights reserved. UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED BY LAW. INFRIGMENT IS PUNSHABLE BY FEDERAL LAW

Chroma111. She does backflips Purple cosmos Whole turnover— We set the whole world on its stomach; A Whole corpse So so wrong Oh oh oh, You made me fall in love Oh, You made me fall in love “Jimmy Gets Belligerent” Hey. Yeah. Remember when Anne Hathaway went into God Mode? FLASHBACK: ANNE HATHAWAY goes into GOD MODE. CUT IMMIDIATELY BACK TO: Yeah. Well this is that, but Jimmy Kimmel. oh boy. Yeah, that. {enter the multiverse} lol. Please writing gods tell me how and why this dude is running around the multidimentions carrying briefcases of sedatives and other recreational enhancements— JIMMY KIMMEL enters EXTREMELY CONFUSIEDLY. And also, why, Apparently he remembers nothing at all, While everyone else in this entire arc seems to have some sort of familiarity within these paradoxes?? I don't know. But I love Jimmy Kimmel. Duh, who doesn't? Yeah alright— but you know why? DAVID LETTERMAN MOO-HA-HA! Yo what the fuck. That dude is kind of evil. TINY KIMMEL (staring into the old ass television SET in a hypnotic state, mimicking with his own version of this evil, diabolical laugh.) Ehheehee!!! DAVID LETTERMAN discovers TELESYNTHESIS via his late night ENDEAVORS, all the while unmasking the true secret to TIME TRAVEL and THE MULTIDIMENSION, unlocked. YOUNG(ER) LETTERMAN Yessss, come to me dear child! Yeeeesssssssss. Damn. Yeah. That right there. That's how it works, apparently. L E G E N D S MOOHAHA! wtf. CC Sometimes we see the things in the TV which are plainly meant to see, but so often overlooked… {Enter The Multiverse} Stephen Colbert Lost Light I was thinking fondly about that scene at the end of the first season of The Studio— That nearly final shot from the finale where the light hits Seth Rogen's smiling eyes, and made them seem ten times bigger than they ever thought they could be— or how maybe possibly, How you never quite noticed how beautiful they are, because you're always remarkably distracted by his charm, and his trademark laugher, or his other well known markers. But I was thinking about it for a second time today, because I was also still somewhere somehow working on the other part of my projects that were although, still falling apart, however important— this ramshackle chaos between all of these media monarchies, the hosts of late night television —though some departed— and an arc that was coming together from scenes i'd already written in hiatus but still probably couldn't find, even if I tried… and the basis of it was really so dark and so off from what the regular gesture or any of those personalities was as established, I sometimes stayed off it, even if though the vision in my mind that made the anchor of something that was supposed to come from that side of the project, was so vivid in the moment, as if I was watching the actual finished product played back or played out in my mind. The reality of my actual life had become such a cruel joke that I no longer really even wanted to cave in and just write it, because I was so particularly embarrassed of how i'd even thought of [any of] that. But here was this, Mr. Stephen Colbert, whom I adored severely, who also had eyes that were quite shiny and large and round that made him, with his boyish face and little dimples, quite cute to look at— but more like a teddy bear, than any vicious or decrepit sexual monster, like some of the other [aforementioned], or so, not mentioned for other reasons. To be clear, this is what, from what I would gather, could come with the job, but the job was also another job, and had its own sort of chronicled problems and equations to solve that I could gawk at, if I watched enough of them. So far, however, there was only really only never more than one I would ever flock to for my gawking, and because I was so enamored by it, I mostly never bothered the others, until it came up in my project as something so artful that it would cause such a gentle heart murmur as one did— This sudden image of Mister Colbert standing in a stream of light in however an outward darkness, with the expression one might call a ‘longingness' as if in all the light had been forgotten—and now was shining on him with such a glow that it took the warmth inside my glow from it, as I saw this, a man of shadows seeming to have come to a final moment of some hope left. But was it lost? Was it false hope? And what had happened? Last I left dear Colbert and our other dearly beloved in a twist of fate— a paradox at the proportion of Titans, in that this, a pocket watch, and a very daunting silver pistol, seeming to be stuck inside a hall of some sort where the linoleum floors and barren abandonment amongst the tattered and ripped unkempt nature of either of them— —Or at least I believed in my head— it were Mr. Kimmel and Colbert, but the scene had been somewhere so long gone and forgotten that I could not remark on which other host it was, that had the memories of all the paradoxes still sharp and hard on his mind, while poor Kimmel somehow seemed, even after a thousand rounds of groundhogged circumstances— (that is to say ‘over and over')— to not remember anything that had happened? But what did happen? And still this was far off from that same shadowed dark place where now in this vivid moment Mister Colbert stood looking up into the light with such grace as if to say, maybe he was thankful for what was approaching— but what? In this pale and yellow warm light streaking across his already very shiny eyes and pleasant face he seemed to be seeking some relief and may have even found it, but was now alone in this place, silver pistol still clutched in his hand, and standing even in the dark set, some percentium arch, rather, as the floor beneath his feet seemed even that rubber type you'd find upon a stage somewhere… But where had I drifted off? I'd come to New York all those years ago mindlessly writing about what appeared to be that same watch, or a watch—a pocket watch, that was somehow rather important to the plot, also. It had to have been important because, at least I thought, it was Morgan Freeman that brought it up [in the first place]. And of course I couldn't overlook at all how anyone I'd written about or thought of fondly just rather seemed to show up in these shows where the hosts were so good at their job they sometimes almost entirely disappeared in plain sight — and for a moment the spectacle was that they even seemed to have removed themselves as a whole from the eyes of the camera, and the audience at the job. A well-done late night host is often a man inside a hole— a suit in the dark where there's not light, because in essence, in the man, he must remain as trapped and as silenced as I have been, or I am, as I write this. And perhaps that's why I found them here, in a foreign land, in my prison trap where I keep my eyes from the rest of the world that cannot have them, under my public sunglasses and ‘why-try' when I am forced to go out into the world and have at it, but always quite missing my mark and stumbling back into the box with much damage and the excitement of a child on Christmas to see my cat, and a warm box, and an hour of something to laugh at. But this project was no laughing matter— mostly because it was sadness; sadness which I kept composed— [the neighbor exits quietly] Oh she IS capable of shutting the door normally. Look at that. —Sadness which I kept composed as darkness, woven into songs as verses or poems as proses without ever giving it a single thought of what was reflected or why it was I was decided to watch that. {Enter The Multiverse} After all, we began chasing Skrillex into forests with monsters, and now balance the delicate calorie deficits of all of what they have— the actors and actresses, media titans, and even politicians, as I burn through my own light like the Palisades fires, where ironically my legend was born before I'd even think to write it; L E G E N D S Somewhere in a place inside my mind where my diaries and lost unrequited love would become sometimes my light and sometimes my darkness and the forced focus of becoming nothing without actually being done— this sort of infinite place that has to exist somewhere in my mind, because it does— and also out in the world — [the door slams violently] Nevermind, she sucks. They all suck. —because thst's where it comes from. So what of Colbert, and the Gun, and the watch, and the Owl, and all of our friends on the trains, in the mazes and libraries? I hadn't not the slightest cause to reckon where the rest of it was because the tragedy of the story was still being just as lived as it was written. The variable pertaining to how many times I had seemingly fallen in love with nothing more than just a shadow or simple reflection of my own thoughts— Glimpses into mirrors and corridors of infinite in all the effective possibilities of the things I'd ever wanted. Perhaps the darkness was that without searching, I wanted to be loved— And it was here, the whole time, quantified and personified in the people that had so much of it, that I could take the idea of such and skate on it, like a complex sort of obstacle, that it wasn't directed at me— but then it was— because I was looking to deeply into something I loved, That it would come back in the form of something, no matter what it was. Long after the perfume was gone, the diamond eyes would still remind me of an Owl that I had once seen and even become, but since arriving in New York and staying too long, had not come back. There certainly was a piece or part of me that had lived and died here, but I was unsure what it was yet. But what of Colbert? Even this was an incomplete and intercepted thought, or concept. All I looked at was him in this light, clutching this little gun that I loved because it was so silver and so polished and so small, And the words “Lost Light”. So perhaps I'd write that song next. [The Festival Project ™] —Death of a Superstar DJ Chroma111. INT. CRYPT. ROCKEFELLER PLAZA. I told you he was a genius! [a mechanical sound erupts from the cooridor above.] Hey! What happened?! BILL MURRAY Well, that's easy! You're trapped. Copyright © The Complex Collective 2025 The Festival Project, Inc. ™ All rights reserved. Chroma111. Copyright © The Complex Collective 2025. [The Festival Project, Inc. ™] All rights reserved. UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED BY LAW. INFRIGMENT IS PUNSHABLE BY FEDERAL LAW

Chroma111. She does backflips Purple cosmos Whole turnover— We set the whole world on its stomach; A Whole corpse So so wrong Oh oh oh, You made me fall in love Oh, You made me fall in love “Jimmy Gets Belligerent” Hey. Yeah. Remember when Anne Hathaway went into God Mode? FLASHBACK: ANNE HATHAWAY goes into GOD MODE. CUT IMMIDIATELY BACK TO: Yeah. Well this is that, but Jimmy Kimmel. oh boy. Yeah, that. {enter the multiverse} lol. Please writing gods tell me how and why this dude is running around the multidimentions carrying briefcases of sedatives and other recreational enhancements— JIMMY KIMMEL enters EXTREMELY CONFUSIEDLY. And also, why, Apparently he remembers nothing at all, While everyone else in this entire arc seems to have some sort of familiarity within these paradoxes?? I don't know. But I love Jimmy Kimmel. Duh, who doesn't? Yeah alright— but you know why? DAVID LETTERMAN MOO-HA-HA! Yo what the fuck. That dude is kind of evil. TINY KIMMEL (staring into the old ass television SET in a hypnotic state, mimicking with his own version of this evil, diabolical laugh.) Ehheehee!!! DAVID LETTERMAN discovers TELESYNTHESIS via his late night ENDEAVORS, all the while unmasking the true secret to TIME TRAVEL and THE MULTIDIMENSION, unlocked. YOUNG(ER) LETTERMAN Yessss, come to me dear child! Yeeeesssssssss. Damn. Yeah. That right there. That's how it works, apparently. L E G E N D S MOOHAHA! wtf. CC Sometimes we see the things in the TV which are plainly meant to see, but so often overlooked… {Enter The Multiverse} Stephen Colbert Lost Light I was thinking fondly about that scene at the end of the first season of The Studio— That nearly final shot from the finale where the light hits Seth Rogen's smiling eyes, and made them seem ten times bigger than they ever thought they could be— or how maybe possibly, How you never quite noticed how beautiful they are, because you're always remarkably distracted by his charm, and his trademark laugher, or his other well known markers. But I was thinking about it for a second time today, because I was also still somewhere somehow working on the other part of my projects that were although, still falling apart, however important— this ramshackle chaos between all of these media monarchies, the hosts of late night television —though some departed— and an arc that was coming together from scenes i'd already written in hiatus but still probably couldn't find, even if I tried… and the basis of it was really so dark and so off from what the regular gesture or any of those personalities was as established, I sometimes stayed off it, even if though the vision in my mind that made the anchor of something that was supposed to come from that side of the project, was so vivid in the moment, as if I was watching the actual finished product played back or played out in my mind. The reality of my actual life had become such a cruel joke that I no longer really even wanted to cave in and just write it, because I was so particularly embarrassed of how i'd even thought of [any of] that. But here was this, Mr. Stephen Colbert, whom I adored severely, who also had eyes that were quite shiny and large and round that made him, with his boyish face and little dimples, quite cute to look at— but more like a teddy bear, than any vicious or decrepit sexual monster, like some of the other [aforementioned], or so, not mentioned for other reasons. To be clear, this is what, from what I would gather, could come with the job, but the job was also another job, and had its own sort of chronicled problems and equations to solve that I could gawk at, if I watched enough of them. So far, however, there was only really only never more than one I would ever flock to for my gawking, and because I was so enamored by it, I mostly never bothered the others, until it came up in my project as something so artful that it would cause such a gentle heart murmur as one did— This sudden image of Mister Colbert standing in a stream of light in however an outward darkness, with the expression one might call a ‘longingness' as if in all the light had been forgotten—and now was shining on him with such a glow that it took the warmth inside my glow from it, as I saw this, a man of shadows seeming to have come to a final moment of some hope left. But was it lost? Was it false hope? And what had happened? Last I left dear Colbert and our other dearly beloved in a twist of fate— a paradox at the proportion of Titans, in that this, a pocket watch, and a very daunting silver pistol, seeming to be stuck inside a hall of some sort where the linoleum floors and barren abandonment amongst the tattered and ripped unkempt nature of either of them— —Or at least I believed in my head— it were Mr. Kimmel and Colbert, but the scene had been somewhere so long gone and forgotten that I could not remark on which other host it was, that had the memories of all the paradoxes still sharp and hard on his mind, while poor Kimmel somehow seemed, even after a thousand rounds of groundhogged circumstances— (that is to say ‘over and over')— to not remember anything that had happened? But what did happen? And still this was far off from that same shadowed dark place where now in this vivid moment Mister Colbert stood looking up into the light with such grace as if to say, maybe he was thankful for what was approaching— but what? In this pale and yellow warm light streaking across his already very shiny eyes and pleasant face he seemed to be seeking some relief and may have even found it, but was now alone in this place, silver pistol still clutched in his hand, and standing even in the dark set, some percentium arch, rather, as the floor beneath his feet seemed even that rubber type you'd find upon a stage somewhere… But where had I drifted off? I'd come to New York all those years ago mindlessly writing about what appeared to be that same watch, or a watch—a pocket watch, that was somehow rather important to the plot, also. It had to have been important because, at least I thought, it was Morgan Freeman that brought it up [in the first place]. And of course I couldn't overlook at all how anyone I'd written about or thought of fondly just rather seemed to show up in these shows where the hosts were so good at their job they sometimes almost entirely disappeared in plain sight — and for a moment the spectacle was that they even seemed to have removed themselves as a whole from the eyes of the camera, and the audience at the job. A well-done late night host is often a man inside a hole— a suit in the dark where there's not light, because in essence, in the man, he must remain as trapped and as silenced as I have been, or I am, as I write this. And perhaps that's why I found them here, in a foreign land, in my prison trap where I keep my eyes from the rest of the world that cannot have them, under my public sunglasses and ‘why-try' when I am forced to go out into the world and have at it, but always quite missing my mark and stumbling back into the box with much damage and the excitement of a child on Christmas to see my cat, and a warm box, and an hour of something to laugh at. But this project was no laughing matter— mostly because it was sadness; sadness which I kept composed— [the neighbor exits quietly] Oh she IS capable of shutting the door normally. Look at that. —Sadness which I kept composed as darkness, woven into songs as verses or poems as proses without ever giving it a single thought of what was reflected or why it was I was decided to watch that. {Enter The Multiverse} After all, we began chasing Skrillex into forests with monsters, and now balance the delicate calorie deficits of all of what they have— the actors and actresses, media titans, and even politicians, as I burn through my own light like the Palisades fires, where ironically my legend was born before I'd even think to write it; L E G E N D S Somewhere in a place inside my mind where my diaries and lost unrequited love would become sometimes my light and sometimes my darkness and the forced focus of becoming nothing without actually being done— this sort of infinite place that has to exist somewhere in my mind, because it does— and also out in the world — [the door slams violently] Nevermind, she sucks. They all suck. —because thst's where it comes from. So what of Colbert, and the Gun, and the watch, and the Owl, and all of our friends on the trains, in the mazes and libraries? I hadn't not the slightest cause to reckon where the rest of it was because the tragedy of the story was still being just as lived as it was written. The variable pertaining to how many times I had seemingly fallen in love with nothing more than just a shadow or simple reflection of my own thoughts— Glimpses into mirrors and corridors of infinite in all the effective possibilities of the things I'd ever wanted. Perhaps the darkness was that without searching, I wanted to be loved— And it was here, the whole time, quantified and personified in the people that had so much of it, that I could take the idea of such and skate on it, like a complex sort of obstacle, that it wasn't directed at me— but then it was— because I was looking to deeply into something I loved, That it would come back in the form of something, no matter what it was. Long after the perfume was gone, the diamond eyes would still remind me of an Owl that I had once seen and even become, but since arriving in New York and staying too long, had not come back. There certainly was a piece or part of me that had lived and died here, but I was unsure what it was yet. But what of Colbert? Even this was an incomplete and intercepted thought, or concept. All I looked at was him in this light, clutching this little gun that I loved because it was so silver and so polished and so small, And the words “Lost Light”. So perhaps I'd write that song next. [The Festival Project ™] —Death of a Superstar DJ Chroma111. INT. CRYPT. ROCKEFELLER PLAZA. I told you he was a genius! [a mechanical sound erupts from the cooridor above.] Hey! What happened?! BILL MURRAY Well, that's easy! You're trapped. Copyright © The Complex Collective 2025 The Festival Project, Inc. ™ All rights reserved. Chroma111. Copyright © The Complex Collective 2025. [The Festival Project, Inc. ™] All rights reserved. UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED BY LAW. INFRIGMENT IS PUNSHABLE BY FEDERAL LAW

In this special seasonal episode, you and Tom resurrect Ha or Duh, tearing through Investopedia readers' “rules to live by” and dismantling the silliest ones with mock gravitas. Between the dad-joke arms race, a spirited defense of compounding, strong opinions on due diligence, and a surprising detour into crypto-mad zip codes, the show blends real financial guidance with holiday-season chaos. The episode also hits deeper listener questions on rebalancing, Roth vs. pre-tax strategy in high brackets, and the danger of thinking blue chips alone equal diversification. 0:04 Seasonal return of Ha or Duh and setup of Investopedia's “investing rules” 1:32 Rule 1: Never sell because of emotions — duh 2:44 Rule 2: “Only invest in what you know” — emphatic huh 3:35 Rule 3: Good investment in a bad market — phrasing unclear, lean duh 4:26 Rule 4: Never underestimate compounding — mega-duh 5:35 Rule 5: Cash and patience as “positions” — hard huh 6:25 Segment break into calls 7:49 Back to Ha or Duh lightning round 8:33 Buy low, sell high — duh (with caveats) 9:58 “Losses are tuition you won't get at uni” — pass 10:21 Hold for the long term — duh 11:09 Marathon, not sprint — duh 11:39 Is education the best investment? Nuanced disagreement 12:45 “Always do your own due diligence” — modified duh (about advisors, not stocks) 15:22 FOMO avoidance — duh 16:27 Final rule: Start now — biggest duh of all 17:41 Wrap-up and transition back to regular Q&A 18:06 Listener question: Finding the “sociopath son” episode 19:28 Setup for Friday's Q&A episode 20:18 Don's town turns into “free Disney World” during holidays 21:51 Disney hotel pricing shock and personal stories 23:42 Don's new original Christmas story: Santaverse 24:01 Story podcasts spike; Short Storyverses mention 25:28 Listener from Bothell: 90% blue chips, 10% cash — how to rebalance? 26:39 Why blue chips aren't diversified and the S&P concentration problem 28:52 Listener in high bracket asks when Roth beats pre-tax 30:26 SECURE Act 2.0 catch-up rules; Roth vs. pre-tax philosophy 32:10 Monte Carlo vs. unknowable future tax rates 33:26 Why all-Roth 401(k)s would simplify life 34:28 Advice: Likely stay pre-tax in 24% bracket 35:50 Shocking stats: Seattle among highest crypto-owning zip codes 37:24 Air Force bases dominate crypto ownership — why it's dangerous Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Out of Context COntes + Millionaire Couples never argue = Duh, Gen Z afraid to use Work Bathrooms, What lies do you tell your kids, Redneck Movie Review: Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Color of the Year & More

What if more quizzes created more joy—not stress? Lee Jenkins shows host Andrew Stotz how Deming-inspired practices like random-concept quizzes, student-led charts, and "all-time best" celebrations turn classrooms into true learning systems that build confidence, motivation, and real understanding. A simple shift in method—massive shift in joy. (View the powerpoint referenced in the podcast.) TRANSCRIPT 0:00:02.2 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz and I'll be your host as we dive deeper into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today, I'm talking with Lee Jenkins, who is a career educator in public schools, completing his full-time work as a school district superintendent. During that work, he was introduced to the teachings of Dr. Deming and has been applying those teachings to his life and work since. In his business, Crazy Simple Education, he helps people apply Dr. Deming's principles in their schools to bring joy back to learning, to help kids learn more. The topic for today is how educators have applied Dr. Deming's ideas to learning. Lee, take it away.   0:00:42.8 Lee Jenkins: Thank you so much, Andrew. It's amazing what Dr. Deming taught in five minutes. I've been able to teach that for over 20 years. It's just amazing. And then you see in the next slide, it was Lou Rhodes. And this is just a short little review of what we did on the first podcast. But he's the one that said, I think you're going to enjoy this. Little did he know how much I was going to enjoy that in 1990 when he said that. And then in 1992, heard Dr. Deming in person as the statistician. And he described in five minutes just a little touch of what was different about a classroom as opposed to all the other systems that he was teaching. And so over time, you're going to see how it's been implemented with great joy with so many people. He taught that education should have a learning system instead of an inspection system. And that's what we have, is an inspection system. The state departments of education inspect the schools and the teachers inspect the kids. We don't have a learning system. So if you think about that distinction, it's truly a learning system. And you're going to see that as we go through this today.   0:01:51.2 Andrew Stotz: Lee, I was just... After listening to you in the last episode and listening to some of our other great guests on the show, I talked to my students about this. And one of my students, after I went through it and talked about the random sampling as an example of questions to understand the level of knowledge that students as a group are getting, one of my students at this prestigious university I teach at in Thailand said, "So why are you grading us? "   0:02:26.1 Lee Jenkins: Yes. Yes. That's it.   0:02:27.4 Andrew Stotz: And I said... Lee, I need help. I gave my best answer and that is, "I decided that right now, the fight with the university to change the way it's done is not a fight I'm prepared to take. But what I'm going to do is try to deliver the best experience I can in the room." Now, that was a bit of a cop out, but that's part of... People who are listening and viewing this are also caught in a system, in a trap, an inspection system. So it's just great to hear you talk about this and it can help us think about how we can handle it.   0:03:09.9 Lee Jenkins: People say that education hasn't been improved for 50 years. Then think about it. We've had an inspection system for 50 years. Maybe that's the problem, right? So here's what Dr. Deming taught. Tell them what you want them to know first week of school. Here it is. You're going to give them a weekly quiz. The quiz is going to be the square root of the total number of concepts you want them to learn. So a teacher teaching a second language, 400 vocabulary words, they had 20 words a week at random out of the 400. It's simple, but it's crazy that you don't... People say, "How can you assess them on something you haven't taught yet? " You can, if you have a learning system. And then he said to build a scatter diagram and a class run chart. And let's look at those two just to review. The scatter diagram, and if you can't see this, it's just across the x-axis on the bottom. It says 1 to 14, which is for half a year. The y-axis goes from 0 to 10 because there are 10 questions every week in this classroom. And we have a dot by how many kids got 0 right, how many kids got 1 right, how many kids got 2 right. And if you look at over a semester, you can see all the dots moving from the lower left corner up to the upper right corner. So that's the scatter diagram.   0:04:29.7 Andrew Stotz: That's all the students in the class. That's not one individual student.   0:04:33.0 Lee Jenkins: That's not one student. It's the whole class because you're the manager of the learning of a classroom. He taught that. And then he said graph the total correct for the whole classroom.   0:04:46.6 Andrew Stotz: So you just did what he said.   0:04:49.8 Lee Jenkins: Yeah, add it up. It is simple and it is crazy. I mean, all the coaches who are listening to this know when you go to a game, you add up the total for every athlete. You add it up to get a total for the team. Then that same coach is in the classroom on Monday and they never think about that this is a team of learners. It's the same thing. Add it up. And they love it. And they help each other and they contribute and they celebrate when a struggling student helps the class out as much as a student that's advanced.   0:05:24.2 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. I mean we're social creatures, right? We want to be part of a group. We want to contribute. It's just such a clear principle.   0:05:35.0 Lee Jenkins: Yeah, it's simple. So then here's the expansion. Here's different things that happened over time with the process, and we'll share those with you. One was people said, well, ya know, my problem is not... It's partly they don't remember what I'm teaching well enough, but they clearly don't remember the prior courses. So this is a high school math teacher teaching geometry, and so she has half of her questions are coming from geometry because they're teaching geometry. But the other half of the questions come from the four courses they had in math prior because she knows they don't remember it. And then there's a secondary science department. The same thing. They said half of our questions for every quiz have to be from the prior courses, not just the current one. Because students think...   0:06:29.6 Andrew Stotz: Wow! That's fascinating. And before you go for that, so let's look at geometry. You've got these buckets. Before geometry is algebra two, and before that is algebra one, and before that's pre-algebra, and before that is math seven. I remember my pre-algebra class at school with Dr...Mr. Tyler. He was the football coach, and that guy was a slave driver. Even if you got the question wrong, if you structured your answering process right, you would get half points.   0:06:58.9 Lee Jenkins: Oh, okay. Yes.   0:06:59.6 Andrew Stotz: He helped me learn the structure and the order of solving algebra problems, but if I didn't do that well or I didn't have him as a teacher, I could end up in geometry not actually knowing that. But what the heck is this geometry teacher supposed to do if they find out that the class doesn't really understand some of the prior core principles?   0:07:21.7 Lee Jenkins: Well, they, obviously, they need to teach it, and so part of it they do. The other part of it is the kids don't want to forget the prior courses. If you just throw all these into a bucket and they don't say where it's from, they don't... Well, okay, I missed a question. But when you say, you're in 11th grade in geometry, and you missed the 7th grade question, they don't like that. So it builds, it's a visual. It's right in front of the room every day. They can see, I need to know all of this. And the science teacher is the same thing. The kids say, I'm in chemistry now. I don't need biology. Why do I need that? Until you see it right there in front of you every day, and you think, oh, I'm supposed to learn this.   0:08:12.9 Andrew Stotz: Gosh, it just brings me back to when I was in high school, and I really got frustrated because the pace was really fast, and I felt like I didn't fully understand the prior material, and now I'm on to the next. And that was, and I felt like I was building on a shaky foundation, and this is a part of addressing that.   0:08:33.7 Lee Jenkins: It is, absolutely. So that's one of the changes that was made. Teachers took and expanded that to the whole curriculum as opposed to only the course they're teaching.   0:08:43.0 Andrew Stotz: And just to think about that, is that in order to truly do that, you really want to have the math, the pre-algebra, the algebra, the algebra 2, and the geometry teachers all working on the same playbook.   0:08:56.2 Lee Jenkins: Yes, yes. And when we do make those lists for each class, there's no duplicates.   0:09:02.7 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:09:04.3 Lee Jenkins: I mean, like with the science, I remember the biology teacher saying to the chemistry teacher, "You teach that? I teach that also." And they'd been teaching next door to each other for 10 years and didn't know it. So they have to say, who owns that one? So it's all a system that's tightly designed.   0:09:25.1 Andrew Stotz: And in the academic world of universities where I've taught, there's this thing that they want to give you independence to teach what you want in the way you want. I don't know about what's happening in schools these days, but is the curriculum pretty much set and therefore the teacher can't veer from that and therefore this would not be a problem? Or is it that, hey, every teacher's doing something different and it doesn't all work together?   0:09:53.6 Lee Jenkins: Right. What's the "what." The essential "what", needs to be agreed upon no matter who's teaching it. Now, on these lists, we don't put trivia. And trivia should be in the classroom. It's fun. It's interesting, but they're not accountable for it.   0:10:11.3 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:10:11.7 Lee Jenkins: So it's what's essential for the kids to know. And the teachers, when they have time, the principal sets aside a day and said, okay, science department, get together, get this listed, what you want. They like that discussion and the agreement of what's expected.   0:10:30.1 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:10:31.8 Lee Jenkins: The next thing that was added, Dr. Deming did not talk about students graphing their individual progress. So this is a student run chart, not a class run chart. So you can see...   0:10:46.3 Andrew Stotz: Yeah, that's interesting. Before you even go into that, it makes me think about the factory. It was kind of accepted that the statistics guys would kind of run the run charts and management would look at it. It would be public, it wasn't hidden. But the idea of really bringing the accountability to the people on the production line is what this reminds me of.   0:11:10.0 Lee Jenkins: It's exactly the same, and the kids like making the graphs. When you see, this is a younger child, but it's done by a high school child, not all of them, but some of them, but who like to doodle, they become very, it's kind of pieces of art, but they own it. They own that learning. They can see how they're doing, and they're so happy when it goes up, but it goes down at times. Why does it go down? They went down because bad luck, because it's random. Sometimes you choose the hard ones, but overall, you see a progress of going up and up and up, and so that's why it's not an inspection chart. It's a learning chart. It's showing a picture of my learning.   0:11:58.8 Andrew Stotz: And just to be clear, the first two charts we saw were looking at the overall classroom, but now the chart you're showing is one student mapping their progress throughout the quizzes.   0:12:11.7 Lee Jenkins: Yes, every student does their own, and if the teacher is scoring the papers to give them back to them, the results, they have to change, a slight change, instead of putting how many, they put a plus at how many correct, because you're graphing the number correct.   0:12:30.6 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:12:32.8 Lee Jenkins: And then another thing is kind of a celebration, a thank you, when students do better than ever before. So if a student had two right and then three right, and then they finally had five right, they never had five right all year long, they do something for the kid quickly to just say, yay, this child went and hit the gong. Just means I did more than, got more right than ever before. So what's the power of that? Dr. Deming wants every student to win. And I've been in classrooms six weeks after school started, maybe four or five in that time, and say, "Is there anybody in here who hasn't had a personal best? " I've never had a hand go up. They all have by then. Now, so you can be a struggling student, you can be an advanced student, but they all have a record of doing better than ever before, and we have ways of celebrating that.   0:13:32.4 Andrew Stotz: And that also is the idea of the objective really here is to improve ourselves relative to our prior selves.   0:13:43.7 Lee Jenkins: Yes, you're in competition with your prior self, that's it, yes. And I would say it's even 1% of the time that I saw somebody twist that and make it into a bribe. It's not a bribe, it's a thank you. I'm so proud of you, it's a thank you. It's a completely different mindset. They want to do that. And if we look at the next one...   0:14:09.8 Andrew Stotz: And just to understand this one last thing is that, are you saying that in a classroom when a student hits an all-time high, they go up and bang the gong or the teacher bangs it or what?   0:14:19.3 Lee Jenkins: No, the kid does it, the kid does it. Or whatever's done. One, you know that in sports where they make a tunnel and the athletes run through that tunnel of other athletes. There was a classroom that did that. The kids made a tunnel and the ones who had an all-time best that week ran through the tunnel. Okay? And there's...   0:14:41.0 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. And you could do simple things. You could also just say, if you did an all-time best, stand up.   0:14:46.6 Lee Jenkins: Yeah, it could be... But we try to make it something fun.   0:14:51.3 Andrew Stotz: Yep, yep.   0:14:52.3 Lee Jenkins: Something that's enjoyable for them. And it depends on the age. Here's one, another classroom, they wrote their name on a shape when they had a personal best. If you go to the next slide.   0:15:05.4 Andrew Stotz: Okay.   0:15:05.8 Lee Jenkins: You will see there's a collection of probably 200 shapes. With individual kids, they wrote their name on it when they had a personal best. And see, it's everybody. And it's a graphic in the hallway that lets all the other classrooms see, look how much we're learning.   0:15:29.9 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:15:30.3 Lee Jenkins: Because every time you have a personal best, you put your name. This happens to be a star instead of a feather, but they put it up there.   0:15:36.7 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:15:39.1 Lee Jenkins: And then here's a middle school. When they have a personal best, they write their name on the whiteboard. And the kids have made kind of a Scrabble out of it, a crossword puzzle, where they can use the letters from somebody else's name to make their name. They love it. And they particularly like it because their friends who happen to be in that classroom but a different period, when they come in, they see their friends' names. Again, it's everybody. It's simple. Write your name on the whiteboard when you have a personal best. And then this is a high school. They had the game Kerplunk. And if anybody's not seen that, it's a cylinder. And it has holes. About halfway up it has a bunch of holes. And you put straws through the holes. And then you put marbles on top. When a kid has a personal best, they pull a straw out. When you pull enough straws out that all the marbles on top come crashing down, that's why they call it Kerplunk. And then the class does something for a couple minutes of fun. But it's everybody.   0:16:49.0 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:16:49.8 Lee Jenkins: Then here is, they added the word all-time best. That was an addition.   0:16:57.7 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:16:58.1 Lee Jenkins: And this is a class run chart, like I showed you last time, where you add up the total for the whole class. But when the class has more correct than ever before, it's an all-time best. We use that word for kids also, and you'll see in school that the initials ATB are very common in the schools.   0:17:22.1 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:17:23.3 Lee Jenkins: It's one of the most common things. And you can't see it, but I'm looking at this when they had 28 quizzes in the year, and there are one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight times during the year out of 28 that the class had an all-time best. Also, if you look at the x-axis, it's 28. Dr. Deming said every week, and it was changed to 28 instead of every week.   0:18:03.6 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:18:03.9 Lee Jenkins: That was a huge deal for me because I knew that every week was too much. There's snow days. There's things that happen, and you just... In the schools, it's too much going on for it to be every week. But I also knew that every other week's not enough. Not for kids to really prove that they're learning. Plus, they like them. They want...   0:18:29.6 Andrew Stotz: So, what does the 28 mean? Why 28?   0:18:33.5 Lee Jenkins: It's seven times a quarter instead of nine times a quarter. That's why.   0:18:37.1 Andrew Stotz: Okay.   0:18:38.3 Lee Jenkins: So, out of a quarter, two times they didn't. And actually, the complaint the kids had was, why aren't we doing one this week? And so, in a sub-sense, it's only for the teacher to just kind of a sense of... It just eases up a little bit. For the teacher, not for the kids.   0:18:55.8 Andrew Stotz: So, in other words, rather than strictly tying it to a week, you tie it to the number of quizzes that you're going to do, and then you manage that.   0:19:08.6 Lee Jenkins: Yeah, and I've never heard anybody say they couldn't get the 28 in. It's reasonable.   0:19:12.5 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:19:13.1 Lee Jenkins: Yeah. It's a reasonable...   0:19:16.3 Andrew Stotz: Just for people that don't recall, like myself, I can't even remember what numbers of days in the classroom and numbers of weeks in a class and stuff like that, can you just remind me what that is?   0:19:29.6 Lee Jenkins: Okay, in a year, the school is divided into quarters, and there's 36 weeks in the year. So, there's nine weeks per quarter, and we're quizzing seven of those nine weeks.   0:19:42.8 Andrew Stotz: Perfect, okay, got it. Okay.   0:19:46.5 Lee Jenkins: Now, here is something else that has been added, and it is the goal. And so, Dr. Deming talks against numerical goals, and we agree with that. That goal is not an artificial number. It's the best from the prior year. So, it's a real number. So, the students are trying to outperform the prior years.   0:20:18.6 Andrew Stotz: So, this is the best that the system could produce in the past period?   0:20:23.8 Lee Jenkins: Yeah, are we smarter than the kids that you had the last several years? Are we smarter...   0:20:29.5 Andrew Stotz: Am I teaching better? Are you learning better?   0:20:33.5 Lee Jenkins: No, it's a challenge. It's a challenge, and they are so excited when they do better than the prior years. So, how did they get so high up there? Part of it is because there are kids who get, on the quizzes, they get perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect, and it's kind of boring for them. And so, we've come up with... When you get them all right seven times, it could be five, it could be six, we've usually gone with seven, then you don't take the quiz anymore in the room because you've proven you know it. And then we give you a harder one.   0:21:17.0 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:21:18.3 Lee Jenkins: The class gets credit for the quiz you didn't take, plus how many you get on the next one. So, that helps it to go on up because you've got kids that are, the word we're using is they test out. They've proven they know it.   0:21:34.9 Andrew Stotz: Yep. Yep.   0:21:36.5 Lee Jenkins: We use the, when I talk with the teachers, the flip of the coin statistics. If a kid gets a perfect score, you have a 50% chance they're lucky, and a 50% chance they know all the content for the year.   0:21:49.7 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:21:49.9 Lee Jenkins: You don't know what it is. After seven times, you're up to 99% sure they really do know all of it.   0:21:56.3 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:21:57.1 Lee Jenkins: Yeah. Oh, this day, this is a run chart from a middle school, and they had one more right than ever before. They are beyond happy. And you will see kids in the rooms doing a chest bump.   0:22:20.2 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:22:20.4 Lee Jenkins: A kid that's struggling, and says, it was me. I'm the one that put us over the top. If it hadn't been for my two questions right, we wouldn't all be celebrating. And of course, if you don't count it, you'd never know as a student or a teacher that you had your best. Nobody'd never know.   0:22:43.3 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. Yep.   0:22:44.0 Lee Jenkins: Count it out and graph it. Oh, they're so happy.   0:22:48.2 Andrew Stotz: Yeah.   0:22:48.5 Lee Jenkins: So that... And then here is a run chart by grade level. This is 16 classrooms together.   0:23:01.5 Andrew Stotz: What does that mean, 16 classrooms?   0:23:03.9 Lee Jenkins: There's four science classes, four English, four math, and four history. And we took all of those questions right from 16 rooms and calculated a percent correct.   0:23:19.2 Andrew Stotz: So in other words, how we're learning as a school or how we're learning all the subjects, how would you describe that?   0:23:25.9 Lee Jenkins: This was grade seven.   0:23:28.3 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:23:28.9 Lee Jenkins: This was for the grade seven teachers. They wanted to have a total for their grade level.   0:23:35.5 Andrew Stotz: And so it starts off on quiz number one, that students got 16% correct. That's quiz number one.   0:23:46.7 Lee Jenkins: Right.   0:23:46.9 Andrew Stotz: Or quizzes number one.   0:23:50.7 Lee Jenkins: For quiz number one. Right. You can't say week one, it's quiz one.   0:23:53.2 Andrew Stotz: Yep, yep. Sorry.   0:23:53.8 Lee Jenkins: And this is for first semester, because there's 14 right there.   0:24:00.4 Andrew Stotz: Yep, yep. And then by the time they get to quiz number 13, that's, or quiz number 13 for all four subjects brought together into one measure, they're at, say, they've gone from 16 to 55.   0:24:14.5 Lee Jenkins: Yes. So you can say that at halfway through the year, the seventh grade class, 16 classrooms, but seventh graders know half of the content. And you know it's in their long-term memory. They couldn't study the night before.   0:24:31.9 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:24:31.8 Lee Jenkins: Because you don't know what's going to be chosen at random. They know half of the content.   0:24:37.8 Andrew Stotz: And interesting that we see kind of a linear rise. I wonder if there's an exponential rise towards the end as the students get totally pumped up and into it and they're learning more.   0:24:47.8 Lee Jenkins: They are. They want to get as close as they can. It won't land on 100%.   0:24:54.0 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:24:55.0 Lee Jenkins: Somebody's going to miss something, but it gets really close.   0:24:57.7 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:25:01.3 Lee Jenkins: Now here's something else we've added. Because Dr. Deming talked about the classroom, this is a whole school. And they're all taking a math quiz. It's an elementary from kindergarten through fifth grade. On Thursday afternoon, the teachers go in to their computer on a Google Doc and they put in how many questions their classroom got right on the quiz that week. It's all set up in advance and there's a total. And then on Friday, the principal announces if they had an all school time best, all-time best for the school. And you can see...   0:25:45.8 Andrew Stotz: And the number here is 3878 I see in quiz number 28. Is that the total number of correct answers out of accumulating all the different quizzes of quiz number 8, all the different classes that do quiz number 28?   0:26:00.4 Lee Jenkins: Yes. On quiz 28, they answered 3,878 math questions correct.   0:26:06.2 Andrew Stotz: And somebody could look at this and say, "Oh, come on, kids are just going to game this, right? It's just quiz questions and all that." Now, I think I understand why that's not going to be the case. But how would you explain to somebody that says that?   0:26:21.4 Lee Jenkins: Hey, as the kids get older... Let's go back. This is math.   0:26:28.0 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:26:28.5 Lee Jenkins: So the concepts are the same, but the questions are different. So they can't game it. And other subjects where it's not math, teachers tell me that three different questions per concept is enough and they don't game it. They can't. But if you only had for every question for the year, I mean, for every concept, if you only had one question, they would game it. They just remember the answer to the question.   0:26:58.7 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:26:58.9 Lee Jenkins: Yeah. As they get older.   0:27:00.7 Andrew Stotz: And what would you say to some people that may look at that and say, "Oh, you're just teaching to the quiz or teaching to the exam? "   0:27:13.3 Lee Jenkins: Well, we're saying, here's what you're going to learn this year. University professors give out syllabuses. A syllabus is what you're going to teach, which is different from stating this is what the kids are going to learn. And so when you list what you want them to learn, this is evidence they learned it. Now, yes, we're teaching to what we said we want them to know. It didn't come... When you teach to the test, that often means that somebody else made up the test that I've got to teach to that test they made up because there's high stakes.   0:27:55.3 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:27:55.6 Lee Jenkins: But when we as faculty say what we want the kids to know, we're not teaching to the test, we're teaching to what we said we want them to know.   0:28:05.5 Andrew Stotz: Yep. Yep. And then the other thing I would say is when you get students so deeply involved in the whole process, ultimately young kids actually are not going to necessarily celebrate cheating.   0:28:22.8 Lee Jenkins: No, no, they're not.   0:28:25.5 Andrew Stotz: They understand right and wrong. They haven't gotten to the level where adults are, where we put a lot of gray area between right and wrong and politicians will lie about this and that to get in office or get money or whatever.   0:28:37.4 Lee Jenkins: Let me tell you a story about the cheating. There were three fourth grades in a row in a school. And in the middle between the other two fourth grades, they did cheat early in the year. They got a very high score. Then the teacher found out how they cheated and stopped it so they couldn't do it anymore. But they couldn't get classroom best because they had an artificial high score. So they're saying to her, "We cheated teacher, take it away that score that we cheated." She says, "No, you cheated." It took them till November before they could have a classroom best.   0:29:16.7 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:29:17.4 Lee Jenkins: So they paid a price for it. Now, people have fun with random. This is out of the state of Delaware. It looks like a skeleton from Halloween and they spray painted lima beans, put them inside the skull, wrote numerals on them and you draw the numerals out and that's the concept you're going to quiz. So there's been fun with how you do random, fun with how we celebrate.   0:29:55.0 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:29:55.2 Lee Jenkins: Fun with making the graph pretty with I get to put Google... I mean, I get to scribble on it and do different things that make it pretty. Yeah. And here is a... There is a styrofoam nose. I'd say it's a meter tall styrofoam nose. And the teacher had slips of paper with the concepts on them. And an eighth grader said, that is boring. Brought in a styrofoam nose and you put the slips up the nostril and that's where you pull out...   0:30:26.2 Andrew Stotz: Only kids are going to come up with that.   0:30:28.1 Lee Jenkins: Yes, I know. And this is a history teacher, world history. She has 65 concepts are going to learn during the year. She gave them the list, put the 65 on a tongue depressor, put them in a bucket. She pulls eight out each week and the kids have to put the eight in chronological order from memory.   0:30:52.3 Andrew Stotz: Right. That's interesting.   0:30:53.5 Lee Jenkins: But they can't do it in the beginning.   0:30:55.1 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:30:56.0 Lee Jenkins: But by the end of the year, you want every kid to be able to pull any eight you pull out and put them in chronological order, not because they know dates, but because they know history.   0:31:06.2 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. Yep.   0:31:10.1 Lee Jenkins: And then here from Saskatchewan is a teacher who hyperlinked the periodic table. It's up on the whiteboard. So in the bucket are the names of elements. So if a student pulls out the word potassium, they go up to the whiteboard and they click on the letter K. It's hyperlinked. When they click on it, up comes a question about biology. The question has nothing to do with potassium.   0:31:42.6 Andrew Stotz: Oh!   0:31:44.4 Lee Jenkins: It's just a clever way to do random.   0:31:48.6 Andrew Stotz: Yep. Yep.   0:31:50.1 Lee Jenkins: Okay. And then we celebrate as a whole class. This is a class that's celebrating doing the wave. They've been to athletic events. They've seen people do the wave at athletic events. When the class has an all-time best as a class, they do something quick to celebrate. They're doing the wave. This classroom, they have a spinner. And the kids chose 10 ways they wanted to celebrate. I said, "What's your favorite? " And they said, "Hamster ball." I said, "What's a hamster ball? " They said, "We've got a hamster in the room. We put it in a hamster ball, put it in the middle of the room and watch where it goes."   0:32:32.7 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:32:34.4 Lee Jenkins: Fun. This is the whole school again. Just celebrating. One principal, when the school had an all-time best, somebody came in and cut his tie off. And he had dads giving him all their old ties to cut off. Yeah. And then they like to do item analysis. That's kids doing that.   0:32:59.0 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:33:00.1 Lee Jenkins: They like to tell you what it is we most need help with.   0:33:04.2 Andrew Stotz: So this is looking at errors to say what we're struggling with. What does that mean?   0:33:07.7 Lee Jenkins: Yeah, here's the most room, most missed item in the whole room, all the way to the right, the item that nobody in the room missed it.   0:33:15.8 Andrew Stotz: Yeah, like allusion. I'd miss that too.   0:33:21.1 Lee Jenkins: And then we made histograms. So it's taking the data from the scattered diagram and putting a different one together for each week. So the kids see an L-shaped curve in the beginning, a bell curve in the middle of the year, and a J-shape at the end of the year. And this was taken because they were so excited that they could see the J finally. They knew the J was coming, and there it was.   0:33:47.8 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:33:49.7 Lee Jenkins: Yeah. And then we used the information from the scatter diagram to calculate effect size and to see what's the effect of all of this compared to all the other things in the world that have been done. And we got six times the average of the effect size research from John Hattie. If you don't cram and forget, you actually just remember, of course, it's a lot higher. Duh, of course.   0:34:15.5 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:34:18.0 Lee Jenkins: And we did the scatter diagram that I showed earlier, we mentioned earlier, that's what we use. And when John Hattie saw the scatter diagram, he said, "That's what you need for effect size."   0:34:29.6 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:34:30.3 Lee Jenkins: Because effect size is you increase the mean and you reduce the variation. I've been talking a lot about knowledge. I haven't been talking about skills. The same process works for skills. And this is the dichotomous rubric. It's on my website. It's blank. It's free. And we use the dichotomous rubric to measure skills.   0:34:53.4 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:34:56.6 Lee Jenkins: So this is my pastor. It was, school was starting, he called two kids up on the platform and he said, "What are you excited about school? School started. What are you excited about? " The girl says, "See my friends." And the boy said, "Quizzes."   0:35:09.3 Andrew Stotz: Yeah, making my charts, seeing the quiz, watching the progress.   0:35:13.3 Lee Jenkins: It's hard to believe, but that's exactly what happens. And there's the Jenkins curve, which is the loss of enthusiasm year by year through the grades. I would have never done this without Deming because he talked about graphs have to be long and skinny.   0:35:29.3 Andrew Stotz: Man, we just grind down the kids in a normal situation.   0:35:32.9 Lee Jenkins: Just grind them down.   0:35:34.4 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:35:34.7 Lee Jenkins: Every year, fewer and fewer kids love school.   0:35:37.3 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:35:39.9 Lee Jenkins: So podcast number three, when it comes up, will be the future. What can we do because of all this that we haven't done before? It'll be fun.   0:35:51.2 Andrew Stotz: Wow! That is a lot of stuff. If you were to take all that we just went through, which was really fun and exciting, what would be the one takeaway you want people to get from that?   0:36:04.2 Lee Jenkins: The takeaway is that we can keep the intrinsic motivation alive that children were born with. And when we keep it alive, the complaint in the staff room will be, I can't keep up with all these things that these kids want to learn.   0:36:22.3 Andrew Stotz: Yeah.   0:36:23.7 Lee Jenkins: Instead of complaining that they won't sit still, they won't do the work, we'd be saying, "I can't keep up. They want to learn so much. I'm overloaded with what they want to know."   0:36:32.7 Andrew Stotz: And the end result is they become lifelong learners.   0:36:38.0 Lee Jenkins: Yes, absolutely. Yeah.   0:36:38.2 Andrew Stotz: Yeah.   0:36:38.9 Lee Jenkins: Yeah.   0:36:39.2 Andrew Stotz: I'm going to wrap it up there. And Lee, on behalf of everyone at the Deming Institute, I want to thank you again for this discussion. It was fascinating and it was fun. So for listeners, remember to go to Deming.org to continue your journey. And this is your host, Andrew Stotz, and I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Deming that ties directly in to what we've been talking about, and that is, people are entitled to joy in work. And I'm going to add in, learning.

Review các phim ra rạp từ ngày 05/12/2025:HOÀNG TỬ QUỶ - T18Đạo diễn: Trần Hữu TấnDiễn viên: Anh Tú Atus, Lương Thế Thành, Hoàng Linh Chi, Huỳnh Thanh Trực, Rima Thanh Vy, Lê Hà Phương, Duy Luân,...Thể loại: Kinh DịHoàng Tử Quỷ xoay quanh Thân Đức - một hoàng tử được sinh ra nhờ tà thuật. Trốn thoát khỏi cung cấm, Thân Đức tham vọng giải thoát Quỷ Xương Cuồng khỏi Ải Mắt Người để khôi phục Xương Cuồng Giáo. Nhưng kế hoạch của Thân Đức chỉ thành hiện thực khi hắn có đủ cả hai “nguyên liệu” - Du Hồn Giả và Bạch Hổ Nguyên Âm. Đội lốt một lang y hiền lành, muốn chữa bệnh cứu người, Thân Đức lên đường đến làng Hủi và đụng độ trưởng làng Lỗ Đạt mạnh mẽ, liệu hắn có thể đạt được âm mưu tà ác của mình?NĂM ĐÊM KINH HOÀNG 2 – T16Đạo diễn: Emma TammiDiễn viên: Mckenna Grace, Josh Hutcherson, Matthew LillardThể loại: Bí ẩn, Hồi hộp, Kinh DịCơn ác mộng vẫn chưa kết thúc! NĂM ĐÊM KINH HOÀNG 2 dự kiến khởi chiếu 05.12.2025MA LỦNG TƯỜNG – T18Đạo diễn: Tomy DewoDiễn viên: Satine Zaneta, Niken AnjaniThể loại: Kinh DịMột gia đình chết một cách khủng khiếp. Một cô gái bị buộc tội là kẻ giết người. Nhưng một sự thật kinh hoàng hơn đang chờ được tiết lộ. Cuộc chiến trừ tà đẫm máu và gây choáng nhất cuối năm giữa hậu duệ một gia tộc diệt quỷ cùng những thế lực tà ác khủng khiếp nhất xứ vạn đảo.5 CENTIMET TRÊN GIÂY – T13Đạo diễn: Shinkai MakotoThể loại: Hoạt HìnhCâu chuyện cảm động về Takaki và Akari, đôi bạn thuở thiếu thời dần bị chia cắt bởi thời gian và khoảng cách. Qua ba giai đoạn khác nhau trong cuộc đời, hành trình khắc họa những ký ức, cuộc hội ngộ và sự xa cách của cặp đôi, với hình ảnh hoa anh đào rơi – 5cm/giây – như ẩn dụ cho tình yêu mong manh và thoáng chốc của tuổi trẻ.CHÚ THUẬT HỒI CHIẾN: BIẾN CỐ SHIBUYA x TỬ DIỆT HỒI DU - THE MOVIE – T16Đạo diễn: Shouta GoshozonoThể loại: Hoạt HìnhSau bao ngày chờ đợi, Đại Chiến Shibuya cuối cùng cũng xuất hiện trên màn ảnh rộng, gom trọn những khoảnh khắc nghẹt thở nhất thành một cú nổ đúng nghĩa. Không chỉ tái hiện toàn bộ cơn ác mộng tại Shibuya, bộ phim còn hé lộ những bí mật then chốt và mở màn cho trò chơi sinh tử “Tử Diệt Hồi Du” đầy kịch tính và mãn nhãn.-------------------------------------------#8saigon #reviewphimrap #hoangtuquy #malungtuong #chuthuathoichien

Ich glaube, dass das eine meiner Lieblingsfolgen aus diesem Jahr ist, denn sie handelt von einem Thema, das extrem wichtig ist: Es geht um Klimaklagen. Das sind Klagen, mit denen auf rechtlichem Weg versucht wird, mehr Klimaschutz durchzusetzen. Und genau das ist eine Spezialität der Deutschen Umwelthilfe. Deshalb ist mein Gast in dieser Folge Christoph Störmer, der bei der DUH Experte für Klimaklagen ist. Er erklärt, welche Klimaklagen aktuell gegen die Budnesregierung laufen und auf welchen Ebenen die DUH aktuell sonst klagt. Eine wirklich spannende Folge. Bevor es losgeht, aber noch eine kleine Bitte: Falls ihr den Podcast noch nicht Abonniert habt, holt das doch bitte nach und gebt mir gerne auch eine Bewertung, denn so wird der Podcast gesehen. Mehr Infos zum Lesen ist Liebe-Bücher-Abo von Kjona Verlag findet ihr hier: https://www.kjona.eco/products/lesen-ist-liebe-das-hardcover-jahresabo-2026

In this episode of the Coffee & Questions podcast, we dive into the real role AI should be playing in today's sales and social prospecting landscape. In this episode I get to sit down with Melissa Langdale, a woman I have long admired in the mortgage space as being a woman of movement who truly gets her audience, gets it done, and it was an honor to have her on!Instead of viewing AI as a replacement for human effort, we break down how it should function as a tool—especially for research, content ideation, and even practicing sales conversations—while drawing a hard line at using it for outbound prospecting, where automation can quickly erode trust.We explore why authentic connection is still the ultimate differentiator in a noisy, increasingly automated world. Personal outreach, real conversations, and genuine follow-through are what build long-term trust—and they're exactly what AI can't replicate. The episode also highlights the importance of training your AI tools the same way you would a human assistant: feeding it your voice, your data, and your context to get output that moves the needle.Connect with MelissaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-langdale/Website: https://www.praxislendingsolutions.com/ Connect with Michelle:Website: https://bermanmediapd.com/Instagram @BermanMediaSocialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgG-BvwWOQ_jEYDZ-gKVxQ Need a Dynamic Speaker for an Event or Group? Duh...Me!Email: Michelle@bermanmediapd.com

The moment the syllables spilled from my mouth, I knew I'd screwed up. “And a repeat offender...” I said. “Verse a detective dog.” Verse. It was the opening few stanzas of last night's news, the part of the show where we tease a few of the evening's top stories. And as the opening credits played, with my microphone fader pulled down, I called out to my producer in frustration with myself. “Versus!” I said. “VERSUS.” The emails flooded in. I knew they'd be waiting for me. Polite but gently critical messages, kindly informing me that due to myriad inadequacies in the New Zealand education system, I'd used a term more appropriately associated with Shakespeare or Keats than that of the cunning pest control dog starring in the evening bulletin. But hey. Did you notice there how I used myriad? I don't know about you, but it drives me crazy when I hear people talk about a myriad OF something. It shouldn't because apparently a myriad ‘of' is perfectly correct. Myriad started its English language life in noun form. And yet anytime someone opts for ‘myriad of' instead of the adjective usage, the snooty language snob in me can't help but curl his toes. It's the same when people say less instead of fewer. There are not less than thirty days until the new year. There are fewer than thirty days. Duh. And I hate to admit it, but I'm not fussed whether you're a stranger, a colleague, or my long-suffering wife, I'm that miserable sod who can't help but wait fewer than a few split seconds before pretentiously correcting your mistake. The other one that gets my goat (and yes, it gets my goat... it doesn't get up my goat) is when anyone observes that the proof is in the pudding. The proof is not in the pudding. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Makes sense when you actually think about it. Speaking of mastication, my Dad was recently spun into a state of despair by the repeated insistence of a prominent sportsperson that they were chomping at the bit for an upcoming contest. Chomping at the bit, rather than champing at the bit. I suppose that really would be a remarkable level of excitement. I know that language is alive. I know that language morphs and evolves. But for those of us who care to conserve usage principles and don't mind putting others right from time, there is nothing like erring while reading the news before 700,000 people, for a rude taste of one's own medicine. How quickly the corrector becomes the corrected. Myriad grammar and usage errors might get my goat, but I've learnt the hard way there are plenty of other grammar and usage tyrants champing at the bit to correct every error. Who knows if my cautionary tale will have any impact —the proof of the pudding is in the eating— but if you've learnt anything, maybe you'll make fewer errors rather than less, after listening to this verse. You know... as opposed to versus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonas & Peter huserar i studion i veckans episod, där båda håller låda - Berglöf i nyhetslådan (som vanligt) och Kjellin i resten... Nyhetsflödet innehåller bland annat snack om AI, Game Awards och annat. Det snuddas även vid Netflix-succén Stranger Things som nyligen hade premiär för femte och sista säsongens fyra första avsnitt, som slagit många tittarrekord! Peter har även kollat och vädrar lite första feelings kring var slutet barkar. Därefter pratar han vidare om bioaktuella Zootopia 2 (eller Zootropolis 2 som den heter på svenska marknaden), som familjen DupoKjellin hunnit se hela TVÅ gånger! Så man kan ju utgå från att den gillades - och sälades! Sedan berättar han vidare om det nostalgiska retropixel-grafik-beat'em'up-spelet Marvel Cosmic Invasion (från samma spelstudio som gav oss TMNT: Shredders Revenge. Även detta har blivit en familjeaktivitet då han co-op:at det i soffan med minstingen i familjen. Säl även här? Duh, det är ju Marvel! Sen får det räcka! Tack & Förlåt! Puss Hej!

Queer Strory Survial Kit: Ladies FirstWe are still in our Pride series, but this week we'll be talking about some great selections featuring the stories of Queerwomen. We have a lot of thoughts about the landscape for Woman-led queer stories. Most of our thoughts sum up toone idea: HUNNY, we all need to pay more attention to Queer women of Color. Duh.

In this episode of the Coffee & Questions podcast, we dig into a powerful conversation with business consultant and master networker Austin Linney about redefining your business, setting real boundaries, and elevating the way we prospect in today's market.We talk openly about what it looks like to rebuild your identity after years of helping everyone else build theirs, and why establishing true personal and professional boundaries becomes the turning point for creating clarity and momentum. Instead of relying on passive referrals or outdated habits, we're choosing a far more intentional, relationship-driven approach.We break down exactly how we're prospecting right now — networking upstream, leveraging reputation, following up with discipline, and creating genuine human connection instead of chasing algorithms or noise. It's the same “back to basics” commitment we both share: execution over ego.A big takeaway from this episode is how this shift toward clarity, consistency, and intentional outreach is strengthening results across the board. Instead of spraying effort everywhere, we focus on targeted, personal conversations that actually move our businesses forward.Connect with Austin:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austin_linney/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-linney-9576b6181/ Website: https://www.austinlinney.com/ Connect with Michelle:Website: https://bermanmediapd.com/ Instagram @BermanMediaSocialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgG-BvwWOQ_jEYDZ-gKVxQNeed a Dynamic Speaker for an Event or Group? Duh...Me!Email: Michelle@bermanmediapd.com

Friendzone Skeptics: Part 1. Old classmates spend a week together, and find more. Based on a post by cilma rae. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chris Benbury and Jennifer Sanders tell the tale of how their friendship took decades to transform into a life connection. We're going to let them tell just how it happened. I'm Jennifer Sanders. In high school, I was Jenny, or Jenn. One fall day in the early nineties, Chris and I met at our high school. When? What, like the exact moment? Heck, I dunno. It was a small school, and everyone knew everyone; for the most part. It wasn't until after college that we'd connected again. Just friends, we'd meet up for lunch here and there. A text about family would show up, and one of us would respond with a smile or a few updates on their own life. He was always supportive of my goals, and I was very proud to know him and to witness all he had accomplished as well. Chris would date here and there, but there was never anything serious. I was so busy trying to move up in my career field that sometimes, I'd not even realize that two months had gone by since my last; um, well, even the thought of sex was rare. I was pretty happy excelling in the successes of my own business. It was when I turned 35 that I realized I might have let a little too much time go by. "Jenn," my mom lamented in her usual way on our weekly call, "when am I gonna have grand babies?" "Um, Mom? You have six grandchildren," I reminded her as I thought about my three nephews and three nieces produced by the mix of my three brothers and their amazing wives. "Oh, Jennifer," Mom chided, "you know what I mean. You're my only daughter. No boyfriend, at least that I've heard of. No talk of relationships at all. What about Chris? Do you still talk to him? He was always such a sweet boy in high school. You mentioned that you two keep in touch, right?" "Oh, Mother!" I argued. "Chris is a friend, a very good one at that. It's not like that though." "Well, just think on it, OK?" she requested as if my answer wasn't acceptable. "You never know. I mean, remember how I told you that I didn't realize I was meant to be with your father until;" "Until he kissed you, I know," I mocked and shook my head as I had said each word exactly as she had, only my words were dripping with sarcasm. "Mom, I have never been in a position to kiss Chris. He's a good friend. He dates. We share stories and encourage each other in our work ventures. It's just not like that." "OK, I'm just saying;" she announced as she always did when she finally gave up. "Are you coming for Easter?" "Of course, Mom," I answered as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I'll bring the pistachio salad as usual, and it's my turn to bring their basket contents this year." "Oh, honey," Mom noted and signed. "I know you're the only one without kids, but the boys sure do appreciate that you participate in the 'taking turns' idea for the kids." I couldn't help but smile as she called my 31 , 32, and 34 year-old brothers "the boys." I think I'd actually have to put more brain power into grasping who they were if she were to refer to them as "my brothers." She had always grouped them together when speaking with me. "Oh, believe me," I corrected of her apology, "it's not only no bother, but I'm stoked to get to fill their baskets once every four years. I look forward to earning my properly worded title of 'Best Aunt Ever' twice in those years. Naturally, I have that honor every Christmas!" "Yes, well, just don't show up your brothers with too expensive gifts," she reminded me as she did all the time. She was unaware that I made sure to reach out to my sisters-in-law each year to not only get great (and appropriate) gifts for the family celebration, but also added a few for under their trees in their own homes which would be marked from "Santa." It made my heart full to give them a little extra since I had the means to do it. As I laid in bed that night, I thought about what my mom had suggested. Chris? Really? Had I ever thought about that option? I scoffed and shook my head in the dark. Nah. He was just a friend! I was about to fall asleep when my phone chirped. It was charging on the table next to my bed, so I reached over blindly and picked it up. "I'm really sorry if this is waking you, but I need to talk to you." I didn't think twice and called Chris' sister, Cindy, to see what was going on. We hadn't talked in a long while, but I had her number saved from a surprise party we had thrown for Chris when he had turned 30. "Jenn?" Cindy questioned when answering on the second ring. "Yeah, Cindy, it's me," I confirmed. "What's up?" "Chris was in a car accident!" she exclaimed and let out a sigh as she took the moment to catch her bearings. "Well, oh, gosh," I reacted as I wasn't sure what the severity was. "Is he OK?" I asked as most humans would think to ask next. "Yes, thank God!" Cindy answered and hiccupped. "Oh, I guess I should have led with that. His car is totaled thanks to the jerk who cut him off, but we are at the hospital because he has some injuries." "That makes sense," I replied and shook my head. "Cindy, what's up? I mean, I appreciate the call, and I am happy to check in on him tomorrow, but;" "Well, that's just it," Cindy quickly interrupted. "Um, yeah; so, Dex and I were supposed to be leaving tonight for a week away. Chris is going to need some assistance, so I was wondering, you know, if maybe you could help out?" "Help out?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Cindy, what exactly does 'need some assistance' mean?" "Um, well; he has a concussion, so the doctor mentioned that he shouldn't be left alone for a while," she explained. "No more than a week or so, I think. I mean, as his only sibling, it was logical that I was asked to do it, you know? But we have these tickets, and the trip;" "So, how would it work?" I asked before she rubbed in her little romantic vacation anymore. "He will obviously not be able to work. Would he be able to come to stay at my place, or?" "Oh, I asked that too," Cindy answered. "The doctor said it is best at his place since he knows it the best. You know, corners, walls, and stuff in case he gets dizzy." "So, I'd have to move into his place?" "Yeah," she answered and got quiet. I ran over the short list in my head of other people who could possibly take the position of which I was being offered and realized there was no one else who could do it. His mom was too old and didn't get around very well. His dad was out of the picture. His guy friends were either busy with their married lives or irresponsible enough to not trust in such a position. No, Cindy was right to call me. Now I had to get going. Did I pack? What about my place? Could I leave to check on it throughout the week? Could he come with me? So many questions. "Jenn, are you still there?" I nearly dropped the phone when I heard Cindy calling out to me. "Shoot! Oh, Cindy, I'm sorry. Yes, tell the doctor I'll be there within the hour. I'll grab my things and figure out the other stuff tomorrow. Will you be there?" "Oh, um, we were going to go since he's asleep. Did you need me to stay;" "No, go," I answered and shook my head as I said it. "Go have a blast on your trip. Check in as you can, but don't worry. I'll take care of him." "Oh, thank you, Jenn! I knew you'd be there for him." We continued our niceties as I got dressed again and packed while she told me his room number and promised to text me the information too. We hung up as I zipped my bad shut and headed for the bedroom door. I pointed at the several places my most immediately needed items were usually located and found that I'd packed them all, including my phone charger.     When I entered the hospital, I made my way to the elevator to go straight to Chris' room. I knew it was after hours for the most part, but if I was going to be his person, I had to get in there to speak with the doctor to find out what was required of me. "Excuse me? Can I help you?" a nurse asked as I was looking at the wall to find which direction I needed to go to find the room. "I'm here to see Chris Benbury," I explained. "My name is Jennifer;" "Sanders?" She questioned and nodded when I showed surprise. "Sorry. Chris' sister, Cindy, told us to be expecting you. I'm Marita, and I was here when Chris was brought in, so you can come to me if you have any questions or concerns until 6am when the shift changes. Come with me, hun, and we'll get you comfortable in his room. When I see the doctor, I'll send him in to answer your questions." "Thank you," I answered quietly. The severity of Chris' injuries was still in question, but the fact that I was walking in a hospital being led by a nurse hit me a little. I felt the emotions welling up, so I put up my finger as if to request that we stop so I could collect myself. "Oh, honey! It's alright!" Marita sympathized and rubbed my back. "He's going to be just fine!" I laughed a little at her need to comfort me and shook my head as I wiped my eyes. "Oh, my gosh. This is so stupid. I can't believe I'm standing here crying. I don't know what's come over me!" I inhaled deeply and accepted the tissue Marita offered. As I wiped my eyes, I let out another laugh. "I'm alright. It's just that I am standing here in a hospital, and the sudden realization that Chris could have been really hurt badly, or even;" "Oops! No, no, girl," Marita chided. "No, we aren't going down that road. Chris is going to be just fine. He just got banged up a little. We are monitoring him well, but once you take him home, he'll improve each day. It's just the concussion that has us worried a little bit." "I appreciate it," I responded and nodded. "Thank you. Thanks for letting me get this out before we go in there." "Honey, I gotchu," Marita offered and patted my back again. "Ready? He's right in here." I nodded, so the nurse gave a gentle knock on the door and then pushed it open. It would appear that she did the knocking thing as a habit, but she also seemed to know he was going to be asleep when we walked in. "He has a concussion from the collision. From what I heard, he was turning right onto the street when an impatient son of a b, ," she began to say but stopped herself and cleared her throat. "Excuse me, I mean; when the other driver came along on the shoulder to pass him. I don't know for sure, but the police indicated that the man was being impatient and tried to go around illegally. Because the other driver wasn't paying attention, Chris' continued proper turn into his lane caused a sudden need for the other guy to have to swerve and slammed directly into Chris' car." "Yeah," I replied as I bent over to look at the face of the man who held the honor of one of my longest running friendships, "Cindy mentioned that his car was totaled. It's a shame," I noted as I pushed some hair from Chris' forehead, "because he loved that car. He had it ordered exactly the way he had wanted it only about nine months ago." "That is a shame," Marita echoed. "Well, he's going to have some bruises and aches and pains for a good few days, but other than that, it's the dizziness which might be an issue." Marita continued to check stats and document them since she was in the room. "Well, I'll leave you to visit with him. You can pull out the bed, and the remote is next to his bed if you want to watch something. When I see the doctor, I'll let him know you're here and waiting for instructions." "Thank you, Marita," I responded and nodded.   My name is Christopher Benbury. This is how I got around to getting together with Jennnifer. "Jenn?" My best friend, Jenn Sanders, awoke and looked around as if to try figuring out where she was and who was calling her name. "Jenn? What are you doing here?" I repeated. "Hmm, Chris," she answered and raised her arms to stretch. The chair must have been comfortable, but I don't think she had expected to fall asleep quite so deeply. "Cindy called me after your accident," she explained. "Since she's got her trip with Dax, I came to be your aide for the next week as you heal." "She called you?" I asked and reached up to touch my head. "Ow, stupid headache. Oh, crap! Cindy's trip. Wasn't there anyone else she could have called?" "Wow," she answered sarcastically. "Thanks." "Oh, shit, Jenn," I responded suddenly. I wanted to smack my forehead for acting the way I was. It wasn't her fault I was in an accident, my car had been totaled, and I was waking up in a hospital. "Oh, crap, that's not what I meant. I just; why did she have to bother you?" "Well, I did the math as I pondered my ability to help out, and it comes down to the fact that I'm the only logical person since she's not available. Your mom isn't capable. Andy, Doug, and Erik are either married or, let's face it; not entirely responsible enough to hardly care for themselves; Doug," she muttered, though audibly. I couldn't blame her. Last she'd heard, Doug had locked himself out of his house in a drunken stupor and just slept on the concrete porch one late night. It turned out that he'd also opened his garage door and could have just gone into the house through there. Idiot. Had the weather been ten degrees colder, he could have died. When telling the story, though, he laughed all the way through it and proudly showed off his frozen burnt skin on his arm. I had to reach for Jenn's hand while he told his story to remind her that beating the crap out of the moron wasn't going to change anything. "OK, I suppose you have a point," I realized and laid my head back on the pillow. "Has the doctor been in?" "If he came in while I was sleeping, he didn't wake me up," she answered and stood up to stretch. "Would you want me to call Marita?" "Who?" I asked. Was I supposed to know who that was? Was she already trying to get out of helping me? Was Marita an aide who helped my mom? Why would Jenn know Mom's aides' names? "The nurse," she answered. "I can push the call button and have her come here to check on you, and maybe we could;" "Knock, knock!" Marita announced as she opened the door. "I thought I heard voices! Well, hello there, handsome! And good morning, Jennifer. Last time I was in here, you were hovering over him like a concerned lovebird." I looked over at Jenn, but she was watching Marita, and I couldn't see her face. Was she looking at me with concern? Lovebird? In all the time we'd be hanging out and talking, it had only ever been friendly. Lunches, a rare trip to the movies and shared popcorn, and texts almost every day. But more than friends? Why had Marita said it like that? "The doctor got called away to do surgery in the big city," Marita explained as she messed with the computer and attachments hooked up to my body, "so he left your case, Chris, with Dr. Chesney Ryan. She's due to come in at around 7am this morning. It's 5:30am now. Do either of you need anything? Chris, what is your pain level? Anything other than your head hurting, hun?" "Ask me again once I get out of bed," I requested and sighed. I pulled over the covers and realized I was in a gown. Well, crap. Nice way for my friend to see me for the first time in something other than normal clothes. Maybe I could hold the back together; "How about you, Jenn?" Marita asked. Fortunately, she was keeping Jenn's attention. Or maybe Jenn was just being kind and sparing me the humiliation. I held both sides of my gown together as I hurried to the bathroom to do my business. My friend. Jennifer Sanders and I met during our freshman year of high school. She was always kind to me. We hung out in large groups on occasion, and we laughed a lot when we sat next to one another in homeroom two years in a row. That was a lucky thing for me when many of the other parts of my life sucked so badly. I won't get into it, but let's just say, going to school was a blessing, especially when I got to see Jenn. I chickened out when dances came around, so she was never the wiser that I had a huge crush on her. All throughout high school, I had the pleasure of her company, so why ruin that? I decided during our junior year when I had heard that she'd accepted yet another request for her companionship as the quarterback's date for the next dance of the year to just let go of the dream that one day, she'd want me. And so it went. We graduated from high school in May. We went our separate ways, crossed paths at a restaurant and exchanged cell phone numbers, and reconnected. I have heard from her at least once a week, though recently, if I go two days without hearing from her, I check in. She has always given me the indication that she enjoys my company when we go out to lunch together, and laughter and endless chatting is a given. After countless times of having my mother and sister asking me why Jenn wasn't more to me, I threw up my hands and told them it just wasn't meant to be. Friendship is important to me, and the idea of scaring her away with my declaration of love just wasn't one to deal with. Waking up this morning and finding her there in the room with me was a shock, and I wasn't in the right mindset to acknowledge that my sister had asked Jenn to stay with me. It still wasn't sinking in. I think once the doctor came into the room to discuss the upcoming week of healing, we'd both begin to understand just what was expected of her. I just hoped she wouldn't abandon ship. OK, yes, she'd never do that, but would it cross her mind? When I walked into the room again, Jenn was going through her bag. "Oh, hey," she greeted me again. "I'm supposed to remind you to let Marita know before she leaves if you have any other concerns or pains. She's off at 6am." With her arm full of clothes, she pointed with her other hand. "Are you done in the bathroom? I was hoping to freshen up." "What for?" I asked as I covered myself with the sheet. "You're beautiful as always." "Oh, Chris," she chided and shook her head. "You're both biased and obligated to say so. We old people need to stick together," she claimed, to which I shook my head while rolling my eyes. Because she was always teasing that we were getting old. "And you have to say that because you know if you're mean to me, you'll be left all alone in that big house of yours when I storm out leaving you without anyone to pick you up when you faint." "Doesn't mean it's not true," I argued as she closed the bathroom door. If I was going too far, because I'd never said much of anything before indicating that I saw her as more than a friend, I could claim the concussion as an excuse.   Jenn Dr. Ryan came in just as Marita had indicated at around 7am. She was pleased with the tests she ran on Chris, but she was extremely glad to know that I had planned to spend the week with him at his place. "In the first few days, you should not spend much time on your feet. A shower is fine; but leave the door open so she can hear you. Try not to stand at the stove, for instance." "Oh, I've got meals covered all week," I interjected. "But what about walking?" "OK, good to know about the meals," Dr. Ryan responded. "No strenuous exercise, obviously, but walking is good. Jenn, perhaps plan to hold his arm so that you can feel his speed and stability. Fresh air is definitely helpful." "His bedroom is on the second floor," I informed the doctor. "Oh, I'll be taking the couch," Chris noted. "What?" I asked and shook my head. "Why would you?" "Actually, that's probably a great idea," Dr. Ryan responded. "Even if you help him up the stairs, he will need to come down. If everything is on the main floor, less to be concerned about." "Ha!" Chris teased. I stuck my tongue out at him. He was chivalrous, sure, but he was also stubborn. I could just as easily have stayed on the couch. "Well, I think I'm going to get the paperwork going for discharge," Dr. James told us both as she smirked at our playful nature. Jenn, if you have any concerns, don't hesitate to call my number." I reached out to take her card and gave her raised eyebrows. Her personal number? "I've found that having the patient or caregiver calling me instead of a hospital has dramatically helped in reducing unnecessary trips to the hospital, not to mention going through the painful process of hunting me or another doctor down. I'd say eight out of ten times? Yeah, one-minute Q & A, and the situation is handled. I can give up a minute here or there." I shook my head while smiling. Dr. Ryan just shrugged and winked at Chris. "Welp, are you ready to ditch this joint?" I asked Chris and laughed at my own expression. "Meals? Walks? And you're totally taking my bedroom," Chris added and pointed at me. "How long have you been planning these things?" "Before I fell asleep, I made a list of things I wanted to do or have handled. My brother will stop at my house to get the stuff I'll be texting him once I've assessed things at your house." "Which brother?" Chris asked. "Luke. Duh," I teased. He knew that too. Not only was Luke the brother I was closest to, but he lived closest also. "Well, I never know for sure which gospel writer it'll be," Chris teased. "Well, you know the answer is never John," I lamented. As you can probably surmise, my brothers' names are Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but my parents started with Luke (after me). Since my dad is John, he decided to go in reverse order. I never got that question wrong in Sunday school. "Anyways, he, Luke, will stop in each day at my house. I've contacted my troop and informed them of this situation. I'll be off work other than checking emails, so you can have my full attention." "Oh, well, lucky me," Chris teased. "I'd say so," I shot back. "So, my mail and house are covered. Luke will bring me my food and ingredients for all meals I have planned, and I will order the rest to be delivered." "My treat, of course," Chris interrupted. "I already have an account. I'll add whatever you want to get, but I'm paying." I huffed dramatically. "Ugh, fine," I whined. "We can watch movies, take naps, go for walks, and see how you're feeling each day." "I think Cindy called my boss last night, so I'll just check in with him when we get to my place," Chris noted. He inhaled for a second and then let out the air in a huff. "Jenn, are you sure you want to do this?" "Alright, that's twice," I accused. "What's with you? We went over this already. Why don't you want me to be with you? What did I do? Do you want me to call Doug?" "Jenn! No!" Chris exclaimed. He motioned for me to come sit by him. Seeing as he was still wearing that stupid gown, he couldn't exactly get up. I bowed my head and walked over to stand by the bed. He reached over to take my hand. "Sit, please." Once I did, he continued. "Jenn, I can't begin to explain to you how much it means to me that you're willing to help me out. This stupid accident, my totaled car, Cindy's vacation, my concussion, missing work, rearranging your life so that you can move in with me to babysit me;" "Wait, wait," I argued. "I'm not just some caregiver off the street. It's not like we just met at work a few years ago. I'm not just doing this because you need someone to help you. You're like; my best friend, Chris." I sighed and relaxed a little. "This is stupid, this little fit we're having. Look, you're in a situation that requires help. I'm in a situation that allows me to help you. You'd totally do the same for me, right?" "I mean, I guess, but your parents could easily;" "Chris, cut it out," I argued and playfully slapped his arm. "You'd totally do it and hardly take 'no' for an answer, right?" Chris nodded. "Let me do this. Let's make the most of it. We're always saying at lunches that we should do that more often. Well, we've got about a week's worth of meals to enjoy together. Besides," I teased, "you can see what kind of a cook I am. Maybe after this week, you'll see why it's good that we meet up at restaurants all the time." I shrugged, but Chris didn't laugh. "I just really appreciate it, Jenn," Chris stated quietly. "I'm not used to this, you know? I live alone. I don't depend on anyone. I haven't in years." "Yeah, well, me too," I agreed. "So, let's just see what happens, alright?" I requested and got up because the daytime nurse had knocked and entered the room. "Time to get dressed, young man," Georgie instructed and winked at me as she stood behind him to make sure his bottom remained covered. I turned and checked my bag to give him the decency of a little privacy. As we made our way to Chris' place, we made small talk. I had a list in my head of things needing to be done, but for now, I was thinking that picking up coffee and breakfast sandwiches seemed like the right move. The way Chris' face lit up at the mention of those things made me smile. Once in the house, I began going over my list of necessary items to make all the meals I'd planned for the week. I had a good idea of what I had at my own place since I had made my plans for the weeks' worth of meals a day earlier, so I just had to see what Chris had. I texted my brother the list, thanked him, and told Chris what needed to be purchased for delivery. Once that was all done, I took my things upstairs to his room and set myself up. I still felt bad for taking his room, but he assured me that he was going to sleep just fine on the couch. I only agreed if he was cool with me checking on him randomly throughout the night. He shrugged and agreed. He and I both handled work things for about an hour until the delivery came. I unpacked the groceries and made lunch. Chris joined me at the table, and we talked about movies we'd enjoy throughout the week. It was decided to go with any movies from our high school days for nostalgia's sake. While on a short walk around the block, I offered my arm, but he suggested holding my hand instead. I shrugged and gave it to him. I can't explain what happened, but something inside me awakened. My stomach tightened, my head swam a little, my heart rate sped up, and my skin tingled. He didn't seem to notice, so I tried to play it off and listen to what he was telling me.   Chris "What a beautiful day, huh?" I asked and looked around at our surroundings. "I'm surprised we don't even need a jacket. Easter is a couple weeks away, and I feel like it might even be shorts weather for some egg hunters this year." Jenn laughed. "Remember a couple years ago when you said that at lunch? It snowed on Easter morning that year. I made a comment to my mom about it when I woke up and found it white outside. I literally said aloud to my bedroom, 'Ha! Chris was totally wrong this time!'" "Alright, alright," I admitted and laughed with her. "I suppose I can be wrong some of the time." I squeezed her hand which made her look over at me. She had a different look in her eye than usual, but then again, we didn't ever hold hands like we were either. I admit, I suggested holding her hand for a few other reasons than just her ability to sense that I was losing stability. I had always wondered what it would be like to hold her hand. I wondered if I could get her to dance with me one day too. Maybe it wasn't too late to know what it felt like to hold her in my arms like I had wished for all those years ago. "Shall we go once more around, or was that enough for the day?" Jenn asked, which snapped me out of my little daydream. "Let's play it safe," I suggested and nodded toward the house. "Come on. I feel a little nap coming soon." "Ooo, a nap sounds amazing," Jenn reflected and smiled. "I might even sneak one in too. So, how's your head?" "Oh, I didn't even realize that the headache is practically gone," I informed her and smiled. I almost made mention about her ability to leave earlier than expected, but she didn't seem to like those comments. I guess it did make me seem hard on myself. I just didn't want her to feel like she had to be there if she didn't want to be. I made a pact with myself to stop the shitty comments degrading my self-esteem. She wasn't wrong. It was rather depressing to hear those words, even coming out of my own mouth. "That's great!" Jenn responded and gave me a thumbs up. "Well, let's get you inside and set you up for a nap." Jenn stopped and turned to face me. I had just realized that we were still holding hands. "In fact, let's head upstairs. We can both lie down, and that way, if you need something or don't feel right, I'll be right there." "Um, I mean, yeah. That seems like a good idea." "Right?" Jenn answered. "And also, you can take a shower, grab some fresh clothes, and then we can head down to have dinner and watch a movie or two." So, that's what we did. Jenn laid on the other part of my king size bed once I was set up on my usual side. We fell asleep facing away from each other. She'd set her alarm for two hours for "just in case." We didn't think a longer nap would be good for us. Sleeping the day away wasn't going to help me any, and she didn't want to be too awake at bedtime. I took my shower and tried not to think about the gorgeous woman sitting in my room waiting for me to finish. I thought about a quick release while in there, but even I was nervous that doing so would possibly cause me to become dizzy, and I certainly didn't need her to figure out what had caused me to pass out. Apparently, Luke had come while I was in the shower, so the kitchen was a little more stocked with meal stuff Jenn had planned for. When I came out of the shower, a few more items were sitting on her bag too, so I guessed she'd put those things in the bathroom for herself to use once I was situated downstairs on the couch. Dinner was awesome. The movies were fun and provided several opportunities to laugh, talk about memories that came from the time we had seen the movie or who we saw it with. My mom called to check in on me, and Cindy apparently texted Jenn to let her know that they had made it safely to their destination. Jenn tucked me in, and then she retired upstairs to go to bed. I think she checked in on me a few times, but she didn't disturb me. I woke up to smells of coffee and breakfast. This chick sure knew the way to my heart, intentional or not. I sat up and jumped when Jenn came walking in with a plate and fresh cup of coffee. "Good morning! Rise and shine," Jenn greeted me and set the items down on my coffee table. She left me alone for a minute and then brought her own plate and coffee mug in with her to join me. I generally preferred to eat at the kitchen table for all meals, but this just felt; natural. I really liked it. We checked in on work stuff, watched a little daytime television, walked around the block holding hands, ate lunch, took a little trip to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions and a few other things Jenn needed. I wasn't sure. I stayed in the car because she said she'd just run in to grab them along with my meds. When we got home, she took me by the hand and led me upstairs so we could take a nap. There weren't many words. We did that a lot lately. It was like we could just communicate without using all the words. We were falling into a nice routine which seemed to be working for us. I fell asleep facing her back this time.   Jenn When I woke up, I realized first that my back was pressed up to something, and something else was holding me there. I opened my eyes to find myself being spooned by Chris. I froze. Wait, why was this so incredibly comfortable? Was it simply because I hadn't been intimate with anyone in; ? Well, it had been a long time. He stirred behind me and squeezed me to his body. Good; ness, did it feel amazing, or what? I closed my eyes and let myself imagine what could happen if I allowed myself the idea of being with Chris. The way it felt to hold his hand was really nice. The way we were always laughing, talking, being open with one another; oh crap! Was my mom possibly right about him? Had I never even given the idea a thought because we'd been friends for so long? I slid my hand down the arm he had over my stomach and rested it on top of his. I sighed and tried to imagine what a life with him could look like. Oh, gosh. What was I doing? Was I just caught up in this special circumstance where we happened to both be off work, hanging out with no obligations? Well, it was only Day Two, right? Couldn't I just see where it went? Chris stirred behind me, so I waited to see what he'd do. Slowly, he pulled back from me and gently slid his hand out from under mine. He must have assumed I was still sleeping. I inhaled deeply and stirred as if his movement woke me. "Hmm, hey," I greeted him and turned to face him. He'd slid far enough away that it didn't feel too awkward. "How'd you sleep?" Nothing came across as awkward, so we went on with our day and continued to go on with the day as usual. Days Three and Four went very much the same, each event bringing us closer together. A routine had been setting in, and the two of us seemed to enjoy the familiarity of each other and the circumstances in which we'd found ourselves. On Day Five, I found myself feeling rather sleepy during the late morning walk, so Chris pleaded for me to allow him to make us some lunch this time. I nodded and rested back into my cozy living room chair as the TV lulled me to sleep.   Chris So, I was making lunch when I realized that Jenn was fast asleep on the chair. I knew I could just leave her there, but I was going to be good for a nap too, so I ate my sandwich after packing hers up in a baggie and walked into the living room to assess the best approach. I covered her with a blanket since she had her hands tucked into her armpits and slid my arms beneath her to carry her up to the bedroom. Once she was settled, I faced her and smiled at the beautiful woman lying beside me in my bed. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead before closing my eyes to fall asleep. What woke me actually surprised me. It wasn't the movement on the bed, but the little kiss I felt against my cheek. I started a bit, but the hand holding mine just squeezed it. "Hi there," Jenn greeted me and smiled as she inhaled deeply. "I must have fallen asleep. Did you carry me upstairs, or did I just stay too asleep to not realize it? Oh; and lunch?" "You were out before I had the bread on the counter," I teased. "I ate quickly and put yours in a bag for after our naps." I took my turn to inhale deeply. I'd had the best sleep during all these naps. I didn't want to imagine what else was going away when the week was over. "Well, shower time if you want," Jenn mentioned. "I'm going to go downstairs to eat and set out the stuff for dinner." She looked over as she slid her hand out of mine. "You good?" "Yep," I answered instinctively. "See you down there." "You betcha," she answered and pointed at me and winked as she smiled and headed toward the door. I was about to get up when she came back in suddenly. "Oh, Chris?" "Hmm?" "Thanks for doing that," she answered. "I have had some great naps. I feel like this week has been a vacation, and it's the best I've ever had. I just; I appreciate that, um; I just appreciate it." "Well, I won't be getting in any more accidents," I teased. "You had better not!" she agreed. "We got lucky with this one only messing with your head a little. I don't want to know how bad it could have been," she added. "I'm kinda getting used to having you around. Might need to step up our dinner dates to once a week instead of once every other month, right? Well, unless you're sick of me." "Nope, definitely not that," I answered quietly. "What?" she yelled as she descended the stairs. "I guess we'll see," I teased. Her laughter made me smile. Dinner was phenomenal as usual. Jenn had a real knack for cooking. I didn't do so badly at it, particularly with the foods I tended to gravitate to since I was almost always only cooking for me, but having her bring in these different dishes made me wish the week was going to last longer. And not just because it was someone else making the dishes. It was Jenn, and I wanted it all: the time, the food, the girl. Yes, especially the girl. Rather than heading to the living room after dinner, I offered to do the dishes. "Go take a bath in the tub. It has jets. Go relax. I promise, if I feel even the least bit lightheaded, I'll sit down at the table. But I'll be fine. Go relax before we watch tonight's movie. We only picked one, remember?" "Thanks, I think I'll do that," she answered. I was relieved. Jenn needed to enjoy the amenities of this "vacation" as she'd called it. I was thrilled that she was enjoying the time with me as much as I was loving this time with her. I hoped it would actually lead to more meals spent together. Who knew what the future held, right? That night, once she'd made sure I was set for the night, she headed upstairs. I was flipping through channels not even acknowledging what was on the television. I was about to turn off the TV when I heard her coming down the stairs. I went ahead and set the remote on the table and pretended to be asleep. I figured she'd come over to check on me, and (forgive me, but; ) maybe I'd be able to sneak a peek. She wore shorts and a tank top to bed, at least while she'd been sleeping over, and I wondered if I might get to see a little something when she bent over to check on me. Rather than coming over to the couch, though, Jenn walked into the kitchen. As I turned to see what she was doing, I found myself staring at her cute, little panty-covered ass. She was reaching up into the cabinet for something. I wasn't sure what it was that she needed so badly, but it was enough for her to keep trying. Now was my chance. I had no idea what I was going to do, but the time was there, and I was taking the chance. I walked up behind Jenn and pressed into her as I reached up into the cabinet to get the box on the top shelf. My mouth had gone dry from staring at her, and my heart was pounding. As I brought the box down, I recognized the label. What the hell did she need condoms for? "Jenn?" "Chris," she replied in a whisper. "What's up?" "I, um; I thought you'd be asleep," she justified. "I;" "; needed condoms in the middle of the night?" "Yes," she answered and exhaled a ragged breath. She was shaking. "Why?" I asked as I set the box on the counter. I leaned forward as I shut the cabinet door and smiled a little to myself as I could feel her ass pressed up against my crotch. "Jenn, what's going on?" "I was going to check on you," she answered and, only to surprise me more, rested her head against my chest. "I; I was going to see if you, um;" I leaned down to brush my lips along her neck. "To see if I; what, Jenn?" Her response was just as I'd hoped. She pressed her bottom into my groin and moaned as I licked her earlobe. "What do you want, Jenn?" I whispered into her ear. With a moan, Jenn looked up at me with pleading eyes. "What is it?" "Kiss me," she breathed and reached up to slide her hand behind my head and into my hair. I leaned down and put my lips to hers. Fireworks. Good God! It was nothing like I had imagined, and so much more amazing than I thought possible. Jenn's moans indicated that she felt the same. To be continued. Based on a post by cilma rae, for Literotica.

Friendzone Skeptics: Part 1. Old classmates spend a week together, and find more. Based on a post by cilma rae. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chris Benbury and Jennifer Sanders tell the tale of how their friendship took decades to transform into a life connection. We're going to let them tell just how it happened. I'm Jennifer Sanders. In high school, I was Jenny, or Jenn. One fall day in the early nineties, Chris and I met at our high school. When? What, like the exact moment? Heck, I dunno. It was a small school, and everyone knew everyone; for the most part. It wasn't until after college that we'd connected again. Just friends, we'd meet up for lunch here and there. A text about family would show up, and one of us would respond with a smile or a few updates on their own life. He was always supportive of my goals, and I was very proud to know him and to witness all he had accomplished as well. Chris would date here and there, but there was never anything serious. I was so busy trying to move up in my career field that sometimes, I'd not even realize that two months had gone by since my last; um, well, even the thought of sex was rare. I was pretty happy excelling in the successes of my own business. It was when I turned 35 that I realized I might have let a little too much time go by. "Jenn," my mom lamented in her usual way on our weekly call, "when am I gonna have grand babies?" "Um, Mom? You have six grandchildren," I reminded her as I thought about my three nephews and three nieces produced by the mix of my three brothers and their amazing wives. "Oh, Jennifer," Mom chided, "you know what I mean. You're my only daughter. No boyfriend, at least that I've heard of. No talk of relationships at all. What about Chris? Do you still talk to him? He was always such a sweet boy in high school. You mentioned that you two keep in touch, right?" "Oh, Mother!" I argued. "Chris is a friend, a very good one at that. It's not like that though." "Well, just think on it, OK?" she requested as if my answer wasn't acceptable. "You never know. I mean, remember how I told you that I didn't realize I was meant to be with your father until;" "Until he kissed you, I know," I mocked and shook my head as I had said each word exactly as she had, only my words were dripping with sarcasm. "Mom, I have never been in a position to kiss Chris. He's a good friend. He dates. We share stories and encourage each other in our work ventures. It's just not like that." "OK, I'm just saying;" she announced as she always did when she finally gave up. "Are you coming for Easter?" "Of course, Mom," I answered as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I'll bring the pistachio salad as usual, and it's my turn to bring their basket contents this year." "Oh, honey," Mom noted and signed. "I know you're the only one without kids, but the boys sure do appreciate that you participate in the 'taking turns' idea for the kids." I couldn't help but smile as she called my 31 , 32, and 34 year-old brothers "the boys." I think I'd actually have to put more brain power into grasping who they were if she were to refer to them as "my brothers." She had always grouped them together when speaking with me. "Oh, believe me," I corrected of her apology, "it's not only no bother, but I'm stoked to get to fill their baskets once every four years. I look forward to earning my properly worded title of 'Best Aunt Ever' twice in those years. Naturally, I have that honor every Christmas!" "Yes, well, just don't show up your brothers with too expensive gifts," she reminded me as she did all the time. She was unaware that I made sure to reach out to my sisters-in-law each year to not only get great (and appropriate) gifts for the family celebration, but also added a few for under their trees in their own homes which would be marked from "Santa." It made my heart full to give them a little extra since I had the means to do it. As I laid in bed that night, I thought about what my mom had suggested. Chris? Really? Had I ever thought about that option? I scoffed and shook my head in the dark. Nah. He was just a friend! I was about to fall asleep when my phone chirped. It was charging on the table next to my bed, so I reached over blindly and picked it up. "I'm really sorry if this is waking you, but I need to talk to you." I didn't think twice and called Chris' sister, Cindy, to see what was going on. We hadn't talked in a long while, but I had her number saved from a surprise party we had thrown for Chris when he had turned 30. "Jenn?" Cindy questioned when answering on the second ring. "Yeah, Cindy, it's me," I confirmed. "What's up?" "Chris was in a car accident!" she exclaimed and let out a sigh as she took the moment to catch her bearings. "Well, oh, gosh," I reacted as I wasn't sure what the severity was. "Is he OK?" I asked as most humans would think to ask next. "Yes, thank God!" Cindy answered and hiccupped. "Oh, I guess I should have led with that. His car is totaled thanks to the jerk who cut him off, but we are at the hospital because he has some injuries." "That makes sense," I replied and shook my head. "Cindy, what's up? I mean, I appreciate the call, and I am happy to check in on him tomorrow, but;" "Well, that's just it," Cindy quickly interrupted. "Um, yeah; so, Dex and I were supposed to be leaving tonight for a week away. Chris is going to need some assistance, so I was wondering, you know, if maybe you could help out?" "Help out?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Cindy, what exactly does 'need some assistance' mean?" "Um, well; he has a concussion, so the doctor mentioned that he shouldn't be left alone for a while," she explained. "No more than a week or so, I think. I mean, as his only sibling, it was logical that I was asked to do it, you know? But we have these tickets, and the trip;" "So, how would it work?" I asked before she rubbed in her little romantic vacation anymore. "He will obviously not be able to work. Would he be able to come to stay at my place, or?" "Oh, I asked that too," Cindy answered. "The doctor said it is best at his place since he knows it the best. You know, corners, walls, and stuff in case he gets dizzy." "So, I'd have to move into his place?" "Yeah," she answered and got quiet. I ran over the short list in my head of other people who could possibly take the position of which I was being offered and realized there was no one else who could do it. His mom was too old and didn't get around very well. His dad was out of the picture. His guy friends were either busy with their married lives or irresponsible enough to not trust in such a position. No, Cindy was right to call me. Now I had to get going. Did I pack? What about my place? Could I leave to check on it throughout the week? Could he come with me? So many questions. "Jenn, are you still there?" I nearly dropped the phone when I heard Cindy calling out to me. "Shoot! Oh, Cindy, I'm sorry. Yes, tell the doctor I'll be there within the hour. I'll grab my things and figure out the other stuff tomorrow. Will you be there?" "Oh, um, we were going to go since he's asleep. Did you need me to stay;" "No, go," I answered and shook my head as I said it. "Go have a blast on your trip. Check in as you can, but don't worry. I'll take care of him." "Oh, thank you, Jenn! I knew you'd be there for him." We continued our niceties as I got dressed again and packed while she told me his room number and promised to text me the information too. We hung up as I zipped my bad shut and headed for the bedroom door. I pointed at the several places my most immediately needed items were usually located and found that I'd packed them all, including my phone charger.     When I entered the hospital, I made my way to the elevator to go straight to Chris' room. I knew it was after hours for the most part, but if I was going to be his person, I had to get in there to speak with the doctor to find out what was required of me. "Excuse me? Can I help you?" a nurse asked as I was looking at the wall to find which direction I needed to go to find the room. "I'm here to see Chris Benbury," I explained. "My name is Jennifer;" "Sanders?" She questioned and nodded when I showed surprise. "Sorry. Chris' sister, Cindy, told us to be expecting you. I'm Marita, and I was here when Chris was brought in, so you can come to me if you have any questions or concerns until 6am when the shift changes. Come with me, hun, and we'll get you comfortable in his room. When I see the doctor, I'll send him in to answer your questions." "Thank you," I answered quietly. The severity of Chris' injuries was still in question, but the fact that I was walking in a hospital being led by a nurse hit me a little. I felt the emotions welling up, so I put up my finger as if to request that we stop so I could collect myself. "Oh, honey! It's alright!" Marita sympathized and rubbed my back. "He's going to be just fine!" I laughed a little at her need to comfort me and shook my head as I wiped my eyes. "Oh, my gosh. This is so stupid. I can't believe I'm standing here crying. I don't know what's come over me!" I inhaled deeply and accepted the tissue Marita offered. As I wiped my eyes, I let out another laugh. "I'm alright. It's just that I am standing here in a hospital, and the sudden realization that Chris could have been really hurt badly, or even;" "Oops! No, no, girl," Marita chided. "No, we aren't going down that road. Chris is going to be just fine. He just got banged up a little. We are monitoring him well, but once you take him home, he'll improve each day. It's just the concussion that has us worried a little bit." "I appreciate it," I responded and nodded. "Thank you. Thanks for letting me get this out before we go in there." "Honey, I gotchu," Marita offered and patted my back again. "Ready? He's right in here." I nodded, so the nurse gave a gentle knock on the door and then pushed it open. It would appear that she did the knocking thing as a habit, but she also seemed to know he was going to be asleep when we walked in. "He has a concussion from the collision. From what I heard, he was turning right onto the street when an impatient son of a b, ," she began to say but stopped herself and cleared her throat. "Excuse me, I mean; when the other driver came along on the shoulder to pass him. I don't know for sure, but the police indicated that the man was being impatient and tried to go around illegally. Because the other driver wasn't paying attention, Chris' continued proper turn into his lane caused a sudden need for the other guy to have to swerve and slammed directly into Chris' car." "Yeah," I replied as I bent over to look at the face of the man who held the honor of one of my longest running friendships, "Cindy mentioned that his car was totaled. It's a shame," I noted as I pushed some hair from Chris' forehead, "because he loved that car. He had it ordered exactly the way he had wanted it only about nine months ago." "That is a shame," Marita echoed. "Well, he's going to have some bruises and aches and pains for a good few days, but other than that, it's the dizziness which might be an issue." Marita continued to check stats and document them since she was in the room. "Well, I'll leave you to visit with him. You can pull out the bed, and the remote is next to his bed if you want to watch something. When I see the doctor, I'll let him know you're here and waiting for instructions." "Thank you, Marita," I responded and nodded.   My name is Christopher Benbury. This is how I got around to getting together with Jennnifer. "Jenn?" My best friend, Jenn Sanders, awoke and looked around as if to try figuring out where she was and who was calling her name. "Jenn? What are you doing here?" I repeated. "Hmm, Chris," she answered and raised her arms to stretch. The chair must have been comfortable, but I don't think she had expected to fall asleep quite so deeply. "Cindy called me after your accident," she explained. "Since she's got her trip with Dax, I came to be your aide for the next week as you heal." "She called you?" I asked and reached up to touch my head. "Ow, stupid headache. Oh, crap! Cindy's trip. Wasn't there anyone else she could have called?" "Wow," she answered sarcastically. "Thanks." "Oh, shit, Jenn," I responded suddenly. I wanted to smack my forehead for acting the way I was. It wasn't her fault I was in an accident, my car had been totaled, and I was waking up in a hospital. "Oh, crap, that's not what I meant. I just; why did she have to bother you?" "Well, I did the math as I pondered my ability to help out, and it comes down to the fact that I'm the only logical person since she's not available. Your mom isn't capable. Andy, Doug, and Erik are either married or, let's face it; not entirely responsible enough to hardly care for themselves; Doug," she muttered, though audibly. I couldn't blame her. Last she'd heard, Doug had locked himself out of his house in a drunken stupor and just slept on the concrete porch one late night. It turned out that he'd also opened his garage door and could have just gone into the house through there. Idiot. Had the weather been ten degrees colder, he could have died. When telling the story, though, he laughed all the way through it and proudly showed off his frozen burnt skin on his arm. I had to reach for Jenn's hand while he told his story to remind her that beating the crap out of the moron wasn't going to change anything. "OK, I suppose you have a point," I realized and laid my head back on the pillow. "Has the doctor been in?" "If he came in while I was sleeping, he didn't wake me up," she answered and stood up to stretch. "Would you want me to call Marita?" "Who?" I asked. Was I supposed to know who that was? Was she already trying to get out of helping me? Was Marita an aide who helped my mom? Why would Jenn know Mom's aides' names? "The nurse," she answered. "I can push the call button and have her come here to check on you, and maybe we could;" "Knock, knock!" Marita announced as she opened the door. "I thought I heard voices! Well, hello there, handsome! And good morning, Jennifer. Last time I was in here, you were hovering over him like a concerned lovebird." I looked over at Jenn, but she was watching Marita, and I couldn't see her face. Was she looking at me with concern? Lovebird? In all the time we'd be hanging out and talking, it had only ever been friendly. Lunches, a rare trip to the movies and shared popcorn, and texts almost every day. But more than friends? Why had Marita said it like that? "The doctor got called away to do surgery in the big city," Marita explained as she messed with the computer and attachments hooked up to my body, "so he left your case, Chris, with Dr. Chesney Ryan. She's due to come in at around 7am this morning. It's 5:30am now. Do either of you need anything? Chris, what is your pain level? Anything other than your head hurting, hun?" "Ask me again once I get out of bed," I requested and sighed. I pulled over the covers and realized I was in a gown. Well, crap. Nice way for my friend to see me for the first time in something other than normal clothes. Maybe I could hold the back together; "How about you, Jenn?" Marita asked. Fortunately, she was keeping Jenn's attention. Or maybe Jenn was just being kind and sparing me the humiliation. I held both sides of my gown together as I hurried to the bathroom to do my business. My friend. Jennifer Sanders and I met during our freshman year of high school. She was always kind to me. We hung out in large groups on occasion, and we laughed a lot when we sat next to one another in homeroom two years in a row. That was a lucky thing for me when many of the other parts of my life sucked so badly. I won't get into it, but let's just say, going to school was a blessing, especially when I got to see Jenn. I chickened out when dances came around, so she was never the wiser that I had a huge crush on her. All throughout high school, I had the pleasure of her company, so why ruin that? I decided during our junior year when I had heard that she'd accepted yet another request for her companionship as the quarterback's date for the next dance of the year to just let go of the dream that one day, she'd want me. And so it went. We graduated from high school in May. We went our separate ways, crossed paths at a restaurant and exchanged cell phone numbers, and reconnected. I have heard from her at least once a week, though recently, if I go two days without hearing from her, I check in. She has always given me the indication that she enjoys my company when we go out to lunch together, and laughter and endless chatting is a given. After countless times of having my mother and sister asking me why Jenn wasn't more to me, I threw up my hands and told them it just wasn't meant to be. Friendship is important to me, and the idea of scaring her away with my declaration of love just wasn't one to deal with. Waking up this morning and finding her there in the room with me was a shock, and I wasn't in the right mindset to acknowledge that my sister had asked Jenn to stay with me. It still wasn't sinking in. I think once the doctor came into the room to discuss the upcoming week of healing, we'd both begin to understand just what was expected of her. I just hoped she wouldn't abandon ship. OK, yes, she'd never do that, but would it cross her mind? When I walked into the room again, Jenn was going through her bag. "Oh, hey," she greeted me again. "I'm supposed to remind you to let Marita know before she leaves if you have any other concerns or pains. She's off at 6am." With her arm full of clothes, she pointed with her other hand. "Are you done in the bathroom? I was hoping to freshen up." "What for?" I asked as I covered myself with the sheet. "You're beautiful as always." "Oh, Chris," she chided and shook her head. "You're both biased and obligated to say so. We old people need to stick together," she claimed, to which I shook my head while rolling my eyes. Because she was always teasing that we were getting old. "And you have to say that because you know if you're mean to me, you'll be left all alone in that big house of yours when I storm out leaving you without anyone to pick you up when you faint." "Doesn't mean it's not true," I argued as she closed the bathroom door. If I was going too far, because I'd never said much of anything before indicating that I saw her as more than a friend, I could claim the concussion as an excuse.   Jenn Dr. Ryan came in just as Marita had indicated at around 7am. She was pleased with the tests she ran on Chris, but she was extremely glad to know that I had planned to spend the week with him at his place. "In the first few days, you should not spend much time on your feet. A shower is fine; but leave the door open so she can hear you. Try not to stand at the stove, for instance." "Oh, I've got meals covered all week," I interjected. "But what about walking?" "OK, good to know about the meals," Dr. Ryan responded. "No strenuous exercise, obviously, but walking is good. Jenn, perhaps plan to hold his arm so that you can feel his speed and stability. Fresh air is definitely helpful." "His bedroom is on the second floor," I informed the doctor. "Oh, I'll be taking the couch," Chris noted. "What?" I asked and shook my head. "Why would you?" "Actually, that's probably a great idea," Dr. Ryan responded. "Even if you help him up the stairs, he will need to come down. If everything is on the main floor, less to be concerned about." "Ha!" Chris teased. I stuck my tongue out at him. He was chivalrous, sure, but he was also stubborn. I could just as easily have stayed on the couch. "Well, I think I'm going to get the paperwork going for discharge," Dr. James told us both as she smirked at our playful nature. Jenn, if you have any concerns, don't hesitate to call my number." I reached out to take her card and gave her raised eyebrows. Her personal number? "I've found that having the patient or caregiver calling me instead of a hospital has dramatically helped in reducing unnecessary trips to the hospital, not to mention going through the painful process of hunting me or another doctor down. I'd say eight out of ten times? Yeah, one-minute Q & A, and the situation is handled. I can give up a minute here or there." I shook my head while smiling. Dr. Ryan just shrugged and winked at Chris. "Welp, are you ready to ditch this joint?" I asked Chris and laughed at my own expression. "Meals? Walks? And you're totally taking my bedroom," Chris added and pointed at me. "How long have you been planning these things?" "Before I fell asleep, I made a list of things I wanted to do or have handled. My brother will stop at my house to get the stuff I'll be texting him once I've assessed things at your house." "Which brother?" Chris asked. "Luke. Duh," I teased. He knew that too. Not only was Luke the brother I was closest to, but he lived closest also. "Well, I never know for sure which gospel writer it'll be," Chris teased. "Well, you know the answer is never John," I lamented. As you can probably surmise, my brothers' names are Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but my parents started with Luke (after me). Since my dad is John, he decided to go in reverse order. I never got that question wrong in Sunday school. "Anyways, he, Luke, will stop in each day at my house. I've contacted my troop and informed them of this situation. I'll be off work other than checking emails, so you can have my full attention." "Oh, well, lucky me," Chris teased. "I'd say so," I shot back. "So, my mail and house are covered. Luke will bring me my food and ingredients for all meals I have planned, and I will order the rest to be delivered." "My treat, of course," Chris interrupted. "I already have an account. I'll add whatever you want to get, but I'm paying." I huffed dramatically. "Ugh, fine," I whined. "We can watch movies, take naps, go for walks, and see how you're feeling each day." "I think Cindy called my boss last night, so I'll just check in with him when we get to my place," Chris noted. He inhaled for a second and then let out the air in a huff. "Jenn, are you sure you want to do this?" "Alright, that's twice," I accused. "What's with you? We went over this already. Why don't you want me to be with you? What did I do? Do you want me to call Doug?" "Jenn! No!" Chris exclaimed. He motioned for me to come sit by him. Seeing as he was still wearing that stupid gown, he couldn't exactly get up. I bowed my head and walked over to stand by the bed. He reached over to take my hand. "Sit, please." Once I did, he continued. "Jenn, I can't begin to explain to you how much it means to me that you're willing to help me out. This stupid accident, my totaled car, Cindy's vacation, my concussion, missing work, rearranging your life so that you can move in with me to babysit me;" "Wait, wait," I argued. "I'm not just some caregiver off the street. It's not like we just met at work a few years ago. I'm not just doing this because you need someone to help you. You're like; my best friend, Chris." I sighed and relaxed a little. "This is stupid, this little fit we're having. Look, you're in a situation that requires help. I'm in a situation that allows me to help you. You'd totally do the same for me, right?" "I mean, I guess, but your parents could easily;" "Chris, cut it out," I argued and playfully slapped his arm. "You'd totally do it and hardly take 'no' for an answer, right?" Chris nodded. "Let me do this. Let's make the most of it. We're always saying at lunches that we should do that more often. Well, we've got about a week's worth of meals to enjoy together. Besides," I teased, "you can see what kind of a cook I am. Maybe after this week, you'll see why it's good that we meet up at restaurants all the time." I shrugged, but Chris didn't laugh. "I just really appreciate it, Jenn," Chris stated quietly. "I'm not used to this, you know? I live alone. I don't depend on anyone. I haven't in years." "Yeah, well, me too," I agreed. "So, let's just see what happens, alright?" I requested and got up because the daytime nurse had knocked and entered the room. "Time to get dressed, young man," Georgie instructed and winked at me as she stood behind him to make sure his bottom remained covered. I turned and checked my bag to give him the decency of a little privacy. As we made our way to Chris' place, we made small talk. I had a list in my head of things needing to be done, but for now, I was thinking that picking up coffee and breakfast sandwiches seemed like the right move. The way Chris' face lit up at the mention of those things made me smile. Once in the house, I began going over my list of necessary items to make all the meals I'd planned for the week. I had a good idea of what I had at my own place since I had made my plans for the weeks' worth of meals a day earlier, so I just had to see what Chris had. I texted my brother the list, thanked him, and told Chris what needed to be purchased for delivery. Once that was all done, I took my things upstairs to his room and set myself up. I still felt bad for taking his room, but he assured me that he was going to sleep just fine on the couch. I only agreed if he was cool with me checking on him randomly throughout the night. He shrugged and agreed. He and I both handled work things for about an hour until the delivery came. I unpacked the groceries and made lunch. Chris joined me at the table, and we talked about movies we'd enjoy throughout the week. It was decided to go with any movies from our high school days for nostalgia's sake. While on a short walk around the block, I offered my arm, but he suggested holding my hand instead. I shrugged and gave it to him. I can't explain what happened, but something inside me awakened. My stomach tightened, my head swam a little, my heart rate sped up, and my skin tingled. He didn't seem to notice, so I tried to play it off and listen to what he was telling me.   Chris "What a beautiful day, huh?" I asked and looked around at our surroundings. "I'm surprised we don't even need a jacket. Easter is a couple weeks away, and I feel like it might even be shorts weather for some egg hunters this year." Jenn laughed. "Remember a couple years ago when you said that at lunch? It snowed on Easter morning that year. I made a comment to my mom about it when I woke up and found it white outside. I literally said aloud to my bedroom, 'Ha! Chris was totally wrong this time!'" "Alright, alright," I admitted and laughed with her. "I suppose I can be wrong some of the time." I squeezed her hand which made her look over at me. She had a different look in her eye than usual, but then again, we didn't ever hold hands like we were either. I admit, I suggested holding her hand for a few other reasons than just her ability to sense that I was losing stability. I had always wondered what it would be like to hold her hand. I wondered if I could get her to dance with me one day too. Maybe it wasn't too late to know what it felt like to hold her in my arms like I had wished for all those years ago. "Shall we go once more around, or was that enough for the day?" Jenn asked, which snapped me out of my little daydream. "Let's play it safe," I suggested and nodded toward the house. "Come on. I feel a little nap coming soon." "Ooo, a nap sounds amazing," Jenn reflected and smiled. "I might even sneak one in too. So, how's your head?" "Oh, I didn't even realize that the headache is practically gone," I informed her and smiled. I almost made mention about her ability to leave earlier than expected, but she didn't seem to like those comments. I guess it did make me seem hard on myself. I just didn't want her to feel like she had to be there if she didn't want to be. I made a pact with myself to stop the shitty comments degrading my self-esteem. She wasn't wrong. It was rather depressing to hear those words, even coming out of my own mouth. "That's great!" Jenn responded and gave me a thumbs up. "Well, let's get you inside and set you up for a nap." Jenn stopped and turned to face me. I had just realized that we were still holding hands. "In fact, let's head upstairs. We can both lie down, and that way, if you need something or don't feel right, I'll be right there." "Um, I mean, yeah. That seems like a good idea." "Right?" Jenn answered. "And also, you can take a shower, grab some fresh clothes, and then we can head down to have dinner and watch a movie or two." So, that's what we did. Jenn laid on the other part of my king size bed once I was set up on my usual side. We fell asleep facing away from each other. She'd set her alarm for two hours for "just in case." We didn't think a longer nap would be good for us. Sleeping the day away wasn't going to help me any, and she didn't want to be too awake at bedtime. I took my shower and tried not to think about the gorgeous woman sitting in my room waiting for me to finish. I thought about a quick release while in there, but even I was nervous that doing so would possibly cause me to become dizzy, and I certainly didn't need her to figure out what had caused me to pass out. Apparently, Luke had come while I was in the shower, so the kitchen was a little more stocked with meal stuff Jenn had planned for. When I came out of the shower, a few more items were sitting on her bag too, so I guessed she'd put those things in the bathroom for herself to use once I was situated downstairs on the couch. Dinner was awesome. The movies were fun and provided several opportunities to laugh, talk about memories that came from the time we had seen the movie or who we saw it with. My mom called to check in on me, and Cindy apparently texted Jenn to let her know that they had made it safely to their destination. Jenn tucked me in, and then she retired upstairs to go to bed. I think she checked in on me a few times, but she didn't disturb me. I woke up to smells of coffee and breakfast. This chick sure knew the way to my heart, intentional or not. I sat up and jumped when Jenn came walking in with a plate and fresh cup of coffee. "Good morning! Rise and shine," Jenn greeted me and set the items down on my coffee table. She left me alone for a minute and then brought her own plate and coffee mug in with her to join me. I generally preferred to eat at the kitchen table for all meals, but this just felt; natural. I really liked it. We checked in on work stuff, watched a little daytime television, walked around the block holding hands, ate lunch, took a little trip to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions and a few other things Jenn needed. I wasn't sure. I stayed in the car because she said she'd just run in to grab them along with my meds. When we got home, she took me by the hand and led me upstairs so we could take a nap. There weren't many words. We did that a lot lately. It was like we could just communicate without using all the words. We were falling into a nice routine which seemed to be working for us. I fell asleep facing her back this time.   Jenn When I woke up, I realized first that my back was pressed up to something, and something else was holding me there. I opened my eyes to find myself being spooned by Chris. I froze. Wait, why was this so incredibly comfortable? Was it simply because I hadn't been intimate with anyone in; ? Well, it had been a long time. He stirred behind me and squeezed me to his body. Good; ness, did it feel amazing, or what? I closed my eyes and let myself imagine what could happen if I allowed myself the idea of being with Chris. The way it felt to hold his hand was really nice. The way we were always laughing, talking, being open with one another; oh crap! Was my mom possibly right about him? Had I never even given the idea a thought because we'd been friends for so long? I slid my hand down the arm he had over my stomach and rested it on top of his. I sighed and tried to imagine what a life with him could look like. Oh, gosh. What was I doing? Was I just caught up in this special circumstance where we happened to both be off work, hanging out with no obligations? Well, it was only Day Two, right? Couldn't I just see where it went? Chris stirred behind me, so I waited to see what he'd do. Slowly, he pulled back from me and gently slid his hand out from under mine. He must have assumed I was still sleeping. I inhaled deeply and stirred as if his movement woke me. "Hmm, hey," I greeted him and turned to face him. He'd slid far enough away that it didn't feel too awkward. "How'd you sleep?" Nothing came across as awkward, so we went on with our day and continued to go on with the day as usual. Days Three and Four went very much the same, each event bringing us closer together. A routine had been setting in, and the two of us seemed to enjoy the familiarity of each other and the circumstances in which we'd found ourselves. On Day Five, I found myself feeling rather sleepy during the late morning walk, so Chris pleaded for me to allow him to make us some lunch this time. I nodded and rested back into my cozy living room chair as the TV lulled me to sleep.   Chris So, I was making lunch when I realized that Jenn was fast asleep on the chair. I knew I could just leave her there, but I was going to be good for a nap too, so I ate my sandwich after packing hers up in a baggie and walked into the living room to assess the best approach. I covered her with a blanket since she had her hands tucked into her armpits and slid my arms beneath her to carry her up to the bedroom. Once she was settled, I faced her and smiled at the beautiful woman lying beside me in my bed. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead before closing my eyes to fall asleep. What woke me actually surprised me. It wasn't the movement on the bed, but the little kiss I felt against my cheek. I started a bit, but the hand holding mine just squeezed it. "Hi there," Jenn greeted me and smiled as she inhaled deeply. "I must have fallen asleep. Did you carry me upstairs, or did I just stay too asleep to not realize it? Oh; and lunch?" "You were out before I had the bread on the counter," I teased. "I ate quickly and put yours in a bag for after our naps." I took my turn to inhale deeply. I'd had the best sleep during all these naps. I didn't want to imagine what else was going away when the week was over. "Well, shower time if you want," Jenn mentioned. "I'm going to go downstairs to eat and set out the stuff for dinner." She looked over as she slid her hand out of mine. "You good?" "Yep," I answered instinctively. "See you down there." "You betcha," she answered and pointed at me and winked as she smiled and headed toward the door. I was about to get up when she came back in suddenly. "Oh, Chris?" "Hmm?" "Thanks for doing that," she answered. "I have had some great naps. I feel like this week has been a vacation, and it's the best I've ever had. I just; I appreciate that, um; I just appreciate it." "Well, I won't be getting in any more accidents," I teased. "You had better not!" she agreed. "We got lucky with this one only messing with your head a little. I don't want to know how bad it could have been," she added. "I'm kinda getting used to having you around. Might need to step up our dinner dates to once a week instead of once every other month, right? Well, unless you're sick of me." "Nope, definitely not that," I answered quietly. "What?" she yelled as she descended the stairs. "I guess we'll see," I teased. Her laughter made me smile. Dinner was phenomenal as usual. Jenn had a real knack for cooking. I didn't do so badly at it, particularly with the foods I tended to gravitate to since I was almost always only cooking for me, but having her bring in these different dishes made me wish the week was going to last longer. And not just because it was someone else making the dishes. It was Jenn, and I wanted it all: the time, the food, the girl. Yes, especially the girl. Rather than heading to the living room after dinner, I offered to do the dishes. "Go take a bath in the tub. It has jets. Go relax. I promise, if I feel even the least bit lightheaded, I'll sit down at the table. But I'll be fine. Go relax before we watch tonight's movie. We only picked one, remember?" "Thanks, I think I'll do that," she answered. I was relieved. Jenn needed to enjoy the amenities of this "vacation" as she'd called it. I was thrilled that she was enjoying the time with me as much as I was loving this time with her. I hoped it would actually lead to more meals spent together. Who knew what the future held, right? That night, once she'd made sure I was set for the night, she headed upstairs. I was flipping through channels not even acknowledging what was on the television. I was about to turn off the TV when I heard her coming down the stairs. I went ahead and set the remote on the table and pretended to be asleep. I figured she'd come over to check on me, and (forgive me, but; ) maybe I'd be able to sneak a peek. She wore shorts and a tank top to bed, at least while she'd been sleeping over, and I wondered if I might get to see a little something when she bent over to check on me. Rather than coming over to the couch, though, Jenn walked into the kitchen. As I turned to see what she was doing, I found myself staring at her cute, little panty-covered ass. She was reaching up into the cabinet for something. I wasn't sure what it was that she needed so badly, but it was enough for her to keep trying. Now was my chance. I had no idea what I was going to do, but the time was there, and I was taking the chance. I walked up behind Jenn and pressed into her as I reached up into the cabinet to get the box on the top shelf. My mouth had gone dry from staring at her, and my heart was pounding. As I brought the box down, I recognized the label. What the hell did she need condoms for? "Jenn?" "Chris," she replied in a whisper. "What's up?" "I, um; I thought you'd be asleep," she justified. "I;" "; needed condoms in the middle of the night?" "Yes," she answered and exhaled a ragged breath. She was shaking. "Why?" I asked as I set the box on the counter. I leaned forward as I shut the cabinet door and smiled a little to myself as I could feel her ass pressed up against my crotch. "Jenn, what's going on?" "I was going to check on you," she answered and, only to surprise me more, rested her head against my chest. "I; I was going to see if you, um;" I leaned down to brush my lips along her neck. "To see if I; what, Jenn?" Her response was just as I'd hoped. She pressed her bottom into my groin and moaned as I licked her earlobe. "What do you want, Jenn?" I whispered into her ear. With a moan, Jenn looked up at me with pleading eyes. "What is it?" "Kiss me," she breathed and reached up to slide her hand behind my head and into my hair. I leaned down and put my lips to hers. Fireworks. Good God! It was nothing like I had imagined, and so much more amazing than I thought possible. Jenn's moans indicated that she felt the same. To be continued. Based on a post by cilma rae, for Literotica.

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Are you looking for tools to challenge dynamic balance? Duh! Check out what makes the Gibbon SlackBoard different and how it can transform balance outcomes. In the episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS interviews Derek Mikulski, BS, CSCS, CPT, National Director of Commercial Sales for Gibbon about what makes the SlackBoard different from other balance tools clinicians use, like foam pads and BOSU balls. Derek described his entrepreneurial journey that led him to Gibbon. The SlackBoard was born from a passion for fitness and personal transformation, and brings slack lining technology into clinics, schools, and homes. The SlackBoard offers an engaging, fun approach to improving body awareness and stability. With adjustable lines and scientific research underway, the board supports everything from rehabilitation to performance training for everyone from stroke survivors to professional athletes.  Check them out at www.gibbon-USA.com and save 10% with our affiliate code "neurocollab" GIBBON North America, Inc.

Deze talkshow wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door LG Alle meningen in deze video zijn onze eigen. LG heeft inhoudelijk geen inspraak op de content en zien de video net als jullie hier voor het eerst op de site.De crew is geland in Korea en al enigszins geacclimatiseerd. Althans, zo ver dat kan wanneer je meteen na aankomst een feestje bezoekt. Maar bij Gamekings geldt altijd het motto, ‘s avonds een man, dan ook ‘s ochtends een man. En dus zitten Daan, Huey en Koos plus een surprise guest klaar om jou een fijn begin van de week te bezorgen. Iets wat wel zo handig is na een lui weekend. Zoals je in de kop van dit artikel kan lezen, betreft het hier een zeer speciale editie van Brievenmaandag. Live vanuit de mooiste PC Bang in Seoul gaan de drie niet alleen brieven beantwoorden. Ze spreken ook een Koreaanse gamer over de games cultuur in dat land. Plus we laten zien waarom de PC Bang zo populair is. En in niks lijkt dat op een internet- of games café in Nederland. Ga er dus maar relaxed klaar voor zitten en geniet van deze bijzondere editie van Brievenmaandag op maandag 10 november 2025.Live vanuit een gloednieuwe PC Bang in KoreaQua brieven zitten er logischerwijs veel brieven in deze aflevering die te maken hebben met onze reis naar Korea. Wat is het verschil tussen onze ervaringen in Tokyo van vorig jaar en onze ervaringen nu in Seoul? Waarom zijn PC Bangs zo populair? Maar de drie heren geven ook antwoord op game-gerelateerde vragen zoals de fun van de photomode in games en waarom remakes altijd zo lang duren om gemaakt te worden?Black Friday is al begonnen bij LG en LG UltraGearOnze vrienden van LG hebben er voor gezorgd dat wij naar hun home country konden afreizen. Ooit begonnen als de producent van gezicht crème zijn ze nu koning op het gebied van TV-schermen en monitoren. In Korea zelf zie je het merk echt overal en de PC Bang waar dit wordt opgenomen staat vol met hun gear. Maar wat in Seoul kan, kan natuurlijk ook in Nederland. Black Friday is namelijk al begonnen bij LG en dus kun jij gaan rond snuffelen voor een dikke LG OLED TV & UltraGear monitor. Er zijn kortingen van 10 en 15% als je respectievelijk twee of drie producten aanschaft. En ook losse schermen en monitoren kennen hun kortingen. Sla nu dus hier alvast je slag.Scoor nu al fikse kortingen bij de Black Friday deals van MSIMSI support ons tijdens deze trip met een krachtige laptop om alle content voor jullie te maken. Jullie kunnen zo'n laptop natuurlijk ook in huis halen. En als je slim bent doe je dat tijdens Black Friday, als MSI met kortingen strooit. Check bijvoorbeeld hier de MSI Black Friday pagina bij Bol. Die bol staat van de kortingen. Duh. Zo zagen we net al 600 euro korting op de Raider 18 gaming laptop. Met dat bedrag heb je bijna een vlucht naar Korea bij elkaar gespaard.Support Gamekings en koop de K-Kings Homerun capWil je Gamekings supporten zodat we jou de komende tijd kunnen blijven verwennen met wrede content zoals de Korea trip, dan kan dat nu op modieuze wijze. Koop de gewoon hier K-Kings Homerun cap. Limited edition en extreem stylish.

In this Be It Till You See It recap, Lesley and Brad reflect on Danielle Droitsch's journey from environmental law to leadership coaching and the mindset shifts that helped her uncover her real strengths. They share how Danielle's simple but powerful approach reframes fulfillment, challenges perfectionism, and inspires action through alignment. Tune in to explore how small, intentional changes can help you lead and live with more clarity.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:What it means to uncover your true superpower and use it to create impact.How following your energy reveals where you're most aligned and fulfilled.Why you only need 20% of your week focused on what energizes you to feel more balanced.How confidence grows by acting, reflecting, correcting, and continuing forward.Episode References/Links:OPC Winter Tour - https://opc.me/tourPilates Journal Expo - https://xxll.co/pilatesjournalCambodia Retreat Waitlist - https://crowsnestretreats.comAgency Mini - https://prfit.biz/miniContrology Pilates Conference in Poland - https://xxll.co/polandContrology Pilates Conference in Brussels - https://xxll.co/brusselsSubmit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questionsTime For Well-Being Website - https://www.time4wellbeing.comStop Second Guessing Your Next Career Move (Free Training) - https://exclusive.time4wellbeing.comDanielle Droitsch on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielledroitschCareer Clarity Journey: Define Your Career Path - https://mailchi.mp/7b47af821797/3jwkmtvr4yEpisode 27: Kareen Walsh - https://beitpod.com/ep27Episode 397: Kareen Walsh - https://beitpod.com/ep397 If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  She defined superpowers as your innate ability to create impact. I love that. Your innate ability to create impact. You guys, if you aren't hearing a theme about today, it is, are you using your inner compass? Are you taking time to understand yourself? Are you talking yourself up? Lesley Logan 0:16  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 0:55  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host in life, Brad, and I are going to dig into the flourishing convo I have with Danielle Droitsch in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, feel free to pause this now and go back and listen to that one, and then come back and join us. She's a fucking badass.Brad Crowell 1:13  She's pretty amazing. I really enjoyed that conversation. Lesley Logan 1:15  I mean, I don't even know how, she's been listening to our pod for a while. Then she pitched herself. We talked to her. You came up and talked to her. I want to be friends with her. I wish she lived closer. She's doing great work. And also, like, I don't even know how she did what she did for a living, because, like, as we talked about in the podcast, you're an environmental attorney, which means you're constantly fighting for the environment, and the environment is constantly getting hotter. Brad Crowell 1:38  I didn't know she was an environmental attorney. Lesley Logan 1:38  I'm pretty sure. Brad Crowell 1:38  No, she just described her work as an attorney, but it's possible you guys have that you talked to her beforehand. Lesley Logan 1:50  Yeah, no, she was an environment policy world attorney, like she was a fucking badass in DC. And I remember talking to her offline, like, Oh my God. So every day you're trying to say, the Earth is hot. I'm fighting for the earth. And every day they're like, you know, like, it's just, I don't know, like, that would be a hard that'd be a long hard, but we need people like her in this world. Brad Crowell 2:13  Well, she quit, so.Lesley Logan 2:17  She still fights for it. She still does her she still does her work. She didn't quit. Brad, what makes it sound like she gave up? She did not, you know it.Brad Crowell 2:31  No, she has moved on to bigger and better task. Lesley Logan 2:33  She had to leave DC for other reasons, and it's pretty hard to fight for the environment on a world level outside of DC. So anyways, she's still badass. Brad Crowell 2:43  Yeah. Actually, she said she's she's bringing a little bit of liberal vibes to Salt Lake City, so. Lesley Logan 2:49  We love that. You know, it's really because we have a friend who's a federal defense attorney, and I, like, think about her going to work every day, right? And, like, the federal defense attorneys, like, what's the average win? It's like 2% or something like that. And she's like 4% and that's like, fucking badass, right? And you're just like, and she's like, fighting. Brad Crowell 3:11  I think she had six. Lesley Logan 3:05  I think she had six, you're right. Yeah, she got, like, defense attorney of the year. Hi, Amelia. Anyways, she like, I think about people like that, and Danielle and like these other people like, talk about having to figure out a different way of understanding how to celebrate your wins, because, like, it could take years to move, to get a date, for something to be heard. Years, and we're over here being it until we see it, going, oh, that thing didn't happen yesterday. I had to wait six months.Brad Crowell 3:35  Yeah, it's true. I mean, especially with environmental law. I mean, you could be working on something for, you know, five to 10 years before it actually comes together, so.Lesley Logan 3:43  Yeah, well, we'll get into her in a second. Hold on. Just so you're clear, I actually have no idea what day Brad chooses until we open up the script, unless I choose a day. And so I have no idea what I'm about to read. And I feel like it's gonna be weird, because today is November 6th 2025 and it's Marooned Without A Compass Day, which would, is the story of my life, I think I would be marooned without a compass for sure. If I had my phone, and it was working, we'd be okay, but truth be told, I don't have a charger ever on me, which means my compass would be leaving us quickly. This day is celebrated annually to put a spotlight on the direction of our lives or the lack of it. Oh, well, that's interesting. On this day, we ask ourselves the hard question, where is my life going? Am I happy? In a rather literal sense, maroon means being trapped alone in a place, yeah. But in a mindful sense, it describes the ecstatic gloom and thank you, Brad for highlighting. I see ecstatic gloom is a paradoxical or oxymoronic phrase that describes the feeling that being simultaneously overwhelmed with happiness and sadness is not a standard English idiom, but a descriptive pairing of two contradictory emotions, wonderful. I feel like ecstatic gloom is how I live every day in this administration. That comes with being lost in our life.Brad Crowell 5:04  So ecstatic gloom. So in a rather little literal sense, marooned means being trapped alone in a place, but in a mindful sense, that describes the ecstatic gloom that comes from being lost in our own life. Lives, right? So. Lesley Logan 5:07  Well, this is people who are not being it until we see it, Brad. Brad Crowell 5:11  That's what I'm saying. Lesley Logan 5:13  Our listeners do not mean marooned without a compass. Brad Crowell 5:21  That's why today is exactly the right day to celebrate. Oh, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Today is all about climbing up from the rock bottom of our lives and becoming our own compass. But that's what we do here every single day at the Be It Pod. So, you know, I thought this was a great day, because what this actually really made me think about was the reset button that Covid was, you know.Lesley Logan 5:47  Yeah if people took advantage of it, which I feel like.Brad Crowell 5:49  I mean, whether or not you took advantage of it, it became a very real it was a mirror to our own lives. Each and every one of us had this, this really, I'm sure we all had the internal conversation, this ecstatic gloom of like, oh, this is what my life is. Is this what I want my life to be? (inaudible)Lesley Logan 5:49  And oh, my God, I get to lay on the couch. That's the ecstatic part. You have to have ecstatic part of the gloom.Brad Crowell 6:13  Yeah. I mean, I don't, I don't know how many people like I think the I think there was this weird perception that we can learn another language, but that never happened for us. Lesley Logan 6:21  People did make sourdough, Brad, not us, we weren't those people. Brad Crowell 6:25  We were not those people, but people did make sourdough. Lesley Logan 6:28  Our dog got walked fucking 12 fucking miles a day. That's right.Brad Crowell 6:33  But, but I, you know, I think that, you know, we're already five years past Covid, and I think this is a good time to check in and be like, Hey, I had this realization back then. You know, I made changes in my life, the changes that I made. Am I happy with them still? So, yeah. So today is Marooned Without A Compass Day. Lesley Logan 6:55  Yeah, but you don't have to go on an island and get a volleyball and name it Wilson. You can just use Hey, I just studied the Hermit card today. That was my hermit and my Tarot reading, because my new hobby, okay, and it's about taking time to be alone and do some self-reflection and some inner like looking in your inner wisdom. Brad Crowell 7:13  How poignant. Lesley Logan 7:14  How poignant. But not well, because this is on November 6th, and I'm doing it today, but it is poignant that we're recording this today, and one of the things you have to ask yourself is, like, what, what does like self-reflection look like to you? How do you understand what your inner guidance is? And like, I really do think that a lot of us are very busy, and even some of us are really good at time by ourselves and even time with our self-care. But how often are we actually using our inner wisdom versus our outer wisdom? And this is something I work with, like, eLevate members when they're like, Okay, so what next? And I'm like, You got to go inside and, like, juice out what you learned already. Brad Crowell 7:52  Gotta go inside. Lesley Logan 7:53  Anyways. Well, that's cool. Like it. I like a good compass. I don't know how to use one, but I think about it all the time. Brad Crowell 8:01  It's okay. Lesley Logan 8:03  Don't download the free compass on your phone, because there is already a compass on your phone. Brad Crowell 8:08  Yeah, there's already a compass. You don't need to get another app. Lesley Logan 8:12  You actually, that's and that is also poignant, you already have a compass. It's already inside you. You guys.Brad Crowell 8:17  We're gonna blast through these, because there's a whole list now. So we're gonna move real fast, are you ready? Lesley Logan 8:22  I am ready. Brad Crowell 8:23  Here's what's happening in November. OPC is gonna have a Black Friday sale. Black Friday Cyber Monday sale is only gonna happen during the actual holiday weekend. We're not doing it before or after. Lesley Logan 8:32  No, we're not those weirdos who start on November 1st. Brad Crowell 8:34  Okay, so that's November. December, we're gonna be on the road doing our Winter Tour. Which tickets are already on sale. In fact, hopefully the tickets are sold out at this point. HoweverLesley Logan 8:43  Let me tell you, we are recording this before they go on sale, and people have already bought tickets. I'm not sure how, but they did. So that's how quick the tickets go. Brad Crowell 8:50  If you are trying to find out more about that, go to opc.me/tour, opc.me/tour. Lesley Logan 8:57  Just, can we go back to November? I just want to be very specific, because I don't think it was very specific. We are only doing a Black Friday, Cyber Monday for OPC. So if you are, we're excited for a Profitable Pilates discount. We are not doing that. We will have more information. In fact, if you were on our email list, you would already know this and have more information. But we are.Brad Crowell 9:15  Cool. So the next thing on our list is, in December, we're going to have a Profitable Pilates sale. And that's a secret that we're giving to you here on the pod. Y'all listeners, if you ever wanted to try Agency out for, you know, a short time. Lesley Logan 9:29  Like a little mini. Brad Crowell 9:33  Like, a little month. Lesley Logan 9:36  Not a month, but a little mini. Brad Crowell 9:38  No, I think it's gonna be a month of Agency. Lesley Logan 9:35  Oh, we're doing something fun. Brad Crowell 9:36  Yeah, we're doing something new and fun. We're trying out Agency, so. Lesley Logan 9:39  I know, you guys, I do know about this, and I forgot. Brad Crowell 9:42  While we're not doing a Black Friday, Cyber Monday for Profitable Pilates, we're going to give you all the opportunity to hop in for a brief time, to get to know us, to see, kick the tires as it were. But stay tuned for the end of December, after Christmas, before the new year. Okay. Lesley Logan 9:57  Oh, guys, there's so much more ready. Can I take over? January, my birthday month, you're welcome to send gifts. Pilates Journal Expo in Huntington Beach. Go to xxLL.co/pilatesjournal, I am teaching some great workshops, a world premiere of a workshop, by the way, why your clients don't get it? I'm super excited about that and some other good stuff. And then also, in January, you want to make sure you're already on the waitlist. So don't get on the waitlist in January, go on the waitlist now for Cambodia, because in January is the early bird discount, and only those on the waitlist get that invite. In February, the month of love.Brad Crowell 10:29  Wait. Go to crowsnestretreats.com to get yourself on the waitlist.Lesley Logan 10:33  Thank God for Brad. Okay, February, Agency Mini is happening in February, so you want to get on the waitlist for that. Do you hear how we have waitlist? Why do you have waitlists? Because you get all the good stuff, including somehow people buying tickets early for the tour. So prfit.biz/mini. That's profit without the O dot biz slash mini. It's three days of epicness for your business. I promise you it will light a fire on your ass. You will not feel marooned without a compass. That is for fucking sure. Brad Crowell 10:59  That's for sure. Lesley Logan 11:00  And then in March, we are in Poland at the Contrology Pilates conference with Karen Frischmann on all the Contrology equipment. It's gonna be so fun. That's xxLL.co/poland also in March, we're in Brussels at Els Studio. It's really amazing with Karen Frischmann and, Brad, did I tell you, Ignacio is gonna be there. Brad Crowell 11:00  Oh, I thought it was Miguel. Lesley Logan 11:02  No, that's for something else I'm doing. No, Ignacio. Brad Crowell 11:15  That's so great. Lesley Logan 11:15  I know I'm so excited. I found out when.Brad Crowell 11:15  I saw some photos, but I. Lesley Logan 11:15  Yeah, I know I'm so excited. It's a Vintage and Friends Program at Els Studio in Brussels. We are teaching different workshops in Poland and Brussels, so you can actually go to both, or you can pick which weekend you want, but it's Karen and I, and Ignacio is only in Poland, and Brad's coming along. xxLL.co/brussels, and then in April, P.O.T. London. Okay, we're, that's a lot, guys,Brad Crowell 11:59  That's a whole lot. Lesley Logan 12:02  We're not doing anything else the rest of the year, all right, before. Brad Crowell 12:11  That's not true at all. Lesley Logan 12:02  That's not true at all. But we're, well, we're not doing a lot of international stuff besides the retreat. Anyways, let's get into the question. We have to talk about Danielle still. What's the question? Brad Crowell 12:12  Let's do it. All right. So this is regarding Swan Dive on the Wunda Chair @DeniseBraunStargazer on YouTube asks, What spring tension would you recommend for this movement tips for swan dive on the Wunda Chair on an Exo chair. So an EXO ChairLesley Logan 12:27  So, an EXO chair is still a Wunda chair. Here, it's, I appreciate that it has its own name, because it is different than a traditional Wunda Chair. But the thing that makes it different is the angle of the pedal, the weight of the chair. I'm sure Ken will tell me a bunch of other things that are different. And also, but to the eye and to the use, and also, the cactus thing on the back has four springs. But they have other things that have four four hooks, I should say, two springs, four hooks. So if you're using my flash cards, you'll see that there's a how to use this deck card, and that card actually will tell you that on a chair that has four hooks, so that'd be an Exo chair or anything else that has four hooks. I ignore the fourth hook on an Exo chair unless you absolutely need it. And the person who edits our flash cards actually only has an Exo chair, so she edited these cards with the Exo chair in mind, so without seeing you do The Swan, my guess is you should start with one spring on a two. So the cactus on an Exo chair has numbers one spring on the two. Now that being said, you could be fun sized and you need a one. You could be in a more of a body abundance or chest abundance bodies. You have a little bit more weight going on the pedal. So then you might need a three. You might be super advanced and only need a one. You might be a beginner and need a three. So the thing about the Wunda Chair that people don't understand this goes with EXO Chair as well, is that the springs are like pirate rules guidelines get to choose them, do you remember what was the line in the Pirate movie? Their pirate rules are just like thoughts, things to do. You know the line of the movie. Brad Crowell 14:07  What are you talking about? Lesley Logan 14:08  Johnny Depp's movie of the Pirates. They're like guidelines. Everyone is knows what I'm talking about. if they watched this movie, I'm gonna look it up later. Anyways, on the Chair. So another example on a Wunda Chair is on the flash cards. I say that a pull up is often done on a one, one spring on a one and one spring on a three. That would be (inaudible).Brad Crowell 14:30  Okay it's about the pirate rules, they'e more like guidelines. Lesley Logan 14:31  Correct. That's how the Wunda Chair.Brad Crowell 14:31  Parlay, I think it's parlay. Lesley Logan 14:33  Parlay, parlay. So that's exactly how a Wunda Chair works in an Exo chair. So if we ignore the fourth hook on the Exo chair, then you have a one, two and a three, or what we'll often say in classical Pilates, a top and a bottom. One is a bottom and a three is a top, and then a middle spring is a two. So if the traditional parlay on a pull up is a top and a bottom, so a Wunda, three on an Exo chair, that would be the guideline. However, right now I'm doing pull up on a one top. That's pretty impressive, Brad, you should be impressed. It's impressive.Brad Crowell 15:08  I'm so impressed right now, it's one on top. Lesley Logan 15:11  And then the other thing to go off of, guys is, is the spring working with you, meaning the spring should never be pushing you around, nor you bossing it around. It's your dance partner. So today it might be a two. Tomorrow might be a three. I know, this is annoying because you just want to know, but that means you're trying to be a perfectionist and not someone who is using their inner compass. That's all I have to say about that. All right, if you have questions, send them to beitpod.com/questions or you can text us at 310-905-5534, if it's international, you gotta do a plus one. All right, Brad, let's talk about Danielle. Brad Crowell 15:44  Or just use the website. Go to beitpod.com/questions. Stick around. We'll be right back. We're gonna dig into all this amazing stuff we learned from Danielle Droitsch. Brad Crowell 15:55  All right, let's talk about Danielle Droitsch. Danielle spent decades as a lawyer in the environmental policy world. Oh, that's where we learned it, leading teams and. Lesley Logan 16:05  Leaving it. Leaving it. Brad Crowell 16:07  Leading teams and directing big projects. But after 25 years, she hit a wall and realized the traditional path of titles and skills was not bringing her fulfillment. That turning point led her into coaching, where she now helps mid to senior leaders uncover their superpowers, the natural strengths that create meaning, energy and impact. Instead of piling on more certifications or chasing someone else's version of success, she shows people how to tap into what already is inside of them. Lesley Logan 16:35  Sounds like a lot of our listeners need to hear that because I remember Erika Quest and I did a whole wealthy mindset weekend about like imposter syndrome. And one of the things, sign of you imposter syndrome is that you continually acquire more certifications. And look, I think Danielle would agree with me, learning is cool. You got to keep learning. But if you keep thinking that the next certification is going to make you happy, that is the wrong motivation. So she defined superpowers as your innate ability to create impact. I love that. Your innate ability to create impact. You guys, if you aren't hearing a theme about today, it is, are you using your inner compass? Are you taking time to understand yourself? Are you talking yourself up? She states that these are often hidden to you, and unless you've gone through the exercise of actually figuring out your superpowers, you do not likely know them. This is so true. I think when we coach people, the often thing is like, oh, my god, that's amazing, right? We talk about you're the only person who can do what you do the way you do it. And people like, it's come so easy to me, it's like, yeah, it comes not easy to everyone else, like, no one else gets it. And we do need a mirror. We need some way. We need a Danielle to tell us, like, oh, this is the thing that you do really well. Also it's often the thing that people keep asking you questions about, which is why I should go into being a skincare influencer.Brad Crowell 18:00  The thing that I thought was really neat about her talking about your innate abilities is she said people will often describe their quote, unquote superpowers to her, and she would disagree with them, right? So they're, they're like, you know, I'm really good at I don't know whatever organizing or they think it always revolves around work. I think that's ultimately what her point was, that they always apply it around work. And she's saying that's not necessarily the case. For example, for her, she said, of course, I was a competent attorney, but what I was really doing around the office was making sure that everybody was feeling part of the team, feeling included, and being, you know, like, encouraging and uplifting. And she said, Actually, I never pegged that as my superpower until way after I was always just, like, actually, she said she literally thought it was her weakness. I'm being too kind. I'm so kind. I need to be less kind. I need to be more more, ruthless, you know. And she said that's because I was applying my kindness to my execution of my job. But I was, I was imagining that that's a weakness, when really it was my strength, you know. And so it was really, it was really interesting. And she said they're often hidden to you and but she's she did talk a lot about energy and what, what makes you, what feeds you, what lights you up.Lesley Logan 19:26  She said a way to figure it out is you need to follow the energy, because when engaging activities align with what your superpowers, the time flies by. So episode 400 Your Genius Zone. Alternatively, tasks that are draining to you indicate a lack of alignment. If we go back to Kareen Walsh and her, like, Drain Joy list, right? Like so and I think what happens is we're all like, Oh my God, I need to get better at this. Like, I would like, often if you have like, I need to be more detailed, and I need to work on being more detailed. But being more detailed was, like, nailed on a chalkboard because I'm like, well, how much more detailed do I need to be? Like, this seems quite obvious to me. No, I'm just not a detailed person, period. Guess why? Everyone on the team has detailed in their fucking strengths? Because I don't. I don't have it. That was my elbow. If you heard that on the podcast. Anyways, it's fine, don't worry. Didn't hit a funny bone. But I just really like what she said about that. I think it's a great way to think about things. And I also love that she shared what she thought, that she thought her strength was a weakness, like I think, I think that's very relatable. What did you love?Brad Crowell 20:31  Just for those of you who are wondering, Kareen's episode was number 27 and she had a follow up episode, which was episode 397, so. Lesley Logan 20:42  Whoa, already that many episodes behind? (inaudible) I feel like that just happened. Okay. Well, here we are. You know what? I'm clearly in my my fucking like. Brad Crowell 20:56  You're detailing it away here, babe. Lesley Logan 20:58  No, I'm not detailing anymore, because we added those FYFs, so I don't know what the numbers are anyway, but I just want to say I'm clearly following my energy, because time is flying by. Brad Crowell 21:07  Flying by. What I really loved is when she was talking about, we have this. I mean, all right, y'all have heard me talk about strengths finders and CliftonStrengths and all that stuff like, for years. Lesley Logan 21:20  For years. Brad Crowell 21:21  For years. But she said we have this societally reinforced tendency to focus on our weaknesses. Lesley Logan 21:29  Oh, my whole, my ex's biggest thing, and we talked about this on the podcast that we used to do about dating, my ex's biggest thing is, like, you're not this, you're not this, you're not this. And I'm like, okay, I got to be one of those things. And no, no one liked me for those things. So here we are.Brad Crowell 21:46  Yeah, also, that's so annoying. I mean, you know, like, I think about it. And she was laughing because she said, we have kids. And the kids, you know, if they came home from school with a D, I would be like, you need to be doing better, right? Even if they even if they were like, well, that's not my strength, she still would say, no, you need to do better. Because I think that there's a time and a place for in in the typical world of learning. The way that we educate people here in the United States, you know, it's based on test results. And now that may be changing over time, but our generation that was all that mattered was the grade at the end of it. So if you didn't get a grade, then you did not pass, right? And so this pass-fail concept, you know, it drives us to thinking that that applies in life, right? It applies at our job, it applies in our personal lives. And that's not actually the way that it functions in the rest of the world, education is different than the rest of the world, right? And so what we do, though, is, because that's how we were taught, we take that and we apply it. And so we think that we need to be better. We just need to be better at all the things, even if that's not the thing we should be focusing on. Lesley Logan 22:54  All the things. All the time. Brad Crowell 22:54  Right? And so what do we do? We get in our job, and we're like, wow, I'm really not good at numbers. I guess I need to be better at numbers. So I'll go take a course at numbers, and then you end up hating it, and you're like, oh, I hate everything I'm doing now because I just have to do numbers, you know? And instead, if we were focusing or leaning into our strengths, and this is what Danielle was saying, you know, it will, it'll change our attitude around our it'll change our our vigor, our excitement, our our mindset completely around the thing that we're doing, and probably give us a whole lot more joy. She advised paying attention to what energizes you, right? And you know, there are cases where you have to, you know, do something that you don't want to do, but eventually you want to outsource those kinds of things, you know? And we've talke about. Lesley Logan 23:40  Also, we've done this on the retreat, if you want to know why you should come on the retreat, sometimes people are doing things that they think they have to do. Brad Crowell 23:49  That's, yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Lesley Logan 23:52  And like you and and outsourcing, like people like outsourcing can be expensive. Sometimes you can just delete it. You don't even have to do it. We live in a world with some amazing technology, robots, subscriptions, like you. If you hate the grocery store, you can put things on auto ship. You just can.Brad Crowell 24:10  Yeah, that's, that's exactly, that's exactly right. Like, what if you hate grocery shopping? Great. Put it on repeat. You don't have to actually go do any of that. You know, the way that we live today, it's amazing. But anyway, you know, she said, what energizes you often correlates with the things that you're really good at, and you know it gives you joy. And you know that will change your excitement about life. You know, around the horn, so.Lesley Logan 24:38  So in Pilates, Jay always told us, like, whatever you don't like, you have to do twice, because like your body, your body needs it. This is very different than like, how you do work and and your strengths, right? So when it comes to like, balancing your balances. And today, this is, I don't know if that has anything to do with this episode, but I want to share this with you. Okay, so today we had to do. frog in in class, frog, which is your fucking favorite, and I hate everything everything about it. I hate everything about it. And I don't think we were in frog one minute, but it felt like 17 years. But when we were in pigeon, which probably is only one minute, if I just was like, I think we're in pigeon, for like, three minutes, it went by so it just flew by, because I love pigeon so much, and I just like, I'm like, pigeon feels so good in my body, but frog doesn't feel good at all. And if I could avoid, if I was in charge, we would never frog.Brad Crowell 25:37  We would never frog. If Lesley was in charge we would never frog. Lesley Logan 25:41  But I did tell Anthony, I said, I said, you know how we don't like what we need? And he said, yeah, I'm like, I really hate that. Anyways, you got to (inaudible) energizes you, because what doesn't energize me is frog and yoga. Brad Crowell 26:00  Well, maybe in your body, it's kind of like educating. You need to be balancing things out, or your body will break. Lesley Logan 26:05  Yeah, I don't think you should. Here's the thing, because there's a woman named Joanna who I'm trying to get on the pod guys, I really am. She's got the Unlearn IG and we're close. We got close. We got we're getting closer. Stay tuned on that. But she said in her TED talk, she said, like, kids should fail at things because they need to learn how to fail, right? Like, on a low level thing, however, like, there's a difference between not trying and like not understanding and like not being a skill. And I do agree, like, we don't want kids to not know how to balance their budget, so like, you got to learn how to add and subtract. But like, also, I think what happens is we put up, like you said already, we put this pressure you that has to be your focus, as opposed to like, just get like, decent at it, and that way you can enjoy the English class that you love, or the Shakespeare class that you love, or whatever it is. Yeah, I'm in. It makes sense in my brain, Brad.Brad Crowell 27:05  Great, I love it. Okay, stick around. We'll be right back. We're going to dig into those Be It Actions that we got from Danielle Droitsch. Brad Crowell 27:05  All right, let's talk about those Be It Action Items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Danielle Droitsch? I'm gonna jump in right away. She emphasized that you don't need your entire day to be quote, unquote fulfilling. Lesley Logan 27:27  I agree. Brad Crowell 27:28  This is interesting, right? You don't need your entire day to be fulfilling. Even a relatively small portion dedicated to your strengths can significantly increase your job satisfaction. What was really interesting is she is backing this up with statistics. It wasn't just like this, this like thing that she's winging it here. She said, hey, observe for the last for at least one week, observe what activities give you energy. Aim to dedicate at least 20% of your day or your week to these energizing superpowers. Act these superpower activities to significantly boost fulfillment. So. Lesley Logan 28:03  2% of your day is 30 minutes. What's 20% of your day? How many hours? How many?Brad Crowell 28:08  Well, we're hold on 20 so 20% of eight hours would be one and a half hours. So if you were like in the zone as it were, for an hour and a half.Lesley Logan 28:20  You're in your superpower for an hour and a half a day. Brad Crowell 28:23  A day. Lesley Logan 28:23  But you don't have to do it all at once. You could do it, but. Brad Crowell 28:26  No, but probably, if you're like, if time has disappeared, you've cranked through an hour and a half.Lesley Logan 28:31  And some of your strength. Yeah, yeah. It's probably true. But also, just for my perfectionist listening, it's okay. It's gonna probably be okay if it's 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes in the afternoon, 30.Brad Crowell 28:40  It might be, it might be teaching time for you, because that's when things like, you know, go and that's okay, and that's good, yeah, you know, like when I was working for somebody else. And even now, what I often like to do is I sit down for, you know, a work block in my head. I'm like, okay, this will be my morning work block before I get up and go to lunch or whatever. And I usually try to give myself, like a three hour, like two to three hour like hard work block. And my hope is that in that time I do hit the zone, I'm in that zone, you know. And if I can do two a day of these work blocks, I have had an effective day. Now, what often happens for me is I'll do probably one in the late morning, and then I'll do another one at like, nine o'clock at night,you know or.Brad Crowell 28:40  You feel like you're in your strength to Danielle's point, not just like those. You feel like you're.Brad Crowell 28:57  Well, usually when you're in the zone, as it were. Lesley Logan 28:57  Time is just flying by. Brad Crowell 28:57  Yeah, you're doing you're using your strength, because time is going and you're not realizing it, and you know it's okay. You're, you know, you're, you're effectively using your superpower.Brad Crowell 28:57  When I'm doing Pilates, time flies by. Oh, my God, it flies by. I looked at the clock. It was like 44 minutes. I was like, whoa, where did the hour ago? Brad Crowell 29:49  You're just gonna do Pilates all day, every day?Lesley Logan 29:50  Apparently, only do an hour and a half, then I'd like, I'm gonna significantly save my life. I'm just saying. Anyway, mine.Brad Crowell 29:58  I don't think that's what I was saying, but we'll go with it.Lesley Logan 30:00  That's my takeaway, because she said, just follow your energy. That's where your superpower is lived. Brad Crowell 30:01  We're not talking about work. We're not talking about play, but. Lesley Logan 30:09  My job is Pilates. Brad Crowell 30:11  Yeah, but the point is teaching. That's not talking about doing.Lesley Logan 30:16  I understand, I understand. I understand. Brad Crowell 30:18  Okay, just making sure that we're clear. Lesley Logan 30:20  We're clear. I am going to spend more time with myself. She explained that confidence also doesn't come from faking it. Duh. That's why we call it the Be It Till You See It podcast. That's why she's on. That's why she's on. But in activating what is true about you, and it's not built through the mindset, rather, is built through action and failure and success and getting right back up. So you're gonna you're gonna fail, you're gonna reflect, you're gonna correct, and you're gonna continue. That's right to do, and you're gonna get better at it. You don't have to do it perfectly the first time. Brad Crowell 30:52  Yeah, you do not. Lesley Logan 30:53  So follow your energy. And if you're like, oh, that was the wrong energy, great. You now, now tomorrow, you won't follow that one. You have your new inner compass that's gonna tell you the right direction. I'm Lesley Logan.Brad Crowell 31:03  Well before we sign off, I actually just got off a coaching call with a client, and we were talking about rolling out a program, and she said, I just don't think I have she said, what lights me up is educating educators. So she likes to teach teachers. We're talking about Pilates here. And she said, I have my own clients, and I do really enjoy teaching them, but what really lights me up is teaching teachers. She said, the problem I have is that I I can't stop teaching to take on more educating teachers. And she said she's feeling really stuck. And what she said in her like offhand, she was like, and to do like, you know, I got to roll it out, and it's got to be perfect, and I got to do this thing, and I got to do that. And I was like, hold up. Hold up. You know and we had a conversation about this idea of introducing a new product or introducing a new service, and it having to be perfect. I said it has taken us, for our retreats, for example, the very first retreat, I worked on it for a year, I put my my heart and soul into organizing this thing, right. And I was like, we got this and we went and we executed it. And afterwards, we were like, we already have things we want to change. In fact, we did not really totally lock in the flow of events, the schedule of this retreat for like, 10 retreats. It was maybe after the eighth or 10th retreat where we were, like, we're done swapping days around. We've decided these are the days of things running. These are when lunches should be. These are the activity blocks. This is the free time blocks, like we. Lesley Logan 32:42  They were, by the way, they're all amazing. We just, we. Brad Crowell 32:44  That's not, not, not what I'm saying. Each experience was different, but afterwards, we were like, we want to make another change. We want to make another change. We we were all really tired after this one experience because we pushed it too hard. Okay, how do we tweak it? Lesley Logan 32:58  I also got rid of February because we realized we just love October.Brad Crowell 33:00  Whatever the point is, we, it wasn't until us, having done the experience, like, almost 10 times, that we were like, oh my God, it's amazing. We have it dialed in, right? So the point is, no perfectionism. Perfection is not real. It's never going to be real. It will never be perfect. We will always have something that we want to adjust after the fact.Lesley Logan 33:22  Yes, always. That's why, in the show, we say, take messy action. Make messy action. Wow, guys, it is late for us on this recording date. So I'm Lesley Logan. Brad Crowell 33:32  And I'm Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 33:33  We love you. Use your inner compass. Go follow the energy. Tell Danielle how you did it. Reach out to her. She's got some great stuff going on and share this with a friend who needs to hear it, the friend who's like focusing on all the shit that drives them crazy and drains them. Oh my God, that's annoying to be around. Brad Crowell 33:49  Send them this episode. Lesley Logan 33:51  Yes, they'll find out now why you did it. Anyways, until next time, Be It Till You See It.Lesley Logan 33:51  Bye for now. Lesley Logan 33:57  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 34:41  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 34:46  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 34:50  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 34:57  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 35:00  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 26 A New Student (tribal) Council   In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.             If you can't look in a mirror and laugh at yourself, cut off the light             "Can we put other restrictions on you?" Simone Brady prodded.   "This is not the 'Zane' show," Virginia Goodswell interjected. "We need to decide when the new Student government will meet, I suggest Tuesday nights, and how we are going to conduct business."   "We can start by deciding where we meet," Chastity spoke up. "I vote for Zane's place."   "What's wrong with the Assembly Hall, where we've always met?" Rhaine countered.   "Rhaine, you are drinking a Doctor Pepper, KayLeigh, you are drinking a grape juice, and Joy was eating a bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup when I got here," Hope snickered. "You have hot plates and microwaves too, if needed."   Rhaine, Joy, and KayLeigh, all Traditionalists, looked guilty. They also looked like they treasured their creature comforts because they weren't running for the door.   "It is a nice place," KayLeigh admitted.   "And you don't get to come back up here otherwise," Rio grinned evilly. "This floor is devoted to the freshman class."   "There are a lot of upperclassmen up here right now," Rhaine pointed out.   "Those are what you would call 'friends'," Rio sneered. "If you weren't freaking evil, you might have some."   "Please don't put it that way," I requested of Rio. Rio had every reason to be cranky. Mercy looked even more exhausted sitting at her side.   "Zane will arrange the room to fit your needs," Christina finally spoke, "I guarantee it."   "You think you can control him?" Rhaine shot back.   "I'm not afraid of him; he's not some wild beast. I ask him to do things for me and he does," Christina chided Rhaine. "He is like any other freshman; it is that simple."   "He's rather mouthy for a freshman," Hannah joked.   "Well, maybe if you put my mouth to other uses," I bantered back. There was a moment of silence followed by Dana Gorman taking up her bottled water and walking over to me. She smiled down at my seated form while she poured out the remaining water onto my crown.   "Cool off, Casanova," Dana cautioned me playfully before returning to her seat.   "Exactly why do you keep her around again?" Rio slapped my shoulder.   "Can you imagine how insufferable Christina would be if Coach didn't keep her in line?" I smiled. Christina rolled her eyes while Rio chuckled. Virginia stood up and cleared her throat.   "I want to make sure that all the ladies, plus Zane, plan to make this experiment work. It is rather pointless to proceed if any of you can't be honest now," Virginia, my Spiritual Advisor, poled the audience. Most of the girls looked around to see who would do what but no one jumped.   "I think it is safe to say that we students will stay true to the Vice Chancellor's plan, though this is not an endorsement of Zane, his conduct, or even his continued presence here," Rhaine spoke for the group.   "With that settled, we can call it a night," Doctor Kennedy declared. "Ladies, consider what issues we need to deal with so we can bring them up next Tuesday night, 9 pm."   "Who do we send the itinerary to?" Simone inquired.   "Zane," Hudson Lane volunteered me.   "I nominate Faith De Young (of Christina's inner circle) to be our Secretary of Record, if she wants the job," I said. Faith looked completely taken off-guard but nodded quickly.   "I'll do it," she made clear. The meeting broke up soon after with most of the student leadership departing. Dana, Hudson, and Christina & company hung around a little longer.   "Not the Glamorous Gremlin?" Rio teased me on my choice of Secretary. She gasped and nearly fell over right after that. Iona smiled softly and shook her head. She realized that she was still a freshman and her day would come.   "Ah, here's one of the controllers," Heaven gave a devilish smile as she handed the device over to Rio. Miraculously, the other three sexual wonders were also handed over, ending the threat of torture for the day.   "I see a spanking machine in you bitches' future," Rio snarled at Chastity, Hope, Heaven, Faith, and Christina.   "I swear, I tried to get one of those damn things all day long," Valarie griped. "You would think that after setting this up, someone would have given me one, but no, I am a freshman so I don't get to play the game."   "It was you!" Rio screamed, and lunged at Valarie, who comically batted her away as Vivian and Mercy intervened.   "Yes," Val laughed, "but it was Iona who figured out how to have captured your days by enlisting the aid of classmates with video phones. I can tell today's footage is going to be a classic."   "Why did you do it?" Vivian asked Valarie.   "I had revenge on Rio and made Mercy ecstatically happy; it was a win-win," Val grinned vindictively. It was a credit to Rio's berserk nature that no one asked what Rio had done to warrant revenge; everyone automatically assumed that Valarie was justified.   "Everyone's sympathy is under-whelming," Rio grumbled. "Come on, Mercy, let's get these things off."   "Do we have to?" Mercy pleaded softly. Hell, I imagine she could barely stand but apparently, her limit to sexual overstimulation was unconsciousness. Rio used one finger to hook Mercy's collar and pulled her close.   "How dare you talk back," Rio whispered, but I was close enough to hear. "I was going to settle for the vibrating nipple clamps that arrived today but now I'm thinking a few dozen paddle blows, to each cheek, are in your future, you annoying little bitch."   Annoying was Mercy and Rio's code word for 'love'; Rio simply couldn't stand the 'L' word.   "Vibrating nipple clamps?" Christina was both confused and amused. "Where do you people come up with this stuff?"   "Adam and Eve," Rio shot back without batting an eye. "Wait until I have Mercy's nipples and lips pierced; then the real fun begins."   "I don't think Mercy should have her lips pierced," Vivian suggested forcefully. "They'd be glaringly obvious." Rio groaned and sighed.   "Not those lips," Rio clarified. "The other ones, you know, labia, cunt lips, cunt etc." There was a pregnant pause in the room. "Attach vibrator wires to those bad boys and Wow! Let the magic begin."   Mercy and Rio really were made for each other; they were both salivating at the prospect. Thankfully, I saw Cassandra hovering around and looking ready for me to start playing towel boy.   "Ladies, one last duty to perform and then my day is done," I attempted my exit.   "Zane, is it alright if I spend the night?" Hope ambushed me.   "Of course," I smiled, because I'm a fucking idiot who is an embarrassment to the very concept of the mentally challenged and a parody of every teen boy date flick. I was already spending time with Iona, Paige, Barbie Lynn, and now Hope.   Maybe I can find a way to have a secret government space array shoot an earthquake laser at my feet so a pit opens up underneath me and I plummet to a fiery death at the Earth's core. Maybe I watch too much bad TV.   "Iona, did my Viagra arrive yet," I teased my buddy. "I'm going to need a pill tonight."   "Oh, Zane, I don't think we have any but I'll go online and see what I can get for you," Iona replied in all seriousness.   "I know some guys who smuggle them in from Mexico," Valarie offered. "I'll make some calls."   "That is so cool!" Barbie Lynn clapped her hands. "Now he'll never go down. I can ride him all night long." She hugged me while a fearful vision of my desiccated, sperm-drained husk lying open-eyed and lifeless on my bed danced before my eyes.   "Zane?" Cassandra called out.   "Oh, yes, towel boy and bikini selection," I muttered. I gravitated her way, took her hand, and led her to my room.   "What's that about?" Vivian mused.   "Handmaiden's Duty," Iona informed the ladies. "He picks out a bikini for her and acts as pool boy while she's in the Jacuzzi."   "I hope someone cleans that thing from time to time," Faith shuddered.   "Every morning at ten o'clock it is drained and cleaned, and the filter cleaned every Monday," Iona droned on without even looking up. The rest of that exchange was lost as I retreated to my bedroom.   What followed could be blamed on Cassandra accidently dropping her drink in the Jacuzzi and me having to retrieve it; it was an unopened soda can. Or maybe it could be blamed on the surprisingly conservative (for my room) white and black striped bikini she wore. Whatever was the catalyst, inside five minutes I had Cassandra out of her suit, front to front, her crotch pressing me against the side of the Jacuzzi with my head barely above water while she rode my face in a pattern and energy that reminded me of Hawaii's North Shore.   Cassandra was pounding the back of my head against the wood wall as she drove her cunt over my lips and tongue again and again.   "Oh, Baby, you are so much better than my fingers," she communicated with an erotic growl. "Keep it up, keep it up!" She was the one in the control of the sexual rhythm so I was not sure what else I might do but keep licking and sucking as hard as I could.   I was finally able to run a hand along her chocolate flesh until I managed to push against her sternum and got her to roll her shoulders back. That allowed me to start massaging and stroking one of her breasts while my other hand got between her legs from behind and gently penetrated her cunt.   "Za, za, za, Zane!" she screamed out. Note to self: Add earplugs to my Must Have List.   Cassandra slathered my nose, lips, and chin with her rather scalding, light to the tongue and tasty fluids. If she wasn't still trying to give me a concussion with her hips I might have enjoyed it more. As her orgasm dissipated, she slid down my body with a sated sigh. Her legs were outside mine so as she descended, her cunt came to rest on my Speedo-encased cock. Saying that my cock was hard would be like saying snow is cold or the English love their soccer; pretty much a given.   Her eyes grew wide when she realized where she rested. She's a senior and a virgin in a Christian Girl's school, she began humping me, of course. Being Cassandra, she began humping me hard and thumping her way to another climax.   "Zane, I am totally rethinking you being allowed on campus," Cassandra panted.   "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" I wondered. At this time I had one finger lightly in her cunt as my other hand tenderly tweaked one of her nipples.   "Oh, I think every junior and senior should have their own personal freshman boy to keep under control with a strong hand," she grinned while she kept working my rod over with her cunt.   "Wouldn't it be nice if we developed a peaceful, platonic relationship based on mutual trust and respect?" I suggested hopefully. Cassandra gave a deep, throaty laugh.   "You're funny, but no," she grinned evilly. "After all, if that was the case, I couldn't do this: Zane, suck my other nipple, suck it hard, while I play with your fat phallus." Oh yeah, I love the way this is going (insert internalized weeping).   She worked out my cock painfully fast and began rubbing it deeply between her labia, to the point I felt the tightness of her vaginal walls on my cockhead.   "Zane, you know a whole lot about the sex stuff," she stated. "What's a cock ring?" Oh, HELL No! I have enough difficulty ejaculating as is. The last thing I need is something that allows another to make the prospects of my ejaculation even dimmer.   "It's a device, a ring, that is placed over the base of the cock to restrict blood flow, thus allowing longer erections," I grudgingly confessed. "Thinking about getting one, as a Christmas present, for someone out of state?"   "So, you could have intercourse, for a long time, and not ejaculate, so a girl would be, safe, in fucking you raw?" Cassandra's voice was becoming more strained.   "Technically, yes, but a little music, some hand-holding, and dinner at McDonald's would suffice in getting me aroused," I tried to explain. "There is no need for, something like that."   "Zane, clearly God put you, on this campus as a test for, true believers," Cassandra related, "And every woman here needs, to be tested, A Lot!" she screamed out her second orgasm of the night.   My hands raced down to grab each luscious buttock before her spasms caused her to slip down my cock and make her virginity a thing of the past. When my cock slapped against my stomach, I held Cassandra tight until she calmed down.   "You need to stay on campus during the weekends," Cassandra moaned with content exhaustion, "so we can use you more often."   "Why do you think I flee campus every weekend?" I thought. If she had her way, I'd be walking around with an IV in my arm and popping Viagra like M&M's. I chose life! If you think I am a coward, step up and take my place. I'll sneak back into the cemetery at night and put a flower on your headstone. You can take that permanent smile etched on your face to your grave, He-Man.   "I have to ask: What brought this on?" I inquired.   "I received one of Mercy's controls and we shared the next class," Cassandra confessed. "She glowed with such pleasure I thought she would pass out. I was suddenly curious."   "I had nothing to do with that," I groaned. "I swear, it wasn't me." Cassandra placed one hand on each side of my face.   "Zane, it wasn't you, I know that," she smiled, "but it is your presence that allowed something like that, her ability to experience that level of pleasure, that I want to experience. I have to go now. I need to report to the other girls what it was like so we can figure out what to do with you next."   You know, if I had been paranoid, I would have been right, people are plotting against me. Cassandra stood up and stepped onto the bench so that I was once more facing her puffy, somewhat abused cunt lips before she swung one leg over me and exited the tub. I closed my eyes and let my head hang over the side, facing up.   "Towel boy," Cassandra taunted me. I looked at her. Cassandra was dripping wet and she was extending a towel my way. I pulled my own tired ass out of the Jacuzzi and tenderly buffed her excellent body until she was dry. She gave me one last kiss, dressed, and virtually skipped out of my domain, happy, arrogant and plotting my demise.   I cleaned up, dealt with the Jacuzzi, and took in my surroundings. The only witnesses to my congress and conversation with Cassandra were Dana Gorman and Hudson Lane, my voyeuristic adult female 'friends'.   Dana pulled me over as I walked passed her. Hudson Lane had gone off to get some drinks.   "You and Gabrielle, ?"   "You have no respect for my survival instincts, do you?" I chuckled.   "Not really," Dana smirked.   "Fine," I groaned in feigned annoyance. "She wanted to talk so we talked, nothing else happened."   "She beat you up, didn't she?" Gorman persisted.   Another deep sigh on my part came out before I confessed, "Yes. Why do you ask?"   "I wanted to smack you around from the first day I met you," Dana laughed. "I think Ms. Black has done admirably not beating you black and blue before now."   "Has yet another girl beaten Zane up?" Hudson angled around to sit next to Dana. "The consistency of the femdom attitudes at this school is frightening."   "Don't throw stones, Ms. Lane," Dana warned her. "You, Zane, and Ms. Messier, the lawyer Ms. Buchanan hired to help Zane when he went to jail, I was head of security when it happened and I know when Ms. Messier arrived on campus, where she stayed, and when she, and you, left this dorm."   "You never said anything to Chancellor Bazz?" Hudson worried.   "No," Dana responded. "You three are adults, and ruining your career here wouldn't have made expelling Zane any easier. I wasn't the sex police."   "Thank you," Hudson smiled. "I now have another reason to be happy Zane championed your cause with the Board of Directors." She touched Dana on her thigh.   "It's not going to happen, Lane," Dana informed the lawyer while opening her V-8. "I've had a long time to figure out that I'm not attracted to women." Wow, Dana knew that Hudson was bi-sexual and didn't care. That was another big plus for Dana in my book.   "That's what Brigitte Messier thought as well," Hudson winked. "It turns out a little bit of Zane goes a long way to loosening up a girl's morals and expanding their horizons."   "I repeat, it is not going to happen," Dana shook her head. "Zane's a student and I'm a teacher. Perhaps the day he graduates, I'll kidnap him for a long, frustration-relieving weekend. I haven't had sex in eight years and watching him work really stresses my resolve."   "You could always join me in the hot tub," I offered. I wasn't sure how serious I was. I also wasn't sure how bad a concussion Cassandra had given me.   "Zane, do you have any idea of what I would do to you if I focused all my pent up sexual fury onto that body of yours?" Dana threatened. I gulped.   "Does it start with me tying you down?" I suggested sweetly. Hudson was looking really intrigued by this. I was beginning to believe she had this erotic attraction to 'turning' straight girls, most likely mirroring her own Law School experiences.   "What do you think?" she glared. Dana was becoming seriously aroused.   "I guess my only other question is if I can outrun you," I joked. Dana kept staring.   "Zane," Hudson snickered, "do you realize that your swimsuit is basically transparent when wet?"   "No, I didn't," I gulped once more. My package was less than a foot from Dana's lips. "Sorry, I'll be going to bed now," I backed up.   "That's a really nice ass," Dana sighed as I turned away.   "It is even nicer to touch," Hudson commented.   "It's not happening, Lane," Dana grumbled.   "Oh, you will come around," Hudson Lane laughed softly. "I have faith in Zane." Dana growled in rebuttal.   When I rounded the first cut-back leading to my bedroom, I heard and smelled sex, suddenly, sneaking off to Gabrielle Black's place and hiding out for the night sounded like a good idea, barring her killing me, of course. I sorted out the noises as I moved around until the room came into full view.   Reminder number one: Check the God Damn air filters!   Where the fuck do I begin?   On the far side of the bed, Mercy was on her knees, head down on a pillow with her painfully ecstatic face looking toward me. That was how I could tell she had been gagged. Her wrists were handcuffed behind her back, she was moaning and sweating up a storm, and her whole aura emanated with tantric excitement.   In case you might be wondering where her Mistress was: Rio was straddling Mercy's back, ass resting on Mercy's neck (by the tension in her thighs, Rio wasn't pressing down hard thankfully) and facing her playmate's highly vulnerable posterior.   "Hold out a little longer, my slut," Rio egged Mercy on quietly as she paddled those beautiful exposed ass cheeks, apparently in a random fashion.   And now it gets weird(er): Behind Mercy, facing Rio, wielding a strap-on with firm, slow, and steady strokes, was Paige. For the love of the Almighty, should I be quarantined as an immorality contagion? It wasn't like Paige was an angel but she was taking a few giant steps to proficiently wielding an artificial cock into a bound girl's bunghole. The fact that Rio and Paige despised each other continued warping my perception of events.   Barbie Lynn (farthest away in the closest group), Vivian, and Valarie were on the near side of the sheets. They weren't actually having sex but were talking in low voices with the occasional running of a hand through a companion's hair or tracing a finger from hip to thigh. It was sensual without being pornographic. It also appeared to be something they all three were enjoying.   In the middle section of my sleeping platform (it is an awesomely big bed) was Iona and Hope, who were doing a little more than cuddling together in quiet conversation. Hope stroked Iona's head compassionately as Iona gently teased and suckled on Hope's left breast. Every ounce of my experience cried out to me that Iona had initiated the sexual contact. That boggled the mind, right up there with Hope allowing a near stranger such intimate contact.   "Hey, Lover," Barbie Lynn gifted me with a sultry leer, "are you going to take that off or are you going to allow him to bust out on his own?" Bathing suit, cock, raging erection; got it. I yanked off my speedo fast enough to make my skin burn. I wrapped it up in a towel before tossing them in the clothes hamper.   I quickly plotted out my journey, figuring out where I was supposed to end up. I was giving up the illusion that I controlled events because if I was created in God's image and that was the reason God wanted men to rule over women, then I think God was really Goddess and Heaven's soul had it right, change sides.   Valarie gave me a fearless grin as I climbed over her on my way to the middle. She shifted so that her breasts swayed from side to side. I took in the view before kissing her and moving on.   "Try to settle things down by eleven, Zane," Vivian requested. I nodded and then kissed the tip of her nose, which she returned by kissing my forehead. It was very motherly of her, barring the fact that the sheets barely covered her pubic region and every exposed bit of her looked scrumptious.   My last hurdle was Barbie Lynn, and that was an obstacle in more than just the physical sense. She knew how to stretch and yawn just right for making my blood boil with lust and my vision cloud with desire.   "You will come back to me, Zane," she said with brazen tenderness. "Now go on and take care of the others who need you now." Best Blonde Bombshell ever.   As I settled behind Hope who was still facing Iona, I took it slow to let her instincts understand that I wasn't a threat but desirous of her.   "What's going on here?" I inquired delicately. "Hope, I didn't think you liked Iona all that much? And Iona, you have become much more confident in the past month; I like it."   "Zane, Iona is one of the bravest freshmen I've ever met. She's never backed down from a challenge and is smart enough to fight the battles she can win and send others to win the one's she can't," Hope explained. "I have admired her for some time."   "I know you wanted Hope to be put at ease," Iona related. "She's surrounded by people she has minimal familiarity with. I reasoned that I could help her adjust by doing what you do."   "Sexy, clever, lethal girls; this is definitely going on my Santa Wish List," I grinned. I was trying to settle in behind Hope when she wiggled around onto her back and indicated she wanted me to move between her and Iona. I was hardly in the mood to refuse and soon, both ladies were nestled in my arms. I was thinking about the next step when the situation around Mercy increased in energy and volume.   Hope pushed halfway over my chest and Iona turned away from me so they could watch the proceedings. Mercy was shivering like a leaf in a thunderstorm. Rio moved up so that her face was inches away from Paige's. I could see Paige contemplating her next action before she leaned into Rio. They each placed a hand behind the other's head to keep them close as they kissed.   "You smart-ass hooker," Rio snickered. "What flavor is that?" Mercy was cresting toward her orgasm unattended while Rio made small talk with Paige.   "Mango, lip balm and mouth wash," Paige beamed triumphantly. Rio snorted.   "Really start hammering the bitch," Rio ordered/requested. Paige nodded. She slowly drew back until only the tip of the fake phallus remained in Mercy's rectum before savagely slamming it all the way in as hard as she could.   Mercy squealed through her gag and began to violently spasm. Rio dismounted Mercy and flopped beside her partner's head.   "Don't you dare lose it, Cum-Bunny," Rio pressed Mercy. "Disappoint me and you will get nothing until the weekend. I won't let you touch anyone, even yourself. Are we clear?"   Mercy sobbed and nodded while her body teetered on the precipice of total collapse. Paige was displeased with Mercy's resistance and began spanking her thighs and buttocks hard enough to leave imprints. Rio kept stroking Mercy's hair and urging her to hang on. At the pinnacle of the moment I knew Mercy could not go on, Rio spoke softly into her ear.   "You annoying whore," she said, "I am so proud to be with you. Don't ever leave, now cum." Mercy's resulting climax was so powerful that her muscle spasms knocked Paige back on her heels knocking the strap-on mostly out of her ass. Mercy squirted, really squirted, onto Paige's lap, with even more juice shooting and coating Mercy's thighs and my sheets.   Up front, Mercy was cursing up a storm through her gag, grinding the fabric between her teeth with tears streaming out of her clenched eyes. Before her thrashing subsided, Rio had pulled the gag off and was kissing her fiercely on the lips, again and again. Mercy curled into a ball and Rio immediately wrapped her arms and legs around her Sub, keeping her presence light but comforting.   Rio saw our attention being directed their way and mouthed: 'Best Bitch Ever!' using her eyes to exaggerate the force of the words. Paige was still looking over the sticky mess that she had become.   "Put the contraption to soak in the big sink and take a shower," I suggested. Paige could see no flaw in my suggestion so she gave me a wink, unstrapped the device, and made her way out of the room.   When my eyes snapped back from watching a naked Paige exit, I saw that Hope's focus was on me.   "That looked fun," Hope stated clinically. "It is not for me but it definitely looked like they all felt, cleaner in a spiritual sense when they were done. I would never have suspected. In fact, I thought being bound was debasing and weak."   "It is called bondage and it is part of a sexual practice called BDSM, bondage, discipline, sadomasochism," I explained. "It definitely isn't for everyone, and certainly isn't as bizarre as Iona's furry fetish."   "Zane," Hope glared, "I saw a CSI episode on furries and you can't be an Asian or Asian-American high school girl in the United States and not know about cosplay; Iona and I are not into either one of those lifestyles I'm pretty sure."   While Hope was distracting me with her knowledge of other sexual subcultures, Iona snuck a hand beneath me and pinched my right ass cheek.   "Ow," I jumped. "What was that for, Beautiful?" I pleaded to Iona.   "I wanted to?" she responded meekly.   "That sounds like a perfectly good reason to me," I smiled. I would be somewhat offended if it was someone else but Iona was special; like Rio, she would always have my back, but unlike my chaotic fiend, she never abused my trust (or so I thought).   "Do me a favor?" Iona requested.   "Sure, anything for you," I answered right off the bat.   "Make her happy," Iona's eyes sparkled as the flickered to Hope. "Tickle my ear when you finish."   "Sure," I sighed with feigned regret, "if I have to."   "Thank you, Iona," Hope snorted in amusement, "I've got it from here."   "Nite-nite," Iona yawned, then rolled over and pretended to drop off to sleep. Like that was going to happen anytime soon!   "What no-, Hope got out before I rolled on top of her. I used one leg to wedge hers open, then settled between them as I lowered my body down. Hope looked at me quizzically.   "Touch me wherever you like," I instructed. I showed her what I meant by kissing her cheek, then edging around to suck on her earlobe.   Hope led off with her fingertips running along the muscles of my forearms and following a twisted trail up to my shoulders. With equal care, she began rubbing her toes along my calves, up to my knees and lower thighs. This had the added benefit of rotating her hips so that her pubic hair scratched along the veins of the base of my cock.   "You know this is going to make field work with you far more difficult," Hope murmured.   "Now you know what I've been going through for a month," I teased her back. "Now you know how I feel naked under your touch and so do I."   "You touch yourself much?" Hope giggled. Iona did her best to smother her own mirthful reaction.   "Maybe you should come to my bed more often to keep my hands otherwise occupied," I suggested. Hope arched her back, thrusting her breasts into my chest and laughed lyrically.   "Touch ," Hope conceded. "I wondered if I was imposing on your hospitality, wanting to spend tonight with you. Now I'm feeling as if I've been lured in and seduced by your masculine wiles."   "Zane, manipulating somebody!" Valarie gave a comedic gasp. "Well, there is always a first time for our ham-handed Lothario to launch a plot that doesn't involve him getting an extra fish stick for dinner."   "Ham-handed," Barbie Lynn mused. "His fingers are smoking but hardly ham-like," which she emphasized by rubbing her hand over her crotch.   "Do you often stick smoked country ham between your thighs, Barbie-Baby?" Valarie taunted.   "Only when your magic tongue and fingers aren't available," Barbie Lynn volleyed right back.   "Oh, you did not say that!" Valarie choked. She vaulted on top of Barbie Lynn and the two started wrestling. Vivian scooted toward the edge and fended off the combatants from rolling over her.   "When we graduate and drag you back to our dungeon to live, are you going to miss other bed partners having these mid-coital conversations?" Hope smirked.   "You underestimate your ability to focus my attention," I countered. When you are in bed with someone, you are in bed with THAT person, or so I believe. Hope's look sizzled, her body heated up, and she pulled me so close and tight, I couldn't make out any details beyond her eyes.   "I hate them," Hope purred.   "Who?" I worried. You don't want one good friend to hate another good friend. You really don't want a good friend with marksmanship skills out the ass not liking someone you have become attached to.   "Christina and Heaven," she sighed, but I knew she wasn't serious. "Christina because you would rather be with her and Heaven because she has you."   "Hope," I maneuvered so I could stroke her cheek, "I can't promise you or anyone else anything beyond this school year. Neither one of us qualifies as 'normal' by any definition of the word. I certainly like being with you, if that matters, and not just in bed. You are beautiful, intense, and serious in a way we shouldn't be."   "Serious is not the most intimate of descriptions," Hope joked, "but I think I know what you mean. As chaotic as your life is, I think we balance each other out." I didn't need words to agree with that; I let us return to our game of touch, kiss, and lick. We were getting back into a playful tempo when the fight between Valarie and Barbie Lynn ended.   There was no hot, spontaneous lesbian eruption; it devolved into Valarie having Barbie Lynn pinned with her wrists on the pillow held over her head. Valarie was trying to administer a 'Wet Willy' (sticking a finger, or tongue, into your opponent's ear) and finally succeeding.   "I give, I give," squealed Barbie Lynn. "Anything, just stop."   "Anything?" Valarie prodded suggestively. Barbie Lynn's very ample bosom heaved with each deep breath she took, which had the effect of rubbing them in circles against Valarie's dangling breasts.   "Come with me to the Southwest this summer," Valarie demanded. Barbie Lynn was still giving it serious thought when Paige came traipsing back in, drying her hair.   "Where in the Southwest?" Paige inquired. Valarie sat up on Barbie Lynn and looked over her shoulder at the albino lass.   "West of Laredo, East of the Pacific, South of Denver and North of Mexico," Valarie answered. "Sant Fe, Vegas, the Painted Desert, places like that." I didn't see coming what happened next.   "Valarie, would you consider allowing to me come along?" Paige asked politely.   "You really want to impress Zane that much?" Valarie divined Paige's intention.   "That, and he's most likely going with Rio as well," Paige responded, "so you are going to need all the help you can get." Rio didn't respond verbally, Mercy was still recovering, but glared with venom.   "What do you add to our little expedition?" Valarie asked.   "I'll do it," Barbie Lynn interjected. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do after graduation but seeing more of the world will do me good, and I hear it is cold in the desserts at night and I don't want Zane to catch a chill," she adds with a smile.   "I speak Spanish, plus a strong understanding of electronics, botany, and computers," Paige continued with a twinge of annoyance toward Barbie.   "Fine, both are in. We are getting our rides tomorrow afternoon at five," Valarie announced.   "Zane," Hope whispered, "I appreciate the silence of our first date now more than ever."   "We can go back to your place?" I offered.   "Oh, Chastity would love that," Hope snickered playfully. "I'm afraid if you don't ravish her in the next few weeks, she is going to rape Heaven."   "I'll keep that in mind, but right now I want to be where I am, with you," I kissed Hope's nose.   "Can I try something, Zane?" Hope turned serious and introspective.   "Of course," I said.   "Paige, come over here with me," Barbie Lynn suggested. The blonde wiggled over so that Valarie fell to the far side and indicated that Paige should join her.   "You only want to sex up my body," Paige accused Barbie Lynn, as she hopped onto the foot of the bed and put her fists defiantly on her hips.   "But of course I do, Paige-shugah," Barbie Lynn licked her lips, "now get over here and give me a taste."   "Oh. In that case, Paige scampered over and reclined next to the dynamite blonde. Barbie Lynn had a strong, subtly alluring persona while Paige was constantly aggressive.   "A naked Paige Zeller sexual molesting an equally naked Barbie Lynn Masters will go down as yet another thing I never thought I'd see," Hope mused.   "Be careful who you think is molesting who," I cautioned Hope. A few seconds later Paige shook and fluttered. Barbie Lynn had slid a stealthy hand between Paige's thighs.   "Oh, someone's been a bad little kitty," Barbie Lynn cooed, "A bad, soaking wet little kitty." Paige hiccupped, then shuddered again. "Does kitty need to be petted," Barbie asked as she stroked Paige's love box, "or does kitty need to be spanked?" And Barbie Lynn spanked Paige's cunt lightly, making Paige jerk.   "Master, I stand corrected," Hope nodded her head to me in respect of my sexual insight.   "You wanted to do something?" I brought Hope back on track.   "Yes, Zane, yes I did," Hope smiled. "Please lie on your back and close your eyes." It was my turn to nod as I complied with her wishes. She settled her haunches on my crotch and waited a moment.   First was a kiss, followed in slow progression by a finger, nose, earlobe, toe, two fingers coated in her juices, two fingers coated in Paige's juices, a nipple (most likely the right), her other nipple coated in Barbie Lynn's juices, Valarie's tongue (given away by the movement toward me), Hope's tongue, her other big toe, and ending with her lips and tongue. The anticipation of what was coming next was fun. As Hope reclined on top of me, Mercy finally began to stir.   "Were you a good little tramp tonight?" Rio panted hungrily at her partner.   "Yes, I, was I?" Mercy rasped. She was fighting to stay awake, her fatigue a heavy burden to bear.   "The Slut will say 'Yes Mistress; yes I was allowed to be good tonight'," Rio nuzzled Mercy's neck, ear, and jaw.   "Yes, Mistress," Mercy purred. "My wonderfully annoying Mistress allowed me to be good tonight." Rio spanked Mercy's burning hot ass flank hard. Mercy flinched and cried out in pain.   "Did I tell you to adlib, you annoying, frustrating skank," Rio taunted her, "or is my whore clever enough to sneak in an undeserved spanking?"   Mercy buried her face in a pillow but I could swear she was smiling.   "Nipple clamps for you in the morning, and I'm getting those bitches pierced on Saturday, got it?" Rio clarified the point by rolling each nipple between her forefinger and thumb. Mercy nodded but kept her face in the pillow. "Fine, let's get underneath the covers. Snuggle up with me to keep me warm, and you had better suckle my nipples.   Rio took up her normal sleeping area, avoiding the wet spot, with Mercy at her side, her tongue playing with Rio's left nipple.   "Mercy," Rio whispered. Mercy kept tongue-flicking the nipple but looked up.   "You rock," Rio said even softer. Mercy pulled more of her weary body over Rio as the nipple play continued and Rio began stroking her paramour's hair lovingly. In that relationship, it was getting harder to determine who the 'better' half was.   I searched around blindly for some lube, which had 'mystically' migrated under Barbie Lynn's pillow.   "Hope, put some oil on my cock and on your ass cleft," I told my Korean princess. She barely broke her iron mask of indifference before taking the bottle and doing as directed. I caught sight of Valarie, Vivian, and Barbie Lynn all peeking my way.   I imagined it was the curiosity about my apparent decision to 'break' Hope in anally.   "Hope, point my cock up and mount it," I directed. In theme with the game the two of us played, Hope took my commands without question, even to the point where her virginity was in question.   "Push it back," I stopped Hope's decent as it contacted her rather moist slit. She pushed back a little. Being a virgin, she probably wasn't sure where in the cunt, a cock should penetrate. "Farther back," I insisted, then again, "no, still farther." I felt my rod separate her ass cheeks as Hope slid on down. Only when her now soaking mound settled on my pubic bone did she figure out the game.   "Ah, that's cold," Valarie whispered to Vivian and Barbie Lynn.   "No ass sex for Hope tonight," lamented Barbie Lynn. My precious blonde really loved anal sex. I put my hands on Hope's hips to support her.   "Now ride me, Hope," I smiled. "Give me everything you've got."   Hope started out slow, working out a rhythm that pushed my shaft and cockhead as deep along her ass crack as possible. She even stopped for a moment and applied more lube. Soon she was thrusting hard back and up quickly, then allowing a long, leisurely ride back to my crotch. She bounced down on me again and again, her resounding impact on my crotch becoming a wetter, smacking sound.   Hope was powerful, vibrant, and strong; she needed little of the guidance provided by my hands on her hips. I decided to move my right hand to her finely groomed pubic hair, then to her soft pubic flesh itself. I alternated between splitting her lips open and massaging her clit. With my left hand, I coaxed stimulation from her right areola and nipple.   This time, instead of scarring me, Hope wrapped her fingers in her hair. She gave a few desperate convulsions, then her whole body tensed backwards.   "Zane! Oh, fuck!" she screamed. Her ass cheeks tried to squeeze my cock in a steel-tight vise but fortunately, the lube caused it to pop free before those buns of steel could turn my man-meat into ground beef (sometimes I visualize too graphically).   "I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes," Vivian sighed. "A girl comes to a boy

If you were living in Western Europe in the late middle ages and early modern age, you might well come across partly eaten humans, whilst walking around in the woods, or even, alas, strolling in Paris. OBVIOUSLY these partly eaten humans had been attacked by werewolves! Duh! There were a lot of real wolves roaming around,  attacking humans, if the wolves had rabies, or there was a widespread famine affecting all the living beings, but of course the real wolves hadn't attacked and partly eaten the people you were stumbling over. No. It was the fault of actual humans, who, for nefarious reasons, had made deals with the Devil, and therefore could become wolves whenever they wanted, with the help of magic girdles and whatnot. Your hosts discuss the connection of werewolves with witches in the late middle ages and early modern era. Really, that would be the point of all this. But Anne is fascinated both by real wolves and the fact that it was only Western Europe that was in on this nonsense, on account of Eastern Europe doing other things altogether, and Michelle explains Peter Stumpp, who was ONLY a werewolf and not a witch, apparently. Also, John Steinbeck gets involved. Happy Halloween!

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 22 Belle, Paige, Hope, & Madness In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels. To understand why Hope was currently so meek (for her) and attentive, you had to understand that her Father was a stern warrior-patriarch of a very proud and mostly traditional Korean family. At home, she was the dutiful eldest daughter in a family with no sons; here at FFU, she was aloof and deadly, except around Christina and company, where she got to be a relatively normal American girl in her early twenties. Hope's only experience with men was with her Father, who was rumored to have killed any male who looked at her sexually, or expected her to kill the ones he missed. At FFU there were no guys at all for her to form relationships with, until I arrived. It wasn't a Daddy-issue thing, Hope didn't charge off into the great unknown; she became a good student and learned, patiently and confidently. I would have time later to marvel at my brilliance; at the moment, Hope planting small kisses across my abs and chest as my shirt came up was beyond pulse searing. She didn't know stimulation so much as she understood how a body worked. She also was coolly efficient in easing my shirt over my head and off my arms. She used a strong, steadying maneuver to take each shoe and sock off before she removed my pants and underwear together. When she finished, she was left kneeling in front of me, my cock bobbing an inch or two from her lips. She stared at it. I cupped a hand over each ear and guided her lips to my blood-engorged head. I had no intention of ramming it down her throat; her parting of the lips was enough. It was on her own initiative that she licked off the pre-cum starting to appear along the slit. Her lips took in the top of the head and I stopped the pressure on her head. Hope quickly took over, leaning forward, taking in the whole head, retiring before bobbing back and letting her lips pass over the head to the start of the shaft. I let her figure out by using her mouth and wrapping my cock up with one hand what felt good to me. She was growing in confidence by leap and bounds but I was still in charge. I touched each shoulder and she looked up (pretty damn sexy with her cheeks dimpling in as she sucked my cock). "Stand up and take off your clothes," I instructed. I held her hand as she stood. Hope's removal of her clothing was no striptease, although it did have a certain military grace to it, physically perfect and fearless. Four times I had to stop myself from stepping up and ravish her as her body's muscles rippled under her smooth, ochre skin and her breasts swung loose, perfectly round and excited. "On the bed," I instructed. Hope turned presenting her taut athletic ass to me, each cheek rolling in tandem with each stride. She moved to pull back the covers but I stopped her with a word. "No," I corrected her. "I want you above the covers." Hope smoothly altered her motion so that she crawled on all fours onto the bed. She looked over her shoulder at me, deliciously presented, before rolling onto her back. I approached her on my hands and knees from the foot of my sleeping platform and languidly stalked up her body until I stopped and kissed her at the joining of the thigh to the torso. Hope remained attentive and quiet, watching me plant kisses on each side of her pubic triangle without touching it. As I worked my way up to her diaphragm, Hope raised her left leg, bent at the knee, foot resting next to her other knee. I gave a quick smile; Hope was relaxed and enjoying the moment, which is pretty special for a first-timer. I let my lips nibble along the bottom rib until I took a nip out of her waist and made her giggle. Hope shifted away as she brought the back of her hand up to stifle her snickers. I let her go. I wanted to give her a wide range of sensations to sample. Had I done this with any of the other women I'd taken to bed? No, but no two women are alike. The only person Hope compared herself to was Hope and I gave her that level of respect. I laid a path of licks and lip suction up her sternum to her far (left) breast. I circled the areola with my tongue, making sure to rub the nipple with my upper or lower lip as I made my circuit. Hope made this cute little coughing noise but otherwise remained still. Her nipple twirled around my tongue before I engulfed it with my mouth and started a strong steady suction that I accentuated by pulling my head up with her nipple extended by the upward maneuver. This earned me a twitching in her hips. Her raised leg began to flop back and forth to the side while the right leg pressed against me and opened up her crotch for exploration. I took the offer and ran my right hand along her inner thigh above the knee to her plump, moist cunt lips. On the first trip I pushed a finger in up to the first knuckle. I drew some of her juices down along her other inner thigh until I made a circle under her knee. She shivered slightly as I did so. I zigzagged on the return trip, this time running a finger from the perineum, dipping in to her cunt and making a quick twirl right beneath the clit. Two desperate breaths escaped past Hope's clenched teeth. Hope's orgasm was close, closer than she realized. I moved my lips from her breast to her ear once more. I also subjected her cunt to the energies of another finger. I made slow, shallow strokes directed at parting the labia around her now rather impressive clitoris, twisting it and squeezing it between my fingers. (Strong fingers are something you work on in Marksmanship btw.) When Hope's arms snaked up and wrapped me tightly to her, I knew she was on the home stretch. "I am going to take you now," I whispered in her ear. The thrill and confusion of my intentions tore her apart inside. She wanted to learn and obey but she also wanted to maintain her virginity, and the two ideas collided like twin locomotives. Remember, sex is in the mind and Hope's thoughts were on fire. I bit down on her earlobe at the same time I grappled with her right tit and gave several quick sharp spanks to her quim. "Zane!" she started out with a hiss but boiled into a thunderous shout. Her thighs clamped onto my fingers and she drove (no, she didn't claw, she impaled) her fingers into me like nails. The temporary deafness in my right ear was its own reward. I kissed her, running my tongue along the top and back of her teeth while her body shook and shivered. When the last of the tremors subsided I released her and pushed up with my arms, keeping my elbows half bent. "Zane, I'm sorry. I've hurt you," Hope sounded worried that her fingernails had blood on them. The pain was nothing compared to the humiliation I'd go through in the showers tomorrow. Rio took perverse glee crowing over every new sexual scar I accumulated. "Hush now; on your knees facing me," I commanded. This time Hope gave a barely noticeable blink before complying. She sat there attentively, her ass resting on her heels and her palms on her thighs looking smoking hot with damp thighs and perky nipples. I shifted up the bed, keeping to my side until I was properly positioned. I then reached for the back of Hope's head and confidently directed her toward my cock once more. Hope picked up right where she'd left off; slurping my head like a lollipop. Hope didn't get overly ambitious. She sucked me in, rolled my head around her mouth using her tongue with the occasional sojourn an inch or two down my shaft. Being at loose ends since Hope was drooling all over my rod so well, I reached out and began fondling her closest breast. This time I was rough, milking her breast, gripping the base of the breast and pulling down until I pulled the nipple. No response from Hope wasn't a bad thing; if she didn't like it she'd let me know. A few more pleasurable minutes with Hope and I sat up and put my other hand on the small of her back (I have really good abdominal muscles). I brushed my hand knife-like and pinkie first down between her ass cheeks. I brushed her anus but only briefly because my target was her cunt once more. She was hot, wet, and welcoming. I worked two fingers in and pumped her as hard as I dared. When I had her rocking her hips in response to my thrusts, I jumped my fingers down and vibrantly worked over her clit. Hope choked and little shimmies emanated from her hips. Again, I switched things up on her; I moved my hand up and rotated my forefinger against her anus until it gave way. Hope made a slight gagging noise but recovered masterfully and upped the tempo of her blowjob. "Come this way," I directed her by pulling her right buttocks to me. Hope wiggled from the waist slightly so she could look down the length of my body into my eyes. I repeated my hand motion, her eyes flashed with pleasure and she quickly straddled my body. Now her cunt was nearly at mouth level (Hope's pretty tall) while her blowjob continued non-stop in our '69'. I gripped a buttock in each hand, pulled them apart and then lifted my head to her honey box. With my first lick, Hope's resolve began to fracture. I would grove my tongue, move her hips over me and then lick from her clit to the bottom of her cunt. I massaged her several times before resting my head and alternating my fingers in. When my tongue lapped at her creases once more, I trailed a finger up to her anus, no reaction. I tickled her backside for half a minute, then substituted my tongue. I probed delicately and Hope stuttered in response. I went back to twirling her clit while pushing my index finger through her sphincter. Her oral attentions finally broke down. She let my cock plop out of her mouth and rested her forehead on my hip while the overwhelming sensations crashed over her senses. I felt the tightness of her anal cavity around my finger and her cunt throbbing against my tongue. I pushed deeper with my finger and her juices started flowing as Hope became more and more aroused. Valiantly, she stepped up her game, kissing and sucking one of my balls into her mouth. I moaned, which made her very happy. Hope's clit played along my lips as I took it in and sucked on it. She was rubbing my cock shaft as she tantalized my balls when she felt it start to pulse in her hand. My cockhead was engulfed by her lips and she remorselessly gobbling up the top third of my cock with the addition of a little twisting motion with her head and throat. "I'm cumming," I growled. "Take it all but don't swallow until I tell you to." Hope drove me on faster and harder and I reciprocated on her two holes. When I took on her clit once more, it wasn't in the form of a monster wave crashing on the beach but like a building tsunami pulling the energy before pummeling in one overwhelming surge. I poked a second finger into her anus to drive her over the top. Hope's back arched violently and a thin stream of fluid squirted into my mouth. She humped my face and squeezed my fingers in her asshole in a corkscrew fashion. "Zane!" she belted out musically. "Oh, God, that's great, umm, oh, yes, don't stop." My member slapped against my stomach and my balls were starting to boil and I couldn't hold back for long. Several more flexes and grunts came from Hope before she settled down enough for me to get her to do what I wanted. "Hope, I'm cumming," I ground out once more and just in time. Hope barely got my shaft upright and her lips over my head before I began ejaculating into her mouth. She breathed sharply through her nose but didn't choke or spew. Time after time she took my seed until I mustered the strength to let her know I was done. Hope dismounted me and resumed her kneeling position supported by unsteady thighs. I was a little slower in following her though her eyes sparkled when I looked into their brown depths. "Show me," I told her. Hope opened her mouth and I saw my semen brimmed inside. I kissed her lower lip along its entire length then did the same to her upper. I didn't take any of my jizz this time, that would came another time. For now, "Swallow," I spoke, and she did in a mighty gulp. I pulled her into me and led us down onto the comforter, Hope resting in my embrace. I soaked up the gentle passion of the moment with Hope in my arms. When she started kissing me on the neck I realized that was her way of asking for more. I twisted my body and pulled Hope past me so she could extend herself onto her hands and knees with me at her side. She lowered herself, letting her long, luxurious black hair cascade over her far shoulder. My hands roamed over the back of her neck and shoulders while I kissed her mid and lower back. I shifted from her side, ending up behind her. I gave a slight nudge to her calf to get Hope to open her legs wide and let me position my hips behind her. I gave my rod a few strokes to get it ready but really the visual tableau of the tightly sculpted muscles of her shoulders, back, hips, and buttocks made the physical stimulation superfluous for me. Keeping my eyes on Hope, I leaned way back and rummaged under the rolled-up blanket at the foot of the bed. The heating pad I'd asked Barbie Lynn to place there made finding the vial of viscous scented oil that was being warmed up easy. I was pleasantly assured of my feel for Hope to notice she hadn't looked back to see what I was up to. That took a great deal of confidence and trust. The serenity with which Hope greeted the thin stream of liquid as it steamed while flowing from her tailbone into her cleft was intensely arousing to my sight. I set down the container and began rubbing the oil in. First I started around the anus but I soon moved over each cheek, massaging them as well. When I coasted down to her inner thighs Hope figured out what was really going on and I could swear I heard a phantom cough of amusement. She knew I'd tricked her in a playful way. A few seconds later she pieced together the why, distracting her was secondary to easing the fatigue creeping through her thighs, lower back and ass brought on by several tense orgasms. There would be no muting of our joining. For ten minutes she relaxed and soaked up the hot oil working into her flesh. I restarted my efforts by kissing each hip, signaling her that I was anxious for her flesh. I placed one hand on the small of her back and lined up my cock at the top of her ass crack. I gently rocked forward, pushing my cock onto her back. Swaying back, I let my cock slip off her ass, letting it swing free before thrusting forward once more. This time I directed it languidly along the base of her cunt, letting my cockhead part her lips and plow her furrows until I touched then passed the clit on my way through her pubic hair and beyond. I repeated this orchestra of lust, adding in a movement where my bulbous head pressured her sphincter to the point of violation before sliding elsewhere. "Jesus, Zane," Hope sung out, "make up your mind. You are driving me crazy." Hope wasn't being exhorted to climax by any loss of control; it was the tension brought about by not knowing what direction the lesson was going to take. For someone else it would be as if you were reading LA Confidential one night only to discover that the last quarter of the book was missing and not accessible until the next morning. "There will be no intercourse for us tonight, Hope," I informed her. I began pumping along her cunt, mimicking the fucking motion. Time and again I let my cock head cut along her labia, brush her clitoris until it was stimulated by the low ridges along the shaft. It didn't take long for Hope to start pushing back against me to maximize my 'depth'. Hope clenched the sheets as we both increased the violence of our impacts. Her breath was coming in labored huffs and sweat began beading up all over her skin. Considering how fit Hope was, I was impressed with the intensity with which she embraced our sympathetic coupling. "No, not yet; keep going," was her self-encouraging mantra. "Don't let go, don't let go. Push him, push him harder." I scooped up the long tail of Hope's hair and guided her body up off her hands so that her back slid up and down my chest. Our hands did a little dance of their own. She ended up with her left reaching across and holding on to my right at her breast. My right still held the majority of her long locks, and I used those to give a silken caress to my coaxing of her right breast to sensual overload. My left hand landed on her stomach and used that perch to push her harder into me with each thrust. Her left hand wandered back to my ass. Hope's nails dug in deep (am I being marked/branded?) and she matched her pull with my push between her legs. When she finally succumbed to her climax, vaginal juices washed over my cock and down both our thighs. I was perfectly poised to support my lovers body as she surrendered to her orgasmic impulses and erotic energies coursed chaotically through her system. Her murmurs signaled she was regaining control and she made it definite by placing a series of kisses along my right arm. I coaxed us down on the bed facing one another. "I still don't know if I want to have sex tonight," Hope smiled sleepily. "It is your choice to make," I answered. "We both know you have the confidence now to make that decision when you are ready." "Are you looking out for me, Zane?" Hope teased me wearily. "Of course. I look out for all my ladies, even those who can take care of themselves just fine," I noted. She nodded and I realized that she'd tentatively opened the door into her inner circle of friends. "To answer an earlier question, I take no pleasure in ordering you around as some kind of power trip. I communicated with you in a manner that maximized your focus on our caresses." She nodded and gave me an affectionate peck on the forehead, reaffirming her dominant status. "You will come with me and shower," she ordered me. I retrieved two robes and my shower kit and a naked Hope lead me to the Solarium shower. We did not bathe ourselves; we lathered, rubbed, and rinsed the other, and I could tell Hope relished the experience. "Tell me something: how come you and Heaven have never snuck off in the woods and knocked boots?" she mused. "You are not asking because you think we did and didn't talk about it so you must be wondering what it would be like if we did, so yes, I would fuck you if you asked me to while doing a little shooter-spotter bonding out in the forest," I related to Hope; on the Marksmanship team, I was the spotter to her shooter. Her eyes flashed like lightning on a pitch black night. A powerful, lethal rifle in hand and a lover penetrating her was Hope's aphrodisiac, her perfect storm. "You should get ready for that. I definitely think it will make us a more simpatico team," Hope smiled and rubbed her breasts against my chest. "Are you going to make me obey you?" "I'm going to stick a ponytail up your ass and make you call me Master," I confided. "Oh, so how do you want your bullets; orally, anally or at high-velocity?" she remarked as her grin became more feral. "I've got nothing but love for you, Baby," I joked. We finished toweling off and headed for the bedroom area. We immediately noticed that while the sofa-beds were still open, they were unoccupied. Had we been that loud? I'm being rhetorical, I am the soul of discretion but I bring out the vocalist in every woman I meet. Inside the screens I could make out the forms of multiple girls having already settled in under the covers. Rio and Mercy were intertwined at their usual place on the far side of the bed. Barbie Lynn was curled up, facing away from us, in the middle of the platform, and Vivian was on her back, eyes closed, stretching out on the near side. I motioned Hope to follow me to the spot between Barbie Lynn and Vivian at the foot of the bed. She looked down at her carefully placed clothes then back to me. Her gaze went to the clock on one of the wardrobes, back to me, then she followed. We lay in each other's arms for a few minutes as our hair dried and bodies wound down. "Umm, that was definitely more than I envisioned, Zane," Hope sighed happily while staring up at the clouds in the night sky. "I need to be going but I look forward to seeing you in the morning." "No, you are staying the night," I stated. Hope pushed herself up into a kneeling position, hands on her thighs and her ass resting on her heels. "You are getting off on ordering me around, aren't you?" Hope smirked. To maintain the illusion, I didn't answer. I did get on my knees, wrapped my arms around her waist, and pulled us both into a kneeling, upright posture. Our mutual attraction brought our fresh bodies into contact. Hope exhaled and let her hands come to rest on my buttocks and the side of her head rest against my collarbone while my hands cupped each of her ass cheeks. Hope then did something I hadn't even imagined; she purred like a sated cat and snuggled firmly into my embrace. "Thank you, Zane," she whispered. "You're welcome, my Little Thunder" I responded. I knew I could have said something like 'you are worth it' or 'you did all the real work,' but I went with what felt right and those were the words she wanted to hear. Never just another Monday Morning. Death is inevitable; no one can force it upon you or save you from it. "Zane," a woman whispered in my ear. It is a testament to my out-of-control sex life that I didn't immediately know the identity of the woman in my bed even though drugs and/or alcohol were not involved. "Yes, Hope?" I turned and whispered back. "We are surrounded," her eyes glimmered. Indeed, we had been surrounded in the few hours we'd been asleep. Barbie Lynn had crowded in on Hope's section of the bed. As Hope rolled onto her side and snuggled into me, Barbie Lynn wiggled in behind her and pressed her magnificent boobs into Hope's back. She had even put her upper arm to rest on Hope's and had situated her right lower thigh and calf between Hope's legs. On the other side of the equation, Vivian was on her side, left leg laid over my thighs and left hand on my chest, on top of Hope's hand. Both our new female companions were sound asleep and snoring softly. "What do you want me to do about it?" I inquired quietly. "I don't know," Hope seemed conflicted. "Barbie Lynn is having a good dream." "And?" I wondered. "Her nipples are digging into my back and she's humping my ass," Hope grinned. At least she wasn't offended. "What would you do?" "Turn over slowly, push her on her back, spread her legs and then slip two fingers into her cunt and pump her," I tried not to snicker. "Work in small circles, then start suckling on a nipple; she likes a bit of teeth." "I've never been sexually involved with a woman," Hope said. It wasn't a statement but a declaration of an issue she was contemplating. "You would like to see Barbie Lynn and me, pleasuring one another, would you not?" Hope mused. "Absolutely," I nodded slightly, enough not to wake our companions. "I'll bring it up to her over breakfast," she informed me thoughtfully. "I need to look into her clear blue eyes when I talk this idea out with her." "She'll like that," I murmured, "and that is what she deserves too." Though asleep (we hoped), Barbie Lynn nuzzled into Hope's ear and let her hand drop down onto Hope's closest breast. "She's not making waiting easy," Hope looked worried concerning her desire to postpone the encounter. "The best things in life are never easy," I pointed out before we both drifted back off. Good News,  Rejection I woke up with the feeling that something was wrong but I couldn't place it. The alarm wasn't going off, the phone wasn't ringing, and there were no sirens screaming. Vivian, on my left side, had worked her way between my arm and my body and was draped over half of my form. The awkwardness only increased when I realized she'd slid a hand between her legs. That wasn't so bad except it also meant the back of her hand was also rubbing along my cock. Her other hand had come to rest against my neck on the far side and her face was blowing softly on my neck's near side. Remember the arm she'd separated from my side? The devilish hand at the end of that arm had somehow wedged itself under her underwear and was holding one of Vivian's ass cheeks. Vivian began the slow, steady process of awakening, bringing about a strange paralysis in me. As her mind wandered its way toward alertness, both of her hands fidgeted slightly. My pulse jumped and my rod raced to iron hardness against her wrist as she stirred. "Your hand is on my ass," she murmured. "I'm sorry," I gulped. "I wish I could say I was sorrier but I'm not. My only excuse is that I was asleep when it happened." "I know, Zane, I put your hand on my ass," Vivian said, her breath tickling my jugular. "It was already close and, I was curious." I blinked up at the ceiling, having moments ago misread the evidence and believed I'd violated this woman's trust in me. "I am going to spank you," I seethed. "I am going to strip down your panties and spank your ass for putting me through what you just put me through." "Does it buy me any goodwill if I tell you that Chastity brought some things over for Hope last night?" Vivian wondered. "They're over on the dresser. That's why I cut the alarm off, so you two could get some more sleep." "The alarm is off," Hope whispered. "What time is it?" She didn't sound so happy. "I didn't hear you wake up," Vivian apologized. "Long-range shooting involves controlled breathing," Hope answered. "What time is it?" Vivian rolled over, leaned off the bed, and retrieved her phone. "5:27," Vivian hissed back to us. "Oh," moaned a sleepy Barbie Lynn. "I guess Zane and I will have to do it in the shower again, not that I mind," she finished with a sexy grin. "No marathon session if you go downstairs," Vivian cautioned. "Zane and I have already showered," Hope said, "So we can avoid the ritual at this time." "How was it?" Barbie Lynn propped herself on an elbow and gazed upon Hope's face. "I will never look at Zane touching or kissing another woman in the same way," Hope imparted to her. "I'll talk about the details when I've digested the lessons I learned last night." "Yes, lessons," Hope confirmed as she rolled back the covers and sat up. "It is his chosen method for our sex play, that of female student and male instructor." "That's just fascinating;" grumbled Rio, "but some of us do need showers. If Zane doesn't put in an appearance, hey, what are you doing, Monkey?" Rio's attention turned to Mercy. Mercy had rolled on top of Rio, elevated on all fours, and was now sucking on and nibbling Rio's left nipple. "Did I tell you to do that?" Rio quizzed Mercy. Mercy shook her head in the negative but kept hold of the tit in her mouth. "Don't you worry, you annoying cunt," Rio grinned evilly, "I've got something planned for your insubordination this time. Now scoot." This time Mercy did wiggle off Rio. "Why don't you play teacher/student with me?" Barbie Lynn teased me. "You eat ice cream with a spoon and steak with a knife, Barbie Lynn, but hell, if you want to play Merry Monk and Naughty Nun with me, I'm game," I grinned. Barbie Lynn's grin equaled mine and added a salacious tongue running along the lips. She is my best sexual partner ever. "Before you run off can I ask Zane for one favor first?" Vivian asked the ladies. I was hoping she'd be considerate enough to ask me too. "Atta girl," Rio perked up. "Ride his face. Get his patented tongue-tickle wakeup call." "That's not what I have in mind," Vivian responded. "Sure," Barbie Lynn answered Vivian's request. "What; are we stockholders in Zane now?" Hope inquired. "I withhold my vote until I know what Zane has to do and how he feels about it." "Thanks, Hope," I looked over at her. "You are my spotter. If you are distracted, your performance suffers and so does mine," she smiled. "It is enlightened self-interest." Yeah, right. "I understand, Hope," Vivian nodded. "I knew if I asked Zane, he would consult with you ladies so I elected to take on any of your rejections myself. Zane, would you let me cuddle up against you for a few more minutes? That's all I want." "Sure," I agreed. This wasn't going to be so hard. Unfortunately, fate is cruel and I'm an idiot if there was ever any doubt. Vivian maneuvered so that her back was to me and she was pressed into my body. Hellish complication number one: when Vivian had leaned off the bed, I had removed my hand from her underwear, causing it to have ridden half-way down her ass. Hellish complication number two: I sleep naked; my cock was hard and wedged between said ass cheeks, and I mean wedged in deep. Hellish complication number three: "Zane, could you wrap your arm around me, please?" Vivian murmured. I had a feeling she had closed her eyes, feigning sleep, so I draped an arm over and rested it on her stomach, nice and safe. Vivian took my hand and pulled it to a point underneath her right tit and slightly into her cleavage beneath her shirt. Okay, I'm thinking, I'm still safe. I can do this for a few minutes and not crack. I had a really good time with Hope last night and I'm not running at a 100% over-stupid like I normally am. Vivian started to stretch, her back arching away from me while her shoulders and hips pushed in. I had to admit that her hair smelled great. I knew what to do next, but then I realized that what I had to do was think like someone who didn't know what to do. (Confused? Join the club) "What do I call you?" I whispered into her ear. "Vannie," she responded quietly. 'Vannie' must be the nickname her boyfriend uses. "Time to wake up, Vannie," I breathed. Vivian kept arching her back, with some gradual hip rotation added to the mix. My cock was rubbing down between each buttock; my hand was being pushed over the top of her shirt-covered breast. I had a reprieve when the bell's edge of my phallus caught on the waistband of her panties. Vivian swiveled her hips a few more times and then rotated her shoulders so that the palm of my hand wove circles over her breast. Her enticed nipple came out to play by twisting with my movements. I still had some hope, though, that she'd stop soon. When she ran her hand from her stomach to her crotch I prayed that a little self-stimulation was all she was seeking. With her left hand, which I hadn't tracked, she worked her panties half way down her thighs before resuming her gymnastic routine. Then her fiendish hand migrated over her thigh and cheek until it wrapped around my cock and gave it a squeeze. I had to do something quickly. "Vannie," I whispered with more urgency, "you really need to wake up." Vivian faked a yawn then wiggled violently against my hips. This allowed her to force my cock through her ass crack and between her thighs. Vivian was showing a surprisingly inherent talent as a champion lap-dancer. I had done the whole pseudo-sex thing last night with Hope so why was I being subjected to this again? "Vannie, I wish you didn't have to go." That caused a hiccup in her performance. Her hip movements became almost romantic in their tenderness and a low contented growled emanated from her chest. I racked my personality assessment of Vivian to figure out what to do next. Sexual conduct is best when you know what your partner is looking for and meeting that expectation. I took my hand from her breast, sauntered it up her sternum to her neck and jaw. I tilted her head toward me. Her eyes were still closed as if asleep so she made no reaction as I leaned in for a chaste kiss, no tongue. She kissed back in an equally tender fashion. "You need to wake up, Vannie," I said one last time. She nodded, gave me another kiss, and then let her head settle back on the pillow. "Thank you, Zane," Vivian told me as she looked up and over her shoulder at me. "Fuck it all, Bro!" Rio yelled. "Your cock is in her ass. Fuck her! Fuck her! This is your chance to nail the stuck up bitch." "She's not a stuck up bitch and my cock is not in her ass," I countered. "Trust me," Barbie Lynn provided her input, "if that meat was up her ass, the look on her face would be totally different." What happened to normal days of waking up where we greet each other, ask about our plans for the day, and wonder what we are having for breakfast? Seriously, who has discussions about what a girl's face would look like with my cock up their ass first thing in the morning? "On that wonderful note, I'm going to, I suddenly realized I was boned by reality. I had nowhere to go. I didn't need to shower and I didn't have to be anywhere for an hour and a half. Speaking of boners, why wasn't Vivian letting go of my cock, which she held tightly against her cunt lips? Well, if you can't be happy, "Vivian, could you stay with me a little longer?" I requested gently. "That's it," Rio chuckled. "Lure her in with that patented Braxton seduction then tap that ass good." There was rustling from Rio's side of the bed. "Mercy, you stay put." "I'm going down and talking to the other girls," Barbie Lynn announced. "Zane, I'll explain things to our shower buddies." With that, she scooted away from the covers and crawled off the foot of the bed. "I'm going to put some clothes on," Hope spoke up. "It is something of a marvel that so many of you seem comfortable in your nakedness but I'm not there yet." She too made her way off the bed and to the clothes Chastity had left for her friend. "Sure, Zane, I'll stay a little longer if you like," Vivian was finally allowed to respond. I nestled into her and she molded tightly to me. As I was busy inhaling the scent of her hair my hand returned to her stomach. This time it was a little lower, like brushing the top of her pubic hair lower. Vivian did me two better. Her right hand reached back and stroked my hair as I rested my lips on her neck, innocently of course. Her left hand was up to far worse; she reached down and began to pet my cockhead that was conveniently poking between her legs at cunt level. At that point, I'm trying to figure out why in the hell Vivian is torturing me. A loud slap of a hand on ass echoed to me from Rio's side of the bed. Mercy squeaked. Then it occurred to me; two could play at Vivian's game. The hand on the stomach wandered up her body, underneath her sleeping jersey and began fondling her left breast, including the occasional pull on the nipple. Another spanking resounded from the Rio/Mercy duo as I freed my left hand from beneath me and wrapped up Vivian's hair. I tilted her head toward me and began kissing her lips. Her mouth opened at my approach and we were soon wrestling back and forth with our lips and tongues. A third slap of Rio's paddle on Mercy's ass rang out. I began pumping against Vivian's ass. As my cockhead withdraw deep into her muscular thighs her hand followed. I stopped when her fingers touched her clit. I'm still somewhat unclear on how Christian school girls stand on masturbation but it obviously didn't matter that Vivian was doing it right now, she had her shirt bunched up above her breasts, her panties around her knees, and my cock massaging her cunt. Two more smacks echoed from Mercy's paddling which concluded with a squeal of pleasure. Sometimes those two, I guess the next step is for them to be the first FFU openly lesbian couple or a Bonnie and Clyde crime spree, based on which way the neuron misfires in Rio's noggin. As for which way Vivian's brain was going off the rails, I wasn't totally certain. "Yes," she broke our kiss. "Yes, yes, yes," she panted. We were now rocking with some real synergy. She titled her face away from me and placed her chin on her chest as her breathing became rapid and shallow. Farther down, my cock and her fingers became impossibly slick with a mixture of my pre-cum and her vaginal fluids. I picked up the tinglings from her cunny first but they rapidly spread to her stomach and thighs. "Yes, oh, yes, oh, Holy God, ugh, ugh, ugh, Yes!" Vivian cried out. More liquid sloshed against my cock, not too much but enough to make me shoot, all over her hand and thighs. "Oh, oh, oh, it's been so long," she wheezed through tortured lungs. We rapidly put the brakes on our action and settled into a comfortable embrace. A minute later she gave me one last playful ass wag and sat up. My cock was thankfully going into a dormant state. Vivian had swung her feet off the bed, then turned and kissed me (chastely once more). "Thank you, Zane," she smiled as she began lapping my semen off her hand. "I can't wait to try this out with my boyfriend." Plus side: Vivian was getting the courage to get back with the long-time boyfriend who had 'accidentally' taken her virginity. I'd like to make Vivian's quality of life better. She also liked the taste of my seed. Down side: I'm back to being a practice dummy for the ambitious girls around me. Also, she liked the taste of my seed. "I appreciate you letting me loosen up and work out some of my issues with you," Vivian completed. Why can't a woman be satisfied with being a total jerk to me so I can stay angry with them for more than five seconds? I know there are chicks out there that get out of bed, sneer down at their former lover, and belittle them before laughing like the Wicked Witch and sauntering out the door. I blame my misconceptions on Lifetime TV, my Aunt watches it, honest. I flopped down on the bed and stared at the last bit of dark skies before the first rays of sunlight drove them away. Hope stepped into my field of view, grinning, with her ponytail dangling down and tickling my nose. "Zane, I really care for you and I am saying this with the utmost sincerity," Hope began. "You should have let Christina throw you out that first day," she smiled. "I have trained in the martial arts since I was five yet I've never seen anyone take a beating like you have in my entire life. The Energizer Bunny has nothing on your staying power, Zane. From Barbie Lynn at the beginning of the semester to Vivian right now, you just get it coming and going. I'm in awe with your inability to learn from your mistakes. I mean that in the kindest way." "Have I done anything right?" I sighed. Hope grabbed my nose, pinched it painfully, and yanked my head over for eye-to-eye contact. "You do a lot right, Zane, no pity party for you. I can name a dozen women who would charge into a burning building to save you, me included," she pointed out. "Zane, I want to protect you, and my Father taught me to ignore the cries of my own family if we were ever attacked because that would reveal my position," Hope informed me. Man, that is just plain fucked up in so many ways I don't even want to get into. What kind of father does that to his little girl? "I've never had a pet; I sleep with an automatic pistol under my pillow and a combat shotgun beneath my bed. I couldn't imagine anyone would consider himself a man unless he was versed in at least three forms of combat. I don't think I need to go into my instructions should a man touch me inappropriately, much less touch me when I was naked," she smiled warmly. "Wait," I mused after a moment's retrospection, "you want to protect me? Can't I be the one protecting you?" "Okay," she replied thoughtfully, "after Karate Club today, you and I can spar and if you can take me two out of three submissions, I will allow you to protect me." Wait, I am going to risk getting my ass kicked for what? It isn't like she's going to sleep with me if I win, and I can definitely get some action with Cappadocia if I refuse. "I'd like to but I have plans," I shrugged. "I am sure Cappadocia will understand. Besides, I might finish you off quickly and the two of you can get at it when I leave," Hope countered. "What makes you think, ?" I get out. "Zane, you live in a glass house, literally. You and her are no great secret," Hope interrupted. "Fine, let's see who gets schooled this time," I agreed. "So, how many years of Karate have you had?" "None," she smiled sweetly. "If it matters, I am advanced in the teachings of Taekkyeon, Hapkido, and Geom Do." "I have no clue as to what those styles are," I admitted. "A striking techniques style, a mixed martial arts style, and Korean Sword fighting," Hope informed me without a hint that she was offended by my ignorance. I knew that was a vast simplification of what those schools taught but from my limited experience, we could sit back and discuss them for twenty years and not cover every nuance. What I did know was, this school had more than its fair share of females unusually skilled in the arts of killing their fellow sentient life forms. Wait, was this the Hell Mouth and I am surrounded by an army of Buffy's, Faith's and Willow's? Did that make me Zander? Maybe I was Oz. He got to be a werewolf after all. "Where do you go," Hope asked with intense curiosity, "between that blink of your eye and the next?" "I'm imagining what you look like without your bra and panties on," I lied. I said that because I wanted to see her reaction, not because I had a hope in hell of her believing that. She did nothing. "I try to put my current circumstances in a context, no matter how crazy, that allows me to figure out what I should do next." "I should have known that you would embrace a cosmic embryonic spirit when making crucial decisions," Hope noted. Translation: I'm nuts. "I am glad you pierce through my many layers of obfuscations to see the real me," I retorted. "I am glad you see the real me too," she smiled. I got dressed, pulled out some homework, was jumped by my cohort of hotties, stripped down so they could examine my new collection of war wounds before finally letting me regain my clothing and dignity, while the ladies whispered conspiratorially about me. With the help of Vivian and Iona, I actually made it to the Dining Hall for breakfast by seven. Hope, Barbie Lynn, and Vivian broke free and headed for the senior tables first but soon it was just Iona, Rio and me. Paige stopped by only long enough to check on our status; I kissed her on the inside of each wrist and she ran her fingers through my hair and straightened my collar. I had Rio check me for electronic devices because Paige likes me but she is in the Time Lord Mafia, as is Iona. I have a little feud going on with their leader. On the way out the door, Raven caught up with me for a status update on our project. She'd written a beautiful opening paragraph and I told her that we would have the books from George Mason on Wednesday or Thursday. We asked how our weekends went; she went to the Soccer match up in Maryland and I had avoided sex the entire time. Raven seemed pleased by the news and I'm not even in a relationship with her. Okay, I may be the only one who believes I'm not in a relationship with her but I'm happy ignoring the rest of the world at this moment. Once I passed the Dining Room threshold I was brutally reminded that I still had Handmaiden's Duty. She was a nice, voluptuous junior named Georgia who was quite tall and quite well stacked. My task; to name all the descendants of Noah listed in the Book of Genesis. Every time I got one wrong I had to kiss her. I'd complain about the blatant sexual harassment but a) I like kissing girls and b) I could do without the ridicule of the entire school, check that; anymore ridicule from the entire school than what I was already getting. My some miracle I made it through enough names for Christina and company to surround us (Vivian, my guardian, was right there too). Georgia suspended her punishment gracefully as Heaven pulled me aside. "We have a date for Tuesday night," she beamed like a thousand suns. "Cool. Should we bring anything?" I inquired. "No. She's doing barbeque pork chops and chicken breasts, plus some other Southern stuff that I have no clue about what it is," Heaven informed me. "What is a hush puppy?" "Deep-fried corn meal batter, I think," I tossed out there. "When do we go over?" "5:30, and she'll have beer for me and Doctor Pepper or Sun Drop for you," she giggled. She was of legal drinking age and I wasn't, and Danica, our date, was a Lancaster City patrolwoman. "I'll meet you at the car, Babe," I grinned down at her while squeezing her in my arms. "But we have to be going," I noted. Arriving late to Assembly was unforgivable. "Zane, I've decided to tell my Father about you," Hope dropped her bomb right as we headed off again. I stumbled. "Zane?" Vivian and Georgia asked simultaneously. "Do you know how I say we should all live every moment as if it were our last? Well, never have I felt that to be truer than right now," I grinned fatalistically. "Thanks Hope." Around Memselbub, or whatever his God-damn name was, I lost track of Noah's grandsons and began kissing Georgia a lot. About Using-Half-The-Damn-Letters-In-The-Alphabet's name, I caught a furtive hand movement by Rio and Mercy give a little jolt but I didn't have time to delve into that right then because I caught sight of Cordelia coming to Assembly from another angle. I had a stroke of inspiration, or maybe I just had a stroke, because I dropped my bag and charged the svelte, sexy brunette Top Gun of the Time Lord Mafia, aka the Science Club, and it was about time I applied a fresh coat of paint (whoop ass) to her little red wagon. I pushed through the crowd of girls and got within six feet of Cordelia before I registered on her radar. Cordelia is a quick thinker and meticulous planner so it took her only one foot of space to figure out that this was the 'he's got no plan' that she'd been told about. I chose the blindly opportunistic blitz attack because even I didn't know what I was doing, so how could she figure it out? Cordelia squealed, dropped her book bag, and ran for it. Now, I'm not really the moron that I often appear to be and this attack was not me blindly flailing at the world. Safety laid in either a building she could shut the doors upon entry or the Assembly Hall. Her problem was that both options sucked. She'd have to push through a press of girls to get inside the Assembly Hall; I was bigger and stronger and would definitely catch her if she tried that. Running to another building, then, was her only real chance. That was a problem of physics, crowd dynamics, and physiology, all of which she was good at. Sure, I was the faster runner, but Cordelia would break free of the crowd first, giving her a head start. The question was; would it be enough? Cordelia made for Simmons Hall, which was a good plan except for one annoying aspect of school life, politeness. Two girls were hurrying out of the building but stopped to hold the door for her, and me. Had Cordelia made it to the stairwell at the end of the hall she could have held the door against me long enough for us to risk being late for Assembly. It was good, quick thinking. The politeness cost her one lonely second and that was all it took. I grappled her in the hallway and rolled us onto the ground. Cordelia was giggling and screeching and trying to wiggle free but I would have my revenge. I finally got her on her stomach and her arms pinned behind her back when Vivian caught up, looking incredibly peeved. "Okay, Zane, you got me, you got me. I give up," panted Cordelia. "That's nice," I responded. I hooked her closest leg, flung off her shoe and yanked off her sock. "Damn, Zane, are you going to make me walk around barefooted?" Cordelia snickered. "Nope," I answered as I went after her other foot. Cordelia struggled but not overly much. It was all fun and games until I tied one sock around her ankle then secured the same side hand to the ankle behind her back. She fought harder to keep the other wrist/ankle set free but I got those to. I'd hog-tied her, sort of. "Oh, come on," Cordelia moaned, starting to get pissed. "Zane, stop this," Vivian warned. "Vivian, do you want to see pictures of us, you and I, on the internet? Because that is exactly what this is about," I explained. "Cordelia feels like she can fuck with my life without repercussions. I'm not even asking her to stop, only to give me a warning before she does anything that is going to make my life rough." "Things like Barbie Lynn and me in the shower, Cordy," I grumbled. "But it was so hot to watch, Zane," Cordelia countered. "All it takes is two phone calls; one to me and one to her," I pointed out. "Vivian, can I have a red marker?" Vivian thought about it for a second, then handed it over. I went around to Cordelia's face and began writing on it. Cordelia was fuming and only got angrier when, by touch alone, she figured out what my message was. "Fine," Cordelia growled, "lesson learned. Let me up." "Nope. They will find you when Assembly is over," I informed her. Now she thrashed about for real. "Don't do this, Zane," Vivian cautioned me. "I'll explain later, I promise," I responded to my guardian. "Cordelia, we are going now. Do you need anything?" "I could use a sip of water," she smirked. I went over to the water fountain, drank some in, filled up my cheeks then knelt down beside her and let her suck the water out of my mouth. "Umm, Zane spit, my favorite flavor," Cordelia joked. Vivian and I made for the door. "Oh, come on, Zane," Cordelia called out. "This isn't funny anymore. Let me go." "They will let you go around 9:05 when the first students show up, Cordelia," I shouted over my shoulder. "I hope you give this little exhibition some thought." As we sprinted across the campus grounds, we spotted Iona standing guard over my book bag. "Thanks, Iona," I grinned. "It was something I had to do." "Oh, it gets worse," Iona sighed morosely. "Zane, it wasn't my idea." She handed a cloth bracelet made of an intertwined white and green thread to Vivian. "I'll get you a blue thread as it seems you've earned it." Any explanation was cut off by the bell for Assembly. We raced into the seats various compatriots had saved for us with bonus confusion of having Georgia sitting next to me. Chancellor Bazz was back in charge but I didn't have too much time to notice; Georgia had returned to her Bible quiz and I was screwing up big time. Much secretive kissing ensued. Once we exited the Assembly, the mass of us disseminated to our various first classes. Iona had to go a different way than me but Rio stuck close. I noticed she and Mercy both had more elaborate bracelets. "So, what's up with this," I tapped it. "He-he," Rio gloated. "It is an indicator of what you've done to us, or we to you." "Whose idea was this?" I groaned. "Three guesses, Brainiac," she laughed. "What does mine indicate?" Vivian worried. "Kissing and groped," Rio snickered. "I'll make sure you get your blue strand asap. That means you've been naked with him." Vivian gave me a concerned look. "Still feeling sorry about leaving Cordelia tied up?" I joked. "Our Lord Christ teaches us to forgive those who have trespassed against us," Vivian quoted. "Wait, you guys tied up Cordelia? Where? And can I go get me some?" Rio exulted. "She's free by now," I let down my buddy. "He did write 'Paige is smarter' on her face with a red marker," Vivian added. "Bro, she is going to kill you," Rio giggled. "Nah, Cordelia is angry but she doesn't buy into revenge," I stated. "She will look for other schemes to control me and I'll find other ways to keep her in line." "What has Cordelia done to control you?" Vivian asked. "Vivian," I sighed, "why do you think Cordelia would create a free porn site with my sexual antics as the main attraction? She can see me perform whenever she wants, but why share it?" "That is convoluted as fuck," Rio griped. Vivian was thinking that over. "So she gets at you by putting at risk the women you are with," she thought out loud. "You two are playing a game of chicken. She threatens to expose those who have sex with you, and you dare her to do just that. It seems to me you two are putting other girls at risk in your simple little game." "It is not a game, Vivian, it is not little, and it definitely isn't simple," I explained. "It is not me versus Cordelia any more than it is Rhaine versus Christina, or the Progressives resisting Chancellor Bazz. Everyone wants something and most are willing to aggressively pursue those goals. I mean, you found a use for me in less than four days." "I, I, Vivian stuttered because I'd laid bare this morning's activities. She was saved by the entrance to my classroom. She dropped me off, then returned to her normal schedule. My ass had barely touched my seat when I got a text. Apparently, I had an important phone message. It turned out to be from the Vice Chancellor's office. "Hello," Ms. Reveal, who, like the Vice Chancellor, was new to the school, answered, "Doctor Scarlett's office." "Hi, this is Zane Braxton. Did you assign me a meeting with the Vice Chancellor?" "Yes, Mr. Braxton, and you have one minute to get here," the young lady informed me. "When did Doctor Scarlett tell you to call me?" I asked, right as Ms. Goodswell walked into the room. I was almost out of time. "I don't see how that was relevant," Ms. Reveal sounded cross. "Well, sorry then, but the nine o'clock hour isn't good for me. English rocks so call me back when there is another opening in the good Doctor's schedule," I said smugly. "Wait, you can't, Reveal got out before I hung up. I enjoyed the class while noticing that no one rang me back. I was suspicious that Scarlett was yanking my chain and no calls pretty much confirmed that. At the end of class Virginia Goodswell pulled me and Raven, my project partner, aside. After all, last time she'd seen us together, we'd had, difficulties. "Are you two making positive progress?" She smiled to us. "Yes, we are," Raven chimed in. "I've created our opening statement and Zane is getting four books from George Mason for us to use as source material." Virginia looked at me askance. "Raven, this might be a good time to inform you that we are getting those books under a third party's name because Rio picked his pocket and checked them out using his student ID and password," I told my partner. "Zane, if you are exhibiting this much larceny for a freshman English project, what are you going to do for Finals?" Virginia teased me. It was clearly too late to chastise me. "As I recall, the Library of Congress's security is provided by the lowest bidder," I retorted. "God give me strength," Raven and Virginia said with perfect symmetry. I may not be respected but I am treated with tolerance and compassion, which is more than I should expect. Vivian escorted me to the second class of the day, Biblical Archeology, which I shared with Rio. At the door Vivian tapped my arm. "At Homecoming I'd like you

This week, Meagan is processing last week's spectacular Seattle Mariners loss to the ToronTOE Blue Jays. Thank you to all our listeners who attended Meagan's pity party, gifting her nothing but kindness. We also got an incredible write-in from friend of the show Cailin!! Thank you for your corroborating evidence that Meagan was among the Most Insp.! And if you're former coach Brian, we're waiting on you to write in, you coward, we KNOW you're listening!!!!! We're standing by our phone waiting for your call (703) 829-0003.And on deck (baseball term) is Lindy's Rebuilding Year! And many people may be wondering: why Lindy look more demolished? Why worse? It's actually quite simple. It's because she is adopting the NBA calendar year, of course! Yes, LRY might have started in January 2025, but it ends in June 2026, actually!!!! One year = two years, DUH. We're also treated to an impromptu update on

What's better than One story? Three. Duh.

What's better than One story? Three. Duh.

This week the big lecture at the University of Texas with the wrinkle of having a seasonal allergy or maybe something worse. My reputation at stake!! And when I say my reputation at stake -- there was nothing at stake. There is completely no stake involved. BUT, I do love drama. Meanwhile, my friend Lily, a student there, has boy troubles I have to help her through -- because THAT is what I do. Boys are awful (of course said in a Paul Lynde voice). Duh. Also, a new coffeeshop girl who immediately brought out the, "oh, my boyfriend has that same watch" classic.

Benny and Mary Beth are in their going out era (for better or worse). We are back to discussing straight men's quirkier habits and what we ride for. DUH!Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.Sponsors:Secure your online data TODAY by visiting ExpressVPN.com/ridepod.Go to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you're ready to launch, squarespace.com/RIDE to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domainStop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/RIDE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.Go to brooklynbedding.com and use my promo code RIDE at checkout to get 30% off sitewide.Go to GOLDBELLY.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code RIDE.Eternity is in theaters everywhere this thanksgiving! Watch the trailer now at https://a24films.com/films/eternity.Produced by Dear Media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Well well well, if it isn't another man with the inability to regulate his emotions in a healthy way... At least he worked it out through painting and unsent letters? Yes, I guess we can give credit where credit is due...  Come listen on this Friday as we go through the life of this GOTH ass painter. There will be obsessions, there will be GIRLS GONE WILD references, and there will be ART! Duh! Xoxo The BB's Art Helper link:  - arthelper.ai - https://tinyurl.com/artist-pricing-guide Our music is all sourced from Epedemic Sound where we pay for the rights to use songs in the podcast. For that reason, they may not be readily available on streaming accounts. Songs from today's episode:  - Visualize: The Haunted - Luella Gran - Closing: the Haunted House - John Abbot  

Diesmal: Frankreich, Tropikalisiserung, Frieden in Gaza?, Koalitionsausschuss-Schlusspapier, Demokratie in den USA, Verbrenneraus-Aus, Lobbyismus im Wirtschaftsministerium, Sham Jaff zum Internationalen Strafgerichtshof, Tschechien und die DUH. Mit einem Faktencheck von Katharina Alexander und einem Limerick von Jens Ohrenblicker.

It's time for Red Flag on the Date! The Dirt, we play Over/Under and a PDD Dance update. Plus Taylor is not just going to quit music now that she is getting married.... Duh. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#1- When stupid "show off" gringos get robbed: Are they asking for it or is it just bad luck?    #2- Why do so many young adult Black American tourists wear gaudy, stupid bling: Duh... Don't they know its an idiot's invitation to get robbed?    #3- The Gringo “tourist” uniform and look: Why Latinos can spot us a mile away…   #4- Is Guatemala still a good choice for your Plan-B or is the bloom off the rose?     #5- The ins-and-outs of buying prescription drugs in a Latin American pharmacy and flying back home with the stuff: Will US customs mess with you or not?    #6- A listener does 6 weeks in a Mexican jail and buys his way out: Just another “boots on the ground” story…  #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he's been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: bewarecaptainmango@gmail.com 

It’s the premiere episode of Misstepping! And, Tori and Easton kick it off with a rhinestone-studded deep dive into the Dancing with the Stars Season 34 premiere. They are spilling sequined tea on everything that hit the ballroom floor opening night. Tori shares behind-the-scenes perspective only a DWTS alum can bring, while Easton jumps in with fan-level hot takes. Together, they gush over standout performances, size up early frontrunners like Robert Irwin and Whitney Levitt, and side-eye some surprises that already have people talking. It’s sparkly, shady, and super unfiltered. Duh, it’s Totally Tori— the premiere episode of Misstepping sets the tone for a season full of glitter and gossip.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the premiere episode of Misstepping! And, Tori and Easton kick it off with a rhinestone-studded deep dive into the Dancing with the Stars Season 34 premiere. They are spilling sequined tea on everything that hit the ballroom floor opening night. Tori shares behind-the-scenes perspective only a DWTS alum can bring, while Easton jumps in with fan-level hot takes. Together, they gush over standout performances, size up early frontrunners like Robert Irwin and Whitney Levitt, and side-eye some surprises that already have people talking. It’s sparkly, shady, and super unfiltered. Duh, it’s Totally Tori— the premiere episode of Misstepping sets the tone for a season full of glitter and gossip.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the premiere episode of Misstepping! And, Tori and Easton kick it off with a rhinestone-studded deep dive into the Dancing with the Stars Season 34 premiere. They are spilling sequined tea on everything that hit the ballroom floor opening night. Tori shares behind-the-scenes perspective only a DWTS alum can bring, while Easton jumps in with fan-level hot takes. Together, they gush over standout performances, size up early frontrunners like Robert Irwin and Whitney Levitt, and side-eye some surprises that already have people talking. It’s sparkly, shady, and super unfiltered. Duh, it’s Totally Tori— the premiere episode of Misstepping sets the tone for a season full of glitter and gossip.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the premiere episode of Misstepping! And, Tori and Easton kick it off with a rhinestone-studded deep dive into the Dancing with the Stars Season 34 premiere. They are spilling sequined tea on everything that hit the ballroom floor opening night. Tori shares behind-the-scenes perspective only a DWTS alum can bring, while Easton jumps in with fan-level hot takes. Together, they gush over standout performances, size up early frontrunners like Robert Irwin and Whitney Levitt, and side-eye some surprises that already have people talking. It’s sparkly, shady, and super unfiltered. Duh, it’s Totally Tori— the premiere episode of Misstepping sets the tone for a season full of glitter and gossip.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new barber shop opened up a few doors down from where Eddie gets his haircut a while back and since then Eddie has stayed a loyal customer. However, he just recently found out that Emily had been taking her son to the competitor this whole time!Sky's journey wround the world continues today with Sky's Wheel of Food where we take her to India to try Butter ChickenToday is Sydney Sweeney's 28th Birthday and we look to find out if she is one of the hottest actressess under the age of 30 (we already know the answer to this one... DUH)

On this episode of ‘The Kylee Cast,' Kylee Griswold discusses ‘Christian Nationalism' and debunks Tim Kaine's ignorant argument that our rights come from government, not God. Plus, media discover Trump is alive! (Duh.) And special guests Joy Pullmann and Elle Purnell talk birth control, marriage, motherhood, and more.