Podcasts about Sitting

There are a few conversations that stop me in my tracks, and this was one of them. Sitting across from Tim and Demi-Leigh Tebow, I wasn't just speaking to a Heisman Trophy winner and a former Miss Universe. I was sitting with two people who live out their faith with more authenticity, humility, and conviction than almost anyone I've ever met. What struck me most is how both of them, despite the platforms they've been given, have had to wrestle with identity, comparison, loss, and purpose, just like the rest of us. Tim shared the heart behind his new book Look Again and what it really means to understand your worth through God's eyes, not the world's. When he said, “We use people and value things, instead of valuing people and using things,” it hit me hard. He reminded us that every single human being carries the image of God, that you're not just bearing His image, you are His image. You are royalty. That truth changes how you see yourself and how you see others. Demi opened up about her journey from wearing the Miss Universe crown to realizing that she had attached her identity to it and the freedom she found when she handed it back. She also shared the raw pain of losing her father just days before our conversation and how she's choosing faith in the middle of heartbreak. Her story is one of strength, surrender, and trust, choosing not to ask “Why?” but “Where?” Where is God working this together for good? That perspective will change how you face every challenge in your own life. We also talked about something that's destroying people quietly, comparison. Tim reminded us that comparison kills joy. You can't be grateful and envious at the same time. And Demi shared her own powerful insight: when you scroll through social media, you're often letting people who don't love you speak into your life. It's time to take back that space and fill it with truth. And perhaps most moving of all, we dove into the heart of their work through the Tim Tebow Foundation, serving the most vulnerable around the world. From survivors of human trafficking to children with special needs, they're proof that when you stop and see people the way God does, everything changes. You don't need a big platform to make a difference, you just need a willing heart. Key Takeaways: How to find your true identity and worth through God's eyes Why comparison kills joy and how to break free from it How to find hope and peace in the middle of loss The difference between bearing God's image and being His image How small acts of compassion can create massive change in someone's life This is one of those conversations you'll feel deep in your soul. If you've ever doubted your worth, questioned your faith, or wondered if God still sees you, this one's for you. Max out your life. Also don't miss out on MAXOUT2026: Once a year, I open my home for an intimate one-day experience unlike anything else I do. This year, I'm making it even smaller, just 12 to 15 people. Together, we'll dive deep into the exact strategies I use to plan, visualize, and design the best year of my life and yours. If you're ready to Max Out your future, join me at Maxout2026.com for a life-changing day you'll never forget. You can dive deeper into Tim and Demi's message by getting their new books. Grab Tim's Look Again at timtebow.com/lookagain and Demi-Leigh's Knowing Who You Are Because of Who God Is devotional at demitebow.com/devo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Surrender Isn't Weakness, It's Freedom with Yeshaia Blakeney | The Hopeaholics PodcastIn this thought-provoking and deeply human episode, Yeshaia Blakeney opens up about his journey through addiction, self-destruction, and spiritual awakening with striking honesty and wisdom. Growing up in the chaos of Hollywood, Yeshaia describes feeling emotionally adrift and spiritually disconnected long before drugs entered the picture. What began as an attempt to escape pain and emptiness eventually led him into the darkness of addiction, arrests, and broken relationships. He recounts sitting in a jail cell — the moment he realized, “This isn't who I am” — and how that breaking point became the foundation of his recovery. Through faith, humility, and an unrelenting search for truth, Yeshaia found that healing wasn't about willpower, but surrender. He now dedicates his life to helping others rediscover their own humanity, guiding people toward authenticity, connection, and spiritual growth through his work at Recovery Integrity. With disarming vulnerability, he challenges the misconception that sobriety alone is the goal, emphasizing instead that true recovery means finding meaning, love, and purpose beyond the pain. This episode is both a wake-up call and a source of hope — a raw conversation about redemption, faith, and the beautiful struggle of being fully human.#thehopeaholics  #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarieJoin our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record', exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholicsBuy Merch: https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.comVisit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.comIf you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction. Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:https://www.infinitigroupllc.com Timestamps:00:04:11 – Growing Up in Hollywood and Feeling Spiritually Lost00:06:35 – Experimenting with Drugs and Searching for Meaning00:09:22 – The Arrest That Forced Him to Face Reality00:11:10 – Sitting in Jail and Realizing “This Isn't Who I Am”00:13:47 – The Turning Point: Finding God Through Desperation00:16:09 – Learning That Recovery Is a Spiritual, Not Physical, Journey00:19:42 – Losing Friends to Addiction and Questioning His Purpose00:23:18 – Discovering the Power of Humility and Surrender00:26:30 – Becoming a Counselor and Helping Others Heal00:29:14 – Why Real Change Requires Emotional Honesty00:32:22 – Redefining Masculinity and the Fear of Vulnerability00:35:48 – Understanding That Pain Is the Path to Transformation00:39:03 – “Connection Is the Cure”: The Truth About Addiction00:41:57 – How Faith and Community Keep Him Grounded00:44:26 – The Redemption of Purpose: Living to Serve Others

Off-year elections -- as in, not a presidential or a midterm -- have fairly dismal voter turnout. Yet they matter a great deal. Most of our lives are lived at the local, not the national, level. So why do so many skip their state and local elections?We spoke with Luis Lozada, the CEO of Democracy Works, to understand why people don't show and why they should. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!To see Civics 101 in book form, check out A User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 24 Eve of the New Order In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.             Earned leadership is a blessing; assigned leadership is a burden   "Am I going to have to spank this little kitty to teach you a lesson?" Rio asked sweetly. Mercy vigorously shook her head in denial. "So you don't want me to do this?" Rio began energetically rubbing her fingers over the moist cunt. I was distracted from the rest of that exchange by Barbie Lynn's recovery. She climbed up my body, cheeks still full of my cum and staring at me with a mischievous hunger. At the moment I thought we were going to mimic the cum-swapping trick Ms. Lane and I had done, she went in another direction. Barbie Lynn leaned forward within inches of Vivian's face. Vivian reacted by pulling away, knocking the back of her skull against the headboard of the bed. "Barbie Lynn, I am not kissing you, and I am certainly not kissing you with Zane's, seed/semen in your mouth," Vivian insisted. Barbie Lynn mumbled something that sounded somewhat like 'but you'll like it' and did her best to look sexy, innocent, and inviting all at once. She would have had me convinced that brushing my teeth with uranium hexafluoride was the best thing for long term dental health too. Barbie Lynn pressed forward, Vivian held her back by putting a hand on each shoulder, and then Barbie Lynn transferred one of Vivian's hands so that it now supported one of Barbie Lynn's dangling tits. Realistically, Vivian was better at Karate than Barbie Lynn and could have blocked/resisted the blow, but Vivian had the ability to be remarkably compliant at the weirdest of times, like right now. Barbie Lynn was really close to doing as promised. "Please don't," Vivian asked softly. Barbie Lynn went one step further; she tapped her forehead to Vivian's forehead, smiled at her, and sat up, ready to swallow at last. "Wait, don't!" Rio cried out. She switched direction so that she was beside Barbie Lynn and they were the ones now actually kissing and letting my semen travel from tongue to tongue. When Rio got her share and then some, she spun rapidly back to Mercy and slapped that girl's thigh, motioning her up on her knees facing Rio. As Mercy reached the appointed position, Rio took her head in both hands and bore into a powerful oral exchange. One blowjob with three recipients, not my normal wake-up routine. That aforementioned bunch of guys is going to crucify me, upside down. Mercy went from slightly hesitant to rather animated in seconds, keeping tight to Rio as Rio tried to withdraw. Mercy's tongue lashed Rio's mouth a few more times before Rio pushed her back. "You like that, my Bang-bunny?" Rio taunted Mercy. "Do you like Zane's cream on your tongue and going down your throat?" "Yes," Mercy responded shyly, "yes, I like it very much." I waited for 'can I have another' and an inappropriate chorus from 'Oliver'. Rio didn't see things that way. She wrapped Mercy up by the waist and kissed her once more. "Okay, but since you are such a lousy cocksucker I am going to make you practice on Zane every night at eleven until you get it right, at least until the end of the semester," Rio scolded Mercy. "If that is what you want!" Mercy beamed. "Lord Jesus, save me," Vivian prayed for sanity to return to the room. "Oh, no, you are not," Barbie Lynn challenged Mercy and Rio's little scheme as she rushed to my rescue. "Not every night, anyway," she added. Maybe not rushing to my rescue after all. "The next lady to lay claim to my sexual favors, I'm going to make French kiss Ms. Marlowe during breakfast at the Dining Hall," I threatened. "Spread the word." "How is that going to work?" Rio snickered. "I don't know, but I've done every other inconceivable thing I've set out to do so why should this be any different?" I gave her a lopsided grin. "Yes, all of this is very nice," Vivian lectured, "but Zane only has seven minutes left to take a shower downstairs." We started to stampede for the exit. "Robes, towels," Vivian reminded us. She was rapidly learning many of the important skills one needs to become a mother to teenagers, a cat wrangler, or a prison guard. The Dawn of the New Order, like it or not.   It started at 6:45 as we began filing out of the dorm toward the dining hall and breakfast. We received texts, or our dorm mothers received them if we didn't have that function, assigning us a tribe we belonged to. What was a tribe? No one seemed to have a clue what this entailed for us.   "So," Iona was the first to ask me, "What tribe are you part of?"   "My tribe's called the Mediator tribe," I responded. "What lame-ass name does your tribe have?" Iona blinked at me, took my phone from my hands, and looked at it while we walked.   "Mercy and I are in 17," Rio sneered. "Why did your group merit a name and ours didn't?"   "Because Zane doesn't have a tribe," Iona figured. "He is not of the mediator tribe; he's a mediator. The real question is, how many mediators are there and what is their responsibility?"   "I'm in tribe three," Vivian volunteered. "I do have a notation but no indication who to see about it." The conversations around us were going in the same general direction, the girls trying to figure what sort of disruptions this would cause. The teachers put a kibosh on students walking around and finding out where their friends were placed so the text and phone messages being tossed around were obscene.   The surprise going to breakfast had saved virtually all of the freshmen from Handmaiden's Duty but they snapped us up heading for Assembly. I had Frederica Nicholas who decided to make a game of her giving me a word and me having to create a poetic verse. I rapidly learned the more risqu my verse, the more touchy-feely she became. (And she is a Rhaine supporter, huh?) I am a glutton for sexual foreplay no matter where it comes from.   Entry into the Assembly Hall brought its own special form of confusion. All the seats had numbers for the tribes that could sit there. I didn't find my group anywhere but I did catch the fact that Christina's group had been broken up. I stopped by Heaven to put a comforting hand on her shoulder because she looked terribly unsettled before I approached Ms. Goodswell on the stage.   My spiritual advisor stood up, walked to the edge of the stage, and knelt down so we could talk privately.   "Hi, Teach. I can't seem to find my groups/tribe's area," I said pleasantly. "Can you help me out? Hell, can you tell me what's going on?"   "Zane, your seat is right over there," she said, pointing to a chair on the front row, aisle seat. She smiled sadly. "All I can tell you about this program right now is that I trust you." Oh crap, that didn't sound good. Sitting on the front row, the region normally reserved for seniors, was just as disturbing. I sensed an epic boning in my future and I was sure I knew who the chick with the strap-on was.   Chancellor Bazz came to the podium and led us through the first ten minutes of the session. I could tell she was simmering with anger and resentment over whatever the upcoming fiasco was, and she showed it. She introduced Vice Chancellor Scarlett, then sat down abruptly. Her enthusiasm wasn't muted; it was buried in the core of the earth.   "Greetings, students of Freedom Fellowship University; I believe we stand at the first step to a great, glorious, and blessed experiment," Vice Chancellor Doctor Victoria Scarlett began. Her plan did sound grandiose, was certainly going to be famous (or infamous), and whichever supernatural powers put their mark on this train wreck, I was sure we'd discover the Arch-angel Morningstar also had his sulfuric fingerprints on it when the CSI's were finally brought in.   The basics of the scheme: There would be eighteen tribes of fifty or more members. Each tribe had all four grades in it but was focused on declared majors so that the girls could support one another. Each tribe would internally determine how they would regulate themselves as well. Externally, relations would be overseen by the Mediator, yes, that was in the singular, as in one: me.   At this point, I was wondering if jumping up, shooting Scarlett in the heart, and crying 'Sic semper tyrannis' was appropriate. I didn't have a gun and realistically, Victoria didn't deserve death for what she was putting all of us through. A few days in a pillory would suffice. No, she was making me be the 'Man' of our academic community, our judge and arbitrator.   As for my job qualifications, or lack thereof; I am considered morally loose, if not downright deviant. I'm an eighteen-year-old boy telling twenty-one-year-old women what to do, I have no legal experience, oh, yes, and half the campus hates my guts. I almost missed it when Doctor Scarlett added that Vivian would remain my guardian.   Maybe Vivian would throw herself in the path of a sharpened pencil, pen, or stylus aimed at my heart by any number of the young ladies that wanted me dead, just like a Secret Service Agent.   "You will be informed of the location of your first meetings. Each tribe will meet at eight o'clock tonight and tomorrow night to create the foundations of your group," Doctor Scarlett informed us.   "Tribes five and seventeen will be meeting in the Solarium of Alan Smithee dorm, if that is okay with Mr. Braxton." Victoria looked my way. I stood up in case anyone missed my discomfort for being called out and actually asked by a lead educator for anything resembling permission on this campus.   "Eight o'clock tonight?" I questioned. "I don't know if that works for me. I have a Brazilian body wax at eight and have scheduled my eyebrows to be plucked at 8:45, plus there is a new episode of NCIs: Los Angeles at nine."   "How about they promise to keep the noise level down?" Victoria volleyed right back at me without missing a beat.   "Very well, Doctor Scarlett, if you personally guarantee their behavior, I'm okay with them using my room," I allowed. I couldn't provoke Scarlett and I couldn't embarrass her, so I was back to facing her rear-bound artificial cock catching up with my behind. I sat back down. Victoria quickly exited center stage and a bitter Chancellor ushered us through the last of the service.   I waited outside the Assembly Hall for my friends and my Handmaiden for the moment, Theresa Yates. Christina and Chastity caught up with me first, both giving me a curious look.   "Bro," Rio sneered as she and Mercy joined us, "we need to discuss your future abuse of power, bribes and kick-backs you are going to get. Nice banter with ol' Scarlett too."   "Yes," Christina said sarcastically, "being flippant with the Vice Chancellor backfired so spectacularly the first time, it definitely needed repeating." Her criticism really sucked because I always secretly wanted her to think well of me.   "What's your plan?" Chastity prodded me. She was always helping me out when she got the chance. As she finished, Iona, Hope, Faith, and Heaven showed up.   "They split us up," growled Heaven. "Do something, Zane."   "He just found out about this," Iona responded before I could. "Give it time and combined, we will come up with a solution together." I sighed with some relief at her assistance and then I blinked. The powerful kiss I planted on Iona's lips caught everyone off-guard.   "Freaking brilliant!" I complimented her gaily, giddy with glee. I didn't have an actual plan yet but I had a direction to propel my thought toward. With my mind awhirl, I caught sight of Theresa moving past me on her way to class.   "Hey, Theresa," I called out. "What are you having me do today?" She looked a bit shocked.   "Zane, we are no longer allowed to call on you for Handmaiden's Duty," she informed me.   "Oh, He, ck no," I choked out. "Who says?"   "The Vice-Chancellor declared you to be outside the tradition," she stated sadly. I wasn't going to stand for this. Victoria was building a wedge between me and the rest of the student body.   "Iona, do that tech-thing that you do and inform the ladies that by the authority vested in me as mediator, I am reinstating myself as part of the Handmaiden's duty until, over half of the tribal leaders petition that I do otherwise," I announced.   "By tech-thing, do you mean send a text message with an accompanying e-mail to all the students on the school registry?" Iona regarded me quizzically.   "Zane," Chastity worried, "are you sure you have the authority?"   "Of course he has the authority," Rio declared. "He's the freaking mediator." Sometimes I would really like to get a word in before the conversation runs away from me.   I swatted Iona on the ass, she squawked.   "Chastity, this is clearly a game of chicken, so why not see how far Scarlett is willing to go," I replied. The look Christina gave me restored my faith in me; her eyes beamed at me, alight with an intellectual fire. I had one last thing to do while the chaos boiled one last time before the ebb: I hugged Rio.   "I want you to break into Gabrielle's place," I whispered in her ear, "wait for her to come get you, and tell her this: There is no Cordelia Dresden."   "Back off, Joker," Rio punched me. Rio trusted me not to put her in harm's way if I had another choice and Gabrielle knew that Rio would be the last person any sane individual would trust to do this.   She gave no hint of a reply to my request. The assumption was, if Cordelia didn't know what we were up to, she couldn't figure out a way to stop us, and right now I wanted a way for us out of her little game here at FFU. My current theory was that the girl I knew as Cordelia didn't exist before she came here, she was an invented personality, and I wanted to know who the inventor was.   Oh yeah, back to my actual life where my academic and social lives were in upheaval because my current nemesis (or one of them anyway) was a crusading idealist. I swear to God, if I survive this place, I will never forgive Aunt Jill for not sending me to the University of Hawaii, which was my first choice for college. All I had to worry about there was hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and the wrath of the island spirits for despoiling virgins, simple shit.   "Zane, you will discuss the merits and sins of the concubines of King Solomon with me," Theresa said, as she passed me her backpack to carry. Life rolled back to semi-normal and we separated to make our way to our first classes of the day. That illusion took another ill turn when I entered English class with Ms. Goodswell. She gestured for me to come to her desk before the lesson began.   "Zane," she informed me softly, "none of the female teachers or administrators at this school can give you orders, only suggestions. Only Doctor Jennings may truly compel you to do anything."   This bombshell was the reason she said she trusted me back in Assembly. The only one making me do the right thing was me. I had never considered me Mr. Responsibility before so I was in for a crash course in having authority over 900 students and 100 teachers. I told Virginia Goodswell about my decision concerning my Handmaiden's Duty to get her input, then compelled her to treat me as any other student, because apparently, I'm in charge of students now.   "There are old soldiers and there are bold soldiers, but there are very few old, bold soldiers," she reminded me. "Never forget, no matter how dark it may seem, Zane, you are never alone."   "I could always use a picture of you in a white, low-cut bikini to inspire me," I hinted.   "Mr. Braxton, by the authority vested in me by the mediator, I order you to take your seat so we can begin classes," she smirked. Oh, the irony: stymied by my own hubris.   Celia Wanamaker snapped me up coming out of English class. Vivian was waiting for me and Raven was in tow, right up until Paige snapped her up. Celia had me name a biblical character for each letter of the alphabet. Paige had Raven quote bible verses, backwards. As if there was any doubt my day could get worse, it did so immediately.   "Oh, the great Priest-King approaches!" screeched Rio on seeing me. "We all must genuflect, that's kneel down until your head touches the ground for you stupid bitches, until the Mediator passes." The horrible, horrible thing was that dozens of confused girls started doing just that.   "Hold on," I held up my hands for attention, "Hold on. Rio is mistaken. Genuflecting is only done during the Holy Days of Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter."   Okay, I made that up off the fly and I figured that I wouldn't be at school for Christmas, and Good Friday and Easter were next year and I'd worry about that then. For now:   "Emily, Rebecca, Henrietta, and Magdalena, please carry Rio to her next class, by the legs and arms," I instructed some of the closest students. "If a door or other object gets in the way, don't hesitate to use her head as a battering ram."   "Damn, Bro, that's harsh," Rio giggled from the floor. I knelt beside her.   "Yeah," I whispered, "like being man-handled by four girls isn't going to turn you on."   "Don't tell them that," she whispered back. I rose and continued on to class. A wiggling, squirming, cursing, and fighting Rio followed us.   I went through the same rigmarole in Biblical Archeology. I told the teacher that using my authority over students, I was instructing her to instruct me as if I was any other student, because I was a student and this was the area of my authority; right? She bought into my reasoning with some relief.   "How was it?" I mouthed to Rio once class was well on the way.   "Two hands all the way up the thigh, one knows I forgot my undies and was thoroughly soaked, two titties grabbed," Rio described what she'd been subjected to, "and I got to bite Magdalena's ass. I love those soccer player asses. You are most likely the best friend I will ever know; thank you."   "Always willing to help a fellow pervert out," I grinned back. Rio winked, then returned to work. I needed all the humor I could get because it was going to be a long damn day. By the time I made Marksmanship at three o'clock, I was damn happy to shoot something. I got some relief by having my best day ever, scoring a 53 (out of a possible 100) at the range. When I finished, I noticed a large number of my club mates standing close by.   WOMEN and the WORLD at LARGE   "Yes?" I questioned the ladies clustered behind me at the firing line.   "Oh, we are huddling behind your manliness," Daphne, one of the better shooters, joked.   "Manliness? Daphne, you just shot an 87. Hell, if you ladies want to be safe, stand in front of me, because apparently that's the one place my bullets don't go," I chided her.   That was a slight exaggeration. I was a pretty good shot out to 50 meters, but when I have to use binoculars to even see the target some of these girls are nailing, I know I have a long way to go.   "Zane, police your station," Hope instructed me. "Everyone, it is time for field training." This was the other part of marksmanship, sneaking around and spotting targets in the woods. We didn't use live rounds but it was still fun stuff.   "Gung-ho!" I responded to Hope. I'd heard that this was the battle cry of an Asian-American unit in World War II; Japanese I think.   "I'm Korean, Zane," Hope tried not to chuckle. "We are not exactly friends with the Japanese."   "If I stop saying it will you ask your Daddy not to come?" I inquired hopefully.   "If you keep saying it, I'll stop telling my Father I can't live without you," she countered.   "You can't live without me?" I questioned.   "Of course I can live without you, but I had to think of something to stop him from parachuting here in the dead of night and slitting your throat," she confided.   "You are joking; right?" I worried. Hope was nonresponsive as we got our gear together for the hike. "Hope, tell me that was a joke." Once we passed into the forest, Hope was quiet, business-like and nothing but. We were a mile into our trek when Hope settled down to study the environs. Per procedure, Hope watched to her front and left; I crouched at her back, facing away, and watched to our rear and Hope's right.   We would stay this way until Hope set up on the target, which was when I became her spotter. Since we weren't there yet, I scanned my area one more time, then cupped my right hand and reached behind me until I touched Hope's ass. I waited for a reaction of any kind but none came. Three seconds later I began to gently coast along her posterior, lightly squeezing her buttocks and rubbing along her cleft.   With a careful ear, I caught Hope's breath gaining in intensity. A few seconds later, she reached back and tapped my arm lightly so I stopped. Hope then rose carefully and we continued on our way. During the entire encounter, neither one of us had deviated from our watchfulness, which gave the whole situation a greater erotic appeal for me.   "Zane," Hope caught my attention as the last rifle and bullet was secured away, "I really wasn't sure how you would deal with me, being better than you. How do you do it?"   "All the training and skill in the world isn't worth a damn if you won't fight," I tried to explain. "A willingness to fight without talent is a waste. Hope, you didn't defeat me; you beat me."   She seemed to be searching for my definition of those two terms.   "Let's walk over to Orienteering before Heaven pops," I suggested. "We can both pin Heaven down but short of killing her, I'm not sure how to stop her." Hope chuckled at that assessment and nodded. "Hope, you put me on the mat and made me tap out, you beat me. You haven't discouraged me from coming at you when I feel I'm more capable, you haven't defeated me."   "Beating implies physical dominance but defeat is a state of mind," Hope replied as she stripped my definitions bare. I swung back my hand to spank her ass. Hope flinched slightly as instinct recognized the incoming blow and dictated a menu of responses, most of which involved causing me pain. I spanked her left ass cheek; Hope yelped and glared over her shoulder at me in feigned annoyance.   "You are a very verbose wench," I shook my finger at her.   "Do you want them to perform an extensive autopsy to figure out where I stuck that finger or are you going to remove it from my face right now?" she challenged me mirthfully. I stepped to her side, draped an arm around her waist; a second later she hesitantly echoed the gesture.   When we got to Orienteering, Hope and I parted company and I joined my fellow students as Heaven stood before us. The silence dragged on, and on until I finally felt compelled to raise my hand.   "Yes, Zane?" Heaven asked sweetly. You know; that 'sweetly' that says, I have an iron skillet to the head in my immediate future.   "Class? Are we going to have class today? Please?" I mumbled.   "I don't know, Zane," Heaven glared at me with a vicious smile stitched to her face. "Do we have your permission to have class today? Apparently we need to." Oh, fuck-buckets; Hope had probably had the same instructions and blown them off; Heaven was going a different way.   "I understand," I announced with dignity as I stood and walked up beside Heaven before facing the rest of the class. "As your appointed mediator, I think we should come forth and pray on the matter. All of you come to the front and kneel in a semi-circle; you too Heaven." I put a hand on her shoulder and put pressure on her to kneel beside me, right beside me.   The girls gathered around, Heaven was on her knees only inches from my crotch with her eyes flickering from my hard cock (I'm giving strong consideration to slamming that bastard in the middle of the US Tax Code to make it calm down) to my eyes. Soon I was in the center of a waist-level sea of slightly swaying female heads.   "Let us pray," I intoned. "Lord, guide us and give us strength to be true to ourselves, have faith in the gifts of insight, determination, and self-worth you have given us. Also, give us the vision to see what is wrong, the knowledge to understand when we hear things that are nonsense, and the will to forge past those words so that we find our own voice. In Jesus Christ's name we pray; Amen." "Amen," the girls said, at varying volumes and with varying conviction. They were all there, on their knees, staring at me. I swear to God, if one of them had 'Bahhed, I'd have died on the spot. "Okay, who believes I'm more qualified to teach this class than Heaven?" I began. Two girls started to raise their hands then self-consciously reversed direction. "You are all correct; I am totally unqualified to teach this class. I am totally unqualified to tell any of you to do virtually anything. I don't know more about life than any of the rest of you do. At eighteen, I'm younger than most of you. I'm a guy, nothing more. You ladies don't need me. Really, do any of you have any need of me whatsoever?" "Sex," blurted out of the mouth of Ruth, one of the senior club members. No one said anything for a few seconds. Okay, I could deal with this. "Fine, sex. With the Purity Pledge here, do any of you think you would need me for sex?" Twelve of the fourteen girls raised their hands; counting Heaven made it thirteen. I wanted to be anywhere else but in the deathtrap of my own creation. Screw that; I wanted to crawl into a deep, dark hole and pull the dirt in behind me. "We hear you are really good at it," Benios tried to explain things to me. "Brandi told us all about blowjobs. Those seem safe enough with the Pledge," Michelle added. Heaven started snickering at my expense. "All right, everyone," Heaven raised her voice as she stood up, accidentally squeezing my cock through my pants as she did so, "let's get started, and if no one screws up today, we can have Thursday's class in Zane's bedroom." We finished the last class for the day and started leaving our outdoor classroom when Ruth put her hand on my lower arm. "Zane, does a blowjob violate the Purity Pledge?" she asked. That wasn't really what she was asking. Why would I know the specifics of a pledge that everyone knew I hadn't taken? No, what she was asking was if she could experiment with oral sex with me. The other girls were not so surreptitiously hanging around for the answer. "Honestly, I don't believe that fellatio is an acceptable alternative to vaginal sex unless it includes cunnilingus," I bullshitted. I believed that, but I was hoping the lingo would buy me an exit. "What?" Ruth stammered. "Oh, I know that," Michelle giggled. "Fellatio is when you take a man's phallus and put it in your mouth, and cunnilingus is when a man puts his mouth, down there," she pointed at her crotch. "Zane, do you do that too? Put your mouth, Ruth hounded me. "Sure," I confessed. "Every man should, but in reality, it is more than tongue work", I wiggled my tongue, "but finger work too. All you have to do is think how your fingers feel down there, except this time they are under someone else's control and you have a strong, flexible muscle added to the mix." I instantly knew I was missing something with this audience. "You touch yourself; right?" I questioned. By many of the guilty looks, I could tell that most of the class had, but a surprising number hadn't, Ruth included. "I never have," Ruth replied. "I was afraid I'd stop being a virgin." I nodded, walked over to the closest tree, and banged my head against it. "That's enough for today," Heaven intervened. "We can pick up this wonderful, non-orienteering discussion next time." She ushered me away. I was rather thankful to get away and into the company of someone I trusted. "Are you ready for tonight?" "You mean am I waiting to pack your tight ass and drag my fingernails over your back until I draw blood? Yes," I grinned down at her. "Evil!" she giggled. "You are sinister, vile, and an aberration to all that is pure in the world." "Well, you are purely wonderful," I countered. "So is this a case of opposites attract?" "Do you like to see me that way?" my transvestite lover teased. "Your legs on my shoulders as I drive into you; on your hands and knees; you looking down at me as you slide down that first time, your ass cheeks bouncing, with my hands kneading them as you face away, but most of all, with your head on my chest, asleep, your hair spilling over your eyes as you lay there, that's the best," I related. "How can you be lusty and sweet at the same time?" she murmured. "It's how you make me feel, Heaven," I explained. "It is no mystery, you are that good to me." "Best boyfriend ever," she whispered, as she hugged my arm tight. On the final approach to Heaven's dorm, she gave me a nudge. "So, how did you beat the ten-second rule?" Heaven prodded me. "We have a ten-second rule?" I questioned. "We don't, silly; it's Hope's rule," Heaven grinned. "No one holds her for more than ten seconds. She has, had proximity issues." "We were intimate," I pointed out. "That probably helps." "I hope so," Heaven laughed. "The first time Christina and I barged into her room, we found ourselves staring down the barrel of a gun. Chastity was her roommate and she nearly freaked because she didn't know Hope had an automatic, much less slept with one under her pillow." "Note to self: never climb in Hope's window looking for a midnight hook-up," I sighed. "Hey," Heaven playfully grumbled, "if you are crawling in anyone's window for some late-night booty, it had better be my window and my booty you are after, Mister." "Or what?" I teased. "Are we back to me being in a deep, dark hole, you with the only key, dressed up for me in black strips of leather?" That description dated back to our first day on campus together when she hated my very existence. "Bitch," Heaven growled with frustrated desire. "I'll see you at the car in ten minutes, then." I gave a double pump of the eyebrows and left. We had been invited by Officer Danica Campbell of the Lancaster PD for a barbeque so we could get reacquainted. It was something Heaven was really looking forward to (not that I minded). Danica's house needed a little yard work but was otherwise an unremarkable ranch style house with an attached carport. Heaven's hands kept fluttering at her sides and straightening out her skirt. Me; I was in a long-sleeved pull-over and jeans and was having a much easier time of it emotionally. My only problem was our timetable; I had to be back before nine. We could smell the burning charcoal from the front yard but I indicated to Heaven that we weren't friends enough to simply walk around back unannounced. We rang the doorbell, then rang it again. Heaven was going for a third, nervous try when Danica opened the door. "Hey, you two, come on in," she greeted us, and stepped aside so we could enter. The first aura I detected in Danica's home was of benign neglect; the house was inhabited but no one actually lived here. Everything looked old but not worn, except for one chair and the cabinet around the TV which had VHS tapes (?) and scores of DVDs from the past ten years. Danica was in a lumberjack shirt, jeans, and deck shoes with a noticeable lack of bra, panties, and socks. "I'm glad you two showed up," Danica said, talking to us as we followed her through the living room to the kitchen. We could see the grill cooking away on a concrete patio through a sliding glass door. "I almost showed up last night," Heaven blurted out, then looked mortified. "You would have had to wait a while," Danica joked. "I worked last night." "I would have put her to sleep on the doorstep, covered her in a blanket, and given her a garden gnome to use as a pillow," I joked. Heaven blushed furiously and punched me in the arm. "Be careful, Mister Braxton," Danica threatened me with a wink, "I have handcuffs, pepper spray, and a taser, behave." I was hoping that comical exchange would have reduced the tension. It almost worked. As Danica opened the sliding glass door, she turned to say something. I have no idea what it was that got into her but at that point, Heaven threw herself at our hostess, wrapped her arms around Danica's neck, and kissed the lady cop. Danica staggered out the door onto the patio, grabbed the doorsill before they toppled over, and after her obvious moment of panic, put her other arm around Heaven's waist. Third Wheel Syndrome was kicking in for a while as the two kept tickling each other's tonsils and rubbing their bodies together. "I, ah, wanted to kiss you since I talked to you on the phone," Heaven finally said. Danica stroked a finger along Heaven's left earlobe, wiggling it back and forth. "Mission accomplished," Danica smiled. "You don't date much, do you? That's not a condemnation; it's just, you have a raw intensity I haven't seen in a while. I like it." Heaven looked ready to dive into another lip frenzy when our hostess held her up. "Let's check on the grill, unless you like your pork chops and chicken burnt as hard as the coals that made 'em." Heaven gave Danica enough lead to make it to the grill and open it up. My friend coughed and choked as the smoke billowed out; it was Heaven's first outdoor barbeque, or at least the first that didn't involve a professional pit master and a whole steer. "Give her some room," I cautioned Heaven. "I hear those things are hot." It was my first time too, but they had similar things in Thailand so I wasn't totally lost. Eventually, I was forced to wrap my arms around Heaven from behind to keep her from bouncing all over the place. Her enthusiasm didn't bother me; she was fun and felt she had a lot of catching up to do. We chatted about her work and our school machinations. Danica made a crack about me and women putting me on my back, funny like a crutch. We gathered in her living room; it was the only room that had the seats to meet our needs with the meat, coleslaw, hush puppies, and lima beans to eat. There was the promise of sherbet if dinner didn't fill us up. Things were going so smoothly that I almost missed Danica's little ploy. "Heaven, since you are getting a beer, would you get me one too," Danica off-handedly mentioned. We were finishing up the meal and washing it down with the appropriate beverage, lemonade in my case and beer in theirs. "Sure," Heaven smiled warmly, and off she went. She didn't hear Danica get up and follow her into the kitchen, though Danica did give me a wink. The moment Heaven pulled the two lagers out of the refrigerator, Danica slipped up behind her and pressed her body into Heaven's. For a second, Heaven thought it was me and was looking over her shoulder to chastise me. I was following but was hanging back. "Zane, then she noticed it was Danica, "Huh?" "Hey, Precious," Danica purred to her, "it seems your hands are occupied;" gesturing to the beer in each. Danica stretched her arms around and cupped Heaven's breasts and began massaging them. Heaven tried to twist around but Danica didn't let her. She bit into Heaven's neck instead, sucking up and down from ear to shoulder. "The last time you snuck up on me; now it is my turn. How does it feel?" Danica continued. She pressed Heaven up against the refrigerator door, grinding her there for a while before letting Heaven turn and faced her. "It feels good," Heaven gulped, "but I know some other things I want to do to you that are better." Danica answered that by sensually sliding down Heaven's body until she was kneeling. From there she lifted Heaven's skirt, pulled down her double panties and started making kissing/slurping noises that made Heaven shudder in anticipation. Danica was bobbing in a slow, languid style that was pushing the tranny toward her own internal blaze. I saw the opportunity to come up and relieve Heaven of her beers before she dropped them. Heaven's hands dropped immediately to Danica's head and trembled with the desire to push Danica farther and farther down her cock. Danica held her off, having more blowjob experience than Heaven and I combined. I took the time offered to remove all our shirts and Heaven's bra before alternating kissing Danica's neck and back while playing with her tits, and going to Heaven and kissing her and teasing her nipples with my teeth. She was over-eager and was tapping Danica's crown inside a minute, indicating the shortness of her fuse. Heaven gave a muted squeak followed by, "Oh, God, that's so fucking good, take it, oh, God, take it!" Danica did a masterful job of soaking up everything Heaven had to give and draining her dry afterwards. Danica had to hold Heaven's hips to stop my lover from sliding to the ground on her ass. "I think we will all be passing on the sherbet," Danica grinned while licking her lips. Heaven nodded, first shakily but soon with much more assurance. I kicked off my shoes in my own endorsement of this plan and we were soon all migrating to Danica's bedroom. Heaven, new to the romantic aspects of sexuality, dove straight onto the bed and shimmied out of her skirt. Danica and I stopped at the foot of said bed and shed our pants (and underwear for me). As Heaven looked at us, I pulled Danica's hair aside and began kissing her from right beneath her ear down to the nape of her neck. Danica responded by pressing her backside into me and gyrating her ass on my crotch. Danica ran her left hand behind her back and began moving it sensually along my stomach to the base of my cock and up again. Her right hand stroked my thigh and hip on the other side. I countered by moving my left to her left breast, mauling it but leaving the nipple unmolested for now. My right hand went in a serpentine fashion to her crotch and hovered right above her clitoris. We played tag with our intimate parts long enough for Danica to start sweating and moaning against me. "Why aren't you married, again?" she snickered. "Oh, yeah, you being eighteen and all." "Are you too much woman for one man?" I countered. "Actually, I've been looking for someone special," she confessed, but she wasn't looking at me when she said it. That wasn't lost on Heaven either; her jaw dropped. "Don't freak," Danica reassured her. "I know we don't have much in common, I'm a townie and you're a rich girl from somewhere else, but we have until spring if you want to hang out." It took Heaven a few moments to digest that. "I'd like that, Danica; I'd like that a lot," she smiled. "Well, I'd like it if you came over here and kissed me before your boyfriend drives me totally nuts," Danica teased her. Heaven got on her knees and waddled to the end of the bed to join us. "Wait," Heaven said at the last second, eyes wide with surprise. "I have a boyfriend and a girlfriend, I rock!" and then she dove into Danica's lips. Danica was propelled into me by Heaven's passionate embrace. She reciprocated by moving her hand off my hip and onto Heaven's semi-rigid cock. Heaven's phallus hardened quickly enough and she upped the tempo by buoying up her breasts and initiating a nipple fight between her tits and Danica's, wow, a freaking advantage I hadn't thought of. "Let s, Danica gulped for air " get on, the bed. I want some, of this, in me," she pulled on Heaven's cock. Oh, yeah, this was the Heaven-Danica show and I was second fiddle, and I felt it was glorious. 'You are known not by what you do but by what you leave behind,' or so yet another saying goes. Danica and Heaven were happy with one another, even if only for a little while. That 'while' included Heaven retreating up the bed as Danica followed and I pursued her. "Have you been a good girl?" Danica quizzed Heaven. "Do we need a condom?" clarified the issue. "No, no, I've only been with Zane," Heaven answered. "That's hardly a ringing endorsement for safe sex," Danica chuckled. "Damn, that's just cold," I groaned. "For your information, if my partner wasn't a virgin, she was someone I know intimately." "So you are not doing it with that Warlord chick living in your house now?" Danica persisted. "How do you even know about that? It happened Sunday," I wondered. "Zane," Danica sighed patiently, "I'm a cop and your house is like two miles away." "Can we get back to concentrating on the sex?" Heaven grumbled. "I'll wear a condom if you want. I'll wear a harem girl outfit if you want, as long as it leads to sex with you." "That won't be, necessary," Danica murmured as she positioned Heaven's cock between her labia then began to push down. I was working out what my place in this could be when I spotted the bottle of lubricant (generic) boldly sitting on Danica's nightstand, not very subtle at all. I shifted over, got the bottle, then got around behind them once more. "Can I join in?" I asked. "I trust you," Danica purred. Silly her; I'm behind her with a source of lube and a passion to use it. I poured some out on Danica's cleft and let it ooze down toward her cunt. I let it cascade over three fingers before sealing it up again. With my left hand, I began working a finger into Danica's anus, and with my right, I worked another into Heaven's. "Oh," Danica grunted, as I slipped past her sphincter. Heaven's response was to moan sensually. It took me a little while to not only work a finger in but a second one in as well; then the fun began. With Heaven, I began both pumping and making a series of circular motions; with Danica, though, I pressed down until I was counter-massaging Heaven's cock through the walls of her rectum and cunt. "Oh, my fucking God!" shouted Danica. "That feels great; she's really grinding against me." "Keep that up," gasped Heaven. "I, I can feel your fingers." Okay, I got this one right. I could also feel the sympathetic impulses growing between Danica's vaginal walls and Heaven's cock; they weren't going to last long. Drilling Heaven's butthole in rapid-fire fashion sent her crashing ahead of the wave. "Dan, Dan, Danica, Hell, yeah!" Heaven screamed as she slammed upward into the lady cop. Danica's back bowed and a low growling noise reverberated through her body. Both tried to use their anal muscles to grind my finger bones together; for the orgasms they were riding through, it was worth it. Danica shivered through one last orgasmic burst then settled gently down on Heaven. Heaven reached around with her arms and ran them up and down Danica's back. Our hostess pushed off her lover's body with her elbows on the mattress and kissed her nose. "That felt wonderful," she smiled down at Heaven. Heaven didn't immediately respond. "Is something wrong?" Danica worried. "I, um, it was really nice, Danica, but, Heaven worked through the words. "But?" Danica asked. "But I think I'm into guys," Heaven gave her worried confession. "I'm sorry; what we did felt good but what sent me over the top was, " "Oh," Danica seemed to deflate. "Hold on," I intervened, even as my fingers were still slowly working them both. "Heaven, you liked Danica's blowjob; right?" "Yes. It was wonderful," Heaven brightened up. "She's, you are, she looked into Danica's eyes " the best I've ever had." "Still, you like it up your ass, don't you?" I prodded. Heaven bit her lip and rolled her head to the side. Danica pushed herself onto all fours and sighed. "Well, damn," she sighed, "I was sort of hoping, " "Danica, would you consider screwing Heaven's ass? Giving it a chance?" I hazarded. "I'd give it a shot," Danica replied after a moment's hesitation. Being with a girl was new; being with a transgender was new; and now being the driving force in anal sex was going to be new too. "I'll get dressed and go out to the car," I winked. "Surprise, surprise; I worried something like this would happen so I brought a few things along." I was afraid that when I got back from the car with my backpack holding the strap-on, that a chill would have set in. I shouldn't have worried; Danica was surprisingly passionate and Heaven was sheer surprise itself. They were cuddled face to face exchanging small kisses and stroking each other's hair. "I just want you both to know," Danica held up a warding hand, "if that thing is longer than my arm, I'm calling this off." I presented the device for her approval and while it could be intimidating, it wasn't scarier than Heaven's normal equipment. "I'm glad that's going into you and not me," Danica ended up teasing Heaven. Not to be outdone, Heaven rolled onto her stomach and wiggled her upraised ass in the air. "Oh, she's begging for it," Danica laughed. "Yes, she does, and if you think that's sweet, imagine how nice it is to wake up with her ramming that pole in while riding you," I painted the picture. "Is there any position she doesn't like?" Danica inquired. "I'm right here, my ass up in the air. Please, somebody do something," Heaven whined. "Not that I know of," I ignored Heaven's plea. "You could try it in the shower, bent over the sofa, heels up in the La-Z-Boy, or hanging from the pull-up bar, she's quite strong." "Oh, hmm, thanks, Zane; I'll explore those opportunities," Danica grinned. "Hello, ass here, needs stuffing," Heaven became more insistent. "She's shameless," Danica teased happily. "Absolutely," I laughed, "but if one of us doesn't fulfill her needs real soon, violence will ensue." "Zane, you warm her up and I'll figure out how to put this thing on," Danica instructed me as she took hold of her sexual toy. "About damn time," Heaven panted as I worked my first finger in again. I'd oiled up several fingers before handing the lube to Danica to prepare her artificial cock with. Heaven's anus was already pliable from our activity so it took only two minutes to work the second and third finger in. By that time, both Danica and Heaven were ready. "This is weird," Danica mumbled, as she placed her phallic head against Heaven's sphincter. "Let me know if this, she got out before Heaven pushed back and gasped. "Doesn't that hurt?" "Makes me feel full," Heaven gasped. "Push." Danica did indeed push, and spanked Heaven for good measure. Now that I was freed up again, I elected to recline beside Heaven and watch her get fucked by Danica. Heaven and I made eye contact; that totally free, blissful look was exceptionally special for me. I'd seen Heaven afraid far too often. I'd seen her furious far too often as well. "Zane," Heaven perked up, "get over here. I want your cock. I want it coming and going." "Revenge," taunted Danica. Heaven and I had given Officer Campbell simultaneous oral and anal sex, and now Heaven was getting the same treatment. I sat my ass on the pillow in front of Heaven's face, legs spread wide. She grabbed my cock in both hands (my cock is so massive, its ability to block out the Sun often cows primitive tribes, or maybe Heaven has small hands) and yanked it forward somewhat painfully until she could lick the tip. "Come on, Zane," Danica egged me on, "take hold of her head and fuck her like a cheap slut." A shudder passed head to foot through Heaven's body and she gave out a small sob. "Heaven," I asked cautiously, "do you want to stop?" "I'm being fucked like a slut, Zane," she replied tearfully. "I'm being fucked like a slut." You never know with some people. Danica gave me a worried look so I gave her a quick smile and a nod. Heaven wanted to be a woman, but almost as important was that she wanted to be seen and treated like a woman. It may have played out in Heaven's imagination that she had gone to some seedy bar looking all hot and sexy, then a couple had picked her up so they could treat her like a bad little girl. I raised my hips, feeding more of my cock into Heaven's mouth. "Spank your bitch's ass," I teased Danica. She responded by alternating noisy but not very painful slaps to our tranny's buttocks. Heaven wanted the tease, not the real pain, and Danica was right there for her. Once we had a good rhythm going, I could feel Danica's cock slamming at its deepest impact, Heaven squirming and squealing with the pleasure and her tongue and throat swirling around my oral intrusion. She slurped and sucked desperately while a small amount of drool marked her cheek and jaw. Heaven began making whimpering noises along with the grunts when Danica drove in deeper. All the sizzling sex I'd been forced (yeah, right) to watch sent me over the edge first. "Heaven, babe, here it comes," I chanted several times before I finally did shoot gobs and gobs, so much it shot out her nose and mouth. Okay, not really that much, but I certainly felt some relief. &l

Welcome to Calvary! We are a growing church, meeting in many locations around the world, helping people to know Jesus, find community and make a difference. To learn more about Calvary Church, visit our website: https://calvarycc.global Watch this message on our Calvary Church YouTube Channel: youtube.com/watch?v=vSqPTjn7NhE

I grew up with a very different perspective on personal finance and investing than most. My parents were immigrants, and when they arrived in this country, they didn't come with any preconceived notions of conventional financial wisdom. My father grew up dirt poor in India—that's really poor and he had never even heard of investing as a kid. But he was blessed with a tremendous intellect and used it to rise from nothing to truly live the American dream. He came to the U.S. in the 1960s on an engineering scholarship and started working as a bridge engineer in Minnesota. When he finally began making a little money, he was confronted with the idea of investing for the first time.  Until then, life had always been hand-to-mouth. So he was approaching investing like an alien coming to this planet for the first time with an unbiased view on anything financial. With that perspective, the stock market didn't make sense to him. He wanted cash flow that would immediately improve his quality of life. Intuitively, it felt smarter to buy “streams of cash” than to “gamble” on stocks. So with whatever money he could scrape together, he bought small rental properties. Nothing glamorous—mostly low-income houses and duplexes in Minneapolis. But guess what? It worked. Before long, he started making real money and quit engineering altogether. The apple didn't fall far from the tree, I guess. Years later, I would also walk away from my career as a doctor to become a full-time investor. My father did really well. By the 1980s, he was having million-dollar years—that's a lot now, but back then it was a lot more! But then came the '90s. Like many others in the dot-com era, he got in over his skis. It seemed like everyone was making easy money in the stock market, and he got greedy.  Unfortunately, he sold a large chunk of his real estate portfolio and went all in on tech. And of course, we all know how that story ended—the bubble burst and so did his brokerage account. So there he was, in his 50s, starting over again after being obliterated by the dotcom bubble. He was terrified. But he knew what he had to do. He had to rebuild the same way he had built wealth the first time: cash-flowing real estate. Today, in his 80s, he's still at it. To be clear, his real estate career wasn't all smooth sailing either. This isn't a fairy tale. It's real life. For example, in the late '90s, Alan Greenspan suddenly cranked up interest rates, creating a situation not unlike what investors faced post-COVID when the Fed raised rates at record speed.  That hurt him, but each setback brought lessons, and he kept moving forward with an asset class that he trusted. Eventually, he recovered. We were always comfortable, and my dad made enough to pay for 3 kids' college tuition and medical school for me while still living comfortably, traveling, and enjoying his life. He'll be the first one to tell you that he only ever made money in real estate and that's what he believes in. Now, why am I telling you all this? I'm telling you this story because it shaped the way I see investing. Unlike most, I grew up hearing that the stock market was risky and that real estate was the safer, smarter path—pretty much the opposite of what everyone around me grew up with. And despite my own challenges from the post-COVID rate hikes, I can still say without hesitation that focusing on real estate has served me better than following the traditional investing playbook. Still, no one wins all the time. Every investor loses money sometimes. Surgeons have a saying: “If you haven't had a complication, you haven't done enough surgery.” That's as true for the best surgeons in the world as it is for the best investors. So what do you do? Sitting on cash guarantees you'll lose purchasing power to inflation. Money markets barely keep up. For me, the answer is to keep investing with discipline. Real estate is my medium, and like my father,

Norman gives a dharma talk on "Bodhisattva Respect" to the November 2025 All Day Sitting at Green Gulch Farms.   https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/edz.assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Bodhisattva-Respect-All-Day-Sitting-November-2025.mp3

The Taurus Full Moon is a Supermoon; close, bright, and impossible to ignore. Sitting at 13º of Taurus, it calls us back to what's real, sustainable, and valuable. In this episode, I unpack what makes this Full Moon feel so clear and direct, why Taurus season is about stability rather than stagnation, and how Venus invites us to reconnect with pleasure, worth, and the simple acts that keep us steady.We'll explore the Taurus–Scorpio polarity and what happens when practicality meets emotional depth, plus how to locate 13º Taurus in your own chart to understand what's being illuminated for you personally.This is your permission to slow down, simplify, and remember that enough is a feeling, not a finish line.Celestial Storytelling. Subscribe to the Podcast for bonus episodes - 7 Day Free Trial. The Ultimate Manifestation Visualisation MeditationSubscribe to the Lunar Lover newsletterBook in for a Natal Chart Reading with JordannaOrder a copy of All Signs Point To YouInternational readers order here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mum and Dad are heading out for the evening, and Mum has already told their babysitter, Uncle George, not to turn the house upside down! Surely there are ways to have the best night ever without making a big mess…

HOUR 2- Sitting in Your Car, Work Horror Stories and MORE full 1958 Fri, 31 Oct 2025 15:42:00 +0000 8zZzgGPXg1mrW4eUW1PP7f00hF9w9cZI society & culture Klein/Ally Show: The Podcast society & culture HOUR 2- Sitting in Your Car, Work Horror Stories and MORE Klein.Ally.Show on KROQ is more than just a "dynamic, irreverent morning radio show that mixes humor, pop culture, and unpredictable conversation with a heavy dose of realness." (but thanks for that quote anyway). Hosted by Klein, Ally, and a cast of weirdos (both on the team and from their audience), the show is known for its raw, offbeat style, offering a mix of sarcastic banter, candid interviews, and an unfiltered take on everything from culture to the chaos of everyday life. With a loyal, engaged fanbase and an addiction for pushing boundaries, the show delivers the perfect blend of humor and insight, all while keeping things fun, fresh, and sometimes a little bit illegal. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. Society & Culture False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.

Thinking of selling something online but don't know where to start? Black Friday is the perfect time! People are already in a buying mindset, making it the best season to build business momentum without feeling "salesy."

Emma B sits in on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with The National Lottery and spoke to:Kendall Turner from Bloom in Sheffield, a community garden that received funding from The National Lottery.Mark Cavendish joined Emma in the studio to talk about his latest book, Believe.Instagrammer Zoe Tehrani spoke to Emma about her new book A Walker's Guide.And Sice from The Boo Radleys Zoomed in live from France to talk about their current tour, Welcome Back! and what to expect in their new album set to be released next year.Join Chris and the Class Behind The Glass every morning from 6.30am for laughs with the listeners and the greatest guests. Listen on your smart speaker, just say: "Play Virgin Radio." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light.” But then, apparently, He got bored and switched it off just to see what would happen. Welcome to Sitting in the Dark, where this month Kynan, Chelsea, Tommy, and Pete explore what happens when filmmakers yank away humanity's favorite nightlight. Their lineup: Wait Until Dark (1967), Don't Breathe (2016), and Pitch Black (2000)—three films that remind us that darkness isn't just the absence of light, it's the presence of bad decisions.We start with Wait Until Dark, in which Audrey Hepburn, recently blinded, gets harassed by Alan Arkin and a few other men who apparently missed the memo about “don't terrorize vulnerable women.” Then we stumble into Don't Breathe, where three young idiots break into the wrong house and discover that Stephen Lang's blind war vet has taken “home security” to a level that can only be described as “OSHA violation.” Finally, the crew rockets to Pitch Black, where Vin Diesel proves once again that he can growl through any lighting condition. It's a film so early-2000s it practically comes with a Nu Metal soundtrack and a free AOL disc.So grab your flashlights, blow out your candles, and maybe keep one bulb unbroken… you know, just in case.Featured FilmsTonight's Triple Feature:Wait Until Dark - Apple TV | Amazon | LetterboxdPitch Black - Apple TV | Amazon | LetterboxdDon't Breathe - Apple TV | Amazon | LetterboxdView Our List on Letterboxd (00:00) - Welcome to Sitting in the Dark (02:05) - Between Light and Dark (04:33) - Wait Until Dark (25:44) - Don't Breathe (47:20) - Pitch Black Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:Become a member for just $5/month or $55/yearJoin our Discord community of movie loversThe Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and MovementsThe Film BoardMovies We LikeThe Next Reel Film PodcastSitting in the DarkConnect With Us:Main Site: WebMovie Platforms: Letterboxd | FlickchartSocial Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | PinterestYour Hosts: Kyle | Kynan | Pete | TommyShop & Stream:Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & moreWatch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussedOriginals: Source material from our episodesSpecial offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible

 Iris and Sam have a sexy ‘deflowering' party for two, on Halloween. by MoonlitOpal. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. “Yep.” I placed the box on the table beside the couch, then stood before Sam and slowly took off my dress. I was trembling with excitement, and as his hungry stare moved over me, I felt my nipples harden beneath my bra. “You're beautiful, Iris,” he whispered. I grinned and went to Sam, leaning forward so I could give him a deep kiss. Then I climbed onto the couch, kneeling beside him. Without speaking, I began trying to unfasten his pants, but my hands were shaking so much, I struggled with the simple task.I was grateful when Sam took over. Once he had his pants and underwear down around his thighs, I stared at his erection, which pulsed in time with his heartbeat. Looking up at Sam again, I saw that his gaze was pleading, full of the same need overtaking me, and I wanted more than anything to make him feel good. Extending my hand, I wrapped my fingers around his cock, and it twitched in my grasp. As I began gently stroking, Sam let his head fall back, a low groan emerging from deep in his throat. I delighted in the silkiness of his flesh. Sliding the pad of my thumb over his cock head, I felt a drop of moisture. My mouth watered when I thought about tasting it. Eagerly I leaned forward, brushing my lips against his tip. Now Sam was trembling, too, and his obvious excitement made me brave enough to swirl my tongue all around the lovely mushroom head. The slight saltiness of his skin combined with a trace of sweetness from his pre-cum. “Iris,” he moaned while brushing my hair back from my face. Grasping his erection, I planted kisses along the entire length of him. I inhaled his scent, which only heightened my arousal. I was soaking wet between my thighs. Finally I wrapped my lips around Sam's throbbing cock. The sound of his heavy breathing competed with the volume of the television, and the flickering light from the screen fell on my face as I did my best to pleasure him. I wasn't able to take much at first. As soon as his cock reached the back of my tongue, I had to suppress my gag reflex. He was careful not to thrust his hips, instead letting me set the pace. While saliva trickled from my mouth to coat his cock, I stroked him, then lowered my lips until I reached my hand. “Ah, fuck!” he cried. “Iris, that feels so good!” I'd never heard Sam swear before, and I took it as a compliment. He seemed lost to his lust, and to the feel of my licking and sucking and stroking. I tried again to take him deeper, exhaling as another inch of his cock disappeared between my lips. It was then that I felt Sam caress my back, his fingertips running along my spine. While I fondled his balls and used my tongue to give plenty of attention to the underside of his cock, he reached between my thighs. I moaned when he began rubbing me through my panties. At first, his touch was a little too low, but I wasn't about to lift my head from his cock and give him directions. Then his fingers homed in on my clit, and I moaned even louder, letting him know he'd reached just the right spot. “I love how wet you are,” he told me in a guttural voice. I was glad he found it exciting, because my body seemed intent on producing a copious amount of lubrication for my first time. As Sam continued massaging my clit, I shivered from the sheer pleasure of it, and I realized I wanted him to come in my mouth. I wanted to feel him orgasm while my lips were wrapped around his cock. “Iris, I'm close,” he suddenly warned me. I heard his gasp when I continued sucking, hollowing my cheeks in the process. “Iris, oh God!” I moaned, letting him know I didn't want him to hold back. He let out a loud cry, and his whole body tensed as the first rope of semen landed on my tongue. Quickly I swallowed, tasting the hot saltiness of it. More soon followed, and despite my best efforts, it was impossible for me to get it all down. Some escaped my lips, but I didn't raise my head until Sam was completely spent. Finally I sat up and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. He stared at me, seemingly transfixed. “Was that okay?” I asked. “That was fucking fantastic!” he panted, still catching his breath. “My God, if you're a virgin, how did you learn to do that?” “By reading how-to articles and watching porn,” I confessed with a grin. Sam laughed, then pulled me close so he could give me a gentle kiss. “Thank you for that,” he whispered against my lips. “I enjoyed doing it,” I whispered back. “It made me excited, knowing I was exciting you so much.” His eyes were full of affection as he regarded me. “No pressure, but if you still want tonight to be our first time, it won't take me long to get hard again,” he revealed. “Now that's good to know,” I said, then tilted my head back while Sam's lips traveled over my neck. “What should we do in the meantime?” “I think we should see if I can make you come while my face is buried between your thighs,” he replied, his breath warm against my skin. I released a whimper, unable to hide my eagerness as I nodded. Sam stood and began to undress. Sitting on the couch before him, I was far too impatient to go slow. Instead, I hurriedly reached behind me to unhook my bra before casting it aside. The cool air greeted my erect nipples, making them even harder, and Sam fixed his stare on my breasts. I couldn't resist cupping them in my hands and pushing them together for his benefit. “Iris, you're killing me,” he groaned. I watched as he pulled down his boxer briefs and stepped out of them. Now that he was completely nude, I allowed myself several long moments to take in the gorgeous sight. Like me, Sam would be considered average by many people, yet I found him so sexy, I'd already creamed my panties. That thought reminded me I still had on my wet underwear. Snapping out of my lust-filled daze, I yanked off my panties, then spread my legs wide. Sam wasn't joking when he told me it wouldn't take him long to get hard again. He was already semi-erect, and as I planted my feet on the edge of the couch, keeping my knees bent, his gaze settled between my thighs. For a long moment, Sam studied me, as if he wanted to commit the sight of my naked body to memory. Then he began stroking his cock, his chest rapidly rising and falling with each shallow breath. When Sam moved toward the table to my right, I thought he was reaching for the box of condoms, but he only turned on the lamp. I tried not to flinch in the sudden light, for it had been far easier to be uninhibited in the shadows. “I want to get a good look at you,” he said in a husky voice, then knelt before the couch and leaned forward so he was at eye level with my most intimate place. I fought the urge to close my legs and hide myself. “I can't wait to taste you,” Sam whispered, drawing a fingertip between my wet, swollen inner folds. His mere touch brought a cry from my lips. As he lowered his mouth to my thigh and licked my skin, I knew he could was gathering traces of my juices on his tongue. His kisses were gentle while he traveled upward. By the time his mouth was just above my clit, I was writhing on the couch, desperate for him. Sam's eyes met mine. “Let me know what feels good, and what you want me to keep doing,” he murmured, and I readily nodded. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect. Of course I'd imagined how this would feel, but imagining was worlds apart from actually experiencing. I was convinced I'd enjoy it, yet I wondered if it would be all that much different from the sensation I derived from touching myself. But oh God, it was different! As Sam sucked at my smooth outer lips, drawing them into his mouth, I couldn't hold back my mewls of pleasure. He gently spread me open with his fingers, and I stared down at him, my eyes widening when his tongue slid from my entrance to my clit. “Yes!” I cried. My hips began their rhythmic rocking, as if I were already fucking. I heightened my bliss by fondling my nipples, rolling those peaks between my fingers. Sam gazed up at me, and the blatant lust in his eyes made a shudder course through my body. The sound and feel of his eager lapping at my folds, and the warmth of his mouth mingling with my heat, was almost enough to make me orgasm right then and there. But he was far from finished with me. His lips gently circled my clit, almost teasingly, before he began lashing the swollen nub of flesh with his tongue. My plaintive cries filled the room. “Sam, oh God, keep doing that, please!” I begged. He happily complied, working his tongue against my clit at a relentless pace. I buried my fingers in his hair, resisting the urge to press his mouth even harder against me. Yet he seemed to sense what I needed, for he grabbed my hips, holding me firmly to him. My face was hot, and my breasts heaved as I breathed hard and fast. “I'm gonna come!” I wailed. “I'm so close!” Sam moaned at my words, showing my clit no mercy. The stimulation was almost more than I could bear, but my thighs began shaking, signaling that my body was about to surrender to a powerful orgasm. The first spasm caused me to arch my back and raise my hips. “Sam… oh, fuck!” I managed to shriek before falling silent and allowing the blissful contractions to seize me. I felt awash in ecstasy, never wanting it to end. Then it suddenly became too much. Still shaking, I squirmed in Sam's grasp. “I can't, oh it's too sensitive!” I managed to moan. He lifted his head, smiling as he gazed at my swollen clit. His expression made it clear that he was quite pleased with my helpless state. When he sat next to me on the couch, I noticed he was fully erect once more. I was breathing hard, yet I readily accepted his kiss. “Do you want to wait a little while?” he asked, smoothing my hair back from my flushed face. I quickly shook my head. While my clit was temporarily overstimulated, the rest of my body was another matter. Deep in my core, I throbbed with the need to take Sam deep inside me. This time he did reach for the condoms. I watched eagerly as he took one from the box. Though he was a virgin, he knew how to put it on correctly, and he winked at me while rolling the condom down the length of his erection. I grinned, making no attempt to hide my excitement. When Sam was ready, I started to lie back on the couch, but he grabbed my hand, and I looked at him expectantly. “Why don't you straddle me?” he suggested. “Then you can control the pace while taking me inside. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.” He was breathing faster, anticipation and lust clear on his face, yet he was putting my needs first. Stroking his cheek, I nodded before moving to plant a knee on either side of him. As I hovered above his cock, I took a deep, steadying breath. “I'm a little nervous,” I revealed with a shy smile. “I understand,” he said, his voice low and soothing. “Just take it slow, okay? No rush.” “Okay.” I placed my hands on the back of the couch, bracing myself while balancing on my knees. Sam took hold of his sheathed cock, and I waited for him to guide the tip directly to my opening so I could sink down upon it. Instead, he gently slid it between my inner lips, coating it with my juices. I was so wet, we didn't need lube. When Sam's cock grazed my clit, I released a needy whimper and knew no amount of discomfort would stop me from taking every inch of him inside. When he positioned his cock right at my entrance, I began lowering my body. “Ooh!” I released a soft cry as the head stretched me. Trying to hide my wince, I swallowed hard, then took another deep breath and kept going. My body was ready, more than ready, but I still had to move slowly. Sam gazed up at me, his expression rapt. I heard his groan of pleasure when I managed to accept the tip of his cock. There was a little pain, yes, but more of a sensation of pressure, of tremendous stretching. I knew Sam's cock was beautifully, perfectly average, but at that moment, it felt massive as it penetrated me. Then Sam was all the way inside, and I couldn't hold back a relieved smile while I settled down upon him. He smiled, too, then leaned forward to kiss me. I moaned into his mouth; I wondered if he could feel me trembling. At first I was afraid to move, afraid it would hurt. Sam appeared to read my mind, for he repeated, “No rush.” Then he reached between my thighs and gently rubbed my swollen clit. By that point, it wasn't as tender, and I took pleasure in the stimulation. “Oh, that feels so good,” I groaned. “You feel so good.” And he did. Though I hadn't yet begun to move, I derived a deep satisfaction from being so completely filled. As Sam's breath came faster and his mouth found mine once more, I realized he was shaking, too. Was it hard for him to remain still while he patiently waited for me to get used to his cock inside me? Finally I worked up the nerve to begin moving, my hips taking on a slow, rhythmic pace. I kept him almost all the way inside, not brave enough to try sliding up and down his length, but as Sam's features contorted with ecstasy, I knew he loved the way I gently rode him. With his fingers massaging my clit, he lowered his mouth to my left breast and took my nipple between his lips. “Oh God, yes!” I cried. It was as if my body had become a singular pulsing current of bliss, and my hips began moving faster. Sam let out a loud groan, which was muffled by my breast. A thin layer of sweat covered my skin, and I grew even more excited by the feel of his mouth sucking my nipple. When Sam lifted his head, he gave me a pleading stare. “Iris, oh… oh fuck, I'm not going to last!” His words were edged with something like panic. Seeing as how it was his first time, too, I certainly didn't expect him to hold out long. “That's okay,” I assured him with an affectionate smile. “Don't hold back, Sam.” While rolling my hips, I basked in the raw pleasure of the act. I could feel my own orgasm building, and soon Sam and I were both quaking, on the verge of release. His groans and my cries were loud enough to make me glad Nora was out for the evening. I felt Sam tense just before he came. His eyes locked with mine, and I gasped when he bucked his hips, driving his cock deeper inside me. He gave a helpless shout as he climaxed, his jaw slackening. Yet even in the grip of his orgasm, he continued rubbing my clit, determined to make me come. “Yes!” I wailed, surrendering to him then: to his fingers, his cock, and his stare full of bliss. A low scream escaped my lips as I reached my orgasm, my body wracked by delicious spasms. My muscles clenched around Sam's cock again and again, and he released a low groan. His breaths were shallow, and his face was flushed. Finally my contractions subsided, and as much as I wanted to nestle up against Sam and bask in our post-orgasmic satisfaction, I knew I couldn't. After giving him a quick kiss, I sat up, and he held the condom in place so it wouldn't slip while I eased myself off of him. Sam looked down at his slowly softening cock, and then he looked at me and grinned. “My God, that was incredible!” he said. “It sure was,” I replied, my grin mirroring his. Then I wondered if I was bleeding; I was only a little sore after our first time, but I figured I'd better check just in case. “Be right back,” I told him, then hurried to the bathroom to relieve myself. Wiping between my thighs, I discovered I hadn't bled at all. Next it was Sam's turn to clean up, and while he was in the bathroom, I put on my bra and panties. Grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch, I sat down and wrapped it around me, and I realized I couldn't stop smiling. Whatever the future might hold for me and Sam, I knew I would never regret him being my first. He returned to the living room, giving me a sweet grin. I watched as he pulled on his underwear and pants but didn't bother with his shirt. Then he settled on the couch next to me, and I draped the blanket around him as well. Sam wove his fingers through my hair, giving me a deep kiss with plenty of tongue. Though I'd just come twice, my body immediately responded to him. He held me close, and I sighed with contentment, resting my head on his shoulder. I noticed another film had begun on the television, this one featuring what appeared to be a werewolf rampaging through the night. “Thank you, Iris,” Sam whispered, interlacing his fingers with mine. “For everything.” “Thank you for making my first time so wonderful,” I whispered back. Sam turned to look at me, his gaze tender. “Sex with you was absolutely amazing,” he said, “but I'd like this to be more than just sex. I enjoyed every minute of tonight with you.” I beamed at his words, then planted another kiss on his mouth. “I want that, too,” I told him. “Oh, and just so you know?” he said with a grin, and I looked at him expectantly. “Halloween is now officially my favorite holiday.” To be continued.. by MoonlitOpal for Literotica

Harry and Meghan, who left the UK for privacy, turned up in the front row at Dodger Stadium for Game Four — cue caps, cameras, and a 6–1 loss for L.A.Meghan's pumpkin-patch reel vanished amid privacy concerns after viewers spotted the children in the background, reigniting chatter about longtime confidant Markus Anderson. OK! reports Meghan is prepared to “go it alone” with As Ever, while a flurry of briefings says Prince William plans to formally strip Prince Andrew of the Duke of York title when he becomes king, with claims he's pushing a broader slim-down of royal titles and even leaning on Beatrice and Eugenie to help move their father from Royal Lodge.One cheeky new review advises us to “Be Kind” (one star), and Windsor watchers note Andrew's Garter banner has now been removed from St George's Chapel.Check out "Palace Intrigue Presents: King WIlliam" here.

 Iris and Sam have a sexy ‘deflowering' party for two on Halloween. by  MoonlitOpal. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. On a beautiful late October afternoon, Sam and I decided to eat lunch outside the call center where we worked. Sitting on a wooden bench near the building entrance, we dug into the sandwiches we'd brought from home. “It's such a gorgeous day,” I sighed. The sky held no trace of clouds, and a maple to my right was spectacular in its display of scarlet foliage. Breathing deep, I delighted in the cool, crisp air.“Soon it's going to be freezing,” Sam said. We'd been working together for almost a year, long enough for me to know he preferred summer to colder weather. “Then there will be no lunches for you and me outside, Iris. We'll be stuck inside the cafeteria for months.” I knew he was right, but I wouldn't let thoughts of winter, with its frigid days and waning light, dampen my mood. Sam and I chatted about work and how hectic things had been as of late, and after I finished my sandwich, I reached for the small bag of candy corn I'd packed for dessert. Though I knew Sam didn't share my love of sweets, I offered some to him anyway. He shook his head. “No, thank you.” “Oh, come on!” I insisted. “It's almost Halloween! It's practically tradition to eat candy corn this time of year.” He looked at me with an amused smile, and I couldn't help feeling a nervous flutter deep in the pit of my stomach. Sam was twenty-three, a year older than I, and he had gorgeous brown eyes, so expressive they could make a girl's heart melt. His dark hair seemed in constant need of a trim; sometimes I had to resist the urge to run my fingers through it and brush it back from his face. “My family never celebrated Halloween,” Sam revealed. I remembered him mentioning that his parents were extremely religious. Sam didn't strike me as particularly devout, and I got a sense that his lack of faith had caused a rift between him and the rest of his family. “It's just like any other day to me,” he went on. I loved Halloween, though being a shy introvert, I never did much to enjoy the festivities. Parties and crowds made me break out in a sweat, so I usually spent Halloween at my mom's house, where we would hand out candy and watch scary movies while eating enough junk food to give us a sugar high. This year, however, she had to travel for work, and I'd resigned myself to spending Halloween alone in my apartment. Turning toward Sam now, I playfully held out my tongue so he could see the piece of candy corn resting on it. “You should get dressed up and binge on candy at least once in your life,” I told him. “Well, what about you?” he asked. “What are your plans for Halloween?” I shrugged. “My social life is pretty much nonexistent, so I don't have any. Unless…” My heart suddenly felt like it was pounding in my throat, and my mouth grew dry from nervousness. I averted my stare, then sneaked a glance at him. “Unless you want to come over to my apartment,” I finally managed to say. My ability to flirt was abysmal; I couldn't have been beguiling if my life depended on it. To make matters worse, I knew my face was growing hot as I waited for Sam's answer. When he didn't speak right away, I awkwardly rushed on. “We could dress up if you want–there's still time to get costumes–and I could make a pizza for dinner. We could watch campy old horror movies and drink apple cider…” Even as I spoke, I couldn't bring myself to look at Sam. I was afraid he would find me pathetic. “You know what, Iris? That sounds like a lot of fun,” he said, and I knew I wasn't imagining it when he moved a few inches closer to me. I tried and failed to suppress a delighted grin at his response. “Awesome! Why don't you come over at around six?” I suggested. Sam knew I lived in the lower-level apartment of a house not far from the call center. “I'll give you the address, and when you get there, just come around back.” Sam's smile widened, as if my enthusiasm was contagious. “So you're going to introduce me to all the delights of Halloween?” he asked. Something in the tone of his voice made a delicious shiver travel down my spine. “I certainly hope to,” I replied. He raised an eyebrow, and I had to duck my head so I could hide behind my shoulder-length brown hair. All the while, I told myself to calm down and stop acting like an idiot. It was just a little get-together at my place. Sam probably didn't even consider it a date. We were simply two friends hanging out for Halloween because we had no other plans. So why did I feel so nervous? Why were my palms sweaty and my hands shaky? Why was it that when I imagined Sam leaning in to kiss me, the thought sent a surge of heat straight between my thighs? “And you're going to wear a costume?” Sam asked. I looked up and gave him what I hoped was a casual smile. “Sure! I mean, you don't have to, but I haven't dressed up for Halloween in forever, so I figure this is my chance to go all out.” Sam reached over to pluck a piece of candy corn from the bag in my lap. “Then I'll dress up, too. I can't promise anything spectacular, but I'll do my best,” he said. “I can't wait to see what you come up with.” Already I was trying to decide on a costume for myself. Should I be a witch? A princess? A ghost? None of those seemed original enough. When my eyes met Sam's once more, I immediately realized just what I wanted to be. Sitting so close to him, I knew I was the very definition of average: average height, average weight. My hazel eyes were somewhat large yet could still pass for average. But during the one night of the year when Sam and I would be alone, and I could transform into whatever or whomever I wanted, I resolved to be anything but average. I would be bold and confident, no longer shy and insecure. And maybe, just maybe, I would be brave enough to make it clear to Sam just how I felt about him. With any luck, he might decide he felt the same way about me. Halloween was still several days away, but I went shopping for a costume as soon as I left work later that afternoon. Some quick online browsing led me to a store downtown, and I could barely contain my excitement as I stepped inside the place. “Can I help you find something?” a woman behind the counter asked me. “The Bride of Frankenstein,” I quickly replied, then added, “the costume, I mean.” All the while I prayed the store had it in my size. The fates must have been smiling down upon me, because the saleslady easily located a costume that looked like it would be a perfect fit. “You're welcome to try it on,” she told me. I gazed at the black wig, which of course featured white streaks on either side, and I imagined how I would look wearing it after I applied some dark red lipstick, along with black eyeliner and smoky eye shadow. The sleeves of the virginal white dress resembled bandages, and the garment's hem was almost floor-length. As I stroked the satiny fabric, I grinned with delight. “I don't need to try it on,” I said to the saleslady. “This is what I want.” The costume was a little pricey for my budget, but I handed over my credit card without hesitation. As I stared down at the dress on the counter, the symbolism of the outfit wasn't lost on me. While I would soon be twenty-three, I'd never had a real boyfriend, and I was still a virgin. After I paid for the costume and left the shop, I decided to swing by the grocery store. Outside the entrance, I studied the pumpkins for sale and finally selected a nice round one, large enough for carving. Once inside, I pushed a cart down the aisles, grabbing a frozen pizza, a variety pack of Halloween candy, and a half gallon of apple cider. Lingering in the cosmetics section, I chose the perfect shade of lipstick. As I surveyed the items in my cart, I realized I was smiling. Simply planning for my evening with Sam made that excited flutter return to my stomach. I tried not to let myself get too carried away imagining what Sam and I might do together on Halloween, but still I wandered the aisles, searching for an item I didn't dare ask for help in finding. Finally I located the condoms, and I stared in bewilderment at all the different kinds. Glancing around, I was relieved no other customers were nearby. Then I set about reading the descriptions on the boxes before choosing a brand that boasted durability. If I did have sex, durability was definitely what I wanted in a condom. I paid for the groceries and then started for home. By the time I pulled into the driveway, it was almost dark, and Nora, the woman who owned the house and lived on the upper level, had left the porch light on. I smiled at the kind gesture, though the entrance to my apartment was at the back of the house, so the light from the porch provided almost no illumination once I reached my door. Nora was middle-aged and recently divorced, so when she wasn't working, she was usually out with friends or on a date. Of the two of us, I was the homebody, and I thought she liked having a quiet tenant around to keep an eye on things while she was gone. Once I'd carried all my purchases into my apartment, I put away the groceries and then rushed to try on my costume. Standing before the mirror in my bedroom, I donned the Bride's dress. A delighted grin danced on my lips when I found that it indeed fit me perfectly. After putting on the wig to complete my outfit, I turned from side to side, trying to imagine what Sam would think of me. My costume wasn't sexy; if anything, the dress was modest. But I was definitely transformed into someone new while wearing it. I could only hope the getup persuaded Sam to see me in a different way, too. For the rest of the week, Sam and I ate lunch together, but neither of us mentioned him coming over for Halloween. The holiday fell on a weekend, and by Friday, I was worried Sam had forgotten all about our plans, but as we headed back inside after our lunch break, he looked over at me and smiled. “So I'll be at your place at six on Halloween night.” I nodded, trying not to look too eager as I smiled back. “You have the address, right?” I'd given it to him earlier in the week, but I wanted to make sure. “Of course,” he said. “Would you like me to bring anything?” “Just your handsome self,” I replied without thinking, and as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wanted to die of mortification. His handsome self? Who actually blurted out something like that? Awkward and socially inept Iris, that was who. The surprise was evident on Sam's face, but his smile widened. “I will be sure to do that, Iris. And by the way,” he went on, leaning close to me and lowering his voice, “you're really cute when you blush.” I spent the day of Halloween cleaning my apartment, determined to conceal the fact that I was a bit of a slob. By the time I had the place spotless, it was well into the afternoon, and once I ate a late lunch, I hurried to take a shower. As the water cascaded over me, I stared down at my body. I'd just shaved my legs and armpits, but I wasn't sure what to do about my pubic hair. I normally kept the dark triangle between my thighs closely trimmed, but now I wondered if I should shave it. If Sam and I got to the point where he actually saw my pubic hair, would he wish I was bare? Finally I decided to leave the hair covering my mound while I shaved my outer lips. When I set the razor aside, I slid my fingertips over the newly smooth skin and realized I liked the way it felt. My flesh felt more exposed, not only to the cool air and the water but also to my touch. I couldn't resist giving my clit a teasing rub. My body immediately responded, and a soft moan escaped my lips. I seemed perpetually horny; it was as if my body was desperately trying to steer me toward finally having sex. To relieve my frustration, I masturbated frequently, and it never took me long to come. Leaning against the shower wall, I spread my legs wider and began massaging my clit with a quick, circular motion. With my other hand, I sought out my entrance and worked two fingers deep inside. There was a twinge of discomfort, a hint of pain, while I attempted to stretch my opening. I knew losing my virginity would hurt, maybe a lot at first, but that wasn't enough to dampen my desire. Even now as I thrust my fingers in and out at a fervent pace, my body readily accepted the intrusion, and I could feel how wet I was. Glancing downward, I saw that my pale pink nipples were hard from my arousal. All I had to do was imagine Sam's mouth around one of them, and I was right on the edge of climax. My thighs shook as I rubbed my clit faster. I fantasized about the way Sam would look, the way he would feel, while he took me. “Fuck me, Sam!” I cried shamelessly. As the words echoed off the shower walls, I surrendered to a fierce orgasm. Releasing a helpless wail, I felt my muscles clench around my fingers deep within me. Again and again my body spasmed, and I reveled in each blissful contraction. After my climax subsided, I continued trembling. Gently withdrawing my fingers from between my thighs, I closed my eyes and waited for my breathing to slow. My movements were languid as I finished showering, and when I finally stepped out onto the bathmat and began drying off, I found I was relaxed, almost drowsy. Maybe it was a good thing I masturbated before Sam arrived, I thought. It would keep me from throwing myself at him as soon as he stepped inside my apartment. The idea of doing that made my sensitive clit throb, and I realized it would take far more than one orgasm to subdue my yearning for Sam. I went about blow drying my hair, then carefully pinned it back so it would be hidden under the wig. In my bedroom, I chose to wear a lacy white bra and matching panties beneath my dress. As I carefully applied make-up, I aimed for a dramatic effect that wasn't too over the top. My deep red lipstick was striking, and I managed to create the exact look I wanted with the eyeliner and shadow. Finally I put on the wig and stepped into black heels before giving my reflection a critical look. Then I grinned in satisfaction. “Perfect,” I declared. A few minutes before six, I put the pizza in the oven. I was grateful for something to do, as my anxiety had returned with a ferocity that made my hands shake. It wasn't yet dark, but the day was fading fast outside the kitchen window. Thinking about what the evening might hold for me and Sam was enough to quicken my pulse. Sam arrived right on time, and when I heard his knock, I rushed to answer the door. As soon as we saw each other, our mouths dropped open. I'd never seen Sam in anything other than business casual, but he now stood before me wearing a black cape over a white dress shirt, black vest, and black pants. His hair was slicked back, and he'd even given himself a prominent widow's peak. His stare swept over me, and when he grinned, I noticed his fangs. “You are one spectacular bride!” he exclaimed. I couldn't help but giggle at his compliment. “And you're one sexy vampire. I love your costume!” I made a show of beckoning him into the apartment. “I know you can't enter unless I explicitly invite you inside, so please do come in.” Sam laughed and stepped into the living room. As soon as I closed the door behind us, he drew me into a quick hug. “Thanks for inviting me over tonight.” After I recovered from my initial shock at being in Sam's arms, I hurriedly hugged him back. “Thanks for coming. Are you hungry? The pizza's almost ready.” “Sounds great.” He looked around my apartment as we headed toward the kitchen. “This is an awesome apartment.” “It's kind of small, but I like it,” I said. “Nora–the woman who owns the house and lives upstairs–told me she would be at a party tonight, so no one else is here.” I tried to keep my voice casual as I revealed this information to Sam. “Then we can go absolutely wild,” he responded with a grin. I knew he was only teasing, but the thought of going wild with him made my cheeks redden. All I had to do was remember my earlier fantasy in the shower, and I immediately grew wet. “We can do whatever we want,” I informed him, flashing my own wicked grin. Sam raised his eyebrows, and I could have sworn I saw his face flush a little as well. I busied myself with taking the pizza out of the oven, hoping I hadn't come on too strong. “You need any help?” Sam asked. “Nope. Just make yourself comfortable, and I'll have this ready in a sec.” Sam sat down at the table while I divided the pizza into slices. I couldn't help but be hyperaware of his presence, since I was used to spending all my time in the apartment alone. Once I'd put our plates on the table, along with a glass of cider for each of us, I sat across from Sam, trying to suppress a nervous giggle. “I'll have to take my fangs out,” he said. “Yeah, I guess Dracula never tried to eat pizza. But there's a first time for everything.” I lifted my glass of cider. “Here's to your first time celebrating Halloween, Sam.” He grinned and gently tapped his glass against mine. As we ate dinner, the conversation flowed easily between us. It was as if we were sitting together at lunch, chatting away, and I felt the tension in my shoulders gradually disappear. The evening was going great, I assured myself. Sam looked like he was having fun. After we finished eating, Sam insisted on helping me wash the dishes. We stood side by side at the sink, with me washing and him drying. “Have you ever carved a pumpkin?” I asked. “Nope,” he replied. “My parents were okay with pumpkins, but jack-o'-lanterns? That's another story.” I nodded toward the pumpkin I'd placed in the corner of the kitchen. “Well, tonight you're in luck, because I picked out the perfect pumpkin for you to carve.” Sam threw his head back and laughed. “Only if you help!” “Deal.” As we took turns scooping out the slimy pumpkin innards, I gave Sam a sidelong glance. “You don't feel like you're doing something sinful right now, do you?” I asked. “I don't want you to be uncomfortable.” “No, not at all,” he answered. “I have no issue with religion, but my family is just… overzealous. My parents pretty much stopped talking to me when I told them I no longer wanted to attend church with them every Sunday.” “I'm sorry,” I said quietly. Sam shrugged, but I knew his family's estrangement bothered him. “I figure they'll come around eventually.” Sitting at the table beside me, he carefully carved the pumpkin. “Do you get along with your mom okay? From the way you talk about her, it sounds like you two have a good relationship,” he said. During one of our recent lunch conversations, I'd mentioned to Sam that my parents were divorced and I rarely saw my father. “Mom's great,” I told him now, “but we're so different. She's confident and outgoing, and I'm… not.” Sam looked at me and smiled. “You are when you get to know someone,” he said. “I like that.” I beamed at his words, then leaned back in my chair, regarding the pumpkin's new grinning face. “You did a great job! Looks like you're a pro at carving pumpkins.” Jumping up from the table, I got a tea light candle to illuminate the jack-o'-lantern. Once it was lit, I turned off the kitchen light so we could admire Sam's work. As we stood side by side, he slipped his arm around me. I nestled against him, basking in his warmth while inhaling his familiar yet enticing scent. I was exquisitely aware of my body touching his, and I wanted more than anything to kiss him, but I told myself it was too soon. “Wanna watch TV?” I asked. “There are probably lots of scary movies to choose from tonight.” Sam gave me one of his sweet grins. “Sure.” As we headed into the living room, I grabbed the large bag of candy I'd bought. “You thought of everything!” he said, taking off his cape before he sat down beside me on the couch. “I know you're not crazy about sweets, but I figured you could find something you like in that bag.” Now that we were next to each other in the almost darkness, I swallowed hard, trying to fight an attack of nerves. Flipping through the channels, I came across a black-and-white vampire film. “This should be right up your alley,” I told Sam playfully. “Absolutely,” he said as I settled back on the couch. “Maybe I can learn something, because my vampire game needs work.” “Oh, I don't know about that.” I turned to face him. “You're quite alluring.” Sam turned toward me as well, a pleased smile dancing on his lips. “Really?” he asked in a low voice. “How so?” Gazing into his eyes, I told myself to go for it. As nervous as I was, I knew I wasn't imagining his interest in me. Before I spoke, I took a deep breath to gather up all my courage. “Well, you have an incredibly sexy voice, for starters,” I said. Now Sam was grinning. “Is that right?” I slowly nodded, my stare moving to his lips. “I'd be lying if I said I never imagined you leaning close to me and whispering all kinds of dirty things in my ear.” Sam's eyes widened at my confession, and I heard his sharp intake of breath. I quickly looked away from him, afraid I'd gone too far. Still I couldn't deny that my entire body seemed to pulse with need. Simply saying those words to him had made me wet once again. On the television screen, a handsome vampire sank his fangs into a beautiful young woman's neck. I dared to flash a grin at Sam. “Be sure to take notes,” I told him. “Oh, I am,” he responded. “In fact, I'd better get my fangs so I can practice.” Now it was my turn to be surprised as I watched him get up from the couch and retrieve the plastic fangs from the kitchen. He popped them back in place, then sat down next to me again. “So,” he said, giving me a wide smile as he wiggled his eyebrows, “this is the part where I mesmerize you so you're utterly unable to resist me.” Oh, I was already there, but I couldn't tell him that! Instead, I laughed and moved closer to him. “Go for it!” I cried. Sam leaned toward me, bringing his lips close to my ear. “I think you're so sexy, Iris,” he whispered. “All night, I've wanted to kiss you. When I think about slipping a hand beneath your dress, it makes me so hard…” I closed my eyes and released a moan, powerless to hide my arousal. Sam pressed his mouth to my neck, laughing low and soft as he teasingly grazed my skin with his fangs. “That did the trick,” I said, my voice high and breathy. “Now I'm all yours, Sam.” He removed the fangs once again, then turned my face toward his. I stared up at him, my heart pounding like a thundering drum in my chest. Sam pressed his lips to mine, and I melted into our first kiss. His mouth was so warm and soft, so inviting. I slipped my arms around his neck, eager for more of him. When our tongues met, a current of lust traveled through me, and my hips actually began rocking, making my need clear. I finally withdrew from him, breathing hard. Sam's stare was hot, and before I'd recovered from the kiss, he gave me another one, his mouth more demanding. I surrendered completely, feeling lightheaded as a fierce aching began between my thighs. Sam tentatively cupped my breast. My pleasured cry was muffled by his lips, and before I could stop myself, I slid my hand down his chest, then lower. He gave an encouraging moan, which only grew louder when my fingers reached his erection. This time, Sam was the one to break our kiss so he could catch his breath. He looked down, watching me stroke him through his pants. Feeling his hardness beneath my palm made me shiver; it was all I could do not to remove my wet panties, then lift up my dress and spread my legs for him. Instead, I took off my wig, then removed the pins from my hair so it fell free. With Sam's stare riveted to me, and his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, I worked up the nerve to say, “I need to tell you something.” “Okay,” he said quickly. I figured there was no sense being coy about it. “I'm a virgin,” I blurted out. “In case you haven't already guessed. But I'm ready for that to change. Tonight.” I fought the urge to avert my gaze as I grew suddenly self-conscious. “I've never had a real boyfriend, so I have no idea what I'm doing. If that scares you off, I understand.” Sam smiled and ran a hand through his hair, mussing up his vampire coif. Then he brought his face close to mine, as if confiding a secret. “That won't scare me off, Iris, since I'm a virgin, too.” My mouth dropped open, for his revelation came as a total shock. “Really?” He nodded. “Most girls I dated in the past were religious, like my family, and they wanted to wait until marriage. Now it seems like everyone our age has already had sex, and I guess I have kind of a hang-up about it. If I do work up the nerve to ask someone out, and we hit it off, I find I'm dreading that inevitable conversation. My insecurity tends to ruin things before the relationship turns sexual.” “But you haven't been insecure with me,” I pointed out. He tilted his head, regarding me with a soft smile. “No, I haven't. I certainly didn't come here expecting to have sex tonight, but when we started kissing and touching, it just felt so… right. I knew I'd be comfortable with admitting my lack of experience to you. I didn't feel like you would judge me.” “Of course I wouldn't,” I said. “But I will admit that, unlike you, I was hoping to have sex tonight, so…” I jumped up from the couch and took off toward my bedroom, leaving a puzzled Sam staring after me. I quickly returned, carrying the box of condoms. Sam's eyes grew wide as he grinned. “You really did think of everything, didn't you?” To be continued.. by  MoonlitOpal for Literotica.

Bill Pulte joins Patrick Bet-David, Tom, and Brandon to discuss the U.S. housing crisis, Jerome Powell's interest rate decisions, and why builders are sitting on millions of empty lots. From rent counting toward mortgages to crypto-backed loans, they break down how housing policy and inflation shape America's future.

Are ghosts real… or not? That's what Lily wants to know. To find out, we talk to a real-life Ghostbuster and science historian Efram Sera-Shriar, who takes us on a journey back in time to when the world's most famous scientists became ghost investigators: Sitting in on séances, inventing ghost-hunting devices, and exposing the tricks of “spirit photography.” Did you know, Thomas Edison made plans to create a phone to call ghosts? Learn all this and more when you join us on the trail of spooooky spirit science!  You can learn more about Efram, and find a transcript of this episode on the blog on our website, sciencepodcastforkids.com.  Support us on Patreon! You'll get ad free episodes, special chances to be on the show, and of course, birthday shoutouts, when you sign up at the $5 level at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. Find out what we're up to - from live events, merch drops, and more when you subscribe to our newsletter, on sciencepodcastforkids.com. You can also follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube. And don't forget to visit our merch store!

✨ Welcome to The Erica Russo Show — your go-to podcast for spiritual growth, personal development, and soul alignment. Each week, Erica dives deep into conversations on mindset, manifestation, astrology, human design, energy work, intuition, and conscious living to help you step into your highest self and create a life of purpose, abundance, and authentic power. Whether you're on a journey of self-discovery, seeking guidance for your spiritual awakening, or ready to break through limiting beliefs, this podcast is here to support your evolution. If you're ready to expand your consciousness, heal from within, and unlock your true potential, you're in the right place. Tune in to The Erica Russo Show and join a community of modern seekers devoted to living with intention, alignment, and soul-led success. ------ Todays Episode: Sit in the power of your own soul with this powerful guided meditation journey. Sitting in the power is a powerful practices that enhances your connection to the Spirit World and your own soul. Whether you are developing your mediumship abilities or simply wanting to deepen your relationship with self, this guided journey is perfect for you. CHECK OUT MY FREEBIE LIBRARY: https://erica-russo.mykajabi.com/starthere

Sitting down at FermionX with Managing Director Will Patrick, we explore how a third-generation MD took a family electronics manufacturer from tribal knowledge to a data-first operation that customers can see, trust, and scale with.We start with the lineage—granddad's silkscreen craft evolving to PCBs, then assembly—and why honoring that service and customer focussed ethic made the transformation stick. Then we lift the hood on the digital rebuild: a modern MES for full traceability, powerful dashboards for top-level clarity, and smarter quality tooling including Koh Young's KSMART and Luminovo. The goal wasn't technology for its own sake; it was a single source of truth where every action leaves a data point and every decision gets faster, cleaner, and easier to audit.From there, we talk growth. By redesigning processes and floor layout, Will has created headroom to push from around £10M to £25M without stacking overhead. We break down how visibility wins contracts in the EMS world, why customers value shared dashboards and live traceability, and how a long-term, 20–30 year plan changes which investments make sense today. We also get practical about AI: exception-driven MRP alerts, machine feedback loops, and agentic systems that surface the one issue that will derail tomorrow—after, and only after, the data foundation is solid.If you care about scaling a contract manufacturer without losing your soul—or your margins—you'll find concrete steps here: where to start with MES, how to drive cultural adoption, which metrics to watch, and how to stitch tools together so operators move faster, not slower. Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of manufacturing, data, and leadership, and tell us what you'd automate first.EMS@C-Level is sponsored by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Creative Electron (https://creativeelectron.com) You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist.

In the first hour of the Chase & Big Joe Show, Mike Organ sat in for Chase as he was out of the office. Big Joe and Mike shared their comments on the question of the day. What is the worst weather condition you have ever sat through at a sporting event?

Sitting just outside of Montréal in Pointe-Claire, QC, one of the newest breweries in Québec is Folklore, which took over the space from the recently shuttered Labrosse. Co-Founder Alex Arsenault joined Cee to chat about how it all came together (and how fast it happened), how they got their brand identity, labels and beer recipes ready to go, the support from the community, how Untappd affects breweries and some best practices, the inspiration for their beers, why they've ventured out to meet other brewers and creators (like to the Get It In Ya® SpecTAPular), their connection to the UK and New Zealand, the folklore concept behind the brand, they direction they plan to take the brewery, and how to communicate their story. They got into seven Folklore bangers - Alkonost Czech Lager, King Arthur Amber Ale, Glück Festbier, Caddy West Coast IPA x InnoMalt, The Dep Run Pale Ale, Bigfoot NEIPA, and Fable #1 NEIPA. This was super fun - cheers! BAOS Podcast Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube | Website | Theme tune: Cee - BrewHeads

After going 2-1 in Weekday CUSA, the Tops are back on the Saturday train to host New Mexico State for homecoming this weekend. Sitting at 6-2 with 3 of their 4 conference wins on the road, Reily Chestnut sits down with Head Coach Tyson Helton to discuss another season of bowl eligibility for Western Kentucky. How has Helton's staff approached the extra prep time for this Saturday's battle against the Aggies? What has impressed Helton about his defenses' resolve down in Ruston? Where did Rodney Tisdale Jr. grow the most in his first start as a Hilltopper and how will Helton handle the QB room this Saturday?Find out on today's pre-homecoming edition of the Tops Live Football Podcast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sitting alone is priceless.

Ray is an entrepreneur who grew up in Turkey and now lives in Mexico with his family. Like many, he once believed there was a path he was supposed to follow: after college, he expected to become a computer engineer, build a retirement plan, and retire at 66 to “finally start living life.” But fate had other plans. In 2006, a television commercial changed the course of his life. It posed the question: “If they were to write a book about your life, would anybody want to read it?” Sitting in his condo in Cleveland, Ray realized that on the path he was on, even he wouldn't want to read his own story. That moment sparked a dramatic shift. Within 90 days, he had quit his job, sold everything he owned, and moved to Mexico to volunteer at a research center near the Guatemalan border, serving indigenous communities. It was there that he met his future wife, who happened to be his Spanish teacher. In what he jokes was another case of “impulse control issues,” they decided to get married and start a business together at the same time — a risky move he doesn't necessarily recommend, though it worked out for them. Since 2008, Ray has launched more than 20 profitable companies and sold four of them, many in partnership with his wife. Despite his track record, he admits he still often feels like he doesn't fully know what he's doing — a reminder, he says, that the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don't know. Find Ray Online https://rayblakney.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondblakney/ If you're enjoying Entrepreneur's Enigma, please give me a review on the podcast directory of your choice. The show is on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. iTunes: https://gmwd.us/itunes Podchaser: https://gmwd.us/podchaser TrueFans: https://gmwd.us/truefans Also, if you're getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. →  https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee Support me on TrueFans.fm → https://gmwd.us/truefans. Support The Show & Get Merch: https://shop.entrepreneursenigma.com Want to learn from a 15 year veteran? Check out the Podcast Mastery Community: https://www.skool.com/podcast-mastery/about Follow Seth Online: Instagram: https://instagram.com/s3th.me LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethmgoldstein/ Seth On Mastodon: https://indieweb.social/@phillycodehound The Marketing Junto Newsletter: https://MarketingJunto.com Leave The Show A Voicemail: https://voiceline.app/ee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's be honest—most onboarding experiences are forgettable at best and overwhelming at worst. Yet for many organizations, the way they welcome new employees hasn't kept up. Traditional onboarding often feels like a box to check—an administrative marathon of paperwork, policies, and PowerPoints. But in a world where people are craving connection, clarity, and belonging, that approach simply doesn't work anymore.As discussed in a recent DEI After 5 episode, embracing change—especially when it comes to how we onboard—can be a powerful catalyst for growth, both for individuals and organizations.Why Onboarding Needs to ChangeWe know that employees decide whether they'll stay with an organization within their first few months—and for Generation Z, that decision happens even faster. According to recent data, 20% of Gen Z employees quit because of poor onboarding, and 8% leave within the first 90 days if the experience doesn't meet expectations. That's not just a retention problem—it's a culture problem.Gen Z and younger millennials are entering the workforce with a clear set of values. They want to understand what a company stands for from day one. In fact, 62% of women and 42% of men in Gen Z expect to learn about their organization's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies during onboarding. This isn't just a “nice-to-have” feature—it's foundational to how they decide whether they belong.When onboarding fails to answer those deeper questions—Do I fit here? Is this a place where I can grow? Will my voice matter?—employees start to disengage before they've even begun.From Administrative to TransformationalEffective onboarding is no longer about checklists—it's about connection. It's an invitation to embrace change, to build trust, and to set the tone for psychological safety from day one.Organizations that get this right are moving from “orientation sessions” to onboarding experiences—interactive, personalized, and grounded in the company's values and culture. Instead of overwhelming new hires with information, they're creating space for exploration and engagement.In the podcast, we explored how today's employees are wired for interactivity. They grew up in digital spaces that reward curiosity and participation. Sitting through hours of dense slides? That's a fast track to disengagement. In fact, 75% of Gen Z admits to skipping or fast-forwarding through boring onboarding content.Modern onboarding should mirror how people learn and connect today:* Short, engaging videos that bring your culture and values to life.* Interactive learning tools that reinforce understanding instead of memorization.* Opportunities for dialogue, where new hires can safely ask questions without fear of judgment.* Stories and experiences that show—not just tell—how your organization lives its values.Psychological Safety Starts on Day OneA powerful theme from the podcast was the link between effective onboarding and psychological safety. When employees feel comfortable asking questions, sharing feedback, or admitting what they don't know, they're more likely to succeed—and stay.But when onboarding is rigid or transactional, it sends an early signal: “We care more about compliance than connection.” And that's where disengagement begins.By reframing onboarding as the first act of culture-building, organizations can demonstrate trust and transparency immediately. That first impression becomes the foundation for engagement, innovation, and long-term commitment.Embracing Change for GrowthEmbracing change—whether in how we work, lead, or onboard—requires adaptability and courage. It's about stepping outside of what's comfortable to build something that actually resonates.The most successful organizations are those that view onboarding not as a one-time event, but as an evolving process of integration and growth. They understand that people don't just need information—they need belonging.When leaders create space for new hires to feel seen, supported, and empowered, they set the stage for resilience, innovation, and shared success. Change, after all, is only disruptive when we resist it. When we lean into it, it becomes the very thing that helps us grow.If you want to learn more about how to create a culture of care, foster psychological safety, and design workplaces where people thrive from day one, subscribe to our YouTube channelSacha Thompson, founder of The Equity Equation, boasts 20+ years of experience spanning education, non-profit, and tech sectors. With a fervent commitment to inclusive leadership and workplace equity, Sacha specializes in fostering psychological safety for all team members. Her transformative coaching and consultancy services have earned her recognition in Forbes, Newsweek, and Business Insider. A seasoned speaker on psychological safety and leadership, Sacha is dedicated to building inclusive cultures and driving organizational success. She was most recently featured in Success, NBC News, Newsweek, and Business Insider. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deiafter5.substack.com/subscribe

Morning Mantra: “Pause. Take a breath. The world will keep spinning, but for now, you don't have to.”Anxiety is a tough one. It makes it feel like your body isn't safe, even when you know it is just sending off false alarms.  You feel like you can't sit with the emotion without trying to push it away.But sitting with the feeling of anxiety is an opportunity to practice recognizing uncomfortable emotions and learning how to not let them hijack your day.Sitting with your anxious feelings is a chance to release the false belief that you need to be in control all the time.  To remind yourself that you are not your thoughts, and that your anxiety doesn't define you, it might be a part of you but not who you are.#BeAbleToConfrontYourAnxiety #BeHappy #BeHorsey #BeHippie #HorseHippie #MorningMantra #WordsToInspire #InspirationalQuotes #SmallBusinessOwner #WomenOwned #HorseHippieBoutique

SUPPORT YANKEE ARNOLD MINISTRIES WITH YOUR DONATION HEREhttps://yankeearnold.com/donate/REGISTER FOR DR. ARNOLD'S ONLINE CLASSES AT FLORIDA BIBLE COLLEGE OF TAMPA HEREhttps://www.floridabiblecollege.usOR EMAIL BOB GILBERT registrar@floridabiblecollege.usEMAIL DR. ARNOLD HEREyankee@yankeearnold.comVISIT OUR BOOKSTORE HEREhttps://yankeearnold.com/store/

Hurricane Melissa and the impact on Jamaica Guest: Tannecia Stephenson, Physics Professor at the university of the West Indies with a specialization in Climate variability and seasonal prediction Should BC Pull its Tariff ad? Guest: Dr Ian Lee, Associate Professor,Sprott School of Business, Carleton University Is sitting as unhealthy as smoking? Guest: Liao Yue, UT Arlington kinesiology Professor “Buy Canadian” is a nice Idea Guest: Tu Nguyen, Economist and Director of Environment and Governance at RSM Canada Are populist leaders surging everywhere? Guest: Edward, Koning, Political Scientist University of Guelph BC Should invest in biomanufacturing Guest: Rob Holt, PhD Co-Director, Advanced Therapeutics Manufacturing Facility Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

HOUR 2: Lawful stop or not...you can't have that sitting in the cup holder, allegedly. full 2097 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 20:00:00 +0000 ERzWt5b6WkQdUufTCOCp9aN6Ed4orLZp news The Dana & Parks Podcast news HOUR 2: Lawful stop or not...you can't have that sitting in the cup holder, allegedly. You wanted it... Now here it is! Listen to each hour of the Dana & Parks Show whenever and wherever you want! © 2025 Audacy, Inc. News False https:

In this episode, we unpack how the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) used its magazine to point cat owners toward insured, trained, professional sitters—despite a season sponsored by a gig-app. We explore why that subtle editorial stance signals a cultural shift and how it aligns with PSI's new global standards. We share what owners are now encouraged to ask: insurance, medical competence, meet-and-greets, backups, and referrals. We also name the gaps (team-based models and continuing education) while celebrating a rising floor for industry expectations. Main topics: CFA's pro-sitter stance PSI global standards synergy Hobbyist vs. professional framing Outcome-based feline care Owner questions that matter Main Takeaway Quote: “This is how cultural change happens—not through laws first, but through language.” When the Cat Fanciers' Association tells cat owners to hire insured, trained, professional sitters, it changes everything. It raises the public expectation for what ‘good care' really means and validates the professionals who've been setting those standards for years. On this week's Pet Sitter Confessional, we talk about why that shift matters, how it connects with PSI's new global standards, and why professionalism—not convenience—is winning the long game in pet care. Links: Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA): https://cfa.org  Cat Talk magazine (CFA publication) — article referenced: “Choosing the Right Cat Sitter”: https://cfa.org/cat-talk/choosing-the-right-cat-sitter/  Pet Sitters International (PSI) — Global Standards: https://www.petsit.com  (see Global Standards) Meowtel: https://www.meowtel.com Check out our Starter Packs See all of our discounts! Check out ProTrainings Code: CPR-petsitterconfessional for 10% off

The Steelers do not make enough explosive plays on offense. It's designed for short passes. There is a real chance an 8-9 team wins the AFC North. Alex Highsmith once again played much more than Nick Herbig. Callers weigh in on the Steelers' issues. We're sitting here AGAIN... TALKING ABOUT THE SAME THINGS.

Hour 1 with Bob Pompeani and Joe Starkey: The Steelers were embarrassed against the Packers last night. Bob says the Steelers defense should be known as "paper champions" with so much talk, and no good play in big games. Alex Highsmith once again played much more than Nick Herbig. Steelers fans weigh in on the Steelers' issues.

Thought to share? Send me a text...A snowy cabin, a tired heart, and a chapter that wouldn't let go—Colossians 3 turned a season of burnout into a turning point for Betsy. After a painful reorganization at church and the quiet ache of feeling “not enough,” a long-buried moment resurfaced: a warning phone call that planted a lie and fueled years of striving. What seemed like a four became a ten because an old arrow finally worked its way to the surface. That's where forgiveness stepped in—not as approval, but as release—and where Christ's peace began to rule.We share the honest process of naming hidden fears, pulling up the root of unforgiveness, and discovering how identity in Christ reframes every bruise. The passage's call to “put on” compassion, kindness, humility, and unoffendable patience becomes more than a list; it's the wardrobe of a heart that knows it is dearly loved. From that place, gratitude stops being a nicety and becomes strength. “Let the word of Christ dwell richly” shifts from theory to practice through simple rhythms: Scripture that takes up residence, a written list of truths that confronts lies, and Sabbath that protects the soul from endless proving.This journey didn't end in quitting; it sparked purpose. Sitting by the fire, Betsy recorded her first teaching to help students and busy listeners carry scripture into everyday life—seed of the podcast you're hearing now. If you're holding wounds that won't name themselves or living under a story that drains joy, this conversation offers a path: tell the truth, forgive generously, surrender to peace, and let love be the mark of maturity. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review with one truth you're choosing to believe today.Download the Companion Guide Here: 0:00  Welcome & Colossians 3 Focus0:50  Ministry Burnout and Loss2:05  Cabin Retreat for Rest and Clarity3:10  Colossians 3 Illuminates Identity4:14  Forgiveness and the Hidden Arrow6:05  Peace, Surrender, and Pruning8:10  Word Dwelling Richly and Calling10:10  Birth of the Podcast Mission11:3To find out more about me, or to book a speaking engagement, head to https://betsymarvin.com/For access to past podcasts and transcripts, head tohttps://betsymarvin.com/podcasts/You can follow me on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/betsyjmarvin/and Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/betsy.marvin.98

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Sitting in the Bel-Nor neighborhood of St.Louis, Missouri is a house with a dark history. Its brick exterior and white shutters makes it just as average and innocuous as the homes that surround it, but this was once the home of Roland Doe - the boy who would go on to inspire William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel “The Exorcist,”and subsequently William Friedkin's film of the same name.

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3165: Dr. Jenny Brockis explores how prolonged sitting drastically affects physical and mental wellbeing, equating its risks to smoking. She offers science-backed strategies to reduce sedentary behavior, empowering listeners to improve focus, productivity, and long-term health through simple, active habits. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.drjennybrockis.com/2014/10/16/is-sitting-really-the-new-smoking/ Quotes to ponder: "Sitting is not dangerous per se, it's the amount of sitting we do that's the issue." "Prolonged sitting is associated with a greater risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, certain types of cancer, and even premature death." "Getting up and moving around every 30 to 45 minutes can significantly reduce the negative impact of sitting." Episode references: Sitting Time and All-Cause Mortality Risk (Archives of Internal Medicine): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1108810 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3165: Dr. Jenny Brockis explores how prolonged sitting drastically affects physical and mental wellbeing, equating its risks to smoking. She offers science-backed strategies to reduce sedentary behavior, empowering listeners to improve focus, productivity, and long-term health through simple, active habits. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.drjennybrockis.com/2014/10/16/is-sitting-really-the-new-smoking/ Quotes to ponder: "Sitting is not dangerous per se, it's the amount of sitting we do that's the issue." "Prolonged sitting is associated with a greater risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, certain types of cancer, and even premature death." "Getting up and moving around every 30 to 45 minutes can significantly reduce the negative impact of sitting." Episode references: Sitting Time and All-Cause Mortality Risk (Archives of Internal Medicine): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1108810 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some hauntings don't just linger in a house — they follow the bloodline. Jennifer's ghost story begins on a quiet summer afternoon when she was only seven years old. Sitting on her godfather's porch swing, she noticed a man in a plain white shirt and blue jeans watching her from the sidewalk. He looked almost ordinary — except for his piercing green eyes, the faint unnatural tint to his skin, and the way he greeted her by name. That day changed her life. The man sat beside her as if he belonged there, told her he'd been watching her, promised he'd return — and then, before her terrified father's eyes, turned into smoke and vanished. Years later, the strange disturbances never stopped: whispers in the dark, unseen knocks at her bedroom door, objects shifting on their own, a presence that always seemed to know her name. In 2002, on the night of July 25th, the man returned in full force — his green eyes burning in the dark as he pinned her to her bed, yanked her hair, and laughed. The most chilling revelation came when her grandmother showed her an old photograph: the man who had haunted Jennifer for decades was her real grandfather, Frank — a violent man who died on July 25th, 1979, vowing he had already “sold his soul.” TrueGhostStory #RealHaunting #FamilyCurse #PorchSwingPromise #HauntedByBloodline #GreenEyedMan #SupernaturalEncounter #ParanormalActivity #GhostStories #HauntedGenerations #TerrifyingHaunting #FrankNeverLeft Love real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story:

Some hauntings don't just linger in a house — they follow the bloodline. Jennifer's ghost story begins on a quiet summer afternoon when she was only seven years old. Sitting on her godfather's porch swing, she noticed a man in a plain white shirt and blue jeans watching her from the sidewalk. He looked almost ordinary — except for his piercing green eyes, the faint unnatural tint to his skin, and the way he greeted her by name. That day changed her life. The man sat beside her as if he belonged there, told her he'd been watching her, promised he'd return — and then, before her terrified father's eyes, turned into smoke and vanished. Years later, the strange disturbances never stopped: whispers in the dark, unseen knocks at her bedroom door, objects shifting on their own, a presence that always seemed to know her name. In 2002, on the night of July 25th, the man returned in full force — his green eyes burning in the dark as he pinned her to her bed, yanked her hair, and laughed. The most chilling revelation came when her grandmother showed her an old photograph: the man who had haunted Jennifer for decades was her real grandfather, Frank — a violent man who died on July 25th, 1979, vowing he had already “sold his soul.” TrueGhostStory #RealHaunting #FamilyCurse #PorchSwingPromise #HauntedByBloodline #GreenEyedMan #SupernaturalEncounter #ParanormalActivity #GhostStories #HauntedGenerations #TerrifyingHaunting #FrankNeverLeft Love real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story:

What if your struggle with goodbyes isn't just about being emotional—but reveals something deeper about how you've been protecting yourself from grief? In this mini episode, Dr. Aimie Apigian shares one of her most personal stories about transformation: how her lifelong pattern of avoiding goodbyes led to carrying decades of unprocessed grief, and how learning to stay present through endings completely changed her life—and became the foundation for the 21-Day Journey. This episode explores the hidden costs of emotional avoidance, why goodbyes can feel unbearable, and how learning to feel complete with experiences is essential for moving forward without regret. Dr. Aimie vulnerably shares her journey from someone who would literally book trips to avoid final goodbyes, to someone who could sit with her dying friend David and ask the question she'd never been able to ask before. In this episode you'll hear more about: The pattern of goodbye avoidance: How Dr. Aimie would emotionally distance herself long before endings arrived, protecting her heart but never feeling complete with experiences The hidden burden of unfinished goodbyes: Getting busy, finding escapes, leaving early—even booking trips specifically to avoid being present for closures The grief underneath: Why each goodbye felt so hard—it was tugging on a lifetime of accumulated, unprocessed grief from every goodbye she'd never properly faced The embarrassment of emotional sensitivity: Hiding her feelings to appear strong and tough, then sobbing alone once she was by herself The pattern of depletion: Always wanting more, never feeling like there was enough time, never feeling complete—and how this connected to her inability to say goodbye David's story: Meeting an 82-year-old man who became a dear friend during the pandemic, and the decision to bring him home from isolation when he was dying alone The question that changed everything: "Is there anything you feel you need to feel complete before you pass on?"—a question Dr. Aimie had never been able to ask patients in her years working in general surgery The moment of transformation: Sitting with David as he held her hand over his heart, not bracing herself, heart wide open—becoming a completely different person than the Aimie who would've found dishes to do or papers to file The birth of the 21-Day Journey: How the specific exercises and sequence were designed in those final hours with David, born from the realization that if she could change this much, anyone could The commitment to not do it alone: Why Dr. Aimie designed the journey to safely guide others through their healing, just like she did for David—providing not just exercises, but the science and support so no one has to figure it out alone Your relationship with goodbyes reveals more about you than perhaps any other aspect of your life. Learning to stay present through endings, to feel complete with experiences, and to honor what's been while still moving forward—this is the gift of true closure.

*5:00am: I didn't know ____ would be a full time job *6:00am: What was your school supply status symbol? Sitting in the front seat of the car: Your parent or your spouse? *7:00am: Are Vegas hotel rooms giving unnecessary charges? *8:00am: Jessica Simpsons joins the show

 Unholy live is coming to NYC next week (10/29) with special guest Hillary Rodham Clinton! Grab your tickets here: https://bit.ly/UnholyLiveNYC Watch us on Youtube: https://youtu.be/GQGDuFFZpmAAs the Knesset reconvenes, political manoeuvring in Jerusalem is stirring unease in Washington — with decisions that risk straining Israel's most important alliance. Yonit and Jonathan unpack the tensions between Israel and the US, the increasing influence of Donald Trump on Israeli politics, and the latest, often distressing updates from the returned hostages. Samer Sinijlawi joins them to offer a Palestinian perspective on the current situation in Gaza, an analysis of what lies ahead for politics, and leadership, in the Palestinian arena - and a dash of hope for a better future for both peoples.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Meagan Little from the Blues stopped by to show off the new Rizz Show Night at the Blues giveway plus we caught up with our dear sweet homie Chris Kerber.Doctor is arrested while performing illegal penis enlargement procedures in the back of his Toyota Corolla - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15211671/Doctor-arrested-performing-illegal-penis-enlargement-procedures-Toyota-Corolla.htmlHorrified families find NEEDLES in candy handed out in Southern town as police issue warning ahead of Halloween - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-15203187/Horrified-families-NEEDLES-candy-handed-Southern-town-police-issue-warning-ahead-Halloween.html36 Best Regional Sandwiches You Have to Try Across America - https://www.cheapism.com/regional-sandwiches-across-america/Charmin introduces 'Forever Roll' toilet paper product - https://local12.com/news/offbeat/charmin-introduces-forever-roll-toilet-paper-product-1700-sheets-last-one-month-standard-sale-soft-quality-money-back-guarantee-wipe-restroomSmart bed owners experience AWS nightmare as outage leaves them sweating and stuck in upright position - https://www.techradar.com/home/smart-home/smart-bed-owners-experience-aws-nightmare-as-outage-leaves-them-sweating-and-stuck-in-upright-positionToo burned out to travel? This new app fakes your summer vacation photos for you - https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/18/too-burned-out-to-travel-this-new-app-fakes-your-summer-vacation-photos-for-you/Orange County woman wins $11.3M in lawsuit against Target - https://www.wftv.com/news/local/florida-woman-wins-113m-lawsuit-against-target/FWGSJTVQG5C4LBLWFHDJG6SPUU/Follow The Rizzuto Show @rizzshow on all your favorite social media, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and more. Connect with The Rizzuto Show online at 1057thepoint.com/RizzShowSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.