Podcasts about Pecs

Dr. Adam Striker discusses PECS blocks and nomenclature with Dr. Christine Vo, member of the ACE editorial board. Learn about the history and efficacy of PECS blocks, the challenges of heterogeneous nomenclature, ongoing efforts to standardize nomenclature, and more. Recorded April 2025.

Ольга Александровна Попова рассказывает об исследовании "Формирование навыка ожидания у подростков с нарушениями развития, использующих систему альтернативной коммуникации PECS". Автор делится резульатами, рассказывает о дальнейших планах работы. Беседовал Евгений Феликсович Шведовский Читайте статью в журнале "Аутизм и нарушения развития" 2025 № 1.

Today's Q&As are on the topic of ALL COMMUNICATION IS VALID! Talking about PECS, and Artic therapy considerations   I'm sharing a live Q&A on Instagram (@play.learn.chat) every day Mon-Fri this week (31st March - 4th April) - share a Q by DM or email me! Ask Qs about Neurodiversity Affirming Speech Therapy support for Autistic Children, or Qs about my course Affirming Communication for Autistic Children!   “Speech, mouth words, are not the only valid way to communicate. If it's not that person's best form of communication in that moment, it's not the best form of communication, full stop.”   Answering Qs and sharing thoughts about: • When speech sound/artic therapy fits a ND approach (and when it really doesn't) • Why PECS is not ND affirming, but using visuals as a communication method or support IS ND affirming • How my custom AI tools help busy Speech Therapist take affirming concepts into practice, fast!   To get deeper and more actionable support around these topics and more, join me in my course!  The Affirming Communication for Autistic Children Course is NOW OPEN for enrollments! Doors close on Friday 4th April, 1pm Sydney time (AEDT) All the info is here: https://playlearnchat.com/acac-course/    

Tizennégy hónapig nem válaszolt Juditnak az állami cég, most közel ötmillió forintot követelnek vissza egy hiányzó pecsét miatt Telex     2025-02-26 05:01:30     Gazdaság Ügyintézés 2022-ben a kata eltörlésével a kormány arra kényszerítette az egyéni vállalkozók sokaságát, hogy új adózási formára térjenek át. Olvasónk cégének ügyintézés közben egy könyvelői hiba miatt hét napra megváltozott az adószáma. Ez több mint másfél éve tartó kálváriát indított el, a fiatal vállalkozótól visszakövetelik a teljes támogatást, amit korábba Így látja a háborút a beregszászi rohamosztagos 24.hu     2025-02-26 05:58:51     Külföld Ukrajna háború Győr Beregszász Annak, hogy a beregszászi Géza bácsi rohamosztagosként három és fél év után még életben legyen, nagyjából annyi volt az esélye, mint kihúzni egy megadott kártyát a lefordított pakliból. A túlélésnek viszont komoly ára van. Győri Boldizsár portrériportja az ukrán frontról. Kipróbáltuk, és komoly eltérésekre bukkantunk a használt telefoneladós platformokon Forbes     2025-02-26 05:21:05     Életmód Telefon Magyarországon is pörög a használt telefonok felvásárlása és értékesítése. Aki meg akar szabadulni régi készülékétől, az előtt ma már jó pár olyan lehetőség áll, amikhez ki sem kell mozdulni otthonról. Érdemes ugyanakkor alaposabban utánamenni a kínálatnak – hiszen árban, kifizetésben és egyebekben is jelentős különbségek vannak. Zúdul a gazdagabbak pénze a lakáspiacra Azenpenzem     2025-02-26 05:33:00     Ingatlan Befektető Szabályosan felrobbant az idén a magyar lakáspiac, nekilódultak az árak, megugrott a kereslet. Az adatokat részletesebben megnézve, jól látszik, hogy a folyamatokat jócskán fűtik a befektetési célú vásárlások. Szakértő szerint új befektetői kör is felbukkant. A család a nemzet jövője Magyar Hírlap     2025-02-26 04:28:00     Belföld Adókedvezmény A gyerekek után járó adókedvezmény megduplázása több mint egymillió családnak jelent komoly anyagi segítséget. Milliók maradtak áram nélkül Chilében 444.hu     2025-02-26 06:23:58     Külföld Chile A probléma közel nyolcmillió otthont érintett, ezek felében már sikerült helyreállítani a szolgáltatást. Egyedi SUV-ra vágysz? Bízd a spanyolokra! Vezess     2025-02-26 06:02:58     Autó-motor Spanyolország Győr Volkswagen A Győrben készülő Cupra Terramar-ral a márka kihozta a maximumot a VW építőkészletéből. A Terramar izgalmasan fest, élhető a belseje, ráadásul vezetni is jó. Pogátsa Zoltán: Nem biztos, hogy lehet a két- és háromgyermekesek szja-mentességével választást nyerni Privátbankár     2025-02-26 05:48:04     Gazdaság Orbán Viktor Magyar Péter Főszerkesztő Adóbevallás Szja Pogátsa Zoltán Egy hét eltéréssel meghallgathattuk Orbán Viktor és fő kihívója, Magyar Péter évértékelőjét. Ezek apropóján beszélgetett Pogátsa Zoltán közgazdásszal lapunk főszerkesztője, Csabai Károly a Klasszis Podcast legfrissebb adásában. Az egyaránt a 2026-os választások megnyerését célzó ellenzéki ígéretekről, tervekről, illetve kormányzati intézkedésekről. Ha erről a számról kaptál SMS-t, azonnal töröld! Startlap Vásárlás     2025-02-26 00:31:55     Gazdaság OTP SMS Újabb hullámban akarják megszerezni a csalók a banki adatokat. Ezzel kapcsolatban adott ki ismételt figyelmeztetést az OTP. Beleszédül, aki látja: a világ legszebb tavaszi virágoskertje Budapesttől sincs messze Startlap Utazás     2025-02-26 06:33:43     Utazás Tavasz Hollandia Megvan, mikor nyit 2025-ben a hollandiai Keukenhof, amit Európa kertjének is neveznek. Azt is mutatjuk, melyik időszakban érdemes a leginkább megnézni. Vezetett kettővel az Atleti és a Barca is, a vége 4-4 Rangadó     2025-02-26 03:46:14     Foci FC Barcelona Nyolc gólt hozott a két sztárcsapat rangadója a Király Kupában. Tüntetés volt a Chelsea stadionjánál, majd a csapat kiütéssel nyert Sportal     2025-02-25 23:08:51     Foci Tüntetés Stadion Premier League Chelsea Southampton A Premier League 27. fordulójában a Chelsea könnyed, 4-0-s sikerrel intézte el a sereghajtó Southamptont. Nem jut mindenhova a csapadékból Kiderül     2025-02-26 05:13:04     Időjárás Csapadék Az érkező front hazánk felett feloszlik, így nem okoz mindenhol csapadékot, de estétől újabb hullám érkezik egy mediterrán ciklonnak köszönhetően, amelyből már több helyre jut az esőből. A további adásainkat keresd a podcast.hirstart.hu oldalunkon.

Tizennégy hónapig nem válaszolt Juditnak az állami cég, most közel ötmillió forintot követelnek vissza egy hiányzó pecsét miatt Telex     2025-02-26 05:01:30     Gazdaság Ügyintézés 2022-ben a kata eltörlésével a kormány arra kényszerítette az egyéni vállalkozók sokaságát, hogy új adózási formára térjenek át. Olvasónk cégének ügyintézés közben egy könyvelői hiba miatt hét napra megváltozott az adószáma. Ez több mint másfél éve tartó kálváriát indított el, a fiatal vállalkozótól visszakövetelik a teljes támogatást, amit korábba Így látja a háborút a beregszászi rohamosztagos 24.hu     2025-02-26 05:58:51     Külföld Ukrajna háború Győr Beregszász Annak, hogy a beregszászi Géza bácsi rohamosztagosként három és fél év után még életben legyen, nagyjából annyi volt az esélye, mint kihúzni egy megadott kártyát a lefordított pakliból. A túlélésnek viszont komoly ára van. Győri Boldizsár portrériportja az ukrán frontról. Kipróbáltuk, és komoly eltérésekre bukkantunk a használt telefoneladós platformokon Forbes     2025-02-26 05:21:05     Életmód Telefon Magyarországon is pörög a használt telefonok felvásárlása és értékesítése. Aki meg akar szabadulni régi készülékétől, az előtt ma már jó pár olyan lehetőség áll, amikhez ki sem kell mozdulni otthonról. Érdemes ugyanakkor alaposabban utánamenni a kínálatnak – hiszen árban, kifizetésben és egyebekben is jelentős különbségek vannak. Zúdul a gazdagabbak pénze a lakáspiacra Azenpenzem     2025-02-26 05:33:00     Ingatlan Befektető Szabályosan felrobbant az idén a magyar lakáspiac, nekilódultak az árak, megugrott a kereslet. Az adatokat részletesebben megnézve, jól látszik, hogy a folyamatokat jócskán fűtik a befektetési célú vásárlások. Szakértő szerint új befektetői kör is felbukkant. A család a nemzet jövője Magyar Hírlap     2025-02-26 04:28:00     Belföld Adókedvezmény A gyerekek után járó adókedvezmény megduplázása több mint egymillió családnak jelent komoly anyagi segítséget. Milliók maradtak áram nélkül Chilében 444.hu     2025-02-26 06:23:58     Külföld Chile A probléma közel nyolcmillió otthont érintett, ezek felében már sikerült helyreállítani a szolgáltatást. Egyedi SUV-ra vágysz? Bízd a spanyolokra! Vezess     2025-02-26 06:02:58     Autó-motor Spanyolország Győr Volkswagen A Győrben készülő Cupra Terramar-ral a márka kihozta a maximumot a VW építőkészletéből. A Terramar izgalmasan fest, élhető a belseje, ráadásul vezetni is jó. Pogátsa Zoltán: Nem biztos, hogy lehet a két- és háromgyermekesek szja-mentességével választást nyerni Privátbankár     2025-02-26 05:48:04     Gazdaság Orbán Viktor Magyar Péter Főszerkesztő Adóbevallás Szja Pogátsa Zoltán Egy hét eltéréssel meghallgathattuk Orbán Viktor és fő kihívója, Magyar Péter évértékelőjét. Ezek apropóján beszélgetett Pogátsa Zoltán közgazdásszal lapunk főszerkesztője, Csabai Károly a Klasszis Podcast legfrissebb adásában. Az egyaránt a 2026-os választások megnyerését célzó ellenzéki ígéretekről, tervekről, illetve kormányzati intézkedésekről. Ha erről a számról kaptál SMS-t, azonnal töröld! Startlap Vásárlás     2025-02-26 00:31:55     Gazdaság OTP SMS Újabb hullámban akarják megszerezni a csalók a banki adatokat. Ezzel kapcsolatban adott ki ismételt figyelmeztetést az OTP. Beleszédül, aki látja: a világ legszebb tavaszi virágoskertje Budapesttől sincs messze Startlap Utazás     2025-02-26 06:33:43     Utazás Tavasz Hollandia Megvan, mikor nyit 2025-ben a hollandiai Keukenhof, amit Európa kertjének is neveznek. Azt is mutatjuk, melyik időszakban érdemes a leginkább megnézni. Vezetett kettővel az Atleti és a Barca is, a vége 4-4 Rangadó     2025-02-26 03:46:14     Foci FC Barcelona Nyolc gólt hozott a két sztárcsapat rangadója a Király Kupában. Tüntetés volt a Chelsea stadionjánál, majd a csapat kiütéssel nyert Sportal     2025-02-25 23:08:51     Foci Tüntetés Stadion Premier League Chelsea Southampton A Premier League 27. fordulójában a Chelsea könnyed, 4-0-s sikerrel intézte el a sereghajtó Southamptont. Nem jut mindenhova a csapadékból Kiderül     2025-02-26 05:13:04     Időjárás Csapadék Az érkező front hazánk felett feloszlik, így nem okoz mindenhol csapadékot, de estétől újabb hullám érkezik egy mediterrán ciklonnak köszönhetően, amelyből már több helyre jut az esőből. A további adásainkat keresd a podcast.hirstart.hu oldalunkon.

Dans ce podcast, nous allons parler de prendre des pecs au couché, de bain de forêt et de baisse l'espérance de vie. Nouveau ! POUR PRÉ-COMMANDER MON LIVRE C'EST ICI    Sommaire du podcast : Marcher en forêt renforce l'immunité Se promener en forêt stimule nos défenses naturelles. Des études montrent qu'une balade en pleine nature […] The post Prendre des pecs au couché, bain de forêt et baisse l'espérance de vie. appeared first on Fitnessmith.

Anterior shoulder pain on shoulder flexion Anterior shoulder pain on planting a ski pole Pseudo Frozen Shoulder Restricted Shoulder Flexion All cases I saw this week. Pec Major and Lats for the win! (Some dry needling was necessary)   Online Courses and Mentorship Group on Podia: https://richardhazel.podia.com    

ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula briefed the media following the party’s NEC meeting this weekend, announcing the reconfiguration of the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng ANC Provincial Executive Committees. He clarified that these changes will be carried out in accordance with the ANC Constitution. This decision comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the closing remarks at the two-day ANC NEC meeting. Mbalula also outlined the key outcomes of the special National Executive Committee session, emphasizing the party's commitment to organizational adjustments and strengthening its leadership.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the ANC's plan to reconfigure its provincial executive committees (PECs) in Gauteng and KZN will not affect government work. This means that Panyaza Lesufi will remain as Gauteng premier of the province while S'boniso Duma is likely to continue as Economic Development MEC in KwaZulu-Natal. During a media briefing on Monday, Mbalula said the national officials must put forward the proposal for reconfiguring the two provinces within a week. 

Przyszła pora na obiecaną rozmowę z Viktórią Kellermann, czyli naszą opiekunką, przewodniczką i dobrym duchem podczas pecskiej przygody. Jak wygląda branża muzyczna na Węgrzech? Czy trzeba wynajmować kluby, żeby grać koncerty? Jak długie trasy grają węgierskie zespoły? O tym wszystkim już dzisiaj!Fot. na okładce - Zsiga Pál - www.zsigapal.hu

Action Film Face-Off Episode 75: Telefon (1977) vs. Extraction 2 (2023) Welcome to the 75th episode of Action Film Face-Off!  Our randomizer - set to pick years in the range of 1970-Current Year - selected 1977 & 2023, so here are our contestants: Telefon (1977) vs. Extraction 2 (2023) Who will win - Bronsan's Mustache or Hemsworth's Pecs?  Find out as they battle for 6 rounds in our videodome! Be sure to check out all the other Longbox Crusade shows at: www.LongboxCrusade.com Let us know what you think! Leave a comment by sending an email to: contact@longboxcrusade.com This podcast is a member of the Longbox Crusade Network: LINKTREE: https://linktr.ee/longboxcrusade Follow on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/LongboxCrusade Follow on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/longboxcrusade Like the FACEBOOK page: https://www.facebook.com/LongboxCrusade Subscribe to the YouTube Channel: https://goo.gl/4Lkhov Subscribe on Apple Podcast at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-longboxcrusade/id1118783510?mt=2 Thank you for listening and we hope you have enjoyed this episode of Action Film Face-Off. #actionfilm #actionmovies #moviereviews #moviereview #movies

Action Film Face-Off Episode 75: Telefon (1977) vs. Extraction 2 (2023) Welcome to the 75th episode of Action Film Face-Off!  Our randomizer - set to pick years in the range of 1970-Current Year - selected 1977 & 2023, so here are our contestants: Telefon (1977) vs. Extraction 2 (2023) Who will win - Bronsan's Mustache or Hemsworth's Pecs?  Find out as they battle for 6 rounds in our videodome! Be sure to check out all the other Longbox Crusade shows at: www.LongboxCrusade.com Let us know what you think! Leave a comment by sending an email to: contact@longboxcrusade.com This podcast is a member of the Longbox Crusade Network: LINKTREE: https://linktr.ee/longboxcrusade Follow on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/LongboxCrusade Follow on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/longboxcrusade Like the FACEBOOK page: https://www.facebook.com/LongboxCrusade Subscribe to the YouTube Channel: https://goo.gl/4Lkhov Subscribe on Apple Podcast at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-longboxcrusade/id1118783510?mt=2 Thank you for listening and we hope you have enjoyed this episode of Action Film Face-Off. #actionfilm #actionmovies #moviereviews #moviereview #movies

Monumentális vakfolthoz érkeztünk a héten. Ingmar Bergman filmográfiájából apránként elkezdjük ledolgozni a hiányosságainkat, hisz tőle a podcastban még csak a Persona című filmről beszéltünk. Ezúttal az 1957-es magnum opusát beszéljük ki, ez A hetedik pecsét, amelyben a rendező az élet jelentőségéről tanakodik, és a halállal való szembenézéssel birkózik meg. Mi mindenről szól a maga kilencven percébe sűrítve a halállal sakkozó lovagról ismert A hetedik pecsét? Milyen történetszálakon keresztül járja körbe a halálfélelem, az élet értelme, és a hit kérdéskörét Bergman? Milyen különböző álláspontokat képviselnek a történet szereplői ezekben a kérdésekben? Mit fogalmaz meg az egyházi, intézményes vallásosságról, és a világi hatalmakról? Mely szereplők mondatai, cselekedeteivel azonosulhat a legjobban Bergman? És mi a jelentősége annak, hogy a filmben kiemelt szerepet kap egy vándorszínész társaság? Ezeket a kérdéseket tárgyaljuk ki adásunkban. Ha tetszett az adásunk, támogass bennünket a Vakfolt Extrával! Csatlakozz a Facebook-csoportunkhoz is! Mostantól Vakfolt logós pólót és egyéb kellékeket is szerezhetsz magadnak a webshopunkból! További linkek A Vakfolt podcast Facebook oldala A Vakfolt podcast az Instagramon A Vakfolt podcast a Twitteren Vakfolt címke a Letterboxdon A Vakfolt podcast a YouTube-on A Vakfolt podcast a YouTube Music-on A Vakfolt podcast a Spotify-on A Vakfolt podcast a Google podcasts oldalán A Vakfolt az Apple podcasts oldalán A főcímzenéért köszönet az Artur zenekarnak Emailen is elértek bennünket: ezitt@vakfoltpodcast.hu  

Is PECS out as an AAC tool for autistic kids? Today, we're diving into a hot topic in the world of autism and communication: the Picture Exchange Communication System, or PECS. Over the years, PECS has been widely used as a way for autistic children to communicate, but as new research and insights have emerged, there's been a lot of conversation—some of it controversial—around its effectiveness and limitations. In this episode, I'm thrilled to be joined by two speech-language pathologists, Paulina Elias, and Amanda Blackwell, from Natural Communication, who share their invaluable expertise on PECS and the bigger picture of AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) for autistic children. We explore how PECS started, what it offers, and why more and more professionals are moving toward more flexible, child-led communication methods that honor autonomy and individuality. You'll hear us discuss everything from the importance of giving kids the freedom to say ‘no' to strategies that empower communication beyond requests. Plus, we talk about the pitfalls of hand-over-hand prompting and the emerging preference for tools that grow with a child's communication needs. If you're an educator, parent, or anyone working with autistic children, this episode will give you new perspectives on PECS, AAC, and the role of true connection in supporting autistic communication. Get ready for a thought-provoking discussion that might change the way you think about communication support! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Tu4rKeAM0dc Bios:  Paulina Elias, M.Cl.Sc., SLP Reg. CASLPO Paulina is a multilingual speech language pathologist (SLP) living in Canada. Although she works with people of different ages and communicative needs, she has a special interest in the areas of multilingualism, gestalt language development, and autism. Paulina enjoys collaborating directly with families and interdisciplinary teams in each person's native language. At this time, Paulina offers international consults virtually, and evaluation and intervention services in Ontario, Canada. She regularly presents internationally on the topics of multilingualism, gestalt language development, and AAC. Dr. Amanda Blackwell, EdD, SLPD, CCC-SLP Dr. Amanda is passionate about communication in all forms. She has had the opportunity to learn from a variety of people from diverse cultural backgrounds as she has lived and worked full time as a bilingual (English/Spanish) SLP in Guatemala since 2013. Dr. Blackwell teaches postgraduate courses in autism and AAC at Minot State University and Saint Mary's College, and mentors SLPD students in their capstone research projects through the MGH Institute of Health Professions and Rocky Mountain University. She loves to travel around the world (with recent trips to Spain, Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Honduras, and Sri Lanka) to collaborate with professionals in presentations, workshops, research, and autism identification (ADOS-2). Topics Covered: Podcast features Paulina and Amanda from Natural Communication discussing updates in PECS and AAC. Paulina is a multilingual speech-language pathologist from Guatemala; Amanda is a U.S. speech-language pathologist with 11 years in Guatemala, focusing on autism and AAC. Both advocate for accessible information in multiple languages, especially Spanish, and are expanding to French and Portuguese. PECS, created in 1985, is a structured communication system based on ABA principles, mainly for requests. Criticism of PECS includes its rigidity and lack of fostering true communication skills beyond requests. Hand-over-hand prompting is discouraged due to autonomy concerns; hand-under-hand is recommended for better control. Communication books should enable autonomous communication, including the ability to protest or reject. Building relationships and trust with clients is essential for effective communication and learning. The podcast calls for a shift from traditional methods like PECS to more flexible, multimodal communication strategies. Natural Communication provides resources in English and Spanish, including a crash course on Gestalt language development, and engages in research and workshops to enhance AAC practices. Listeners are encouraged to explore free printable communication boards and resources to support AAC implementation. Connect With Paulina & Amanda: Our English website (for free resources, our parent and professional courses, professional development events, and individual consultations info): www.naturalcommunication.com Our Spanish website (for free resources, our parent and professional courses, professional development events, and individual consultations info): www.comunicacion-natural.com Our socials: @natural.communication (English) and @comunicacionnatural (Spanish) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natural.communication/ and https://www.instagram.com/comunicacionnatural Resources Mentioned: ASHA Journal Article: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2023_PERSP-23-00098 Playground AAC board: https://www.prc-saltillo.com/articles/playground-core-communication-boards-from-prc-saltillo?mode=view PRC Saltillo core: https://saltillo.com/chatcorner/content/29 GRID core board: https://thinksmartbox.com/news/low-tech-super-core-resources/ Avaz core board: https://avazapp.com/avaz-aac-coreboards/ Assistiveware core boards in different languages: https://www.assistiveware.com/learn-aac/quick-communication-boards Project Core boards: https://www.project-core.com/communication-systems/ Smarty Symbols Core: https://smartysymbols.com/free-core-board-download/ You may also be interested in these supports: Visual Support Starter Set  Visual Supports Facebook Group Autism Little Learners on Instagram Autism Little Learners on Facebook Submit a question for the Q&A episodes.  Ask me anything and tune in to see if your question is featured on the show!

Le Son de la Crypte, Saison 5 Épisode 3Dans ce nouvel épisode, (re)découvrons le pilote d'une série culte ou non. Aujourd'hui, Lorenzo Lamas nous accueille dans sa série culte des années 90 : Le Rebelle. Article complet :https://www.cryptoseries.fr/actualites/nostalgie/item/1843-le-rebelle-un-premier-episode-entre-culte-du-corps-et-absence-d-action Les liens pour suivre la Crypte aux séries : - Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/cryptoseries/ - Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cryptoseries/ - TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@lacrypteauxseries - X : https://twitter.com/Cryptoseries - Pinterest : http://www.pinterest.com/cryptoseries - Musique de générique et de fin : Erokia | Jordan Powell from Freesound.org- Effets sonores : Sound Effect from Pixabay - Musique en fond sonore : Erokia/Jordan Powell from Freesound.org - Génériques : Le Rebelle- Musiques : Nâdiya (Et c'est parti...), Herbet Léonard (Pour le plaisir), Lara Fabian (Je t'aime), France Gall (Evidemment). - Extraits, répliques films et séries ("Mais ferme-la" Mister V , Kaamelott, Bip Bip et le coyote, Retour vers le futur 2, Scout toujours, Le gendarme et les gendarmettes, Futurama, Les Simpson, Le flambeau, L'étrange Noël de Monsieur Jack, Laurent Gerra, Le diner de cons, La cité de la peur, Robin des bois, Les bronzés font du ski, Léon, Le seigneur des anneaux, etc.).

Woman on business trip lives a fantasy.By Silver Sea. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. I was finally settled into my room at the Marriott. The flight was typical, the hotel a hotel. I still wasn't sure if the following week would be of any value. I wrestled with how I could better have argued my case not to attend this conference as I settled onto the bed and opened the paperback I had purchased while waiting for my flight. I probably wouldn't get past the first few pages knowing my travels that day had depleted most of my energy.Sure enough a few paragraphs in and my eyes got heavy and my mind began to wander. I flipped off the light, set the book on my night table and set my mind free.Suddenly, without warning, he popped into my mind, as he often does when I am nodding off. My body stirred as this fantasy man entered my mind. I could not now escape him or the story I created and refined with each of his visits. His face flashed into my mind. It wasn't the face of any particular person. It was a blend of faces, models in magazines I had recently flipped through, that cute guy standing on the corner yesterday when I turned right on a red-light, a hunk or two that had approached me at bars in the course of my life. His body I constructed in much the same way; bodies from magazines, the gym, the beach and a portions of a lover or two I had known. It was a dangerous place that place between consciousness and sleep. ...I am already in his arms and floating around the luxurious king size bed with him. He is kissing my partially clad body and caressing the rest. I hold him, kiss him when I can, I feel a stirring throughout my body ...wait is that sensation in my dream or is it my conscious self that is reacting... he always knows where to touch me at the right moments.. my hand is resting next to my breast, just on the other side of my flannel pj's... I move my thumb a little and I feel my nipple respond... as his... my hand cups my... breast and firmly holds onto it... I watch my navel appear as his head moves south along my torso and he leaves trails of moisture where his warm tongue touches me. His chin brushes against the tuft of hair that defines the path he will follow to my desire.Morning arrived all too quickly. My feet dragged. My visitor had left his telltale stickiness on my thighs. It felt good in some ways, not so good in others. I think it would only have felt better had my visitor been real flesh and blood... and of course still holding me at this very moment. I felt my way around the room. No good music on the radio. It took forever for the water to get warm in the shower. And what should I wear. Business casual I guess. It's always safest until I know how the rest of the conference attendees are dressing.Ever punctual, there were only a few other people in the room when I arrived. Jim somebody welcomed me and introduced himself as the workshop coordinator. Oh yeah, not really a conference, it was more of a workshop, an education opportunity was how Chuck my boss had referred to it.. I looked around and selected a seat near the middle of the room, but a little closer to the front and on the perimeter so I could easily scan the room if I was bored. To minimize distractions I also put my back to the door so I wouldn't be tempted to follow people with my gaze as they came and went. A coffee and a muffin, a few more arrivals and I sat down where I had dropped my things. The buzz in the room was slowly growing. When someone would sit at my table I would politely nod and continue appearing to be interested in the welcome material we had received. People were chatting about all sorts of nothings as my mind wondered to places elsewhere....work that awaited me at the office... clothes for my son... what is he doing right now???My mind returned to the conference room quickly. Why? What had brought me back? A brief silence then women chatting. Women almost giggling. I looked at a few woman across the room and noticed their quick glances and peering that bordered on stares. I turned my head following their sight lines. There he was. My visitor. My fantasy man. Well, not exactly, but the closest thing to him I had ever seen. Yeah OK so the looks were there. That's less than half the fantasy. What about the rest? Well, maybe I would find out. But likely not. My mind drifted back to last night, my fantasy visitor and my urges momentarily stirred."..you from, Julie?" asked someone seated at my table. Their query snapping me back to reality."Pardon me.""Where are you from?" chimed the voice from across the table.The typical conference small talk had begun. The people at my table introduced themselves to one another as the room filled. Who remembers anyone's name at these gatherings. There are too many people, too many things to think about and you will never meet any of them again nor will you likely use any of the material presented. What a colossal waste of time, then he caught my eye again... well maybe not.The host began to speak and welcomed everyone to the workshop. Workshop, conference whatever. Except the emphasis on it being a workshop probably meant there would be breakout sessions and role playing and heaven knows what else. The workshop facilitator was introduced and so began the session. Around the room we went introducing ourselves and where we were from and what we expected to get out of the week would spend together. The only name I remember: Alex. And I'm certain all the other women in the room remember that one too. He spoke softly but with self-assurance. He stood tall and had grace but strength in his movements.To start things off the facilitator, Sam, had everyone change tables. Each table had number on it and each seat had a number in front of it. Eight tables, eight people at each table, he had us move to the table that matched the seat number we were presently sitting at. He told us we would be with a different group of people each day. I couldn't wait to be at the same table as Alex. But what would I say, what would I do. Would he even notice me.The first day went by without incident. There were times I thought I caught Alex looking my way, maybe admiring something about me. But nah, there was probably someone else he was looking at, if anyone at all. At the end of the day they reminded everyone to attend the reception afterwards. A chance to meet Alex was my first thought.Back in my room I prepared for the evening. Just before I headed downstairs I decided to check for phone messages at the office. Bad move. Thirty minutes later and a couple of doused fires and I was finally on my way to the reception. I caught my reflection as I walked past a mirror on the way out of my room. I stopped and looked again. "Not bad.", I muttered and off I went.The gathering was in full swing when I arrived. I nodded to a couple of people I had met that day and quickly scanned for my mystery man, Alex. Of course, I found him being swarmed by a collection of women all fawning over him. He looked to be enjoying himself. Since throwing myself at a man wasn't my style I wasn't about to get in to a swooning battle over one with a half dozen other women. Every now and then I would glance in his direction. There wasn't much one would change was there. Alex stood about 6 feet tall. He smiled warmly. Nothing about his demeanor said "I'm fabulous. All woman love me.", though it appeared most of the ones at the workshop thought they did. Nice hands. Friendly but captivating eyes. Well groomed, but not over done. And to start on his body would turn this recounting of one week into a novel. Shoulders. Pecs. Nice butt. Make that a really nice butt. Ah, back to this insignificant socializing I was immersed in. The people in my group that evening, Tom, Mary, Susan, Valerie, Ed were all nice people, but, well you know, when I left I wouldn't remember word one that was uttered. I became more fascinated in the group hovering around Alex.The next day we changed tables. No Alex. Everyone went separate ways at dinner that night. I joined a group of people from the workshop but still, no Alex.The next couple of days were the same. We kept getting more material at each session and I was now lugging two bags to the meetings each day. And the nights were the same too. Each night we would stop by the bar for a drink before we retired. Alex was there each and every night seeming to be the center of attention for all the women and men gathered around him. I still thought I caught him stealing glimpses of me, but I figured it was just wishful thinking on my part. He had enough women to choose from should he be interested. It was interesting watching the interactions of the group that surrounded him. The women all had their focus on him. Not that they were physically hanging from his clothes. But even after brief distractions from other members in their group their attention would immediately return to Alex in some way. And the men in the group. Well they seemed to be circling in hopes they may pickup some of Alex's discards. Who knew if anyone over there was getting lucky. Who cared really.Friday, the last day, as I showered the warm water running over my shoulders and down my nakedness stimulated my mind. I closed my eyes. The warmth of the water was reminiscent of a being caressed by a warm mouth. Suddenly I found myself sensuously washing my tits, my nipples hard, my other hand caressing my pussy and a picture of Alex in my mind's eye actually doing the stimulating. Um, it felt so nice. It's been so long since I've been touched the way I was touching myself, the way I longed to be touched. Harrumph. Give yourself a shake girl. I forced my thoughts back to the workshop and to work. That always puts a chill on things, and I laughed myself back to reality and away from my libido.I arrived in the workshop room and searched for name tag. At last, at a table with Alex. I dropped my bags at my seat and went for a coffee. It figures. All week in a room with my fantasy and it's the last day that we meet. He was so nice and seemed to pay me some attention. But somehow it just seemed to be his way. He was nice to everyone it seemed. Maybe it was wishful thinking again but he seemed to smile just a bit more when I spoke to him and he seemed to show just a bit more interest in what I was saying.Just after our lunch break he got up and left the table. Doreen ,sitting next to me, turned and said; "Isn't he something?" "Pardon?" I said. "Alex, isn't he something?" she replied."Yes, he is. He seems very nice." Doreen had been one of Alex's groupies all week. I wondered just how wonderful she thought or knew he was. "Funny though," she began, "we're starting to wonder if he is gay. All week there have been women following him around like lost puppies and he hasn't invited one of us back to his room. At least no one has admitted to it." That was interesting information. "Could be," I added to her collection of ammunition for determining Alex's sexual preference.Alex returned and glanced my way as he sat down. I'm sure I blushed a bit. No way, this man was not gay.Of course the last day the session went long. I wanted to find out what Alex was doing for dinner but he got up from the table as the session ended and headed to talk to the workshop facilitator. I hung around a bit but then remembered I had a few phone messages I wanted to deal with before the weekend arrived. I rushed off to my room. I made some calls. Got changed into some jeans. And made a few more calls. I decided to start packing before I went to one of the hotel restaurants for a quick dinner by myself. Alex would likely become part of my next fantasy. Would it be his eyes, his hands, his... ring! The phone was ringing. What now?!?! I picked it up."Hello""Julie?" said the voice on the other end."Yes. Who's speaking?" as the words escaped my lips my heart rose into my throat. It was..."It's Alex. You left one of your bags at our table today. I was going to bring it to you. When would be a convenient time?""Uh", that was an intelligent response. "Well I'm just in the midst of packing. Can I come to your room and get it from you?""Sure, I guess. I'm in Room 704.""Thanks Alex. I will be there in 10 minutes or so.""OK. See you then." Oh God. What now. Oh, get a grip on yourself. He will just very politely give you your things and wish you a safe trip home. As I arrived at his room the door was ajar. I knocked. "Come in.", said the soft masculine voice hidden in the room."Alex?" I muttered as I slowly opened the door. "Julie. It's so nice to see you again." Wow, there he was in a t-shirt and some loose sweat pants. My hormones fluttered and I'm sure my eyes rolled around in my spinning head. This man was so incredibly handsome and I'm sure he wasn't even trying to be. "You inspired me to start my packing as well Julie. Your bag is just over here. I will get it for you"As I walked in I said, "I can get it. I really appreciate that you didn't leave it behind." I bent to pick up my bag, and as I turned to leave Alex had turned to face me.He gazed into my eyes. "I'm really sorry we didn't get to know each other better, Julie.""I'm sure we will meet again somewhere. I would have liked to spend more time with you as well""I'm really pretty shy Julie, but I have to tell you that all week you captured my attention. I hope I'm not embarrassing you?""Not at all. Actually I'm quite flattered.""Have you had dinner yet?""Well, actually, no I haven't". Maybe he will ask me out."Stay then, Julie. I insist." Pardon me, I thought. "I ordered some room service. Just a beer and a plate of nachos. I have grown tired of the people who seemed to occupy all my time this week and just wanted to sit and have a quiet bite to eat. So please join me.""Oh, I don't know. I would hate to interrupt your solitude if that is what you're looking for.""Settled then. You're staying. I can't think of a better way to end this trip than a quiet meal with you." Alex turned to pick up the phone then stopped. "Oh. I did it again Julie. I'm sorry. Excuse my honesty, but I fear I have this opportunity to spend time with someone I am very attracted to and I don't want to miss it. I apologize for being so forward. I am just so filled with excitement being in your company."I'm sure I must have been blushing. This man was so nice and honest and open. There was almost a childlike quality to his sincerity. I dropped my bag and agreed to stay. "Oh, I'm so happy. Let me see if I can get another beer. Oops, is a beer Ok with your nachos or would you like something else?""Yes, beer would be fine, Alex. And no I'm not so much embarrassed by your honesty as I am flattered, once again." Just then there was a knock at the door. The nachos had arrived. And as promised they were accompanied by one beer. The porter brought in the cart and Alex asked him if he could bring up two more beers."We'll split this one Julie", Alex said as he signed the bill. So we sat on opposite side of the cart and talked and ate. It was almost eerie how comfortable we seemed together. Alex explained how much he had been overwhelmed by the people who chose to hang around with him all week. He was too nice to tell them to get lost. And there was a shyness about him. He seemed to divert his eyes and lower his head just a bit whenever we spoke of him or on those occasions when he paid me some compliment.Our other beers arrived and it wasn't long after that we were laughing about how we had been watching each other all week. And then we spoke of our desires mixed in with some of the funny things people had done and said to get his attention and even mine a couple of times. I related the story about him being gay and we both had a tremendous laugh about that one.A couple of hours had passed before we knew it. I can't count the times I lost track of the conversation. Thoughts of me in Alex's arms, kissing his lips, laying in his bed stole my attention frequently. How could they not. Here I was, with my fantasy man. I remember feeling my body react to thoughts that would flash into my mind. Mid conversation my mind would transport me to an intimate embrace with Alex or a picture of him in some state of undress or the two of us cuddling enjoying the warmth of each other's body. My breasts would tingle, sort of burn and I would feel the urge to cup them in my hand to release the tension they exhibited. I even found ways to somewhat satisfy them by reaching across myself for my drink of another nacho and gently pressing my arm against them.And my yoni, I like that term much more than pussy, or cunt or vagina, it's a Tantric word for a woman's genitalia, it's a nicer word I think. Well my yoni would feel that emptiness that desire would place there. It's an emptiness that seems to push against the walls of my vagina and bring a numbness to my labia and run a current through my clit. It seems to cry out to be replaced by something real, a physical mass that will not release the pressure I feel but rather replace it with a pressure that has the ability to return sensation to my moist lips, ground my vibrating clitoris and to fulfill my desires.I so wanted to close my eyes, lean back, slide my hand between my thighs and feel my dampness with my fingertips as I satisfied my longing by slipping my fingers inside me. Instead I would shift in my chair, cross my legs and flex my groin muscles. If I did it just right the seam in the crotch of my jeans would push against my yoni. The pressure would stir my passion, cause my lubricant to ooze from its source onto my labia and at the same time somewhat satisfy my cravings. About the third time this happened I couldn't help but notice the dampness that had invaded my panties. It was an interesting combination of cool and warm. The cool no doubt from earlier mental diversions, the warm deposited there during my current sojourn from reality.Remember my comment about "...but that's less than half the fantasy...". Well he had now shown that only the intimate piece of my puzzle was missing from his resume. My mind, my body, my heart were all screaming at me to find out to fill in the blank. I wondered though. I worried about there being disappointment, about a loss of respect for each other, about a loss of this closeness that had so quickly grown between us. And all for what, for few moments of intimate pleasure, of orgasmic bliss. Everything seemed so right. But Alex seemed to be a little to shy, maybe even unsure, to take the lead in our intimacy the way my fantasy man always did. I had notice Alex stirring in his chair once in a while. I thought it was probably because the night was wearing on and we both had early flights the next. Little did I know at the time that his mind was wrestling with similar urges he felt for me.There was a pause in the conversation. The first since the food had arrived. I glanced at the clock beside the bed. "I really should be going Alex. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this.""Nor I.""...but I do have to pack and get ready for my trip home." We stood in unison. WOW. It was unfair how this man stirred my desires. The t-shirt, the sweats, his demeanor, his style. A smile rose on my face as the thought entered my mind."Can I get a hug before you go, Julie. I have enjoyed this evening so much. I really wish we had met and done this earlier in the week.""OK" and I stepped towards him. Our bodies folded together. I've heard people talking about melting into someone's arms. I was about to find out what that meant. I have felt close to people before when we were naked and holding each other but this was different. Even fully clothed our bodies seemed to blend together. It was as if our rib cages had meshed together and his arms had penetrated my back and mine his. We seemed to share the same space. I have had men squeeze me so that I was feeling pain, as if they were trying to share space with me. Why was this different?

Woman on business trip lives a fantasy.By Silver Sea. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. I was finally settled into my room at the Marriott. The flight was typical, the hotel a hotel. I still wasn't sure if the following week would be of any value. I wrestled with how I could better have argued my case not to attend this conference as I settled onto the bed and opened the paperback I had purchased while waiting for my flight. I probably wouldn't get past the first few pages knowing my travels that day had depleted most of my energy.Sure enough a few paragraphs in and my eyes got heavy and my mind began to wander. I flipped off the light, set the book on my night table and set my mind free.Suddenly, without warning, he popped into my mind, as he often does when I am nodding off. My body stirred as this fantasy man entered my mind. I could not now escape him or the story I created and refined with each of his visits. His face flashed into my mind. It wasn't the face of any particular person. It was a blend of faces, models in magazines I had recently flipped through, that cute guy standing on the corner yesterday when I turned right on a red-light, a hunk or two that had approached me at bars in the course of my life. His body I constructed in much the same way; bodies from magazines, the gym, the beach and a portions of a lover or two I had known. It was a dangerous place that place between consciousness and sleep. ...I am already in his arms and floating around the luxurious king size bed with him. He is kissing my partially clad body and caressing the rest. I hold him, kiss him when I can, I feel a stirring throughout my body ...wait is that sensation in my dream or is it my conscious self that is reacting... he always knows where to touch me at the right moments.. my hand is resting next to my breast, just on the other side of my flannel pj's... I move my thumb a little and I feel my nipple respond... as his... my hand cups my... breast and firmly holds onto it... I watch my navel appear as his head moves south along my torso and he leaves trails of moisture where his warm tongue touches me. His chin brushes against the tuft of hair that defines the path he will follow to my desire.Morning arrived all too quickly. My feet dragged. My visitor had left his telltale stickiness on my thighs. It felt good in some ways, not so good in others. I think it would only have felt better had my visitor been real flesh and blood... and of course still holding me at this very moment. I felt my way around the room. No good music on the radio. It took forever for the water to get warm in the shower. And what should I wear. Business casual I guess. It's always safest until I know how the rest of the conference attendees are dressing.Ever punctual, there were only a few other people in the room when I arrived. Jim somebody welcomed me and introduced himself as the workshop coordinator. Oh yeah, not really a conference, it was more of a workshop, an education opportunity was how Chuck my boss had referred to it.. I looked around and selected a seat near the middle of the room, but a little closer to the front and on the perimeter so I could easily scan the room if I was bored. To minimize distractions I also put my back to the door so I wouldn't be tempted to follow people with my gaze as they came and went. A coffee and a muffin, a few more arrivals and I sat down where I had dropped my things. The buzz in the room was slowly growing. When someone would sit at my table I would politely nod and continue appearing to be interested in the welcome material we had received. People were chatting about all sorts of nothings as my mind wondered to places elsewhere....work that awaited me at the office... clothes for my son... what is he doing right now???My mind returned to the conference room quickly. Why? What had brought me back? A brief silence then women chatting. Women almost giggling. I looked at a few woman across the room and noticed their quick glances and peering that bordered on stares. I turned my head following their sight lines. There he was. My visitor. My fantasy man. Well, not exactly, but the closest thing to him I had ever seen. Yeah OK so the looks were there. That's less than half the fantasy. What about the rest? Well, maybe I would find out. But likely not. My mind drifted back to last night, my fantasy visitor and my urges momentarily stirred."..you from, Julie?" asked someone seated at my table. Their query snapping me back to reality."Pardon me.""Where are you from?" chimed the voice from across the table.The typical conference small talk had begun. The people at my table introduced themselves to one another as the room filled. Who remembers anyone's name at these gatherings. There are too many people, too many things to think about and you will never meet any of them again nor will you likely use any of the material presented. What a colossal waste of time, then he caught my eye again... well maybe not.The host began to speak and welcomed everyone to the workshop. Workshop, conference whatever. Except the emphasis on it being a workshop probably meant there would be breakout sessions and role playing and heaven knows what else. The workshop facilitator was introduced and so began the session. Around the room we went introducing ourselves and where we were from and what we expected to get out of the week would spend together. The only name I remember: Alex. And I'm certain all the other women in the room remember that one too. He spoke softly but with self-assurance. He stood tall and had grace but strength in his movements.To start things off the facilitator, Sam, had everyone change tables. Each table had number on it and each seat had a number in front of it. Eight tables, eight people at each table, he had us move to the table that matched the seat number we were presently sitting at. He told us we would be with a different group of people each day. I couldn't wait to be at the same table as Alex. But what would I say, what would I do. Would he even notice me.The first day went by without incident. There were times I thought I caught Alex looking my way, maybe admiring something about me. But nah, there was probably someone else he was looking at, if anyone at all. At the end of the day they reminded everyone to attend the reception afterwards. A chance to meet Alex was my first thought.Back in my room I prepared for the evening. Just before I headed downstairs I decided to check for phone messages at the office. Bad move. Thirty minutes later and a couple of doused fires and I was finally on my way to the reception. I caught my reflection as I walked past a mirror on the way out of my room. I stopped and looked again. "Not bad.", I muttered and off I went.The gathering was in full swing when I arrived. I nodded to a couple of people I had met that day and quickly scanned for my mystery man, Alex. Of course, I found him being swarmed by a collection of women all fawning over him. He looked to be enjoying himself. Since throwing myself at a man wasn't my style I wasn't about to get in to a swooning battle over one with a half dozen other women. Every now and then I would glance in his direction. There wasn't much one would change was there. Alex stood about 6 feet tall. He smiled warmly. Nothing about his demeanor said "I'm fabulous. All woman love me.", though it appeared most of the ones at the workshop thought they did. Nice hands. Friendly but captivating eyes. Well groomed, but not over done. And to start on his body would turn this recounting of one week into a novel. Shoulders. Pecs. Nice butt. Make that a really nice butt. Ah, back to this insignificant socializing I was immersed in. The people in my group that evening, Tom, Mary, Susan, Valerie, Ed were all nice people, but, well you know, when I left I wouldn't remember word one that was uttered. I became more fascinated in the group hovering around Alex.The next day we changed tables. No Alex. Everyone went separate ways at dinner that night. I joined a group of people from the workshop but still, no Alex.The next couple of days were the same. We kept getting more material at each session and I was now lugging two bags to the meetings each day. And the nights were the same too. Each night we would stop by the bar for a drink before we retired. Alex was there each and every night seeming to be the center of attention for all the women and men gathered around him. I still thought I caught him stealing glimpses of me, but I figured it was just wishful thinking on my part. He had enough women to choose from should he be interested. It was interesting watching the interactions of the group that surrounded him. The women all had their focus on him. Not that they were physically hanging from his clothes. But even after brief distractions from other members in their group their attention would immediately return to Alex in some way. And the men in the group. Well they seemed to be circling in hopes they may pickup some of Alex's discards. Who knew if anyone over there was getting lucky. Who cared really.Friday, the last day, as I showered the warm water running over my shoulders and down my nakedness stimulated my mind. I closed my eyes. The warmth of the water was reminiscent of a being caressed by a warm mouth. Suddenly I found myself sensuously washing my tits, my nipples hard, my other hand caressing my pussy and a picture of Alex in my mind's eye actually doing the stimulating. Um, it felt so nice. It's been so long since I've been touched the way I was touching myself, the way I longed to be touched. Harrumph. Give yourself a shake girl. I forced my thoughts back to the workshop and to work. That always puts a chill on things, and I laughed myself back to reality and away from my libido.I arrived in the workshop room and searched for name tag. At last, at a table with Alex. I dropped my bags at my seat and went for a coffee. It figures. All week in a room with my fantasy and it's the last day that we meet. He was so nice and seemed to pay me some attention. But somehow it just seemed to be his way. He was nice to everyone it seemed. Maybe it was wishful thinking again but he seemed to smile just a bit more when I spoke to him and he seemed to show just a bit more interest in what I was saying.Just after our lunch break he got up and left the table. Doreen ,sitting next to me, turned and said; "Isn't he something?" "Pardon?" I said. "Alex, isn't he something?" she replied."Yes, he is. He seems very nice." Doreen had been one of Alex's groupies all week. I wondered just how wonderful she thought or knew he was. "Funny though," she began, "we're starting to wonder if he is gay. All week there have been women following him around like lost puppies and he hasn't invited one of us back to his room. At least no one has admitted to it." That was interesting information. "Could be," I added to her collection of ammunition for determining Alex's sexual preference.Alex returned and glanced my way as he sat down. I'm sure I blushed a bit. No way, this man was not gay.Of course the last day the session went long. I wanted to find out what Alex was doing for dinner but he got up from the table as the session ended and headed to talk to the workshop facilitator. I hung around a bit but then remembered I had a few phone messages I wanted to deal with before the weekend arrived. I rushed off to my room. I made some calls. Got changed into some jeans. And made a few more calls. I decided to start packing before I went to one of the hotel restaurants for a quick dinner by myself. Alex would likely become part of my next fantasy. Would it be his eyes, his hands, his... ring! The phone was ringing. What now?!?! I picked it up."Hello""Julie?" said the voice on the other end."Yes. Who's speaking?" as the words escaped my lips my heart rose into my throat. It was..."It's Alex. You left one of your bags at our table today. I was going to bring it to you. When would be a convenient time?""Uh", that was an intelligent response. "Well I'm just in the midst of packing. Can I come to your room and get it from you?""Sure, I guess. I'm in Room 704.""Thanks Alex. I will be there in 10 minutes or so.""OK. See you then." Oh God. What now. Oh, get a grip on yourself. He will just very politely give you your things and wish you a safe trip home. As I arrived at his room the door was ajar. I knocked. "Come in.", said the soft masculine voice hidden in the room."Alex?" I muttered as I slowly opened the door. "Julie. It's so nice to see you again." Wow, there he was in a t-shirt and some loose sweat pants. My hormones fluttered and I'm sure my eyes rolled around in my spinning head. This man was so incredibly handsome and I'm sure he wasn't even trying to be. "You inspired me to start my packing as well Julie. Your bag is just over here. I will get it for you"As I walked in I said, "I can get it. I really appreciate that you didn't leave it behind." I bent to pick up my bag, and as I turned to leave Alex had turned to face me.He gazed into my eyes. "I'm really sorry we didn't get to know each other better, Julie.""I'm sure we will meet again somewhere. I would have liked to spend more time with you as well""I'm really pretty shy Julie, but I have to tell you that all week you captured my attention. I hope I'm not embarrassing you?""Not at all. Actually I'm quite flattered.""Have you had dinner yet?""Well, actually, no I haven't". Maybe he will ask me out."Stay then, Julie. I insist." Pardon me, I thought. "I ordered some room service. Just a beer and a plate of nachos. I have grown tired of the people who seemed to occupy all my time this week and just wanted to sit and have a quiet bite to eat. So please join me.""Oh, I don't know. I would hate to interrupt your solitude if that is what you're looking for.""Settled then. You're staying. I can't think of a better way to end this trip than a quiet meal with you." Alex turned to pick up the phone then stopped. "Oh. I did it again Julie. I'm sorry. Excuse my honesty, but I fear I have this opportunity to spend time with someone I am very attracted to and I don't want to miss it. I apologize for being so forward. I am just so filled with excitement being in your company."I'm sure I must have been blushing. This man was so nice and honest and open. There was almost a childlike quality to his sincerity. I dropped my bag and agreed to stay. "Oh, I'm so happy. Let me see if I can get another beer. Oops, is a beer Ok with your nachos or would you like something else?""Yes, beer would be fine, Alex. And no I'm not so much embarrassed by your honesty as I am flattered, once again." Just then there was a knock at the door. The nachos had arrived. And as promised they were accompanied by one beer. The porter brought in the cart and Alex asked him if he could bring up two more beers."We'll split this one Julie", Alex said as he signed the bill. So we sat on opposite side of the cart and talked and ate. It was almost eerie how comfortable we seemed together. Alex explained how much he had been overwhelmed by the people who chose to hang around with him all week. He was too nice to tell them to get lost. And there was a shyness about him. He seemed to divert his eyes and lower his head just a bit whenever we spoke of him or on those occasions when he paid me some compliment.Our other beers arrived and it wasn't long after that we were laughing about how we had been watching each other all week. And then we spoke of our desires mixed in with some of the funny things people had done and said to get his attention and even mine a couple of times. I related the story about him being gay and we both had a tremendous laugh about that one.A couple of hours had passed before we knew it. I can't count the times I lost track of the conversation. Thoughts of me in Alex's arms, kissing his lips, laying in his bed stole my attention frequently. How could they not. Here I was, with my fantasy man. I remember feeling my body react to thoughts that would flash into my mind. Mid conversation my mind would transport me to an intimate embrace with Alex or a picture of him in some state of undress or the two of us cuddling enjoying the warmth of each other's body. My breasts would tingle, sort of burn and I would feel the urge to cup them in my hand to release the tension they exhibited. I even found ways to somewhat satisfy them by reaching across myself for my drink of another nacho and gently pressing my arm against them.And my yoni, I like that term much more than pussy, or cunt or vagina, it's a Tantric word for a woman's genitalia, it's a nicer word I think. Well my yoni would feel that emptiness that desire would place there. It's an emptiness that seems to push against the walls of my vagina and bring a numbness to my labia and run a current through my clit. It seems to cry out to be replaced by something real, a physical mass that will not release the pressure I feel but rather replace it with a pressure that has the ability to return sensation to my moist lips, ground my vibrating clitoris and to fulfill my desires.I so wanted to close my eyes, lean back, slide my hand between my thighs and feel my dampness with my fingertips as I satisfied my longing by slipping my fingers inside me. Instead I would shift in my chair, cross my legs and flex my groin muscles. If I did it just right the seam in the crotch of my jeans would push against my yoni. The pressure would stir my passion, cause my lubricant to ooze from its source onto my labia and at the same time somewhat satisfy my cravings. About the third time this happened I couldn't help but notice the dampness that had invaded my panties. It was an interesting combination of cool and warm. The cool no doubt from earlier mental diversions, the warm deposited there during my current sojourn from reality.Remember my comment about "...but that's less than half the fantasy...". Well he had now shown that only the intimate piece of my puzzle was missing from his resume. My mind, my body, my heart were all screaming at me to find out to fill in the blank. I wondered though. I worried about there being disappointment, about a loss of respect for each other, about a loss of this closeness that had so quickly grown between us. And all for what, for few moments of intimate pleasure, of orgasmic bliss. Everything seemed so right. But Alex seemed to be a little to shy, maybe even unsure, to take the lead in our intimacy the way my fantasy man always did. I had notice Alex stirring in his chair once in a while. I thought it was probably because the night was wearing on and we both had early flights the next. Little did I know at the time that his mind was wrestling with similar urges he felt for me.There was a pause in the conversation. The first since the food had arrived. I glanced at the clock beside the bed. "I really should be going Alex. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this.""Nor I.""...but I do have to pack and get ready for my trip home." We stood in unison. WOW. It was unfair how this man stirred my desires. The t-shirt, the sweats, his demeanor, his style. A smile rose on my face as the thought entered my mind."Can I get a hug before you go, Julie. I have enjoyed this evening so much. I really wish we had met and done this earlier in the week.""OK" and I stepped towards him. Our bodies folded together. I've heard people talking about melting into someone's arms. I was about to find out what that meant. I have felt close to people before when we were naked and holding each other but this was different. Even fully clothed our bodies seemed to blend together. It was as if our rib cages had meshed together and his arms had penetrated my back and mine his. We seemed to share the same space. I have had men squeeze me so that I was feeling pain, as if they were trying to share space with me. Why was this different?

Woman on business trip lives a fantasy.By Silver Sea. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. I was finally settled into my room at the Marriott. The flight was typical, the hotel a hotel. I still wasn't sure if the following week would be of any value. I wrestled with how I could better have argued my case not to attend this conference as I settled onto the bed and opened the paperback I had purchased while waiting for my flight. I probably wouldn't get past the first few pages knowing my travels that day had depleted most of my energy.Sure enough a few paragraphs in and my eyes got heavy and my mind began to wander. I flipped off the light, set the book on my night table and set my mind free.Suddenly, without warning, he popped into my mind, as he often does when I am nodding off. My body stirred as this fantasy man entered my mind. I could not now escape him or the story I created and refined with each of his visits. His face flashed into my mind. It wasn't the face of any particular person. It was a blend of faces, models in magazines I had recently flipped through, that cute guy standing on the corner yesterday when I turned right on a red-light, a hunk or two that had approached me at bars in the course of my life. His body I constructed in much the same way; bodies from magazines, the gym, the beach and a portions of a lover or two I had known. It was a dangerous place that place between consciousness and sleep. ...I am already in his arms and floating around the luxurious king size bed with him. He is kissing my partially clad body and caressing the rest. I hold him, kiss him when I can, I feel a stirring throughout my body ...wait is that sensation in my dream or is it my conscious self that is reacting... he always knows where to touch me at the right moments.. my hand is resting next to my breast, just on the other side of my flannel pj's... I move my thumb a little and I feel my nipple respond... as his... my hand cups my... breast and firmly holds onto it... I watch my navel appear as his head moves south along my torso and he leaves trails of moisture where his warm tongue touches me. His chin brushes against the tuft of hair that defines the path he will follow to my desire.Morning arrived all too quickly. My feet dragged. My visitor had left his telltale stickiness on my thighs. It felt good in some ways, not so good in others. I think it would only have felt better had my visitor been real flesh and blood... and of course still holding me at this very moment. I felt my way around the room. No good music on the radio. It took forever for the water to get warm in the shower. And what should I wear. Business casual I guess. It's always safest until I know how the rest of the conference attendees are dressing.Ever punctual, there were only a few other people in the room when I arrived. Jim somebody welcomed me and introduced himself as the workshop coordinator. Oh yeah, not really a conference, it was more of a workshop, an education opportunity was how Chuck my boss had referred to it.. I looked around and selected a seat near the middle of the room, but a little closer to the front and on the perimeter so I could easily scan the room if I was bored. To minimize distractions I also put my back to the door so I wouldn't be tempted to follow people with my gaze as they came and went. A coffee and a muffin, a few more arrivals and I sat down where I had dropped my things. The buzz in the room was slowly growing. When someone would sit at my table I would politely nod and continue appearing to be interested in the welcome material we had received. People were chatting about all sorts of nothings as my mind wondered to places elsewhere....work that awaited me at the office... clothes for my son... what is he doing right now???My mind returned to the conference room quickly. Why? What had brought me back? A brief silence then women chatting. Women almost giggling. I looked at a few woman across the room and noticed their quick glances and peering that bordered on stares. I turned my head following their sight lines. There he was. My visitor. My fantasy man. Well, not exactly, but the closest thing to him I had ever seen. Yeah OK so the looks were there. That's less than half the fantasy. What about the rest? Well, maybe I would find out. But likely not. My mind drifted back to last night, my fantasy visitor and my urges momentarily stirred."..you from, Julie?" asked someone seated at my table. Their query snapping me back to reality."Pardon me.""Where are you from?" chimed the voice from across the table.The typical conference small talk had begun. The people at my table introduced themselves to one another as the room filled. Who remembers anyone's name at these gatherings. There are too many people, too many things to think about and you will never meet any of them again nor will you likely use any of the material presented. What a colossal waste of time, then he caught my eye again... well maybe not.The host began to speak and welcomed everyone to the workshop. Workshop, conference whatever. Except the emphasis on it being a workshop probably meant there would be breakout sessions and role playing and heaven knows what else. The workshop facilitator was introduced and so began the session. Around the room we went introducing ourselves and where we were from and what we expected to get out of the week would spend together. The only name I remember: Alex. And I'm certain all the other women in the room remember that one too. He spoke softly but with self-assurance. He stood tall and had grace but strength in his movements.To start things off the facilitator, Sam, had everyone change tables. Each table had number on it and each seat had a number in front of it. Eight tables, eight people at each table, he had us move to the table that matched the seat number we were presently sitting at. He told us we would be with a different group of people each day. I couldn't wait to be at the same table as Alex. But what would I say, what would I do. Would he even notice me.The first day went by without incident. There were times I thought I caught Alex looking my way, maybe admiring something about me. But nah, there was probably someone else he was looking at, if anyone at all. At the end of the day they reminded everyone to attend the reception afterwards. A chance to meet Alex was my first thought.Back in my room I prepared for the evening. Just before I headed downstairs I decided to check for phone messages at the office. Bad move. Thirty minutes later and a couple of doused fires and I was finally on my way to the reception. I caught my reflection as I walked past a mirror on the way out of my room. I stopped and looked again. "Not bad.", I muttered and off I went.The gathering was in full swing when I arrived. I nodded to a couple of people I had met that day and quickly scanned for my mystery man, Alex. Of course, I found him being swarmed by a collection of women all fawning over him. He looked to be enjoying himself. Since throwing myself at a man wasn't my style I wasn't about to get in to a swooning battle over one with a half dozen other women. Every now and then I would glance in his direction. There wasn't much one would change was there. Alex stood about 6 feet tall. He smiled warmly. Nothing about his demeanor said "I'm fabulous. All woman love me.", though it appeared most of the ones at the workshop thought they did. Nice hands. Friendly but captivating eyes. Well groomed, but not over done. And to start on his body would turn this recounting of one week into a novel. Shoulders. Pecs. Nice butt. Make that a really nice butt. Ah, back to this insignificant socializing I was immersed in. The people in my group that evening, Tom, Mary, Susan, Valerie, Ed were all nice people, but, well you know, when I left I wouldn't remember word one that was uttered. I became more fascinated in the group hovering around Alex.The next day we changed tables. No Alex. Everyone went separate ways at dinner that night. I joined a group of people from the workshop but still, no Alex.The next couple of days were the same. We kept getting more material at each session and I was now lugging two bags to the meetings each day. And the nights were the same too. Each night we would stop by the bar for a drink before we retired. Alex was there each and every night seeming to be the center of attention for all the women and men gathered around him. I still thought I caught him stealing glimpses of me, but I figured it was just wishful thinking on my part. He had enough women to choose from should he be interested. It was interesting watching the interactions of the group that surrounded him. The women all had their focus on him. Not that they were physically hanging from his clothes. But even after brief distractions from other members in their group their attention would immediately return to Alex in some way. And the men in the group. Well they seemed to be circling in hopes they may pickup some of Alex's discards. Who knew if anyone over there was getting lucky. Who cared really.Friday, the last day, as I showered the warm water running over my shoulders and down my nakedness stimulated my mind. I closed my eyes. The warmth of the water was reminiscent of a being caressed by a warm mouth. Suddenly I found myself sensuously washing my tits, my nipples hard, my other hand caressing my pussy and a picture of Alex in my mind's eye actually doing the stimulating. Um, it felt so nice. It's been so long since I've been touched the way I was touching myself, the way I longed to be touched. Harrumph. Give yourself a shake girl. I forced my thoughts back to the workshop and to work. That always puts a chill on things, and I laughed myself back to reality and away from my libido.I arrived in the workshop room and searched for name tag. At last, at a table with Alex. I dropped my bags at my seat and went for a coffee. It figures. All week in a room with my fantasy and it's the last day that we meet. He was so nice and seemed to pay me some attention. But somehow it just seemed to be his way. He was nice to everyone it seemed. Maybe it was wishful thinking again but he seemed to smile just a bit more when I spoke to him and he seemed to show just a bit more interest in what I was saying.Just after our lunch break he got up and left the table. Doreen ,sitting next to me, turned and said; "Isn't he something?" "Pardon?" I said. "Alex, isn't he something?" she replied."Yes, he is. He seems very nice." Doreen had been one of Alex's groupies all week. I wondered just how wonderful she thought or knew he was. "Funny though," she began, "we're starting to wonder if he is gay. All week there have been women following him around like lost puppies and he hasn't invited one of us back to his room. At least no one has admitted to it." That was interesting information. "Could be," I added to her collection of ammunition for determining Alex's sexual preference.Alex returned and glanced my way as he sat down. I'm sure I blushed a bit. No way, this man was not gay.Of course the last day the session went long. I wanted to find out what Alex was doing for dinner but he got up from the table as the session ended and headed to talk to the workshop facilitator. I hung around a bit but then remembered I had a few phone messages I wanted to deal with before the weekend arrived. I rushed off to my room. I made some calls. Got changed into some jeans. And made a few more calls. I decided to start packing before I went to one of the hotel restaurants for a quick dinner by myself. Alex would likely become part of my next fantasy. Would it be his eyes, his hands, his... ring! The phone was ringing. What now?!?! I picked it up."Hello""Julie?" said the voice on the other end."Yes. Who's speaking?" as the words escaped my lips my heart rose into my throat. It was..."It's Alex. You left one of your bags at our table today. I was going to bring it to you. When would be a convenient time?""Uh", that was an intelligent response. "Well I'm just in the midst of packing. Can I come to your room and get it from you?""Sure, I guess. I'm in Room 704.""Thanks Alex. I will be there in 10 minutes or so.""OK. See you then." Oh God. What now. Oh, get a grip on yourself. He will just very politely give you your things and wish you a safe trip home. As I arrived at his room the door was ajar. I knocked. "Come in.", said the soft masculine voice hidden in the room."Alex?" I muttered as I slowly opened the door. "Julie. It's so nice to see you again." Wow, there he was in a t-shirt and some loose sweat pants. My hormones fluttered and I'm sure my eyes rolled around in my spinning head. This man was so incredibly handsome and I'm sure he wasn't even trying to be. "You inspired me to start my packing as well Julie. Your bag is just over here. I will get it for you"As I walked in I said, "I can get it. I really appreciate that you didn't leave it behind." I bent to pick up my bag, and as I turned to leave Alex had turned to face me.He gazed into my eyes. "I'm really sorry we didn't get to know each other better, Julie.""I'm sure we will meet again somewhere. I would have liked to spend more time with you as well""I'm really pretty shy Julie, but I have to tell you that all week you captured my attention. I hope I'm not embarrassing you?""Not at all. Actually I'm quite flattered.""Have you had dinner yet?""Well, actually, no I haven't". Maybe he will ask me out."Stay then, Julie. I insist." Pardon me, I thought. "I ordered some room service. Just a beer and a plate of nachos. I have grown tired of the people who seemed to occupy all my time this week and just wanted to sit and have a quiet bite to eat. So please join me.""Oh, I don't know. I would hate to interrupt your solitude if that is what you're looking for.""Settled then. You're staying. I can't think of a better way to end this trip than a quiet meal with you." Alex turned to pick up the phone then stopped. "Oh. I did it again Julie. I'm sorry. Excuse my honesty, but I fear I have this opportunity to spend time with someone I am very attracted to and I don't want to miss it. I apologize for being so forward. I am just so filled with excitement being in your company."I'm sure I must have been blushing. This man was so nice and honest and open. There was almost a childlike quality to his sincerity. I dropped my bag and agreed to stay. "Oh, I'm so happy. Let me see if I can get another beer. Oops, is a beer Ok with your nachos or would you like something else?""Yes, beer would be fine, Alex. And no I'm not so much embarrassed by your honesty as I am flattered, once again." Just then there was a knock at the door. The nachos had arrived. And as promised they were accompanied by one beer. The porter brought in the cart and Alex asked him if he could bring up two more beers."We'll split this one Julie", Alex said as he signed the bill. So we sat on opposite side of the cart and talked and ate. It was almost eerie how comfortable we seemed together. Alex explained how much he had been overwhelmed by the people who chose to hang around with him all week. He was too nice to tell them to get lost. And there was a shyness about him. He seemed to divert his eyes and lower his head just a bit whenever we spoke of him or on those occasions when he paid me some compliment.Our other beers arrived and it wasn't long after that we were laughing about how we had been watching each other all week. And then we spoke of our desires mixed in with some of the funny things people had done and said to get his attention and even mine a couple of times. I related the story about him being gay and we both had a tremendous laugh about that one.A couple of hours had passed before we knew it. I can't count the times I lost track of the conversation. Thoughts of me in Alex's arms, kissing his lips, laying in his bed stole my attention frequently. How could they not. Here I was, with my fantasy man. I remember feeling my body react to thoughts that would flash into my mind. Mid conversation my mind would transport me to an intimate embrace with Alex or a picture of him in some state of undress or the two of us cuddling enjoying the warmth of each other's body. My breasts would tingle, sort of burn and I would feel the urge to cup them in my hand to release the tension they exhibited. I even found ways to somewhat satisfy them by reaching across myself for my drink of another nacho and gently pressing my arm against them.And my yoni, I like that term much more than pussy, or cunt or vagina, it's a Tantric word for a woman's genitalia, it's a nicer word I think. Well my yoni would feel that emptiness that desire would place there. It's an emptiness that seems to push against the walls of my vagina and bring a numbness to my labia and run a current through my clit. It seems to cry out to be replaced by something real, a physical mass that will not release the pressure I feel but rather replace it with a pressure that has the ability to return sensation to my moist lips, ground my vibrating clitoris and to fulfill my desires.I so wanted to close my eyes, lean back, slide my hand between my thighs and feel my dampness with my fingertips as I satisfied my longing by slipping my fingers inside me. Instead I would shift in my chair, cross my legs and flex my groin muscles. If I did it just right the seam in the crotch of my jeans would push against my yoni. The pressure would stir my passion, cause my lubricant to ooze from its source onto my labia and at the same time somewhat satisfy my cravings. About the third time this happened I couldn't help but notice the dampness that had invaded my panties. It was an interesting combination of cool and warm. The cool no doubt from earlier mental diversions, the warm deposited there during my current sojourn from reality.Remember my comment about "...but that's less than half the fantasy...". Well he had now shown that only the intimate piece of my puzzle was missing from his resume. My mind, my body, my heart were all screaming at me to find out to fill in the blank. I wondered though. I worried about there being disappointment, about a loss of respect for each other, about a loss of this closeness that had so quickly grown between us. And all for what, for few moments of intimate pleasure, of orgasmic bliss. Everything seemed so right. But Alex seemed to be a little to shy, maybe even unsure, to take the lead in our intimacy the way my fantasy man always did. I had notice Alex stirring in his chair once in a while. I thought it was probably because the night was wearing on and we both had early flights the next. Little did I know at the time that his mind was wrestling with similar urges he felt for me.There was a pause in the conversation. The first since the food had arrived. I glanced at the clock beside the bed. "I really should be going Alex. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this.""Nor I.""...but I do have to pack and get ready for my trip home." We stood in unison. WOW. It was unfair how this man stirred my desires. The t-shirt, the sweats, his demeanor, his style. A smile rose on my face as the thought entered my mind."Can I get a hug before you go, Julie. I have enjoyed this evening so much. I really wish we had met and done this earlier in the week.""OK" and I stepped towards him. Our bodies folded together. I've heard people talking about melting into someone's arms. I was about to find out what that meant. I have felt close to people before when we were naked and holding each other but this was different. Even fully clothed our bodies seemed to blend together. It was as if our rib cages had meshed together and his arms had penetrated my back and mine his. We seemed to share the same space. I have had men squeeze me so that I was feeling pain, as if they were trying to share space with me. Why was this different?

Woman on business trip lives a fantasy.By Silver Sea. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. I was finally settled into my room at the Marriott. The flight was typical, the hotel a hotel. I still wasn't sure if the following week would be of any value. I wrestled with how I could better have argued my case not to attend this conference as I settled onto the bed and opened the paperback I had purchased while waiting for my flight. I probably wouldn't get past the first few pages knowing my travels that day had depleted most of my energy.Sure enough a few paragraphs in and my eyes got heavy and my mind began to wander. I flipped off the light, set the book on my night table and set my mind free.Suddenly, without warning, he popped into my mind, as he often does when I am nodding off. My body stirred as this fantasy man entered my mind. I could not now escape him or the story I created and refined with each of his visits. His face flashed into my mind. It wasn't the face of any particular person. It was a blend of faces, models in magazines I had recently flipped through, that cute guy standing on the corner yesterday when I turned right on a red-light, a hunk or two that had approached me at bars in the course of my life. His body I constructed in much the same way; bodies from magazines, the gym, the beach and a portions of a lover or two I had known. It was a dangerous place that place between consciousness and sleep. ...I am already in his arms and floating around the luxurious king size bed with him. He is kissing my partially clad body and caressing the rest. I hold him, kiss him when I can, I feel a stirring throughout my body ...wait is that sensation in my dream or is it my conscious self that is reacting... he always knows where to touch me at the right moments.. my hand is resting next to my breast, just on the other side of my flannel pj's... I move my thumb a little and I feel my nipple respond... as his... my hand cups my... breast and firmly holds onto it... I watch my navel appear as his head moves south along my torso and he leaves trails of moisture where his warm tongue touches me. His chin brushes against the tuft of hair that defines the path he will follow to my desire.Morning arrived all too quickly. My feet dragged. My visitor had left his telltale stickiness on my thighs. It felt good in some ways, not so good in others. I think it would only have felt better had my visitor been real flesh and blood... and of course still holding me at this very moment. I felt my way around the room. No good music on the radio. It took forever for the water to get warm in the shower. And what should I wear. Business casual I guess. It's always safest until I know how the rest of the conference attendees are dressing.Ever punctual, there were only a few other people in the room when I arrived. Jim somebody welcomed me and introduced himself as the workshop coordinator. Oh yeah, not really a conference, it was more of a workshop, an education opportunity was how Chuck my boss had referred to it.. I looked around and selected a seat near the middle of the room, but a little closer to the front and on the perimeter so I could easily scan the room if I was bored. To minimize distractions I also put my back to the door so I wouldn't be tempted to follow people with my gaze as they came and went. A coffee and a muffin, a few more arrivals and I sat down where I had dropped my things. The buzz in the room was slowly growing. When someone would sit at my table I would politely nod and continue appearing to be interested in the welcome material we had received. People were chatting about all sorts of nothings as my mind wondered to places elsewhere....work that awaited me at the office... clothes for my son... what is he doing right now???My mind returned to the conference room quickly. Why? What had brought me back? A brief silence then women chatting. Women almost giggling. I looked at a few woman across the room and noticed their quick glances and peering that bordered on stares. I turned my head following their sight lines. There he was. My visitor. My fantasy man. Well, not exactly, but the closest thing to him I had ever seen. Yeah OK so the looks were there. That's less than half the fantasy. What about the rest? Well, maybe I would find out. But likely not. My mind drifted back to last night, my fantasy visitor and my urges momentarily stirred."..you from, Julie?" asked someone seated at my table. Their query snapping me back to reality."Pardon me.""Where are you from?" chimed the voice from across the table.The typical conference small talk had begun. The people at my table introduced themselves to one another as the room filled. Who remembers anyone's name at these gatherings. There are too many people, too many things to think about and you will never meet any of them again nor will you likely use any of the material presented. What a colossal waste of time, then he caught my eye again... well maybe not.The host began to speak and welcomed everyone to the workshop. Workshop, conference whatever. Except the emphasis on it being a workshop probably meant there would be breakout sessions and role playing and heaven knows what else. The workshop facilitator was introduced and so began the session. Around the room we went introducing ourselves and where we were from and what we expected to get out of the week would spend together. The only name I remember: Alex. And I'm certain all the other women in the room remember that one too. He spoke softly but with self-assurance. He stood tall and had grace but strength in his movements.To start things off the facilitator, Sam, had everyone change tables. Each table had number on it and each seat had a number in front of it. Eight tables, eight people at each table, he had us move to the table that matched the seat number we were presently sitting at. He told us we would be with a different group of people each day. I couldn't wait to be at the same table as Alex. But what would I say, what would I do. Would he even notice me.The first day went by without incident. There were times I thought I caught Alex looking my way, maybe admiring something about me. But nah, there was probably someone else he was looking at, if anyone at all. At the end of the day they reminded everyone to attend the reception afterwards. A chance to meet Alex was my first thought.Back in my room I prepared for the evening. Just before I headed downstairs I decided to check for phone messages at the office. Bad move. Thirty minutes later and a couple of doused fires and I was finally on my way to the reception. I caught my reflection as I walked past a mirror on the way out of my room. I stopped and looked again. "Not bad.", I muttered and off I went.The gathering was in full swing when I arrived. I nodded to a couple of people I had met that day and quickly scanned for my mystery man, Alex. Of course, I found him being swarmed by a collection of women all fawning over him. He looked to be enjoying himself. Since throwing myself at a man wasn't my style I wasn't about to get in to a swooning battle over one with a half dozen other women. Every now and then I would glance in his direction. There wasn't much one would change was there. Alex stood about 6 feet tall. He smiled warmly. Nothing about his demeanor said "I'm fabulous. All woman love me.", though it appeared most of the ones at the workshop thought they did. Nice hands. Friendly but captivating eyes. Well groomed, but not over done. And to start on his body would turn this recounting of one week into a novel. Shoulders. Pecs. Nice butt. Make that a really nice butt. Ah, back to this insignificant socializing I was immersed in. The people in my group that evening, Tom, Mary, Susan, Valerie, Ed were all nice people, but, well you know, when I left I wouldn't remember word one that was uttered. I became more fascinated in the group hovering around Alex.The next day we changed tables. No Alex. Everyone went separate ways at dinner that night. I joined a group of people from the workshop but still, no Alex.The next couple of days were the same. We kept getting more material at each session and I was now lugging two bags to the meetings each day. And the nights were the same too. Each night we would stop by the bar for a drink before we retired. Alex was there each and every night seeming to be the center of attention for all the women and men gathered around him. I still thought I caught him stealing glimpses of me, but I figured it was just wishful thinking on my part. He had enough women to choose from should he be interested. It was interesting watching the interactions of the group that surrounded him. The women all had their focus on him. Not that they were physically hanging from his clothes. But even after brief distractions from other members in their group their attention would immediately return to Alex in some way. And the men in the group. Well they seemed to be circling in hopes they may pickup some of Alex's discards. Who knew if anyone over there was getting lucky. Who cared really.Friday, the last day, as I showered the warm water running over my shoulders and down my nakedness stimulated my mind. I closed my eyes. The warmth of the water was reminiscent of a being caressed by a warm mouth. Suddenly I found myself sensuously washing my tits, my nipples hard, my other hand caressing my pussy and a picture of Alex in my mind's eye actually doing the stimulating. Um, it felt so nice. It's been so long since I've been touched the way I was touching myself, the way I longed to be touched. Harrumph. Give yourself a shake girl. I forced my thoughts back to the workshop and to work. That always puts a chill on things, and I laughed myself back to reality and away from my libido.I arrived in the workshop room and searched for name tag. At last, at a table with Alex. I dropped my bags at my seat and went for a coffee. It figures. All week in a room with my fantasy and it's the last day that we meet. He was so nice and seemed to pay me some attention. But somehow it just seemed to be his way. He was nice to everyone it seemed. Maybe it was wishful thinking again but he seemed to smile just a bit more when I spoke to him and he seemed to show just a bit more interest in what I was saying.Just after our lunch break he got up and left the table. Doreen ,sitting next to me, turned and said; "Isn't he something?" "Pardon?" I said. "Alex, isn't he something?" she replied."Yes, he is. He seems very nice." Doreen had been one of Alex's groupies all week. I wondered just how wonderful she thought or knew he was. "Funny though," she began, "we're starting to wonder if he is gay. All week there have been women following him around like lost puppies and he hasn't invited one of us back to his room. At least no one has admitted to it." That was interesting information. "Could be," I added to her collection of ammunition for determining Alex's sexual preference.Alex returned and glanced my way as he sat down. I'm sure I blushed a bit. No way, this man was not gay.Of course the last day the session went long. I wanted to find out what Alex was doing for dinner but he got up from the table as the session ended and headed to talk to the workshop facilitator. I hung around a bit but then remembered I had a few phone messages I wanted to deal with before the weekend arrived. I rushed off to my room. I made some calls. Got changed into some jeans. And made a few more calls. I decided to start packing before I went to one of the hotel restaurants for a quick dinner by myself. Alex would likely become part of my next fantasy. Would it be his eyes, his hands, his... ring! The phone was ringing. What now?!?! I picked it up."Hello""Julie?" said the voice on the other end."Yes. Who's speaking?" as the words escaped my lips my heart rose into my throat. It was..."It's Alex. You left one of your bags at our table today. I was going to bring it to you. When would be a convenient time?""Uh", that was an intelligent response. "Well I'm just in the midst of packing. Can I come to your room and get it from you?""Sure, I guess. I'm in Room 704.""Thanks Alex. I will be there in 10 minutes or so.""OK. See you then." Oh God. What now. Oh, get a grip on yourself. He will just very politely give you your things and wish you a safe trip home. As I arrived at his room the door was ajar. I knocked. "Come in.", said the soft masculine voice hidden in the room."Alex?" I muttered as I slowly opened the door. "Julie. It's so nice to see you again." Wow, there he was in a t-shirt and some loose sweat pants. My hormones fluttered and I'm sure my eyes rolled around in my spinning head. This man was so incredibly handsome and I'm sure he wasn't even trying to be. "You inspired me to start my packing as well Julie. Your bag is just over here. I will get it for you"As I walked in I said, "I can get it. I really appreciate that you didn't leave it behind." I bent to pick up my bag, and as I turned to leave Alex had turned to face me.He gazed into my eyes. "I'm really sorry we didn't get to know each other better, Julie.""I'm sure we will meet again somewhere. I would have liked to spend more time with you as well""I'm really pretty shy Julie, but I have to tell you that all week you captured my attention. I hope I'm not embarrassing you?""Not at all. Actually I'm quite flattered.""Have you had dinner yet?""Well, actually, no I haven't". Maybe he will ask me out."Stay then, Julie. I insist." Pardon me, I thought. "I ordered some room service. Just a beer and a plate of nachos. I have grown tired of the people who seemed to occupy all my time this week and just wanted to sit and have a quiet bite to eat. So please join me.""Oh, I don't know. I would hate to interrupt your solitude if that is what you're looking for.""Settled then. You're staying. I can't think of a better way to end this trip than a quiet meal with you." Alex turned to pick up the phone then stopped. "Oh. I did it again Julie. I'm sorry. Excuse my honesty, but I fear I have this opportunity to spend time with someone I am very attracted to and I don't want to miss it. I apologize for being so forward. I am just so filled with excitement being in your company."I'm sure I must have been blushing. This man was so nice and honest and open. There was almost a childlike quality to his sincerity. I dropped my bag and agreed to stay. "Oh, I'm so happy. Let me see if I can get another beer. Oops, is a beer Ok with your nachos or would you like something else?""Yes, beer would be fine, Alex. And no I'm not so much embarrassed by your honesty as I am flattered, once again." Just then there was a knock at the door. The nachos had arrived. And as promised they were accompanied by one beer. The porter brought in the cart and Alex asked him if he could bring up two more beers."We'll split this one Julie", Alex said as he signed the bill. So we sat on opposite side of the cart and talked and ate. It was almost eerie how comfortable we seemed together. Alex explained how much he had been overwhelmed by the people who chose to hang around with him all week. He was too nice to tell them to get lost. And there was a shyness about him. He seemed to divert his eyes and lower his head just a bit whenever we spoke of him or on those occasions when he paid me some compliment.Our other beers arrived and it wasn't long after that we were laughing about how we had been watching each other all week. And then we spoke of our desires mixed in with some of the funny things people had done and said to get his attention and even mine a couple of times. I related the story about him being gay and we both had a tremendous laugh about that one.A couple of hours had passed before we knew it. I can't count the times I lost track of the conversation. Thoughts of me in Alex's arms, kissing his lips, laying in his bed stole my attention frequently. How could they not. Here I was, with my fantasy man. I remember feeling my body react to thoughts that would flash into my mind. Mid conversation my mind would transport me to an intimate embrace with Alex or a picture of him in some state of undress or the two of us cuddling enjoying the warmth of each other's body. My breasts would tingle, sort of burn and I would feel the urge to cup them in my hand to release the tension they exhibited. I even found ways to somewhat satisfy them by reaching across myself for my drink of another nacho and gently pressing my arm against them.And my yoni, I like that term much more than pussy, or cunt or vagina, it's a Tantric word for a woman's genitalia, it's a nicer word I think. Well my yoni would feel that emptiness that desire would place there. It's an emptiness that seems to push against the walls of my vagina and bring a numbness to my labia and run a current through my clit. It seems to cry out to be replaced by something real, a physical mass that will not release the pressure I feel but rather replace it with a pressure that has the ability to return sensation to my moist lips, ground my vibrating clitoris and to fulfill my desires.I so wanted to close my eyes, lean back, slide my hand between my thighs and feel my dampness with my fingertips as I satisfied my longing by slipping my fingers inside me. Instead I would shift in my chair, cross my legs and flex my groin muscles. If I did it just right the seam in the crotch of my jeans would push against my yoni. The pressure would stir my passion, cause my lubricant to ooze from its source onto my labia and at the same time somewhat satisfy my cravings. About the third time this happened I couldn't help but notice the dampness that had invaded my panties. It was an interesting combination of cool and warm. The cool no doubt from earlier mental diversions, the warm deposited there during my current sojourn from reality.Remember my comment about "...but that's less than half the fantasy...". Well he had now shown that only the intimate piece of my puzzle was missing from his resume. My mind, my body, my heart were all screaming at me to find out to fill in the blank. I wondered though. I worried about there being disappointment, about a loss of respect for each other, about a loss of this closeness that had so quickly grown between us. And all for what, for few moments of intimate pleasure, of orgasmic bliss. Everything seemed so right. But Alex seemed to be a little to shy, maybe even unsure, to take the lead in our intimacy the way my fantasy man always did. I had notice Alex stirring in his chair once in a while. I thought it was probably because the night was wearing on and we both had early flights the next. Little did I know at the time that his mind was wrestling with similar urges he felt for me.There was a pause in the conversation. The first since the food had arrived. I glanced at the clock beside the bed. "I really should be going Alex. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this.""Nor I.""...but I do have to pack and get ready for my trip home." We stood in unison. WOW. It was unfair how this man stirred my desires. The t-shirt, the sweats, his demeanor, his style. A smile rose on my face as the thought entered my mind."Can I get a hug before you go, Julie. I have enjoyed this evening so much. I really wish we had met and done this earlier in the week.""OK" and I stepped towards him. Our bodies folded together. I've heard people talking about melting into someone's arms. I was about to find out what that meant. I have felt close to people before when we were naked and holding each other but this was different. Even fully clothed our bodies seemed to blend together. It was as if our rib cages had meshed together and his arms had penetrated my back and mine his. We seemed to share the same space. I have had men squeeze me so that I was feeling pain, as if they were trying to share space with me. Why was this different?

A PEC 8/2021 veda a concessão de decisão monocrática que suspenda a eficácia de lei. Decisão monocrática é aquela proferida por apenas um magistrado — em contraposição à decisão colegiada, que é tomada por um conjunto de ministros (tribunais superiores) ou desembargadores (tribunais de segunda instância). Senadores decidiram retirar da proposta trecho que estabelecia prazos para os pedidos de vista.Meio-dia em Brasília traz as principais informações da manhã e os debates que vão agitar o dia na capital federal e do mundo.  Apoie o jornalismo Vigilante: 10% de desconto para audiência do Meio-Dia em Brasília   https://bit.ly/meiodiaoa  Acompanhe O Antagonista no canal do WhatsApp.  Boletins diários, conteúdos exclusivos em vídeo e muito mais.   https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va2S...   Ouça O Antagonista | Crusoé quando quiser nos principais aplicativos de podcast.  Leia mais em www.oantagonista.com.br | www.crusoe.com.br  

*) A semana que passou ficou marcada por um avanço, na Câmara dos Deputados, de alguns projetos do chamado pacote anti-STF. Nesse episódio do podcast 15 Minutos, nós vamos falar sobre algumas coisas que estão por trás dessa aprovação. Por exemplo: apesar do apoio de parlamentares de partidos do Centrão na aprovação das PECs, esses temas não serão prioridade do grupo nos próximos meses. Por quê? E mais: qual a relação entre essas propostas, que limitam os poderes do Supremo, e a sucessão de Arthur Lira na Câmara. Sem contar a questão das emendas parlamentares, que também estão em jogo. Para analisar todos esses bastidores do avanço do pacote anti-STF na Câmara, o convidado deste episódio é o Wesley Oliveira, da equipe de República da Gazeta do Povo, em Brasília. 

O programa Meio-Dia em Brasília desta quinta-feira, 10, fala sobre a reação do Congresso Nacional aos abusos do Supremo Tribunal Federal ao aprovar duas PECs e dois projetos de lei para tentar conter o ímpeto de ministros da Corte.Além disso, o programa entrevista o presidente nacional do PSDB, Marconi Perillo, para falar sobre as eleições de 2024 e com o prefeito eleito de Recife, João Campos (PSB).Meio-dia em Brasília traz as principais informações da manhã e os debates que vão agitar o dia na capital federal e do mundo.  Apoie o jornalismo Vigilante: 10% de desconto para audiência do Meio-Dia em Brasília   https://bit.ly/meiodiaoa  Acompanhe O Antagonista no canal do WhatsApp.  Boletins diários, conteúdos exclusivos em vídeo e muito mais.   https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va2S...   Ouça O Antagonista | Crusoé quando quiser nos principais aplicativos de podcast.  Leia mais em www.oantagonista.com.br | www.crusoe.com.br 

No “Estadão Analisa” desta quinta-feira, 10, Carlos Andreazza fala sobre o ‘Pacote anti-STF' que avança na Câmara. Comissão aprovou duas PECs e dois projetos que limitam decisões monocráticas, autorizam Parlamento a anular julgamentos do Supremo e estabelecem regras de impeachment de magistrado. Propostas, movida por bolsonaristas, fazem parte de articulação para enfraquecer os poderes da Corte; governistas dizem que iniciativa é um ‘despautério'. Ministros da Corte já tinham manifestado aceitar uma das mudanças em discussão no Congresso: a primeira PEC aprovada nesta quarta-feira que limita as decisões monocráticas para impedir que magistrado conceda sozinho limitar para sustar efeitos de projetos aprovados no Parlamento. Já a segunda PEC não é bem-vista na Corte. A proposta de emenda à Constituição (PEC) dá ao Congresso o poder de sustar uma decisão do STF. Seria preciso, nesse caso, dois terços de votos das duas Casas, isto é, 342 deputados e 54 senadores, para derrubar, num prazo de até dois anos prorrogáveis em até mais um novo biênio. Leia: https://www.estadao.com.br/politica/ccj-da-camara-aprova-pec-que-da-poder-ao-congresso-de-sustar-decisoes-do-stf/ Andreazza também comenta sobre o alerta feito pelo ministro da Defesa, José Múcio. Em evento na Confederação Nacional da Indústria, José Múcio disse que as Forças Armadas enfrentam retrocessos nos investimentos e adversidades sem precedentes causadas por “ranços ideológicos”. Para bons entendedores, meia palavra basta. Mas, na falta deles, Múcio explicitou os embaraços à sua pasta. Leia o editorial do Estadão: https://www.estadao.com.br/opiniao/o-prejuizo-do-ranco-ideologico-de-lula/ Apresentado pelo colunista Carlos Andreazza, programa diário no canal do Estadão no YouTube trará uma curadoria dos temas mais relevantes do noticiário, deixando de lado o que é espuma, para se aprofundar no que é relevante. Assine por R$1,90/mês e tenha acesso ilimitado ao conteúdo do Estadão. Acesse: https://bit.ly/oferta-estadao O 'Estadão Analisa' é transmitido ao vivo de segunda a sexta-feira, às 7h, no Youtube e redes sociais do Estadão. E depois, fica disponível no Spotify, Deezer, Apple Podcasts, Google podcasts, ou no agregador de podcasts de sua preferência. Apresentação: Carlos AndreazzaEdição/Pós-produção: Jefferson PerlebergCoordenação: Gabriel Pinheiro e Everton OliveiraSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No podcast ‘Notícia No Seu Tempo', confira em áudio as principais notícias da edição impressa do jornal ‘O Estado de S.Paulo' desta quinta-feira (10/10/2024): Duas propostas de emenda à Constituição (PECs) e dois projetos de lei aprovados pela Comissão de Constituição e Justiça da Câmara limitam poderes de ministros do STF de tomar decisões de forma individual, autorizam o Congresso a anular julgamentos do Supremo e propõem um novo rito para processos de impeachment de integrantes do tribunal – a oposição no Senado trabalha pela saída do ministro Alexandre de Moraes. Parte das propostas foi desengavetada em agosto pelo presidente da Câmara, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), em retaliação à confirmação de decisão do ministro Flávio Dino de suspender as emendas ao Orçamento. As propostas estão em fase inicial de tramitação na Câmara. Cabe agora a Lira criar comissões especiais para analisar as PECs. E mais: Economia: Com 0,44% em setembro, inflação se aproxima do teto da meta Política: Bolsonaristas e aliados medem forças na campanha de Nunes Internacional: Biden e Netanyahu conversam pela primeira vez após gelo de 7 semanas Esportes: Brasil visita o Chile sem estrelas e com apostas de Dorival para reagir  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  Today's very special guest is Andy Bondy, together with his wife Lori Frost, pioneered the development of the Picture Exchange Communication System. In today's show, he talks about PECS today and the importance of meeting the communication needs of all individuals. Fittingly, today's jargon is PECS. 

Today's very special guest is Andy Bondy, together with his wife, Lori Frost, Bondy pioneered the development of the Picture Exchange Communication System.  In today's show he talks about PECS today and the importance of meeting the communication needs of all individuals. Fittingly today's jargon term is PECS.

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ABOUT THIS EPISODE (+ scroll for resources)

A couple hours from my live afterhours set from TRADE in Denver on 7/28/24 from 2am - 5am.

There's so many acronyms in this episode, it might make your head spin. We talk about IRC, IBC, IEBC, ADA, FHA and more. John Anderson and I don't do this to punish you, or make you feel confused. But, it's critical to understanding the world of how buildings actually get built. John is usually good for at least a couple of one-liners, and this one is my favorite in this episode:Real estate development is a black box full of money and villains.You'll learn in this episode why requiring sprinklers in small and middle-scale building isn't necessary, and how it makes housing less affordable. We talk about single-stair reform, and understanding how the Fair Housing Act is a very different animal than the Americans with Disabilities Act.For more from John, check out his blog.Find more content on The Messy City on Kevin's Substack page.Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here. If you'd like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5.Intro: “Why Be Friends”Outro: “Fairweather Friend”Transcript of Episode:Kevin K (00:01.81)Welcome back to the Messy City podcast. This is Kevin Klinkenberg. You know, we spent a lot of time in the world of whatever you want to call it, urbanism, planning, design, urban design, talking about zoning reform, especially for what we kind of call missing middle housing and the need to reform zoning codes to enable the production of sort of smaller scale.housing. And so I've had a number of episodes on that. We've talked about it. We'll continue to talk about it. But one thing we really haven't talked much about at all, and that's often overlooked, is the need for reform to building codes and building code and development approval processes generally with local governments. So my friend John Anderson started an email thread the other day.that, kind of dug into this issue and like a lot of John's emails, it was long and thorough and a little bit grumpy. and so I thought John and I should just, talk about it, because there's a lot of really great stuff here that I'm not sure that people think about, terribly much, especially if you're one of those people who wants to do small scale, development.whether new construction or rehab, especially for new construction, there's just a lot of other things to think about that you're going to have to consider and other things potentially to work on with your local government to try to reform. So that's a very long introduction to say, welcome John, how you doing?R. John Anderson (01:44.944)Good, I'm good. I'm glad that emails are really thin medium, so it's hard to get grumpiness to come across at the right amplitude.Kevin K (01:55.902)always comes across, you know, it's okay. But I've known you long enough to be able to even decipher it when it's kind of a little more subtle.R. John Anderson (02:06.724)Well, I'll tell you one thing that's.Kevin K (02:08.766)And then there are times that you and Gary Brewer go at it and it's not subtle at all.R. John Anderson (02:13.468)hi. I, it feels like, having a conversation with someone in Quebec where I just don't, our experience is so different. The world's way operator so far apart. It's it. I feel like we're too, you know, Neanderthal tribes meeting in the dark searching for a common word for fire without success. You know, so.Kevin K (02:37.63)Yeah.No doubt. No doubt.R. John Anderson (02:41.904)No, Fog thinks small house 500 square feet. No, Og thinks small house 3000 square feet.Kevin K (02:47.646)Exactly. $2 million is a reasonable budget for any new house, Yeah.R. John Anderson (02:52.046)Right. And you ought to have it specially designed by an architect because that's the world that he's operating in.Kevin K (02:58.812)That's okay. We love, we love Gary too. He's a brilliant designer. but, he long operated in a different stratosphere in terms of architecture. So John, let's, let's get into this a little bit. I think there's, do you want to kind of lead off a little bit, just talking about building code reform generally before we get into some of theR. John Anderson (03:01.818)Yeah.R. John Anderson (03:17.71)Well, yeah, let's talk about why you'd want to reform the building code. We've seen a fair amount of uptake in zoning code reform where folks are, think, under the banner of making middle scale, missing middle housing legal again.you see that find its way into comprehensive plans and then policy documents. And then from there, it goes through the gruesome process of actually changing the zoning. Often it takes two mentions in the comprehensive plan or three to get that to happen. It's in the implementation paragraph in the back. We should change the zoning to make this legal. And the, and youTo the credit of people that are trying to move a comprehensive plan forward, they really are trying to engage the big ideas and get enough consensus and buy -in to be able to pursue them. And then that can be a couple hundred thousand dollars down the road and you've exhausted all your staff and you have no budget left to actually change the zoning. So which is why it takes two or three cycles of the comp plan.But when it finally comes around to it, then you get zoning that allows a duplex, an ADU, a fourplex. And then the fourplexes don't get built. And that's because when you move, in most places, when you move past two units, a duplex, into three units in a building, you move from the International Residential Code to the International Building Code or the Commercial Code. So.And when that happens, you have fire sprinklers. And in order to have fire sprinklers, you need to make a connection at the water main. You have to protect the water main from stale water in your sprinkler system from washing back, backflow preventer. You need a sprinkler riser and a pressure reducing valve and a flow alarm. And like this red trombone that lives in a little closet that gets inspected by the building is the fire inspector before.R. John Anderson (05:29.36)you run horizontally your pipes. And because you're tapping the water menu, that's a serious piece of plumbing work, but it also typically requires a tap fee. in Seattle, that was $16 ,000. And in Chattanooga, it was $18 ,000 if you wanted to build a fourplex.Kevin K (05:54.204)That's just the fee. That's just to check you right to the municipality. Right.R. John Anderson (05:56.664)Yeah, there's no tap. There's no water coming your way. There's just the promise of water now that you've paid the fee for the privilege. And it's at the discretion, typically, the fire official for an entirely residential building. If you're going to build a residential sprinkler system, the geek term for that is NFPA 13R, National Fire Protection Association, 13R. That means you can use PECs or PVC plastic pipe onceonce you're inside the building and you've got it all set up. But for a 13 -hour system, for a residential system, it's the fire official has some discretion about whether or not they want a separate dedicated service, or you should be able to use the domestic service with a backflow preventer or check valve to keep the stagnant water and the fire sprinklers from contaminating your domestic water. But typically fire officials areare creatures of habit and that habit is usually enforcing the strictest standard possible and not, they're not given to, making concessions. would make a builder's life easier. So it's good. It's got, you're deviating from the system, youKevin K (07:08.68)Plus you're, yeah, and you are practicing the dark arts of real estate development, so you probably are serving to endanger the lives of whoever you're building for,R. John Anderson (07:21.434)Well, that's actually how we make our money. It's by endangering other people. The more of our customers we can put at risk, the better for us. And I think, know, in their defense, our culture says that real estate development and construction is a black box full of money and villains, and it's unknowable how much money is going to be made. So why would you complain about saving children from a fire?Kevin K (07:30.558)It'sR. John Anderson (07:49.552)because there's just a huge amount of money you're going to make. it's a technical problem wrapped in myth and caricature.Kevin K (07:59.518)So if I just take a step back and think big picture again here, so especially maybe for a lay person, you know, a lot of people, I remember this, a lot of people refer to these codes as like fire codes. That's kind of like the vernacular for people who are not architects or in the professions, but they're actually technically called building codes. When I was a young architect, there were multiple different building codes. There was a uniform building code and there was a Southern building code.BOKA code, and then they eventually all coalesced into what we call the International Building Code. And that is the standard now that most cities, local governments, and states adopt. There are different cycles and years at which you might adopt a But as you mentioned, there's also this companion piece called the International Residential Code, which for the most part governs just one family and two familybuildings.R. John Anderson (09:00.428)or attached one family, like a townhouse with a fire separation wall between them, no common hallways or anything. The entity that issues those codes is called the International Codes Council, it's a private nonprofit. And if you're a fire official or a local building official, this is probably your trade group. Also, if you manufactureKevin K (09:07.474)Right.R. John Anderson (09:29.872)fire sprinklers, you're probably pretty active there. Because what happens is there's a code cycle where, okay, we have a new edition of the International Residential Code coming out for 2028 or 24 or whatever. so in between the last time the model, what they call model codes were issued and now folks have made proposals. This last round for the 2024contains a lot of really good improvements on the codes for building decks, which were kind of a neglected area and there were a lot of deck failures and some smart folks got together and came up with some common sense solutions. So, and if you use those solutions, you don't actually have to have an engineer verify your deck construction. So the issue of the model code and then state by state, state legislaturesthey'll review it in committee. It'll come to a vote. They'll adopt the such and such year, the 2024 international residential code, international existing building code, international FAR code, international, you know, all of those codes, kind of all at once. And then depending on your state, you can, when the state adopts it, then it goes over to a codes commissiondoes rulemaking where they might make some adjustments that are appropriate to that state, local climate and economics. And then it becomes law. And then the process for it to happen at the local level, your county, municipality, town, some places it immediately becomes the one you're supposed to work with. Others you have a window toadopted in and if you don't do anything to amend it, it's the one you're going to work with. And other places, the only way you, so you could adopt it and make it less stringent in places like California or New York, and I believe Illinois, but in states that are what are called Dillon's rule state versus home rule states, Dillon's rule state, you can only adopt it to make it moreR. John Anderson (11:55.726)So in Tennessee, recently basically legalized fourplexes without fire sprinklers. And they did that at the state level after attempting to do it just for Shelby County and Memphis. They had to go back and try again. most of the code reform issues that are going on in most states have to be engaged at the state legislature.level. And a lot of states will eliminate the requirement for fire sprinklers in all new residential units.Kevin K (12:36.178)And so we should probably talk about like what's the whole big deal? Why wouldn't you want to have sprinklers required in buildings? And I want to give you a little background from my standpoint, but you go ahead and answer that first. What's the problem here?R. John Anderson (12:55.662)Well, I think the problem is one, first of cost, and then second of benefit. A two -story fourplex is actually safer than a single -family house of the same size because there are rated assemblies separating one unit from the rest. You have exiting that meets the requirements.all those places that are sleeping rooms have to have an egress window. So in addition to going out through the hallway, you could go out through the window or a firefighter could come in from the window and they're sized. So firefighter with a Scott pack can go through the window. the, and there isn't much in the way of actual evidence that fire sprinklers save lives or save structures. They're mostly there even in commercial buildings to increase the amount of exitingpeople have to get out of the building. They don't put out fires. They control smoke to a point. So, and it, you know, it makes sense if you're in a big quarter building or a hotel or, you know, a high rise, that getting out of the building in the case of a fire is a big serious issue. There's a big difference in scale between a high rise and a fourplex. So, and also the cost of, again, getting the system just to the building is significant.actually costs more than running the pipe inside the building. So that additional cost, say you're trying to build market rate apartments adjacent to a daycare and a place for food and drink. And you get actually a little bit higher rents because you have those community amenities. But if the rents are not high enough to support a more expensive kind of construction, thenyou probably build townhouses or something else. So the notion of the missing middle, there is a whole strata of easily built wood frame buildings that could be built, but for this fire sprinkler requirement that makes the cost too high to be able to recover either with a sales price or with rent. So basically, you can't get the rent, you probably shouldn't build the building. And it'sR. John Anderson (15:19.536)I mean $18 ,000 before you install the system. you're going to, that's the same system you would use for 16 units. Just 16 units would have more pipe. But the core system being kind of, that cost being spread over just three or four units, it kills it off. And it's typically six units or more become kind of the threshold.Kevin K (15:44.958)Well, and there's also an ongoing maintenance cost. mean, you can't just like put in a backflow preventer in a fire sprinkler system and just like let it sit for 50 years and never touch it.R. John Anderson (15:53.284)Yep. Yep. Well, and also the, you'll often hear fire officials talk about, you're going to, you know, okay, so it costs a little bit more on the front end, but people are going to save money on their homeowner's insurance, you know, or, or the building owner will save money on their insurance. And that's just not true because there's more property damage from leaking fire sprinklers than there are from fires. And the folks that issue insurance are smart enough to, you know, look at the actuarial tables and say, Nope, no break for fire sprinklers. So.Kevin K (16:22.59)And I think you can – even if you don't know a of this stuff, you might intuitively kind of know it because if you look around and see what is actually built in terms of new construction and that's why I think one reason when you look around you see an awful lot of – not just single family. I mean there's obviously a big single family market but when you go to duplexes or a townhouse rows where you might have four, six townhouses in a row or something likeYou're doing all of that with the international residential code and you're avoiding all of the complexities of the international building code or the requirements that come with having multiple units.R. John Anderson (17:04.996)Yeah. Also, if you were to do, there's a, there's a paragraph in the international residential code that says, okay, so you could have a duplex and up and down duplex, no fire sprinklers attached to that. know, so you had a ground floor, you know, one bedroom and upstairs, had a two or three bedroom, you know, three story building like you'd see in Savannah. you can't do that without fire sprinklers. Now, once you put two units in a, in a building and attachwith the firewall and everything, now you gotta do fire sprinklers. So, and that's a really, really practical, flexible building type that we can't do because every one of those individual buildings now needs a fire sprinkler system. And there's just, now you're looking at spreading the cost of that red trombone over two units, so.Kevin K (17:56.882)Yeah, it's interesting to me because I think about before the codes unified, there were very different philosophies between like the UBC and the BOCA code. broadly speaking, like one of them was, have very, it was more about building materials and assemblies. And thenwhat became the international code was really just basically about sprinklers. They say we're gonna be a lot more lenient on exiting and materials and other stuff as long as you put in sprinklers. And that's the one that wonR. John Anderson (18:35.93)Yeah, there are other ways to build without sprinklers, but typically the amount of brain damage required is tough. And a lot of times when you take those alternative routes, the building official or file official will say, no, no, why don't you just sprinkle it? And the evolution of codes over time, it wasn't until the, I think the mid sixties.It's been a long time since I had to take my journeyman's test as an electrician, but I think it was the mid 1960s. Before that time, you weren't required to ground outlets. So an old house with no ground, your answering machine, computer, television, anything is kind of at risk because there's no ground. So now grounding outlets became the thing. In about 1975, hardwired smoke detectors became required.And that actually saved a lot of lives. So that was a really effective change in the building code. And when it all got consolidated, the kind of code caulking that was used to bring it all together was, well, yeah, we have all these differences, but I think we can agree that if you sprinkle it, it's no problem. We got it covered. So the end over time.you see that's also the place where you would go to argue about whether how wide a street needs to be because that's incorporated into the fire code. And in recent additions, it went from being 20 foot clear to 26 foot clear, depending on which appendix you adopt. And this is the kind of thing where if some restrictions are a good idea in the name of safety, then more might be better. And I think that a lot of this comesWe have really specialized rules that are not integrated into making places worth caring about. They are specialized and the builder, the developer, the architect, or the people that are responsible to combine these ingredients in a capable way. And then we have them reviewed by a bunch of specialists who each have their own particular set of goals when they do the review.R. John Anderson (20:57.956)And if you've ever worked on a big serious building that had elevators and you had a local electrical inspector and a state elevator inspector, both operating under perfectly good codes, you could be hung up for six months while they fight. And you've built it the way you thought was, the way the architect got it signed off. But in the final turf competition, you couldreally jammed up because now you have specialists that are in conflict. And both of them feel like they have the authority to win.Kevin K (21:36.926)But of course, one of the great ironies of all this is the sort of buildings that we're often trying to reproduce or emulate or do new again have been around for 100, 100 plus years. The truth is most of those were built with a very similar construction method as how we build today. A lot of them were like balloon framed with like a, maybe they have a brick veneer or something like that. But a lot of them aren't like Clay Chapman's structural masonry buildings. They're actuallywood -framed. have no, right, I mean they have no fire rated assemblies at all between the units or between the hallways. Single stair often in many cases, no sprinklers, none of those features at all. And I'm not to say there haven't been fires and tragedies in any of those buildings, but by and large, if you look around, there's enormous wealth of them that have existed for over aR. John Anderson (22:09.124)with really, really thick brick paint that goes onR. John Anderson (22:36.922)Yeah, and I think that the.If the decision about how much risk are we willing to take on, say as a community, that decision is delegated to elected officials and elected officials have staff and they adopt these model codes and enforce them. And the, isn't a lot of defensible territory in the, wait a minute. The rules that you are playing by and you want me to play by are,What's the technical term? Kind of b******t. And I would like to make a case for that. And people get very defensive because I think also people have a really good internal gyroscope for the slippery slope of having to rethink all their assumptions. And they'll put their heels in the ground and it doesn't take much to say no.as opposed to, you you make some interesting points. I would really like to dig into the research on this. I appreciate you brought it to our attention. know, that more commonly is like, look, you make a pretty good case, but if we let you do it, we'd have to let everyone do it. And I know you're a very careful builder, but there are some schlocky guys out there that are gonna make terrible things happen. And we have to protect the public from them. So we're gonna throw you under the same bus we throw them under.So, you know, so a lot of this comes down to how do people perceive and measure risk? How do they communicate about it? And are there benefits out the other side of it that are worth taking that effort? So right now, they're, last count, there are like nine different states that are, that have legislation pending about going to single stair for six stories in a sprinkled building.R. John Anderson (24:36.56)And what that does, if you Google single stair buildings in Seattle, you'll see that the ability to do just one stair allows you to work on a smaller footprint. So it creates a lot of really good infill on 50 by 100 lots or 100 by 100 lots instead of a full half block podium building. The requirement for two stairs anda third of the diagonal distance of that rectangle separating the two stairs. So you got your room to make a choice which stair you're going to. That requirement creates a lot of, and then two rated stair stair assemblies. That creates a lot of corridor buildings to amortize all that common area and all those additional stairs. So they've been building single -story single stair buildings with sprinklers in Europe for a very long time. And it's kind ofit's the established standard for, you know, that portion of the Western world. And so about 12 years ago, there was an amendment made to the local building code in Seattle to allow for single stair buildings. And a lot of them have been built with good success and are perfectly safe. And now the legislature has, I believe, passed it and it's on to the codes commission for rulemaking.The fourplexes don't need fire sprinklers rule didn't make it out of committee. But the but you can see, you know, looking around the country, there's at least nine states that are looking for single stair. And I think that we'll see a similar Montana, you can build a fourplex with no sprinklers in Vermont. You can build a fourplex with no sprinklers. But the.These things end up often sponsored by the local home builders association. In North Carolina, home builders came in with that. It passed in the legislature. It also involves some reduction in the requirements for the energy code. So Republican supermajority got it passed. Democratic governor vetoed it. Supermajority overruled them. Now those areR. John Anderson (26:59.482)Those are supposed to be the rules except that it still has to go to the codes commission and the codes commission doesn't have enough members and members are appointed by the democratic governor. So it became a turf issue about if those guys are for it, I'm against it. Plus, you know, energy codes are for important purposes like climate change. So we can't give ground on that ideologically. So that's kind of the process. And I think that the kind of bottomsupport for these things at a state legislature, you know, one at a time. I think that probably has a better chance than a top -down approach where you make code proposals to the ICC and need to survive the committee review process to be able to have those proposals incorporated in the next round of theI've, I've resisted, I've resisted joining, but I figured out that membership costs this, you know, the same as buying all the hard copy code books, as the non -member. So.Kevin K (27:55.038)Have youKevin K (28:06.398)There you go. Have you seen any discussion at all from the ICC about changing the one and two family to go up to three and four family?R. John Anderson (28:17.808)Not at the ICC in general. There's no proposals currently in the mix. But I think thatIt's a, you know, I only have so much room for research and development and missionary work in my life. the, and my batting average on that is pretty dismal.thought about trying to rally the troops and get multiple proposals in from all over the country. So absent a grant from Melinda and Bill Gates, I don't think I'm going to storm the battlements of a top -down solution.Kevin K (29:09.886)So it wasn't there, was it Memphis that did up to six units without sprinklers?R. John Anderson (29:15.118)Yeah. Yeah. And then it was killed off by the state fire marshal. And so the so the legislative fix to that was to say that the state fire marshal does not have jurisdiction in Shelby County or kind of was like in there, tagged on to some other bill. So the so now you can do six units, no forest reclures, but withtypically two hour separations between units, which is not a heavy cost because by the building code, the sound transmission requirements you have, if you just pick the right wall sandwich, you will exceed the two hour fire rating by the time you get to the sound transmission coefficient number of 59, which isthe minimum between units and multifamily.Kevin K (30:14.43)Isn't it mostly just like a double layer of Type X drywall on both sides?R. John Anderson (30:18.352)Yeah, typically double layer on resilient channel or double layer on double studs with air gap. So, you know, and it's 5 -8, two layers of 5 -8.Kevin K (30:27.912)Yeah, okay.Kevin K (30:33.65)Yeah, and the whole scheme of things that's cheaper than the sprinkler deal.R. John Anderson (30:38.5)Yeah, it's also the, just makes for a much quieter unit, you know, which is a benefit that your residents would see as a good thing.Kevin K (30:46.034)Yeah, no doubt.Kevin K (30:53.586)Right. Right. So we've talked a little bit about, you know, the sprinkler issues that relates to three, four, five, six plexes, that sort of thing. We've talked about the single stair exiting possibility. What else are you seeing that like small developers should be really aware of when it comes to, or like red flags when it comes to other code issues besides what you might see in the zoningR. John Anderson (31:18.698)the, one of the things that you'll, it's a confusing problem. all, facial tissues are not manufactured by Kimberly Clark called Kleenex, right? But if you said pass me a Kleenex, people know exactly what you're talking about. The brand name has become kind of the generic name. The same thing happens with accessibility requirements.the Americans with Disabilities Act governs basically places of public accommodation, commercial offices, retail, movie theaters, universities, hospitals, state capitals. And the Fair Housing Act governs the accessibility requirements for residential.and you need to have four units or more to have that building be covered by that set of standards. So if you were going to have four units in a fourplex, two up, two down, all of the ground floor units would be required to be accessible, adaptable. That doesn't mean they have to be accessible when you build them, but they have to be adapted to be accessible in a reasonable period of time if someone with a disability wants to rentSo what that turns into is doors with enough clearance, lever hardware, enough backing in the bathrooms to put in grab bars, enough space between appliances and counters, and be able to get into the building with a zero -slip entry. So we typically build porches, you know, two and a half feet over the surrounding grade. And the way that we handlethat adaptability issue is in a fourplex with a raised floor. The ramp you put in goes down the side of a narrow deep building and brings you up to the front porch elevation. So, and you don't have to do that until someone shows up and wants to rent that, you know, is in a wheelchair or whatever. So, but the people can, a lot of people conflate accessibility for residential with ADA.R. John Anderson (33:44.634)people talk about ADA requirements as if that's all of the accessibility requirements. So for small developers, it's important to understand if you did a mixed use building, the commercial on the ground floor is governed by the ADA, although there's some square footage exceptions for certain things. And then the units upstairs, if you decided to put all four units on top of the commercial space on the ground floor, as far as the Fair Housing Act is concerned,the second floor is now the ground floor, because that's the first place that housing occurs. So now you either need a really big difference in grade or an elevator, which you're not going to amortize over four units. So the better play is to put one unit, however small or modest on the ground floor, because in a non -elevator building, all ground floor units need to be accessible, adaptable, all one of them in this case.Kevin K (34:41.534)John, what might an elevator cost in round numbers, just to by way of thinking aboutR. John Anderson (34:47.504)Well, there's like the base, the cab and the equipment round numbers, that's going to be 50 to 75 ,000. And then you're going to see typically about 25 ,000 a stop in the additional shaft way. And that's for hydraulic. Once you've ever stayed on the fifth floor of a Hampton Inn, that's a hydraulic elevator and you're able tosome maybe some bad life choices by the time you get to the fifth floor because they're very slow at that point. So four stories is kind of the effective maximum for a hydraulic and at which point now you go to a traction elevator which is significant but another 50 to 60 percent more expensive per floor. So again if you are in a situation where you're going to have to have an elevator for market reasons orfor accessibility reasons, you need a lot of units to be able to spread that cost. Because it's not only a first cost, there's the ongoing maintenance and your insurance is gonna go up. But also your construction cost is gonna go up because as soon as you introduce an elevator into the building, kind of all the trades sort of start to move their numbers up or drop out because, yeah.Elevator inspector as an HVAC guy used to doing two story buildings. I don't think I need that guy in my life, you know, because I'm supposed to provide exhaust for the shaft and they're really picky about how you do that. And I just don't do enough elevator buildings to, and I'm busy anyway, you know, so there there's a point where, it's like there, there are buildings that are scaled right for a small developer. And then there's the nextKevin K (36:22.034)Yeah.R. John Anderson (36:45.104)which is a significant bump in the number of units, the cost, the overall scale and complexity of the project. there's, and the folks have a, often have a mistaken notion about that being same as, you know, that's the same as, as the four townhouses I built, just 40 units with an elevator and corridors and fire sprinklers. What's the worry? You know, you know, if I'm going to do four units in this town with all the brain damage I got to go through, I may as well doYou know, so now I get to raise more money. It costs more to build on a per square foot basis. My rents have to be higher. Everything sort of starts to snowball in complexity and scale. And what you should have done as a small developer is instead of, you know, swinging for the fences with that home run, that great project that now you don't have to work anymore. You should do a series of small projects and have a portfolio that is made up of things that.You weren't just doubling down until you lost everything. And you see conventional developers doing the same thing. it's like, you know, if I'm going to, you know, in California, it's probably the best example. If I'm going to do 400 units, may as well do 4 ,000 because the environmental litigation will cost about the same. You know, and also if I can get the stuff approved now, because the barriers to entry are so high, I can definitely make money on 4 ,000 units.400 is kind of sketchy, I don't know, it's a small deal.Kevin K (38:17.534)Yeah, I was just having this conversation with a couple of developers, friends the other day here and like in our city. Like there's just, there's no, there's a lot of great discussion and talk about reform to enable small scale stuff. But when you actually put pencil to paper and start to do a project, like the, the review machine has no mechanism to handle.smaller scale stuff or at all. And so everything pushes for bigness. And it's frustrating because there are a lot of us who I think would like to do some smaller scale stuff. But know, John, this is one reason like you developed, you created the 4F building prototype was to really kind of help smaller developers understand like a hack around some of these different codes.R. John Anderson (39:12.622)Yeah, and that's around the same time that, at that time you could in Texas, Idaho, Nevada, and a few other places, you could build a fourplex without, fire sprinklers. and those were some of the very few places during the great recession that you could build anything. So, it seemed to make sense. What's happened since then is that the fire sprinklers will, you know, the form follows finance fourplex really at this point should be two duplexes on the same lot or.a four unit cottage court or something. David Kim was really instrumental in hacking the code to come up with the three story single stair walk up. And that could be a mixed use building with one unit on the ground floor and then no more than four units on each of the second and third floor and had a maximum exiting number. So we kindIt's kind of like working an investment strategy around the tax code. You know, it's like that's that we're going to have to fit this box. And what we found was that you do wood frame construction. You could do a tall ground floor if you needed retail. And you could do either nine units, four on each of the second and third floor and one unit on the ground floor, the rest commercial, or you could do 12 units all the way down to the bottom, or you can add additional units on the ground floor as long as theydirect access for exiting on the outside wings or something on the back. So that type is getting a lot of traction. The same time Eric Brown and Union Studio had developed similar buildings using the same analysis of the code. So there's a number of those that have been built.That one of the benefits when you're doing a small multi -family building with fire sprinklers and the like is that you, if you're only doing four units on a floor, the common area is basically the stairway at a very large landing. So you end up with maybe four, about six to 8 % of the building area is common area compared to the 15 to 18 % you see in corridor buildings.R. John Anderson (41:36.752)So got to pay to build it, you got to pay to clean it, maintain it, insure it, et cetera. And so being able to reduce the common area, being able to reduce the number of stairs, together buildings that would fit on a 50 or 100 foot lot opens up a lot of opportunities for three story buildings and for mixed use. But again, ADA for the commercial and Fair Housing Act for the rest.Kevin K (42:04.712)Right. So it's really kind of funny because I think I don't think I ever really learned about the Fair Housing Act until you and I started working together, which was, you know, easily almost a decade into my career as an architect. And then we started like looking at the Fair Housing Act. There actually are some interesting workarounds besides like the ground floor thing in the Fair Housing Act. So one or two that I want you to talk about the townhouse rules for fair housing.But one I remember is I think it was adopted in what 1983 and it exempts all buildings built before that year if I remember right. 91, okay.R. John Anderson (42:45.127)1991, May, March of 1991, March 30th, 1991. So if you have an older built.Kevin K (42:48.902)Okay. It's almost like you'd memorize that or like tattooed it somewhere.R. John Anderson (42:53.712)You remember back in the early days of computers when offices didn't have IT people and whoever had figured out how to stay on hold for three hours with Dell computers to get a technical support answer?Kevin K (43:13.534)or was like me, was like the 18 or 19 year old who just grew up with computers, that was the IT person.R. John Anderson (43:16.644)Yep. Yep. And the fact that you could figure out how to download a print driver, you were now the go -to guy. And the more people came to you and asked for help with their print driver, the more problems you solve. the, you know, the fact that you never got a raise because you were the de facto IT guy. So these days for our own purposes, we have dug into this stuff. And then you start to look around and say, wait a minute, not everybody has done this homework. No, no, it's likeKevin K (43:23.228)Yeah. yeah.R. John Anderson (43:46.126)No, we're really busy and it's really hard and really complicated already. You know, we already have the building code and the fire code and everything else. Fair Housing Act. Jesus. So the, so I really, I have a hard time passing up on a chance to reduce my sense of imposter syndrome. It's like, I really am a legitimate guy, you know? No, no, I've read this. Let me send it to you, youDid you read it? No, I didn't. just took a word for it. So no, you got to read it and tell other people about it. You know, it's like, so you, you, ended up coming across as some sort of, you know, uh, crazy person, you know, the kind of people who nailed their 19 thesis to the door of the church and Wittenberg kind of guy, you know, like, uh, that was not my intent, but it's sort of evolved thatKevin K (44:40.072)So anyway, one thing I remember, so a great workaround in the Fair Housing Act, I've had a lot of people over the years talk to me about, have like a old historic mixed use building and they don't want to, they're scared to renovate the upstairs for residential because of what they say ADA, just like to your point, it's not ADA, it's actually fair housing. And my point was no, you're exempt.R. John Anderson (45:06.212)You're exempt. One of the problems, those buildings are covered by the international existing building code, which gives fire officials and building officials a lot of latitude about how you get to the intent of the code, how much effort is going to be required given the level of renovation you're doing. And that same sort of metric is appliedaccessibility upgrades for places covered with the ADA, know, more than 20, you know, can you devote 25 % of your budget to accessibility? Well, $25 ,000 in bathroom upgrades doesn't go very far. It's pretty easy to do. But when it comes time, when, when, uh, the current building code says, if you have residential occupancy over mercantile or business or, know, anything else, that's a big.hazard and now you need to have fire sprinklers because it's under the international building code. International residential existing building code says look if you can put another layer of drywall on the ceiling and create a two -hour rating around the stairway you're good you know. Also you need to use a firecock anytime conduits go through a through a rated floor orA lot of building officials are not ready to, you know, to learn about how much discretion they have or why they should use it in order to be able to get those second story apartments back online on Main Street. So the so even though it's in the code that they have adopted that this could happen, they're not trained at it. They don't get any practice at it. It basically, you know, goes through kind of the code egg sorter. Let's you know, you're spending this much money. You're now you need to bring it all up to code.So in those settings,R. John Anderson (47:06.434)Eric Cromberg is probably the best person to talk to about what the international existing code will allow you to do if you can explain it to the people enforcing it. And I think it's important to do that before you submit your plans with your code analysis and your stamp and wet signature next to the code analysis that says, I really do know what I'm talking about. Please look up these sections.You need to, you you need to talk with your building officials about the intent of the code and the like. And have you seen this section of the, know, you have to cultivate those relationships so that people trust you rather than they feel like they have to defend their turf. So, but the, the, the townhouse exemption and fair housing act is two story units are exempt from being covered by fair housing act, which.accounts for some of the enthusiasm for building rental townhouses.Kevin K (48:07.868)Yeah, yeah. And can you stack them then?R. John Anderson (48:12.75)No. No, if you stack a townhouse now, that's two units between, even though they have a firewall, once you put two units into a townhouse, now you're into fire sprinklers.Kevin K (48:24.86)Okay, yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. All right, so yeah, so just again to clarify a little bit in case we're making people's heads spin a little bit. I think it might be, but like when you talked about the international existing building codes is yet another code that's part of the model code family and it has to be adopted. I don't think like my city has adopted it. I think there are a lot of local governmentsR. John Anderson (48:36.624)I think the odds in that are pretty high.R. John Anderson (48:53.392)I would, if you look, it's in there in the alphabet soup of adopted codes. Most, most folks.Kevin K (48:56.188)Yeah. Okay. But it was, it was created, okay. It was created for the express purpose of making renovation of more historic buildings easier.R. John Anderson (49:07.588)Yeah. And the, all of the, the, the best parts of the international existing building code are all the paragraphs about intent, you know, and if you're sitting down with a code official about that, said, okay, so this says the intent is this, can we agree that that's, you know, that's a good intent? And if we can get, if we can satisfy that, you know, this project, can we get to yes, you know, the,But folks in those kind of positions don't want to be called out for being wrong or dogmatic or they wouldn't want to be characterized as Pharisees, which is usually the word that's like, I'm thinking that really loud and I'm in those meetings. The blind guides. So I think that it's about building relationships with the staff that are dealing with that.And I think in order to get to that point, small developers probably need to international residential code compliant buildings and establish trust with their neighbors so that you've built that foundation of support and you're blunting some of the opposition that might come if you're looking for some kind of entitlement later. But if you're just asking for building permits,build your track record and build your trust, be the person who does what they say they're going to do. Hire local folks, train local folks, create enough daylight in between you and the big production builder from out of town or the developer from the other side of town where you are, if this is going to happen, we would rather our person do it. Janine is the person who's built all those great carriage houses in our neighborhood.And we would like to see her be able to continue to do that. So we think that, you know, it's reasonable that we should, you when she renovates the old trolley stop, mixed use buildings, she shouldn't have to put in fire sprinklers, youKevin K (51:19.954)Yeah. Yeah. And to kind of put a last piece on it that is ever much so fun is there's the human element to all of this. And I was, I actually saw a tweet this morning from our friend Aaron Lubeck about, I think a builder friend in where he is in Durham had a project submitted and one staff reviewer for some, I can't remember the exact story, but there were like two different staff reviewers or code reviewers on it. And one of them came back with likeNo,R. John Anderson (51:53.264)Hard to get good help.Kevin K (51:54.686)That's OK.R. John Anderson (51:57.216)I'm being protected from marauding squirrels on the telephone wires.Kevin K (52:01.022)I fully understand. But basically, one staff person had no comments, and another one came back with 25 comments. And so there's a human element to this that the people who review your application and are looking to apply the building code may end up with very different interpretations of what is required and what is not required. So John, advice on how to navigateR. John Anderson (52:27.182)Well, the plan checkers and the building inspectors report to the chief building official. And that's a position that you have to identify when you adopt the building code. You know, you're, you're, you know, that's a job description that, that has to get filled. And sometimes that person has many other responsibilities, but there's somebody identified as the last word as the chief building official. Appointments with that person.and conversations about intent and, you know, demonstrating that you're trying to build something that will be safe and reasonable. And that you're trying to get to the intent of the code. If you can build that relationship,if you're sideways with a plan checker, it's like, well, we have, we have two very different opinions about this. Can we bring in the chief building official to, you know, break the tie or maybe advise a different approach? You know, are you okay with that? It's like, it's, it's, you know, it's not personal, you know, I definitely think this is working and my, my architect who's responsible for the safety of this building until the end of their natural life,that person, you know, has signed off on it. The city's got no liability here, even though you believe it does. So we think we've got you covered for liability. We think we've been responsible as professionals. How about it? I mean, come on, you know, but you need to build that relationship demonstrating that you are not not someone who's, you know, given to tantrumsor calling city council members, city manager, you're not gonna go over their head. You wanna work it out within that smaller circle. The day you go overhead, you go up the food chain, you can mark that day because now from now on, all your plan checks are gonna be given extra scrutiny and given to the most senior person and the most careful person in the group.R. John Anderson (54:41.014)More difficult is the situation where somebody will pick up a set of plans that are pretty much done by a junior person and then redline it and say, no, no, it has to be like this. And your conversation likely when you get your plans back is going to be with the junior person who can't actually articulate what the senior person did. And it's quite possible that they were wrong.but now you got that extra layer to go through. So to be able to get to the person who can say grace on the whole arrangement and build that relationship and demonstrate that while you have that relationship, you're not always going to pull that card. You're not going to do it for every little thing. And it's like the...There's kind of a quick sorting system that plan check and building inspectors have. If this person is basically doing a good job, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt because they're consistently doing a good job. If this person is a jerk, I think it's my duty to protect my fellow building inspectors from this monster.You know, and I need to actually maybe cross the line a little bit in order to be able to put this guy in his place because he never read the code. You know, so the, there's a whole lot of high school hallway one -upsmanship that goes on usually between males. I think that female building officials and female contractors and developers typically are more rigorous instudy and their presentation and their communication skills. and I think recovering elementary school teachers who've become small developers, their communication skills are awesome because their expectation for human behavior is fairly modest.Kevin K (56:41.662)No doubt, no doubt. All right, John, before we wrap, any final words or thoughts for people to think about as they look at codes?R. John Anderson (56:53.602)Well, I think that particularly for small developers, it's really important because of the level of complexity and kind of the possibility that code issue will just stop your project altogether. It's important to become, don't leave it to your architect to be the last word on the code. It's OK to have spirited discussions about it. ButGet Francis Ching's books about, you know, the building codes illustrated or the international residential code illustrated, which when you read the code, there are a lot of things that you end up making a sketch or a diagram. So you see if you've got it figured out because it makes references from one section to another. You can't just hold it all in your head. The great thing about the Frank Ching books is that he's made those drawings much better than youand they communicate really effectively and you can bring that into the meeting. don't subcontract code compliance to somebody else because just like you wouldn't subcontract your personal guarantee on the construction loan to someone else, it's that serious. And start with small projects. Make small code problems and solveKevin K (58:10.386)Yeah, noKevin K (58:16.638)Yes, some of us may. We may learn to take that advice one day or maybe not, who knows.R. John Anderson (58:24.448)Well, I have a steady stream of I told you so's on any day of the week. So I'm happy to help people out with that.Kevin K (58:33.054)Yeah. All right, John, thanks so much. this. All right. See you later.R. John Anderson (58:35.994)Sure, take care.Thank you. Get full access to The Messy City at kevinklinkenberg.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we present a Recast of a previous “roundtable discussion” between  Rachel, Chris, and previous host Lucas Stuber on early intervention and AAC! (Note: Recast episodes are episodes from the early days of TWT that Chris and Rachel want to highlight again). In this episode, Rachel shares her experiences with using AAC with very young children and discusses the benefits and challenges with early AAC implementation. They explore the misconception that AAC might hinder verbal development, as well as parental concerns regarding AAC as “screen time”, the importance of multimodal communication options, and more!   Before the episode, Rachel shares that she no longer agrees with a position she shared on the podcast. In the roundtable, she shares that PECS can be a good option for learning initiation skills with AAC. Rachel no longer believes PECS is a good option for teaching language initiation to emergent communicators. Rachel clarifies that high-tech devices offer more robust and flexible communication options, which are usually more effective in supporting language development. She no longer suggests delaying the introduction of high-tech AAC if at all possible.   Key Ideas this Episode:  

Time to take on the world! Theo breaks down the upcoming World Junior Ultimate Championships in the UK and gets you ready for all the international action. Before that Kelsey Hayden makes a guest appearance to help recap recent tournaments that happened including Boston Invite, both PECs and BC Senior Regionals. Don't think Theo forgot about No Borders. He gives all of us his picks and insight as the final tourney before CUC takes place this weekend.

There are bad dads, and then there's the dad played by Dylan Walsh in the first half of a two-parter to kick of Season 20. Hold onto your--wait, are we still doing phrasing? Ummm, be prepared, yeah, be prepared for some gnarly stuff in this installment of SVU. Also, be ready to watch seasoned detectives on this unit have no idea how to investigate the crimes they've been investigating for decades. At least we get some pretty hawt Stone action in the cold open...Music:Divorcio Suave - "Munchy Business"Thanks to our gracious Munchies on Patreon: Jeremy S, Jaclyn O, Amy Z, Nikki B, Diana R, Tony B, Zak B, Barry W, Sara L, Drew D, Nicky R, Stuart, Jacqi B, Natalie T, Robyn S, Isabel P, Christine L, Amy A, Sean M, Jay S, Briley O, Asteria K, Suzanne B, Tim Y, Douglas P, John P, John W, Elia S, Rebecca B, Kevin, Lily, Lucy, Sarah L, Melsa A, Alyssa C, Johnathon M, Tiffany C, and Brian B - y'all are the best!Be a Munchie, too! Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/munchmybensonBe sure to check out our other podcast diving into long unseen films of our guests' youth: Unkind Rewind at our website or on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcastsFollow us on: BlueSky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Reddit (Adam's Twitter/BlueSky and Josh's Twitter/BlueSky/Letterboxd/Substack)Join our Discord: Munch Casts ServerCheck out Munch Merch: Munch Merch at ZazzleCheck out our guest appearances:Both of us on: FMWL Pod (1st Time & 2nd Time), Storytellers from Ratchet Book Club, Chick-Lit at the Movies talking about The Thin Man, and last but not least on the seminal L&O podcast …These Are Their Stories (Adam and Josh).Josh debating the Greatest Detectives in TV History on The Great Pop Culture Debate Podcast and talking SVU/OC on Jacked Up Review Show.Visit Our Website: Munch My BensonEmail the podcast: munchmybenson@gmail.comNext Week's Episode: Season 11, Episode 21 "Torch" ***Munchies' Choice***Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/munch-my-benson-a-law-order-svu-podcast--5685940/support.

In this episode of Teach Task Box Inspire, Lisa continues her mini-series on setting up an effective Autism classroom, focusing on the critical importance of communication for students with Autism. She emphasizes the necessity of providing constant access to communication tools like PECS books, iPads, core boards, and AAC devices to help students express their needs and reduce frustration and behaviors. Lisa shares her experiences and strategies for embedding communication opportunities throughout the classroom, highlighting the importance of modeling device use and training staff to ensure consistent support. Part 6 of the mini-series is for everyone, communication will always be an essential part of any classroom.Resources Mentioned:Free training: 3 Simple and Powerful Ways to Cultivate Independence in Your Special Education Classroom Show Notes: https://chalkboardsuperhero.com/episode35

No podcast ‘Notícia No Seu Tempo', confira em áudio as principais notícias da edição impressa do jornal ‘O Estado de S.Paulo' desta terça-feira, (18/06/2024): A equipe econômica do governo se reuniu com o presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva e avalia conduzir a agenda de revisão de gastos por dois caminhos: um de curto prazo, com medidas de efeito imediato, e outro para ações de longo prazo, ou que precisem de aval do Legislativo. Nesse segundo caso podem ser necessárias uma ou mais Propostas de Emenda à Constituição (PECs). As discussões ocorrem num momento de forte cobrança de empresários e do mercado para revisão de gastos públicos. Um dos temas que poderão ser alvo dessas PECs é a prorrogação da Desvinculação de Receitas da União (DRU). Por meio da DRU, o governo pode usar livremente 30% de todos os tributos federais vinculados a fundos ou despesas. Ontem, o dólar chegou a R$ 5,42, alta atribuída à percepção de piora do quadro fiscal. E mais: Política: Dino afirma que orçamento secreto não acabou e cobra Lula e o Congresso Metrópole: Câmara ensaia recuo em projeto do aborto; OAB já admite ir ao Supremo Internacional: Netanyahu desfaz gabinete de guerra e concentra decisões em seu governo Esportes: Cruzeiro desiste de Dudu, que diz não ser hora de sair Caderno 2: Com novas emoções, ‘Divertida Mente 2' chega à adolescênciaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Kaneesha and Sio are back with their foolishness for pure entertainment lol. We jump around on many different topics from current events to digging into their personal lives. What are some things that men do that they think are turn ons but really women think they are turn off's, have you ever revealed the wildest place you've ever had a quickie, how about snapchat sexting and feet pics, all these topics and more including scheduled crying and weird confessions revealed in today's episode.

SHOW NOTES:Proverbs 14:29, Acts 19, Ephesians 1:17-23, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 1 Timothy 4:13, CCC 166

In this weekly live Q&A in Tom The Trainer's Tribe, I answered questions for the members and some of my clients regarding...How much protein is required to avoid weight loss while reducing body fat percentage?Some common causes for knee pain and what's best to do.What factors are most important to get that lower chest sculpted look? Can you truly put more emphasis on those muscle fibers for development?Ways to keep shocking the muscles for steady gains.Hydration. Is there a cut-off time you should stop drinking water? to avoid staying up all night and going to the bathroom.Join Tom The Trainer's Tribe and message me the word “coaching” on Instagram at Tomthetrainerfitness or Facebook at Tom Trainer Mouland!Have the best day ever!Tom The Trainer

Le président Xi Jinping est attendu ce mercredi 8 mai au soir en Hongrie, la troisième étape de sa tournée européenne. Un pays où la Chine est bienvenue, notamment pour investir dans le véhicule électrique. La Hongrie est aujourd'hui le troisième producteur mondial de batteries. Très loin derrière la Chine qui fabrique les trois quarts des batteries, mais tout près du numéro deux, les États-Unis qui fournissent 6% de la demande. Un numéro deux que Viktor Orban rêve de dépasser d'ici à 2030. Mégalomanie pour les uns, vrai plan de développement pour les autres, sa politique industrielle est constante.Les grandes marques automobiles allemandes, coréennes, japonaises sont déjà installées en Hongrie, mais c'est la Chine qui fait la différence avec des investissements record dans le véhicule électrique. Le numéro un mondial des batteries, le chinois CATL a investi plus de sept milliards de dollars pour construire une giga factory. Le plus grand investissement étranger de tous les temps pour la Hongrie.La ruée des acteurs chinoisBeaucoup d'autres acteurs chinois ont des projets en cours. Le constructeur BYD a une usine en chantier. Et on murmure qu'un nouveau méga-investissement pourrait être annoncé pendant la visite de Xi Jinping. Par Great Wall Motor, un autre poids lourd chinois du e-véhicule. Il aurait dans ses cartons un projet d'usine proche de la ville de Pecs où doit se rendre le dirigeant chinois.Pour la Chine, de plus en plus snobée par les Vingt-Sept, l'accueil enthousiaste que lui réserve la Hongrie est une aubaine politique, mais aussi économique. Elle trouve sur place une main-d'œuvre bon marché et un gouvernement peu regardant sur les normes environnementales et très accommodant sur le plan fiscal avec les ristournes généreuses accordées aux investisseurs chinois. Ses constructeurs ont désormais une partie de leurs ateliers installés au cœur même de l'Union européenne, un marché vital pour leur industrie.Pari gagnant pour la Hongrie ?L'automobile représente environ 15% du PIB hongrois en intégrant les équipementiers. Développer cette industrie avec les capitaux chinois lui permet d'accélérer la cadence. Mais à quel prix pour l'environnement, s'interrogent les sceptiques. Des accidents parfois mortels sont déjà survenus à cause des déchets toxiques émis par ces nouvelles usines.Dans le village où est installée la giga factory de CATL, la population s'inquiète aussi de la pollution et de la surconsommation d'eau de l'usine qui pourrait épuiser les faibles ressources aquifères de la région. D'après un sondage réalisé par un institut américain, 52% de la population hongroise se déclarait hostile à la présence chinoise en 2022, 15% de plus qu'il y a cinq ans. Mais il y a toujours une majorité de Hongrois qui accordent leur confiance à Viktor Orban, le meilleur allié européen de la Chine. La Hongrie de Viktor Orban se définit elle-même comme la tête de pont de la Chine en Europe. À des années-lumière de la confrontation et de l'autonomie stratégique de l'Europe prônée par la France où Xi Jinping a commencé sa tournée.À lire aussiLa Hongrie, porte d'entrée des «nouvelles routes de la soie» en Europe

In their first Patreon Request episode Jacob and Drew welcome back Nate Marchand from The Monster Island Film Vault to review the Best Kong Animated Musical! Best is a relative term. They also review the next two episodes of Spy X Family, Resulting in an epically long episode! The Monster Island Film Vault - https://monsterislandfilmvault.com/ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TheCelCast Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheCelCast  Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/thecelcastgaming YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQcGNpWEc5qP7oKkxPWQEsw  Twitter - https://twitter.com/cast_cel Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecelcast/ Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1452118040  Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly90aGVjZWxjYXN0LnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2ZlZWQueG1s  Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-cel-cast  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4ETrW9WhJ44uLhr4bU03uK   This Podcast is apart of Pop Americana, For more great shows like this one visit  https://popamericana.wixsite.com/popamericana and This Podcast is apart of the Culture Box, For more great shows like this one visit  https://culturebox.media

Cari and Jim discuss the reasons why Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an outdated AAC option. 

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with György Buzsaki about the inside out framework of the brain. They discuss the outside-in vs. inside-out framework for understanding the brain, causation as problematic for self-organizing systems, and perception and action on thought. They mention the Bayesian brain model, reinforcement and reward, brain systems and neural syntax, space and time within the hippocampus, the future of using the inside-out framework, and many more topics. György Buzsáki is a neuroscientist and Biggs Professor of Neuroscience at the NYU School of Medicine. He has his MD and PhD in neuroscience from the University of Pecs in Hungary. His main interest areas are on neural syntax and hippocampal networks. He is the author of numerous books including the most recent book, The Brain From Inside Out. Website: https://buzsakilab.com/wp/ Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

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Fan-favorite Dr. Andy Bondy joins me again to talk about... you guessed it... AAC! In this episode, we discuss a paper he published last year in the journal, Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, that is titled, "Issues Related to AAC and SGD Use by Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder." We get into why he felt this paper was necessary to write, how he chose to communicate his thoughts to an audience beyond those of us in behavior analysis, why he likes the term, "under what conditions" so much, what does and does not constitute a "robust" communication repertoire, the role of teaching words like "please" and Andy's nuanced view of this practice, whether the sound from Speech Generation Devices matter, and lots more.  We also got into a really interesting discussion on the distinction between pointing to pictures vs. exchanging them with communicative partners, and how that difference impacts Joint Attention.  We closed the show by talking about two topics that have been receiving lots of discussion as of late: Spelling to Communicate and Gestalt Language Processing. Lastly, ended the show by taking a question from a Patreon member about Andy's thoughts regarding the use of activity schedules, and whether they qualify as prompts, or something else.  Andy's previous episodes (the shownotes to these shows also have many links to great studies germane to this episode). Jason Traver's episode. All things PECS.  A critical review of Natural Language Acquisition. GLP is a Fad IG page.  SLPs against pseudoscience IG page.  This episode is brought to you by: The University of Cincinnati Online. UC Online designed a Master of Education in Behavior Analysis program that is 100% online and asynchronous, meaning you log on when it works for you. Want to learn more? Go to online.uc.edu and click the “request info” button. HRIC Recruiting. Barb Voss has been placing BCBAs in permanent positions throughout the US for just about a decade, and has been in the business more generally for 30 years. When you work with HRIC, you work directly with Barb, thereby accessing highly personalized service. So if you're about to graduate, you're looking for a change of pace, or you just want to know if the grass really is greener on the other side, head over to HRIColorado.com to schedule a confidential chat right away. ACE Approved CEUs from .... Behavioral Observations. That's right, get your CEUs while driving, walking your dog, doing the dishes, or whatever else you might have going on, all while learning from your favorite podcast guests! Behavior University. Their mission is to provide university quality professional development for the busy Behavior Analyst. Learn about their CEU offerings, including their brand new 8-hour Supervision Course, as well as their RBT offerings over at behavioruniversity.com/observations.

What's in a name? That which we call iPACK by any other name would...well, actually, we're not sure. In this controversial episode Amit and Jeff debate (and disagree!) about proper naming conventions, the value of eponyms, and who has the right to name blocks. Stay tuned for CAPS, PECS, RAPTIR, SPANK, and more...

How do I target my lower chest? Is infrared or steam sauna better? All that and more in this episode. Signature Series P3S9 for 24 hours only! 20% OFF ALL MERCH! PapaSwolio.com ----------------------------- Click here to ⁠Join The SwoleFam Watch the full episodes here: Subscribe on Rumble Submit A Question⁠ For The Show  Use Code "GTTFG" to get 10% OFF ALL MERCH! Get On Papa Swolio's Email List Download The 7 Pillars Ebook  Try A Swolega Class From Inside Swolenormous X  Get Your Free $10 In Bitcoin    Questions? Email Us: Support@Swolenormous.com

In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2024 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Rami Kantar, Yoshi Toyoda, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest Amy Colwell, MD, discuss the following articles from the January 2024 issue: “Assessing the Efficacy of the S-PECS Block in Breast Augmentation Surgery: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial” by Sforza, Saghir, Saghir, et al. Read the article for FREE: https://bit.ly/S-PECSBlock Special guest Amy Colwell, MD, from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard University. Dr. Colwell is a plastic surgeon specializing in breast reconstruction, aesthetic breast surgery, and body contouring at MGH while also serving as a Co-editor for PRS Journal. She completed her general surgery training at the Brigham and Women's Hospital followed by plastic surgery training in the Harvard combined training program. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/JCJan24Collection    

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) can be incredibly beneficial for helping our students with autism to communicate. Often, the term PECS is misused to talk about using pictures as a form of communication. However, PECS is actually a system that has specific phases that help in expanding the functions of our students' communication.We want students to be able to communicate in an effective way, and I truly love PECS for encouraging our students to communicate. In this episode, I am clearing up some misconceptions about PECS, sharing ten reasons that I love PECS, and encouraging special educators to use it with their students.01:20 - The truth behind a common misunderstanding about the Picture Exchange Communication System02:52 - What PECS actually is and how it encourages speech07:58 - How PECS encourages initiating communication11:30 - The benefit of using pictures within PECS to communicate13:05 - How the Picture Exchange Communication System builds on students' strengthsShow Notes: http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode197Resources:Check out the PECS WebsitePECS Training ManualShop the Augmentative Communication Boards on TpTJoin the Autism Classroom Resources' Free Resource Library Get more information about the Special Educator AcademyJoin the Free Facebook Group If you're enjoying this podcast, could you please take a quick moment to leave your review on Apple Podcasts? It would mean the world to me and will help spread the word to other special educators. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Welcome to Trash for Trash! Today our lovable trash babies discuss 1987's sword, sorcery, and steroid spectacular "The Barbarians." Want to watch exclusive Funhaus content? Click the link! https://www.youtube.com/funhaus/join or https://fun.haus/first Follow Us On Social: https://twitter.com/jameswillems https://twitter.com/handsomemaster2 Tshirts n stuff: https://store.roosterteeth.com/collections/funhaus Welcome to Funhaus, the internet's ONLY comedy, gaming, and variety channel since 2015! Trash for Trash is two filthy trashmen, who love watching trashy movies. Join them as they talk through some of the worst achievements in cinematic history. They're watching it so you don't have to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Chris and Rachel interview Otto Lana (@otto_types), an autistic advocate who uses multiple modalities, including AAC, to communicate. Otto is also an intern at Kindred Communication (gokindred.com), which specializes in providing speech, language, and AAC coaching services. Otto shares about his AAC journey, why he believes literacy and typing skills need to be more emphasized for AAC users, his preference for positive instead of neutral or negative terms (i.e. nonspeaking) to refer to people with complex communication needs, and more!   Before the interview, Chris and Rachel banter (in the same room!) about how they try to keep an open mind when dealing with information that doesn't agree with what they have heard before, and how that approach helps them stay current with many of the changes in the field over the years.   Key ideas this week: