Podcasts about sourpuss

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 7 Hillbilly Tactics. Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.   The TV flashed, losing a digital telephone ring, and I grabbed the remote from the table and accepted the call. "Hey, Harrison," said the man on the other end. He was another lab coat, and as best I could tell from the blurry background he was likely in the same facility or even the same room as Doctor Varma had been. This guy looked like he'd stepped right out of a corny television show though; he was blubbery in the way that a guy could be after a couple of decades of slow physical decline, with a burst of thinning silver hair that just needed the black streaks and some smudges on his face to look like he'd been catoonishly blown up. The bit of scraggly, messy scruff on his chin that looked unplanned made me a little self-conscious of my own currently messy beard. Erica had wanted me to grow mine out a bit so she could decide if she liked it longer or shorter, and Ivy didn't care, so I was looking even more like a mountain man than usual. "I'm Doctor McKenna, but you can call me Bill," he continued. "You're on Doc Varma's team?" I asked, putting two and two together. "Yep," he nodded. "I was supposed to do the follow-up interview with you but got caught up with some of the numbers in your case. Charlotte and I have both reviewed the content. Sounds like you had a bit of a wild time, huh? And don't worry, we're all getting pretty used to the graphic nature of our work these days so you didn't offend or embarrass anyone." "Well, that's something at least," I said. "I never thought I'd be having a conversation like that with a doctor. Or anyone." He got a wry grin at this and held up a hand to ease me. "Believe me, Harrison. I've been with the team from the start and we have had more than a few of these sorts of conversations based on the nature of the vaccine. Yours is definitely up there as a novel case of details, but it's only personal for you, not us." I just nodded, not knowing what to say. I hadn't considered how often sex must come up in their day-to-day work if they were specialists. "Now, I have; well, I can't say it's good nor bad news," Doctor Bill said. "Interesting for us, for sure. As I'm sure you're aware, as you have two partners already, the vaccine is supposed to only be transmissible from women to men for the purposes of diluting the effects on men. To be frank, no one here on the team had considered the possibility of transferring and initiating a bonding process from one woman to another through female ejaculate. It doesn't help that most of the science community, those that would even think of it, haven't exactly spent time studying female ejaculate to begin with. So your situation wasn't tested for, but as far as we can tell it still shouldn't have been able to happen." "So what does that mean, doc?" I asked. "It means that you, or one of your current partners, or some combination, integrated with the vaccine and imprinting process in an exceptional way. A variant response is how we're categorizing it at the moment, and to be frank it's not even one of the most surprising ones we've encountered as the testing continues to broaden. As best we can tell from your interview, it's likely that Miss Peters was vaccinated through the oral ingestion of the female ejaculate; all the markers of a normal imprinting process occur when you began actual sex together. "Now, the really interesting part of this on my end is obviously the fact that this happened at all, but following the results of the blood tests from the Testing facility up where you are, and the preliminary tests we've completed on the samples that got flown down to us here, we've found that it isn't likely to be a phenomenon that is worth pursuing. Unfortunately, while Miss Peters is certainly going to be imprinted on you to some degree, it also seems that the efficacy of the vaccine in her system will be well under our current rates. Right now our projection is that she will only have an efficacy rate of about thirty-five to forty per cent, while a woman who has undergone our current best practices has an efficacy of somewhere around the eightieth percentile." I had to rub my forehead and close my eyes for a long moment as I tried to parse everything he was saying. "So what does that mean, Doctor Bill?" I asked. "It means that Miss Peters is now part of your 'Team,' he said. "That's what I've been calling the groups of imprinted people colloquially around here, anyways. But where your other two partners have a high likelihood of staving off the Duo Halo virus, if Miss Peters is exposed she is about half as likely to resist initial infection or gain serious aid in fighting off an infection she catches." "So we've put her at risk by having casual sex with her," I said. "Fuck me, this is exactly the kind of shit that I was worried about when she asked to join in with us." "Yes and no," he said. "To be frank, it's entirely possible that her integration with the vaccine will grow and normalize over time with repeated exposure to you. The staff up there will book some follow-up blood draws to check in on that. One of the many things were are trying to understand about the vaccine is how sex bolsters imprinted partners. Generally, we haven't seen that happen for women, since they can't have more than one imprinted male partner, but the more partners men are in contact with the more efficacy we're seeing." "So you're saying she's stuck with me," I said. "She asked for no-strings-attached, and she got trapped into a sexual relationship." "You could look at it that way," he said. "But,” "But," Doc Varma said, coming into view on his end of the call and hovering over his shoulder. "I would remind you, Mr. Black, that she did choose to initiate a group sexual encounter with you and your partners. And once she is awake from the imprinting process, I would not be surprised if she feels content with the overall situation following any initial panic or shock." I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling for a moment. "You know, when I first heard about this from Erica, I told her it sounded like some sort of brainwashing mind control shit? I couldn't believe she'd gotten the vaccine. But then everything was going so well that I stopped thinking about it. And Ivy was happy, and Erica's brother was partnered and they were both extremely happy. But this,” I sighed heavily and looked at the two scientists on the screen. "This is some fucked up, B-movie supervillain kind of shit. You guys realize that, right? Like, where is James Bond in all of this?" Bill frowned, but Doc Varma smirked just a little. "Yes," she said. "We are aware of how inappropriate many of the factors of the vaccine are, Mr. Black. It is a marvel of modern medicine, but we are still grappling with the necessities that come along with it." Together they ran me through what I needed to expect moving forward. Vanessa was going to be monitored until she woke up, so I would be spending the night where I was at. She'd get a complete physical, and they'd take more blood for testing before she'd be released into my care and we were brought back home. Then, depending on what she wanted, she would either be able to live with Erica, Ivy and I, or she could maintain some distance for the time being and only come to see me for the sexual encounters she would require. We would both receive follow-up check-ins from someone on the Vaccine testing team to draw more blood periodically to check if Vanessa's efficacy was changing, or if mine was. We hit the grocery store next, which ended up only allowing two people inside in a party at once. Dani wanted to look for some specific stuff, and Vanessa hadn't had her own kitchen to cook in for almost two years since she'd been eating cafeteria food on industrial construction sites, so I decided to hang out in the truck while they went in. I sent them with my credit card and reminded them of the staples we needed. They got in line outside the store, and I decided to enjoy the warmth of the afternoon and open the gate of my truck so I could sit outside. I watched Dani and Vanessa from across the parking lot, keeping one eye on them while I could. I could tell they were talking from the small hand motions. Neither of them talked with their hands like Erica or Leo did, but everything seemed friendly between them. "Excuse me?" I turned and realized I'd tunnel-visioned and completely lost track of my surroundings because a woman was standing about ten paces away from me. That wasn't like me at all. She was nervous, wringing her wrists as she stood awkwardly. She was a little scrawny, her clothes hanging off of her, and the eyes above her rough-looking mask were... not sunken, but sort of sad. "I'm sorry to bother you, Harri," she said. "I was just wondering if maybe you could spare a couple bucks? Things aren't really going well right now, and I've got my kids..." Living in Portland, I'd seen my fair share of homeless folks and beggars. Some of them were pushy and agitated, and others entirely shut down from their addictions. This woman didn't look homeless, but she definitely looked down on her luck. And down for enough time that it showed. She wasn't wearing even basic earrings but had the holes in her ears. There was a slightly less tan ring on her finger where I assumed a wedding band used to sit, but it was fading. Every major city in the United States had a homeless population. Some were worse than others, I knew that. The further south along the coast, the warmer it got, and the bigger the population. But out here in the sticks? In Jewell? Sure, we had the occasional drifter moving through. I'd never seen someone begging before. Things were really getting bad. "Uh, yeah, I can," I said, reaching for my wallet in my pocket. "I'm sorry, you know me but I'm not immediately recognizing you. Maybe it's the mask." She took a couple steps forward as I said I could spare her some cash, but looked away as I asked who she was. I kicked myself, realizing that her situation was embarrassing enough as it was. "Maybe you don't remember me," the woman said. "I was a year ahead of you in high school. Mary Duncan?" "Of course I remember you, Mary," I said. "It's just been a long time. You were a cheerleader I think, right? You did all the flips. You were really graceful." "Thanks," she said, and I could tell she was blushing behind her mask. I didn't have too much cash on me compared to what I used to carry for emergencies. I used to be a cash-only guy, at least around town. Knowing what my bank account looked like, I just pulled what I had and slipped down from the gate of my truck and set the bills on it, stepping back. "No offence, I don't think you stink or anything," I tried to joke. Mary's eyes went wide when she saw the bills, and she mumbled something as she stepped forward and I backed off a bit more so she could take them. It was maybe seventy dollars, but as she quickly looked through the bills I saw her get teary, and then she clutched the cash to her chest and collapsed to her knees, crying. I wanted to go and comfort her. Give her a hug. She was clearly overwhelmed and in a bad way, and back when we were in school she'd always been a cute, button-nosed girl with a soft smile and a big laugh. But I couldn't go to her. I couldn't rub her back or pat her shoulder or give her a hug. The best I could do was squat down from several feet away to get closer to her level. "Mary?" I asked. She sniffed hard and rubbed at her eyes. "Oh my God, I'm so embarrassed," she said. "You don't need to be," I said. "You said you have kids, right? How many?" "Two," she said. "Thomas is six now, and looks like his dad. My little girl Charlie is four. She wanted to go to school like her big brother this fall but..." But the schools were closed, and who knew how long they would be closed for? "And their Dad?" I asked. She sniffed hard again. "He went up to Portland to look for work after we both got laid off at the start of quarantine," she said. "I haven't heard from him since." "Fuck," I breathed out, hopefully not loud enough for her to hear. The guy could have abandoned his family like a shit, or just been overwhelmed and trying to find a way to make it right. Or he could be dead. "Mary, I'm sorry you're going through this. And I'm sorry if this touches another sore spot, but is your phone still active?" She nodded, touching the ragged little purse. I asked her to take it out and I immediately recognized that she'd probably downgraded her phone at a pawn shop, it was a beat-up old model barely above a flip phone. I gave her my number. "Call me the next time you need groceries, Okay?" I said. "Or if there's an emergency. Seriously, Mary." "I applied for food stamps, and welfare, but I haven't heard anything back," she said pitifully, like she was trying to explain her shitty situation. There wasn't any explaining. "The system is probably overloaded," I said softly. "Mary. I'm not pulling your leg. Go get groceries for you and your kids. I'll figure something out for you for next week, Okay?" "Harri, I can't just; I don't want to,” It was fucking stupid, but this woman who I remembered as that sweet girl was broken. I stood up and went to her, and pulled her to her feet and hugged her. She was tiny, and bony, in my arms. She'd probably been feeding her kids everything she could and taking the bare minimum for herself. "Stop," I said quietly as I held her, and she cried a little again. "You're doing what you can in a terrible situation, Mary. I'm doing Okay. Let me help." "Thank you," she whispered into my shirt, then sniffed behind her mask again and stepped away. 'Thank you, Harri." "Text me," I reminded her. "So that I have your number." "I will," she nodded. "I will." She left, headed towards the line outside the store, and I watched her go. Hopefully I wasn't going to pay for that moment of kindness with my life. But what was the point of being vaccinated and wealthy if I couldn't help a hurting woman? I sat back on the gate of my truck and saw the two big paper bags holding the meat I'd just bought. Hundreds of dollars' worth. I could have given her some, along with the cash. One of the chickens and some of the sausages. Kids liked sausage, right? Then I could practically hear my Mom's voice in the back of my mind. She'd been the giver in the family before she died. The volunteer. And she'd always said that you couldn't do your best for others without taking care of your family first. Seventy dollars would carry Mary and her kids for a few days at least. I could set up an account with Mason, connect her with Mrs. Branston for eggs, and cover her bill. I doubted I could do the same at the grocery store, but meat was always the most expensive part of meals anyways. I could drop a couple hundred bucks with her to help cover her other staples every few weeks. I looked down at my sweater, hoping again that I wasn't going to pay for this with sickness and death. What did those docs say? Eighty per cent effective, with more for each partner? I had three partners now, so I had to be like ninety per cent covered, right? The rest of my wait in the parking lot, unfortunately, wasn't peaceful. A guy with some parking lot road rage pounded on his horn at a woman who was loading her car. A half dozen teens skated through on skateboards, whooping and hollering and skirting by too close to people. None of them were wearing masks, and I saw a few of them spitting near people or fake coughing just to get a reaction out of them. I was trying to decide if I should call the emergency line, but they were gone as quickly as they arrived. Teens, rebellious and angry at the world, and most importantly bored and left to their own devices. Thankfully since I'd parked at the back of the lot they didn't really come near me. I did end up calling 911 when the fight broke out though. Two women were yelling at each other as they exited the store, both of them with full carts. I had no idea what they were shouting, but they definitely got the attention of everyone in the parking lot and the line. Then one lady pivoted and smacked her buggy into the other lady, and that one grabbed something out of the other's cart and threw it. "911 Emergency Services. Where is the emergency located?" "Yeah, I'm at the Green Grocer in Jewell," I said. "My name is Harrison Black. I need police services, a fight has broken out between two women in the parking lot and it's gotten physical." I could hear typing on the other end of the line. "I've dispatched a cruiser, sir, but the arrival time is at least twenty minutes. Is anyone's life in danger?" "Other than the pandemic?" I sighed. The women were grappled at this point, both of them trying to throw punches. "Hard to say. Neither of them are backing down and they've got a hold of each other and are swinging." "If you can, try to keep anyone else from getting involved, sir," the operator said. "And remember to keep your distance." "Fuck," I said as one of the ladies connected cleanly with the nose of the other. Blood started streaming down that one's face but it didn't stop her from clawing at the other with a snarl. "It's getting worse. There's blood now. Look, I'm not saying you have the authority to let me do this, but I've got my handgun in the truck and could pop one into the ground to spook them and try and disperse the issue." There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the line. "..... I mean, I'm not going to tell you to do that.... But..." "Understood," I said. I gave the operator my number, since I was sure the police were going to want to follow up with me, and then slammed the gate of my truck closed and went to the passenger side. Dani had returned the 1911 to its case thankfully, so I quickly slammed the magazine home and did a quick check to see it had one chambered before walking across the parking lot with the pistol held low and to the side. The women were scrapping on the ground at this point. A crowd had formed, not so close to each other to be shoulder to shoulder, but closer than they should have been. "Hey!" I shouted over the noise in my best military voice, but only the closest few people glanced over at me. One saw my gun and his eyes went wide. I sighed and shook my head, then pointed the muzzle at one of the little end-row barriers that had a sprig of a garden inside the concrete curb and pulled the trigger. The loud popping boom of the discharge quieted everyone real quick, including the fighting ladies as they all looked over at me. "Get the fuck out of here," I shouted. People scattered, including the two fighting ladies as they scrambled to recover their carts. I was pretty sure several items had gone missing from their shopping bags in the ruckus, claimed by other people who felt they needed them more. I just shook my head as I flipped the safety on and tucked the 1911 into the pocket on the front of my sweater. There were still a few people in line at the front of the store, along with an employee monitoring it, so I went over. It turned out to be the same teen as that time I'd been here with Erica and almost gotten in a fight myself. I gave him my name and let him know the police were already on their way. He said it wasn't the first fistfight he'd seen break out this week, let alone in the last month. "Kid," I said. "This job ain't worth your life." He shrugged. "I'm saving for college, and the bonus pay I'm getting as a front-line worker is adding up quickly." "College ain't worth your life either. Just saying." Dani and Vanessa came out of the store a little while later. I'd already returned the 1911 to its case and was sitting on the tailgate of my truck again. I explained to them what happened, both with Mary and with the fight. And I admitted to hugging Mary despite the danger. "I can walk home from here," I said. "We probably shouldn't get into the truck together. I'll need to,” "Harri," Vanessa interrupted me. "Shut up and get in the car. You're not in any danger, right? You're vaccinated. We're both vaccinated." "Yeah, but you are way less covered than the rest of us," I said. "It's not a big deal. It'll take a couple of hours of walking." Vanessa took it into her own hands and practically tackled me. "Oops, too late." "Vanessa!" I said in a panic and looked at Dani for help. "Lady made her decision," Dani shrugged. "We can either live in fear of it, or just do our best." So I ended up driving again, praying that Mary wasn't sick, which would mean I wasn't carrying it. I felt like an idiot all over again for hugging her, for risking everything to comfort her. But then I'd also seen that look on her face and I knew she'd needed it. Our last stop of the trip was Mrs. Branston's, but when I pulled into the front of her long gravel driveway I noticed that she hadn't put the flat of eggs I'd asked for in the usual spot. Frowning, I pulled out my phone and called her, but it went to voicemail immediately. "That's weird," I said. "Mrs. Branston is always home." "You want to go check on her, don't you," Vanessa said, not really a question. "Well, she's seventy and lives alone," I said. "She's not exactly ancient, but she's no spring chicken either." "Alright, let's go see what's up," Dani said. Then turned to Vanessa. "You're staying here though." "What?" Vanessa said. "Why?" "Because you already took one risk today, and I'm starting to like you too much to let you do two in a day," Dani smirked, then pulled up her mask. "Ugh, fine," Vanessa sighed. "Crack the windows for me at least." I did her one better and left the truck running with the AC on. Dani and I walked up the drive. It was long, but nowhere near as long as mine had been. The Branston's had built their house almost forty years ago; Victor Branston had worked at the local lumber mill, and his wife Hailey had started their side business of raising chickens and eggs after they built their single-story ranch house and barn. They'd had a son who had died in a drunk driving accident when I was still a kid, and a daughter who had moved away when I was still in middle school. At the top of the drive I tried calling again, and with no answer, Dani and I went to the front door and I knocked, then stepped back. "Mrs. Branston!" I called loudly. "You home?" Again, no answer. Shaking my head, I frowned beneath my mask and furrowed my brow. Her car was parked in front of the house, so she wasn't out. "Let's check in some windows," Dani suggested. "If she fell and broke her hip or something she might not be able to reach her phone." So that's what we did. It felt rude, peeking in her windows like that, but I let the MP side of me take over. I was looking into her kitchen when Dani gasped and motioned me to the other end of the side of the house. She was holding a gloved hand over her mask. I rushed over and looked in. It was Mrs. Branston's bedroom, and she was lying in the bed completely still. There was a dark stain around her mouth and nose and on the edge of some of the sheets. I recognized the dried blood. It looked like she'd been coughing it up. "Fuck," I sighed, stepping back from the window. Her sallow skin. Her sunken eyes. It was haunting. I called Emergency Services for the second time in less than an hour and reported it. "What do we do now?" Dani asked. "I'd say call her family, but I don't know her daughter's number. I think Mrs. Branston said she moved out east somewhere," I said. "We'll need to leave that to the police. Other than that?" I shrugged and looked around at the property. Hailey Branston had lived here going on forty years. Now there was no one. My eyes settled on the barn. "If nothing else, we should feed the chickens," I said. "No need for them to starve to death." "Good idea," Dani nodded and followed me towards the barn. Now, my worry had been that the chickens might be dead. I really wasn't sure how long it would take for chickens to starve to death, so I was preparing myself for the stink of not only a chicken coop but of dead bodies. What I wasn't prepared for was for the place to be empty. "What the fuck?" "This is weird," Dani said, looking at the rows and rows of empty cages. It was obvious this was a chicken operation. Just the bird poo around was enough to point to that. But there weren't any chickens. "How do fifty chickens just up and vanish?" I asked, wandering deeper into the barn. "It's not just the chickens," Dani said behind me. She was standing at a big bin near the front door with a big 'feed' label on it. She'd lifted the lid. "All their food is gone too except for a bit of mess at the bottom." I just shook my head, frowning as I looked around. Maybe there was some sort of metaphor here about Haily Branston's life, but all I was seeing was a crime scene. "Who the fuck finds out an old woman is dead, and instead of reporting it they steal all her chickens?" "An asshole," Dani said. "Assholes," I corrected. "This would have taken forever if it was just one person. There had to be at least two, probably more." I sighed. "Alright, we need to get out of here. We'll report it to the police when they get here." Dani and I went back down to Vanessa, filling her in on what we'd seen, and then waited. Thirty minutes later I called Emergency Services again on the non-emergency line, asking for an update on when we could expect someone to come out. "I'm sorry sir, but all our services are currently dispatched at the moment with active issues," the operator said. "We've got your report on file, and an ambulance will be dispatched when police are available. We have your name and number on file, we don't need you to stay on location." That was definitely not the norm for someone calling in a dead body, and it made me worried. "Alright," I said. "I just need to add something to the report then. After my previous call we checked in on Mrs. Branston's agricultural livestock. Someone has stolen all her chickens." "I'm... sorry?" the operator said. "Someone stole fifty-odd chickens," I clarified. There was another long moment of quiet from the other end of the line. "Chickens?" "Yeah, chickens," I said. A long sigh. "Alright, I added it to the report. Have a good day, sir." "You,” the operator hung up. "-too." "That sounded like it went great," Vanessa said sarcastically. "Yeah," I said, wondering what the fuck was happening to my home town. "I can't say that it did." Vanessa came jogging down from the office portables when the black sedan came rolling around the bunkhouses. After we'd gotten back from our big run, and Erica had berated me for taking a risk with Mary even while telling me how sweet a man I was, things had settled down. Leo's new partners had slept through the day with their imprinting, but we'd grilled up some extra sausages in case they woke up in the night and were hungry. I'd spent some time late in the afternoon with Ivy, and that night I'd slept with Vanessa on one side of me, and Ivy on the other while Erica spooned up behind her and rested a hand on my chest. We'd all been naked, but nothing overtly sexual had happened Vanessa had gone back to work in the morning, the first to wake up, and as she got ready and dug through her luggage Erica got up and made her coffee. The smell woke me up, and I realized it was 5:30 in the morning. It looked like our schedule was going to be changing with Vanessa in our lives. Breakfast was a quiet affair later in the morning; at least, quiet for us. Leo's RV was visibly rocking, and I had to assume Aria and India were up and the four of them were getting better acquainted. By the time Vanessa came back around for her breakfast break I'd already come in Erica, but Ivy had held off; apparently, the three of them had talked, and Vanessa only had about fifteen minutes for her breakfast break which meant a quicker-than-usual blowjob was necessary if she wanted some fun with her food. By mid-morning things had quieted down over at Leo's RV, and I'd left a platter of food wrapped with tinfoil on a chair next to the door. Ivy was just starting to get handsy with me, sitting on my lap and giggling with that look in her eye, distracting me from my drawing, when the crunch of tires outside the compound perked us up. The sedan ground to a halt, and Vanessa quickly came down to stand with Erica and Ivy and me. Agent Sourpuss was the driver again, and she just narrowed her eyes at us for a moment before turning back and speaking into the back seat. The door opened, and a woman in that same hooded coverall getup stepped out. "Hi," I said, stepping forward and offering her my hand. "I'm Harrison." "Kyla," she said through her mask, taking my hand and shaking it lightly. "I'm not really sure what you were expecting," I said. "I know things are weird and changing a lot for everyone, so if anything sounds like a problem just let us know and we can figure it out. The first of which is that, ah, these are my partners Erica, Ivy and Vanessa." "Allo!" Ivy said, stepping forward and wrapping the woman up in a hug. Ivy was still the shortest and most petite of the women, with Kyla standing around the same height as Vanessa. "Hi," Erica said, smiling warmly but not stepping forward, which I knew was because she knew the secret. In any other circumstance she likely would have been trying as hard as Ivy to be welcoming in an effort to dispel the weirdness. Agent Sourpuss rolled down the window. "Hey, you need to stop being so touchy. Protocol says you need to imprint as soon as possible." I sighed, glaring at her a little. "I hear you. Let's just make sure this is all Okay with her, yeah?" I turned back to Kyla, whose eyes were a little wide as she cautiously accepted the hug from Ivy. "Um, hello," she said, looking around at the construction site, and our ridiculous-looking compound. "There's a lot for us to explain," I said. "I can see that," she said. The more she talked, the more I heard a slight accent. It wasn't strong, not like Dani's, and I had to assume being the daughter of an Ambassador meant she'd grown up at least part of her life in the US or other places. Not to mention any training she'd received. "Are you Okay with this?" Erica asked her. "The idea of sharing space with a group of us?" "For what it's worth, I'm the newest and stumbled into it by accident, but it works for me," Vanessa chipped in. Kyla looked around again, then back at Sourpuss, and finally back to me. "It's the way things are," she said. "I can make it work." "Well, if you change your mind, you have until we start the imprinting process," I said. "Just say something and we can try to find you someone, or somewhere, else." She shook her head, then turned to Sourpuss again. "You can go." "Fine by me," the Agent muttered, raising her window and pulling the car away. I was almost sure I heard her mutter something about never wanting to come back again. "Come in," Erica said, gesturing to the fabric-draped entryway. "We'll show you around and can tell you what's up." Kyla followed Erica and Ivy in, but Vanessa hung back. "I need to get back to work," she said. "I'll come meet her later if you haven't dicked her down yet." I snorted and shook my head at her crassness. The only people who could get close to matching military folks in that way turned out to be construction workers. "Everything going Okay?" I asked. "Yeah, it's fine. Just getting the animals back in order after being away. They're going to be moving workers into the bunkhouses in the next few days so there's a lot to get ready," she said. She reached over and squeezed my hand for a second, but didn't step in for a kiss even though I could see her glance at my lips. "See you later?" "Absolutely," I said, and she started marching back towards the office portables. When I ducked back into our compound, Erica and Ivy had arranged the deck chairs into a semi-circle and Ivy was coming out of our place with a quartet of beers from the fridge. Erica was just gesturing for Kyla to take a seat. "We're all vaccinated," she was saying. "So if you want to get out of that getup you can." Kyla sat and sighed, lowering her hood and then taking off her medical mask. She was gorgeous. Her hair was a natural silky black with that smooth quality that Native Americans and East Asian folks shared, and she had cute little apple cheeks when she smiled softly in thanks as she accepted a beer from Ivy. Her skin was naturally tan, and she'd done her makeup to accent her ethnicity a bit rather than downplaying it, and knowing what I knew about her I wondered if that was a move to try and distract or seduce me. She had espionage training. She knew how to use her assets. "So Harrison," she nodded to me, then pointed at Ivy. "Ivy, and..." she looked at Erica. "Sorry, something with an E, right?" "Erica," my girlfriend clarified for her with a smile. "Right, Erica," Kyla said. "And the other was Vanessa?" "Right," I nodded. "Vanessa is actually a forewoman with the construction crews, so she had to get back to work." "Okay," she nodded. "And you all live in these trailers?" "RVs," I said. "And it's just temporary. My family owned this land for generations, and recently the government leased it from me and is building a residential compound. We'll be getting a house, and for now we've got these luxury RVs. But, uh, we're actually only living in that one. The other one is occupied by my friend and Erica's brother Leo and his partners." "So there's going to be five of us in there?" Kyla asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked over the RV. "Yes," Ivy said with a smile. "It's very nice on the inside. And the bed is very cozy." "The bed?" Kyla said, emphasizing the singular. "That's, uh, another thing," I said. "This is a little rude but, well Erica, Ivy and Vanessa are all bisexual. Are you;?" "I'm straight," she said. Erica just nodded, though I could tell out of the corner of my eye that Ivy was a little disappointed but tried to hide it. "That's perfectly fine," I said. "We'll figure out a sleeping arrangement so that you're comfortable." "I,” Kyla started, then glanced at Erica and Ivy for a moment and seemed to change her mind. "Look, I'm stepping into your thing here already, so I don't want to be a bitch. But could I just... Could I talk for a moment with the guy who I'm going to be bonding DNA with or whatever?" "Yes, absolutely," Erica said. "Do you want to go inside, or should we?" Kyla glanced over at Leo's RV. "Maybe we should," she said and stood up. I stood as well, patted Ivy's shoulder and met a glance from Erica as she tried to warn me to be careful without saying anything. Kyla and I went to the RV, and I opened the door for her and followed her in. "Sorry about the mess," I said. "Vanessa just moved in yesterday and we're trying to figure out what to keep here, and what to move into the storage containers." "It's... fine," Kyla said. She was looking down the length of the RV, through the open door to the bed. I could only imagine what she was thinking. "Let's just sit here," I said, offering her the bench as I took the chair by the Murphey table. I wasn't going to mention that we used the bench for fucking almost as much as the bed. "Ask me anything," I said as we sat. "I know this is all weird, and you must have a thousand questions and concerns." "I do," she said, and leaned back on the leather bench and took a deep breath. I just met her eyes as she looked me over again. Then she took a swig of her beer. "What do you do for money? How does all of this work?" she asked. "Well, up until a few weeks ago, my family house was about fifty yards that way," I pointed. "Right where that first big bunkhouse building is. I worked remotely as a concept artist, and Erica's brother Leo was my roommate. Erica joined us out here for quarantine. The federal government came and wanted to buy my land, but I negotiated a lease with them instead and they paid me a lot of money for it, along with building me, Leo and my sister houses. So if you're worried about finances living out here, you don't need to. I'm not stingy, though I'd prefer if we don't get super extravagant. I'd rather us be wealthy for a long time than super-rich for a short one, and with five people on the team... Well, yeah." "The team?" she asked. "It feels a little weird to call it a family right now," I said. "What with all the changes happening so fast. I think that's how most of us will end up, but I don't want to presume anything." She frowned, looking me up and down again. When she got that look on her face she was fierce and calculating. Focused. Then it broke and she cocked her head to the side just a touch. "Did they tell you I was coming?" "Um, yeah," I nodded. "I got a warning yesterday that you'd be here sometime in the next couple of days." She nodded slowly. "Okay. I mean, obviously we'll need to figure some things out, but I think I can live with... this. I'd like to wait a day and get to know you all a bit more before we do the imprinting though. I'm not really a 'sleep with a guy on the first day' kind of girl." "I'd be happy to wait as long as you like," I said. "But, ah, you may want to talk with the others about that feeling you've got. Apparently, it'll just keep getting stronger." "Right," Kyla nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll keep that in mind." Voices rose outside. Not angry, just a little animated. "Sounds like Leo and his girls are finally coming outside," I said. "I think you'll like Danielle, she's a pretty open book. I can't make any promises about the two new women though, they arrived yesterday and I haven't had a chance to meet them properly." "That sounds good," she said. "Any other questions, or do you want to go meet them?" I asked. "Um, yeah, actually," she said. She was still giving me a slightly weird, considering look. "Do you know?" "Know what?" I asked, trying to poker face without poker facing. She kept eyeing me. "Who I am." I sighed a little. "I was told that you're the daughter of an Ambassador," I said, covering the big lie with a little truth. "Does that bother you?" she asked. "Why would it?" I replied. "I'm part Native, part Japanese, I travelled a decent chunk of the world when I was in the military. In the US, you growing up in another country is about as different as if you grew up in an east coast city." "That's not what I meant," Kyla said, sitting forward and leaning her elbows on her knees, staring right at me. "I meant does it bother you that I'm a spy?" The problem with going toe to toe with a spy was that all of my usual methods of evaluating someone were already going off. As a teen I'd been a bit of a hillbilly, I'd been an athlete, and I'd been a kid from a family with generational grudge issues. Then I'd joined the military and I learned about professional backstabbing and politics, and then I'd become an MP and really saw some of the dumb and vile crap that Man could do to each other. I'd been trained to be aware, alert, and suspicious. Seven years out of the military had softened me, I was sure. But not that much. Maybe Grierson shouldn't have told me about Kyla's background. I was trying my best to not be suspicious, which I bet if I saw myself back on a recording I would have seen as a red flag. If I hadn't known about her, I could have just accepted her and hopefully my natural and trained instincts would have picked up on anything fishy. I sighed a little huff of a chuckle and leaned back in the Murphey chair, looking at Kyla across the RV. I'd been doing my best not to just really stare at her, to make a judgement scan of her to really assess her. Maybe that gave me away. Maybe not. She was beautiful, but I'd already judged that. Her Filipino heritage was strong, but wasn't so different from the natives that I'd grown up around that it seemed out of place or exotic to me. Not to mention the plenty of varied Asians I'd lived around in Portland. She was still wearing the bulky coverall so it was hard to judge her athleticism, but just the way she sat told me she was a physical person. She was sitting on the bench, which wasn't particularly tall, but her feet were pressed to the ground by the balls of her feet and toes, her heels raised. Even though she was leaning forward with her elbows on her knees she also wasn't slouching at all. She was a coiled spring, but with a loose tension. She wasn't on edge, but was a calmly controlled nervous. "It does," I said, answering the question she'd stunned me with for a moment. 'Does it bother you that I'm a spy?' Who asked that? Was it a game, or a test? Was she trying to be truthful because of the situation, or was she running a long con to gain my trust to inevitably betray me? How calculated was this move, and what were the variables? Was it a move at all? "But not the way you might think," I continued. "It's funny, I don't even know how much they told you about me. I think I mentioned outside that I was in the military at one point. I was an MP before I was discharged. You are exactly the kind of person I would have been worried about for an important part of my life. But now? Honestly, Kyla, I just don't want you to fuck up the family dynamic we're trying to build here. I don't want you to put any of the people out there in danger, on purpose or by accident, if you plan on trying to do something for your father or NICA." She gave me a long look back, evaluating what I said. If we were sitting across from each other with a chessboard between us, or cards, I would have said she was trying to read if I was bluffing or not. But this wasn't a game, and there weren't stakes on the line, and I thankfully got the impression she wasn't trying to read me. At least, not like that. She was reading me, but she was trying to form her opinion of me, just like I was trying to with her. "Have you ever killed anyone?" she asked me. I pressed my lips together and nodded. "I didn't see as much combat as others, but I got in a few firefights," I said. "I had a few confirmed kills, and likely several more unconfirmed. And one of my investigations as an MP turned into a shootout with some human traffickers that ended... badly. Fuck, I haven't talked about that with anyone since I got out. I'd prefer you not bring it up with the girls, or Leo. Please." "I won't," she said quietly. "Have you?" I asked. "No," she shook her. "I mean, I have enough training that I could, but that wasn't ever supposed to be my job. I; I'd rather maybe talk about my story if I get more comfortable with you, but I've never carried more than a knife and a can of mace in my purse for self-protection and haven't ever needed to use either of them." "Does it bother you that I know?" I asked her. "I feel like it should, but I don't think it does," Kyla said, pursing her lips a little in thought after she said it. "I just spent the last four years living a secret life, but I've always lived a double life. You know, which means... I don't know what it means. Which is a first." "I told Erica," I said. "I wasn't supposed to, I don't think, but she can read me like a book and I didn't want to keep it from her anyways." Kyla smiled a little. "I could tell," she said. "I only picked up on little things from you because of the way she was acting." That made me chuckle a little. "Well, at least that's something. I'm not a complete waste." "So what now?" she asked. "You know that I know that you know. Do we need to set some ground rules or anything?"

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 6 Lab Results and Quarantines Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.   The Docs signed off, leaving me alone in the little meeting room again. Not knowing when I would be able to leave, I decided to try and fall back on one of my old military instincts; sleep when you can. So I got comfortable in the chair, closed my eyes, and let myself drift into a fitful, not-quite-soothing sleep. "Harri," someone said, and I woke with a start as my shoulder was touched. "Urm," I grunted, and sniffed in a breath as I blinked rapidly and looked around. I was still in the room, and Miriam was smiling at me. She was dressed in fatigues here in the military office complex instead of her service dress blues and her hair was up in a standard military bun hidden beneath the standard issue cap. "Just like a grunt to take any reason for a nap," she grinned at me. "Come on. We can talk in my office." I stood, yawned and stretched, feeling something pop in my back and my shoulder from the uncomfortable position I'd been in. "Lead the way, Lieutenant Colonel," I said. She rolled her eyes at me a little but didn't say anything, just opening the door and walking through. I followed her back into that hallway where Brent had clocked me. He wasn't in the waiting room at the end of the hall. "Is Brent,” I started to ask. "He's waiting on another floor," Miriam said. "Refuses to leave until he sees his daughter is alright. It's making operations slow down over at the construction site, but I can't blame him." "Neither can I," I said, touching the tenderness of my black eye. Miriam led me through several very plain corridors lined with doors. None of them had windows to see in, and most had nameplate mounts but lacked names, and instead were labelled with numbers. It struck me as secretive, and that meant I was probably in the Air Force part of the building and not the Vaccine Test Center part. If they were trying to make people feel at ease joining an experimental program, these plain walls and doors forming a maze were not the way to do it. Confounding an enemy trying to sneak through this part of the building, though? It was perfect. I followed Miriam until she stopped at a seemingly random door and opened it, leading me into a large office. It had a large bank of windows, but extra-heavy curtains had been hung over them and were drawn shut to the point I wondered if they were nailed in place. One wall was entirely covered in a whiteboard with all sorts of coded writing on it. There were two desks in the room; the main desk was scattered with papers and a computer terminal, with a plush office chair tucked in behind it. The second desk had more stuff on it, but in neater piles, and Captain Bloomberg was sitting behind it at work. She glanced up at us as we entered and gave me a slightly judgmental look, before going back to the printout she was reading. The rest of the office space was dominated by file shelving units, a gun safe, and a leather couch that looked uncomfortable but was probably soft as hell. "Captain, could you give us five?" Miriam asked. "Of course, Ma'am," she nodded, set down the papers face-down and stepped around her desk to the door. She shot Miriam a quick look, and Miriam gave her one back, and the Captain left. If I had to guess it was to do with the fact that the office was probably full of classified material and information and the Captain was silently reminding her superior officer not to let me poke around or leave me alone in there. "Sit, please," Miriam sighed once the door was closed and we were alone, gesturing at the couch. I did, instantly sinking into it, and she sat on the other end and turned to me. "So, now that we know it's not life-threatening, you feel ready to get teased yet?" I snorted a little and scratched at my beard. "It's still a little raw," I admitted. "Just like how you fucked her?" Miriam asked with a grin. "Sorry, that's the only one." I shook my head and chuckled. There were few kinds of people who could be as morbidly crude and insulting, and mean it in the best way, as a military friend. "Seriously, Harri," she said. "I got a briefing on it. She's fine, you're fine. No one is in trouble." "Tell that to her father," I said. "And I can't blame him for probably wanting to kill me." "Yeah, well, tough shit for him," Miriam said. "We've expanded his Need to Know status and gave him some more info on the vaccine to calm him down. He's not happy, but he's not worried anymore. Seriously though, did you have to go and fuck my lead civilian contractor's daughter?" "We were friendly with her," I said, and let out a long breath. "Erica said she thought Vanessa might be a little interested. I don't think either of us expected her to show up on our proverbial doorstep and ask for a foursome." "I always did think Erica was a smart woman after we met," Miriam said. "Though I figured you'd lost a few brain cells since you weren't dating her at the time." "There's a whole story behind that," I said, waving her off. "I'm sure there is," Miriam smiled. "Doesn't mean it's a good excuse though." "Well, Vanessa seems to think you have a crush on me after she met you for all of two minutes," I shot back at her. Miriam flushed for a moment but didn't look away from me, still in command in her own office. "Vanessa might have been doing a bit of projecting," she said. "I'm not into hillbillies with bushy beards and big guts." "Ouch," I laughed, holding my stomach. Sure, I wasn't in the peak physical form I'd been in coming out of the military, but I hadn't gone that soft. Miriam and I continued to chat and laugh for a few more minutes until the Captain came back and then Miriam let me borrow some sound-cancelling headphones and hang out on their couch while they were working. They had food ordered in and Miriam and I ate dinner together while Captain Bloomberg ate as she kept working at her desk. It wasn't until I noticed that the faint bit of light leaking around the edges of the curtains was dimming that it had been a long day and I hadn't been able to contact Erica and Ivy. I asked Miriam if I could have my phone back just to update them, and she and the Captain had to discuss it for a long moment before they decided they could probably do the texting for me, but for security protocols I couldn't be given control of the phone. When my phone powered on it took a long moment for it to connect to service, and then it started buzzing like crazy and a bunch of messages came in. Miriam was holding it, and her eyes went a little wide as the message notification scrolled by. "Um," she said. "Well, it looks like you and your partners are... happy together." "Oh no," I groaned. "What did they send?" "Well, you have a whole bunch of messages from Brent Peters chewing you out, so there's that," Miriam said. "But, uh, well, there are photos from your partners." "Sorry," I shrugged, once again finding my face heating up at the exposure of my sex life. "It's fine," Miriam said. "It was my idea to do the texting anyways." She tapped around on the phone for a moment. "Alright, I'll just say 'Harri isn't allowed to use his phone right now. This is Miriam Abarbanel. He is fine, no trouble. Vanessa is also fine and healthy. They will return tomorrow.'" "That's fine," I said with a nod. I would have liked to tell them more, and that I loved them. And that they shouldn't have been trying to send me whatever scandalous photos they had considering I was in military custody at the moment. Miriam hit send and a minute later another text came through and she opened it, immediately rolling her eyes and setting my phone down. "What?" I asked. "Erica sent another photo, and I think it was for me," she said. "What? Really?" I asked. Miriam opened the photo again and turned my phone around to show me. Erica and Ivy were both sunbathing in the chairs, topless. The third Adirondack had a name tag written on a piece of paper and taped to the back of the chair that red 'Vanessa.' Beside it, they had put out another lawn chair and had quickly put another nametag on it that said 'Miriam.' I couldn't help the little snort of laughter that came out of me, and I covered my mouth to try and stop from giggling a bit. "I'm sorry," I said. Miriam laughed once and set my phone down. "You know, Erica is the right kind of trouble for you I think," she said. "You haven't spent enough time with Ivy," I countered. "That girl is mischievous. I bet the Vanessa one was Erica's idea to try and cheer her up, and the other one was Ivy." "If you've got any pictures from that Danielle woman, I wouldn't mind checking those out," Captain Bloomberg said from over at her desk. "Laura," Miriam said, a little shocked. "What? I told you when we first saw her, that woman could turn a bigoted granny gay," Laura said. "That's fair," Miriam said thoughtfully. "Hey, no arguments from me," I said. Miriam and the Captain ended up finishing their work days, though Miriam told me that she was on call 24/7 anyways and they stayed in apartments lower in the building. She offered to try and find me a free one to rest overnight, but I asked her if I could see Vanessa and stay in whatever medical room she was in. I didn't want her to wake up from the process and be alone. This started a silent conversation of sharp looks between Miriam and Laura, until Laura sighed. "She's not alone. Her father hasn't left her side since we let him see her. This is... let's call it a legal grey area at the moment. Technically you're not even extended family, so he would get precedent on deciding who can be there," she said. "But under the circumstances of the Vaccine imprinting, there's been some debate going around the legal circles of what constitutes a civil union. The matter's still up in the air, but there's a case to be made that you and she are now more intimately connected than she and her father. So I guess the question is do you want to push the issue?" "Oh, fuck," I groaned, and had to massage the bridge of my nose. "On the one hand, yes I want to see her. On the other, Brent deserves to be pissed at me and worried about her. Can I just talk to him?" "Honestly, Harri," Miriam said. "I think you should probably leave that whole conversation to Vanessa and how she wants to have it. Doesn't matter how much you defend yourself, you're still the guy that fucked that man's daughter in a pretty... degenerate seems too strong, but pervy is too weak. Anyways, you fucking her like that brought her here, and he's now aware that she's going to be intimately connected to you for a while." I puffed out my cheeks and let the air blow out slowly, unsure of what to do. "I can try talking to him," Laura offered. "But honestly, I don't know if it would do any good." "It's fine," I finally conceded. "He can be there, just find me another room where I can crash, and let me know when she's awake?" "I'll leave a standing order with the nurses," Miriam nodded. So, as Miriam and Laura finished up for the day, they sent for the night sentry who patrolled the floor and let him know I would be in the staff break room and was allowed to eat out of the cupboards and use the washrooms. Once the airman was gone Laura excused herself and left me with Miriam. "It was nice having you around, Harri," she grinned, dropping her command facade again. She put her hand on my upper arm and grinned, giving me a wink. "And I was joking when I called you fat." "Yeah, well, you really hurt my feelings," I fake-cried, making her laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow before you leave, alright? And I still expect that beer next time I'm up at the site," she said and gave me a peck on the cheek. "You got it," I said, and pecked her back. "And thank you for all of this today, by the way." "Happy to help," she said, and then escorted me to the room where I would spend the next seven hours. The sentry woke me up around four in the morning. I had Cheeto dust on my shirt and fingers, the bag I'd found in the staff room cupboard almost empty and crumpled up on my chest. "Sir, I've been asked to bring you down to the medical wing," he said. "Fuck," I said, blinking awake and standing up. "Uh, give me a second." I went into the men's washroom and quickly washed my hands and my face, and tried to get myself straightened out. Looking in the mirror, I could tell that I'd been running on empty for a bit, but I didn't look as bad as I might have if I hadn't been getting in some light napping at least. The airman brought me to the elevator and punched a button for about a dozen floors down, and when we stepped off of it, it was clear that we were in a more public-facing area, though the number of armed airmen on guard was actually higher. The floor was still quiet, this early in the morning, and generally featured a lot more stuff. There were glass panes and windows everywhere and the place looked like what I would picture a medical bay would in a not-too-distant future medical show. There were a few nurses around, but most of the rooms and beds were empty. We passed by one room that was sealed up with a little yellow light near the handle flashing 'Quarantine Active.' That got me gulping and moving. We turned a corner and I saw her. Vanessa was sitting up in a hospital bed, an IV drip hooked in to one arm. She was in a hospital gown and didn't have any of her usual makeup on, so she looked... sick wasn't the right word. She looked different enough that I noticed it, but it was like seeing Erica without her makeup that first time. It was different but I liked seeing the natural her. "Vanessa, I'm,” I started, but then she threw a magazine at my head. "Harri, I swear to God if you try and apologize to me, I'll throw another one," Vanessa said. She had a stack of a few of them on a little rolling bedside stand, where she also had a tray from a shitty cafeteria meal. "You look good, Vee," I said, changing my mind. She blushed and smiled. "No, I don't. Liar." "Okay, you look as good as someone in a hospital bed can," I said. "Come sit, Harri," she said, shifting herself in the bed and patting beside her. I did, and she took my hand in one of hers and lifted the other to brush a finger against my bruised eye. "The night nurse told me what happened when I woke up." I opened my mouth to apologize again but remembered what she'd said and clicked it shut. She smirked and squeezed my fingers. "Good, you're learning." "So you're not pissed off?" I asked. Vanessa leaned her head back on the pillows propping her up, taking a deep breath. "Maybe at the world, a little. But at you? Or Erica and Ivy? No. I went in there knowing what I was asking for, and you told me the risk. I decided getting off with you three was worth it." She broke into a small smile. "And from what I remember, it was pretty fantastic." "It was," I chuckled. "I mean, wild and filthy, but fantastic." She was looking at me, searching my face for something. I couldn't tell if she found it or not. "I spoke to my Dad. He told me he decked you pretty good but I wasn't expecting a full-on shiner." "He definitely got me," I said, touching my eye. "Wasn't as bad as I felt I deserved." "Yeah, well I told him if he does it again I'll deck him," she said. "And that if he tries to take any revenge on you, he's just punishing me." "Does that mean what I think it means?" I asked. She brought my hand up to her chest and put it over her heart. "Harri, I'm stuck with you no matter what at this point, but if you guys will have me I'd like to move into your crammed RV life. I thought you and Erica were cool since we met, and we know we're sexually compatible. The way I see it, I can either fight this thing just for the sake of fighting, or I can get on board the Harrison train and enjoy the ride." "Vanessa, I; God, I wish I had my phone right now," I said. "There's a picture the girls sent that you'll want to see." Vanessa rolled her eyes and her smile grew. "Oh, I got several pictures," Vanessa said. "I've already seen them. Why don't you have your phone?" "I was up on a secure floor," I said. "Lieutenant Colonel Abarbanel was actually the one to see them when she helped me message back that we were Okay." "Then you have some surprises waiting for you I think," Vanessa grinned. "But for now, you're all mine." She pulled me towards her and guided me into a kiss. Then she whispered into my lips as our noses rubbed against each other. "Pull the privacy screen around us." "Here? Really?" I asked. "My nurse actually encouraged it," Vanessa said. "She said we just need to try and keep it down." I stood up and went to the curtain built into the rolling track around Vanessa's bed and pulled it around us, blocking out the rest of the room, and the hallway beyond the glass observation doors. When I turned back to her, Vanessa was shrugging out of her hospital gown, her cute little tits jiggling. I kicked off my shoes and got up on the hospital bed with her, picking her up a bit and sliding her down into a laying position and tucking my head down to suck on one of her nipples. "Oh, Harri," she crooned, her hand running through my hair. Her nipples got hard quickly as I played my tongue over them, feeling the little boob around it tug and pull as I moved around. I popped off and raised my lips to hers again, giving her a kiss. "I didn't get to spend that much time telling you how beautiful and sexy I think you are," I said between kisses. "Harri, you don't need to lie," she said. "My boobs are tiny. I'm used to; Ah, fuck!" I cut her off by grabbing the tit I hadn't sucked on, squeezing it hard enough to make her hiss a little bit. I'd seen she liked a little rough pawing and play during the foursome, so I used it now to make a point. "If you ever tell me these aren't perfect, I'll spank you so hard you'll have my handprint on your ass for a week." "Fuck, Harri; Fuck," she groaned as I let my grip on her tit loosen, and then bent down and took that nipple into my mouth as well. "Fine. You like my tits. I believe you." "Don't just believe me," I said. "Vanessa, you said you thought Erica and I were cool when we first met. Well, I thought you were fascinating. This gorgeous, tough woman who knew how to take charge and make things happen. Beautiful from head to toe even when you were trying to downplay it for work. Now, you're going to lay back so that I can explore every inch of your gorgeous, perfect body." She looked like she was somewhere between beaming happily and crying, but she nodded. I started back up at her lips and kissed around her jaw and down her neck to her collar bone. Then down to her chest, where I teased her nipples some more, rolling one between my fingers while I tongued and lightly nibbled on the other. Once they were both standing proud and weren't about to go down, I helped her pull the hospital gown off until it was hanging from the arm with the IV in it, revealing the rest of her body to me. I kissed down her stomach to her bellybutton and pressed my forehead against her, kissing her fit stomach softly, then moving lower. I got to the point between her belly button and her mound where her scar was, and the Strength tattoo. I took my time there, kissing it, and tracing my finger along the letters of the tattoo. I turned back to look up at her face and she was pensive, staring at me with this worried look like I was going to change my mind about her. "Perfect," I told her again, "And strong as hell." My lips went further, down onto her mound where a smattering of hairs were poking out. She'd obviously shaved herself in the past, but not as recently as I bet she would have liked. But I didn't care, and I kissed along the stubble of her pubic hair, letting it play against my lips as my beard played against her skin. She spread her legs for me, and I slipped around on the bed so I was laying between them on my stomach, looking up at her. "Do you want me to do this here?" I asked her. "Harri, I want your cock inside me like nothing else," she said. "We'll get there," I grinned, and began to explore her cunt with my lips and tongue. I took my time, softly kissing and licking, searching every nook and cranny of her outer and inner labia. Then I did it again, sucking a little harder, nibbling just a touch, finding the sweet spots that made her legs quiver or her breath catch in a hiccup or gasp. Then I went deeper, peeling her open with my fingers to see the soft pink of her hole, and tasted and teased her. She mewled for me, clawing at the bed. I kept needing to move her leg back as it came up and wanted to curl in towards me until I just planted my hand on her thigh and pushed her open, holding her leg wide. Then I did the same to the other leg, pushing them back further, and I slowly licked from her hole up her lips to her clit hood, teasing the tip of my tongue under it before pushing it back with my upper lip and prodding her clit softly. "Making me... ugh!" Vanessa grunted with a girlish tone, gasping for air. I did it again and watched as another little orgasm rolled through her, her cunt flexing as her abdominal muscles clenched. Moving lower I kissed the inner curve of her ass cheek and looked up from between her legs to meet her gaze. She watched me, a little surprised, as I practically buried my nose in her cunt so that I could drive my tongue against her asshole. Her brow furrowed as I did it, and one eye twtiched as I teased the outer ring, then centered on it and nudged the tip of my tongue a little deeper. "Not here," she gasped suddenly, and I stopped. "I; not here," she said again. "Okay," I said, moving up from her ass and kissing the crook of her thigh. "Just like that?" she asked. "What kind of guys have you been seeing that don't stop when you say no?" I asked back. She blinked. "The kind who don't eat ass, and rarely eat cunt," she said. "So the wrong kind." "Then let me ask you; what do you want me to do now?" She closed her eyes and blew out a long breath through pursed lips, before opening them. "Get your pants off and fuck me while we make out. I want to feel you on top of me." I grinned and slipped off the bed, undoing my belt and kicking my pants off. I was already hard, and she was wet from my exploratory oral, so I got back up on the bed and got over her in a standard missionary position. "Like this?" I asked her. She reached down and got my cock in position, and wrapped a leg around my waist and ass to pull me into her. "Like this," she said with a grin as I slowly penetrated deeper into her. Vanessa was hot and clenched my cock in a rippling sensation as I drove in, slowly fucking into her until I was buried to my root. She grabbed my beard in her hand and pulled me into a kiss as we stayed still and connected. "Ow," I muttered into the kiss. "Sorry," she laughed, releasing my beard. "It's fine," I said and kissed her deeply. We made out, our tongues doing more work than my cock for a long moment, until we started grinding against each other. The rhythm built up slowly, less a pounding than a sensuous back and forth that felt more like dancing. Well, the best kind of dancing where my cock was inside of a beautiful woman. Our kiss broke as we panted against each other. "More," she gasped. "More what?" "More weight," she said. "I want to feel you." I lowered myself from my elbows, letting my body press down against hers like a too-heavy weighted blanket. "Umm," she groaned somewhere at the back of her throat. Her body felt tense under mine, but slowly loosened. I kissed the side of her neck, and she ran the heel of her foot down my leg and then back up to my butt. The soft whoosh of the glass door opening outside of the privacy curtain made us both stop moving. "Vanessa, you good in there?" asked a woman. "Yep," she said. "So good. Perfect." There was a long moment of silence, and then, "Oh. Sorry for interrupting. If you and Mr. Black can finish up, your Father was hoping to see you. I can stall him for ten minutes?" "Thanks," Vanessa called back, biting her lips. Two soft footsteps and the door whooshed again, settling closed. "Oh my God," Vanessa groaned. "I can do a lot in ten minutes," I said with a grin. "No, we have less than that," she sighed. "I need to get cleaned up and dressed first, and you need to be out of here before he gets here. But first I need you to fuck me hard and fast and give me your cum." So that's what I did. I raised up higher again to gain the leverage I needed and I started pounding into her with hard, steady strokes. Vanessa gasped, and soon we were back in that rolling rhythm of our hips except it was way more fucking than dancing. Our eyes never left each other, and when I went in for another kiss she bit my lip as she started to come. That pushed me towards my own edge, and I got myself there by reaching down and strumming my thumb against her clit just as she was coming down, pushing her right back into a second wave of orgasm as her body clenched and I released. "Fuck," I growled, thrusting my hips forward and emptying my balls into her. "Fuck, Vanessa!" She arched her back, silently screaming before she exhaled hard and released the tension. We both lay there panting for a long moment. "I really want to fuck you again," I said. "Right now. I'm still hard as a rock for you." "I can feel that, you fucking caveman," Vanessa laughed, cock drunk for the moment. "But I need to clean up and you need to go." "One more thing," I said, and kissed her again. I got my clothes on first and then helped her find and put on her pants. She hadn't worn underwear when she had come to visit us the morning before when this whole thing kicked off, so now she was going to be leaking my cum into her jeans. Her shirt was there as well, but she was still hooked up to the IV, which meant I had to leave the room and send a nurse to help her. I stopped at the edge of the privacy curtain, looking back at her. "Go," she motioned to me. "I'm not leaving. You can see my tits any time you want." Maybe I was cunt drunk, but I wanted to tell her I loved her. I just grinned and blew her a kiss and a wink before slipping out. Once she couldn't see me, I shook my head. I thought orgasms were supposed to give you post-nut clarity, I thought. I almost blurted that out, and no matter how compatible we were sexually I knew that wasn't the right thing to say at the moment. I found the nurse, who went to help Vanessa, while another one brought me back to the elevator where I was met by the night sentry again. He brought me back up to the waiting room I'd been in before, and I flopped onto the couch. "Harri. Harri, we need to stop meeting like this," Miriam said, and I blinked awake again as she was standing over me and smirking. "Fuck," I grunted. "What time is it?" "Just past 0600," she said. "We've got a couple of cars ready to drive you back home." "A couple?" I frowned. "Brent left earlier in his own vehicle," Miriam said. "But we're sending you back with two more partners for your friend Leo. I already spoke with Vanessa and she said she wanted to ride with them to try and help them stay calm through their vaccination." I closed my eyes again as I parsed what she was saying. "Okay, hold on. Leo is getting two new partners?" "From what I red they are a bisexual couple who wanted to stay together," Miriam said. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and sucked in a big breath through my nose. "Well, at least mine isn't the only RV that's going to be packed to the gills." Miriam brought me down to the underground garage for the building and handed my phone back to me. Two black SUV were idling, the windows all tinted to the point that I couldn't see a single thing inside including the drivers. I turned back to Miriam. "Just another day?" I asked her. "Hell no," she smirked. "You, Harrison Black, as the biggest pain in my ass since I took this posting." Then she pulled me into a hug. "But I wouldn't change a God damn thing about it. I'll see you once our on-site office is up and running." "I'm looking forward to it," I said, giving her a squeeze back. "Lieutenant Colonel." "That's Miriam to you, soldier," she said, pulling back with a smirk and kissing me on the cheek. The elevator bingled and I was shocked, or really mildly surprised, to see Agent Sourpuss leading two women bundled up in hooded jumpsuits with masks on. Sourpuss took one look at me and sneered, directing the two women to the front SUV and climbing in with them. "What was that about?" I asked. "Oh, she's pissed off because she keeps getting seconded to us for transportation detail," Miriam said. "I have no idea why, but she isn't happy about it." "No; Technically I'm pretty sure that was my fault, actually. But I meant the whole bundled up get up." "First, why am I not surprised you're a pain in the ass for other people as well? And second, it's new protocols coming up from California and the first testing area. I guess there have been some questions around whether vaccinated but unbonded women could contract or become carriers for the virus. It's the latest back and forth between the scientists." "Speaking of which," I said. "I know why I don't need to be all bundled up, but why don't you? Are you imprinted on someone?" "Me? No," Miriam said. "Not yet, anyway. I'll do it when they push the order out, for now we're still technically in the testing phase for a bit longer. Everyone who leaves the building and re-enters without being vaccinated is getting blood tested and quarantined; it sucks, but it leaves us able to work functionally instead of talking to each other through hazmat suits." The elevator bingled again, and this time it was Vanessa who stepped out as a sentry gestured her towards the front SUV. She saw me immediately and veered off course, coming to me. I wrapped her up in a hug and noticed Miriam giving me a hard-to-read look. "Hey," I said to Vanessa. "I hear you're playing therapy animal for Leo's new partners." "They asked me to," Vanessa said. "From what I understand, the nurses don't think the woman who is supposed to be doing it does a very good job at calming nerves." Miriam snorted a little but covered it with a cough, looking at me. "Well, I feel like I'm missing out on some more alone time with you, but I understand why," I said. "Do me a favor and try and feel them out a bit, see what they're like." "I will," she smirked and went on her tiptoes to give me a peck on the lips. "They're going to be our neighbors, after all." "Yes they are," I grinned and patted her butt. "See you at home?" "Fuck. Home," Vanessa said, backing away from me. "I haven't had one of those in a while. It's gonna be weird." She turned and strode to the SUV and got in the back. "That one might be trouble," Miriam said. "They're all trouble," I laughed. "See you sooner than later?" "Sooner than later," she grinned and winked. I went to the back SUV, which was apparently my personal chauffeur for the sole reason that Agent Sourpuss couldn't find an ounce of empathy in her. Hopefully there's a partition between the front and the back, I thought. I can check those pictures Erica and Ivy were sending me. When I opened the back door of the SUV to get in I had to stop. "Ah," I said. "That explains a lot." I slid in and shut the door. "Agent Grierson." The craggy-faced Agent smirked and nodded. "Harrison. When I heard there was an anomalous vaccination issue, I decided to check it out and lo and behold, it's my favorite redneck." "Did you just come to check-in, or are you looking to offload some more government cash on me?" I asked. The SUVs started moving, pulling out of the garage and into downtown Portland. "Kid, you know I don't need to come to see you to check in," he said. "And I don't have the time to just come shoot the shit, no matter how much I'd enjoy a good fuckin' day off once in a while. I'm here to ask a favor." "Well now you're just being coy," I said. "You know that I know you didn't have to let that lease thing through instead of a flat purchase, so you've got me cornered." "Well, the good news is that I'm not asking you to do anything underhanded," Grierson said. "I noticed you've recently taken on a security consulting contract and your clearance has been restored. I'm going to open it up a little bit more here, if that's alright with you." "Playful, then coy, then asking my permission? Jesus fuck, what are you about to ask me to do?" "Alright, kid. Here's the deal," Grierson sighed. "Sometime in the next few days you're going to get a new partner delivered to you. What I need you to do is keep an eye on her. She's the daughter of the Ambassador from the Philippines, and officially we've run her through the Oracle matching system as a diplomatic courtesy. What no one else knows, including people in that building we just left, is that her Oracle results didn't matter. I'm placing her with you, and scattering a few other Filipino nationals in safe little corners of the country, as a deal with the NICA." "Wait, that's the..." I had to wrack my brain going back to my Military Police training. "Isn't that the CIA of the Philippines?" "A much lesser version, yes," Grierson said. "On the official unofficial paperwork, it's a spy deal. We're going to take care of some of their valuable people who are here, and they're going to take care of some of our valuable people who are over there. The unofficial unofficial deal is that we don't have anyone over there, and the government of the Philippines is going to let us stage our latest espionage attempts into China from their shores. There's a fucking information blackout coming out of China right now, and other than satellite images we've got nothing on what's going on in there." "Okay, hold on," I said. "So am I taking in this Ambassador's daughter as payment for the US Government?" "No, you're taking her in because Kyla Bautista is also secretly a spy who just graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in dance, and while she was there we suspect she turned at least four different Professors and research assistants into assets for NICA for Intellectual Property espionage. I'm scooping her up and putting her with you because you're so far off the radar that no one would think you're keeping an eye on her, and so that the Chinese can't find her if they figure out what's going on and want some revenge. But most of all, I'm putting her with you because, despite your record and stupid career choices after you left the military, you have the mindset to keep an eye on her without her or anyone else knowing that's what's going on." "This is all well and good, Grierson," I said. "But I've got three women imprinted on me already, one of them by mistake. How the hell am I supposed to add a fourth woman into the mix?" Grierson snorted. "Kid, I got news for you. By this time next year, I'd bet all that money I just put into your bank account that you'll look back and think what a naive question that was." I sighed and shook my head slowly. "What does her father think of her getting matched off like that? Does he even know?" "Oh, he was pissed until he got cut in on an early vaccination as well for his wife, along with his long-time second in command who he's been having an affair with, and his additional American mistress who is very black and very formidable, neither of whom the wife knows about. He seems to think it'll be fine." "Jesus," I sighed, shaking my head. "So what, is the OGA offering to pay me for spy sitting?" "No," Grierson said. "But there is an upside." "What's that?" "Like I said, Kyla Bautista graduated with a degree in dance. If I wasn't too fucking busy being ethical, I'd have just put her in my house. The woman is something else." "That's gross," I said, my face twisting in mild disgust. "It's reality, kid. Game it out; people need to fuck to save their lives. Even before this shit show people put a value on beauty over pretty much anything else. What do you think it's going to be like when the entire country is getting matched up?" "I don't know," I sighed. "That's; I don't even want to think about it." "And that's why they pay me and my people the big bucks," Grierson said. He tapped on the glass partition that separated us from the front seat, and the SUV began to pull over. "I'm not asking you to do anything you wouldn't have anyways. Just keep an eye on her for me, alright?" "Fine," I said. "But if she takes one look at me and asks for someone else, I can't do anything about that. I'm not forcing some woman into this." "Won't be a problem," Grierson said. The SUV came to a stop, and he stepped out. "Grierson," I said, and he turned back. "Miriam said someone pulled some strings to get her assigned where she is. Was that you?" "What?" Grierson raised an eyebrow. "You think I like you that much, kid?" "That wasn't an answer," I said. "Well, if it was me, I think maybe you owe me another one still," he said, then shut the door. Another car had pulled up behind us, which he got into, and it pulled a big U-turn in the middle of the empty street and drove back the way we'd come. The driver of my ride pulled back onto the street and sped up to catch the other SUV in our mini convoy, and I was left to my thoughts. I sighed and opened my phone. I didn't want to think about this Grierson thing. If it happened, then it happened and we'd deal with it. I went to my messages and opened the ones from Erica and Ivy. "Fucking hell," I sighed, looking at the lewd pictures and knowing that Miriam had seen them. "What am I going to do with three women?" Or four? Or more? I was going to need a bigger bed, and quickly. I stretched, feeling several somethings in my back and shoulders pop, as I got out of the back of the nondescript black SUV and felt the gravel of the construction site crunch under my boots. The place was bustling since we'd arrived mid-morning, and I saw more than a few of the workers taking looks over at me and starting to talk to each other. The rumor mill must have been burning hard since Vanessa had gotten carted off in a military helicopter and flown away. First things first, however, was to not unload two vaccinated-but-unbonded women into the middle of a construction site. I flashed a quick thumbs up through the passenger side window at whoever my driver had been; I'd never seen a face or heard a voice; and jogged up to the other vehicle and knocked on the passenger window. Agent Sourpuss rolled it down a moment later, scowling at me from the driver's seat. "What?" "I know you haven't been here for a bit," I said. "But if you drive around to the right over there you'll see our RVs and our little compound. Dropping the ladies off there would probably cause less of a, uh, scene." I could tell she wanted to argue with me but knew I was right. Instead of answering she just stabbed her finger down on the window button beside her and closed it in my face, then pulled the SUV around and headed in the direction I'd pointed. I walked along behind, and we rounded the second big bunkhouse building that was looking just about finished now and headed towards our compound. By the time Agent Sourpuss put the vehicle in park Erica and Ivy were already ducking out from behind the sheets hung between the corner of the RV and the storage container that we'd deemed the 'front door.' Leo and Danielle were right behind them. I wanted to go to my women, but I held myself back and instead opened the rear door of the SUV. Inside I saw that Vanessa was sitting in the middle row bucket seat, and I leaned in and kissed her quickly before offering her a hand down. "Don't go getting all chivalrous on me now, Harri," Vanessa grinned as she accepted my hand and swung out onto her feet. She looked back into the vehicle. "Come on, ladies. Leo's out here waiting for you." The two women, practically swimming in their baggy, hooded coveralls and masked up to boot, unbuckled and started climbing between the seats. I, however, was suddenly a little busy as I was hugged from behind by a small form that could only be Ivy. Beside me, Erica was pulling Vanessa into a hug as well. "I'm so sorry, hon," Erica said, squeezing the shorter woman tightly. "If I'd had any reasonable idea that this would happen,” "It's fine, Erica," Vanessa said, squeezing her back and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Seriously. We'll talk about it, but I'm Okay with it if you are." "Hey you," I said in the meanwhile, turning at the waist to wrap my arm around Ivy's shoulder and hug her to me. "Hello, mon amour," Ivy sighed. "I missed you." "I missed you too, I've," I said, and leaned down and gave the short blonde a quick kiss. The first of the women had reached the door of the car, and Ivy let me go so that I could offer her a hand down. All I could see of her were her eyes and the skin around them; she was white but tanned heavily, and had soft grey eyes that were flicking around. "Let me help, miss," I said. She accepted, her gloved hand taking mine for a moment to step down, and I ushered her directly towards Leo and Dani. "This is Leo, and his better half Danielle." "Hey," Leo scolded me playfully, giving me a little punch on the arm as he grinned. "Hey, hon," Dani said, pulling the woman into a hug that seemed to surprise her. I turned back and Erica was helping the next woman down; she was white and paler than the first, and had dark green eyes. Soon she was getting the same hugging welcome as the first from Dani, as Leo looked both a little bashful and a little excited. "How about we head in and talk?" Erica suggested to everyone. "Ladies, Leo is my brother so I might be biased, but you're in good hands. And if he ends up sucking, then Dani's got you." "Hell yeah I do," Dani chuckled, nudging Leo with an elbow. "I wouldn't mind getting handled by either of you," the tan woman said through her mask. "God damn, girl. Your tits don't quit." "Thanks for noticing," Dani grinned and winked. She took both women by the hand and started leading them into the compound. "Come on, let's get you two fucked and settled." "Now that's one hell of a welcome offer," the other woman laughed. I laughed a little too, hearing the two as Leo quickly jogged ahead to hold the fabric door open for them. "Seriously, those two are gonna be something else," Vanessa said, shaking her head. "You got to talk with them?" Erica asked. "The whole ride here," Vanessa said. "Their names are Aria and India. Aria seems a little sweeter and the more rational one, while India is a hippy kid from hippy parents. They said they've been girlfriends for three years, and up until last year they 'worked' as sugar babies while Aria was finishing up her master's of communications." "Jesus," Erica sighed with a rueful smirk. "They're going to eat Leo alive."

Mary Lou Retton's DUI Cop Cam, Gary Coleman murdered, Jennifer Anniston hypnotized by new boyfriend, grifter Billy McFarland, Scarlett Johansson: highest grossing actor, and Michael Madson's final days. Andy Green gracefully turns down our money. He's still cranking out content though. Maz is planning on working out with Drew tomorrow. Maz was in the Home Plate Club last night. Amal Clooney will not let you use your cell phone in her house. The Mary Lou Retton DUI cop cam has been released. Gary Coleman's widow failed a lie detector test about murdering the Diff'rent Strokes actor. Billy McFarland is trying to sell Fyre Festival, but it's not working out for him. YOU can purchase the Fyre brand right here. ScarJo farts and is now the highest grossing lead actor of all time passing Samuel L Jackson. Trainwreck: The Real Project X is out now on Netflix. Diddy's kids are struggling with having no parents at home. Diddy is involved in ANOTHER lawsuit. Jennifer Aniston is dating a hypnotist. Eh boy. Kate Beckinsale looks awful. Eat some food. Simone Biles got some new tubes. Good for her. Michael Madsen's cause of death is revealed. His sister, Virginia, went to Drew's school. Everybody wants to watch Friendship… but it's $19.99. Marc and Trudi spoil Sinners for everybody. Kelly Clarkson is facing hidden battles and possibly packing on the pounds. People HATE Katy Perry to the point where she is becoming a lolcow. Taylor Swift took the wrong picture and made some people mad. No more scratches for Miggy as Cabrera and Rosangel are headed for splitsville. Nancy Armour wants Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to kiss and make up. Dan Wetzel has an incredible book on Caitlin Clark if you're in elementary school. Tom Brady won the Jeff Bezos wedding. We check out a sweet drum-off at the Back to the Beginning concert. Use our freakin' Amazon Portal. Please. It's right down there on our website. If you'd like to help support the show… consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (Drew Lane, Marc Fellhauer, Trudi Daniels, Jim Bentley and BranDon).

DJ talks about a recent family gathering. An Early Thanksgiving further west. And a Sunday ruined by electrical troubles. Catch the next Matinee Minutiae To Be Released on 11/01 Write to DJ at djstarsage@gmail.com Leave a comment on our page at syjpodcast.wordpress.com Follow DJ on Twitter Friend DJ on Facebook Find out more at https://surely-you-jest.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Political strategist Peter Cunningham talks crime in Chicago. Shootings and homicides are down. Why aren't we celebrating? Mayor Johnson gives police a raise. Why aren't they celebrating? And he tackles the Justin Fields question. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wasn't wild at all about Kenny Pickett's apparent sourpuss approach. Hear award-winning columnist Dejan Kovacevic's Daily Shots of Steelers, Penguins and Pirates -- three separate podcasts -- every weekday morning on the DK Pittsburgh Sports podcasting network, available on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/dkpghsports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wasn't wild at all about Kenny Pickett's apparent sourpuss approach.Hear award-winning columnist Dejan Kovacevic's Daily Shots of Steelers, Penguins and Pirates -- three separate podcasts -- every weekday morning on the DK Pittsburgh Sports podcasting network, available on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/dkpghsports

Wasn't wild at all about Kenny Pickett's apparent sourpuss approach. Hear award-winning columnist Dejan Kovacevic's Daily Shots of Steelers, Penguins and Pirates -- three separate podcasts -- every weekday morning on the DK Pittsburgh Sports podcasting network, available on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/dkpghsports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Christmas! But NXT is a bit grinchy. No one is really happy, except Trick and Melo, and they aren't peachy. Sourpuss grouches! And the wrestling isn't much to celebrate either... He's making a list, he's checking it twice - the healthy list that is, will the champ be on it?

Let's revisit the Grinch one more time and gain a little bit more insight on how we can move from sourpuss to sweetheart. See you on the inside. If you found value in today's episode please Leave a comment, review and share on your own social media. I would greatly appreciate it.

Sourpuss? Cranky pants? A-hole? What do people say about you? Renew a childlike spirit. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”—Psalm 51:10Here's a snippet of scripture that can bring you companionship, wellness, joy, and achievement. It has the power to enhance your temperament.The term "temperament" pertains to how you're inclined to respond to various events and individuals. If your instinctive emotional response is to be irritable, sour, self-centered, or arrogant, it can impair or even sever your connections with others.The nature of your temperament is linked to the state of your inner spirit. This brief but powerful scripture, with its emphasis on "renew," suggests that you were originally endowed with a positive temperament.If you find that your good nature has faded, the same Almighty God who created you is capable of re-creating and refreshing in you that stable, composed spirit. He can revive that crucial element of a healthy temperament, which is a calm inner strength. Make it a point not to let a single day go by without repeatedly affirming, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”Now that you've heard it, see it, find it in scripture, write it out, say it, live it, and share it. Inspired by: Norman Vincent Peale's “Though Conditioners” Here's all 40https://thehvmc.com/thought-conditioners-opt-in

"Here lies poor Antoine Doinel, unjustly punished by Sourpuss for a pinup fallen from the sky..."For the final episode of our “Teenage Riot” theme, The Movie Newbie is revisiting one of the defining texts in 20th century cinema… Francois Truffaut's timeless coming-of-age tale THE 400 BLOWS. Studied in every Intro to Film Class, this 1959 masterpiece of the French New Wave distils the excitement and loneliness of the disobedient child unlike any other. Based on Truffaut's own rebellious and tragic childhood, the story follows a young Parisian by the name of Antoine Doinel as he skips school, steals from his parents, and eventually runs away from his parents. It's a timeless classic — and one that we uniformly loved on the podcast — so we were thrilled to meet in the studio to pick apart the acting, music, cinematography and more. *** JABRIEL ALSUHAIMI is a multi-disciplinary creative, working on a multitude of various projects in the audiovisual sphere. Hailing from Saudi Arabia and Singapore, Jabriel brings his international perspective and varying influences into his work, which includes podcasts like Curious Humans, Founders For Good & The Movie Newbie, music under the alias Rei.do.Nada, video content for YouTube and some occasional writing on his website. Twitter: https://twitter.com/jabealsuhaimiInstagram: https://instagram.com/__jabriel__Website/Newsletter: www.jabrielalsuhaimi.com RAPHAEL LECAT is an actor; some would say thespian, some would say clown; others would say human golden retriever (and by some, he means himself...) Raphael was born in France to French parents but quickly became a third-culture kid after his family moved to Singapore. This is where he discovered his passion for theatre and decided to make it his mission in life to be a vessel for stories old and new through the craft of acting. Website: https://raphaellecat.me/IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8941524/ OLIVER MANGHAM is a represented screenwriter, producer, fundraiser and content creator across a range of media. A cinema obsessive from a young age, he channelled his passion for storytelling by co-founding the film and television production company Through The Lens Entertainment. When he's not navigating the shark-infested waters of Hollywood, Oliver likes to pen scripts, record podcasts, host musical events and consume large quantities of pasta. Twitter: https://twitter.com/olivermangham1Instagram: https://instagram.com/hoothoot1992 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

“Last week, Soludo launched two salvoes to earn himself attention and irritation in, it seemed, equal measure. Appearing on Channels TV to discuss his proposed budget, he was asked about the investments that former Governor Peter Obi had made prior to leaving office in 2014. Obi, who is auditioning for the job of Nigeria's president, has often bragged about his husbandry of state funds during his eight-year tenure as governor. At first, Soludo demurred, telling the Channels TV anchor that he intended to focus solely on his budget. Even so, he allowed himself to take the bait. In what seemed like a sly comment, he disclosed that Obi's much-discussed investment was, essentially, peanuts.” Follow us here on Substack @offisidemusings@substack.com, for the article accompanying this episode. Listen to episodes of "The Offside Musings Podcast" here. Subscribe to The Offside Musings Podcast's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLHMewgDizgRMm9aRscGugw/featured Follow The Offside Musings on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_offside_musings_podcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/@MusingsOffside The Offside Musings Podcast is a The Droit Media production. The Offside Musings Podcast has been featured in Feedspot Top 35 Nigeria Podcasts: https://blog.feedspot.com/nigeria_podcasts/ Support and follow episodes and columns @ (https://substack.com/profile/58810793-offside-musings?s=r&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=web) Also on PayPal at: paypal.me/thedriot --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-offside-musings/support

Well you know what they say: 'the only constant is change.' This week is no different because we've got another episode! We're talking about Bastards, and not just Ol' Sourpuss himself, but the album too! GET IN TOUCH! Radicalfaceareus@gmail.com Facebook.com/RadicalFaceAreUs Twitter.com/Jdwaldy Instagram.com/Jdwaldy This Week's “Cellar Door Secrets” JD: Vengeance Nick: Into the Blue by Broken Bells

We have new NXTUK Tag Team champs, and we got In Your House on the horizon this week on #DrapedInGold. Flobo and Jack break it all down. Follow Jack on his Twitch channel at Twitch.tv/realjackfarmer. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/drapedingold/support

Episode 32 featuring Chris Andrew Glassford. We start things off with some Ridiculous News Headlines. Can you guess what the news stories are behind these headlines? Stuffed Chicken? Assault with a delicious weapon? And what about locked and loaded cheese fries?Then it's Wheel of Shots time – and our trick shot this episode is something we like to call the Burning Pussy – it's Franks Red Hot Sauces mixed with Sourpuss! Our beloved host had the honor of drinking it. Then it's Family's Screwed time – the TWW version of Family Feud. Can you fill in the blanks and win some money on these questions? Ginger loves long walks on the beach and _______? When touring Mr. J's home – you'd find collections of _______? And lastly – when people see Time Well Wasted on their news feeds, what is the first thing they do?We then have our host fill us in on some of the local events happening in Chatham including Retrofest and Ribfest – the latter of which Time Well Wasted will have a booth at. We follow this up with the live chat challenge which involved Ginger having to make and eat a sandwich with his hands tied behind his back. We then finish the show off with a classic round of Would You Rather. Would you rather have 10 people watch you masturbate, or watch 10 people masturbate? Would you rather accidentally send a dick pic to your boss or your mother-in-law? Would you rather wrestle naked in a pool of brown beans, or watch another episode of Time Well Wasted? That and so much more.Get more Time Well Wasted at www.twwshow.netTime Well Wasted is so much more than just a podcast! It's a fully interactive live streamed experience that will have you laughing your ass off. Tune in live every Wednesday at 8:00PM EST if you want the full TWW experience!Want to get featured on our show? Have some content that you'd love for us to check out? Maybe you want to be a guest live on our show? Well don't be shy - reach out to us by email or on our website! Website: https://www.twwshow.netEmail: contact@twwshow.netFor TWW submissions, you can submit everything directly on our submission page! https://www.twwshow.net/submitCheck out our social media!TWW Website: https://www.twwshow.net/TWW on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellwastedTWW on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wastedtalkshowTWW on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wastedshowTWW on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tww_showTWW on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twwshow

Dans le show de cette semaine, on parle du prix de l'essence, c'est un peu cher... le théâtre de la politique et des mauvais acteurs. Jason a pris un coup au SourPuss et aussi les cheaps qui ne savent pas vivre.

This week Noz and Danny explain why:- Pete Davidson is the Big Sam of celebrity dating- Man City are the football Roger Federer- Man United will definitely buy Harry Kane- Snitches get stitches- 50 Cent is too old for this sh*t

Episode Number: 29 Record Date: 1/12/22 Publish Date: 1/25/22 Edited by: Kelsi Dranks: Kings County Brewers Collective - Bug Hug Bourbon County Brand Stout 2020 What have you been listening to? Clear + Vivid with Alan Alda What's Brewing? Kelsi Alexandria Wenninger Ravelry Link Winter Magical Shawl Lisa Cannon, Fibernymph Dye Works Scrappy VNeck Caitlyn Niefling Test Knit Super fun, 4 hats in one Double thick fold up brim Tried colors pretty far out of my typical and it's fun! Sourpuss by Sweet Georgia Yarns is a very sour looking yellow KFI Luxury green, pink, purle, grey, white Double Knit Skull Beenie Skull Beenie by Melanie Sage except I'm double knitting it Ravelry Link Pattern: Frog and Toad by Kristina Ingrid McGowan Ravelry Link Stranded by the Sea Store Link DRK Everyday Socks by Andrea Mowry Ravelry Link Sea Glass Tee by Wool & Pine Ravelry Link Leaf Lace Washcloth by Jan Eaton Ravelry Link Abraço by Filipa Carneiro Ravelry Link End of the Trail (FOs) Kelsi Musselburgh Hat - Ysolda Teague - Her Page Dad's Christmas Hat Kelsi's Project on Ravelry Stash Enhancements Kelsi 1x Knitcircus Yarns: Girls Run the World Impressionist Matching Socks Set (medium), Greatest of Ease, choose your cakes, ready to ship yarn Caitlyn Love Yarns purchase (all fingering) West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply colorway: 234 Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock colorway: Slate Dream in color yarn Bobby BFL colorway: LA Luz 560 Yarn Junction Co MT Minis lost of colors :-) Christmas From Kelsi! Stitch Markers Christmas Sock Horse Project Bag Knitted Wit DK Omaha colorway (green, pink, yellow, bloushy white, brown) Madelinetosh DK Colorway: Ultramarine Violet A Tangle of Yarn Sweet Georgia colorway sourpus Find us You can find us on facebook at: Gravel Knits Instagram and Untappd as: GravelKnits Website: GravelKnits.com You can email us at: gravelknits@gmail.com Kelsi: Ravelry & Instagram: BikesBrewsEwes Untappd: kelsij Caitlyn Ravelry & Instagram: CaitlynNLloyd --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gravelknits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gravelknits/support

Oh man - what a blast this episode was! Lare Eves was our special guest, and he did great! We start off with a good old classic – The Dirty Urban Dictionary. Can you tell us what a Turkey Tap is? What about the Japanese Sandblaster? And you're not going to believe what a Hungry Unicorn is. And most importantly – you'll get to find out what Crotch Spiders are!It's then time for The Wheel of Shots. And we got some classics like Sourpuss and Baileys. And for the trickshot – we used a special recipe courtesy of one of our fans! It's called the Smoker's Cough – and it's as disgusting as it sounds - Mayo and Jägermeister! GROSS! We then move on to Guess That Sound – and we'd be surprised if you can guess what any of these are!We then cover a story about a man who had a World War 2 artillery shell stuck up his bum! It's a true story and you won't believe the details. It's then time for our chat challenge – and you know chat delivered again! They were rewarded by getting to watch Matt Daddy and Mr. J dance on a huge pile of Lego. Suffice to say – their feet are in a lot of pain now, and we feel bad for every parent out there that goes through this regularly! We then finish the show off with a new segment called Why Was I Shit-Canned? Basically, we cover some hilarious stories of why people got fired. You're not going to believe these! That and so much more – enjoy!If you enjoy the show and are craving more, you can check out our official website at www.twwshow.netIf you have ideas, suggestions, or original content for future episodes, feel free to leave a comment or send an e-mail to: contact@twwshow.net. You can send us hate-mail too, we don't mind!Time Well Wasted is so much more than just a podcast! It's a fully interactive live streamed experience that will have you laughing your ass off. Tune in live every Wednesday at 8:00PM EST if you want the full TWW experience!Want to get featured on our show? Have some content that you'd love for us to check out? Maybe you want to be a guest live on our show? Well don't be shy - reach out to us by email or on our website! Website: https://www.twwshow.netEmail: contact@twwshow.netFor TWW submissions, you can submit everything directly on our submission page! https://www.twwshow.net/submitCheck out our social media!TWW Website: https://www.twwshow.net/TWW on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellwastedTWW on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wastedtalkshowTWW on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wastedshowTWW on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tww_showTWW on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twwshow

On  this episode of "Behind Diagnoses: Patients", a Peer Med Podcast  special series we hear from Lilith Fury. She is an actress, mainly in horror movies, and has appeared in over 30 films to date. Her love for the horror genre has extended to her modeling career as well, as she was the first plus size model in her size category for goth brands Killstar, Too Fast, Sourpuss, etc. She's also Latina, indigenous, queer, and disabled, and has made it her mission to help provide representation to those who otherwise go unacknowledged. She says her goal is to bring body positivity to the world of horror. Be sure to subscribe to the Peer Med Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts! Follow the Peer  Med Podcast on Instagram @peermedpodcast for more patient stories, disease and inspiring eye-opening content! Follow Lilith on Instagram: @lilith.fury and visit her website: www.lilithfury.com

Join the nerds as they talk Nerd News and review Black Widow, the MCU's latest outing.

The Doctor Christian radio program was broadcast on CBS every Sunday from Nov 07, 1938, thru January 06, 1950. Motion picture star Jean Hersholt, often referred to as the Great Dane, a proud immigrant from Denmark, starred as Doctor Christian, country Doctor in the small town of Rivers-End.   --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Entertainment Radio Stations Live 24/7 Sherlock Holmes/CBS Radio Mystery Theater https://live365.com/station/Sherlock-Holmes-Classic-Radio--a91441 https://live365.com/station/CBS-Radio-Mystery-Theater-a57491 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let them fight! We're reviewing the ultimate monster movie, Godzilla vs King Kong, and we're doing it with our friend Kristal from the brand new Sourpuss Podcast! How many buildings will be crushed? Who will be the new crowned king of the monsters? What exactly is a sour beer? How effective is the pull-out method? Find out on this episode of Nerds With Friends! And check out Sourpuss Podcast after you're done with this one! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amber shows up to film iris-free. Corey rocks a single tendril bang. Papa Lawrence bucks up.  Teen Mom OG S9 Ep 13 Reunion Part 1 Bonus Patreon.com/TrashTalkPodcast Tracey Carnazzo @trixietuzzini Noelle Winters @noeygirl_ IG @TeenMomTrashTalk Twitter @TeenMomPodcast Usualwines.com code TRASHTALK  Storyworth.com/TrashTalk Upstart.com/TeenMom

Woooooo! Today is so exciting because we crack into the controversial discussion of Frozen Ever After and it replacing the cult favorite Maelstrom. Team Frozen or Team Maelstrom? Kurt also informs us ALL about Disneyland's new ticketing system, which is super confusing and we still don't know what's going on. Nik then tells us her horror stories of when she slipped through a crack in the Universe when staying offsite in Kissimmee with the Haunted Howard Johnson and the magical disappearing exotic birds. We end the episode with a nice little coping session on how to deal when you're trapped with a SOURPUSS all day in Disney! Let's get unstable! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Valentine's Day has came and went. Good riddance cries the Sourpuss. Why do we have Valentine's Day? How did it begin? When did we start only caring about how much money we spend on gifts. Join Curator #135 as he heads back to Ancient Rome for some beheadings, pagan rituals and goat hide slapping!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/curator135)

Florence and Reed chat to Shereece Marcantonio, sexual health campaigner aka "The Sex Lady"! Shereece trained and taught Sex Education in several secondary schools before Channel 4's youth programme Battlefront picked up her six month campaign to change the national curriculum. She also presents Sourpuss, a podcast breaking the taboo on vaginas!'F**ks Given' with Come Curious presents an honest and candid exploration of their guests’ sexual histories, from the first f**k to the best f**k and even the bad, average and comical ones in between. Each episode is an uncensored look at what’s gone on beneath the sheets with a variety of coveted guests in a bid to break the stigma around sexual histories and specifically the ‘number’ taboo. Presented by Come Curious, change-makers in the sex and body positivity space, 'F**ks Given' aims to open up the conversation around our sexual past, asking us to celebrate all the f**ks you gave because they’re the ones that made you who you are. You can follow Come Curious on Instagram / Twitter / Youtube This is a Studio71 production.Producer - Jack ClaramuntAssistant Producer - Winnie SimonExec Producer - Tom Payne & Jody SmithProduction Support - Phie McKenzie & Rebecca Dowell Studio71 is a Red Arrow Studios Company. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dope shit --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/brian-thomas42/support

We go full tilt on this one baby! We are straight silly!! It's the first of many "Collateral Damage Character Deaths in Movies" series. Listen as we talk Liberace, the death of Marvin Gaye and other soul singers, dinosaurs and more! This episode is all over the god damned place!!! Viva La Teencenter! Follow the show @teencentered, @big_lynch72, @bonehova and rate us how you will babies :^)

An Accidental ADHD Episode

It is time for episode 29 of Random Trek Review where Andrew and Matt discuss their first season finale, the Deep Space Nine episode "Broken Link". They talk about the episode's stellar makeup, the great banter between the DS9 crew, Worf's unending suspicions and much more! Subscribe on iTunes

James' Birthday Kravitz Report Is Halloween moving? Tim's Childhood Memory iTunes Ratings You can stand under our Umbrella or call/text 817-754-0570

There was a little contest on the weekend you might've heard about... Eurovision! Just jokes, it was Australia's federal election. Oh, and we'll also fill you in on Eurovision. What's worse than running a marathon? Running a marathon that involves more than 5,000 steps, of course! And we say goodbye to the world's grumpiest pussycat. Sad face.

It’s a beautiful day in the suburbs for us dads to sit down with a new show in our hunk toolbelt: 1989’s time-traveling airplane pornography, Ring Raiders! It’s not really a porno, but it *does* get really hot and bothered about how many missiles it has.This week on Saturday Morning Tuesdays:Meet the first all-married flying commander team • Cub Jones and his infamous “wah-hoos” join Hunter Steel and Presley Carnovan on our “Worst Main Characters” list • Andy confronts his childhood demons, in a very literal sense • Rick Hunter, pantsu goblin • Revenge of the SourpussToday's Episode Sponsor: Drew Gets A Treat™THIS WEEK'S EPISODESRing Raiders - Episode 1, "Ring of Fire"Robotech - Episode 6, "Blitzkrieg"The Boys: Andrew Eric Davison (Seattle), Austin Bridges (Portland), Rory Voie (Taipei)Audio Production: Andrew Eric Davison (Seattle)

I thought it would be wise to share an excerpt from my very first book, The Creative Introvert: How to Build a Business You Love on Your Terms to celebrate it pre-launch. Well, it's available for pre-order now and the reason you might want to order it before December 31st, is because of all the goodies I'm giving away to you early birds! The pre-order goodies include: Access to the Creative Introvert Book Club: 6 live monthly calls with live coaching, Q+A and a read-along for each part! (value $600) Membership to the online community, The League of Creative Introverts for 6 months (value: $150) A copy of The Creative Introvert Troubleshooting Companion – a self-coaching guide to work through any last niggles you might have in creating a life you love, on your terms (value: $11) “The woman leaned over, smiling kindly as she offered me a fruit pastille. I graciously accepted candy from a stranger, as though in doing so the sugar would somehow absorb into my bloodstream and make life sweet again, rather than simply causing an insulin spike. If this isn't evidence of the kindness of strangers, I don't know what is. To really set the scene: this was a rainy day in the October of 2010. I was still proverbially wet behind the ears, having recently graduated from the University of Reading with a fairly respectable degree in Graphic Communication and Typography. I was three months into my internship at a small digital agency in London's West End, and I had stormed out of the office in tears approximately 45 minutes prior. I was still sobbing, red-faced, as I sat on the train, urging it to leave the station and take me away from the hell of London Victoria as swiftly as possible. Come to think of it, the kindly, sweet-bearing lady didn't have much of a choice. You can't really enjoy your fruit pastilles if you're sat opposite someone showing signs of hysteria, increasingly turning as red as her hair by the second. Might as well offer her one. So… what was the reason for the waterworks and the storming out, two hours before the day's end? There were a multitude of reasons, from unfair salary to a narcissistic CEO, but what persisted – and what sparked this book into being – was the dawning of a discovery I wouldn't fully grasp for another three years. I left that sadistic internship the next day – yay – but the underlying problem causing my chronic distress and dissatisfaction followed me into my next job. There, I found a much more fair, friendly and above-board company to work for. Yet whilst my circumstances improved on paper, the storm brewing inside me did not. Let's piece the evidence together and see if we can diagnose the Cat of circa 2010–2013 with the real underlying problem: • The highlight of her workday is the first hour. Quiet time to herself before the remainder of the office (comprising 30–40 individuals at any given time) clocks in. • After this, she starts to exhibit signs of quiet distress. Her brow furrows, and grooves get deeper throughout the day, until 5:30pm comes and she resembles a raisin you might consider putting on your cereal. • She is in a state of constant lethargy, despite the fact she spends approximately 80% of her day sitting. • The kindly co-workers around her, who mean well with their table football and darts, just can't understand why she is spontaneously crying. Is it something they said? When I looked at these symptoms in the thick of my malaise, I assumed that I was fatally flawed. A broken human who couldn't hold down a respectable job that plenty of other young graduates would have given their left eyebrow for. I actually never figured it out whilst I remained (miraculously) employed there. It took a leap of faith and a holiday to Japan for me to finally pack it in and save my boss and colleagues the discomfort of keeping Mount Cat from erupting. My plan was to simply take a shot at this thing called freelancing, for the six months of savings I had. I can honestly say I had no idea what I was doing: I just had to test my hypothesis; that the 9–5 office grind was not a match for me. It turns out, I was on to something. Overnight, I discovered energy I hadn't had in over three years. I woke up without the need for an alarm (and several snoozes), eager to open my laptop, inspired to start creating and refining and emailing and tinkering each and every day. So what changed? What was it about my newfound lifestyle and work day turned me from Sourpuss to the Cheshire Cat? Did I just hate people? That didn't seem fair: I liked my colleagues very much. Plus, the more ‘difficult' clients hadn't disappeared: I was still dealing with some of the same people and arguably some even more prickly characters now. Was I just spoiled with years of schooling and university that sheltered me from the grind of commuting each day to an office full of diverse characters and pressure to demonstrate initiative? But I've always been highly conscientious, hard-working and tolerant of rigid routine. Again, this didn't add up. Eventually, discussing my confusion with a friend, he casually diagnosed me. “You're an introvert, then.” “An introvert?!” I balked. I could admit that I was a shy child, and had my own share of social anxieties, but on the whole I'd made huge progress in my social skills and increased my confidence over the years. I couldn't be an introvert! Then he explained what the original definition of introvert is, coined by Carl Jung, Swiss psychoanalyst, and later expanded upon by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers. The confusion I had over my work history – and much of my school years – started to vanish. When I understood this new (old) definition of what an introvert really is, a whole world of self-knowledge and understanding of others opened up to me. An introvert, defined in this book is: • Someone who gets drained by socialising in groups and recharges by being alone. • Someone who processes information slowly and deeply. • Someone who is NOT necessarily shy or quiet! Newly armed with this information, my fascination grew. I started to understand why networking was so exhausting. I realised why in-house freelance contracts were not ideal, why I couldn't stomach networking, why I grew tired long before my more extroverted friends at the pub. I started to shape my business around remote work and clients who could accommodate that. I started turning to more strategic ways of getting my work in front of people. I started letting my friends know why I had to pull an ‘Irish Exit' so often. The biggest relief was knowing: I wasn't broken. I wasn't a freak. I was in the 30-50% of the population who also fell on the introverted side of the spectrum. A real ah-ha moment came as I started to see a correlation specifically between the creatives I knew and my newfound self-diagnosis. I was finding that the vast majority of these creatives; illustrators, animators, writers, even musicians (who I had assumed were all extroverts if they performed on stage) were also introverts. We lamented, over tepid pints of dutch courage, how much we wanted to relax into a hermit lifestyle and commit to our art. Self-promotion, social media, talking about what we do, pitching clients and agents… that was the drag, the painful side of our creative path we would do anything to avoid. I felt this pain acutely. I also felt called to doing something about our conundrum. I committed myself to first working out an introvert-friendly way to make a career that suited my personality type and preferences, then to helping my fellow creative introverts. I committed to finding a way we could have our introverted cake and eat it too. In this case, our cake is creating work we love, and eating it is… well, making a living from it without selling our soul to our extrovert overlords. This became my obsession, the one that kicked off the Creative Introvert blog, podcast, the League of Creative Introverts and the book you're reading. Are you a creative introvert? There are a plethora of tests online that will give you your introvert diagnosis, but really it's very simple. Do you identify with more than three of the following? • You restore your energy when you spend time alone. • You generally dislike being at the centre of attention. • It takes you some time to get involved in social activities with a new group of people. • You usually find it difficult to relax when talking in front of more than one person. • You prefer to express yourself through writing or other non-verbal forms. Well my friend, you're an introvert in my books! Misconceptions about introverts Common misconceptions about introverts are that we're all shy and socially anxious. Whilst these traits do overlap, and it is very common to be both an introvert and shy, I do want to clarify that these are separate traits. Even if you consider yourself shy, you probably recognise that your shyness is situational: it depends on the context. Introversion however, is less fickle. I can't control whether or not I feel my energy drain after a few hours in a large group situation. I can't control how my brain processes information and how long it often takes me to find the right word when I'm speaking (especially compared to when I'm writing.) In addition, this isn't a book about becoming more of an extrovert: that isn't my goal and I don't believe it needs to be yours either. Nor is it a simple description of what it is to be a creative introvert, and an excuse to rant about our struggles. Instead, you'll be given tailored, experience-based and evidence-based guidance on building a thriving creative career, taking into account your introversion. Now to define creativity… oh my. This is a little trickier to pin down than introversion. Unlike personality tests, I'm less fanatical about ‘creativity' tests that get you to think of multiple uses for a pencil, and decide your creativity based on that. I'm a believer in creativity being in the eye of the beholder. You can feel creative in a niche area like flower arranging, whilst regarding yourself as unmusical, a terrible painter with two left feet. Creativity comes in myriad forms and outlets, and more than anything it's a description of how we connect the dots, how we generate novelty, and how we play. I'm not going to ask you to take a test to bolster your belief in how creative you are: I'm going to take a guess and say that you ARE creative. How you utilise that creativity and bring it to fruition is entirely up to you, and I would love more than anything for this book to reveal how you can best do that for your specific personality type, preferences, skills and desires. If anything you've read so far about introversion and creativity resonates then there is a good chance this book is for you. The clincher is this: have you experienced challenges in your career ambitions? It might be communicating with your boss or coworkers. It might be feeling exhausted in an open plan office space. It might be clarifying your target market and building a coherent body of work. All of these challenges – and many more – you might face as a creative with a degree of career ambition will be explored in this book. The difference from other career advice books is that this will take into account your introverted nature. It will take into account your preferences for alone time, rich conversation with one person at a time and other subtleties that make being an introvert different. You'll learn how to use your introverted strengths in your creative career and mitigate the blind-spots that you might experience. If that sounds like something that might help you, then this book is most definitely for you. How to make the most out of this book This book is divided into six sections: the key areas I've identified in working with hundreds of creative introverts in coaching and teaching settings. They are: 1) Prepare: Learn what you need to be at your best This section shows you how self-knowledge, mindset and positive psychology are foundational to creative career success. Without this foundation, taking action and applying all the nitty-gritty strategy will likely fall flat; you'll run into all sorts of sticking points and tie yourself in knots, if you don't have these firm foundations. You'll find out what you need in order to thrive: to be at your creative best, both internally and externally. There will be multiple quizzes so you can identify more about your own personality type and we'll explore the various routes to learning more about yourself, and how to apply this knowledge. 2) Plan: Get the clarity to move forward with confidence Next, you'll learn how to break down the daunting tasks of planning a career shift, starting a new project or building a creative business from scratch. You'll be guided through a process specifically tailored to creative introverts: including a new take on business planning that is not going to induce sleep. You'll gain clarity on what kind of life you're carving out for yourself, and how to remove the overwhelm from that grand concept, breaking down any size of dream into practical, actionable steps. This section will include helpful worksheets which can be filled in online or downloaded to print. 3) Produce: How To Actually Get Things Done If you've ever struggled with the procrastination gremlin, you'll be relieved to know that the battle ends here. You'll learn strategies and tools you can use in any situation to finally get it DONE. Regardless of your old habits and limiting beliefs, this section will help you find a way to make strides in anything you set your mind to: on your terms. 4) Promote: Time To Get Your Art Out! This is the section that many creative introverts will be most challenged by: but I promise you that this is where the biggest rewards lie. You'll learn how to market your work without feeling sleazy or pushy. You'll learn how to identify, attract and sell to your dream clients or customers and get the exposure you so deserve. Plus, you'll do it all in a way that suits your introverted nature. 5) Progress: Taking Stock and Correcting Course Throughout this book you'll find an emphasis on experimentation. This section is where this scientific approach comes into its own. You'll learn how to run your own experiments that will show you exactly what you're doing that is working, and what you need to tweak. The point is to have fun: this is more like the Mento and Diet Coke type of experiment than the Hadron Collider type of experiment. 6) People: Introverts Need Them Too Just because we're introverts doesn't mean we can do this all alone. People are on every corner of your creative journey, and learning how to manage these relationships effectively is going to be the make or break difference in your success. This section delves into collaboration, communication and energy management. Note: This is not a straight-forward how-to guide book. I encourage you to find your own formula. All I can give you is ingredients (Tips + Tools) and recipes (Action Steps) that myself and others have tried, and have found helpful. This is a bit of a ‘choose your own adventure', in that I want to give you as many options as possible to find what works best for you with your personality type and preferences. This was the good news I so badly wanted to be true when I started to understand myself better: that just because something that works for someone else didn't work for me, does not mean I'm a lost cause. It just means there is another way to get there. This book aims to show you the other way. If you're ready to get started and finally build a successful creative career that fits you like a tailor made glove, then let's get going!” Excerpt From: The Creative Introvert: How to Build a Business You Love on Your Terms    POWERED BY PATREON This podcast is made possible only by means of my generous supporters on Patreon. Thank you! Supporting the Creative Introvert podcast also gets you lots of goodies, from a Monthly Ask Me Anything to a copy of my soon-to-be-released BOOK, The Creative Introvert: How to Build a Business You Love on Your Terms. Hitting milestones also funds future projects, and ideas guided by you, my supporters.

What do you do when you like sex way more than your partner? This episode goes places this mother-daughter duo never imagined when they are asked to answer a listener letter from Sexless Sourpuss. How will Rebecca deal when a show topic threatens to end her 27-year moratorium on talking to Momma B about S-E-X? We are so excited for you to meet our guest for this show, Erika Moen, the talented cartoonist behind “Oh Joy Sex Toy” and co-author of the upcoming book, Drawn to Sex: The Basics, coming out on Nov 6! Buy it on Powell's https://www.powells.com/book/-9781620105443&partnerID=43976 or Amazon: amzn.to/2y105LL. .·:*'`*:·..·:*'`*:·.·:*'`*:·..·:*'`*:·.·:*'`*:·. A SEXY GOODIE BAG OF HELPFUL LINKS Momma B makes book recommendations! Divorce Busting: A Step-by-Step Approach to Making Your Marriage Loving Again by Michele Weiner-Davis https://www.amazon.com/Divorce-Busting-Step-Step-Approach/dp/0671797255/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1 Erika makes amazing sex-ed comics! Vaginal Penetration: https://www.ohjoysextoy.com/vaginal-intercourse/ Sex positivity: https://www.ohjoysextoy.com/sex-positive/ Come as You Are book review: https://www.ohjoysextoy.com/come-as-you-are-2/ Wanna buy that book? Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski Ph.D. https://www.amazon.com/Come-You-Are-Surprising-Transform/dp/1476762090 .·:*'`*:·..·:*'`*:·.·:*'`*:·..·:*'`*:·.·:*'`*:·. Advice from Mom is a production of Wise Ones Ones Advice Services. It was produced by Juliet Hinely & Rebecca Garza-Bortman. Hosted by Michael Austin Sui. Editing by Juliet Hinely. Erika’s interview was recorded by Jeni Wren Stottrup. Mixed and mastered by Jake Young. Audio assistance by Bryan Garza. Our theme music is by Love Jerks. Join us for our rock opera album premiere. Buy tickets: bit.ly/2OtRyug This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to offer diagnosis or treatment of any medical or psychological condition. All treatment decisions should be made in partnership with your health professional.

The Savage Mountain Punk Festival episode is here.  This two day, three show event is taking place on August 10th & 11th at Dante's in Frostburg, Maryland.For more info or tickets to the S.M.P.F., go to www.svgmtnpunkfest.com.   In this episode, Smitty & Brendan reminisce about past shows while Travis is out having his second kid.  All the bands in this weeks playlist will be performing at the S.M.P.F., plus more: False Profit, Sourpuss, The Runz, The Downstrokes, The Xiles, TxBxDx, Trigger 13, The Nuclears, Pain!, Ghost Road, The Mud City Manglers, The Alements, Argyle Goolsby And The Roving Midnight.  Subscribe/follow on iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio so you don't miss out on more great bands.  Follow us on Instagram: @empathicaradio & @empathicasmitty.  Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/empathicaradio.  Join our group on FaceBook called Empathica Radio Group so we can b.s. about underground music.  For FREE stickers of the show, email your address to empathicaradio@gmail.com and we'll send you some.  If you or someone you know is in a unsigned/independent Metal, Punk, or Hardcore band and want to get played on the show, send an audio file to empathicaradio@gmail.com as well.  Thanks for listening and hail to the Underground!!!!!!

Is Anthony Martial done at Manchester United? Why is Jose Mourinho always such a nasty piece of work? Mike and Paul eat way too much fettuccine alfredo.  1. Join our FPL 2. TEAMtalk 3. EatMyGoal Mike's email: macdonald.mikemacdonald@gmail.com

August 1, 2018. Tommy Unit LIVE!! #366 with new tunes from Muck and the Mires, The Kids, Alex Brown & The Hepcats, Thee Minks, Reverend Beat-Man and Nicole Izobel Garcia, The Interrupters, Criminal Kids, Duck & Cover, The Breaknecks, Dumb Vision, Trash Knife, Thunder Vest, the dRIVIN bEATS, Sourpuss, The Downstrokes, and The Xiles! Plus … Continue reading Tommy Unit LIVE!! #368 →

Rock’s appetite for trouble leads him and the orphan Buddy Boseman straight into the clutches of a sinister industrialist.  Meanwhile, Nix must contend with the sudden emergence of Sourpuss and her ventriloquist, both out to avenge her baldness.  Bullets fly in this exhilarating finale to the Sourpuss triad.   Cast: Kevin Beyers, Lane Kenney, Matt Key, Darcy Staniforth

The hair loss of Sourpuss has suddenly become an epidemic, threatening all the puppets who perform at the summer resorts.  While Rock pursues Roddy Drake III and his trained squirrel, Nix discovers the ventriloquists have no shortage of enemies in the Fingerlings.  But which one of them is poisoning the water of the Flowage and plotting to silence the puppets of Large Neck? Cast: Kevin Beyers, Lane Kenney, Matt Key, Darcy Staniforth

A sultry and starry-eyed hatcheck girl hires the detectives to investigate the poisoning of her boyfriend’s puppet, Sourpuss.  Nix falls hard for Aurora Lusk, even more so when she remembers his name.  Meanwhile, Rock zeroes in on his arch rival Roddy Drake III as the culprit.  But the magician now has a partner of his own to match wits with Rock.  Part one of three for a reason!   Cast: Kevin Beyers, Lane Kenney, Matt Key, Darcy Staniforth

It has been a wild couple of weeks since the inauguration of President Trump, and it doesn't look so great for scientists and the science community. We break down some of the early executive orders and directives that have really impacted many of our federal organizations. Also, we look back at the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting in Seattle and recap some of the highlights from our experience. And flying out of SeaTac International, Minh joined in on a protest against the Trump Travel Ban. Hear about his experience and also how you can take part in the March for Science on April 22, 2017. It is a jam-packed episode full of science and politics.   Modifications were made for the Introduction and transition music "Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ and "Sourpuss" by Greater Than or Equal To: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Bzzzrt. Wrong way, boys. July 16, 2014 - Drunk levels 6-7

Hot Monday action! Today has robots, travel woes, local news and great mitts.

EPISODE 100!! Holy crap we made it! Without killing each other! So we celebrate by finally forcing Krissy to watch all 3 of the Lord of the Rings movies for the very first time! FINALLY! And guess what? It only took TEN FRIGGIN' DAYS! Did we mention we watched the Extended Editions? Cause we did! And it took FOREVER. If you're looking for a serious discussion about LOTR, you've come to the wrong place. If you want to hear 2 people talk about Frodo acting like a wuss, Gandalf changing colors inexplicably, the dastardly villains Sourman and Sourpuss, Friends #1 and #2, Gollum's similarities to a family member, Lunesta dragons, lots of walking and then battles and then more walking... Plus impressions aplenty, YOU SHALL NOT PASS this opportunity to join in the celebration! Rated PG-13ish with only a few bouts of swearing and juvenile humor about where to hide your RING!

Juster, Norton. SOURPUSS AND SWEETIE PIE