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No messing around when Erin and Charissa drop a new episode of the Pregame answering some of your questions. They tell you what they are most looking forward to with the upcoming football season, how to handle “mean girls” and why you need to step up and go for it when you’re asking that woman out on a date! You also don’t want to miss “Anonymous Follow Up” and what happens when two best friends become roommates.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 144: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45) SPECIAL COMMENT: Well, there it is, finally - the perfect storm that can dethrone or at least deplete Trump and of course it's his fault. HE has openly admitted he's covering up the Epstein Files, and he has in essence confessed he's in the Epstein Files. The problem is a simple one: Trump promised to give them pedophiles. They were promised politician pedophiles. They were promised that the politicians who were covering up Epstein were the pedophiles. And then one day Trump suddenly decided to announce that HE was the politician who was covering up Epstein and he SCOLDED them and HUMILIATED them and YELLED at them for challenging his god-ordained RIGHT to cover up Epstein, and they said in their confusion “but you promised us that you would reveal the pedophile politicians that were covering up Epstein and…wait a minute... that means...” As of mid-afternoon Trump was getting ratioed, on his own social media site, nearly 4:1 by angry, confused, moronic MAGAs. They have lived and died by his insistence that only pedophile politicians personally implicated in the Epstein documents and "client list" would be keeping them from being released. Now his two conflicting piles of bull have clashed, and he has been buried under them. UNFORTUNATELY TRUMP'S RESPONSE is utterly predictable: he will double down on Trump-ISIS atrocities, on torturing immigrants. It will give his 'people' the snuff films they want and may deflect their rage, at least for awhile. But remember, any time you see ICE threatening kids, to shout "Watcha doin? Grabbing those kids so Trump can take them to Epstein Island?" B-Block (30:46) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Karoline Leavitt thinks her conference calls are being interfered with by the devil. Riley Gaines' reward for stirring up murderous hate against Trans people? She gets to audition for Fox, and conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Her skills are so varied: she's 85th best in swimming AND propaganda! And then there's winner Caitlin Francis, a rando from California who has the kind of advice only a homeschooling MAGA mother can present to you: dogs and cats have no souls, so if their vet bills exceed $1000, kill them. Say, Mrs. Francis, what's your over-under on your sick kids? (44:17) SPORTSBALLCENTER: Would you like to play in tomorrow night's baseball All-Star Game? Because that's the only stunt they have left to save the dying exhibition, now that they've decided that five big league games is sufficient experience to be an All-Star? And the floodgates may have just opened in St. Louis, where a pro sports team is eliminating its separate radio and TV play-by-play teams and simulcasting. This is the future, and it's not pretty. C-Block (1:05:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: Somebody asked me what was my favorite joke that I ever did on the air. So here's a bunch - starring Albert Hall, the Takko-Bell trade, and the day the Reading Phillies set me up to get ejected from a minor league baseball game.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Day at the AcademyIn 13 parts, By BradentonLarry - Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Don, Evelyn, & Nicole enjoy the Academy, with Orgy Night.Don awoke with a smile on his face.He slowly rolled onto his back and blinked up at the clear blue sky. Life is very good! he thought with immense satisfaction.He didn't need to raise his head to appreciate his surroundings, but he did anyway. Of course, it was a beautiful morning with a view of the countryside all around, and even that of the Resort across the river was wonderful, but those weren't the best parts. The open area at the top of the library that served as their bedroom was lovely, filled with comfortable furniture, tastefully chosen, though created would be a better word, by Evelyn, but that wasn't what made him smile like this every morning. Not at all. Asleep on the big round bed were two of his favorite women, both wonderfully naked. Closest to him was his beloved Evelyn, her dark red hair a wonderful mess obscuring her adorable face. Don took a moment to admire her lovely, muscular back and perfect, tight ass. On the other side of Evelyn, stretched out in slender, ebony sexuality was Nicole, snoring quietly.The young woman had come a long way since he had met her at the Manor's garden maze. Like Don and Evelyn, Nicole had completed her complicated quest to earn a black ring, making her what Don continued to think of as a Lord of Eros. Unlike them, though, she had yet to return to Earth, but seemed to have taken up permanent residence in "this paradise of sexual delight," as she put it. Nicole had created a brightly colored fun house she named the Rumpus Room in a corner of the Resort, and she divided most of her time between there and here at the Academy on the other side of the river.Nicole hadn't met Evelyn until after they had both gotten their black rings, but she had almost instantly developed a serious crush on Don's partner. Of course, this didn't bother Don at all, not least because this meant he got to enjoy much more sex with the lithe young woman. It was almost what people called a throuple, though it was clear to everyone involved that the primary relationship was between Don and Evelyn. Nicole didn't seem to have a problem with this and was quite happy to enjoy sharing their bed and a nice variety of other pieces of furniture, and a much wider variety of playmates.Even with Nicole's regular presence, there were plenty of nights when Don and Toshia enjoyed each other's company in the lovely, relatively quiet intimacy that could only be had between two lovers.These ruminations stirred his cock, but he decided to let the women sleep. Don had always been an early riser, and he thought they both looked too beautiful slumbering like that in the morning light to disturb.Don padded down the ramp to the ground floor of the library, silently amused by the occasional snoozing reader in the various nooks he passed. After a quick shower off to the side of the library's big doors and grabbing an apple from the Perpetual Fruit Stand just outside the library, Don headed across the Academy grounds to what he continued to think of as the Shelonda Center. He smiled at the pile of naked bodies on one side of the large Japanese-style studio. They had apparently collapsed there after a late-night orgy. He chucked his apple core high into the sky, arcing into the forest beyond, and moved to the center of an empty platform, away from the sleepers.Don took several deep breaths, centering himself, and then went into his morning ritual, performing a long series of stretches and meditation that he considered his own personal yoga. He didn't think he really needed to stretch to avoid injury, as he had on Earth, but simply enjoyed the process of waking up his mind and warming up his body.When he was done with the yogic part of his morning, he moved to the back of the platform and put on a pair of loose slacks, bloused at the ankles. Don had discovered that he preferred to have at least this much clothing on when he practiced his kung fu. Not only did he find it a bit more comfortable than vigorously working out in the nude, but wearing the pants separated this part of his life from the more explicitly sexual aspects.This was not to say that his morning practices didn't often turn into sexual activities. Sometimes he would have company. There had been informal students who he would instruct in what was becoming his own Erosian style of kung fu, and occasionally there were sparring partners. Often these sessions turned into enthusiastic bouts of licking, sucking, and fucking. When Toshia and Sarah had come to visit, right after their initial trip to the Manor, and Toshia had asked him to "show them his stuff," his exhibition was immediately followed by an intense threesome, which became a foursome when Evelyn caught up with them.These thoughts reminded Don that Toshia and Sarah were out there somewhere on their own ring quest, or quests. He wondered what kinds of things the Watchers would demand of them and what kind of sexy shenanigans would be involved. Don looked forward to getting a report filled with details next time he saw either or both of them. For now, though, he pushed such things from his mind as he settled into working through his forms, ever pushing himself to sink lower, move faster, and jump higher.By the time he was done running through his workout, the sleepers had arisen, bathed a bit in the fountain in the center of the building, and wandered off. One woman, though, remained, sitting on the edge of the fountain and watching Don as he practiced the kama form he was developing. He gave her a smile and considered her directly only when he was finished.She had lovely light brown skin, a slender but fit body, and long black hair that seemed to be hanging into the water behind her.As soon as Don put his kamas in their place on the rack, he stripped off his pants, dropped them in a bin to be laundered (by one of the blanks who tended to the Academy), and crossed to the fountain. As he approached, he saw that his watcher was simply gorgeous, with big brown eyes that watched him as he walked up. Her flat chest suited her nicely, and her hair did indeed stream down her back and spread out in the water behind her.He offered her a warm smile, his cock already beginning to rise in anticipation."That was very beautiful," she said with a lilting French accent."Thank you," he nodded. "I'm Don.""Élodie," she smiled up at him. Though Don had planned to go to the side of her to splash some water on himself, Élodie reached out to take hold of his cock and draw him to her. In another moment her warm mouth had taken his head in, suckling it, her tongue running all over it, as Don's shaft quickly thickened in her grasp.As he took the beautiful woman's head gently in his hands, encouraging her to take him deeper into her mouth and then her velvety throat, Don again thought Life is very good!Evelyn slowly drifted toward full consciousness. She enjoyed the feeling of the firm mattress beneath her, covered by the soft sheets, as well as the gentle breeze caressing her skin. She could feel the warmth of a human body next to her on the bed, and knew it was Nicole. This was partly because Nicole was snoring a little.Evelyn wasn't surprised the younger woman was still sleeping; she had been particularly active the night before. By the time she had joined Don and Evelyn in their bed, Nicole had been busy, as evidenced by the various drying bodily fluids decorating her lovely dark skin and the sweet cum leaking out of her cunt and ass. Nicole had then thrown herself into that night's threesome with enthusiasm, doing more than her fair share of licking and sucking, as well as fingering, then fisting. By the time Evelyn had begun to lose her battle against sleep, Nicole was straddling Don, riding his cock vigorously.Reaching out, Evelyn was only a little surprised to find that Don was already up and about. He had a hard time sleeping much after the sun came up. She frowned slightly in disappointment. She realized then that she would have liked to have started the day with his cock in her. She resolved to end the day that way. As she slowly pushed herself up and started crawling off the bed, Evelyn decided she should also say something to him about letting her enjoy some morning play more often.Of course, Evelyn knew she could play with Nicole, but it wasn't quite the same. Evelyn had grown quite fond of Don's penis, as well as many of his other body parts. Besides, Nicole no doubt needed the sleep.Evelyn began working her way slowly down the library tower. As she went, she looked for stray books that had been left abandoned by absent-minded and/or sex-addled readers. Every time she came across such a book, she'd simply shelve it in the nearest available spot. Part of the library's magic was that the books would automatically sort themselves and make whatever you wanted to find ready for you. Evelyn smiled at the few people she passed who had fallen asleep with books in hand or on their laps, and at several who had already awakened and gone back to reading.Like Don before her, Evelyn made straight for the outdoor shower just outside the library. As she let the XYZ-water flow over her, washing away the remnants of the night before's revelries, she thought she should add a shower or a nice tub to their bedroom on top of the tower. Evelyn frowned, realizing that she had often had this thought but somehow always managed to forget to follow through when she got back up there. Must be that damn cock of Don's, she thought with a smile.As if summoned by Evelyn's thoughts, a cock appeared before her. A dark-skinned young man stepped into the shower. He wasn't much taller than her, and not particularly athletic, though he was what seemed to be Erosian fit, which was to say in better shape than most of the men on Earth. His tightly curled black hair was short. He smiled and said, "Good morning," in a thick accent that sounded much like India's.Evelyn returned his smile and greeting, openly admiring his naked body and manhood. Though it wasn't particularly big, it was a cock, and it was getting thicker as he watched her while standing under the water running in shimmering rivulets down his ebony skin.There were three shower heads in this little, three-sided enclosure. Evelyn had taken the leftmost out of habit and because it was closest to the library. The young man had taken the rightmost, no doubt to be polite. Evelyn wasn't particularly concerned with politeness at the moment.With another smile at the stranger, she stepped over to the middle shower, which automatically switched on, water instantly heated to just the right degree. She took up some soap, started working up a nice lather with the handy sponge, and made a nice show of washing her throat and breasts, all while watching the young man do much the same. Happy to note that he was not only watching her bathe but that his sex was responding nicely, she said, "I'm Evelyn.""Neto," he smiled. He was apparently a man of few words, but that was okay, Evelyn wasn't interested in his words.Evelyn gave Neto a wink as she ran the soapy sponge down over her taut belly. She watched him watching her as he moved his own sponge down toward his cock, which was now standing out in front of him at attention. Evelyn licked her lips, thinking how nice it would be to just drop to her knees in front of him right there. Chuckling to herself a bit, she turned around to let the water rinse the soap off her chest and belly. She hoped young Neto was taking the opportunity to admire her ass.He apparently was, for she almost immediately felt a warm hand caressing her behind. This was followed by a sponge moving over her skin as Neto's free hand moved up over her back and then slipped around to her front. The sponge worked downward, spreading her cheeks a bit before exploring lower. Evelyn parted her legs a little to let Neto move the soft, soapy sponge between them. Meanwhile, his hand moved up to cup one of her breasts, squeezing it. Evelyn felt his mouth on her neck then, and she let out a loud, happy sigh.Though she was reluctant to stop Neto from what he was doing with his hand and the sponge, Evelyn turned around under the water and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him hungrily. He responded enthusiastically, dropping his sponge to the floor, and squeezing her ass tightly in his hands. She felt his straining erection pressed against her tummy.While their tongues got acquainted, Evelyn reached down to grasp Neto's cock tightly, squeezing more than pulling. She broke their kiss long enough to say, "I want you to fuck me, Neto."He grinned and nodded his understanding, which he further underscored by bending his knees a bit and hoisting her up. Evelyn laughed a bit in surprise as she wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tightly. Neto took two steps forward and Evelyn felt the wall against her back. He reached down around her left thigh, and she felt the head of his cock slipping between her labia. She nodded her approval and relaxed her grip on him enough to sink down, letting him slip inside her.Evelyn groaned as she felt his nice, hard sex opening her up and filling her just as she needed. She rocked her hips a bit, working her horny little clit against the base of his cock. She smiled at Neto and said, "Yes, good! Fuck me!"Then she was kissing him again while he began to move in and out of her grasping cunt. She used her hold on his shoulders and her legs' purchase on his hips to work her body up and down on his stiff cock, loving the way her nipples were rubbing against his naked, wet chest, how her clit was being stimulated as they coupled, and the feeling of her hungry cunt being so wonderfully used.Almost without warning, Evelyn felt her first orgasm of the day explode and careen through her body. She clenched down on Neto's cock and clawed at his dark shoulders. As she slowly came down, she found she was kissing and biting at his neck. Laughing a little at herself, she smiled at Neto. She wanted him to keep fucking her, but there wasn't any need to tell him that. He seemed quite intent on shoving into her with a steady tempo. Still, Evelyn didn't want him to work too hard for his orgasm."Put me down," she said.As soon as she could, Evelyn unwrapped herself and put her feet on the ground. When Neto's cock slipped out of her, she quickly caught hold of it. She wasn't done with that yet.With the water still pouring down over her, Evelyn turned around and leaned forward, supporting herself against the wall with her free hand. She tossed her soaking wet hair around as she looked over her shoulder with a suggestive smile. Neto grinned and clearly understood what she had in mind, for he moved up behind her, bent his knees a little, took his cock from her hand and slowly, deliberately pushed it up into Evelyn's cunt.Pushing back on him with both hands on the wall and water spraying all over her back, Evelyn said, "Yes, that's it! Fuck me!"She was up on the balls of her feet as Neto drove into her with rising passion. She wanted him to fill her with his seed, but she suddenly wanted more than that. Shifting her weight a bit, she supported herself with one arm and slipped her now free hand down to begin stroking her clit. She felt Neto's cock swelling inside her as her fingers were strumming furiously at herself. When he groaned and she felt him shoving hard into her, his spasming cock pumping hot cum deep into her, Evelyn gave herself up to another orgasm, this one loud and long. As she shook there suspended between cock and wall, rained on by the shower, she felt Neto's cum leaking out of her and running over her fingers.She smiled to herself and thought Another beautiful day in Eros!It was almost noon when Nicole woke up. She blinked at the bright sun overhead, wishing for the occasional cloudy day. Though she knew that there were parts of Eros with less persistently perfect weather, here in the Resort-Rendezvous River valley it was always a glorious late-spring/early-summer day. Nicole had to admit, it was getting a bit monotonous.Then she remembered all the fun she'd had the day and night before, and all the fun in the years before that. She smiled and stretched on the big bed atop Evelyn's library. Though she was half-tempted to just lie there until Don and/or Evelyn came back, she knew she'd sooner find some fun if she went looking for it. And, besides, she was hungry.Nicole devoured a whole apple and a banana before she got into the shower, where she scrubbed herself clean of her previous exploits, so that she might cover and fill herself with the fruit of today's play.Looking around for inspiration, Nicole's eyes settled on the big pavilion that served as the school part of the Academy. She had seen both Evelyn and Don attempt to teach there. Evelyn was better at keeping an actual class going, perhaps because philosophy was more conducive to unstructured discussions than Erosian history or geography, or whatever Don was up to, but inevitably, and predictably, the classes evolved into small or large sex parties. With a saucy smile and an amusing idea, Nicole set off for the pavilion.There were only a handful of people lounging about the area as Nicole made for the large cabinet at the intersection of two of the movable "classroom" partitions. She wasn't in the least surprised to find that the cabinet had exactly what she was looking for when she opened it. She put on the white lab coat and buttoned it up. Of course, it fit her perfectly, though with no clothes underneath it wasn't really doing a good job of covering her.Struggling a bit with the bulky easel and the poster she'd gotten from the cabinet, she set up her instructive display next to the desk, and then went to the blackboard to write, in large letters, "Anatomy 101 with Prof. Nicole."Chuckling a bit to herself, Nicole brushed the chalk off her hands, picked up the handy pointer-stick-thingy, moved around to the front of the desk and half-sat, half-leaned on its edge, and waited. It didn't take long before a few people moved closer, no doubt out of curiosity. She looked up and counted four potential students, one woman and three men. It didn't seem like it was reasonable to expect any others to join in anytime soon, so she began with, "Hello class. I'm you're instructor today, Professor Nicole. Before we get into things, we should take a minute to introduce ourselves. I just told you who I am, so it's your turn. Let's start with you."She indicated the "student" furthest to the right, an older, white guy with black hair and piercing blue eyes who, with a noticeable Russian accent, announced that he was Pyotr.Next was another white guy, who Nicole thought was her own age or younger, who flashed her a smile and said, "I'm Levi." He was quite muscular and had green eyes and a European accent she couldn't quite place but found extremely sexy. Levi was already the teacher's pet.The third student was a dusky-hued, middle-aged Indian fellow who introduced himself as Viyaan. He seemed to be as interested in Levi as Nicole was.Finally, all the way to the left, was a pretty blonde with an athletic body featuring nice full tits. Her hair was curly and fell to her mid-back. She had dark skin for a blonde, but that just made her more attractive. Nicole guessed she was closer to Viyaan's age than Levi's or her own. She smiled at Nicole and the guys and said her name was Allison."Very good," Nicole smiled as she pushed herself up off the edge of the desk. "Welcome to human anatomy. Today we'll be focusing on the external sex organs."She used the pointer to gesture to the displayed poster, which showed diagrams of both male and female genitalia. It amused her a great deal to be pretending to teach such a topic here in Eros where everyone was quite familiar with the subject matter and had plenty of visual aids available. Regardless, she forged ahead."Who knows what these are called?" Nicole asked. "Pyotr?"The older man grinned and said, "Balls.""Yes, good," Nicole nodded, "but what about their official name?""Testicles," Levi said with that charming smile.Nicole smiled back at him, "Excellent! That's right. What about this?"Nicole worked through all the parts and terms she could remember from her last anatomy class, which she now realized had been years ago, in Erosian time. It only occurred to her part way through that it would have been fun to make up silly names for all the body parts and filed that away for next time. After working through each part on the poster, she quizzed them by pointing to random spots and calling on her "students" to name them.She was a bit surprised to find that the whole thing was a lot of fun. Nicole could now see how Don and Evelyn could be teachers back on Earth. Still, given the way Levi's flirtatious demeanor was making her cunt all nice and warm, Nicole thought she lacked the fortitude to teach without getting herself into serious trouble, at least on Earth."Very good, class," Nicole smiled at her four students. "But you don't need to be able to identify these wonderful things on silly diagrams, do you?" She emphasized her question by tossing the poster off toward the cabinet in the corner. With a twinkle in her eye she said, "We need to be able to find them out in the wild. I need a volunteer."Unsurprisingly, Levi's hand shot up. With a laugh, Nicole gestured for him to come up and had him stand in front of the desk facing the others. She was quite pleased to note that he seemed to have a rather long cock that was already swelling with anticipation."Now, who wants to come up and show us what they've learned on our real-life subject?"Nicole was thinking that if no one volunteered she'd be happy to get directly involved with the demonstration. However, though Allison was smiling approvingly at Levi's body, it was Viyaan who raised his hand."Come on up, then, Viyaan," nodded Nicole. "Show us Levi's glans. Good, now the testicles. Oh, a little more gently perhaps.""At least your hand is warm," Levi laughed."Okay, now the shaft?" Nicole prompted. She didn't know how anybody could get that one wrong, and Viyaan immediately grasped Levi's impressive length. He promptly began to stroke it slowly, watching as it began to expand in his hand.Nicole snickered a bit to herself at the expression on Levi's face, which was torn between surprise and titillation. She suspected the muscular cutie hadn't ever had a man stimulate him so. The fact that he was getting so visibly aroused by the slow hand job suggested that he wasn't exactly unhappy about the situation.Nicole said, "Very good, Viyaan. Now, Allison, why don't you come up here so Pyotr can show us he's been paying attention?"In another minute, the fit blonde with the big tits and a lovely puffy cunt was sitting up on the edge of the desk as Pyotr showed that he did in fact have a good understanding of the material. Nicole grinned and said, "Now we didn't cover this, but do you know where her g-spot is?"

The Honeymoon.Captain Evelyn Sage starts a new life with Professor Don.In 13 parts, By BradentonLarry - Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.Chapter 6. The HoneymoonToshia punched Don in the shoulder. "Ha! I knew it!" she laughed. "I knew you two were into each other!""First, ow! Second, yeah, yeah, I thought so too, Well, I hoped, and I'm glad you were right."She leaned in and kissed his cheek, "I'm glad, too. I can't be the only love of your life.""That escalated quickly!" Don laughed. "And why not?""Well, I've got Sarah, and a girl's only got so much time and energy," she grinned.Don smiled at her and said, "That's fair, I suppose.""But, so what happened? Did she go with you to get her own ring?""Yes, she did," Don nodded. "She left Megan in command of the Maidenhead, and we took the Riverboat upriver, set off cross country, got to the valley and then climbed up to the Crimson Mountain.""You are leaving so much out!" Toshia laughed."Well, I've got to finish the story, right?""Yeah, but give me the highlights at least. Did Sage go back to her celibacy?""Oh no, that was over," Don smiled."Excellent! This must have been like your honeymoon. How did she like the Riverboat and the Resort? Is she as much fun in an orgy as I am?""Well, first, nobody's as much fun at an orgy as you are!""Suck up!"Don laughed, "And, 'honeymoon'? I don't know if I'd go that far, but I see your point. Well, we cut through Rendezvous pretty quickly, and we managed to catch the Riverboat just before it started upriver.""That was lucky.""Oh, we would have found some way to pass the time, ""I'm sure!" Toshia grinned. "So, how was the river trip? At least tell me about that.""Well, we talked about it and decided to try to stick together as much as possible until we got to the pleasure dome. So, if they played the same game the first night, we'd sit it out, but they had another mixer scheduled."After the flurry of activity involved in leaving the Maidenhead and getting to the Riverboat (and Sage wanted to know why it didn't have a name), they enjoyed the opportunity to enjoy a spirited session of fucking on the nearest lounger. Then they commandeered an empty cabin for a nice shower, which, naturally enough, led to more sex, first in the shower, and then on the cabin's bed, which eventually led them back into the shower. As they were drying off and Sage was gathering up the clothes she had brought along, a pretty, blonde woman in a white uniform with a rather short skirt appeared in the cabin doorway and said, "Welcome aboard!""Hi, Sally," Don waved."Oh, hi, Don! Welcome back! We're going to have a fun mixer game in a little bit! It's couples night, so partner up and meet us all up in the ballroom!" Then she had hurried on."I'm standing right here," Sage grumbled with mock irritation.Don shrugged, "I suppose she didn't want to presume anything.""Was it 'couples night,' when you were here before?""No, the first time was kind of a random mixer, 'Cabin Fever,' I think, and the second time Shelonda and I skipped the activity."As they made their way up to the ballroom, Sage asked about the random mixer and Don explained how the women went to claim cabins for themselves while he and the other men waited in the ballroom until Sally let them draw numbers from a black bag she had."We then went to the cabin that matched up with the number and 'got to know' whichever woman was there. When a chime sounded, we hurried back to the ballroom to draw another number.""Wow, that must have been, interesting. You just stopped in the middle of whatever you were doing and went back to the ballroom?""Pretty much, yeah," Don nodded."Even if you were in the middle of sex?""Well, yeah, that was sort of the point, I think. On the one hand, that encouraged you not to waste time, and, on the other, it built up a kind of crazed intensity. After the first round, I can say that the women I met were very much 'come here right now!' if you know what I mean."Sage laughed, "Ay, I know what ye mean. How many rounds were there?""I think there were six.""Hum, how did Toshia take all of this?""Enthusiastically," Don smiled. "When the game was over and I caught up with her, and Shelonda, she was, well, rather extremely well-fucked. I think she said she'd been able to count eight guys.""Eight for six rounds?""Well, there were more men than women, so Sally apparently occasionally sent two guys to the same room. Then, Toshia and Shelonda took a break for one round and then played in the same room, which caused a bit of confusion. But yeah, I'm pretty sure she said eight, though she wasn't exactly counting, like she was in the Disco.""Eight's pretty damn impressive," Sage mused."Well, it was actually at least nine, counting me, after the game was over," Don said, "but that was small potatoes compared to her night in the Disco or her gangbang with the Sisters.""Ah, okay, I have so many questions."By this time, they had gotten to the ballroom, where they scored some fruit and took up a position off to the side where they could talk while waiting for Sally to commence the game. As he told her about the night in the Disco, Don idly noticed that the ballroom had been redecorated. There were low couches arranged so that there were four largish circles in the corners of the big room and one in the center. There were a lot of pillows about, too."So, eighteen guys? In one night?" Sage was clearly impressed."Well, no, that's just in the Disco," Don smiled. "After that we played a game with the Player, so the count was higher, plus some play with women.""Damn! She's quite the woman, eh?""There were more in the next story, and you saw her with your crew, but yeah, she is," nodded Don. Then he had a thought, and quickly said, "I love her, Sage, but you should know, I didn't decide to stay here in Eros until I met you."Sage fixed Don with an amused smile and said, "You don't have to worry about me, Don. I'm not the insecure, possessive type, and I can tell you're nuts about me. In fact, ," she slipped up in front of him and took his cock in her hand. With a serious glint in her eye and a crooked grin, she said, in full piratic, "ye belong t'me now. I just be happy t'share.""Well, alrighty then," Don smiled. He reached around her with both hands, squeezed her perfect ass, and said, "Right back at ye, Cap'n Sage."With her free hand she pulled his head down, and before kissing him said "Actually, it's Evelyn."Their deep, passionate kiss would certainly have led to yet another bout of enthusiastic sex, but Sally chose that moment to ring a bell she'd brought along for the occasion to get everyone's attention."Okay!" Sally grinned. "If you've all picked your partners, we're ready to play a game we call 'Spin the Bottle'!""Seriously?" Sage/Evelyn laughed."This should be good," Toshia chuckled."If you'll all take places around the five circles here, there should be room for four couples at each! And we have twenty couples tonight - perfect! House rules are that everyone starts out naked!" Sally beamed."Shouldn't that include you, Sally?" Don shouted, laughing."I'm not playing, silly!" she laughed back."It was worth a try," Don muttered to Sage, as he happily helped her get out of her clothes, which they tossed onto the low couch on the edge of their chosen circle, which was the corner one to port and forward."She does seem like she'd be, exuberant," Sage chuckled. "Hey, don't forget you're going to tell me about that gangbang.""Sure," Don grinned, "though, remember that that one is all second hand.""Okay, now take a minute to get to know each other while we come around and get a little information from each of you!" Sally shouted.The people around their little circle had arranged themselves in a male-female sequence, and there were no same-sex couples in their group, though Don could see that there were some of those at other circles. Sage was on his immediate right, and on her right was a fit young man with short, curly black hair and blue eyes named Pete and his partner, a young and short Persian woman with wavy dark brown hair cropped short, slender build, big tits, and beautiful amber eyes named Mahsati. Next came Lawrence, a short light-skinned black man with hazel eyes, long, straight dark brown hair, and a variety of tattoos, and his companion (at least for the game) Tina, a blue-eyed woman with a curly mane of deep brown hair with various shades of blonde highlights. Finally, there was Reyansh, a clearly Indian or Pakistani fellow with an athletic build and a neatly trimmed beard to go with his short black hair, and his partner Felicia, a tiny, thin woman with light grey eyes and blonde hair in a pixie cut, and legs that were quite long relative to the rest of her small stature. Felicia kind of reminded Don of the first fairy who had accosted him in the valley of the fey.It turned out that only Reynash and Felicia had known each other before today. "We were having a great time together in Rendezvous, heard about the Resort, and thought we'd try it out," said Reynash in his noticeably accented voice.While they were talking, a tall, curvy woman with large breasts and long curly black hair, who was wearing a uniform like Sally's, came up with a clipboard and a quill pen and started talking to each member of the circle, making some notes, and then moving on. She eventually got to Don, smiled at him, and said, "Hi, I'm Miriam, and I'll be hosting your circle tonight.""Hi Miriam," Don smiled. Her eyes were a very deep brown and he was wishing she weren't wearing that uniform, and/or would be joining in the game."I need your name and your preference in regard to sexual partners," Miriam said with a smile."Don, and women."Sage responded with "Sage, and I like both men and women. Maybe men just a little bit more.""Why do they need that?" Sage asked as Miriam moved on."I have no idea," Don shrugged. "I'm guessing it will keep me from making out with Pete. There's often this kind of low-level 'magic' going on, like how they managed to send men only to cabins women had occupied. I just roll with it these days.""If you'll have a seat," Miriam smiled at all of them, "we can get started." She had done something with her clipboard, which was nowhere to be seen, and was now holding a glass bottle in one hand and a pocket watch in the other.Like the others, Don and Sage sat down on the floor on pillows and awaited instruction. Miriam set the bottle down in the center of the circle, consulted her watch, and said, "We'll start out with just kissing, okay?"Don exchanged a shrug with Sage and then took his turn nodding to Miriam."Very good! Tina, you go first. Just give the bottle a spin!"Don watched her crawl out to the center of the circle and flip the bottle, which seemed to spin a bit faster than it should, and as if it was turning on a fixed axis. It came to rest pointing directly at Pete."Come on over here," Tina laughed, and Pete moved on all fours to her. The other six players and Miriam watched as the two of them kissed tentatively and then more passionately. By the time Miriam called "Time!" they were really into it, each squeezing the other's ass tightly."Reynash, you're next," Miriam announced. In another minute, lucky Reynash was making out with lovely Mahsati.Felicia spun next, and the bottle selected Sage. As he watched her tight ass while she crawled the short distance to Felicia, Don realized he had never seen Sage do anything at all with anyone else. This added a level of intensity to this moment of voyeurism that was quite odd for his time in Eros. He was quite turned on just watching his partner kissing tiny Felicia. All too soon, Miriam called time, and then Don realized it was his turn.He was quite pleased to welcome beautiful young Mahsati to the center of the circle with a long, kiss. In the spirit the others had established, he didn't hesitate to draw her into his arms, enjoying the feeling of her big breasts pressed against his chest or her slender waist in his hands. When Miriam called time, he breathed a heartfelt, "Damn!"Then it was Sage's turn, and she got Felicia. "Come get some seconds, cutie," Sage grinned. This time, Sage took a more aggressive approach, pulling the little woman onto her lap and kissing her deeply, one hand cupping a breast and then pinching a nipple, making Tina gasp and wiggle against her.When Sage got back to her pillow, she whispered to Don, "I had no idea spin the bottle was this much fun!""I think this is just the warm-up," laughed Don.They completed two complete cycles around the circle at this level of interaction. When Mahsati spun next she got Don, and he was more than happy to lean her back and kiss her deeply, one hand under her back and the other squeezing and teasing her tits. That was the only time the bottle picked Don. "That's what you get for not going both ways," Sage teased him. Actually, it was Lawrence who was the unluckiest of the bunch, being completely ignored by the bottle and only getting to kiss someone when it was his turn.At the other end of the extreme, the clear winner was Sage, who got selected four times. With that and her own two turns, she wound up making out with everyone except Mahsati and Lawrence, and twice each with lucky Pete and Felicia. Sage's high point came in the second round, when Don won the chance to kiss her, then she spun and got to make out with Pete, and then Pete spun and was lucky enough to get Sage! Between them Don and Pete did their best to get her nicely riled up. At the end of this, Sage leaned on Don's shoulder and said, "I'm so ready to get past this kissing stuff!"When it was Tina's third turn, Miriam stopped her and asked, "Are you all ready to turn things up a bit?"Everyone enthusiastically agreed they were."Okay," she smiled. "Now whoever spins has to go down on the selected person."This caused a unanimous murmur of approval, and Tina hurried out to the bottle. In another moment, she had her head in Pete's lap, her long, curly hair obscuring everyone's view of what she was doing, though the distinctive up and down motion told the tale well enough. All too quickly, particularly from Pete's perspective, Miriam called time. Don was pretty sure the previous rounds had been longer, with the second a bit longer than then first. This would make good sense if the intention was to build up the sexual tension as much as possible.Reynash took his turn and won a chance to taste Sage. She gave Don a grin and a wink as she told Reynash to get on his back, and then promptly straddled his bearded face. Don watched intently as she bit her lower lip and clasped her tits tightly in her hands. Before she could really get into it, though, Miriam called time. As she returned to Don's side, Sage whispered "Bitch!" but Don could tell she was having fun.The bottle rewarded Reynash for his efforts by pointing to him when Felicia spun next. With her short hair it was easy to watch her lick at his cock and then take it into her mouth. She seemed to have caught on that she wouldn't have much time, so she made no effort to actually bring him off.

Today's show:Tesla's robotaxi launch, AI producers, job destruction, and smart toilets? In this episode of This Week in Startups, @Jason and @alex break down Tesla's cautious rollout strategy, how AI is quietly replacing producers and employees, why second-movers like Tesla and Ramp often win, and how Throne Science is turning gut health into a billion-dollar market—with cameras in your toilet. Buckle up.Timestamps:(02:11) Introducing… PRODUCER CLAUDE!(04:21) Tesla's Robotaxis are out and about! But are they SAFE?!(09:49) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(19:35) Netsuite - Download the ebook Navigating Global Trade: 3 Insights for Leaders for free at https://www.netsuite.com/twist(24:07) Grabbing market share, and why there's “no reason to rush”(29:59) INBOUND - Use code TWIST10 for 10% o your General Admission ticket at [https://www.inbound.com/register](https://www.inbound.com/register.) (Valid thru 7/31)(39:53) AI, Job Destruction, and what leaders aren't saying out loud…(48:43) Which startups are doing the most with the smallest teams?(57:49) Mark Zuckerberg has entered FOUNDER MODE(01:05:48) How Throne Science is improving everyone's gut healthSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:(09:49) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(19:35) Netsuite - Download the ebook Navigating Global Trade: 3 Insights for Leaders for free at https://www.netsuite.com/twist(29:59) INBOUND - Use code TWIST10 for 10% o your General Admission ticket at [https://www.inbound.com/register](https://www.inbound.com/register.) (Valid thru 7/31)Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Cold OpenYou wanna pathologize me? Knock yerself out. Faithfully counting every leaf marked "deficit"…But missing the whole damn forest we know locally as "Survival."IntroYou're listening to AutisticAF Out Loud. One voice. Raw. Real. Fiercely Neurodivergent. Since 1953.Season 5, Episode 5. “Doc? You Got Us All Wrong, Pt 1: Autistic Resilience.”Deficits… or strengths? Survival… or thriving? Pathology… or inborn, natural autistic behavior? We turn the diagnostic telescope around. Let's focus on the forest of resilience behind every leaf labeled "deficit."An experimental multi-part series… all around 10 minutes. Because some neurodivergent listeners like to binge in small bites. Or you can download Part 1 and Part 2 at once… for listeners who crave the whole enchilada in one sitting.Just one autistic elder's truth. I'm Johnny Profane.Content Note: trauma discussion, medical system critique, institutional discrimination, psychiatric hospitalizations, systemic oppression + experiences & opinions of one autistic voice... in my 70s.[Music]What I tell any therapist… any caregiver… first session:I have survived physical and sexual abuse from family and schoolmates.Bullying by teachers and fellow students… 2nd grade through high school.Multiple professional crashes… in multiple careers.At least a dozen firings.2 evictions.1 bankruptcy.Dozens of major household moves.Few friends, and…2 divorces, 3 "living togethers," and a couple of "serious" relationships that, well…, weren't?Ain't this resilience?Resilience. Ya know, that cap-and-gown term pros use for getting knocked down seven times. Stubbornly getting up… eight...I'm still alive. Still creating. Still getting published. Still speaking to thousands of autistics a year.Never attempted suicide... despite three hospitalizations.AND I'm still autistic. Cuz there ain't no cure for something that ain't wrong. Unless you base your "medical model" on some statistical "normal"… which is just a made up story. Cuz not one living person is summed up by a Bell curve normal… not even within a standard deviation.Yes, yes… yes. Some professionals are evolving. Pros who listen more than lecture. But face it. In the grand scheme of things… they're rare.Let's get clear right now, right here. It's not being autistic that creates our trauma. It's living autistic in a society that inflicts trauma on us. Refusing to accept, adapt… support… us.Why do "helping" pros focus on my deficits, my lacks, my pitiful performance of “Activities of Daily Living”…? Like, did I shower today…? No.Rather than the sheer strength of will I demonstrate every time I take my next breath?Why do they offer to fix me,inform me,guide me, andcharge me for sessions,mentoring,workshops,best-selling books,SYSTEMS they've just invented…based on… at best… incomplete research?[Music]You know social media… if you like and share this podcast, a lot more people will check it out. You can do a lot of good with just one click.You wanna pathologize me? Knock yerself out.Turn my every inborn neurodivergent characteristic into a disease. You do have powerful diagnostic tools…But you're looking through that diagnostic telescope backwards. Faithfully counting every leaf marked "deficit"… But missing the whole damn forest that we know locally as "Survival."Like my "failure to maintain eye contact.” A “social deficit.” Right... completely missing how that survival skill lets me process your words… without painful sensory overload. My form of my respect… for you.Go ahead and use professionally, objectively disempowering terms, like "comorbidity"... betraying your bias that my very way of Being is… in your eyes… a disease. And then riff on, elaborate away: "pathological demand avoidance," "obsessive-compulsive disorder," "borderline personality disorder,"And on and on… and on.Truth? Every diagnosis? Just another survival mechanism. Not symptoms of autism. Responses to how society treats autism.Behaviors that kept me alive… in your world. While you obsess over what's "wrong" with me…Or… we could build on my autistic strengths.Look, none of us have all of these. And superpowers don't exist. Some have strengths not listed. But if you aren't looking for them? Likely, you're mis-treating us.* Resilience: Just surviving multiple, severe stressors is a biggie. Every autistic adult you meet has adapted to extreme challenges. Most of us… traumatized. Yet we endure. We integrate. We keep going.* Deep Feeling: Pros call ‘em "mood swings." We call it feeling everything… deeply. Depth that drives our creativity… in science, art, writing, becoming lunatic billionaires… or the cool neighbor next door.. It's not a flaw. It's fuel.* Survival Skills: My life, my continued existence… is my proof. Just as any autistic adult's life is. We've survived devastating life events. With inner strength and coping strategies.These aren't skills most professionals understand… not even some neurodivergent practitioners. Because these skills are linked to how our individual autistic minds work. Which is… in fact… different. Not just from most humans. From each other, too.* Creative Persistence: Every autistic person knows this pull. Our passionate focus on our interests. Grabbing us deeper than hunger. We don't just see details… no matter what TV tells you. We work on wide canvases. We create. We build. We solve. That's strength.* Living with Extremes: My knee surgeon was shocked. "You walked two miles a day on a torn meniscus?" Yes, but… a light touch on my face can trigger panic. That's not contradiction. That's how we survive. We may get sensory warnings earlier than most… Yet we handle what breaks others. Daily.* Hidden Adaptability: Look at my life changes—jobs, homes, relationships. Society labels us as "rigid." Truth is, we adapt constantly. We got no choice. Yet we persevere. We keep doing. That's not weakness. That's strength.* Processing Power: We take in everything. Process it deeply. Yet live through emotional and sensory experiences that would derail most people. We keep going. Keep growing. That's not dysfunction. That's determination. Coming directly from… not despite… our neurodivergent cognition.* Spectrum of Strength: Maybe resilience is a spectrum, too. And some of us autistics crank it up past 11. Not weakness from disability. Strength from difference. Turning autistic stereotypes upside down. Yet again.[Music]Just a quickie… this is Part 1 of “Doc? You Got Autism All Wrong?” Why not binge the next part? Or download the long-form version with both parts? Link in transcript.Challenging Normal-izing ModelsMy story? Just one among thousands. Millions.I've worked as a magazine publisher. Functioned as an academic grad student… multiple times. And been homeless… multiple times. I've been privileged to hear many, many similar stories over the decades. At all levels of society, education, age.These stories all share one truth: Autistic traits are not inherently deficits. They can be hidden sources of strength and resilience. In the right environment. In the right community.Take one example: Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). What pros like to label our natural, neurodivergent response to external demands like deadlines. I meet the diagnostic criteria. Always have. But in my opinion, they bulldoze right over my inborn need for autonomy. Leading too often to trauma. PDA… seems to me… a dehumanizing slur. For the nature I was born with.Yet many neurodivergents find comfort and support diagnosed as PDA. In the acknowledgment of our differences the diagnosis does offer. I don't wish to negate their experience. And I'm not arguing neurodivergents do NOT have needs for autonomy. Or that we don't suffer due to these differences. At the hands of Straight Culture.My point: Sensory and social differences are NOT pathologies.It's like dogs noticing that cats are more hyper than canines...So to "help" ‘em, pro dogs decide to forcibly train or torture every cat. To steamroll them into converting to “Dog Normal.”We are human… autistic humans.We need what all humans need: To build on our strengths. To find our nurturing environments. To choose our supportive communities.We just accomplish these things... differently.Look, I'm fighting the whole Normative Narrative. Which demands any difference MUST be "cured." Or at least fixed.And I'm not keen on neurodivergent-based attempts to bandaid the problem. By simply defining a new normal for autistics and other neurodivergents. Just another standard we may fail to live up to.Frankly, I'm calling for a strengths-based, non-normative psychology for all neurodivergents. A theme I develop in this series and future podcasts. How we might replace CBT and similar treatments with more neurodivergent-centered alternatives.So where do we start this revolution?Doc, Stop. Look again…At the big picture this time. See those brilliant sparks of unusual strength? Far more powerful than your "deficits."Reality check: Up to now, you've just been documenting how modern consumer culture fails our neurology. In the office. In our schools. In shopping at freaking Walmart for fuck's sake.Anywhere we're forced to process too much sensory input. Or pretend to read invisible social cues. Pretend we're you… without rest or accommodation.Let's explore a new direction. Simply put?Doc… stop looking through your telescope backwards. Look at us. Right in front of your eyes.OutroThanks for listening. Hope to hear your thoughts in the comments.For your deeper diving pleasure, the transcript contains references and footnotes for most points I raise. From a variety of views.Hey, don't forget, you can download Part 2, "CBT...? Never Worked for Autistic Me” right now for your bingeing pleasure. Or download both parts in one podcast. Together they begin to explore how neurodivergent folks can build sustainable, authentic lives… with or without professional intervention. With 2 more parts coming…AutisticAF Out Loud podcast is supported solely by listeners like you. If you have a friend or family member touched by neurodiversity? Why not turn them on to us with a quick email?By the way, we believe no one should have to pay to be autistic. Many neurodivergent people can't afford subscription content.Your Ko-Fi tip of any amount helps keep this resource free for them. Or join our paid subscriber community at johnnyprofaneknapp.substack.com for ongoing support. I put both links in description._____References & Further ReadingNeither exhaustive nor comprehensive. Articles that made me think.* The high prevalence of trauma and adverse experiences among autistic individuals* PTSD and Autism* Trauma and Autism: Research and Resources* How to build resiliency in autistic individuals: an implication to advance mental health* Association Between Autism and PTSD Among Adult Psychiatric Outpatients* The relationship between autism and resilience* Building Resilience – An Important Life Skill* Understanding Resilience in Neurodivergent Adults* Autistic Resilience: Overcoming Adversity Through Self-Care and Strengths* The criticism of deficit-based models of autism* Moving Beyond Deficit-Based Models of Autism* Strengths-First Assessment in Autism* The reality of autistic strengths and capabilities* 6 Strengths (not Weaknesses) of Individuals with Autism* Autism as a Strength* Neurodiversity as a Competitive AdvantageNote: Links are provided for reference only. Views expressed may differ from my own experiences and observations. Sources affiliated with Autism Speaks are controversial in the neurodiversity community. Their research may be included for completeness. But perhaps be cautious.Binge on the most authentic autistic voice in podcasting.7 decades of raw truth, real insights, zero yadayada.#AutisticAF Out Loud Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. Click below to receive new posts… free. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnyprofaneknapp.substack.com/subscribe

Cold OpenYou wanna pathologize me? Knock yerself out. Faithfully counting every leaf marked "deficit"…But missing the whole damn forest we know locally as "Survival."[Doc? You Got Us All Wrong, Pt 1: Autistic Resilience]IntroYou're listening to AutisticAF Out Loud. One voice. Raw. Real. Fiercely Neurodivergent. Since 1953.Season 5, Episode 5. “Doc? You Got Us All Wrong, Pt 1: Autistic Resilience.”Deficits… or strengths? Survival… or thriving? Pathology… or inborn, natural autistic behavior? We turn the diagnostic telescope around. Let's focus on the forest of resilience behind every leaf labeled "deficit."An experimental multi-part series… all around 10 minutes. Because some neurodivergent listeners like to binge in small bites. Or you can download Part 1 and Part 2 at once… for listeners who crave the whole enchilada in one sitting.Just one autistic elder's truth. I'm Johnny Profane.Content Note: trauma discussion, medical system critique, institutional discrimination, psychiatric hospitalizations, systemic oppression + experiences & opinions of one autistic voice... in my 70s.[Music]What I tell any therapist… any caregiver… first session:I have survived physical and sexual abuse from family and schoolmates.Bullying by teachers and fellow students… 2nd grade through high school.Multiple professional crashes… in multiple careers.At least a dozen firings.2 evictions.1 bankruptcy.Dozens of major household moves.Few friends, and…2 divorces, 3 "living togethers," and a couple of "serious" relationships that, well…, weren't?Ain't this resilience?Resilience. Ya know, that cap-and-gown term pros use for getting knocked down seven times. Stubbornly getting up… eight...I'm still alive. Still creating. Still getting published. Still speaking to thousands of autistics a year.Never attempted suicide... despite three hospitalizations.AND I'm still autistic. Cuz there ain't no cure for something that ain't wrong. Unless you base your "medical model" on some statistical "normal"… which is just a made up story. Cuz not one living person is summed up by a Bell curve normal… not even within a standard deviation.Yes, yes… yes. Some professionals are evolving. Pros who listen more than lecture. But face it. In the grand scheme of things… they're rare.Let's get clear right now, right here. It's not being autistic that creates our trauma. It's living autistic in a society that inflicts trauma on us. Refusing to accept, adapt… support… us.Why do "helping" pros focus on my deficits, my lacks, my pitiful performance of “Activities of Daily Living”…? Like, did I shower today…? No.Rather than the sheer strength of will I demonstrate every time I take my next breath?Why do they offer to fix me,inform me,guide me, andcharge me for sessions,mentoring,workshops,best-selling books,SYSTEMS they've just invented…based on… at best… incomplete research?[Music]You know social media… if you like and share this podcast, a lot more people will check it out. You can do a lot of good with just one click.You wanna pathologize me? Knock yerself out.Turn my every inborn neurodivergent characteristic into a disease. You do have powerful diagnostic tools…But you're looking through that diagnostic telescope backwards. Faithfully counting every leaf marked "deficit"… But missing the whole damn forest that we know locally as "Survival."Like my "failure to maintain eye contact.” A “social deficit.” Right... completely missing how that survival skill lets me process your words… without painful sensory overload. My form of my respect… for you.Go ahead and use professionally, objectively disempowering terms, like "comorbidity"... betraying your bias that my very way of Being is… in your eyes… a disease. And then riff on, elaborate away: "pathological demand avoidance," "obsessive-compulsive disorder," "borderline personality disorder,"And on and on… and on.Truth? Every diagnosis? Just another survival mechanism. Not symptoms of autism. Responses to how society treats autism.Behaviors that kept me alive… in your world. While you obsess over what's "wrong" with me…Or… we could build on my autistic strengths.Look, none of us have all of these. And superpowers don't exist. Some have strengths not listed. But if you aren't looking for them? Likely, you're mis-treating us.* Resilience: Just surviving multiple, severe stressors is a biggie. Every autistic adult you meet has adapted to extreme challenges. Most of us… traumatized. Yet we endure. We integrate. We keep going.* Deep Feeling: Pros call ‘em "mood swings." We call it feeling everything… deeply. Depth that drives our creativity… in science, art, writing, becoming lunatic billionaires… or the cool neighbor next door.. It's not a flaw. It's fuel.* Survival Skills: My life, my continued existence… is my proof. Just as any autistic adult's life is. We've survived devastating life events. With inner strength and coping strategies.These aren't skills most professionals understand… not even some neurodivergent practitioners. Because these skills are linked to how our individual autistic minds work. Which is… in fact… different. Not just from most humans. From each other, too.* Creative Persistence: Every autistic person knows this pull. Our passionate focus on our interests. Grabbing us deeper than hunger. We don't just see details… no matter what TV tells you. We work on wide canvases. We create. We build. We solve. That's strength.* Living with Extremes: My knee surgeon was shocked. "You walked two miles a day on a torn meniscus?" Yes, but… a light touch on my face can trigger panic. That's not contradiction. That's how we survive. We may get sensory warnings earlier than most… Yet we handle what breaks others. Daily.* Hidden Adaptability: Look at my life changes—jobs, homes, relationships. Society labels us as "rigid." Truth is, we adapt constantly. We got no choice. Yet we persevere. We keep doing. That's not weakness. That's strength.* Processing Power: We take in everything. Process it deeply. Yet live through emotional and sensory experiences that would derail most people. We keep going. Keep growing. That's not dysfunction. That's determination. Coming directly from… not despite… our neurodivergent cognition.* Spectrum of Strength: Maybe resilience is a spectrum, too. And some of us autistics crank it up past 11. Not weakness from disability. Strength from difference. Turning autistic stereotypes upside down. Yet again.[Music]Just a quickie… this is Part 1 of “Doc? You Got Autism All Wrong?” Why not binge the next part? Or download the long-form version with both parts? Link in transcript.Challenging Normal-izing ModelsMy story? Just one among thousands. Millions.I've worked as a magazine publisher. Functioned as an academic grad student… multiple times. And been homeless… multiple times. I've been privileged to hear many, many similar stories over the decades. At all levels of society, education, age.These stories all share one truth: Autistic traits are not inherently deficits. They can be hidden sources of strength and resilience. In the right environment. In the right community.Take one example: Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). What pros like to label our natural, neurodivergent response to external demands like deadlines. I meet the diagnostic criteria. Always have. But in my opinion, they bulldoze right over my inborn need for autonomy. Leading too often to trauma. PDA… seems to me… a dehumanizing slur. For the nature I was born with.Yet many neurodivergents find comfort and support diagnosed as PDA. In the acknowledgment of our differences the diagnosis does offer. I don't wish to negate their experience. And I'm not arguing neurodivergents do NOT have needs for autonomy. Or that we don't suffer due to these differences. At the hands of Straight Culture.My point: Sensory and social differences are NOT pathologies.It's like dogs noticing that cats are more hyper than canines...So to "help" ‘em, pro dogs decide to forcibly train or torture every cat. To steamroll them into converting to “Dog Normal.”We are human… autistic humans.We need what all humans need: To build on our strengths. To find our nurturing environments. To choose our supportive communities.We just accomplish these things... differently.Look, I'm fighting the whole Normative Narrative. Which demands any difference MUST be "cured." Or at least fixed.And I'm not keen on neurodivergent-based attempts to bandaid the problem. By simply defining a new normal for autistics and other neurodivergents. Just another standard we may fail to live up to.Frankly, I'm calling for a strengths-based, non-normative psychology for all neurodivergents. A theme I develop in this series and future podcasts. How we might replace CBT and similar treatments with more neurodivergent-centered alternatives.So where do we start this revolution?Doc, Stop. Look again…At the big picture this time. See those brilliant sparks of unusual strength? Far more powerful than your "deficits."Reality check: Up to now, you've just been documenting how modern consumer culture fails our neurology. In the office. In our schools. In shopping at freaking Walmart for fuck's sake.Anywhere we're forced to process too much sensory input. Or pretend to read invisible social cues. Pretend we're you… without rest or accommodation.Let's explore a new direction. Simply put?Doc… stop looking through your telescope backwards. Look at us. Right in front of your eyes._____References & Further ReadingNeither exhaustive nor comprehensive. Articles that made me think.* The high prevalence of trauma and adverse experiences among autistic individuals* PTSD and Autism* Trauma and Autism: Research and Resources* How to build resiliency in autistic individuals: an implication to advance mental health* Association Between Autism and PTSD Among Adult Psychiatric Outpatients* The relationship between autism and resilience* Building Resilience – An Important Life Skill* Understanding Resilience in Neurodivergent Adults* Autistic Resilience: Overcoming Adversity Through Self-Care and Strengths* The criticism of deficit-based models of autism* Moving Beyond Deficit-Based Models of Autism* Strengths-First Assessment in Autism* The reality of autistic strengths and capabilities* 6 Strengths (not Weaknesses) of Individuals with Autism* Autism as a Strength* Neurodiversity as a Competitive AdvantageNote: Links are provided for reference only. Views expressed may differ from my own experiences and observations. Sources affiliated with Autism Speaks are controversial in the neurodiversity community. Their research may be included for completeness. But perhaps be cautious.Doc, You Got Us All Wrong, Pt 2: CBT...? Never Worked for Autistic MeCold OpenCBT…? Never worked for autistic me.So, look, we KNOW masking doesn't work. Or FEAR. Or PAIN. We're dying from them already.That's all the words we need.[Music]IntroYou're listening to AutisticAF Out Loud. One voice. Raw. Real. Fiercely Neurodivergent. Since 1953.Season 5, Episode 6. “Doc? You Got Us All Wrong, Pt 2: CBT…? Never Worked for Autistic Me.”Abelist agendas. Bad research subjects. Bad data. Bad therapy.There's the whole story.An experimental multi-part series… around 10 minutes each. Cuz some autistic listeners tell me they like to binge in small bites. Others say they listen in the car… so you can also download the complete series as one file.Just one autistic elder's truth. I'm Johnny Profane.Content Note: trauma discussion, medical system critique, institutional discrimination, psychiatric hospitalizations, systemic oppression + experiences & opinions of one autistic voice... in my 70s.[Music]I've been struggling with an article on CBT & Autism for years.Sigh. Spoons. A lot of reading. A lot of thinking…To come to my opinion… my thesis…that any therapy based on purely cognitive techniques… even if pros throw on some Behavioral rubber-band-snapping special sauce on the side…?It's inherently ableist… attacking the very way our autistic brains are wired. Demanding abilities many neurodivergents just weren't born with.Here's a snapshot. A quick personal story from when autistic-as-fuck me turned for help…“I'm sorry… What did you just say?”“I said…” He looked nervous. “I said… I always recommend aversive therapy for my autistic kids. My clients.”Me. In a dead-cold voice. “Snapping a rubber band.”“Y-e-s-s.” He seemed torn. Was I gonna get positive reinforcement… Or that weird, hostile, defensiveness professionals get. When you ask questions.Into that hesitant silence, I say, “Snap it hard. Hard as they can. Against their wrist.”“Yes. The sting is important.” Now, he's eager to share. “When they repeat the aversive stimulus, they…”Again I interrupt with my ashen, Clint-Eastwood voice. “During a meltdown.”“Well… actually… just before.” He's beaming, proud. “They learn to snap the band at the earliest hint they'll lose control. It's operant conditioning.”A kid having a meltdown on Aisle 3. Likely overwhelmed by sensory overload.Let's just add a little sharp pain… and see what happens…As if by giving it some science-y name… it's not self-inflicted torture.Brief CBT BackgroundCognitive Behavioral Therapy emerged in the 60s. A kind of forced marriage. Between Beck's cognitive therapy… focused on internal thoughts. And Skinner's behavioral therapy… focused on observable behavior. Both developed studying neurotypical minds.Change your thoughts, change your feelings, change your behavior… change your life. Simple, right?Unless your brain doesn't work that way…Sometimes…? Research… Ain't.How could COGNITIVE Behavioral Therapy not be inappropriate for autistics?Research Problem #1. It's based on studying neurotypical populations. But we autistics think differently by definition.Problem #2? For the foundational studies, CBT researchers used white, university student subjects… for the most part. They're easy and cheap to find. But maybe 3% are autistic? Maybe? ALL with decent IQs and functioning student skills… even the few autistic subjects?And Problem #3 is a doozy. Many autistics survive by people-pleasing. Kids and grownups. We're likely to mask our true experiences to appear "better"... or please therapists. Plus we may have trouble perceiving and communicating our own experience. Self-reported data might not reflect our reality.,Then there's one that's rarely discussed. Problem #4… the "waitlist relief effect." Most neurodivergent folks endure months or years waiting for therapy, suffering intensely. When we finally get accepted into therapy? There's overwhelming relief… elevating our mood and behavior. Which distorts everything a therapist will hear.We may dial up our masking. Cuz we're scared shitless we'll lose this lifeline.Meanwhile, researchers publish, buff their nails…. and attribute any self-reported improvement as proof their technique works.,The Cognitive Part…? A Stopper.Substitute "executive functioning" for "cognitive." As in the thing they say is largely missing from my autistic forebrain.The entire technique? One cognitive process after another.. First you must notice. Then you must reflect.Then decide.Then review.Then judge context.Then review…Finally… Act.Then regret.Let that sink in. All of cognitive therapy is about monitoring individual thoughts for "cognitive errors." Then replacing them with correct ones.Hundreds of decisions, distinctions, social cue processings. Executive functioning. A process that NEVER became automatic for me. As clinician after clinician cheerfully reassured me it would.Many autistic individuals have memory differences. Working memory differences that make it nearly impossible to hold the kind of information cognitive work requires. Much less manipulate it on the fly…Now… About Behavior.Now, the "Behavioral" part of CBT? The Skinnerian special sauce?Rewards… and punishments… for the action you choose. Hoping you'll build automatic, correct responses.Basically rat training. If you shock me enough times. Sure. I won't go through that door. AND I will struggle mightily to only have an internal stroke... rather than an external meltdown.But the researcher... or teacher... gets to check the box, "Cured." Cuz we're no longer a nuisance to them. And we continue to quietly die. Invisibly. Politely...Inside.That kind of aversion... to fear or pain? True for every living thing at an evolutionary level above a paramecium.Like rats. Or kids. Cuz... FEAR works. PAIN works. Just not the way they think.These Practical Implementation Failures…Should sound pretty familiar. To autistic folks. Keenly aware of the nightmare effort Autistic Masking demands around Straight Society.So, look, we know masking doesn't work. Or fear. Or PAIN. We're dying from them already.That's all the words we need.Add to this our difficulty forming new habits, maintaining routines, and processing cognitive information differently. Under stress… which therapy itself can induce… we often revert to previous behaviors. Any “improvements” from “techniques”? Not bloody likely they're ingrained as permanent muscle memory.Requiring frequent refresher sessions to maintain the illusion of change… and progress.As one commenter wrote: "To me, CBT has always felt inherently surface-level. It's like closing a few tabs on your browser as opposed to doing a factory reset."Biggest problem of all? Neurodivergent Diversity.Autistic, ADHD, AuDHD, dyslexic, dyspraxic… all different cognitive profiles.Sure, we're all different from the typical population. But an autistic who also experiences ADHD thinks and acts differently than a dyslexic one. At least to my trained observation. I was a mental health social worker for 10 years…Despite these complexities… Maybe because it is complex… It seems to me that CBT treats us all as if we're standard-model humans. With a few bugs to fix.We require GENERATIONAL studies of representative populations to sort this spaghetti pile out. Before we should be recommending these techniques.On living humans. Adults. And especially kids.ABA and Its Relatives: An Even Deeper Hole.Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) deserves special mention. It's the behavioral therapy most parents hear about in grammar schools.What most don't know? ABA shares roots with debunked, torturous gay Conversion Therapy. Outlawed in many states. Both were developed by O. Ivar Lovaas in the 60s.Both aim to eliminate "undesirable" behaviors. Using “aversive” techniques. From snapping rubber bands in the nice clinics. To cattle prods in the not-so-nice facilities.Punishing and suppressing behaviors that are natural to our nervous systems. Behaviors that protect us from a society not built for us.ABA may have volumes of "data." But it's all shaped by behaviors researchers and parents want, not what autistic children or adults need. The outcomes measured? Eye contact. Sitting still. Verbal responses. Not internal autistic wellbeing.It's important to understand one simple point. Data is not science.How you frame your research or experiment How you gather your data How you choose how many subjects and whom When you choose to gather data How you interpret your data How you present your dataAll impact its validity and value. ABA and all its camouflaged cousins fall down on this core scientific truth.Bottom line? When former ABA children grow up, many report trauma. PTSD. Anxiety. Depression. Self-harm.ConclusionFuck #ABA. Fuck #CBT.Everybody in the therapeutic-industrial complex from clinic receptionist to billionaire pharmaceutical CEO makes money. From your kid's pain. Caused by treatments that don't address neurodivergent needs. As far as I… and better-known neurodiversity-affirming authorities… can tell.Strong words? Yes. Because minds… and lives… are at stake.We need therapies that work WITH our neurology, not against it. That build on our strengths instead of calling us coolly, professionally, pathologizing names.In Part 3, we'll really bring this all home. How labeling our intrinsic differences as disease is about as anti-therapeutic as you can get.We'll explore "PDA… Not Every Difference Is a Disease." And really raise a ruckus.OutroFor your deeper diving pleasure, the transcript contains references and footnotes for most points I raise. From a variety of views.Hey, don't forget, you can download Part 1, “Autistic Resilience.” Or download both parts as one file.More coming in this series exploring how neurodivergent folks can build sustainable, authentic lives… with or without professional intervention. With 2 more parts coming…AutisticAF Out Loud podcast is supported solely by listeners like you. If you have a friend or family member touched by neurodiversity? Why not turn them on to us with a quick email?By the way, we believe no one should have to pay to be autistic. Many neurodivergent people can't afford subscription content.Your Ko-Fi tip of any amount helps keep this resource free for them. Or join our paid subscriber community at johnnyprofaneknapp.substack.com for ongoing support. I put both links in description.References & Further Reading1: Ableist: Discriminating against people with disabilities by assuming everyone's mind and body work the same way. Like designing a world only for the "standard model human" and then blaming us when we can't navigate it.2: Operant conditioning: A learning process in which behavior is shaped by rewards or punishments.3: Beck, A. T. (1979). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. Penguin.4: Bottema-Beutel, K., & Crowley, S. (2021). Pervasive Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest in Applied Behavior Analysis Autism Literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 12.5: Cage, E., Di Monaco, J., & Newell, V. (2018). Experiences of Autism Acceptance and Mental Health in Autistic Adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(2), 473-484.6: Masking: The act of concealing one's autistic traits to fit in or avoid negative attention.7: Meta-analyses show that waitlist control groups often overestimate the effect sizes of psychotherapies for depression and anxiety, and that changes occurring during waitlist periods are typically small, making waitlist-controlled trials a less strict test of effectiveness.Cuijpers, P., Karyotaki, E., Reijnders, M., Purgato, M., de Wit, L., Ebert, D. D., ... & Furukawa, T. A. (2024). Overestimation of the effect sizes of psychotherapies for depression in waitlist-controlled trials: a meta-analytic comparison with usual care controlled trials. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 33, e10.8: Patterson, B., Boyle, M. H., Kivlenieks, M., & Van Ameringen, M. (2016). The use of waitlists as control conditions in anxiety disorders research. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 41, 56-64.9: Boucher, J., Mayes, A., & Bigham, S. (2012). Memory in autistic spectrum disorder. Psychological Bulletin, 138(3), 458-496.10: Happé, F., & Frith, U. (2006). The weak coherence account: detail-focused cognitive style in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(1), 5-25.11: Rekers, G. A., & Lovaas, O. I. (1974). Behavioral treatment of deviant sex-role behaviors in a male child. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 7(2), 173–190.See also: El Dewar (2024), "ABA: The Neuro-Normative Conversion Therapy," NDConnection; and the Lovaas Institute's 2024 statement regarding conversion therapy.12: Sandoval-Norton, A. H., & Shkedy, G. (2019). How much compliance is too much compliance: Is long-term ABA therapy abuse? Cogent Psychology, 6(1).13: McGill, O., & Robinson, A. (2020). "Recalling hidden harms": Autistic experiences of childhood Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). Advances in Autism, ahead-of-print.14: Xie, Y., Zhang, Y., Li, Y., et al. (2021). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review. Pediatrics, 147(5), e2020049880.81015: Weston, L., Hodgekins, J., & Langdon, P. E. (2016). Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy with people who have autistic spectrum disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 49, 41-54.16: Miguel, C., Harrer, M., Cuijpers, P., et al. (2025). Self-reports vs clinician ratings of efficacies of psychotherapies for depression: a meta-analysis. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 34, e9.Note: Links are provided for reference only. Views expressed may differ from my own experiences and observations. Sources affiliated with Autism Speaks are controversial in the neurodiversity community. Their research may be included for completeness. But perhaps be cautious.#AutisticAF Out Loud Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. Click below to receive new posts… free. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnyprofaneknapp.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Life Transformer Show, Tara answers some questions. The importance of community and support. Grabbing life and opportunities when they appear. Belly not wanting to budge and what you can do. What do you do when you are ill and how do you get back to it after an illness? Healthy and easy meals to make sure you don't fall off the wagon. And more…   What You Will Learn In This Episode: Belly not budging, how to approach this. When you're ill and getting back to it afterwards. Healthy and easy meals. Should you be picking and grazing during the day? And More   How To Contact Tara Hammett: tarahammett.com Facebook  

Never Have I Ever.Cass finds the stud in her buddy Andrew.Based on a post by SmallTownPrincess. Listen to the Podcast at My first Time.Cassie gasped, jumping in her seat as the clap of thunder and splitting bolt of lightning across the screen lit the theater like daylight for an instant. In her momentary panic, she grabbed at the armrest, the fingers of her left hand finding instead the warm forearm of her fellow movie-goer and best friend, Andrew.Their met eyes for a moment, hers still wide with residual surprise and his glittering with amusement. With a blush for her silly panic and for the unexpected touch, she took her hand away, crossing her arms across her stomach and turning her face back to the screen.Recently, for reasons she couldn't entirely understand, Cassie had begun to feel awkward around Andrew.Too often she found herself blushing for small things, or giggling nervously, or losing the courage to do things like brush a hand through his hair or jump on his back for a piggy-back ride; things that a few months earlier she would have done without thinking.It was their stupid friend Margaret who'd started it, with her talk of "friends with benefits." Cassie had never considered the idea that her tall, gangly Andy could be, as Margaret had put it, "a certified hottie." They'd been friends for so long that she could no longer hold herself far enough away from him to be able to see him with an objective, appraising eye.Andrew's lips suddenly brushed her ear as he leaned over close to whisper to her, and she nearly jumped again. "The scary part's coming," he murmured, offering his shoulder as a place for her to hide her eyes.Ah, this was why she loved him so. Who else would understand how much she loved horror films; and how deeply they terrified her? Who would take the time to go to these films first without her, then come back to see them a second time, ready to point out all the really horrific scenes so that she could hide her face and not be scarred beyond belief?No doubt he would also stay with her after the movie tonight, curled in an uncomfortable ball on the floor next to her bed to act as her protector. He snored and drooled and would probably sleep through the apocalypse, but somehow having him there still made her feel better.When the film ended, the heroine narrowly escaping by boat as the only survivor, Cassie and Andrew filed out into the chilly, early autumn night. Cassie shivered, and Andrew dropped a friendly arm around her shoulders."Did you like it?" Cassie asked."It was alright. Definitely better this time than when I watched it by myself. Your reactions are priceless," Andrew said with a laugh."I can't help it! I jump at the jumps, I'm scared of the scary parts; that's what's supposed to happen when you go see a horror movie!""I wasn't complaining. I'm amused.""Hey, I saw you jump a little when he came out from under the shed to grab that girl's ankles.""Strictly for your benefit. I am never scared.""Oh? Well, good. You can stay up and keep watch tonight. Make sure no creepers come in my house in the middle of the night to chop me up for their stew."Andrew stifled a yawn, shaking his head. "An all-night vigil? Fat chance of that. You'd have to stay up with me."Immediately, Cassie began to think of ways she might keep him awake, each a little more risqué than the last, and she blushed again. What was it about him tonight that made her think such silly thoughts? He was joking with her, being her almost-brotherly friend as he always had been. The flirtatious edge was something she was imagining, she knew."Whatever you want, just keep the monsters away from me!" Cassie cried with a melodramatic wave of her arms. She ducked out from under his arm, darted the last few feet to the door of his car and leapt inside.The drive to her house was quiet, each of them thinking their own private thoughts in companionable silence. Once they got to the house, Cassie began to feel again a twinge of that fear she had experienced in the theater. The darkness, the quiet, the sense of waiting, it unnerved her enough that she let Andrew lead the way through the front door, clinging to his arm as if that would save her if some slasher movie antagonist were waiting on the other side."I don't want to go to sleep yet," Cassie said as they marched to her room, Andrew turning on lights as they went. "I'm all antsy. Let's play a game or something, huh?"Cassie had a grand total of three board games, one of which was nothing more than a sticky Candy Land board, devoid of any cards or playing pieces; there was little there with which to while away the evening hours."Let's play Never Have I Ever," Cassie suggested, and Andrew shrugged, his preferred signal of acquiescence.They sat on either end of her bed, both cross-legged, facing each other and hugging pillows in their laps. Each of them held up all ten fingers, ready to play."Never have I ever...read Hamlet," Andrew said by way of starting. Cassie shook her head."No, that's boring!""What? We always do stuff like that.""I know! Let's talk about something more fun than our reading lists and bodily functions." She eyed him beadily, daring him to repeat his disgusting scatological comments from the last time they'd played this game."Like what?""Like..." Cassie considered and discarded a dozen suggestions instantly, filing them away as either too mild or far too dirty. "Like, never have I ever kissed someone below the chin.""Really, never?""Never ever.""I'm not putting a finger down for that. It's dumb. You can't seriously have gotten to be nearly twenty years old and never done that.""But I haven't!""Come here. Kiss me right here on the neck, and then think of another one." He was laughing, but he did lean forward and pull his shirt away from the side of his neck, clearly intending for her to follow through.With another blush; would they never stop?; she bent and pressed her lips quickly to the spot where his neck met his shoulder. It was brief, but she was still pleasantly surprised by how warm his skin was there."Alright, now think of a better one than that," Andrew said with another laugh, sitting back."I can't think of anything. You say one.""Alright, fine. Never have I ever...made out with a hot girl who was sober."It was Cassie's turn to laugh. "Wait, how many drunk hot girls have you made out with?""Just one, but she was scorching.""Oh, prettier than me, huh?" She meant it as a joke, but her tone fell a little short of the levity she was going for, and she ended up sounding a great deal more jealous than she felt."Well, no, I mean, not prettier than you, per se..."Cassie gave him her most dramatic look of mock-hurt. "You don't think I'm pretty, Andrew?""Are you kidding? You're beautiful, Cass. But you're...you know...you're Cassie."A jolt of something like fear, but entirely not, shot through Cassie's stomach. He'd never said that before, that she was beautiful. True, he'd qualified it, but at the same time...he thought she was beautiful. Her face warmed."I'm tempted to make you make out with me and pick another one, just because you were so obnoxious about mine," Cassie said, laughing.Andrew laughed once, but then his smile became something decidedly more inviting."Oh, really? That wasn't obnoxious. I was merely pointing out that there are things in this life that you should have done in your teenage years.""And making out with a girl with no alcohol involved is definitely something you should have done. I still have another couple months before I'm out of my teens. You've missed the boat already! Anything you do now is necessary just to catch up.""So you think I should have done...this?" He rolled up onto his hands and knees, which put his face directly in front of hers, an inch or two away. After a pause, their lips touched, and in her surprise at the suddenness of it she broke the kiss to suck in a startled breath.He backed away a couple of inches, thinking he'd startled her unpleasantly, but Cassie followed him, leaning forward until they were separated by a mere sliver of air. Andrew kissed her again, softly at first, but then inspiration seemed to strike, and he sat up a little, putting his hands on either side of her face to hold her to him. When he finally released her, both of them were breathing a little harder, eyes a little wide, movements a little uncertain."So," Andrew said, clearing his throat and sitting back. "So, I guess I can't use that one anymore. Unless you've been drinking, of course?" Still too stunned to react properly to his comic jabs, she merely shook her head. "I thought not. You're not alcoholic enough to sneak a flask into a movie theater. Well, is it your turn to think of one, then, or are you going to make me go again?""I, um..." Cassie shook her head a little, cleared her throat. "Well, let's see. Never have I ever..." She thought of the moment earlier when Andrew had pulled his shirt back from his neck, showing off the lovely, muscled shoulders he was secretly proud of. She wondered if the rest of him was as nice as his shoulders. "Never have I ever seen any of my friends naked."Andrew's eyebrows shot up. "What, you've never been in a locker room before?""When would I have been in a locker room?" Cassie laughed. She was not the athletic sort, as Andrew was well aware."Still, never? Like, you've never gone streaking, skinny dipping, changed in front of each other, anything?"Cassie shook her head, grinning. Andrew stood up next to the bed. "Well, I can't let that go unchanged. Seriously, nudity among friends; it's a rite of passage!"He seized the back of his shirt and tugged it over his head, dumping it unceremoniously on the floor before going to work on his belt. Cassie watched with a mixture of horrified amazement that he was actually stripping naked in her bedroom, laughable discomfort because it was Andrew, and a growing appetite for the new perspective she was gaining on him, this thought of him as a real, handsome, sexy boy; not just her buddy Andrew.His pants hit the floor and he stepped out of them, standing awkwardly in his boxers for a moment before seizing the waistband and tugging those down to his ankles, too. Cassie couldn't help but stare; she'd never seen any boy totally naked, and here was a very fine specimen of man, standing in front of her with much less self-consciousness than she would have expected.After a moment, he bent to pull his boxers and pants back on, but Cassie protested."Aw, you're going to put it all back on?" she asked jokingly. "Here I thought you were going to play the rest of the game that way."Shrugging, Andrew sat back at the end of the bed as he had been, with the notable difference that he was now stark naked. "This hardly seems fair.""What do you mean?""I'm totally hanging free here, and you're still bundled up like a nun. A little reciprocation would be fair, don't you think?"Cassie shuddered at the idea of Andrew seeing her naked. She was self-conscious enough about seeing herself in the mirror.But Andrew was staring at her expectantly, and she knew he would play along no more without this quid pro quo. She stood nervously, then pulled her shirt up over her head, dropping it beside her. Andrew just watched, expressionless except for his small smile, so she carried on.Her skirt followed her shirt to the floor, and then with a deep breath she unclasped her bra in the back and dropped that onto the pile as well. Without looking at Andrew, and with a face undoubtedly colored like a beet, she slipped her panties off, sliding them down her long bare legs and kicking them off onto the pile of discarded clothes.Andrew's eyes took in every inch of her nudity, and he sighed; she thought she heard him say "Cass" under his breath. When his eyes trailed back up to meet hers, he smiled. "And now neither of us can use that one."Cassie sat back down, a little closer to Andrew this time, their knees touching. "It's your turn."Andrew hadn't taken his eyes away from her yet, and still didn't as he answered without hesitation, "Never have I ever touched every inch of a girl's naked body." His hands were already reaching out to touch her shoulders, trail along her leg, cup her face. Grabbing her legs, he pulled her farther down on the bed so that she could fit lying down without hitting her head on the headboard. He took her face in his hands and kissed her sweetly."Andrew!" Cassie cried in a voice that was half a laugh when they paused to breathe. "What are you doing?""Not sure yet," Andrew said absently, tucking her hair behind her ears and kissing her soundly.Cassie could feel her heart beating in every extremity; had she ever been able to feel every inch of her hypersensitive skin the way she could now? Andrew did not stop kissing her as his hands fell away from her face, slipped down her neck and gently ran over her tits to her stomach. When his thumbs grazed over her nipples, a shock wave ran down through her torso, straight to that soft, dark place between her legs. She had never been as aware of that spot as she was at that instant.Andrew was kneeling over her now as she lay back on the bed, and in their mutual nudity it was impossible for him to hide his body's appreciation of this turn of events. His erection brushed against her thigh as he shifted, and she tensed, the unfamiliarity suddenly overwhelming her.The kissing stopped immediately; Andrew sat back, concern on his face. "Is this okay? Are you-- I mean, is this too weird?""No, no," she assured him, and she meant it. All this felt surprisingly natural, even as quickly as it was moving; as if this was the most obvious and right state for them to be in, and everything they had been and done before had been awkward and unsatisfying. "Please come back."He acquiesced with a vengeance, the force of his kiss pinning her to the bed as she wrapped one arm around his shoulders and grasped the back of his neck with the other. When he suddenly moved to change positions, he almost lifted her off the bed in his enthusiasm as she clung to him. She admired for a moment the powerful muscles of his abdomen and lower body when he sat up on his knees to shift, putting himself between her legs.She was unbelievably, overwhelmingly aroused, almost to the point of discomfort; she could feel the slickness of her own juices between her thighs as she moved over on the bed to center herself, and when she spread her legs apart to give Andrew a place to kneel, the cold air of the room was a shock on her wet flesh.Andrew's hands were on her hips, his thumbs tracing small circles on the skin of her stomach as his kisses began to trail downward; along her neck, across her collarbone, up the mound of her tit. His mouth closed over one nipple, his tongue moving torturously slowly in a narrowing spiral around it, ending at last in a fierce, cat-tongue lick and a small, playful nip.The muscles in Cassie's stomach tightened suddenly, jerking her, forcing a small gasp out from between her lips. Andrew smiled against her skin.One hand slid away from her hip, along the outside of her leg, fingers dragging lazily across the skin of her thigh. He folded his hand so that only his index finger pressed against her skin as he worked his way back up, running it along between her legs as she squirmed. At length, his finger found the already wet-slick folds of her nether lips, teasing them apart and sliding from her clit to her drenched opening.Her fingers tightened on the skin of his back, her mouth dropping open; it seemed suddenly as if there wasn't enough oxygen in the room, and the lack made her deliciously dizzy. He pulled back from her a little, watching her face as his finger slid up and down slowly.She couldn't get enough of his face, especially the tiny smile, like he had a secret and was going to tell her in little pieces, stretched out over the night. There was something strange and thrilling about watching him touch her; he seemed to waver between being the Andrew she'd always known and trusted more than anyone else in the world, and a completely different man, surprisingly sexy, totally aware of what she wanted and needed and ached for."Is this really happening?"She didn't realize she'd spoken the words aloud until Andrew paused in his finger's ministrations and bent to bury his face in her neck, whispering between kisses, "It must be, unless we're both sharing the best dream I've ever had."He sat up, eyes on her body like he was trying to memorize it. His hand started to move again, faster, his fingertip teasing her clit and sending alarmingly powerful jolts of pleasure through her body. Her toes and fingers were going numb in waves of tingles. She was blazing hot inside; her skin ought to be steaming in the air of the room.And at the core of her, so close to his hand, she began to feel an almost unbearable emptiness, as if he'd stolen a piece of her and he alone could return it. She closed her eyes, concentrated. She was so empty; she was a shell made only of feverish skin, holding nothing but this raging inferno and a desperate, gaping vacancy.

Never Have I Ever.Cass finds the stud in her buddy Andrew.Based on a post by SmallTownPrincess. Listen to the Podcast at My first Time.Cassie gasped, jumping in her seat as the clap of thunder and splitting bolt of lightning across the screen lit the theater like daylight for an instant. In her momentary panic, she grabbed at the armrest, the fingers of her left hand finding instead the warm forearm of her fellow movie-goer and best friend, Andrew.Their met eyes for a moment, hers still wide with residual surprise and his glittering with amusement. With a blush for her silly panic and for the unexpected touch, she took her hand away, crossing her arms across her stomach and turning her face back to the screen.Recently, for reasons she couldn't entirely understand, Cassie had begun to feel awkward around Andrew.Too often she found herself blushing for small things, or giggling nervously, or losing the courage to do things like brush a hand through his hair or jump on his back for a piggy-back ride; things that a few months earlier she would have done without thinking.It was their stupid friend Margaret who'd started it, with her talk of "friends with benefits." Cassie had never considered the idea that her tall, gangly Andy could be, as Margaret had put it, "a certified hottie." They'd been friends for so long that she could no longer hold herself far enough away from him to be able to see him with an objective, appraising eye.Andrew's lips suddenly brushed her ear as he leaned over close to whisper to her, and she nearly jumped again. "The scary part's coming," he murmured, offering his shoulder as a place for her to hide her eyes.Ah, this was why she loved him so. Who else would understand how much she loved horror films; and how deeply they terrified her? Who would take the time to go to these films first without her, then come back to see them a second time, ready to point out all the really horrific scenes so that she could hide her face and not be scarred beyond belief?No doubt he would also stay with her after the movie tonight, curled in an uncomfortable ball on the floor next to her bed to act as her protector. He snored and drooled and would probably sleep through the apocalypse, but somehow having him there still made her feel better.When the film ended, the heroine narrowly escaping by boat as the only survivor, Cassie and Andrew filed out into the chilly, early autumn night. Cassie shivered, and Andrew dropped a friendly arm around her shoulders."Did you like it?" Cassie asked."It was alright. Definitely better this time than when I watched it by myself. Your reactions are priceless," Andrew said with a laugh."I can't help it! I jump at the jumps, I'm scared of the scary parts; that's what's supposed to happen when you go see a horror movie!""I wasn't complaining. I'm amused.""Hey, I saw you jump a little when he came out from under the shed to grab that girl's ankles.""Strictly for your benefit. I am never scared.""Oh? Well, good. You can stay up and keep watch tonight. Make sure no creepers come in my house in the middle of the night to chop me up for their stew."Andrew stifled a yawn, shaking his head. "An all-night vigil? Fat chance of that. You'd have to stay up with me."Immediately, Cassie began to think of ways she might keep him awake, each a little more risqué than the last, and she blushed again. What was it about him tonight that made her think such silly thoughts? He was joking with her, being her almost-brotherly friend as he always had been. The flirtatious edge was something she was imagining, she knew."Whatever you want, just keep the monsters away from me!" Cassie cried with a melodramatic wave of her arms. She ducked out from under his arm, darted the last few feet to the door of his car and leapt inside.The drive to her house was quiet, each of them thinking their own private thoughts in companionable silence. Once they got to the house, Cassie began to feel again a twinge of that fear she had experienced in the theater. The darkness, the quiet, the sense of waiting, it unnerved her enough that she let Andrew lead the way through the front door, clinging to his arm as if that would save her if some slasher movie antagonist were waiting on the other side."I don't want to go to sleep yet," Cassie said as they marched to her room, Andrew turning on lights as they went. "I'm all antsy. Let's play a game or something, huh?"Cassie had a grand total of three board games, one of which was nothing more than a sticky Candy Land board, devoid of any cards or playing pieces; there was little there with which to while away the evening hours."Let's play Never Have I Ever," Cassie suggested, and Andrew shrugged, his preferred signal of acquiescence.They sat on either end of her bed, both cross-legged, facing each other and hugging pillows in their laps. Each of them held up all ten fingers, ready to play."Never have I ever...read Hamlet," Andrew said by way of starting. Cassie shook her head."No, that's boring!""What? We always do stuff like that.""I know! Let's talk about something more fun than our reading lists and bodily functions." She eyed him beadily, daring him to repeat his disgusting scatological comments from the last time they'd played this game."Like what?""Like..." Cassie considered and discarded a dozen suggestions instantly, filing them away as either too mild or far too dirty. "Like, never have I ever kissed someone below the chin.""Really, never?""Never ever.""I'm not putting a finger down for that. It's dumb. You can't seriously have gotten to be nearly twenty years old and never done that.""But I haven't!""Come here. Kiss me right here on the neck, and then think of another one." He was laughing, but he did lean forward and pull his shirt away from the side of his neck, clearly intending for her to follow through.With another blush; would they never stop?; she bent and pressed her lips quickly to the spot where his neck met his shoulder. It was brief, but she was still pleasantly surprised by how warm his skin was there."Alright, now think of a better one than that," Andrew said with another laugh, sitting back."I can't think of anything. You say one.""Alright, fine. Never have I ever...made out with a hot girl who was sober."It was Cassie's turn to laugh. "Wait, how many drunk hot girls have you made out with?""Just one, but she was scorching.""Oh, prettier than me, huh?" She meant it as a joke, but her tone fell a little short of the levity she was going for, and she ended up sounding a great deal more jealous than she felt."Well, no, I mean, not prettier than you, per se..."Cassie gave him her most dramatic look of mock-hurt. "You don't think I'm pretty, Andrew?""Are you kidding? You're beautiful, Cass. But you're...you know...you're Cassie."A jolt of something like fear, but entirely not, shot through Cassie's stomach. He'd never said that before, that she was beautiful. True, he'd qualified it, but at the same time...he thought she was beautiful. Her face warmed."I'm tempted to make you make out with me and pick another one, just because you were so obnoxious about mine," Cassie said, laughing.Andrew laughed once, but then his smile became something decidedly more inviting."Oh, really? That wasn't obnoxious. I was merely pointing out that there are things in this life that you should have done in your teenage years.""And making out with a girl with no alcohol involved is definitely something you should have done. I still have another couple months before I'm out of my teens. You've missed the boat already! Anything you do now is necessary just to catch up.""So you think I should have done...this?" He rolled up onto his hands and knees, which put his face directly in front of hers, an inch or two away. After a pause, their lips touched, and in her surprise at the suddenness of it she broke the kiss to suck in a startled breath.He backed away a couple of inches, thinking he'd startled her unpleasantly, but Cassie followed him, leaning forward until they were separated by a mere sliver of air. Andrew kissed her again, softly at first, but then inspiration seemed to strike, and he sat up a little, putting his hands on either side of her face to hold her to him. When he finally released her, both of them were breathing a little harder, eyes a little wide, movements a little uncertain."So," Andrew said, clearing his throat and sitting back. "So, I guess I can't use that one anymore. Unless you've been drinking, of course?" Still too stunned to react properly to his comic jabs, she merely shook her head. "I thought not. You're not alcoholic enough to sneak a flask into a movie theater. Well, is it your turn to think of one, then, or are you going to make me go again?""I, um..." Cassie shook her head a little, cleared her throat. "Well, let's see. Never have I ever..." She thought of the moment earlier when Andrew had pulled his shirt back from his neck, showing off the lovely, muscled shoulders he was secretly proud of. She wondered if the rest of him was as nice as his shoulders. "Never have I ever seen any of my friends naked."Andrew's eyebrows shot up. "What, you've never been in a locker room before?""When would I have been in a locker room?" Cassie laughed. She was not the athletic sort, as Andrew was well aware."Still, never? Like, you've never gone streaking, skinny dipping, changed in front of each other, anything?"Cassie shook her head, grinning. Andrew stood up next to the bed. "Well, I can't let that go unchanged. Seriously, nudity among friends; it's a rite of passage!"He seized the back of his shirt and tugged it over his head, dumping it unceremoniously on the floor before going to work on his belt. Cassie watched with a mixture of horrified amazement that he was actually stripping naked in her bedroom, laughable discomfort because it was Andrew, and a growing appetite for the new perspective she was gaining on him, this thought of him as a real, handsome, sexy boy; not just her buddy Andrew.His pants hit the floor and he stepped out of them, standing awkwardly in his boxers for a moment before seizing the waistband and tugging those down to his ankles, too. Cassie couldn't help but stare; she'd never seen any boy totally naked, and here was a very fine specimen of man, standing in front of her with much less self-consciousness than she would have expected.After a moment, he bent to pull his boxers and pants back on, but Cassie protested."Aw, you're going to put it all back on?" she asked jokingly. "Here I thought you were going to play the rest of the game that way."Shrugging, Andrew sat back at the end of the bed as he had been, with the notable difference that he was now stark naked. "This hardly seems fair.""What do you mean?""I'm totally hanging free here, and you're still bundled up like a nun. A little reciprocation would be fair, don't you think?"Cassie shuddered at the idea of Andrew seeing her naked. She was self-conscious enough about seeing herself in the mirror.But Andrew was staring at her expectantly, and she knew he would play along no more without this quid pro quo. She stood nervously, then pulled her shirt up over her head, dropping it beside her. Andrew just watched, expressionless except for his small smile, so she carried on.Her skirt followed her shirt to the floor, and then with a deep breath she unclasped her bra in the back and dropped that onto the pile as well. Without looking at Andrew, and with a face undoubtedly colored like a beet, she slipped her panties off, sliding them down her long bare legs and kicking them off onto the pile of discarded clothes.Andrew's eyes took in every inch of her nudity, and he sighed; she thought she heard him say "Cass" under his breath. When his eyes trailed back up to meet hers, he smiled. "And now neither of us can use that one."Cassie sat back down, a little closer to Andrew this time, their knees touching. "It's your turn."Andrew hadn't taken his eyes away from her yet, and still didn't as he answered without hesitation, "Never have I ever touched every inch of a girl's naked body." His hands were already reaching out to touch her shoulders, trail along her leg, cup her face. Grabbing her legs, he pulled her farther down on the bed so that she could fit lying down without hitting her head on the headboard. He took her face in his hands and kissed her sweetly."Andrew!" Cassie cried in a voice that was half a laugh when they paused to breathe. "What are you doing?""Not sure yet," Andrew said absently, tucking her hair behind her ears and kissing her soundly.Cassie could feel her heart beating in every extremity; had she ever been able to feel every inch of her hypersensitive skin the way she could now? Andrew did not stop kissing her as his hands fell away from her face, slipped down her neck and gently ran over her tits to her stomach. When his thumbs grazed over her nipples, a shock wave ran down through her torso, straight to that soft, dark place between her legs. She had never been as aware of that spot as she was at that instant.Andrew was kneeling over her now as she lay back on the bed, and in their mutual nudity it was impossible for him to hide his body's appreciation of this turn of events. His erection brushed against her thigh as he shifted, and she tensed, the unfamiliarity suddenly overwhelming her.The kissing stopped immediately; Andrew sat back, concern on his face. "Is this okay? Are you-- I mean, is this too weird?""No, no," she assured him, and she meant it. All this felt surprisingly natural, even as quickly as it was moving; as if this was the most obvious and right state for them to be in, and everything they had been and done before had been awkward and unsatisfying. "Please come back."He acquiesced with a vengeance, the force of his kiss pinning her to the bed as she wrapped one arm around his shoulders and grasped the back of his neck with the other. When he suddenly moved to change positions, he almost lifted her off the bed in his enthusiasm as she clung to him. She admired for a moment the powerful muscles of his abdomen and lower body when he sat up on his knees to shift, putting himself between her legs.She was unbelievably, overwhelmingly aroused, almost to the point of discomfort; she could feel the slickness of her own juices between her thighs as she moved over on the bed to center herself, and when she spread her legs apart to give Andrew a place to kneel, the cold air of the room was a shock on her wet flesh.Andrew's hands were on her hips, his thumbs tracing small circles on the skin of her stomach as his kisses began to trail downward; along her neck, across her collarbone, up the mound of her tit. His mouth closed over one nipple, his tongue moving torturously slowly in a narrowing spiral around it, ending at last in a fierce, cat-tongue lick and a small, playful nip.The muscles in Cassie's stomach tightened suddenly, jerking her, forcing a small gasp out from between her lips. Andrew smiled against her skin.One hand slid away from her hip, along the outside of her leg, fingers dragging lazily across the skin of her thigh. He folded his hand so that only his index finger pressed against her skin as he worked his way back up, running it along between her legs as she squirmed. At length, his finger found the already wet-slick folds of her nether lips, teasing them apart and sliding from her clit to her drenched opening.Her fingers tightened on the skin of his back, her mouth dropping open; it seemed suddenly as if there wasn't enough oxygen in the room, and the lack made her deliciously dizzy. He pulled back from her a little, watching her face as his finger slid up and down slowly.She couldn't get enough of his face, especially the tiny smile, like he had a secret and was going to tell her in little pieces, stretched out over the night. There was something strange and thrilling about watching him touch her; he seemed to waver between being the Andrew she'd always known and trusted more than anyone else in the world, and a completely different man, surprisingly sexy, totally aware of what she wanted and needed and ached for."Is this really happening?"She didn't realize she'd spoken the words aloud until Andrew paused in his finger's ministrations and bent to bury his face in her neck, whispering between kisses, "It must be, unless we're both sharing the best dream I've ever had."He sat up, eyes on her body like he was trying to memorize it. His hand started to move again, faster, his fingertip teasing her clit and sending alarmingly powerful jolts of pleasure through her body. Her toes and fingers were going numb in waves of tingles. She was blazing hot inside; her skin ought to be steaming in the air of the room.And at the core of her, so close to his hand, she began to feel an almost unbearable emptiness, as if he'd stolen a piece of her and he alone could return it. She closed her eyes, concentrated. She was so empty; she was a shell made only of feverish skin, holding nothing but this raging inferno and a desperate, gaping vacancy.

For this compelling episode, Ceri is joined by artist Jeremy Hutchison, whose subversive, multi-disciplinary practice spans performance, sculpture, video and text. They cover essential takeaways for artists today: how to subvert the aesthetics of capitalist spectacle without shame, how humour disruption and wrong-headed commercialism can be radical tools for change; and why artists must stop waiting for permission and instead beg forgiveness, push edges and find their co-conspirators.  The Artist Mastermind Circle: Ready to stop second-guessing and start building momentum in your art career? Applications are now open for the next Artist Mastermind Circle—a six-month coaching programme for mid-career artists who are serious about growing their confidence, income, and opportunities.Apply by 21 July at https://cerihand.com/artist-mastermind-circle/ and take the next bold step. KEY TAKEAWAYS Don´t ask for permission, push the boundaries and embrace risk. Beg forgiveness afterwards. Nonsense and humour are powerful - they make people pause and question. Leverage the systems you are critiquing to reach more people. Working with others, movements and communities fuels your creativity and increases reach. Notice small detail they can be catalysts for impactful art. If you want a sustainable practice, regularly take time to recharge. You need good mental and physical health. BEST MOMENTS “You don't need 700 people. You only need about 7 or 10 champions.” “Sometimes in the midst of a political or cultural crisis, the risks that artists have to take set them apart from the tribe.” “I often begin with a tiny thing that pops out of the great sea of life, and it will somehow express the full weirdness of the greater thing.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://jeremyhutchison.com https://www.instagram.com/jeremyhutchison PODCAST HOST BIO With over 30 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. **** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!  https://cerihand.com/membership/  **** Build Relationships The Easy Way Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network,"  offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ **** Book a Discovery Call Today  To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com **** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity  Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Steve grabbed his chainsaw and headed out to the woods. That’s when he heard five-year-old August. “Wait for me, Dad! I want to come!” Grabbing his toy chainsaw, work gloves, and earmuffs, August followed Steve out the door. Steve set out a couple of logs for him a safe distance away. After ten minutes August was worn out. Cutting logs with a fake chainsaw is hard work! But he was happy to “help” his dad, and his dad was delighted to spend time with his son. Isn’t this how it is with our heavenly Father? We suppose we’re helping. “Wait for me, Dad! I need to get my chainsaw!” But our chainsaw is the least important thing about us. We’re not helping as much as we think. God cares far more about the first part, “Wait for me, Dad!” He doesn’t need our output. If you love His Son Jesus, God has adopted you into His family and given you His Spirit. “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship” (v. 15). You’re not a servant who earns his place by hard work. You’re a child who is loved by your Father, no matter what. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). Our heavenly Father is delighted when we serve Him. But He doesn’t need us. He simply wants us.

You are invited to a 30-Minute Creator Strategy Session to help you diagnose what's blocking your momentum and map out a breakthrough plan -> www.shawnbuttner.com Feel like you're putting out great content, but nobody's noticing? Meanwhile, others seems to effortlessly attract engagement without even trying? In this episode of Creators That Crush, Shawn shares the hilarious and frustrating story of Fancy, a neighborhood peacock who's somehow gained local fame, viral attention, and even an ice cream flavor—without doing anything but being himself. But there's a twist: Fancy has all the attention and none of the transformation. And that's where creators can do better. Using Fancy's unexpected success as a metaphor, Shawn explores what real creators can do to not only stand out, but show up with purpose. You'll learn three ways to stand out authentically—even in an AI-saturated world—and how to use your values to create work that resonates and transforms. What You'll Learn: Why copying viral creators is a trap that drains your voice The problem with attention if there's no transformation behind it How to stand out without chasing trends Why creators must focus on community, novelty, and humanity A powerful values-based exercise to align your content with your best self Links + Resources: Free 30-min Creator Strategy Session → www.shawnbuttner.com Connect on YouTube → YouTube Channel Listen on Apple Podcasts → Apple Listen on Spotify → Spotify

JIMMIE NICHOLS DISCUSSING THE SNAKE GRABBING RODEO

Progressive's George O'Connor and Ian Robertson catch up on events in and around the UK small and mid-cap listed tech. Looking to the US, Salesforce and C3.ai results show positive momentum for AI, as of course do Nvidia's. But investors are asking more questions and AI vs. Economic Downturn is a match that's difficult to call. Ian is more immediately concerned about the impact of US government actions to curtail sales into China by Cadence, Synopsis and Siemens EDA – companies which, like ASML and TSMC, you really need to understand to truly get tech. George and Ian ponder the Pensions Investment Review. Only serious AIM/small-cap Kool-Aid imbibers would have hoped for much, so AIM/Aquis ranking on a par with a theme park near Bedford is perhaps a result. Directing money to infrastructure/tech direct impact is an easier sell to the party/public than bailing out UK public equities. Consider those who look upon it from the outside. This is a government that is trying to do something to stimulate growth. Something that could, or even should, be seen as a positive development. To outsiders the failings of UK public equities and small-cap / AIM in particular are all too evident and have been for quite some time. It's widely recognised as a market and regulatory structure that does not work as it should for investors or companies. Perhaps that needs changing to get Rachel Reeves onside. Grabbing the segue across to a market that has seen success on AIM, George highlights recent gaming sector newsflow and the potential for patient investors to gain from its returning health.

Charlotte, the Sage of Abby HillBased on the work of BradentonLarry, in 6 parts.  Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.The Sage and  a Kind of Good-Bye"The Sage is ready to see you now," said Wei, the tall Asian man who they had learned was the Abbot of the brown-robed monks – or the Order of Record Keepers, as they called themselves.Don gently urged Nicole to release his cock from her mouth and promised they would get back to playing soon. As he tied his grey robe about himself, Don saw that Toshia, who had been riding up and down on Alan's lap only a moment before was also hurrying to make herself "presentable". After waking up hours ago, and the following, almost routine, morning sex (Well, that's definitely the right way to start the day, particularly when you wake up sandwiched between two naked, sexy women! Don thought to himself with a happy smile), they had had a bite of breakfast and been asked to wait until they were called for. While they learned a little bit more about the Order, most of the morning was spent in lazy sexual play. It was now shortly after midday, and at least two of them were quite eager to meet this person whom they had been awaiting, and had gone to such lengths to find.They followed Wei to the foot of a winding staircase and proceeded up. At the top, behind a modest door, they were admitted to a good sized study, complete with shelves filled with row upon row of books. Windows all around the room let bright sunlight in. There were a few comfortable chairs, and a nice desk, behind which, in a brown robe, sat a middle aged woman with thick, dark brown hair falling down around her shoulders. She was apparently reading the last page of a stack of typed material.Wei gestured to a set of chairs that had been drawn into a circle of four, and said, "Please, make yourself comfortable, she will be right with you."Sure enough, right after he had closed the door behind himself but before they could get comfortable in their chairs, the woman looked up at them and smiled. "Hello," she said as she stood up and came around the desk. "You're obviously Don, and I'm guessing you're Toshia and you're Nicole.""That's right, and you're 'the Sage'?" Toshia asked."That's what they call me," she smiled as she sat down in a high-backed chair."I admit, I was expecting someone a bit ... more wizened," Don smiled."Well, it's really just a title, like 'the Crone', though I suspect the similarities end about there. You can call me Charlotte if you prefer.""Pleased to meet you, Charlotte," Toshia said."Likewise," Charlotte smiled again. "I know you must have many questions, but let me just say, I've just finished reading your various reports, and I've enjoyed them very much. Our scribes are chosen for their skill at asking the right sorts of questions and their ability to flesh out the stories they're given, but in this case they've had very good material to work with. The three of you have had some very interesting adventures. I particularly enjoyed reading about your encounter with the Bull, Toshia.""So, everyone who comes here looking for you tells their story and you read it?" Nicole asked."Yes, that's right. I confess, my personal 'kink' is to get off reading about, and sometimes watching, the exploits of others. I would have finished reading your reports earlier, but I had to keep stopping to masturbate.""Wouldn't it have been more efficient for us to just tell you directly?" Nicole asked with a twinkle in her eye that the Sage seemed to miss."Well, yes, but there are two problems with that," Charlotte answered. "One, we keep all the stories, as a record and a source of study...""You could just have someone type it up as we told you," Toshia pointed out.Charlotte nodded, "That's quite true, but then the narrator would be bristling with questions for me, which would slow things down and cause all kinds of complications.""Is that the second problem?" Don asked."No, the second one is that there seems to be some benefit to having each person tell his or her own story, and then comparing them.""How have our stories diverged?" Don wanted to know."Well, I've only just read the three of them, and haven't had hardly any time to think about them, but Don's way of looking at your time here in Eros involves a lot of digressions and interconnections, while Toshia's is more straight-forward. Nicole's is actually rather journalistic."Don could see that Nicole had half a mind to object to this, but he cut in with, "OK, but what's the point of all this anyway?"Charlotte the Sage frowned slightly and said, "I assume you mean the record-keeping?""Well, for now, yes.""At some point, long ago, the first Sage decided that one way of trying to make sense of the whys and wherefores of Eros was to start recording the experiences of people who, like him, remembered their lives before waking up here.""And, has it helped?" Toshia asked."Well, it certainly makes for some stimulating reading," Charlotte laughed. Then she added, "It definitely has served to build up some generalizations that seem to be helpful.""Such as?" Don prodded."Every single person who has come here, to this Abbey, and this goes back for 450 Erosian years, has spoken English rather fluently. Now, the only people who we interview are those who remember their lives prior to waking up here, but none of them has ever reported meeting anyone who doesn't speak English. This suggests that either the people who don't remember spoke English before they arrived here, were somehow rewired to speak English upon being brought over, or are native Erosians. This all seems to strongly suggest that whomever or whatever is responsible for selecting people for Eros speaks English, and that seems quite surprising and noteworthy to me.""So, which is it, were they brought here or are they natives?" Nicole asked."They were brought," Don said quietly, remembering his and Toshia's visit to the Library in the Manor."Well, the evidence does suggest that," Charlotte nodded. "They seem to have various personality traits and interests that wouldn't make sense for native Erosians, for one thing.""That's what I was thinking," Don added."Also, some people have actually met people they recognized or even knew quite well from Earth, but who seemed to have no memory of that other life.""That must have been bizarre," Toshia said."It has sometimes been ... awkward, to say the least," nodded Charlotte."All of this is very interesting, but you mentioned whomever, or whatever, is selecting people from Earth – English speaking people from Earth," Don said as he leaned forward. "Who or what is doing this, and why? What's the point of it all?"Charlotte smiled again, "I honestly can't say. I admit that the question puts me in a philosophical frame of mind. Imagine if I asked you what the point of it all was on Earth. Anyway, there are theories, of course. Some Sages have thought that we were being held prisoner here as lab rats, running countless experiments on human sexuality, others that there is some power, or powers, who feed off human eroticism, or who have lost the ability to generate it for themselves – the ultimate voyeurs. There seems no question that there's some intelligence behind it, though.""Why do you think so?" Toshia asked."Well, it only selects people who are quite dissatisfied with their Earthly sex lives." Charlotte held up her hand to forestall Toshia's objection. "The fact that it is very hard to sort out exactly what counts as such dissatisfaction seems to lend weight to this consideration. No doubt, Toshia would hesitate to say that she was dissatisfied in any way with Sarah, but it seems clear from reading her story that she would hardly think of the sex life she was having before as being satisfying now. Almost every single person who has found his or her way here has thought that being brought to Eros was a wonderful gift, which has led some to speculate that this was some kind of heaven."Don couldn't resist scowling at this notion, and Charlotte noticed. "I don't buy that either," she said with a smile. "On the other hand, it's the best afterlife I've ever heard of. Going back to the question of intelligence, one of the most telling bits of evidence is the two of you, Don and Toshia."After taking a moment to scowl thoughtfully at this suggestion, Toshia asked, "What do you mean?""As far as our records indicate, the two of you are unique. No pair of friends has ever woken up together like you have. Before you ask, I have absolutely no idea what that might mean. Perhaps it's for the purposes of one of those psycho-sexual experiments."There was a moment of silence before Don decided to ask, "What's up with the black robed figures?""The Watchers," Charlotte nodded. "Another indication that there is some kind of intelligent process going on. After 450 years of accumulating data, there has never been anyone – anyone recorded, anyway – who has managed to talk to, or even catch hold of, one of those bastards. They watch for a bit; then, when you think you're going to get your hands on one, they're gone.""Is it science or magic?" Toshia asked."I'm inclined to follow Arthur C. Clarke on this one and say I don't really know that there's a difference in this context.""There are so many questions," Don muttered, shaking his head. "How many people remember their lives? What's the distribution of their wheres and whens? Is there anything they all have in common besides being sexually frustrated?""Is there a way to get home again?" Toshia asked resolutely.Charlotte, knowing this was the issue that had motivated them in seeking her out, turned to Toshia with a serious expression and said, "Yes, or so it would seem anyway. There are apparently at least two ways. The first is to become bored with life in Eros. It seems that when that happens you will simply go missing, and it's presumed that you return to your Earthly life. As to the other, more proactive, way, the lake outside is the headwater of a river that runs several hundred kilometers to an ocean or a sea – we haven't been able to get anyone to engage in any kind of systematic exploration. Along the coastline to the left of mouth of river...""To the left facing the sea?" Don asked."Yes," Charlotte smiled again. "Go down the river, then turn left, and proceed along the coast, until you find a place called the Grotto of Ishtar, or just the Grotto. There, according to two people who have accompanied others seeking to leave, you'll find a way to return home."Toshia looked like she was ready to head off immediately, but a couple of concerns occurred to Don. He said, "I'm troubled by something: how can anyone here know that people return home safely? And, now that I'm saying that, how did the Scholar know that time moves differently here in Eros? It doesn't seem to make sense that we could know these things unless someone has been able to return home and then come back.""Very good, Don," Charlotte nodded, and Don found himself thinking that she must have been a teacher back on Earth. She explained, "There seems to be a way to go back and forth between Eros and Earth more or less at will. One of the more enterprising people who have visited the Abbey several times, a Stephanie Ayers, found someone with this ability and talked to him at great length. She then tracked down two more people, and in doing so was able to confirm these rumors and suppositions.""How are they able to do it?" Don asked intently."Stephanie says they have 'magic rings' that allow them to 'decide' to wake up in either Eros or Earth; or, should that be 'on'?""Where do they get those rings, and what do they look like?""I cannot answer the first, Don, but apparently they are simple rings of a shiny black material, something like hematite."Don sat back in his chair. That sounds familiar! After a moment of reflection, he smiled broadly and said, "I think I've seen someone with one of those, and I'm pretty sure I can find her again."Charlotte gave Don a long look and said, "I can guess what you have in mind, Don, but I should warn you that these ring people are not only very possessive of their rings, but also very evasive about how they came to acquire them. Stephanie hasn't been able to get any useful information so far, and she's been at this a while."Toshia brought the discussion back to the main topic with, "I wanted to ask another question – our flying carpet stopped working and several hundred kilometers is a long way – do you know of any way to make the trip quicker?""Well, yes," Charlotte answered, "I would take the riverboat.""The riverboat?""Yes, there's a riverboat that goes from the Resort down to the city on the coast, Rendezvous, and back. You might have to wait for it sometime, it doesn't keep to a schedule very well, but it docks just outside of the Resort, through the gate opposite the one you used to come here.""Wait," Don cut in, "there's a city?""Well, it's a town, really, but it's the biggest one in Eros as far as I know."This prompted what felt like a dozen questions in Don's mind, starting with those of economics. He was still having a hard time coming to grips with the weirdness of how Eros worked."Thank you for your time, Charlotte," Toshia was saying.Although Don wanted to interject with, "Are we leaving already?" he realized how important it was for Toshia to stay on the task of returning to Sarah, so he set aside the questions he was dying to ask and stood, saying, "Thank you very much." Nicole followed suit.The Sage stood up as well, and said, "If you decide to stay longer in Eros, please feel welcome to return to the Abbey anytime."Don smiled warmly at this suggestion, and thought it was a bit odd that he was leaving this attractive, intelligent woman without having had the pleasure of, well, pleasuring her. Eros had definitely altered his way of thinking.At the foot of the winding staircase, Wei met them with one of his smiles and their clothing. Once they had changed, Wei led them back to the entrance-exit. The other "monks" seemed particularly scarce. Similarly, the huge guardian of the bridge was nowhere to be seen as they crossed it.Toshia set the pace down the trail for the Resort. She was clearly in a hurry to get on the road, or river, as the case may be, to this Grotto of Ishtar. Don kept up with her easily, but also kept an eye on Nicole, who didn't walk as fast as Don and Toshia even when they weren't hurrying. He could tell that something was troubling the pretty young woman, but his own mind was still bustling with too many questions for him to ask her what was on her mind. Still, he wasn't surprised when, as they came around the last corner and saw the Resort's gate ahead, Nicole asked them to stop for a moment."I thought I should tell you this before we found the others," Nicole said, taking a moment to sit down on a nearby rock."What is it?" Toshia said with obvious and honest concern."I'm not going back," Nicole said. "Well, not yet. I'm going to wait until I'm tired of this place. I don't really have anybody back home to hurry back to, Toshia, and I fucking love it here. I'd come along to make sure you get to the Grotto safely, but it sounds like you and Don will be able to do that without me. I don't think you'll be able to shake Shelonda anyway, but you might want to consider leaving Victor and Amy here at the Resort. You know the rest of Eros isn't so nice and friendly, and this place is safe."Don smiled at Nicole and said, "It's been great having you along with us for this long.""If they're right about time, we'll all wake up 'tomorrow' and email each other," Nicole smiled with a bit of sadness. "Well, allowing for the date difference, that is. You better come visit me, Professor."Don laughed, and said, "Of course! I'm already looking forward to it.""You can come stay with us in Florida," Toshia smiled. Don could see a tear in her eye.He decided to make things a bit easier on them all by changing the subject, "You know, she has a good point about the others."Toshia seemed to fasten upon this line of thought, saying, "Well, Shelonda's going to be very hurt if we don't allow her to come with us, I think.""I'm not sure we're in any position to allow or disallow her, actually," Don said."True," Toshia nodded. "So, the most we can do is encourage her to stay here. Probably that's the most we can do for all of them.""We could suggest that they need to stay here to keep an eye on Nicole," Don mused.Nicole laughed, and said, "Oh, I'm sure I'll be quite alright here.""And, what happens if Nicole does eventually get tired of this place and goes missing?" Don nodded. "Do people who don't remember their past lives do that? Damn, I should have thought of asking that earlier."

Hey Mama,  How do you handle your daily stress? Do you grab for junk food as a reward for surviving a stressful moment or day? Maybe you indulge in other forms of “junk” like dramatic television or social media scrolling. Whatever your quick fix, Mama, it never really seems to satisfy. Our world is full of self help symposiums, encouraging us to take control of our situation and find our own solution. Unfortunately, much of life's circumstances are outside of your control. And when we lose control, or feel like we have none, we reach for something that makes us feel satisfied and “happy”, even if just for a moment. But, Mama, as a Christian, we are called to separate ourselves from the ways of this world. We are not to seek solutions for peace, safety or satisfaction in what the world offers, but rather, in the One who made the world. So, Mama, today I am going to share with you one thing you can do to find peace, safety, and security in your moments of stress, instead of grabbing for that temporary “fix”.   For His Glory, Christen   I would love to hear from you!  >>Leave a Review >>Connect with me:   Sign Up for Manage In The Moment Coaching Call: https://bit.ly/ManageStressInTheMoment   Email me : naturalwellnessforbusymoms@gmail.com  Sign Up to Become an Insider: https://bit.ly/naturalwellnessinsider  Join Our FREE Facebook Community:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1789472588229094  >>Find Related Products Here: https://bit.ly/m/Natural-Wellness-for-Busy-Moms  >> These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. >>I make a small commission when using the links above to purchase items.

https://youtu.be/K7Vr6-LZRIE

With the NFL schedule now released, Best Ball Breakfast returns with 4 more drafts and all the Week 17 correlation you come to expect here. Topics discussed: Building out secondary Week 17 stacks and correlations without the QB, navigating difficult 2v2s and if you should risk a QB push with Pat Kerrane, the value in trying a weird build and digging out of it with Leone, diversifying exposures on Pete's account and #GetYourGuys with Kendall Valenzuela.⁠☕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a "Best Ball Value Hound" Youtube member⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get access to Best Ball After Dark interviews.

AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports on the legal challenges of a member in Congress.

Not only did I get to race against Barry Hawk at the US Sprint Enduro, but I got to interview him after the fact as to why he's so much better than me as a racer. Some may not want to revel in their defeat, but me, I want to learn from it! Barry Hawk breaks down what he learned when riders Juha Salminen and David Knight came over to race the GNCC Series. He learned quickly that they were getting the speed on course due to their “european lines”. At that time, he was riding lines like I did, more “american lines”. It was an awesome breakdown of what he saw 20 years ago, and what we hear discussed from Texas ISDE racers like Brian Storrie and the O'Leary Brothers. Two other topics discussed were riding with patience and off-camber turns. Barry told us that even he has to remind himself to not push it when too much in certain situations. He wants to ride smoothly, with less opportunities for mistakes. The off-camber turns discussion as one that helped me understand what's happening between the rider and bike a lot more. I don't immediately want more of them, but I don't think I'm as leary of them now.If you enjoyed this episode, please share with your riding buddies. Grabbing a shirt or Utility Can Caddy from the Shop is also a huge help. Enjoy #GettingSeattime & Stay #Stoked!

Being memorable isn't easy. You need swag, confidence, and the ability to catch people's eye. The inside matters too. But the outside makes the inside count. Nobody will know you taste great if people don't take you home. Now get your mind out of the gutter and realize we're talking about CPG brands here. You have to stand out. There are so many products on the shelf. Consumers only have so much time. Every little detail matters. Ali Elliott, Founder of Farmer Foodie, joins us on this episode of The Longer Game to share her journey of creating deliciously memorable products. Like that description? Stick around. We've got so many good brand ideas and taglines you'll need a pen and paper to catch them all. Go ahead. Grab your pen, cozy up next to your legal notepad, you know you've still got one and let's get ideating.The Longer Game is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We're looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It's Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.Like what you're hearing? Subscribe to our channel and make sure to click or tap the bell so you get notified whenever new episodes drop.Want to learn more about The Longer Game? Head over to https://thelongergame.com to read show notes, watch more episodes, or contact us.Follow us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/thelongergameFollow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thelongergameFollow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/thelongergameOur guest's Name is Ali Elliott. She founded Farmer Foodie in January 2020 as a plant-forward food blog while serving as Education Director at McEnroe Organic Farm. Sharing her passion for sustainable farming, eating, and living has been central to her career. A vegetarian for 13 years, she struggled to give up cheese until she began creating her own dairy-free recipes, leading to a fully vegan lifestyle and the launch of her Cashew Parm product line.On May 17, 2022, just five days before graduating from Brandeis University's Heller School with an MBA in Social Impact and an MA in Sustainable International Development, she officially launched Farmer Foodie's first Cashew Parm flavor, Golden Chedda. She pursued an MBA focused on social entrepreneurship and environmental stewardship to build a sustainable food brand that benefits both consumers and the planet.You can find them at...Website: https://thefarmerfoodie.com/Find them on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/farmerfoodie/?viewAsMember=trueFind them on Instagram: @thefarmerfoodieFind them on Facebook: @thefarmerfoodiesMichael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…Email: michael@thinkcartology.comLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/immichaelmaherThis podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me.Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create strategy and then go right out and execute it. Want to find out more?Website: https://thinkcartology.comFind Cartology on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/cartologyFind Cartology on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thinkcartologyFind Cartology on Facebook: https://facebook.com/thinkcartologyPodcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.Website: https://podcastify.meFind Podcastify Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastify.me/Find Podcastify Me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf2biqOTN2UbZ5aaM4Sx6NQ

On today's show, after checking back in to each of the Playoff series from last night—the Celtics/Knicks and Timberwolves/Warriors games—we're breaking down and reacting to the NBA Draft Lottery.

Astros Are On A 3 Game Lost Streak Falling 17-18, Can They Grab A Win Today Hopefully Grabbing Their Momentum Back?

Astros Are On A 3 Game Lost Streak Falling 17-18, Can They Grab A Win Today Hopefully Grabbing Their Momentum Back?

In this episode, Swim Coach Mike dives into the concept of "low-hanging fruit"—the easy, high-impact adjustments swimmers can make to quickly level up their performance. From small technical tweaks to smarter practice habits, Mike shares practical strategies coaches and swimmers can apply right away for fast, confidence-boosting gains. Whether you're on deck or in the lane, don't miss these simple ways to get more out of every practice. As always feel free to reach out to me on Instagram with any questions (@Swimcoachmike). Head over to ⁠Better Swim Coach⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠to find free resources and ways to elevate your coaching!

After literally dusting off the microphones, we return to catch you up on all of the exciting car related escapades we've been up to since our karting round table. From flying profanity to exciting vacations to run-ins with local law enforcement, it's been EVENTFUL. Welcome back! We're glad you're here!

Exhibitionist encounter in the beach hut at night.Based on a post by jonnicat, in 4 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories. After her exhibitionism at the pool and the intimate pleasures in her hotel room, then the evening in the bar exposing herself and seducing someone to give her the first fuck of the vacation, Astrid was ready for more that night. She was eager and excited about the midnight rendezvous on the beach with the older man she had flashed herself to in the pool.Her parents had said goodnight and gone to their room. Astrid was alone in her room, instant-messaging her best friend Amanda, spilling all about how she had flashed her panties from across the hotel cocktail bar to seduce the horny guy opposite, then had furtive sex with him in a dark corner by the pool. Amanda was pleased that her friend had scored on the first evening but demanded photographic evidence of the next coupling - Astrid had told her about the invitation to meet at the beach hut at midnight.'I'm gonna turn him on and use him all night!''Yay. I wanna see u nude on the beach, bae.''ok I'll get him to take pics of me.''And show me a pic of his cock lol!'Astrid willingly accepted the challenge, and dared Amanda - who had said she was playing tennis the next day - to send her pics of her in her tennis whites but without panties, like that old poster. She knew that Amanda loved to flash her white panties to the tennis coach. They loved daring each other to go further and further with their exhibitionism and generally dirty behavior. Tonight Astrid wanted to excel herself.She had taken a hot shower, soaping herself thoroughly, paying particular attention to her smooth breasts and soft cunny, and was now standing naked in her hotel room trying to decide what to wear. The Mediterranean night was hot so she wouldn't need much. The most difficult question was: panties or not? On the one hand she couldn't resist showing off her hot young body; on the other hand she wanted to give the guy a tease and let him strip her. She chose a very skimpy white beach dress, almost translucent, which was really only meant for pulling on over a bikini. She slipped it on and stood in front of the mirror, admiring her nudity showing through: it gave a clear view of her pert breasts, flat stomach and the outline of her cunny lips. Grabbing her phone, Astrid took a few selfies and sent a couple to Amanda.'wow, he's gonna cum just looking at u!''lol hope he lasts longer than that.''u just have to make him cum more than once then.'She decided not to wear a bra: her young breasts were pert and well-shaped and didn't need support. And of course she wanted the man to see them, already imagining turning him on. She chose a tiny white lacy thong but before putting it on she squeezed a handful of lubricant from the tube and moistened both her holes, just to make it easy for her to be taken any way he chose. Even the act of doing this turned her on and her cunny was already lubricating itself too. She slipped on some sandals, checked herself out in the mirror again, slipped her phone and some condoms into a clutch bag and left the room.She walked slowly and quietly down the dark hotel corridor past her parents' room and opened the fire escape door at the end, which she had noticed was a short-cut to the path that led down to the nearby beach. She quickly reached the hotel gardens, looking around in case anyone was there, but if they were they were well hidden. She felt sure there must be other night-time lovers around on this hot summer night. Soon she was on the boardwalk path that led down to the hotel's private beach. The sand ahead was softly lit by moonlight and she saw the waves gently breaking on the still-warm sand. A warm breeze wrapped around her slim body and she felt a shudder of delight, anticipating the erotic encounter.The man had mentioned the beach hut, which she soon spotted away to the right. To the left she had seen shadows on the ground, silhouettes of another couple lying in the near darkness, but saw no one to the right. The hut was small, appeared to be empty, standing isolated in the quiet midnight beach scene. She knew it must be around midnight by now and hoped he hadn't changed his mind. She sat down in front of the hut, leaning back against it to watch the waves. She spread her legs, enjoying the sensation of the warm night breeze around her thighs and hungry core. She hoped he wouldn't be long.Moments later she saw a tall figure approaching from the direction of the hotel path. A man. Must be him! She stood up as he approached. He smiled. She saw his dark eyes, already full of lust, and admired his tall muscular body, dressed only in a tight white t-shirt and marine blue beach pants which went just below the knee.'Hi,' he said, moving closer.'You came,' she replied.'Not yet. But I figure you can make that happen!' he smiled.She grinned, blushing a little. She guessed he must be around her father's age - about 50 - but he was fit and handsome. She assumed he must be well experienced too.'I'm Mike,' he said.'Astrid.'He gave her a gently kiss on both cheeks and took one of her hands, leading her to the beach hut door. She grinned and blushed. She felt even wetter below now.'Let's go in, if you don't mind.' Astrid nodded and watched as he took a key from his pocket, explaining that he was a regular at the hotel and knew all the maids, one of whom had given him a copy of the key. She wondered how many other women guests and hotel maids he had brought here, but that thought fled from her mind as the door opened and he beckoned her to enter.Inside the hut, which had pine paneled walls, there was a long wooden bench seat with some pegs on the wall above, presumably for people to change clothing. There were a couple of seats and a small unit in the corner. On the floor was a large rug. There was only one window which looked out towards the sea. Moonlight came through and bathed the room in a cool light, just enough for them to see each other. Astrid stood as he looked her up and down, his eyes betraying his approval and excitement at the sexy young woman who seemed to want to show herself off to him.'You're certainly not shy, are you?' he asked. She grinned and held herself proud before him as he admired her breasts through the translucent material. She watched his eyes move downwards to see her white panties and long smooth legs. She felt like she was already naked, being so scantily dressed and knowing he had already seen her assets in the pool. She took her phone from her bag and told him he could take any photos he wanted and that she wanted to see his body too.He switched on the one overhead light and took a few photos with her phone as she posed, growing in confidence as he flattered her with comments and praise. Then he lifted off his shirt, exposing the muscular torso she had seen at the pool. She sensed his musky aroma as he approached. Looking down she saw the bulge of his cock against his thin cotton shorts. She took back the phone and took a few photos of him as he stood smiling.'Wanna see more?' he asked. She nodded and took a series of shots as he reached down and pulled at the waistband. He raised his eyes as if to ask should he pull them down. She nodded and snapped away as he slowly pulled them down, gasping as she saw the smooth glans of his cock appear. She felt a shudder at the thought of having that inside. Suddenly the whole cock sprang out as the shorts fell to the floor; it stood to attention, hardening as she watched and took more photos. Amanda was going to love this!'Now you,' he demanded. She handed him the phone and he began to take snaps as she, grinning girlishly, reached down and pulled up her skimpy half-dress, exposing the tiny white triangle of her panties and her smooth stomach. She saw his eyes widen and cock tremble as she lifted the dress off and shed it to the floor, thrusting her pert breasts proudly forward, their nipples hardening as she posed. He told her to lie down on the rug and she obeyed, spreading her body below him in the moonlight. He took more pictures as she looked up, admiring the massive member hovering above her. Then he motioned her to take off the panties.Astrid hadn't yet noticed that there was someone at the window, looking in from the beach. A dark pair of eyes was watching their every move and filming it. Mike had secretly arranged (not for the first time) for one of his maids to be there to help him catch the scene and take some memories of his conquest.Lying vulnerable on the rug, Astrid again obeyed immediately, reaching down to her waist and using her long fingers to start peeling the panties off where she lay. Slowly she slid them down to expose her smooth cunny lips and well-lubricated slit. She wondered if the bud of her clit was already showing. Then she raised her knees to pull the panties down her thighs as he took more and more pictures, moving closer to take closer snaps of her cunny as she raised her legs and exposed her core to him, quickly pulling the panties off completely. She loved the feeling of being completely nude, lying underneath a mature man with a hard cock she was about to put to good use.He took a few close-up photos of her beautiful cunny and some full-body shots, then lowered himself closer down over her until his cock was in shot. Then he took more photos of his full hardness hovering above her cunny and stroking itself against her stomach. She felt the pre-cum on her belly, already imagining being covered with a flood of his juices. Or would she take his load in her mouth? Or let him explode inside her cunny? Or the other end? She wanted it all! Being exposed and photographed turned her on so much she felt juices oozing out already. His now massive cock throbbed in anticipation.Astrid then beckoned him closer, sticking her tongue out and pointing to her mouth. He took the unsubtle hint and edged his tool closer to her face as he continued to take pictures of their acts. He poised his hard cock right in front of her luscious lips and her fingers clasped it gently. She reached down to her cunny and made one hand wet with her juices, then used it to lubricate his shaft, making him even harder. By now she had decided to blow him and hope he would recover quickly to fuck her holes too.She took the tip of him in between her lips, gently licking the smooth glans as his cock began to throb and harden still more. By now he had put down her phone and balanced himself over her with his hands on the floor either side. His muscular thighs clasped her body below and she felt his flesh brush against her breasts. Her nipples were hardening and she knew she was now soaking wet below. Above she saw his face, enjoying watching him look down at her as she slowly took him deeper in her mouth.From the corner of her eye she sensed a movement. Then she saw the face at the window. Her eyes widened and he realized she had noticed. His cock was filling her mouth so she couldn't speak, but he reassured her, softly saying, 'Don't worry, Astrid, that's only Anabella, one of the maids, a friend of mine. She's filming us. I figured you wouldn't mind...?' Astrid's response was wrap her hands around his stiff member and pull it deeper into her mouth until it reached the back of her throat. She felt his balls against her chin. Might as well put on a show, she thought.That brought him to the edge almost immediately. He was very experienced and could make sex last, but this young one was so hot and dirty he just wanted to fill her with seed as quickly as possible. Astrid sucked and licked the length of his cock as it swelled inside her mouth and a few moments later she felt him tremble and go even harder. He grunted and thrust himself forwards as the first spurt came, then pulled his cock partially out, sending a second hard spurt to the back of her mouth. He finished on her tongue and face, as he pulled out and squirted the rest of his cum on her lips and chin.Afterwards he took another few photos with her phone: her mouth open, tongue covered by a pool of cum she had not yet swallowed; her chin wet with a trail of oozing semen; her cheeks lightly spattered. Some of the shots showed his still hard member, hovering over her young face. Anabella had also captured the whole thing on a video clip he would relish later in his room and perhaps show on a large screen at one of his regular sex parties there.'You up for more?' he asked. 'My turn to make you come!''Umm, yes,' Astrid purred.'Mind if I invite her in to watch?' he asked, pointing to the window.Astrid paused only a moment and agreed.Anabella walked in. She was tall, slim, with luscious red lips and a pretty face framed with long black hair. She had a gently curving figure with medium round breasts half-covered by a bikini top and long athletic legs leading up to a wide thigh gap beneath tiny black bikini briefs. Astrid guessed she was Italian or Greek, a real Mediterranean beauty, and was flattered that the older man had chosen the young English exhibitionist tonight, rather than this exotic babe (though she guessed, correctly, that he had already slept with the maid). Anabella smiled but didn't say a word. Astrid noticed the hand-held video camera and smiled. Anabella smiled delightfully and began to record again as Astrid licked the rest of the cum from her lips and swallowed.'Now lie down here,' Mike said to Astrid, indicating the long wooden sauna-style bench where he had lain a fluffy white towel. As Anabella filmed, Astrid elegantly sat then raised her slim legs to lie down. She stretched out her proud young body the full length, legs together, arms at her sides. The others stood a few moments, looking down and admiring the young woman who was giving her body to them. The maid kissed the man on the neck and lips then stood back to continue filming.He knelt down beside the bench and kissed Astrid firmly on the lips. He could smell himself on her. He loved the way she gave herself up so fully and resolved to give her as much pleasure as possible and make her want more, so that she might come to one of their parties. Next he moved down her body, gently kissing and nuzzling her soft breasts, gently licking the nipples until they were fully erect. Astrid was of course by now soaking wet between her legs, wondering how he would make her come.The answer was to turn her on increasingly by kissing and teasing her, licking and caressing her young body, lying prone beneath him, edging closer and closer, down her tummy to her core. Soon his lips reached her bikini zone. He gently kissed and licked around her swelling cunny, teasingly avoiding her for a few moments, then suddenly flicking his tongue across her wet slit, causing her to gasp out loud. Her legs spread a little as he began to slide his tongue expertly along her labia and into her wetness, quickly finding the little button of her clit.He used his fingers to gently spread her and expose it, so that he could lick her there with the tip of his tongue, flicking it side to side across the little white button as she arched herself upwards to him, beginning to moan. She knew she wouldn't last long like this. She had always enjoyed being kissed there by Amanda in their college room, but this man really knew what he was doing. Within moments she was beginning to tremble with pleasure and felt a wave inside as her orgasm came, the first wave flooding gently through her, the second bringing her juices out onto his tongue. She let go and cried out at the final climax as he sucked and licked her out, taking every drop of her honey.Afterwards she lay there trembling gently, her senses alive, her cunny tingling and aching. She felt like she could come again easily if one of them touched her. But as she looked up she saw Anabella kneeling down in front of Mike, one hand cupped around his balls, the other feeding his hardening member in between her full red lips. On the one hand Astrid wanted to see them fuck and was turned on watching; on the other hand she wanted that cock inside her next!She wasn't disappointed. As soon as he was rock hard, Anabella stood away and retrieved the camera. He came over to Astrid, his tool leading the way, sticking out in front as he reached her side. He surprised her by reaching his arms underneath her and lifting her off the bench in one quick easy movement, as if she was a doll, and carried her to the center of the room. Yes, she thought, let me be your fuck-doll!He laid her down on the rug, on her back, and spread her legs, kneeling between them. She said she had a condom in her purse but he told her not to worry as he couldn't make her pregnant and he was clean. She paused for a moment then smiled up at him and nodded. She loved the idea of taking his bare cock inside, letting him flood into her. She felt dirty in a highly sexy way, letting him use her like this.He didn't waste time. Anabella was sitting on the bench now, filming them and fingering herself. Astrid spread her legs wider and watched him move his body closer, his fully erect cock hovering over her again. He gently pushed his smooth glans over her wet cunny lips, which spread as he put slight pressure on them. He rubbed this way for a few moments, getting even harder. Her eyes begged him to take her. She took hold of his arms, pulling him closer down onto her.She was so wet and turned on, and he was so adept, that his cock easily began to slide into her, its tip moving inside, opening the young woman up for his pleasure. He moved smoothly deeper, with gentle thrusts and she felt him throbbing inside her. Instinctively she flexed her cunt muscles to squeeze him as if to pull and keep him deep inside. Then he moved a little harder and pushed his full length inside, causing her to gasp and spread wide. He lowered his body onto her and she reached around his back to hold him to her as she gave herself up to this mature and tender man.He thrust in and out, quick and fast, hard and soft, for what seemed a long time. Astrid had never been fucked so well and wondered how he lasted so long. He seemed to be able to take himself just to the limit then pause, at the same time bringing her closer and closer. Her body felt light, as if she was floating. Inside she felt waves of lust and floods of pleasure, which soon brought her to orgasm. She bucked and moaned as she came, her cunny and clit highly sensitive as he thrust harder and throbbed inside her.And then she felt him come hard, deep inside, filling her with strong spurts of cum again and again. He thrust several more times, hard, making her gasp and moan, as his final climax came, emptying the rest of his juices into her young body. As he pulled out she felt all the juices flooding out of her. She looked down at him as he positioned himself over her face, feeding his cock into her eager mouth. She licked her juices and the rest of his cum and sucked him dry as Anabella filmed them.Astrid hoped she could watch the whole video of her midnight at the beach hut but wasn't sure how to ask. Then as they gathered their clothes he whispered, 'Room 701. Penthouse suite. Come and party with us one night.' She grinned and kissed him on the lips. Anabella hugged her and kissed them both.Astrid knew already that she would accept that invitation and as they walked beach along the beach towards the hotel she wondered what else was coming on this fabulous vacation.Sex-filled vacation continues in market, hotel room and gym.It was only the second day of the vacation and Astrid had already enjoyed sexual encounters with three men:1.      The young man from the room next to hers, whom she had teased and jerked off, after he had watched her masturbating.2.      The guy she had seduced from the hotel cocktail bar and given herself to, in a dark corner outside by the pool.3.      And of course Mike, the more mature man she had flashed herself to, in the pool in the afternoon, then met at midnight in the beach hut, where they had sex three ways while his exotic maid filmed them at it.She had been invited to go and party with Mike and his gang in his penthouse suite one evening. And she guessed she could easily take the boy in the next room if she felt horny - she had agreed to leave a pair of red panties on the balcony as a signal whenever she wanted him to visit her room. The guy in the cocktail bar was a one-off, probably, but she knew she would easily find and seduce other men around the hotel.She was considering trying out the hotel gym and spa later - perhaps a massage too. But the plan for the morning was to go to the market in the nearby town.At breakfast in the hotel she had got herself in the mood for another day of exhibitionism and random sexual encounters by wearing extremely tight white shorts, with only a thong underneath to avoid visible panty line and show off her athletic glutes. Above she wore a yellow crop top and no bra. Sure enough eyes followed her constantly as she moved around the breakfast buffet or to and from her table. She relished parading herself around the room, sensing lustful looks and catching lascivious glances.So by the time Astrid got to the market she was really in the mood, eager to show herself off to anyone to give them a thrill and turn herself on.She had changed into a skirt - white, short, pleated - which danced teasingly around her thighs as she walked. Above she wore a bright floral-patterned vest and no bra. Her rich brunette hair was loose. As she began to walk around the square she immediately noticed guys checking her out, so she stayed a few steps behind her parents so she could flaunt herself and make the most of it.The market was mostly in the open, in a small square, a few permanent shops along the sides. Her parents wandered off to look at trinkets and local crafts while Astrid went straight to the clothing stalls. For a while she just browsed. Then she settled on a stall outside one of the small stores selling women's clothing and beachwear. The sales assistant was a handsome young local man with dark hair and bright smile. Astrid gave him her best smile and flirted as they spoke while she picked a few items to try on.He showed her inside the store to the fitting room - in fact just a corner of the store that was curtained off. Behind the curtain there was a chair, some hooks on the wall and a full length mirror on two sides. She hung up her bag and the items she had chosen then slipped off her sandals.Before closing the curtain she asked the assistant if he would stay nearby so that she could get his opinion as she tried items on. 'Be honest,' she said to him. 'Tell me if you like what I choose. I want a sexy beach outfit.' She grinned as he blushed. She drew the flimsy curtain but left a gap, aware that he could easily position himself to peek in.First she took a skirt that she thought might be good for going to the beach. She unclipped the waist of her own skirt and let it fall to the floor. She looked at herself in the mirror, turning to assess her fit young body from different angles in both mirrors. She admired her slim figure and athletic legs, focusing on the tiny white triangle of her panties. As she had suspected and hoped, the sales assistant was sneaking a

Jeremy Rutherford hanging out for another segment taking two part questions. JR has never been to Clayton but he has been to KFC. Andy's been on hold for a while and he was not a fan of the puck tracer on the TV broadcast last night. Big Al next on the phone lines. He's not happy with Chairman's phone call filtering process. Playoff series that JR is looking most forward to. Sharon in Clayton and The Self Made Stay At Home Ladue Mom are warring. Most of these other guys are dudes. Grabbing rope between marriages.E-Mail of the Day Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jeremy Rutherford hanging out for another segment taking two part questions. JR has never been to Clayton but he has been to KFC. Andy's been on hold for a while and he was not a fan of the puck tracer on the TV broadcast last night. Big Al next on the phone lines. He's not happy with Chairman's phone call filtering process. Playoff series that JR is looking most forward to. Sharon in Clayton and The Self Made Stay At Home Ladue Mom are warring. Most of these other guys are dudes. Grabbing rope between marriages. E-Mail of the Day Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vermont has been thrust to the center of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.On April 14, Mohsen Mahdawi, a student at Columbia University and a legal permanent resident of the U.S. who lives in the Upper Valley of Vermont, traveled to Colchester for his naturalization interview, the final step in becoming an American citizen. Mahdawi was born in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has lived in the U.S. for a decade and holds a green card.Mahdawi has been a Palestinian rights activist at Columbia, though he did not participate in the student protest encampment there last spring. He is set to graduate next month. He suspected that his immigration appointment was a “honey trap” meant to lure him out to be deported, as happened to his friend, Mahmoud Khalil, a green-card holder and a fellow Palestinian student activist at Columbia.Before traveling to Colchester on Monday, Mahdawi alerted his attorneys, Vermont's congressional delegation, and journalists in the event that he was arrested. When he showed up for his naturalization interview, he was taken by hooded plainclothes officers who placed him in handcuffs before he could leave the building.Mahdawi has not been charged with a crime. According to his attorneys, he was detained under an obscure law that permits foreign nationals to be deported if they pose "serious adverse foreign policy consequences." Mahdawi's attorneys argue that he is being punished for protected speech in violation of the First Amendment and his right to due process. In response to an emergency petition filed by Mahdawi's lawyers, Vermont federal Judge William Sessions ordered the Trump administration not to deport him or move him out of the state while he reviews the case.A CBS News crew interviewed Mahdawi the day before his arrest. He told them, "If my story will become another story for the struggle to have justice and democracy in this country, let it be."Also on Monday, attorneys for Rümeysa Öztürk, a graduate student at Tufts University, argued before Judge Sessions in Burlington that Öztürk's arrest on March 25 violated the law. Öztürk, a former Fulbright fellow who is from Turkey and is in the U.S. on a student visa, was grabbed off the street in Somerville, Mass., by masked plainclothes men, a scene that was captured in a now-viral video. She was whisked to Vermont that night before being flown to Louisiana the following morning. A federal judge in Boston ruled that her case should be heard in Vermont. Judge Sessions is now considering the matter.Öztürk's attorneys assert that the Trump administration secretly revoked her student visa and targeted her for co-writing an op-ed in Tufts' student newspaper that criticized university leaders for their response to demands that the school divest from companies with ties to Israel.Both Mahdawi and Öztürk have been targeted by shadowy right wing pro-Israel groups.  Mahdawi was named by the militant Zionist organization Betar US, which placed his name on a “deport list” that it gave to the Trump administration.Öztürk was targeted by Canary Mission, a right-wing group that claims that she “engaged in anti-Israel activism,” an apparent reference to her op-ed piece.Vermont's political leaders denounced Mahdawi's arrest. Rep. Becca Balint, and Senators Peter Welch and Bernie Sanders issued a statement saying that Madahwi's arrest “is immoral, inhumane, and illegal.” They demanded that he “must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention.”Gov. Phil Scott stated, “Law enforcement officers in this country should not operate in the shadows or hide behind masks.”On Tuesday, Democratic leaders in the Vermont Senate demanded that Vt. Gov Phil Scott terminate an agreement that allows federal immigration authorities to lodge detainees in state prison.The Vermont Conversation spoke with two attorneys at the center of these cases.“The larger concern here is one's right to free speech,” said Cyrus Mehta, an immigration attorney based in New York and an adjunct professor of law at Brooklyn Law School. He is part of Mohsen Mahdawi's legal team.“The Supreme Court has long held … that everyone in the United States, whether they're citizens or non-citizens, including green card holders, have a First Amendment right to free speech. The free speech might not be to your liking. You may not agree with it. But as long as it's lawful, as long as you're not engaging in criminal conduct, that speech should be protected under our First Amendment.”“It is against the interests of the United States to harshly go against students, treat them like criminals -- even worse than criminals by detaining them, not giving them bond -- and their only offense has been speech that has not particularly been favored by this administration.”Mehta warned that denying rights to green card holders “will slowly extend to U.S. citizens, we will all lose this cherished First Amendment right to express ourselves.”Grabbing people off the street by masked plainclothes officers “absolutely bears many of the hallmarks of a kidnapping,” said Lia Ernst, legal director of the ACLU of Vermont, who is on Rümeysa Öztürk's legal team. (Disclosure: I serve on the board of the ACLU of Vermont).“The notion that the administration — with no due process, with no judicial review — can sneak someone around the country, as happened in our case, and then, as has happened in these other instances, out of the country, and then claim they are powerless to do anything about it, is utterly foreign to the American legal system. It's utterly foreign to the rule of law, and it is abhorrent.”"It's just horrifying, and I believe intentionally. The government is not trying to just punish Rümeysa for her speech. It's trying to tell everyone else they better only express opinions with which the government agrees. And that cannot be in the United States of America.”As President Trump and his allies stymie court orders, will the legal system hold?“I have to believe that it will, but it will not do it on its own,” replied Ernst. She cited the importance of recent protests.“There is real power in the people standing together and demanding adherence to the rule of law … and to stand up to this administration and to say that its refusal to abide by the constitution and to abide by the rule of law will not be tolerated. But the legal system can't do it by itself.”

Prince George's County congressman Glenn Ivey talks about the latest developments in the case of his resident who was mistaken deported by the Trump administration.

Let's be real—your audience is scrollin' faster than ever, and AI-generated content is everywhere. So how the heck do you stand out and actually stop the scroll with your words?   In this exclusive sneak peek into my private podcast series Write to Win, I'm pulling back the curtain on: What it really takes to grab attention in this AI-saturated era The 3R's every piece of high-converting copy needs (miss one, and they may just keep scrollin' past) Why regurgitating the same trends and templates is doing more harm than good for your brand How to write copy, and be radically different   If you've been feeling like what you're writing is starting to sound like everyone else's—or you're just not quite sure how to get CUT THROUGH in this current era. This is for you.  

Mom's Hot Friend, Rachel Beautiful mature woman Joins Our Family Vacation on the beach. By Stonemarten. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. At the time of this story, I was about 30 years old and still near the peak of my virility; I had recently broken-up from a long-term relationship and feeling a little bruised by the experience, though I never felt lonely, as I've always had good mates around me, both male and female. My mum used to take short holidays out-of-season at a quiet beach resort in Spain and as my dad was constantly working, she often used to share her apartment with AuntyRachel. Rachel wasn't really my Aunty, but a very close friend of my mother's youth. I was told she was very close to us when I was a baby, and that's when she accepted the honorary title of Aunty, by my parents.  She'd married and moved away, but a couple years ago she was divorced. She never had children, so she renewed her connection with mum and the nickname "Aunty" seemed about right. Mum and Aunty were always very close, but I had almost no familiarity with her. She was a fine looking, mature woman in her late fifties and kept very fit and healthy for her age. She had mid-brown hair, which lightened a little in the sun and slight crows-feet around the eyes, for she was always sunning herself, giving her a lovely overall tan. Rachel was not slim, not fat, but curvaceous, with large boobs (I'd say D Cup) and a flattish tummy, a good sized bum with only a hint of cellulite; she went to the gym regularly and was in good shape for her age. Because mum knew I was a little down in the dumps, she asked whether I wished to join her and Rachel for a few days relaxing in the sunshine, eating some healthy Mediterranean food and swimming in the warm sea; not a regular prospect for me when living in Scotland! Up to then, I hadn't spent much time with Rachel, as I lived a long way from my parents since leaving for uni. My folks lived in the South of England. When I had met 'Aunty' while visiting my folks, she had always seemed very vivacious and friendly and I did like the look of her, having a bit of a penchant for mature women. Their little Riviera apartment was on the first floor of a well-kept, but almost deserted block, quite up-market, as the unit had three large bedrooms all on-suite. We each had our own room and space, a cozy arrangement, where we could come and go doing our own thing. My mum, who was a bit of an amateur artist, was off painting really good watercolor paintings; Rachel liked to read books and generally relax in the sunshine, whilst I went off early morning nature and bird-watching, which has always been my special thing (love-making excluded). A Stroll On The Beach Late one afternoon, mum was due to drive to a local beauty spot to paint a sunset and suggested that Rachel and I should perhaps go for a wander along the beach, as the weather was lovely. Just then Rachel strolled into the living room in a skimpy bikini, revealing her lush cleavage and deeply tanned body. How could I say 'no'? We set out together heading westwards along the wide sandy beach, which was almost deserted, except for the odd dog walker. Rachel was dressed in a yellow and white striped bikini with her bottom half wrapped in a light blue sarong. I was wearing t-shirt and swimming shorts. We walked slowly besides each other chatting away warmed by the sun. At one stage, Rachel took my hand and so we strolled hand-in-hand like a couple, but this wasn't a surprise to me as she was naturally an affectionate person. She took genuine interest in my life and preferences, even asking about my sex life and preferences? She treated me as a peer, not as a nephew. When I told her my recent relationship lacked any variety, she gasped; "She wouldn't even let you eat her?" Did she blow you? "No, and no." I said. It was getting hot, so Rachel undid her sarong, so looking down at her bottom, I thought I'd compliment her by saying: "wow, even your ass is tanned brown;" I said, while pulling down my own swim shorts at the back to show her my somewhat paler backside.  She smiled graciously at my compliment. "It's not just my ass that's brown" she said, reaching back to undo her bikini top and letting loose her large, tanned boobs. They were fully-bronzed indeed, sagging slightly of course, but otherwise perfect, with lovely dark brown nipples. "Take your shorts and t-shirt off" she said: "there's no-one around and you could do with getting some sun on your whiter bits". Amazingly, her confidence rubbed off on me and I took off my shirt and pulled my shorts off, becoming totally naked beside her. She put my garments in her beach bag, along with her sarong. My body was in good shape in those days though with a flat stomach and muscles defined from martial arts and the gym. How the hell did I muster up such confidence? So there we were, strolling along hand-in-hand with the only scrap of clothing between the two of us being Rachel's little bikini bottom. Rachel looked amazing and the sway of her hips as she moved caused a slight tumescence in my prick which she couldn't help but notice, as it swung a little from side to side. A couple moments later it was clubbing my thighs in a rhythm set by my walking pace.  All of a sudden, she dropped her hand from mine and reached over instead to grasp my swaying cock in her hand. "Your poor cock is getting knocked around. Such a shame to see such a beautiful phallus being treated so." She said as she led me along at a slower pace. This pleasant surprise immediately had my cock swelling and hardened to a long, thick erection, which she began stroking up and down slowly, whilst sporting a wide smile and wicked glint in her eyes, "what a lovely big boy" she exclaimed. A little way ahead of us was a small break between the sand dunes and an amused Rachel led me towards this gap, pulling me behind her by the cock in a rather comical manner.  I said nothing but anticipated anything could happen next. When we were hidden from view, she released me and spread-out her sarong on the sand. She then took me by the cock and guided me down, kneeling next to where she stood, then pushing me down onto my back in front of her. Dropping onto her knees between my thighs, she leaned her head down towards my rampant cock and placed the engorged pink head into her luscious mouth. Grabbing the shaft and wanking it, she licked and sucked my cock head and down to my balls, causing me to moan and shudder with pleasure; Rachel also gave out little moans, clearly enjoying the effect on me. After a few exquisite minutes, Rachel stood-up and quickly shed her bikini bottoms, moving forward to straddle my firm manhood that she placed between her spreading thighs. Rubbing its head for a few seconds against her moist labia, she eased down slowly to accommodate the thick shaft. Rachel's moist cunt may not have been the tightest, but it was certainly the hottest and wettest I'd ever felt, it was amazing and she could firmly grip me tightly. It took all my will-power not to ejaculate into her right there and then. Fortuitously for my ego, it was this lovely older lady that came first, as even after the first couple of pumps, Rachel was contorting forward and whimpering loudly as she convulsed over and over in a massive orgasm, gushing juices and clamping onto my thick shaft. Rachel's soft, brown tits bounced up and down gloriously as she rode me, pumping up and down on my swollen cock, as we both moaned and groaned in unison. I reached-up to grab and squeeze them, flicking my thumbs over her erect nipples as I did so; within seconds this had the desired effect and Rachel spasmed and pitched with the second of her mighty orgasms, which seemed to go on and on, her face contorted and mouth wide open. After a minute or so of further humping, Rachel rose up a little and I pushed her gently sideways onto her back. Straddling between her wide open legs, my head descended towards her womanhood, my tongue lapping at her engorged lips and clitoris like a cat at the cream; a few seconds of this had Rachel bucking and cumming again, grasping her tits and nipples and arching her back; I carried-on licking for a good five minutes as she gasped and sighed. My rampant cock was straining to return to its hot, wet home, so I moved up and over Rachel, giving her breasts deserved attention with my gaping mouth, before kissing and snogging this beautiful Milf, with our nether organs rubbing against each other. We were so ready for the finale with my favorite love-making position, the missionary. Grabbing my cock by the shaft, I pushed up into her soaking cunt and then plunged with abandon into her lovely body. Over and over I thrust into her, bum bouncing up and down obscenely, cock rodding in and out like a lubricated piston. We were both groaning at the pleasure of it and the pressure was building and building in my sperm-laden balls. Soon I could take it no longer, the site of this beautiful older woman writhing beneath me and the rhythmic squeezing of her cunt on my cock made me explode - jets of warm semen shot from my balls in white spurts through my pulsing shaft, splashing into the intimate depths of the gorgeous Rachel, as she screamed in mutual orgasm at the prize she had won by servicing this rampant young male. After kissing, cuddling and cleaning ourselves up, we set-off back down the beach holding hands as the sun was setting behind us, a little sheepish, as we didn't want mum to find-out what we had done. What was certain though, was that there was no way my lovely mature Rachel would be escaping my lusty clutches at least once again before I left for the UK in a few days' time. Fun times in the shower with amazing older woman. Following our illicit encounter on the beach, I only had a couple of days remaining of my holiday in Spain and was desperate to get to grips with Aunty Rachel at least once more before I left. Mum seemed to notice a change of atmosphere between myself and Rachel on the occasions when the three of us were socialising together.. I never seemed to have a chance to be alone with her, as mum was always around, purposely or not. On the last day before I was due to fly back to the UK, I resigned myself to not having another sexy encounter with the gorgeous lady. After lunch together, mum took Rachel out shopping and I went to sunbathe on a lounger and swim in the pool. Later in the afternoon, I went to the apartment to have a shower and to wash off the chlorine. It was a good sized shower and the shower-head was one of those large modern ones that makes you feel like you're standing in a tropical rainstorm. Needless to say, a lot of steam rose-up which fogged-up the place. Soon I was aware that someone had entered the bathroom, but I couldn't see clearly through the steamed-up glass. A manicured hand slid open the glass door to reveal the fully nude, tanned glory of the lovely Rachel. She stepped into the shower and I pulled her gently towards my slippery body, as the warm water cascaded upon us. We immediately started to kiss passionately and my soapy hands stroked and fondled her wonderful curves. Hers in turn ran-up and down my firm, muscular frame. My cock was quickly at full mast, poking rudely against her belly. One of her hands reached down to grasp the thick shaft, wanking it back and forth, causing the bulbous head to roll-in and out of the foreskin; within seconds this had me moaning with pleasure. Her other hand began to cup and soap my sperm laden balls making pre-cum ooze as a result of her double attention. My hands were upon her large, soft boobs, fondling and gently tweaking the lovely brown nipples into rising peaks. I leaned my head down to suckle them, one and then the other. Moving my right hand down between her legs, I ran my fingers up and down her swollen labia and over her little love button, then into her warm, moist cunt. Rachel gasped, delightfully surprised at the expert fingering of such a fine young man. We carried-on frigging each other, our tongues entwining deliciously in the French manner, groaning and mewing. Rachel's mouth suddenly gaped wide in a high-pitched howl as the spasms of orgasm overwhelmed her, love-hole clamping in pulses on my fingers and soaking them with juices. I was sure our secret was now discovered. The whole building had to have heard Rachel's orgasm. She noticed my concern and simply said; "It'll take her at least another 30 minutes to get back here. When we left the shower, we were clean in one way for sure, but very dirty in another, as Rachel leaned over me to envelop my stiff cock in her mouth, sucking and butterfly licking its sensitive head. I grabbed a large bath towel and started drying-us down as Rachel's head bobbed back and forth. Discarding the towel, I followed Rachel into her bedroom admiring her curvy figure, fantastic for a woman now in her midlife. When she turned towards me, I pushed her backwards onto the bed, with my strong body on top of her, opening thighs wide and watching her soft tits bounce up and down. My cock found her cunt with impeccable aim and eased all the way into her warm moist sheath. Rachel may have been a mature woman, but she was a perfect fit for my youthful prick as I began to piston in and out of her. Smooth bronze legs curled around the back of my thighs, as I pumped over and over again to a chorus of: "oh baby, oh baby, oh baby!" With the feeling I was about to cum, I built-up the intensity of my thrusts, so that Rachel could sense it and her cries grew louder as she peaked towards her own climax. I was there and with a guttural growl, erupted, spunk shooting and coating her intimate place with torrents of warm white seed. As if on instinct, Rachel's cunt clenched in uncontrollable spasms as she wailed in the throes of her own orgasm. When mum arrived home sometime later, Rachel and I were in the kitchen drinking wine as if nothing had happened. A conspiratorial grin from Rachel was the only confirmation of our secretive passion. I flew out of Spain the next morning with a renewed sense of joy. I took the train from London to Edinburgh while having the distinct feeling that it wouldn't be long before I would partake again in the pleasures of Rachel, the gorgeous older woman. Lovely, mature Rachel heats-up my wee flat in Edinburgh. My heart raced a little faster when I saw the unmistakable, curvy figure of Aunty Rachel coming towards me down the platform of Waverley Station in Edinburgh. She looked as beautiful as ever as I gathered her up in my arms for a kiss. She was wearing a figure-hugging, light blue dress showing off her ample cleavage, underneath a short, pale yellow jacket and white scarf with blue polka dots. She was looking very summery with her tan, sun-lightened, brown hair and large round sunglasses. I grabbed her suitcase and held her hand as we headed-up onto Princes Street and then on to Rose Street to a pub for a drink, so she could relax after her long journey from the South of England The pub was very busy, so we sat cozily next to each other chatting, whilst I drank my pint of Belhaven Best and she sipped her gin and tonic. Her sweet perfume and the proximity of this luscious, mature woman had my cock swelling a little in my trousers, so I leaned over to kiss her full lips, as our thighs rubbed softly together and her hand gently stroked my knee. After a second round of drinks, I was beginning to feel a bit tipsy and even more horny at the thought of a proper re-acquaintance with this gorgeous creature. We left the pub and took a cab from a nearby taxi-rank for the short journey to my flat in the old city. On closing the door to my cozy wee place, Rachel put her arms around me for a hug and I pushed her gently up against the wall in the hallway so we could kiss passionately, our hands running hungrily over each other's bodies. My fully engorged prick ground against her luscious mound as we snogged, with Rachel rotating her hips a little to allow maximum contact to her sensitive places, making her moan quietly into my mouth, as our tongues fenced and swirled. Breaking-off reluctantly and holding Rachel's hand, I gave her a brief tour of my little bachelor pad at which she was suitably impressed. I had set a romantic table for two in the kitchen and started to cook a light stir-fry with sea-food in my wok, as Rachel chatted to me cheerily over a glass or two of Chablis. Rachel looked even prettier with her eyes sparkling over our candlelight dinner and I felt my seductive banter and boozy, home-made tiramisu was bound to get her in the mood for loving. After the meal, Rachel disappeared into the bathroom, whilst I sat languishing on my sofa with a little dram. She entered the sitting room wearing my toweling bathrobe. As she stood in front of me with a cheeky smile, she undid the belt and slowly slid the robe off her shoulders to reveal a magnificent sight to any young, horny guy like me. Rachel was in the finest lingerie, matching ivory silk bra and panties covered with red roses and silk stockings and suspenders of the same creamy color. With her tan and feminine curves, she looked amazing as she gave a sexy little wiggle and turn for my admiration. I rose to my feet, with a hard cock pressing visibly in my trousers and held her hand above her head as she twirled like in a ballroom dance. Standing back and gazing from her head to her varnished toes with unbridled lust, I gathered her into my arms for a passionate snog. My hands stroked up and down her lovely body and through her hair and she did the same with my manly frame. We carried-on French kissing and moaning gently as my hands cupped and fondled her large, silk-encased globes, thumb flicking softly over her nipples, causing them to poke-out through the shiny fabric. My other hand strayed between her legs to rub up and down her cunt lips, so that moisture seeped on-to my fingers through the silky material. Rachel moaned and held hard onto me, as her knees buckled at the pleasure flashing through her from my dexterous digits. I was desperate to shaft this gorgeous, mature woman, so scooped her into my arms and carried her into my bedroom, throwing her onto my king-sized bed. As I was stripping off my clothing, Rachel spread her thighs and ran her graceful fingers up and down the soaking silk of her panties. "I love your strong, young body" she gasped. When I'd stripped off my boxer shorts and my thick, hard cock bounced-out, she couldn't take her eyes off it and placed her hand inside her panties to rub her sensitive clitty with abandon. I maneuvered my head between her legs and pulled aside her panties to admire her moist cunt, then used the flat of my tongue to lap at her engorged labia. This had Rachel squirming and moaning as she ran her fingers through my hair. Flicking my tongue like a side to side like a lizard on her little bud, whilst fingering her cunt, soon had Rachel arching and spasming in orgasm, squirting some love juice onto my hand and face. Moving up her lovely body, she had undone her bra, freeing me to fondle those fulsome, tanned boobies and suckle and butterfly flick her long, brown nipples to her evident delight. Her hand reached down to grasp my thick cock, jerking it up and down slowly with elegant fingers. "I want that big boy inside of me" she pleaded, rising up and guiding my rampant erection towards her silk covered womanhood. Pulling her panties to one side, she slowly impaled herself down onto the thick shaft, gasping as she did so. "Oh, how you fill me, oh I love it" she moaned and shuddered. Rachel began to ease up and down, soon riding my cock like a desperado, her mouth open wide in ecstasy, as I pumped up into her. Warm love juices and precum mixed and streamed down my pistoning rod, flowing over hairy balls onto the duvet beneath. We were both gasping and groaning in unity, with me so close to exploding and Rachel screaming as she came again, a second huge orgasm pulsing in waves through her gorgeous body. Turning the panting Rachel onto her back, I lay on top kissing her face and neck, as she recovered from such a powerful climax. The head of my engorged prick was probing lightly at her dripping labia and throbbing clit as we petted lovingly. Soon she was ready for me again and reached down to guide my hard cock towards the entrance of her open cunt, then grasped my firm ass, pushing me all the way deep into her soaking love tunnel. I began to thrust, slowly at first and then with gathering pace as Rachel's lovely, hot cunt enticed and squeezed my throbbing shaft. She moaned and cried: "Oh God, oh God" as I pumped her harder and harder, grinding on her clitty on the downward stroke to push her towards heights of desire. Soon, I knew that I could hold out no longer; my aching balls were rising and the pressure within them building to blasting point. In and out, in and out I humped, balls-deep into this beautiful cougar, her wanton body arching upwards to match my thrusts. Then it was there, I was coming, sperm rushing from balls through throbbing shaft, jetting streams of hot white spunk into lovely Rachel's soaking cunt, herself rippling again in orgasm, as if to milk every last spurt of young man's juice into her grasping womb. We lay in each other's arms, gazing into adoring eyes and kissing fondly as we caught our breath from our loving exertions. We had the whole weekend ahead of us and I knew I would have to summon all my youthful strength and energy to satisfy the unbridled lust of this wonderful older woman. Rachel was an incredibly orgasmic, mature woman and I believe I brought-out the very best of her sexuality. By Stonemarten for Literotica

Blake Lively was caught grabbing her co-star Henry Golding by the balls in an improvised scene in A Simple Favor; a move that was not written in the script. Plus, we have her response to Jed Wallace's lawsuit! And let's debunk Ronald Richards's latest tweets about RHOBH star Erika Jayne's lawsuits with Marco Marco.   Shop New "Justice for Justin" and "Mommy Sleuth" Merch now: https://merchlabs.com/collections/zack-peter?srsltid=AfmBOoqqnV3kfsOYPubFFxCQdpCuGjVgssGIXZRXHcLPH9t4GjiKoaio    Book a personalized message on Cameo: https://v.cameo.com/e/QxWQhpd1TIb    Listen to The Pop Report: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pop-report/id1746150111    Watch Disaster Daters: https://open.spotify.com/show/3L4GLnKwz9Uy5dT8Ey1VPi    Join the Zack Pack Community to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs3Zs51YaK-xw2U5ypi5eqg/join    Couldn't get enough? Follow @justplainzack or @nofilterwithzack

Nick and Chris discuss the peril of April Fool's Day when it comes to football, the manipulation of the transfer window to suit certain clubs and, of course, some Oldham s***e. —————————————— If you would like to support the podcast, you can do so by subscribing to our offering at anotherslice.com/famousslopingpitch.  For just £5 a month you'll get an ad-free version of the podcast every week PLUS fortnightly bonus episodes where we delve into seasons past and review them.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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An April Fools Prank Goes Awry.By SilverFoxMullet - Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories .Spring break was just that, a break. My leg, actually.When I went home to Ottawa for spring break, I met up with a few of my old high school buds, and we took a day trip to the Quebec side for some skiing at one of the nearby hills, north of Ottawa. Mid afternoon, I hit a patch of ice and went down hard. It was quite a day for falls, as the hills were pretty icy this late in the season. I tried to get up, but my right ankle hurt like a bitch. None of my friends had stopped, as we were all falling a lot today, they just assumed I would get up and follow them."Aw fuck!" I groaned. I lay there in the snow for a few minutes, until someone slid to a stop next to me."Hey, are you all right?" the guy asks."No, I hurt my ankle. Fuck.""Don't move it, I'll find the ski patrol. Hang on." He skied away to get help.30 seconds later another guy stopped. Same question. "Hey are you all right?""I think I sprained my ankle. There was a guy here a minute ago, he said he'd send the ski patrol."The guy turned and looked around, then waved and yelled "Ici! Over here! Vien! Here they are."Two guys in red jackets stopped and asked what's wrong. This other guy said "Good luck!" to me, and skied away, as I recounted the fall and my symptoms. The ski patrol guys were great, they radioed for a stretcher and 20 minutes later they're loading me into an ambulance. The rest of the day was a lot of waiting, x-rays, and paperwork. The local hospital had a seasonal trauma unit for all the ski injuries, and they're used to dealing with the inter-provincial healthcare.I called my Dad, who said he'd fetch me from the hospital, then called my buddies who were still in the chalet'. He told them to go home without me. They commiserated and said they'd drop by my house tomorrow and see how I was doing.I eventually got a cast on my right leg. It spanned from my toes to my mid-thigh. I was issued a pair of crutches, and a whole ream of instructions (in both French and English of course) about what to do and what not to do. My Dad showed up somewhere during this tedious process and reassured me everything would be fine.We got home really late, after stopping at a pharmacy for pain meds, and stopping for takeout, damn I was hungry by then. I was asleep in minutes after I took one of those pills after getting home.Next morning, I had to take another pill, damn leg was throbbing like mad. I had to learn how to negotiate using the toilet with crutches, fuck, that's pain in the arse. Then I had to figure out how to shower. They gave me a shower bag for the cast but I couldn't get the damn thing on by myself. Mom was trying to be motherly (naturally) but I was way too embarrassed to be seen naked in front of her. My Dad was a trooper, he helped me with all the bathroom stuff, and I got my shower OK.I wasn't going to be able to drive for a while, so my folks said they'd drive me back to school in Toronto. I could come home by bus and get my car once I was able to drive. Great."Actually, if I could have my car on campus, one of my buddies could drive me around. None of the other guys have a car." Not that my rattly old car was much of a ride, but it got us from A to B."OK" my Dad says, "Your mother can drive you there, and I'll follow in your car, then we'll drive back together.""Awesome, sounds like a plan!"The rest of the day my parents helped me work out how to deal with the cast and crutches and take care of personal stuff by myself, like getting dressed, showering, shaving (yeah, ever try to balance on one foot to shave? fuckin hell), and using the toilet. My mom went shopping and bought me a bunch of baggy sweat pants, something that would go over my cast.My old friends dropped by with some hard coolers the next day, thinking it would cheer me up; but I had to pass on those due to the meds I was on. They laughed at me and drank it all, themselves. We all had a good laugh about my predicament, and they wished me luck at college. Gonna need it, eh?Then it was time to head back to school. I'd been texting and calling my buddies at school, told them the whole idiot story of my misadventures. They laughed at me big time, and of course they worried about their ride, what was gonna happen to my car? I told them about the arrangements and they were happy that it would still be available.The drive to school was really tedious, seemed to last forever, because it was so fricking uncomfortable to sit there with that stiff cast on. They got me and my stuff into my room in the dorm, and said their good-byes. I was so happy that I was on the first floor! No stairs here but there were stairs all over campus. Sure, there's elevators everywhere but I didn't know where most of them were.First order of business, I gotta pee after that road trip. I used the big accessible stall in the bathroom, that was great. Grab bars, lots of room, it really was made for this kind of thing. Easier than the bathroom at home, that's for sure.I was the butt of a lot of jokes and shit for the first few days, but otherwise it was fine. Down in the dining hall I spotted someone else who'd had a fun spring break. There was a girl with her whole arm in a cast, like from shoulder to wrist, with the elbow bent at 90 degrees. I wondered what happened to her. Skiing too I supposed. My buddies said we'd make a great couple and told me to go ask her out. No way, dudes, not gonna happen. I can't talk to girls, I always get freaked out and clam up.The end of March rolled around, and I still had weeks to go before getting my cast off. There was a party on Saturday night, and I was weaning off the strong meds by now so I could have a few drinks. My floor mates were getting me drinks, too; so I ended up having a few more than I would normally have. I was feeling buzzed by the end of the night.One of the guys suddenly showed up with a wheelchair. "Robbo! we got you some wheels, man!""Where'd you steal that from?" I asked, a little dubious about the idea of them scamming someone's chair."No No, totally not stolen, we got it for you from the Red Cross. It's legit, dude!""All right! Let's check out my new ride then!" I hopped over and settled into the chair. They adjusted the footrest out for me and one of them took my crutches, and they started wheeling me away. "Where we goin?" I asked."It's a surprise." says one of them, and then pull a pillowcase down over my head so I can't see where we're going. When I try to pull the covering off, they stopped me, and then the started grabbing my arms & duct taping them to the chair's armrests. We were outside by now, and I started yelling, until they taped the pillowcase tight against my mouth, to muff my yelling. Now I was getting pissed, but there's not much I could do, except literally ride this out.They laughed and giggled and make goofy jokes as they wheeled me around campus. EventuallyI had no idea where I am, and it suddenly strikes me that it was now April 1st. The alcoholic buzz is wearing off fast under the rush of my adrenaline and anger, and I wondered what kind of demented nightmare game they've come up with.I heard more laughing, girls this time, and they make whispered comments back and forth with the guys. I'm now in a building, but I had no clue where. My chair was pushed around some more, bumping into stuff, and then a body is dumped in my lap, then they yanked the duct tape off the pillowcase and I can again my mouth. The room is pitch black. The giggling and laughing is cut off by the slamming of a door, and everything goes quiet.I think there's a girl in my lap, or a small, really nice smelling guy with long hair. She's quiescent, asleep or passed out, pressed against my chest."Hey. Hey, wake up." I said.No response, she's just sitting there, draped over my lap. She's warm and breathing, so it's not a manikin or something. I wondered if she's okay.I started to shift a bit, can't use my arms because they're taped down, but I try to shake her awake with my rocking shoulders. It didn't work, and now I'm afraid that if I move too much she'll fall off onto the floor."Hey, uh, miss, wake up." louder. She's out of it. I turn my head to the side so I'm not yelling in her ear and holler "Hey, enough crap, let me out of here!" Silence reigns. Well, fuck. Now what?'Now what'. Then the fire alarm starts blaring. It startles the heck out of me, but still isn't enough to wake the girl.  I heard loud commotion in the halls for about 30 seconds, but then suddenly there is silence. Fuck, this is getting serious. What if it's a real fire? No, no way, it's April 1st now, gotta be a prank. I'll just wait for her to wake up, and we'll get out of here. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I began to see faint outlines of what is probably a maintenance closet or storage room.The alarm rings for an annoyingly long time. 15 minutes I guess, I dunno, but it seems interminable. And I need to pee now. When the alarm finally stops the need to pee gets more insistent. I shifted uncomfortably under the weight of my passenger. Her hip is pressed up against my groin, adding to the struggle of my urge to piss.More time passes, and damn, I gotta go bad, now. I'm gonna wet myself, and her too, if I don't get out of here right now. I've tried speaking to her, yelling, shaking her, and then there was another alarm that went on and on. She just isn't gonna wake up. Did those morons drug her or something?I'm desperate now. "Come on, sleeping beauty, wake up!" Sleeping beauty? Yeah, fine, I'll try that before I piss all over her. I think a girl would be slightly less angry about a stolen kiss than wet pants. So I seek her mouth. There was a little light coming in under the door, but suddenly that light went out, and only a faint intermittent light glowed. Oh, crap! That would be the emergency exit lighting. I eventually bumped my faced against her nose, then lowered a bit and kissed her, probably a little too hard for a wakeup smooch, cause I'm dyin' here, gotta pee, gotta pee, gotta pee.She's got nice soft lips, really quite kissable, and I kinda wished she was awake and under different circumstances. I kissed her again, even harder. No response. I try again, this time I let my tongue do the talking, and I push into her mouth. Helluva way to experience my own first ‘tongue-kiss'. Finally, she stirred & turned into the kiss.Surprised, I pull back, and say "Oh thank god you're awake, help me up!"She startled, yelping at me, "Who are you?!""Help me, please, I'm gonna piss my pants! Untie me!"In the dim red glow of an exit sign I finally saw her face. She's kinda cute, not particularly pretty, and she has a cast on her right arm. It's the girl I saw in the dining hall a few times."Hurry!" I pleaded.She struggled off me, and stood. “Where the hell did you take me!” she demanded.I told her that we were both abducted by campus hooligans and locked in some storage room, but I didn't know which building. Then I said; “But I gotta pee right now and my leg is in a cast, and I'm bound to this wheelchair.She felt the tape on my wrists. It's slow going for her to undo the tape with her one weak hand, the way she's pulling at it, she's obviously not left handed.I'm not gonna make it, and I looked around. We're in a janitor's room or something. I spotted a stack of small waste baskets. "Quick, grab one of those buckets and put it between my legs."She's quick on the uptake, I'll give her that, and she grabbed the bucket for me. "Pull my pants down, hurry.""What? No!" she protested."Arrrrggghhh. Please, I'm gonna wet myself." I grind out through my clenched teeth.She reached out with that uncoordinated left hand of hers and fumbles with my sweat pants. I squirmed to lift my hips a bit to help, and the elastic waistband slipped down, exposing my tight briefs."You gotta help. Pull me out, aim for the bucket. Please?"I can see she's not happy with the situation, and she's fighting with her distaste at touching a man, a total stranger at that, in such a bizarre circumstance. But she perseveres, and that delicate hand fishes in my shorts for my cock. She paused momentarily as she made contact, then pulled my cock free. She picked up the empty bucket and aimed my ‘hose' toward the container.I groaned as I let loose. Oh god, finally! The relief was incredible. The poor girl was acting shocked as she dutifully aimed me at the bucket, and she even nudged the bucket a bit closer. I pissed on and on, holy fuck there was so much, and eventually I ran dry.Her disposition is no longer shocked, but instead she appeared to be curious."Oh thank you, you saved me so much embarrassment. You can put me back in there now. Thanks."She hesitated, and timidly tried to one-handedly stuff my cock back through the fly, and after a couple of clumsy tries I'm all set. And of course now my cock was growing fast in her hand, as I no longer had to pee, but there's a wonderful-smelling girl handling that most sensitive part of my anatomy. Something that's never happened before.That last drop of pee evidently got on her hand, and she looked a bit frantic now, "Ew" she says."Just wipe it on my sweats, it's OK." I told her, and she rubbed her hand on my inner thigh. That doesn't help with my ever increasing boner of course.She looked up at me, and her brow wrinkled. "Do you smell smoke?" she asked.It's my turn to be startled, and I looked toward the door. Oh Fuck, there's smoke coming in under the door! That alarm was real! Why wasn't it still going off? "Quick, help me get this tape off!" She started trying to pull up my sweats, but I say "No, leave that, just get me undone!"She started working on the tape on my left arm, and it took a few minutes to get me free. Working together, my right arm is unstuck in less than a minute. "Check the door." I told her as I looked around the room. No other doors, just shelves, a big sink, a floor pan for filling and emptying mop buckets, and stacks of boxes and stuff.She tried the light switch but it doesn't work. Great, my idiot friends probably unscrewed the light bulb. Then she tried the door. "It's locked!" she says."From the outside? Why the fuck would it be set up to lock people in? Sorry. I swear when I get nervous.""Is there really a fire, do you think?""I guess so, there was an alarm that went off when you were out cold.""What do we do?" She started frantically searching her pockets and said; "I can't find my phone!""I didn't even bring mine to the party. No pockets."The smell of smoke got stronger. I wheeled up next to the sink, and ran some water. Grabbing a package of paper towels, I ripped it open and dumped them in the sink. "Here, block up the crack under the door with these!"I handed her wads of soggy paper, and she knelt down to stuff them under the door. The smoke stoped coming in, thank goodness.  But now the room is black. "Now what?" she said.I shrugged, "I guess we wait and hope.""I'm scared." she said in a small voice."Come here, sit on my lap here. Oh, uh, maybe pull up my pants first." She helped me with that and sat on me. I think the gravity of the situation is now hitting her pretty hard, I know it's got me freaked out. She burrowed into my neck and wraps her good arm wraps around me. "We're OK for now." I tell her.I smelled her hair again, as she's crushed against me. Damn that feels nice. Shit, I don't even know her name. "I'm Robert by the way. Robert Green.""Suzanne. Suzanne Shelton.", she informed me."I'd say pleased to meet you Suzanne, but under these circumstances, maybe the sentiment should be I'm ecstatic to meet you. If I was by myself I would have pissed my pants and suffocated."She giggled, my goofy sense of humour somehow helped in this situation. "I'm glad to meet you too, Robert.""So how did you get here?""I don't know, I was at the dorm party and felt dizzy, then you were kissing me." She blushed again."Sorry about that, I tried to wake you for like 20 minutes, but you were really out of it. I finally thought I would try the sleeping beauty trick, and it worked. Did you drink something someone else gave you?""Oh. Shit.” She seemed to recall. “I think so. One of my floor mates gave me a coke. It must have been spiked?  I had to take some of my pain meds for my arm earlier tonight, it was bothering me. I keep trying to do too much with it all the time.""Oh, yeah, you don't want to mix booze or anything with that stuff, I know! Sorry about the pee episode. I really was going to wet my pants in another few seconds. Wet both our pants."She blushed and giggled. "I never saw a guy like that, like your, thing, before.""Wow. Okay, well, I never had a girl touch my co-, um, thing, before.""It changed when I was putting it away. Was that, um, like...'"Yeah, well, when a pretty girl touches me like that, I'm bound to get aroused."Her eyes went wide at that statement. "Oh" she said. She paused a few seconds, then put her head back on my shoulder. There was that scent again. "So. Um, you think I'm pretty?""Well, yeah, of course. You're what I think my grandpa would call 'fetching'"She giggled again. Damn, that sounds nice, and she smells really nice. Little Robert stirred down below. I heard a sharp intake of breath. Uh Oh. She felt that. I may have just ruined what might have been a moment."Am I pretty enough to make you, uh, aroused, then?""Oh, Suzanne, I am so embarrassed. Please, don't be offended, it's just circumstances, you know?"She pulled back again and looked at the door. Still no smoke. Then she looked at me with a sad smile, saying "I didn't think so." Suzanne started to get up, and I realized where our wires had crossed.I put my arms around her and said " Oh, no no. You're very pretty, and definitely arousing."She looked surprised, but settled back down on my lap. "Oh." she said. "Thank you."Just then we heard a muffled sound  of footsteps outside the door. We both yelled, and I grabbed a mop handle and rapped it against the door. The door opened, and a cloud of smoke poured in. A firefighter stood there, looking surprised behind his breathing apparatus. He hollered for help, and we were soon moved briskly from the building.I was parked in my wheelchair next to the ambulance, where Suzanne was sitting on a gurney. We both had been given oxygen and been checked over for injuries. We told campus security about how we came to be there, and they got really grim. I named names, because I could've died there, we both could've died. It was a prank, but it went sideways pretty fast when that fire broke out. Cops came over and Suzanne also named a couple of girls who she thought were in on it too. Now we were finally cleared to go."Can I walk you back to the dorms?" I asked.She laughed, "Don't you mean wheel me? You can't walk.""Can too, if I had my crutches. My idiot friends left me with this chair.""Okay, then, let's go." She beamed.Off we went. She couldn't push me with just one hand, and I was crap at navigating that chair, but we eventually got back to the residence. We chatted amiably along the way, getting to know each other. She was really easy to talk to, unlike most girls I've tried to talk to. Maybe that was it, I wasn't chatting her up.She was 18, a biology major, living in in the next dorm over. I told her I was in second year Computer Science, in the nearby dorm, so I had a single room.I told her how I broke my leg, skiing near Gatineau, and the really long day I had as a result. "How did you break your arm?""Skating. I'm usually a good skater but sometimes you just fall wrong. I spent most of that same day in the ER, just like you. It's really hard to get dressed and shower and stuff with this thing.""I know, believe me, I know all about it."We were both so fired up on adrenaline after our ordeal there was no way we could sleep. "Would you like to, uh, come over to my room, for a bit? After all this, I'm not tired, and I'd be bored doing just nothing. We could talk for a while." Oh, nice, I thought, smooth man, very smooth. NOT.She blushed, and it must've been a good one, to be visible in the dim light along the sidewalk. "I, uh, yeah. Yes. Yes I will." she stated with a bravado she didn't appear to have.I smiled up at her. "I promise to behave, Okay?""What if I don't want you to behave?" she smirked."Then you're going to have to make your wishes known, in no uncertain terms. I don't do the pushy guy thing very well.""I want to go to your room with you," she declared.To be continued.By SilverFoxMullet for Literotica

This episode Ed the Sock & Liana Kerzner jibber-jabber about: why Donald Trump's tactics are making people bend over so quickly; Mango Mussolini disses Poilievre - or does he?; the nasty secret of Lucky Charms cereal and could Disney's "Song of the South" movie serve a better purpose if it weren't banned?

Tuesday – We follow the return of SpaceX Crew 9 including Butch & Suni. We talk to Maria Comstock about her Instagram and TikTok feeds interviewing former spies. We learn about the history of the song Take Me Out to the Ballgame for WYDTN. It's Only Money with Scott Brown with Edgewater Family Wealth we need to understand what winning means and don't be afraid to know where you stand. Plus, JCS News, JCS Trivia & You Heard it Here First.

This week, we're talking about the depth of Israel's sin, God's hand in it, and what we can learn about our own struggle with sin in the Christian life. Want to continue the conversation? Explore our degree programs and find one that's right for you: www.rts.edu/washington. Email admissions.washington@rts.edu to get started. Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rts.washington/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/RTSWashingtonDC
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Grabbing attention online is one thing—turning that attention into actual sales is another. With endless content competing for every second of screen time, passive viewers scroll past most marketing efforts without a second thought. The real shift happens when businesses move beyond generic promotions and create interactive, value-driven experiences that make people want to engage. When video stops being just entertainment and starts guiding viewers toward action, it becomes a powerful tool for real growth. Eitan Koter is a video industry veteran with over 20 years of experience, evolving from broadcast media to digital platforms. As the co-founder of Vimmi, a video commerce platform, he bridges media and technology to drive innovation. He also hosts the Mastering E-commerce Marketing podcast, where he interviews experts on digital commerce trends. With deep expertise in video production, social media strategies, and interactive e-commerce, he is a sought-after speaker and consultant. Today, he explored the power of shoppable video, showing how businesses can create engaging content that converts viewers into buyers on social media. Stay tuned! Resources Vimmi: Accelerate Your Sales with the Power of Shoppable Video Follow Vimmi on Facebook Connect with Eitan Koter on LinkedIn Subscribe to Mastering E-commerce Marketing Podcast hosted by Eitan Koter on Spotify Podcasts

Grabbing the bull by the horns with John Quaintance.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

PREVIEW: AFRICA: RUSSIA: PRC: Colleague Ronan Wordsworth explains the transformation of Francophone Africa colonies to Wagner Group outposts that usher in China resource exploitation while grabbing larger shares of the gold fields. More later. 1885

How would you go about having a full time job while also traveling the world and shooting some of the best wakeboard and wakeskate athletes out there? Well, Mahallia has been doing just that for years now. Mahallia has an infectious energy and has spent time shooting and riding with some of the best. Growing up in California, doing her first Red Bull shoot, snagging her first cover, traveling to Bali with Nick Taylor, and dealing with burnout. Hear all that and much more in Episode 77 of the Grab Matters Podcast.Follow Mahallia: https://www.instagram.com/mahallia_sb/Thank you to this shows sponsors! Liquid Force: https://www.liquidforce.com/ Slingshot: https://slingshotsports.com/Chapters:00:00 - 2:00 Intro5:00 Grabbing on a wakeskate6:00 California roots15:20 Why wakeskating?16:35 College22:20 Getting into photography26:15 LF'n Wheel of Questions31:20 First Red Bull Shoot39:00 “Amongst The Sierra”44:20 First cover47:00 Female in a male dominated industry51:00 Bali with Nick Taylor & friends59:10 Europe trip with Felix Georgii1:12:30 Art of photography1:21:30 Cable Mag cover1:25:10 Setup1:30:00 Snow vs. Wake photography 1:36:00 Sketchy photography situations1:38:00 Red Bull Illume1:59:00 Dealing with “burnout”2:10:00 Patreon Question: Meagan Ethell2:19:00 Slingshot “Silhouette”2:22:00 Guest Question: Nick Taylor2:28:30 Guest Question: Silas ThurmanLinks: Justin Fisher Authentic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=180l0-ZTW3wShoot us a text!Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GrabMattersPodcastWebsite: https://www.grabmatters.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@grabmatters/videosInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/grabmatters/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@grabmatterspodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/grabmatters

The Yankees have life all because a couple of their fans fought Mookie Betts for a foul ball. We talk World Series (00:00:00-00:12:13). Anthony Richardson benched and Stefon Diggs out for the year (00:12:13-00:19:07). Monday Night Football and Russell Wilson may be back (00:19:07-00:28:08). The Hail Mary aftermath may turn out to be good for the Bears now that the locker room is speaking out against Eberflus (00:28:08-00:47:51). College Football talk and Texas A&M's Mike Elko is ready to take some shots (00:47:51-01:11:33). Hot Seat/Cool Throne including altitude causing a guy to turn gay, Dwyane Wade statue and more (01:11:33-01:28:36). Orlando Magic All Star Paolo Banchero joins us in studio fresh off his 50 point performance on Monday to talk about being in the zone, NBA, his time at Duke, Coach K, losing to UNC, his welcome to the NBA moment and tons more (01:28:36-02:13:12). We finish with listener submitted FAQ's (02:13:12-02:22:22).You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/pardon-my-take