Podcasts about Honestly

10 for Teens + Tweens just celebrated it's 5th birthday! Honestly this podcast exists because of you girls, so with all my heart, thank you for listening.Have you ever heard about using visualization? It's a mental practice that can help you achieve your goals. Let's explore how to utilize it and how it can help you..   .   .A full transcript of this episode is available in the 10 for Teens + Tweens Ep. 140 show notes on EmpowerfulGirls.com.

Janine Shepherd. Holy snapping ducksh*t, where do I even start? This woman’s story isn’t just about resilience, it’s about rebirth. From Olympic hopeful to being hit by a truck and told she’d never walk again… to becoming a pilot, flying instructor, and now deep in her PhD on the in-between spaces of life - literally and spiritually. We spoke about that space between life and death (yeah, she took a trip there) - what she saw, how she came back, and the powerful choice she made to live again... not despite her disability, but because of it. We unpacked identity, forgiveness, shame, spirituality, language, and what it means to consciously re-story your life when the old one falls apart. Honestly, this has got to be one of my favourite kind of chats! You'll love her. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au JANINE SHEPHERD Website: janineshepherd.com TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While spending some time with his family over the weekend, John's cousin made a joke that he had some "tendencies." Honestly, no truer words could be spoken...

When John Fetterman won Pennsylvania's senate seat in 2022, Democrats across the country treated him as a hero and an example of a path forward for the party in the populist Trump era. Three years later, he often finds himself at odds with his party – most recently, on the government shutdown, Israel, and working class voters.He delves deeper into his political views and experiences in a new memoir out this week, titled Unfettered. In the book, he's also deeply honest about his struggles with mental health.“Honestly, I know millions of Americans suffer,” Fetterman told NPR. “And to really understand what [...] true deep depression is like [...] that's part of the conversation in the book.”This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam with audio engineering from Andie Huether. It was edited by Ashley Brown and Nadia Lancy. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.You can also watch the full conversation between NPR's Scott Detrow and Fetterman here.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What do you do when God directs you down a path that makes no sense?Honestly, I've lost count of the number of times the Lord has led me in a direction that, well, just seems so terribly inefficient!In this episode of Live the Bible, we'll be in the book of Acts to look at times Peter and Paul must have felt the same way. So often, we know where we're headed; we feel ready. But instead of taking us on a direct path, the Lord throws in a hard left turn. We all know the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so why does God always seem to take us the long way?There's an answer, and it's a good one!Support the show

Ever feel like you're doing all the things and still getting zero results? Like you're working so hard and wondering… is this even worth it? Yeah. I was there. After pouring time, energy, and heart into something I thought would be a win and getting nothing back, I was ready to throw in the towel. Honestly, I felt like a failure. But then I had a conversation with my friend and coach, Laurie Shopland, that changed everything. What started as a normal Tuesday call turned into one of the most important mindset shifts I've ever experienced, and in this episode, I'm sharing it with you. Laurie walks us through her Truth Model — a simple, 5-step emotional processing tool that helps you go from shame and judgment to peace and clarity. It's mapped to your hand, easy to remember, and so powerful. If you've been struggling with discouragement, shame, or the temptation to quit, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Laurie gives us language, grace, and permission to be human, and then leads us gently toward truth. And trust me, you'll want to write this process down. What you'll learn • Why naming your emotions is 80% of the work • The difference between noticing a feeling vs. judging it • How to use Laurie's Truth Model hand analogy to shift out of shame • What Scarcity Street sounds like in your mind (and how to move to Abundant Avenue) • How to identify the lie you're believing and replace it with truth (even if you have a lot of evidence that the thought "the lie" is true) • What it means to forgive yourself for forgetting and why that changes everything Join the waitlist for my Black Friday: 5 Days. 5 Deals to get early access to the deals and to be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card --> https://simplysquaredaway.com/bf For the resources and links mentioned, go to:  https://simplysquaredaway.com/137

This guided meditation invites you to carve out time for yourself—a moment to pause and invest in your own well-being.As we take a breath, settle into stillness, and direct our awareness inward, a transformation begins. Imagine a snow globe after the flurry subsides—everything that was swirling finds its place, and suddenly we can see through to what truly matters within us.I hope this practice serves you well.

Word up BookshelversAs autumn has its chilly grip on us (at least here in the UK), you'll be pleased to hear we have an episode for you as heart-warming an as a bowl of steaming soup about an equally wonderfully heart-warming book. This week Corrin and Steve have the pleasure of catching up with the awesome Diane Gollowitzer who is not only a good friend of ours but also a fabulous award winning photographer, trick trainer and now published author (WOOHOO). You'll here in this interview just how much Steve and Corrin LOVE her new book Muzzled and Misunderstood: Love Letter to my Muzzled Dog. This is, not only, a much needed book that tackles a taboo subject head on, but also a bona fide work of art in its own right. Using the power of Diane's breath taking imagery a weaving it with beautiful, honest and vulnerable "letters" written by the guardians to their own dogs: this book is as much a well needed life affirming lift, as it is a crucial text that challenges the status quo. Honestly if you love dogs, you'll love this book.On top of discussing the book in our normal book review style as well as talking to Diane herself, we also update everyone on the ongoing saga of Penguin and discuss the curious case of bedtime Brian Cox... If indeed it is him.Pop it straight in those lug holes... you know you want to.Links:Diane's website: https://www.dogsinfocusphotography.com/Diane's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogsinfocusphotography/Diane's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dogsinfocusphotography/Pre-order the book on Amazon: Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910488747About the project: https://www.dogsinfocusphotography.com/muzzled-and-misunderstood/The Muzzle Project on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_muzzle_project/

Power Quote: “My job is to remove the barriers that prevent teachers and students from being successful.”Teaser:We've had some very good episodes this year (and, yes, probably some not-so-good ones) and I think today's may be one of the best. My goals for each show are that you finish listening feeling inspired and purposeful, and that you have some tool, technique, idea, or perspective that you can use to make your life and leadership better. Today's interview checks all those boxes. Honestly, I think you may want to listen to it twice – there is so much goodness here. Before we get started…Sponsor Spot 1:Do you love to travel but are tired of the same old student trip?  Check out Kaleidoscope Adventures, our preferred planning partner! Kaleidoscope Adventures has been planning educational travel beyond expectations for more than 30 years. They know the best destinations for student groups – they might even surprise you with a few hidden gems you've never considered!Discover the Harry Potter connection in Portugal, plan an “epic” trip to Universal, or celebrate America's 250th on an American Adventure!Each experience is customized to fit your specific needs… never a “one-size-fits-all” cookie cutter trip! When you need a little inspiration, contact the experts at mykatrip.com for the freshest ideas for your next student trip!Show IntroGuest Bio:Today's guest is a respected leader in education, Coach Darryall White, assistant principal and athletic director at Indian Land Middle School in Lancaster County, South Carolina.A proud Clemson graduate, Coach White has spent more than 30 years serving students as a teacher, counselor, and now assistant principal. He's coached nearly every sport and recently made history as the first-ever Lancaster County School District Assistant Principal of the Year.Known for his energy, authenticity, and passion for developing champions from the inside out, Coach White helps students, teachers, and athletes strengthen the heart, the head, and the hustle.”Warmup questions:We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do?Questions/Topics/PromptsOne of the things you speak a lot about is passion, so let's dive deep into it:How is your passion different today than when you first began teaching? The job of AP is demanding. How do you keep your passion fueled?If you are having a tough day (or week), what are ways you get yourself back on track?I think there can be a tension between serving students and serving teachers. There is only so much of you to go around. How do you find the right balance?I'd like us to shift into processes. We haven't spoken enough before for me to know for sure, but I suspect you are someone who is process driven. I like to say systems and structures support sustainability. So, what systems and structures are key to your success?Finally, it's hard out there…Sponsor Spot 2:I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. And IXL doesn't stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. It's no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit ixl.com/assistant to get started.Closing questions:What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?If listeners could take just one thing away from today's podcast, what would it be?Before we go, is there anything else that you'd like to share with our listeners?Where can people learn more about you and your work…Summary/wrap upI hope you enjoyed this as much as I didMotivation = gratitude and opportunityControl/not control (E+R=O)3 R's to recover (reconnect with people, reflect, refocus on wins)3 core “ways of being” (clarity, consistency, communication – in word and deed)Be intentional about finding opportunities to uplift othersThe job is about people, not tasksSpecial thanks to the amazing Ranford Almond for the great music on the show. Please support Ranford and the show by checking out his music!Ranford's homepage: https://ranfordalmond.comRanford's music on streaming services: https://streamlink.to/ranfordalmond-oldsoulInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ranfordalmond/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ranfordalmond/Sponsor Links:IXL: http://ixl.com/assistant Kaleidoscope Adventures: https://www.kaleidoscopeadventures.com/the-assistant-principal-podcast-kaleidoscope-adventures/CloseLeadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/I love hearing from you. If you have comments or questions, or are interested in having me speak at your school or conference, email me at frederick@frederickbuskey.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.If you are tired of spending time putting out fires and would rather invest time supporting and growing teachers, consider reading my book, A School Leader's Guide to Reclaiming Purpose. The book is available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.Remember the secret to good leadership:Be intentional in choosing how you will show up for othersBe fully presentAsk reflective questionsAnd then just listenDon't overcomplicate it, the value is in the listening.Have a great rest of the week!Cheers!

Can you believe we're almost at the end of the year already? Honestly, it's snuck up on me! If you're starting to feel that pre-Christmas chaos bubbling away, this one's for you — we're going to make sure December doesn't run you off your feet.This week, I'll be sharing how I plan my own summer — setting my working days, getting clients sorted before Chrissy, and keeping my systems tidy so everything runs smoothly while I take a break. We'll also chat about simple ways to prepare your content and offers so you roll into the new year feeling organised, energised, and ready to go.This episode's a quick one, but it'll get you thinking about how to make summer easy, enjoyable, and on your terms.And if you'd love a hand pulling it all together — your offers, your systems, or just finding a bit more clarity — I'd love to help. Book your free consult here and let's get your summer strategy sorted.And to make it super easy, I've created a free Back Pocket Toolkit Workbook you can download — it's a simple, practical guide to help you review what's worked this year and plan out your next steps with clarity and confidence.You can grab your free copy right here: www.geraldineheadley.com/podcast-downloads

Load Bearing Beams is no more. Say hello to 1-Week Rental! Honestly, it's pretty much the same show. We've just been trying to find a better way to explain what our show is, and we've realized (based on listener feedback and our own feelings on the matter) that what we do well is dive into a movie in terms of both unpacking its history and then analyzing and discussing how well it works as a movie. And since we do this with a different movie each week, you can think of it like we're renting a movie from the video store and getting to keep it for a week. You remember that, right? You'd watch it over and over, and you'd become a temporary expert on it, before saying goodbye to it, maybe forever. The show is largely staying the same, but we are going to try to make the episodes slightly shorter and we are doing away with the lengthy preambles that begin each episode before we get to the history segment. Thank you for your support of Load Bearing Beams, and here's to at least eight years with 1-Week Rental! 

Honestly a pretty relaxed/unremarkable mix of progressive house which is a nice genre and a bit new to me

The Time Riders: Part 1 The Timeless Art of Shagging. Based on a post by BiscuitHammer, in 16 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Give A Monkey A Gun. Mark's bedroom interrogation. Mark sat in the chair in his bedroom by his computer desk, trying to look chastised, but he was worried that a tiny hint of an evil smirk was crossing his lips. He hung his head in the hopes it would be less noticeable. Standing in the room with him were two stone-faced men in black suits and dark glasses. They stared at him silently for several minutes before glancing at one another. Finally, the shorter one sighed. "Okay, Mark," he said heavily. "Once more, from the top. I want you to give us as detailed an account of what happened as you possibly can. Leave nothing out." "Everything?" Mark asked quietly. "Everything." "Well, as long as you think you have the time." Mark quipped, sitting up straight and leaning back in his chair somewhat casually. The tall man frowned. "Was that a joke?" "Not a very good one, apparently," Mark muttered. "Stick to the facts," the man said firmly. "We hate jokes." "No kidding," Mark mused, settling in to relay the events he had already explained to them twice that evening. "Alright, let me start at the beginning." "Not funny, young man;” growled the shorter agent. "I found the thing in the park. What did you say it's called?" Mark asked. "A Holmes Field Device." "Right," Mark agreed, nodding. "I found the Holmes Field Device in the large lilac bushes over in Grosvenor Park." "Why were you in the bushes?" interrupted the tall man. Mark gave him a wry look. "I was making a drug deal. I was supplying uranium to Libyan terrorists. I was hiding the body of a transvestite hooker I killed. What does it matter? It's not your worry or jurisdiction, if you're telling me the truth, is it?" "Fair enough," said the shorter agent amicably. "Please proceed, Mark." Mark nodded. "It was really small and compact at first and I didn't know what it was. But it kinda gave off a hum and it almost had a glow, I dunno. I pulled it out of the bushes and over to a secluded area where there was still some light from nearby lamps. Anyway, I must've tripped a catch or something on it, because the thing folded out on itself into what looked like a platform and grew these weird-ass frames with displays and dials and buttons and shit. It was like something out of Star Trek." "I can see how it might appear advanced to you," the shorter agent said, nodding. "To my partner and I, it's rather primitive, but that's not your problem. Please proceed." "Once I was sure that no one was around or likely to come through, I began fiddling around with the dials," Mark continued. "At first I was confused, because it didn't seem to do much, except spit up weird numbers on the analogue screens, but then I thought about it and realized they were dates. They were just; off." "Not off," the shorter man said. "Just dates set by a different calendar, if you will. The Holmes Field Device was developed by Ashleigh Holmes, the younger brother of the more famous Sherlock and Mycroft, but he was perhaps even more brilliant. He modified the Gregorian calendar to account for leap years and Daylight Savings, changed the accounting of seconds, minutes, hours and so on to eliminate the need for such inconsistencies. The Holmes Calendar will be adopted eighty three years in your future, but it is so accurate that it won't need to be modified until the year 12,645 AD." "Huh." Mark said in response, not caring much. "Oh, and he also invented the temporal displacement device you found," the man added. "Although it'll be another two hundred and eight years before that comes to light." "Anyways," Mark continued, killing the history lesson. "Once I figured out they were dates and times, I tried setting the time back a few hours. After that, I started pushing some buttons. Things got blurry for just a split second and then the sun was blinding me. I was still alone, but I stepped off and looked around, still in the same spot, but obviously at a different time of day. I looked at the clock on my cellphone and it seemed to have adjusted to say it was six hours earlier, just like I'd set the dials." "Your phone adjusted accordingly. Electronics will do that." "I was really excited to look around but realized I didn't want to be caught and I suddenly thought I should be careful." "What a novel idea," the tall man said dryly. "Go on." "Well, I went back to the Holmes Field thing and set it to take me back to the time I'd come from. And it did. Then I began thinking about what sort of things I might be able to do if I was careful." "And this is where it got interesting, yes?" the shorter agent remarked. Mark explains his connection to Becky. Mark nodded. "Maybe I could change things. Not big things, but little things. It suddenly occurred to me the D that Miss Fischer gave me on my Physics exam earlier in the semester had kept me from getting into the university of choice I'd applied to. So I decided to see if I could fix that somehow;” Mark crept through the bushes under the cover of dark, oddly certain than no one was going to see him. He couldn't explain why, but he felt a confidence that he would not be discovered because he hadn't been there before. It didn't make sense, but maybe that was a good thing. He knew where Miss Fischer lived, he'd seen her pull into the small, stand-alone house in her Rav4 on many occasions. He slipped onto her property through her back yard, instinctively knowing that her rear door would be unlocked. It was already ten o'clock, but there was no school the next day so she was still likely to be up. A stick snapped in the yard one lot ever. His head snapped around to see if he'd been spotted, but he didn't see anything. A dog began barking. Stupid animal scared the shit out of him. He moved quietly across the lawn to the back door, opened it slowly and found himself in a small kitchen. It was dark except for a small night-light and he paused, listening for movement, hearing no one nearby. He stared in bewilderment at the sheer amount of organic cereals and grains that lined the counters around the room, along with fresh fruits and other nutritious snacks. No wonder she always seemed so perky, even if she was shy and retiring. Beyond the kitchen, he could see the living room and small dining room were still lit. He padded across the linoleum floor silently, hearing nothing. He peeked into the dining room and through it into the living room. No one. There was a yoga mat on the floor in front of the long, flat-screen TV. The decor consisted of low tables and beanbag chairs others. Damn, this woman was crunchy. He heard water running upstairs and some off-key singing. He crept up the steps to the second floor, preparing himself for what would no doubt be an awkward situation, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to do this, whether he liked it or not. There was a shower happening and he now recognized Miss Fischer's voice. She seemed to be alone and her vehicle had been standing by itself in the driveway. If she was already showering, she wasn't going out again. Mark approached the bathroom, noticing the door was wide open. He guessed that made sense, since Miss Fischer had told the class more than once that she lived lamentably alone. She took the teasing from her students good-naturedly, but now he could confirm it. She was a bachelorette. She was singing and he could hear the shower water splashing off her body as he hid beside the door. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, calming his nerves before subtly peeking around the door and into the bathroom. There was no tub, just a walk-in shower. His eyes went wide when he realized that her shower stall was composed of fog and steam-proof glass, giving him an almost completely uninterrupted view of the activities within. Except for the droplets of water that trickled down the treated glass panes, he could see his teacher in all her naked glory. Miss Fischer was facing away from him, running her fingers through her long, wet blonde hair, swaying her body back and forth, her amazing ass glistening wetly. He tuned out her rather painful singing of a Beyoncé song and let his gaze travel up and down her womanly form. His heart thundered in his chest, to the place where he was worried she might hear it. Miss Fischer always dressed rather modestly at school and he was shocked to see what a rocking' bod she had. Clearly she hadn't been lying about the yoga and the CrossFit she claimed to do. Her skin was fair, but not pale. Her shapely back tucked into a small waist, which in turn blossomed out into fit hips which were anchored by her amazing ass. Her long legs tapered down to tiny ankles. If he hadn't been so astonished and exhilarated, he would have had a massive hard-on by now. "C'mon, turn around;” he found himself urging her silently. Miss Fischer obliged and Mark thought he might faint. She'd always been pretty, of course, but Mark doubt that anyone at school would have guessed what a sex-pot their Physics teacher was. Where the hell had she been keeping those tits? Did she fucking strap them down? They were large, yet perky. The tiny pink nipples sat atop them proudly, announcing the arrival of their mistress right behind them. Her stomach was flat, but still soft, begging to be kissed. He forced himself to look lower and saw that her cunt was shaved except for the small strip of trimmed hair above. The nether lips were even and not quite plump, but still dismissed any worries of a bony thigh-gap. Her clit hood barely peeked out over the top. "Fucking fuck;” he thought, his mind racing. "Who knew Miss Fischer was so insanely hot?" He watched rapt, utterly forgetting that she might see him if she happened to look his way. The blonde seemed to have no interest in life beyond those glass panes, however, as she caressed her body slowly, making sure she was cleansed of her organic craft shower gel. Her manicured hands glided up and down her lovely body while she closed her eyes, letting the water from the showerhead rinse it away. As Mark watched, she kept her eyes closed but bit her lip gently, one of her hands moving up to slowly and gently caress her tits while the other snaked its way down her stomach and between her legs to begin playing with her cunt. A quiet sigh escaped her mouth and Mark felt his cock rapidly swelling inside his jeans. The teacher pressed her forehead against the glass, her eyes still closed. Her hand massaged her ample tits while the hand between her legs moved up and down slowly, massaging the lips. Mark swallowed and adjusted his cock inside his pants as he watched intently, unable to believe he was being treated to this incredible show. Another moan escaped her lips as she pleasured herself and began pinching one of her nipples. It took all of Mark's willpower to not pull his cock out and begin stroking it on the spot, because he had other plans. Miss Fischer, not so constrained, continued to finger her cunt until she was panting. She stopped suddenly and reached up to pull the detachable showerhead off its arm and brought it down to her body. She hummed as she let the stiff streams beat against her shoulders and then her tits. Mark could see her already hard nipples getting ever harder. She then slowly moved the showerhead down her sensual form, over her trim stomach and between her legs. She let out a loud sigh as the water battered her lips and clit. She turned herself around again, pressing her ass cheeks against the glass while she put the showerhead under her cunt to continually stimulate it. Her cheeks squirmed rhythmically around on the glass pane as she jet-fucked herself. Mark watched in disbelief as one hand came back behind and spread her cheeks to play with her little, puckered knot. Miss Fischer let out a grunt as her middle finger slid inside her ass while the showerhead continued to bombard her cunt with its tiny jets. Mark gripped the front of his pants again, unable to resist, giving himself a squeeze. He sincerely hoped she wouldn't last much longer, because he wasn't sure he would if she kept this up. Fortunately for Mark, his teacher did not seem terribly interested in delaying her reward. The squirming became more pronounced and she groaned as her body began to tremble and then shake. Her finger was working itself in and out of her ass faster and faster while the showerhead was almost crushed to her cunt lips. She let out a gasp and a cry before falling to her knees, her body almost spasming as she came. Mark gritted his teeth as he watched, desperately willing himself to not massage his cock and join her in autoerotic bliss. The restraint would be worth it. He removed his hand and settled for squeezing the doorframe while watching his teacher. Miss Fischer slowly leaned forward until  her head was on the floor, her ass in the air. She moved the shower jets slowly up and down over her molten sex while her finger teased her ring. He listened to her panting and sighing as she started to come down from what was a clearly badly-needed orgasm. Mark couldn't wait much longer or he'd lose his nerve. He quietly stepped into the bathroom and started to head toward the shower. Miss Fischer had finally moved up back into a kneeling position, still facing away from him and taking slow, deep breaths. She then got to her feet and replaced the showerhead back in its arm above her. She rinsed her face and body again before turning off the water. Silently, Mark waited off to the side while she slid open the door and stepped out somewhat awkwardly, trying to get her long, wet hair out of her face. She groped around blindly for several moments and Mark realized she'd forgotten where she put her towel. He handed her a hand towel which she absently took and wiped her face with before pushing her hair back. Mark meanwhile handed her a full-sized body towel. "Thank you, Mark," she said pleasantly. "I'm always; Mark!" This last bit was exclaimed loudly and she slammed herself back against the opposite wall from him, her eyes wide with utter shock. Both towels she'd been holding flew from her grip, leaving her naked and dripping wet. He had no idea why, but he tried to maintain eye contact with her. "Uh; hi, Miss Fischer," he said somewhat awkwardly before swallowing. "Uh; nice shower you've got there." Some of her wits seemed to return and she realized she was standing naked in front of one of her students. She moved her hands about haphazardly, making several comical attempts to cover herself, eyes still wide and mouth agape. "Wha; wha; y; you;” she stammered. "Yeah, I didn't exactly expect to be here either," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "First of all, don't scream or anything. I'm not here to' "Then why are you here, you little pervert?" she hissed, finally regaining control of her vocal chords. "Get the fuck out and I'll possibly consider not calling the police!" "I; can't;” he admitted weakly. She frowned and looked down at his legs, choosing to ignore the rather obvious bulge in the front of his pants. "Your legs work just fine, young man, but I'll tell you what's not going to after I've kicked you there if you don't get out of my house." "No, I;” he began but then realized he didn't quite know how to articulate what he wanted to say. What the hell had he been thinking, doing any of this? He finally bent over and picked up the large body towel she'd lost and handed it to her. "Maybe; I guess you should put this on first;” She snatched it away from him and wrapped it around her body, but if he'd been hoping this made her more amenable to his presence then he'd been wrong. What did happen was her eyes began to blaze with fury as she composed herself. "So help me, Mister Simmons," she growled as she advanced on him menacingly, her near-nudity forgotten. The towel did very little to conceal her buxom figure. "If you don't tell me right this instant what the hell you are doing in my house, watching me take a shower, I'll show you exactly what CrossFit has done for me, along with the jiu-jutsu classes. You'll be wishing I'd called the cops." Mark held up his hands, hoping to calm her. "There's no need for that, teach, I' "Don't call me that off school grounds," she snapped, still moving toward him until it was Mark backed up against the wall. "Ex-plain your-self;” Mark swallowed again, fearing for his well-being. He'd been so much smoother when he thought this over in his head earlier. "You; you failed me on the Physics exam." She paused in her menacing advance for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Your exam isn't for another two months. Irrelevant. Why are you creeping on me?" "I know it isn't," he said hastily. "But; you're going to fail me." "Then maybe you should be back home studying instead of breaking into my house," she snapped, getting ready to beat him senseless. This wasn't like him, but that was no excuse for endangering her. "Last chance and then it's night-night time with my fist in your brain." Mark squeezed his eyes shut, trying to compose himself. His heart was pounding so hard that he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to get another erection again. "It; I can't explain it if I think you're going to kill me! Please stop threatening to kill me and I'll tell you." She stopped cornering him and paused, looking annoyed and skeptical. "This'd better be good, because you're either going to find yourself punched unconscious by a girl or talking to the cops. Explain and then you get your choice." "It's; actually really good," Mark breathed. "I'm not me. I mean, I'm me, but not the me you know." "A doppelganger?" she asked dryly, not amused. "Lay off the sci-fi and anime, Mark, it's making you too stupid for physics." "No, I;” he paused and took another deep breath. "I'm Mark from this coming up summer." "Oh, you're a time-traveler now, are you?" she mused snidely. "So tell me, since you already know; do I eat your heart or your liver tomorrow with my afternoon salad?" "Look, look;” he said, trying to keep his voice from pissing itself in fear as he reached into his wallet. "Look, here's my new voter ID that I got just after my birthday." He held it out for her to look at. She glanced at it and then up at him, clearly not impressed. "Ya' know, other kids fake their ID's to say they're old enough to drink. This one just says you're now eighteen. No wonder you're failing physics, you can't even fake an ID right." "Uh, no, I;” Mark stammered, frustrated with how badly he was fucking up. "I can't help when I'm from, I'm from three months in the future." "And you're here to tell me I'm secretly pregnant with the man who will lead us to victory over the AI machines?" she sneered. She cracked her knuckles. "It's a pity, you actually were a pretty good-looking kid before I did this to you;” "No," he blurted out. "I came here to convince you to change my grade because the university I wanted to go to rejects me over that grade!" She paused for a moment. "Okay, so why didn't you just study?" He shrugged nervously. "I don't know. I can't do anything about that now. Except like this." Miss Fischer stopped and closed her eyes for a moment. This was the weirdest home invasion and rape she'd ever heard of. "What?" "Maybe; it was stupid of me to fail," Mark said. "But that's my past. I can't change it directly. But I was hoping to come here and convince you to let me pass anyway." "If for some reason I were inclined to believe that you were from the future, which I don't, by the way," she stated. "Why would I change your grade if you don't deserve it? Maybe you shouldn't be going to university next year, maybe you need to, oh, I don't know, quit doing juvenile shit like this and grow the fuck up before you go out into the world?" "Can we; can we talk about this somewhere else?" he asked nervously. "No, I think we're good right here," she said flatly. "You're backed into a corner and can't escape. But if I let you live, clearly you might have a job as a science fiction writer. Tell me more and keep it good." "No, you'll kill me." Mark said, sweating profusely. "I'm definitely going to kill you," she pointed out. "But if your lie amuses me, I might make it quick and painless. Your choice. And go." Mark didn't know if she was kidding or not, but he decided to treat the threat as real. "I; I came here to seduce you and convince you to change my grade." Miss Fischer paused, her eyes widening. She said nothing for several seconds but then mirth creased her pretty features and she began to snicker. Seconds later, she was laughing loudly and uncontrollably. "It's not funny." Mark grumbled, scowling darkly. "Yes, yes it is;” she wheezed, her outrage clearly giving way to utter amusement. "Oh, God; I almost wish this was true. There'd be so much less blood to get out of the grout on my floor;” She stood up and looked at him again, her eyes shining with tears. "So let; let me get this straight; you came here to sex me up so good that I'd give you a passing grade you don't deserve?" She burst out laughing again, leaning against the sink to hold herself up. In spite of his predicament, he noticed her magnificent cleavage down the top of her towel. Miss Fischer seemed to have forgotten. "I was a lot smoother in my plan for all this." he muttered. "Oh, I'm sure you were, Mark," she said almost sympathetically as she looked up at him again, tear stains on her cheeks. She smiled and he couldn't help but notice she was beautiful. He really had no idea of how to proceed, even if the was committed at this point. "So how's your plan working out so far?" "Fairly rotten," he said. "I didn't know where I'd find you when I came in and then I saw you in the shower and just; well, I couldn't help but watch." What he was saying slowly dawned on her and he could see she was getting irate again. "You stood there and watched me masturbate?" she hissed, her eyes flashing. "You little pervert!" "Take it as a compliment!" he said hastily, wincing. "You're really really pretty!" "And this is where you tell all the other boys at school, right?" she growled. "No," he said, shaking his head. "I don't think anyone at school has any idea what sort of a knockout you are, miss. I mean, you dress pretty conservatively. Any of the girls who saw what I just did would be really jealous." "Well, thank you for that, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to creep on me!" she shot back. "Honestly, why am I still letting you live, you little felon? Are you hoping the courts will take it easy on you because you're not eighteen yet?" "I am eighteen," he insisted. "I'll prove it." "You're going to let me cut you open and count the rings?" she asked. "No, I;” Mark began, his mind racing. "Your dresser!" "What?" "Your dresser in your room," he said, nodding. "In the back of the third top drawer, there's hand-written note from you to yourself about tonight. And to prove to yourself that it's true, you wrote down something only you know about yourself." She paused and frowned at him for several seconds before stepping aside and allowing him out of the corner. She pointed out toward the hallway. "March, mister. I'm not letting you out of my sight." Mark exited the bathroom and walked down the hall to one of two bedrooms, which was currently dimly illuminated by a small Himalayan rock-salt lamp. She made him stand in the middle of the room and wait quietly while she began rummaging in the drawer he had mentioned. She seemed to have forgotten she was only wearing a towel or had stopped caring. "You're mother's going to weep at your closed casket funeral after I bite your eyeballs out for staring at my ass." Miss Fischer said as she kept digging around while bent over. Mark coughed and looked away from her ass. She finally stood upright, holding a small envelope she'd withdrawn from the back of the drawer. She frowned as she examined it for several seconds, as if she didn't recognize it. She looked at him again, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You swear you've never been in my house before?" He nodded, placing one hand over his heart and the other in the air. "Never, miss." She considered and then unsealed the envelope, pulling out the single, folded page and began reading. Whatever she red caused her to sit, almost flump very suddenly on the edge of her bed, her eyes wide with disbelief. She looked at him and held the letter up in a trembling hand. "Is this true?" Mark shrugged. "You wrote whatever is in there, I have no idea. The only thing I can tell you that's true is what I already told you, Miss Fischer. I'm Mark from the summer and I've come back in time to convince you to change my grade so I can go to university." She sat on the bed, looking dumbfounded. She said nothing for several seconds, staring off at the far wall blankly. She then looked back at him again and held up the page. "I wrote this. I wrote this after I; after you and I;” He nodded. "I'm assuming you did it to prove all this to yourself." "How is this possible?" she asked, still lost. "How are you even here, if you're from the future and I'm not just bug shit nuts and hallucinating all this?" "I; I have a time machine." Mark replied. "Really," she said, nonplussed, her shock fading rapidly. "Just like that. A kid who can't pass high school physics has a time machine and can operate it." "Well, yeah, that's how I ended up here." Mark reasoned. "Show it to me." "I will," he said, nodding. "But first, I need to make sure you're going to pass me in that exam. Otherwise, all this means nothing." "What, so let you fuck me and give you a passing grade?" she asked, scowling. "Why should I do all the work?" Mark frowned. "First of all, you wouldn't be doing all the work, miss, thank you. Second, it's supposed to happen this way or I wouldn't be here." "Bullshit," she snorted. "For all you know, I sent you home with your dick in your hand and no passing grade." "Then what was written on that paper that shocked you so much?" he countered. Miss Fischer said nothing for several seconds but then looked back up at him. "You're; you're sure you're eighteen right now? Because you aren't eighteen in my class." He nodded. "And you'll show me this time machine," she pressed, desperate to convince herself. "After we;” Mark nodded again. Miss Fischer exhaled heavily. "Give me a moment, this is a lot to take in." "How so?" he asked. She scowled up at him. "I'm about to fuck one of my students who's apparently a time-traveler and trade a passing grade for sex. What do you think is weird about this?" He shrugged. "My whole evening's been weird, miss. I found that thing that turned out to be a time machine, then I' "You just found it today?" she exclaimed. "And the first thing you did was decide to come back and fuck your physics teacher?" "Yeah, I kinda need that grade." Mark admitted. She scowled again. "So you came back in time and the principal reason isn't even to fuck me?" Mark pulled at his face for a moment as he tried to explain. "It's like I said earlier, miss. No one at school knows how hot you are because you never show it. If you did, every guy and bi girl in the school would want to fuck you." "Maybe I dress like that so I don't have a pack of little horn dogs lusting after, oh;” she murmured, catching herself and realizing she just defeated her own argument. Fluid time was rough to argue against. She sighed again. "So, uh; how do we do this?" Mark scratched his head. "I dunno. Nothing about this evening has gone the way I planned it, but we still ended up here. I guess we need to improvise." Miss Fischer considered. "Well, you've seen me naked and doing myself, so I think we need to redress the scales," she sighed. "So strip down and let me see what I'm selling my academic integrity for;” Mark felt an uncomfortably warm flush of embarrassment at her suggestion, but proceeded nonetheless. He had planned on getting naked with her anyway, even if had been under more sensual and controlled circumstances. Clearly he'd flopped at being the Casanova he'd intended on for seducing her and getting that perfect grade. He started by removing his t-shirt, pulling it over his head while watched impassively. Mark was proud of his body, since he played sports, but was suddenly very self-conscious now that he'd seen how stupidly hot his teacher was. He put a hand against the wall and steadied himself while he used his feet to pull his sneakers off. Then he undid his button and unzipped the fly on his jeans before letting them drop slowly, revealing his black boxers. "Well, at least you're not wearing tightie-whities," Miss Fischer mused. "That would've been a deal-breaker, for sure." Mark paused, blushing as he realized he was about to pull down his boxers and fully expose himself to his teacher. He had to admit, this had never occurred to him before tonight. "Well don't wuss out now, Don Juan," she said somewhat impatiently. "This was all your idea, after all." Mark squeezed his eyes shut, hooked his thumbs into his boxers and pulled them down. All she heard was silence for several seconds. Finally there was a whistle from Miss Fischer. "Okay, I can work with that. Come over here, Mark." As he walked toward her, she stood and allowed her towel to fall away, revealing her body again. Mark's eyes went wide as she willingly revealed herself to him. He was no longer spying on her, this was something completely different. Miss Fischer stood directly in front of him, her body scant inches from his. She could see in his eyes that he was bewildered by her sudden change in attitude. "Well, obviously I'm not going to tell you what the secret thing only I would know was, but the note also said I should just throw caution to the wind and enjoy myself," she said lightly, walking two fingernails up his chest and over his shoulder. "And I try very hard to take my own advice." "So," she declared, looking up into his eyes, her blue ones glinting. "We are going to fuck. A lot. In return, I'm giving you an amazing grade on your exam, no matter how bad you do and you're showing me this time machine my letter confirmed exists. Do we have a deal?" He nodded. He was still nervous, but things seemed to have worked themselves out, even if it hadn't at all gone as he expected. But maybe that was time at work or some deep shit. "My note also said I had such a great time that I insisted we keep fucking," she purred, her palm now running down his chest and over his stomach, perilously close to his nether regions. "How does that sound." He swallowed again. "That; sounds great. So, do I keep travelling back here through time to meet you?" "Well, yes," she said rather obviously. "I can't fuck the underage Alex in my class and I can't even give away that I know, right? He has to remain a blissfully unaware fuck-up." "Yeah," Mark said somewhat awkwardly. "Stupid kid;” "Oh, don't be like that," she said cheerfully, teasing her fingers over his cock and making him shudder. "If you hadn't been a lazy grot this semester, you wouldn't have needed to come back to change your grade, wouldn't have seen me in the shower and known that I'm secretly a hottie and then fucked me and got an amazing grade, right?" "Yeah, I; I guess." Mark admitted. "So we just need to set it up so that I keep coming back to meet you and we do this until we catch up with real-time in the future I come from?" "Yep, you're my new fuck-buddy," she said sweetly, now moving closer to him so that her nipples caressed his skin. "Speaking of, you've got some work to do;” With that, Miss Fischer moved back to the bed and laid on it, her legs still over the side. She looked up at him seductively and spread her legs, exposing her cunt, which was glistening wet. "You may not have earned that passing grade all semester," she said in a husky voice. "But you're sure going to work for it now;” Mark moved forward, aware of the fact that his cock was swelling rapidly and knelt by the bed between her legs. He leaned in close and was instantly enchanted by the sight of her slick snatch, which she now spread open with two fingers. Mark leaned forward and pushed his tongue against his thick, slippery lips, guessing that she was not in the mood to be teased. His tongue snaked up and down before slithering over her clit, causing her to shudder and press her hips against his face. "Uh, yes!" she gasped, grasping his hair with the free hand and stroking his scalp. "Thank God, you're not a virgin." "No miss," he murmured as he kissed his way around her cunt, his tongue lapping at the lips. She tasted almost sweet and floral, such a big change from that slag Brenda. "I know my' "Call me Becky, darling," she sighed, slowly undulating her hips rhythmically against his face. "If we're going to be lovers like this, save the 'Miss Fischer' stuff for roleplay." "Yes miss; I mean, Becky." he replied from between her legs. He now put his hands on her thighs to brace himself and began licking her in earnest, for once looking forward to earning perfect marks on an exam. He could feel his hard-on pulsing and moved her leg slightly so it pressed up against him, causing him to shiver. Becky felt it and moved her shin back and forth slowly, teasing him. "Oh, yes, Mark;” she moaned, her fingers gripping her hair. She was sitting up on one elbow so she could look down at him and her leg that was not brushing against his cock was now on the bed, bent and spreading her wide. He couldn't believe how wet she was. It wasn't water from the shower, she was really turned on. Whatever she'd said to herself in that note had released a sex demon in her. He swirled his tongue around her clit before burying it inside her cunt hungrily, eager to drive her into a frenzy. Becky clenched her teeth and ground her hips against his face now with a dreadful eagerness. Her skin was warm and getting moist as he tongue-fucked her. One hand snaked underneath her snatch and the middle finger began teasing her tight, pink knot. "Shit!" Becky gasped, shuddering as he slid the finger into her tight back tunnel. "You saw me fingering my ass in the shower! Uh, fuck yes! Do it!" Mark sucked on her cunt while he wriggled his finger in her ass, feeling her shin massaging his cock eagerly. As angry as she'd been earlier, he was also thinking about her rather shy and retiring persona at school and decided to take a gamble. Without saying anything, he stood up, bringing his face away from her crotch and his finger out of her ass. She gasped and whined, looking up at him in needy confusion, but he then reached down to take her arm and pull her off the bed and set her on her knees in front of him. Becky took his cock in her hand and still slid her tongue around the throbbing head while looking up at him through heavy-lidded eyes, glassy with desire. She teased him for a few more moments before sliding her lips all the way down his shaft, taking him completely inside her mouth. Mark groaned and clutched her wet, blonde hair, shivering. Becky began slowly bobbing back and forth, her mouth forming a perfect, wet seal around him. Her hand followed her mouth along his length, stroking and twisting the glistening skin gently. She hummed and moaned, vibrating his cock with her mouth and making him shudder again. The fingernails of her free nails gently grazed over the skin of his thighs, tingling. "Jesus, Mi; Becky;” he gasped. "You're amazing at sucking cock!" "Umm, I would hope so," she purred, pulling her mouth off him long enough to smile up at him while her hand pumped his shaft to keep the rhythm. "I watch a lot of videos and practice on some pretty life-like dildos, I'd like to think I'm doing something right." "You are." Mark sighed as she attacked his cock again with her mouth. "You're the best one I've ever had." She made an 'Hmm' sound around his cock, clearly enjoying what she was doing. She teased his sac with the hand that wasn't massaging his cock and reached around to caress and squeeze his ass cheeks. He couldn't believe what a libertine she was turning out to be, and he was the only one at school who knew! When she pulled her mouth off him again and looked up at him, he could see there was a deep and smoldering lust in the blue eyes, a need for deep sexual pleasure. She squeezed his cock with her hand and her voice was almost molten with lust when she spoke to him. "I'm getting on the bed again and you're going to fuck me," she said huskily. "You're going to make me cum real hard if you want that perfect exam score." She clambered back on the bed, lying on her back and spreading her legs for him again. Mark followed her onto the mattress, kneeling between her legs. She massaged her cunt eagerly with one hand while he lined himself up with her nether lips. She spread them wide open, revealing her glistening inner pink. "Fuck me, Mark," she purred, eyeing his pulsing cock. "Fuck me good and hard;” He pressed the mushroom head of his cock against her pliant lips, sliding it up and down, teasing her for a moment and brushing over her clit. She sucked in her breath and hissed, her fingers stroking along his length as he toyed with her. Then she groaned loudly as he pushed his hips forward and slid deep inside with one solid push. Her inner walls gave way around his iron-hard shaft but squeezed him tightly. She felt great around him, as tight or tighter than any other girl he'd ever fucked. "Yes," she hissed, her hand pulling him down to lean over her while one leg slung over his back and hooked itself there. "Hmm, that's a solid cock you have there, Mark. Now fuck me stupid;” He leaned forward and put his hands on either side of her body while keeping his weight suspended above her rather than pressed down. He looked into her eyes and began to push back and forth, moving his cock in and out of her. Becky bit her lip as she looked up at him, her fingernails digging slightly into his waist. She clenched her cunt around him as he pushed in and relaxed as he pulled back. "Oh, God, I've missed the real thing;” she moaned, her head falling back as she let the feelings of pleasure flow over her. "Yeah, speaking of," Mark said, remembering this important point. "I'm not using a condom here, so I'll need to pull" "No you don't," she panted as she thrust her hips against him. "You've got a fucking time machine, Mark. Think about it! Was I pregnant when the semester ended?" He thought about that as he kept thrusting into her, having a hard time concentrating on anything other than how tight and wet her cunt felt around him. "N-no, I don't think so;” "Then cum in me!" she gasped. "I'm already better at this time stuff than you are! Now fuck me harder if you want that grade!" Mark nodded and thrust harder and faster against his teacher, watching her glorious body shake as he fucked her. Her incredible tits wobbled and she squeezed one of them, moaning loudly. Her soft bed barely made a sound beneath them as he pistoned his hips up and down. After a disastrous beginning, his evening was going better than he could have possibly imagined. "Uh, now from behind," she breathed, starting to turn over. "Fuck me from behind;” Mark grabbed her hips as she slithered around into her new position on her hands and knees and ground his cock against her cunt and ass, gripping her tight. Becky groaned shamelessly and squirmed her ass back against him, biting at her knuckle. She arched her back as he found her cunt and slid back inside her. She clearly wasn't interested in any slow buildup, because she began grinding back on him eagerly, getting him in as far as she could. He could feel the wetness of her cunt dripping on his thigh. He kept his firm grip on her hips and began pounding against her, shuddering as she squeezed and clenched around him with fervor. "Definitely tighter than Brenda!" he thought as he thumped his hips to her ass cheeks. Becky was panting heavily as she buried her face in the pillow, her ass arched in the air. She gripped the pillow cover between her teeth almost tearing at it. A sheen of glistening sweat had formed on her soft, creamy ivory skin. She squeezed him with each thrust, his cock feeling bigger and bigger each time she did it. She'd missed this so badly, sacrificing her personal pleasure for the job. Maybe now she didn't have to. She almost snarled in delight as he reached forward and wrapped her hair in his fist, pulling back and craning her neck. For an eighteen year-old boy, he was being marvelously assertive now that they'd found their rhythm. Becky loved having her hair pulled, but her favorite part was yet to come. She pushed back hard and forced Mark onto his haunches. She straightened herself until she was sitting on his lap, facing away. Becky began bouncing up and down, panting as she sank onto his cock, taking it deep inside and squeezing it. Mark moaned and his hands came around to clutch her tits, squeezing them hard. Her hands joined his in massaging and molesting them while they fucked. She had him pinned in one spot beneath her and she alone controlled the tempo now. She moved her long blonde hair to one side and he understood immediately. He began kissing and biting at her neck, causing her to shudder and sending slivers of pleasure down her spine. She writhed and bounced on his lap with abandon, reveling in the sensation of a real cock deep inside her after all this time. She resisted the very strong urge to turn her head to the side and kiss him. Not just yet. When she felt the inklings of deep pleasure building inside her, she moved off his cock and pulled him around onto the bed, lying him on his back. Her eyes were fairly blazing with lust as she straddled him, lining her gooey cunt up with his throbbing hard-on. They both moaned loudly as she sank down onto him, his cock burying itself up to the hilt. Her fingernails dug into Mark's shoulders while she pinned him and she hissed as his hands found her tits again. "Yes, darling;” she grunted as she began grinding herself down on him, shuddering at how deep he was inside her. "Fuck me, thrust that cock up inside me, Mark. Fuck;” Mark pumped his hips up dutifully, matching her pace. He loved the cowboy position and clearly she did as well, but he knew he wouldn't last very long at this rate; she felt too good and was too tight for him to not bust before long. His hands fondled and mauled her lovely tits before he pulled her down closer and took one of the pink nipples into his mouth, sucking on it greedily. Becky keened and shivered in delight. Mark sucked and rolled his tongue around the pink bud, even biting and tugging on it, much to her pleasure, seemingly, because she got even wetter and tighter around his cock while they fucked. He could hear the wet sucking sounds her cunt made as it swallowed his cock, feel her warm, sticky wetness on his thighs. He'd never imagined it would feel this good. He'd been certain earlier that most of his time would be spent conning his shy teacher into doing this at all, forget the grade issue. But Miss Fischer was a sex-starved fiend, seemingly, and she was going to make him cum harder than he ever had before. Her golden hair fell around her lovely face, which was mere inches above his. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated on working her hips against him, up and down, his cock nearly all the way out of her before she took him back deep inside her steaming, slick tunnel. They were both covered with sweat and ragged gasps were all they could manage as they gripped one another and writhed lustily, desperate to cum together. Mark gritted his teeth and was squeezing her tits again while Becky pushed down harder and harder on his cock with each thrust. She began whimpering and shaking and Mark could feel her cunt clenching tighter and tighter with each moment. "Oh, shit;” she gasped, her whole body shuddering now as she pushed down feverishly. "Oh, God, Mark, I'm' She sat up straight and arched her back, teeth gritting as she fought to hold on for those last few precious moments; Becky almost screamed and Mark moaned loudly as the floodgates burst. His throbbing cock began pumping cum deep inside her and her cunt spasmed around rippled around him. Everything went black for Mark as he was enveloped by a tingling warmth of an intensity he'd never known before. He could feel his cock and even his balls spilling his entire offering into her slick, tight depths, both of them still thrusting against one another madly. Becky finally collapsed on top of Mark, her chest heaving. Her body was limp, almost like a wet dishrag. Mark lay beneath her, equally exhausted. His still-hard cock was buried in her cunt, and they could both feel their mingled essence oozing out of her and trickling down his shaft. Her soft, warm body felt divine against his. Slowly, sluggishly, he wrapped his arms around her and she hummed contentedly at the embrace. She finally opened her eyes and smiled before kissing his nose. "I think you earned that perfect exam score," she purred. "Definitely earned it." "That's good to hear," he mumbled, still lost in lethargic pleasure. "I'd better start failing all your quizzes too." Becky giggled and hugged him close, sighing. She finally brought her head up again, resting it on her elbow and looking at him. "We'll be laying here for a bit yet, but we also need to talk about doing this again. A lot. The letter said so." Mark nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that, Becky. Then it's up to you to make sure my past self doesn't suspect anything." "I'm sure I can work that out," she mused. "He's pretty annoying, unlike your sexy self." He smiled. "Hard to believe how much difference three months and a time machine can make." "Hmm, and you still have to show it to me before we part ways for the night," she said lightly. "The letter says you kept your word and showed it to me. So let's shower up and then you can take me to see it, okay?" Mark nodded. This was, thus far, the best evening ever. They were walking back to Becky's house, arm-in-arm, laughing and talking like lovers. Not only had Mark shown her the time machine, he had actually shown her how it worked by bringing her back to earlier in the night. They'd hidden in the neighbor's yard and watched Mark's earlier self creep to her back door. Becky had stepped on a stick that broke loudly and caused Earlier Mark to look around warily, but a barking dog covered the mistake. "I was wondering what that sound was," he chuckled. "Never would've guessed it was you and I." "Yes, but you need to be careful, Mark," she said, trying to sound serious as they said on a quaint swing in her backyard, holding hands. "I don't know how all this works, but getting that close to your earlier self can't be good. You need to remember where and when you've gone to avoid yourself." He nodded. "I promise to not visit you more than once a day, at night. You'll clear an area on your basement floor where the Holmes Field Device can show up undetected by anyone else, away from prying eyes." She nodded. "We'll need to fine-tune the dials and so on to get exact coordinates, but I think the device moves somewhat slowly against the earth's rotation, so you can actually travel physical distances as well as through time if you're extremely careful." "Wow, Becky," he said, shaking his head. "You're already better at this than I am by a factor of a thousand." Becky smiled. "I want to say it's because I'm a physics teacher, but that'd be a lie. It's just solid math and common sense, really." She turned in to face him in the loveseat of the swing and brought his hands up to rest against her heart. She stared deep into his eyes, the darkness of night protecting them from prying eyes. "You have my word, Mark, that you'll receive that perfect test score," she said quietly. "In return, you'll do extra studying with me on the nights you come back and fuck me, so that just maybe you'll actually deserve any offer you might get." He nodded. "And I promise I'll find some way to take you on a time excursion." She smiled and brought his hands to her lips, kissing the fingers gently. "We're going to be fucking so often, Mark. We'll be sick of each other by the time the semester ends." He smirked. "Doubt that, teach. You're the best fuck a guy could ask for. And I can't even tell anyone." Becky giggled and lowered his hands, letting them linger on her soft tits beneath the shirt she now wore. She sighed at his touch and then leaned in to press her lips to his, finally kissing him. They rocked slowly on the swing beneath the moonlight, kissing silently for several seconds before Mark gently pulled back and smiled. "I'd better get going," he said, his voice tinged with regret. "Couple of more seconds of that kissing and I wouldn't have been able to leave." Miss Fischer nodded. "I know. See you tomorrow night?" He grinned. "That's the plan. Have a good night, teach." "It already was, thanks to you, Mark." Becky said, blowing him a kiss and then waving as his silhouette retreated out of sight. Silence. Becky leaned back into the slowly rocking swing and stared at the stars overhead for some time. Finally she giggled and stood, skipping back into the house cheerfully. She had a letter to write. Back to the interrogation: The two agents were silent as they assessed the young man, who waited stoically for some sort of reaction from them. He found himself waiting several minutes, which he was not surprised by. "So?" Mark said finally. "Totally hot story, right?" "Yes, we're both agog and atwitter," the tall man said dryly. "Young man, the Temporal Enforcement Agency takes a dim view of using any device, registered or otherwise, being used for reckless personal reasons, forget showing such anachronistic technology to anyone from a time period not acquainted with time travel." "Well, why the hell would I know that?" Mark retorted. "I'm not the one who left a Holmes Field Device lying around in the bushes in the Twenty-First Century where any shmuck could find it. You're lucky it was me and not some deranged criminal." "Be that as it may," the short man interjected. "There are consequences for reckless use of a temporal device." "Imagine that," Mark said somewhat petulantly, having a sinking feeling he knew what was about to happen. "So, what, you're just gonna take it away from me?" Neither man answered immediately. Something occurred to Mark and an evil grin spread across his face. "You can't take it away from me," he concluded, seeing the dismay in their expressions as he figured it out. "I'm meant to have this Holmes Field Device or you already would have. You know I'm going to be using it in the future so there's no way to keep it from me." "Well, your personal future," the tall man admitted. "Much of your personal future is still the past for my partner and I, but this past you're in right now is completely new to the two of us." "So, my future self is in your past but my now self is just happening?" Mark asked. "Wild. How do you keep it all straight?" "By doing as little as is humanly possible," the short man said very firmly. "Even trained experts in quantum and temporal travel can get confused when the timelines gets cluttered." He now pointed to his partner's ear. "You see his bionic ear?" Mark nodded. "I accidentally shoot it off six years from now and there's nothing either of us can do about it. It's his past, because it's already happened to him, but it's my personal future. All I can do now is apologize in advance." The tall agent grunted and looked away, clearly displeased. "That's really deep." Mark mused. "Yes, it is. It's not meant for idiots. And whether you like it or not, certain things can never, ever happen. Time will prevent paradoxes from happening." "Like what?" Mark asked. "For instance, you cannot go back in time and kill your own grandfather before he gives birth to your father, because that would mean you never existed and therefore could never pull the trigger to kill him. A paradox." Mark shrugged. "Okay, but how does it stop me?" "Who can say?" the short agent replied. "All I can tell you is that you simply won't succeed in killing your grandfather, no matter how hard you try and meticulously you plan. If you try to shoot him, the gun will jam. If you try to poison him, it'll turn out he is immune to it or you used tap water by mistake. If you try to strangle him, you might have a heart attack before you finish the job. You; will; be; stopped. The Temporal Enforcement Agency spends most of its time making sure nitwits like you don't get clock-hammered every time they get a dumb idea." "Huh," Mark said, still trying to wrap his brain around all this mumbo-jumbo. If he hadn't fucked Miss Fischer earlier, he still might not believe this was real. "What else can't I do?" "People usually find it's hard to get close to significant historical events," the tall agent mentioned. "Alexander cutting the Gordian Knot, the Crucifixion, the Yalta Summit; Time doesn't like it when people who shouldn't naturally be somewhere try to crowd in and get involved or snap a few pictures. They'll find that the technology fails to get them there, generally. We call it 'The Limelight Effect'. Do yourself a favor and don't try. We've seen people get stranded and die in the wrong era because of the Limelight Effect when the batteries or power source on their device go suddenly dry." "Well; what if I wanted to; ya' know, get with a girl from another time period?" Mark asked. The agents looked at one another and sighed in despair. "You kids and getting laid," muttered the shorter one. "Same principals as before; get too close to a famous women you want to have coitus with and Time will push you away. Try to become yo

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 29 Barbie Lynn s Genetics In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.   Nymphomania, while enticing to consider, is still utter madness when experienced. "Why Mr. Zane, my Barbie Lynn has told us so many wonderful things about you," she sounded so sugary that the honeyed words flowed off her tongue in a manner that was barely coherent. Also, her eyes flickered to the shower where I'd nailed Barbie Lynn repeatedly for forty minutes not all that long ago. Next to me Thomas grunted something that sounded like 'hello'. "I'm sure she's exaggerated to my betterment," I pulled that banter out of my tush, my brain was suffering catastrophic blood loss. "I can't wait to live in this dorm next year," Laramie came across with a nearly a molasses like drawl as well. "Zane, will you let me use this room next year?" "Dude! This is your room?" Jefferson perked up. "Mom, I have to come here next year!" "Um, yes Laramie, I'm going to hold this room open to every girl, and perhaps guy, in the dorm. I don't need much space," I said, "so keep out of the way of housekeeping and we are good. Also, you are immune from Handmaiden's Duty while here." "Oh, I was thinking about the game stations, satellite dishes and cable hook-ups," Jefferson added. Jefferson Davis, that name rang a bell. "Come on now Honey, a man can't go to a women's," Savannah let that sentence die unfinished. For me, it was keep the lone male status quo; or to get a good night's sleep'. "Mrs. Masters, I offer a thin hope for your son; if your daughter could line up some upstanding seniors and juniors, he might slip in under the Zane Exception to the enrollment policy," I told her. "You'd do that for Jeff?" Savannah took off her sunglasses and bit one of its arms. "Ma'am, I'd wrestle an alligator blindfolded for your daughter. I would certainly put in a good word for her brother," I smiled. I had no idea how tough alligators could be but I knew about crocodiles and those were some mean mothers in their own right. Still, faced with alligator wrestling or no anal-sex with Barbie Lynn, I was getting a belt, handbag and new shoes, damn it. The odds of getting Jeff in were long, Victoria barely suffered Heaven being around, and it would take an act of the Southern Baptist Convention to bring in a male to replace me when I was gone. "It would give your Father another option for Jefferson if you could do this Barbie Lynn," Savannah politely replied. "That would be great," the kid rejoiced. Yes, he was a fully functioning teenage male. "Zane can move mountains when he sets his mind to it," Barbie Lynn winked at me. Thomas saw it but was caught off-guard. "Let me show you my bedroom," Barbie offered her kin. They turned and the women sashayed away while Jeff had an almost run-in with Raven and 'company'. Each woman shot a look over their shoulder and smiled at me at some point along their journey which boded trouble. "I apologize, Zane," Thomas mumbled. "I thought, deep down, you were weak for submitting to your lusts. Now, I don't, I don't think that anymore." "Don't sweat it," I smiled. "It is only another day for me ending in y." "And don't you be forgetting about me, and how tough it has been resisting Zane," Vivian warned the man she was hoping to marry. "A wife should obey her husband," he started, "and a husband should know when to shut up." Lunch and what comes after I dropped Ms. Reveal's lunch off with just enough sassiness to make her smile and believe that our bad episode was behind us. She sent me to the Vice Chancellor's office a minute later, and while Doctor Victoria Scarlett was conversing over the phone, I felt comfortable to set her meal up in front of her and mine across her desk. Victoria only had this canned ice tea in her mini-frig so I swiped two and set one before her and opened mine. I wasn't exactly sure what it was, it was pretending to be Southern Ice Tea and I pretended to like it. The best thing I could say about it was it was cold. This was our fourth "working" lunch where she would insidiously fill my head with her philosophy and I'd causally remind her that women ran this government, not me; I was a figurehead. "What are you doing for New Year's Eve?" she inquired as she daintily cleaned off some crouton crumbs on her cheek. Her look was very intense. I wasn't getting 'quite' sexual signs from her but something, somehow this was personal. That could only mean one thing. "I'm spending it with Ms. Rio Talen but no set location has been chosen," I replied. "Oh," she paused then, "There is a Science Fiction convention in Seattle that runs from December 29th to through the 1st. My friends and I are attending and Hical asked about you." "Deal but we have to fit Rio in," I agreed. "I can send some Universe, TV and movie series and well as costuming information for her to look over," Victoria agreed tentatively. "No need, she's a Klingon, a small craft captain whose Father betrayed the Empire and whose survival is a stain on her honor," I told her. "With that barely constrained fury, she's a natural. You teach her how to use that bat-a-rang and," "Batleth," Victoria interjected. "Wicked-curved-bladey thing," I continued, "and you'll see. Oh, I'll need an Orion Slave Girl outfit and some green body paint for Mercy and all of her stuff by October 30th, cost is not an object." "I'll call my outfitter when you leave and I must say you are taking this rather well," Doctor Scarlet noted. "Why? I had a blast in your office that time," I admitted. "As long as I'm not crawling in, screaming fur-balls, I'm okay. I'll be a human Starfleet Doctor Xeno-biologist who has done surgery on multiple species. A "Doctors Without Borders" kind of guy. I'll get Cordelia to build me an actual tricorder, trust me." We ate, she asked for my sizes, I gave her Rio's and Mercy's sizes; at the Con we were all 'Next Gen' except Mercy who would be Old School for Halloween. She offered me a chance to be a Borg but since they all looked to be in desperate need of a sun tan, I declined. All in all, it barely took twenty minutes. "You did a very good job as Mediator this morning," the Vice Chancellor added as I made to leave. "It is not so rough," I grinned. "WWKSD?" "Wha, oh," she smiled warmly. "What would King Solomon do, clever." "Hell, the Bible has a whole book called Judges. This shit ain't so hard," I laughed as I breezed out the door. Ms. Reveal was waiting, as was Heaven. Heaven had to exert some will to not kiss me on the spot. Christina had lectured us on P D A, public displays of affection, during Homecoming. The more people who knew about us, the more the outcry and the stronger Chancellor's radical decision to keep Heaven on as part as the student body, would be challenged. As it was, our hands would casually brush one another until we got inside my dorm where I chased Heaven up the stairs, pinching her ass every time I caught up. After entering my code, I gauged Heaven's mood deciding we needed some quiet time; there would be too much traffic over most of the floor, and Heaven being too vocal, to get away with sex; and cuddling would be fine anyway. I caught sight of Rio with one of my Marksmanship team mates, Genesis. "Hey Zane," Genesis stood up. She was a weird one, going from borderline contempt to grudging respect over the last two weeks. If I didn't know the impossibilities, I'd think she had a boyfriend. "Hope wants everyone at the Amory for an equipment check at seven. We leave at 8:15." Heaven held my hand tightly. "Boudoir occopodo," Rio snickered as Genesis made her exit. Heaven's grip nearly crushed my hand, ouch. "Babe," I whispered to Heaven, "let me check this out." I disentangled myself and went for the wall of screens that separated my bedroom area from the rest of the floor. "Get some popcorn and get ready to sit a spell," Rio joked to Heaven who grumbled. I went around to see who, or whom, were using my room. Inside was not what I expected. Savannah Belafonte Masters had taken off her top (which was peach) and was rummaging with growing frustration through Barbie Lynn's bra drawer. I saw some grape juice splashed on her beige skirt. She saw me, pulled up her shirt to cover her bra-covered assets while looking a bit fearful and upset. "What are you doing in here?" she asked softly. "It is my bedroom," I replied. "What are you doing in my bedroom?" "But, but Barbie Lynn's stuff is in here," she gasped. "That would because it is her room too, we sleep together," I answered. That slowed her up for a second. "Can I help you with something?" "I, I, I spilled juice on my shirt," she began. "And your skirt," I pointed out." "Oh no," she choked back a sob. "What am I going to do? I'm a mess and none of Barbie Lynn's bras, shirts, or skirts are going to fit me." I mused over that for a second. "I've stashed some bra extensions around here somewhere and that should allow for the difference is sizes between you and Barbie," I said. "Now give me your skirt and I'll find a replacement." She hesitated so I added. "I'm not going to molest one of my best friends' mom, Savannah. Give me your skirt and I'll take care of everything." This time she did it, though I had to turn my back. I padded back out to Rio and Heaven who had just returned with the popcorn. "Rio, Heaven, I need you to break into Chancellor Bazz' residence and steal a skirt like this," I offered up Savannah's. "Hell yeah," Rio exulted. "Time for a little Breaking  Entry." "Oh, what the fuck," Heaven shrugged. "Count me in." She gave me a quick kiss and the two miscreants headed out on their nefarious mission. I went back to the bedroom and stumbled into Savannah, now with her bra off, eyeing two of Barbie Lynn's double barreled slingshots. Our eyes locked. "Right," I spun away. "Bra extensions." "Zane, do you think I'm attractive?" Barbie Lynn's Mom asked. When women say that, they can mean three things;          the truth,          the lure, or          the lie. Some women want to know if you find them attractive. Others want you to find them attractive for nefarious means. Lastly, a few woman want to be reminded that they are beautiful. Savannah was the latter. "If you are asking me if you are as good looking as Barbie Lynn, Mrs. Masters, I'll have to say no but that's because you are a lady who is fully a woman and Barbie Lynn is still leaving some of the girl behind. There is no comparison. You are both hot," I affirmed. "I don't know," she sighed. "It is with my husband, then seeing you and Barbie Lynn, in the shower, What's wrong with you and your husband, if I may intrude?" I asked. "He had an accident at work, one of his factories, and he hasn't been the same," she sniffed. "Do you love him?" I questioned. "Honestly." "Yes, yes I do," she sighed. "But he's just not there." "Do me a favor; come over and sit next to me and I promise to be as well behaved as a Montana Miner (hey, it is where my family comes from)," I said as I sat at the foot of the bed. Savannah very, very reluctantly came over and sat at my bed, but I said nothing. "Yes?" she broke down and inquired finally. "I want you to laugh," I related to her softly. "Laugh, laugh like you do with small kids." "But, I'm not sure," she began then I poked her in the ribs. "What?" So I tickled her under her arms. Savannah covered her breasts by mistake so I got some finger in and began making her giggle and squirm. "Stop it," she gasped for breath, so I rolled onto my side and tickled her other underarm until she finally flailed in surrender. "See Savannah, I'm not the bad guy," I grinned. "I'm not seducing you because I think you love Barbie Lynn's Dad and you simple need to worry a little bit less, and love yourself a little bit more." "How do I do that?" she panted. "I want you to try on some of Barbie Lynn's new clothes and see what you like, and what your husband might like," I suggested. "I'm not asking you to dress like a teenager; but not every day is Sunday school either." Oh God, I was talking clothes therapy to someone's Mother. "But," she stammered. "There is a screen right over there," I pointed out, "that you can change behind and the armoire over here has a mirror." "But I'll be parading around here, in my bra and panties," she worried. "Well, that's a bonus for me," I shrugged, "but a lady with a body like yours should be wearing bikini's with less material. Look at it that way." "Well, don't ogle, alright?" "Sure," I lied. What was I going to say? 'I'll pluck out my eyes?' After several tentative steps walking to the dresser and looking over her shoulder at me with real worry that I might find her either too attractive or not attractive enough, I gave up. I covered my eyes because they gravitated toward her backside like a plant seeking the sun. A minute later she finally spoke up. "I can't find anything that I think will fit," she said in desperation. I had the answer to that; I went up and picked out the clothes Barbie Lynn wore to the concert a few weeks back. "I can't wear this," she gasped in fright. "Barbie Lynn wore this to a social function," I assured her. "It is perfectly fine and you aren't going to leave here in it, only try it on." You see, the beauty of this pants/halter top combination was the lacing. I knew it would fit her, but she'd be showing a bit more flesh than Barbie had. She looked mortified when she stepped from behind the screens, and a little better when she saw herself in the mirror. I withheld my comment until she looked at me. "I'm dressed like a hussy," she stated sadly. "No; a hussy dresses like that when she goes to the supermarket. A wife wears that around the house to remind her husband he's a man and that she's his woman," Caveman mentality. Savanna gave her reflection a second, longer glance. This time she took in the sides, and dare I say, her ass. All her curves were smoothed out and pulled tight by the leather. "My ass looks younger," I caught her whispering to herself. "My Boobs appear like they are about to bust free," she addressed me once more. "Yes Ma'am!  Yes ma'am, they do," I smirked. "That is the whole purpose of the design of the shirt but I assure you, Barbie Lynn hasn't had one escape yet." "Oh, that's nice," she went back to looking at herself in the mirror. "Now there are some nice shirts in there, as well as some, short, skirts," I directed Savannah. She came out in the first shirt, trying to make the buttons hook but they wouldn't. I came off the bed and helped her. That is, I left most of them unbuttoned. "But they, my husband can see my bra," she worried. "Mrs. Savannah, that would be the point," I nodded. "Let him get a peek of the bra." We both heard the quiet footfalls and it couldn't be Heaven and Rio back so soon. Savannah froze and I reclined passively on the bed. "Mom, Zane?" Barbie Lynn gazed back and forth. "Baby Child," Savannah blathered. "Wow Mom," Barbie clasped her hands in approval. "The golden shirt with the plum bra is a wonderful combination for you." See, I trusted Barbie Lynn more than her Mother did. "I was trying on some clothes and, um, Zane was helping me," Savannah gulped. "Oh Mom, don't worry about it," Barbie hugged her mother, "Zane sees eight girls getting dressed every morning. He's used to it." "Oh, she trailed off. "So he's safe?" "I'd never say that," Barbie Lynn glanced back my way and licked her lips. "But he's a good friend and I think that's more important. Let's try on this next; the black leather will look good with the knee boots." It continued like this for a while. Rio and Heaven slinked back in with the now rather redundant set of conservative attire. We retreated to the head of the bead with Heaven snuggling next to me and Rio right beside her. Heaven and I shared a pillow, on our laps. "Do you think they have any idea that we're all bi-sexual," Heaven whispered as Barbie Lynn was prying Savannah into a red bustier. "Momma Mia," Rio hissed. "Those are some mounds. Big fluffy mounds." "Seriously," Heaven nudged us both, "I'm going to need a blowjob if this goes on much longer." I moved my hand behind Heaven, worked it up her skirt and up against her panties until I was giving her bunghole quite a workout. "Fine," Heaven ground out. "You can fuck me but I'm coming all over the sheets damn it." "What was that?" Savannah called out. "Do you think this is too much?" "Oh no Mrs. Masters," Heaven gulped. "If I wasn't totally into guys I would think you look, delicious." "Why thank you Ms. Vickers," Savannah smiled. "And if I wasn't totally into guys I'd have you chained to this bed and be ripping your clothes off right now," Rio added gleefully. "Oh, huh, thank you?" Savanna responded more cautiously. When Barbie Lynn, now totally torturing us, convinced her mother to wear a thong and a short skirt something had to be done. I reclined sidewise on the bed while Heaven built a pillow fort behind me and Rio dove under the covers to suck my feisty transvestite off. It was a half-assed endeavor and a minor miracle that nothing went wrong. Finally Heaven yanked my shoulder back and took a big bite out of it. I could hear Rio slurping up Heaven's cum and prayed the others couldn't. Is everything okay?" Barbie Lynn called out. "Heaven's got a muscle cramp but we are working it out," I fibbed. Second later, Rio's tussled head reappeared and she punched Heaven in the ribs. "Shit Bitch," Rio scooped up some errant semen with her finger, "Have you been holding that up all week long. You nearly choked me." "Why don't you come by every morning and we can work out an installment plan?" Heaven shot back quietly. Regrettably, Savannah noticed our, acquisitions and reluctantly put them on but I caught sight of her running her hand over some of the racier things left lying around before she and Barbie Lynn left. I had barely gotten outside with Heaven and Rio, to see if I was needed, when a squeal manifested right behind my ear and a body slammed into me, bowling me over. Paige "Lover!" Paige greeted me. "Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend Zane." Now, I was on my back, on the floor with Paige in my arms and with her skirt flapping far, far too up her ass when darkness descended on my world. It took me a moment to realize that the two Joten (Norse giants), standing behind the sofa were her parents, they were freaking huge! Her Dad alone looked like he played two simultaneous positions on an NFL team. Paige's Mother was dainty, only in comparison to her husband. Not that she's fat, oh no, this woman was simply big boned and brawny. I had to ask myself: what happened genetically? "Zane, I want you to meet my parents," Paige studied my face. "Sure," my smile wasn't too forced, "but you have to remember to give me a kiss for luck, for tomorrow's match." We rose up and my arm easily wrapped around Paige's waist. Mom and Dad seemed guarded and wary. "What game do you have tomorrow?" the Dad, Roger; finally asked. "Marksmanship Sir. I'm the spotter to the team captain, Hope Song," I smiled. "I'm Zane Braxton, by the way." I can do this. I mean, how many other girls here think they have their hooks in me? "We have the impression that you and our daughter are, romantically involved," her Mom asked me. It was the way she stated it in disbelief that astounded me and pissed me off, as if a big healthy strapping guy like me would choose their 'flawed' daughter. "Paige is an upperclassmen so mainly we hook up for the hours of hot sex," I pulled her close. "Come here, you," I turned and looked down at Paige she pushed up and kissed me deeply. "What are you doing with my daughter?" Roger rumbled. "I'm kissing my lady," I smiled at him, "What does it look like I'm doing Sir?" "I don't know what you think you are going to get out of this," he snarled. "Paige," I addressed the sultry albino who was all but humping my leg at this point, "what do I get out of your relationship?" "Hot steamy White Russian sex," she purred in a Russian accent. Yes, this side of 'poor pitiful Paige' was new to her parents. "But our daughter can't," the Mom stumbled verbally. "Oh yeah, and I'm taking Paige with me on a cross country motorcycle trip this summer," I kept grinning. "I hope you don't mind, she's our computer tech and back-up bar bouncer." Maybe the bar-bouncer bit was too much. "She'll get hurt," Roger sputtered. "Ah, I bleed more than she does and there will be a dozen of us; so if she kicks someone's ass and ends up in jail we'll be able to bail her out," I kissed Paige's forehead. "Baby, Paige," Roger muttered softly. "How about we talk about this?" "Sure thing, Daddy," Paige agreed. "Zane, I'll catch up with you before you head out for the tournament." I swatted her ass, in full view of her parents, which Paige loved. She sauntered off like a woman victorious. "You are such an idiot," Rio snickered in my ear. "That girl is a nut-bag and you are feeding her dynamite." "Speaking of feeding someone some dynamite," Heaven took my hand. "No one seems to need me at the moment," I squeezed her hand back. "Let's run for it!" and we raced for the bedroom like lovers possessed. Heaven I lay between Heaven's legs, her thighs arching up against my own. She wiggled her hips against me and her cock against stomach. I bit down at her nose but she laughed and turned her face away so I nipped her proffered neck instead. "Oh," she gasped. To show me how much she liked it, she rotated her hips, rubbing my cock around inside her. "My Honey likes?" I teased. "You know I do you bastard," she panted. "Nice, slow and hard." I withdrew my cock and then eased it back into her depths. Heaven hisses out her pleasure and with her hands on my shoulders she pulls me in tight. "God, I love you," she whispered to me. "I love the woman grinding up against me too, Heaven," I smiled to her. She hiccupped in passion then began thrusting harder up against me until I could feel her ready to erupt. I took hold of her shoulders and begun pounding her in sympathetic penetrations. "God Damn!" she seethed into my collarbone. Dampness flushed up my stomach and onto my chest to the very edge of my neck. Face to face sex really appealed to Heaven and she was really shooting off hard because of it. I slowed down; I hadn't ejaculated yet but I didn't want to wear her down while I worked up to it. "Oh no you don't," Heaven gasped. "I, I know what you want," she giggled weakly. Heaven struggled against my hold. "You don't have to," I said softly. "I want to you dummy," she kissed me. "Now let go and I'll roll over." "No, let me," I related before I leaned in for a French Kiss full of need. She gave one more surge of defiance then relaxed. Then I shifted my arm down until I reached the back of her left knee. I pushed it up until she passed my hip. Heaven was glowing with anticipation. I was folding her up and then I was going to pound her thoroughly and fully. Heaven brought up her right leg all on her own but the real gift was the way she arched her back in ecstasy when I bottomed out in her with all the muscle power I could muster. We held eye contact as I drove into her time and time again. A tear escaped her eye and scarred her cheek. "Babe?" I worried and slowed down. "I'm happy Zane," she breathed deeply. "Happy." I resumed my energy and the very essence she was lending me set me off by surprise. "Oh God," I gasped and gave her my seed. Heaven bit her lower lip as I sizzled up her rectum with my hot semen. A smile must have etched my features because Heaven became quizzical. "What are you thinking about, Lover?" she asked softly. "I think I've had the best homecoming ever," I answered. It took her a second to get it. "You can keep coming home as often as you want," Heaven licked her lips and bucked her luscious ass against my still rigid rod. Brandi Hand in hand, Heaven and I had barely exited my bedroom when Brandi came rushing up with a girl in hand. "Hey!" she beamed. "This is my sister, March; and she's coming here next year. I wanted her to meet you, Zane." How bad could this be? I squeezed Heaven's hand. "Hello March, this is Heaven Vickers, my girlfriend," I shook March's hand with my free limb. "Hey Zane," March said shyly then, "Brandi says you do things, with lots of girls here?" "See how Heaven is smiling," Brandi whispered to her sister like some conspirator. "He makes me smile just like she is." Well, I had to think, not exactly like I do with you. "Brandi, what did you tell her?" Heaven intervened. "I told her," the two giggled, "that he's magic with his fingers and tongue; and he'll do all the things, to her." "You pimped Zane out?" Heaven snickered. "It, it isn't like that," Brandi back-pedaled. "I sent her a link to his website and told her to hide it from Mom and Dad." "And Brandi says we can have sex here with you, and God won't hold it against us," March piped up. I had to go 'What the Hell?' I give out dispensations from God? He really ought to tell me these things. "I wouldn't go that far," I got out. "Oh, being with Zane is a spiritual experience," Heaven snickered. "Ten minutes ago I swear I was seeing Angels." I wanted to stomp on her toes because March seemed to be buying it. "Are you a virgin?" March whispered to Heaven. "I swear on the Bible that Zane's never penetrated my cunt," Heaven raised up her hand to God. "Did he, you know, the other way?" Brandi leaned in expectantly. "Until I cried tears of joy," Heaven teased her right back. I really wanted to stomp on Heaven's foot. "What other way?" March joined the conversation. "You know, like Barbie Lynn," Brandi giggled to her sister. Oh fuck. "Didn't it hurt?" March sounded concerned. "Oh no," Heaven stroked March's arm. "He's slow and gentle." "Okay; fun conversation!" I declared. "I see someone who wants to kill me. March, you are a beautiful young lady with an exceptional sister and I'll see you next year." I stormed deeper into my apartment only to hear. "Look at that ass go," Heaven sighed. "Yeah," Brandi murmured. "Those pants are so tight. They are hot! Cappadocia Rio was getting downright mopey when we headed for dinner. As we were going in, I spotted Cappadocia and what had to be her little brother, mother and father. I wasn't sure if she wanted to have me meet the folks so I tried to quietly move passed. "Zane," she turned and called out. I deviated my path and went over. Rio tagged along. "Hello Cappadocia, Mr. and Mrs. Davis and, um, young man," I greeted them. "Tobias," the young guy offered his hand and I shook it. "This is my good friend Rio Talon," I brought her forward. Mr. Davis stepped up and shook my hand next. His grip was stronger than needed in that alpha male style. "It is good to meet you Mr. Braxton. My little girl says you are a promising candidate on the new to the first squad," he grinned smugly. "Well, Cappy would know, she's Team Captain and I'm sure she'll be Captain next year when she'll get to decide if I stay on First Team," I tried to be nice. "So does it feel bad to be beaten up by girls?" he joked. "Well, if I ever get beaten up by a girl I'll let you know," I gave him my best steely grin. "Here I get beaten up by women, really tough women." That brought the big guy up short. "Oh well, my daughters a real fighter alright," he stammered. "I believe you, she's knocked me unconscious once, in a practice session. She laid me out cold for about a minute," I enlightened him. "Zane knocked Coach Gorman down Father," Cappy came to my defense, "and took down three men who threatened some girls once." "You girls shouldn't be leaving campus," her mother chimed in. "Mother, we go out in groups and we are just fine," Cappy insisted. "Are you responsible for this new attitude?" the Dad asked. "Sir, I'm one freshmen in a school of 900 women," I shrugged. "The fearlessness was here before I ever arrived. It will be here long after I'm gone. I belief the unofficial motto for the Karate program is 'I kick ass for the Lord'," I sort of lied. Cappy said it and she smiled slightly the hear me repeat it. "Yes," he muttered, "we want our girls to be strong in their faith for the Lord. It is good to see Cappadocia having a vibrant faith." "Oh, I've seen Cappadocia vibrant," I smirked her way. She restrained herself from hauling me off and punching me because our act of vibrancy had everything to do with sex and nothing that she wanted to tell her parents. Her dad missed it, her young brother wasn't even paying attention but her mother caught our undercurrent. A smirk creased her face as she looked the two of us over. "Cappy dear, you to practice safety when you spar, don't you?" she cautioned her daughter. "Yes Momma," Cappy gave a sly smile of her own, "I'm always careful, even when I have Zane down on the mat." "As long as you keep control of the situation," the Mother nodded. "You keep winning Girl," the Dad rejoined the conversation, "because you have one more year of playing around then you need to find a job and let God give you a husband." Cappy didn't flinch but I knew how hard she struggled for the team and having it disregarded by someone who meant so much to her. "Maybe Cappadocia can either compete on a National level or train students when she goes home," I offered. "She's real hardcore," Rio added. "No one trains as hard as she does and the other girls know it. Hell, when I first met her I thought she was some Inner City Gangsta Chick, she was such a bad ass." There was my girl Rio, the Conversation Killer. Sure, Cappy was African-American but that never came up with us. As I recalled, she came from a moderately-sized town outside Atlanta Georgia. "What?" the father darkened. "Rio," I tried to pull her away. "No," Rio growled. "Listen buddy," she poked the man in the chest. "Your daughter is an athlete and a damn fine one. If she was a he and in football you'd want him to try for the NFL so why are you treating your daughter any different?" "I don't think you know what you are saying young lady," Cappy's father stated angrily. "Maybe I should have a word or two with your father." "My father is a self-righteous self-serving asshole," Rio began before I started dragging her away, "and he knows I'd kick his ass if he treated me this way!" she finished screaming at him. "Whoa Rio," I calmed her. "The truth is only going to rub that situation raw." "Cappy deserves more than that," Rio spat. "Face it, you are channeling some Mercy into this Bro," I said. "She'll be okay and back in your arms come Sunday. Cappy is tougher than her father knows." "You hope so!" she groused. "I swear, with some of these bitches, they are perfect bright and confident then you roll a man around and out go the lights, nobody's home." "Then we'll have to find a way to set them on fire so the light never goes out," I suggested. "Face it, you are the schools premier pyromaniac." "That I am," Rio grumbled. "I'll find a way to burn this shit up." Opal "Hey you two," Opal greeted Rio and I as we started eating diner. "What's wrong, Rio?" "Plotting the end of male domination of the Western World," Rio grinned wickedly. "Is there something I need to know," Opal looked from one of us to the other as she sat at my side. "Are we mounting a rescue mission for Mercy?" "Mercy?" Rio said suspiciously. "Sure," Opal sampled her fare, "give the word and I'll get six or seven girls together for a run at her family if you need it." Rio stared at her for a second. "Why would you?" Rio asked suspiciously. "A lot of us like her since she came over to our side," Opal grinned, "and she keeps you in line, most of the time." "Just to keep things straight," Rio sneered. "I keep her in line damn it." "Oh please," Opal rolled her eyes, "one little whimper and a look from those soulful eyes and off to the bedroom you two go." "Gurrr, as long as everyone knows that she's mine," Rio was now embarrassed. "And that's why we would come to help you, Rio," Opal gobbled a quick bite. I tried not to laugh. "Zane," Rio pointed her fork at me, "if you are trying to tell me I have friends, I'll bleed you like a little bitch." "Who me?" I grinned. "Perish the thought that anyone likes you or considers you 'user-friendly'." "I'm the soul of friendliness, fuck you," she snipped then smirked at me. "Opal, Rio met Cappy's dad and that didn't go well," I enlightened my shower buddy. "What went wrong?" Opal sighed. With Rio, you never knew. "It is the whole bullshit of get your degree, go home, get married and start pumping out babies because that's some twisted vision of God's will," Rio stated angrily. "Most of the girls here are like that Rio," Opal responded. "Now hold on, they want to get married but we can certainly help them find the right guy and not some bum foisted on them by their families." "Opal, that's positively human of you," Rio wondered. "I was the bad girl before you two arrived," Opal snickered. "I wasn't in your league but I had radical thoughts." "The first day in the shower showed me as much," I confessed. "Well, that first body wash confirmed you weren't a girl," Opal bumped my hip with hers. "With Rio, well, it took us a while to figure out she wasn't a guy with a really small cock." Rio reached across me and smacked Opal. "My desire to be in the driver's seat doesn't make me a guy," Rio griped. "You are only the second person on this campus to have a girlfriend Rio," Opal rubbed her shoulder. "Give us a chance to adjust." "Adjust? I'm hoping for some conversions," Rio quipped. "Okay then, what are you doing tonight? Brigit and I are at loose ends," Opal offered. Rio stopped eating and looked over at Opal. "Sure, but the first one to suggest a pillow fight or that we paint our nails gets an attitude adjustment," Rio demanded. "I can hear Brigit's quim quivering already," Opal leered. "It's a date." Raven, and Paige again We had packed the last of our firearms away in the van modified to be a secure courier when the families in attendance and some of the other students gather around the bus. I spotted Raven hanging back with an older woman who was a bit heavier than she was. I walked over to make sure she was okay. "Hey Raven," I slipped past her guard and gave her a hug. She tensed up and muttered something. "What?" I wondered. "This is my mother, Carol," Raven said softly. She kept looking down at the ground. "It is nice to meet you Mr. Braxton," Carol greeted me. She seemed to be studying me intently as if she was expecting something from me. "It is nice to meet you to Ma'am," I grinned. "Raven is a really good friend to me and I couldn't be doing as well in English without her." "Do you and my daughter have a close relationship?" she pried. I could feel Raven start to fold up next to me in embarrassment. "I don't know what you mean?" I inquired. "Mom, we are just friends," Raven said sadly. Oh, now I thought I understood. "Mrs., Raven's Mom, Carol, please understand that being the only male in such a large female student body, several girls put all kinds of pressures on me," I began. "Your daughter is unique in that she treats me like a student first and that she truly helps me get by. If I couldn't touch base with her from time to time I might go nuts." "Oh," the Mom sounded somewhat disappointed. "Raven, how many girls have you helped me get away from?" I tried a different angle. "I, Paige, oh God Paige," Raven rumbled then, "and Barbie Lynn, and Rio and that girl Iona." "You really do help him with other girls?" Carol sounded surprised. "Yes Mom," Raven perked up. "Girls are always swarming around Zane, they won't let him study unless I'm around." Not totally the truth but hey. "I hope you understand that my daughter thinks a great deal of you," Carol drilled me with her over-productive Momma eyes. "The feeling is mutual," I nodded. The bus's horn beeped, it was time for us to board. "Raven, give me a kiss for luck at the meet?" Raven looked shocked but reached up on her tip-toes and kissed me on the cheek. I reciprocated the gesture and turned to leave. I had made it half way when I got blindsided and staggered. Several kisses smothered my face. "Hey Lover," Paige panted. "Good luck shooting shit and taking names." "I'm a spotter Paige. I don't actually shoot things," I clarified. "Good," she purred then stroked my cock. "Save more of that for me." "Who is that?" I heard Carol ask her daughter. "That's Paige," Raven growled with menace. Yeah, lots of love there. "Zane," Hope said evenly. We were ready to go. I gave Paige one more kiss and a squeeze on her ass then slipped passed Hope and got on the bus. Hope got on after me and Gorman started up the bus. "Well, that's not a send-off I'm used to," Genesis chuckled over Paige and I. "If it breaks his concentration, it won't be the only thing I'm sending off," Hope informed the bus to even more chuckles. Hell, it's a gun club; a bit of bloodthirstiness was to be expected. Working Past Homecoming. As Rio and I pulled into the driveway of my house, I noted both the progress Aunt Jill's contractors were making on the extension being built to shelter the motorcycles that were now hanging out at the place and their number. I also saw a bike that I didn't recognize with a brazen gang emblem on the saddle bags, Stormrider's, not Valarie's. Rio was still sulking over Mercy being with her parents. It was Saturday night so she had less than a day to go before Homecoming ended and Fall Break began. The hope was that Mercy could convince her parents she was required to stay on campus for the week school was out. Considering what her family patriarch thought of women's opinions, we didn't think she had a prayer. "A lot of bikes," Rio noted. "I don't care what Jill says, I'm grabbing a few beers." "Don't run around the front yard naked or swing from the rafters and we'll do fine," I joked. I wasn't going to fight Rio on this, I was preparing for a hung-over Rio at Church in the morning. We heard laughter as we stepped onto the porch. I swung the door open and announced us. "Jill, it's me and Rio," I said. The laughter died down and I heard footsteps coming my way. Jill and I met at the entry to the living room. We hugged, kissed and then she showed us in. Belle and Willa were regulars and Valarie was expected. The ginger-haired woman with a beer and a smile was unknown to me, though. "Zane, Rio, this is Fontana Palmer, Valarie's mother," Jill introduced us. "How's the leg, Old Lady?" Rio grinned. That's Rio for you. Fontana turned to Valarie. "You were right, you can't go ten minutes without wanting to punch her," she chuckled. "I got it for you," Belle hopped up. Rio, in her foul mood, was ready to get in a scrap right then and there but I knew that was plain stupid. "Come on, Belle," I intervened. "GF problems." "Yours or hers?" Belle hesitated. "Hers," I answered. Belle leaned past me and looked seriously at Rio. "Mercy's in trouble?" Belle sounded concerned. Willa half-turned on the sofa to get a better view of things. "She's with her," Rio bit down on the expletive for Jill's sake, "parents." "Ah, what a bitch," Belle moved past me and led Rio to the sofa. "Isn't it great when the folks decide that you aren't good enough for their little pride and joy? Been there, done that." Belle handed Rio her beer then looked back at me. "Zane, two more beers," she ordered. "Hi, Zane," I mocked myself, "Glad to have you back. How did the match go?" "It is good to have you back, Zane," Jill touched my arm. "How did the match go?" "What was the match in?" Fontana inquired. "Oh, hi, Mrs. Palmer," I corrected my rudeness. "He was in a marksmanship competition," Valarie jumped in. "How did you and Hope do?" "Hope took top spot but it was close," I informed them. "The number two guy came in .02 points behind and third was .08. The team took third place." All I have to say is those two guys scared the crap out of me. Apparently they shoot moose with .22's in their spare time or some shit like that. "Congratulations, Zane," Willa grinned. The room followed suit, except for Rio. I motioned Jill to return to her chair and made for the stairs. "Beers, bitch," Belle teased me. "Sorry, Jill, beers, Punk." I opted to not make a scene so I dropped my bag, went to the fridge, and got two beers. By the time I got back, Rio had buried her first beer and grabbed for her second. Belle took hers and winked. "What? No tip?" I wondered. "Oh, what were you expecting?" Belle tilted back her head. I ran a hand through her hair, leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Our tongues darted forth, then danced back and forth within our mouths. I put a hand on her shoulder then let it migrate down to her breast. I squeezed it gently and Belle moaned. I broke the kiss and smiled at her. "That'll do," I chuckled. Belle's eyes were alight and she was smiling as well. Jill was looking into the fireplace and blushing, Rio was blas , working through her beer, but the other three women were staring at me. "Beer, Zane," Valarie leered. Fontana, far from being protective, patted her daughter on the shoulder. "Oh, hell no," I waved off. "I was crawling through the woods all morning then spent the rest of the day riding in a bus with other smelly athletes. I'm putting my bag in my room and taking a shower." "Are you sure you know what to do showering alone?" Valarie called after me. Bitch. The first thing I noted was that someone had been sleeping in my bed. My money was on Fontana. I'd deal with that later but at the moment, all I wanted to do was get clean. As the hot water scalded away the grime and sweat I thought happy thoughts about Hope. She hadn't complimented me but she hadn't a bad thing to say about my performance either. In a way I felt 'in the zone'. I caught the range, slope and wind changes like a pro and I thought her score showed it. I knew she wanted the team to do better but with the youth of the squad, coming in third out of a field of twelve felt good to me. For Hope, nothing short of first would do. By the time I got downstairs, I was shirtless, wearing gym shorts, and drying my hair with a towel. The group had migrated to the den, the TV was on, and the conversation was muted. Jill's look told me I should have put on more clothes. I only wanted to unwind. The looks the other women were giving me were far less motherly. I groaned, shook my head and went to the kitchen for some OJ. When I returned, I looked around for a seat and decided to sit down at Jill's feet. She leaned forward and patted my shoulder. That was fine. Valarie and her mother constantly stealing my glances my way was less so. Rio was nursing a beer and her hurt feelings, Belle was running her hand through Rio's hair in a strangely comforting gesture, and Willa seemed amused by the whole affair. At the commercial break, Fontana stood up. "Zane, can I talk to you alone for a minute, outside," she requested. "Sure," I half stood then, "Wait, does this involve me and pain?" She snorted mirthfully. "No," she smirked. "If you behave I won't hurt you too much." "Go on, you wuss," Rio teased. "It isn't like you've despoiled her daughter or anything." "But I didn't," I explained desperately. "That's right," Willa joked. "It isn't like you two have rolled around in that, it's not a bed. What is it?" "It is a sleeping platform," I mumbled. "I got tired of girls taking a header off my bed." "That's awful considerate of you," Fontana smiled warmly. "A moment, please." I followed her into the hall, then reluctantly outside to the porch. I was wearing shorts and it was cold so I folded my arms to conserve some warmth. Fontana moved a few more steps down the porch, turned, and looked me over. "Zane, thank you for being a good friend to Valarie," Fontana began. That wasn't what I was expecting to hear. "Umm, okay," I responded. "See," Fontana went on, "when her father forced this on her to make her into his mold of what a good Christian woman should be, I was afraid the experience would leave her bitter." "Why is she doing this anyway?" I asked. "She's eighteen and can make her own choices." "Oh," Fontana mused thoughtfully. She paced back and forth once. "She likes you so much I assumed she told you." She paused for a moment. "After my problem with the law, my ex threatened to keep my other two daughters from me unless Valarie came to FFU." "Oh, the fuck you say," I growled. My arms came down and I balled up my fists. "Listen, I know a pretty good lawyer if you want someone to have another go at your case, or I can shove his head down a toilet until he changes his mind." Fontana laughed. "No, you are doing enough. Stormriders take care of themselves most of the time but it's good to have friends too," Fontana smiled. "Valarie is having a great time at school. She likes the girls she's met, well, some of them, and she's happy that so many are heading out our way over the summer," Fontana went on. "She's very proud." "I would have never guessed," I replied sarcastically. "No, really," Fontana faked her surprise well. "I know she hides it well but she's really proud of where she comes from. Honest." She paused again. "Can I ask you a personal question?" "Sure," I shrugged. "Why haven't you and my daughter hooked up? She won't tell me," Fontana questioned. "I'm not sure," I worked out. "I've never pressed her. She may not like having sex with the eternal audience that hovers around me. Maybe she's respectful of all the other women in my life right now. All those answers sound plausible." "Ha," Fontana laughed. "Stormriders aren't exactly bashful. She says your girlfriend, Heaven, shares but I think she really likes you because you aren't hitting on her." "She likes me because I respect her boundaries? Oh, Gawd," I groaned. "At times I really wish I was an asshole. As it is, I'm afraid that one day my cock is going to fall off." Fontana walked up, patted my crotch. "That would be a pity," she whispered into my ear before heading inside. Because I Must Secretly Abhor a Good Night's Sleep Later that evening At school, I slept on a contraption that easily slept twelve and was often occupied by eight. I go home so I can sleep, on the sofa? See, Valarie and her mom were in my room, they were guests after all. In the prepared guest room, now Belle's room, Willa and Belle had crashed out. We had three other rooms upstairs but Jill hadn't gotten around into making anything of them. Rio was supposed to join Valarie and Fontana in my bed but somewhere between the 12 and 20 beers she and Belle were sharing; Rio decided to grab a throw pillow, curl up on the floor and pass out/go to sleep. An effort to rouse her failed so I put a quilt over her and let her sleep it off. After 11:00 Jill went upstairs and the rest followed her to bed. I put a few logs on the fire and laid down to sleep on the sofa. I couldn't have been asleep more than an hour when I felt something nudge my hip. I looked up to see Fontana's ass pressed against my side, her looking down into my eyes. Fontana was beautiful but in a hard, flinty way. She was mature but compact, like a she-wolf with little padding or softness to her. Her long ginger hair was pulled back in a ponytail though her bangs were hanging loose. She wore a tight grey t-shirt that said 'Eyes Up!' that highlighted her breasts. Sure, a bit of a sag in her 36C's but very nice. The shirt only came halfway down her belly, fully exposing her bright red bikini brief panties to my gaze. Her eyes were the same blue as Valarie's and danced in the fading fire's light. There were lines around her eyes and her face was weathered but strong. I could have stupidly asked what she wanted but, hey, she was sitting next to me, dressed like that after 'lights out'. I propped my upper body with my right elbow while reaching out with my left and cupping her right cheek. As I drew her to me, Fontana twisted her body around so that she straddled me. I had to scoot my body toward the edge to give her knee room to settle down. She kissed me with a steady intensity that slowly pushed my head back to my pillow. "Man, you are easy," she breathed playfully after we broke a long embrace. "I thought I'd have to explain myself or some other shit like that," she added. "If there's anything else I need to know, you'll tell me," I said softly as I brushed her bangs aside. "I fig

This is a Fan Fav episode. The men you attract and find yourself in relationships with reveal more about you, your wounds, your insecurities and the parts of you that need healing and growth. Looking externally for safety, love, and validation is not only an unhealthy way to move through relationships, it's also a toxic way of living that doesn't serve your higher purpose and it will never create the peace you're looking for. Not every woman has experienced seeing a man completely open, vulnerable, and exposed. Honestly speaking, sadly, not many women are able to deal with the rawness of men's emotions. Yet, there is something comforting from hearing today's guest, Lewis Howes, share about the emotional trigger and pain that men go through. Lewis went from the cheating ladies man, emotionally closed off, and easily triggered insecure jealous partner-type to a man looking forward to marriage in a committed loving relationship that has healed his some serious past traumas and emotional triggers. Lewis Howes is the bestselling author of the book, The Mask of Masculinity, ultra successful entrepreneur, host of the podcast and YouTube channel, The School of Greatness. In this conversation with Lisa, Lewis brings up some challenging questions that are worth sitting with and giving some extra time and attention as you either navigate through your current relationship or spend time alone before your next relationship. Check out Lewis Howes latest book, The Greatness Mindset: https://www.amazon.com/Greatness-Mindset-Unlock-Power-Today-ebook/dp/B0B6ML61NP Follow Lewis Howes: Website: https://lewishowes.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lewishowes Twitter: https://twitter.com/LewisHowes/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lewishowes/ Original air date: 3-8-23 CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS Vital Proteins: Get 20% off by going to ⁠https://www.vitalproteins.com⁠ and entering promo code WOI at check out.  SleepMe: Visit ⁠https://sleep.me/woi⁠ to get your Chilipad and save 20% with code WOI. Try it risk-free with their 30-night sleep trial and free shipping! OneSkin: Get 15% off with code LISA at ⁠https://oneskin.co ⁠ Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at ⁠https://shopify.com/lisa⁠ Macy's: Upgrade your glam at ⁠https://macys.com⁠ ****************************************************************** LISTEN TO WOMEN OF IMPACT AD FREE + BONUS EPISODES on APPLE PODCASTS:  apple.co/womenofimpact ****************************************************************** FOLLOW LISA: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisabilyeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisabilyeu YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/womenofimpact Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lisa_bilyeu?lang=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good sex doesn't happen by accident—it takes curiosity, communication, and intention. In this episode of Taboo to Truth, I'm breaking down five simple but powerful ways to go from “meh” to mind-blowing in the bedroom. From making foreplay last all day to using your words with confidence, these are the practical, pleasure-focused habits that transform intimacy at any age.Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction: What Great Sex Really Takes00:25 – Welcome to Taboo to Truth with Karen Bigman01:00 – Why “Good Sex” Isn't Enough01:35 – Tip #1: Get Curious02:10 – Tip #2: Slow It Down02:45 – Tip #3: Talk Dirty (or Honestly)03:20 – Tip #4: Play With Power03:55 – Tip #5: Prioritize Pleasure, Not Performance04:40 – Final Thoughts: Take the Pressure Off and Enjoy05:00 – Outro: Redefining Life and Sex After 50Want a deeper look? Watch the full episode on YouTube for a more visual experience of today's discussion. This episode is best enjoyed on video—don't miss out!Karen Bigman, a Sexual Health Alliance Certified Sex Educator, Life, and Menopause Coach, tackles the often-taboo subject of sexuality with a straightforward and candid approach. We explore the intricacies of sex during perimenopause, post-menopause, and andropause, offering insights and support for all those experiencing these transformative phases.This podcast is not intended to give medical advice. Karen Bigman is not a medical professional. For any medical questions or issues, please visit your licensed medical provider.Looking for some fresh perspective on sex in midlife? You can find me here:Email: karen@taboototruth.comWebsite: https://www.taboototruth.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taboototruthYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@taboototruthpodcastKaren Bigman, a Sexual Health Alliance Certified Sex Educator, Life, and Menopause Coach, tackles the often-taboo subject of sexuality with a straightforward and candid approach. We explore the intricacies of sex during perimenopause, post-menopause, and andropause, offering insights and support for all those experiencing these transformative phases.This podcast is not intended to give medical advice. Karen Bigman is not a medical professional. For any medical questions or issues, please visit your licensed medical provider.Looking for some fresh perspective on sex in midlife? You can find me here:Email: karen@taboototruth.comWebsite: https://www.taboototruth.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taboototruthYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@taboototruthpodcastSubstack: https://karenbigman.substack.comTake control of your pleasure with my Pleasure...

There's no better way to kick off a season of body horror than with the king of the genre, David Cronenberg. So join Zoë and Logan as they discuss VIDEODROME (1983) in all its gaping, pulsating glory! — Theme music by Greg Morrison. Visit Our Website: www.honestlypod.ca Email Us: thehonestlypodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/honestlypod Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/honestlypod Follow us on Twitter: www.x.com/honestlypod Keep up with us on Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/honestlypod/ Honestly?! A Horrorcast is available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts!

Get the Homie Hookup on the BEST car part deals this Black Friday season at https://martiniworks.com/Thank you to everyone who submitted their car for review! If you like this, make sure to let us know so we can do it more. In addition to reviewing cars, we also talk about the moment we got into cars and what solidified our passion. Enjoy this episode of the MartiniWorks Podcast! #cars #carmods #podcast Pick up our Coffee here! https://martiniworks.com/products/other/show-merchA HUGE thank you to Continental & Fortune Auto for being the official tire and suspension of the MartiniWorks Podcast! Let us know if you need a set of tires or coilovers.

Noise in your life keeps you trapped. Be free! And learn how to live honestly...Hint: It means learning to say "no" and quiet a particular kind of noise. PLUS: "Charming" is a red flag.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fellas give a good ol fashioned recap on their bender weekend to Lake Vermilion, MN. The tips, tricks, and tactics behind their successes, findings, and failures are all discussed here. tune in to see how the MOT crew patterned together the big V along with some more updates. Tap in!Merch -> https://sugsfishing.com/Intro comes from Dr. Evil wanting sharks with fricken lazer beams attached to their heads. Honestly a pretty easy, basic request if you ask me

Mary Lovell is a queer grassroots organizer, visual artist, and activist who has been fighting oil and gas infrastructure and for social justice for their adult life - living up in the Kitsap Penninsula they are working on their first book  and love working with people to build power in their communitiesWelcome to the Arise podcast. This is episode 12, conversations on Reality. And today we're touching on organizing and what does it mean to organize? How do we organize? And we talk to a seasoned organizer, Mary Lavelle. And so Mary is a queer, grassroots organizer, visual artist and activist who has been fighting oil and gas infrastructure and fighting for social justice in their adult life. Living in the Kitsap Peninsula. They're working on their first book and love working with people to build power in their communities. Join us. I hope you stay curious and we continue the dialogue.Danielle (00:02):Okay, Mary, it's so great to have you today. Just want to hear a little bit about who you are, where you come from, how did you land? I know I met you in Kitsap County. Are you originally from here? Yeah. Just take itMary (00:15):Away. Yeah. So my name is Mary Lovel. I use she or they pronouns and I live in Washington State in Kitsap County. And then I have been organizing, I met Danielle through organizing, but I've spent most of my life organizing against oil and gas pipelines. I grew up in Washington state and then I moved up to Canada where there was a major oil pipeline crossing through where I was living. And so that got me engaged in social justice movements. That's the Transmountain pipeline, which it was eventually built, but we delayed it by a decade through a ton of different organizing, combination of lawsuits and direct action and all sorts of different tactics. And so I got to try and learn a lot of different things through that. And then now I'm living in Washington state and do a lot of different social justice bits and bobs of organizing, but mostly I'm focused on stopping. There's a major gas build out in Texas and Louisiana, and so I've been working with communities down there on pressuring financiers behind those oil and gas pipelines and major gas export. But all that to say, it's also like everyone is getting attacked on all sides. So I see it as a very intersectional fight of so many communities are being impacted by ice and the rise of the police state becoming even more prolific and surveillance becoming more prolific and all the things. So I see it as one little niche in a much larger fight. Yeah,Yeah, totally. I think when I moved up to Canada, I was just finished high school, was moving up for college, had been going to some of the anti-war marches that were happening at the time, but was very much along for the ride, was like, oh, I'll go to big stuff. But it was more like if there was a student walkout or someone else was organizing people. And then when I moved up to Canada, I just saw the history of the nation state there in a totally different way. I started learning about colonialism and understanding that the land that I had moved to was unseated Tu Squamish and Musqueam land, and started learning also about how resource extraction and indigenous rights went hand in hand. I think in general, in the Pacific Northwest and Coast Salish territories, the presence of indigenous communities is really a lot more visible than other parts of North America because of the timelines of colonization.(03:29):But basically when I moved and had a fresh set of eyes, I was seeing the major marginalization of indigenous communities in Canada and the way that racism was showing up against indigenous communities there and just the racial demographics are really different in Canada. And so then I was just seeing the impacts of that in just a new way, and it was just frankly really startling. It's the sheer number of people that are forced to be houseless and the disproportionate impacts on especially indigenous communities in Canada, where in the US it's just different demographics of folks that are facing houselessness. And it made me realize that the racial context is so different place to place. But anyways, so all that to say is that I started learning about the combination there was the rise of the idle, no more movement was happening. And so people were doing a lot of really large marches and public demonstrations and hunger strikes and all these different things around it, indigenous rights in Canada and in bc there was a major pipeline that people were fighting too.(04:48):And that was the first time that I understood that my general concerns about climate and air and water were one in the same with racial justice. And I think that that really motivated me, but I also think I started learning about it from an academic standpoint and then I was like, this is incredibly dumb. It's like all these people are just writing about this. Why is not anyone doing anything about it? I was going to Simon Fraser University and there was all these people writing whole entire books, and I was like, that's amazing that there's this writing and study and knowledge, but also people are prioritizing this academic lens when it's so disconnected from people's lived realities. I was just like, what the fuck is going on? So then I got involved in organizing and there was already a really robust organizing community that I plugged into there, but I just helped with a lot of different art stuff or a lot of different mass mobilizations and trainings and stuff like that. But yeah, then I just stuck with it. I kept learning so many cool things and meeting so many interesting people that, yeah, it's just inspiring.Jenny (06:14):No, that's okay. I obviously feel free to get into as much or as little of your own personal story as you want to, but I was thinking we talk a lot about reality on here, and I'm hearing that there was introduction to your reality based on your education and your experience. And for me, I grew up in a very evangelical world where the rapture was going to happen anytime and I wasn't supposed to be concerned with ecological things because this world was going to end and a new one was going to come. And I'm just curious, and you can speak again as broadly or specifically if the things you were learning were a reality shift for you or if it just felt like it was more in alignment with how you'd experienced being in a body on a planet already.Mary (07:08):Yeah, yeah, that's an interesting question. I think. So I grew up between Renton and Issaquah, which is not, it was rural when I was growing up. Now it's become suburban sprawl, but I spent almost all of my summers just playing outside and very hermit ish in a very kind of farm valley vibe. But then I would go into the city for cool punk art shows or whatever. When you're a teenager and you're like, this is the hippest thing ever. I would be like, wow, Seattle. And so when I moved up to Vancouver, it was a very big culture shock for me because of it just being an urban environment too, even though I think I was seeing a lot of the racial impacts and all of the, but also a lot of just that class division that's visible in a different way in an urban environment because you just have more folks living on the streets rather than living in precarious places, more dispersed the way that you see in rural environments.(08:21):And so I think that that was a real physical shift for me where it was walking around and seeing the realities people were living in and the environment that I was living in. It's like many, many different people were living in trailers or buses or a lot of different, it wasn't like a wealthy suburban environment, it was a more just sprawling farm environment. But I do think that that moving in my body from being so much of my time outside and so much of my time in really all of the stimulation coming from the natural world to then going to an urban environment and seeing that the crowding of people and pushing people into these weird living situations I felt like was a big wake up call for me. But yeah, I mean my parents are sort of a mixed bag. I feel like my mom is very lefty, she is very spiritual, and so I was exposed to a lot of different face growing up.(09:33):She is been deep in studying Buddhism for most of her life, but then also was raised Catholic. So it was one of those things where my parents were like, you have to go to Catholic school because that's how you get morals, even though both of them rejected Catholicism in different ways and had a lot of different forms of abuse through those systems, but then they're like, you have to do this because we had to do it anyways. So all that to say is that I feel like I got exposed to a lot of different religious forms of thought and spirituality, but I didn't really take that too far into organizing world. But I wasn't really forced into a box the same way. It wasn't like I was fighting against the idea of rapture or something like that. I was more, I think my mom especially is very open-minded about religion.(10:30):And then my dad, I had a really hard time with me getting involved in activism because he just sees it as really high risk talk to me for after I did a blockade for a couple months or different things like that. Over the course of our relationship, he's now understands why I'm doing what I'm doing. He's learned a lot about climate and I think the way that this social movements can create change, he's been able to see that because of learning through the news and being more curious about it over time. But definitely that was more of the dynamic is a lot of you shouldn't do that because you should keep yourself safe and that won't create change. It's a lot of the, anyways,I imagine too getting involved, even how Jenny named, oh, I came from this space, and Mary, you came from this space. I came from a different space as well, just thinking. So you meet all these different kinds of people with all these different kinds of ideas about how things might work. And obviously there's just three of us here, and if we were to try to organize something, we would have three distinct perspectives with three distinct family origins and three distinct ways of coming at it. But when you talk about a grander scale, can you give any examples or what you've seen works and doesn't work in your own experience, and how do you personally navigate different personalities, maybe even different motivations for getting something done? Yeah,Mary (12:30):Yeah. I think that's one of the things that's constantly intention, I feel like in all social movements is some people believe, oh, you should run for mayor in order to create the city environment that you want. Or some people are like, oh, if only we did lawsuits. Why don't we just sue the bastards? We can win that way. And then the other people are like, why spend the money and the time running for these institutions that are set up to create harm? And we should just blockade them and shift them through enough pressure, which is sort of where I fall in the political scheme I guess. But to me, it's really valuable to have a mix where I'm like, okay, when you have both inside and outside negotiation and pressure, I feel like that's what can create the most change because basically whoever your target is then understands your demands.(13:35):And so if you aren't actually clearly making your demands seen and heard and understood, then all the outside pressure in the world, they'll just dismiss you as being weird wing nuts. So I think that's where I fall is that you have to have both and that those will always be in disagreement because anyone doing inside negotiation with any kind of company or government is always going to be awkwardly in the middle between your outside pressure and what the target demand is. And so they'll always be trying to be wishy-washy and water down your demands or water down the, yeah. So anyways, all that to say is so I feel like there's a real range there, and I find myself in the most disagreements with the folks that are doing inside negotiations unless they're actually accountable to the communities. I think that my main thing that I've seen over the years as people that are doing negotiations with either corporations or with the government often wind up not including the most directly impacted voices and shooing them out of the room or not actually being willing to cede power, agreeing to terms that are just not actually what the folks on the ground want and celebrating really small victories.(15:06):So yeah, I don't know. That's where a lot of the tension is, I think. But I really just believe in the power of direct action and arts and shifting culture. I feel like the most effective things that I've seen is honestly spaghetti on the wall strategy where you just try everything. You don't actually know what's going to move these billionaires.(15:32):They have huge budgets and huge strategies, but it's also if you can create, bring enough people with enough diverse skill sets into the room and then empower them to use their skillsets and cause chaos for whoever the target is, where it's like they are stressed out by your existence, then they wind up seeding to your demands because they're just like, we need this problem to go away. So I'm like, how do we become a problem that's really hard to ignore? It's basically my main strategy, which sounds silly. A lot of people hate it when I answer this way too. So at work or in other places, people think that I should have a sharper strategy and I'm like, okay, but actually does anyone know the answer to this question? No, let's just keep rolling anyways. But I do really going after the financiers or SubT targets too.(16:34):That's one of the things that just because sometimes it's like, okay, if you're going to go after Geo Corp or Geo Group, I mean, or one of the other major freaking giant weapons manufacturers or whatever, it just fully goes against their business, and so they aren't going to blink even at a lot of the campaigns, they will get startled by it versus the people that are the next layer below them that are pillars of support in the community, they'll waffle like, oh, I don't want to actually be associated with all those war crimes or things like that. So I like sub targets, but those can also be weird distractions too, depending on what it is. So yeah, really long. IDanielle (17:24):Dunno how you felt, Jenny, but I feel all those tensions around organizing that you just said, I felt myself go like this as you went through it because you didn't. Exactly. I mean nothing. I agree it takes a broad strategy. I think I agree with you on that, but sitting in the room with people with broad perspectives and that disagree is so freaking uncomfortable. It's so much just to soothe myself in that environment and then how to know to balance that conversation when those people don't even really like each other maybe.Mary (17:57):Oh yeah. And you're just trying to avoid having people get in an actual fight. Some of the organizing against the banger base, for instance, I find really inspiring because of them having ex submarine captains and I'm like, okay, I'm afraid of talking to folks that have this intense military perspective, but then when they walk away from their jobs and actually want to help a movement, then you're like, okay, we have to organize across difference. But it's also to what end, it's like are you going to pull the folks that are coming from really diverse perspectives further left through your organizing or are you just trying to accomplish a goal with them to shift one major entity or I dunno. But yeah, it's very stressful. I feel like trying to avoid getting people in a fight is also a role myself or trying to avoid getting invites myself.Jenny (19:09):That was part of what I was wondering is if you've over time found that there are certain practices or I hate this word protocols or ways of engaging folks, that feels like intentional chaos and how do you kind of steward that chaos rather than it just erupting in a million different places or maybe that is part of the process even. But just curious how you've found that kind ofMary (19:39):Yeah, I love doing calendaring with people so that people can see one another's work and see the value of both inside and outside pressure and actually map it out together so that they aren't feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of one sort of train of thought leading. Do you know what I mean? Where it's like if people see all of this DC based blobbing happening, that's very much less so during the current administration, but for example, then they might be frustrated and feel like, where is our pressure campaign or where is our movement building work versus if you actually just map out those moments together and then see how they can be in concert. I feel like that's my real, and it's a bit harder to do with lawsuit stuff because it's just so much not up to social movements about when that happens because the courts are just long ass processes that are just five years later they announced something and you're like, what?(20:53):But for the things that you can pace internally, I feel like that is a big part of it. And I find that when people are working together in coalition, there's a lot of communities that I work with that don't get along, but they navigate even actively disliking each other in order to share space, in order to build a stronger coalition. And so that's to me is really inspiring. And sometimes that will blow up and become a frustrating source of drama where it's like you have two frontline leaders that are coming from a very different social movement analysis if one is coming from economic justice and is coming from the working class white former oil worker line of thinking. And then you have a community organizer that's been grown up in the civil rights movement and is coming from a black feminism and is a black organizer with a big family. Some of those tensions will brew up where it's like, well, I've organized 200 oil workers and then you've organized a whole big family, and at the end of the day, a lot of the former oil workers are Trumpers and then a lot of the black fam is we have generations of beef with y'all.(22:25):We have real lived history of you actually sorting our social progress. So then you wind up in this coalition dynamic where you're like, oh fuck. But it's also if they both give each other space to organize and see when you're organizing a march or something like that, even having contingent of people coming or things like that, that can be really powerful. And I feel like that's the challenge and the beauty of the moment that we're in where you're like you have extreme social chaos in so many different levels and even people on the right are feeling it.Danielle (23:12):Yeah, I agree. I kind of wonder what you would say to this current moment and the coalition, well, the people affected is broadening, and so I think the opportunity for the Coalition for Change is broadening and how do we do that? How do we work? Exactly. I think you pinned it. You have the oil person versus this other kind of family, but I feel that, and I see that especially around snap benefits or food, it's really hard when you're at the government level, it's easy to say, well, those people don't deserve that dah, dah, dah, right? But then you're in your own community and you ask anybody, Hey, let's get some food for a kid. They're like, yeah, almost no one wants to say no to that. So I don't know, what are you kind of hearing? What are you feeling as I say that?Mary (24:11):Yeah, I definitely feel like we're in a moment of great social upheaval where I feel like the class analysis that people have is really growing when have people actually outright called the government fascist and an oligarchy for years that was just a very niche group of lefties saying that. And then now we have a broad swath of people actually explicitly calling out the classism and the fascism that we're seeing rising. And you're seeing a lot of people that are really just wanting to support their communities because they're feeling the impacts of cost of living and feeling the impacts of all these social programs being cut. And also I think having a lot more visibility into the violence of the police state too. And I think, but yeah, it's hard to know exactly what to do with all that momentum. It feels like there's a huge amount of momentum that's possible right now.(25:24):And there's also not a lot of really solid places for people to pour their energy into of multiracial coalitions with a specific demand set that can shift something, whether it be at the state level or city level or federal level. It feels like there's a lot of dispersed energy and you have these mass mobilizations, but then that I feel excited about the prospect of actually bringing people together across difference. I feel like it really is. A lot of people are really demystified so many people going out to protests. My stepmom started going out to a lot of the no kings protests when she hasn't been to any protest over the whole course of her life. And so it's like people being newly activated and feeling a sense of community in the resistance to the state, and that's just really inspiring. You can't take that moment back away from people when they've actually gone out to a protest.(26:36):Then when they see protests, they know what it feels like to be there. But yeah, I feel like I'm not really sure honestly what to do with all of the energy. And I think I also have been, and I know a lot of other organizers are in this space of grieving and reflecting and trying to get by and they aren't necessarily stepping up into a, I have a strategy, please follow me role that could be really helpful for mentorship for people. And instead it feels like there's a bit of a vacuum, but that's also me calling from my living room in Kitsap County. I don't have a sense of what's going on in urban environments really or other places. There are some really cool things going on in Seattle for people that are organizing around the city's funding of Tesla or building coalitions that are both around defunding the police and also implementing climate demands or things like that. And then I also feel like I'm like, people are celebrating that Dick Cheney died. Fuck yes. I'm like, people are a lot more just out there with being honest about how they feel about war criminals and then you have that major win in New York and yeah, there's some little beacons of hope. Yeah. What do you all think?Jenny (28:16):I just find myself really appreciating the word coalition. I think a lot of times I use the word collective, and I think it was our dear friend Rebecca a couple of weeks ago was like, what do you mean by collective? What are you saying by that? And I was struggling to figure that out, and I think coalition feels a lot more honest. It feels like it has space for the diversity and the tensions and the conflicts within trying to perhaps pursue a similar goal. And so I just find myself really appreciating that language. And I was thinking about several years ago I did an embodied social justice certificate and one of the teachers was talking about white supremacy and is a professor in a university. I was like, I'm aware of representing white supremacy in a university and speaking against it, and I'm a really big believer in termites, and I just loved that idea of I myself, I think it's perhaps because I think I am neurodivergent and I don't do well in any type of system, and so I consider myself as one of those that will be on the outside doing things and I've grown my appreciation for those that have the brains or stamina or whatever is required to be one of those people that works on it from the inside.(29:53):So those are some of my thoughts. What about you, Danielle?Danielle (30:03):I think a lot about how we move where it feels like this, Mary, you're talking about people are just quiet and I know I spent weeks just basically being with my family at home and the food thing came up and I've been motivated for that again, and I also just find myself wanting to be at home like cocoon. I've been out to some of the marches and stuff, said hi to people or did different things when I have energy, but they're like short bursts and I don't feel like I have a very clear direction myself on what is the long-term action, except I was telling friends recently art and food, if I can help people make art and we can eat together, that feels good to me right now. And those are the only two things that have really resonated enough for me to have creative energy, and maybe that's something to the exhaustion you're speaking about and I don't know, I mean Mary A. Little bit, and I know Jenny knows, I spent a group of us spent years trying to advocate for English language learners here at North and in a nanosecond, Trump comes along and just Fs it all, Fs up the law, violates the law, violates funding all of this stuff in a nanosecond, and you're like, well, what do you do about that?(31:41):It doesn't mean you stop organizing at the local level, but there is something of a punch to the gut about it.Mary (31:48):Oh yeah, no, people are just getting punched in the gut all over the place and then you're expected to just keep on rolling and moving and you're like, alright, well I need time to process. But then it feels like you can just be stuck in this pattern of just processing because they just keep throwing more and more shit at you and you're like, ah, let us hide and heal for a little bit, and then you're like, wait, that's not what I'm supposed to be doing right now. Yeah. Yeah. It's intense. And yeah, I feel that the sense of need for art and food is a great call. Those things are restorative too, where you're like, okay, how can I actually create a space that feels healthy and generative when so much of that's getting taken away? I also speaking to your somatic stuff, Jenny, I recently started doing yoga and stretching stuff again after just years of not because I was like, oh, I have all this shit all locked up in my body and I'm not even able to process when I'm all locked up. Wild. Yeah.Danielle (33:04):Yeah. I fell in a hole almost two weeks ago, a literal concrete hole, and I think the hole was meant for my husband Luis. He actually has the worst luck than me. I don't usually do that shit meant I was walking beside him, I was walking beside of him. He is like, you disappeared. I was like, it's because I stepped in and I was in the moment. My body was like, oh, just roll. And then I went to roll and I was like, well, I should put my hand out. I think it's concrete. So I sprained my right ankle, I sprained my right hand, I smashed my knees on the concrete. They're finally feeling better, but that's how I feel when you talk about all of this. I felt like the literal both sides of my body and I told a friend at the gym is like, I don't think I can be mortal combat because when my knees hurt, it's really hard for me to do anything. So if I go into any, I'm conscripted or anything happens to me, I need to wear knee pads.Jenny (34:48):Yeah. I literally Googled today what does it mean if you just keep craving cinnamon? And Google was like, you probably need sweets, which means you're probably very stressed. I was like, oh, yeah. It's just interesting to me all the ways that our bodies speak to us, whether it's through that tension or our cravings, it's like how do we hold that tension of the fact that we are animal bodies that have very real needs and the needs of our communities, of our coalitions are exceeding what it feels like we have individual capacity for, which I think is part of the point. It's like let's make everything so unbelievably shitty that people have a hard time just even keeping up. And so it feels at times difficult to tend to my body, and I'm trying to remember, I have to tend to my body in order to keep the longevity that is necessary for this fight, this reconstruction that's going to take probably longer than my life will be around, and so how do I keep just playing my part in it while I'm here?Mary (36:10):Yeah. That's very wise, Jenny. I feel like the thing that I've been thinking about a lot as winter settles in is that I've been like, right, okay, trees lose their leaves and just go dormant. It's okay for me to just go dormant and that doesn't mean that I'm dead. I think that's been something that I've been thinking about too, where it's like, yeah, it's frustrating to see the urgency of this time and know that you're supposed to be rising to the occasion and then also be in your dormancy or winter, but I do feel like there is something to that, the nurturing of the roots that happens when plants aren't focused on growing upwards. I think that that's also one of the things that I've been thinking a lot about in organizing, especially for some of the folks that are wanting to organize but aren't sure a lot of the blockade tactics that they were interested in pursuing now feel just off the table for the amount of criminalization or problems that they would face for it. So then it's like, okay, but how do we go back and nurture our roots to be stronger in the long run and not just disappear into the ether too?Danielle (37:31):I do feel that, especially being in Washington, I feel like this is the hibernation zone. It's when my body feels cozy at night and I don't want to be out, and it means I want to just be with my family more for me, and I've just given myself permission for that for weeks now because it's really what I wanted to do and I could tell my kids craved it too, and my husband and I just could tell they needed it, and so I was surprised I needed it too. I like to be out and I like to be with people, but I agree, Mary, I think we get caught up in trying to grow out that we forget that we do need to really take care of our bodies. And I know you were saying that too, Jenny. I mean, Jenny Jenny's the one that got me into somatic therapy pretty much, so if I roll out of this telephone booth, you can blame Jenny. That's great.Mary (38:39):That's perfect. Yeah, somatics are real. Oh, the cinnamon thing, because cinnamon is used to regulate your blood sugar. I don't know if you realize that a lot of people that have diabetes or insulin resistant stuff, it's like cinnamon helps see your body with sugar regulation, so that's probably why Google was telling you that too.Jenny (39:04):That is really interesting. I do have to say it was one of those things, I got to Vermont and got maple syrup and I was like, I don't think I've ever actually tasted maple syrup before, so now I feel like I've just been drinking it all day. So good. Wait,Mary (39:29):That's amazing. Also, it's no coincidence that those are the fall flavors, right? Like maple and cinnamon and all the Totally, yeah. Cool.Danielle (39:42):So Mary, what wisdom would you give to folks at whatever stage they're in organizing right now? If you could say, Hey, this is something I didn't know even last week, but I know now. Is there something you'd want to impart or give away?Mary (39:59):I think the main thing is really just to use your own skills. Don't feel like you have to follow along with whatever structure someone is giving you for organizing. It's like if you're an artist, use that. If you're a writer, use that. If you make film, use that, don't pigeonhole yourself into that. You have to be a letter writer because that's the only organized thing around you. I think that's the main thing that I always feel like is really exciting to me is people, if you're a coder, there's definitely activists that need help with websites or if you're an accountant, there are so many organizations that are ready to just get audited and then get erased from this world and they desperately need you. I feel like there's a lot of the things that I feel like when you're getting involved in social movements. The other thing that I want to say right now is that people have power.(40:55):It's like, yes, we're talking about falling in holes and being fucking exhausted, but also even in the midst of this, a community down in Corpus Christi just won a major fight against a desalination plant where they were planning on taking a bunch of water out of their local bay and then removing the salt from it in order to then use the water for the oil and gas industry. And that community won a campaign through city level organizing, which is just major because basically they have been in a multi-year intense drought, and so their water supply is really, really critical for the whole community around them. And so the fact that they won against this desal plant is just going to be really important for decades to come, and that was one under the Trump administration. They were able to win it because it was a city level fight.(42:05):Also, the De Express pipeline got canceled down in Texas and Louisiana, which is a major pipeline expansion that was going to feed basically be a feeder pipeline to a whole pipeline system in Mexico and LNG export there. There's like, and that was just two weeks ago maybe, but it feels like there's hardly any news about it because people are so focused on fighting a lot of these larger fights, but I just feel like it's possible to win still, and people are very much feeling, obviously we aren't going to win a lot of major things under fascism, but it's also still possible to create change at a local level and not the state can't take everything from us. They're trying to, and also it's a fucking gigantic country, so thinking about them trying to manage all of us is just actually impossible for them to do it. They're having to offer, yes, the sheer number of people that are working for ICE is horrific, and also they're offering $50,000 signing bonuses because no one actually wants to work for ice.(43:26):They're desperately recruiting, and it's like they're causing all of this economic imbalance and uncertainty and chaos in order to create a military state. They're taking away the SNAP benefits so that people are hungry enough and desperate enough to need to steal food so that they can criminalize people, so that they can build more jails so that they can hire more police. They're doing all of these things strategically, but also they can't actually stop all of the different social movement organizers or all of the communities that are coming together because it's just too big of a region that they're trying to govern. So I feel like that's important to recognize all of the ways that we can win little bits and bobs, and it doesn't feel like, it's not like this moment feels good, but it also doesn't, people I think, are letting themselves believe what the government is telling them that they can't resist and that they can't win. And so it's just to me important to add a little bit more nuance of that. What the government's doing is strategic and also we can also still win things and that, I don't know, it's like we outnumber them, but yeah, that's my pep talk, pep Ted talk.Mary (45:18):And just the number of Canadians that texted me being like, mom, Donny, they're just like, everyone is seeing that it's, having the first Muslim be in a major political leadership role in New York is just fucking awesome, wild, and I'm also skeptical of all levels of government, but I do feel like that's just an amazing win for the people. Also, Trump trying to get in with an endorsement as if that would help. It's hilarious. Honestly,Mary (46:41):Yeah. I also feel like the snap benefits thing is really going to be, it reminds me of that quote, they tried to bury us, but we were seeds quote where I'm just like, oh, this is going to actually bite you so hard. You're now creating an entire generation of people that's discontent with the government, which I'm like, okay, maybe this is going to have a real negative impact on children that are going hungry. And also it's like to remember that they're spending billions on weapons instead of feeding people. That is so radicalizing for so many people that I just am like, man, I hope this bites them in the long term. I just am like, it's strategic for them for trying to get people into prisons and terrible things like that, but it's also just woefully unstrategic when you think about it long term where you're like, okay, have whole families just hating you.Jenny (47:57):It makes me think of James Baldwin saying not everything that's faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it's faced. And I feel like so many of these things are forcing folks who have had privilege to deny the class wars and the oligarchy and all of these things that have been here forever, but now that it's primarily affecting white bodies, it's actually forcing some of those white bodies to confront how we've gotten here in the first place. And that gives me a sense of hope.Mary (48:48):Oh, great. Thank you so much for having me. It was so nice to talk to y'all. I hope that you have a really good rest of your day, and yeah, really appreciate you hosting these important convos. Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.

TThis week on the Fozcast, we're joined by former Arsenal, Liverpool and England star - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain!  It's a belter, trust us

There has been a lot of talk about the rapture happening these days. I always knew that there was debate about when it would take place. Meaning, whether it would be before or during or after the period of tribulation the book of Revelation speaks about. I vote for the before tribulation option. I did not know until recently that there are lots of believers that don't believe in any kind of rapture happening. To each his own, I guess. Honestly, it doesn't matter what any scholar or theologian or guru or preacher or professor says because they don't know any better than you or me. Only God knows the day and the hour. Jesus says in Matthew 24:36 that even he does not know.Continue reading the rest of this shows notes on our website Nothin' But Fine.Subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can watch this week's episode and catch up on past episodes! Subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can watch this week's episode and catch up on past episodes! ---Check out the Nothin' But Fine blog and website.Follow us on social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter YouTube Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter!

This week on the Exciting & New podcast, Jason and Andy welcome Doug back on the show to discuss the 1985 action flick The Jewel of the Nile.  That's right, Dana couldn't make on for this one, probably because she got ill while watching it.  Kathleen Turner read this script and said "Nope".  They then threatened to sue her and she said "If I have to...".  Danny DeVito brings all the energy you would expect from him, and is truly the only reason to watch this moive.  Michael Douglas is fine, I guess.  Honestly who cares.  This movie is a sequel to Romancing the Stone, which shows how bad this movie is.  It killed the franchise.  Don't watch this movie, but enjoy the podcast!Jason, Andy and Dana will discuss a 1985 movie weekly, breaking down all the nonsense there within. The 3 hosts all work together and everyone else around them was getting really annoyed at all the movie talk, so they decided to annoy the world in podcast form.Check out previous seasons to hear them discuss 1982, 1983 & 1984 movies, as well as a full season of Love Boat episodes (if that is your thing). Plus one-off specials and a weekly mini "what are we watching" podcast.#jezoo74 #aegonzo1 #danacapoferri #exciting_new

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

Do you feel uneasy? Do you feel a level of ambient anxiety? Do you feel despair, despite the fact that we live in the most luxurious time and place in human history?  The point is, you are not crazy. If you feel these things, you are simply attuned to reality—and it's not a problem that's solvable with less screen time or with meditation, red light, or sea moss. My brilliant guest, Paul Kingsnorth, argues that the reason you feel this way is not this or that social media app or algorithm or culture war issue. That these are all superficial expressions of a thousand-year battle with what he calls “the Machine.” What exactly that means, he'll explain tonight. To personally fight the Machine, Paul has moved his family out of urban England to live off the land in rural Ireland, where his family grows their own food, draws water from a well, and homeschools their children. To learn more about his life, you'll have to go back and listen to the Honestly episode we did with him in 2024. In his new book, Against the Machine, Paul makes the argument that what this moment requires is something of a rebellion. He says the West is not dying, but already dead. And this book is an attempt to understand how we got to this profound feeling of disquiet—and how we might return to true peace. It's being billed as a “spiritual manual for dissidents in the technological age.” Click below to listen to our conversation, or scroll down for our favorite moments. The Free Press earns a commission from any purchases made through all book links in this article. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Star Wars Visions is back with 9 new animated short films that once again expand the galaxy far far away and this week we're talking about them all! We loved this third installment of Visions shorts and we are getting loopy with a Nanny Jedi with a robot arm, a droid bear and discussing why “Black” is one of the best things that's come out in the last ten years. So battle the Grand Master, celebrate the love and listen today! JOIN THE BLAST POINTS ARMY and SUPPORT BLAST POINTS ON PATREON! NEW ANDOR SEASON 2 EPISODE COMMENTARIES! COMMENTARIES FOR EVERY SKELETON CREW EPISODE! NEW EMPIRE STRIKES BACK COMMENTARY! Theme Music! downloadable tunes from episodes! Extra goodies! and so much MORE! www.patreon.com/blastpoints Blast Points T-SHIRTS are now available! Represent your favorite podcast everywhere you go! Get logo shirts while supplies last! Perfect for conventions, dates, formal events and more! Get them here: www.etsy.com/shop/Gibnerd?section_id=21195481 If you dug the show, please leave BLAST POINTS a review on iTunes, Spotify and share the show with friends! If you leave an iTunes review, we will read it on a future episode! Honestly! Talk to Blast Points on twitter at @blast_points "Like" Blast Points on Facebook Join the Blast Points Super Star Wars Chill Group here www.facebook.com/groups/BlastPointsGroup/ we are also on Instagram! Wow! www.instagram.com/blastpoints Your hosts are Jason Gibner & Gabe Bott! contact BLAST POINTS at : contact@blastpointspodcast.com May the Force be with you, always! This podcast is not affiliated in any way with Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC, The Walt Disney Company, or any of their affiliates or subsidiaries.

Jenn Sterger is one of my coolest Cool Friends, and I'm so grateful she joined me for this episode. Jenn is a, well, Jenn of All Trades, so to speak. She's a comedian, actress, journalist, podcaster, cat rescuer, model, and so much more. She's found herself in the center of many different forms of public attention, and boy do we talk about a lot of them.Honestly, I could spend all day writing up all the reasons that I adore Jenn, but I think when you listen to the episode, you'll understand why. So please enjoy, follow @jennifersterger on the socials, check out her Brand Army account with comedy and really rad photos, and hot damn is this Patreon-Exclusive Bonus Content both unbelievable and INCREDIBLY accidentally prescient towards certain news that broke in the 12 or so hours between recording and publication? Head over to Patreon.com/jeffmay to hear it, plus early access to uncensored episodes with bonus content, exclusive podcasts, stuff in the mail, and so much more!

Presented by Julie Busteed Are there people in your life you find difficult to get along with or really understand? I am examining biblical strategies to help grow and build healthy relationships, and communication is a key tool. A verse you might be familiar with is everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19b). Honestly if we all practiced that, I think there would be much less miscommunication. Let's break this down. What does it mean to be quick to listen? Studies show good communication is essential for organizations. Marjorie North—a communications expert—says we only hear half of what is being said in any given conversation. It's true, isn't it? I can be distracted by something outside the conversation, or I can begin to form a response to something the person said. No matter what distracts me, I struggle to listen. You and I need to practice active listening. And I mean practice; it will take a lot of practice. Put the distractions away—and by this, I mean your phone! Give the person your full attention. I know someone who is so good at this. I can tell when I am speaking to him I have his full attention. It's a great thing to be heard—really heard. Some other ways to be quick to listen is to repeat back what you believe you heard the person saying. And if you don't understand something, ask clarifying questions. Try not to interrupt them. What does it mean to be slow to speak? I think we need to be careful and thoughtful. Examine your words before you say them. Depending on what the conversation is, you might even need some time to think before responding. Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them (Proverbs 29:20). Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin (Proverbs 13:3). James also goes on to talk about our tongues—what we say and how our words can bless or curse others. He compares our tongue to the bit that steers a horse or the rudder that guides a ship. What comes out of your mouth can not only corrupt your whole body but others as well. The Psalmist prays to set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips (Psalm 141:3). And the Apostle Paul encourages the Ephesians to not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29). Good communication in relationships is necessary. It's a skill you and I can practice and improve, but we need to be mindful and intentional.

In this episode: Why do 84% of reorgs fail?, Building psychological safety, Managing fear responses, Creating clarity during change, Financial resilience with Chelsea Wierbonski Episode Summary In this episode of the Mindful Fire Podcast, host Adam Coelho sits down with career transformation coach and Group Product Manager at Google, Chelsea Wierbonski. Together, they explore the challenging landscape of organizational change, specifically focusing on why a staggering 84% of reorganizations fail. Chelsea shares invaluable insights on building psychological safety, managing fear responses, and creating clarity during turbulent times. They also discuss the importance of financial resilience and side hustles in navigating change. Guest Bio Chelsea Wierbonski is a career transformation coach and Group Product Manager at Google. With extensive experience in leading teams through organizational change, she empowers individuals to build resilience and thrive in their careers. Her passion lies in helping women in tech elevate their careers through neuroscience and inner work. Host Adam Coelho helps tech leaders land their reorg in 2-3 weeks instead of 6-9 months by rebuilding psychological safety and alignment to a shared vision. He created The Mindful FIRE Podcast in 2020 to explore the intersection two of his passions, mindfulness and financial independence. Resources & Books Mentioned • "The Simple Path to Wealth" by JL Collins • Mindful Fire Podcast Episode with JL Collins Guest Contact Information Instagram: Chelsea W LinkedIn: Chealsea Wierbonski Key Takeaways Understanding Reorgs: 84% of reorganizations fail due to broken trust and lack of clarity. Building Psychological Safety: Leaders must create an environment where team members feel safe to voice concerns and ideas. Managing Fear Responses: Recognizing and addressing the fear that comes with change is crucial for individuals. Finding Clarity: Clear communication around roles and expectations helps teams navigate uncertainty. Financial Resilience: Building an emergency fund and exploring side hustles can provide security during turbulent times.

Today, Louie is talking about YouTube Analytics. YouTube provides a lot of different tools and abilities to dissect every element of your views, watch time, audience, all of that jazz, but what does it actually mean? And what can you do to improve upon these things?  Louie is here today to make sure you don´t get lost in the weeds to break down the key metrics that you can use to define and ensure your success on YouTube. As well as some tips and tricks to help you to improve fast. Want to get into podcasting but need a little push? Join our 3-day Podcasting event in Peterborough! – Get in touch for details! Use email: podcast@disruptivemedia.co.uk Episode Takeaways  The way YouTube reports views and engaged views differs between long and short form content. Understanding the difference is important if you want to interpret this data correctly. Louie tells you all you need to know. Track watch time and retention for each video you produce, and you can use that information, alongside what viewers say in the comments, to inform what kind of content you make in the future.  YouTube SEO matters. Louie explains how to optimise your titles, thumbnails and descriptions. In particular, how to make them keyword rich so you rank well. Use YouTube´s A/B testing to help you to get your SEO right and boost your chances of people clicking on your content. Engage with your audience, encourage comments, connect with subscribers, and let their feedback help shape your video topics and style. BEST MOMENTS “Think about the first 30 seconds and how you're going to keep people hooked.” “If you've got a call to action, that's five minutes into the video, 10 minutes into the video, a lot of people won't get there.” “Try something new and see if it sticks. Honestly, no one's going to remember it if it's rubbish.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Website - https://disruptivemedia.co.uk Want to get into podcasting but need a little push? Join our 3-day Podcasting event in Peterborough! – Get in touch for details. Use email: podcast@disruptivemedia.co.uk ABOUT THE HOST Louie Rider https://www.linkedin.com/in/louie-rider1403/  CONNECT & CONTACT Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/disruptivemedia LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/disruptive-media-uk YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@disruptivemediauk Email: Podcast@disruptivemedia.co.uk

We open with the important questions, like why Alex always walks in circles and how sock puppets somehow entered the chat. Do not worry, there are many voices of Doug Cockle to make up for it.It is the first time we have filmed for a whole weekend in a while, and Harry talks about how much he prepped, and how much we actually explored. For the first time ever, we have left without tying up all the loose ends. They can figure it out for themselves, right?We chat about the team finally getting a moment to breathe, how they interact when the pressure is off (spoilers, they drink), and, how much Harry hates fast travel.Dolly and Aoife both chose chaos this week, and we break down her decision to stab straight through the middle instead of, well, literally anything else. Honestly, she just wishes they had kept the receipt.We get intimate with I, and unpack exactly what Raidion saw with that Nat 20. There really are no secrets among friends.Then it is story time with Doug Cockle. We talk patience, lore, and the perfect sprinkle of flakey salt that made Kelnys' moment shine. He is such a unifying force, and it felt so good to learn more about him.Finally, we talk about Raidion treating this episode like a bottomless brunch, and Alex treating us to the gun show. Because why not? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Hack Your Own PR, the podcast where we pull back the curtain on what actually works in modern PR and media, host Odette Barry, publicist, and the founder of Odette & Co chats with someone who sits at the coalface of mainstream television journalism, Meredith Marks, Features & Investigations Producer at Nine News in Sydney. Meredith has spent over 20 years in news from the trenches of 4am radio starts and election campaign media rooms, to the high-pressure deadlines of 6pm news bulletins. These days, she's the powerhouse behind many of the feature stories you see promoted across Nine's platforms, the ones that hook you in and have the whole group chat buzzing the next morning. In this episode, Meredith generously shares: What actually makes a pitch stand out in her inbox The kind of data, case studies and visuals that cut through (and what makes her hit delete) Why exclusives matter and how to offer them properly Her biggest bugbears with product PR and last-minute case study dropouts Plus, the behind-the-scenes realities of what it takes to get a story from inbox to screen We also talked about ethical storytelling, especially for those of you working in social impact, and Meredith gave incredibly grounded advice on how to work with sensitivity while still telling powerful, visual stories. Honestly, this chat is a goldmine for anyone pitching television and Meredith is a dream. Straight-talking, smart, and so generous with her wisdom. Big Ideas Masterclass This FREE 60 minute masterclass will help you - a leader or changemaker - turn your stories into powerful tools for visibility and impact. Stories that open doors. Through PR strategies, pitching techniques, and influence-building tactics, you'll learn how to secure media coverage, land speaking engagements, and amplify your mission…before you burnout! Find Odette Barry online: https://www.odetteandco.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/odetteandco/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/odette-barry/ Find Meredith Marks online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-marks-458138277/

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 25 Being Subversive Isn t As Much Fun As It Looks In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.             Friends stand by you through the struggles your enemies create   "You are depraved and despicable," Mhain seethed. "I get that a lot; now get out," I growled back, "because I have a thousand other bitches who are, scratch that, 999 other bitches, Doctor Kennedy is growing on me; the rest I'm not so sure about, who are making my life miserable." "Don't get your hopes up, Mr. Braxton," Doctor Kennedy warned me. "I'm happily married." "Cool," I responded. "I hope to be like that one day." "Happily married?" Virginia inquired. "No; a female law professor at an all-girls school," I grinned. "It sounds like a real cool job." "Feel free to hit him," Dana interrupted. "I swear that is the only way to get him to learn anything; or the only way we will discuss at this moment." Ah, sex. I thought my life had gone on a bit too long without the mention of sex. "It is also a fun form of stress relief." A painful blow rocked my shoulder and nearly sent me sprawling. "You are right," Gabrielle noted clinically. "I feel better." Fuck, she hits hard. I look at her and try not to get pissed off and say something stupid. She makes my life difficult but my existence at FFU makes her life far too interesting as well. Whack! Someone hit me with a briefcase. "I have to agree," Doctor Kennedy confirmed. "It has a therapeutic quality to it." "Bloody hell," I blurt out. "Everyone, please stop physically abusing Zane," Ms. Goodswell snapped. "He's a student, for Pete's sake. He's not subject to corporal punishment." "Virginia, have you ever punched or slapped Zane?" Dana teased. "Give it a try before dismissing it out of hand." "He likes spanking," Barbie Lynn beamed happiness as she skipped by on her way to my/our bedroom. Technically, it is mine, Vivian's, Barbie Lynn's, Rio's, and Mercy's, plus whoever is feeling lonely on a given night. As for the spanking, I'm more of a giver than a receiver, but I doubt explaining that right now would be appropriate. "Uhmm, okay, I think that is my cue to leave," Virginia piped up. "I have rounds to make," Gabrielle added. "I'm going home to my family," Doctor Kennedy headed out. "I'm going to stay here, kick back, and watch some Pay-per-view," Dana grinned. "What are you going to watch?" Hudson inquired. "BBC America has this show called Copper that I've been meaning to catch," Dana informed her. "Mind if I watch an episode with you?" Hudson asked. "Sure, knock yourself out. You can pick the second show," Dana yawned. "It's only Zane's money after all." The rest of my guests filed out and I retired to the showers and then to my room. The day's stress revealed itself as the women curled into bed calmly and soon were cuddled together, including the odd ones out. On the far side we had the rather unusual appearance of Valarie. Next to her was Rio, who had her arms wrapped around Mercy. Mercy was snuggled against Barbie Lynn who held the middle spot. I was on my side, face-to-face with Barbie Lynn. After a few minutes, Vivian came to bed, wedged up against my back, and put an arm over me. I was in close proximity to several beautiful women but as long as no one doused the room with an aphrodisiac, we'd do just fine. "Zane," Barbie Lynn whispered, "my vibrator burned out this morning, and I'm terribly horny." Oh, fuck!   Barbie Lynn gazing down at me, I'm not sure another guy should ever see this because it could break one's heart to see it once and never again. She's built a faint sheen of sweat on her body already and she's looking at me with a definite Zen to fuck. My cock is cocooned deep inside her rectum, rubbing inside as she rotates forward on her hips. The distant, dreamy look in her eyes flashes to alertness as she catches me looking at her; 'hi' she whispers. I nod and smile so she inclines into me so that we can start kissing. She leads in with her tongue along my lips. I touch the tip of her tongue with my own, snaking inside her mouth before we are done. She starts murmuring, deepens our kiss, and begins rubbing my nipples. "Vivian?" Valarie says softly. She snuck around the bed to settle behind my guardian. "Yes?" Vivian replies. She is on her side watching Barbie Lynn and I. "I, umm, Valarie moans. Out of the corner of my eye I catch it as Val's hand brushes Vivian's hair off her neck and her lips start suckling on the exposed flesh. Vivian closes her eyes briefly but doesn't move Valarie away. "Oh, Baby," Barbie pants with barely an inch separating our lips, "I know I say this often but I so love this. You tear me up inside and I want it so bad all the time, it scares me." "Vaginal sex with you scares me," I tease back. "Will it be even better?" she draws in an even deeper, breast flaunting breath. "You never know, but you are so damn good at everything else, I can't imagine you doing anything but haunting my dreams forever," I say, as I coax her movements with my hands on her hips, flanks, and thighs. Barbie shows her appreciation by running her hand through my bangs and pushing my hair back so that she can cover my forehead, eyes and nose with kisses. "You like that romantic shit, don't you, Mercy-slut?" Rio grumbles playfully from the other side. "Yes," Mercy whispers. I know Rio well enough to know that when a spiteful reply isn't immediately forthcoming, she's dusting off (and unchaining) her Better Angel. Mercy is looking at Barbie Lynn and me, her head facing sideways as she lies on her back. Rio crawls on top of Mercy, prompting Mercy to open her legs, and locks her hands over her head to gaze down on her. "Your skin is so pure, your hair so black, and your eyes so full of passion, it breaks my heart to look at you, My Little Whore," Rio begins. She leans in and bites Mercy's earlobe, causing her victim to moan and buck up slightly. "Mercy, you give and give, making me so hot inside that I want to grab you and never let go." "Really?" Mercy gasps. "I, " "Don't get used to this," Rio growls with famished sexual enticement. "But, well, I want you to know that I hope all our children look just like you." Poor Rio was running out of material. It was terribly uncomfortable for me to show her where to go. I ran my hands over Barbie's body, which is an absolute torture I am forced to struggle through repeatedly. I start by massaging Barbie Lynn's tits, rotating three fingers over the nipples before rolling up the whole meaty breast in my palms. Barbie Lynn starts pushing back on my cock harder and grunting to the rhythm. "Damn, Mercy," Rio teases, "I love these titties." She accentuates by sucking the top third of one breast into her mouth and twirling her tongue around it. Vivian gives a visible shiver from her side of the bed; Valarie has done something to her beneath the sheets to turn her on. In the interim while I have been watching Rio and Mercy, Valarie has been working over Vivian, temple to shoulder, with her lips. Now I see Vivian pulling up her left (upper) leg until it is resting snugly against my upper ribs, giving someone easier access to her snatch. She's also put her left arm behind her back between herself and Valarie. I'm starting to wonder if there is something in the air filters of my place, some undiscovered aphrodisiac mold, fungi, or spores that turns nice, virtuous girls into promiscuous bi-sexual vixens. To the best of my knowledge and belief, neither Valarie nor Vivian had the slightest lesbian tendencies before they started coming to my room. I give Barbie Lynn's luscious orbs one final squeeze before migrating my hold down to her ass, giving each cheek a double-slap. Barbie Lynn exhales a huff of ecstatic relief as the impact travels through her. Rio smirks and follows suit, her hand reaching between their thighs, prying Mercy's leg up, up and up until Mercy's knee is nearly at her breast. "Your body is the first female form that I've ever lusted after," Rio murmurs as she rubs and pats Mercy's buttocks. "I think I've always wanted you, to taste you on my tongue, your scent strong in my mind and your sweet, sweet ass under my hand." Mercy brings one hand up to stroke Rio's cheek as she gives a strangled sob. No matter how much Mercy fears loving a woman, Rio can chisel that away and get her to love openly and freely. Barbie Lynn bounces up and slams down on me repeatedly as she is coming to the end of her fuse. "Zane, Zane, oh yeah," she pants. Vivian chooses this moment to sneak her climax in on the rest of us. I am vaguely aware of her biting her lip, rocking her hips under the sheets, and perspiration beginning to bead on her lower lip. "Holy God, Christ, and, my, hot damn, Val, ugh, Oh, God!" Vivian squeals as Valarie vigorously whips her hand in a tight pattern, cloaked from sight but obvious to the knowledgeable. Vivian's clit, lips, and the gateway to her cunt are all supers-stimulated. Valarie cools her down and holds her with enough strength to stop Vivian from rolling face-first into the sheets. "Jesus Loves Me!" Barbie Lynn screams one last time. Her body bows, her breasts thrust forward and up, bouncing so deliciously while her thighs tremble in climax. Her anal muscles rippling from sphincter toward my cockhead are grinding me toward orgasm. Finally, she collapses against me, still twitching and fighting for breath. With my arms wrapped around her, I roll us over toward Mercy and Rio, placing Barbie Lynn on her back. Barbie Lynn has her legs pulling back before I can even move to push them back. While I had never fully pulled out, I was nearly there. I shove my hips forward, forcing my cock back in hard, causing Barbie Lynn to grunt, her mouth to gape open, nostril flaring, as her eyes squeeze shut. "Oh, hell, yeah," Barbie Lynn gasps, "hammer me!" "Oh, fuck," Valarie moans, "I am so lonely." Vivian is still roaming her hands over Valarie's special place, picking up the pace as she's inspired by Barbie Lynn's passion. Rio expresses her perverse nature by going at Mercy slow while the rest of us are going gangbusters. "Here is my baby-smooth, tasty friend," Rio says as she kisses Mercy's bald twat. Rio pushes her thighs apart, her leg muscles taught while laying on the bed. Rio's restraint could only last so long. Every lick became more insistent, every nibble elicited a greater yelp, and every hip-thrust by Mercy into Rio's hungry mouth was more desperate. Valarie gives off one long, cavernous growl, then screams in between Vivian's shoulder blades. "Damn," Vivian whispers, as a sympathetic orgasmic shiver coasts through her body. I'm pushing up on my knuckles, Barbie Lynn's legs between them as I rise up until my bulbous head is fixed in her sphincter; then I slam down once more. She's rocking her hips up to maximize the depths I reach as she cries out, again and again and again. When I finally let go, I feel a volcano of lust, frustration, and fulfillment exploding out all at once. Barbie Lynn's head sways rapidly side to side as she comes unglued. "Zane, Jesus loves me, Jesus Loves Me!" she howls loud enough to shake the glass panels overhead. Those words ringing in my ears are going to haunt me in whatever church I go to. "Ugh, ugh, ugh, Love, right there, feels so good," Mercy drags out with shallow breathes. "Umm, Rio gurgles. Mercy has gotten quite wet and visibly aroused. I'm sure Rio has worked a finger or two into the action and in Mercy's ass. Mercy starts bouncing off the sheets as she hisses out the last of her restraint. "Mother-fucker-god-damn!" Mercy cries out. Rio growls, slurps, and sucks up Mercy's cunt juice while lapping up and down her slit. "That's my baby," Rio's fluid-marked face looks up from between Mercy's legs and smiles. "Was that good for you?" Rio asks? Mercy nods dreamily. "Are you a happy little whore?" Rio teases. Again, Mercy nods with pleasure. "Did you use the 'L' word, Ass-fuck slut?" Rio hardens. This time Mercy realizes her mistake and shudders. She raises her head and looks into Rio's eyes. "Yes. I'm sorry, Rio," Mercy mumbles. "Sorry isn't going to cut it this time, Bitch," Rio sneers. "Tomorrow morning you are going to get it coming and going, all day long." I am actually aware of what that threat means. "Okay," Vivian sighed, with more contentment than annoyance, "we've all cum so let's try and get some sleep." "I haven't gotten off yet," Rio chuckled. I knew what I had to do before someone else volunteered my services. "Come here, Rio." I smile to her and extend a hand. "Let me get another taste of my best bro." "I'll clean you up," Barbie Lynn grins up at me, as she wiggles her body around my own so she's on top again. She slithers down my torso, waggles my still mostly hard cock against her lips, then begins to take it into her mouth. Barbie Lynn's tongue licks along my shaft as she gobbles up more of my rod. I expect Rio to come over but Mercy, following along and lying on her belly, her head propped up on her hands and elbows as she watches my blonde angel's skilled fellatio, is a bonus. Rio ends up near my pillow, one hand on my chest and the other resting between Mercy's ass cheeks. Her fingers are definitely sliding in and out of Mercy's cunt. If Mercy is a bit sore, she's smart enough not to complain to her Mistress about it. "What do you have in mind, Zane?" Rio catches my gaze. "I want your teeth tearing up the mattress with your ass up in the air as I plow you through the headboard," I inform her. I make a focus group assessment of the situation by slipping a finger into her cunt, she's creaming already. For Rio, the greater physicality of the sex, the better it is for her. She'll let me have my foreplay and some good loving, but she goes wild over the raw, brutal act of sex itself. "I think you are ready to put that smile on her face," Barbie Lynn taunts Rio as she informs me she's finished. "Come with me," Barbie Lynn turns to Mercy. "My nipples need some attention. Can you do that for me?" After checking with Rio, Mercy gives a hungry look and lick of the lips at Barbie Lynn. Barbie crawls over Mercy to land on her back on the far side. Mercy twirls around and latches on to Barbie Lynn's left breast with such rapidity, it momentarily causes my visage to blur. "I want some of that," Valarie suddenly blurts out. She makes her own quick trek around Rio and me as we are still positioning ourselves to come swooping down on Barbie Lynn's right side. The right nipple disappears into our school biker girl's mouth with a decidedly audible smacking of the lips. Val's hand starts to stroke the inside of Barbie Lynn's thigh but Mercy's free hand reaches over and starts tweaking Valarie's closest nipple. Yes, I definitely must check the air filters. Rio resumes her sensually crawl my way and I give her a beguiling look to lure her in. I'm on her in a flash once she's close enough for me to make my move. She screeches like an alley cat but I've got a hand on the back of her head and the other on her hip as I slam her face first into the pillow. "Bastard," she screams through the fabric, but she's not following through with the anger. "Give it up, Bitch," I snarl back. My cock slides full-throttle all the way into her cunt on the first pass. Her cunt feels like slick, melted butter as I bottom out in her hole. At the same time, I let up on her head a bit. "Oh, fucking-A," Rio gasps. "Did someone sneak a gerbil up behind me or is it Needle-cock pretending he's a man?" I give her another powerful slam. "Oh, fuck, stop that." "What? Too much for the bitch whose had it all?" I tease Rio. "I swear, if I spit up, my ovaries," she chokes, "we are, going to have, words." "Words like I'm the best fuck you've ever had'?" I taunt Rio between packing her cunt as full and deep as I can. She's squealing and moaning yet thrusting back strongly against me all the way. I move my hand off Rio's hip and take hold of a breast, squeezing and torturing the nipple. She's snarling like a wounded tigress now. She possesses no acceptance of defeat, no surrender to exhaustion, and no fear of pain; in fact, what we are doing is a turn-on. I'm actually becoming beaten up by all the impact of my hips against Rio's ass. Within ten minutes, her fluids are all over her crotch and mine and she's actually starting to dribble down her thighs and onto the mattress. "Zane, don't forget she's your friend," Vivian sounds worried. "Shut, up," gasps Rio, violently and with passion. This is what Rio craves right now, a brutal fucking, and she's not going to be denied by Vivian's compassionate sensibilities. "Ah, fuck me, fuck me, break me, you bastard," Rio pants. "Hammer me, Bitch!" she screams, and that's all she can take. She has some sort of seizure, thrashing and pulsating all over the place. For the second time tonight I'm shooting my seed into a woman; this time Rio's cunt. I plunder Rio's barely responsive form for several more savage thrusts until I'm spent, collapsing with my full mass on top of her, which is not my normal form but I want Rio to feel warm and encompassed by me at this moment. I make sure that some of my weight is taken onto my knees and elbows so I don't suffocate my crazy best friend. "Zane," Rio pants a half-minute later, "that vice-like bump you were feeling with that horse-cock of yours, " "Yes?" I respond softly. I pull her hair out of her face as she turns it to the side so she can speak clearly. "That was my cervix, dumbass," she giggles. "Next time I want my uterus scrubbed, I'll call a fucking gynecologist." "Hardy-har-har," I chuckle. "Doing it with a Princess Barbie Pony Action Figure doesn't qualify as bestiality, you bimbo, and it certainly doesn't give you horse-cock experience." "Rio, you are kind of gross," Vivian chastises my buddy. "Thank you," Rio pants, "I knew you cared." "Behave, Rio, and next time it's going up your ass," I murmur into Rio's ear. "Oh, that's just cold, Bro," Rio pouts as she wiggles her tight ass against my semi-flaccid cock. "A person uses the threat of denying anal sex to a girl as a means of enforcing polite behavior," Vivian ponders as she flops on her back and stares up at the stars through the glass ceiling. "Worse, it makes sense to me. What has happened to my life?" "Rio, are you okay?" Mercy whispered. Rio turns her head the other way to address her lover: "My cunt is numb, my hips feel dislocated, I'll be pulling pillow fiber out of my teeth for a week, and I think he bruised a nipple, I feel fucking awesome." "I'd ask Zane to do it to me again but I know Vivian would choke me out," Rio snickers. "I know what I am going to do, though: In the morning I'm going to have Zane pounding your ass as hard as he fucked me right now so I can hear you cry and scream." "Um, okay," Mercy answered, trying not to sound too anxious. "Damn," Valarie mutters. "I hate being a virgin, and I'll pimp slap the first one who suggests anal sex. All I want to do is get laid without the repercussions." No one said anything for a minute. "I'll help with that," Barbie Lynn and I volunteered almost at the same time. "Bed," Vivian laid down the law. Thankfully, the rest of us were too tired to argue. POWER PLAYFULNESS At our five a.m. wake up, I swept up Valarie into a six-nine, her on top. Barbie quickly got behind Val and began licking my nose, the back of Val's cunt, and teasing her butthole with tiny probes. At first our biker babe resisted and grumbled with her mouth around my cock, but Barbie Lynn was as relentless as she was sensually enticing. Val returned the surprise by slamming her thighs together as the dam of her sexual frustration burst; she clamped her thighs tightly on my head and bucked so hard she bounced us off the bed as she screamed. There were no words to it; the scream was primal, violent and somewhat frightening. The other remarkable thing was that Barbie Lynn retained her hold on Valarie's ass cheeks and kept tongue-fucking Val's anus. Valarie's mouth had released my cock seconds before orgasm. She gave it an occasional swipe of the tongue until her last orgasmic quivers stopped. I motioned for Barbie to let up and when she did, Valarie collapsed beside me. "Oh," Valarie panted, "that was good. That should tide me over until lunch time." "Showers, everyone," Vivian reminded us. There were a few groans but cleanliness was an inevitable bonus for all of us, and Rio, if we bundled her up and took her squirming, griping form with us. Rio gained a measure of revenge by announcing to my shower buddies that I had an unresolved morning blowjob begging for attention. Brandi elbowed two girls aside to bend over at the waist and take me in. Opal was kind enough to stroke Brandi's kitty from behind, getting us off almost at the same time. Opal gave me several finger scoops of Brandi's nectar to slake my sexual thirst. I was busy getting a taste of Opal with a bonus clitoris massage when Iona dragged me away. Outside the showers, I bent down, wrapped my arms beneath Iona's towel-clad posterior, and lifted her up so that she was looking down at me. "Thank you," I smiled at her. "You've always got my back." "You are welcome," she beamed happiness back down at me, "and it is my pleasure, Zane. Do you think we can go motorcycle shopping Thursday?" "Sure, that won't be, oh fuck, it's Wednesday," I gasped. I realized I had confused Iona. "I told Erin I would call her Monday and totally lost track, of a woman," I blinked. "I don't think that's ever happened before." "You have a ton of things going on," Iona comforted me while hovering above me still. "I think she'll understand." "Thanks again, Iona," I sighed as I let her slide down my body. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" she asked. "Of course," I grinned. "Are you going to give me your scrumptious behind?" Iona's smile grew even brighter. "You will have to wait and see," she teased me before racing off to her room. I made my way up to my room for a short workout and a few minutes meditating. I was peripherally aware of Paige coming into my room and rummaging around (i.e., she wanted me to know she was there without noticeably ruining my concentration). The main distraction was Rio and Mercy getting dressed. They had both long since moved all their belongings into my place; that wasn't a problem because of the massive space I had. The problem was, it is insane to put two pseudo-lesbian young lovers who are new to their relationship into a space where they are constantly tantalized by each other's naked or scantily clad bodies. Mercy couldn't resist reaching out shyly and touching Rio's lesser erogenous zones. Rio couldn't resist bending Mercy over the bed, licking her from behind, and/or spanking her, just a few taps but that hardly helped them get their clothes on. Today, Rio added the extra complication of inserting a vibrating ass plug into Mercy's ass and taping a vibrating egg against her clit. She was finishing up the work when I felt a glimmer of evil intellect enter my mind. "Hey, Rio, why don't you do the same thing?" I suggested. "Are you going to ring my bell?" she teased me. "No. I actually thought you would share with Mercy," I clarified. "Share what?" Valarie questioned as she entered the room. "They are each going to have a vaginal and anal stimulation device, theoretically with the other having the controlling mechanism," Paige stated. She held up two pairs of bra & panties for me to examine, gossamer peach bow-knot or strawberry crotchless/cupless. "I don't know, Babe," I mused. "I'd have to see you naked to make a determination." "You've seen me naked, my Boy-toy," Paige gave a wicked turn of the lip. "I, I have no recollection of it," I confessed. "Maybe it was that blow Rio gave me upside my head. I guess I need to see your nude, nubile form once more." "Oh, my poor baby," Paige pouted. "Someone as helpless as you cannot afford to lose any of your already inadequate brain power. I really should help you out." She was knee crawling up the bed, unbuttoning her shirt. When she was only a few feet in front of me, she sat down and worked her skirt off as well. She wasn't naked; she still had her knee-high socks on. "You really ought to cover those little boobies up," Rio taunted Paige. "Someone is going to think Zane has a middle-schooler up here." Paige's head turned and I could feel her anger, but before she could spew forth her vitriol, I latched on hungrily to her closest teat and sucked it in on one gulp. Paige gasped and thrust her body against me. Soon her hands were running through my hair as I soaked up her tender flesh and swelling nipple. I also stroked my hands down her body. My left hand drifted from right below her suckled breast, along her smooth, flat stomach, before dropping south until I cupped her sex. My right hand went down the ribs and around to her ass. I weighed and fondled her small yet firm buttocks, then reached between her cheeks and rubbed over her sphincter without pressuring it. "Paige," I said quietly as I released her nipple, "today go with the peach." "Umm, maybe I will," Paige teased me with a nibble to my neck, "after all, there are a very few things you are good at, and female sexiness is one of them." "Paige?" I continued. She was a little more suspicious now. Our relationship had always been rocky. "I appreciate you giving me some space the last few days," I thanked her. "It has really helped me get my head on straight." Paige's eyes lit up once more. She had sacrificed (in her mind), and I had noticed and was grateful. "I'm surprised you noticed," she started to say, then abruptly softened. "You mean a lot to me, you really do." I put my hands on each side of her jaw and pulled her into close face-to-face contact. "Paige, bouncy, bouncy," I whispered into her ear. Paige gasped slightly and twisted her head to make eye contact, looking somewhat expectant. "Meet me for lunch and I'm going break that ass open," I taunted her quietly. Rocky the squirrel must have snuck up on me and then clubbed me with Bullwinkle the Moose because her response was, "Okay," while she looked at me with a mixture of fear and lust. "Are you sure?" I was curious. "If that is what you really want," Paige responded. "Oh, I don't want to do it until you feel ready, Paige. We'll wait," I confessed. "I will have to think of something else to do with you at lunch today." All Paige did was grin in a very mysterious way. She held that look until Valarie put a hand on each ass cheek and pulled them apart. This time, someone had snuck up on Paige. "Hey!" Paige gasped. "What are you doing?" "Encouraging you to get dressed," Valarie chuckled. "Otherwise, Zane and I are going to slip one finger into your pretty little cunt and rub them in and out like a buzz-saw. Then we will smear your juices over your face and force you to go to breakfast smelling like sex." My girls really need to work on their 'discouraging' speeches. "I should get dressed," Paige hiccupped with reluctance. "Peaches, got it." Paige scurried away and began dressing while eyeing Valarie and me. "Oh, yeah," I joked with Valarie, "that terrified her." "Ask her about the party; then it will make sense," Valarie snickered. In the annals of female migration through my bedroom, Vivian wasn't really sneaking up on anyone, but her presence didn't send up shockwaves of alarm either. "Zane, we need to be heading out soon," she greeted me. She greeted Valarie by putting a hand on her shoulder and rubbing it. Quickly enough, Paige got dressed, Rio and Mercy got their acts together, and we gathered up Iona, Barbie Lynn, Brandi and Opal before heading down to join the rest of feminine humanity that constituted my dorm. My old (way back in Chapter 3) buddy Easter Valentine had me rate the top ten Christian Rock bands which was made much more difficult by my utter disbelief that there was actually something called Christian Rock, color me biased. Breakfast passed uneventfully, as did Assembly, before things began happening. First off, I touched base with Erin now that she was most likely awake. "Hey Erin, this is Zane," I started off, "and I am so sorry that I blanked on my promise to call you. Can I make it up to you and Gerry?" "Oh,um,okay, I guess," she drew me out. "What do you have in mind?" That was a good question; what was I going to do to make it up to them? "Have you ever heard of the SYFY network?" I asked. "Sure, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Being Human, and Lost Girl," she answered. "Saturday night they are showing Ice Spiders versus Snow Beast, I know, great title; right? And I'd like it if you two would come over to my house, get some pizza, and watch it with me," I offered. "Let me think about it, yeah, we'd be glad to come by and eat something," I could feel her grin coming through the airwaves. "Okay, one more question; how do you feel about three-ways?" "I've never been part of one but I'm willing to give it a try," Erin sighed happily, "if I must." "It's a date, then," I agreed, and after trading 'goodbye's', I hung up and caught my crew gathering outside. As I made my approach I saw Heaven give me a look and a smile then turn on Rio. "Handmaiden's Duty, Rio," Heaven beamed maliciously. "What do you want, you old cow?" Rio sneered right back. "Give me your controllers." Heaven grinned as she held out her hand to Rio. Mercy gulped (the two boxes controlled her vibrators) and Rio looked stunned. "Hand them over." Technical Mercy would have been immune, except it was Rio with her controllers. "How?" Rio mumbled. She looked around for support but found some sympathetic eyes, not comrades in arms. She angrily slapped Heaven's palm as she handed them over. Heaven handed those two small white devices to Hope, then reached out toward Rio once more. "Give me the ones Mercy is holding for you, too," Heaven snickered. Rio snarled before motioning for Mercy to hand them over to her. In short order, she handed those over to Heaven as well. "I'll be expecting those back at ten o'clock (one hour from now)," Rio growled. "Of course," Heaven chuckled. "I'll see you then, Sweet-cheeks." "God damn it," Rio leaned into me and whispered, "who, ah, hmm, betrayed me?" Apparently, someone was playing with her controllers. By the way Mercy developed a little tremble and a blissful smile, someone was having a go at her too. "I swear to God, it wasn't me," I shrugged. "Well, it wasn't Iona, she'd never do that to Mercy," Rio mused, then, "Paige! That little cunt did this to me." "I don't know if she did it or not," I pleaded, "but please don't kill her." Rio was several seconds in responding as she wobbled slightly and skipped a step. "Two fucking vibrators," Rio glared at me. "What were you thinking?" "Liking it?" I teased. "Love it," Rio gasped. "Mercy?" "Mumph," Mercy gasped. Added to the smile on her lips, I had to see that as an affirmative. Ms.  Goodswell's class was good but what came afterwards was far more amusing. "What do you mean, you traded them to some random upperclassmen?" Rio snarled. "Oh, I had to explain what they did. When I told them they were inside you, they jumped at the chance," Hope nodded serenely to the furious Rio. "How am I, oh, oh, oh, yeah, supposed to get them back?" Rio fumed. "Maybe they will run out of power soon," Mercy put a positive spin on things. "I put long-life batteries in those bitches this morning," Rio grumbled. "They can go for 24 hours of continuous use." "I insisted that they be returned to Zane at nine this evening," Christina said in a detached manner. "I swear, I'm going to tie down all you bitches one weekend and then we will see who's so superior," Rio seethed; "Dildos and lube all around. Arrgh," Rio growled. She staggered over to the closest wall and put her hand against it to stop from falling over. "Some whore just discovered the '10' setting," she gasped. "I was going to say something cruel," Hope stated, "but now it would be redundant." "Rio and Mercy, stay hydrated," Chastity suggested. "I'll pick you up between classes to, decrease your difficulties." "Thanks, Chastity," I patted her arm. "Heaven and I will watch after Mercy," Christina chimed in; being surprisingly helpful to someone she had shown no interest in before now. Christina was all about responsibility and since this was Heaven's stunt (or so it seemed), she was doing 'the right thing'. "Classes everyone," Vivian insisted. Thankfully I had one capable adult in my life. I hoped that me turning her into a vibrant bi-sexual didn't change that. Today I received an hour's warning of my lunch appointment with Doctor Victoria Scarlett, our beloved Vice-Chancellor. I let Paige know that I had to postpone our get-together. "It is good to see you, she was going to say 'Mr. Braxton' but she was sensitive to my preferences, ", Zane. How are things going on this first full day of our experiment?" "Well, Doctor Scarlett, let me say that you are even more deftly beautiful than you are deceptively manipulative," I countered. "As to your question, my efforts to corrupt your intentions precede a pace." She smiled, shook her head, and walked around the table, stopping when she was in front of my chair-bound form. "Come now; the tribal elections have begun. Seven leaders have been named and the rest of the tribes should do the same tonight," she informed me. "What were you able to accomplish yesterday?" Oh, so that was today's tune. I stood up and cupped her facial cheeks. "What do you think you are doing?" Victoria Scarlett mumbled. I pressed in and kissed her, leading by example as opposed to words. Her hands pressed against me. She wasn't shoving so I didn't stop. Victoria didn't even make a token effort to keep her mouth shut, though her tongue refused to play an overly active part in my French kiss. My hands didn't wander and my body didn't thrust against her. "I think I'm working out our relationship, your Kahina to my Pelagius," I responded, our faces only inches apart. Victoria rested her hands on my hips so I placed mine on her shoulders. "Kahina, have you been reading my works?" she smiled far too seductively. You would figure that a dedicated, righteous Christian theoretician would have body proximity issues. Not Victoria, damn it. "The only things hotter than smart, sexy chicks are smart, sexy, and sensually lethal chicks," I allowed. "This could be construed as sexual harassment or inappropriate sexual behavior," Doctor Scarlett grinned, all bold and gracious. "A 'no' on your part would suffice," I assured her. "Not you, Zane; me," she corrected me. "You are my student, after all, and my hands are on your hips." I arched an eyebrow; she kept smiling so I went back in for a kiss. Three minutes later I had worked over her lips, eyelids, cheeks, jawline, and the left side of her neck, and it was getting me nowhere except closer to a sexual-deprivation induced coma. "Damn, you are good," I panted. "I think this is something we need to work through first before we can constructively move on," she related patiently. She was trying to break me with her highly developed self-control. I had to figure out what the hell I was doing wrong. Overt sexual contact, breasts, buttocks, pubic area, was off-limits, or was it? Lingerie; why did Scarlett wear racy lingerie? I slipped my arms around Victoria's waist and pulled her off the desk and into me. I caught a slight, over-confident smirk on her lips. We started kissing again, Scarlett somewhat passively, as always, and me out to disguise my intentions. She didn't protest when my fingers wandered below the beltline or when I traced out the very risqu lines of her panties. Fighting the urge to yank them up and make her squirm, I languidly let my fingers dig into her skirt and hook the bottom elastic of her panties, then slowly wiggled the fabric gently. She gave me a few uninterrupted seconds before I sensed her inner struggle begin; did she stop me and give me this round in the struggle, a psychological edge over her, or did she see if she could tough it out. She went with the spiritual resistance. Once I had my fingers inside, I could move freely forward and back. I avoided the cunt and the bottom of her ass. I was able to make the bottom of her panties a very tight fit, allowing the thrumming of my tugs to vibrate along her most sensitive spots. Victoria's nostrils flared, her breath caught, and after a daring but futile attempt to distract me with her tongue, she broke our lip embrace and put her head on my shoulder. I immediately stopped what I was doing and waited for her to speak. "Oh, this is not good," she muttered to herself. Then after a pause, "Thank you for stopping. How did you know what to do?" "Where to begin," I answered. "You are beautiful, passionate, and a woman who appreciates fine fabrics on your skin. I stopped because I'll fight you with every tool I can, but I won't violate you," I added. Victoria looked up into my eyes. "You see me as Kahina?" she changed the subject. "You have this tragic, fervent yet noble character that charges with a burning blade into the face of adversity," I waxed romantic. "The last Christian Queen of the Berbers who, when faced with the inevitability of her defeat, sent her sons to the enemy for their protection while she sought death in battle against the Islamic invaders." "I'm not very martial," she countered. "Ah, but in the Greco-Roman culture our faith grew up in, you would be considered a Patrician's daughter, versed in Socrates and Virgil as well as St. Augustine," I made my argument. "Besides, martial valor is in the job of the tribesmen; it is the job of the Queen to provide leadership, hopefully in the right direction. You are a smart damn cookie so the comparison is apt." "Thank you." She then pursued her agenda. "What have you been up to?" "I'm creating a democratic system with your tribal leaders as the parliament, a selected group of girls to become judges, and another group to become enforcers of the rule of law," I responded. "Technically, I remain the guy at the top of the pyramid, so that's a victory for you." Her look told me I hadn't made an end-run around her Grand Plan, which was pretty unsettling. I was missing something. "Why do you let me put my hands on you?" I questioned. "I can't take pleasure in the mannerisms of a proficient young man?" she countered. "Care to prove that?" I challenged. I had her in a minor trap of her own connivance. "Very well," she bowed with a smile on her lips. "Turn around and lean over your desk, if you dare?" I directed. She accepted my orders and did as requested. I knelt down behind her and placed my hands on her ankles before rubbing upward in slow but strong finger-furrows. I teased my way up to her stocking line, grinding the silk hose into her skin, making her flesh shiver from the stimulation. I had her trembling by the time I migrated upwards to the elastic at the top of the stocking, past the garter, and onto her pliant warm thigh. As I brushed against the tuck of her butt-cheek and thigh, Victoria moaned. "Stop," she whispered. "Do you really want me to stop," I inquired, "or do you want me to stop before you reveal something?" I ceased my activities, waiting on her reply. "You know the answer," she panted briefly. I moved off and up, placing my hands on her shoulders and pulling her back up to my chest. "Can you promise me to consider the possibility that a woman wants something outside the realm of motherhood and spiritual purity?" I suggested. Doctor Scarlett turned around while remaining in my grasp. "The body may feel a certain way but you must resist those impulses from the Devil," she told me. "Fortunately, you are the only one on campus that can elicit such response." "Huh? Seriously, I can only imagine the kind of sexual trouble the women on campus can get into, unless you don't believe in Sapphic impulses either," I grinned. "Homosexuality is a myth," Victoria stated firmly. "There are misdirected desires and abnormal passions, but men don't lie with men and women don't lie with women, except as a perversion of the normal, natural order of things." Oh, here we go again, I groaned. "I hate that you would think that way. It stands in opposition to God's Love in my eyes and portrays you as a weak creature given over to the Devil's lure of fearing, hating, and even denying what is mostly a good thing, namely, compassion for one another," I sighed. "How can you have compassion for instincts you can hardly understand?" she posed. "I've been with men before," I informed her; "on more than one occasion." "What?" Victoria was stunned. She struggled to get away from my arms and I let her. "You have such a strong ardor for so many female students. How can you be tricked into perverse practices?" On the bright side, I'd finally gotten under her cool exterior; on the downside, I had shaken her faith in me. "Can I incite a rational moment, please?" I said calmly. She was halfway around the desk when she stopped and nodded. "Okay," the Vice-Chancellor responded with a careful edge. "How am I any different than the man you thought me to be two minutes ago?" I led off. "I certainly liked your body and you appeared to appreciate the touches I gave you. How does anything I did with anyone else before touching you matter? You are very attractive to me. Am I now repulsive to you?" "Those are multiple questions," Victoria seemed suddenly weary. "You are the same person you were a minute ago, but I had forgotten that you are a boy, not a man, and boys have infatuations with unusual, rebellious ideas. With your Father dead, it seems you were rudderless. You are definitely not repulsive to me. I admire you, but you also reveal yourself to be immature. Would you please leave? I need to reconsider some things." "No," I replied. "No? No, you won't leave, or no, I've committed some grievous error?" she inquired. "You believe I'm a boy, you don't believe in homosexuality," I answered, though I fondly day-dreamed of Victoria and Barbie Lynn, or Hudson Lane, the school lawyer, in a lesbian tryst, "but I don't want your newfound doubts in me making you change, specifically how you treat yourself." "You want me to keep wearing lingerie," she sliced to the heart of the matter. "It is a simple pleasure you allow yourself, the only one I can detect. I will certainly be a source of displeasure for you in the future; don't let me do you harm over my careless confession," I pleaded. "My indulgence is a form of weakness," she argued. "Wrong," I fought back. "It is a 'fuck you' to temptation. It makes you stronger. Doctor Scarlett, I have never had a woman hold out as long as you did this afternoon. If you change the way you dress, then I win and you lose because I've proven you don't have faith in your own convictions." Victoria was contemplative for a moment, frowning, then slowly letting a smile win out. "Come here," she beckoned. I came up and she kissed me, not a fevered rush but a smooth, subtle thing, driven by curiosity more than passion. "You are going to require more work than I imagined," she eventually commented. "Have you forgiven me?" I asked. "Have I returned to being a good boy?" "Yes and yes." "Does this mean I can cop a feel? Ya know, a freebie?" I hoped. She kept looking up at me as she studied my features. "You are going to be a whole lot of work, Zane," she answered, "and no, no free fondling of my private parts." I growled up at the ceiling. "Damn it, woman," I snarled. "Stop trying to break me to your will." "Mr. Braxton," she patted me on the cheek, "I have no idea what you are talking about." Yeah, right. We ve Come So Far The Festivities Committee broke up once more. I was helping Mrs. Jaspers to her car since she'd taken a tumble in her home and her ankle was a bit sore. I had to return to the conference room to find my usual crowd of women overstaying the meeting, Mrs. Sahara Penny, Kendra Bainbridge, and Rochelle Wellington. "Hello, Kendra. Those frills around your collar are very enticing to the eye," I jibed. "Did you come tonight with some ulterior motive?" "No!" she snapped. "I am not that kind of woman." "Technically, if you've had children, you are that kind of woman," Sahara chimed in. "I am not a fornicator," Kendra defended herself. "No one said you were," Rochelle smiled at her rival's discomfort. "All Zane did was give you a compliment and a gentle teasing." "After his 'date' with the Reverend's wife, I am not sure any of us can be considered safe from Mr. Braxton's intentions," Kendra spat. Sahara's laugh was musical. "Yes, Kendra, I was positively scandalized that Zane would approach me with such blasphemous intentions as the Gospel of Judas, Pistis Sophia, and the origins of God's true word," Sahara grinned too sweetly. "I am sure that is what was on his mind," Kendra insinuated. She was probably coming to regret being tricked into talking to the Preacher's wife. "What would that be?" Rochelle prodded. Kendra's mouth gaped. "Well, we all know what Mr. Braxton is up to at school," she rebounded snootily. "Oh, so you have seen his website," Sahara pointed out. Kendra turned a deep shade of red. "Well, I, with everything going on," she sputtered, "we need to know how to keep our daughters safe." "Oh, Kendra, I agree," Rochelle smiled my way. "I think we can all agree that young Ms. Masters (Barbie Lynn) was lucky to escape Zane's clutches." "Yes," Sahara added sternly, "apparently she's been lucky on a nightly basis." Hey, now! Why is everybody picking on me? Half the time she's on top. "You make it sound like she enjoys, that, what he does to her," Kendra fought back. "Yes," sighed Sahara, "I can understand how horrible it must be to be crying out God's name while having sex." "Several times a night," Rochelle added. "I have such sympathy for the poor girl." "You do know that it is plausible Ms. Masters seeks me out for our mutual enjoyment," I groused. "After all, it's my bedroom and my shower we are seen in." "The Devil is known to be a great seducer," Kendra countered. "You've lured her into debauched behavior." "Oh, well, Kendra, you are on to me. I guess my deep-seated lust for you will remain unquenched," I groaned. "That's not fair," Rochelle chided me. "You are neither a tool of the Devil nor prone to give up on anything you desire, so apologize to Kendra for the sarcasm." "I apologize for making light of your concerns, Mrs. Bainbridge," I nodded toward Kendra. "Very well," Kendra snorted. "Perhaps counseling with Pastor William would do you some good." Oh, like that was going to happen; I was right in ol' Bill's preferred age range and gender. Added to that, I had sort of threatened to have him murdered for threatening Sahara Monday night. "I would prefer to be guided by someone I didn't have a desire to toss out of a fast moving aircraft," I allowed myself to say. Kendra gasped, Sahara became very still, and Rochelle choked. "Wha-, what makes you say that?" Sahara asked cautiously. "He insulted my Uncle Tim within the hearing of Aunt Jill," I answered. "I really couldn't stand Uncle Tim but would rather put my hand in a garbage disposal than let someone cause her pain. He apologized at that time but I have not forgotten." "Have you ever worried about being a bit too bloody?" Rochelle cautioned me. "I ask a lot out of life; I risk more than most and I accept that the price I pay may be higher," I replied. "I believe in the Rule of Law and I believe in punishing the wicked who attempt to abuse the rules for their own agenda. If the price is blood, then blood it shall be; if I can get a heartfelt repentance instead, so much the better." "Aren't you simply forcing your world view on everyone else?" Rochelle questioned me. "Absolutely," I admitted. "My world view is relatively easy to understand; keep to your word, accept that others will be different, and live and let live. I would prefer that my friends and I be left alone. If I have to use physical force to protect my views, I can live with that." "What of the Christian virtues of forgiveness and 'do no harm'?" Sahara countered. "I make a lousy Christian at times," I looked embarrassed. "You seem to have very little time for Christ in your life," Kendra responded snidely. "Really?" I muse. "I go to church six days a week, I get quizzed on some sort of Bible lore at least twice a day, and I come to this meeting once a week. I know sin is not a balancing act but I think I do some good." "Maybe if you gave less energy to carnal pursuits and more to Christian righteousness, you wouldn't have so many sins to balance," Kendra pronounced. "And here we are, three women of relatively good looks, discussing righteousness and virtue, Kendra," Sahara smiled. Kendra gawked at her. "Yes, I imagine I looked something like you look now when I saw Zane's devious trap Monday night." "What do you mean? We are talking about Zane's sexual lifestyle," Kendra rebutted. "No. You are talking about Zane's sex life; the rest of us are talking about sin, forgiveness, and virtue," Rochelle smiled in a superior manner. "But, but you, both, Kendra stammered. "I asked Zane about his world view," Rochelle corrected. "And I asked him about Christian forgiveness and 'do no harm', as I recall," Sahara smiled sedately. Kendra gaped like a fish out of water. "Yes, but now that I know about Mrs. Bainbridge's obsession with my bedroom antics, I'll make sure to show her more attention," I nodded. "I mean, there is an attraction that mature women possess that girls cannot equal. There was a long silence that followed that statement. "Zane, you wouldn't dare do, all, all of those lewd acts to one of us, would you?" Kendra stuttered. "I can't imagine what would make me refuse consensual sex with anyone in this room," I grinned at her. "But we are married women," Rochelle teased me. "Thus consensual, I don't want to break up a happily married couple but I don't like seeing a woman trapped in a relationship solely because she thinks there are no other options," I explained. "Women deserve to be free, and quite frankly, unhappily married women have built up an exciting reservoir of carnal energy." "Zane, I find it difficult to believe that a young man as kind to this committee as you have been would make us disrobe one article of clothing, run your rough hands over every inch of our bodies, and then force us to perform all kinds of vile sexual acts on and for you," Rochelle kept taunting me. My guess was that she was really pissed on learning her husband was having an affair with one of his employees in the Mayor's office. "You wouldn't do that to Kendra, would you, Zane?" Sahara quizzed me. "What do you mean?" I seemed confused. "She's one of the hottest MILF's in the parish; all the guys in Bible Study say so." "Wha, what?" Kendra gulped. "Milf, Mothers I'd Like to Fornicate with," I told her. "I know that!" Kendra snapped, clearly disoriented and unsure of herself. "Certainly you've noticed the men's eyes follow you around the church every Sunday after service?&

Register here to attend the live virtual event "How to Scale Your Portfolio, with Tenanted Cash Flowing, New Construction Properties" on Thursday, November 13th at 8pm Eastern. Keith introduces a profound life perspective: humans are typically allotted only 30,000 days. What will you do with the days you have left? Every moment not spent building wealth is a moment lost forever. Adam Schroeder, a real estate investment strategist, joins the conversation to talk about current opportunities with new build properties with significant builder incentives and the potential for high appreciation. Resources: Switch to listening to the podcast on the Apple Podcasts or Spotify app, as the dedicated GRE mobile app will be discontinued at the end of the month. Show Notes: GetRichEducation.com/578 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  1-937-795-8989 to speak with a freedom coach Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review"  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— text 'GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript: Keith Weinhold  0:01   Keith, welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, the real estate market is slow when this happens in a cycle. What does it mean to a real estate investor? What type of return can you really expect today? I'll tell you exactly, and you'll be surprised. Learn more about new build properties and why investors often prefer DSCR loans over conventional loans today on get rich education,   Keith Weinhold  0:28   since 2014 the powerful get rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show Host Keith Weinhold writes for both Forbes and Rich Dad advisors and delivers a new show every week since 2014 there's been millions of listener downloads of 188 world nations. He has a list show guests include top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki. Get rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus it has its own dedicated Apple and Android listener phone apps build wealth on the go with the get rich education podcast. Sign up now for the get rich education podcast, or visit get rich education.com   Corey Coates  1:13   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  1:29   Welcome to GRE I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, yes, America's favorite shaved mammal on a microphone is back with you for another wealth building week. Just the talking primate that's heavily mortgaged here. I'm also a landlord still waiting for a security deposit from back in 2018   Keith Weinhold  1:51   Hmm, oh, I'm so into self deprecation today that I forgot about the place names hitting you, from Dover, Delaware to   Keith Weinhold  2:01   Andover, Massachusetts and across 188 nations worldwide, you're listening to get rich education. There's a realization that can sharpen your investor focus when you think about the fact that, in a sense, how little time you are allotted in your life. It's something that I've thought about more. You're only given about 30,000 days. That's the typical lifespan of a human being, and that goes for both shaved mammals and others. Well, you've already spent 1000s of your 30,000. The question is, what are you doing with the rest? At some point, people understand or they better that they need to go out on a limb. There are people less qualified than you living the life you want to live simply because they chose to believe in themselves, and really, that's the moment everything shifts. belief. It's not a feeling. It is a decision backed by action. Too many people learn this lesson the hard way. They discover, often too late, that relying on one income stream is the most dangerous financial plan of all. A job can vanish. Federal Workers found that out amidst a government shutdown, a business model can change. AI can intrude. A paycheck can stop. But when you own assets that pay you month after month, no matter what you're doing, you slowly begin to untether yourself and move toward freedom. And here's the truth about pain and money. Poor and middle class households work for money, so to them, that's why every dollar spent feels like a little loss. It can even hurt, and that is why they hesitate even on opportunities that could change everything. The wealthy, on the other hand, own assets that pay them, so therefore every dollar spent feels like a seed, because it grows when you own enough income property, you can move away from constantly asking yourself, can I afford this? And start asking, What will this investment earn me? Over time, this mindset shift changes everything at that time when other people's money starts working for you, not the other way around.    Keith Weinhold  4:45   And here's the thought experiment I use, take the hourglass of your life and flip it, watch the sand fall. That's time, 30,000 hours, 30,000 grains. That is. Is time the one resource that you cannot get more of. So every day you delay prudently investing the sand does not pause. It just keeps flowing. But you can choose how that time compounds the sand that's left over and hasn't fallen through the neck of the hourglass. Yet that is your opportunity to build multiple income streams from real estate, from ownership and from leverage, it is your chance to replace anxiety with well autonomy. Every family with generational wealth can trace it back to one person, one risk taker who decided to stop trading hours for dollars. They believed in ownership and control. They believed in themselves. They acted before the sand ran out. If you've already started real estate investing, well, then you've already begun to break that cycle. If you've done it for a time, you're going to have more time, more income and more options than you had before. That is worth celebrating and scaling, because the best time to start was yesterday, and the next best time is before the next grain of sand hits the bottom.    Keith Weinhold  6:22   Later today, I'll talk about taking this sentiment and moving it towards something very specific and actionable. Now, in this era, the real estate market is slow. That is in terms of transaction volume, there just aren't as many sales. Sometimes this whole thing feels more sluggish than Jabba the Hutt after Thanksgiving dinner.   Keith Weinhold  6:49   5 million is a typical number of existing homes sold every year in the US. 5 million. That's normal. That's baseline during the pandemic frenzy. It reached over 6 million, and now it's about 4 million. That's why I say that housing transaction volume has slowed, and appreciation is only about 2% that's below historic norms, and rent growth is like barely doing push ups. It's two to 3% in single family homes volume now it has picked up a little here lately with lower mortgage rates, and so have home prices. Redfin now tells us that home price appreciation is 3% but most outlets say 2% some analysts that are more optimistic than me call today's housing market healthy. They don't call it slow. And why is that? Well, it's the healthiest it's been since covid, because now you have a good balance of buyers and sellers. The real estate market isn't so miserably deprived of inventory like it was back in 2022 in 2023 but I am going to go with slow now, as you know, I coined the phrase real estate pays five ways back in 2015   Keith Weinhold  8:09   But how exactly does that hold up in today's slow transaction market? Could an income property buyer's return even be disappointing now? Well, let's do it. Let's determine what you can expect if you purchase an investment property here in these slow market conditions, we'll determine your total rate of return in year one. And you know, this will be sort of like dating someone that's not the first date, but to really get to know them, to know if they're potential spouse material. You want to see them at their worst and be sure that they look good on their bad days. So let's just be conservative and use 2% home price appreciation. Say that you buy a 200k single family rental. Now a 20% down payment means 40k down. Sellers are willing to give you concessions now, say that they're going to pay your closing costs, because the 200k that you're paying is their full asking price, so it's your terms and their price. Well, say that you don't get any cash flow. The rent only covers the expenses exactly. Okay, so we're really painting on a not so pretty picture. Here, it would seem. Here we go, in a slow market, the first of five ways you're paid is that erstwhile appreciation. Your property only appreciates 2% from 200k up to 204k not so exciting, until, of course, as we know around here, you realize that your return is your gain on your skin in the game, your 4k gain divided by your 40k down payment gives you a 10% ROI. There it is leverage. Didn't just show up. It brought donuts. 10% just from the first of five ways you're paid. The second way is cash flow. Say that rent minus your 160k mortgage payment here and your operating expenses, that merely breaks even, like I was saying. So 0% additional return from cash flow. And before we add on numbers three, four and five to get your total rate of return in a slow market, let's take a moment to check on Jabba. How's Jabba doing? No, Jabba still hasn't gotten up from that heavy Thanksgiving dinner. It's still a slow market. We've confirmed that we're going to continue   Keith Weinhold  10:41   the third way you're paid, as any GRE listener knows by now, is with that ROA return on amortization, also known as principal pay down with a 7% mortgage rate in your 160k loan on this property, an amortization table shows you 1625 bucks a tenant made principal pay down. Divide that by your 40k down again, that is another 4% return. All right, so you add that to your 10% from leverage depreciation, and you've now got 14%   Keith Weinhold  11:17   next is your tax benefit. It's a 150k structure value, not the full 200k because raw land can't be depreciated. Multiply that by 3.6% depreciation, that means you've tax sheltered 5400 bucks. That is like a phantom loss that you get to show the IRS. Just a little more math here, and this is as far as you have to stretch it, in visualizing numbers in an audio format at a 24% income tax rate. That is 1296 saved on 40k down again, another 3% for you, and your running total is a 17% ROI before we get to the last one, which is inflation profiting, not inflation hedging, which almost everyone mistakenly says in real estate investing, it is inflation profiting.    Keith Weinhold  12:13   Your 160k loan gets eaten by 4800 bucks at a 3% inflation rate, divided by 40k down. And you know, inflation is usually the villain. Now it is the hero. You've got another 12% from inflation profiting. And here's the sum in this slow market, your total year one rate of return is 29%   Keith Weinhold  12:43   and you're like, my gosh, did that really just happen? Now you might want to skip back on some parts of that to help make it crystallize in your mind. I've got to tell you before I ran these numbers in this slow market with this 2% appreciation and even assuming zero cash flow, I thought your total rate of return would be in the low 20s, not this high, not 29%   Keith Weinhold  13:09   the numbers don't lie. They just don't get enough attention on CNBC.   Keith Weinhold  13:16   Now I did use shorthand and simplify. You would also have to adjust your 29% for inflation, just like you do for any investment. So then about a 26% inflation adjusted return for you. Wow. And if you want to know more about what I just used shorthand on, you can always watch the five videos on the five ways real estate pays for free at getricheducation.com/course that's get richeducation.com/course, the most valuable video course you'll ever see on real estate investing, but a huge investor lesson here, an epiphany today, is that it does not take a high growth market to build wealth. Even when it seems like real estate's half asleep, it can still work five jobs for you, we could be near the nadir of the cycle here.    Keith Weinhold  14:16   Appreciation has picked up in recent months, with mortgage rates being lower than they've been in a while, but even when appreciation and rent growth slows now, you can see that the ROA tax benefit and inflation profiting just keep working overtime. The bottom line here is that income property still pays a lofty 29% if you buy today, even in a slow market, and this is at a time when investors, a lot of them, don't know what to do with their money, since every market type seems to be near an all time high, and people don't want to buy in at those high levels, and savings accounts pay you less than a gumball machine, owning investment property proves its resilience. I mean, this is why we do this. It's kind of like stocks can party with a surge in an upcycle, and then they can bust and boom and bust and boom. But all the while, instead of partying, real estate just keeps its head down and works the night shift for you, your wealth quietly compounds in the background while the rest of the world panics or debates interest rates on LinkedIn or something.    Keith Weinhold  15:33   All right. Well, with that in mind, where can we take advantage of that real estate return and expect to do even better with it, even if the market did stay slow. Well, builders have unsold inventory in places like Texas and Florida, like I mentioned before, and to a lesser extent, in parts of the West as well, but the prices are too high out in the west for a cash flow investor. So today, you can buy at a discount in a way that you absolutely could not during the height of the pandemic.    Keith Weinhold  16:06   A guest and I are going to talk about a specific opportunity in today's market, and then how you can exploit it. The National Association of Homebuilders has even noticed that home flippers have switched gears, and increasingly, what flippers are doing is instead buying new build properties and then renting them out, because new builds have lower upkeep costs come with a lower mortgage rate because the builder is buying it down for you, they have lower insurance and they attract a better quality tenant that stays longer, even if the HVAC did break. That's okay, because new build homes often come with a warranty. The smart money knows that new build is where the opportunity is today. That's something that I've discussed for a while here, but today we're getting more actionable. CNBC let us know that the CJ Petra company reports that investors now make up the highest share of Homebuilders in five years. And you'll recall that we've had CJ Patrick, company founder, Rick sharga, on the show a lot with me here the past few years. Some say that the smart money is waking up again. I don't know investor activity is steady, but it's not really that much. It only seems like a lot because the wannabe owner, occupant, buyer has been priced out. So it's better to say that investor activity has been steady. Investors bought fully 1/3 of single family homes this past summer, and that is up from 27% in q1 I'll discuss that more soon.    Keith Weinhold  17:44   Hey, you know one thing that makes GRE different is that our show sponsors are here to supplement and benefit your specific investor activity. And another thing is that I use them myself. Thank God we are not here to tell you about pneumococcal pneumonia or your moderate to severe plaque, psoriasis. I don't even know what that stuff means. Freedom, family investments and Ridge lending group. I very know what they're about. I'm a satisfied client with each of them myself. So listen in.    Keith Weinhold  18:21   You know, most people think they're playing it safe with their liquid money, but they're actually losing savings accounts and bonds don't keep up when true inflation eats six or 7% of your wealth. Every single year, I invest my liquidity with FFI freedom family investments in their flagship program. Why fixed 10 to 12% returns have been predictable and paid quarterly. There's real world security backed by needs based real estate like affordable housing, Senior Living and health care. Ask about the freedom flagship program when you speak to a freedom coach there, and that's just one part of their family of products, they've got workshops, webinars and seminars designed to educate you before you invest. Start with as little as 25k and finally, get your money working as hard as you do. Get started at Freedom, family investments.com/gre, or send a text. Now it's 1937795898, 377958989, yep, text their freedom coach directly. Again, 1-937-795-8989,   Keith Weinhold  19:32   the same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group NMLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequel and even chat with President Caeli Ridge personally while it's on your mind, start at Ridgelendinggroup.Com, that's Ridge lending group.com   Kathy Fettke  20:05   this is the real wealth network's Kathy betke, and you are listening to the always valuable get rich education with Keith Weinhold.   Keith Weinhold  20:14   I'd like to welcome in a new guest to the show. He is a real estate investment strategist that's been working in the media industry since 2001 and throughout the career, he's held the title of a local news reporter, podcast host and producer for nationally syndicated companies like NPR. He's been in real estate nearly 20 years. Adam Schroeder, welcome to the show.    Adam Schroeder  20:48   Thanks for having me on. I really appreciate it.    Keith Weinhold  20:50   Yeah, I'm looking for your read on today's real estate market, just the general landscape overall, because Adam, I've shared that national transaction volume is down about 25% appreciation is still there, although it's been slow. Rents are just steady. We do, however, still have this supply that is down among entry level homes, something a lot of media articles broad brushstroke and don't understand, and really it's still a valid question to ask, even today. Is there any better risk adjusted return than income property that's bought, right? So what are your thoughts on the overall real estate investing landscape?   Adam Schroeder  21:30    Yeah, overall real estate investing, it's kind of like what you said, entry level housing. I remember I saw a heat map. This was probably five or six this was pre covid. It was maybe even seven or eight years ago. It was a heat map that showed, like, new construction, home pricing, and, you know, there was like 500,000 and up. Was just this massive chunk. And then there was all these ones, ones that were under about 300,000 it was around, like six or 8% or something like that. It was really, really small. If you look around, it hasn't gotten bigger. And so the question of inventory and availability and pricing, they're never going to talk about it on the national media, because there is no entry level home in Chicago, in New York, in LA, you're not going to find that. I mean, you're paying 200 grand for a doghouse in the backyard, if you're there. And so we are finding the entry level housing, but I think right now, an oversupply of inventory in some of these markets is a very good opportunity for people. If you're buying for with the right fundamentals, if you're buying in an area that's growing and has good long term, you know, 8,10, 15 year diagnostics. Then if you're buying now with builder incentives and all of that, yeah, your year one, year two, year three. Appreciation may not be the greatest because of that oversupply, but if you look at what's happening now with construction starts in a lot of places, builders have gotten scared off. They're not really starting them now. So if you're buying new now, in 2,3,4, years, all of the inventory will be sucked up, and there won't be new homes coming to the market. So you're going to be one of those people who has one of the newest homes in the area, more people are going to want to be getting in. And so your appreciation and rent growth is much more likely to be growing. So that's one of the things I love to look at, is I look at what new home starts, what happened in the past, what was oversupplied, but now, who's what cities aren't building. And if I know what cities aren't building, then I can compare it to, okay, well, you know, there are some cities in California that aren't building anything I'm not going to buy in California, but there are some cities in Minnesota, in Oklahoma, you know, in Texas, where they're not building anymore. And if it's landlord friendly and can cash flow and all of that, Sign me up. I'm bullish on parts of this, of the United States real estate market, not the whole United States real estate market.    Keith Weinhold  23:55   It's been pretty well documented that parts of the nation are overbuilt. However, especially in Florida and Texas. And I brought up the point months ago Adam that if you buy, say, a new build income property in temporarily overbuilt pockets today, five years from now, looking back five years onto today, you could be like, Yeah, I bought five years ago, when some areas were actually overbuilt, and I snagged a deal, and the builder was even giving me incentives like my rate at that time, because, you know, long term, the demand is going to be there and that the absorption is going to be there. So it's about knowing what's happening and then identifying the right time in that cycle. In today's environment, some feel that DSCR loans are a better option for investors, and what that means a debt service coverage ratio loan is that you qualify for the loan not with your personal income, but instead with the property's income. Do you see more investors employing dscrs?    Adam Schroeder  24:55   We see a ton for a really good reason. That is simply put, especially if you're utilizing these builder incentives, buy down rates on DSCR frequently outperform ones with conventional like some of the lenders we're working with. I look and let's say you're putting 4% I looked at it this morning with an investor with 4% of purchase price towards your loan on a DSCR loan, you're down to 5.49% on a DSCR, but conventional, you're at 5.75 that doesn't happen for the most part. It's just something that right now, the risk profile of investors is allowing the rates to be either at or better than conventional many times. Plus, people love to put their properties in LLCs for protection, and they'll worry with conventional, oh, what if a due on sale clause gets triggered, even though it's really hard to trigger that, if you worry about it, well, why not just get a loan that's equal or better than a conventional that doesn't go on your you know, debt to income and can go straight into the LLC to begin with, and then your hands are clean the whole way through, and you're not having to worry about transferring titling. Honestly, my wife is about to murder me because I have some properties that were meant to go into an LLC two years ago that are not currently in an LLC.   Keith Weinhold  26:17   Well, hopefully you'll live until the end of this interview. Tell us more about DSCR loans, and maybe some that, no you talked about the upside, maybe some red flags and some things to look out for, times when we would not want to employ that loan type.    Adam Schroeder  26:30   A lot of it with the DSCR you're looking at like you said, they're not evaluating you necessarily. Now you do have to show reserves. You do have to show that the property will perform on its own. But sometimes full doc loans with conventional can be the way to go, because, like I said, in the past, it used to be that DSCR loans were three quarters of a percent, or a full percent higher than the DSCR. Or, yeah, DSCR was higher than the conventional. And so if you could get a four and a half with a conventional versus a five and a half on a DSCR. It's well worth the extra paperwork that might come with doing it to save yourself that money and really build up your cash flow. We are just in a very awkward time of investing, where the investors for DSCR loans, the people who are buying those mortgages, are not the same people who are buying the Fannie Mae Freddie Mac secondary loan market, and so they just have different risk profiles, which allows the rates to be different. So that's really the big thing. Is, if you've still got your Fannie Freddie slots, it's worth talking to your lender and saying, what would it look like if I did this loan? What would it look like if I did that loan? Where am I? But when it's all said and done, if you're really close or equal, I would almost always skew towards the DSCR to protect myself, go straight into an entity and keep it off of my debt to income ratio, plus on dscrs. You also have the option, and we don't recommend this for every property or even for certain people, depending on risk profile, but you have the option to do an interest only loan with 20 or 25% down, which allows you to do kind of what we call cash flow management, where people get worried about interest only loans and say, Well, I'm not building equity. I'm not doing this, not doing that. Well, you're not, but you're also, you can still put principle towards your loan every month, right? Like a principal loan, maybe you're throwing 200 bucks a month, a principal towards that. Well, with an interest only loan, you can still put that $200 in. But what it means is, if there's a month where maybe you have some repairs that need to be done, or something like that, don't pay the principal and on the interest only, you're still okay on a principal and interest. If you can't pay that, if you just pay all the interest, they're still going to say, well, Keith, you're late on your loan, right? And so it gives you a little bit more flexibility, but it's not for everyone. It's not for every property, so definitely talk with lenders about that. But conventional loans don't offer that. DSCR loans can.    Keith Weinhold  28:53   There's always opportunity in every real estate market. It's just identifying what those are and then ethically exploiting the opportunity. So we're talking about buying in areas that are temporarily overbuilt utilizing DSCR loans. And another advantage in this market, which is an aberration, is the fact that new build properties, like few times in history, if any, actually cost less than renovated existing properties.    Adam Schroeder  29:20   Yeah. I mean, when you can get into, you know, an A class neighborhood with 80% owner occupied, 90% owner occupied, and you're getting in for way less than the median cost of a home in the US. You mean, you're getting in for, I mean, we've got new builds in the 220 range on some of them up to 400 you know, which is still below the median cost. Yeah, that's really good. If you're looking to get into any a class neighborhood, or even B plus neighborhood, finding a property that's 200 $250,000 in those areas is tough. It's just tough. And so especially because as pricing went up for everything with inflation, you know you can't do. Do a cheap rehab anymore. If you're going to do a good rehab, you can't do a cheap rehab. I talk to our teams all the time and tell me, Hey, I did, you know, I only spent $70,000 to renovate this property and like that is a lot of money. I know you're getting it out whenever you do the burn, you know, or sell to an investor, but still a lot of money to put in to get there.    Keith Weinhold  30:20   Well, then let's talk about identifying possible growth markets for long term investing success. New build properties tend to appreciate better than rehab properties. And you know what's funny, Adam, I was just sharing this with my audience on a recent episode. I largely disagree with this long time investing axiom in real estate that says appreciation is just icing on the cake. I think I know what they're saying that doesn't help you out on a month by month basis, but we're in real estate investing for the long term and long term, more of your returns typically come from leveraged appreciation than they do on the cash on cash return from cash flow. So to me, appreciation is not just icing on the cake. In a lot of cases, it is the cake. And really, that's something that new build can offer more of.    Adam Schroeder  31:09   Yeah, I mean, it's almost in, especially in today's market, it's almost like cash flow is the icing on the cake. You know, you can get a property that, you know, is in that really good area, like we're talking about, and is, maybe it's appreciated a little bit now, but it's very likely to appreciate a lot later. If you're only making, if you factor everything in maintenance, vacancy, all of that, and you're making $100 a month, that's solid, you know, if you look at it, and if you're in those areas, if you appreciate 5% on a $300,000 property, let me tell you this, you're not going to make $15,000 in cash flow that year on that property. So if you look at the people who are really retiring on cash flow, are usually the people who have 100 200 300 doors or something like that, and they play the law of large numbers. I don't want to play the law of large numbers personally, I want to have really good quality assets and have fewer of them, and really work on having positive cash flow, but having the equity growth that allows me to pull money out tax free and either buy more investments or utilize how I want in my life.    Keith Weinhold  32:16   Exactly. If your property cash flow is $100 a month and it's a single family home. Some people say, Oh, that's awful. You would need 100 of them just to get 10k pass it per month. Now you're thinking wrong, and you're oversimplifying it like to your point, with the 300k home and 5% appreciation, that's 15k in one year, you're building equity that can be borrowed against, tax free, and you're building up that lump sum cash flow windfall down the road, if you will, in real estate pays five ways and cash flow matters, but it's only one of five profit centers and all that. So yes, we're so aligned on that one, appreciation is not just the icing on the cake, it's substantially more than that. Well, I've got something to announce. Adam here is going to co host, along with our own longtime investment coach, Naresh, an upcoming live virtual event. And it's called how to scale your portfolio with tenanted cash flowing new construction properties. And it aligns in every way with the trends that we've been talking about and that Adam and I have been identifying here. The event takes place next week. But first, tell us more about what you and the ray shall be speaking about at the event there. Adam.   Adam Schroeder  33:29    one of the biggest concerns people have about real estate, and one of the things that can eat in your cash flow more than anything, is vacancy. I mean, vacancy can kill your deal whenever it's all said and done, because it's one thing, if you're, you know, break even or $100 a month positive cash flow. But whenever you've got a vacant property and you're negative $1,500 a month, that can hurt, that can hit the wallet. And so what we really love, if you can hit it, is a tenanted property that's new and is in a growing area, yeah, and we've got that thankfully. I mean, we've been able to work some really good relationships with national builders that have allowed us to get into they were doing a lease to purchase option with tenants who wanted to buy their property but didn't have it saved up, and these people didn't exercise their option, but they've renewed their lease so you can come in and buy a property that has them in place. It is a house that they wanted to buy. So how long are they likely to stay? Probably quite a while. They like the school district, they like the neighborhood. They like everything about it. You're coming in, you've got the builder incentives we talked about before, and you're just in a positive cash flow position already. Now we're in Texas, which I was actually funny enough. Earlier, right before this interview, I was reading about the states that are going to grow the most, projected until 2050 and they expect Texas to grow by nearly 9 million people between now and believe it was 2050    Keith Weinhold  34:55   everyone's asking, when is it going to pass? California is the most populous state in the nation.    Adam Schroeder  35:01   Well, it depends how many people. In California are part of that 9 billion we've gotten quite a few of them there. As somebody who lives in Texas, and we're in the big cities too. We're not in the Podunk Texas towns you think about in, you know, east or west Texas. We're talking Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, which are three of the top, I believe, 15 largest cities in the country. We're getting some really good incentives. You can get up to right now, 10% builder incentive. So a $300,000 house, you have $30,000 that you can use. That's massive. Yeah, you can get that money back after closing. We can buy your rate down. And we have some people who have literally taken the whole 10% and put it towards a fixed 30 rate at four and a quarter percent. Wow, they are locking themselves in at four and a quarter. Or we have some people who say, like, we were just talking about cash flow is not a concern for me. I'm going to take half my down payment back, and I'm going to go buy another property, because I'm only in this property for 10% now, and so they're able to be, you know, roughly break even in a good growing area, and they can acquire a second property. So you're buying two properties without mortgage insurance for essentially a 30% total down payment, and you're getting your 10% back if you buy the second property. So it's just really incredible time. Like you said, we haven't seen a time like this before. We were able to get into the wholesale division of these builders and provide these incentives that I've personally never seen before. Some of our reps are buying these homes themselves, so we're putting our money where our mouth is. It's just a great time, especially like you were saying, these homes the inventory, take advantage of the opportunity, right? And there's an opportunity that's presenting itself. And if you look at the long term demographics of Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. It's an arrow pointed up. That's what those areas are.    Keith Weinhold  36:46   100% I mean, it's almost as predictable as anything. There's never a guarantee, but continued population growth and obvious need for housing there is about as close as you can get. That's massive. 10% back, 380k purchase, $38,000 back at the closing table to use in discount point buy downs completely or half on discount point buy downs and half to pocket and use on another property or use on your next vacation or whatever you want to do. That's massive.    Adam Schroeder  37:18   Yeah, it's fantastic. One thing I forgot to mention about Houston. It's one of the things I love that people don't think about has the third most headquarters of fortune 500 companies in the country, behind New York and Chicago. So people don't think about that when they think of Houston. But I love to throw that out there, because it's there. I love Houston. I lived there for seven years. It's where I met Naresh, actually, and would happily move back there again   Keith Weinhold  37:42   right? Houston has moved so far past the monolith of just having oil be the economic driver. So we're talking about tenanted new construction properties in pretty hot markets, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas ready for you to purchase with that 10% builder incentive. And these are in communities that are primarily owner occupied, so they do have that high appreciation potential and that potential for solid rent growth. So on the live event, the webinar that you are invited to attend from the comfort of your own home, what you can do is just learn more about this overall strategy and why the time in the market is right for this. Learn more about those geographic markets themselves and then their drivers, and even see available new build income property. And the benefit of you attending a live is that you can have any of your questions answered right then and there. You can sign up at grewebinars.com, and Adam, before I ask you if you have any last thoughts, that event is next week. It is Thursday, November 13, at 8pm eastern time again, you can sign up. It is free. Space is limited, so that's something that you want to do now at grewebinars.com, any last thoughts? Adam   Adam Schroeder  38:51   yeah, I will just remind people there's always a reason to buy real estate, and there's always there's always a reason not to buy real estate, and depending on which one you subscribe to, you can always find those opportunities, or you can scare yourself off. So, you know, find the right opportunities that are there for you and your investing style and jump in. Because if you look at what's happening right now. When rates start coming down, owner ox are going to jump back in, and that tends to lead to prices going back up. Like Keith said, these are 85% owner occupied areas, and you're setting yourself up for success. And if you do it now, you can always refi later if rates come plummeting down right so find the right areas. Find the reasons to buy and go for it.    Keith Weinhold  39:41   This is a time when builders are really willing to give you a break. Take advantage of it if you possibly can. Adam, it's been great having you here on the show, and our audience looks forward to seeing more of you next week.   Keith Weinhold  40:00   Yeah, some real potential here. I'm rather excited for your future as a listener next week, investors like DSCR loans, since the qualification looks at the property, not you, and see conventional loans are more for owner occupants. They're fine. They work for investors too. But with dscrs, besides their other advantages, they're a check on making sure your property is profitable. It is just your rent divided by your debt service. That's all it is. So for example, with a $1,000 rent and a piti payment, principal, interest, taxes and insurance payment of 800 bucks. Well, then your DSCR is 1.25 Investors love them because there's no personal income verification, no W twos, tax returns, pay stubs. There's no debt to income ratio bar for you to have to clear also conventional loans often cap you at 10 financed properties, and DSCR loans have no such limit, so there's faster underwriting and easier approval. But with dscrs, look out. I mean, there could be some higher fees, and you might have a three to five year prepayment penalty. But buy and hold investors often keep the property that long anyway, so grow your income streams with dscrs, even when the w2 world says no. And notably, dscrs have absolutely nothing to do with job of the hut either. No sluggy concerns there   Keith Weinhold  41:42   if you've wanted a deal on a property today, here you are with these new build incentives that are really good, better than what most builders are giving looks like. Here's your chance. One reason that the builders are giving us a deal is because of the bulk of GRE buyers. This is for you, if you might want one property or 14 properties load up with these up to 10% builder incentives, or just attend the webinar and learn more. We got into the wholesale division of these builders. We got them right where we want them. The properties are typically already tenanted. So plant your flag in the ground, and call this the pivot point. This whole thing could be a bigger deal than the first man to walk on Mars. We'll see, though, no man has walked on Mars yet, but you don't need to wait that long. Take one of your 30,000 days that you've been gifted in this life of yours, the 30,000 days you've been allotted on this earth to win back some of your future finite time. It is next week, Thursday, the 13th, at 8pm Eastern. It's also GRE last event of the year, your last chance, a live, virtual event where you can attend from the comfort of your own home or anywhere. And it's free. Registration is open now. Sign up at gre webinars.com that's gre webinars.com Until next week, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream.   Unknown Speaker  43:17   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice, please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC, exclusively you   Keith Weinhold  43:45   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building, getricheducation.com

Seven years of junior high band concerts. Yep, that was the special joy Karen and I had since all three of the Hutchcraft kids were in junior high band. Oh, it wasn't always a supreme musical experience, but hey, it's our kids, right? Let's imagine you have never heard of the brilliant composer Ludwig von Beethoven before. And I say to you, "Beethoven was a genius. His music is some of the most beautiful ever written." You're a little skeptical because you've never heard any of his music, but I suggest a way you could remedy that. See, the junior high band is having a concert this week, and they're performing Beethoven's 9th Symphony. So you go, and you come back to me and you say, "I thought you said this Beethoven guy was a genius! I just heard his music. It wasn't brilliant!" Now what's the problem here? It isn't Beethoven - it's the way the band played his music. Just because they don't play his music well doesn't mean the man who wrote the music wasn't a genius! I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Hypocrite Hang-up." I've devoted my life to telling people about the Genius who can harmonize our lives, who wrote the music that's supposed to guide everything we do. His name is Jesus. But many people - maybe you - can't bring themselves to a point where they'll put their trust in Jesus Christ to be their own personal Savior from their personal sin. And one of the biggest reasons? Christians who are hypocrites. That's why I'm so glad for today's word for today from the Word of God, where Jesus clarifies what, and who, is the real issue in this whole Christian thing. Mark 2:14, our word for today from the Word of God, "As Jesus walked along, He saw Levi sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow Me', Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed Him." Jesus sums up here the central decision we all have to make by issuing a clear, two-word invitation that He gave to so many people: "Follow Me." Jesus basically is saying, "I'm the issue. Your decision is about me." He repeated that invitation so many times when He was on earth. And listen, He's done it millions of times since then and I think He's extending it to you today. As for those Christians who aren't a very good advertisement - well, they're like that junior high band trying to play the Beethoven symphony. Unfortunately, some of us don't play Jesus' music very well. But it has nothing to do with Jesus. He's still the Genius who forgives our failures, who loves us with a "never leave you" love. He promised, "I'll never leave you." And who can take us to heaven when we die because He walked out of his grave and conquered death. Jesus never said, "Follow My followers." He never said, "Follow My leaders," or "Follow My religion" or "Follow My rules." He said, "Follow Me." The only reason not to be a Christian is if you have something against Jesus. And there wasn't a trace of hypocrisy in Him. All that's going to matter when you keep your appointment with God is what you did with Jesus, God's one and only Son who died on the cross to pay...not for His sins, but for yours. Honestly, there's just no place to hide when it comes to Jesus. Either you commit yourself to this Man who died for you or you turn your back on Him and you walk away. It's all about Jesus. And maybe you're ready to surrender all the baggage that has kept you from experiencing His love for yourself. Forget all those people that in your mind are between you and Him. It's Jesus and you, because it's Jesus you're trusting, not Christianity, not Christians. Maybe you're ready to begin this relationship you were created for. I hope you are. Tell Him, "Jesus, I'm yours. You died for me. You're alive and I'm giving myself to You." And then, would you go to our website? I've laid out there how to be sure you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com. On Judgment Day, it will just be you and Jesus. Today it's you and Jesus. There's an old hymn that puts it this way: "What will you do with Jesus? Neutral you cannot be. For someday your heart will be asking, 'What will He do with me?'"

Episode 153 Everyone Has a Story: Finding Healing with Angela Nash Watch Now https://youtu.be/C08ueeLavJg Listen Now Description In this episode of Finding Peaks, Chris Burns sits down with Peaks Recovery Centers' Medical Supervisor Angela Nash to explore her journey into mental health care and the importance of showing up—both for others and for herself. Angela shares insights into self-care, motherhood in recovery, and the daily self-work that keeps her grounded. Together, they unpack common misconceptions about mental health, the evolving role of medication management, and the “why” that drives Angela's passion for helping others heal. Talking Points Introduction to the Show Meet Angela Early stages of helping with mental health Showing up today Looking into a Nurse Practitioner Everyone has a story Self-care and coping Daily and weekly self-work Motherhood in recovery Common misconceptions of mental health Looking into medication management Angela's why Final thoughts Quotes "Honestly, mental health [suffering] is everywhere, after you start working you see that. It's on every floor, and it's in every situation you are in. People's mental health is important.” - Angela Nash, Medical Supervisor PRC Episode Transcripts

City of Iron is a band based out of (practices in) Meriden, CT. We were joined by 5 out of 6 of the members (Tyler got stuck at work). We talk about music. We talk about video games. There's a decent amount of laughing. Check it out! Honestly, this one is just a fun romp with a fun crew.  Anything I say about it would just ruin it while you listen in. Just give it a listen. Oh, and there's a snippet of new unreleased as yet music! Links: https://cityofgoddamniron.bandcamp.com/album/voidspeaker https://www.instagram.com/cityofiron Music on this episode: Opening Music: City of Iron "The White Ship" VoidSpeaker (Self-Released) Rick: Nine Inch Nails "Shadow Over Me" Tron: Ares (Interscope) Blawan "TCP Burn" SickElixir (XL) Polygon Window "Iketa" Surfing On Sine Waves (Warp) Sundays "My Finest Hour" Reading, Writing & Arithmetic (Universal Music Group) (Unknown Artist) "Cemetery" Haunted Presence (Numero Group) Josh: Seefeel "Time to Find Me (AFX Fast Mix)" Pure, Impure (Too Pure) SunnO))) "Eternity's Pillars" Eternity's Pillars (Sub Pop) Internal Bleeding "Enforced Compliance" Settle All Scores (Maggot Stomp) Tribal Gaze "To The Spoils Of Faith" Inveighing Brilliance (Nuclear Blast) Justin: Sweet Valley "Coil Crusher" Eternal Champ 2 (Ghost Ramp) Mikael: Bambara "Pray To Me" Birthmarks (Bella Union / Wharf Cat) Rob: Wednesday "Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)" Bleeds (Dead Oceans) Jules: Atomic Rule "Bone Lady" With Skull Crushing Force (288 Records) Alex: Stars of the Lid "Down" Music For Nitrous Oxide (Artificial Pinearch Manufacturing) Within The Interview: City of Iron "Orphaned States" (Yet to be released) Closing Music: City of Iron "Orphaned States" (Pre-Production Track yet to be released)City of Iron "Broken Idiot" (Pre-Production Track yet to be released) The Redscroll Podcast is a monthly show (new episodes on the first of the month) that works as a companion to what we do at Redscroll Records in Wallingford, CT USA. We are a record store that has a heavy emphasis on the left of center / underground music of the world. Whether it be underappreciated or just has a niche audience, marginalized or just off the radar it's all of interest to us. With the show we'll generally have a localized focus. We'll discuss what is in our personal rotation at the moment. We'll talk to guests who have to do with all of the above. And we'll talk about specific dealings with the store. If you have input you're welcome to contact us through email (redscroll@gmail.com). Oh, and please do subscribe! New episodes on the first of every month! (Subscribe on Android)(Subscribe elsewhere just by searching for us please!)

In this episode we speak with Yossi Barishev - one of the most watched founders in cybersecurity today. He's led security operations and innovation at Sygnia and Fireblocks, advised Fortune 500s, and now, he's building a stealth-mode venture focused on rethinking identity and trust in the age of AI. He's been recognized by outlets like Business Insider, NYTech Media, and NewsBlaze as a leader shaping the future of cybersecurity. This episode is about uncertainty, self-trust, and building the internal tools to lead through volatility. In this conversation, we explore: The trap of seeking external validation. Early on, Yossi found himself chasing reassurance from more experienced founders - until he realized that the same validation could shake him when things got hard. “If you trust this external validation too much, whenever some negative signal comes in, it shakes you.” Learning to trust your internal compass. With time, his confidence shifted inward “There's literally zero way to predict what the hell this journey throws at you… I just believed in my ability to be able to deal with it.” The power of throwing yourself into deep water His biggest moments of growth came when everything was uncertain - and the only path was forward. “The times where I usually flourish the most - it's when my back is against the wall.” Introducing chaos - on your own terms. Rather than waiting for life to disrupt him, Yossi learned to lean into difficult, high-stakes situations. “If you're able to introduce chaos in a controlled manner, it teaches you a lot more.” Becoming the Swiss Army knife. Yossi chose adaptability over specialization, learning how to show up confidently in any scenario. “Honestly- just throw me in the Bronx with no cash and no clothes. I'll work it out.” Comparing yourself to others - and what to do with that. He reflects honestly on the emotional weight of watching peers raise money and start companies first. “What did they have that I lack?” Using doubt as fuel. Naysayers weren't discouragement - they were motivation. “Even if I don't have the answers right now, I believe in my ability to find them… I was like, I'm going to show you that you're wrong.” How he thinks about advice and mentorship. Advice, he says, is always a mix of data and subjective perspective - and the most useful mentors are those who've failed often. “Every single advisor I have is someone who made more mistakes than right decisions.” This episode is for anyone navigating self-doubt, forging a nonlinear path, or learning to lead without a blueprint.

Happy Halloween! Make sure you light a candle, make an altar or take a moment to remember your ancestors with GRATITUDE today. It's NOVEMBER tomorrow, can you believe? Join the Book Club B*tches as we read Ancient Manifestation Secrets this month. We are the UK's largest self development book club. Honestly this book club and the bad b*tches within it are my self development secret. They are the BIGGEST secret to my success and I'm in love with life long learning! Come and join us, it's not a cult, it's probably not a coven but it IS the best.Join me for my legendary 2026 New Year's Goal Setting Party! Create the life of your dreams one year at a time.I hope you enjoyed this episode of Law of Attraction Changed My Life and it adds some value to your life! Rate, review, share with a friend. It all helps! Please do share this episode with a friend who would like it or share on your socials if you feel so called to do so.By the way, do we love my new Amazon Storefront - it was EVERYTHING I love and talk about on there.(contains Amazon affiliate links/Amazon associate)You can buy my Sunday Times Bestselling book Manifest Like a Mother here.Come and find me @francescaamber & @lawofattractionchangedmylife on Instagram - I would LOVE to hear from you.You can find all my work including the money masterclass, overnight subliminals for weight loss, wealth, fertility, beauty and confidence, success etc..as well as online masterclasses on my website, francescaamber.comThank you so much for listening and I'll see you again next week,Fran xxx Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

0:00 - 8 MORE YEARS OF THE MARTY PARTY! Woo hoo! How we feeling about the extension? With everything squarely in the rearview mirror, how do we feel about the whole Mikko/Marty trade?14:51 - Texter posed a great question: are the Broncos seen as "fraud" around the league? As in, one of these teams whose record is fools gold and will be exposed soon enough. See: the Pittsburgh Steelers.32:09 - What's next for CU football? Honestly...what can Deion do to salvage the season? Can the season be salvaged? Or should he start planning for next year already?

Why is antisemitism on the rise in America and around the world? First thing is to recognize that this is so. There are many suggestions, or may I say excuses, as to why, but the simple answer is that it is a Satanic attack upon God's chosen people. This book will give to you the historical background of Judaism and the why and how we have arrived at this sad state of affair. Olivier explains how antisemitism has metastasized among those who actually support the Jewish people. There has also been a change from classic antisemitism to a new form of antisemitism. He then shares how we can stand against this scourge and support the Jewish people.https://www.amazon.com/Antisemitism-End-Times-Worlds-Messiahs/dp/0736991859We, Scott and Gabe, need to know if you guys like the content. Honestly though, every like, subscribe, and follow shows us that our conversations are helping you. We are on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Anchor, and any podcasting platform. Support us on every platform below! #hearthebookpodInstagram: @hearthebookpodBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearthebookpodYouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC8AAn7YxgYVoWa7RmeojyFQFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/hearthebookpod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/hearthebookpodAnchor: https://anchor.fm/hearthebookpodThank you to Brook Sprague and Michael Card for their music in our podcast!https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvI-t0MK5kgMJw7REobBCbQSong: The BookID: 362574Writers: Michael CardPublishers: Mole End Music

How To Achieve Your Goals Easily There's an easier way to achieve your dreams and goals — one that actually feels good and keeps you motivated the whole way through. In this episode, I share a simple but powerful approach to goal setting that most people miss: starting from the last step — that moment when you've already achieved your goal — and using that feeling to drive you forward. You'll discover how to find your true why, anchor your motivation, and create a plan that's realistic, energising, and deeply aligned with what you want. And there's more — I'll also guide you through a special hypnosis process designed to connect your conscious and unconscious minds, so the path to your goals becomes effortless and natural. This isn't about grinding harder or forcing success. It's about feeling your way into it — knowing exactly what success looks and feels like so you can enjoy every step along the way. In this episode: The often-overlooked final step that makes all the difference in goal achievement How to find and anchor your true motivation (your why) Why traditional goal-setting keeps you stuck and how to flip it The role of your unconscious mind in creating success A guided hypnosis process to help you align and take inspired action Takeaway: When you start from the feeling of already having achieved your goal, and anchor that emotion, everything changes. Obstacles shrink, motivation grows, and the steps become natural. Listen now — and let's make your goals easier, more joyful, and truly yours. Then let's share it with others https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/467-how-to-achieve-your-goals-easily Shine Brightly

Trump and Xi finally sat down for the first in-person meeting of this new administration, and I won't lie — there was a lot of hype going into this one. There were whispers about a grand bargain, even murmurs of a complete game-changer announcement. Maybe China would distance itself from Russia. Maybe there'd be some kind of century-defining move on Taiwan. Earlier this week, anything seemed possible.What we got was something a lot less dramatic: a truce. Not a full-blown trade deal. A trade truce. And honestly, I was a little disappointed.Politics Politics Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.So here's what went down. China made a few big concessions. They agreed to immediately buy 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans and promised to keep it going at 25 million tons per year for three years. They also agreed to suspend their new rare earth export controls for a year and curb fentanyl precursor production — a big issue in the U.S. Beyond that, China made a surprise move by signaling interest in American energy and even hinted at joining a natural gas pipeline project in Alaska. That last bit came totally out of nowhere.In return, the United States is lowering tariffs on Chinese goods by 10 percentage points, which still leaves them at a hefty 45 percent. We're also postponing an investigation into Chinese shipping practices, which would have imposed new port taxes. There's a delay on export restrictions for blacklisted Chinese firms for one year. Now, don't get too excited — Trump made clear that China won't be getting its hands on Nvidia's top-shelf Blackwell chips, though some older GPUs will still be allowed to be sold. There was talk about ending Russia's war in Ukraine, but nothing about China stopping its oil purchases from Russia. And most notably, no mention of Taiwan at all.Honestly, when I look at this, I think Trump and Xi were made for each other. Normally, trade deals take forever, get wrapped in ceremony, and then quietly fall apart when China decides not to follow through. U.S. leaders usually just shrug and move on, chalking it all up to classic maneuvers on their part. But Trump doesn't play that game. If he doesn't like a deal, he changes it. If China doesn't hold up their end, he goes right back at them. And I have to say, there's a certain clarity in that approach. It's not exactly stable, but it's a little more to-the-point.I'll admit, I got a little swept up in the pre-meeting hype. I thought maybe we'd see something big, something that could define this administration's approach to foreign policy. But now that I've had time to let it all sink in, here's what I'm left with: this matters. Maybe not as much as I hoped it would, but it still matters. Because the American economy — and by extension, our elections — are tied so closely to what happens with China. If this truce brings even a little stability, it could have ripple effects that shape 2025 and beyond.Chapters00:00:00 - Intro00:02:18 - US-China Deal00:09:39 - Interview with Gabe Fleisher00:31:10 - Update00:31:27 - Shutdown Progress00:33:59 - Jasmine Crockett00:37:02 - Elise Stefanik00:40:13 - Interview with Gabe Fleisher, con't01:08:29 - Wrap-up This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/subscribe

Have you ever been in such a dark place that you wondered if God cares about you, or if He even exists? Maybe it's all some cosmic joke, right? We've all been there. Humans doubt. We doubt ourselves, we doubt product labels, we doubt our kids. We question everything.But the worst one is trying to figure out where God is in the middle of life's great difficulties. Sometimes the world is just flat-out mean, and it seems like it's an entity that's trying to break you in half.It's in this very moment that God's ancient and eternal words come to us.Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”Honestly, it doesn't get better than that! Jesus lives so that you will live forever. And in the interim, He will walk with you and carry you when necessary. He never fails and what's more, His willingness to never leave us has been proven over and over again, in a billion different ways. If you need Him right now, don't doubt Him. Call out to Him. Your circumstances might seem impossible and impossibly unique. But don't believe it; believe Him instead.Let's pray.Lord, you promised that you would never leave us. We know that's true, but help us with our faith in our weak moments. God, make us believe. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

Honestly, who knows. This episode begins with the viral picture of Justin Herbert saving Madison Beer from taking a basketball to the face while courtside the Lakers game. Also discussed: Kim in her TikTok era, Katy Perry & Justin Trudeau, Sophie Turner & Chris Martin's reported date, Meg Thee Stallion & Klay Thompson, Monty Lopez getting married, Joe Jonas' internet presence, Scott Disick's milk ad, and more. ShopMy:https://shopmy.us/shop/commentsbycelebsLinks:https://x.com/bleacherreport/status/1982097485825769803?s=46https://www.instagram.com/p/DQRsroGDsDX/?igsh=MWEyaW10MDY1ZDliOQ==https://youtu.be/VjtrfCDDelQ?si=wG2HvcTWpPUTU_Kdhttps://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8DNB8k2/https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8DNe81d/https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8DNyPMs/https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQFVymKEs5o/?igsh=eWt6bXB2Y2g0ZHY5https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8DNFKpe/Codes: Head to Saks Fifth Avenue for inspiring ways to elevate your personal style, every daySkims: SKIMS.com After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that followsBoll & Branch: BollAndBranch.com/comments to save 20% and unlock free shipping. Exclusions applyI LOVE LA: Don't miss the world premiere of I LOVE LA, this Sunday 11/02 at 10:30pm, exclusively on HBOMax. Subscription required. Visit HBOMax.com for detailsRhoback: Code “CBC”on Rhoback.com for 20% off your first order through the end of this weekWayfair: Get organized, refreshed, and ready for the holidays for way less. Head to Wayfair.com to shop all things homeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're dusting off the BP phone as we are once again joined by our friend from REGAL ROBOT, the one and only TOM SPINA talking about a subject only he can handle - THE PUPPETS OF THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY. Join us as we ask the important questions like “what is a puppet” and “why is that droid so small?” So call up a man in a suit, celebrate the love and listen today! Keep up to date with everything Regal Robot here : https://regalrobot.com Check out the new SPACE SLUG puppet replica https://regalrobot.com/news/archive-collection-space-slug-prop-replicas/ Explore Tom Spina Designs : https://www.tomspinadesigns.com JOIN THE BLAST POINTS ARMY and SUPPORT BLAST POINTS ON PATREON! NEW ANDOR SEASON 2 EPISODE COMMENTARIES! COMMENTARIES FOR EVERY SKELETON CREW EPISODE! NEW EMPIRE STRIKES BACK COMMENTARY! Theme Music! downloadable tunes from episodes! Extra goodies! and so much MORE! www.patreon.com/blastpoints Blast Points T-SHIRTS are now available! Represent your favorite podcast everywhere you go! Get logo shirts while supplies last! Perfect for conventions, dates, formal events and more! Get them here: www.etsy.com/shop/Gibnerd?section_id=21195481 If you dug the show, please leave BLAST POINTS a review on iTunes, Spotify and share the show with friends! If you leave an iTunes review, we will read it on a future episode! Honestly! Talk to Blast Points on twitter at @blast_points "Like" Blast Points on Facebook Join the Blast Points Super Star Wars Chill Group here www.facebook.com/groups/ BlastPointsGroup/ we are also on Instagram! Wow! www.instagram.com/blastpoints Your hosts are Jason Gibner & Gabe Bott! contact BLAST POINTS at : contact@blastpointspodcast.com May the Force be with you, always! This podcast is not affiliated in any way with Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC, The Walt Disney Company, or any of their affiliates or subsidiaries.

I'm excited to do another fun Q&A, all about the PHYSICAL side of fitness! We're talking lifting, cardio, muscle growth, and the questions that always seem to come up when you're trying to “do it all.” Maybe you've wondered whether your 10K steps and extra cardio are ruining your gains. Maybe you've thought you needed to overhaul your split (and change up your workouts every month), or you're struggling with working out through burnout. If any of that sounds familiar, this one's for YOU.Honestly, I don't have a “set” answer for most of these questions, because it really comes down to your goals, and the season of life you're in. There's no one-size-fits-all - there never is when it comes to health and fitness!Don't overcomplicate this stuff - consistency, recovery, and intention will ALWAYS win, friend!Episode recap:Why cardio won't hurt your gains (but lack of rest & recovery will)Why there's no “perfect” split for muscle growthHow to approach your workouts if you're struggling with burnoutMy thoughts on changing your workouts, strength training w/cardio, and Orange TheoryTracking your heart rate zone vs. calories burned during workoutsWhat to do if you're getting 8k steps/day, but still want to increase movement & hit your goalsWhat to focus on if your goal is growing your glutesWhy you don't need to do a “mini-cut” to lose 2-3 poundsLinks/Resources:Grab your FREE Body Recomp Meal Prep BlueprintListen to the Sol Fit PodcastJoin FIT CLUB, my monthly membership with workouts you can do at home or the gymPRIVATE COACHING is my 1:1 program (choose 3 or 6 month option)Connect with me on Instagram @kristycastillofit and @unfuckyourfitnesspodcast so we can keep this conversation going-be sure to tag me in your posts and stories!Join my FREE Facebook group, Unf*ck Your FitnessClick HERE for my favorite fitness & life things!Send me a text with episode ideas or just to say hi! Support the show

Join me for my legendary 2026 New Year's Goal Setting Party! Create the life of your dreams one year at a time.I hope you enjoyed this episode of Law of Attraction Changed My Life and it adds some value to your life! Releasing control and expectations has honestly brought me so much peace around some bigger questions in my life. I hope it does for you too. Please do share this episode with a friend who would like it or share on your socials if you feel so called to do so!By the way, do we love my new Amazon Storefront - it was EVERYTHING I love and talk about on there!(contains Amazon affiliate links/Amazon associate)You can buy my Sunday Times Bestselling book Manifest Like a Mother here.Come and find me @francescaamber & @lawofattractionchangedmylife on Instagram - I would LOVE to hear from you.Join the Book Club B*tches as we read Aligned Abundance this month. We are the UK's largest self development book club. Honestly this book club and the bad b*tches within it are my self development secret. They are the BIGGEST secret to my success and I'm in love with life long learning! Come and join us, it's not a cult, it's probably not a coven but it IS the best.You can find all my work including overnight subliminals for weight loss, wealth, fertility, beauty and confidence, success etc..as well as online masterclasses on my website, francescaamber.comThings I love that I think you'll love too...Hitting my health and body goals every day with my at home walking pad. Use code 'francescaamber' for 5% off.Try my favourite magnesium supplement for FREE with this 5 day free trial.Thank you so much for listening and I'll see you again next week,Fran xxx Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.