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This is disturbing.

That's one of the prettiest animals I've ever seen. The dog's nice, too.

There is a way out - To take up arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? To die, to sleep ... and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep. To sleep? Perchance to dream? Ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause ... thus conscience does make cowards of us all. [Hamlet, Act III, Scene 1]

[Shamelessly repeated from my post in Halloween's Coming gallery:] A couple without costumes was trying to sneak into a costume-only Halloween party. The girl threw her hands around the boy's neck and just sort of hung down his back as they went up the steps. They were stopped by a doorman who told them of the costume requirement for entry to the party. "But we are wearing a costume," the boy protested, gesturing towards the girl. "We're dressed as a turtle; this is Michelle."

I guess it's easy for him to know when he's put his best foot forward.

A couple without costumes was trying to sneak into a costume-only Halloween party. The girl threw her hands around the boy's neck and just sort of hung down his back as they went up the steps. They were stopped by a doorman who told them of the costume requirement for entry to the party. "But we are wearing a costume," the boy protested, gesturing towards the girl. "We're dressed as a turtle; this is Michelle."

I'm confused. I like the tail idea but don't see any strings or straps or belts to keep it in place, so I wonder what's ... OMG!

He [the bishop] told churchgoers: "I apologize to everyone who is affected, sad or even upset by what has happened. There is no agreement with moral evil, and all those involved will be punished according to canon law, regardless of the verdict of a trial." Sounds Catholic.

The adorable and ever-enticing Danny Bliss! Loved him in so many scenes, but especially in The Prettiest Face I Ever Came Across. (Great Title BTW)

I always love the Arts District of the cities I visit.

You break it, you buy it!

That is so de-pressing.

Was this photo taken at a full moon? I'd have to floss after a session!

No experience in that area, but I would imagine companionship there would be a case of (a) luck, (b) an import (Boston or Portland) or (c) BYOB (bring your own boy). But Good Hunting!

A friend of mine, who is enthralled with all things Mark Twain, told me of a conference Twain once had in his home in Hartford to discuss literary language, including -and in Twain's perspective, even fixating on- the n-word. Some at the conference, which included several black men, winced when Twain said the word and stated they were offended by it. But, Twain noted, generally only when used by white people in reference to black people; black people often apply the word to one another in a social and even friendly or joking sort of way. My friend is prone to exaggeration and occasional alcohol-fueled flights of fancy, so I never know how much of his stories to take as "gospel," enjoyable as they may be to hear. He has also told me that, like Twain, he tries to never let facts get in the way of a good story. Some measure of cheerful skepticism is, therefore, clearly warranted. But, like a bible story or an Aesop's fable, allegorical tales not rooted in historical facts can still show us a useful truth. And the truth here is that words like n-gg-r, f-g, queer, cocksucker, et. al., only have the power to offend because we give them that power. The offensive power of the n-word to a black man is rooted in his history and reminds of injustice and oppression. But its accepted use in interaction with equals demonstrates its power can be taken from it and made to no longer sting. Likewise, anti-gay slurs once used to insult and intimidate, can be neutered in their poisonous sting if we refuse to allow them to maintain that power over us. At my current stage of life, I don't care what someone calls me because I define myself, and I refuse to be shaped or limited by how others view me. It wasn't easy to get here, but the view from here is glorious and well worth the climb. The occasions of confronting such invective are much more rare these days, but a typical retort has been, "Your opinion might mean more to me if your opinion meant anything to me." So there!

Or as I have said on occasion, "I prefer my women a little taller and with broader shoulders and a bigger d*ck."

I appreciate the instruction. Sometimes my aging brain makes connections with the wrong data points.

Depends on who wore them and what they're stained with.😜

I don't know if he's had anything injected into his, but I've seen him inject plenty into other buttocks.

Like others we've seen in these spaces, he's probably got a portrait in the attic.

Gore Vidal was asked what is a "f-g." His answer: "A 'f-g' is the homosexual gentleman who just left the room." White Southerners would at least sometimes call you "n-gg-r" to your face. Sexual bigots would only call you "f-got" when you were on the floor getting the sh-t kicked out of you. Clearly, we can sometimes be a disgusting species.

"F-got," in earlier and traditional British usage, referred to a bundle of sticks or twigs set on fire to supply heat or light. The word was later applied to cigarettes as they, too, were set on fire. Then homosexual people (practically exclusively male) were called by the name by those bible-loving, people-hating religious intolerants because they believed the "f-gs" should -and one day, would- be set on fire in the depths of hell as punishment for their gross depravity.

I would only care that he gets one thing straight.

Where indeed? My view of this expanded rainbow of initials has been that if you need that many letters to define you, maybe you don't have a clear idea of who you are. Or want to be. The label is getting so inclusive, maybe we should just use HOMO, as in Homo Sapiens. (Yes, I know; different derivations, one from the Greek, the other from Latin. But still ...) But as a concession to ordinary usage, gay is probably the more universally recognized term today and, for me, as good a fit as any other. (Although I do lament that any label that unites members of one group also instantly divides them from others. Sorry. It's too late at night to be so philosophical. Bonne Nuit.)

If I can write a fictionalized account of an evening with a sex worker, describing the appearance, attributes, attitudes, and appendages thereof, by what stretch of the imagination does the Oklahoma legislature conclude that I can't do the same to describe an actual encounter? Does no one in the Sooner State have a copy of the First Amendment? Or an adequate understanding of the same? This is the consequence to the only qualifications for public office being age and residency.