Podcasts about Spring

Did you know there's MAGIC in your Meditation Practice? Say Goodbye to Anxiety and Hello to More Peace & More Prosperity! Here Are the 5 Secrets on How to Unleash Your Meditation Magic https://womensmeditationnetwork.com/5secrets Join Premium! Ready for an ad-free meditation experience? Join Premium now and get every episode from ALL of our podcasts completely ad-free now! Just a few clicks makes it easy for you to listen on your favorite podcast player. Become a PREMIUM member today by going to --> https://WomensMeditationNetwork.com/premium You're in the healing springs of inner peace,  A sanctuary within where tranquility flows in endless streams.  PAUSE Imagine yourself walking in a lush, lush valley.  The air is fresh, filled with the scent of blooming flowers.  With each step,  Feel the grass softly brushing against your feet,  Inviting you to let go of the day's worries and burdens.  PAUSE Ahead, you see a crystal-clear spring,  Its waters shimmering under the gentle caress of the moonlight.  This is no ordinary spring—it is the wellspring of your inner peace,  A sacred place where every drop is infused with the essence of calm and serenity. Join our Premium Sleep for Women Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Sleep podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here --> https://bit.ly/sleepforwomen Join our Premium Meditation for Kids Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Kids podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here → https://bit.ly/meditationforkidsapple Hey, I'm so glad you're taking the time to be with us today. My team and I are dedicated to making sure you have all the meditations you need throughout all the seasons of your life. If there's a meditation you desire, but can't find, email us at Katie Krimitsos to make a request. We'd love to create what you want! Namaste, Beautiful,

Quaranteam - Dave In Dallas: Part 5 Celebration: Some happy moments to cling to. Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. October 5th, 2020. Dave and Liv spent the morning getting lumber and gate hardware. Other changes would take much longer to plan, and would need professionals to implement, but today they were putting in a gate between the backyards to facilitate caring for the chickens. And give more play space for Esme and Roscoe. He'd made no move to threaten the chickens. It took over an hour to tear out the boards from the section that would be a gate by the end of the day. Dave worked from Lupie's yard, while Liv worked from Dave's. Both were being careful to preserve the boards that were still in good condition. Those could be reused. If not today, then for another project. As they each pulled boards from the fences, Dave gained a view of Liv as she worked. Granted, he'd seen her working in the yard, or building things before. But back then, she was the young girl he helped guide to adulthood. Now, she was the young beauty that shared his bed in addition to his life. And god was she beautiful. He'd only appreciated her looks in an esoteric sense previously. 'Why yes, Livy is a lovely young lady' in response to another's comment or question. Things had changed. Knowing she'd be fence-building today, Liv had worn a sturdy bra that could keep her; assets from flopping all over the place. But pulling nails and tugging boards loose still had them moving under her denim shirt like two quarreling kittens. Her ass filled the seat of her jeans just right too; not a bubble butt, just nicely curved. Thank God she wore work jeans and not skinny jeans. Dave had enough blood in the wrong place without her jeans clinging to the silhouette of her legs. Man had to get some work done. They'd removed the pickets, trimmed the rails and the kickboard when Dave heard the sliding door. "It's lunch time you two," Lupie called out. "Knock off for a bit. Come in and get a sandwich and a drink." Dave brushed most of the saw dust off as he walked to the house. He kissed Lupie when he got to the door. Lupie returned it, but when he moved to press himself against her, she shoved him away. "Not 'til you've had a shower mister," she demanded. He chuckled. "Yes, dear." She just laughed. Melanie joined them. Her footfalls stopped, briefly, right behind him. Lupie and Liv looked at each other with knowing looks, but he didn't ask them or Mel why. She did have a quick, quiet conversation with Liv and Lupie as Dave headed out to finish. It was a short conversation as Olivia was not far behind. The next few hours were more physically demanding than the morning as Dave and Olivia dug new postholes, mixed cement, then filled the holes and placed the posts. Even so, the hardest part was adjusting the guidelines keeping the posts vertical until the cement set. Constantly adjusting the lengths of each line until the level red true seemed to take more time than all the other work. Now they had to give the cement at least a day to set before hanging the gate. Dave and Olivia secured their tools and left the work area neat before heading in. As Dave pulled back the sliding glass door he was tackled by a mass of flesh that he could tell by feel was female. Well, the only other bodies in the house were ladies, so that helped too. She was also very excited. A flash of red hair as kisses rained on him helped him identify Melanie as his enthusiastic paramour. He had to back pedal a few steps to keep the two of them from falling to the deck. "Get a room, ya slut," Olivia laughed. Melanie finally came up for air. "I don't need a room. Just this hot, sweaty man." She planted her lips firmly on Dave's as her hands sought out the hem of his shirt. She yanked it over his head swiftly, barely pausing her lips in their quest for more Dave. "Seriously? We're doing this right here?" Dave inquired. Mel nodded as she got her hands on Dave's belt. "The Esme rule," Liv interjected. "This isn't the couch." Liv laughed and rolled her eyes. "Lawyers and coders, always looking for the loophole. I think Esme's in the library studying. I'll make sure she stays there for a bit." She pulled the curtain closed after the glass door. Mel slowed her kissing, and moved from Dave's face to his shoulders as she unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans. She took care to kiss every curve of his modestly defined shoulder muscles. No, more like savored. Dave decided to start evening the score, and grabbed her t-shirt; one of his actually, with the logo "University of Mars"; and pulled it over her head. It made her pause and grin, but barely slowed her progressive kissing down his body and getting his jeans and boxers down to his knees. Mel immediately took him in her mouth, working him to full erection quickly before plunging her head up and down. Satisfied he was at maximum stiffness, she straddled him while pulling the gusset of her shorts and panties aside revealing her already wet slit, her labia flowering outward in readiness. Mel sank herself on to Dave in one motion, letting out a grunt as he filled her. She opened her eyes and lowered her torso to his, kissing fervently as she rocked her hips up and down and rubbing her tits along his chest. Both of them found this quite stimulating. Hands roamed, tongues tangled, lips meshed. They seemed to hit a plateau, until Dave rolled them over. He began thrusting long swift strokes, causing Melanie to moan and lift her legs upward in a 'v' shape. She clutched his back and lifted her pelvis. As his thrusting pace increased Mel's vocalization devolved into happy grunts. Her fingers rotated, digging her nails into him. "Oh! God Yes!" Melanie arched her back, finding her release. A few moments later, Dave cascaded over the cliff with her, triggering a second orgasm in her even as the first had barely descended its peak. Dave held still and Mel clung to him as she shook. He nuzzled the side of her face with his cheek. When her breathing slowed, she grabbed his head and pulled him into a fiery kiss. Mel had an enormous grin as the two separated and began fixing their clothes. October 6, 2020. "Why are you cooking dinner, Dave? I thought it was Mel's night." "She is making the house dinner conejita, but I am taking your mother on a date today. We'll probably be gone through dinner." Esme made a face. "Ew, gross. So you two will be feeding each other little bites and doing other cutesy stuff?" "Probably," Dave chuckled. He scooped out a small portion on the tip of a spoon and held it out for her. Esme gamely took a bite. She swallowed but made a face. "Ew, what was that? Something popped and was bitter, or pickle-y." "Capers. I like 'em. I think your mom might too. I get it if you're not a fan." "Not. Most definitely not." Esme watched as Dave packed the container into a bag with sliced bread, several water bottles, a container of homemade whipped cream, and a box of strawberries from the greenhouse. As Dave stood, re-evaluating his packing, Esme spoke again. "It's not like I don't know what's going on around here. Ya'll get kinda loud sometimes. I know, I know 'I'm too young to talk about these things', but seriously it's a basic part of life as an adult right?" "I won't go sticking my nose in," she continued, "and yeah, I don't want to see it going on, but you don't have to walk on eggshells around me." "Oh, seriously though? We should get more candles or something, 'cuz something about that gets kinda funky afterwards. I've gone into the master bedroom to talk to mom a few times and, Wow dude. I can tell which mornings you get lucky. Or they do." "The way y'all act it's like you're both sure you got more out of it than the other, or more than you deserve or something. At least you're all happy. All though, yeah, sometimes if too many of you are walking around dreamy faced it gets kinda suspense film creepy." "Seriously though? I'm really happy for mom. And Becca. Mom's been lonely for a long time, and Becca spent about half the year looking like her heart had been ripped out. They are way better now than they were. I haven't seen mom this happy in; ever. And Becca is as bouncy happy as she's ever been. So yeah, whatever weird stuff is happening, is fine with me. I'd rather not see it though. Or hear it. Or smell it." After laying out the blanket for the two of them, the first thing Dave pulled out of the basket was an MP3 player. "You could have just used your phone, papi. Why go old school?" "Because this has more memory than my phone mi luz." Lupie chuckled lightly. "Your pronunciation is all wrong." She stepped in closer, their faces inches apart. "But your delivery is all right." They kissed softly, holding each other loosely. The romantic appetizer lasted a minute or so before they settled down to the blanket. Lupie smirked, one eyebrow cocked as Dave adjusted the position of the music player. "Well, it's not like I brought out a Walkman." "Don't you mean a Discman?" "Discman came a decade later. The Walkman was in the eighties, and it used cassettes." "Old man," Lupie smirked. "So I shouldn't tell you about my parents' blue panel van with an eight track player back in the seventies?" Lupie laughed. "Sometimes it's hard to remember you really are that much older than me. But when I do, it's a good thing. I have an appreciation for age and wisdom." She leaned in to plant a warm, lingering kiss on his lips. Dave rolled his eyes. "On a date with a thirty two year old and I'm still robbing the cradle." "Umm, you can rock this cradle all day long, papi," she purred. They bantered for a bit as Dave put together the chicken salad sandwiches, and grew quiet as they ate. Lupie did appreciate the capers, and the celery seed. As they were feeding strawberries to each other (after dipping them into some whipped cream lightly laced with rum) 'Brown-Eyed Girl' came on; the Jimmy Buffett version with steel drums. Dave swayed with the rhythm as he offered a strawberry to Lupie. As it got to the later lyric '; making love in the green grass, behind the stadium with you, my brown-eyed girl; ' Dave wiggled his eyebrows. Lupie giggled at first, then realized he wasn't just being silly. "David, no! Out here, where anyone can see us?!" "Loops, there's a row of tall bushes between us and the path. If someone is out getting some exercise, they'll never know we're here." "You have a way of making me loud, mi amor," Lupie beamed. "Then we'll take it nice and slow, darling," Dave said as he buzzed his lips next to her ear. He took a firm hold of her tit, massaging it just how she liked. Lupie sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. They made out like teenagers before shucking his pants and boxers. Lupie surprised him with the revelation she hadn't worn any panties. She blushed at her own daring. Then they made love. Long, slow, passionate joining of two hearts giving and taking in unison. The sun had set long before they left. The temperature dropped with the sun, but holding each other close and making their own heat, they never noticed. October 8, 2020. Dave was in his office, wrestling with code for his game when Becca came in, with Kareena. He'd left the game on hiatus for a while, with bigger issues to deal with, and a suspicion that an erotic harem post-apocalyptic game may not be interesting any more, between the actual apocalypse happening and the 'addictive sperm' serum now running through women's veins. But, he had started the project, he wanted to finish. "Hey Dave, looks who's here!" Becca announced. Dave looked up and was immediately confused. "Are they waiting for me to come down and sign?" "Oh, no, they said since I was one of your partners, I could sign." "Hello Dave." Kareena's entangled fingers wouldn't stop moving. Her shoulders were rounded, pulled inward and down. Her feet shifted. Her deep brown eyes wouldn't rise above his knees. Dave motioned her to a chair. "You seem worried. Are you sure you want to do this?" "Yes." Her eyes flicked up to his for just a moment, before dropping again. "It's just different from what I'm used to, what I expected for my life for several years. But I want a change. And I was relieved when the match system said we were eighty three percent compatible. I was worried it would be a lot less." Dave motioned for her to take a seat. "So, how are you feeling?" Reena blushed at the implication. "I'm okay. Not antsy like they said would happen, but it hasn't been too terribly long just yet. I mean, I could right now if you want to." She rushed the last sentence out. "It's okay. This is a big step in life, bigger than society made it out to be in the past couple decades." Dave paused for a minute. He caught Becca's eye then cocked his head towards the door. She took the hint and left, pulling the door shut. "It's just the two of us now, face to face, with no one listening. Is there anything you want to say or ask?" Kareena looked at him, looked away, and back. "I don't want to be everybody's salon girl." Dave blinked and nodded his head. While he was waiting for her to continue, he took the time to notice her attire. It hadn't been his instinct in the past, not anything beyond 'That looks nice' in a sincere tone. He'd begun to learn that what a woman was wearing may be a clue to her general intent in a conversation. If in fact, she had dressed for him, and not some other purpose. In this case, it wasn't egotistical to believe Reena had dressed for him. Her orange half shirt played counterpoint to her lovely brown skin balanced between milk chocolate and sienna. Her tits stretched the top to pull ripples into the fabric. below her shirt, her smooth, flat, tummy bore no adornment. Neither did her lovely oval navel. Her jeans rode low on her hips, and were so tight they may well have been painted on. "I know I said I was good with that stuff, and I kinda am, at like, an amateur level, but I don't want to do that all the time. Like, just as a hobby, if something special is happening." She started tearing up as she talked. Dave reached out, taking her hand in his, gently. A gazed at her face until she met his eyes. "I didn't bring you here to do nails and hair a such. I brought you here because as a family, we agreed you would be a welcome addition. We all realize you are young, and still figuring out where you want to fit in the world. We did not expect you to fill in any particular house duty." He brushed a loose lock of raven black hair behind her ear, and received a smile. "When colleges re-open, take a few classes, see what interests you; " "My dad said since I wasn't going to accept an offer from the guy he wanted me to pair with, he was cutting me off. I don't think I'll be taking classes until after I can get a job to build up tuition money." Dave chuckled. "Family sticks together, Kareena. Jan and I both work for the community college, which can get you a tuition discount. Given that they've already forgiven all student loan debt, the government is probably going to fund all tuition, or most of it, going forward. And, well, there are four adults in this household with established careers and we've all been fairly careful with our money. You want college, you can get college." Reena relaxed a bit, but not entirely. "Also, there is a spread of skillsets among us. Sit and talk with each of us. Shadow us while we do our jobs. Get to know our fields of expertise. Well, the remote part anyway. Probably going to be awhile before you can actually go to our places of work, even once we can go back. Odds are, something will sound interesting, if not our exact jobs, something related. Worst case scenario, you learn a lot of what you don't want to do and get to know us more than you might want to." Reena giggled. It made Dave feel better, knowing he could rouse her out of her anxiety. He kept his eyes on her, smiling. Reena shifted in her chair and adjusted her leg position. "Dave?" "Yes?" "I think I'm ready now." Dave blinked for a moment. Two and a half weeks living in the new serum-world and it still took him a bit to register what she meant. "Oh. Um, are you sure?" She nodded. Her breathing was deeper than when she'd come in. Dave stood and reached a hand to her. She lifted her hand to his and stood. Reena followed Dave to the bedroom and stood, still and uncertain, as he closed the door. Turning from the door, he noticed her shaking. "Reena, this is only going to work if it's something you want to do." Panic washed over her face. "I want to, I do. I'm just a little scared." She licked her lips and tried to steady her breathing. "It's just; I, uh; well, Becca talked about how you, uh; do; things. It's never been like that before. I mean, both boyfriends that I've; been with; just kinda; did their thing and got off." Dave approached her. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "I'm not the greatest lover, so I hope Becca didn't put me on too high a pedestal. I do take the time to pay attention to a woman's needs. That said, this first time, you're only going to get there when the first bit of my fluid hits you, and then again when I pop. I could be the greatest lover in the world, and nothing will get you to climax other than those two events the first time." Reena smiled warmly and laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso. "I came here for the long term Dave. The short term is less important." After gathering her thoughts, she continued. "Just show me I matter to you, that's all I ask." Dave stroked his hand through her long, dark hair. He kissed the crown of Reena's head and ran his hands gently down her arms. He pulled her closer by the waist and she raised her head. Their lips met and each let their hands roam across the others' body. Kareena moaned into the kiss. Dave took that as encouragement and allowed his hands to rise to caress the sides of her luscious, sizable tits over top her shirt. She shuddered and pressed herself to him. Dave picked Reena up gently and seated her on the edge of the bed before joining her. He kissed her neck and nibbled her collarbone. Dave slipped his fingers under her top and lifted slowly, pulling his face back to allow her half shirt to pass. He dropped his face to kiss the upper slopes of her tits as his hands sought out the bra clasp in the back. He briefly recalled the mistake with Shawna, just as he found the interfering component. It yielded quickly to his touch and Reena shrugged off the straps, allowing the bra to slide to her legs and fall to the floor. Dave pulled his face back to admire the view. Even at what must be a D or E cup, her tits stood out proudly with the perkiness of youth. He locked eyes with her and latched her lips with a hungry kiss. Reena groaned with a hunger that matched his own. He placed his hands beside her tits, thumbs stroking the underside of the soft orbs enflaming his desire. Reena's breathing sped up with his caresses. She gasped as he took one dark brown nipple and areola in his mouth and suckled. "Oh, David; oh God, that feels good." She whimpered as he released her aroused nub, then hummed passionately as he engaged her mouth again with his own. As their tongues danced, he lowered her torso to the bed, her defiant bust yielding only slightly to the insistence of gravity as each hung off to the sides. Dave kissed down her cleavage and nipped and kissed about her abdomen before bringing his mouth to rest just above the button of her jeans. He looked up her body, between her tits. Only when she lifted her head to return his gaze did he unbutton her jeans and peel them back slightly as he began kissing the small exposed area of her pelvis. He half stood, still dallying his lips on her taut flesh as he moved himself around her knee to settle between her legs. He peeled her jeans down to her knees before pulling upwards, lifting her legs in the air and stripping her jeans off. He stood, bring the jeans clear of her feet, then caught her legs against his chest. If the look in her eyes and her rapid, deep breathing hadn't been enough to confirm her arousal, the warm, musky scent of her sex screamed it loudly. It was heady, rich, and inviting. He parted her elevated legs and slowly knelt, his eyes on hers, a lecherous smile on his face as he lowered it towards the lace panties covering her throbbing center. The black tracery woven through the garment gave accent to the richness of the red base. His face only inches from her sex, he paused, inhaling the scent of her, reveling in her arousal. He kissed her over top her tanga-style panties, applying just enough pressure to transmit the sensation from his lips to hers. Reena groaned, her hands reaching for his head. Dave looped his fingers through the sides of her panties and pulled them towards him, then up. She bent her legs at the knees to ease their removal and she hissed her assent. Understanding the actions of the serum now, better than he had previously, Dave took her engorged labia into his mouth, suckling at them as he probed her slit with his tongue. Reena cried out, arching her back, yearning for release. Satisfied she was as aroused and ready as the serum would allow, Dave half rose, keeping her knees on his shoulders and lifted her up the bed as he crawled on to it. With a firm purchase on the bed, He kissed her again and worked his hips to align his shaft with her entrance. With his tip lodged just inside her opening, she nodded to him, urgently. Dave steadily edged himself into her, her passage relaxed and accepting him. The warm moist tunnel held him firmly, stretching to accommodate his girth as he penetrated her fully. His tip pressed against the very top of her tunnel as his pelvis made contact with her clitoris. Dave began with a slow, gentle grinding action. Reena held his arms as he worked himself in her. Her breath suddenly caught before she howled and shook. Dave knew he must have leaked out the first bit of precum, triggering her priming orgasm. He held still while the ecstasy rebounded through her. It took her well over a minute to recover. She clasped her hands behind Dave's neck and kissed him fiercely as her legs locked behind the small of his back. "I'm yours now, forever. Work that thing in me and finish your claim." Her eyes were hungry, certain, and unyielding. With a smile, and his eyes locked on her, Dave worked his hips back and forth, plunging in and out of her. Reena grunted with each impact of his pelvis against hers, a look of joy on her face, her breathing growing ragged. Dave accelerated his motion as he felt himself building to the eruption they both needed. The yearning in Reena's eyes exhorted him onward until he felt the familiar tingle and let loose inside of her. Immediately, all of Reena's muscles contracted, seizing and spasming. Dave held still, embedded in her depths as he pulsed more and more of his essence into her. He held himself still as she writhed, giving some anchor to her flailing until she crumbled to the bed beneath him. "Imprinting; imprinting; imprinting;” October 13, 2020. Dave sat in the station chair, in cloth shorts only, working through a third set of butterflies. He actually preferred free weights, but he wanted to push himself hard today without bugging someone to spot him. He'd been cycling curls, chest presses, and butterflies. Though he went to free weights for the curls. Melanie came in as he was straining to get out the tenth rep. The slightly amused face she wore added into something else entirely as she spotted him bare but for a pair of shorts, glistening in sweat from forty minutes of strength training. Her breathing deepened, which drew Dave's eyes to her chest. He faltered, kept straining, but couldn't quite finish the rep. "Uh; um;” She shook her head and gathered her thoughts. "So, I caught our two youngest ladies messing around in your office. They're in the living room now. I think you should come talk." The smirk returned, though her eyes kept lingering on his sweaty abdomen. Dave was sure she was slipping a little extra sway in her hips as she walked ahead of him to the living room. He quickly checked his phone on the way, noting several texts, all from family members. Most of his family had denied the virus was real or that masks or lockdowns worked, so most of them were 'not responding' on social media. The few that remained had posted mournful bits on social media, still not acknowledging reality. Since he'd pointed out the absurdity of their positions before people started dying, he was now dead to them. Not really something that affected him much actually, since they lived three states away and never thought much of him in the first place. But why the fuck; ok, wow, yet a new level of hate texts? And why all of them, all of a sudden? Becca and Reena sat on opposite sides of the couch. Reena's eyes were downcast. She appeared to be on the verge of crying. Becca's lips were pressed into a flatline, her eyes not meeting Dave's. Dave cleared his throat. Becca looked briefly at him, then quickly away. Reena let out a small whimper and kept her eyes on the floor. "So y'all want to tell me what happened?" Becca finally met his gaze. "We were only trying to help." "Oh good, so many wonderful things have followed that statement." Dave took a seat between them and pulled them close. "How about dropping the preamble and just getting it out." "I broke into your computer and we used your Facebook profile to contact two women that show up in your feed a lot. We were going to contact a few others when Mel walked in. It took a while because we were trying to say something unique to each one." Becca monotoned. Then she perked up "we just thought since you requested some of us, you could request other women you already knew." If I blow my top, I'll not only hurt Becca whom I most definitely love but cause super skittish Reena to withdraw completely. The girl's trying to find herself a new place in life. Unless she's clearly reverting to past behavior I have got to treat her with kid gloves. Dave suddenly made a connection in his head. "Who were the two women you propositioned in my name?" "Janine Farkel and Mary Pharns" Dave's head lolled back as he chuckled. "Well, that would explain the texts I just red. Every woman on my mother's side still alive are royally pissed at me. None bothered to explain why, but went to great lengths delineating what an utter worthless beast I am." Becca looked at him confused. Reena did as well, though she was ready to start bawling again. He took a deep breath. "Janine Farkel is my cousin. Her mom and my mom are sisters." Becca rolled her eyes at their mistake. Reena looked like she wanted to bury her head in his shoulder, but wasn't sure she was allowed. "To be fair, I did think she was awfully cute when we were kids. But once I realized what romance was focused around, I was instantly aware that wasn't something you do with your cousin." That got Becca to give a small snort. Reena's frown almost became a grin. "Mary Pharns is Janine's niece, her older brother's daughter, making her my second cousin." Both girls groaned. "You know what you did wrong?" God, he shouldn't be talking like this with a sexual partner, yet the situation called for it. "I should have checked relationships before sending out a message?" Becca asked softly. Dave looked at her stonily. "You should not have used my social media profile without my permission. You should not have acted in my name, without consulting me first. You acted because you had the skills. Just because you can do a thing, it does not necessarily follow that you must do that thing." "Did you just use Star Trek 6 as a rebuke?" Becca said with narrowed eyes and mouth. "If the shoe fits, wear it." She rolled her eyes. Dave looked to Reena, on his other side. He bent his head down to hers, lifting her chin with the hand around her shoulder. Their lips met and he kissed her sweetly. They held the kiss, lips moving, but only that, for nearly a minute. When they broke, Reena batted her eyes and blushed. "Well, it's not a boring life." Dave observed. Both girls barked out a laugh and snuggled into him. "So Dave, um," Reena temporized, "is there anything we could do to; make it up to you?" Becca jumped in. "We've been talking about, maybe you know, both of us?" Dave's eyebrows rose. "Like maybe, you could; um; fill one of us up; and then the other one; uh; licks it out while you; uh; do it in her. So, there's this line of you and then both of us." "I'm willing to be the in-between one," Reena interjected. Becca's eyes betrayed her surprise. "That would be amazing. But only if you want to, and not as punishment. I don't want anything sexual to be punishment." Reena popped her head up. "Not actual punishment. Roleplay and BDSM are different. That's for mutual pleasure, with agreed upon boundaries." Reena relaxed against him again, nodding her head lightly. "I'll put out a message to my family members about what happened, including a tightly worded appreciation of the faith in me they displayed with their responses. After a few more days of bitching, that should keep them off my back for a good six months while they go back to savaging each other. Or whoever they've collectively deemed as 'other'." Dinner in the Belsus household had been moved back to accommodate Shawna's frequent shifts on the 5pm and 6pm broadcasts. Today, however, she'd taken the early morning duty and arrived home shortly after five. She found Dave in his office, staring at another set of lab instructions for the online physics offering he'd been instructed to develop. One month out from spring semester registration, he was supposed to have already submitted a final number for the course fee needed to cover any kits or supplies the school would require to accompany the course. "Dave?" He brought his head up and smiled when he saw her. "Hey Shawna. How long have you been standing there?" "Less than a minute." Her broad smile that fully engulfed her eyes pulled his brain out of its work fog. He saved his work and logged out. "We have about two hours before dinner's ready. What would you like to do?" "I could use a massage, if you're up for it." "Sure." Shawna took his hand and led him to an unused bedroom that had been converted to an alternate TV and game room. Not entirely unused. Shawna's work clothes were in the closet so she could dress before work without disturbing anyone in the master bedroom. On walking in, she picked up the remote and flipped through menus. "It's a shame they don't have Babylon 5 or original Galactica on streaming. How 'bout some TNG?" Dave nodded. Shawna setup an episode, then settled on the floor, placing herself between Dave's legs as he sat on the bed. Dave slipped his hands to her neck and began working his thumbs in the crease there. His fingers held the sides of her neck, mostly giving a base for the thumbs, but doing small motions on the flesh they contacted. Shawna let her head droop slightly. "Umm, I love feeling your hands on me, baby." She turned her head so she could see him out the corner of her eye. "Once you've got my neck nice and loose, feel free to; roam a bit." The lusty grin those words slipped out of punctuated her meaning. Dave chuckled and gave her a kiss on her cheek before she dropped her head loose again. Within the first minute, Dave could feel the tension in her and went to work helping her relax. He thoroughly massaged her scalp, taking care not to mess with her hairstyle. He massaged her forehead, then around her ears and jaw before descending to her neck. Once that was feeling loose, he moved down to her shoulders. He worked her upper back as well, working out the physical manifestations of the stresses she may or may not share later. She was already running the entire meteorology department for the station. The official promotion had not yet come through, but she was the one that all the folks in the department looked to for direction. She was the one the higher ups passed their instructions through. Every day had at least some stress. He rolled her neck in his hands, feeling the looseness that hadn't been there when he'd started. Satisfied the primary task was accomplished, he allowed his fingers to stretch down from her shoulders, caressing her front progressively lower from her collarbone. "Umm. uh-hmm." Dave slipped his hands under her silky blouse and directly stimulated the flesh just above the upper slopes of Shawna's tits. He carefully sought out a path that took his fingers down the sides of her tits, cupping them as he massaged them. Shawna sucked in a breath before saying "Oh, yes baby. God I love these hands." With his hands inside her shirt and bra, Dave deftly stroked her tits and nipples Until she stood and began stripping her clothes off. He matched her actions and the two fell to the bed naked, their hearts pounding. Shawna landed on top, but quickly rolled to put him above her. Taking his cue, Dave got his knees between her legs and made the connection they both sought. Excited as she was, he slipped himself in easily. They lost the need for words as he pumped in and out of her. Both roamed their hands and lips across the other, but the primary need was the stimulation below as she bucked her hips up to him and he thrust into her offered portal. The long, slow, burn of the massage had them both well on their way before they entangled themselves. Shawna lit off first, shuddering and moaning as they kissed, her body convulsing in the throes of a 'normal' orgasm. The actions of her inner muscles on his cock pushed Dave the last bit of his peak and he let loose within her, triggering a serum-induced orgasm even as her body was beginning to come down from the natural orgasm. They held each other close, panting, for several minutes. Another few minutes were spent kissing, until the unmistakable sounds of a dinner nearly ready intruded their thoughts. They dressed carefully, unrushed, but ready to move on to the next part of the evening. They descended the stairs holding hands and crossed the living room into the dining room. Esme passed them as they took seats, a bowl in her hands as she helped lay out dishes for the meal. Passing behind Shawna, Esme gave an audible, obvious sniff, then looked at Dave and shook her head. Chapter 7; Celebration. October 16, 2020. Dave's heart was handling the exertion just fine, only slightly elevated beyond his usual while doing this. His breathing was ragged though. He was having trouble finding his rhythm. And his legs felt like rubber. "Come on, Dave," Olivia said over her shoulder, "You can do better than this. Tell ya what, you beat me back to the house and I'll give you my ass tonight." She blew a kiss over her shoulder, then kicked hard. Roscoe let out a bark that was both happy and plaintive, then loped faster to keep pace. They were about a quarter mile from the house, nearing the end of their three mile run. Dave frequently ran five miles in a morning, but he'd slacked off gradually as his living situation changed. Last week he hadn't run at all. Having a woman's warm body snuggled up against him just made it that much harder to get out of bed and run. Multiple bodies pressed against him, each with its own unique, warm, fleshy wonder, made getting out of bed nearly impossible. Dave kicked out after Livy. He gained on her at first, but the view of her firm, muscular ass was just amazing. Dave decided it was worth it to keep the view and let her win. Anal would be fun to try, but they had their whole lives together. This view, now, this morning, gave him the satisfaction he was looking for. At the entrance to the driveway, they slowed to a walk. Arms over their heads, they walked circles in the driveway and yard. Roscoe, tongue out, huge canine grin, circled about them. Occasionally, he bumped his head against a thigh and got a pat on the head for his efforts. "For taking a week off, you didn't lose much ability. You let me win that." "Well, to be fair, watching your ass in those leggings is a reward all it's own." Dave took her in his arms and kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, and softly on the lips. He could feel her smile into the kiss. When he pulled back and her eyes reopened, he saw a lingering uncertainty in them. "This still has an undercurrent of weird, but a whole lot of wonderful. I sometimes get paranoid your dad's going to come around the corner and catch me kissing you." Olivia smacked his chest, then buried her face in it with a giggle. "I'm also amazed that I have this beautiful, intelligent, loving young woman in my life that has admired me for many years. A young woman I watched grow up, becoming one of the finest human beings I've ever had the privilege to know. And she chose me to live her life with." Olivia's hug on Dave squeezed tighter. She had her dream. Everything she ever wanted was right here. Then Dave's stomach rumbled. "Guess I better get my butt in the kitchen and feed my man." Dave rolled his eyes. "Sure," he said, with a pat on her ass as she turned towards the door, "get in that kitchen and cook my food woman." Olivia's only response was to wiggle her ass. Halfway to the door, she turned her head over her shoulder and stuck out her tongue, through a great big grin. She shrieked and ran, giggling, when Dave started to run towards her. The first order of business was to let Roscoe into the backyard, where he lapped water from his bowl before plopping onto the deck. Once in the kitchen, Dave snatched a bowl from the cupboard while Olivia pulled the egg carton from the fridge. Lupie's chickens did a fine job keeping up with the needs of Dave, Lupie, Becca, and Esme. Add Janice, Shawna, Olivia, and Melanie to the mix, and those chickens made a nice supplement, but would never keep up on their own. When Dave reached for the carton, Liv slapped his hand lightly. "I told you, I'm making breakfast for you. Take a seat." "Maybe I should just go take my shower now, and come down to a hot breakfast made by my hot babe." She threw an appreciative grin over her shoulder. "Maybe you should go find the sweat slut and give her what she wants." "She does like it without being sweaty too ya know." "Are you talking about Melanie?" came Janice's voice from the dining room entry. Soft and melodic, Dave would never get enough of those carefully crafted tones. "Gee, how'd you guess?" Dave gave her a gentle kiss in greeting. Janice hummed in the kiss, but kept their bodies separated. "I'm kinda in between Mel and Lupie here on this one. It's not my kink, and don't want to be pressed against you when you're all sweaty, but I'm not shoving you away when you look all manly and accomplished." Jan blushed lightly at the end of her statement. She let go of Dave to move to Liv's side at the counter. She watched Olivia crack the eggs one handed, then split the shell, still using one hand only, over the bowl to drain the egg out. "Hey, that's just how Dave taught me to do it." Olivia looked at her with a smile and a raised eyebrow. That caused Jan to laugh. "Okay, okay, for me it was just a few weeks ago. I take it you were, what, fourteen?" "Eight. Eight years old, standing on a step stool with one of the two greatest guys in the world standing beside me." Olivia said wistfully. Jan gave her a quick shoulder hug. "Can I do anything to help?" "Sure. I'm just going to scramble these with some seasoning. Maybe some toast or fruit? A little late to start bacon." Jan, with her head in the fridge called out, "We've got a package of pre-cooked breakfast sausage. Just need to be heated through." "Sounds good." "Hey Jan?" Dave asked. "While you're in there, can you grab me an apple or a pear?" Dave easily caught the pear she tossed his way and began eating it after polishing it on a dry spot on his shirt. "I can't seem to stop eating lately. I'm surprised I didn't gain weight the last few weeks. Eating more than usual, and little to no exercise." Tossing a lid on the skillet to keep the steam inside, Jan turned to Dave. "Little to no exercise? Dave, you have energetic sex at least twice a day, with three or four blowjobs or quickies as well. If you're denying your hunger and not eating, that would explain the; what, five pounds you lost?" "Hmm, hadn't weighed myself in a while. Too afraid the scale would just scream 'Get off me fatso!'" Olivia snorted, but immediately gave him a scowl that matched Jan's. "Dave," Jan said, "you are far from overweight. If you keep over restricting yourself by not accounting for your activity, you're going to hurt yourself, and us by extension. You should stash snacks in your office, so you can have something as soon as you get hungry." She paused for a moment. "Maybe we should get a small fridge for your office, to hold some snacks that would be better cold, or water bottles. You like your fruit and water cold." Just then, Dave's phone chimed the tone he'd set for texts from the ladies of the house. Looking down and unlocking, he saw it was from Shawna. Shawna Posted; It's official! I got the promotion! WFAA Chief Meteorologist Shawna Coulter! That's great! I'm proud of you! You put in a lot of work to get here, babe! Shawna Posted; a heart emoji. They even did a video call with Troy! He still wears those wonderfully dorky bowties! He congratulated me, said he's been watching, and he's proud I'm holding the department to a high standard of science and reporting! Then she posted a star-eyed emoji, smiling face with tear emoji You earned every bit of those accolades. Shawna Posted; face blowing a kiss emoji, It's just, oh my God, he's a legend around here, and well-regarded in the weather community! And then he's on a Zoom call, telling me I'm doing the station and profession proud! I remember watching him as a kid, hun. I can imagine the impact. You put years of work into this. Enjoy the fruits of victory, my love. Dave froze. The first time he'd used the 'L' word with Shawna, and it was by text! Dammit! In the silent minutes of self-recrimination, his phone chimed again. Shawna Posted; I love you too, David. "What's with the dopey-lovey grin, Dave?" Olivia's voice brought him back to the dining room as she sat a platter of scrambled eggs on a wooden trivet and centered it on the table. Jan came in and did likewise for a platter of sausage. "Shawna got the official promotion to Chief Meteorologist." "Hey, that's great!" Jan said, with Lupie chiming in as she entered with Esme. Mel came in a few steps behind. "Mel," Liv said, "could you grab the fruit tray and toast?" Mel nodded her agreement. Lupie shooed Esme to go help. "We should do something to celebrate Shawna's promotion." Lupie said. Heads nodded around the table. "She's got the six o'clock duty tonight, and they'll probably do some kind of cake thing there, so I wouldn't expect her home until after dinner." Jan supplied. "Tomorrow, she's going in for a few hours to give guidance and get some admin work done. No on-air duties though. She said she'd be home by two, maybe three at the latest. Oh, and she's not going in until ten at the earliest. She swore she was getting to sleep in." "How about a picnic in the park?" Melanie suggested. "The way she gets nostalgic talking about the smell of grass or the air from her storm chasing days, maybe she'd like that." "Hopefully sans storm," Liv said dryly. Mel stuck her tongue out in reply, then both giggled. "So, an early dinner tomorrow, after Shawna gets home. Let's figure out a menu and divide up duties." Lupie guided the ensuing short discussion. She tried to dissuade Dave from making a dish, again cajoling him that he should let them take care of such things. Dave pointed out that he enjoys cooking and seeing people enjoy his efforts. Shawna had shown an interest in his tomato-cucumber salad, and they did just pull in a fresh harvest of both. Then he got a little dirty. Would Lupie deny Shawna a dish she loved from someone she cared for on her celebration day? Okay, that was a little not cool, but he wanted to make something dammit. Lupie's look was by turns hurt and chagrined. "I'm sorry Lupie, that was over the line." Dave stood and walked to her chair. He took her hand and kissed it. "Please, I love to cook, and I feel like I'm getting shut out here. I love what you and the others cook too. And I understand your position about my role, leading the family. But please, step back once in a while and let me make a dish." Lupie got a saucy look in her eye. With a smile and a wink, she said, "Very well, you may work in my kitchen." Dave rolled his eyes, but as she stood to begin clearing the table, he swatted her butt, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Eep!" She turned and buried her face in his chest. As she turned, he could see her face was as red as the tomatoes he'd use tomorrow. Just then, Becca and Reena stumbled in, bleary eyed and messy haired. They'd been working on some project and stayed up late, sleeping in a different bedroom. "Why don't you let Heckle and Jeckle here get their breakfast, and then let them clean up?" Lupie screwed up her face, ready to object, but both teens nodded their assent, Becca holding out a thumbs up as she flopped into a chair. Then Lupie mentioned Shawna's promotion and the planned party for tomorrow. Both girls livened up, huge grins on their faces. They leaned towards each other, speaking in quick whispers before pulling back and high-fiving. Whatever was going on had them completely awake with broad grins. "You girls care to share?" I asked. "Not yet, it's a surprise. A good one this time, promise." Becca flushed with remembered embarrassment from the 'hook Dave up' fiasco. Reena blushed as well, nodding agreement. Jan lay under Dave on the bed, her legs wrapped around his waist. Since he was already sweaty, she thought she'd give it a try. Might as well, right? Try different ways? As Dave pumped in and out of her, he paused between kisses to study her face. "You are not feeling it are you?" "You, yes. The sweat, no. Sorry, David." Dave stopped his motions, beginning to pull out. "No, no, please. Finish in me. Then we can take a shower together, and maybe; my turn in the tub?" Dave was still working his way through individual dates with each lady, but they had added a twist. Each wanted a soak in the large, sea-shell shaped garden tub in the master bath. To make it special (they argued getting tub time with him made it special) he'd managed to personalize the experience with different settings. Lupie loved lavender, so he arranged lavender bath scents, two candles on the vanity, and four candles around the tub. Every time before, when Dave was near lavender, his eyes, nose, and mouth got itchy, so he took a dose of his strongest allergy meds (over the counter, but behind the pharmacy desk) half an hour before the bath time. It; didn't work. He didn't sneeze or have too much sinus irritation. But Lupie's time luxuriating as she leaned against him in the bath was cut short when she noticed red bumps all over his arms as they wrapped loosely around her. She was furious with Dave as she pushed him into the shower stall to wash off the offending aromatics. She pulled the plug on the bathtub and kicked on the fan before joining him. He was grateful when the steamy air got into his lungs. When Dave pledged to try again, Lupie pointedly suggested almond and vanilla. After that, all the ladies insisted on knowing what gave him allergic reactions. As far as scents go, they were relieved the only remaining problematic scents were eucalyptus and any form of mint. Mel was slightly bummed about the mint, but wasn't that attached to it. "The feeling of Dave going down on me vastly outweighs the pleasantness of a mint-scented bath." So after Dave finished, and a few minutes of snuggling, he got up to shower quickly. Adjusting the tub faucet to Janice's preferred temperature, he left it running. Then he pulled the special items for Janice from the one locked closet in the bathroom. The one he stashed all the special prep stuff for the ladies. Yes, they'd picked scents and lighting, but that's no reason to give away all the details. With the tub about half full, he drizzled a small, short stream of rose oil into the water with a slight sideways motion to help start the mixing process. The tub's curvature and the current due to the filling should do the rest. Next, he killed the lights. Jan wanted natural lighting, which is why they were doing this in the daytime. There was a large window that let light into the master bath. No one could see in from that direction, into an upstairs window anyway, so it was safe, even before the pandemic. As the tub neared full, Dave cut the water and sprinkled rose petals on the surface, around the tub margins, and then some on the floor. With his back to the door, he surveyed the scene to make sure it was right. Satisfied, he placed the partial bag of petals in the closet and locked it again. Then he stepped back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He led Jan from the bed to the bathroom door and had her cover her eyes with her hands before opening the door. Jan walked slowly into the bathroom, marveling at the setup. As Dave joined her, she wrapped him in her arms and delivered a warm, passionate kiss. Then they climbed into the tub, Janice lying back against Dave's chest, as the two enjoyed the closeness without any overtly sexual play. It was a good morning. "Why do you smell like roses?" Reena asked as she lay curled into Dave's side on the laid-out recliner. "Because I gave Jan her couples tub time earlier and she likes a rose-scented bath." "So you're really working your way through romancing each of us personally?" "There's no other way. You are each unique. Different desires, different needs. I'll do my best to give you what makes you feel happy and accepted." "This is pretty good right here." The teen gave him a soft kiss. "I like Jan. She has good taste in bath scents. And men." Dave chuckled, giving her a soft squeeze in appreciation. They were in the living room, though no music or shows were playing. Just a quiet snuggle. Kareena wore cloth shorts and one of Dave's nerd shirts. This one looked like a computer's BSOD. Melanie cringed when she saw it on her way out the door earlier. Reena must have been wearing a bra, since her large tits were somewhat contained and her nipples were not poking through. Given her past behavior it was a 50/50 toss up whether she was wearing any kind of panties, but there was no outward indication either way, and this wasn't the kind of snuggle to facilitate an exploration to find out. "So I've been talking with Becca and Jan, and the others. I think I'd like to take some classes in the Spring?" "Why are you asking that like a question?" "I wanted to make sure you're okay with it." "Reena, we are partnered. We will spend the rest of our lives together, and eventually have kids together. I don't own you." Dave looked her straight in the eye for this part. "Sure, there are somethings you could choose to do that will impact all of us and therefore require some prior notice or approval. What schooling you pursue is not in that category. Now, if you're looking for advice, I'm here for you. It sounds to me like you've already gotten some from the others. And I happen to think highly of their opinions, so you should be good to go." Dave got a full kiss on the lips for that, with only a little tongue. "I'm going to go undeclared and just take some basic classes. Becca and I plan on taking composition and speech together. Not math or science. She really helped me through high school, but I'm not at her level and I don't want to hold her back. As soon as we can, I'll take the placement tests and hope I get into college math instead of remedial." Her face fell at the prospect of starting below college level. "Becca will probably get into precal or calc right from the start." "You'll do fine, no matter where you place. If you're really worried about it, talk to Jan. I have some math prep books around here. Take some time to brush up before your test." Dave kissed her nose. "Regardless of what course you place into, you'll need to set aside some study time. And fortunately, you have plenty of people in this house that can help. Becca of course, and me for math and science, Lupie's good with numbers and presentations, and management or decision making. What Jan doesn't know she knows how to find. Shawna would be great for math, science or public speaking, but she still has a full time job that keeps her out of the house eight hours a day at least, so she may be less available." Reena smiled. "Yeah, she's kind of a badass. Like she's so completely feminine lovey dovey with you, but work wise, she rules the roost and gets things done." "Feminine does not mean weak, baby doll." Over the past week or so, Reena had shown a preference for diminutive names and pseudo-possessive treatment. Dave suspected it was partially due to her high school relationships with jocks and trust fund boys, but he fed her what she asked for while making sure she still felt loved and appreciated. The caramel-skinned teen smiled back. "I know. But it's nice when you say that too." She paused to change direction back to the main topic. "I think I'd like to go into interior design. That would mean an associate's in, well, anything really, but business might be a good idea. Then a trade school for my focus classes. I thought about fashion for a while, but all that cutting and sewing sounds really annoying. Placing furniture and décor, choosing the right painting and lighting, that sounds challenging and fun." "I like the passion I hear in your voice. I'm right behind you. Just; don't ask me to tell the difference between jade and emerald." "They're totally different!" Dave chuckled and gave her another hug. "Hell, half the time, someone has to remind me that chartreuse is a green hue, not a red one." "Ugh!" Reena rolled her eyes and huffed. "Isn't this the same guy that cried at two different movies last night?" "Hey, anyone that doesn't cry when Goose dies is a heartless brute. Ditto for Spock." Dave pitched his voice slightly lower and made it raspy and slow. "I have been, and ever shall be; your friend." Reena smacked his chest, water rimming her eyes. The whole house had been on an 80's movie kick, with an emphasis on sci-fi, since that was beloved by Dave, Shawna, and Becca. Livy and Mel were mild fans of science fiction as well. Lupie, Jan, and Reena just wanted to understand their partners better. Reena had sobbed during Spock's death scene. Becca had earlier led Kareena through a few of the original Trek series, including 'Space Seed', 'Amok Time' and 'City on the Edge of Forever' to give her some context for the movies. Before either of them could continue the conversation, the front door opened. Melanie and Olivia came through with several bags straining from each hand. Reena and Dave rose, heading for the door as his two returning partners crossed to the dining room to set down their burdens. Two trips each emptied the car. Melanie and Reena set about getting the cold items stowed first, while Liv grabbed the bag from the sporting goods store and headed upstairs. Dave went to the garage for his tools before joining her. One room had been claimed by Mel and Liv as their own. Primarily just as a private space for the two of them, but of course for those times that privacy was a little more intimately desired. Carter's suspicion was in error, at the time. Neither girl had been intimate with another woman. Prior to moving in, the girls had never shown an interest in each other. Now though, they were somewhere along the road of experimentation. But, the lessons taught to Olivia by her father were deeply rooted. And that lesson was about responsibility as well as security. Which is why they were making this installation, behind Livy's headboard. "This last bolt will do it. Which one are you going with?" "The ten. If someone's trying to hurt us, I want a big punch." "You know what your dad said, aim makes caliber an extra." She narrowed her eyes. "My aim is fine. Better than yours even." "Okay, ok, easy there Annie Oakley." Liv smirked. "You read the programming instructions for the palm print scanner yet?" "No, it's the same model I used in Stephenville, though." "Well, I've got it installed," Dave said, crawling out the small space between the headboard and the wall. Bigger than normal, since they'd pulled it out to do this work, but still tighter than Dave would like. "Time for you to program it. You remember the code to the gun cabinet?" Dave's gun cabinet was built in the understairs area, covered to look like a normal part of the hallway, except the small hatch over the keypad. "Yep. Kinda hard to forget." Liv gave him a kiss as she slipped past and began the programming process. To be continued in part 6, Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts, for Literotica.

Your 60-second money minute. Today's topic: Big Tax Refunds Could Boost Economy This Spring Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you've ever said, "My metabolism must be broken," this episode is your permission slip to stop blaming yourself. Because here's the truth: Your metabolism isn't broken. It's underfed, overtrained, and over the old diet games. In this Fit Girl Magic podcast episode, I'm breaking down why years of "doing it right" eventually backfire for women over 40 and why pushing harder is usually the exact thing keeping you stuck. We're talking about metabolic seasons and why fat loss isn't a year-round sport. I walk you through the four outcomes of my latest quiz and what your body is actually asking for right now, without another meal plan, reset, or January panic spiral. Inside this episode, you'll learn: Why being too good at dieting is often the real problem How under-eating and over-training quietly stall your metabolism Why fat loss works best when you stop chasing it The difference between restoring, refining, revealing, and rebuilding How muscle changes your shape, confidence, and long-term results Why maintenance isn't failure—and when it's time to move on from it I also explain why: Eating more can be the smartest next move Doing less can actually create more progress And why no one gets bonus points for suffering If you're tired of guessing, starting over every January, or feeling like your body stopped responding… this episode will help you make sense of where you are and what to do next.

We're wrapping up 2025 with an OnWriting Screenwriter Roundtable, featuring David Koepp, Craig Brewer and Kirt Gunn. The three writers joined us to discuss the origins and process behind their latest projects, how they develop their ideas over time, and much more. David Koepp is a writer and director known for writing the screenplays for films like Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, and Spider-Man, among many others. His most recent project is Black Bag, a mystery-thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh released in Spring 2025. Craig Brewer is the writer and director of Song Sung Blue, a musical biopic about a Neil Diamond tribute band, based on the documentary of the same name. Before Song Sung Blue, he wrote and directed films like Hustle & Flow and wrote on seasons 4 & 5 of the hit television series Empire. Kirt Gunn is a writer and director whose latest project is Roofman, co-written and directed by frequent collaborator Derek Cianfrance. --- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: wgaeast.org/onwriting Follow the Guild on social media: @WGAEast OnWriting is a production of the Writers Guild of America East. The show is produced by WGA East staff members Jason Gordon, Tiana Timmerberg, and Molly Beer. Production, editing, and mix by Giulia Hjort. Original music is by Taylor Bradshaw. Artwork is designed by Molly Beer.

Send us a textWhat happens when bold, beautiful, brilliant women come together to share their stories? In this special episode of the Ageless Glamour Girls Podcast, we're sharing a replay of our live virtual meet-and-greet celebrating the launch of Ageless Glamour Girls: Reflections on Aging, the original book released in Dec. 2023. Hosted by Germaine Miller-Summers of HOV, LLC, the conversation features co-authors from Volume 1 – women 50+ reflecting on aging, reinvention, resilience, healing, and becoming. Reach out if you're interested in being featured in Volume 2, due Spring 2026.Host/Guests:                                                                                                               Germaine Miller-Summers: FB - https://www.facebook.com/germainedmiller/.   Pat Battle: IG - https://www.instagram.com/patbnbc/?hl=en                                Dionne Jones: IG - https://www.instagram.com/age_with_vibrancy/?hl=en.               Melinda Rinzivillo:  FB - https://www.facebook.com/melinda.rinzivillo.5.              Lisa Bedian: IG - https://www.instagram.com/lisabedian/Karen Herlands:  IG - https://www.instagram.com/herlandshealth_/Cheryl Collier: IG - https://www.instagram.com/itscherbliss/                                    Pat St.Claire: IG - https://www.instagram.com/pat.stclaire/                                      Maria Gonzalez:  FB -  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1600612095  Sandi Badash: IG -  https://www.instagram.com/sandibadash/?hl=en             Lynn Venhaus: FB - https://www.facebook.com/lynn.venhaus                           Ciriaca Yolanda: FB - https://www.facebook.com/yolanda.sabio                          Leah Irene Victoria: IG - https://www.instagram.com/leahirene7/?hl=en          & Marian R. Featherson      Support the show https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessglamourgirls www.linkedin.com/in/marqueetacurtishaynes www.agelessglamourgirls.com https://www.shopltk.com/explore/AgelessGlamourGirls https://www.youtube.com/@agelessglamourgirls Instagram @agelessglamourgirls Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agelessglamourgirls Private (AGG) FB Group: The Ageless Café: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theagelesscafe TikTok: @agelessglamourgirls Podcast Producers: Ageless Glamour Girls and Purple Tulip Media, LLC

Conversation with Mike Annes starts at 2:20. California Spring Trials 2026: March 24-27 (Days and time may vary by location.) https://caspringtrials.us/ Tech On Demand host (and 20-year trials veteran) Bill Calkins collaborated with California Spring Trials registration managers at National Garden Bureau to produce a series of podcasts featuring representatives from just about every exhibiting company in an effort to get you excited about the iconic industry event and some of the new plant introductions you'll see on display in spring of 2026. California Spring Trials is the horticulture industry's “fashion week” and with more than two dozen participating companies bringing hundreds of new plants to market for 2027 and beyond, opportunities to get inspired and plan new additions to your crop mix abound! Registration for this annual even is essential to help hosts create an amazing, customized experience for all attendees. REGISTER FOR CAST 2026 NOW AT https://caspringtrials.us/. You'll also find a trip planner, location information and more. Be sure to schedule plenty of time at each stop and with each exhibiting company!

Conversation with Jessica Cudnik starts at 2:20. California Spring Trials 2026: March 24-27 (Days and time may vary by location.) https://caspringtrials.us/ Tech On Demand host (and 20-year trials veteran) Bill Calkins collaborated with California Spring Trials registration managers at National Garden Bureau to produce a series of podcasts featuring representatives from just about every exhibiting company in an effort to get you excited about the iconic industry event and some of the new plant introductions you'll see on display in spring of 2026. California Spring Trials is the horticulture industry's “fashion week” and with more than two dozen participating companies bringing hundreds of new plants to market for 2027 and beyond, opportunities to get inspired and plan new additions to your crop mix abound! Registration for this annual even is essential to help hosts create an amazing, customized experience for all attendees. REGISTER FOR CAST 2026 NOW AT https://caspringtrials.us/. You'll also find a trip planner, location information and more. Be sure to schedule plenty of time at each stop and with each exhibiting company!

0:00: Justin talks about diving into the Kingdom experience while Helen’s just ready to talk about the news that happened over the past two weeks. A good amount of news happened! News 5:17: The two hosts discuss two pieces of AI dubbing news, one involving voice actors in Japan, and the other one intending to use AI in anime production and needless to say, it’s not looking great! 10:12: Both Helen and Justin wonder about TOHO and how big a player they’ll become in the anime industry following their acquisition of Anime Limited from PLAION PICTURES. 14:03: So yes, unless an actual acquisition happens, it’s safe to say TheOASG Podcast will not talk about Warner Bros. Discovery unless a deal actually goes through or is stopped after Paramount’s hostile bid was, in the end, rejected; If you’ve been watching certain anime for free with ads on Crunchyroll, you won’t be doing so anymore in 2026, as they’re going to end their free ad-supported service. 18:53: Ammitsu’s Gazing at the Star Next Door's on hiatus until Spring as the creator preps the new arc; Rumi Ichinohe’s I See Your Face, Turned Away recently seemed to come back after a long hiatus, and it’s gonna end in the next chapter; and Boichi’s The Marshal King will go on hiatus for an undisclosed reason. 22:17: Also sort of weird — after a long time, Yona of the Dawn, which just saw its manga end, announced there will be a sequel to the anime. Sure took its time! 26:05: And in final news of the episode, the two hosts send their condolences to the friends and family of long-time voice actor voice actor Tomomichi Nishimura, who died on November 29 at 79. Licenses 28:08: US companies had to end the year with some licenses, and we got a decent amount, starting with Yen Press: Chika Tōjō's Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury—Vanadis Heart Ema Okadachi, otori, & Kou Kusaka's A Timid Lady was Turned into an Ugly Cat, but on the Verge of Fainting Is Picked Up by the Most Fearsome Military Duke Chitose Kaido's Thank You for Taking Care of Our Boy Banri Yūya Sakamoto's The Daughter of the Demon Lord is Too Kind! Rocket Shokai, Natsumi Inoue, Gakuto Coda, &, MEPHISTO's Sentenced to Be a Hero manga Toshiya Miyata's Melody of the Boundary Honda's Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san released as a Complete Omnibus Konosuba – God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! TRPG Advanced Rule Book tabletop companion book New Yen Audio titles: Asato Asato’s 86–EIGHTY-SIX Alter.1: The Reaper’s Occasional Adolescence and Akumi Agitogi’s The Bubble Love of the Mermaid 31:37: And then TOKYOPOP: cojomo's Kyo Aizawa Doesn’t Laugh Akiko Kawano's The Villainess' Bride Tōko Amekawa, Sora Gōto, & Meiji Anno's Reincarnated in a Mafia Dating Sim LN Nanae Chrono's Vassalord (2-in-1 omnibus paperback and hardcover edition) Will release Misaki & Momochi’s A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation in 3-in-1 omnibus volumes 33:36: And then Seven Seas, who concluded their Wonderful Wednesdays this year with the following announcements: Akari Tsuchihashi's Flirting with my Bear-like Boyfriend (Steamship) Aira Yao & Umashi's Slime Saint Sasami Nitori’s Wonder Cats Natsue Shiomi & Daichi Matsuse's I Wish I Could Meet You Again on the Hill Where That Flower Blooms manga Ei Tozaki's Follow that Kiss Tsukamu Yoriwake's Nemu the Corpse Bearer 35:37: Meanwhile, a couple exclusive announcements of the following Titan Manga series were on ANN: Yokusaru Shibata’s Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider Yūnagi’s School for Wizards Old Enough to Learn Magic Paneguma’s The Assassin Laughs at Twilight Sakyuu Tottori’s Have Fun! It’s the End of the World!  rarutori, Ciavis, & Kō Narita’s High Elf with a Long Life manga Mizunomoto’s When I Was Reincarnated in Another World, I Was a Heroine and He Was a Hero The two then get into discussing which title they prefer that was translated into English: Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash or It’s a Little Hard to be a Villainess of an Otome Game in Modern Society. 39:23: We have One Peace Books announcing exclusively on Behind the Manga the following new titles: Senya Mihagi, jaguchi, & Sato Pote’s Lockdown Life with the Class Beauty, Teika, Waka Sanada, & Hamu’s The Delinquent Girl Beside Me Suddenly Dyed Her Hair Black?!, and tera, Hayate Asakura, & Tetta’s The Villainess Who Came to Marry Into the Frontier Noble’s Household Is an Exceptionally Capable Wife, Isn’t She?; Hanashi Media announced a brand new license for their LN line; and Inoue’s #Gal x Gal Yuri manga is now on VIZ Manga. Streaming News 41:16: Part 2 of Rivals of the Great Detective Collection will drop on New Year’s Day, which means Justin has to be hyped about more Detective Conan. He also gets into the final Conan Cinema Saturdays movies, which will end January 3 with the first movie in the long-running franchise. 45:29: Helen then goes out of her way to talk about the Hatsune Miku anime film being the final bit of streaming news this week, only for Justin to remind her that she didn’t talk about Magic Kaito 1412 getting a dub on an obscure service (45:45). Cue much discussion that leads to somehow bringing up Conan, Yaiba, and Kaito Kid in a Cinematic Universe! Weird News 47:27: Helen goes over the strange situation involving physical copies of Higurashi: When They Cry Hou – Hou + having malware, which had MangaGamer having to recall it from stores. 49:50: Now it’s officially official: GAINAX is dead; the Naruto franchise is getting a Konoha land theme park in France; meanwhile a burger chain in Texas now has a Spy x Family burger for people to eat. 56:31: And final weird news for 2025, manga getting an anime years after it ends is unusual but over the past couple years it hasn’t reached the levels of what Psyren and then Iron Wok Jan! have inspired now! Both hosts discuss this unusual trend and also go back in time as to how they each got into these manga respectively! Feel free to send questions or any comments you might have about this week's episode in the comments section below, to contact at theoasg dot com, or to our Twitter account (@TheOASG). TheOASG wishes everyone who celebrates it a Merry Christmas! The post TheOASG Podcast Episode 234: Conan Cinematic Universe appeared first on TheOASG.

Today we are running back the tapes with one of your favorite episodes from 2023! Enjoy this rerun and hope you are having a wonderful holiday season! As you grow into higher-end weddings, your ability to communicate with planners becomes just as important as your filmmaking or photography. In this episode, Taylor and Kelley break down the key shifts wedding creatives need to make to build trust, stay professional, and become planner favorites.In this episode, we cover:✅ How communication changes when planners are involved✅ Common mistakes to avoid when working with planners✅ How to be a respectful, proactive creative partner✅ When it's appropriate to contact the couple directly✅ How to position yourself for future planner referrals

Here's another oldie that's a goodie we're offering up as a replay with a freshly recorded introduction. In this episode, we dive into what makes a good birth attendant (doula, birthkeeper, midwife)? As a mother, how do I recognize one? Or, as an aspiring birthworker, how do I become one? Where can I learn to do this holy work? These questions and variations of, are things we hear often and have lead to some great conversations. These conversations sparked a project that we first revealed in this episode in the summer of 2023! Tune in to hear our thoughts, hearts and what we're offering to the birth world for women of faith who want to uphold God's design for birth. Mentioned in this episode:Hearthmother Journey: Raising the Next Generation of Holy Wild BirthkeepersGet on the first-to-know list for the Spring 2026 cohort (enrollment opens in February)

Conversation with Alicain Carlson starts at 2:20. California Spring Trials 2026: March 24-27 (Days and time may vary by location.) https://caspringtrials.us/ Tech On Demand host (and 20-year trials veteran) Bill Calkins collaborated with California Spring Trials registration managers at National Garden Bureau to produce a series of podcasts featuring representatives from just about every exhibiting company in an effort to get you excited about the iconic industry event and some of the new plant introductions you'll see on display in spring of 2026. California Spring Trials is the horticulture industry's “fashion week” and with more than two dozen participating companies bringing hundreds of new plants to market for 2027 and beyond, opportunities to get inspired and plan new additions to your crop mix abound! Registration for this annual even is essential to help hosts create an amazing, customized experience for all attendees. REGISTER FOR CAST 2026 NOW AT https://caspringtrials.us/. You'll also find a trip planner, location information and more. Be sure to schedule plenty of time at each stop and with each exhibiting company!

Conversation with Joe Messer starts at 2:20. California Spring Trials 2026: March 24-27 (Days and time may vary by location.) https://caspringtrials.us/ Tech On Demand host (and 20-year trials veteran) Bill Calkins collaborated with California Spring Trials registration managers at National Garden Bureau to produce a series of podcasts featuring representatives from just about every exhibiting company in an effort to get you excited about the iconic industry event and some of the new plant introductions you'll see on display in spring of 2026. California Spring Trials is the horticulture industry's “fashion week” and with more than two dozen participating companies bringing hundreds of new plants to market for 2027 and beyond, opportunities to get inspired and plan new additions to your crop mix abound! Registration for this annual even is essential to help hosts create an amazing, customized experience for all attendees. REGISTER FOR CAST 2026 NOW AT https://caspringtrials.us/. You'll also find a trip planner, location information and more. Be sure to schedule plenty of time at each stop and with each exhibiting company!

In this episode of The WAG Diaries, I'm breaking down something that felt impossible to ignore. In the days leading up to the launch of the WAG Winter Lock-In, I kept seeing angel numbers 222, 444, and 777. Not once. Not twice. Consistently. And instead of brushing it off, I realized something: Alignment always shows up before expansion. So in today's episode, we're decoding what these angel numbers actually mean, why they tend to appear when you're making big decisions or entering a new chapter, and how to use their messages to stay focused, disciplined, and grounded during a 90-day transformation. This episode isn't about superstition. It's about awareness, intention, and using symbolism as fuel. In this episode, we cover: What angel numbers really are (and what they are NOT) The meaning of 222 (alignment, trust, and staying committed to the process) The meaning of 444 (discipline, foundations, and long-term stability) The meaning of 777 (momentum, spiritual confirmation, and expansion) Why these numbers often appear right before personal breakthroughs How to use angel numbers as confirmation, not motivation How to stay grounded and avoid spiritual bypassing Practical ways to anchor your mindset during the WAG Winter Lock-In How alignment + action create real transformation If you're starting the WAG Winter Lock-In, this episode will help you: Stay committed when motivation fades Trust the process instead of rushing results Build discipline without burning out Recognize when you're on the right path, even when things feel quiet This is your reminder that signs don't replace discipline, they reinforce it. Alignment is the signal. Action is the requirement. And if you've been seeing repeating numbers lately, this episode will help you understand what they're asking of you and how to respond like the woman you're becoming. Winter is for building. Spring is for blooming. Let's lock in.   In this episode of The WAG Diaries, Victoria officially launches the WAG Winter Lock-In, a 12-week (90-day) transformation sprint designed to help you step into your most elevated self across the three WAG pillars: Wealth, Abundance, and Glow. While everyone else is waiting for January 1st to start making resolutions they won't keep, the 11:11 Girls are choosing to start preparing for their transformation now. This episode breaks down why winter is the most powerful season for transformation. Fewer distractions, more focus, and the perfect environment to build in silence and emerge unstoppable by spring. Victoria walks you through exactly what the WAG Winter Lock-In is, how it's structured, and how to set goals that actually change your life. Not surface-level resolutions, but identity-shifting commitments. She also shares her personal 90-day goals, including saving aggressively while living elevated, releasing 25 pounds, building a new income stream, prioritizing rest, consistency, and fully upgrading her glow from the inside out. You'll learn: Why real transformation doesn't start on January 1st, it starts the moment you decide How to use winter to build momentum instead of falling off How to set aligned, measurable goals across Wealth, Abundance, and Glow Why discipline, consistency, and community are the real glow-up How the WAG Winter Lock-In will be supported through weekly podcast check-ins, daily accountability, and the 11:11 Girls community This episode is your invitation to lock in and to stop talking about becoming her and actually do the work. Because the woman you want to be isn't coming magically. She's built through 90 days of intentional action. This isn't a New Year's resolution. This is a complete transformation. Winter is for building. Spring is for blooming. And the WAG Winter Lock-In is your blueprint.   CONNECT: Instagram (Personal): @byvictorianicole Instagram (Podcast): @thewagdiariespodcast TikTok: @byvictorianicole Linktree: linktr.ee/byvictorianicole   Subscribe to The WAG Diaries so you never miss an episode! Apple Podcasts | Spotify 

Welcome to another powerful Sabbath Lounge interview! In this episode, we sit down with Matthew Martin to discuss his new Torah-focused community website designed to unite—not divide—Torah followers worldwide.   https://wholebiblecommunity.com/   This new platform allows Torah believers to: Find fellowships and local communities Connect with like-minded Torah followers Discover Torah-friendly goods and services Build real unity across the global Torah and Whole Bible community Unlike many online spaces, this platform is not a place for arguments or division, but a place for connection, encouragement, and shared faith rooted in the entire Bible. Coming Soon: The website will transition into a mobile app launching in Spring 2026, making it even easier to connect with Torah followers around the world. Be sure to check out Sabbath Lounge for more interviews, discussions, and topics focused on: Torah observance Sabbath and Feast Days Whole Bible faith Community, unity, and discipleship Like, subscribe, and share to help grow a united Torah community worldwide!   www.sabbathlounge.com    https://linktr.ee/Sabbathlounge   #sabbathlounge  #Torahfollowers #Torahcommunity #Torahinterview #MatthewMartininterview #Torahfellowship #Torahbelievers #WholeBiblecommunity #Torahobservance #KeepingTorah #Sabbathkeepers #Biblicalcommunity #Torahnetwork #MessianicTorah #Biblebelievingcommunity #Torahunity #Faithbasedcommunity #Torahwebsite #FindTorahfellowship #Torahgoodsandservices #biblicalunity  Music courtesy of a paid Canva Account  Your Colors (inst) Erloom ft Shanice Antonia Content found in 0:00 - 0:2344:27 - 44:49 Content type  Audio Claimants ORFIUM (HEXACORP LTD) on behalf of Audiosocket

Send us a textAlthough we celebrate the birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth on December 25 it is highly improbable that he was born on this day! The accounts found in Luke and Matthew do not give us an exact day they do relate a timeframe of the year. Consider Luke 2 and the revelation to the shepherds out in the fields at night. No shepherd would have his sheep in the wet cold winter in Israel! This is the season of little grazing grass necessary for their life and health. The time for flocks grazing is the Spring and Summer and early Fall but not Winter.John's gospel directly links Jesus with the fulfillment of the Feast of Israel recorded in Leviticus 23. After Jesus immersion by John and his return from the wilderness the Prophet Forerunner of the Messiah declared- "Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." John 1:29,35 The lamb and the shepherd are identified by Jesus as pictures of his own life and mission. Using the historical indicators identified in the gospel accounts mostly likely Jesus was crucified at the Passover in the Spring of AD 33 on Thursday or Friday April 2 ,3.  The shadow of Law meets its completion in Jesus dying as God's provided Lamb for the sins of his people.In like manner Jesus birth is connected to the Fall feast of Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles. The Hebrew lived in tents during their journey from Egyptian slavery to the Promised land. God also had his tent erected among them as they traveled. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. Exodus 25:8-9 John connects Jesus incarnation with Tabernacles in chapter 1 of his gospel. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.... 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.So does the writer of Hebrews in chapter 8,9,10. "Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. (Hebrews 8:1)But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:11-12Again using historical data and information given in the gospel accounts we can arrive at the approximate date for Jesus birth in the Fall. But the most important truth is not the date of his arrival but the fact of the historical birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us for us people and our salvation.    Bible Insights with Wayne ConradContact: 8441 Hunnicut Rd Dallas, Texas 75228email: Att. Bible Insights Wayne Conradgsccdallas@gmail.com (Good Shepherd Church) Donation https://gsccdallas.orghttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTZX6qasIrPmC1wQpben9ghttps://www.facebook.com/waconrad or gscchttps://www.sermonaudio.com/gsccSpirit, Truth and Grace MinistriesPhone # 214-324-9915 leave message with number for call backPsalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Join Dan Vega and DaShaun Carter for the Season 4 finale of Spring Office Hours! In this special episode, the hosts look back on an incredible year in the Spring ecosystem. They'll revisit their 2025 predictions from Episode 1, did they nail it or miss the mark? From the release of JDK 24 and 25 to Spring Boot 4, Spring Framework 7, and Spring AI reaching GA, it's been a landmark year. The guys will also reflect on 35 episodes of great conversations, conference highlights from JavaOne to SpringOne, and celebrate the community that made it all possible. You can participate in our live stream to ask questions or catch the replay on your preferred podcast platform.

Tue, Dec 23 2:48 PM → 4:42 PM CLEAR SPRING RD 1223 84228 Radio Systems: - Hennepin County MN West Armer

The end of March wraps the forest in a subtle, expectant atmosphere. The back of winter has been broken, and the air smells of the damp forest and the awakening earth.A deep, restful stillness prevails in the woods. The rain has just ceased, but its traces still linger in the branches: the rain-drenched trees are heavy with droplets that fall softly onto the moss and sodden leaves. The scent is fragrant.In the midst of this peaceful dripping, a long-awaited sound rings out. A blackbird has returned from its migration and chosen a tall birch in its home forest as its singing perch. Its flute-like, rich, and slightly melancholic song fills the calm moment.The song does not break the peace, but rather deepens it. It is a promise of the coming spring.

When the NFL released the schedule back in the Spring, December 27th looked like a potential Super Bowl preview between the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens. Right now? Not so much. While the Packers are still sitting pretty for the Playoffs, the Ravens are hanging on by a thread. Both teams are dealing with serious questions at quarterback, as Jordan Love is in the concussion protocl, Malik Willis has a shoulder injury, and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson has a back contusion. (Which is just the latest injury Jackson's dealt with throughout a frustrating season in Baltimore.) Ravens beat reporter Luke Jones joins the show to summarize their season, as well as look at the future of head coach John Harbaugh.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elf on a Shelf: Part 3 It's hard to punish a girl as good as Honey, but he'll try. Based on a post by LingeringAfterthought, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. In the second week of February, Honey Lane sat on a tall stool in the corner next to Zach's kitchen counter, sulking as she watched him walk slowly around the table at which sat a girl and two boys between the ages of 7 and 10. The dour silence of the spacious industrial loft suggested more that the children were completing a college entrance exam with a severe proctor, rather than completing Valentines to be distributed in class the following Monday. Honey crossed her long legs and sighed again, earning a piercing glare from Zach. She had been looking forward to helping Zach's niece and nephews with their Valentines for a couple weeks, Until she received a call from the Health Department, advising her to take precautions due to a Covid outbreak in her dumpy apartment complex. and now she was only allowed to observe the kids from five feet away. She crossed her arms and sighed again. This was the worst punishment ever. Zach continued circling the table, trying not to notice how Honey's folded arms pushed her tits together, the neckline of her fuzzy sweater dipping between them. Beneath the soft woven folds, the silken white skin of her tits probably still bore the red marks of his passion, his teeth and lips remembering the feel of her shuddering with pleasure under them only moments before his sister dropped her kids off for the afternoon. Jesus Christ; she just uncrossed and crossed her legs again, totally oblivious to the way she flashed him an upskirt every goddamn time she did it. Unless she wasn't oblivious to it; with Honey, it was hard to tell. Zach could tell that Honey was just dying to hop down from the stool, scamper over and huddle with Amarie, Fallon and Logan, as they wrote their names on the stupid little perforated papers and stuck a pencil through the pre-punched holes for a stupid commercial holiday that was supposed to celebrate love. Honey would ask them questions about their classmates, help them choose the right stupid Valentine message for the right classmate, put stickers and shit on the cards, and generally sprinkle that fairy dust that she seemed to bring to anything she did. She was a born nurturer and would make this whole thing magical for the kids, but it couldn't be helped. Honey had scared the shit out of him and she needed to learn a lesson. It would be hard, but he just had to be strong. She would not be getting out of this. Not this time. "Done!" Fallon yelled, slamming his pencil down on the table. Logan looked up from where he was working on his third personalized Valentine message, apparently trying to sign each of them in rudimentary calligraphy, and frowned, "You just put 'F' on all of them," he said in disgust, "It looks like you're giving them a bad grade; he said, shaking his head and returning to his careful scrivening. "I am. Everyone in my class is a jerk. What are these things supposed to mean, anyway? All these cards sound stupid. Like you'd really walk up to someone you like and say 'Let's swing!' I haven't asked a girl to swing in years. I'm too old for swinging," Fallon griped, looking at his Spiderman sticker cards. A snort of suppressed laughter came out of the corner of the room, followed by the sound of a body collapsing to the floor in a fit of coughing. "Fourth Fucking Place! On Your Face, Maggot!" Zach roared. In the corner, hidden among the gym equipment, Zach's friend and loyal wingman Terry promptly scrambled up into pushup position again without a word. "Thirty-two," the children said in unison, prompting Zach to put another dollar into a large money-stuffed jar labeled "Language Arts Scholarship" in the middle of the table. Amarie sighed and looked longingly over at Honey, who smiled ruefully and gave her a little wave from her stool. "Why is Miss Honey on the naughty stool, Uncle Zach?" she asked. "Cards," Zach ordered, walking over to block Amarie's view of Honey with his massive body. Amarie resignedly turned back to signing her pink and purple mermaid cards that came with scented tattoos. Zach knew Amarie would be a problem. She adored Honey, and there was very little that Amarie's big brown eyes and reddish curls couldn't talk him into. She had a tender heart that couldn't believe anyone deserved to be punished; especially not someone as soft and sweet as his Honey. Goddammit. Honey leaned forward and pressed her cheek against the tightly muscled wall of Zach's back, then reached her hand up under his t-shirt and began gently scratching him. She could feel the warmth of his skin seep through the tight cotton, and smiled as she snuggled into him, still grazing her fingernails across the skin of his back. Zach's mind flashed back to this morning when her nails were not so gentle as he pounded into her tight, wet pussy, her nails digging deep, scoring his flesh in her ecstasy. A noise of pleasure escaped him before Zach disguised it as a barking cough, and quickly stepped away until he was a safer distance away from the irresistible vixen sitting, most deservedly, on the naughty stool. Shaking his head to clear it, Zach tucked his t-shirt back into his jeans and folded his arms. "Miss Honey is on the naughty stool. I ll tell you why. The other day when I got back from the race in California where I had to drag Terry's ass across the finish line in Fourth Place Behind The Fucking Bubbleheads," Zach ranted, before pausing to collect himself and continuing. "I go over to get Miss Honey at her apartment and find her giving a fucking haircut to a naked guy in her fucking living room!" "You cheated, Miss Honey?" Fallon gasped in disbelief, at the same time Logan called out "Thirty-six!" Zach fished a five-dollar bill out of his wallet and put it into the jar, taking a one out for change. A foot stomped on the floor and he glanced up to see Honey with her hand raised in the air, outrage written on her face. He raised his hand, blocking his view of her face and the heart-melting effect it had on him, and looked away dismissively. "He was not naked! Cade had a towel on!" Honey yelled in protest. Zach strode over to her, took her chin in his hand, trying to think of something harsh and authoritative to say, but got distracted by her plump lower lip instead, remembering how it felt to suck it between his own and have her open her mouth, hungry to accept his tongue. He could smell the faint strawberry scent of her lip balm and closed his eyes, clenching his jaw in an effort not to kiss her. "No talking on the naughty stool," he murmured, his eyes dipping down to let his gaze rove over her soft tits, loosely wrapped in her fuzzy sweater. Honey smirked and kissed his palm. "Miss Honey would never cheat," Amarie said with resolute confidence. Honey nodded in agreement and thanks to the young girl, tossed her long hair over her shoulder and grinned up at Zach. "Towel or no towel, I still saw Cade's nuts when she was goin' after him with the Flowbee," Zach explained, turning from Honey as Logan opened his mouth with a look of question, "And no, 'nuts' doesn't count as a swear," Zach finished, pointing at Logan. Zach resumed his rounds of the table, continuing his story. "So, of course, I reacted like anybody else who saw another guy's nuts in his girlfriend's living room, and she has the balls to tell me not to yell because it's not good for Cade." "I think 'nuts' should be fifty-cents; 'balls' too," Logan said, thoughtfully. "They might not be swears, but they are; indelicate." Zach turned to Honey and silently mouthed the word "indelicate?" to her, a discomfited look on his face. Honey bit her lips, and another snort of laughter erupted from the corner where Terry was still in starting push-up position. "Fourth Place, Maggot! You Got Nothing To Laugh About Except The Size Of Your;" Zach roared, before pausing and breathing deeply and continuing in a calmer voice. "Anyway. Turns out, this guy Cade just got back from a tour and was dealing with some PTSD when he saw another guy's balls in his living room, too, only his girl wasn't exactly giving the other guy a haircut. So, after a bit of trouble, he was living on the streets. No job. No money. Nothing. Then, a few days ago, Honey sees him eating some of the food she left out for a stray cat," Zach said, his voice constricting as his throat tightened. He turned away from the kids to hide his face for a moment, only to meet Honey's deep blue eyes and a whole new set of problems; like not remembering anything he was talking about before. She reached up and stroked his cheek, and then he felt all the blood in his brain drain down below his belt. Fucking hell. "Miss Honey helped him, though, didn't she?" Amarie said expectantly, more as a statement than a question. "What? Yeah. Of course, she did," Zach said with exasperation, looking down into Honey's face, and trying not to laugh at her stubbornly set jaw. "Miss Honey never fucking heard of "stranger danger," or met a wreck of a person she couldn't care about. So, she takes this 'Cade' in, feeds him, gets him washed up, takes him shopping at the Salvation Army, and then takes his ass to the library to write up his fucking resume and apply for jobs, for cryin' out loud," Zach said, putting another two dollars into the jar before Logan could remind him. "When I got there, Cade was there in her living room with his nuts showing under the towel, getting a vacuum cleaner haircut, because he'd gotten a job interview with a moving company." "Yeah, but if she wasn't cheating, I don't see what she did wrong," Fallon said, applying a scented mermaid tattoo to the back of his hand. "Is this what mermaids smell like?" he wondered. "Yeah, well, just as I was cooling down, this 'Cade' starts in on me for letting Honey stay in that piece of crap apartment of hers and taking in homeless guys. Even had the nerve to ask me what woulda happened if he'd been some addict, or worse, if someone that got to thinking that she was his girlfriend?" Zach said, folding his arms and looking down at Honey, who looked quite unrepentant. "What? So, Miss Honey can't be nice because they might have problems or fall in love with her?" Amarie asked. "That's not fair! You wouldn't even like her if she wasn't happy and nice all the time because she was always worried about what would happen if the boys fall in love!" "Ugh. Love ruins everything. Maybe that's why these Valentines are all so stupid, so nobody actually falls in love; Fallon said, with an air of realization. "Yeah; and then girls can take the pencil from the card and jab anybody that wants to kiss them, too." "If the burden was placed on women to be preemptively hostile to avoid rejecting unwanted affections, it might explain the decline of romance in the modern era; and 'crap' is an excremental swear," Logan added offhandedly, not looking up from his fourth Valentine message. Zach's eyes grew wide, his jaw going slack as he looked at his oldest nephew with unnerved awe and added another dollar to the jar without argument. "They should really make these things with nunchucks; Fallon added, looking down at his Valentines, "Nobody can kiss you if you have nunchucks." "The point is, even a freaked out homeless guy knew that Miss Honey did something dangerous that nobody should ever do! You don't just grab strangers off the street and take them into your homes because there's a lot of crazies out there that will mess you up for no reason at all!" Zach ranted at the kids. A stomp from the corner made Zach turn back to where Honey waved her hand insistently in the air, her sweater pulling up and exposing a narrow bit of skin at her waist. The skin was pale and beautiful, like the rest of her, except where there was a slight bruise where his fingers had gripped her tightly as he pounded into her from behind in a haze of animalistic lust, only a few hours ago. "Yes?" he asked hoarsely, a dew of sweat breaking out over the back of his neck. Honey cleared her throat, "Okay; say someone threatened to kill you and then scared you to death for a whole year by following you around; and then one day you wake up at their house all beaten up and they tell you that they're going to keep you there and take care of you until you're better. Should you give them a chance, or just phone an Uber and get the heck out of there?" Honey asked, putting her hands on her hips. A peal of laughter rose out of the corner where Terry was, and Zach stomped his foot, ending it quickly. "I don't know. That person sounds scary, Miss Honey; Amarie said, her large eyes concerned. "That's just insane. That's like that movie where this crazy lady kidnapped this guy and makes him write books for her and then she smashed his legs with a sledgehammer when;" "Who the fuck is letting you watch 'Misery,' Fallon?" Zach roared. "YouTube," Fallon said, shrugging. "Jesus Fucking Christ; Zach said, waving down Logan's hand and stuffing more bills into the jar, then walked back to where Honey sat with a smirk on her face. Glaring down at her, he crossed his massive arms, and she crossed her legs again, squirming slightly on her stool. "Maggot, come watch the kids," he barked as Terry collapsed on the floor with a relieved sigh. "I wanna talk to you in the other room," he said, gripping Honey by the back of her neck and steering her up the stairs as she tried to control her giggles. "But there isn't another room; it's all just one big room. Even your bedroom is just a big shelf;" Honey began, until Zach steered her into the bathroom and locked the door. "Hey kids, what do you say we turn this into a dance party!" Terry yelled, and loud music quickly started blasting outside the bathroom door. "Did they just fucking compare me to Annie Bates?" Zach asked as Honey dropped to her knees, unzipped his jeans and took out his painfully excited erection. "Umm huh," Honey said, hungrily filling her mouth with his hard cock, as his hand gripped the back of her head. Zach's breath hitched as she began rubbing her tongue on the bottom of his mushroom head, clutching his flexing thighs. Groaning, he thrust back and forth slowly, watching his cock slide in and out of her wet lips. "Just for that, you're swallowing my load this time," Zach growled, gripping her hair tighter and thrusting deeper. Honey just wrinkled her nose and relaxed her throat, letting him plunge and withdraw, clenching his jaw, loving the noises he made as his excitement grew beyond his control. With a strangled moan, he thrust deep and watched her eyes widen when he swelled and throbbed down her throat, until he slowly pulled out and spilled the last hot pulses on her tongue. Honey's eyes glowed as she took him once more into her mouth and slowly slid back, cleaning him with her tongue, until the head of his cock slowly emerged from her wet lips and received a sweet kiss on the tip. He shook his head in amazement and lifted her up in his arms, overwhelmed again at the miracle of having her there with him, when there were so many ways that everything that had happened between them could have gone wrong. Still breathing raggedly, he bent down and kissed her, her eager and innocent passion for him touching him more deeply than he cared to admit. How in the hell had he managed to get this girl? Zach lifted her up and set her bottom on the bathroom countertop and stripped her sweater over her head, bending and going after her neck first. He loved the way she shivered when she felt his lips and teeth drag across the smooth skin, the way she completely lost herself to him. She was already panting those soft sighs against the top of his head when he freed her tits and took them in his mouth, and then he chuckled when she jumped at the sensation of it. God, he hoped she never changed. Diving in, he devoured her soft pale flesh, her rosy nipples tightening under his busy tongue. He reached down, pushed her skirt up, and moved the wet gusset of her panties aside. He laughed again, feeling the abundant slippery nectar between his fingers, leaving no doubt that she wanted him just as much as he did her. He wanted to taste her, to feel her hips rise up under his mouth, begging him for more, but he knew Honey could never stay quiet enough, even with Terry blasting a dance mix. Lifting his head from her tits, he returned to her mouth, her nose, her cheeks; God, he couldn't get enough of her. "Look at me," he said in a rough whisper, smiling when Honey's eyes opened obediently, seeking him through her haze of need. She bit her lips and whimpered when his fingers found her clit. "Don't you come until I say," he rasped, toggling her bud expertly. Honey moaned and wound her legs around him, pulling him closer, her back arching in restrained pleasure. "Umm; I can't do it; please; please; she begged, crying softly in loss when he slowed his ministrations, "No; she whimpered. "Don't you want to come on my cock, baby girl?" he said, finding his mark and sliding home into her warm welcome. "Now, come; he said, kissing her softly and pulling her hips to him as he thrust deep. "Ah;" Honey's cry was quickly contained by Zach's hand covering her mouth, his other hand holding her steady as he thrust into her and felt her shaking and squeezing around him as she came. If he hadn't just released in her mouth, there was no way he could resist filling her full of his cum again now. Instead, he just watched Honey's eyes roll back as she clung to him, letting her orgasm take her away until it left her weak and pliable in his arms. He held her against him, slowly moving inside her, waiting for her to recover. Always before, it had been a relentless push for the intense frenzied moment, almost blind to whatever person he was with, but with Honey that was all on its head. She was the experience, for him. Seeing her discover, taste, and feel was everything he wanted. He didn't want to feel a surge ripping through him if she wasn't there, too. It wasn't real; wasn't complete if she wasn't there with him. Fuck; he was gone for this girl. "There she is; he murmured when he saw her eyes clear and smiling into his again. Relieved, he thrust faster, joining their bodies together with more force, now that she was able to be present to it. "There's my girl; he said, smiling and kissing her again. "Zach; she said, smiling back at him for no reason other than thinking he was something wonderful. Looking at her, he started shaking his head, "God, Honey; I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, it scared the fuck out of me; thinking what could've happened to you; but Amarie's right. I couldn't stand it if you were any other way," Zach rasped, lifting her off the counter just to hold her closer to him. Honey wrapped her arms and legs around him, clinging to him as he kissed her desperately, plunging into her again and again. "Promise me; promise me you'll never change; he panted, lifting her and pressing her against the wall as his need grew. "Oh Zach; it's coming; uh; uh; uh; uh;" Honey's squeals were again silenced, this time by Zach's lips. Thrusting with joyous abandon, Zach filled her again and again, pushing into her body, his release tearing through him, made complete only by her embrace, pouring into her his need, his heart, his everything; because she was the only one he wanted to have it. A short while later, Zach and Honey slunk out of the bathroom, carefully primped and looking like nothing at all had happened. They needn't have bothered, though, because the children were transfixed with a story Terry was telling, with his foot on the table and his pants leg pulled up to show a small wound on his ankle. "And I'm screaming bloody murder, of course, because when something in the desert bites you, in your head it's always a rattlesnake, right?" he asked, to the unanimous agreement of the three children. "Well, then your Uncle Zach doesn't even miss a beat and he just picks me up, throws me over his shoulder and continues on the race like nothing happened!" "Whoa! He's really strong! You're like 500 pounds or something!" Fallon exclaimed. "Why didn't he just call for help?" Logan asked, frowning. "No coverage. This race was the middle of nowhere; and Zach figured I'd get the anti-venom faster if he brought me with him, not to mention all the things that woulda crawled up to bite me all alone out there in the desert. So, like a hero, your uncle carried me more than three miles through the desert and dumped me down only after he'd crossed the finish line," Terry said, nodding. "And what's a 'bubblehead?'" Amarie asked. "Well, you see, sweetheart, a 'bubblehead' is;" "A bubblehead is someone who works on a submarine where there's nowhere good to practice running for a race; and who give you no end of shit when you fucking come in fourth place after them, carrying an idiot with a fucking kangaroo rat bite on his goddamn ankle! Back on your face, Maggot!" Zach roared, "Fallon, go sit on Uncle Terry's back, over there," Zach said, pointing to the corner where Terry was getting back into pushup position, and then he took out his wallet and dropped the entire thing into the Language Arts Scholarship jar. "All right, kids, I'm gonna tell you the story the right way, now; Released from the naughty stool, Honey happily buzzed around the apartment, making cupcakes with Amarie, giving pointers to Logan who had decided to fold each of his Valentines into a different origami animal, and bringing water to the profusely sweating Terry, over Zach's obscene objections. At the end of the day, after the kids and Terry had gone home, Honey and Zach had nearly fallen asleep on the sofa when a knock at the door jerked them back awake. Zach seemed to expect it, though, and winked at Honey before getting up and going to the door. "Where do you want it?" the visitor's familiar voice asked, though their face was obscured by a large cardboard box. "Yeah, put them in the storage area, through there; we'll go through it all later," Zach said, pointing out the way to a uniformed Cade. "Cade! You got the job! That's great!" Honey squealed. "Yeah, well it's just moving stuff around, but I can make something of it," Cade called to her over his shoulder as he carried the box to the area Zach had specified. "And what is all this? Are you letting him stay with you until he's got a place of his own?" Honey asked Zach, her eyes shining as she wrapped her arms around him. "Not exactly. Cade's staying at your place. Actually, it's his place, now. This is your place. That's your stuff he's moving in here," Zach explained. "Wait, what? You're moving me out of my apartment?" Honey asked, getting up and looking into the boxes Cade was moving in. "It's a shitty apartment. My foot went through the floor," Zach said in disgust, walking over and enjoying the view as Honey bent over and tried to pull something out of the bottom of one of the larger boxes. "That's because you stepped on one of the soft spots!" Honey's voice said, muffled by the cardboard. "If you stayed to the path I showed you, it wouldn't have; wait a minute, you just gave my apartment to Cade? What am I going to tell my landlord?" Honey said, dropping whatever it was she was trying to lift out of the box. "I don't think the guy who owns your building's gonna mind; Zach said, scratching his chin and looking around the room with a slight smile. "Of course, he's going to mind! He minds everything! Unless it has to do with a toilet that looks like it's sinking through the floor, he; wait a minute; Zach, did you just buy my apartment building?" Honey asked, pulling her head out of the box and frowning at him. "It was really cheap. Saved them the cost of condemning it, really," Zach said with a shrug, taking her hand and pulling her against him. "I'll have Terry and Cade fix it up, rent it out. Maybe find some more guys that need a break; Cade's got some contacts at the homeless vets place." "What, so Cade's one of your guys now, too? Like Terry? I was going to make Cade my Terry! You took my Terry?" Honey asked. "Well, it's not like you knew what to with him, anymore. I have Cade training with us for next year's race, too. I'll make him carry Terry when he gets a hangnail or some other damn thing," Zach said. "Took my apartment; actually my whole apartment building; and you took my Terry. Didn't even ask. I can't believe this," Honey grumbled. "Just so you know, one of these days, I'm gonna need you to marry me and have some babies, too. Good ones, okay? None of those 'well, maybe they'll grow out of it' babies," Zach said. Honey bit her lips like she was hiding a smile and crossed her arms, "That's not how you ask someone to marry you; she said, trying to sound more upset than she felt. "I wasn't asking. Now, was I?" Zach said, lifting her over his shoulder and giving her bottom a spank before carrying her back to the living room. "Do you remember that time I slapped you and called you an 'overbearing ass?' This; Honey said, gesturing to their entire situation, "This is what I was talking about." "Hmm," Zach said, putting her down on her feet, then stretching back on the sofa, making a space for her under his arm, as he turned on the TV. Honey huffed in disgust, but curled up against him anyway, taking the remote and turning it to a movie she liked, just to make a point. Zach only smiled, pulling her closer with his arm. "That apartment was mine; she mumbled, the warm rise and fall of his chest and the steady beat of his enormous heart already lulling her to sleep. Zach smiled down at Honey, stroking a lock of hair away from her face, grateful and relieved that she hadn't put up more of a fuss. Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head, "Yeah, well; so am I. Happy Valentine's." Based on a post by Lingering Afterthought, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

Although we celebrate the birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth on December 25 it is highly improbable that he was born on this day! The accounts found in Luke and Matthew do not give us an exact day they do relate a timeframe of the year. Consider Luke 2 and the revelation to the shepherds out in the fields at night. No shepherd would have his sheep in the wet cold winter in Israel! This is the season of little grazing grass necessary for their life and health. The time for flocks grazing is the Spring and Summer and early Fall but not Winter. John's gospel directly links Jesus with the fulfillment of the Feast of Israel recorded in Leviticus 23. After Jesus immersion by John and his return from the wilderness the Prophet Forerunner of the Messiah declared- "Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." John 1:29,35 Using the historical indicators identified in the gospel accounts mostly likely Jesus was crucified at the Passover in the Spring of AD 33 on Thursday or Friday April 2 ,3. The shadow of Law meets its completion in Jesus dying as God's provided Lamb for the sins of his people. In like manner Jesus birth is connected to the Fall feast of Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles. The Hebrew lived in tents during their journey from Egyptian slavery to the Promised land. God also had his tent erected among them as they traveled. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. Exodus 25:8-9 John connects Jesus incarnation with Tabernacles in chapter 1 of his gospel. John 1:1-3,14

We're headed on the road in Spring 2026! Buy tickets here:https://www.x1entertainment.com/bttb"JOJO! HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING!?!?!" might be an iconic TikTok sound now, but a decade ago it was just another Tuesday for Abby. Speaking of iconic tho, we have both our bitches under the same roof today! Our sound unfortunately got a little too noisy in the process and we're sorry about that, but hopefully a Producer's Notes heavy episode filled with never before seen fights and even some espionage will more than make up for it! It's the last stop before the ALDC arrives in LA, how much drama can we fit in there!?This week's group dance is based off of the Disney movie Frozen, and it's never been clearer than ever that Dance Moms has become an institution because what competition would ever allow you to bring your own fake snow? That's what money and fame gets you! What it doesn't get you is any sense of ease as Jess and JoJo are finding out quickly as Abby quickly turns on them. It was one thing when JoJo was just getting sassy with Abby, but adjusting to the abnormal ALDC scheduling doesn't give JoJo enough time to learn her new dance and Abby seems prepped to force the newcomer out.Jill and Holly's fears their daughters won't receive the same red carpet treatment as the Zieglers are all but confirmed when Abby announces Maddie has picked up a gig on the Disney Channel show Austin & Ally. Abby protests that the producers asked for Maddie specifically, but realistically they wouldn't have done that had Abby not spent the past few years elevating Maddies above all else.But Abby has bigger things to worry about when it comes to Maddie after this week's competition bumps Maddie into the Teen Division, which moves up the group dance into the Teen category as well. Will the ALDC be able to compete and pull of a victory before the LA move against stiffer competition?Quotes“This is literally Ed Gein teaches dance at the ALDC. There's gotta be 100 skulls on that necklace. Again, Ed Gein in the nipple belt = Abby Lee Miller in the skull necklace." (16:41-16:51 | Christi & Kelly)“That's kind of shady and I'm kind of here for it" (17:40-17:43 | Christi)“Now Melissa is calling out a kid? This is such chaos. They need us to be the moral compass in this room Kelly!" (40:49-31:31 | Christi)“Girl, that's a felony and a contradiction." (1:18:07-1:18:10 | Christi)LinksSubscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC50aSBAYXH_9yU2YkKyXZ0w Subscribe to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/backtothebarreThank you to Ashley Jana for allowing us to use Electricity!! Follow her on IG HERE: https://instagram.com/ashleyjanamusic?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=Download Electricity HERE: https://music.apple.com/us/album/electricity/1497482509?i=1497482510 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SEASON 4 FINALE!For the final episode of the year, I'm looking back at some of the most talked-about doll releases of 2025 — the good, the bad, and the truly baffling.

Conversation with Kathy McKay starts at 2:20. California Spring Trials 2026: March 24-27 (Days and time may vary by location.) https://caspringtrials.us/ Tech On Demand host (and 20-year trials veteran) Bill Calkins collaborated with California Spring Trials registration managers at National Garden Bureau to produce a series of podcasts featuring representatives from just about every exhibiting company in an effort to get you excited about the iconic industry event and some of the new plant introductions you'll see on display in spring of 2026. California Spring Trials is the horticulture industry's “fashion week” and with more than two dozen participating companies bringing hundreds of new plants to market for 2027 and beyond, opportunities to get inspired and plan new additions to your crop mix abound! Registration for this annual even is essential to help hosts create an amazing, customized experience for all attendees. REGISTER FOR CAST 2026 NOW AT https://caspringtrials.us/. You'll also find a trip planner, location information and more. Be sure to schedule plenty of time at each stop and with each exhibiting company!

Conversation with Dwight Deppen starts at 2:20. California Spring Trials 2026: March 24-27 (Days and time may vary by location.) https://caspringtrials.us/ Tech On Demand host (and 20-year trials veteran) Bill Calkins collaborated with California Spring Trials registration managers at National Garden Bureau to produce a series of podcasts featuring representatives from just about every exhibiting company in an effort to get you excited about the iconic industry event and some of the new plant introductions you'll see on display in spring of 2026. California Spring Trials is the horticulture industry's “fashion week” and with more than two dozen participating companies bringing hundreds of new plants to market for 2027 and beyond, opportunities to get inspired and plan new additions to your crop mix abound! Registration for this annual even is essential to help hosts create an amazing, customized experience for all attendees. REGISTER FOR CAST 2026 NOW AT https://caspringtrials.us/. You'll also find a trip planner, location information and more. Be sure to schedule plenty of time at each stop and with each exhibiting company!

Elf on a Shelf: Part 2 Life in hob-along mode. Based on a post by LingeringAfterthought, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. When she woke the next morning, Zach was standing next to the bed with a pain pill and a glass of water. "Terry's gonna be here in about half an hour. I could make you some breakfast?" he said, putting the pill and the water into her hand. Honey shook her head, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. "I'd; I'd like to take a shower before I go; if that's okay," she asked. "Right; uh; I'll just set it up for you. I'll get your things together after you're done in there; if you still want to go, that is; Honey closed her eyes and nodded, "Thank you," she whispered, unable to look at the silent pleading in his face. When the shower was ready, Zach carried her down the stairs and set her down in his large walk-in shower on the bathing chair he'd set up for her. "I, uh; I warmed up the water. The; soap and shampoo stuff is right here," he said, gesturing to a collection of bottles put down within her reach. "If you need anything, I'll be right; right here," he said, sitting down on the toilet, looking like he didn't know what to do with his hands. Honey nodded and took off her nightgown and panties, putting them on the floor outside the shower. She leaned down and began unwrapping the velcro the straps on her boot, finding that she couldn't reach the last one. She opened her mouth to ask for help, but Zach was already sliding the door open to undo it for her. When he disassembled the boot around her foot and lifted it away, a slight whimper escaped her when the motion bumped her ankle slightly. Zach's eyes flashed to hers as she tried to cover herself with her arms, "I'm okay," she whispered. Clenching his jaw, Zach nodded, stood and left the stall. The water felt like heaven after the sad sponge baths she had given herself in bed. Her skin came alive in the heat and flushed a deep pink. "Is that too hot? You're getting red," Zach said, standing next to the door looking concerned. "No; it's perfect," she sighed. She twisted around to reach the shampoo and tipped it over, groaning as she watched it roll out of reach. Zach reached into the stall and returned it to her, growling in annoyance as he watched her try to squeeze some out with only one fully functional arm. Soon, he stepped into the shower with her, clad only in his underwear. "I don't know how you think you're going to do this by yourself; he grumbled, glaring at her as he massaged the shampoo into her long hair. "I'll figure it out; put a folding chair in the tub or something," she said, trying not to notice that the fabric of his underwear was leaving nothing to the imagination the wetter it got. "A fucking folding chair will slip. I'll send this one with you. You still can't reach shit, though." "I haven't done this before. I'll get better as I go." "Yeah, but until then, you'll; Look, you need to give me a call when you; so that I know you're okay." "You wouldn't be able to hear me talk; the water makes this growling noise," she said. "Well, why the fu; never mind. You call me before and after. No longer than 10 minutes, or I send Terry." "And he just does whatever you tell him? You're really kinda bossy." "Glad we sorted that out. Put your head back." With a smirk, Honey leaned back, letting him support her with his arm as he rinsed the shampoo out of her hair. After one minute, Zach began swearing under his breath. "I've been rinsing this shit out of your hair forever and there's still more! How the fuck is this possible?" Honey began giggling, despite the pain it caused her shoulder. "I guess you should allow me longer than 10 minutes to shower, then; she murmured. "Ten fucking minutes, or I send Terry." "Do you have any conditioner?" "Any what?" "Never mind," Honey said, trying to control her face. When he finally released her from being rinsed, Honey grabbed the loofa and put some body wash on it, washing what she could reach with her right arm while Zach glared down at her. "Oh, for fuck's sake," he grated, roughly taking the fluffy sponge from her and then washing her with surprising gentleness. When he delicately supported and washed her broken ankle, he waited until he finished before looking up at her, "Remember, doctor says you can take off your boot for a while now and then, so that should help with the smell. I'll pack the extra sock so you can put a clean one on and wash the; well, just how the fuck are you going to do the laundry?" he asked, as if she created the concept of dirty laundry just to bother him. "Hand wash?" she suggested. "That won't work for these boot socks! They smell like gangrene or some shi;" "Well, now you're just flirting; she said, smiling up at him. For a moment Zach's face went completely blank, his eyes slowly traveling down her naked body as his face turned bright red, then he turned away and cursed under his breath again. "Grab onto my arm and I'll finish you up," he said, clenching his jaw and holding out his forearm to her, as he diligently looked away. Cautiously, she took his arm and tried to stand, rising wobbly on her left leg. Before she could gain her balance, her hand slipped on his wet arm and he pulled her tightly against him before she could fall. Body to body, they clung on to each other in the hot spray, each of them shaking. "Honey; you may notta noticed, but I'm hanging on by a fucking thread, here," Zach said quietly in her ear, "Try not to get yourself killed for two seconds." Honey nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist so that he could move his arms again. She felt him move the loofah between her legs and begin washing her private area, looking around the shower stall as he did. When Honey cringed and her breath hissed between her teeth, he stopped, "What's wrong?" he asked, looking down at her face. "It's; rough; she said, quietly. "Yeah, but it was fine when; oh; right; sensitive. Okay; he said, swallowing as he tossed the loofah aside and hesitantly reached his fingers between her legs. Honey leaned her forehead on his chest and closed her eyes, gasping when his fingers made contact. "Is that; is that okay?" he asked. She nodded and tried to move her legs further apart for him. Zach gently washed her, trying to think of sports scores, laxative commercials, or the accounts payable at the club, but inevitably his cock noticed that he was holding the woman of his dreams naked in his arms. When she shifted against him, trying to keep her balance, a breathy grunt escaped him as she inadvertently rubbed against him. "I'm sorry; she whispered, trying to give him more room. "Don't be; you're perfect; it's fine; he said, trying to think about anything but how it would feel to slide his cock between her slippery lips right at that moment. "Let me just get the; water; he gritted, reaching for the shower sprayer and directing it between her legs. Honey gasped and whimpered as the water pulsed against her clit, down her labia and over her anus again and again, feeling Zach's eyes on her as he did it, intensely absorbing her every reaction. She trembled as she held on to him, trying to remain calm. Finally, she raised her eyes up to him and opened her wet lips and whispered, "Zach; ?" "Hey, how do you guys want your eggs?" Terry asked, sticking his head into the bathroom. "Get The Fuck Out Of Here, Maggot!" Zach roared, as Honey squealed and released him, quickly ducking down to where Terry couldn't see her on the shower chair. "Scrambled, it is," Terry said, ducking out of the bathroom and leaving them alone again. Zach watched Honey begin to shiver as the room cooled off and handed her a towel. "Let me know when you're dry and I'll wrap up your leg again," he said, looking around the bathroom uncomfortably before wrapping a towel around his waist and taking off his wet underwear from underneath. After securing her ankle in the air cast, Zach carried her back up to the bedroom, turned his back to her, and blocked Terry's kitchen view of the loft as Honey dressed. When she finished, Zach turned around again, his mouth hardening into a grim line when he saw she had put on her elf dress again. "You're; going, then," he said, frowning as he watched her wince at the pain in her shoulder as she tried to tie the thick red ribbon belt behind her back. He stepped behind her and took the belt out of her hands and began brusquely tying it. "I want you to stay," he said to the back of her head, tugging the loops into a tight knot. Honey hobbled around to face him, "Enough to tell me why you wanted to send that message to someone?" she asked him, her dark blue eyes somber. "You; you wouldn't want to stay if I did," he murmured, stroking the soft velvet covering her arms. "Then, I guess I should go," she said, looking away before she could start crying again. "Wow, nice apartment!" Terry said, following Honey inside her apartment with the bag of her clothes. "The blood stains really bring the room together; "Say what you will, it's all mine," she said, hobbling over to the sofa and curling up, exhausted. "Here's your mail. I gotta text Zach, he's going nuts; well, more than usual, anyway," he said, handing her a stack of envelopes. "Arrived at hellhole; Angel has typhoid; the tweakers give their love; send food stamps," he said aloud, typing into his phone as Honey went through her mail. "Let me go set up the bath chair; just the thing to class up the joint," he said, disappearing to the bathroom. When Terry returned, he found Honey white as a sheet, reading a letter. "Whoa, kid; you okay? Need a pain pill? Let me take you back to Zach's. You look like you really do have typhoid; he said, kneeling down next to her. "Um; yeah, I'm fine," she said faintly, then cleared her throat. "Would; would you mind taking that laptop with you when you go deliver the charity gifts to the firm? They; asked me to send it back; probably upgrading; she said, quickly wiping the tears off her cheeks. Terry watched her for a long moment, his face grim, and don't mention it to Zach?" he finished. "Um; probably not?" Honey choked. "Ah, Honey; you have hospital bills. This is where a sensible person starts telling themself, 'Hey self, maybe I should go back to that really great guy that wants to take care of me," Terry said, closing her laptop and wrapping the power cord around it. "If he's such a great guy, why does he send people messages like this?" she asked, holding up the screenshot to him. After staring at the screen for a while, Terry let out a low whistle, "Now, see, Zach just puts it right out there. You gotta respect that. No wonder he got so much ass. He send this to you?" "He said he meant to send it to someone else, but what are you talking about? He sent this to me on our first date when he went to the restroom! I thought he wanted to kill me!" Terry canted his head and looked at the screenshot again, "Oh; yeah, I could see that. Especially if you got it without the dick pic," he said, nodding sympathetically. "No, see, this was sort of a sex S O S, if you will. A guy goes out with a girl like you, it's like a high-wire act. He gets all wound up, needs to blow off some steam, sends out a flare hoping someone can help him take the edge off things so you don't find out what a high-strung, rough sex freak he is. You're a big deal. He just didn't want to scare you off, Angel," Terry explained. "He; he wanted to go have sex with someone else after our date??" Honey yelled, incensed. "Only because he *liked* you so much!" Terry argued, winsomely. Just then, Honey's phone rang in his hand and he tapped the screen, "Honey's phone!" he answered. "Don't Ever Talk To Me Again!" Honey yelled at her phone when she saw it was Zach's number. "Ah yeah?" Terry said, holding the phone to his ear. "Yeah. Right. Be right over," he said, disconnecting the call and handing the phone back to Honey. "What did he say?" Honey asked, grinding her teeth. Terry leaned over and flipped her phone back to the screenshot that had frightened her so much, "Yeah; pretty much that; just without the sex. See you when I get out of the hospital, kid," he sighed. During the next week, Honey took a bus to the city hall offices and applied for unemployment, used the library computers to send out her resume and read her email, and got no calls whatsoever from Zach. Gatsby's, however, started having trouble with their delivery service and three meals a day were accidentally delivered to her disreputable apartment. When she called Gatsby's about it, she was assured they were working on it and were sure to fix the delivery service problem; as soon as they got a delivery service. The following week, Honey got a knock at her door. Promising herself she would open the door only for the pleasure of slamming it shut in the visitor's stupid, handsome face, Honey hobbled up and looked through the peep hole. It wasn't who she expected, though. "Um, hi; she said, opening the door a bit and tightening her robe. "Hi Honey, I'm Jeff. You probably don't remember;" "I remember you," Honey said, opening the door wider. "Please come in." "Thank you," he said, coming in and standing with his coat over his arm as she hobbled back to the couch. "Jeff, I always wanted to call Gatsby's and thank you; you know, for what you did," Honey said. "For the 'angel shot.' I didn't realize I was on a date with the owner, at the time. I hope it didn't make trouble for you," she said. "You're kidding, right? He fired me on the spot," Jeff laughed. "Oh no; she said, covering her face with her hands. "Oh, I'm so sorry." "No, it's okay. He hired me back as a manager a couple weeks ago. Said anyone who had the balls to do what it took to protect you, even from him, that was someone he wanted taking care of his customers. Actually said that, looking back, if you had been scared enough to ask someone for help back then and they *didn't* help you, well, he'd probably want to go find them and; and; well, the details don't matter, and they're probably illegal, anyway. The point is, we're good." "Oh, that's; that's good to hear. Is this about the delivery service problem, then?" "We don't have a delivery service." "Well, yeah, I know. I mean the meals that Zach is making you send me." "Um; I'm probably going to get my life threatened for telling you this, but we're not sending you meals. Zach's popping in and out with a lot of takeout boxes under his arm, but Gatsby's isn't sending you any meals, Honey. That's; that's all Zach." "Oh; Honey said, her cheeks warming. "Yeah, no I came to ask if you'd be interested in a job." Honey laughed, "I appreciate it, but don't think I'd make much of a waitress right now." "Actually, I kinda had something else in mind; Honey's heart pounded as the music swelled and she felt the platform descend, her legs dangling down clad in candy cane striped stockings and curled-toe shoes. Her dress was the same pink velvet and white fur trim costume as before, but the fabric was far more luscious and expensive than the dress she'd worn in the mall. It had arrived at her door with a seamstress tasked with making it fit flawlessly. Honey's eyes were closed out of habit, getting ready to sing for the clientele of the great room as Gatsby's "Elf on a Shelf." She knew he was out there. He always came out of hiding when she sang. A smile curled across her face as she felt the spotlight warm her body. She opened her eyes. After the show, Honey stripped off her tights and a stage hand gave her the air cast as soon as the platform had risen out of sight. Gingerly, she eased her leg back into the boot and began strapping herself in again. As she reached the last fastener, two large hands took the straps out of hers and began wrapping them expertly. Honey blushed and looked aside as Zach did it, and tried not to roll her eyes when he checked the other two straps to be sure she had secured them properly. His eyes wandered over her with nervous adoration, like he still couldn't quite convince himself she was real; even after the mundane work of feeding her, dressing her, and cleaning her all those days up in his loft. "Did you like the show?" she asked quietly, looking up at him with a small smile. Zach sighed with relief, having received tacit permission to speak to her again. "Yes," he said. "Did you really like it?" she asked, her eyes twinkling, her smile growing bigger. "I really; really liked it," Zach said, nodding and pulling at the collar of the dress shirt that was having trouble containing him. He seemed to have only grown larger in their weeks apart. "So much that you want to go have rough sex with somebody else tonight?" she asked, her large and deceptively innocent, twinkling eyes skewering him. Zach's mouth set, "I; I don't do that anymore. I exercise," he said quietly, reddening and looking away from her. "Oh; I see," Honey said, nodding. Ignoring the hands he offered her, Honey rolled herself onto her good knee and clumsily pushed herself back up into a standing position, her skirt flashing him as she rose. "What the fuck is that?" Zach yelled, pulling her skirt up to where a large purpling bruise was blooming on her hip. Honey bit her lips and forced her face to stop grinning before she turned and faced him again. "What's what?" she asked innocently. "What the hell do you think? That fucking huge purple ass-shiner you're walking around with! Where the fuck did that come from?" he roared. "Oh, that? I slipped. You know, it's icy out there; she said brightly, patting his chest and hobbling past him to her dressing room. Zach clenched his hands and followed her, growling things under his breath that would make a sailor blush. She wobbled into the dressing room, leaving the door open behind her, wondering if he would follow her in. He didn't, but instead stood there in the doorway glowering at her like a gargoyle as she pulled some clothes out of a large Gatsby's takeout bag. Honey's ribs were beginning to hurt from trying not to laugh. Honey breath hissed through her teeth as she reached behind her, fumbling with the knot of her wide red ribbon belt, her shoulder still healing from the dislocation. Before long, she heard muttered curses and large feet stomp into the room and push her hands aside, untying the belt for her. She smiled her thanks up at him over her shoulder, and moved her hair aside so he could help her with the zipper. Carefully, he smoothed some more of her hairs aside and slowly lowered the clasp. "So, um; how would it have worked?" she asked quietly, the softness of her voice making him lean in to hear her. Zach cleared his throat, "How would what have worked?" he asked, his breath falling warm on her neck as he tried to unclasp the tiny hook at top of the dress with his large fingers. "If we'd gotten together that night; if I'd never got that message," she said. Zach closed his eyes and shook his head. "I would've taken you home. Maybe tried for a kiss at your door, if you looked like you wanted it," he said, his voice hoarse. "Cheek or lips?" she asked. He sighed, "Who am I kidding? I would've passed out from not breathing by the time I got that close." "And those; other things; would you have wanted to do those things to me? To hurt me; to scare me?" she asked, her voice shaking. Zach turned her to look her in the eye, and she wrapped her arms around herself, keeping the unzipped, loose elf dress from falling down. "No Honey," he swore, shaking his head emphatically, cupping her face and holding her tightly. "God no. Never. Never ever. I would've never let you see that side of me. I'd give it up. I gave it up. I'd go run ten miles before I even;" his impassioned vows were interrupted by a loud crack as a delicate hand slapped him across the face. "How dare you?" Honey said, trembling with fury before she winced and cradled her hand to her chest as Zach blinked slowly in disbelief, trying to process what had happened. "That's for deciding you'd just have a boring, unsatisfied sex life with me without even asking what I wanted, you; you overbearing ass! That's for offering only a part of yourself to me! That's for ruining our beautiful date because you were ashamed of the man I lo;" Honey's uncharacteristic rage was interrupted by Zach's mouth descending on hers and claiming it furiously, pressing her against the wall as her dress fell to the floor. The kiss ended almost as quickly as it began, and Zach pulled away from her, his face a twitching, terrifying storm as he stared down at her. He wrapped his hand around the slender wrist of her only functional arm and pressed it to the wall over her head. "You don't hit me like that; ever," he said quietly, breathing hard through flared nostrils. Honey trembled, staring up into his blazing eyes almost panting against him in terror; but also in something else. The corner of Zach's mouth curled when he saw her deep blue eyes dilate hugely, a heady, familiar scent rising up between them. "You don't fucking hit anyone like that; goddamn amateur. You wanna break your wrist? Jesus Christ. Get your ass dressed and I'll take you home, you little freak," he growled, turning around to give her privacy and hide the huge smile he couldn't stop from covering his face. When Honey came up panting for air, she was pressed against the wall of Zach's loft as he fumbled with the locks of his door with one hand. She was making good progress at getting his shirt off, but it kept bunching up around his arms, and the cuffs were still a problem she didn't even want to think about. Even so, she was blissfully occupied with the acres of warm bare skin and muscle that she had excavated. "This isn't my home; she said, looking around bewildered, "why does everyone get my address wrong?" "Probably because they've blocked it out after seeing your place. Shut up and tell me what you want," Zach said, carrying her over to the stairs until he saw a bit of her lower lip he needed to bite and had to take a break to do it properly. "Look, don't give me names, because then I'd have to kill 'em, but tell me what makes you hot, Honey; we're gonna do all of it and more. I'm making your dreams come true, tonight," he said, winding his hand in her hair as she dropped her head back to give him her neck. "Oh! Um; I liked it when;" "No names," he reminded her, covering her mouth. "Right; well, this one guy, he um; he wore a towel around his waist and bent over his dresser to look for his underwear? And this other time, he held this spoon out to me and I opened my mouth and he fed me. And; and; um; in the shower, he; he held me against him in the water and;" "Honey, are all these stories gonna be about me?" "Um; yeah?" "That's sweet of you, tryin' to keep me outta jail and all, but I need you to get to the part about cock and pussy. Stories about me aren't gonna help that. Cock, pussy, tongue, ass, tits, ears, neck, taint - what do you like?" he asked "Right; uh; I liked it when you washed me down there; my pussy; with your fingers?" Honey said, at a loss. Zach drew his head back from her neck and looked at her, his face growing uneasy. "Honey?" "And when you sprayed the water back and forth down there, especially the top bump part, that really made me feel amazing, kind of squirmy, you know?" "Oh Jesus; he said, looking as if he'd been hit in the head. "And um; I know I wasn't supposed to look, but your um; you know; p-penis; in the shower, when your underwear got wet? That was" "I don't feel so good; he said, lowering himself to the floor and sitting down on the stairs. "No, no, it's fine. We can do this. What's a taint and what do I do with it?" she asked, sitting down and cuddling up next to him. Zach held his head in his hands, "You're a virgin; not like an "everything but" Evangelical, but like an alien or something. I don't know if I can do this." "Look, I know how to have sex; I had health class, for Pete's sake!" she said, slapping his shoulder. "What the fuck did I just get myself into?" he said through his hands. Honey pulled his hands down from his face and climbed up in his lap, putting his arms around her and looping her arms around his neck. "Zach; I have been a very good girl; not just this year, but for a long, long time. I figure that makes it so I can ask for something really big. So, here's what I want: I want you and me; just being together. Not planned or rehearsed or trying to be impressive. You already impress me. You're the best person I know. You took care of me when you hated me. You took care of me, even when I hated you. I just want to see what it's like if we let go of all that and just; you know; love. Will you give me that for Christmas, Santa? Please?" she asked, leaning in and kissing his cheek softly. "I've; never done that before," he said stiffly, looking sideways at her, unable to turn his head. "I'll be gentle with you," she whispered, smiling and brushing her lips against his. Climbing down from his lap, she took his hand in hers and led him up the stairs; until he lost patience with her hobbling and lifted her in his arms, carrying her to the top. Honey smiled as he gently lowered her feet to the floor, then took his hand and worked on the buttons of his cuff, "You're really big, but you don't do that big guy thing where you act like nothing matters. You notice everything; I like that," she said, glancing up at him. Zach frowned, watching her and then looking around the room, uncomfortable. "That's just; you gotta do that. You can't just throw your weight around without knowing where it's going. You're gonna hurt someone that way," he demurred, unbuttoning the cuff for her and tugging the other loose, as well. "You give a lot, but you're not a show-off about it; you didn't even let me know it wasn't Gatsby's sending food to me," she said, pulling his shirt down off his shoulders, pressing her face into his back to smell him. "You needed protein, calcium, and vitamin D to build those bones again -- that ramen shit you eat wasn't gonna give you enough of anything; just empty carbs and fuckin' sodium," he argued, putting his hands on his hips and scowling at her. Honey smiled and nodded, unbuckling his belt and slowly pulling it out of the loops. Zach swallowed, "You; you also needed vitamins C and K, so I made sure you got things like broccoli and fish and citrus; not; not everybody knows that," he said, drawing a shaky breath. "I didn't know that," she said, separating the hook and eye of his trousers and unzipping them, smiling when he cleared his throat and breathed faster as she lowered them. "You're smart, but you don't need everyone to know about it. You watch how people treat you when they think you're simple, instead; you want to know who they really are." Zach pulled his legs out of his trousers and laid them carefully over the chair, glancing over to the closet where he really wanted to put them instead. Honey smirked and turned to go get a hanger for him, and he swept her down onto the bed instead, going to get the hanger for himself and carefully hanging his pants to avoid any creases. Zach returned to the bed, standing in front of her knees where she sat, waiting. Honey moved her hands curiously over his hips and thighs, feeling the strength, the hours of toil and exertion he put them through; so that he could have control and be gentle when he needed to be. "You care about what I want; she said, swallowing and slowly sliding his underwear down his hips, gasping in surprise when his cock bounced out and waved at her. "You care about it even when you think I'm wrong; and it makes me love you so much; she said, trailing off and blushing. "You; got my clothes off," he said, looking down at her, his face a mix of bewilderment and wonder. "I guess you see all of me, now," he said, blushing for the first time since she'd known him. Smiling, she pulled her dress over her head and tossed it aside. She winced, reaching back trying to un-do her bra, and instead of helping her as usual, Zach narrowed his eyes, tilting his head. "You do that on purpose, don't you? Doing shit that hurts right in front of me instead of asking me for help. Showing off that fucking bruise to me at the club. Showing me what happens when I can't take care of you; you actually get off on driving me crazy," he said in outraged realization. "You really want to do that rough sex stuff on me, now, don't you," Honey said, her eyes alive with mischief. "Like you wouldn't believe; he said, flipping her over, straddling her back and unclasping her bra. Honey squealed and giggled when he laid himself out over her back, careful to avoid her shoulder and ankle. "You feel that cock, all hard and ready on your panties and between your legs down there? You don't get him now, brat," he growled, pushing her hair aside and biting the back of her neck. "Not until you beg me." "Okay! Please?" she asked, giggling. Zach looked over at her, trying to hold a stern face, "Yeah, that's not how this works. The way this works is, I make you want it so much that you think you're going out of your mind, and *then* you beg me." "Okay!" she chirped. "Oh, fucking hell; he grumbled, trying not to laugh. He nipped all over her back, enjoying her squeaks and gasps, wiggling under him as her need grew. She seemed completely unaware of how she was responding to him, but he proudly basked in her every flutter. He kissed down to the small of her back, hearing her breath stop and then resume at a pant when he began to lower her panties. "Zach; Zach; Honey whimpered. "Yes, Honey?" he smiled, kissing the top of the crease of her bottom, flicking it slightly with his tongue. "Does it; does it always go this slow?" she asked, raising her bottom to him and moaning when he slid his fingers through her crack, making her jump and then grab onto his thigh. "Are you in a hurry?" he murmured, stroking his fingers leisurely around her clit and into her vagina, "Some other pressing; engagement?" he asked, pressing his finger against her hymen and laughing evilly at her shocked, yet needful, reaction. "Yeah; it would feel good to have a hot deep cock in there, wouldn't it?" he asked, thrusting gently into her with his finger. "Zach; Honey moaned, squirming under him. "I like that word 'engagement; '" Zach mused idly, "don't you?" he asked, raising one of her knees up to her side, sliding his cock along her crack, wetting it until it glistened in her juices. "Zach, please; please; please; she gasped, feeling him rise up over her again, pressing against her entry, "I need you; she whispered. "I need you, too, Honey. I've needed you for so long; he answered, parting her lips and moving into her with slow, gentle thrusts. Honey trembled under him, holding her breath, feeling him fill her more and more, until with a slight sharp pain, she took him into her. "Oh; oh; oh; oh; she whimpered. "Just breathe, Honey. You're doing great; perfect. I'm not moving till you're ready," Zach said, reaching deep for control. A sheen of sweat broke over him at the sheer effort of holding himself back from plunging furiously into her body again and again and again. "Is; is this the rough sex part?" she breathed, reaching out to touch the hand he was using to keep most of his weight off her. Zach barked out a breathless laugh, clasping her hand in his, "I don't know about you, but this is about as rough as I can take it, tonight. You're fucking killing me, right now. But, being inside you; it's like magic." Honey moved her head and kissed his forearm, "Be inside me again, Zach; she whispered. With a low sigh, he began moving inside her, his hips pressing and rolling against her, his cock stroking a patient rhythm. She sighed with happiness, feeling him explore and claim her at the same time. His lips moved over her neck and back as he leisurely took her, whispering praise and encouragements, waiting for her to adjust to him. Before long, though, his words stopped, his body growing harder around her, his every muscle stiffening as he gripped her hand harder, his thrusts quickening until, with a soft, surprised grunt, he thrust deep and shook as he emptied himself inside her. With explosive breaths, he rolled off her, pulling her against him in the bed. "Well, fuck; he said in disgust between gasps. "Yeah; Honey said, snuggling back against him happily, "that was perfect; Zach snorted, "No it wasn't, you noob. You didn't come. I fucked it up." "What do you mean? What makes you think I didn't come? That felt great! Let's do that all the time," Honey said, turning in his arms so she could smile at him. "I would've felt it if you came, Honey; it gets tight and squeezes you, almost like it's sucking on you; drinking you down; he said, smiling down at her with rueful affection. "Well, I don't know how it's supposed to get any tighter than that was. I think you're expecting too much of me. Maybe I did come; she argued. "Honey, trust me; when I make you come, you'll know about it," he said, reaching down and caressing her clit with his fingers. "Oh, that's nice; you did that in the shower," Honey cooed, moving her boot up over his hips so he could reach her more easily. "I didn't fucking do this to you in the shower. I fucking washed you. I was a fucking gentleman. People cut diamonds with less fucking focus than I had in that fucking shower. I was just taking care of business, then," he grumbled, leaning down to nuzzle her neck. "I guess; I guess, I took advantage of you, then; s-sorry; oh; she said, raising her hips to him as her breathing became irregular, her head tossing from side to side. "Well, unless I'm wrong, you are about to really pay for it in 3, 2, 1" Zach said, when Honey screamed high and long, her hips bucking as she came hard, covering his hand in her sweet nectar and then bursting into tears. Zach held her close as Honey wailed in pain, stroking her body gently, "Yeah; see, that boot can do a lot, but it can't do squat about it when every muscle in your body wants to stiffen up as you come," he said, still soothing her. Honey slapped his shoulder, "That; that was mean! Don't you ever make me come again!" she panted against him, her face still twisted in slowly receding pain. "Uh huh; Zach said, glancing at the alarm clock on his nightstand, "we'll see how long that lasts, you little freak," he said with a smirk, leaning down to kiss her tears away.  To be continued in part 3, Based on a post by Lingering Afterthought, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

True North Country Comics Podcast chats with Andy Brown about Conundrum Press offerings planned for spring 2026 The post Andy Brown reveals Conundrum’s spring 2026 lineup appeared first on True North Country Comics.

Christmas is here, and after a brief hiatus due to a hectic workload, Chris Fernandez-Packham returns with the traditional festive special. This year, we raise a glass to the Victorian origins of the cocktail—a “Golden Age” of social and technological evolution that saw the transition from traditional British punches to the precision of the American “sensation-drink”. From the “Ice King” who shipped New England ponds to Calcutta to the middle-class women of Chicago claiming public spaces one Manhattan at a time, we explore how spirits, science, and social change collided. We conclude, as always, with a classic Victorian ghost story: The Shadow in the Corner by M. E. Braddon. Key Topics Covered: The Original Manuals: Comparing Jerry Thomas's legendary Bar-Tender's Guide (1862) with the defensive British response in Drinking Cups & Their Custom (1869). The Science of Bitters: The medicinal origins and industrialization of Angostura and Peychaud's bitters. Technological Breakthroughs: How the Coffey Still revolutionized spirit consistency and Frederic Tudor created the global ice trade. Cocktails and Gender: The role of the cocktail in helping middle-class women claim public spaces in 19th-century Chicago tea rooms. New Orleans Chemistry: The multicultural melting pot that gave us the Sazerac, the Absinthe Frappé, and the labor-intensive Ramos Gin Fizz. Royal Habits: Queen Victoria's daily Scotch-and-wine habit and her curious refusal to use ice. Festive Ghost Story: A reading and analysis of The Shadow in the Corner by M. E. Braddon. Works Cited & Sources: Jerry Thomas: The Bar-Tender’s Guide / How to Mix Drinks. Henry Porter & George Roberts: Drinking Cups & Their Custom (1869). Emily A. Remus: “Tippling Ladies and the Making of Consumer Culture” (The Journal of American History). Angostura Bitters: “Our Story”. https://angosturabitters.com/our-story/ Scotch Whisky Magazine: “Whisky Heroes: Aeneas Coffey”. Statista: “U.S. Alcohol Consumption Per Person”. Big Edition: “Queen Victoria's Food Habits”. Smithsonian Magazine: “Did New Orleans Invent the Cocktail?”. “A Brief History of Ice.” The Alcohol Professor, 19 Mar. 2018, www.alcoholprofessor.com/blog-posts/blog/2018/03/19/a-brief-history-of-ice. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. “Commercial Ice – Cambridge Historical Society.” History Cambridge, historycambridge.org/innovation/Ice.html. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. “Planning and Control in the 19th Century Ice Trade.” Accounting Historians Journal, vol. 11, no. 1, Spring 1984, egrove.olemiss.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1196&context=aah_journal. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. The Ice King: https://fee.org/articles/frederic-tudor-the-entrepreneur-who-brought-ice-to-calcutta/  Sazerac Recipe and History. New Orleans & Company, www.neworleans.com/drink/cocktails/sazerac/. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. “The Sazerac Story.” The Sazerac Company, www.sazerac.com/our-company/our-story.html. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. “What is a Coffey Still?” Whiskipedia, 22 May 2020, whiskipedia.com/fundamentals/what-is-a-coffey-still/. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. The Emergence of New Orleans Cuisine.” The American Menu, 5 June 2024, www.theamericanmenu.com/2024/06/the-emergence-of-new-orleans-cuisine.html. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. “History of Craft Cocktails in NOLA.” Where Y'at New Orleans, 20 Nov. 2024, www.whereyat.com/new-orleans-craft-cocktail-history. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. “History of the Cocktail.” New Orleans & Company, www.neworleans.com/things-to-do/history/the-history-of-the-cocktail-and-new-orleans/. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. The post Christmas special 2025: Anyone for cocktails? appeared first on AGE OF VICTORIA PODCAST.

MUSIC - Putney Dandridge - Santa Claus Came in the Spring (1935); Clarence Williams - Santa Claus Blues (1924); Bernie Cummins - I Told Santa Claus to Bring Me You (1937); Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Webb - Holiday in Harlem (1937); James P. Johnson - Snowy Morning Blues (1943); Fats Waller - Winter Weather (1941); Ozie Ware, Duke Ellington Hot Five - Santa Claus, Bring My Man Back (1928); Elzadie Robinson - Santa Claus Crave (1927).

These crispy Vietnamese spring rolls, or chả giò, are traditionally made filled with vermicelli noodles, wood ear mushrooms, pork and, sometimes, shrimp, though this can vary regionally. Chef Skylar Hanka from the Culinary Institute of America shows us how to make a vegetarian version, filled with tofu and vegetables. In Vietnam, these spring rolls are enjoyed as an appetizer, wrapped in lettuce and herbs before dipping in nước chấm. Get the Vegetarian Spring Rolls recipe here!

Elf on a Shelf: Part 1 Her stalker wasn't who she thought he was; Based on a post by LingeringAfterthought, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Honey smiled at the long line of children waiting to see Santa, flipping her phone from Google Translate back to see the information of the next little girl in line, who was looking up at her somberly with large liquid brown eyes. In her small face was a familiar mixture of fear and hope. Wonder; it was wonder in her eyes, Honey thought. Unlike the tired and jaded adults, dutifully shifting their weight from foot to foot, holding overstuffed shopping bags and all the coats of their kids as they distracted themselves on their phones, the children got more and more excited as they drew near the man in the furry red suit with white trim. Honey loved working with the children; because like them, she sometimes could still see the magic. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Norman shift uncomfortably in the painted plywood throne made for him to sit with the children and discuss their good behavior and of the wishes that they hoped would come true. Even at age 62, Norman still saw the magic with his merry bright blue eyes, but it faded when his prostate pained him. When the photographer got the shot the parent wanted, Honey walked to where most of the long line could see her as Norman flashed her a look of worshipful gratitude. The adults' faces immediately fell, knowing what was coming. "I'm afraid Santa needs to take a quick break because apparently the reindeer have begun arguing again!" Norman put his gloved hands up to his real beard, pulled a comically dismayed face, jumped up from his throne, and ran off toward the restrooms. Honey shook her head mournfully and continued, "The reindeer were all practicing their Christmas carols when Comet and Cupid couldn't decide how many times Santa checks his list in Santa Claus is Coming to Town! Does anyone here remember how it goes?" she asked, scanning the line for people game enough to help. Honey scampered back and forth along the line trying to choose among the eager volunteers, her white-trimmed, pink fur skirt flaring out around her thighs, her long legs clad in sparkly curly-toed ruby slippers and candy cane swirl stockings catching the eyes of several fathers. Suddenly, she gasped listening carefully to her headset, "Nina?" she called out. "Comet and Cupid say they will only stop arguing if 'Nina' gives the answer. Is there a 'Nina' here today? Nina?" Honey looked around at the crowd carefully until the little girl with the big brown eyes, who had been quietly waiting 57 minutes in line, gathered the courage to raise her hand. "Oh! Are you Nina?" she asked, running over and crouching down near the girl. "We just adopted her; she only speaks Portuguese," the weary woman holding her hand said quietly. Honey gasped and smiled widely, "Voc fala portugu s Nina? Maravilhosa!" she said, watching the little girl's eyes brighten excitedly. "Voc pode me dizer quantas vezes o Papai Noel verifica sua lista?" she asked, holding her microphone out to the little girl. "Duas vezes!" Nina said confidently into the mic. Honey listened carefully to her headset, concentrating, "'Duas vezes' it is! They've stopped arguing!" she announced. "But now, they want us all to sing the song in Portuguese! Nina, voc vai me ajudar a ensin -los a m sica?" she asked. Nina nodded and slowly she and Honey taught the familiar song to the crowd in a new language. As always, a hush came on the crowd when Honey began to sing. Heads raised up from forgotten phones. Vague smiles drifted onto the turning heads of passers-by in the mall as they paused in their frenetic search for gifts. It wasn't so much that Honey's voice was beautiful, though it certainly was. It was more that when Honey sang, it seemed to make the things that didn't really matter melt away. To those that believed in such things, Honey's voice was magic. When she sang, people held their breath and didn't even miss the air. Honey closed her eyes as she sang next to Nina. It was a newly acquired habit. Though she had been taught to let her eyes slowly drift over the audience, letting them make a connection with each person as she sang, she didn't do that anymore. She knew he was out there. She felt his presence frequently as she worked, but it was only when she sang that he came out into the open. She couldn't hold her voice steady when she saw him watching her, so she closed her eyes and let the magic continue for the crowd. When the song ended, Honey opened her eyes as the crowd cheered, finding his powerful form immediately as if she had been commanded to look at him. Zach. He had changed a lot in the year since he brought his sister's children through the long Santa line, drawing her almost too-large dark blue eyes to him then, as easily as he did now. After bringing his nieces and nephews through the line, he'd gone home and brought all his neighbors' kids to see Santa in five more trips, watching her the entire time. He looked at her as if he'd never seen anything like her in the world, like he couldn't believe she was real. She had loved feeling his eyes on her then, hearing his voice. She had wanted to climb up in his lap, feel his large arms curled around her, whisper to him about how good she had been that year, and of how much she hoped he would make her wishes come true. Of course, all that was before he'd told her he wanted to kill her. Zach's face looked leaner now, though his body seemed even larger, if such a thing was possible. His brooding, deep-set eyes were not merry, as they had been when children climbed his tree-like body in her line last year. They weren't nervously soft and adoring of every part of her, as they had been at their candle-lit dinner. His eyes weren't rageful or insane as you might expect from someone visiting their object of murderous hate, but rather; they were tortured, trapped. Pain and quiet desperation had taken up restless residence in the windows to his soul. Honey knew she shouldn't look at him so much, but she just wished she could understand what she had done wrong. Once the line of children and parents had cleared, it was long past the official closing time. Honey cleaned up the display and prepared it for the next day while Norman took one last lingering trip to the restroom. Her phone showed numerous messages from work friends from her other job asking where she was. The firm had planned a Christmas party at Gatsby's, a gorgeous club worthy of F. Scott Fitzgerald's glamorous hero. It was also the place where Zach had taken her on their first and last date. The Gatsby's waiter had looked stunned and confused when she shakily ordered herself an "angel shot," the code-phrase used to quietly ask bartenders or wait staff for help when you felt threatened, but after his initial shock, the waiter immediately escorted her secretly to a taxi waiting outside before Zach returned to the table. Gatsby's had saved her life; but she didn't want to go back there. After avoiding call after call from Zach, she finally answered and politely asked him never to call her again. To her surprise, he didn't. He never spoke to her again. Unless she sang, she never even saw him, but she felt his presence almost everywhere. It felt like she was haunted by him; haunted by something wonderful and magical that, inexplicably, went horribly wrong. Her phone buzzed again, the display showing that the firm's senior partner wanted to FaceTime her. Steeling herself, she answered. "Honey Lane where in the hell; oh my god lookit you!" Aaron Timberman held the phone high above his head with his long ex-basketball-player arms and Honey saw a crowd of her co-workers crowd into the picture behind him. "Um, hi sir. Sorry I'm late to;" "You're an elf!" "Um, yeah. It's a volunteer thing;" "Wait, wait, wait; you have the shoes? You know, with the; toes?" he slurred, motioning his finger in a spiral motion. Honey bit her lips and tilted the camera down her body, showing her entire costume, tilting her foot to show off the curled toe. "I'm sorry it got late tonight, but I'll be there as soon as I can get home and get changed;" Timberman looked around at the crowd surrounding him, "Guys, do we wanna see Honey Lane here at the party in some boring old Anne Klein shit, or do we want the elf?" he yelled, pointing at the screen. Behind him, almost a dozen of her co-workers began chanting "Elf, Elf, Elf, Elf!" "Get yer ass over here, Elf," Timberman ordered, poking at his screen several times before effectively ending the call. A few minutes later, Norman finally came back from the restroom and gave Honey a ride over to Gatsby's in his red SUV bedecked with a bumper sticker that read, "My other car's a SLEIGH!" Honey hopped out after getting bits of advice from Norman that would have been appropriate several decades ago. With flaming cheeks, she brushed the furry white pompom from her hat out of her face and told the smirking ma tre d which party she wanted, sighing when he grinned widely and escorted her through the middle of the main dining area, much to her horror. When the doors to the party room opened and she was greeted by another round of "Elf, Elf, Elf, Elf," she didn't feel much better. She was starving, so she headed over to the buffet and began loading up a plate with delicious-looking things on ice in shot glasses, impaled on sticks, or immersed in flames. She just spied a quiet table in a dark corner and was winding her way toward it to it to scarf down her only food since breakfast before she could be drawn into a drunken debate. That was the plan, anyway. "Hunnybaby! Lookit you! C'mon we gotta dance!" Lee James slurred to her fur-trimmed tits. With a sigh, she smiled and laid her plate down on a nearby table, promising to herself that she would eat right after enduring a dance with the favored junior partner. Unfortunately, after Lee angled her awkwardly around the dance floor, they'd drawn so much attention that everyone wanted to get pics of themselves toasting and dancing with the Christmas elf. At some point, she found herself in Timberman's arms with a glass of champagne in her hand. "Um; what?" she said, almost asking herself how she had gotten there. "I said you look lovely, tonight, Honey. Much better than in a shawl and sheath dress," he said, quickly twirling her around as they reached the edge of the dance floor. "Twirling makes my skirt go up; I'm dizzy," she murmured. A familiar dark figure flashed in the background and disappeared as Timberman turned her again. She looked around, trying to find the figure again, but she couldn't see him anywhere. Why was he there? Had she been singing again? "Well, I'll make sure nobody twirls you, my dear," he said, twirling her and smiling as her skirt flew up her long candy-cane striped legs. "The wives wouldn't like it." "I like your wife's dress Mr. Timberman; looks warm. It covers her ass when she sits, too," she slurred, frowning in confusion at the dark red drink in her hand now. Zach was frowning, and then he just looked blurry again as she swirled around. Maybe swirling made it harder for him to kill her. Why did he want to kill her? It just wasn't fair. Timberman leaned down and dipped her, "I'll make sure to give her your compliments. You know, if you like what wives wear, you should consider getting married. Lee is quite taken with you, you know," he said, stroking his hand against the soft pink velvet of her dress. Honey found herself drifting away and wandering inside her head again, thinking about Lee; he was handsome in an overly-polished way, said funny things, but they always sounded a little mean, like he wanted to be the only one laughing; and he also took her away from the food plate that just floated by on a table. It was still full. She should have eaten that food. What time was it? "He likes my boobs; and he doesn't want to kill me," she agreed eventually, surprised to find that Timberman was gone and she was dancing with Lee James again. "Well, I can't blame him for that; they're fucking perfect; just like everything else. I'm gonna come on them after you suck me off; he murmured, pulling her closer against him. "Let me take you home, Honey; penthouse view of the city; "Umm; no, that's not home; I live in the; railroad place; with the trains?" Honey explained, pointing in what she thought was the direction of the Lowertown Commons. Why did every guy think she lived with them tonight? "Sounds charming, Eliza Doolittle; you should trade up. You don't know how much I'd love twist your arms back and fuck this ass wide open over my balcony tonight," he said, reaching his hand under her skirt and greedily squeezing her bottom. "You'd like that, wouldn't you Honey? I can tell; Lee whispered, his cologne invading her head and making her queasy. "I feel sick; Honey whimpered and staggered away, trying to find the quiet table where the food was that would make her less drunk. The dance floor was confusing, though, always turning around and thumping and flashing. She leaned against a pillar until she got a better sense of where she was. She liked the pillar. It was big and strong; and it stroked her hair. "Honey; wake up, Honey. Open your mouth. You need to take these," the vaguely familiar voice said, cutting through the sleep that had been blocking out some of the pain she felt everywhere. She obediently opened her mouth and the hand put two caplets on her tongue. A water bottle squirted a little cool liquid into her mouth until she moaned and sucked harder, desperate for more. "Not too much. Wait until you can hold that down. I'll give you more in a bit. You don't want that IV back, do you?" "Nuh" Honey groaned. She hated needles. Sure, just about every part of her body hurt more than a needle did, right now, but somehow needle pain felt personal. Like with Zach. He didn't seem like someone who went around wanting to choke everybody; just her. She was nobody special; just a simple girl who kept lawyers organized and tried to be nice. Then, someone wonderful like Zach thought she needed to die. That hurt. Something about her made him go from being tender and intensely loving to someone who; it just didn't make sense. What did she do? Mercifully, sleep faded the pain and clouded her thoughts. Voices below her intruded into a wonderful dream where she was bouncing on clouds. Though not in the same room, the voices seemed strangely clear. "I can't; Terry, she cries when I do that," the pills voice said, making her eyes fly open. She knew that voice. She hadn't heard it for a year, but she would never forget it. Her body reacted with a confused mix of emotions, her cheeks flushing and adrenaline searing a path all through her at the same time. "That's because it hurts her. You know what hurts more? Bedsores. Man up. Use the pillows to prop her weight against the parts that aren't hurt on whichever side. It's either this, or she goes back to the hospital, and I have it on good authority you won't be allowed to visit after what happened." "She was screaming; Zach gritted. "Yeah, well they were putting her shoulder back in. People scream. That still doesn't excuse what you did. Since when did you become such a pussy about pain?" Terry asked. "since her." "oh my god." "Shut up," Zach grunted. "Oh my god; "Yeah, that's not shutting up." "The great Z-dog has been taken down;" "Shut up, maggot, it's not like that. I'm just taking care of h;" "By a little bitty pink Christmas elf; Terry laughed. There was a scuffling sound and then a loud whoomp and a forceful exhalation of air. "So, I turn her every few hours until she can do it for herself?" Zach asked, casually. "Yes, sir," Terry choked. "Anything else?" "Clear liquids until she can hold stuff down. Talk to her. Ask her questions. If she seems disoriented or part of her face goes slack, she goes back to the hospital. Don't fuck around." "Got it. Are you squared away, or do we need to discuss this further?" "Squared away, sir," Terry choked, then gasped in relief, panting faintly. "Jesus Christ, you haven't lost your touch. We on for the hump tomorrow at 0 500?" "No. I'm gonna stick close here until she's;" "Got it. Hey, maybe they have those Baby Bjorn things in elf-size. Then, you could just strap her onto your ba; ow! ow! ow, ow, ow!" "You weren't particularly attached to the rest of that sentence, were you, maggot?" Zach growled. "Sir, no sir; Terry squeaked. "I didn't think so. You'll be back here Wednesday," Zach stated, more as an order than a question. "Yeah, if you want me to. Honestly, right now she just needs rest and TLC more than a medic. That stands for 'tender loving care' by the way, not;" "You were just going," Zach said, as the voices moved to another end of the room below her. "Hey, you wanna know what makes an elf's toes curl up like tha;" Terry asked, his question cut off by the slamming of the door. Honey listened, trembling and terrified as Zach paced the floor below her. Though his voice hadn't changed, he sounded nothing like the man that had wooed her so tenderly a year ago. He sounded dangerous, brutal even. He definitely sounded like the kind of person that went around wanting to choke everyone, she thought, strangely relieved that her heartbreak felt a little less personal. How could she have been so wrong in her impression of him? She looked around the room, understanding now how the voices had reached her so easily. She was in an open industrial loft bedroom that opened onto the main floor below. Looking around, she realized she must be in Zach's huge bed, though if the crisply made side next to her was any indication, he hadn't been sleeping in it with her. Looking down her body, she gasped quietly. Her left arm was in a sling strapped to her chest, her legs were covered in bruises, and the right leg that was being stabbed with an invisible knife right now, was wrapped up in an air cast boot. What had happened to her? The last thing she remembered was feeling sick as she tried to get away from Lee's groping hands on the dance floor. After that; nothing. How did she get here? A beeping noise sounded below and Zach walked across the room to what sounded like a kitchen. The sound of water being poured into a cup, the ringing of a spoon stirring it, a pill bottle being opened. Honey shivered, realizing he was probably coming up to her, soon. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing, feigning sleep. Steps ascending to the loft bedroom. Ankle stabbing, stab, stab, stab, stab with every panicked heartbeat. A tray went down on the nightstand next to her. A chair across the room was lifted and set down by the bed. Honey told herself to breathe slowly, willing the tears welling behind her lids not to leak out of her eyes. He would leave her alone if she was sleeping, wouldn't he? "You're not sleeping," Zach's voice stated, quietly, and her stomach clenched in fear. "You've been waking up for these pills every four hours like a junkie. I know you don't want to talk to me, Honey, but until you're squared away, you're gonna have to. So, cut the crap, open your eyes, and let's get this done." Honey opened her eyes to see his grim face looking down at her. With one blink, large tears rolled down her pale cheeks, and Zach's jaw set angrily. Sitting down in the chair, he put his elbows on his knees and leaned his massive shoulders forward, looking at her. His hands looked like they could crush rocks as he gripped them together. "Let's get some things straight. I don't know what you think you know about me, but acting like I'm some kind of psycho is pretty shitty. You want nothing of me, that's fine, but you're hurt because you screamed and flung yourself down some stairs rather than let me help you to an Uber. You're staying here until you're well, because some shithead at that party gave you enough roofies to be in a coma for almost 3 days and I'm not dragging my ass to that rat trap of yours in the Commons every day to make sure they don't come back while you're weak. Are we clear?" he asked. Honey swallowed and nodded, wincing at the pain in her neck and head. That just seemed to make Zach angrier. "While you are here, you will do as you're told. You will eat what you get, and you will not complain. You see these, here?" he said, holding up the magic caplets that made everything better. "These are the last ones you're getting. I'm switching you to ibuprofen and Tylenol because, unchecked, this Sackler shit will fuck you up for good and that's not happening on my watch. Do you understand?" he asked. "Yes," Honey whispered. At the sound of her voice, Zach's mouth twitched, but at least he didn't look as angry as when she'd nodded and winced. "You will follow your doctor's orders to the last goddamn word. You will rest. You will do your therapy. You will let me help you and you will ask me for what you need because I am not a fucking mind reader. And so help me, if you do anything stupid like get out of that bed without me here to help you, or push yourself away from me like you did at Gatsby's, or any other drama shit that hurts even one hair on that head again, I will personally make you regret you were ever born." "Yes, Zach," Honey breathed, confused. Two more tears rolled down her cheeks. Without thinking, she leaned over to wipe them off on her shoulder and cried out in pain. Zach squeezed his clenched hands together and several of his knuckles cracked. "You don't use my name. You don't get to use my name. You're not getting under my skin again, you hear me?" Zach growled, using his rough knuckle to wipe her tears. "Orders a fucking angel shot in my own fucking club; fuck you. I don't have a name, you don't have a name. You're nothing to me. Understand?" "Yes, sir," she whispered. Honey leaned forward and took the last spoonful of broth into her mouth and swallowed, looking longingly at the noodles at the bottom of the cup. Zach caught a drop of broth at the bottom of her lower lip with the spoon and returned it to her mouth. "No," he said, seeing where her eyes lingered. "I can do it," she pleaded. "Please; I haven't had anything solid since; how long has it been?" "I said, no. You throw up on another pair of my skivvies and I'll be doing laundry twice a week," Zach said, dabbing her mouth with a paper towel. "Why do I have to wear your boxer briefs anyway? They feel weird. They have this hole-flap thing; and there are some places that aren't supposed to feel a breeze," Honey said, lifting the blanket to look down at his underwear loosely covering her hips. "Are you complaining?" he asked quietly. Honey's eyes darted quickly to his face, "No sir," she murmured, looking down at her lap. "I just thought if I had some of my things here, you wouldn't have to do the laundry so much." "I'll worry about what I have to do, Honey," he said, unthinkingly using her name. Startled, she looked up to see his eyes wandering over her, his massive t-shirt sleeves going down past her elbows. She felt ridiculous and disheveled, but something about the way he looked at her made her hold her breath. Then, without another word, he slurped the noodles out of the cup and took the tray downstairs. After that, the two settled into a quiet routine of him feeding her, giving her medicine, and watching her sleep most of the day. She would sometimes awaken to the soft repetitive sounds of him running on a treadmill, or the clinking of him lifting weights downstairs where she couldn't see him. Then, he would go to the bathroom and shower. After his shower, he came upstairs again in his towel and took some clothes from his dresser before going back downstairs to change. Honey found herself looking forward to those few seconds each day, watching his droplet-covered torso twist as he leaned over his dresser. He frowned as he flipped through his carefully folded underwear. "You wearing the grey ones?" he asked, not looking at her. Honey peeked under the covers, "Um, yes sir," she replied. "I'm supposed to wear the grey ones today," he grumbled to himself. Honey didn't say anything. Zach was the one who picked out which underwear she wore today. He was the one who looked away while he painstakingly slipped the old ones off her hips and pulled the new ones over her boot and up her legs until her bottom was covered again. There was nothing about her life that wasn't chosen and executed by him. If he wasn't happy about the color of his underwear, that was his fault. Still, Zach kept rummaging around in his underwear drawer as if another crisply folded grey pair would somehow magically appear. Finally, rather than offend him by laughing, Honey spoke, "Um; you know, if they're clean, I could wear the pair I had on when I went to the hospital and you could have these. It would get you back on schedule; Zach lifted his head from the drawer and glared at her, as if he thought she was making fun of him. Honey held carefully still and shrugged her uninjured limb. She wasn't making fun, she just wanted to help. The movement caused the huge neckline to gape over to the side, revealing her bare shoulder. She waited as Zach stared impassively at her, the vein at his neck throbbing. After a long moment, he walked over and stood next to her, the tuck of his towel right next to her face. With every breath, she inhaled the scent of his wet body and the bar soap he used. A rivulet of water painstakingly slid from his chest and down his abdomen, until finally disappearing into the tightly twisted white cotton. Honey glanced up to see that he had been reading her face as she watched the droplet's progress. With a shaking breath, she blushed and pulled the covers higher with her good arm. With a twist of his mouth, Zach pulled the neckline back over her shoulder again and quickly left the room. That night, after leaving her with a video baby monitor watching her on the nightstand, Zach returned with a bag of her underwear and some of her nightgowns. After watching her excitedly sort through them, Zach pushed them aside and sat on the edge of the bed. "There were a bunch of boxes with tags on them in your living room. What's that about?" he asked. Honey's eyes dropped, "Oh; that's the charity gift thing for kids. You sign up and get them something they wished for and wrap it up so they can have something under the tree, when they wouldn't have something otherwise. It's nice, you know? I signed up for a bunch and I was supposed to wrap them and get them back to the law firm, but I guess; sorry kids," she trailed off. Looking furious, yet carefully impassive at the same time, Zach cursed under his breath and left again, returning with the packages and a huge stack of unused Styrofoam clamshells from Gatsby's, and dumped them on the bed next to her. For the next few hours, they "wrapped" the presents, Zach carefully fitting items into an appropriate-sized takeout box, and Honey trying to make them pretty with ribbons. As she watched him work, occasionally cursing under his breath, she found herself smiling at his frowning face when he was strategizing how to fit a basketball into three disassembled clamshells. "What are you laughing at?" he said, glaring when he caught her at it. "I wasn't laughing. I was smiling." "Why were you smiling, then?" he asked. "I guess; I just like you; sir," she said, glancing over at him. Honey saw a hopeful softness steal into Zach's eyes until he forcibly wrestled it down and a look of hooded sarcasm shaded them. "Yeah, well; fool me once," he sneered. Angry, Honey closed her eyes, blocking him out the only way she could. "You know, that's; that's not fair. Not after what you said; you scared me!" she said, frustrated that, once again, tears were rolling down her cheeks. Zach choked out a mirthless laugh, "I scared you? What did I say, Honey? What did I fucking say? God! I was on eggshells all night trying not to fuck it up with you and then you just; why? Those creeps you were dancing with at that party, those fucking 'nice guys' that drugged you, they were saying shit that made my skin crawl! I didn't even kiss you! I couldn't! I could barely breathe just for looking at you on our date; you looked just like a fucking angel. What did I say, Honey? What did I say?" Honey reached over and grabbed her phone, flipping through her photo album to a screenshot taken shortly before she blocked his number. "You didn't say it; you texted it. I remember watching you leave for the restroom thinking I'd met the love of my life and then you sent me this; she said, handing her phone to him. Zach took the phone, his face going from an angry red to pale horror in a matter of seconds. "This; this; he gasped, "I didn't; send this; to you; he said, shaking his head. "Whoever had your phone did, sir!" she said, emphasizing the last word, making him wince. "I spent the last year thinking you wanted to do that to me; to kill me. Every time I felt you watching me, every crowd I saw you show up in, every dark room I had to go into, that's what I thought about. I thought that a man I was head over heels about; that I could be so wrong about him. So, excuse me for thinking I liked you, sir. I promise it won't ever happen again!" Honey cried herself to sleep that night, refusing to speak to, or even look at Zach again. When she awoke, the bedroom was empty, and a glass of water and a pain pill were waiting on the nightstand. After swallowing the pill, she stared at the ceiling, furious. She didn't want to be there anymore, to be helpless and dependent on him, to obey all his stupid rules. He didn't deserve to take care of her. So, she tightened the straps on her boot and increased the air pressure to hold her broken ankle tightly enough to walk without her crutches. Then, she took off Zach's t-shirt, pulled on her elf dress, and called herself an Uber. It was when she saw the anticipated arrival time of 8 minutes that she realized her mistake. There was no way for her to get down from the loft and out of the apartment quietly in that amount of time. If she used the crutches, she would be able to descend the stairs quickly enough, but they made such a distinctive clicking racket that they would surely wake up her gorilla-like guard. If she hopped down the stairs on her good foot, it might have worked, but her good arm was on the opposite side and she kept losing her balance. Eventually she decided on the most painful course, of going down on her good and bad legs, using her good arm for support. Her boot thunked horribly the first few times, until she got the hang of it and could place it more quietly on the next step and then hop her good foot down to support it before the scream inside her could escape her lips. By the time she reached the bottom, though, she was shaking with pain and exhausted. Curiosity forced her to look around the rest of the apartment as she caught her breath, sitting on the bottom step. It was clean and unmistakably masculine. Exercise equipment took up a lot of the space not already claimed by a leather couch and TV arrangement. Zach lay on the couch, made up with sheets to act as a bed, his feet sticking out over the arm, his hand tucked under the back of his head, his chest rising and falling under the rumpled sheet. If she wasn't so angry, she'd find him handsome; or maybe he still was handsome, she thought grudgingly, closing her eyes miserably and looking away. Why couldn't he be ugly? Life wasn't fair. Uber. Right. Screwing up her courage for what was ahead, she stood and slowly hobbled across the hardwood floor, agonizing over every painful thump and noisy squeak until she finally reached the door. She unlocked the five locks on his large door, each of them being well-oiled and working perfectly. She expected no less of her anal-retentive, grey-skivvies-on-Tuesdays captor. Finally, she tugged open the heavy door to find endless flights of icy steel-mesh stairs leading all the way down to the street where her Uber was waiting. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me; she cried, breaking down into tears. A strong arm slid down around her waist and mercifully shifted her weight off her throbbing foot, "I know. It sucks. You should try it with a rucksack full of bricks," Zach said, leaning his head down and breathing into her hair. "I want to go home," she whispered. "Let me take care of you; please," Zach murmured into the top of her head, "I; it was my fault this happened to you. I scared you, I know that now; but, please believe me that I would never want to hurt or frighten you like that." "It wasn't just that text," she said, pulling her head away and looking up at him angrily. "All year, I never had a moment's peace. Even when I couldn't see you, I could feel you waiting in the quiet or dark places. Even if you weren't there;" "I was there," he confessed. "I was always there. I didn't understand what had gone wrong. You didn't want to talk to me, and the world just didn't make sense to me unless I knew where you were, what you were doing; unless I knew you were safe." "Maybe you knew I was safe, but I didn't! I thought I'd done something; that somehow I deserved to have this beautiful, scary monster hunting me. I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd done to destroy something that was so; wonderful." "You didn't do anything, Honey. Nothing at all. You were perfect. You were so perfect that I couldn't keep; you didn't do anything wrong. I never meant to send you that message; please, please believe me." "Why did you send it?" she asked, finally looking up into his eyes. The dark blue liquid pools of her eyes turned violet in the moonlight, and Zach felt a tightening in his chest. "I; I can't tell you that; but it was never meant for you." "You mean, you meant to send that message to someone else? To hurt them like that?" "Honey, I; Zach said, looking around, unable to meet her eyes, "Please, I can't; you wouldn't understand; my life isn't like that anymore." "I want to go home, Zach; please," she whispered. Zach closed his eyes for a long moment before he swallowed and nodded, looking like he was in more pain than she was. "I'll take you home tomorrow, okay? Or Terry will, if you don't want me to. He'll check the place out, make sure you're set up and safe there. You're tired, you're hurting, and your Uber's gone, now. Let me take you back upstairs and you can go in the morning. Please." At that moment, a throb of pain shot through her entire leg, and as angry as Honey was, she knew she couldn't face her empty apartment without a few more hours of rest. "Okay," she whispered. To be continued in part 2, Based on a post by Lingering Afterthought, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

Conversation with Sjaak Sijm starts at 2:20. California Spring Trials 2026: March 24-27 (Days and time may vary by location.) https://caspringtrials.us/ Tech On Demand host (and 20-year trials veteran) Bill Calkins collaborated with California Spring Trials registration managers at National Garden Bureau to produce a series of podcasts featuring representatives from just about every exhibiting company in an effort to get you excited about the iconic industry event and some of the new plant introductions you'll see on display in spring of 2026. California Spring Trials is the horticulture industry's “fashion week” and with more than two dozen participating companies bringing hundreds of new plants to market for 2027 and beyond, opportunities to get inspired and plan new additions to your crop mix abound! Registration for this annual even is essential to help hosts create an amazing, customized experience for all attendees. REGISTER FOR CAST 2026 NOW AT https://caspringtrials.us/. You'll also find a trip planner, location information and more. Be sure to schedule plenty of time at each stop and with each exhibiting company!

Conversation with Stephanie Vincenti starts at 2:20. California Spring Trials 2026: March 24-27 (Days and time may vary by location.) https://caspringtrials.us/ Tech On Demand host (and 20-year trials veteran) Bill Calkins collaborated with California Spring Trials registration managers at National Garden Bureau to produce a series of podcasts featuring representatives from just about every exhibiting company in an effort to get you excited about the iconic industry event and some of the new plant introductions you'll see on display in spring of 2026. California Spring Trials is the horticulture industry's “fashion week” and with more than two dozen participating companies bringing hundreds of new plants to market for 2027 and beyond, opportunities to get inspired and plan new additions to your crop mix abound! Registration for this annual even is essential to help hosts create an amazing, customized experience for all attendees. REGISTER FOR CAST 2026 NOW AT https://caspringtrials.us/. You'll also find a trip planner, location information and more. Be sure to schedule plenty of time at each stop and with each exhibiting company!

Rooted in storytelling, aromatherapy, and the essential oil of Scots Pine, this final episode of Season 4 explores seasonal wellness through themes of ancestors, darkness, the will to live, and wisdom of our conifer friends to celebrate the winter solstice.Join me as we reflect on winter as a time to rest, conserve energy, nourish the waters within, and honor lineage and continuity. The aromatic medicine of noble green beings—the conifers—is both symbolic and practical, supporting immunity, respiration, clarity, and our connection to the cycles of the year.A key feature of this episode is the Seneca story “How the Conifers Flaunt the Promise of Spring,” a reminder of resilience, the will to live and endure. Join me to slow down and participate in the turning of the year, as generations have before us.Sources: Storytelling + Research = LoiS: Parker - How the Conifers Flaunt the Promise of Spring - Keeping the Public in Public DomainArticle on Scots Pine: Plant Talk: Scots Pine Essential Oil - NYC Aromatica

The Social Work Rants Podcast live show from Casa Wellness from October 2025. A live discussion on the intersection of mental health and finances in the Latino/X/E Community. In these trying times, we need to address financial anxiety, financial trauma and unhealthy money habits that affect our communities of color.The episode shows ways to address our personal finances and start to thrive financially in 2026.Special thanks to Ponce Bank for your sponsorship. Thank you to Redefine Stong Inc for your partnership. Without these two enteties this event would not have been possible. BREAKING NEWS!!!- I'm writing a new book to be released in Spring 2026.#socialwork #personalfinance

An airhacks.fm conversation with Johan Haleby (@johanhaleby) about: first computer experience with Commodore C64 and typing Basic programs from instruction manuals, early gaming experiences and interest in understanding load commands, transition to Amiga 500 Plus for demo scene scripting and composition, moving to PC era with 486 SX25 and four megabytes of RAM, learning Turbo Pascal and creating 2D Super Mario-inspired games, experimenting with inline assembler in Pascal and reading "The Art of Assembly Programming", reverse engineering games using Win32 disassembler to bypass license checks, studying computer science at Blekinge and Lund University in Sweden, first job at JayWay consultancy firm working on IKEA project in 2005, early adoption of Spring framework and automated testing practices, comparison of old-style EJB with heavy XML configuration versus Spring's lightweight approach, the evolution from XML-based configuration to annotation-based Java EE 5 and 6, creating PowerMock with colleague Jan Kronqvist to mock static methods and final classes, using asm and JavaAssist for bytecode manipulation instead of AspectJ, implementing custom class loaders where each JUnit method executed in different class loader, deep clone module for cloning object graphs between class loaders, tight coupling challenges between PowerMock and Mockito/EasyMock/JUnit versions, transition from EasyMock's record-replay pattern to Mockito's when-then approach, modern preference for avoiding mocks and testing against real cloud environments, optimizing for fast CI/CD pipelines rather than local simulation, structuring code to separate infrastructure concerns from pure business logic, using Java Records as pure data carriers versus adding behavior to records, Clojure-inspired philosophy of decoupling state from behavior and identity, Rich Hickey's "Simple Made Easy" talk and definitions of simple versus easy, multi-methods in functional languages as alternative to polymorphism, domain modeling example with network devices and fiber channel connections, benefits of object-oriented polymorphism for transparent persistence and simple code, avoiding religious adherence to patterns in favor of pragmatic solutions, Maven's stability and opinionated approach versus Gradle's flexibility, reducing external dependencies and Maven plugins in favor of CI/CD automation, the NPM ecosystem's over-modularization compared to Java's more reasonable approach, decline of OSGi hype and return to simpler monolithic architectures, Johan's current work on Occurrent Event Sourcing library and cloud events Johan Haleby on twitter: @johanhaleby

This presentation will provide an overview of how to prepare for visits from Immigration and ICE officers, in light of increased ICE investigations, workplace raids, and community visits associated with immigration applications.Kathleen A. Spero has a long-standing interest in immigration and foreign relations. She graduated from San Diego State University magna cum laude with a dual major in Political Science and International Security and Conflict Resolution in 1999. She received her Master of Pacific and International Affairs, cum laude, from the University of California, San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (formerly the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies) in 2001. After earning her Master's degree, Kathleen joined the International Rescue Committee, an international refugee assistance and resettlement agency, as a Program Specialist in the company's headquarters. While at IRC, Kathleen discovered her interest in immigration law, decided to attend law school, and received her J.D. Degree, cum laude, from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California, in May 2008. For the Spring 2023 semester, Kathleen served as an instructor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, teaching a course on Immigration Law.Since her graduation from law school, Kathleen has dedicated her career to immigration law. She has held positions with Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy; the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program; and Malitzlaw. In addition to her work with Jacobs & Schlesinger, Kathleen has volunteered with Casa Cornelia, the Immigration Justice Project, UURise immigration legal services, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.Kathleen has worked for Jacobs & Schlesinger since 2016, where she focuses on providing legal assistance and counseling to families, businesses, and individuals seeking to navigate the complex immigration laws of the United States. She primarily handles employment-based cases, investor visas, family-based petitions, and naturalization cases.Kathleen is admitted to the State Bar of California and is licensed to practice law before the Supreme Court of California and the Department of Homeland Security nationwide.Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org/

As the weather outside gets colder and colder, and it seems like Spring will never return - The Moth is sharing stories all about the magic, and the misery, of winter. From traveling down icy roads, to finding warmth with your loved ones. So instead of going outside, why don't you bundle up, pour a mug of hot cocoa, and listen to some stories This episode was hosted by Emily Couch. Storytellers: Cola Rum gets some help while driving in a snowstorm. Melissa Earley tries to hide an accident from her congregation. If you've been moved by a story this year, please text 'GIVE25' to 78679 to make a donation to The Moth today. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Father John Whitehead is Archpriest and pastor at St Jonah Orthodox Church in Spring, Texas. As well as delivering a learned exegesis on the first two octaves of the longest psalm, Psalm 119 (Psalm 118 in Orthodox and Catholic numbering), Fr John chats to James about everything from his early days as a Nazarene, Sola Scriptura, Dead Kennedys lyrics, which forms of sexual activity God most detests, and which are the best translations of the Bible. His website is http://fatherjohn.blogspot.com ↓ ↓ ↓ Buy James a Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jamesdelingpole The official website of James Delingpole: https://jamesdelingpole.co.uk x

Chris Mack, R.J. Choppy and John Martin discuss the Quarterbacks that could potentially leave school early for the NFL Draft this Spring, and why they're not high on this crop of signal callers as potential pros. Plus, all of our best bets for this weekend's action.

Coming from a Greek family with deep restaurant roots, Dino Katris tried to escape his ultimate destiny – but he always came back to restaurants. In just a short time, Dino has become recognized for honoring the legacy of classic eateries while giving them renewed energy.  Most recently he helped bring a downtown restaurant back with Mr. Yee's, 5030 Sixth Ave., he is also involved in Yogi's Pud'n, 2302 52nd St – and coming in Spring 2026  - Melkat's, 7943 Sheridan Road. We talk to Dino about his past, present and future ventures, and his connection to Kenosha!  This episode was recorded on November 23rd, 2025 at the Better Call Parise Recording Studio in Downtown Kenosha – call on the Law Offices of Frank J. Parise when your bad day gets even worse! The Ktown Connects hotline is open! Visit us at ktownconnects.com, click on the phone and leave us a message telling us about the last great meal you had in Kenosha! Theme song performed by Dropping Daisies, written by James “Red” McLeod. Your hosts are Donny Stancato and Jason Hedman Get your Ktown Connects merchandise at The Lettering Machine, 725 50th St. Drop us an email at ktownconnects@yahoo.com Get additional episodes early and ad-free, along with bonus material with this week's guest and more great exclusive material by becoming a patreon supporter! Click here for more! Ktown Connects is brought to you by: Union Park Tavern, 4520 Eighth Ave. About Time Moving Systems Casey Family Options Funerals & Cremations, 3016 75th St Dickow Czak Tile Carpet One, 6403 75th St Shannyn Franklin – ReMax Elite Carbox, 1750 22nd Ave Franks Diner, 508 58th St Aaron Hunzinger of AHDidIt White Lilac, 5029 Sixth Ave Sallese & Co, 709 56th St Wink Beauty Boutique, 10909 Sheridan Rd A+ Mobility, 2324 18th St The Port of Kenosha Beverage House, 705 50th St Faded Barbershop for Men, 4807 7th Ave Lakeshore Pedal Tours, 5001 Simmons Island Dr Alpaca Art, 4326 Seventh Ave Public Brewing Company 628 58th St 

Send us a textIn this episode the babes finally get some closure discussing the end of the post season. We each share our favorite moments from the 2025 season, talk about offseason moves including signings, trades, promotions and new powder blues. Erin shares a far-fetched holiday wish for the team and we look ahead to Spring and the 2026 season.Support the showThis is a podcast created by fans of the Milwaukee Brewers and is in no way affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers or with Major League Baseball. Follow us on Social Media!Bluesky: @BrewersBabesInstagram: @brewers_babesTwitter: @BrewersBabes

Episode 151 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosted by Angie Sparks and Joseph Petrovic, covers a wide range of travel and points news before diving into a full recap of ZorkFest. In the news segment, the hosts discuss Mesa unexpectedly shutting down accounts, changes to the Ritz-Carlton card's lounge guest policy, JetBlue's new Terminal 5 lounge with very limited access, and concerns around a Cathay Pacific transfer devaluation from Amex Membership Rewards. They also highlight year-end checklist reminders, such as expiring credits, point pooling, and spending thresholds. Angie and Joe share recent bonuses, card closures, and points earned, along with detailed trip updates involving Vegas, Japan, Orlando, Phoenix, and upcoming meetups.The main topic centers on ZorkFest, a unique event that blends traditional travel rewards with casino loyalty programs. Held at the M Resort in Henderson, Nevada, ZorkFest attracts attendees interested in high expected value opportunities, cost-effective stays (including bookings with Choice points), and hands-on learning through labs and live gaming experiences with experts. Both Angie and Joe recount their flights, hotel experiences, and why the event stands out: strong presenters, opportunities for new players, and a focus on maximizing rewards across both travel and casino ecosystems. The hosts note that the event just wrapped up and is likely to return next year.The episode wraps with miscellaneous trip highlights, community connections, and a “Tip of the Week” emphasizing adaptability. Joe stresses that points and miles opportunities are constantly changing, with earning avenues and redemption paths frequently disappearing. The key takeaway is to stay flexible, plan ahead, and be ready to pivot strategies as programs evolve—an especially timely reminder given the rapid changes discussed throughout the episode.Episode links:Mesa ShutdownRitz Lounge AccessJetBlue JFK LoungeCathay DevaluationWhere to Find Us The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here Reserve tickets to our Spring 2026 Meetup in Phoenix now. award.travel/phx2026 Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions! Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card! Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.

Conversation with Kris Carlsson starts at 2:20. California Spring Trials 2026: March 24-27 (Days and time may vary by location.) https://caspringtrials.us/ Tech On Demand host (and 20-year trials veteran) Bill Calkins collaborated with California Spring Trials registration managers at National Garden Bureau to produce a series of podcasts featuring representatives from just about every exhibiting company in an effort to get you excited about the iconic industry event and some of the new plant introductions you'll see on display in spring of 2026. California Spring Trials is the horticulture industry's “fashion week” and with more than two dozen participating companies bringing hundreds of new plants to market for 2027 and beyond, opportunities to get inspired and plan new additions to your crop mix abound! Registration for this annual even is essential to help hosts create an amazing, customized experience for all attendees. REGISTER FOR CAST 2026 NOW AT https://caspringtrials.us/. You'll also find a trip planner, location information and more. Be sure to schedule plenty of time at each stop and with each exhibiting company!

Conversation with Robert Bett starts at 2:20. California Spring Trials 2026: March 24-27 (Days and time may vary by location.) https://caspringtrials.us/ Tech On Demand host (and 20-year trials veteran) Bill Calkins collaborated with California Spring Trials registration managers at National Garden Bureau to produce a series of podcasts featuring representatives from just about every exhibiting company in an effort to get you excited about the iconic industry event and some of the new plant introductions you'll see on display in spring of 2026. California Spring Trials is the horticulture industry's “fashion week” and with more than two dozen participating companies bringing hundreds of new plants to market for 2027 and beyond, opportunities to get inspired and plan new additions to your crop mix abound! Registration for this annual even is essential to help hosts create an amazing, customized experience for all attendees. REGISTER FOR CAST 2026 NOW AT https://caspringtrials.us/. You'll also find a trip planner, location information and more. Be sure to schedule plenty of time at each stop and with each exhibiting company!

Ken Carman and Anthony Lima take you through what you may have missed About Last Night!

This week, Maria shares more great gift ideas and dives into the Gilded Age traditions that have helped pave the way for our Christmas celebrations! She is also joined by Rachel Kennedy, an expert in the field of Hostessing! Enter, "The Maria Liberati Show," based on her travels, as well as her Gourmand World Award-winning book series, "The Basic Art of Italian Cooking," and "The Basic Art of..." Find out more on https://www.marialiberati.com-----music: "First Day of Spring" by David Hilowitz - available via Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommns.org/licenses/by-sa/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Amanda and Brooke take a trip down memory lane and reflect on what they have learned over the course of producing 146 episodes together, before Amanda takes a step back from the podcast to focus on her business. Brooke will be back in Spring 2026 to pick up where they left off. Visit www.goodenoughish.com for links to everything mentioned on the show.Support the podcast: Good Enough-ish on PatreonSnag Some Merch: goodenoughish.com/shopJoin the Good Enough-ish™ conversation in our private FB group: Good Enough-ish private Facebook groupIf you like this episode, please take a moment to share a positive review on Apple Podcasts, and share with others who may enjoy Good Enough-ish!We'll be back each week with new topics, stories, tips, and personal experiences, as well as some good old friendly banter and lots of laughter. Don't forget to find us on Instagram @goodenough.ish, or contact us with your episode ideas, questions, and comments.

It is that time again.  We may still be nine days from Christmas and have a lot of winter in front of us but spring will come before you know it.   In much of the country seeds should be started indoors some time between Feb 1st and the end of that month.  Folks I know it will sound crazy but February 2026 is just barely more than a month away. Now is the time to evaluate the equipment you have and upgrade or add the things you want in your system this year.  Select varieties of seeds to grow and … Continue reading →