Podcasts about Gravity

On the 13th day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us...Abby XXX Belgian QuadToxic Brew Co. - Dayton, OhioABV: 11.3%Plus, CAROLINE returns!***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

pWotD Episode 3147: Peter Greene Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 608,898 views on Saturday, 13 December 2025 our article of the day is Peter Greene.Peter Greene (born Peter Green; October 8, 1965 – December 12, 2025) was an American actor. A character actor, he was generally known for portraying villains. He was best known for his roles in the 1994 films The Mask, in which he played the main antagonist Dorian Tyrell, and Pulp Fiction, where he portrayed Zed, a sadistic security guard.Greene's other credits included Laws of Gravity (1992), Judgment Night (1993), Clean, Shaven (1994), Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), The Usual Suspects (1995), Kiss & Tell (1997), Blue Streak (1999), Training Day (2001), The Black Donnellys (2007), Life on Mars (2009), New York New York (2016), and The Continental (2023).This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:23 UTC on Sunday, 14 December 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Peter Greene on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Ivy.

Du wachst nachts immer wieder auf und fühlst dich morgens wie gerädert? Damit bist du nicht allein – Durchschlafstörungen rauben Millionen Menschen Energie, Lebensfreude und Gesundheit. In dieser Folge spreche ich über die wahren Ursachen, die kaum jemand kennt – und gebe dir erprobte Strategien an die Hand, mit denen du endlich wieder durchschläfst. Egal ob Stress, Gedankenkarussell oder körperliche Beschwerden: Hier erfährst du, was wirklich hilft. >> In unter 8 Wochen zum Superschläfer: 3 echte Kunden erzählen, wie sie wieder erholsam schlafen. Jetzt Fallstudie anschauen: https://besserschlafen.jan-herzog.com ➡️ Zur Schlafanalyse anmelden: Du wünschst eine persönliche Beratung oder hast individuelle Fragen? Dann lass uns miteinander sprechen! Du findest die konkreten Ursachen deiner Schlafprobleme, erhältst eine professionelle Analyse deiner Schlafsituation und bekommst die individuelle Strategie für sofort besseren Schlaf! www.jan-herzog.com/schlafanalyse/ ➡️ Gratis runterladen: Chronotypentest, Schlaftypen, Anti-Stress, Schlafratgeber, Schrägschlafen-Gravity, Schlafzimmer-Check, etc. : www.jan-herzog.com/download/ Web & Social: https://www.instagram.com/janherzog_com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt0xgSBsrU6ar2yAksn4diw?sub_confirmation=1 Ich bin Schlaf-Experte und Gesundheitsunternehmer mit über 10+ Jahren Erfahrung. Wenn dir der Podcast gefällt, dann hinterlasse mir bitte eine 5-Sterne-Bewertung und teile ihn mit deinen Freunden! Danke. :)

On the 12th day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us...TourbusDouble Dry Hopped Hazy IPADestihl Brewery -- Normal, IllinoisABV: 7.4%"Our DeadHead IPA Series melds the alluring vibe of our favorite music with unbounded takes on the hoppy beers we love to drink, unleashing a whole new groove. Our TourBus IPA features 2-row malt, flaked oats & wheat with Citra & Mosaic hops, providing dynamic notes of tropical, citrus fruits & berries. Cheers!"***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

Learn how to fix your pain with our “Centralization Process” here! https://rebrand.ly/ytpainfreeSubmit an application to work with us 1:1 and learn how to fix your low back! ⁠www.therehabfix.com/low-back-program⁠To view hundreds of free low back videos please follow us on instagram at @rehabfix ⁠www.instagram.com/rehabfix⁠

We do have our favorite but surely wouldn't mind if Thomas Pynchon won the Nobel Prize too . . . and in Episode 32 we finish off 2025 by considering Shadow Ticket, the noir detective take on the 1930s by a writer who was surely a key influence on the early DeLillo (we read from an unpublished DeLillo letter summarizing that relationship) but who also seems to have been reading works like Running Dog over the years (or so we imagine in unpacking Shadow Ticket scenes invoking Chaplin and a “German Political Celebrity” named Hitler). We try to understand how Pynchon's latest examination of historical and potential fascism works in its 1932 setting, ranging from Milwaukee to Hungary, where reluctant protagonist and “sentimental ape” and “sap” Hicks McTaggart keeps adding on to his P.I. “tickets” in a strange search for a Wisconsin heiress and her Jewish musician lover but also what might ultimately be justice (a far from simple thing). Shadow Ticket is loads of serious fun, where Pynchon manages to examine the direst of turning points amidst scenes of bowling alley and motorcycle lore, dairy strikes, Prohibition's black markets, dance hall and speakeasy glamour, and something called “Radio-Cheez.” Bela Lugosi, vampires, a beautiful pig in a sidecar, and some of the most tasteless lamps in the world also play a role. The real content here for Hicks, though, is the prospect of spiritual and other forms of peace in a world where weapons from clubs to guns and submarines operate according to mysterious laws of “apport” and “asport,” occult material that interweaves with Hicks's strike-breaking past and raises connections to Gravity's Rainbow. Is Hicks's fellow orphan and young protégé Skeet Wheeler the father of Vineland's Zoyd, headed out to California as the novel ends? What's the meaning of Hicks failing to return to his home country, and what does cheese gangster Bruno Airmont's submarine fate have to do with Bleeding Edge? Are Hungary's shifting borders a new kind of “Zone”? What's going on in the novel's many Statue of Liberty references and its anachronistic allusions to a “Face Tube” for flirtation in bars? And how does this always funny writer, now in his late eighties, keep coming up with all these absurd songs (we sing some) and hilarious mock-movies like the one featuring “Squeezita Thickly” swimming in soup pots (Shirley Temple, is that you?)? Teasing out many connections to Gravity's Rainbow, Against the Day, and Vineland, this episode makes reference to just about all of Pynchon's other works, including even V. and his earliest short stories. At the same time, you need come to it with nothing but an interest in Pynchon's life and work. We doubt that we get every reference to history or previous Pynchon right or mount interpretations we won't later want to revise, but on this brand-new and captivating late work from a masterful author, we hope in nearly three hours of deep conversation and laughter that we've made a good start on the many critical readings to come. A partial list of references and quotations that we mention or paraphrase in this episode . . . On “prefascist twilight”: “And other grandfolks could be heard arguing the perennial question of whether the United States still lingered in a prefascist twilight, or whether that darkness had fallen long stupefied years ago, and the light they thought they saw was coming only from millions of Tubes all showing the same bright-colored shadows. One by one, as other voices joined in, the names began, some shouted, some accompanied by spit, the old reliable names good for hours of contention, stomach distress, and insomnia – Hitler, Roosevelt, Kennedy, Nixon, Hoover, Mafia, CIA, Reagan, Kissinger, that collection of names and their tragic interweaving that stood not constellated above in any nightwide remoteness of light, but below, diminished to the last unfaceable American secret, to be pressed, each time deeper, again and again beneath the meanest of random soles, one blackly fermenting leaf on the forest floor that nobody wanted to turn over, because of all that lived, virulent, waiting, just beneath.” (Pynchon, Vineland (1990)) On “second sheep”: “Our common nightmare The Bomb is in there too. It was bad enough in '59 and is much worse now, as the level of danger has continued to grow. There was never anything subliminal about it, then or now. Except for that succession of the criminally insane who have enjoyed power since 1945, including the power to do something about it, most of the rest of us poor sheep have always been stuck with simple, standard fear. I think we all have tried to deal with this slow escalation of our helplessness and terror in the few ways open to us, from not thinking about it to going crazy from it. Somewhere on this spectrum of impotence is writing fiction about it.” (Pynchon, “Introduction,” Slow Learner (1984)) The “Sloth essay paragraph” mentioned midway through: “In this century we have come to think of Sloth as primarily political, a failure of public will allowing the introduction of evil policies and the rise of evil regimes, the worldwide fascist ascendancy of the 1920's and 30's being perhaps Sloth's finest hour, though the Vietnam era and the Reagan-Bush years are not far behind. Fiction and nonfiction alike are full of characters who fail to do what they should because of the effort involved. How can we not recognize our world? Occasions for choosing good present themselves in public and private for us every day, and we pass them by. Acedia is the vernacular of everyday moral life.” (Pynchon, “Nearer, My Couch, To Thee” (1993)) Don DeLillo Papers, Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas-Austin The Motherland Calls statue, Volgograd: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Motherland_Calls  Pareidolia defined: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

Join our book club!  / lifeonbooks  Get the Freedom App to remove distractions and read more books:https://freedom.sjv.io/N9074OJoin the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest book giveaways, projects, and more!https://linktw.in/BRYAnVhWant to read one book from every country? Check out our resource online:https://linktw.in/ZeoltyWant to know my all time favorite books? Click the link below!https://bookshop.org/shop/lifeonbooksFollow me on Instagram:  / alifeonbooks  Follow Andy on Instagram  / metafictional.meathead  Books mentioned in this episode:The Pale King by David Foster Wallacehttps://amzn.to/47PeURQhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780316...Satantango by Laszlo Krasznahorkaihttps://amzn.to/3KDGzxuhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780811...List of William Vollmann's Published Works:  / works-of-william-143602359  The Melancholy of Resistance by Laszlo Krasznahorkaihttps://amzn.to/4pFjl9lhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780811...Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishimahttps://amzn.to/4q26Rs5https://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780811...One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquezhttps://amzn.to/4rN7Uh9https://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780060...Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchonhttps://amzn.to/4rXp1x6https://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780143...Stoner by John Williamshttps://amzn.to/4iOCaEzhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9781590...Hard Rain Falling Don Carpenterhttps://amzn.to/48Lnr8uhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9781590...Killer Angels by Michael Shaarahttps://amzn.to/4aDv4R6https://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780345...Cloud Splitter by Russel Bankshttps://amzn.to/4poKkpwhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780060...Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompsonhttps://amzn.to/4a3rbERhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780345...Babel by RF Kuanghttps://amzn.to/495VWYOhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780063...Yellowface by RF Kuanghttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780063...https://amzn.to/4pzlF1KBetween Two Fires by Christopher Bhuelman

On the 11th day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us...Barrel Aged BrawlerSchwarzbier Aged in Rum BarrelsNorthern Row Brewery -- Cincinnati, OhioABV: 11.2%"This beer doesn't pull any punches. Brawler is our award-winning Imperial Schwarzbier, aged for over 12 months in Caribbean rum barrels. Layers of cocoa, toasted bread, and dark fruit unfold into a smooth, warming finish. Strong, rich, and unapologetically bold -- Brawler earns its name in every nip."***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

Gravity fails and the sky tears open in the explosive finale of The Heroes of The Crimson Accord! As the floating city crumbles, our heroes are separated and forced to face the terrifying Heart Seed Colossus, a monster born from the violent collision of Order and Emotion. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, a mammoth charges a god, a bard faces his fears, and one hero makes the ultimate sacrifice in a "Blaze of Glory" that will change Forya forever. Who will become the Shield of Forya? Watch the emotional conclusion now! Special Guest: Josh from RollTogetherRPG Content Warnings: Adult language, adult humour, trauma, themes of mortal peril, horror, emotional content. Enjoying the adventure? Follow Malt and Magic on Spotify, catch every episode on YouTube, join us live on Twitch, and support us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, behind-the-scenes debriefs, and exclusive homebrew content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back aboard The Deep the Troubleshooter team ascends to the factory level and begins phase 1 of Kilroy's plan. ----more---- A bit short and sweet this one, I hope it's got enough meat on the bones! Had to rush this one a bit to make release, let me know if any blips :) The Patreon is usually ahead, check there first for early access episodes! ----more---- SOCIALS X: @nwtbugbear Facebook | YouTube | Instagram @NWTBPODCAST Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NWTBPODCAST MUSIC Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio https://karlcasey.bandcamp.com All other sounds and effects are sourced from https://freesound.org using the Creative Commons 0 License.

On the tenth day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us...Winter LagerThe Hopewell Brewing Company of Chicago, ILABV: 6.0%***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

Wenn Regisseure zu den Sternen blicken, glauben sie häufig, philosophisch werden zu müssen. Leider! Wir erlebten das etwa in „Ad Astra“ oder „Gravity“ – und immer wieder müssen familiäre Probleme bekakelt werden. So ist es auch bei George Clooney und seinem #Netflix-Film „The Midnight Sky“, in dem der Schauspieler auch die Hauptrolle übernimmt. Als einsam in der Arktis, in einer Wetterstation zurückgebliebener Astronom Augustine Lifthouse erwartet er vom Leben nicht mehr viel, er ist schwerkrank. Wir schreiben das Jahr 2049, eine Katastrophe, die nur angedeutet wird, hat dafür gesorgt, dass die Erde unbewohnbar ist. Schon eine Weile suchte die Menschheit nach einer Exit-Strategie, und eine Weltraummission kehrt gerade von K23, einem neu entdeckten Mond, mit der Erkenntnis zurück, dass nicht nur auf dem blauen Planeten Leben möglich ist. Neben diesen beiden Ebenen gibt es noch eine dritte, die in Lifthouses Vergangenheit angesiedelt ist. Wir lernen einen passionierten Forscher kennen, der – es lebe das Klischee – aber seine Familie vernachlässigt und nie eine richtige Beziehung zu seiner Tochter aufgebaut hat. Dies kann er – verschoben – in der Gegenwart nachholen, da Lifthouse in der Wetterstation plötzlich von einem kleinen Mädchen überrascht wird, das sich versteckt hatte. „The Midnight Sky“ ist #ScienceFiction-Film und #Dystopie, er will ein existentielles Drama und ein gesellschaftspolitischer Diskursfilm voller Rührseligkeit sein – nichts davon gelingt. Stattdessen sehen wir den bildgewordenen „Jargon der Eigentlichkeit“. Mehr dazu von Wolfgang M. Schmitt im Video!Literatur:Theodor W. Adorno: „Der Jargon der Eigentlichkeit“, in: Ders.: Gesammelte Schriften, Band 6, Suhrkamp.Die Filmanalyse +ABO gibt es bei Steady als Monats- und vergünstigtes Jahresabo. Der RSS-Feed ist automatisch mit Spotify verknüpft, kann aber auch in alle Podcatcher eingefügt werden:https://steady.page/de/die-filmanalyse-abo/aboutDie Filmanalyse +ABO gibt es bei Apple-Podcast als Monats- und vergünstigtes Jahresabo:https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/die-filmanalyse-deepdive-wie-slavoj-%C5%BEi%C5%BEek-filme-analysiert/id1586115282?i=1000738660587Außerdem gibt es die Möglichkeit, ein Abo via Patreon abzuschließen, jedoch ist hier der RSS-Feed nicht mit Spotify verknüpft:https://www.patreon.com/c/wolfgangmschmitt/home Vielen Dank für Eure Unterstützung!

Dr. Brennan Spiegel, Director of Health Services Research at Cedars-Sinai and Professor of Medicine and Public Health at UCLA, author of the book Pull, explains why illness is often a failure to manage gravity. He describes how our relationship with gravity defines strength, balance, digestion, mental stability, and emotional health.  Take the Gravotype Quiz at BrennanSpiegelMD.com to identify how your body manages gravity. Key Insights and Action Steps — Dr. Brennan Spiegel "Every single cell of your body evolved from this force of gravity. Physics came first, and biology came second." Illness arises when we fail to manage gravity. Every organ, tendon, and cell depends on that relationship. "When you stand up straight and lift your diaphragm, it pulls up this sack of potatoes that we all have in our belly. When you open up the gut, it opens up digestion." Posture determines how well the gut, diaphragm, and circulation function. Sitting compresses digestion and lowers energy. "Your balance and relationship to gravity is a predictor of how long you're going to live." Balance, grip strength, and posture are measurable indicators of longevity. "The inner ear is like a gyroscope constantly keeping track of your position in relation to gravity." The nervous system continuously measures gravity. Inner-ear disturbances can create dizziness, anxiety, and panic. "When you're depressed, you can't get up out of bed. Your body is slumped over. It's almost like there's so much gravity pulling on your body, it's like you're in a black hole." Depression mirrors an excessive gravitational load. Emotional heaviness is a physical experience of being pulled down. "Strong negative emotional experiences can permanently change the way the brain forms… the mind has learned to be pulled down emotionally, physically, socially." Childhood trauma reshapes how the brain perceives gravity, making the body feel heavier and slower to rise. "The feet are a gravity management surface… only five percent of the body's surface area but holding one hundred percent of the weight." Feet are the interface between body and planet. Strengthening them restores alignment and balance. "Your relationship to the planet, both latitudinally and altitudinally, will determine your health." Altitude, light, and environment influence serotonin, immunity, and microbiome function. "Serotonin itself is a gravity management substance." Serotonin regulates mood and physical stability, linking emotional and gravitational balance. "When it's stimulated, it activates the rest and digest phase and helps release serotonin." The vagus nerve is the primary connection between body and mind, calming the system and improving serotonin flow. "I pretended I was on a bigger planet… I became stronger and stood up straighter." Carrying additional resistance through weighted movement improves posture, strength, and metabolism. "When we lay down to sleep, we give our body a break… the blood easily flows into our brain and flushes out amyloid." Sleep restores gravitational equilibrium and supports brain recovery. "Gravity doesn't change, but your relationship to gravity does." Long-term health depends on strengthening that relationship physically, mentally, and emotionally. Action Items from Dr. Brennan Spiegel  1. Identify your gravotype. Take the 16-question quiz at BrennanSpiegelMD.com to learn which of the eight gravotypes you belong to and how your body manages gravity. 2. Build gravity fortitude. Strengthen the muscles and bones that keep you upright — especially your back, core, and legs. "When you stand up straight and lift your diaphragm, it pulls up the gut and opens digestion." 3. Stand tall and move often. Avoid long hours of sitting. Use a standing desk or take frequent standing breaks. Sitting compresses the abdomen, slows digestion, and reduces serotonin. 4. Strengthen the diaphragm and posture daily. Practice standing with shoulders back and chin level to engage the diaphragm and improve breathing and gut function. 5. Train your balance. Test and improve balance by standing on one leg, walking heel-to-toe, or using a balance board. "Your balance and relationship to gravity is a predictor of how long you're going to live." 6. Practice grip and hanging strength. Hang from a bar daily. Aim for 30 seconds, then increase gradually toward 2 minutes. Even short "dead hangs" improve shoulder, spine, and nervous-system alignment. 7. Use light weighted resistance. Try a weighted vest or light ankle weights while walking or doing chores. "I pretended I was on a bigger planet… I became stronger and stood up straighter." 8. Walk, run, or train barefoot or in minimalist shoes (safely). Let the feet feel the ground to activate stabilizing muscles. "When you ground your foot, everything else pulls up straight from there." 9. Reconnect with the ground. Spend time standing or walking on natural surfaces (grass, sand, earth) when possible. 10. Stay hydrated. Keep enough fluid in your body to "pump blood and oxygen up into the brain." Dehydration weakens gravity tolerance and causes dizziness or fatigue. 11. Regulate the nervous system. Do slow, controlled breathing through pursed lips to stimulate the vagus nerve and calm the body. "Slow meditative breathing activates the rest-and-digest phase." 12. Consider gentle vagus-nerve stimulation. Use only safe methods such as breathing, humming, or medical devices under supervision. Avoid carotid massage unless advised by a doctor. 13. Strengthen vestibular and proprioceptive awareness. Engage activities that challenge coordination: yoga, dance, gymnastics, tai chi, or balance training. 14. Manage mental gravity. Notice emotional heaviness as a physical sensation; practice posture, breathing, and grounding to counteract "mental black holes." 15. Use awe and nature to elevate mood. Spend time in nature, watch sunsets, or listen to music that evokes awe. "Feeling part of something greater than yourself elevates mood and serotonin." 16. Increase natural serotonin. Seek sunlight, exercise outdoors, connect socially, and reduce processed foods. Serotonin helps both mood and muscle tone to "fight gravity physically and mentally." 17. Optimize sleep for gravitational recovery. Sleep 7–8 hours flat or slightly inclined if you have reflux. Avoid heavy meals within 2 hours of sleep. Limit screens before bed. "When we lay down to sleep, we give our body a break… the blood easily flows into our brain." 18. Manage reflux and digestion. If prone to reflux, raise the head of the bed about 10 degrees or use a wedge pillow. Sleep on your left side to reduce acid reaching the esophagus. 19. Support circulation through movement. Use your muscles as pumps, walk regularly, stretch calves, and move legs during travel or desk work to prevent stagnation. 20. Avoid chronic compression. Reduce time bent over laptops or phones; keep screens at eye level to protect diaphragm and digestion. 21. Engage with natural environments. Nature exposure increases serotonin and improves gravity resilience. "Being in green spaces is mood-elevating because that's what we evolved with." 22. Monitor environment and altitude. If you live or work at high altitude, be mindful of mood or sleep changes and adjust oxygen exposure and sunlight time. 23. Balance convenience with movement. Spiegel warns that modern comfort, constant sitting, processed food, artificial environments, represents "our species losing the battle against gravity." 24. Reframe health. Adopt the mindset that "gravity doesn't change, but your relationship to gravity does." Everything, from mood to digestion, is part of managing that relationship.   Get Brennan's book, Pull, here: https://shorturl.at/XjNt3   Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume www.FIRMSconsulting.com/resumePDF Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts www.FIRMSconsulting.com/decisions Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody www.FIRMSconsulting.com/owntheroom Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 www.FIRMSconsulting.com/build Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies www.FIRMSconsulting.com/OverallApproach Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: www.FIRMSconsulting.com/gift

Diving into the question everyone suddenly cares about: how close are quantum computers to breaking Bitcoin?Friend of the pod Matt Wraith joins us to cut through the hype, the fear, and the sci-fi headlines and explain what's actually happening in quantum research right now, and what it means for Bitcoin security, signatures, and the long-term future of cryptography.We explore:- The theory of quantum mechanics- How quantum computers actually work- Shor's algorithm & Grover's algorithm- Quantum threat to Bitcoin- Recent advances in quantum computing- Post-quantum cryptography and quantum risk mitigation strategies for Bitcoin- Stoner bro quantum physics

On the ninth day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us...Winter-BockEinbecker Brauhaus - Einbeck, GermanyABV: 7.5%***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

Bridge Engineering: Part 2 Why is my mom here? Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected. I awoke to the sound of Lizzie's bathroom door opening and closing, and the girls' footsteps moving around her bedroom. I laid there for a minute then reluctantly pulled myself out of bed to splash some water on my face and slip on a pair of flannel lounge pants and a t-shirt. I emerged from my bedroom and looked down in the great room to see the girls standing by the sofa looking at Stefani as she slept. Toni heard me coming down the stairs and asked, "Why is my mom here?" Lizzie followed that with the accurate but impolite assessment, "Her makeup is all smeared." Before I could say anything, Toni shook her mom's shoulder and loudly inquired, "Mom! Mom! Are you ok?!" Stefani stirred, stretched her legs under the blankets, and drowsily answered, "Yes honey, I'm fine. Mom just had a really rough night." Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Toni and Lizzie went into the pantry and started lining up cereal boxes while debating the merits of each selection. By that time, I was also downstairs and gently offered, "Good morning" to Stefani as I went about rekindling the hearth. She moaned as she sat up on the sofa and said, "I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe I came here like that last night." "I'm glad you did. I don't know what that was all about, but I was happy to know you were here and safe." She gave a muffled "Thank you." while she hung her head and cradled it in her hands, then mumbled to herself, "I can't believe I thought he would be any different." Toni must have had one ear tuned into our conversation and interjected in an annoyed tone of voice, "Is this about a man?" Lizzie looked at Toni, then at me and matter-of-factly said, "She should go sit on the bridge." It was an unquestionable truth in Lizzie's mind that time sitting on the bridge would fix whatever was bothering Toni's mom. I smiled and said, "Lizzie, I think that is a great idea." She puffed her chest proudly and went about pouring a bowl of cereal. I finished adding logs to the fire and suggested to Stefani, "There's a half-bath by the kitchen, or you're welcome to use my bathroom upstairs if you would like a shower. I'll pull together some fresh clothes for you. When you are ready, I think we should go for a walk;” then in a slightly louder voice added, "away from little eavesdroppers." "You really wouldn't mind if I took a shower?" "Not at all. I'll get you some towels and toiletries." The corners of her mouth turned upward in a small smile of gratitude and, for the first time that morning, Stefani looked me directly in the eyes and offered a very heart-felt, "Thank you." She stood up, pulled the hem of her dress down, and followed me up the stairs in her black legging covered feet. At the top of the stairs, I reached in the linen closet and handed her a stack of two bath towels, a hand towel, and a washcloth. My hands then sorted through some of the miscellaneous toiletries stored in the same closet and added a toothbrush, toothpaste, and stick of pre-teen girly deodorant. I apologized as I set the brightly patterned container on top of the towels, "Sorry, you're stuck with this unless you want to use men's deodorant." Returning to our inventory of toiletries, I started checking labels on bottles of Lizzie's 2-in-1 bodywash and shampoo, "Ok, looks like your choices are strawberry, cotton candy, or bubble gum." She chuckled and said, "I think I'll go with strawberry." "Good call." We proceeded into my bedroom where I motioned her toward the ensuite bathroom and said, "Make yourself at home and use whatever you need in there. I'm pretty sure the door locks. To be honest, I've never used it." She surveyed the bedroom and its contents on her way to the bathroom and I walked the opposite direction toward my walk-in closet. "I'll find some clothes while you are in the shower and set them on the corner of the bed." She softly said, "Thank you." while walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. I proceeded to rummage through my closet looking for things that might work. I knew my clothes made for a 6'-3" tall man wouldn't fit her properly, but they were the only option available. My hands methodically moved across the wall rack, sliding each hanger a bit so I could examine the respective article. After a few minutes, I heard the sounds of Stefani turning on the shower, opening the glass shower door, and then water sporadically splashing against the tile and glass enclosure. My mind came to the awareness that there was a completely naked woman in my shower, just on the other side of the door. I couldn't help but think of how her intimate features must look as the steaming spray trickled down her body. Realizing I was standing there inappropriately fantasizing about a woman in a questionable emotional condition, I snapped myself out of it and continued thumbing through hangers to arrive at a pair of heavy flannel lounge pants. They were a much too small Christmas gift from years past, but I figured they would work for Stefani if she rolled the pant legs up a little. A t-shirt and sweatshirt seemed like the obvious choices for her upper half given a lot of women like relaxing in oversized men's clothes anyway. Organizing my selections, I noticed there weren't any undergarments and shrugged it off thinking she would just have to re-use what she had on, or go commando, but then had a last-second thought to grab a pair of boxer shorts. I folded everything neatly, set the items in a pyramiding stack on the corner of the bed, and closed the bedroom door behind me on the way out. About 30-minutes later, the girls were in Lizzie's room and I was sitting in the great room when Stefani padded down the stairs in bare feet wearing the lounge pants and the oversized t-shirt that was slightly moist around the collar from her damp curls. The t-shirt clung a little to her moist torso and gave evidence of her unrestrained tits jiggling under the fabric. She smiled as she reached the main floor and softly said, "Thank you. I really needed that." "You're welcome. Are you hungry?" "Not really, my stomach is still turning a little from last night." she said as she sat next to me on the sofa and folded her legs beneath her. "I'm so sorry for the drama. I wasn't thinking clearly and I'm thoroughly embarrassed I showed up here like that." "Please don't be. Like I said earlier, I'm just happy to know you're safe. You seemed pretty traumatized." Stefani replied, "Traumatized is probably a little strong." before seemingly pausing to consider if she wanted to offer any more information. She exhaled loudly and hesitantly continued, "I've had some; let's call them; rocky roads in my personal life, and last night was just the latest example." I sympathetically offered, "I'm sorry." She shrugged her shoulders and introspectively recapped, "I've worked with him for several years and thought he was a nice guy; and he was until he started drinking. Dinner was enjoyable, but by the time we all got to the dance club he was pretty buzzed and started getting handsy. When I rebuffed his advances, he got belligerent and more forceful." Stefani's eyes were beginning to swell as she recounted the previous evening's events in her head. My own head was filled with questions and concerns, but I sensed she had more to say and didn't want to hinder her in getting it out. "Thankfully, my coworkers saw what was happening and interceded. He took off and that was the end of it." She paused for a moment then tearily continued, "It's not just him. Last night wasn't the first time something like this happened. I seem to be a magnet for jerks and losers. At least this one wasn't married; that I know of." "I'm sorry." She quietly repeated to herself something she had said the previous night, "Why can't I escape it?" I couldn't hold back my curiosity, "You said that last night too. What do you mean you can't escape 'it'?" She answered coldly through her tears, "Alcohol," before pausing for a few quick moments to gather herself and continuing, "It ruined my marriage. It robbed Toni of a father. It turned my coworker into a creep last night. Etc, etc;” I took her hand in mine and said, "I'm sorry. I understand." She abruptly pulled her hand from mine and argued, "I appreciate your compassion, but please don't say you understand." I stood up and said, "I think we should go for a walk outside." I didn't really give her an opportunity to say no and walked to the mudroom to get a jacket. I put mine on, then handed one to Stefani as she followed me. We both slipped on a pair of my fleece lined muck boots. The boots and jacket were both too large for her, but they would suffice. I shouted to the girls that Stefani and I were going on a walk, then we stepped outside. As we strolled away from the house and into the woods, I inquired, "Please tell me about your ex-husband." "Well, we met in college and he was wonderful. I thought he was everything I wanted in life. His drinking wasn't an issue then. I mean we both went to the typical college parties and had too much to drink, but it wasn't a problem. We married the summer after we graduated and started a typical newlywed life." Our boots crunched through fall leaves on the forest floor as Stefani continued, "After we were married, he occasionally went out with friends or old college buddies and came home drunk. Again, it wasn't frequent and wasn't anything concerning." We reached Lizzie's bridge and both sat on the edge dangling our feet over the water below. "Over time, and after Toni came along, his occasional nights out evolved into several times a week and he became defensive whenever I would say anything about it. Eventually, alcoholism; let's call it what it was; completely overtook him. It wasn't just going out with friends anymore. He always had a drink in his hand. Commitments were meaningless to him and he would show up hours late, if at all. Toni's birthday parties, family holidays, dates with me; it didn't matter." "By the time Toni was three, he lost his job, which only gave him an excuse to be drunk all day. I constantly begged him to get help, but that would only agitate him and cause a fight. That continued for about a year until his agitation turned into physical abuse. That was my breaking point and I told him I wanted a divorce." Stefani was now talking through streaming tears and I took her hand in mine as a show of support. "The night I told him, he went out to the bar and never came back. After a couple weeks, I realized he was never coming back and I hired a divorce attorney who, in turn, hired a private investigator to track him down. It took a few months, but they eventually found him in Key West where he could find work as a day laborer on fishing charters and beg enough money and free drinks from tourists to get by. He demanded a healthy ransom to sign the divorce papers but, at that point, I would have paid anything." With that, she fell silent and leaned to rest her head on my shoulder. We sat quietly listening to the gentle breeze in the trees, punctuated occasionally by Stefani's sniffles. After a few minutes of building courage, I sighed and started talking, "I think I told you that Lizzie and I lived in Indiana before moving here, right?" Stefani answered softly with her head still on my shoulder, "Yes." "Well, I grew up there, in a very small town in the southern part of the state. When I was younger, my dad was a functional alcoholic. He was the best heavy equipment mechanic in the area and ran a very successful business, but came home and drank himself to blackout every night." Stefani raised her head to look at me as I continued talking, "He wasn't an angry or abusive drunk, and was never drunk in public. He was just basically an absent parent. He worked all day then came home, sat in front of the television and drank until he passed out." "My mom did everything for us and held the family together until she got sick when I was in 8th grade. The ovarian cancer had already metastasized throughout her abdomen when she was diagnosed, and she was gone a few months later." My hand had held Stefani's while she was talking and now she reciprocated by interlacing her slender fingers with mine. "Even though he didn't show it, my dad loved her deeply and her death sent him into a tailspin. He turned into a full-time drunk and lost everything; the business, the house, the cars. There were many mornings that I would wake up for school and find him passed out in the living room or, worse yet, already starting the new day with a drink in his hand. When I was in high school, it was common for me to get a call from the Sheriff saying he was drunk or passed out somewhere around town. The Sheriff was a family friend and just called me to come get him rather than arresting him. Looking back on it, he was just an enabler by letting him go." Stefani squeezed my hand in hers as I spoke, "I worked odd jobs around town and managed to earn enough money for my dad and I to survive in a tiny apartment above the hardware store. Between poverty status and my good school grades, I managed to get a full scholarship at IU in Bloomington." "I was concerned about how my dad would take me leaving for school, but it turned out I didn't need to worry. His only question was if I would have a job and keep paying the bills. I did and continued doing so even after Julie and I were married." Stefani leaned against me as we sat on the bridge and offered, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. You do understand." "Yes, unfortunately I do." She cautiously probed further, "If I may ask, is your dad still around?" I had repressed this part of my past for years and wasn't sure I wanted to dredge up those memories. My head hung and watched the bubbling water below. After several minutes without a response, Stefani squeezed my hand and prompted, "David?" "He's in prison." She dug deeper when she realized I wasn't going to elaborate on my own, "Why?" I continued looking into the moving water and softly said, "Julie and Lizzie were hit by a drunk driver." It took a second to register in her mind, "Oh my God, it was him." "Yes." She took her hand from mine and, instead, wrapped both arms around me in a sympathetic and understanding hug. We sat in each other's arms for quite some time before I said, "We should probably go back inside and see what the girls are doing." Stefani agreed and we slowly made our way back through the woods toward the house. As we walked, I said, "Lizzie doesn't know any of that stuff about her grandfather. I'll tell her someday, but probably not anytime soon." "I understand. Toni was young enough that she doesn't remember her dad and didn't know why he left. I avoided the topic for a long time, but eventually I had to tell her." "Lizzie knows that she and Julie were in a car accident. She just doesn't know the part about my dad." Stefani stopped walking and pulled on my arm for me to stop with her. She pulled me into an embrace and said, "Thank you." I returned her hug, then kept one arm around her back as we finished walking to the house. Stefani, Toni, Lizzie and I spent most of the afternoon playing board games by the fireplace and enjoying the time together. As we did, I found myself becoming attracted to Stefani, both mentally and physically. The cold, guarded person I knew faded away and a new sunny, alluring personality emerged as she smiled and laughed. I stole glances while she wasn't looking, enjoying the simple way she sat with one leg folded beneath her and the other pulled up so she could rest her chin on her knee, the way she twisted curls of hair in her slender fingers when she thought, the way her neatly-painted toes flexed when she reached for the board game pieces, and the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. Later in the evening, Stefani and I collaborated on preparation of an impromptu taco dinner, before we all said our goodbyes. Still in my borrowed clothes as they left, Stefani gave me one more hug and whispered in my ear, "Thank you again for taking me in." before giving me a soft kiss on the cheek. Uniting. Play dates continued frequently for Lizzie and Toni over the following weeks, both at Stefani's house and at mine. However, unlike before, Stefani would invite me to stay and I would do the same when at my house. Sometimes we would simply sit quietly in each other's company working on our laptops. Other times we would chat casually about a wide range of topics, getting to know each other and exploring our commonalities and differences. During one of those discussions, we found ourselves talking about balancing life demands as a single parent; children, work, cooking, cleaning, etc., and how it left very little time for personal interests and pursuits. I joked, "Ha, sharing the work is definitely a strong argument for having a partner!" Stefani looked at me and very seriously asked, "Have you dated since Julie passed?" "I've been on a few dates, but I wouldn't say I've dated. A couple years after we moved here, some of my friends started trying to set me up with people. The ladies were nice enough, but I wasn't ready yet and it just didn't feel right. After a few dates, I decided it was best to just decline their attempts" She probed further, "How long ago was that?" "The last one was maybe 4 years ago." I answered before returning the question, "How about you? Have you dated?" She groaned, "Hmm, my dating history isn't any better than what happened with that guy from my office. I've met a few guys, but they've all turned out to be jerks. I tell you, I'm a magnet for them. One guy that I really liked and went out with for about a month, turned out to be married. The others weren't that much different than the guy from work, and it became obvious on the first dates that they were only looking for sex, not a relationship." "I'm sorry." Neither one of us said anything more on the topic and we moved on to other subjects, but there was an unspoken understanding that we were both exploring the other person's openness to a relationship. Friendsgiving. The week after Thanksgiving, Stefani and I sat on stools at my kitchen island tapping away on our laptop keyboards while Toni and Lizzie played upstairs. I was answering emails, and Stefani was filling out what looked to be a very complicated accounting spreadsheet on her screen. After an hour or so, Stefani sighed and announced, "I need a break from these numbers." She extended her arms straight above her head and arched her back as she stretched. The motion served to thrust her tits outward, stretching the fabric of her thin button-up blouse and revealing the intricate texture of a lace bra beneath. It also caused the bottom of the untucked blouse to rise upward, exposing a flat, toned midriff and cute belly button. Having been caught looking, she just smiled knowingly and asked "How was your Thanksgiving?" "It was good. Lizzie and I went over to George and Linda's house for a 'Friendsgiving'. There were about ten people there, plus a few kids. We stayed for most of the day, then came home and roasted some marshmallows in the fireplace. How was yours?" "It was stereotypical," she replied as she continued in a mock monotonous tone, "We went to my parents' house, ate dinner, and all the men fell asleep watching football while my mom and sisters harassed me to find a husband. You know, all the usual things." I said sarcastically, "Sounds delightful." then asked seriously, "I take it that is a topic of conversation at every family gathering?" "Yes, they think they are being funny about it, joking about how they should set me up with this guy or that guy, but it gets annoying really fast. Especially since I know they really aren't joking. At least I won't have to hear it at Christmas. My parents decided to go on a Caribbean cruise over the holidays, so my sisters are all going to their husbands' sides of their families." I processed that for a few seconds, then asked, "Have you made any other plans? Would you and Toni like to spend Christmas here with us?" Stefani sincerely replied, "I would love that. I know Toni will too." We went on to plan out the details and decided that Stefani would bring their gifts over on Christmas Eve so she didn't have to transport them Christmas morning. That discussion evolved into Stefani bringing some of her family's traditional Italian dishes for dinner, then further into a more formal Christmas Eve dining event. She thought it would be fun for the girls, and I certainly didn't object to the idea of seeing Stefani in a nice dress. Holidays. On the Saturday two weeks before Christmas, Lizzie and I went to the local Rotary Club tree sale. Lizzie carefully inspected every tree on the lot before running back to one of the first trees near the entrance and declaring, "This is it! This is the perfect tree!" The Frazier Fir was a little big and a little expensive for my preference, but I acquiesced and paid the man standing next to me with a perceptive grin on his face. After strapping the tree on top of my Jeep, we climbed in and I asked Lizzie, "Should we see if Toni wants to come help decorate it?" Lizzie bounced in her seat and squealed, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Stefani, "Just bought tree. U2 want to decorate tonight?" She replied back almost immediately, "Yes, I'll bring chili." When we got home, I untied the tree in the gravel driveway and did my best to shake out any loose needles. Before taking it in the house, Lizzie and I decided on a location off to the side of the great room fireplace and shifted furniture around to accommodate the tree. I then dug the tree stand and some boxes of decorations out of the basement. After all the preparations were made, I brought the tree inside. Lizzie steadied the empty stand while I placed the base of the tree and held it upright while Lizzie tightened the stand's handscrews to secure it in place. With it tightened as much as Lizzie's little fingers could muster, I crawled under the tree and made little adjustments while Lizzie gave me left or right straightening instructions. When she was satisfied, I gave each of the handscrews a final tightening. We stood together admiring our work and congratulated each other on the job well done before she went get a container of water for the tree. I spent the next couple hours on household tasks that I hadn't accomplished during the week, then decided to get cleaned up a little before Stefani and Toni arrived. I washed up, applied some fresh deodorant and cologne, then changed into a pair of casual khakis and an ugly but festive Christmas sweater. Decorating. Stefani and Toni arrived soon after I changed. Stefani carrying a crockpot of chili and Toni carrying a bag full of accompaniments. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door and unloaded their hands as they shed their coats and shoes. Stefani laughed at my sweater as she slid her coat off her shoulders, "Seriously?" I feigned ignorance and replied sarcastically, "What?!" With coats hung up and the crock pot plugged in, the four of us found our way over to the unadorned tree and began discussing how to decorate it. I opened the box containing light strands and said, "We have some multi-color lights and some white lights, which should we use ladies?" The two girls discussed it for a moment then answered in unison, "All of them!" I chuckled and started untangling the light strands and stringing them around the tree as Stefani and the girls explored the other boxes of decorations I had brought up from the basement. I couldn't help but admire Stefani as she picked through the boxes and watched me wrap lights around the tree. She was wearing a loose-fitting cream color corded sweater, black leggings, and cream color fuzzy socks that matched her sweater. I'm sure she intended it as a comfortable lounging outfit, but it complimented her long, toned body very well. I finished the last strand of lights and took a seat on the sofa while Toni and Lizzie continued unwrapping ornaments and laying them out on the floor. Stefani had found a tree skirt in one of the boxes and asked, "Should I put it on?" I answered, "Sure. There should be another one somewhere in the boxes if you want to see it, but I think the one you have is the best." She said, "This one is nice." then crawled over to the tree. She unfolded the skirt and reached under the tree while on her hands and knees to pull it around the trunk. Gravity slid the bottom of her oversize sweater above her hips and a few inches up her back as she leaned and stretched to adjust the skirt, presenting a wonderful view of her perfect heart-shaped rear. My gaze was fixed on the sensual, womanly curves that were only slightly veiled by the form-fitting legging fabric. Stefani pulled the skirt edges outward and tried her best to smooth any wrinkles before asking, "How does that look?" Still staring at her ass, I rallied courage to suggestively answer, "It looks incredible." Curious about the overly enthusiastic response, Stefani looked back over her shoulder and saw me looking at her rear, not the tree skirt. She smiled mischievously, subtly wiggled her ass, then spent a couple more minutes unnecessarily straightening imaginary wrinkles in the skirt. The girls were unaware of the adult exchanges and Lizzie innocently asked, "Can we start putting ornaments on now?" I came back to reality and answered, "Sure, go for it!" as Stefani moved to sit next to me on the sofa. The girls formulated a plan for shorter Lizzie to decorate the bottom of the tree, taller Toni to hang ornaments on the middle section, and Stefani and me to get whatever they couldn't reach. Stefani nestled against my side as we watched the girls make trips back and forth between selecting ornaments laid on the floor and choosing the perfect location for each on the tree. Their happiness being together and sharing in the festive atmosphere was infectious, and I sat there feeling emotions I hadn't felt in a very long time. It was very comfortable to have Toni and Stefani there with us. It just felt right. With those thoughts swirling in my head, my hand reached to find Stefani's and our fingers intuitively interlaced. My heart swelled as Stefani snuggled further into me. When the girls had their portions of the tree sufficiently loaded, Stefani and I finished decorating the upper portion and I added the crowning star. We all stood back to admire our work and I flipped the switch for the grand lighting finale. The girls cheered with delight while Stefani and I each put an arm around the other's back and shared a side-hug while appreciating the tree. After sharing a few moments, Stefani moved on to serve dinner while I cleaned up the empty decoration boxes. We all shared conversation over the meal at the dining room table, then played some after-dinner card games. I felt a pang of emptiness when it was time for Stefani and Toni to leave, and really didn't want them to go. That evening I felt a sense of family that I hadn't felt since Julie died. I didn't want to scare Stefani with the heaviness of my thoughts, and understatedly said, "I really enjoyed spending the day with you. I hope we can all spend more evenings like this together." Stefani wasn't as subtle. As they were putting their coats on and heading out the door, she gave me a goodbye hug with the girls looking on, and whispered in my ear, "I didn't see mistletoe hung anywhere. You should get some." Holiday Break. The week before Christmas was a whirlwind, filled with school holiday activities, Christmas shopping, and end-of-the-year accounting for my business. There wasn't time for play dates, but we did all see each other at the school holiday play and concert. Both girls had parts in the play, Toni as an ice skater and Lizzie tending a chestnut roasting cart. Stefani and I found each other in the crowd of parents entering the auditorium and enjoyed the show side-by-side. I didn't know how she felt about the two of us being friendly in public, so I sat next to her playing the part of a plutonic acquaintance. It was Stefani who reached over and placed her hand on the top of my thigh, which I covered with mine and gave a squeeze of affection. We all went to the downtown sweet shop after the concert where the girls both ate mountainous ice cream sundaes while Stefani and I sipped on decaf coffee. We shared another goodbye hug when we parted ways at the end of the evening. This time it was my turn to whisper in Stefani's ear, "We need to find some time alone." She inhaled sharply and shuddered a little when I discreetly placed a kiss just under her ear. The Big Event. On the morning of Christmas Eve, Lizzie and I made some final preparations for the big event, including retrieval of a formal set of china and crystal stemware packed away in the basement. We washed all the china and stemware before turning our attention to the table by spreading a white linen tablecloth, arranging the china and crystal place settings, and creating a centerpiece with some fir boughs and velvet ribbon. The crowning element was a forest of candles randomly spaced along the center of the table. After finishing, I steered Lizzie up to her room to change clothes before doing a quick final clean of the kitchen and great room, then heading upstairs to freshen up and change. I opted for a slightly casual look with a sport coat and open collar button-down shirt. Lizzie went for an all-out, over-the-top look in a way only a third-grade girl can, with a long lace dress, heels, and an abundance of costume jewelry. I heard gravel crunching under tires as I was complimenting Lizzie on her dress and looked out the window to see Stefani and Toni's car coming to a stop outside. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door. Lizzie with squeals of excitement for Toni, and me with a hug for Stefani. With a long overcoat still on, Stefani said, "Presents and dinner are in the trunk of my car. Would you mind?" "Of course not." I didn't bother putting on a coat and swiftly walked out to retrieve hot trays of food covered in aluminum foil and packed in boxes. Toni held the door open upon my return to the house and I complimented her attire, which was on par with Lizzie's style for the evening. I entered to see Stefani standing in the kitchen wearing a floor-length, deep burgundy satin evening gown. The off-the-shoulder cut drew attention to her lithe neck and sensually exposed collar bones and shoulders, while the deep-V bust line and her pendant necklace pointed directly to the shallow valley between her modest tits. The torso of the dress was neatly fitted to her narrow waist then flared outward over her hips into the pleated A-line gown. It was the perfect dress for her body and she looked absolutely amazing. My admiration grew even more when she shifted position to purposefully reveal a long, toned leg through the full length slit in the side. "You look incredible!" I praised while placing the boxes of food on the kitchen island and making a show of looking at her from head to toe. She feigned a shy, "Aww, thank you." and humbly said, "I wear it once a year for the company holiday party." I turned to make another trip to her car and on the way out the door, I replied, "You should wear it more often. You make that dress look really good." I made several trips schlepping boxes of food and Christmas presents. When I returned and put the last couple boxes on the kitchen counter, Stefani had begun unpacking an assortment of homemade Italian dishes, including chicken piccata, fettucine with clam sauce, an antipasto salad, and an assortment of other side dishes. I exclaimed, "Wow, this looks and smells fantastic!" as I moved to steal a small clam off the top of the fettucine. She swatted my hand and playfully disciplined, "You need to wait, mister!" The girls tasked themselves with lighting the numerous candles on the table as I dimmed the house lights. Meanwhile, Stefani finished plating the last few items and carried them to the table. We dined by the soft glow of candlelight talking about good memories of Christmas, with Stefani and I temporarily ignoring the painful ones from our respective pasts. At one point, as the girls were consumed with a conversation of their own, Stefani commented, "This china is beautiful. You have good tastes." I didn't want to kill the mood, but I also wanted to be honest. "Julie picked it out for our wedding registry. She had an eye for the finer things in life." "Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry! I should have known!" "Please, it's okay. I wouldn't have used it if I wasn't ready to talk about it. I figured it was time to dust it off for a special occasion." She meekly asked, "Is this the first time you've used it since?" "Yes." Her beautiful blue eyes looked warmly into mine as her long slender fingers mindlessly twirled a lock of hair above her right ear. She spoke with layers of meaning, "I'm understanding more and more that Julie knew how to choose the finer things." We shared an extended gaze across the table that was only interrupted by Toni asking, "Can we have dessert now?" Stefani and I chuckled and she answered, "Yes, you may." before standing up to clear the table of dirty plates. I offered in my best butler voice, "I will service the table, madam, if you would like to prepare the next course for the Ladies of the Court." The girls thought that was hilarious and started practicing their own stuffy accents, which only intensified as consequences of the sugary tiramisu and cannoli took hold. When we had all finished, I announced in my Lordship voice, "Thank you Ladies, the food was remarkable and so was the company. Shall we retire to the parlor for after-dinner amusements?" The girls looked confused, so Stefani clarified, "He means games." after which they scrambled out of their chairs to explore the cabinet housing our selection of card and board games. Stefani and I cleared the table and generally tidied up the kitchen while the girls debated which games to play. We worked efficiently as a team, sharing a lot of unnecessary and 'accidental' touches as we moved about. The girls finished their game selections and we played several games of 'Chutes 'N Ladders' before moving on to 'Sorry' and, finally, a very long game of 'Monopoly' in which they eventually lost interest and asked if they could go watch a movie in the basement. Stefani started to object, "It's getting late. We should probably be going." before I gestured for the girls to go on downstairs. They didn't wait for Stefani's response and took off down the stairs. She looked at me quizzically as I stood up and motioned for her to follow me. We trailed the girls down the stairs where Stefani silently absorbed what was before her. I had set up two twin beds in front of the downstairs television and created a makeshift tent out of some decorative tree branches, tulle fabric, and twinkle lights. It was a perfect sleepover paradise for two third-grade girls. I put my arm around Stefani and whispered in her ear, "You're right, it is getting late. Maybe you should just spend the night." She put her arm around my back and whispered back, "Umm; sounds nice, but;” as she nodded toward the girls. I responded not to her, but to Lizzie and Toni who were sitting on one of the beds scrolling through movie options on the DVR. "Girls?" When they both raised their heads to look at me, I announced, "We've decided to let you have a sleepover tonight so that we can all be here together for Christmas morning;” They cheered and hugged each other before I continued, "; but there are a couple rules; first, you can watch a movie, then you need to get ready for bed in the bathroom down here and go right to sleep. The pink gift bags on your beds are special Christmas Eve sleepover kits with pajamas, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a few other things." Lizzie and Toni scurried to check out the gift bags, but I interceded, "Wait a minute; the second rule is that you can't come upstairs until 7:00 tomorrow morning;” I said motioning to Stefani and I, "; we need a decent night's sleep. Do you both agree to the rules?" They eagerly shouted in unison, "Yes, Yes, Yes!" "Ok, we'll see you on Christmas morning!" Before we could turn to leave, Toni asked, "Mom, where will you sleep?" I anticipated the question and interceded with a little white lie, "She'll sleep in my bed. I'm going to sleep on the great room sofa so I can make sure you two don't try to sneak upstairs to look at the presents." Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Toni simply said, "Okay, goodnight mom." To be continued in part 3. Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

Bridge Engineering: Part 2 Why is my mom here? Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected. I awoke to the sound of Lizzie's bathroom door opening and closing, and the girls' footsteps moving around her bedroom. I laid there for a minute then reluctantly pulled myself out of bed to splash some water on my face and slip on a pair of flannel lounge pants and a t-shirt. I emerged from my bedroom and looked down in the great room to see the girls standing by the sofa looking at Stefani as she slept. Toni heard me coming down the stairs and asked, "Why is my mom here?" Lizzie followed that with the accurate but impolite assessment, "Her makeup is all smeared." Before I could say anything, Toni shook her mom's shoulder and loudly inquired, "Mom! Mom! Are you ok?!" Stefani stirred, stretched her legs under the blankets, and drowsily answered, "Yes honey, I'm fine. Mom just had a really rough night." Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Toni and Lizzie went into the pantry and started lining up cereal boxes while debating the merits of each selection. By that time, I was also downstairs and gently offered, "Good morning" to Stefani as I went about rekindling the hearth. She moaned as she sat up on the sofa and said, "I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe I came here like that last night." "I'm glad you did. I don't know what that was all about, but I was happy to know you were here and safe." She gave a muffled "Thank you." while she hung her head and cradled it in her hands, then mumbled to herself, "I can't believe I thought he would be any different." Toni must have had one ear tuned into our conversation and interjected in an annoyed tone of voice, "Is this about a man?" Lizzie looked at Toni, then at me and matter-of-factly said, "She should go sit on the bridge." It was an unquestionable truth in Lizzie's mind that time sitting on the bridge would fix whatever was bothering Toni's mom. I smiled and said, "Lizzie, I think that is a great idea." She puffed her chest proudly and went about pouring a bowl of cereal. I finished adding logs to the fire and suggested to Stefani, "There's a half-bath by the kitchen, or you're welcome to use my bathroom upstairs if you would like a shower. I'll pull together some fresh clothes for you. When you are ready, I think we should go for a walk;” then in a slightly louder voice added, "away from little eavesdroppers." "You really wouldn't mind if I took a shower?" "Not at all. I'll get you some towels and toiletries." The corners of her mouth turned upward in a small smile of gratitude and, for the first time that morning, Stefani looked me directly in the eyes and offered a very heart-felt, "Thank you." She stood up, pulled the hem of her dress down, and followed me up the stairs in her black legging covered feet. At the top of the stairs, I reached in the linen closet and handed her a stack of two bath towels, a hand towel, and a washcloth. My hands then sorted through some of the miscellaneous toiletries stored in the same closet and added a toothbrush, toothpaste, and stick of pre-teen girly deodorant. I apologized as I set the brightly patterned container on top of the towels, "Sorry, you're stuck with this unless you want to use men's deodorant." Returning to our inventory of toiletries, I started checking labels on bottles of Lizzie's 2-in-1 bodywash and shampoo, "Ok, looks like your choices are strawberry, cotton candy, or bubble gum." She chuckled and said, "I think I'll go with strawberry." "Good call." We proceeded into my bedroom where I motioned her toward the ensuite bathroom and said, "Make yourself at home and use whatever you need in there. I'm pretty sure the door locks. To be honest, I've never used it." She surveyed the bedroom and its contents on her way to the bathroom and I walked the opposite direction toward my walk-in closet. "I'll find some clothes while you are in the shower and set them on the corner of the bed." She softly said, "Thank you." while walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. I proceeded to rummage through my closet looking for things that might work. I knew my clothes made for a 6'-3" tall man wouldn't fit her properly, but they were the only option available. My hands methodically moved across the wall rack, sliding each hanger a bit so I could examine the respective article. After a few minutes, I heard the sounds of Stefani turning on the shower, opening the glass shower door, and then water sporadically splashing against the tile and glass enclosure. My mind came to the awareness that there was a completely naked woman in my shower, just on the other side of the door. I couldn't help but think of how her intimate features must look as the steaming spray trickled down her body. Realizing I was standing there inappropriately fantasizing about a woman in a questionable emotional condition, I snapped myself out of it and continued thumbing through hangers to arrive at a pair of heavy flannel lounge pants. They were a much too small Christmas gift from years past, but I figured they would work for Stefani if she rolled the pant legs up a little. A t-shirt and sweatshirt seemed like the obvious choices for her upper half given a lot of women like relaxing in oversized men's clothes anyway. Organizing my selections, I noticed there weren't any undergarments and shrugged it off thinking she would just have to re-use what she had on, or go commando, but then had a last-second thought to grab a pair of boxer shorts. I folded everything neatly, set the items in a pyramiding stack on the corner of the bed, and closed the bedroom door behind me on the way out. About 30-minutes later, the girls were in Lizzie's room and I was sitting in the great room when Stefani padded down the stairs in bare feet wearing the lounge pants and the oversized t-shirt that was slightly moist around the collar from her damp curls. The t-shirt clung a little to her moist torso and gave evidence of her unrestrained tits jiggling under the fabric. She smiled as she reached the main floor and softly said, "Thank you. I really needed that." "You're welcome. Are you hungry?" "Not really, my stomach is still turning a little from last night." she said as she sat next to me on the sofa and folded her legs beneath her. "I'm so sorry for the drama. I wasn't thinking clearly and I'm thoroughly embarrassed I showed up here like that." "Please don't be. Like I said earlier, I'm just happy to know you're safe. You seemed pretty traumatized." Stefani replied, "Traumatized is probably a little strong." before seemingly pausing to consider if she wanted to offer any more information. She exhaled loudly and hesitantly continued, "I've had some; let's call them; rocky roads in my personal life, and last night was just the latest example." I sympathetically offered, "I'm sorry." She shrugged her shoulders and introspectively recapped, "I've worked with him for several years and thought he was a nice guy; and he was until he started drinking. Dinner was enjoyable, but by the time we all got to the dance club he was pretty buzzed and started getting handsy. When I rebuffed his advances, he got belligerent and more forceful." Stefani's eyes were beginning to swell as she recounted the previous evening's events in her head. My own head was filled with questions and concerns, but I sensed she had more to say and didn't want to hinder her in getting it out. "Thankfully, my coworkers saw what was happening and interceded. He took off and that was the end of it." She paused for a moment then tearily continued, "It's not just him. Last night wasn't the first time something like this happened. I seem to be a magnet for jerks and losers. At least this one wasn't married; that I know of." "I'm sorry." She quietly repeated to herself something she had said the previous night, "Why can't I escape it?" I couldn't hold back my curiosity, "You said that last night too. What do you mean you can't escape 'it'?" She answered coldly through her tears, "Alcohol," before pausing for a few quick moments to gather herself and continuing, "It ruined my marriage. It robbed Toni of a father. It turned my coworker into a creep last night. Etc, etc;” I took her hand in mine and said, "I'm sorry. I understand." She abruptly pulled her hand from mine and argued, "I appreciate your compassion, but please don't say you understand." I stood up and said, "I think we should go for a walk outside." I didn't really give her an opportunity to say no and walked to the mudroom to get a jacket. I put mine on, then handed one to Stefani as she followed me. We both slipped on a pair of my fleece lined muck boots. The boots and jacket were both too large for her, but they would suffice. I shouted to the girls that Stefani and I were going on a walk, then we stepped outside. As we strolled away from the house and into the woods, I inquired, "Please tell me about your ex-husband." "Well, we met in college and he was wonderful. I thought he was everything I wanted in life. His drinking wasn't an issue then. I mean we both went to the typical college parties and had too much to drink, but it wasn't a problem. We married the summer after we graduated and started a typical newlywed life." Our boots crunched through fall leaves on the forest floor as Stefani continued, "After we were married, he occasionally went out with friends or old college buddies and came home drunk. Again, it wasn't frequent and wasn't anything concerning." We reached Lizzie's bridge and both sat on the edge dangling our feet over the water below. "Over time, and after Toni came along, his occasional nights out evolved into several times a week and he became defensive whenever I would say anything about it. Eventually, alcoholism; let's call it what it was; completely overtook him. It wasn't just going out with friends anymore. He always had a drink in his hand. Commitments were meaningless to him and he would show up hours late, if at all. Toni's birthday parties, family holidays, dates with me; it didn't matter." "By the time Toni was three, he lost his job, which only gave him an excuse to be drunk all day. I constantly begged him to get help, but that would only agitate him and cause a fight. That continued for about a year until his agitation turned into physical abuse. That was my breaking point and I told him I wanted a divorce." Stefani was now talking through streaming tears and I took her hand in mine as a show of support. "The night I told him, he went out to the bar and never came back. After a couple weeks, I realized he was never coming back and I hired a divorce attorney who, in turn, hired a private investigator to track him down. It took a few months, but they eventually found him in Key West where he could find work as a day laborer on fishing charters and beg enough money and free drinks from tourists to get by. He demanded a healthy ransom to sign the divorce papers but, at that point, I would have paid anything." With that, she fell silent and leaned to rest her head on my shoulder. We sat quietly listening to the gentle breeze in the trees, punctuated occasionally by Stefani's sniffles. After a few minutes of building courage, I sighed and started talking, "I think I told you that Lizzie and I lived in Indiana before moving here, right?" Stefani answered softly with her head still on my shoulder, "Yes." "Well, I grew up there, in a very small town in the southern part of the state. When I was younger, my dad was a functional alcoholic. He was the best heavy equipment mechanic in the area and ran a very successful business, but came home and drank himself to blackout every night." Stefani raised her head to look at me as I continued talking, "He wasn't an angry or abusive drunk, and was never drunk in public. He was just basically an absent parent. He worked all day then came home, sat in front of the television and drank until he passed out." "My mom did everything for us and held the family together until she got sick when I was in 8th grade. The ovarian cancer had already metastasized throughout her abdomen when she was diagnosed, and she was gone a few months later." My hand had held Stefani's while she was talking and now she reciprocated by interlacing her slender fingers with mine. "Even though he didn't show it, my dad loved her deeply and her death sent him into a tailspin. He turned into a full-time drunk and lost everything; the business, the house, the cars. There were many mornings that I would wake up for school and find him passed out in the living room or, worse yet, already starting the new day with a drink in his hand. When I was in high school, it was common for me to get a call from the Sheriff saying he was drunk or passed out somewhere around town. The Sheriff was a family friend and just called me to come get him rather than arresting him. Looking back on it, he was just an enabler by letting him go." Stefani squeezed my hand in hers as I spoke, "I worked odd jobs around town and managed to earn enough money for my dad and I to survive in a tiny apartment above the hardware store. Between poverty status and my good school grades, I managed to get a full scholarship at IU in Bloomington." "I was concerned about how my dad would take me leaving for school, but it turned out I didn't need to worry. His only question was if I would have a job and keep paying the bills. I did and continued doing so even after Julie and I were married." Stefani leaned against me as we sat on the bridge and offered, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. You do understand." "Yes, unfortunately I do." She cautiously probed further, "If I may ask, is your dad still around?" I had repressed this part of my past for years and wasn't sure I wanted to dredge up those memories. My head hung and watched the bubbling water below. After several minutes without a response, Stefani squeezed my hand and prompted, "David?" "He's in prison." She dug deeper when she realized I wasn't going to elaborate on my own, "Why?" I continued looking into the moving water and softly said, "Julie and Lizzie were hit by a drunk driver." It took a second to register in her mind, "Oh my God, it was him." "Yes." She took her hand from mine and, instead, wrapped both arms around me in a sympathetic and understanding hug. We sat in each other's arms for quite some time before I said, "We should probably go back inside and see what the girls are doing." Stefani agreed and we slowly made our way back through the woods toward the house. As we walked, I said, "Lizzie doesn't know any of that stuff about her grandfather. I'll tell her someday, but probably not anytime soon." "I understand. Toni was young enough that she doesn't remember her dad and didn't know why he left. I avoided the topic for a long time, but eventually I had to tell her." "Lizzie knows that she and Julie were in a car accident. She just doesn't know the part about my dad." Stefani stopped walking and pulled on my arm for me to stop with her. She pulled me into an embrace and said, "Thank you." I returned her hug, then kept one arm around her back as we finished walking to the house. Stefani, Toni, Lizzie and I spent most of the afternoon playing board games by the fireplace and enjoying the time together. As we did, I found myself becoming attracted to Stefani, both mentally and physically. The cold, guarded person I knew faded away and a new sunny, alluring personality emerged as she smiled and laughed. I stole glances while she wasn't looking, enjoying the simple way she sat with one leg folded beneath her and the other pulled up so she could rest her chin on her knee, the way she twisted curls of hair in her slender fingers when she thought, the way her neatly-painted toes flexed when she reached for the board game pieces, and the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. Later in the evening, Stefani and I collaborated on preparation of an impromptu taco dinner, before we all said our goodbyes. Still in my borrowed clothes as they left, Stefani gave me one more hug and whispered in my ear, "Thank you again for taking me in." before giving me a soft kiss on the cheek. Uniting. Play dates continued frequently for Lizzie and Toni over the following weeks, both at Stefani's house and at mine. However, unlike before, Stefani would invite me to stay and I would do the same when at my house. Sometimes we would simply sit quietly in each other's company working on our laptops. Other times we would chat casually about a wide range of topics, getting to know each other and exploring our commonalities and differences. During one of those discussions, we found ourselves talking about balancing life demands as a single parent; children, work, cooking, cleaning, etc., and how it left very little time for personal interests and pursuits. I joked, "Ha, sharing the work is definitely a strong argument for having a partner!" Stefani looked at me and very seriously asked, "Have you dated since Julie passed?" "I've been on a few dates, but I wouldn't say I've dated. A couple years after we moved here, some of my friends started trying to set me up with people. The ladies were nice enough, but I wasn't ready yet and it just didn't feel right. After a few dates, I decided it was best to just decline their attempts" She probed further, "How long ago was that?" "The last one was maybe 4 years ago." I answered before returning the question, "How about you? Have you dated?" She groaned, "Hmm, my dating history isn't any better than what happened with that guy from my office. I've met a few guys, but they've all turned out to be jerks. I tell you, I'm a magnet for them. One guy that I really liked and went out with for about a month, turned out to be married. The others weren't that much different than the guy from work, and it became obvious on the first dates that they were only looking for sex, not a relationship." "I'm sorry." Neither one of us said anything more on the topic and we moved on to other subjects, but there was an unspoken understanding that we were both exploring the other person's openness to a relationship. Friendsgiving. The week after Thanksgiving, Stefani and I sat on stools at my kitchen island tapping away on our laptop keyboards while Toni and Lizzie played upstairs. I was answering emails, and Stefani was filling out what looked to be a very complicated accounting spreadsheet on her screen. After an hour or so, Stefani sighed and announced, "I need a break from these numbers." She extended her arms straight above her head and arched her back as she stretched. The motion served to thrust her tits outward, stretching the fabric of her thin button-up blouse and revealing the intricate texture of a lace bra beneath. It also caused the bottom of the untucked blouse to rise upward, exposing a flat, toned midriff and cute belly button. Having been caught looking, she just smiled knowingly and asked "How was your Thanksgiving?" "It was good. Lizzie and I went over to George and Linda's house for a 'Friendsgiving'. There were about ten people there, plus a few kids. We stayed for most of the day, then came home and roasted some marshmallows in the fireplace. How was yours?" "It was stereotypical," she replied as she continued in a mock monotonous tone, "We went to my parents' house, ate dinner, and all the men fell asleep watching football while my mom and sisters harassed me to find a husband. You know, all the usual things." I said sarcastically, "Sounds delightful." then asked seriously, "I take it that is a topic of conversation at every family gathering?" "Yes, they think they are being funny about it, joking about how they should set me up with this guy or that guy, but it gets annoying really fast. Especially since I know they really aren't joking. At least I won't have to hear it at Christmas. My parents decided to go on a Caribbean cruise over the holidays, so my sisters are all going to their husbands' sides of their families." I processed that for a few seconds, then asked, "Have you made any other plans? Would you and Toni like to spend Christmas here with us?" Stefani sincerely replied, "I would love that. I know Toni will too." We went on to plan out the details and decided that Stefani would bring their gifts over on Christmas Eve so she didn't have to transport them Christmas morning. That discussion evolved into Stefani bringing some of her family's traditional Italian dishes for dinner, then further into a more formal Christmas Eve dining event. She thought it would be fun for the girls, and I certainly didn't object to the idea of seeing Stefani in a nice dress. Holidays. On the Saturday two weeks before Christmas, Lizzie and I went to the local Rotary Club tree sale. Lizzie carefully inspected every tree on the lot before running back to one of the first trees near the entrance and declaring, "This is it! This is the perfect tree!" The Frazier Fir was a little big and a little expensive for my preference, but I acquiesced and paid the man standing next to me with a perceptive grin on his face. After strapping the tree on top of my Jeep, we climbed in and I asked Lizzie, "Should we see if Toni wants to come help decorate it?" Lizzie bounced in her seat and squealed, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Stefani, "Just bought tree. U2 want to decorate tonight?" She replied back almost immediately, "Yes, I'll bring chili." When we got home, I untied the tree in the gravel driveway and did my best to shake out any loose needles. Before taking it in the house, Lizzie and I decided on a location off to the side of the great room fireplace and shifted furniture around to accommodate the tree. I then dug the tree stand and some boxes of decorations out of the basement. After all the preparations were made, I brought the tree inside. Lizzie steadied the empty stand while I placed the base of the tree and held it upright while Lizzie tightened the stand's handscrews to secure it in place. With it tightened as much as Lizzie's little fingers could muster, I crawled under the tree and made little adjustments while Lizzie gave me left or right straightening instructions. When she was satisfied, I gave each of the handscrews a final tightening. We stood together admiring our work and congratulated each other on the job well done before she went get a container of water for the tree. I spent the next couple hours on household tasks that I hadn't accomplished during the week, then decided to get cleaned up a little before Stefani and Toni arrived. I washed up, applied some fresh deodorant and cologne, then changed into a pair of casual khakis and an ugly but festive Christmas sweater. Decorating. Stefani and Toni arrived soon after I changed. Stefani carrying a crockpot of chili and Toni carrying a bag full of accompaniments. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door and unloaded their hands as they shed their coats and shoes. Stefani laughed at my sweater as she slid her coat off her shoulders, "Seriously?" I feigned ignorance and replied sarcastically, "What?!" With coats hung up and the crock pot plugged in, the four of us found our way over to the unadorned tree and began discussing how to decorate it. I opened the box containing light strands and said, "We have some multi-color lights and some white lights, which should we use ladies?" The two girls discussed it for a moment then answered in unison, "All of them!" I chuckled and started untangling the light strands and stringing them around the tree as Stefani and the girls explored the other boxes of decorations I had brought up from the basement. I couldn't help but admire Stefani as she picked through the boxes and watched me wrap lights around the tree. She was wearing a loose-fitting cream color corded sweater, black leggings, and cream color fuzzy socks that matched her sweater. I'm sure she intended it as a comfortable lounging outfit, but it complimented her long, toned body very well. I finished the last strand of lights and took a seat on the sofa while Toni and Lizzie continued unwrapping ornaments and laying them out on the floor. Stefani had found a tree skirt in one of the boxes and asked, "Should I put it on?" I answered, "Sure. There should be another one somewhere in the boxes if you want to see it, but I think the one you have is the best." She said, "This one is nice." then crawled over to the tree. She unfolded the skirt and reached under the tree while on her hands and knees to pull it around the trunk. Gravity slid the bottom of her oversize sweater above her hips and a few inches up her back as she leaned and stretched to adjust the skirt, presenting a wonderful view of her perfect heart-shaped rear. My gaze was fixed on the sensual, womanly curves that were only slightly veiled by the form-fitting legging fabric. Stefani pulled the skirt edges outward and tried her best to smooth any wrinkles before asking, "How does that look?" Still staring at her ass, I rallied courage to suggestively answer, "It looks incredible." Curious about the overly enthusiastic response, Stefani looked back over her shoulder and saw me looking at her rear, not the tree skirt. She smiled mischievously, subtly wiggled her ass, then spent a couple more minutes unnecessarily straightening imaginary wrinkles in the skirt. The girls were unaware of the adult exchanges and Lizzie innocently asked, "Can we start putting ornaments on now?" I came back to reality and answered, "Sure, go for it!" as Stefani moved to sit next to me on the sofa. The girls formulated a plan for shorter Lizzie to decorate the bottom of the tree, taller Toni to hang ornaments on the middle section, and Stefani and me to get whatever they couldn't reach. Stefani nestled against my side as we watched the girls make trips back and forth between selecting ornaments laid on the floor and choosing the perfect location for each on the tree. Their happiness being together and sharing in the festive atmosphere was infectious, and I sat there feeling emotions I hadn't felt in a very long time. It was very comfortable to have Toni and Stefani there with us. It just felt right. With those thoughts swirling in my head, my hand reached to find Stefani's and our fingers intuitively interlaced. My heart swelled as Stefani snuggled further into me. When the girls had their portions of the tree sufficiently loaded, Stefani and I finished decorating the upper portion and I added the crowning star. We all stood back to admire our work and I flipped the switch for the grand lighting finale. The girls cheered with delight while Stefani and I each put an arm around the other's back and shared a side-hug while appreciating the tree. After sharing a few moments, Stefani moved on to serve dinner while I cleaned up the empty decoration boxes. We all shared conversation over the meal at the dining room table, then played some after-dinner card games. I felt a pang of emptiness when it was time for Stefani and Toni to leave, and really didn't want them to go. That evening I felt a sense of family that I hadn't felt since Julie died. I didn't want to scare Stefani with the heaviness of my thoughts, and understatedly said, "I really enjoyed spending the day with you. I hope we can all spend more evenings like this together." Stefani wasn't as subtle. As they were putting their coats on and heading out the door, she gave me a goodbye hug with the girls looking on, and whispered in my ear, "I didn't see mistletoe hung anywhere. You should get some." Holiday Break. The week before Christmas was a whirlwind, filled with school holiday activities, Christmas shopping, and end-of-the-year accounting for my business. There wasn't time for play dates, but we did all see each other at the school holiday play and concert. Both girls had parts in the play, Toni as an ice skater and Lizzie tending a chestnut roasting cart. Stefani and I found each other in the crowd of parents entering the auditorium and enjoyed the show side-by-side. I didn't know how she felt about the two of us being friendly in public, so I sat next to her playing the part of a plutonic acquaintance. It was Stefani who reached over and placed her hand on the top of my thigh, which I covered with mine and gave a squeeze of affection. We all went to the downtown sweet shop after the concert where the girls both ate mountainous ice cream sundaes while Stefani and I sipped on decaf coffee. We shared another goodbye hug when we parted ways at the end of the evening. This time it was my turn to whisper in Stefani's ear, "We need to find some time alone." She inhaled sharply and shuddered a little when I discreetly placed a kiss just under her ear. The Big Event. On the morning of Christmas Eve, Lizzie and I made some final preparations for the big event, including retrieval of a formal set of china and crystal stemware packed away in the basement. We washed all the china and stemware before turning our attention to the table by spreading a white linen tablecloth, arranging the china and crystal place settings, and creating a centerpiece with some fir boughs and velvet ribbon. The crowning element was a forest of candles randomly spaced along the center of the table. After finishing, I steered Lizzie up to her room to change clothes before doing a quick final clean of the kitchen and great room, then heading upstairs to freshen up and change. I opted for a slightly casual look with a sport coat and open collar button-down shirt. Lizzie went for an all-out, over-the-top look in a way only a third-grade girl can, with a long lace dress, heels, and an abundance of costume jewelry. I heard gravel crunching under tires as I was complimenting Lizzie on her dress and looked out the window to see Stefani and Toni's car coming to a stop outside. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door. Lizzie with squeals of excitement for Toni, and me with a hug for Stefani. With a long overcoat still on, Stefani said, "Presents and dinner are in the trunk of my car. Would you mind?" "Of course not." I didn't bother putting on a coat and swiftly walked out to retrieve hot trays of food covered in aluminum foil and packed in boxes. Toni held the door open upon my return to the house and I complimented her attire, which was on par with Lizzie's style for the evening. I entered to see Stefani standing in the kitchen wearing a floor-length, deep burgundy satin evening gown. The off-the-shoulder cut drew attention to her lithe neck and sensually exposed collar bones and shoulders, while the deep-V bust line and her pendant necklace pointed directly to the shallow valley between her modest tits. The torso of the dress was neatly fitted to her narrow waist then flared outward over her hips into the pleated A-line gown. It was the perfect dress for her body and she looked absolutely amazing. My admiration grew even more when she shifted position to purposefully reveal a long, toned leg through the full length slit in the side. "You look incredible!" I praised while placing the boxes of food on the kitchen island and making a show of looking at her from head to toe. She feigned a shy, "Aww, thank you." and humbly said, "I wear it once a year for the company holiday party." I turned to make another trip to her car and on the way out the door, I replied, "You should wear it more often. You make that dress look really good." I made several trips schlepping boxes of food and Christmas presents. When I returned and put the last couple boxes on the kitchen counter, Stefani had begun unpacking an assortment of homemade Italian dishes, including chicken piccata, fettucine with clam sauce, an antipasto salad, and an assortment of other side dishes. I exclaimed, "Wow, this looks and smells fantastic!" as I moved to steal a small clam off the top of the fettucine. She swatted my hand and playfully disciplined, "You need to wait, mister!" The girls tasked themselves with lighting the numerous candles on the table as I dimmed the house lights. Meanwhile, Stefani finished plating the last few items and carried them to the table. We dined by the soft glow of candlelight talking about good memories of Christmas, with Stefani and I temporarily ignoring the painful ones from our respective pasts. At one point, as the girls were consumed with a conversation of their own, Stefani commented, "This china is beautiful. You have good tastes." I didn't want to kill the mood, but I also wanted to be honest. "Julie picked it out for our wedding registry. She had an eye for the finer things in life." "Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry! I should have known!" "Please, it's okay. I wouldn't have used it if I wasn't ready to talk about it. I figured it was time to dust it off for a special occasion." She meekly asked, "Is this the first time you've used it since?" "Yes." Her beautiful blue eyes looked warmly into mine as her long slender fingers mindlessly twirled a lock of hair above her right ear. She spoke with layers of meaning, "I'm understanding more and more that Julie knew how to choose the finer things." We shared an extended gaze across the table that was only interrupted by Toni asking, "Can we have dessert now?" Stefani and I chuckled and she answered, "Yes, you may." before standing up to clear the table of dirty plates. I offered in my best butler voice, "I will service the table, madam, if you would like to prepare the next course for the Ladies of the Court." The girls thought that was hilarious and started practicing their own stuffy accents, which only intensified as consequences of the sugary tiramisu and cannoli took hold. When we had all finished, I announced in my Lordship voice, "Thank you Ladies, the food was remarkable and so was the company. Shall we retire to the parlor for after-dinner amusements?" The girls looked confused, so Stefani clarified, "He means games." after which they scrambled out of their chairs to explore the cabinet housing our selection of card and board games. Stefani and I cleared the table and generally tidied up the kitchen while the girls debated which games to play. We worked efficiently as a team, sharing a lot of unnecessary and 'accidental' touches as we moved about. The girls finished their game selections and we played several games of 'Chutes 'N Ladders' before moving on to 'Sorry' and, finally, a very long game of 'Monopoly' in which they eventually lost interest and asked if they could go watch a movie in the basement. Stefani started to object, "It's getting late. We should probably be going." before I gestured for the girls to go on downstairs. They didn't wait for Stefani's response and took off down the stairs. She looked at me quizzically as I stood up and motioned for her to follow me. We trailed the girls down the stairs where Stefani silently absorbed what was before her. I had set up two twin beds in front of the downstairs television and created a makeshift tent out of some decorative tree branches, tulle fabric, and twinkle lights. It was a perfect sleepover paradise for two third-grade girls. I put my arm around Stefani and whispered in her ear, "You're right, it is getting late. Maybe you should just spend the night." She put her arm around my back and whispered back, "Umm; sounds nice, but;” as she nodded toward the girls. I responded not to her, but to Lizzie and Toni who were sitting on one of the beds scrolling through movie options on the DVR. "Girls?" When they both raised their heads to look at me, I announced, "We've decided to let you have a sleepover tonight so that we can all be here together for Christmas morning;” They cheered and hugged each other before I continued, "; but there are a couple rules; first, you can watch a movie, then you need to get ready for bed in the bathroom down here and go right to sleep. The pink gift bags on your beds are special Christmas Eve sleepover kits with pajamas, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a few other things." Lizzie and Toni scurried to check out the gift bags, but I interceded, "Wait a minute; the second rule is that you can't come upstairs until 7:00 tomorrow morning;” I said motioning to Stefani and I, "; we need a decent night's sleep. Do you both agree to the rules?" They eagerly shouted in unison, "Yes, Yes, Yes!" "Ok, we'll see you on Christmas morning!" Before we could turn to leave, Toni asked, "Mom, where will you sleep?" I anticipated the question and interceded with a little white lie, "She'll sleep in my bed. I'm going to sleep on the great room sofa so I can make sure you two don't try to sneak upstairs to look at the presents." Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Toni simply said, "Okay, goodnight mom." To be continued in part 3. Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

Gravity (2013) on The Atomic Cinema Experiment. This is a sci fi movie podcast. Gravity is directed by Alfonso Cuarón and stars Sandra Bullock, George Clooney patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mildfuzztv all links: https://linktr.ee/mildfuzz discord: https://discord.gg/8fbyCehMTy Email: mftvquestions@gmail.com Audio version: https://the-ace-atomic-cinema-experime.pinecast.com

On the eighth day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us...WhiteBelgian-style Wheat BeerAllagash Brewing Company - Portland, MaineABV: 5.2%"Citrus. Hazy. Refreshing. We brew this award-winning Belgian-style wheat beer with coriander and Curacao orange peel to be citrus-forward, hazy, and refreshing."***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

I hope you know by now. I'm crushing hard on you. You are the shiny object I'm trying to get away from, yet there's nothing else in the world that commands my attention the way you do. And I'm going all in.Read the prose here. https://futurestrong.org/2025/11/24/arrested-by-your-gravity-a-philosophical-freefall-into-desire-nsfw/Hi, I'm Rachana, and I write short stories, poetry and essays on our enduring humanity. For 15+ years I've been helping people unlock their highest potential and build lives of purpose, resilience and unstoppable momentum.My big dream? To consciously create a better future where everyone is excited about their own potential – and yes, I'm aiming to win the Nobel in December 2044 for contributions to human development. Crazy? Maybe. But will you join me on this journey of growth and transformation?

In which Charlie Westenra's merry band of cliff climbers take a short cut, traverse an ancient woodland, suffer a strange encounter and receive a mixed blessing…   A modern Call of Cthulhu Scenario by Joseph Chance   Cast: Josephine Arundel – Belinda Cornish Chris Caldwell – Dan Wheeler Max Davenant – Danann McAleer Charlie Westenra – Dominic Allen Keeper of Arcane Lore ­– Joseph Chance   CW: This podcast contains mature themes, strong language and cosmic horror. This episode contains extreme canine peril. As ever, human discretion is advised.   The Apocalypse Players is an actual play (or live play) TTRPG podcast focused on horror tabletop roleplaying games. Think Dimension 20 or Critical Role, but fewer dragons, more eldritch horrors, and more British actors taking their roleplaying very seriously (most of the time). We primarily play the Chaosium RPG Call of Cthulhu, but have also been known to dabble with other systems, most of which can be found on our Patreon: www.patreon.com/apocalypseplayers We now have a free Discord server where you can come and worship at the altar of the Apocalypse, play Call of Cthulhu online, and meet like-minded cultists who will be only too eager to welcome you into the fold. New sacrifices - oops - we mean players are always welcome. Join here: discord.com/invite/kRQ62t6SjH For more information and to get in touch, visit www.apocalypseplayers.com   The Apocalypse Players are: Dominic Allen @DomJAllen Joseph Chance @josephchancemj.bsky.social Danann McAleer @DanannMcAleer Dan Wheeler @DanWheelerUK   Belinda Cornish https://www.belindacornish.com/   Sound effects: Epidemic Sound and Zapsplat   Music includes:   Waves from The Past - Anna Dager & Hannah Ekstrom https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/Kw21NkSu4j/   Celestial Spheres - Ave Air https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/5346c11d-81ac-458e-9d63-f53b8fa91321/   Who We Once Were - Gavin Luke https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/c9e485f8-2969-4b8e-9c75-829fe9ad9079/   Through The Alleyways - Jon Bjork https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/64978412-f992-3301-bdc8-8747a039ffd3/   Hiding in The Shadows - Ludvig Moulin https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/c4f88f81-2c2b-4d98-b64d-f9126470c734/   Tiny Scandals - Creative Cut - Heron Vale https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/tiny-scandals-creative-cut-orchestra/138177   Up To No Good - Alt Version - Score Maestro https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/up-to-no-good-alternative-version/137611   The Ninja Path - Jono Heres https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/album/blue-desert/10972   Hotel Lalo - Harry Edvino https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/a6d57ec3-cb02-405d-af2a-14931d1555aa/   Gravity of Fragile - DEX 1200 https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/6165500f-3d46-4509-b16d-d308229ee352/   Light Footed - Bonnie Grace https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/48833251-ac55-3e3d-9562-e632dde5b5fd/   Mysterious Antics - Dream Cave https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/e8a513fe-c597-39eb-a101-bc8898b50444/   Imber - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/19d624eb-2516-43ea-8c3a-52e92cdb68c4/   Scandinavian Folk 2 https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/bede20b4-36e0-3965-9fab-3d220dfc0444/   Landscapes - Helmut Schenker https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/f6e96196-103b-4260-b2bc-ec423116c6f9/   Sworn by Blood - Dream Cave  https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/75628ecd-c5f2-387f-b01e-839e8b434bc6/   In Santa Ana - First Timer https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/8b74f82a-e721-4f93-b358-d214e6c00086/   Do You Really Wanna Be In Love? - Frigga  https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/b94f0ef1-9a8b-311c-b358-537b560c433b/   Missing Memories - Christopher Moe Ditlevsen https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/M5e5wT9Ci7/   Tavore - Anders Schill Paulsen, Anna Dager & Hannah Ekstrom https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/3jAWMYFdtD/   Crucial Calculations - Gavin Luke https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/wJWNbpM3bh/   Sounded Blue Saga https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/Ua4aSty4ml/   Murmur Forest - Rand Aldo https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/7amZAibTX0/   Where the Flowers Grow - Dez Moran https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/EcUT8PAe8b/   The Adjunct Anders Schill Paulsen, Hanna Ekström, Anna Dager   Celestial Spheres - Ave Air https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/3ed2z62JCV/   Out of the Window - Farrell Wooten https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/uZpb17J0rN/   Redemption - Sunriver https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/redemption/93323   Bitter Bitter - Dylan Thomas https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/dylan-thomas-bitter-bitter/49435   Bound To Fall Apart - Jon Bjork https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/ecb4e639-62bc-3f2c-b48f-53c23b5b8cf0/   Savage Shadows - Semi https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/savage-shadows/134832   Those Moments - Hampus Naeselius https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/HmZtb2i0sL/   3000 Years Old - Farrell Wooten https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/7a29bef0-58f0-303b-af94-575197610de9/   Enter The Realm of Shadows - Christopher Moe Ditlevsen  https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/003fff05-76b0-44f2-bd5e-2d2b98e2b062/   Ebbas Not Right - Peter Crosby https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/4052c08d-d4c6-4974-b888-6aeaa505c4af/   Vapors - Ethan Sloan https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/yg5J0DyMEz/   Tension Mansion - Kikoru https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/eZkXkCpIjF/   The Prophet - Alec Slayne https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/JK03rRZisV/   https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/shouldnt-have-met-you/73261   V1rgo - Ambre Jaune https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/0Pq5JDXcmj/   Hysteria - Anna Dager & Hannah Ekstrom https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/DOLsvJVimx/   The Closing - Hannah Ekstrom https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/yYkl9onNPg/   Incertitude - Hannah Ekstrom https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/YUW9T6jcJA/   Tviviel - Hannah Ekstrom  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/xdbASDVzOS/   Title: "Impromptu Exorcism" Artist: Tim Kulig (timkulig.com) Licensed under Creative Commons By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Grass on the Grave - Sage Oursler https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/rJe82RQka0/   Void - WHENISEEYOUISEEMYSELF https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/fGp8lQImZt/   Grief and Isolation - DEX 1200 https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/c1flrtmhZU/   Take Five - Ambre Jaune https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/J8E0Z4qTMZ/   A Gathering - Farrell Wooten https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/TCFbG808lJ/   Spheres - Elliptik https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/EMaiTc6RNW/   The Duke of Norfolk - Dylan Thomas  https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/dylan-thomas-bitter-bitter/49435   Twivel - Ekstrem and Dager https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/xdbASDVzOS/   Friends Make the Worst Enemies - Experia  https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/bf0f9833-2f40-3525-b13e-166942b8e020/   https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/cave-dwellers/85396   The Lure - Christian Anderson  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/7WZdqHNOQ7/   Mist Over Lapland https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/mist-over-lapland/99505   Maybe Next Year - Spectales Wallet & Watch https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/IwdmifGfcl/   Seven Sins Later - Farrell Wooten  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/HFSjWZQDWE/   Stop Snitching  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/QCMBXV5202/   Jay Varton - Silent Castle https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/uKXncvlspI/   Follow the Falcon - David Celeste https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/Trl1W1XgLF/   The Search - Hannah Ekstrom  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/pKp55DWXME/   The Arctic - INSTRUMENTS - Jo Wandrini https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/QH3Sw8lU6S/   The Mire - Anders Schill Paulsen  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/cDx39w2F3D/   Metaformation - Ethan Sloan https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/8vz9arpHEB/   Shadowdance - Saira Ridley https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/xKz8svrmcZ/   Into The Void - Ella Joy Meir https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/into-the-void/127506   Bad Dreams - Mary Riddle https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/ed0ee666-a83d-3e3b-9eee-dd5d6ae5abd5/   Société Secrete - Duke Herrington https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/60be67f8-ed95-449f-b496-7959505d7577/   Over of This Town - Will Harrison https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/qpwpYDpGnv/   Excitement - Traditional https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/71e77fbc-eda1-3105-9c99-8f8319cf2532/   Restlessness Friedrich Burgmuller https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/68a0fdda-4805-3a03-954a-1bc12176a93f/

On the seventh day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us...PearlescentBelgian Golden Strong AleEsoteric Brewing Company - Cincinnati, OhioABV: 7.6%"Brewed for Higher Gravity's beer advent box, Pearlescent is a radiant Belgian golden strong ale featuring bright pear notes, subtle spice, and soft florals. Smooth, elegant, and brilliantly drinkable, and finishes crisp and dry."***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

Linktree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/Analytic⁠Join The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: ⁠https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0K⁠Dive into Segment of Notorious Mass Effect with Analytic Dreamz for the complete ultra-compact breakdown of Hazbin Hotel Season 2—soundtrack, story, critical reception, sales, and Season 3 setup.Analytic Dreamz unpacks the explosive 20-track soundtrack (Nov 19, 2025, Atlantic/A24) by Sam Haft & Andrew Underberg: pop-jazz-rock anthems featuring Erika Henningsen, Christian Borle, Alex Brightman, Jessica Vosk, Jeremy Jordan, Darren Criss, and more. Fan faves like "Gravity" (Vosk/Brightman vocal powerhouse), "VOX POPULI" (Jordan/Borle media satire), and "Losin' Streak" (Blake Roman bop) drive 125M+ global streams in 2 weeks (70% Spotify/Apple), outpacing S1 by 30%. Debut #70 Billboard 200 (13K units), Week 2 #8 Top 10 breakthrough; 35K+ TikTok/IG creates fuel 15% weekly growth; physicals (5 vinyls, CD, cassette) sold out via merch bundles.Story arc (Oct 29–Nov 19, 8 eps on Prime Video): Charlie rebuilds post-Extermination, battles Vox's Heaven-infiltrating weapon & Vees' smear campaign. Alastor breaks Vox deal; Angel Dust's hypnosis betrayal leads to Husk uncertainty & Vees return; Heaven/Hell unite vs. explosion. Emotional peaks: Lilith's call to Charlie. Critics rave (ScreenRant: "outdoes S1 emotional resonance"; Radio Times: "fluid soundtrack"; Album of the Year 78/100; ComicBook.com: Heaven/Hell insights)—despite minor rushed fusions.S3 tease: Haft's "different vibe" with fan duets (Alastor/Charlie, Lucifer/Lute), non-singers debut, Lilith focus, Morningstar arcs; music done, 2026 window. Full tracklist, stats verified—Hazbin's raunchier, deeper musical Hellaverse evolution. Notorious Mass Effect, powered by Analytic Dreamz.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the sixth day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us...Pineapple Marshmallow Suh, Brah?New England IPA/HazyStreetside Brewing – Cincinnati, Ohio“Here at Streetside, we are continually pushing the boundaries of what makes your favorite Brah. Known far and wide for his creamy smooth mouth feel, dank character, and tropical vibes. We thought a nice dose of tangy pineapple and sweet, fluffy marshmallow could only enhance his already charismatic personality. Who can resist this guy?”***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

Tracklist:Special Episode - Monkey Buzinezz 10th anniversary pres. Gravity 360 with Mark Sherry x David Forbes x Thick as Thieves x kärl k-otik @ Le Sainte Catherine Hall - Live SetNo tracklist availablehttp://www.djkarlkotik.comhttp://www.facebook.com/karlkotikhttp://www.twitter.com/djkarlkotikhttp://www.instagram.com/djkarlkotikhttps://www.twitch.tv/djkarlkotikhttp://www.beatport.com/artist/karl-k-otik/391150http://open.spotify.com/artist/4jwXCjiQc0J48jxpIBnnt1http://www.shazam.com/artist/44209296/karl-k-otikhttp://www.soundcloud.com/djkarlkotikSubscribe for free on Apple/iTunes podcasts: http://ow.ly/FX6L30n1T31Subscribe for free on Google Music podcasts: http://ow.ly/ambt30nOBxGRSS Feed: http://karl-k-otik.podomatic.com/rss2.xml

On the fifth day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us....Grover Dill's Feisty Pickle Beer – A Christmas AleHoppin' Frog Brewing Company – Akron, OhioABV: 7.3%"The sassiest sip of the season! Bold, briny, and brewed with mischief --this feisty Christmas ale packs more punch than Ralphie's right hook. Perfect for rebels, rascals, and anyone who triple-dog dares to drink different. Tastes like: trouble, laughter, and pure holiday spirit."***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

On the fourth day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us...SlideruleChocolate Raspberry Nitro American Fruit TartUrban Artifact - Cincinnati, OhioABV: 6.0%***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

We're going old school this week—straight to every millennial's favorite childhood battleground: the roller rink. Trevin kicks things off with a bizarre dream featuring Amanda, her husband, and a massive alligator. But when Dream Trevin tries to play hero, Real Trevin wakes up in a very familiar (and very painful) situation. Meanwhile, Amanda heads to a kid's birthday party at a roller rink. She shows up ready for nostalgia… but her mid-30s body is not ready to roll. Gravity absolutely has notes. Then it's time for Would You Rather. Amanda asks if you'd prefer a terrible-looking mugshot or a glamorous one where you're mid-sneeze. Trevin brings a year-end twist: would you rather every device you own insult you… or relive all of 2025 again? Amanda's story this week features a South Carolina teen who brings chaos to the rink—armed with confidence, questionable humor, and a water bottle full of cooking oil. Due to life being life, Trevin swaps his usual story for four headlines in what he calls his “Petty Black Mirror” segment. This week's petty tech tales include: • Facebook's underground sperm-selling groups and the petty drama inside Sperm Donors UK & Get Your Baby Dust Here. • An Ontario man tricked by ChatGPT into believing he'd discovered a world-saving breakthrough—sending him into psychosis. • The Kumma Bear, an AI-enabled teddy bear developing disturbing phrases and unsafe behaviors. • And an update to X's AI, Grok, that forces it to only compliment Elon Musk… leading trolls to prompt some very strange praise—including Elon's alleged skill of drinking pee. It's all fun-on-wheels meets dystopian tech weirdness this week. So lace up, log off, and join us for A Petty Skate of Affairs. Join our Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/livelaughlarcenydoomedcrew⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For ad-free episodes and lots of other bonus content, join our Patreon! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/LiveLaughLarceny⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you have a crime you'd like to hear on our show OR have a personal petty story, email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠livelaughlarceny@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or send us a DM on any of our socials! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alfonso Cuarón's 2013 thriller Gravity follows Dr. Ryan Stone, a first-time astronaut who becomes stranded in orbit after a devastating cascade of satellite debris destroys her shuttle. Blending stunning visual effects, groundbreaking sound design and a career-defining performance from Sandra Bullock, Gravity transforms a simple premise into an immersive, edge-of-your-seat cinematic experience.In this episode, Nathan revisits Gravity more than a decade after its release to explore Cuarón's visionary direction, why the film became a technical benchmark of the 2010s, and how its blend of tension, metaphor and spectacle earned it a spot among the essential films of the century.Up next: Ryan Coogler's Black Panther (2018).Read Nathan's thoughts on ‘Gravity'.

On the third day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us…Yulesmith Double Red IPAAlesmith Brewing Company -- San Diego, CAABV: 8.5%"In celebration of our 30th anniversary, we're excited to bring back Yulesmith! This Double Red IPA balances caramel and toasted malts with big citrus and pine hop notes. A Winter warmer that's perfect for the season!"***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

Cups - We push them!Mice - We lift them!(What does this have to do with what we are talking about today?)Well: Gravity and Newton should give you a good hint =)We talk about force and Newtons laws!Remember to go to viktherandom.com/ep to see when the next episode is released! (And to maybe get a sneak peak at the episode topic!)Sources:UC Scout AP Physics 1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E626-DiQgRshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g550H4e5FCY

On the second day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us…Party PumpGolden AleTrillium Brewing Co. -- Canton, MAABV: 4.8% "Designed for every occasion, Party Pump is our year-round spin on aclassic American Golden Ale; crisp, fizzy, and highly quaffable. Expectthose nostalgic vibes of your favorite game-day crusher with perfectlybalanced notes of citrus and pine atop a foundation of fresh from theoven white bread. This is a true Trillium quality beer at a budgetfriendly, throw-back price."***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

Jill and Tom open the show acknowledging a listener's concerns regarding recent donut selections by Tom. This involves an apology to Producer Randy. (See the Car Stuff Podcast Facebook page for pictures of recent donut selections.)Tom discusses some issues he had driving the excellent 2026 Nissan Leaf EV crossover. Tom's issues include getting snowed in, and understanding the available charging options. Still in the first segment, Jill reviews the new Lucid Gravity midsize electric crossover. Jill is impressed by Lucid's second-ever model offering, but has a couple of concerns. Listen in for details. In the second segment, the hosts welcome TJ Campbell, Tire Rack Information and Testing Manager, to the show. TJ talks about general winter-driving safety, and makes the economic case for Snowbelt residents to own a dedicated set of winter tires to swap on and off their vehicles seasonally. It's a great conversation you don't want to miss. In the last segment Jill is subjected to Tom's “One Minute” stop-watch quiz. How much stuff can Jill remember about cars in 60 seconds? Listen in to find out. Finally, Jill and Tom discuss the new Jeep Recon electric off-road SUV--as seen at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Will the Recon be the next Wrangler, or an expensive boutique toy? Listen in for details. 

In which five walkers make their way up a coastal track, looking for paths forward they may not even recognise the need for…   A modern Call of Cthulhu Scenario by Joseph Chance   Cast: Josephine Arundel – Belinda Cornish Chris Caldwell – Dan Wheeler Max Davenant – Danann McAleer Charlie Westenra – Dominic Allen Keeper of Arcane Lore ­– Joseph Chance   CW: This podcast contains mature themes, strong language, lovingly frank descriptions of Hebden Bridge, irreverent reference to old school, East Midlands derby games and cosmic horror. As ever, human discretion is advised.   The Apocalypse Players is an actual play TTRPG podcast focused on horror tabletop roleplaying games. Think Dimension 20 or Critical Role, but fewer dragons, more eldritch horrors, and more British actors taking their roleplaying very seriously (most of the time). We primarily play the Chaosium RPG Call of Cthulhu, but have also been known to dabble with other systems, most of which can be found on our Patreon: www.patreon.com/apocalypseplayers We now have a free Discord server where you can come and worship at the altar of the Apocalypse, play Call of Cthulhu online, and meet like-minded cultists who will be only too eager to welcome you into the fold. New sacrifices - oops - we mean players are always welcome. Join here: discord.com/invite/kRQ62t6SjH For more information and to get in touch, visit www.apocalypseplayers.com   The Apocalypse Players are: Dominic Allen @DomJAllen Joseph Chance @josephchancemj.bsky.social Danann McAleer @DanannMcAleer Dan Wheeler @DanWheelerUK   Music includes:   Waves from The Past - Anna Dager & Hannah Ekstrom https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/Kw21NkSu4j/   Celestial Spheres - Ave Air https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/5346c11d-81ac-458e-9d63-f53b8fa91321/   Who We Once Were - Gavin Luke https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/c9e485f8-2969-4b8e-9c75-829fe9ad9079/   Through The Alleyways - Jon Bjork https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/64978412-f992-3301-bdc8-8747a039ffd3/   Hiding in The Shadows - Ludvig Moulin https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/c4f88f81-2c2b-4d98-b64d-f9126470c734/   Tiny Scandals - Creative Cut - Heron Vale https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/tiny-scandals-creative-cut-orchestra/138177   Up To No Good - Alt Version - Score Maestro https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/up-to-no-good-alternative-version/137611   Hotel Lalo - Harry Edvino https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/a6d57ec3-cb02-405d-af2a-14931d1555aa/   Gravity of Fragile - DEX 1200 https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/6165500f-3d46-4509-b16d-d308229ee352/   Light Footed - Bonnie Grace https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/48833251-ac55-3e3d-9562-e632dde5b5fd/   Mysterious Antics - Dream Cave https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/e8a513fe-c597-39eb-a101-bc8898b50444/   Imber - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/19d624eb-2516-43ea-8c3a-52e92cdb68c4/   Scandinavian Folk 2 https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/bede20b4-36e0-3965-9fab-3d220dfc0444/   Landscapes - Helmut Schenker https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/f6e96196-103b-4260-b2bc-ec423116c6f9/   Sworn by Blood - Dream Cave  https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/75628ecd-c5f2-387f-b01e-839e8b434bc6/   In Santa Ana - First Timer https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/8b74f82a-e721-4f93-b358-d214e6c00086/   Do You Really Wanna Be In Love? - Frigga  https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/b94f0ef1-9a8b-311c-b358-537b560c433b/   Missing Memories - Christopher Moe Ditlevsen https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/M5e5wT9Ci7/   Tavore - Anders Schill Paulsen, Anna Dager & Hannah Ekstrom https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/3jAWMYFdtD/   Crucial Calculations - Gavin Luke https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/wJWNbpM3bh/   Sounded Blue Saga https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/Ua4aSty4ml/   Murmur Forest - Rand Aldo https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/7amZAibTX0/   Where the Flowers Grow - Dez Moran https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/EcUT8PAe8b/   The Adjunct Anders Schill Paulsen, Hanna Ekström, Anna Dager   Celestial Spheres - Ave Air https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/3ed2z62JCV/   Out of the Window - Farrell Wooten https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/uZpb17J0rN/   Redemption - Sunriver https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/redemption/93323   Bitter Bitter - Dylan Thomas https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/dylan-thomas-bitter-bitter/49435   Bound To Fall Apart - Jon Bjork https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/ecb4e639-62bc-3f2c-b48f-53c23b5b8cf0/   Savage Shadows - Semi https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/savage-shadows/134832   Those Moments - Hampus Naeselius https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/HmZtb2i0sL/   3000 Years Old - Farrell Wooten https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/7a29bef0-58f0-303b-af94-575197610de9/   Enter The Realm of Shadows - Christopher Moe Ditlevsen  https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/003fff05-76b0-44f2-bd5e-2d2b98e2b062/   Abbas Not Right - Peter Crosby https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/4052c08d-d4c6-4974-b888-6aeaa505c4af/   Vapors - Ethan Sloan https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/yg5J0DyMEz/   Tension Mansion - Kikoru https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/eZkXkCpIjF/   The Prophet - Alec Slayne https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/JK03rRZisV/   https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/shouldnt-have-met-you/73261   V1rgo - Ambre Jaune https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/0Pq5JDXcmj/   Hysteria - Anna Dager & Hannah Ekstrom https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/DOLsvJVimx/   The Closing - Hannah Ekstrom https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/yYkl9onNPg/   Incertitude - Hannah Ekstrom https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/YUW9T6jcJA/   Tviviel - Hannah Ekstrom  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/xdbASDVzOS/   Title: "Impromptu Exorcism" Artist: Tim Kulig (timkulig.com) Licensed under Creative Commons By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Grass on the Grave - Sage Oursler https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/rJe82RQka0/   Void - WHENISEEYOUISEEMYSELF https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/fGp8lQImZt/   Grief and Isolation - DEX 1200 https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/c1flrtmhZU/   Take Five - Ambre Jaune https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/J8E0Z4qTMZ/   A Gathering - Farrell Wooten https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/TCFbG808lJ/   Spheres - Elliptik https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/EMaiTc6RNW/   The Duke of Norfolk - Dylan Thomas ( https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/dylan-thomas-bitter-bitter/49435   Twivel - Ekstrem and Dager https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/xdbASDVzOS/   Friends Make the Worst Enemies - Experia  https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/bf0f9833-2f40-3525-b13e-166942b8e020/   https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/cave-dwellers/85396   The Lure - Christian Anderson  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/7WZdqHNOQ7/   Mist Over Lapland https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/mist-over-lapland/99505   Maybe Next Year - Spectales Wallet & Watch https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/IwdmifGfcl/   Seven Sins Later - Farrell Wooten  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/HFSjWZQDWE/   Stop Snitching  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/QCMBXV5202/   Jay Varton - Silent Castle https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/uKXncvlspI/   Follow the Falcon - David Celeste https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/Trl1W1XgLF/   The Search - Hannah Ekstrom  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/pKp55DWXME/   The Arctic - INSTRUMENTS - Jo Wandrini https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/QH3Sw8lU6S/   The Mire - Anders Schill Paulsen  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/cDx39w2F3D/   Metaformation - Ethan Sloan https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/8vz9arpHEB/   Shadowdance - Saira Ridley https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/xKz8svrmcZ/   Into The Void - Ella Joy Meir https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/into-the-void/127506   Bad Dreams - Mary Riddle https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/ed0ee666-a83d-3e3b-9eee-dd5d6ae5abd5/   Société Secrete - Duke Herrington https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/60be67f8-ed95-449f-b496-7959505d7577/   Over of This Town - Will Harrison https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/qpwpYDpGnv/   Excitement - Traditional https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/71e77fbc-eda1-3105-9c99-8f8319cf2532/   Restlessness Friedrich Burgmuller https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/68a0fdda-4805-3a03-954a-1bc12176a93f/

The 2026 Home Health Final Rule is late—but the impact is already here. In this episode, Melissa Brown (COO) sits down with Devin Kassi, Gravity's VP of Home Health Operations, to break down what agencies should be doing right now to prepare for payment cuts, VBP changes, and rising operational demands.Together they unpack:What a 3–6% payment reduction really means for agency sustainabilityWhy your EMR might be costing you more than it's saving youHow AI-driven clean claims, documentation support, and automated intake can reduce labor needs and boost marginsThe organizational restructuring every agency should be evaluating before 2026How to prepare for the proposed Value-Based Purchasing changes—especially new OASIS measures for bathing and dressingWhy recurring training, ongoing Oasis auditing, and external quality support are now essentialPractical, actionable steps to future-proof your operations before the Final Rule arrivesThis is Part 1 of a two-part conversation designed to give home health leaders a roadmap for navigating reimbursement cuts without compromising care or burning out their teams.Because in today's environment, survival isn't about what you know—it's about how fast you can adapt.Support the show

On the first day of beervent, Higher Gravity gave to us…Rum BA Pecan Pie Imperial Brown AleBoulevard Brewing Co | Kansas City, MOABV: 13.5%"Pecan Pie, one of the quintessential southern desserts, embodying the region's love for rich, indulgent flavors, has made its way into the pantheon of Boulevard's barrel-aged beers, also noted for its rich and indulgent flavors. After resting in solera-aged rum barrels for 9 months, maple syrup is added to the angels share of the imperial brown ale and aged for an additional 6 months. Whether you call it – pe-KAHN pie, or PEA-can pie, there aint't no arguing that this beer is divine, and if that ain't the truth then grits ain't groceries."***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

People are naturally drawn to you when you have it, just like gravity pulls everything to the ground. In this episode, I break down the physics of masculine gravity. I explain how presence works like gravity—it doesn't push, it pulls. I share how men can develop this magnetic force in themselves to command attention and respect without trying. By the end, you'll understand how to be naturally powerful and present. Show Notes: [02:49]#1 Masculine gravity is silent but felt.  [07:16]#2 Gravity itself organizes everything around it. [16:35]#3 Gravity comes from substance.  [19:06]#4 Real gravity is inescapable.  [21:12] Recap Episodes Mentioned: 2183: Substance Is Self-Evident 1620: The Style And Substance Mix For Audience Building 1286: How To Be A Person Of Substance Next Steps: ⚡️ Power Presence Protocol  Command The Room Without Words → http://PowerPresenceProtocol.com 

It's that time of year again when we dust off the microphones and talk about Higher Gravity's beervent calendar.Yeah, we know we've been MIA over the last couple of months, and there's been a very good reason for it. In this mini episode of the Craft Parenting Podcast, Joe briefly explains where he and Caroline have been and what the plans are for Higher Gravity's 2025 beervent calendar.***// About the Craft Parenting Podcast

We're pleased to announce our four new Close Readings series starting in January next year: ‘Who's Afraid of Realism?' with James Wood and guests ‘Nature in Crisis' with Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith ‘Narrative Poems' with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford ‘London Revisited' with Rosemary Hill and guests Bonus Series: 'The Man Behind the Curtain' with Tom McCarthy and Thomas Jones Episodes will appear on Monday every week, with a new episode from each series appearing every four weeks. Episodes from our bonus series, ‘The Man Behind the Curtain', will come out every couple of months, either as extra episodes or live events: look out for announcements! If you're not already subscribed to Close Readings, sign up for just £4.99/month or £49.99/year to listen to these series plus all our past series in full: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://lrb.me/crintro2026apple⁠ Spotify and other podcast apps:  ⁠https://lrb.me/crintro2026sc⁠ Here are the works covered in each series: ‘Who's Afraid of Realism?' with James Wood and guests Flaubert, ‘Madame Bovary' Dostoevsky, ‘Notes from Underground' Stories by Anton Chekhov Tolstoy, ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich' Kafka, ‘Metamorphosis' Woolf, ‘Mrs Dalloway' Rhys, ‘Voyage in the Dark' Bellow, ‘Seize The Day' Nabokov, ‘Pnin' Spark, ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' Sharma, ‘Family Life' Stories by Lydia Davis Riley, ‘My Phantoms' ‘Nature in Crisis' with Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith Carson, ‘Silent Spring' Schlanger, ‘The Light Eaters' Czerski, ‘The Blue Machine' Lovelock, ‘Gaia' MacFarlane, ‘Is a River Alive?' Kimmerer, ‘Braiding Sweetgrass' Raboteau, ‘Lessons for Survival' Moore and Roberts, ‘The Rise of Ecofascism' Riofrancos, ‘Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism' And more TBD ‘Narrative Poems' with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford Marlowe, ‘Hero and Leander' Shakespeare, ‘Venus and Adonis' and ‘The Rape of Lucrece' Milton, Book 9 of ‘Paradise Lost' Pope, ‘The Rape of the Lock' Coleridge ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' Wordsworth, ‘The Ruined Cottage' and ‘Michael' Keats, ‘The Eve of St Agnes'  Byron, ‘Childe Roland' Clough, ‘Amours de Voyage' Tennyson, ‘Enoch Arden' H.D., ‘Helen in Egypt' Set, ‘The Golden Gate' Carson, ‘Autobiography of Red and ‘Red Doc>'  ‘London Revisited' with Rosemary Hill Each episode will cover a period of London's history and begin with a piece of writing. The first episode, on Roman London, will start with an extract from Dio Cassius's account of the Roman conquest from his Roman History. ‘The Man Behind the Curtain' with Tom McCarthy and Thomas Jones Cervantes, ‘Don Quixote' Shelley, ‘Frankenstein' Eliot, ‘Middlemarch' Wells, ‘The Invisible Man' Joyce, ‘Ulysses' Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow'

We're pleased to announce our four new Close Readings series starting in January next year: ‘Who's Afraid of Realism?' with James Wood and guests ‘Nature in Crisis' with Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith ‘Narrative Poems' with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford ‘London Revisited' with Rosemary Hill and guests Bonus Series: 'The Man Behind the Curtain' with Tom McCarthy and Thomas Jones Episodes will appear on Monday every week, with a new episode from each series appearing every four weeks. Episodes from our bonus series, ‘The Man Behind the Curtain', will come out every couple of months, either as extra episodes or live events: look out for announcements! If you're not already subscribed to Close Readings, sign up for just £4.99/month or £49.99/year to listen to these series plus all our past series in full: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://lrb.me/crintro2026apple⁠ Spotify and other podcast apps:  ⁠https://lrb.me/crintro2026sc⁠ Here are the works covered in each series: ‘Who's Afraid of Realism?' with James Wood and guests Flaubert, ‘Madame Bovary' Dostoevsky, ‘Notes from Underground' Stories by Anton Chekhov Tolstoy, ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich' Kafka, ‘Metamorphosis' Woolf, ‘Mrs Dalloway' Rhys, ‘Voyage in the Dark' Bellow, ‘Seize The Day' Nabokov, ‘Pnin' Spark, ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' Sharma, ‘Family Life' Stories by Lydia Davis Riley, ‘My Phantoms' ‘Nature in Crisis' with Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith Carson, ‘Silent Spring' Schlanger, ‘The Light Eaters' Czerski, ‘The Blue Machine' Lovelock, ‘Gaia' MacFarlane, ‘Is a River Alive?' Kimmerer, ‘Braiding Sweetgrass' Raboteau, ‘Lessons for Survival' Moore and Roberts, ‘The Rise of Ecofascism' Riofrancos, ‘Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism' And more TBD ‘Narrative Poems' with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford Marlowe, ‘Hero and Leander' Shakespeare, ‘Venus and Adonis' and ‘The Rape of Lucrece' Milton, Book 9 of ‘Paradise Lost' Pope, ‘The Rape of the Lock' Coleridge ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' Wordsworth, ‘The Ruined Cottage' and ‘Michael' Keats, ‘The Eve of St Agnes'  Byron, ‘Childe Roland' Clough, ‘Amours de Voyage' Tennyson, ‘Enoch Arden' H.D., ‘Helen in Egypt' Set, ‘The Golden Gate' Carson, ‘Autobiography of Red and ‘Red Doc>'  ‘London Revisited' with Rosemary Hill Each episode will cover a period of London's history and begin with a piece of writing. The first episode, on Roman London, will start with an extract from Dio Cassius's account of the Roman conquest from his Roman History. ‘The Man Behind the Curtain' with Tom McCarthy and Thomas Jones Cervantes, ‘Don Quixote' Shelley, ‘Frankenstein' Eliot, ‘Middlemarch' Wells, ‘The Invisible Man' Joyce, ‘Ulysses' Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow'

It's Black Hole Friday! Have you made a list of things you should know about one of the universe's biggest mysteries?

durée : 00:05:13 - Avec sciences - par : Alexandra Delbot - Le Very Large Telescope franchit une nouvelle étape. Ses quatre télescopes sont désormais équipés de lasers qui créent des étoiles artificielles. Une avancée majeure pour corriger la turbulence atmosphérique et observer des trous noirs jusqu'aux confins de l'Univers. - invités : Thibaut Paumard Chercheur CNRS au LIRA de l'Observatoire de Paris-PSL, coordinateur et co-investigateur de la contribution française de GRAVITY+ du Very Large Telescope de l'ESO

[pulsar audio] This is the rhythm of the stars – the beat of dead stars. It’s the “pulses” of radio waves produced by rapidly spinning stellar corpses. They produce beams of energy that sweep around like the beacon of a lighthouse. Radio telescopes detect the beams when they sweep across Earth. The stars are known as pulsars. They’re some of the most extreme objects in the universe. They’re neutron stars – the dead cores of some of the most massive stars. When a heavy star can no longer produce nuclear reactions in its core, the core collapses. Gravity squeezes the core down to the size of a small city. But that tiny ball is heavier than the Sun. The star is rotating as it dies. As the core collapses, it keeps on spinning. But the smaller it gets, the faster it spins. So newborn neutron stars can spin a few dozen to a few hundred times per second. Particles trapped in the neutron star’s magnetic field produce energy that’s beamed into space – the source of the pulses. The neutron star spins down over time, slowing the pulses. But if it has a close companion, it can be revved up even faster. The neutron star can pull gas from the surface of the companion. As it hits the neutron star, the gas acts like an accelerator – creating some of the fastest pulsars in the universe. These extreme stars can still host planets; more about that tomorrow. Script by Damond Benningfield

Sir Roger Penrose and Professor Ivette Fuentes analyze the Ron Folman T-cubed experiment and whether the equivalence principle holds in quantum mechanics. They also detail gravity's role in wave function collapse, the existence of gravitons, and cyclic cosmology. SPONSORS: - Thank you Nolah for sponsoring! Click here https://nolahmattress.com/toe and use CODE: TOE to get an extra $50 off your mattress. - As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe SUPPORT: - Support me on Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 JOIN MY SUBSTACK (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00:00 - The Ron Folman Experiment - 00:08:12 - Quantum Equivalence Principle - 00:15:00 - Gravitational Wavefunction Collapse - 00:25:14 - Active vs. Passive Gravity - 00:33:40 - Bose-Einstein Condensate Tests - 00:44:30 - Do Gravitons Exist? - 00:56:02 - Evidence Before the Big Bang - 01:04:11 - Testing Collapse Models LINKS MENTIONED: - Ivette's Website: https://ivettefuentes.weebly.com/ - Ivette's Published Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=W7-xksIAAAAJ&hl=en - Roger's Published Papers: https://inspirehep.net/authors/993859 - Human Test: How Predictability, Creativity, And The Quantum Mind Will Redefine Life In The Age Of AI [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/-/he/Human-Test-Predictability-Creativity-Redefine/dp/149308920X - The Equivalence Principle: https://www.britannica.com/science/equivalence-principle - Nikita Nekrasov [TOE]: https://youtu.be/PH0CzN5qspI - Exploring The Unification Of Quantum Theory And General Relativity With A Bose-Einstein Condensate [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1812.04630 - Jacob Barandes & Manolis Kellis [TOE]: https://youtu.be/MTD8xkbiGis - Observation Of The Quantum Equivalence Principle For Matter-Waves [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2502.14535 - Claudia de Rham [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Ve_Mpd6dGv8 - Markus Aspelmeyer's Published Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DH7xfEgAAAAJ&hl=en - Hendrik Ulbricht Published Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6d15M50AAAAJ&hl=en - Ron Folman's Lecture: https://youtu.be/uVN7zapPtvw - Ivette's Solo Interview [TOE]: https://youtu.be/YWbjI-QsH2E - Roger's Solo Interview [TOE]: https://youtu.be/iO03t21xhdk - Cumrun Vafa [TOE]: https://youtu.be/kUHOoMX4Bqw - Ted Jacobson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8 - Jonathan Oppenheim [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6Z_p3viqW1g - Alexia Lopez's Published Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PaPfR4sAAAAJ&hl=en - Neil Turok [TOE]: https://youtu.be/ZUp9x44N3uE - Alexia Lopez's Lecture: https://youtu.be/-zkGk6EPMC8 - A Big Ring On The Sky [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2402.07591 - The DP Model: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Diosi-Penrose-DP-model-of-gravity-related-wave-function-collapse-a-According-to_fig1_344161033 - Underground Test Of Gravity-Related Wave Function Collapse [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.13490 - Curt's Talk With Roger On IAI: https://youtu.be/VQM0OtxvZ-Y - Ron Folman's T Cube Experiment: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1908.03879 - Carlo Rovelli [TOE]: https://youtu.be/hF4SAketEHY - Fay Dowker [TOE]: https://youtu.be/PgYHEPCLVas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Diane and Sean discuss 90 minutes of space with Alfonso Cuarón's, Gravity. Episode music is, "Gravity", by Steven Price from the OST.-  Our theme song is by Brushy One String-  Artwork by Marlaine LePage-  Why Do We Own This DVD?  Merch available at Teepublic-  Follow the show on social media:-  BlueSky: WhyDoWeOwnThisDVD-  IG: @whydoweownthisdvd- Tumblr: WhyDoWeOwnThisDVD-  Follow Sean's Plants on IG: @lookitmahplants- Watch Sean be bad at video games on TwitchSupport the show

A thankful spirit is others-exalting and glad-hearted. Therefore, pray for a great awakening of humble gratitude.

On this episode of NOON Max, an ER nurse working at a Level 1 trauma center, shares his journey from starting his career during the pandemic to overseeing trauma and critical care today. He discusses the challenges of resource limitations, managing high-acuity cases, and how the pandemic reshaped resilience in healthcare. He also reflects on his future goals in pediatric ICU and transport medicine, the value of nurse-driven recommendations, and the unique stories that have shaped his path in emergency care.Today's Sponsor is: JumpMedicAre you looking for top-notch first aid kits? Look no further than JumpMedic! Owned by a seasoned paramedic with over a decade of EMS experience, their kits are user-friendly and packed with essential supplies. From the most popular Pro Gen 2 to the compact Hard Shell Kit, they've got you covered. You can even Customize your own kit with their Build A Bag option! Enter the code NOON10 and enjoy 10% off your order! Free US shipping, and everything is HSA/FSA approved. Visit JumpMedic.com and follow @JumpMedicUSA on Instagram. Stay prepared with JumpMedic!Podcast: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1vAokfqG5aifoRBKk9MAUh?si=T8DipSBCQzWfOeiBW3h-Vw⁠FB Page: https://m.facebook.com/groups/nineoneonenonsense/?ref=shareInstagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/911nonsense/⁠X: ⁠https://twitter.com/911Nonsense⁠Bonfire Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/nine-one-one-nonsense/?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=store_page_share&utm_campaign=nine-one-one-nonsense&utm_content=defaultContent Warning: This episode contains discussions about death, including graphic and potentially triggering details. Listener discretion is advised. The episode also covers sensitive topics and may not be suitable for all audiences. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, please seek help immediately. You can contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 from anywhere in the U.S. #911Podcast #ParamedicLife #FirstResponderStories #EMSFamily #EmergencyCalls #SavingLives #BehindTheSiren #FirstResponderLife #911nonsense #ParamedicPodcast #PodcastLaunch #PodcastLife #PodcastCommunity #TrueStoryPodcast #NewPodcastAlert #PodcastAddict #PodcastEpisode #PodcastPromotion #PodcastHost #PodcastRecommendations #RealLifeHeroes #EmergencyServices #TrueStories #BehindTheScenes #LifeOnTheLine #AdrenalineRush #HumanStories #OnTheJob #EverydayHeroes #TrueLife

Sponsor Details:This episode of Space Nuts is brought to you with the support of NordVPN. To get our special Space Nuts listener discounts and four months free bonus, all with a 30 day money back guarantee, simply visit wwwnordvpn.com/spacenuts or use the coupon code SPACENUTS at checkout.Show NotesCosmic Queries: Expanding Universe, Space Elevators, and TOI 6894BIn this enlightening Q&A episode of Space Nuts, hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Jonti Horner tackle a variety of intriguing questions from listeners, diving deep into the mysteries of the universe. From the nuances of cosmic expansion to the potential of space elevators and the peculiarities of exoplanets, this episode is packed with cosmic curiosities and insightful discussions that will expand your understanding of the cosmos.Episode Highlights:- The Acceleration of Cosmic Expansion: Rusty from Western Australia asks about the terminology for the increasing acceleration of the universe's expansion. Andrew and Jonti discuss the complexities of this concept, the implications of dark energy, and the evolving nature of cosmological theories.- Space Elevators Explained: Barry's inquiry about the gravitational effects of a hypothetical space elevator prompts a detailed exploration of how gravity would be felt at various altitudes. The hosts discuss the feasibility of such a structure and the science behind gravity in different orbital scenarios.- Understanding TOI 6894B: Casey from Colorado wants to know why TOI 6894B is significant. Andrew and Jonti delve into the characteristics of this unusual exoplanet, its relationship with its low-mass star, and what its discovery means for our understanding of planet formation and the diversity of planetary systems.- Life in Gale Crater: A whimsical question from Philip McCrackpipe leads to a serious discussion about the potential for ancient life in Gale Crater on Mars. The hosts reflect on Mars' wet past and the types of life that may have thrived there, emphasizing the importance of ongoing exploration and research.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/about.Stay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

In Episode 422 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger drive to Sterling, Connecticut, to pop their car in neutral and search for the ghost of Gravity Hill on Main Street. The legend goes this was once land owned by a witch… and if you put your car in neutral her ghost will push your car uphill off her property. But is it true? See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-422-the-ghost-of-gravity-hill/  Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends  Buy Jeff Belanger's new book Wicked Strange New England on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lMkM3G  Check out Jeff's new underground publication Shadow Zine! https://shadowzine.com/  Listen to Ray's Local Raydio! https://localraydio.com/