Re the beginning of the fantasy, it is indeed a way of dealing with the death of my cousin. I am not sure the actual character will take on full characteristics and personality issues of Bud, but the broad outline lends itself to the story. I will probably work shop it first at a local writing group I have been scarce from for a couple of years, but plan to go to in preparation for possibly applying to attend next years Clarion West. We will see.

Fran and I went diving, first in a pool that went quite well. We were testing some of our equipment in preparation for the live aboard dive trip we will be doing in Fiji starting around September 13 and going through September 30. Our second attempt was at Mukilteo with drive suits, but after several snafus including Fran's tanking deciding to become dislodged from her BCD, her regulator seems to have malfunctioned and she was getting water in with each intake of air. We will be trying again this Thursday, hoping to give it a good try to get some more experience in before we head to the sof coral capital of the world and our first experience of drift diving.

At any rate, hope that my main computers is back, I have high speed internet access (dial up sucks big time)and I can begin working on the fantasy story again. I have the first opening prologue done. Still trying to decide if I am using a short story pacing or novel pacing. I tend towards the latter, but would prefer to encapsulate this story at around 15,000 words, no larger than 18,000. We will see. BTW, I got the address below wrong, it actually is Writers Cramp and the URL is http://www.forwriters.com/writerscramp.html and that is indeed the local group I used to attend here in Seattle.

Jack Beslanwitch http://www.forwriters.com/writerscramp.html 8-13-2001 4:00

I will archive before I take my computer in in the morning. That said, I have the password protected and tree form bulleting board scripting under my built and will get it up and running for the Workbook sometime this week. Most likely off of my laptop, rather than the desktop that will have to go into the shop. Also, I have a fantasy story that is building in pace using Office XP. Trying to decide if it is a short story or the beginning of a novel. This is the first paragraph.

This is the start of it:

Magic came to him in the middle years of his life. This was long after he had served with distinction and personal anguish in the Foot fighting east of Adjimour and Kesh. They mustered him out with the rank of Corporal. Only to find work was scarce indeed. And when it was not, he had a taste for wine or worse. So he eventually was pitched from job to job, until one day he huddled among the miscreants, swaddled in rags, at the gate wall simpering and yelling “Alms. Alms, Sooor. Alms for the poooor.”

Jack Beslanwitch 8-7-2001 6:29

---

VIV: His name is Hal. :)

MEL: I think she is so happy not to be pregnant anymore that none of that will matter. She had a miserable pregnancy, and better to get up to feed the baby than to be ill.

ROSEMARY: We surrived pretty well. The city is flooded all over the place, including my laundry room (and the poor wet puppies in there - worked in there for 2 hours last night to get it and them dry and set something else up for them.) I'm blowing west really hard, hoping it moves the clouds your way.

JERRY: Look into the Atkins diet for your mom. My father in law completely controls his diabetes, drug free, with just his diet, and he follows it strictly. As he says, he'd rather change his diet, deny himself things he used to love, than to have to give himself a shot every day.

That firefighter story was terrible.

Okay...off to write. Happy Tuesday all!

Hallee 8-7-2001 4:32

---

Tina, please finish the critique before I send you the new version, I'm having trouble with my WP program. I caught a virus (Or my computer did) and although I got rid of it,i'm having to do some editing and re-installing before I can do much on my novel...

Laura 8-7-2001 1:38

---

You have to wonder where this country is going, when four brave firefighters die because there "MAY" be endangered fish in a river so the aircraft are prohibited from using that water to save the lives of those brave souls.

Jerry Firemen die to protect fish 8-7-2001 0:13

---

--Rosemary--
JERRY,
You just keep unloading on us if it makes it easier for you. (besides that, it's interesting) I'm sure most of us have been through bad patches where we have to keep slogging through it until the other side shows up. I can't remember going through a sequence as bad as yours but there's always a far side. Sometimes it's just seems like you'll never get there.

HALLIE,
Hope Barry is treating you with respect. If not, give him a boot in the rear and send him this way. We know how to welcome a wayward hurricane.

ALL,
I recieved the long touted tax refund today. Definitely not unwelcome due to the property tax problems I am having. They give to me and I give it right back to them.
Oh well, I didn't have it to start with so I can't miss it. Can I?

Bye
Rosemary

Rosemary 8-6-2001 21:32

---

Big Hi’s to everyone.

Just a brief visit between web-pages. Doing a web site of the Festival I attended last week and it has grown into a monster – about 230 or so pics and thumbnails and lots of pages. It’s been taking up lots of my time as I’m sure you can imagine…

MARY – got your mail – I’ll reply soonest.

The festival was held in the grounds of a 15th century castle where my wife and I walked the corridors and slept in the rooms that our present Queen and her sister Margaret stayed in whilst they were children. Read books in the libraries that their father King George VI languished in whilst his kids played in the gardens that my kids played in every year for most of their lives… Ahhh history in every step… The castle and it’s extended mansion house were a gift to the Church of Scotland by a cousin of the present Queen some 30 odd years ago and I am now a minor member of the Trust that now owns and runs it as a retreat and conference centre – we even allow peasants and colonials to visit :o) Lots of Pics to follow when I get the website up, in a week or so.

Don’t know what people are talking about as I have yet to update myself on notebook goings on and such, but I shall be back soon.

Ciao for now,

Litter


Litter 8-6-2001 20:52

---

Mel Rachael:

It seems almost as if you are geared towards a high energy day then you don't see boys as hard. I like things a little softer. My son bounces off the walls and no one else seems to see as much of it as I do.

Who knows!

He is cuddley when he is on break though.


Debra 8-6-2001 19:49

---

Teekay - I tried that once or twice, the first time got me in so much trouble, that I still hear from the folks who hated my writing, and that was back in, oh must have been like 1974. I shan't go into the particulars, but suffice to say never call a whole town ungrateful, people remember that forever. The second time nearly got me fired from my job as police chief, when I unwittingly talked to a fellow who identified himself as a representative of the Roosevelt Custer research group (A group dearly loved by our mayor), who was in reality a reporter for the Dickinson Press, doing an article on that origination. I gave him the information he requested, he promptly used it for an article on the impact of the oil boom on Western ND. When the mayor read my comments on the shortage of the budget, and the need for additional officers on the street, he nearly went through the roof, even though it was the truth, and he damn well knew it. After his tirade, I explained the treachery of the reporter, and he must not have believed me, as he called that organization, and found out the truth. A few days later, he apologized, but I decided right then and there, that talking to the press was one thing to be avoided at all costs. My last experience was not so bad, after being chosen to represent North Dakota, along with two other peace officers (A game warden, and a Deputy Sheriff) at a National Gathering of Peace Officers in Washington DC, sponsored by the National Rifle Association, and attending the meetings, followed by a mass assault on Congress by group, I wrote an article about it, and mailed to all the major newspapers in ND. They all published it, several giving me a Full column, (When I write, I take up lots of space if you haven't noticed) others just putting it in the letters to the Editor section. It went over quit well, and for the next several months I was answering letters from the gun crowd in both North and South Dakota. No, I think I will stay away from letters to the Editor. I have, however written to all my congressmen, and the President. (I am probably on some kook list with the Secret Service, and I would imagine the ATF has now dug through their boxes of yellow forms of former gun dealers to figure out how many guns I have in my collection.)

Just letting off steam here in the notebook does wonders to break the tension. Things just keep happening, and since I am on the downhill roll now, add to the tension, mom just got a letter from her home owners insurance that they were cancelling her policy because she has had two hail claims in the past ten years. We have been trying to work that out for over a month now, add to that the fact that her doctor just told her she is diabetic, and changing her eating patterns after 75 years is very hard for her. Then today one of my aunts died, the funeral is Wednesday. Yep thing just keep happening, but am I letting it get me down? Hell no, well maybe just a bit, but that's ok too.

Jerry Ericsson 8-6-2001 19:48

---

test

8-6-2001 15:54

---

*Mel*

Hi everybody! May your muses stick better than duct tape today, and the river of inspiration overflow your toes...

RACHEL: Just when you think the house is babyproofed, the intrepid little explorer finds a long-lost treasure (um, that's NOT for little kids) underneath the sofa...or a piece of lint. Into mouth... (((HUGS))) for your little guy.

DEBRA: My 4-yr-old Martha has been cuddlier than any of her brothers ever were! :-)

JERRY: I loved the story of the rags-to-riches drunk -heh heh! :-) Meanwhile, the Northeast USA is sharing your heat (90's) - yuck.

RANDALL: So sorry to hear about your doggy - it's always hard to lose a pet. (((HUGS))) for you and the family. BTW, we have VERIZON here in the Northeast too - yippee.
Our phone was out of service for a whole day last weekend, a short in the outside wires, which they came to fix...when they got around to it. Luckily for us, we didn't have to wait for service as long as you did, only a couple days.

MARK: (In case you pass this way) Your pond sounds lovely, a nice story setting, even if it was a lot of work to construct. Don't let your muse get away - (mental duct-tape works wonders!).

MARY: I love foreign words too - Italian, German, French, Greek...just know a foreign phrase here and there, but I love the SOUND of the words themselves and the accents of people speaking them. I also love music-words and musical words: alleluia, hosanna, kyrie, andante, allegretto, fortissimo, pianissimo (see, more foreign words - Latin, Italian, French...) and percussive words or words that sound, when you say them, like the thing they represent, like reverberation, ringing, buzz, clatter, murmer, echo, shriek, howl... Um, I think I better STOP! :-)

ALLEIN: I'll be waving to you from 3 and a half hours away. :-) Enjoy the conference!! (Report back to us when you return, for those of us who can't get to a conference this year...)

VIV: Enjoyed the "Paduka" story. :-) My husband wouldn't have been nearly so polite to a flat tire! Heh heh. And anyone who says the Harry Potter books are bad in any way for kids either hasn't read the books or is a superstitious twit! The books are glorious fun; you can't learn any real magic from them; they're just a GREAT adventure. I've read all four with my Tim, and we both love the characters, the plots and subplots. What amazes me is the really young age of some HP fans, since the books, especially #4, have many good-sized words in them. See? The books are good for something more than entertainment - they're great vocabulary builders! :-)

TINA: I too like the music to Crouching Tiger... Of course, 'cello music is dear to my heart as I played 'cello from 5th grade through college days. And still my beloved Arathodden (gee, where did that name originate, I wonder? Heh heh!) sits in his 'cello case in my closet, gathering memories and lost chords...maybe one of these days I'll rescue him). The music muse is even slower than my writing muse...good grief!!!

HALLEE: Congrats on your new nephew Hal Samuel - a large baby, whoo boy! Hope your sister is recovering smoothly (yeah, and about now wondering WHAT she was thinking to go through all that followed by NIGHT feedings, messy diapers...ahh, the joys of new motherhood, heh heh! But sweet baby-smell makes up for all that other stuff, of course!) :-)

TEEKAY: Um, your weather is "gorgeous?!" All right. What have you done with grumpy Ol' Man Winter? Did you tweak his barren eyebrows or something? Did you give him a swirly mustache with a new pen? or maybe just a swirly? Heh heh!
Enjoy! :-)

Seeya.


Mel 8-6-2001 13:17

---

**Teekay**

i all,
this is just going to be a quick post so here goes...(deep breath)
JERRY * RANDALL: Maybe you guys ought to use your writing talent for writing to the local paper (or at least threatening too) After spending so much money on advertising, i'm sure these companies are going to want to do their best to preserve the false front they've put up for the public.
Check where you stand on the slander libel thing first though before you post it.
But I would definitely be gently encouraging them with letters to the paper.

RANDALL: Sorry to hear about the dog.

MARY: I love the words peculiar, shimmer, curious. I regress to my childhood days of Enid blyton books every time I hear them.
And yes, I did say waffle out loud ;-)

ROSEMARY: I really enjoyed your ghost story.

TINA: If I don't get any takers on your book REAL soon, I'll send it back to you.
LAST CALL FOR TINA'S BOOK YOU GUYS!!!!!

RACHEL: I've put in another query with the book shop, but it seems they are still in the same position as their agents order the books in through the publishers and not through bookshops *sigh*.

ALLEIN:: You go girl, your life is just opening right up for you now :-)

HEATHER: Tomorrow okay. I'm sorry I'm so slack.

Ummmmm I think that's it.

Hello to all of you. I have been soooo busy just lately.
The weather is gorgeous.


AMERICO: WHERE ARE YOU????? I MISS YOU HEAPS AND I WISH YOU WOULD COME BACK TO THE NOTEBOOK.

HOWARD: AS ABOVE. I sure hope your shoulder is better. Yo're not all spaced out on pain killers are you, and can't find the on key to your computer.

I think you're all wonderful and hopefully I'll be back regularly real soon.

Teekay 8-6-2001 1:53

---

There was this fellow who lived in one of the towns where I was a police officer, he was sort of the town durnk, but he had a farm just a few miles north of town, and while he didn't make much money off the farm, there was enough for him to buy his booze, and a night or two in the motel should he get enough. Well one day they struck oil on his farm. Big oil, lots and lots of oil. This made the fellow filthy rich. Not that he changed his way, nope, never even bought any new cloths, never started to take care of himself, he just kept on drinking, and staying in motels when he had enough. One day this company that was doing the drilling invited him out to sign some papers in St. Paul Mn. He flew out, and went to register at a motel near the airport. The lady behind the counter falt out told him that they didn't rent rooms to bums, and that he should find his way down to the local shelter. Now he wasn't real happy about that, and went down the line a ways and found him a motel that would rent to him. The next morning, a limo came to the motel picked him up and gave him a ride to the company headquarters, where he signed the papers that needed signing. Then he sat about to find out who owned that motel, and bought it outright, wrote a check right there and the motel was his. He took a cab out to that motel, and promptly fired the gal who refused to rent him that room. He had more fun telling that story, and he even kept the motel, just in case he ever needed to fly out there again. Guess he found some poor soul to run the place for him.

Just gos to show you what goes around comes around.

Had our usual pinochle game today, and they were telling me that they had to make a trip to a neighboring town, and enroute they ran into road construction, the norm for the summer in this country. Now there was this gal with the slow/stop sign doing flagging duty, and as they approached, she had the slow side of the sign to them and was bouncing it up and down. THey slowed, and started to drive by her when she slammed the sign down on the hood of mom's car. Of course she stopped and rolled down the window, when this gal read her the riot act, complete with numerous cuss words, her favorite seemed to be the "F" word. Seems the gal thought that she had the stop side of the sign facing them. At any rate, none of the ladies in the car were brave enough to call her on her mistake. Too bad, they should have found the foreman and lodged a complaint, these construction crews know good and well that they piss off the public simply by being there, let alone having a foul mouthed woman carrying the stop/slow sign.

Jerry 8-6-2001 0:40

---

Randall - when you get that book you're writing, and the bucks flow in, your first purchase should be that phone company, then you can simply fire those two gals for what they have done.

Jerry Ericsson 8-5-2001 19:31

---

Jerry: I'm sorry for that loss. What tough but tight timing, you arrived home just in time to take care of your wife and daughter. It's funny how husband's always arrive on the scene just when you need them the most. My husband senses problems like that too. Last night we rode past where I had a flat tire on my way to work and he just "happened" to drive by about three minutes later. Husband ESP told him to drive out of his way.

Hallee: Welcome home. What a scary birth, glad your sister and baby are ok. What's the name of the new little one?

Tina: I like your favorite words. You are right, Italian food names! And the German, doppleganger. I like German words...and Italian. They have neat sounds. I'm going to listen and see what other words I like and where they are from.

Boy, the allergies are playing up today! I wonder what is growing outside. I can barely breathe. Rats more antihystamines to cloud up my brain. Better than asthma.

Back under....no need to tell you I'll bet you already know...attempts one and two of death scene were terrible. Attempt 5 is getting there but lacking something....well, it's harder to write a good murder than I thought. It's got to be a murder because I have the niftiest weapon. Now if I can just get this to line up properly. It sounds a little weird when I write this but I never realized how tough it is to write something like this. I just never even walked in mystery country...I figured I couldn't somehow. You know, I think science fiction is the same. Teachers always say, write with your own voice, well, it's like singing...you gotta try out some different songs now and then even if they sound off key or not quite right in the rhythm area.

Gotta go to Tokyo. Viv

Viv 8-5-2001 18:31

---

TINA: It's right on top of us. Not too bad - just heavy rain. I'm sure it will flood, though - they've already closed several roads in anticipation.

RANDALL: I'm so sorry about your dog. *sniff*

JERRY: I'm sorry you have to declare bankruptcy. That must have been a difficult decision to make.

MARY: Thanks :)


Hallee 8-5-2001 18:26

---

Hi all!

Allein, have fun!

Heather, I know that feeling. I'm on the same kind of plan as you... 6.9cents/minute anywhere, anytime in Canada/US. I love it. And the other long-distance providers stop calling eventually. Maybe they blacklisted me or something because I laugh so hard at their offers :-D I get to laugh at cell phone providers too. After 6 years with Telus, I can get plans that kick butt on the advertised offers from other companies.

Rachel, one of my favourite baby-stages is when they are just figuring out how to walk. The 'bumb' syndrome, and the bow-legged walk, the careful balancing, their tiny hand wrapped around your finger for support. I just love 'em!

Randell, my condolences. Pets shouldn't age, they should stay young and playful forever. (sigh) ((HUGS)) for your family.

Hallee, Congratulations on your new nephew! Ready, set, spoil! And brace yourself for that storm! Is it headed for you?

Now I get to go paint more of my fence. Yay.
TTFN

Tina 8-5-2001 17:51

---

Rachel - Actually, I'll be in the Albany area of NY, but I wish I was going to the city, that would be cool. :)

Allein Allein's World 8-5-2001 17:21

---

YEAH! Allein - you do, uh, just what Rachel said!
Blast off at NYC, er... no, blast 'em! That was it, I think...


Heather 8-5-2001 17:21

---

*****Rachel*****

Debra - Hum... My eldest bio son has almost always been an easy child. He is mellow (unless he is on the ice).

Sebastian does the bump thing. He wants to pull himself up on things. He will start to, then his little arms will give out and bump. I can't move fast enough to stop all of these bumps. I did not remember what an endless gut dip, heart jump being a parent to a baby can be. Yikes!

Allein - Have a blast in NYC!

Ciao, ciao, ciao!

Rachel

8-5-2001 15:45

---

Randall (and your family) - sorry about the loss of Meechi. And sorry about all that phone company trouble...

I'm glad we've got Bell Canada here - though we are inundated with annoying long distance companies, vying for our business. I just laugh at them all. They offer me 10 or more cents a minute on evenings and weekends, all over Canada. Then they hit me with the supposed bargain of 15 cents a minute for weekdays. I smirk to myself and let them babble for a while before I ask what their rates are for calls to the U.S. When they ask me if their 20 cents a minute evening/weekend plan to the U.S. sounds good, I surprise them with a very loud 'NO'. I then tell them that if they can beat the plan I've got then I'll sign on. I get 7 cents a minute, U.S. OR Canada, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That's in Canadian funds, so it's, like, practically FREE to you guys in the States. It's like being able to call long distance for 2 cents a minute.
Anyhow, the caller always stutters a little bit. They never have a cheaper plan, so the conversation doesn't last very long after that.
I've never had any problems with Bell Canada. I've never had any problem with the gas or hydro company. BUT, when I was on my own, just barely an adult, I must say the deposits for initializing service were phenominally huge. $400 bucks for deposit on a phone line that costs $15 a month is a little high - especially because my rent cost less than 400! I decided I'd use the payphone down the street instead. I have run into difficulty with my phone long ago when someone charged $700 worth of long distance charges to my number without my consent. At that time, all you had to do to charge a call was tell the operator the number to charge it to - and you didn't need any authorization beyond a valid number. You know, one that actually existed. Of course, shortly after I received the bill (and nearly collapsed) Bell Canada changed the policy. A little late for poor little me. I had to pay that *#)%$)$%^(* money anyway. I talked to the police, and there was nothing they could do unless I found out (I thought that was their job) who did it.
I never did. The bugger(s) called Australia, England, and some other countries on my account!
It's a good thing that Bell changed the call-charge policy when they did or that bugger might have continued to charge calls on me.

Anyhow, I really hope that things get worked out for the best - for everyone.

Paduka!

Then I proceed to tell them that I have a

Heather 8-5-2001 14:43

---

Randall

Good Morning

You know Jerry, it seems there is an epidemic of ineptness in our country. I believe the federal government is swollen with rules and regulations and many overpaid employees who are simply there to pick up a paycheck and do not really care about us. And, sadly, it's not likely to change. Public Utilities are behind in incompetence, but struggling to catch up!!!! There is a saying that upward mobility ceases after a level of incompetence is achieved. Folks, considering I went through with UTEL and what is going on in Washington right now....."We're in a heap of trouble boy!"

I have had, at one time, every utility service disconnected for non-payment. It is or was a fact of life with me over the years, part of the game known as "Poor boy money ballet." Local utility companies are as a rule agreeable and will work with you, sometimes that is. But this UTEL (United Telephone) in Lubbock had in their possession my 200 bucks for 10 days and did not communicate with Verizon that I had made payment. It is probable there was some "hanky panky" going on, that is, someone in their office needed a little weekend money and made an adjustment on the books, hoping no one would notice. I know that goes on. Last month in Brownwood the traffic citation office in the court house came up missing $6,000 from collected traffic fines. The matter has been swept under the rug, of course, as the "powers that be" deemed the money... lost only a paperwork problem. Right. Someone obtained a cash drawer pay raise as we call it. When you put human frailties and cash money together only strict accounting procedures will keep the bucks from developing legs and walking off. Fact of life.

Last week without a phone was a double whammy because out oldest dog Meechi, a Lasho was slowly dying of cancer. We were graced with her sweet personality since 1986. She was Sara's, my daughters pet, but hung out with me when Sara was away. Sara was in the 1'st grade when Meechi was a just puppy, about the size of a coffee cup. Meechi died last Thursday afternoon ten minutes to 5 PM in her chair as my daughter and wife sat by her. I had a feeling that death was approaching our family and left work early.We had decided to have her put to sleep but unable to communicate on a time because of the *$^!@#% UTEL company!! It was too late. Meechi died minutes before I came in the door. Bad scene. More so for Sara, because she is entering San Angelo State College later this month and won't have Meechi to come home to on weekends. I told my wife that night this was the end of an era for our family. I'm going to write a little more of Meechi later on, when I can write without my vision blurring. Meechi was a true Chinese Princess, no doubt she was royalty and only visiting us for a short time. Karma you know.......

My thoughts are with you Jerry, try to maintain.

Randall

RANDALL 8-5-2001 14:21

---

HALLEE: Welcome home.

RANDALL and JERRY and anyone else who has gotten screwed over by utility companies: That really sucks. When I sold my old house three years ago the new owner opted to not continue service from the same gas company that I had used. So...I had to have my gas company come out and disconnect/remove their tanks. First I told them I wanted credited for the amount of gas in the tanks. They waited two months to come read the meter and meanwhile the new tenants had used almost all the gas. Then they said they wouldn't take the tanks until I paid a $70 pick-up fee. Ok, here is the $70.00. Three years later, those damn tanks are still sitting there and I am sure have been refilled dozens of time by the new tenant.

Keep that in mind when you move and are faced with taking on current utilities in the house you move into. Just say you aren't going to use the same company, but then go ahead and do it anyway. You will get two months of free service! Geez.

Level Propane, the company mentioned above, is now under scrutiny for questionable business practices and a class action suit has been brought against them by the hundreds of customers they have hosed over the last ten years. When I got the letter in the mail asking if I wanted to be part of the lawsuit, I promptly check marked the NO box and wished them luck.

I always wonder why it isn't alright for Bill Gates to dominate the software business but I only have one electric company to choose from. Only have one telephone company to choose from. Now there is only one gas company around. Whenever you call customer service, you seem to get the attitude of, "It really is too bad that you are unhappy, because you can't do anything about it.".

High fives you guys. I have heard plenty of horror stories about stuff like this. JERRY: I must say that yours is the worst case of Backdoor Bashing I have ever heard. Jerks. But at least I can call them jerks without being worried about getting carted off and being euthanised.

TINA: Great words!


And that Padunk story is classic.

Mary 8-5-2001 11:28

---

Hi all - back from vacation. My sister, after a bit of a scare with what the doctor called severe preeclampsia, was hospitalized and induced, and had a healthy baby boy. His name is Hal Samuel, and he was 8lbs 10oz, 21 inches long. Looks just like my sister - what a doll. He was born Friday, just hours before we had to leave. Then we come home to Tropical Storm Somebodyorother (Barry, I think). Welcome back to Florida - hahaha.

I don't think I'll even attempt to catch up on the posts. Hope everyone is well. It's good to be home, but I already miss my family.

Hallee 8-5-2001 10:39

---

Speaking of banks, I have always tried to do the right thing, sometimes this is not all that easy.

I was in the army, stationed at Fort Bliss Texas, come payday every GI and his brother was trying to get to the bank to cash his check. The lines at the drive-up were blocks and blocks long, and it was hot, much like it has been here today. My old Plymouth didn't have air conditioning, and the engine was flashing the red over heat light by the time I got to the drive up window. I handed my check to the gal, she handed me a pile of 20's without counting them out, which I had never seen before, so once she was done, I pulled over and counted it for myself. There were two extra twenty's in the pile. Now I wasn't about to go to the rear of the line, which was still blocks long, so I parked and went into the bank. I stood in line nearly an hour, before getting to a teller. "Can't help you" she said with a smirk, "you will have to see one of our officers." Now it wasn't like I was trying to get a loan, just return forty bucks that I could use, but I was trying to do the right thing. I waited nearly another hour before a gal took me back to one of the officers. "Can't help you." the fellow says, you will have to see one of our tellers." Now this was nearly closing time for the bank, and I was hot, and getting a bit pissed off. I just said the hell with it, took the money and drove home. The next day being Saturday, I took the wife and kids out for dinner on the First National Bank of El Paso, and never had the slightest bit of guilt. The following week, I moved my checking account on base to the Federal Credit Union, who I hoped had a better hold on their (my) cash.

Jerry 8-4-2001 22:58

---

I love italian food words. Spaghettini. Fusilli. Caciatore. Penne. And the word aluminium, said with an English accent. And the word doppleganger (sp?).

I've never had too many troubles with either utility companies, or the government. BANKS on the other hand, drive me crazy. Name a bank screw up and chances are good I've been through it. Well, maybe not that many, but a lot. I've finally found one that treats me like they're borrowing MY money (which they are), not as if I'm taking their last penny, so I'll stick with these guys (plug here for Bank of Nova Scotia).

Found an amasing piece of music this week. The soundtrack to 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon'. Wonderful cello and drum solos. Very lyrical and poignant. PERFECT for writing to.

I'm off to write now. My muse and I are currently on a roll, so I must not stall her now!
TTFN


Tina 8-4-2001 22:41

---

Jack, you are in luck, you can get those good services from a national company, here we are stuck with the only phone company that services this area. Luckly they are good old boys and it is localy owned, so when we call them, we know who we are visiting with, much like the old Andy Girffith show. We can dial 611 and tell our woes to Erma, or Betty depending on which gal answers, and they need not give their names, we recognize them. As far as internet service, we have a choice of several but only two are local, and I use one of them, knowing the fellow who set it up, and runs things. I understand I am among the few who can talk to him and not get put down. Maybe it helped that one day I was in the shop, and he had this computer all torn down, and could not find the dang CMOS battery. Well I pointed it out to him, and he has treated me well ever since. The fact that my daughter worked for him for several months no doubts helps too. Way back when there was only one telephone company, they had a big office here, but when it was torn apart, a bunch of local fellows bought up this area, and have guarded it with their lives. We are very thankful that they did. I recall when I lived up north were there was compatition for your phone dollars, we were always bothered by phone call trying to switch us from one to the other, it got almost comical. It is so nice to just have to deal with the good old gals at 611.

Jerry 8-4-2001 21:36

---

p.s. Will archive tomorrow sometime to give any discussion about what Jerry and Randall wrote to have time to be aired out. Ciao.

8-4-2001 20:06

---

Randall and Jerry: My sympathies go out to both of you. Having only dealt with private lenders and where necessary, as in the case of booting the non paying squatter on some land I had in Montana at the time, I have dealt with the authorities - local authorities in this case. The individual in that instance turned out to be a Freeman wantabe and started throwing around frivolous lawsuits and was obviously peeved at me for shooing him off. Since he had not paid a dime in four years and left a mess of junk cars and trailers on the land that required six thousand to clean off before I could sell the property, I had little sympathy for him. Other than that, I have always used mainline phone companies, US Worst, er, Qwest, @home for an internet connection and DirecTV for television. I have had annoyances at time, but mainly related to service quality and then only rarely. Encounters with the federal government have been usually amicable, albeit when not usually were my fault through omission rather than comission. All things got squared away reasonably. When we were setting about to buy the house I live in now, our real estate person advised strongly not to use my VA loan to acquire the property and since we had a sizable down payment, we went through private lenders. From what you relate about the federal government I think I am happy that I did. Good luck and I will throw prayers in both your directions in hopes that it is all resolved without too much more animus on anybody's side. Take care.

Jack Beslanwitch 8-4-2001 20:04

---

Rosemary - We took the outside cover off several weeks ago, but have yet to take the inside cover off. The inside cover is one of those shrink to fit plastic storm windows, the kind that you use a hair dryer to make it tight. Anyhow, I planned on taking it off today, but thus far I have been relatively cook sitting in front of my fan. My mother called us over to play cards today, she has central air, so we cooled off nicely. Now the house feels a bit warmer. The temp is right at 100 degrees, and humidity is so thick, you can see it in the air.

Randall - you have my deepest sympathy, I know exactly how you feel, having dealt with the feds, and Rural Housing administration now for several years. They did fun things, like calling me one day to tell me that since someone had offered to rent my house up there (the one they foreclosed on) if I didn't rent it to the renter, I would have to make payments equal to the rent to them. So OK, I says, and I rent the damn house out to some folks who tore the hell out of it. About six months later, after calling all over the damn country to see who wanted the damn rent money, they call me and tell me that since I haven't sent the rent money to them, I am not eligible for a simple deed back on the place, and they filed to foreclose on the house. Ok, now when they did that, they said, it was a simple procedure, and that once they had the paperwork done, they would set a cash price, and I could simply make a one time payment, (small they said) and it would be over. So they sued me, without my being there, in fact without telling me they were (they said I had signed some paper several years ago, waiving that part of foreclosure?) but since I didn't give them that rent money, I was not eligible to make the one time payment, and that they would take all my income tax refunds until the house which I paid 14 thousand dollars for back in '89, and they sold for 4 thousand dollars, leaving a balance of (the first gal told me one hundred and seventy five thousand dollars!) Well when the wife got me back up from the floor, and I called Senator Dashall (About my seventh mistake in this deal) they called me back and apologized for looking at the wrong figure on the computer, then told me it was only a little over sixty thousand dollars! Well now I didn't think that sounded right, and after several weeks of calling all over the damn country, speaking to all sorts of insolence federal workers, some of which I am sure have now placed me on the dangerous kook list, I was transferred to the United States Attorney in Fargo, who told me that it was only a bit over sixteen thousand dollars, but that there were penalty's to be attached for every day I haven't paid, and that this would differently add to the amount due. I was told like fifty times that they could not, and that they would not take my social security disability. Well then I get this letter saying that they were taking a substantial chunk of my Social Security, and that should they find any other funds that the Federal Government was paying me, they could take anything over the mandated $750.00 that they must leave me to live on. Now I am also getting a hundred bucks a month from the VA for the injuries I suffered in Nam, and since the wife is unable to return to work, she has applied for Social Security, which according to them, would ALL go to the Federal Government, and with all that money going in per month, only a few bucks would go toward paying the debt, the rest would go to cover penalties. It was when they explained that, that I began calling attorneys, after talking to three, all of which recommended I pull the pin and go through bankruptcy, that I agreed, all was lost, my credit rating was already shit because of the Federal Judgement, and the reported garnishment from my social security check, which has yet to go into effect, (Scheduled for the 1st of Sept.). It will be another month of cussing, and gritting my teeth, then I will have my meeting with the creditors (what used to be called bankruptcy court) and one month following that, I will be out from under the heavy thumb of the Federal Government. Then all they can do is screw with me and try to screw up my social security some other way, but I understand they usually don't once the debt is gone. After all this I wonder though. Times like this make me have a bit of understanding as to where those in the militia groups are coming from, and yes the tax protesters, the kooks with guns who practice in the woods shooting feds, who think the government is no longer there to serve and protect their citizens, but to control and punish them. Oh well, like I said, I think I understand where you are coming from.

Jerry Ericsson 8-4-2001 19:28

---

RANDALL

Hi! Haven't been on here for a while. And below is the reason! I have never been as disgusted with any utility as UTEL of Lubbock. I was lied too constantly, during a week when I desperately needed a phone. So, here is the whole sad story...taken from a complaint I am initiating with Texas Public Utility Commission.

R


August 2, 2001

Public Utilities Commission
Austin, Texas

Dear Sirs:

I find it necessary to bring to your attention deception, lies and ineptness regarding telephone service provider, UTEL, 10 Briercroft Office Park, Lubbock, Texas, 79412. Through no fault of my own, UTEL has denied my family telephone service since Friday July 27, 2001. As of this moment, August 2, 2001 we have no telephone service. Sadly, I have serious doubts as to UTEL's abitity too and integrity in, restoring our service because at least of one of their employees Ms. Christine Alvarez lied to me. (Detailed later in the document.) As a telecommunications company offering a service to the citizens of Texas, UTEL is expected to adhere to a basic concept of provider/customer fairness and good business practice. Sadly UTEL has not honored this relationship, lied to me and discouraged my attempt to resolve a situation not of my choosing. Are there any other customers with problems with UTEL?

Phone service to our residence was disconnected during the second week of July because I forgot to make a monthly payment in June. This initial disconnection was my fault. On July 17, 2001 I promply made a full and complete payment of 204.72 at the UTEL colection outlet, Allsups/Mr. Payroll in Brownwood. Agent #18200. The clerk who took payment was "Don." Phone service from UTEL was restored within a day or so. No problem here, a simple matter of a service provider insisting a customer honor payment obligations.

However, amazingly, on Friday, July 27, 2001, 10 days later, our telephone service was again disconnected! Why do these things always happen on Friday afternoon? I contacted UTEL Saturday morning, no one there, and left a note on the "repair line." On Monday, July 30, 2001 I made contact with UTEL. I spoke with a Mr. Roberts in billing. He assured me my account was current. Much later in the day I again spoke with Mr. Roberts and he said I had been accidently disconnected and service would be provided that day.

Service was not restored and I again contacted UTEL on Tuesday morning. I spoke with Christina Alvarez and Jennifer Castille. They assured me service would be restored ASAP, but one of them, I believe Ms. Alvarez said Mr. Roberts should have not told me service would be available on Monday. Strange, as if the left hand does not know what the right is doing? I spoke mainly with Jennifer Castille and she stated service had been "accidentally" disconnected by Verizon Telephone Company. Apparently Verizon owns the lines and UTEL only rents them. Ms. Castille told me my payment had been received, a connection initiated...but there was a "delay" between UTEL and Verizon. Which might lead one to ask...what the hell is Verizon doing in disconnecting UTEL's customers, 10 days after payment is made? And where was the 200 bucks I had given them? Ms. Castille said she was monitoring Verizon and service would be available Tuesday afternoon. I contacted her about 5:00 PM the same day and she related a service connection with Verizon was proceeding and would be complete that evening. Ms. Castille said she had spoken with her supervisor and we would receive a month's free service if connection was not made that day. Considering some of the tales I have heard this week this might just be one more!

Nope, no service. Missed that deadline. A month free. But no phone now.

Wednesday morning I contacted UTEL. But, contacting UTEL is not easy. One is put on hold for minutes at a time. On many occasions as I waited a phone would ring on the line. It appeared as if someone would lift the receiver, disconnect and I would again be on hold. I was forced to hang up many times and dial their office again. Ms. Alvarez often answered the phone and after one particular long wait Tuesday I asked to speak with "her supervisor." She transferred me to Ms. Castille. Ms. Castille on Wednesday morning asked me to wait while she spoke with her supervisor, Christina Alvarez. Which would lead me to believe UTEL was playing "Footsie" or "Let's confuse the customer." Ms. Alvarez later told me she was the "supervisor." Puzzling.

Wednesday afternoon Ms. Castille asked me to hold (again!) and Christina Alvarez came on the line. And one of the most incredulous, curt statements I ever heard played out. Ms. Alvarez's tone was terse, irritable as if she was greatly put out having to deal with such a piddly little problem as mine. She said Ms. Castille had spent the whole day working on my account. (WELL DUH!!) I would hope so, as a paid account was unfairly disconnected. Ms. Alvarez said Verizon would "come out" and hook up our phone on Thursday, August, 2, 2001. I questioned her on the "come out" business. She repeated the statement. I asked her what she meant and she again stated. "Verizon would come out and hook up the phone." I was stunned when I understood that she meant they would come to my neighborhood, drive into the back alley, climb up the utility pole, and connect the phone line. What? I have a friend at Verizon and asked him an hour later about this. He laughed. Why he said, when all disconnections were done in the Central Office. One wonders what Christina Alvarez was thinking? Had Verizon sent a rep, utility truck and tools to manually disconnect the telephone line and the Central Office...at the same time?

I asked Ms. Alvarez to let me speak with her supervisor. She refused. I asked if she was the boss? She said yes. I asked if she owned the company? She said yes. I asked her 3 times to speak with a supervisor. She refused. I told her I was initiating a complaint with PUC. She said fine. Ms. Alvarez may indeed own UTEL. Only an owner would brusquely brush off a disturbing situation so coolly.

The rudeness of UTEL's Christina Alvarez is simply incredible, unlike anything I have endured from a utility company doing service with the public. Ever. She was not willing to try to resolve the problem, not willing to let me talk to someone else, (indeed, transferring me to Ms. Castille making her the supervisor) other than a statement that Verizon would come out and hook the phone up. Why would Verizon manually disconnect our telephone when both Mr. Robbins and Ms. Castille told me it was accidently disconnected in Verizon's, Central Office in Brownwood? I can only attribute Ms. Alvarez's truculent attitude as the situation was either of her ineptness, or carelessness, or disregard of UTEL guidelines. There is a ten day gap between my payment of July 17, 2001 and the disconnection on Friday 27, 2001! Ten days!!!! Perhaps Ms. Alvarez was over her head, panicked and began lying. Neither are attributes of professional conduct and sure as heck not conducive to good public relations.

If there is a communications problem between UTEL and Verizon...it is one of the more hilarious parodies of modern time. Companies who offer public service in... specialize in.... vast connections around the world... forerunners in hi tech communications... Internet Access... fiber-light optics... unable to reconcile a simple accidenly disconnection without resorting to terminal inexactitude?

Randall



Randall 8-4-2001 17:49

---

JERRY,
The fact that you don't uncover your airconditioner until August is discusting. Actually, the fact that you cover it at all is .....Well, I'm just going to take my jealous green self away from this nonsense.

The above is because we have to run our airconditioners from mid March through early October. Sometimes more than that. Seldom less. The only good thing is no heating bills.
Later,


Rosemary 8-4-2001 16:04

---

Mary- you've got me thinking. I think I know the characters now. Just a bit of research and I've got my victim...and believe me...(s)he deserves what (s)he's gonna' get. I have to figure out the scene, but it's coming together. I've already got my weapon researched. Oh fun. Thanks Mary! I'll be ready to post by next Thursday I think...sorry to always be sooooo slow. You keep showing me a new way to even consider writing. I'd have never thought of writing a ghost story without Heather...and now a death scene. Those were things I never tried to write because normally you are taught in classrooms that if you write things like that you aren't "thinking right thoughts". I always have to giggle and throw off the visions of all my former "idea police". I even had one "idea policewoman" who thought that humor wasn't a "good" thing.

What really annoys me is the idea that Harry Potter is not an ok thing for kids to enjoy. Still, many people say that the woman who wrote the book is spreading pagen thought among children. I think that is silly. Even a child would know that this is not real but a wonderful game of pretend. Hope I didn't offend anyone with that last remark, but if you try to consider everyone, you may as well give up writing altogether. Thanks though for helping me forget the former strict training.

My favorite words...tintinabulation (from Poe's "Bells") because it's fun to read, and persnickity, and Paduka which is a town in Illinois we passed through one night. We hit a pothole and the tire went flat just as we passed the sign Paduka. The tire was making the same sound as the name of the town. It went Paduka, Paduka, Paduka all the way over to the side of the road. When my husband got out of the car and looked at the tire, he roared, "OH PADuka!" After that it became a favorite cuss word around our house.

My favorite German word is Ausgesiznet, which sounds like a good sneeze but means Fantastic. My three year old neighbor proudly taught me to say it. He'd laugh at all my attempts, and say it for me again and again. When I finally got it, he clapped for me. His name is Stefan, he lives in Bann Germany and would be 14 years old now.

Viv 8-4-2001 13:12

---

Rachel - Sebastian's on the move already?! :O Wow, it seems like he wasn't born all that long ago. Make sure he doesn't crawl into the kitchen for a midnight snack. :)

I leave for New York on Wednesday. :)

Allein Allein's World 8-4-2001 13:09

---

I have always been found of the word warp. If you say that word enough in one day, people begin to laugh, the more you say it the more they laugh. I don't know why, it just happens, try it some time. Work that word into your conversation, say five times in ten minutes, I guarantee you the sixth time, someone will chuckle.

Jerry 8-4-2001 11:52

---

VIV: You could have your 'victim' run around in really ugly clothes saying "Holy _______" all the time. I would cheer on your murderer then.

Mary 8-4-2001 10:44

---

One of my favorite lines from a movie.

THE LONG HOT SUMMER

"Let me add one more salient point to this most edifying conversation."

Oh my, two of my favorite words in the same sentence. ;-)

Mary 8-4-2001 10:41

---

nefarious: I love that word.

My mother thinks the word 'waffle' is fun to say. She can't say it without a silly grin on her face.

more words to love: edifying, salient, clarity, petard and supplicant.

Ok, how many of you said 'waffle'?

Anyone else have a list of favorite words?

Mary 8-4-2001 10:38

---

Haven't read all of the posts yet, but stopped when I came to VIV's dilemma. Dillemma. Dillema. Hmmmm...dilemma. None of those look right.

VIV: Reader's don't have to dislike the person being murdered. Good people and likable fellows are murdered all the time. As a matter of fact, it is more traumatic/dramatic when the reader DOES like the victim. It makes us hate the murderer even more. However, if you are wanting us to root for the murderer then I can see your point. I was always wishing that Batman would turn his back for just a second and let some thug beat the worms out of Robin. Robin Hood is another good example...he was actually the 'bad guy' but everybody liked him a hell of a lot better than the Sherrif of Nottingham. (Two Robins...koinkidink?)

It might be easier for you to give your murderer qualities that your readers will like or enjoy rather than get us to hate your victim. Try turning the tables that way. Of course, if you can do both you have a winner. Is that what you needed to know? Good luck.

Mary 8-4-2001 9:47

---

## Mark ##

JACK. I'm using Windows XP RC1 and like it a whole bunch. Got the download of RC2 yesterday and will hang on to it for a week or more while I use this one. Have pretty much already determined that when the 6-month license on this runs out, I'll buy the commercial version.

ALL -- My reading and writing have suffered under an onslaught of activities imposed by such nefarious people as my employer and my wife.

I dug a pond hole, lined it with EDPM rubber, lined *that* with big rocks, filled it with water, and created a pump-fed waterfall. Next I have to wheelbarrow in enough gravel to cover the exposed rim of the pond liner and make a nice gravel border all around the thing. Did I mention that it's 15 by 35 feet? Did I mention that I don't know how I'm supposed to mow the lawn around it without throwing grass into the *@*#&%^ thing?

While I'm doing that I'm also teaching myself another programming language because I go to Rochester next month for training on some new Microsoft stuff and it's for programmers. Somehow, I haven't a clue how, they got the idea that I already knew Visual Basic and XML and .ASP and ADO DB connections. Gee. I don't know who would ever have given them that impression. But since my boss says he'll cover half the tuition and pay me like I'm working . . . well, I'm off to Rochester.

So, what's all this technical gobbledy-gook have to do with the NB? I won't be around much (if at all) for about the next 6 weeks. See ya then.

Mark 8-3-2001 23:56

---

Aaaahhh, sayyyy, could I trouble you to, ohhh send just a few clouds, and maybe, just a bit of rain, or hail, that would do it, a short hail storm, with say pea size hail. God is it hot today, high 90's with over 50% humidity, heat index of 115. Think I will have to uncover the air conditioner tomorow.

Jerry 8-3-2001 21:28

---

Jack - I have been reading about that new windows you have, from what I read it is one great system, but you can only install it once, then it will refuse to be installed again unless you jump through some mighty small loops with Microsoft, thanks to their copy protection scheme. Have they relented, or did you get lucky? I think I will stick with 98 or ME for awhile until they have the bugs out of this new system. Well maybe I might put 2000 back on one of these days, but my system seems to be functioning nicely on ME now. It is an extremely rare thing to see the blue screen of death that has been the norm for most of windows system since the introduction of 95. Sorry to hear of your hard drive trouble, I have a 20 GIG that I got used off Ebay, the fellow said he was selling it because it was noisy. I have the exact same drive in my main computer, and it has been great, so I bid 30 bucks, and low and behold, I got it. When I installed it, I listened, no noise. Well I forgot that I left over 20% of my hearing in Vietnam, when the wife came into the room, she nearly screamed. There is a high pitched squeal coming from it. Well I tried everything, wrapped it in foam, stuffed foam all around the drive in several different cases, to no avail, not only did the wife hear it, but my daughter refused to be in the same room with the damn thing. I was having visions of my new thirty buck wonder in the trash and my old faithful 3 gig Bigfoot coming back to my machine. Then I saw this ancient computer case sitting in the back room, I got it from my nephew, who found it in the trash at a ham fest. Well it is a desktop case, and the hard drive mounts on top of the power supply, clear in the back of the case. It got me thinking, and then I went to work, mounted my whole system in this old case, built it up the way I wanted it, with my DVD drive, my LS120 for a floppy, and my 20 GIG hard drive on top of the power supply, a little 2 gig for those extra little programs I like to have handy. When I turned it on, the wife thought I had removed the 20 gig drive, and we have been living happily ever since. I don't know why that power supply counteracts the squeal of the drive, and maybe when it got broke in, the squeal went away, I don't know for sure, and to tell the truth, I don't care. Just as long as I have the room I want, and my computer set up the way I want, I am happy. Oh and everyone who comes to visit, thinks this old computer must be a 386, or maybe an early 486. I haven't told them different.

Jerry 8-3-2001 21:23

---

p.p.s. Also, since I will have my system down largely for three to four days, sometime this weekend I will archive the Notebook. I am still looking at possibilities for the Workbook and hopefully will have them up as well before I become incommunicado mostly for four days.

8-3-2001 19:58

---

p.s. The worm virus itself just rested in the background and then start to disseminate itself out and then out and then out and then out, so potentially it could have made the network that is the internet slow down. In reality, none of that materialized and what was not mentioned is that a goodly bulk of the backbone of the internet rests on Linux and Unix and have no problems whatsoever with the Red Worm Virus.

8-3-2001 19:56

---

Viv: No, nothing hit my computer. Actually the Red Worm Virus is not really that big of a deal except to those running IIS, so just NT or Windows 2000. As it happens, I am running IIS, but I have it patched and have had it patched since middle of July when it first became an issue. You can also get rid of it by just rebooting your computer. And the patch just makes sure that it does not allow for reinfection. The problem with my computer is that my 60 gig hard drive is corrupted and when I attempted to install Windows XP Pro, it discovered the problem and noted that it could not be installed. After calling in to the company that put my new system together I discovered that this newer batch of IBM drives did indeed have a potential of going south. So, I am taking my computer in no later than this Monday and having the single sixty swapped out for two Seagate thirties.

Jack Beslanwitch 8-3-2001 19:41

---

Just wanted to report:

I DID write on my lunch hour - a whole page of longhand - yee hah!!! :-) What a lovely flush of freshness in my day, all because I did that for myself. I wrote on my *P* story and the words flowed, with only a few halts, That's it. I'm going to take myself out to lunch more often and leave the internal editor at my office desk to wrap things up there - in fact, maybe I won't go back to work with such an instigator in charge of my affairs! Hee hee Oh, I must correct myself. I didn't go to lunch alone...I took my muse. :-)

Mel 8-3-2001 19:12

---

Rachael:

I've said this before, and I'll say it again boys are harder in the begining. That could be anywhere from one to 19 or older. Okay they are harder.

Why?

I call my son Mr. jumpy, flippy,floppy, hoppy,fally, bangy, crashy. Sometimes I just call him Mr. for short.

Be prepared. They are more cuddley then girls. So there's that.

Debra 8-3-2001 12:17

---

Hi all :D

Heather - I'm here and there (grins). Summer vacation has begun for my children. That means that I'll be on the run for the rest of the month. It's going to be fun!

Rosemary & Mel - The camping trip was GREAT!

Teekay - I have been doing some looking into this. It isn't quite as easy as you might think. I hope that doesn't sound pissy. It is not intended to. S* is not the first book to be completed by people who have never met one another. I also think that the story of how S* came to be is a very interesting one. I however would (grins and laughter). I am the agent for S*. I am surprised by how much is involved in not only finding a publisher but in each step that moves towards the publication of a novel. It is an experience.

You should be able to order S* from Amazon. I went and looked for myself. There is also a site called booksamillion. I believe that I posted their site link here. They apparenlty have the book in stock. Let me know if you were able to order the book.

All - Sebastian is on the move. What a wild man! He is so fast. We spent yesterday making the family room "baby safe" Yikes! He gets at everything:o) He isn't even at a proper crawl yet. That does not slow him down at all. I swear, one morning he was rolling around (not very quickly) then I turned and he was tuckering all over the place! It is really wonderful. A lot of work, but wonderful.

I better dash.

Hugs to all.

Rachel

Rachel 8-3-2001 12:05

---

BTW, EVERYONE/ANYONE: My "shorties"--especially the one I posted last eve. from my novel--are OPEN SEASON for critics, whether typos, word choices (yeah, I know I used forms of menacing at least three times in one paragraph; I appreciate reminders to pull out the thesaurus, in case I didn't notice!), plot/scene concepts -- anything. If you're a sf&f fan and my shortie made you yawn, let me know. I am a LONG way from being published or even polished; and any input you want to give me, I will treasure and ponder. (makes good reading for the muse, too, when I have her duct-taped to the mirror - heh heh!) :-)

Mel 8-3-2001 10:56

---

Okay, it should have been BTW
Bye for sure

Rosemary 8-3-2001 8:49

---

Early Morning to all,

HEATHER,
Thanks for the good words. I reread the post attached to my ghost shorty and it looks like my writer's neediness is trying to become violent. Sorry about that. BTY (by the way) your poems were ...creative and well written. It's not often that you see vicious poems. 8-)(big scared eyes)

Got to get ready for a Dr. appointment so he can give me an appointment to see someone else. By the time someone does something about this knee, it won't need it any more. Meanwhile, I'm gaining weight because I can't get around that well now. (I don't 'think' I'm using it for an excuse.) :o <

I was worried I might not be able to get on the base for the App. because some idiot sent a mail bomb to an X-girlfriend. They caught him within 1 day. What kind of a moron would send something like that to a military base, much less at all. Good chance he'll never get out of jail. Meanwhile the base is open again so I've got to go.
Bye


Rosemary 8-3-2001 8:47

---

*Mel*

Ah, I see some of us survived the murderous night...heh heh!

ROSEMARY: Nice shortie. :-)

VIV: Thanks. Remember, Mary only said a theme of death, not necessarily a murder.

HEATHER: Thanks. Your death poems gave me the spookies! Whoa. Good writing. Last night's heat Was "nuclear," wasn't it?! Just wiped a kitchen counter and the sweat poured from my head like I'd been in the shower. Hoo boy.

JERRY: Rain dance seems to be working; a bit of rain this a.m. in Ithaca, NY. Thanks! Send more!! The whole eastern coast of North America, from Heather down to Hallee, can probably use some (oh and drop some on the way to our Texan and mid-plains friends). :-)

Gonna try to do some REAL writing today, on my lunch hour for starters. May you all find satisfying opportunities to do the same! A good day to you all!!! :-)

Mel 8-3-2001 8:28

---

Hi! I'm new to the board.

For Writers in the south Alabama Area, best-selling writer Jan Zimlich, rising star Delores Fossen, and I will be doing two mini-workshops entitled, "So You Want to Write A Novel" on Saturday. Aug 4. The first will be at the regular meeting of the GCCRWA at 11:00 am, at the America Cafe on Airline HWY in Mobile. The Second will be at 2 pm the same day, at Barnes and Nobles -- across Airline hwy in the mall.

Email me for more details :)

Tori



I write as Tori Light and Victoria Dark.



Tori Light Gambler's Gold, available now 8-3-2001 7:58

---

Whoops. Typo. Reverberate has only one 'r' at the end...
:oD

Heather 8-3-2001 5:35

---

Jerry - MANY THANKS! I could use a few weeks of rain. Might cool things off around here and bring the natural world back into equilibrium. A little too dry here this year. I found it difficult to tell that I'd mowed my lawn today; it hadn't been cut in 3 weeks, and I was afraid to cut it too short in case I killed off the whole lawn! But it hasn't grown much (well, the dead parts haven't grown at all) so I needn't have been uptight about it.
Ah, I fertilized again and the grass is perking up - all except for those bare patches... heh heh

Rhoda - thank you for the virus warning! Always smart to warn and prepare, rather than take chances. :o)



Heather 8-3-2001 5:33

---

Poems of A Nasty Nature, (c) Heather Myles, 2001.

HIBERNATION

I heard her cough, a distant
muffled growl;
Who knows how many yards of
kleenex fed the pail.
The pillow wet, she's still asleep;
Her snores reverberrate
I stir

And place my pillow firmly over top
and lean with
knotted hands
'til sweetly, I hear the silence
filling her.
And rolling back into the sheets
I have the longest sleep that
ever did occur.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twisted Pasttimes

A warted thing,
of slippery gait and
white, oh pasty chest
I shot at him,
and so the splash
rewarded me with aim
I shot again, and
crimson waves lapped
against the rim.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is a poem I adore, by that famous poet: Anonymous. You know the guy... (he hee)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Man Who Wasn't There

Yesterday, upon the stair
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today;
I wish that man would go away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


GREAT SHORTIES EVERYONE! Rosemary - I love it, and I loved the one about the house too. It's been a while since I read the first ghostie you wrote...

Tina, Mel, WOW!
Cool!

G'night folks.
Hope you don't think I ever DID the frog thing. NO WAY.
Just know someone who did... YUCK. Cruelty. BAD.



Heather 8-3-2001 5:28

---

Heather - I am doing the rain dance for your area right now. I hope it does not backfire, we are so soaked, several people I know are talking of moving to the Seattle Tacoma area, because they hear it only rains there on an average three times a week, and they need the break. The bad weather has left us alone now for two days, I am begining to think maybe we are going to have a break, but today, the temps went up over 90, and they say over a hundred tomorow, with high humidity. In this country that can only mean one thing, dangerous severe thunderstorms.

I mowed my grass two days ago, and already it is so high that when Renn runs in the back yard, he totaly disapears in the high bright green grass. A normal year here, the grass would be brown, and almost dead by this time, normaly one doesn't have to mow from mid July till around October when you run the mower to pick up the leaves of fall. Hope the weather pattern returns to normal soon.

So how long do we have for final ghost stories? I had some going, but lost them, and haven't felt much like writing these past few months, just gettin an itchy typing finger of late, and I think there is one more ghost tale within my thick skull.

Jerry 8-3-2001 0:17

---

VIV,

I tried to direct you to another site. The unfortunate thing is that the major news sites I look at such as ABCnews and FOXnews have no information about this virus. The code Red worms is such a hot story right now, but to my understanding, that one only infects networks and internet providers and is not a direct concern for the regular user.

There is a link to this story on the Netscape opening page. I have provided the link to that page. I suppose I am so alarmist over this one because I never get the attachments for all the other famous viruses that have come before this one.

Rhoda Netscape opening page 8-3-2001 0:13

---

From what I understand that red whatever virus that is all over the news infects only machines with Windows NT or Windows 2000. We with the windows 9X or windows ME are safe from that one.

There are however a rash of dangerous viruses now floating all over the web, I have received two of them myself, but I never open attachements unless I am very sure of where it came from, and I always look at the extension first, if it has a vb or vbs at the end, they it could be and probably is a virus, there are some other strange endings that could be viruses, so if it doesn't have eml or jpg or something I am used to seeing, I trash it. If I trash a virus, I immediately go to my deleted file folder and empty that too. I keep Norton Anti Virus running all the time, and have their email protection enabled. It has found the viruses that have tried to infect my machine most of the time, and I always update when I get the notice that it is time. No sense running an anti virus without the latest updates, as there are new viruses made every day, and old ones in disguise of new names floating all over. In fact there are even sites where you can go and download viruses! Now I have never done that, but I did visit the site, just to see what it was all about. The site claims it has the viruses so you can look at them, tear them apart and find out what makes the tick, but I can see where an angry teen could go there and pickup several viruses then send them all over. Should you happen to have told the kid to stop stomping on your flower garden yesterday, he may send it to yours. The whole virus thing is getting to be a real nightmare.

If however you keep your anti-virus running all the time, and update regularly (weekly at a minimum) you should be safe, or relativly safe. I would recomend that you use either Norton or McAfee's as both are kept uptodate, and have the latest data to protect your machine. I am sure there are others out there, but I haven't had much luck with some of them, and if you want to be very safe, use the best protection you can afford.

Jerry 8-3-2001 0:01

---

Rhoda,
I tried to open the site but couldn't find anything there. Now I AM worried. I'm getting a little paranoid. I think I'll go archive now.


Viv again 8-2-2001 23:49

---

Rhoda,
As I was writing my message you were posting yours. Weird.

Viv again 8-2-2001 23:46

---

Jack or Jerry or someone good at computers: what is the red bug virus doing? I'm hearing on the tv and not understanding. They are talking and showing pictures but I cannot fathom what is out there. It must be bad and quite dangerous because it's on the news. I'm scared of getting something in my computer that will mess it up. I need to sit down and stick my whole C drive on a zip drive disc tonight.

Anyway, let me know if that is what hit your computer Jack. All I'm hearing is aka no mushi aka no mushi and virus...over and over. Make the explaination very simple. Computer in any language is still scary and baffling.

Viv again 8-2-2001 23:45

---

***Rhoda***

I don't mean to interrupt the flow of conversation here, but do you all recall the message I put up a few days ago about the strange e-mails that I have been getting with 2 attachments? I have had variants of this message about 10 times in the last week. Evidently I am not so unusual because other people are getting them too, and those who are opening the attachments are exposing themselves to a very nasty virus. I have given a web-site with more information.

I know most of you don't open strange attachments, but beware because this particular virus that sends attachments randomly from an infected hard drive. The web-page will give you what to look out for. So, for Pete's sake, if you haven't read about this virus, read up on it and beware.

Rhoda

Rhoda SirCam Virus Information 8-2-2001 23:44

---

Mel: Loved your story! You know when it's good, when you wake up the next morning still trying to think of your shortie and think...I wish I'd thought of that!

Tina: I liked yours too. You guys are thinking of great ideas.

Mary: I'm stuck. I have a good way to murder someone but I can't think of a dispicable enough person to murder. I'm not procrastinating, and I'm on vacation so there is time. I just can't get my character mean enough that someone would say, Good she/he is DEAD! I'm glad! The person either comes out like a cut out cartoon...no life, or someone you feel sort of sympathetic toward. I'll keep going... there has to be a balance here.

Viv 8-2-2001 23:40

---

Sorry!

You humble okay has made me feel bad.

I didn't think you weren't being nice.

You were!

Let's just put those people over there. They are messing up our little party. Turn your head and don't look at them.


Debra 8-2-2001 22:22

---

Ok

Jerry 8-2-2001 22:09

---

Jerry:

Yes, you're right. I said that. I know that people call the police all the time and don't leave their name. What I am talking about is the motivation of someone who won't call the police from a pay phone, but will sit down and talk to a person who now has to sit in jail keeping his or her name secret. He puts his or her personal worth right up there, when it might have just been in the toilet.

I need to know what motivates sources to go down that road. I have a problem with the whole thing.

I do,do, do, do ,do ,do believe in freedom of press. I never said that. Right?

I do, do, do,do believe in it.

Be nice!

Debra 8-2-2001 21:40

---

Evening,
HEATHER,
I'm going to post my third and (Probably final)ghost story for tonight's short shorty. It kind of fits the theme.
PS: Thought I might mention that if you exclude more than two of my stories for *P*, there may be guided missiles from the south.

---------------GRANDMA

Linda stared at the hot sidewalk ahead of her as she stomped her small eight-year-old feet down the road. "Monica just had to send me for bread. I haven't seen Granny in almost a year. Now she's very late, and my sister sends me out while we're waiting for her to come." Linda was speaking to the unreasonable world around her.

I know I saw two loves of bread in the cabinet yesterday." She kicked a rock that dared to be in her way; oblivious to anything more than three-feet from her. "But noooo, Grandma can't eat white bread." The mocking tone of her voice dripped adolescent sarcasm. "Linda, you have to run down to Bradfords and get a loaf of whole grain wheat." She finished the bitter recital of the earlier conversation with Monica.

The small neighborhood store loomed a little more than a half-blick ahead. Linda looked toward Bradfords, across the street, and noticed the figure of an older woman standing at the corner of the building. She wasn't sure, but it looked just like her Grandma.

It seemed to Linda the woman shimmered a little in the heat as she started across the street. The sound of wheels screeched behind her as she crossed. Intent on the woman who looked so much like her grandmother, the sounds barely penetrated her conscious.

Stepping to the curb next to the woman, she squealed, "Grandma, you came to meet me."

Linda's grandmother bent and hugged her precious granddaughter. "Of course I came. I couldn't let you make that long trip into the light alone." The young girl and older woman shimmered, arm in arm, away from the small body lying in the street, surrounded by horrified onlookers.

"Monica should have received notice of my heart attack by now," said Grandma.
-----------------THE END


Bits and pieces might not be perfect :-P but I always consider suggestions right after I mutter a few disparaging words.

Bye for now,


Rosemary 8-2-2001 20:51

---

Now let me get this straight, you think the writer should give up her source because it was murder? You think the freedom of the press is so trivial that because one person is murdered, we should throw that whole freedom to the wind and force writers to give up their sources?

I don't think so. No indeed. I think that as has been said, if she found the source, if she found the truth, then the truth is out there for others to find. Now those fellows in the FBI are trained investigators, they have the ability to go out there and interview folks, to tell if they are telling the truth or a lie. They should be able to find that source, and squeeze that information out of them without the help of the writer.

What the hell do they think all writers are Jessica Fletcher? Have we gotten to the point were we need to assign little old grey haired ladies to go around solving murders, then turning their information over to the authorities?

No, God Bless this good writer. I think she is standing up for her right as a journalist. If writers and journalists begin going around and disclosing their sources, it won't be long before there will be no more sources to turn over. We will get to the point where the truth will never be known. There will be no more great true crime novels, because talking to a journalist will be considered, and will in fact be the same thing as talking to the police investigator.

There are reasons that informants come forward to journalists and not to police. They vary as much as people and crimes vary. Some come forward for the attention, some because they wish to see justice done, but to disclose their name will put them in danger from those people they give the information on. Some come forward to journalists because they want revenge on the person who they are telling on, but don't want to be raked over the coals in court by the defence council. I doubt that there are cases where the criminal comes forward to the journalist and gives them the story. I think if they did, the journalist would be within his or her right to disclose that fact, but I think that that decision must be left to the journalist, not the courts, not the prosecutor who is probably trying to work his way up to some high political office (many are.)

No, freedom of the press must be maintained. It is a free press that can keep the politicos at least controlled to some extent. It is the freedom of the press that prevents someone like Hitler from coming to power. It is freedom of the press that allows our children to enjoy the same freedoms that we have enjoyed. The founders of our great nation thought it so important that they put that in the Bill of Rights, right alongside the freedom of religion. We cannot sit still and allow the courts to take this freedom away.

Ok my rant is done for this evening.


Jerry Ericsson 8-2-2001 20:50

---

Okay, a murder or two, from the new beginning of my novel SHARDS:

At the sound of footsteps, Trillian gasped and squeezed his eleven-year-old body into a shadowy crevice in the cave wall. Why, oh why, had he chosen today to explore the palace caverns? He held his breath, sweat trickling into his eyes. He knew his tattered clothes blended into the wall; he hoped desperately for whatever sorcerer was coming to pass without noticing him.

The footsteps grew loud and rounded a corner with a flurry of cape. Trillian spied a tall figure in black striding up the corridor, closer and closer to Trillian’s trembling body in its hiding spot, closer still and...continuing past without hesitation. Trillian stifled a gulp, trying not to release his breath too soon for fear of being heard.

He strained his own hearing to follow the receding progress of the Black one. Could it really have been Zurgovikt? Trillian wondered what could be so urgent to bring Zurgo to a most-hated grandfather’s palace. The mystery clutched Trillian’s curious heart. Unable to wait any longer, Trillian slipped from his hiding place and stealthily followed in the great sorcerer’s wake.

After slinking along a few corridors, barefoot and silent, he came to the closed door of the great hall. He gasped, covering his mouth upon discovering the limp body of the guard, now dead. A curious wisp of black smoke arose from the guard’s bruised neck. Quickly, Trillian slipped sideways down the dark corridor, taking a few well-remembered turns that brought him a back way into the throne room itself. Without a sound, he found himself behind tapestries near the throne, and he peered with one eye through a tiny slit in the fabric.

Old Zol, beneath his glittering crown, seemed asleep on his throne. Trillian squinted his eye for a closer inspection and jumped when a black-gloved fist tapped Zol beneath the chin. It was then when Trillian noticed the wreaths of black smoke binding Zol’s neck, arms, and legs.

“Don’t die on me yet, Old Grand-Daddy.”

Zol’s eyes flashed angrily. “You’ve no right to call me that, Zolak, even if you were grandson to my wife.”

Zolak?! Trillian took extra care not to breathe on the tapestry and betray his suddenly quivering body. He knew that Zurgo’s powerful twin hadn’t been in the land since--well, since before Trillian had been born. Yet he’d heard many horrific stories of the sorcerer’s great strength and evil deeds: suffocated Zol's mate, his own grandmother, Zolak had, even as a little boy. Trillian trembled anew, unbelieving that this same monster was now in the room before him.

Zol winced as the wreaths tightened. Zolak brought his own face nearly nose-to-nose with the age-lined face. “You’re so mistaken, Grand-Dad. That’s why I’ve come back, to set things straight. Since my pathetic twin hasn’t had the brain to kill you yet, I’ve come to disinfect the throne myself.”

Zol’s eyelids fluttered. “You--your father was--Otherworlder. No throne for you--or your bastard brother--no one will honor either of you. It ends with me.”

Zolak threw back his head and laughed. In his hiding place, Trillian shuddered as the cruel noise arced over him and etched its way under his skin.

“Old Zol, you are such a fool. Did you think I wanted your throne? Rule this petty world when there are entire universes out there to explore and conquer?” Zolak raised his fist, all joviality fled. “I’ll have my birthright restored, first from you,” he squeezed his fist and Zol gasped for air, “and next from my old man. Your throne be damned.”

Zolak yanked his fist in a small gesture. The wreaths crackled with sparks, Trillian shuddered in his hiding spot, and Zol breathed his last. Slashing the air with his cape, Zolak sneered at the pitiful heap in the chair that was his grandfather. He leaned forward and dashed the old man’s crown to the floor, its jewels scattering.

“Rest in pain, you old tyrant.” Zolak spit on the ancient head and turned on his heel.

A few paces from the throne, he paused and turned back. Trillian held his breath, his heart racing. Suddenly, the tapestry was ripped from its bracing and flung halfway across the room by an unseen force. Trillian’s heart jumped into his throat. Twenty feet from him, Zolak’s stare pierced Trillian’s very soul.

Run! Run! I should run! Trillian’s wits scattered as widely as the jewels from the smashed crown. His legs jellied like water. He tried to muster his strength for a dash--Before he could blink, an invisible something grabbed his shirt front and raised him high above the floor, pulling him from his hiding spot, toward the sorcerer. Trillian braved a downward glance: Zolak had his fist raised, at him!! His mind raced, Oh God, oh God, don’t let me die here, not now, not like this!

Zolak reeled him closer with the invisible bond, a twisted smile on the Black One’s lips. When Trillian was eye-level, about a foot from the sorcerer, Zolak’s invisible grasp coiled around Trillian’s helpless body, squeezed him alarmingly and gave him an electrifying little shake. “You’d be wiser to worship me than some unseen god.“

Trillian couldn’t stop his quivering. Zolak had read his mind! The terrifying sorcerer glared menacingly at him for a moment then continued. “But, as it is, I’ll let you live for another day. Just,” his eyes twinkled with mischief, “in case you want to challenge me for this throne someday. Will it be today?” Zolak’s eyes gleamed with menace.

Trillian couldn’t find his tongue. The sorcerer’s power arced menacingly through him, shocking him, shaking him, squeezing him. His gaze was riveted to Zolak’s deep, black eyes. All Trillian could do was give a nervous twitch of a headshake to the powerful man before him.

Zolak leered at him. “Good. You can go tell everyone what I did here today. I dare anyone to enter here or bury this old tyrant or to even wipe my spit from his head! They’ll quickly find a grave-hole right next to him.” He momentarily turned his head to whisper to the air, “You hear that, Zurgo? I--am King here, without you!!”

All at once, Zolak released Trillian, spun even as the boy fell to the floor, and vanished in a cloud of glitter. Trillian wasted not a breath in scrambling to his feet and tearing out of the palace.



Mel 8-2-2001 20:50

---

OOOPS! I wasn't able to load the chat page - guess it's down too!?
I haven't tried it for ages. *shrug*


Heather 8-2-2001 19:44

---

It's just after 7, EST. The kids are running through the freshly mowed grass, (picking up grass bits for my kitchen floor no doubt), eating chocolate ice-cream cones (sugar, bags and bags of sugar to CALM THEM DOWN -- sure.) So I have the freedom of a few minutes before the next fight breaks out to chat. Perhaps I can chat and referee at the same time. Well, I can at least back away from the keys if I need to blow the whistle!

Anyone else finding the heat needling? In a sweat-drenched, nuclear meltdown kind of way? Where's that rain dance Jerry was up to last week? Show us your moves, Jerry!

Okay - so I'll be in chat if anyone's around!

Tick tick tick

Heather 8-2-2001 19:30

---

No, something about the name of the 'syndrome' is kind of 'catchy', in a goggle-eyed, drooly kind of way...
ahem - for guys, that is.
Well, unless you're a unich.

Heather 8-2-2001 19:25

---

And the clot thickens....

ha ha ha



well, I've had my cheap laugh of the day.

Heather 8-2-2001 18:34

---

DEBRA: Oh my. I don't think that men would think that 'Deep Throat Syndrome' is despicable.

Why doesn't the FBI just wait for the book to come out? Hahahaha. Sorry. I guess they could wait for it to be made into a movie.

If that author is doing jail time rather than divulge her informant, then the source is probably mob related and she doesn't want to wake up as just a bloody head in some judge's duffel bag at the hand ball court.

Either that, or she felt she needed the cheap publicity to rocket her career. You know more people will buy the book now, what with her doing hard time over it and all.

Or maybe she cares for the informant and doesn't want THEM to wake up wearing concrete shoes out in the middle of Lake Flacid. (Sorry Debra...'nother Deep Throat reference.)

I see it this way: If SHE could find it out, the FBI ought to be able to find it out and if she is worth a hill of beans, she ought to be able to figure out some creative way to let the FBI get the same clues she has without actually giving it to them in a spiral binder. They do it in the movies all the time. (Winks)

Murder is bad...but the victim is already dead...it might kill more people to get the information out. Isn't that bad too?

She better start scratching her head a little harder and come up with something quick. She might very well have writer's block by the time she gets out of 'The Hole'.

See y'all later. I plan on killing someone off this evening and I need to go iron out some details. You gotta finesse this stuff you know (hehe).


Mary 8-2-2001 17:40

---

I think that if doctors could get together symptoms and actions that correspond with other people that have been sources we could give it a name.

We could call it something dispicable like the Deep Throat Syndrome.



Debra 8-2-2001 15:00

---

While, we're at it, you gotta wonder why someone would even take steps and become a source. What are they looking for?

Maybe it's an illness that know one knows about. Remember munckinhouse or whatever? Why wouldn't they just call the police in the first place.

Instead they walk around feeling some kind of pride knowing that they are the ONE everyone is looking for. They might just be doing it for some sick, sad reason to make themselves more than they think that they are.




Debra 8-2-2001 12:39

---

Jerry:

It all comes down to a fundemental question, power. When one person plays God and decides when others live or die, that is the highest form of danger. We can't let that go. In other words, it's less dangerous to all others including the writer for us humans to band together and treat that as the highest form of treason. Forgive me! I like to think of myself as a writer too.

Everything else takes a back seat to one person deciding that they are Gods. They are not. We can't let them think that they are.

I can't stand murder. I can't process that kind of taking. Yes, it happens everyday. Yes, it will continue. But to publically say that my right outweighs that person's life, I couldn't do it. Because who will be next to die!

Fiction good!

I'm sure I'm standing alone in a sound proof box on this one. It's okay.

I know you all will still allow me to stay. You know why? It's because you don't share the same attitude as murderers. If even one of us was a victim of some kind to this maybe they might like to put their two cents in too.

I'd like to hear it, even if this person doesn't agree with me. I'm not sitting here thinking that they JUST will.

Debra 8-2-2001 11:25

---

Fiction good!

Debra 8-2-2001 11:07

---

Jerry:

I know what you're saying. I do. That's why is is so touchy of a subject. I don't think she should reveal her source. I don't. I just mean she sould tell them what she knows. Even Judge Judy doesn't need to know the person's name who told who what. Not that I think that the government wouldn't want the name. I'm sure they do.

I just think she shoud tell them everything except the person's name who told her.

You know?

Murder bad!

For the most part, I'm proud of my government. I'm happy to live in America the best free country on earth. Did I mention murder bad!

I wouldn't reveal my source either. I might talk to my source after this whole mess reared its ugly head. If they still didn't want to be revealed I wouldn't reveal it.

BUT what if the source was the murderer?

Huummmmmmmm?

Debra 8-2-2001 11:07

---

Ok, now say the person who did the research was you. The person who gave you the information made you promise not to reveal where it came from. You made that promise. Now the information is such that to give up the information would also disclose your source, as that would be the only person who could have known that information.

Now if you give that information, and in doing so reveal your source, then the next time you are doing research, and find a source with the information, do you think they would give it to you knowing that you went against your word and disclosed a prior source to the Fed?

This is the reason that the press have always stood fast in not revealing sources. This is the reason that Ms. Leggett is now sitting in a cold frightening jail cell. I know that murder is a horrible crime. I know that that victim was once a child, a mothers son or daughter, a grandfathers pride and joy. There are just some principals that are too important to violate. This is one of them.

Should I be the investigating officer, I would be damn mad at the writer for siding with the murder (That might be what I am thinking anyhow) and as prosecutor, I would probably do the same. As a writer I would do no less then Ms. Leggett, for to do any other would be to set precedent for every other writer or journalist in the future. The prosecutor could then quote State v Ericsson showing that journalists do turn over information when it pertains to murder. Next they would be applying that case to other crimes and our freedom of the press would be a thing of the past. Once the freedom of the press is gone, can our other basic human rights be far behind.

Jerry Ericsson 8-2-2001 10:55

---

You know I do agree.

The thing is we are talking about murder. The victim was someone's baby once. He or she was someone's toddler and teen. He or she could have made a real difference in our world. Not to mention that he or she had a RIGHT to live.

I think that if they thought she had something that for whatever reason they didn't have, she might consider sharing under circumstances in which she wouldn't lose what she had, she should.

I do feel we are all in the same boat. We don't want to be killed or lose someone we love that way. Murder is so hanious that all bets should be off to get these people who do these crimes.

I would share. I might not reveal my source, but I would tell them what I knew. If they needed the source they could fabricate one, like they always do. heeheeehee!

In simpler terms, Murder bad!

Debra 8-2-2001 10:42

---

Hi all!

Laura, if I can't get to it through your link, then e-mail me the changes.

Hop, I've heard that snake tastes good. Never had a chance to try it, though. My exotic food experiences are few and far between. Does pemmican count? That was... okay. Not great, but okay. I eat many wild meats, moose and deer and elk. I've had bear, buffalo and cougar (yuck cougar wasn't good) and rabbit and grouse a few times.

Mel, that's what freeborn do. They are weapons-masters, body guards and assassins-for-hire. If they aren't good at what they do, they don't live long.

I'm going now. Be back later to read the shorties. A though for those who don't want to 'kill' a character... a death scene can be a natural event, old age/disease/accident. Just another twist on the idea...

TTFN

Tina 8-2-2001 10:39

---

Jerry, I'm with you! That is ludicrous!! Whatsa matter they can't use their own investigative techniques faster than an author can research the whole sordid affair? Sheesh! And this IS the U.S.A. - freedom to speak, freedom to read, freedom to write, freedom to research for a book. I think the FBI needs some research experts/writers on their payroll but not at forced will! Good grief.

Mel 8-2-2001 10:02

---

Speaking of crime's, I just watched a report on the plight of Vanessa Leggett. Vanessa is an author, who has researched a book on a murder. It seems that the prosecutor ordered her to turn over her notes to a Grand Jury. She refused, and the State Prosecutor dropped it. The defendant was aquited. Now the US Government is getting involved in the case. They have ordered her to turn over her notes, and again she refused. The US Attorney has found her in contempt of Grand Jury, and she has been ordered to jail until she turns over her notes. This could be for up to 18 months, longer if they extend the life of the Grand Jury.

As writers we must condemn the actions of the US Government! This cannot be allowed to continue. Her claim is that she is an independant free lance journalist, and as such she is protecting her sources. This claim has been allowed in the courts for as long as there have been courts. The Government counters that she is not a journalist, but an author, and as such this protection does not cover her. She has sold many articles to newspapers, but because she is writing a book about the murder, the Government is forcing the issue.

What do you think? Personally I feel that she must be protected, if they want what she has, then they should have dug deeper in their investigation, not rely on hers. According to her attorney, the FBI first approached her and asked her to be a "Secret informant" and when she refused they went to the US attorney to have her jailed. Talk about blackmail. I used to respect the FBI, they seemed to be so professional, and I always felt it an honor to be asked to work them on a case, as happened a few times in the past. However with the recent revelations of their misconduct in so many cases, their carelessness in losing their guns, and laptop computers show a total lack of professionalism, that combined with their recent history against the citizens of the United States, such as the Waco incident, the murder of a suspect's wife and son at Rubey Ridge, and the recent terrorist actions of their sister agency the ATF, they no longer deserve our respect, or our support. This most recent action show their total lack of respect for the rights of the Citizens of the United States.

Just read the above, my God, I sound like a survivalist, or a member of some militia, nothing could be farther from the truth, I am just so disappointed in their actions. It is like finding out that superman plays with dolls on his off hours.

Jerry Ericsson 8-2-2001 9:39

---

*Mel*

Happy Day, O Murderous Ones! Heh heh! I don't know if I'll join the fray or not - have to gather my nerve, if I have any (I think my muse has my Nerve buried around here somewhere...I really need to keep her away from the shovel!).

VIV: :-) Worse still, my Tim hates to be laughed at...The "Burning Brain" story will NEVER die in our household--heh heh! I'm glad your back and your garden are doing well. :-)

TINA: Wow! What a battle! Do all your Freeborn fight as bravely? Cool. Just one suggestion (my opinion) - shorten your sentences in the fast-action scenes. The reader's eyes will move more swiftly with the fast-action intended.

HOP: Is it easier for you to write in winter or summer? Just curious. Sea cucumbers sound interesting but NOT the snake and shark food (although shark cartilage or something is supposed to help ease arthritis pain?). Since my beloved Mitch and Myrtle Turtle Turtles slipped down the toilet when I was 4 years old, I wouldn't dream of eating any turtles (just a personal hang-up, mind you). You're right--it's all what we're used to eating. I eat cow-meat, pig-meat, and chicken-meat with all abandon. :-) It is hard, I agree, to describe the sense of taste. It overlaps with the senses of smell and feeling. And of course our taste buds on our tongues distinguish only four tastes: bitter, salty, sweet or sour. To describe those overlapping tastes is a real challenge. Stay warm! :-)

Hmmmm. Now the day stretches before me like a sea of calm. But what lurks beneath the surface? Tiny ripples disturb the serenity...someone is going to die today, perhaps many somebodies...who will be next? (*bum, bum, bum, bum...JAWS music here*).

Back later (maybe) with a shorty of deathhhhhhhhhh...

Y'all have a lively day! :-)

Mel 8-2-2001 8:18

---

It's quite cold (for me anyway) in New Zealand so while you talk about the heat of summer I'm talking about winter.

You people need to expand your palate horizons, try a bit of exotic food. Let's see, I've had snake soup (once), turtle soup (once), sharks fins (many times) sea cucumbers (many times).

Heather
I've heard of Psi factor but Psiforce? Well, I went on the web to check it out and the only Psiforce I got was a comic book by Marvel in the eighties about 5 teenagers with Psi powers. Well, there was a Psiforce in Babylon 5 but that was a group within the Universe.

It's New Zealand Heather. We do get X-file reruns but we also get new episodes.

Mel
It's all in the eye of the beholder really. For some eating dogs is gross while for others it isn't. Similarly, eating insects is gross for some while completely normal for others. A small note here, I can't eat insects, I've a fear of insects and spiders. Strangely enough, I eat their 10 legged cousins (crabs and lobsters) with no problem and great zest actually.

Something you must try is Singaporean chili crab and black pepper crab. The taste is mouth-watering, and creamy. You won't forget it, not only because both are extremely spicy. I would add more adjectives but unfortunately the English language doesn't really know how to describe foods.

Be sure to talk to a few Singaporeans first though because they will recommend you to the restaurants which know how to cook chili crab and black pepper crab properly.

Can someone suggest a few ways of describing various foods?

Barnabas "Hop" 8-2-2001 5:44

---

Tina, that page is currently broken, That was why I wanted the WB up soon, and since no one will visit my site, I'm not really in any hurry to fix it. I told it to hide the page until I get it fixed. I will post it as soon as I can but It depends on what happens first, either I get enough time in one sitting to actually sit down and do all of the editing I need to, or the WB comes back up. right now, paycheck is warring with sanity.

I'm sorry if I got a little testy. I understand how busy people are, and yet, people have time to get on great sites like this, and it just is frustrating when Even my members won't post to it.

Anyway, if you want some interesting pics, look through "I wonder."

laura 8-2-2001 1:42

---

Guys,

You caught me at a bad time. I just don't feel like killing anybody right now. I've been trying to work on that, lately.

GS

gariess 8-2-2001 1:09

---

Howard - if those pills don't do the trick, see if you can come up with a TENS unit. I got mine about five years ago, and there hasn't been a week gone by that I haven't resorted to that little piece of science. There are weeks when I use it daily. It has these patches that attach to your skin, and a small unit that has wires to plug into the patches. This thing then pushes electricity through your skin, deep into your body where it overloads the nerves that are sending the pain signal to your brain, thereby blocking the pain. The nice thing about it is that the blockage lasts for several hours after you remove the unit. Most physical therapist have them and you can generally lease them, but they have to be prescribed by your doctor. The one I have is mine, as the therapist charged the full value of the unit for the first months rental, a fee paid by Workers Comp in my case. I have no idea what they are worth money wise, but they are worth their weight in gold when you need them.

Jerry Ericsson 8-2-2001 1:01

---

Without further ado... It's Thursday somewhere in the world by now... I think that this week's shortie theme is gonna bring out a new side of the notebook! hehehe
For anyone who has read part of 'Freeborn', this scene takes place 30 years after the events in the first part that I posted in the workbook. Bedaton was a member of a gang that very nearly killed Kris. I've edited it a bit for length.

***
Though he approached carefully he encountered no one, noticed nothing unusual. In his heart, though, he knew that this was the place. He stood in the middle of the alley, stretched out his arms and yelled, “Here I am, Bedaton. I hope you’re better than you were thirty years ago.”

A slight scrape in the dirt brought Kris around to the direction of the sound and he waited, keeping relaxed but ready. He held his arms slightly outstretched in front of him and stood with his feet apart at shoulder width, his left just a bit in front of his right. When Bedaton swaggered into the alley – just in the moment of taking a swig from a bottle – he saw Kris at his most imposing and dangerous and confident. He wore his black leather jacket with the armour sewn into the cloth, brown pants that were covered with daggers, his high boots and Voxdemala at his side. The studded gloves, knife belt and tonfa all added up to make Bedaton pause. This confident freeborn was not the same boy of thirty years ago and Bedaton had only just realised it.

“Is this between you and me, or did you bring help?” Kris inquired flatly.

“Goading won’t help,” Bedaton smirked. “I’m no fool, and it’s not between ‘you and me’. I just want you dead, and thought this way would be fun.”

“I didn’t think that this was about your honour, since you never had any. But I’ll give you a chance to leave. Now. After this, you’re a dead man.”

Bedaton laughed, a sincere smile crossing his face. “No, Kris, no. But thanks for the laugh.” Bedaton threw aside the bottle he’d now emptied, turning the motion into a gesture. A group of men stepped into the alley, some from the road and more from further back in the shadows. Kris counted eight plus Bedaton.

Nothing could be gained by waiting. Throwing stars flew in succession at the men advancing from the street, four razor sharp weapons thrown with all the accuracy and strength of Kris’ expert arm. As Kris knew they would they landed true, and from such a near range they caused harsh damage. The two men targeted fell back at the force, one screaming from the star buried in his cheek, both cut and bleeding badly enough to remove their threat.

Only momentarily stunned, the other attackers ran at Kris. He’d known they would and he pulled both his metal tonfa and Voxdemala in one movement without waiting for Bedaton’s thugs to reach him. Kris had no interest in them, he only wanted Bedaton. The others were just in the way.

The first man was still drawing his sword when Kris reached him. Kris clubbed his arm with the tonfa, following it with the edge of his sword. Sporting a broken arm and a long gash across his chest and right arm the man retreated. The second man – a tall, thin man with a curved blade – lunged for the freeborn and was turned aside. Kris swung the tonfa on its handle, aiming for the man’s head and catching the edge of his jaw with the powerful club.
He reversed his grip and brought the weapon down across the man’s clavicle; it shattered audibly. The first attacker made an attempt to charge Kris again. It was a poor attempt, even with the knife held in his uninjured hand. Kris swept him aside with Voxdemala and the razor sharp blade took off pieces of the man’s fingers.

Now Kris was closer to Bedaton than the other thugs were to him. Having already reduced Bedaton’s group by half Kris spoke up. “Now do you see why this was a bad idea?” Bedaton didn’t respond, he had his own sword out and was ready for Kris to charge. With his surprise advantage gone, Kris chose to be wary. This fight was with metal and he could not afford to get surrounded. It was five to one instead of nine but there were still no guarantees.

The alley was dimly lit and a poor place to fight, especially with wounded men around, so Kris led the group back onto the street. Nobody was out and about at such an hour, providing no witnesses or support. The lamp standard spilled a globe of light onto the street; Kris didn’t stand directly under it for that would limit his vision so instead he placed himself at the edge of the illumination and made Bedaton come through it.

Another thug came in first with Bedaton close on his heals. He fell when Kris’ throwing knife and a star landed in his gut and cheek, nearly tripping Bedaton. Kris had time to launch one more star before having to meet Bedaton’s sword but it missed. The group was aware of his tactics now and watched for the deadly weapons. Then Kris was too busy trading blows.

With several blades working on him at once Kris couldn’t afford to focus on Bedaton. Someone, he didn’t know who, struck his tonfa a sideways glance and sent it spinning out of his grip. The successful manoeuvre left Kris empty handed for a minute; he reached for his dagger, ignoring the oozing blood from where the sword had nicked his arm.

Wrapped up in the intensity of the moment Kris couldn’t even feel the wound and it didn’t slow him down. One of the thugs tried to get in close and pin Kris up to the wall. His feet were spread too far apart for good balance and Kris spotted his mistake. Keeping his opponents attention engaged on the swordplay Kris stepped close and kicked the inside of the man’s leading leg just above the knee. The joint crumpled at an unnatural angle and he fell against the nearest man. In that tiny space Kris threw the large dagger he held. It was a tremendously powerful throw and the long blade penetrated the target’s abdomen almost to the hilt. That man didn’t get up.

Bedaton didn’t care what was happening to his people. He saw a tiny opening and lunged in at Kris, swinging hard and forcing Kris to the defensive. Kris blocked the swing but was too close to the wall to retreat. Bedaton forced Voxdemala aside with pure brute strength aided by his better leverage, pushing until Kris was crushed against the wall and trapped.

Smiling smugly, Bedaton leaned into Kris’ chest with his forearm while keeping Voxdemala safely trapped. Though Kris held on tightly he was forced to release his sword when one of the remaining group pounded his knuckles into the wall. This time he couldn’t ignore the pain from his hand, and there was little doubt that something had been broken.

“Does this seem familiar?” Bedaton asked arrogantly. His foul breath lingered in Kris’ face and the freeborn wrinkled his nose.

“Yeah. You were always drunk.” With both of his hands now free, Kris grabbed Bedaton around the neck with his left hand and pushed away the arm trapping him against the wall, then fell sideways along the wall. It was a controlled fall that stopped when Bedaton’s face crashed into the rough bricks. Gathering his balance, Kris pulled Bedaton against the wall repeatedly while the man thrashed to free himself. Kris spun around to Bedaton’s back and wrapped his right arm around the man’s neck, then continued to spin so that his own back was at the wall and they faced the rest of the group. He pulled a dagger from its sheath strapped to his left thigh and held it against Bedaton’s chin.

“Say goodbye, Bedaton,” Kris breathed into the man’s ear just before pulling the highly honed steel across his throat. Blood poured out, indiscriminate as it stained Kris’ sleeve as well as Bedaton’s jacket. Within a moment Bedaton sagged in Kris’ grip, his resistance vanishing with his blood. Kris dropped him and stepped aside. “Do any of you want to finish this?”

Only two of the eight were unhurt, and one lay in the dirt unmoving. They stood their ground with their swords held ready, but their eyes were on Bedaton.

“He got you into this. Forget the money he promised, and forget about me.” It was a peaceable offer and the injured men who stood a bit farther back seemed inclined to take it. Kris shifted his weight, and though it hurt damnably he tossed his dagger from one hand to the other, then drew a second blade from his chest sheath.

“Give me my sword,” Kris demanded firmly, meeting the eyes of the one who’d taken the prize blade. “I’ll let you live, but not if you try and take it.” The man tossed Voxdemala in the dirt, scowling deeply but stepping away never the less.

That was enough, and the remaining men backed off.
***


Tina 8-2-2001 0:33

---

Heather: I agree! Hey, sorry about your tape. I still have it. It's copied and I've got to get it back to you.
Wow, the weeks fly and I move slowly.

Allein: ditto on the translation. We're doing everything slowly here...because everything is moving so fast all of the sudden. I feel like I'm on a treadmill that is moving too fast.

Mel: Back is back! I didn't even need the massage. I hopped in that really hot water and it made a little pop and felt wonderful! Yay hotbaths. Everyone needs one once in awhile. What am I going to do when I have to leave this place. I guess I'll build my own. Still, it's better to let someone else set the temp. I'd never believe I could get in that extremely hot water without burning my skin. I guess the Japanese have figured out exactly how hot to get water without actually scorching the guests. Sometimes when I dip my toes in though, I wonder if they are going to come out with blisters. It takes real courage to take those first stinging steps into the water.

Garden still looks just like I wanted it to.

Jack, it's time to look at your computer, stick out your tongue and go scuba diving for the afternoon. I'm going to do that with teaching all next week. There's a point where you just need to rediscover something beautiful and different.

Tina: fire away. I want to hear!



Viv 8-1-2001 22:58

---

Ah, scroll down a bit, did the notebook burp?

Jerry Ericsson 8-1-2001 22:40

---

I don't see any problem with 1700 words.

Jerry Ericsson 8-1-2001 22:38

---

Mel: I loved the story about your son and his burning brain! I once was teaching at the front of the class and noticed a student doodling on the desk in the back of the room. I don't like that so I went back to the back of the room intending to hand him a squirt can of detergent and a rag. I stood behind him and looked at his drawing....it was a boy sitting at a desk with the top of his head exploding. It was so perfect. I wish I could have kept that drawing. I've felt like that a lot of times. It's that overwhelmed feeling you get when you have so much to learn and you are asorbing the information slower than an overloaded computer.

My question: What is so important to know that we have to make our kids miserable for such a long time? I shouldn't ask that question, because I have my own child who has yet to get into college and another that has two years to go before she can earn any money. My own job is stuffing facts into exhausted brains.

Well, I'm glad I'm on summer vacation now. I really need it! Hummmmm, who shall I kill today? Pedantic Perry the Persnickity Professor???? Hummmmm, perhaps......
Last words.....hummmmmmm, oh bye now! I got it.


Viv 8-1-2001 22:31

---

Tina: 1700 words never hurt nobody...

Heather 8-1-2001 22:29

---

I just keep thinking of Lewis Caroll's 'Jabberwocky'. The Vorpal sword went 'snicker snack, snicker snack' as it cut off the beast's head.

Snickers for snack: Really, really satisfying.

Laura - I think posting your link here is just fine - but with all this rampant spare time I've got about enough to tie my shoelaces - once. If they come undone during the day, I just say, 'Sorry, not enough time!' and trip about awkwardly. I do get down flights of stairs a lot faster, though - that saves a few minutes.

I have noticed that any time you've posted in the last month or more, you've only posted to inquire what has taken so long with the critiques. When you nudged again just recently, that's what finally made me sit up a bit straighter and respond. And let me tell you - I've got people reading my work, and some are really busy and haven't actually gotten to the reading part yet. They will, or if they don't I've got others out there who will. I understand it can be frustrating if you have no outside input/crits at all, but patience in this will pay off.
Carry on, and it will come.

Sorry to hear about the harddrive, Jack. Here's to a fast recoup. *tinkling wine glasses*

No, not wine glasses that pee, folks.
Let that be another day.




Heather 8-1-2001 22:27

---

Hi again.

I'm thinkin' of posting an excerpt from 'Freeborn' for my shortie tomorrow. Except, it's about 1700 words. I'm thinkin' it's too long. If no one objects (loudly) I'll post it tomorrow.

See ya guys and gals!



Tina 8-1-2001 22:05

---

Ohhh, noooo, JERRY, that was a HORRIBLE mess.... Just lost my lunch - ewwww, gross!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Nice writing, 'tho!) :-)

Welcome back, TINA! :-) Your trip sounded GLORIOUS!!! Even without s'mores. So glad you had a chance to get away for awhile! Now, I suppose, you're all fired to top Jerry's gruesome death shortie... I can't do the blood -and-guts thing...yechhhh!



Mel 8-1-2001 15:34

---

Ah yes, I did remember most of what I wrote last night, and to get back with the program, I shall post my shorty early as always, here it is. I hope you enjoy it. I know you will. Well maybe a few of you will. Or maybe not. Well at least I tried.

Happiness is . . .
By Jerry A.G. Ericsson

“In the year 2525, if man is still alive...” She sang, as she scrubbed her body, the hot water blasting down her back felt so good, so cleansing it made her feel young, vigorous, alive. Little did she know her life would last only minutes longer.

He stood by the bathroom door, listening to her song. God how that song took him back, back to the days when they were both so young, so full of love, full of life. Long before the split, before Tom, before the hospital, but that was all in the past, it was over and there was nothing he could do to change it. Ah but the future, he had a grasp on that, he knew what needed to be done to even the scales and it would be done today.

She was toweling herself off now, humming the tune to that song. She stopped and looked at herself in the mirror, little had changed over the last thirty years, she still had a body that would put most twenty year olds to shame, her breasts were still firm, they held their shape, the tan lines seemed to accentuate their shapeliness, their beauty. Moving down, her waist was still firm, still making that hourglass figure she was so famous for, her hips just right, yes the years were kind to her. Not that she didn’t try to keep in shape, with exercise every day, eating the right foods, and the fact that she practiced safe sex, helped that and her decision not to have children was the most important thing she knew that, despite that empty feeling she experienced on occasion when her friends told of the joy of children. Yes she missed them, but not what they did to her body, she was proud of that, she knew she could put most models to shame, that was her mission in life.

He listened, she was running water in the sink now, brushing her teeth, he could hear the brush, rinse, brush. Now was the time, it had to be now or never. He backed up a bit, and raised his foot, then with all his might, he drove his jack boot against the door, the latch gave way and the door slammed open. She turned, but before she could scream, his hand was over her mouth. He swung her around, and put his hands around her neck.

“No” she gasped.

“Yes, it is time, time for you to die!” With this, he let up the pressure on her neck.

“Why Albert, for God’s sake why?” she said between gasps for air and coughing.

“Because you broke my heart, that’s why, because I loved you for so long, it has turned to hate, that’s why!”

“No!” She gasped again.

With this, he tightened his grip on her neck, until he felt that little click of her hyoid bone cracking. A bit of blood formed on her lip. Her heart stopped and she was dead.

Gently he picked her up, cradling her in his arms, like a father with a small child. He carried her through the door, down the stairs, through her spotless kitchen, out the door that lead to the attached two car garage. He laid her down on the cold cement floor, and rummaged around the garage until he found some rope, and a three foot long two by four. He made quick work of placing the rope around the two by four, then he slit the skin and made a hole in each ankle between the ankle bone and the Achilles tendon. Next he pushed the two by four through each slit, then threw the end of the rope around a rafter, and then pulled the rope until she was hanging upside down, her head just inches from the cold floor.

Kneeling beside her, he took out his Kbar knife from the sheath hanging from his belt, and with a quick professional movement, slit her throat, the blood flowed a steady stream from her carotid artery, and juggler veins. Since her heart had stopped, there was no spurting, just a comforting steady stream. The blood pooled around the floor drain, then as the drain accepted it’s gory meal, the blood disappeared into the city sewer system.

He stood back and lit up a cigarette, and watched as the blood slowed to a drip, then to nothing, her body took on a pale look, gone was that youthful glow that filled her mirror just short minutes ago. He moved to her again, and with the knife made an quick slash from her crotch to her breastbone, her internal organs slumped, then fell to the floor as he cut the mesentery that held them inside. He looked around and found a hammer over the workbench, this he used to hammer the glistening knife through her breastbone, and when he was through, he spread her ribs and removed her heart and lungs. The lungs, he added to the gore on the floor, the heart he wrapped with his bandana, and made a knot to keep it from falling out. Then he stood back and surveyed his work.

Yes indeed, he thought, happiness indeed is a large gut pile.



Jerry Ericsson 8-1-2001 15:07

---

Hi all!

Back a day early. Excellent trip, despite nasty rain on Monday. Mel, I couldn't do the s'mores. It was a backpacking excursion, and all the food was dried ie: granola and dehydrated campfood.

Howard, hope it's improving today. If nothing conventional helps with that pain, consider acupressure/puncture. It can be a godsend. I'm having sympathy pains for you... just think about what Rosemary said. Nothing like first hand experience to lend spice to your writing... (she says, looking for that silver lining :-D )

Rhoda, nope. Nothing so sinister, lately. Hope you have a good virus scanner.

Laura, I went to your link, couldn't find your story. Do I have to get a password to go in and read it? Or did I just miss the link?
About 'being pushy'... I sometimes need reminders to stop procrastinating, but most of the time I'm just busy. Busy with work, family, my own writing (which will always come first before crits) house work/improvements/yard work, and a million other little commitments.
About 'being pushy' with Jack, the thing is that his recent occurances are like a 'don't worry about a thing/take your time/get out of worry free' card. Maybe you've never been where he is right now, but if you had I doubt you'd press him about something like re-launching the WB. In the greater realm of things, a few weeks or even months without the WB is not going to have far reaching consequences.

And it gives me time to work on my ghostie........

Mel, only four in the first book? I'm not even going to count how many in mine. Of course, my story is about assassins... this shortie should be easy. :o) If nothing else I'll use something I've already written.

Jerry, should we all start sending you e-mail reminders to back-up each night?

Just for my own curiousity, has anyone claimed my copy of 'Contact' by Carl Sagan, currently in Australia with Teekay? Or my copy of 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency', currently in Ontario with Heather? I'm just curious....

Okay, now I must get busy with cleaning up from my camping trip. It rained on Monday, and much of our stuff was soaked. The rest is filthy. Tuesday we hiked part way up to Monashee Lake, an incredibly beautiful hike through old growth cedar forests, avalanche run-aways, and an alpine caldera. The wildflowers were supreme! Waterfalls old lava flows, and there was one area were the snow had only just melted and the plants were just sprouting. Like time-travelling from early spring to summer, the plants at the edge of the snow are just sprouting and with every step away from the edge they are larger and fuller, until they are flowering and even past flowering just ten meters away. It was magical.

Okay, now I really am going.
TTFN

Tina 8-1-2001 13:43

---

*Mel*

Hi, you-all! Made it lunch-time-yea! First things first. Gotta talk a bit to some friends and co-conspirators (heh heh! all right, who's scheduled to die tomorrow night? Line up the victims...)

VIV: How's your back today? Hope the hot soak helped you yesterday...

HEATHER: Actually, I was better at badminton than tennis: "Keep that birdie in the air!" :-) "No, no, Mel, only One bounce for the ball..." BTW, Hallee's away for the week; Ruth is off for the month. Ben is offline for the summer. Rachel's camping, so is Tina. That's as far as my remembery goes. The others must account for themselves! ... 1000 words? YES! Go, gal! :-) But don't tell--oh no, too late. My muse heard about yours in the pool. Mine's on her way - look out ---SPPLASSHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JERRY: I like your little murder-teaser. :-) Heh heh! I got a feeling Thursday eve's gonna be a gory mess! Someone should call BEN.

JACK: Good luck with the new short fantasy - I'd love to read it but first have a few others to finish...

TEEKAY: What? No snow? You're supposed to be freezing while we're drowning in sweat. (But I'm glad you're not. Not cold, that is! :-) ) Thanks for the kid-advice. Um, I knew that! I seemed to forget 'tho in the throes and woes of being badgered and pestered. I will make a sign "WRITER AT WORK - DO NOT DISTURB" for my area and post the list of jobs for kids (and hubbies?) next to it - heh heh! :-) re: the writing "buzz" - You Go, Girl! Keep it flying!!! :-)

Okay, Teekay, you've gone and done it - now I gotta tell:

THE STORY OF THE BURNING BRAIN (this is NOT my death shortie, heh heh! but a true story of parenthood)

Last June, a few weeks before the end of the school year, we had some gorgeous weather. This was great for the school kids, recess periods after lunch outside the school and all-day games and activities for the restless students who felt the coming 10-week summer vacation from classes and homework couldn't arrive soon enough.

One day during class, my ten-year-old son attracted the teacher's attention in an unusual way. Instead of being the class clown, my Tim was being very quiet. A paleness encompassed his young face. The teacher took him to the nurse's office.

The nurse, a why-am-I-here sort, couldn't note a thing wrong with Tim, other than his uncharacteristic solemness. Tim was worried about something. The nurse called my husband at work (closer than me and he had the car).

My husband hurried to the school. It was so unusual for anything to be wrong with Tim, normally a healthy and very active boy. When my husband arrived at the nurse's office, he rushed to Tim's side. With a mental burden much too heavy for a ten-year-old to fathom, Tim softly informed his father, "It feels like my brain is burning..." Fear tightened his little face.

My husband anxiously eyed the little tyke's buzzed head, wondering, 'what the devil is wrong here?' Then suddenly, with a great certainty of worry fading, my husband smiled. "Tim, your head is sunburned!"

I think Tim will remember to wear his hat next time he's out all day in the sun and that, just after a recent haircut. ;-]

Mel 8-1-2001 12:55

---

Laura - the notebook is like one big family, and like all families, tempers sometimes flare over misunderstandings. Stick around, we have all been there one time or another, given a few days all will cool down, and you will be wondering why you ever considered leaving home.

Had my shorty all prepared last night, this morning my computer refused to start, and I had to used GO BACK to get it working again. I love Go Back, it is a great little program but it also removed everything I did on the computer yesterday, so the shorty is gone. I think I remember it well enough to get it back by tomorow for posting. {When will I ever learn to Back-up?}

Jerry 8-1-2001 11:32

---

A moment of tribute here offered for Poul Anderson:

Over SIXTY book titles, written by Poul Anderson, are in our library system database(that only covers five counties within New York State, not necessarily a comprehensive list of Poul's work). These 60 were published over a FORTY year period, from 1960 to year 2000. That's an average of over one book a year, fellow writers! :-) His most recent works include:

Genesis
Operation Luna
Starfarers
The Fleet of Stars
War of the Gods
All One Universe
Harvest The Fire
The Stars Are Also Fire
harvest Of Stars
The Time Patrol
The Shield Of Time
The Boat Of A Million Years

Poul has left us a rich legacy; he will be sorely missed.

Mel 8-1-2001 11:08

---

p.s.

Many of you will have seen this from other sources, but thought it necessary to drop this off here as well. For those who are long standing science fiction readers, this will come as a piece of sadness:

---

Friends --

It's with a heavy heart that I write that my father, Poul Anderson is
receiving hospice care at home and is not expected to live more than
a week. I know that some of you are fans of his work, and if you
would care to send an e-mail direct to my parents house (
trigonier@earthlink.net ) expressing what it has meant to you, he
would be very appreciative. I'll be going down there myself tomorrow
(they're in the Bay Area), so will not be getting mail here for a few
days.

Astrid Bear

8-1-2001 6:45

---

Hello everyone: Well, I will still attempt to get to the Workbook, but I attempted install Windows XP Pro RC-1 only to discover that it was reporting that my primary drives were corrupted and ready to crash. Nice of it to inform me. I had noticed some weirdness already, but this just confirmed it. Then I got off the phone with Harddrives Northwest only to find that the particular drive that was at issue was noted for going south. I have some critical business responsibilities that take first in line and have to get to those first, but will attempt to get to the Workbook and get it up before I pack things up and get them off to the tech support people to replace my existing IBM Daystar 60 gig hard drive with two 30 gig Seagates, which, apparently, are more reliable. Sigh. Will note that I installed XP on Fran's computer (the oldest of all three in the house) without a problem. The only one that actually got as far as installing it. Once installed it is actually a quite nice OS. Anyway, I am babbling, and will talk with you soon, hopefully on the Workbook. I actually have three pages of a new fantasy short story that I hopefully will be shopping for a location to try and sell. We will see.

Jack Beslanwitch 8-1-2001 6:43

---

TEEKAYYYYYYYYYYYY: Oh my. Your poor wittle scalp. Sighs...well, what is the prognosis? (I just had to say HI before I go!)

Mary 8-1-2001 2:41

---

Just dropped by one last time before I head off to bed.

LAURA: I never thought you were the least bit pushy concerning inviting people to come see your site. I even went...and LIKED it. I only got irritated with your needling about the Workbook being down.

As far as welcoming people to use your site in lieu of the Workbook temporarily, that is very generous and thank you, but I for one will pass. I don't have anything going on that is so urgent it can't wait. I hope you don't stop posting over this...we have scuffles all the time; makes for good drama.

JERRY: Good luck with your Mac!

HOWARD: Any improvements?

OK, off to bed to think about what I will write for Thursday night. I won't remember it by morning, of course, but it is good exercise.

...Don't let the bed bugs bite.

Mary 8-1-2001 2:38

---

**Teekay**

Hi all;

MEL: This is me reporting in for duty. Been a bit lax lately coz I've been saving the notebook to disk to read on my daughter's computer where it is lovely and warm in the main part of the house. Actually the weather here is really lovely, yesterday I was out in the garden pulling up weeds and being really productive - or destructive depending on how you look at it. STOP BLOODY YAWNING. YOU ASKED!!!!

Helpful tip*
One guaranteed way to get any child over the age of 10 to leave you alone is whenever they come to you, ask them to do something. You know, like sweep the floor, do the dishes, scrub the walls.
Try that and pretty soon you'll only see them at meal times.

DEBRA: I know, I know, the last words of the duct taped guy who's being eaten by rats could be.....wait for it........'RATS!' heh heh heh.

HOWARD: I'm so glad you're back. I'm not so glad you're in pain. Get some relief. Winge and Nag and whine and holler until you get it. If that doesn't work, then , what MARY said.

GARIESS: You are sooooooooo funny. In a demented, my brains fallen out, bash your head against a wall kind of way. I do love you.

MARY: Guess what I've found in the shops?!?!?!?!? This mousse that you put in your hair after each wash to lighten it naturally (yeah right) to your own hair tones. I just never learn do I? Just keep on making the same old mistakes over and over and over and ov.... ah well, you get the idea.
My scalps a bit itchy actually, I hope it hasn't burnt the skin off it. *gulp*
Better that than fleas though I guess.
Better for the cat anyway. :-*

HEATHER: Whoo hooo over here. I'm getting on with it, but you don't have to wait, you can just carry on coz it won't change anything. Okay? ;-)

ALL (who care): I have been having the BEST time with my writing. It's such a buzz. Please let it last, please let it last. It is the greatest feeling - or at least one of, and these past few days I have just been on a constant high.
Hope it doesn't hurt too much when...no, IF, I land.


Teekay 8-1-2001 2:33

---

And as for my remarks to Jack, they were meant as good-natured teasing of the type that most of you get away with but the moment I try you bite my head off. Maybe I should just stop posting then.

laura 8-1-2001 1:06

---

Well, I'm sorry, I was not intending to be pushy, but I'm not the type to beg either. I only mentioned the site again because one it was something I thought you all might enjoy and could do in your spare time, and two, because the workbook is down right now.

As for my posts about the ms, I was simply telling you that I had started another rewrite but I would wait for your crit before I did too much. Just warning you so if you saw it again you would know it was a new version. And as for procrastination? That is all well and good, but I was not intending to be pushy, merely bringing up something I hadn't mentioned in a while and showing you that there was another change in the MS, I was not meaning to badger anyone but since I had worked hard on my site, I wanted people, no one in particular, to know that it was back online.

I'm sorry, I guess I'm just frustrated because I can't spend as much time here as I want to, and the Workbook is closed temporarily so I have time to work on my site, and then to be dismissed with a 'don't be pushy' is a little irritating.

Not to mention the fact that, and I will say it again, NOT ALL OF THE POST WAS ADDRESSED TO ONE PERSON!

end rant

laura 8-1-2001 1:03

---

Mary - no problem, I still have an old Quatra 800 Mac, got it awhile back and it came with a bunch of software on it, all set up to work on photo's with Adobe Illustrator, Photo Shop and a bunch of other software, has Netscape on it too, and an external 28.8 modem, so I can go online with it. I just liked the faster Power PC better, but my daughter will put it to work, where as I would simply keep it in a corner and turn it on from time to time, look at the monitor, and say "Yep, that's a Mac!" Think I will put it up on a yard sale to, what the heck, maybe I can get thirty bucks out of it.

Jerry 8-1-2001 0:20

---

Well I just made myself sound like a total idiot. I knew how to turn the thing on. I just didnt have any software for it and there was none installed on it for me to play around with. I couldn't download any programs off of the internet for it because I couldnt get online with it. Just turned out to be a pain in the buttinski. There...that's better.

Mary 7-31-2001 23:55

---

JERRY: I just sold an old MAC in my yard sale for $30. Worked just fine but I couldn't get the hang of it. Guess I shoulda asked you if you wanted it first. Color monitor, newer keyboard and mouse. I don't have any idea what capacity the hard drive was, or the speed because I had no clue how to work the thing. I couldn't hook it up to the internet either because it took cable and I don't have that service available.

Mary 7-31-2001 23:53

---

"""For she's a jolly good fella, for she's a jolly good fella, for Heather's a jolly good fellaaaaaaaaaaa, which nobody can deny!"""

Thank you big time! I owe you three new cars, two bottles of wine and whatever is behind door number 3. You have rejuvenated my efforts and, because of your help, all those corners I had planned on rounding off are going to be sharper than they would have been. (Just for the record...those three new cars are a big deal seeing as how I drive a twelve year old Mercury with vinyl seats that stick to the back of your legs if you wear shorts in the summer.) ;-)

Sighs...I can't even remember what new car smell is like.

Holy cow! What a great response to Shortie night already. I cannot wait to see what turns up Thursday.

JON: You know many famous interesting characters from all your travels. You must have a good death scene/last words story to tell us.

nytol

Mary 7-31-2001 23:48

---

Boy am I in the mood to kill of one of my charcters, this is going to be great. What with all that is happening in my life right now, I need an outlet for some of the frustration, and anger. Had to format the wife's computer a couple of days ago, so she is busy trying to get all her stuff back installed, plus I am about ready to format my server, it hasen't been formated since I put in the big hard drive over a year ago, so it is getting in real bad shape. To avoid a format I installed windows ME, it seems to be working fairly well, but not as good as it should. I just don't have the patients right now to dig into it, and it will take weeks to get it back up to standards what with all the stuff I have installed. Well I guess I don't need to put a bunch of stuff back, I had a lot of graphics stuff set up for my daughter to use when she came home from college on weekends, but she is done with college now, and working to pay off her student loans, plus she is living in her thousand dollar house, and has two compters of her very own. (Well one I built for her, and my Mac Power PC that she talked me out of)

Jerry 7-31-2001 23:38

---

Listen my children and you shall hear
Tales of murder and duct tape
Tales that make you shiver and your heart quake
Twas the last day of July in 01
The Sturgis Rally had just begun
The storm that night covered the noise of the fight
When that dirty dog Stiletto jumped Mellow Bob
Two punches, three slashes and it was done,
His tent burned to ashes.
The cops they came
Searched from Jackson to Main
And when they left
They were heard to say
"Damdest case of suicide we ever saw!"


Ok so I ain't no poet, just getting in the mood for Thursday night's murder bash. Already have the shorty rolling around in my head, hope I can keep it short.


Jerry 7-31-2001 23:32

---

Actually, I am not joking, Laura.

I did visit your site once, but I've already got the NB.

Heather 7-31-2001 19:04

---

Hey, Laura, just a hint: If you're going to get pushy with people (especially ones famous for procrastination, ie: WRITERS) then no one will be willing to do what you ask.
I HOPE you are kidding, but from the feel of many of your recent posts, you're not. Best policy for getting a critique? Ask nicely, send it on, and WAIT. Be patient. Don't fuss. Like an editor hates reminder calls, fellow writers don't like to be cornered and shoved into a critique. We're all busy! And Jack, well, we're just lucky to have him here. And he archives when the NB needs it, and he does what he can for such a completely BUSY man! Without Jack, this place would not exist. We should sing praises that the workbook has ever come into being at all. I've got a project up in the round robins that is on hold until he can get the WB up again - but have I complained once? NO. I am an understanding person, and I'm just happy I've had the chance to 'M.C.' the project at all.
And if you were joking, so was I... heh heh

JACK: Take your time - I know what it must have taken out of you to write your piece about your cousin. Don't let all this peskery banter get to you! (And NO, I'm not puckering my lips up to Jack's bum)

Gariess: You are splitting my sides! Any remedies?
Needle, thread, and what, a sour outlook? I feel like Winnie the Pooh doing his exercises. RRrrrrippp!~:o)

Mary: NICE shortie theme! You love to challenge us, don'tcha! By the way, the reply is in your email!
And I didn't start smoking from the ears. (Just nostrils...) ;o)

Great tennis match, Debra and Mel! HA HA HA HA HAAH!!!!
Well, where's TEEKAY? Miss you! Miss Christi too, and Hallee. And where might Jon/Pussy/Americo be? Sasquatch?
T.O.M.? Rachel? How are you?

Lots of people I've regrettably forgotten to mention - sorry!

Got another thousand words written yesterday... finally!
My muse has finally gotten herself out of the pool.


Heather 7-31-2001 19:02

---

Jerry,

I know what you mean about Sturgis. Here, we have Laconia. Laconia, Daytona and Sturgis are the three biggest rallies in the country. It goes total zoo at Laconia too. You also have to reserve there two years ahead. I never go, because I never figure I'm going to live that long. There's a small meet coming up in Syracuse that I might go to. There should be enough boobies there to keep me happy for a while.

GS

Gariess 7-31-2001 18:37

---

butt...butt
not but to the chair...sighs.

I am such a loser.

7-31-2001 16:13

---

Actual....actual
not actually death...sighs.

7-31-2001 16:12

---

"Death by Duct Tape"? You guys are scaring me. ;-)

But seriously folks, MEL: Go ahead and make your death scene your own death if you want; quite a nice angle, actually. Not your actually death of course, just the writing angle I mean.

Duct taping my but to this chair and trying to stay here long enough to get some writing done.

Later.

Mary 7-31-2001 16:11

---

Um, not my OWN death...or, well, say, there's an idea for shortie nite! Hmmm...

Mel 7-31-2001 14:55

---

Oh, man. Debra, how you make me laugh today! :-) I think the other NB-ers better start talkin' or the DEBRA-MEL show may never end - heh heh! BTW, thanks for the death scene - it was truly - um - moving. It moved me to the door to screech in more laughter! But for Mary's sake (and my own) I'd better write my own death scene - my muse knows I sure need the practice! Enjoy the rest of your day - I catch my bus home in an hour... :-)

Mel 7-31-2001 14:53

---

What!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Isn't that just what you told me you needed? You wanted a death scene. You liked the duct tape and told me to go for it.


I did, just for the record, potty train my girls without covering up their private parts with duct tape.



Debra 7-31-2001 14:25

---

Debra: I may be crazy but you're really gross today! Eww!! Are you feeding your muse the proper diet?

Mel 7-31-2001 14:03

---

Mel:

About 20% of the his left side of his mouth could be exposed and not duct taped so his screams are only silenced when a one or more rats crawl in.

I hate it.
PRINT!



Debra 7-31-2001 14:01

---

Mel:

What if you duct taped your victim to a chair and then put some sort of rat bat at his feet. You could lure them to him and they could do the rest.

I hate it.
PRINT!

Debra 7-31-2001 13:47

---

Hmmm, death by duct tape... Go for it, Debra! :-) I look forward to your shortie. (No fair using your calendar for ideas!)

Mel 7-31-2001 13:36

---

Oh boy, I'm going to be a nuisance (AM a nuisance?)...I just remembered I have at least three-no, four! killings in my FIRST book! Sheesh!!! I'm more cold-blooded than I thought!!!! All's right with the world. I could re-write one of those scenes, yep, mm-hmm.

Mel 7-31-2001 13:34

---

Mel:

May I suggest duct tape?



Debra 7-31-2001 13:31

---

Back from lunch but I don't think it helped much regarding saner thinking...

DEBRA: Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa HA HA! Hee Hee! Whoo boy. :-)

MARY: Another whooo boy. I'm in trouble now. I shouldn't have asked! Some may recall my previous friendly rantings at Ben for killing off his characters...Um, BEN can I borrow a death scene? Heh heh. Whoo boy. Now I gotta kill somebodeez. I don't think I've planned to kill anyone before Book Three. I suppose I could write that scene a bit early...hmmm, whoo boy. HELP!!!

Mel 7-31-2001 13:28

---

We might need one more piece for that funny look on their faces.

Debra 7-31-2001 13:14

---

I can see it now. I little wad with the sticky side out here. A little wad there. Presto chango, we have dry panties.

Debra 7-31-2001 13:11

---

Mel:


You know a week and a half ago, I might have considered duct taping the babies bums.

I'm glad I didn't think of it.


Phew!

I can see it now, potty training multiples, try duct tape.




Debra 7-31-2001 12:30

---

MEL: LOL, no procrastination is just what I have been doing, it's not really the shortie theme! ;-)

OK, SHORTIE NIGHT THEME for Thursday:

Write a death scene that includes the protagonist's/antagonist's last words.

Mary 7-31-2001 12:28

---

DEBRA: I forgot to say, hahaha - ow! My teeth hurt thinking about that one! :-) Let's hear another one! OKAY, RANDALL, WE'RE DOWN TO SWAPPING DUCT TAPE STORIES UNTIL YOU COUGH UP ANOTHER HIP-SWATTER!!

I need to get some lunch - brain's straining on breakfast fumes and mid-morning Wheat Thins! And while I'm at it, why do they call 'em Wheat THINS when they have a moorish flavor and I will keep eating them till they're either all gone or someone applies the honorable duct tape to my own jaw! Going...

Mel 7-31-2001 12:24

---

LAURA: For crying out loud, give the guy a break.

JACK: I don't think anyone else minds one single bit that Fran wants to escape with you for a while. As a matter of fact, it is safe to say that we would feel guilty if you didn't! ((Hugs))...have fun!

Mary 7-31-2001 12:17

---

Hey, MARY: :-) Hi and what's the shortie theme for this Thursday? Or are we still on procrastination? Boy, did we mess up last week's "portentousness!" Um, maybe we need a new direction? The many uses of duct tape? Er no, no--maybe something more stylish...???!!! Anything's good...I've got my muse duct-taped in a closet till I get home - heh heh! She should be there when I can use her, I hope!

Mel 7-31-2001 12:14

---

oops, my eariler post should have read,

Jack:

Your week is up. (The sign on the WB says its down for the week...)

laura 7-31-2001 12:10

---

Probably we won't hear from Heather for a few days. I have sent her such a huge plea for help that I am sure I have over loaded her circuits. :-)

Actually, I am sure she can handle it...I just wanted to let her know in public how much I appreciate her!

Thank you HEATHER!

Mary 7-31-2001 12:05

---

Mel:

I know where he was, STAYING OUT OF THE WAY that's where.

I love duct tape. In fact, I think there isn't another living human being who loves it more.

I have a calander of 365 days of duct tape use.

For today July 31 2001 it states and I quote

If you are having trouble with your wisdom teeth you should dry off each tooth so the duct tape stick, (like that would ever be a problem)"those are my words" attach one end of a twelve foot strip of duct tape to the unwanted extra molars and the other end to the back of a drag racing vehicle. When the light turns green, your tooth and probably a good chunk of your jaw will be removed.

This is from the duct tape guy.

Not my favorite use, but I do like to be current.

Debra 7-31-2001 11:58

---

DEBRA: And so where was this needful son when you were throwing things out onto the driveway? NOW he wants what you have left???!! Poor you. Shall we gather a cheer basket of survival goodies for you? :-) I'll throw in some duct tape, which has many uses: taping hungry mouths when snack-fever strikes before OR after you've stocked the cupboards, umm, tying the husband to, um, something (whatever's closest) so you can get some writing done (or whatever, heh heh!), ah, taping the dogs together to keep them out from underfoot, hmmm, well, use your imagination for further uses for duct tape! (How about taping down things you DO NOT want the oldest son to haul off as his own?) :-)

Mel 7-31-2001 11:43

---

Mel:

I have a tweleve year old girl. She is either not home or jumping up right into my eye sight.

Also, my oldest son was here too last night. I had them all under one roof. Well, he is losing a room mate so he left with my old dishes and dining room set. Dan went up into the attic and got him some old speakers too.

I believe he will be back to look around for more stuff he can deam not needed by me.

And so it begins. The true meaning of being a mother, handing over all the household goods and seeing them drive off in a car.

Debra 7-31-2001 10:21

---

DEBRA: I can understand the little ones boomeranging back to Mom but the 13-year-old last eve drove me nuts!!!

Mel 7-31-2001 8:47

---

Mel:


If I didn't know better I'd think you had a hidden video camera in my house. Wow!

Yes, I even have boomerang kid too. I love that. You made my eyes water.


Thanks,



Debra 7-31-2001 8:35

---

Nope, if Jack's wife is smart, this week is HERS. Family, and a little break Jack. Then the rest of the weeks in August are ours!

Howard: Hope the pain is better.
Jerry: Only in America does it cost to go bankrupt. I don't believe it...but then again I do. I wish you and your wife weren't physically in pain.

Tonight I'm in absolute pain from my back! It's my own fault. There was a flower sale. Plants were down to 28 yen a pot. I got greedy. I bought and planted 66 plants today, most of them really rangy perenials that were completely rootbound. For me this is a good buy because they'll last until Christmas. After that the weather gets cold and they'll drop back but come back again after rainy season. I spent all day planting them and now I hurt all the way to my knees. But the garden is absolutely fantastic. It's only the size of a postage stamp so you can figure what 66 plants did. I also saved all the little cups they came in and planted seeds. So now I have an herb garden to be. It's worth the pain but I sure hope it goes away by tomorrow.

Allein: Hana finished school today! YES! Now we can work full time on that translation. Finally, the 8th grade is in the mail! Whew!

Well, that's enough, I'm going to the hotbath. I'm going to get in up to my chin. If that doesn't do it, I'll get a massage afterwards. That ought to put me right. If not, it ought to at least get the dirt out from under my nails.

Ouch, ouch, ouch ouch ouch...bye. I look like a real obaasan right now. I can't get straightened up.

Boy if this was everyday all day, I'd be screaming nuts. If a doctor told me to suck it up, he'd be sucking his own front teeth. Howard, that guy was only being such a creep because he knew you couldn't sock him.


Viv 7-31-2001 8:35

---

*Mel*

All right. Everyone who isn't on vacation and didn't report in last night...REPORT IN!!! :-) Seriously, I love to hear from you-all. LURKERS, That Includes YOU!!! Yes, YOU!! (*index finger pointed at YOU*)

G'Mornin'. :-) That was a commercial break sponsored by my muse who seems to be having way too much fun without me, most of the time! Sigh. Last evening, the creative juices were flowing!...I sat down to the diningroom table after supper was cleared and pulled out my *P* story...and along came a child, then another, then...sigh. So I put the youngest to bed (yea!) and turned on the t.v. and another child followed me there...when I thought he was properly distracted, I attempted to sneak back to my writing area...nope. Boomerang child came back. Stuck to me like a magnet. I dearly love my family but once in awhile, like last night, I get such an itch to write and the kids/husband just won't leave me alone! I ended up going to bed early (I thought I'd fool them all and rise early to write, heh heh!) but I slept lousy, trying to piece various story-plots together in my head, plots that weren't meant to go together, and I awoke with only enough time to get ready for work. Arrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;-/

Okay, it's a new day. Readjust smile and try again (still writing mentally, anyway...! NO ONE can take THAT away from me!!!) :-)

JERRY: heh heh! Ohh, I know your pain - go to do something and the physical body won't cooperate. Some days, my arthritis flares in my hip and both knees and flames down the legs, and about all I can manage is to hobble to a recliner and moan mentally until bedtime. I would've just "waved" to Mt. Rushmore too! re: financial woes, Hang in there! These too shall pass.

TEEKAY: What's the snow doin' in your yard these days? Anythin'?

RANDALL: I NEED ANOTHER STORY! Pull another rip-snortin' gem from your archives, will ya? I think Howard and Jerry could use a good laugh too, and Debra and Mary and Heather and well, everyone else here. C'mon, give us some of your delicious Chicken Soup! (Or Cream of Potato, or whatever you prefer...) :-)

Mel 7-31-2001 8:19

---

Debra,

Self-prescribing.

GS

7-31-2001 1:28

---

Ummm, first of all...

Jack: your week is us....

Second of all:

Tina, I'll wait for your critique, but I'm adding something to the story, a new character just...erm...walked in. Once you read it you will understand. Please visit my site since the workbook is down. I can be found at.

Laura Link 7-31-2001 1:13

---

HOWARD: What a bully that doctor was. Probably your wife put him in a full-nelson out in the hallway when you weren't awares. I think my plan of treatment was by far more humane and compassionate. Hehe. Hang in there big guy. We are all pulling for you.

GS: You are making my sides hurt from laughing.

HEATHER: I got your email, but it is now after midnight, I have spent the whole day sick to my stomach and I have nothing left. I will email you tomorrow when I am reasonable again. Thank you so much for your generosity because what I have to ask you is fairly involved. ((Hugs))

Mary 7-31-2001 0:20

---

Howard - What they said! I know about pain, been fighting it now since early 1993. There has to be something they can give you that will make you comfortable, they just haven't found it. Make them keep trying, call them, go see them, call them again and again until you get relief.

My wife is going through the same thing with her knee, we made the long trip to her doctor again just getting back a few hours ago, he gave her some new meds, and took her off work, recommending disability, as he thinks there is little else they can do to relieve her pain. (Where did I ever get the idea modern medicine could fix pain anyhow?) We did take a side trip to Mount Rushmore, as it has been nearly twenty years since we have been there. It was only 25 miles south of her Doctors office. Was kind of neat, where we used to park is not all paved over and full of rest rooms, and visitor centers, they have improved parking with a three tier parking garage, handicap accessible on each level. Only problem is, there is this one mile walk from parking to the real visitor center, and neither of us felt like trying that walk, so we just looked from a mile away, then said, "Yep there it is." Then we turned and walked back to our car parked in the handicap parking zone, and home again, home again, jiggity jog.

Saw our attorney on this visit too, he finalized all the forms, then explained that this is a three month process, he will file for us tomorrow, then thirty days from tomorrow, we have to be back down for the meeting of creditors, (What they used to call bankruptcy court), if all goes well there, thirty days later, we will be debt free, and the Fed has to keep their grubby paws off my pay check, and the wife's if it goes that far. And all this for only $800.00 what a bargain.

The weather has given us one day break with no rain, well during the day anyhow, we are currently under a severe thunderstorm watch, as well as a flash flood watch, seems the ground is so saturated with water that any new rain will simply flow, down streets, ditches, gulleys what ever, and gather in the low spots. Bet the bikers in Surgis will love this, they got 72 MPH winds tonight, just shortly after we drove through on our way home, this with three inch hail and torrential rain. This is early into the Sturgis Motorcycle raley, and the campgrounds are allready full of Harley Davidson's, drunken bikers and bare brested biker babe's. It was tempting to just stay over but the motels are all booked, as are all the campgrounds, back yards, and parking lots. I understand one must make reservations in that area a couple of years in advance to get so much as a back yard for your tent, and that is costly. I guess if one can afford a Harley Davidson these days, he can surely afford to rent a back yard space for fifty bucks a week. I wish them well, each and every one, for they bring tons of cash into the state, and drink millions of gallons of beer, most of which will flow down the alleys, gullies, streets, streams and rivers until it finds a low spot where it will gather and flood.

Nite-all

Jerry 7-30-2001 23:39

---

Gariess:


Horard was what?

Debra 7-30-2001 21:05

---

Guys,

It sounds to me as though the hard-ass doctor Howard spoke of was not his regular doctor. It sounds like he was just the on-duty schlunk having a hissy. He was plobably pissed because Horard was serf-plesclibing.

GS

gariess 7-30-2001 20:56

---

A quick note,

HOWARD,
Sorry you have to go through this but, now you will be able to understand the feelings of your characters when you inflict terrible pain on them. Let them moan and groan without making aspersions about their courage, character or manhood.

There's got to be a good side to most bad things.

Bye,


Rosemary 7-30-2001 19:24

---

Did I mention that my three year old twins DON'T nap at all and that has been since they were two?



Debra 7-30-2001 14:19

---

Has anyone else here been getting these ultra long e-mails with two attachments? One of them is called April. I have gotten 5 of these e-mails from different addresses. These has been a virus going around and I am convinced that is what is contained in these attachments. Unsually when something is going around, I get nothing having to do with it, but I am getting one of these funcky e-mails almost every day! I just mentioned this so you can all be on the alert.

Rhoda 7-30-2001 14:07

---

HOWARD: I'm with Heather on that. GET A NEW DOC! He sounds way too hoity-toity to be compassionate-or effective. You need pain-free rest right now! Tell 'im your writing cronies said so.

DEBRA: Yeah, way too familiar. (Hey! Grab that muse! Don't let her get away again - just wanna watch another 2 minutes of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire...um, why am I watching this anyway??!!)

Mel 7-30-2001 13:48

---

Howard - that's terrible! You know, some people do not understand pain very well - (some) doctors included. It's very difficult to understand intense physical pain if you have never experienced it before - and some people haven't. And then again, some people have higher pain tolerances than others. It has nothing to do with how much of a 'man' (or a woman) someone is, this level of pain tolerance. Anyhow, surgery on rotator cuffs is notoriously painful. I've been in pre-op, OR, and post-op professionally, and I can tell you, even very minimal surgery affects different people in a myriad of ways. If your medication isn't doing anything to arrest the pain, I suggest you seek out a doctor willing to prescribe something 'better' - ie: more effective. The efficacy of certain pain meds depends on the person, the dose, the type of medication it is, and the type and level of pain. You will heal much faster if you're not in pain.
Take my advice - seek out a new Doc if you can. As soon as you can. Hopefully you'll find someone, or be able to talk to your present physician about the pain and get something better for it - otherwise you may be 'laid up' longer than anticipated. Pain does not aid healing one whit.
It lowers your immune system on top of that. I'll be thinking of you!

Debra - oh, it sounds familiar all right.

Heather 7-30-2001 13:29

---

Mel:

I have five children too. I have two dogs and one husband. That makes eight. Gee did I lump my husband with my two dogs? Did I say two dogs before I said one husband?

The reason most of my pictures show four children is because one of my children is 25. He is busy most of the time. He does stop over a bit with his girlfriend though. I really love her. She seems to be taking good care of him.

I find I get my first break at 9p.m. every day. I think that's why I like late night television so much. I would love to meet Conan O'Brien. He is so funny.

I'm sure that's why I'm also so tired too. I stay up late because I don't get a minute to myself all day and am too tired to figure out how to get a minute from staying up too late trying to get a minute.

Anyone? Sound fimiliar?



Debra 7-30-2001 12:56

---

MARY - They're beeeyoootiful! Thanks! :-)

The surgery went well, I guess - still dunno what he did, though, because I haven't seen the doc since just before I went into the operating room.
He told my wife that he had to repair a 3 cm tear in the rotator cuff, and grind down several bone spurs. The nurse said he couldn't do it via the scope, but had to open it up.
I'm sporting a harness/pillow that holds my arm at 45 degree angle, and is rather uncomfortable. The pain was/is as you said - unique. They were giving me 2 percoset every 3 hours in the hosp Wed night, and that didn't do a thing for me. So the nurse called for reinforcements and they gave me a shot of morphine and 2 sleeping pills, and that still didn't touch it. At 7AM on Thursday one of the associate doctors came storming into my room wanting to know why I needed so much pain medicine. He said I should be able to control my own pain by biting my tongue. Then he turned around and stormed out, muttering in Korean.
All in all I'm not too impressed with the whole thing.
Now taking 1-2 vicodin every 4 hours, and they do absolutely nothing for the pain either.
I'm back to walking (1.5 mile this morning) but can't do anything until I see the doc on Thursday. They've already said 5-6 weeks in this harness before I can go for therapy.
Life goes on!
:-)

Thanks for all the good vibes!

Speaking of vibes, right now they're re-paving I81, right behind my house. Whatever machine they're using to chew up and spit out the old pavement is producing a low-frequency soound that's just above the audible threshold, and is more felt than heard. It is driving me right up the wall! Mark - you've probably heard similar in the Merchant Marine - it's very like the vlf sound of a large diesel. That constant rhumrhumrhum that can make you sick to hear it.
Gotta be a story element there.

Well, that angle I have to sit at in order to type this is really getting to my whatever, so I'd better put it away for now.

howard 7-30-2001 12:04

---

See that Mary? Guys, slurping and drooling in the aisles.
Like babies ogling dinner.

Mel - :o) GRIN!








Heather 7-30-2001 11:56

---

TINA: HAPPY CAMPING! :-) Have a s'more for me!

GS: Definitely dust-mite doo-doo, to be more specific in regards to my hubby's allergies (and also leaf mold, animal dander, perfume, paint...sigh.)

DEBRA: lessee, 5 "kids" plus one hubby plus one cat equals 7 children (plus me when I'm rebellious - heh heh!)

Mel 7-30-2001 11:53

---

Gariess - oh yeah, once you get thinking about it, no doubt it tends to give you the willies. I don't know about dust mites traveling in the air, but I know for a fact there are millions of them in the mattresses we tend to spend some time rolling around on, not to bring up the subject of PILLOWS. YEEEECCH! But thank you for the new perspective on dust mite poop. Never even thought about it. And to think (sheesh!) that poop is one of those subjects I've studied. HA HA HA. Well, I passed. (okay, sorry, bad joke)
As a nurse I've seen enough poop, and as a parent, I've seen more than enough. Hey, doing none of the above I've seen my share... and I'm getting worse with my poo jokes.

My best friend gave me a 'poopy pig' for part of a birthday gift once. You squeeze the little rubbery plastic pig, and a great sloppy hunk of slippery brown stuff sort of 'lobs' out of its butt. When you refrain from squeezing it any harder and release the pig, the poop slurps back in. DISGUSTING! But very funny. The best part about it is showing it to people who haven't seen it before. You just plunk it into their hand and wait to see what they do with it. You don't notice at first that the little pig has a giant arsehole in it. From the front it looks amazingly 'innocent'. Like it could be a child's farm toy.
If they don't turn it around right away, you tell them to "Squeeze it! Go ahead." If they were expecting a noise to be emitted, 'that's not it!'.

*ahem* Well, I never promised you a rose garden.


Mary - have done!




Heather 7-30-2001 11:51

---

MARY -- If your web site serves an ample helping of what you served Howard . . . Yes, you need to consider browser load.

Mark 7-30-2001 11:50

---

Hi all.

Going camping today. Be back on Thursday, if the weather holds. Yay! Much fun to be had.

Yes, Laura, this means a further delay. But if I was to say 'sorry' I'd be lying. ;-)

See y'all.


Tina 7-30-2001 11:21

---

Rosemary,

You forgot to mention the worst thing about your sister’s Chevy van. As soon as she gets fed up with it, she’ll sell it for a song and someone will drive it another hundred thousand miles on all the parts she replaced (this happened to me with a chevy truck. Dirtyracknfracks)

Rachel,
Have a nice trip.

Mary,
I want you to be my doctor.

Heather,
Do you mean to say that all those macroscopic particles floating in the sun rays are 99% human hide? That’s kind of creepy, because we breathe that stuff, and dust mites live in it and consume it. And like all things that eat, they poop, which is the stuff that somebody’s husband is allergic to.

I always wondered, before I found this out, how one could be allergic to dust, since dust is a non-specific substance. However, dust-mite doodoo is not non-specific (does that count as a double negative?) No wonder so many people in Tokyo go around with those face filters. They must have found this out before we did. "Excusuh me prease. I do not wish to breathuh your Gaijin dust-mite shituh."

"Uhh, no problem, dude?"

I mean, after all, it was these guys who taught us to take baths.

GS


gariess 7-30-2001 11:14

---

HEATHER: I need some advice of the artistic persuasion...can you email me when you get a chance?

Mary 7-30-2001 10:08

---

Mel:

Aren't all husband graduated from the same college?
How many children do you have? We do gotta love men. They physically have all the things we need and none of the extras. They're walking talking toys.

It's just sometimes you wish you could remove the batteries for just a bit. Then on second thought, there was that door that needed fixing, and we're almost out of milk again. Just kidding. I wouldn't change a thing. hummmmmm!

Gariess:

I coouldn't read your shortie longie, because I didn't have time, but I refused to miss procrastination. I would love to talk to you about the dentist sometime. I have this theroy that it's just the simple act of opening our mouths that makes us so scared. All our instincts are screaming it's wrong. We need to use our minds in this case. The pain if any isn't as bad as the fear that we generate. We could run the lights for a large building if we could change that fear into power. It's not good.



Debra 7-30-2001 9:05

---

DEBRA: "Btu" is of course "but" - sigh. Someone always gets a typo from me. Today's your day! Don't say I never gave ya nothin'--heh heh!

GS: Yeah, yeah, I know. One 's' in "dust." Okay, so your present is done too. (The shopping list gets shorter!)

HEATHER: I do hope your cramp is not of the writing variety... Anyone got a masseuse (sp?)? Send 'im over to Heather's house and get her straightened out, STAT! :-) (Always glad to be of service.)

Mel 7-30-2001 8:24

---

^^Mel^^

Good Morning, future Pulitzer Prize Winners (and other honorific titles)!!! :-) (I'm hoping my bright cheery words will float high and break that ugly-lookin' cloud cover...)

RUTH: In case you hit an Internet cafe in your travels: NO Need for Hostility; I'm a woman, not a man; I haven't a wife because I AM one and I adore utterly my husband of 23 married years. I only wanted to stowaway to see some new horizons; I certainly wouldn't be a bother, I promise! :-)
(Still looking forward to some Italian visuals!)

TINA: I let my muse escape the laundry room. She wasn't doing the laundry anyway. But she HAS been firing my creative juices! :-) Now, to steal some moments somewhere to write down her good stuff... BTW, I have "life-river" motifs in my novel. I am so inspired by those flowing bubbly things. :-)

TEEKAY: Thanks. :-) The river of inspiration runs into my "life-rivers" (or maybe they run the other way?); I'm still exploring all kinds of "rivers." I even have an island in my novel called "Life Rivers Crossing" - still exploring that too; it's a most unusual place... hummm, dreaming of rivers and the secrets they embrace...

JACK: Nice article. :-)

DEBRA: Hmm. Your hubby and mine sound like they attended the same fraternity: I Felta Thi. Heh heh! (My husband's joke) They're "handy" to have around btu a bit obnoxious at times! No wonder we have so many kids! What we women do for the men we love...

GS: Ah yes, dust piling. We have great conventions of dust bunnies under various pieces of furniture. When my husband starts having trouble breathing (he's allergic to dust, darn!), it's then time (past time?!) to vacuum-suck the little beggars into the netherworlds. When I'm an old widow, one day they'll find me in my rocking chair, hip-deep in dusst, dreaming of stories yet to write (and still wondering where I left my teeth). BTW, DITTO re: dentists! (No offense, ALLEIN!)

HOP: I've played all the old Zork text games too. I'm hoping for a NEW one to be created! (But I hope they wait until after I've published my first novel or two...sigh. Oh boy, that could be a long while... BTW, I love Chinese food but I DO NOT--repeat, DO NOT want to know how they cook the dogs. Eww, gross!! :-/

RACHEL: Happy Camping! :-)

HOWARD: Ohh, kisses for your boo-boo. I do hope that long yowl means your surgery went successfully and that the pain is merely the natural sign of proper healing...?? :-) Still prayin' for ya, neighbor.

MARY: Hi, kid. Don't work too hard. I bet your site will be fabulous when complete. Search engines shouldn't charge anyone for anything - the WWW is just an electronic maze, isn't it? Everyone works hard enough on their own to link into it; linking should be free, merchandise or no. Who's pocketing your $$?? The bums.

HIYA to everyone I haven't mentioned. Have a GREAT writing day, y'all! :-) Keep your smiles attached and polished shiny. Might make someone else's clouds disappear. ;-]

Melanie 7-30-2001 8:14

---

Good advice for Howard, Mary~!
I think more of the guys here could use two of those. Not to wear, mind you, unless they are considering a new hat...

Oh, never mind, it's been one of those WEEKS.

I think I have a permanent cramp somewhere.

HOWARD! I hope your surgery went well - from the SOUNDS of things, you're in a LOT of pain. Surely a lot more pain than any cramp of mine. When you feel well enough to write more than 'owwww', please let us know how everything went. Bless you!

Hey Hop, did you know there is a TV show over here that's called Psi-Force? (in North America, I mean) Just thought you might not 'get' that station in Fiji (you ARE in Fiji, right?) and from what I gather about the show, it sounds like the same as your book/idea. Might be worth checking into, to make sure your book is saleable - might have to tweak a few things so it's not like a repeat.
*just a tip, just in case*
Do you get 'X-Files'(new or reruns)? There are a few shows on the same subject matter - actually, quite a few.

Well, Jack, thank you for posting the link to your site with your piece about your cousin. I thought it was well done. I'm glad you included his photograph - not only do you give us a picture of what it can be like on the street and/or to know a loved one 'out there', you give us a picture of what could be anyone's cousin, uncle, brother, friend, husband, son.
That's ONE of the most important points - anyone can find themselves on the street. We are all a stone's throw away.
Sometimes we put way too little value on the homeless without knowing who they are.
Thanks, Jack.

Well, fingers have been walking, talking and writing less than usual lately. *sigh* I've heard of the summer writer's slump, but I figured that was the writers' backs - slumping over the keyboards.
I've never been THIS slack during the summer - but my productivity before July was over the top. Could be why I'm having this slovenly span.

Gariess - your dissertation on procrastination was incredibly hilarious. Should any magazine require an essay on the 'art of dust', you might want to copy your post and hang onto it. Who knows - Dust Rhinos may have thier day in the sun, on the cover of a glossy international magazine.
Perhaps one day sculptures will be fashioned from that seemingly wasted conglomeration of dust. After all, there are poo sculptures getting rave reviews; why not dust?
The only thing I wonder about: Did you know that 99% of dust is human skin? There might be a whole other 'you' laying about on the armour.

Mary - I'll try to get the scans your way this week, though I was supposed to do that last week. As it looks, you're busy anyway, so the delay is a favour! Hee heee heeeeee.

Dog. Well, I've eaten moose meat on quite a number of occasions, and it's tough as a nail surrounded by the boot it punctured. Dog can't be so bad. But I wouldn't boil To-To to try it.

Later dear writers!


Heather 7-30-2001 3:33

---

Dogs for dinner?

I could never eat dog, I'd think of Pepper and not be able to do it.

My friend Pete had dog when he was stationed in Korea, he says it tastes like pork.

Allein Allein's World 7-30-2001 0:39

---

OH HOWARD! How are you? That owwww sounds pretty loud. Wish there were something I could do. Ummmmmm

Take two of these and call me in the morning

(o)(o)

Hehe.

Mary 7-29-2001 23:22

---

**Mary**

Hi guys.

miva, cgi tags, metas, titles, keywords, ...all of this stuff is starting to sound like Charlie Brown's teacher talking to me. Bmwahhh bmwahh bmahh bmhwahhh. I can't figure out how to get my *&^$(@*@ guest book working. I can't have any pages still under construction when I submit to Yahoo! or I won't get listed in the directory. I am about ready to rip my hair out.

Get this crap, I paid to register my domain name, I pay monthly to keep my site...but none of this gets me listed in any search engine directories. (They could have told me that sooner.) Ok fine, no problem...what do I have to do? Oh, not much, just pay yahoo editors $200 to 'consider' your site for listing in their directory. The $200 is non-refundable even if they veto your site and refuse to include it. I could register for free if I weren't selling something from my site, but of course, nobody is allowed to make any money unless Yahoo! is making money too. Fine...it is their directory after all. Shell out the 200 freakin dollars.

Yahoo! is so bombarded with requests for sites to be in the directory that they are getting increasingly picky about what they will include. This is a good thing because it limits the spammers somewhat, BUT it is wreaking havoc with my timeline.

My site is published on the internet and you can get to it with a direct link, but if you do a search for it in any search engine it wont link to me. (Until I submit it that is.) I think I will wait until I am completely up and running before start giving out my URL only because I don't like serving half-baked cake. I want my first impression to be a good one...not still soggy in the middle.

Thank you for your interest though, and believe me...you will all be the first to know. I have to admit that I don't think a lot of people here are going to be very interested in what I am doing with my site. I am in a very specific niche. I welcome general comments about my site constuction though...and if it is clear and put together right on all browsers...loads too slow or just right...has annoying graphics...whatever.

Love you guys.

Mary 7-29-2001 23:19

---

owwwww!

howard 7-29-2001 22:55

---

Hi Hop!
Am I staying? Check archives--you'll see I've been around for over 2 years. I don't post regularly any more, because I figured out the only way to have time to finish my novel and write the sequels was to e-mail way less. But thanks for asking ... writing 'tis a lonely biz, but places like this make it less so.

Happy Writing ...



Ashling 7-29-2001 20:29

---

The fellow down town who sells computers will work on your sick machine for only $65.00 an hour, minimum one hour no matter how long it takes. I, on the other hand will work on my friends computers for absolutely nothing, and should they need a new part, I only charge them the actual cost.

One of these days the guy up town will notice this, and maybe lower his rates? Na, he could care less, that's why he is not so well liked here in town, just an attitude problem. I do get along with the fellow, although nobody can figure out why, I am just that kind of easy going guy I guess.

Just got a new next door neighbor, the new police officer here in town. I went over and introduced myself. Boy does that bring back memories, moving to a new town to cop. Lots of excitement there for the first few days, then it is just the same old drag.



Jerry 7-29-2001 20:14

---

Hi all - We are going camping. Not sure for how long. I'll have a little look in when I get back. Take care you wild things;o)
Ciao!


Rachel 7-29-2001 19:50

---

Me Again,

GS,
Actually the repairs I was thinking about are plumbing, auto, and carpentry. Especially auto repairs. Those things are not disposable, at least not in my lack-of-income-bracket. My sister has had a terrible time with her '94 Chevy van. It has been running about $500 a month in repairs lately. She has used the Dealer, a transmission place, a friend of a friend and someone out of the Phone book. Every time, within a couple of weeks, that van comes down with something else. There will be no more Chevorlets in our family. I'm not going to say anything about my truck for fear it will hear me and fall apart on the spot.

ALL,
If my wording is getting odd, I'm going through the Agatha Christi books right now. I find it very interesting to see the difference in her writing skills as the publishing dates progress.

Time to feed the hordes. (that means all the animals. I did not spell horses wrong.) The wind is blowing today, so I'll come home with hay in my hair again.
Bye



Rosemary 7-29-2001 19:13

---

Sorry, that last was supposed to be adressed to Rosemary, not Viv.

GS

7-29-2001 16:53

---

Viv,

I have a degree of sympathy for the repair person. Products today are made to be discarded when they need repair. An unreliable repair will usually cost about 75% of the price of a new product which will usually have newer and better features than the one you currently have. The repair business must be frustrating under such conditions.

The reason that your repair people sneer at you is that they are in the business of selling the new product, and the repair business is just a shill to get you in the store. If you fail to take the bait, they will have to settle for the same profit they would get from the sale and have to do the repair work in addition.

GS

gariess 7-29-2001 16:50

---

Howdy all,

GS,
That dust theory sounds a lot like my theory about washing the truck. After a while it starts getting cleaner because the dirt begins to fall off. And...Memory may be a gift, but I find it makes me very unhappy with current things, mostly prices. I remember what things use to cost and that products had price tags on them that indicated what store they came from so you would know where to go back to get more. Also..my memory keeps reminding me that in the past you could get service from repair persons. Now you have to beg them to take your money to do a job that is never done right, and then they sneer at you.

Okay, I'm mad now. Need to leave.
Bye.

Rosemary 7-29-2001 15:53

---

Hop - I have done the same thing with my ROMS, I collected them several years ago now, so I probably don't have the latest, or maybe I have more then the latest collection. As far as MAME is concerned, to have all of those ROMS now, one would need a very large hard drive. I made a copy of MAME for my son last year, and it took four CD's to hold my collection. I have since quit trying to have a complete collection, just because of the space and the fact I don't play very many of those I do have. My SNES collection will all fit on one CD, as will my Sega Genies collection. My set of Nintendo NES ROMS would fill maybe a quarter of a CD, as their roms are rather small. I also have the RAIN emulator, up-to-date two years ago, and it will fit with the NINTENDO ROMS on one CD. I have the CALLUS collection, also stopped about a year ago, but they are rather large, I don't have them on CD as of yet, as there are more ROMS available that I haven't downloaded as of yet. The SEGA Master System and Game Gear system roms are smaller yet, and I have a fairly large collection of them, I guess I quit collecting them when the NESTICLE emulator showed up, and I could play nes games on my PC. My game gear collection was rather large too, but I didn't back them up, and lost them in a major crash, this being before I had a CD burner. I have the ATARI console collection, that I think is nearly complete in the 2600 and 5200, the 7800 collection is rather small as of yet, and I don't know if there are any more roms out there for that system. I am looking forward to the jaguar (SP?) emulator, and have downloaded a set of roms for it, should they ever get it up and running. My coleco collection is fairly large, as is my intellivision. I also have the spectrum emulator, and several of the small counsel emulators for the competitors of the Atari 2600, one (I don't recall the name anymore) is for a game system that we started with, it had only 15 or 20 roms before they went out of business. We got ours from Sears, and bought all the ROMS they had for Christmas of 1982 or 83. The system had some very good games but their controllers weren't very well made, and we had to send ours back twice, when the third one broke, Sears offered us an Atari 2600 as replacement, and gave us a bunch of cartridges to replace those we had for the other system.

I also have a bunch of emulators for different computer systems, like the Commodore 64, Atari 800, TI99, Spectrum, Amstrad and the like, with game roms for them. I guess I sort of got carried away with getting these dang things, I even have a MAC emulator that does a real nice job of turning my PC into a MAC, it runs all the older MAC software, which is kind of nice as I have an old MAC in the back room and can exchange software with it over my home network.

The wife has talked me into selling the old MAC, so I am going to make up a poster and hang in the grocery store, there has to be someone out there that wishes they had a MAC Quadra 800 for their very own.

Well I got a bit carried away with my emulation thing, sorry if I took up too much room.

Jerry 7-29-2001 12:20

---

Just re-read that last paragraph. Looks like I've baked too long in the sun. Don't look at the punctuation, grammar, etc. I'm on vacation today.

Viv 7-29-2001 9:18

---

Hop: There's a Korean lady who lives up the street from me. She's always saying that our dog looks good enough to eat but we need to fatten the dog up a bit first. I'll ask her the receipe for dog. It's pretty famous in Korea. You can try it and let all of us know how it tastes.

The Wet Noodle deal comes from someone called Dear Abby or Ann Landers. They are the great Gods who sit next to the cartoons in the paper and give out sage advice. I'm not sure I could take advice from someone who is located in the paper right next door to the comic strips. Anyway when dear old Abby or Ann Landers (her twin sister) make a mistake this is what they say. The entire concept is strange it makes me wince. Here are these 80 year old twins dishing out the same advice right next door to the comic strips and it has been the same way every day of my life.



Viv 7-29-2001 9:16

---

I've been busy resurrecting my University writing club. It's now turned into an e-mail exchange where I list works of members on a newsletter and see if anybody else wants to read them.

What is it about this "wet noodle" lashing thing? Is it some famous American expression? Sure, it's funny the first time but after hearing it several times it gets sort of stale doesn't it?

Tina
Newbies don't stay long. I guess I'm a bit old fashioned. You know, cruise around for a spot then once you find you colonise and don't leave unless you really don't feel comfortable.

Jerry
I'm trying to create a Rom collection too. It's because all these sites are closing so I cannot rely on the internet as a back-up and have to turn to burning CD data.

For me I think we're actually the "anti-Universe" because of all that empty space between galaxies and things in the universe. The real universe is actually filled with matter.

Mel
You're probably right about the narrow miss thing for my story. I've come to a compromise about it. The bad guy is one of the main characters and will be delayed in a Psi-battle. The detective will narrowly miss him for that clue. Otherwise the bad guy will always be one step ahead until the end of part one.

When I finish re-writing I'll e-mail part one to you (I remember I've yet to) and you can judge for yourself.

I've never been a Zork fan myself (adventure games are way to hard for me, I always need the walkthrough). But I know a few sites where you can get old adventures games. Possibly even the original text-based Zork games. I'll send you the links in an e-mail if you like.

Teekay
I've been hearing some rather weird things at Uni about those pictures of starving people.

1) that the news rarely report good news but bad news in very poor countries. This way we see how fortunate we are and do not focus on how poor we are in other respects and not question authourity. Thereby allowing those in power to continue to be in power.

Or

2) teaching this could be a way of controlling us because by teaching us this we get the impression that the world is a much better place and not help the world. That is by ignoring the global problems we help those in power.

All in all, I believe things are bad but not too bad. Considering the world is such a big place and filled with so many people and cultures a lot of "bad" places like Africa aren't so bad after all. There are a number of students at Uni who frequent Africa and say it isn't as bad as what is shown on TV. They say there are some nice places.

No one in their right mind should microwave dog with all that fur. It loses all the taste in the flesh and becomes overcooked. Now, if you want to know how to cook dog properly, you have to ask a Chinese chef for hints. The guy might not know but he will at least refer you to someone who does.

Mary
Do tell us more about the on-line business.

Rhoda
I'm one of those people who believe prevention is better than cure. For me, I'd rather not exist then live in a fallen world. Then I wouldn't have to struggle with all these tough religious issues and plans. In some ways its...fun. You know, all that Quest-for-the-truth-thing without having to travel out of the city.

For example, that abortions are wrong. I find anti-abortionist rather hypocritical in some ways. They say that they respect life so it makes sense we should harvest all the gametes from men and women and preserve them until they can be fused to create an embryo shouldn't we? Otherwise we would be committing murder wouldn't we? If not then how can a single cell be a life when a few moments ago it was only half a cell and not a life? One Christian guy pointed out that I mustn't think just believe blah blah blah...

For the record, I've had trouble with doing right because of punishment from God. I feel people should do right because it is right, not because they want to suffer in eternity.

Maybe I'll find my answers. Maybe I won't. .



Ruth (who's probably going to miss this)
Ahhh...ermmm. Mumble mumble...I wasn't really even being...mumble mumble....

Ah Hem!

It's just that we've had so many newbies come and go and it's annoying really. I mean it's like when you join a club then not turn up. So I was just impressing upon you how important it was to me that if you introduce yourself you stay or at least give us fair warning before moving. Of course, all my pleading to stay sounded like whining and I thought it sounded a bit too obvious.

Sorry, shorties are a bit difficult for me to compose because I don't check regularly with University on and by the time I do it's over.

I did have a few short stories and part one my Psiforce novel in the Writer's Work book but I don't think they're there anymore.

Barbabus? I'm shudderirng. The horrible mutations my name goes through. Please use Hop otherwise I'll start convulsing.


Ashling
Hello? Are you staying?


Barnabas "Hop" 7-29-2001 6:03

---

p.s.

Fran has indicated that she would like to do something after church tomorrow just fun. So, I may not immediately get back to the Workbook, but will make an attempt to get to it tomorrow.

Jack Beslanwitch 7-29-2001 3:00

---

Teekay: Thanks for the prompt on the clumsy sentences. I broke them up or shortened them.

Jerry: Thumbs up to your family for being proactive and reaching out in that manner. I wish Bud had been receptive to those kinds of overtures. Several attempts had been made and he rebuffed them. Also, the family life all of the children grew up in was not nearly so idyllic.

Still, it seems that my point was well placed and got across. Thanks to everyone and hope it helps. Take care.

Jack Beslanwitch 7-29-2001 2:58

---

Actually, on the matter of procrastination I ought to be able to say a fair bit. After all, it is one of my most abiding traits.

I have found that the condition of retirement makes a dangerous mix with this inclination. Those of you who are still employed, or who are heads of households may not be aware of how little there is in life that demands immediate attention when these restraints are removed from one’s daily activities, or inactivities as the case may be.

I almost never have anything that must be done at once. Housework is really a great myth when one truly puts the urgency of it to the test. It may surprise some of you to know that after a year or so, dust doesn’t get any deeper. There seems to be a point of equilibrium reached when the weight of the dust is greater than the ability of the underlying accumulation to sustain it, and from that point on it simply compresses. These are the kinds of things that one learns about procrastination through experience.

I have found that appointments confound the procrastinator more than any other single thing in life. How many excuses can one give the doctor for setting back the semi-annual check up—for four years. There comes a point when one has to decide if the dentist is to remain in one’s life at all or simply be abandoned to the oblivion of the past. I hate those occasions when one has a ripping toothache and must reacquaint one’s self with the dentist.

"Mister Souza, are you the same Mister Souza that I treated in 1986?"

"Yes, I was captured by enemy insurgents and held prisoner for sixteen years. Beastly conditions you know, bad food, nothing but sweets, and, of course, no dental treatment."

One needs to find one’s own level of procrastination, I suppose, somewhere along the path between over-zealous fanaticism to that undefinable place whereat one’s self respect begins to disintegrate entirely. Perhaps some of my illustration is a bit over-wrought, but I am trying to make a point, after all. Just what that point is I am loathe to recall at the moment. Memory, it seems, is another gift we take too much for granted, but that would be a topic for another occasion, then, would it not?

GS


7-29-2001 0:30

---

Jack - good article, makes one think. Several years ago, I went to an uncle's funeral, another of his nephews (from the other side of his family) was there, he and I were friends in our youth, much like your cousin. It was the first time I saw him since I married and left home. I knew he joined the Navy, about the same time I left, it was one of those "Go in the Military or go to jail," said the judge. Anyhow, after the ceremony, we sat out on the steps of the church, smoking our cigarettes, and he related that he had a bad time in the Navy, and spent ten years on the streets of San Diego. It was the love of his family, as they joined together to find him that brought him back amongst the working. I was very surprised, as he was quite a guy when we were kids. It seems his brothers and sisters (he came from a very big family, 9 kids if I remember right) took up a collection and sent the oldest brother out to California to search for him, as the last they heard, he was discharged from the Navy in San Diego. It took nearly a year, but his brother finally found him, dried him out and got him in touch with an agency back here who sent him back to school. Now he is a plumber in Rapid City, making big bucks.

Jerry 7-28-2001 23:33

---

**Teekay**

JACK: Your article was beautifuly written and very enlightening and does go a long way to getting people to realize that every 'drunken bum' they see or 'street hobo' is a human being with a past and quite possibly a tragic one.
Thank you for sharing your memories of your cousin with us.

On a technical note I picked these up on reading through it and I'm not being pedantic, but I thought I'd let you know in case you were able to re access your story and correct it :-)

1: Rescue mission where he lived in off and on for nine years. (2nd to last para.)

2: Let us, as some here in Seattle have done, stand up for their rights. (last para.)

Gee it's quiet here. I guess everyone did bunk off with RUTH.

Sunday here so it's lunch at the in laws and chances are a day when I'll get very little on the writing front done, but who knows.




Teekay 7-28-2001 20:25

---

Tina, did you get my e-mail?...I never heard back. I hope you did. As I said, please post to the new addy, Go is having trouble.

Laura 7-28-2001 13:00

---

Jack, well done.



Tina 7-28-2001 12:27

---

Gariess:


HAAHAAHAAAHAHHHAAHHA!

Yeah, I know. I do have my eye on him. He's a tricky one.

For the most part, the man won't keep his hands off of me, from the time he comes home to the time he goes to bed.

He can't walk by me while I'm quitely sitting at the table with out taking a grab or whatever at me .

According to him it just means he loves me. According to me he's a tab bit obnixous.

All in all it could be worse.
So round and round we go.
Where the twins come from we all do know.

I can't really complain; he's my muse.

Shsshhhhh! He doesn't know it.

Debra 7-28-2001 10:25

---

Jack: That was more than an article. Beautiful work. Your links to the sites gave me ideas on where to go to help more than just the Japanese homeless. Nice to be able to contribute a little to the American poor as well.
Don't worry about the notebook for now. Rest a bit. We're all still writing strong and this is one deadline that won't die if it waits for you. Keep yourself well and rested. Thank you for doing what was most important first. Your website on the homeless will make a good start toward making life a little easier for those who have it so tough they get frostbitten in winter.

Viv 7-28-2001 10:22

---

I have a part that I will behosting tomorrow - http://www.wester56.org/wewon.html , but I will set aside as much of Sunday to get the Workbook back up and running. Also, note the link below and you will find the essay that I wrote in regard to my cousin. Sorry everything has been so busy that both the Notebook and forwriters.com have taken a back seat. Hopefully, all things being equal I will get things truly up and running.

Jack Beslanwitch Face of the Homeless - Memories of A Cousin 7-28-2001 2:40

---

Ruth, one more thing befor you go - - -

TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!!

Jerry 7-28-2001 0:50

---

Hi writers! RHODA, HOWARD, TINA, MEL: Thanks for waving, it's heartwarming to be remembered.

JACK: Cool graphics, but I section the motion that you put your writing ahead of any web pages. Your Homeless essay sounds interesting, particularly the sub-title. I look forward to reading it.

RHODA: Don't despair, starting new writing projects are always herky-jerky for me. Keep cranking the engine up, and one fine morning your vehicle will purr right out of the driveway and onto the Muse Highway. Knocking your Internal Critic unconscious with your monitor or whatever's handy can speed things up.

I've neglected all my message boards of late, and can't remember who knows what, so forgive me if I repeat myself. I finished the first draft of Stray Souls April 30th. The first half of the novel has been rewritten many times, so it only requires minor touches, but I'm sandpapering the rest like crazy.

My frantic prep earlier this week wasn't for an editor appointment ... I have appointments with 2 agents at a writer's conference in September. Stayed up all night Wednesday, and I mailed off 3 copies of synopsis/outline and first 3 chapters Thursday afternoon. Whew!

Good luck to everyone on their current WIP (work-in-progress)! I'm trudging back into the Sandpaper Mines. Actually, I adore editing, it's tons easier than spinning flax into gold.

Ashling 7-28-2001 0:31

---

Debra,

I don't think it's the fairy who is giving you the babies. If I were you I would keep my eye on that guy who reads the newspaper at your breakfast table.

GS

gariess 7-27-2001 23:27

---

**Teekay**

RUTH: Hopefully Geoffrey cotterel is an Australian. It’s not quite so bad when your
own kind bags you out :-) But when other countries do it one can get a bit sensitive
about it.
I wouldn’t mind living in France.
I hear you can get your bum pinched quite a lot there too.

Bon Voyage!!!
Ray Bradbury gave me goosebumps.

GARIESS: Oh, how hilariously you speak of it. You alwys know how to bring out the
humerous side of these frustrating, hair pulling episodes.
You should try publishing them.
I particularly remember the phone company one.

JACK: How's the homeless article coming along?

MEL: The river of inspiration post was lovely.

I’ve found the article in “chicken soup” which I relate to the most. It’s in ‘The Writers
Life’ segment and it’s on page 293 and it’s called ‘Summertime, and the writing’s not
easy.’ by Kerry Arquette.
It made me think of me, but without the deadline and with an extra child.

Have a good day all, it’s back to the grindstone for me.

Teekay 7-27-2001 21:38

---

From Ruth

Thanks for all the farewells Notebook people. I’ll be thinking of you! If I get ten minutes alone in an Internet café I’ll drop y’all a line. Rhoda, Mel, Viv, and anyone else, glad you liked the Bradbury poem. Makes me cry too. Don’t take much anytime.

Mel. What’s forty-six years and five children and a wife got to do with anything? Jawanna come to Rome or don’tcha? Well this is whatcha do then. You just get in the bunk and KEEP STILL FOR FOUR HOURS! Or I’ll shout “stowaway!” and have you FLUNG OFF THE DAMN PLANET! :-) See you soon.

Sing > > >

‘Twas on a week-end mor-horn-ing
Just as the sun was ri-hi-sing
I saw a petite redhead
Heading off to It-tal-ee -

And all she said was, “Don’t forget
It’s here my heart is ever yet.”

Waving farewell to her darling home
With Doreen and Kevin (and Joyce’s tome!)
She took her sweet self away.

‘Bye everybody!

Ruth



7-27-2001 16:21

---

Strangely, I have had a recent experience with portentuosness, and I shall let the narrative of that stand for my shorty this week.

I recently called my bank and spoke to one of their new e-tellers. I explained that I needed copies of cancelled checks sent to a company I had recently paid. He apologized, and said the "system" was currently "down," the fatal news we dread so much, because it announces a dead halt in the progress of anything in the modern age.

The lad then asked a number of questions, transaction numbers, name and adress of payee, my account number with the bank, my account number with the payee, and so on.
All of this was time consuming, of course, but I was happilly encouraged by the idea that this boy was going to hold all this data and deal with my problem when the "system came back up."

After we go over the data and make sure all the numbers are correct-the total on-phone time running to something around twenty minutes-the child says to me. "What you will have to do is call back when the system is back up and tell whoever you speak to..." And then proceeds to recount all the data I had just given to him. We had a brief talk at this point during which I brought into question his apparent low intelligence quotient, the legitimacy of his birth, and the questionability of the chastity of his mother. That part was accomplished in three words. Readers are free to speculate.

This is the modern world, freinds, and here we have a person who is re-inventing lip service to the point of boring people to death for no earthly reason, and wasting the valuable time of his employer and his employer's clients time in the bargain. To the Almighty I decry my longing for the day when people understood what their jobs were all about, because if they didn't, they were soon looking to find another. It is so apparent that there are no consequences for incompetence in the world of people who stand behind counters, sit at computer terminals and wear head phones. Ah, the good old days.

GS

7-27-2001 15:15

---

Ruth - no, my 486 is a DX4-100 but I do have some 486SX's laying in the back room, well not the whole computer, just motherboards. I see no reason why your compaq wouldn't read those floppies, unless of course they are 5 1/4 inch, then, of course there would be no place to put them. One can always install one of those old 5 1/4 inch drives if you wish, they are about a dime a dozen on ebay, nobody wants them. I came in possession of several of them when I was buying junk boxes on Ebay for a song, so I have a few, although I haven't checked to see if they work. I do have one 5 1/4 and 3 1/2 inch drive that fits in a standard slot that I had in one of my machines for awhile just in case someone came in with a 5 1/4 machine and no 3 1/2 inch drive, then I could copy drivers and things over to the big disks and use them on that machine. I have since taken it 0ut as I have never had a use for it.

Anyhow, Farewell, have a great vacation and think of us when you are having fun, then write about it so we can share it. (You are going on vacation right?)



Jerry 7-27-2001 14:52

---

Gariess:

Good point. We don't want the baby fairy thinking I want three more, now do we!


I do love clarity. It's one of my favorites. A writer only wants his or her readers to read a sentence more than once for pleasure not trying to understand what was meant.

Thanks for the advice. I'll take it.




Debra 7-27-2001 14:50

---

Debra:

"I don't mind so much now having more than one baby pop out on the same day. They
are three. They are using the bathroom. Now!"

Clarity, my dear. This could easily be misconstrued to read that you have triplets. Since I already know you, I don't think so.

GS

gariess 7-27-2001 14:18

---

(apologies for the double post .. I hit enter by mistake before finalizing my message, and I thought I caught it in time. Obviously not. *sorry*)

Surfcatss 7-27-2001 12:48

---

This is really a fun way to deal with writer's block, or simply take a break.....

Helping others make informed decisions and offering them solutions to everyday situations is a great way to keep up your writing skills, especially if you're having a block.

At a site called "Epinions", you can easily register and start offer your opinions and advice, which are published on-site. The better written opinions and essays do get recognized here! You can also read and rate others' opinions and advice.

It's all free, of course. It's really fun. And you actually get paid for your words. Well, ok, you aren't going to retire on what you make, but it's nice to be recognized for your writing, yes?

Writing is what it's all about. Check it out.

PS, I'm not posting this as "spam". I like to write and am a member of many writing boards and clubs. Epinions is my way of taking a break from my writing, by writing! I'd do it even without the penny-per-view payment. *smile* There are a lot of other writers who enjoy the site too.

I hope to see you there!

http://catss.epinions.com

Surfcatss 7-27-2001 12:47

---

Helping others make informed decisions and offering them solutions to everyday situations is a great way to keep up your writing skills, especially if you're having a block.

At http://catss.epinions.com, you can register to offer your opinions and advice, which are published on-site. You can also read and rate others' opinions and advice.

It's all free, of course. It's really fun. And you actually get paid for your words. Well, ok, you aren't going
to retire on what you make, but it's nice to be recognized for your writing, yes?

Writing is what it's all about. Check it out.

PS, I'm not posting this as "spam". I like to write and am a member of many writing boards and clubs.
Epinions is my way take a break from my writing, by writing! I'd do it even without the penny-per-view
payment. *smile* There are a lot of writers who enjoy the site too.

I hope to see you there!

http://catss.epinions.com

Surfcatss 7-27-2001 12:43

---

Mel:

I had to bring the appliances back in. Later on the kids got a little hungry.

I don't mind so much now having more than one baby pop out on the same day. They are three. They are using the bathroom. Now!

Christi:

I'll do it. I feel a little excited thinking about a house with working pens and pencils.

We really are getting rid of a lot of stuff every week. We have an organization that comes to the house and picks up stuff and leaves a tax slip. We have them here every week picking up a porch full. Last night when my husband was through filling up the porch again with stuff from storage, he said he wondered if the neighbors thought we had a clown house. You know what I mean, clown house, clown car. The stuff just keeps coming out. We are not through yet. Those floods really changed us.

I like the new us. We are traveling lite. Well all except for the Christmas decorations. They are all still here in tact.

Debra 7-27-2001 12:16

---

RUTH,

Beautiful poem--made my eyes cloud up a bit. Have a wonderful and safe trip to Rome. Yes, I too have heard that young Italian guys are very fresh. Just go with the flow, but go easy on those young swains and try not to break any hearts.

I loved your assessment on writers. As far as Americans, you were right on the mark. Success, especially financial, is everything here. Dollar signs are the way we keep score.

JERRY,

I will take some of your rain. Since you can't transport it, at least try to enjoy a little of it for those of us who haven't seen rain in a very long time.

Rhoda 7-27-2001 11:56

---

Hiya!

Mel, if your muse insists on living in the laundry room, bring some paper in there and catch her inbetween loads! And if she just goes in there to sit on the washing machine during the spin cycle (naughty wink ;-D) then tell her to get to work! I'd send my muse to straighten yours out, but she's on a roll here and I don't want her to leave!

My favourite song is 'The River' originally by Garth Brooks. I like the idea that inspiration is from a river that we're all travelling on. Maybe our muses are adrenaline junkies, pushing us to
'Choose to chance the rapids,
And dare to dance the tides.'

Ruth, your bunk could get full if you leave that as an open invitation!

Beautiful day today. Must water plants, do some errands, and then HIT THE BEACH! Yay!
TTFN

Tina 7-27-2001 11:46

---

Ruth: Have a great time. Hope I got this in before you left! Keep writing and thanks for the new Ray Bradbury poem. Maybe you will meet a neat Italian guy…and no pinches just perfection! Good luck.

Christi: I think that about wins the shortie theme for the week: “Chicken Soup for the Chicken’s Soul.” I’m going to giggle every time I get next to those books in the library.


Heather, here is how my good ol’ Microsoft Word Thesaurus button (located under my tools button) defined Portentous.
Portentous = Pretentious; Self important; Overbearing; Haughty ; Arrogant
I’m not saying that Bill Gates is right, but it’s easier than trying to find the thesaurus my daughter has stolen from my desk and hidden somewhere among the mess in her room. If you looked it up could you tell me what you got?

It rhymes with a lot of names so it’s kind of a nice word. Another good idea is the word Jerry came up with. It’s my favorite word …procrastination… for a theme. I’m a real good procrastinator. I’ve done that all day on my shortie and all other work. The day after barbequing 2 sets of ribs, and 5 steaks, and about 15 hamburgers, plus making all the fixen’s that go with the meal, I decided a day off was in order. The end of the year blow out for my youngest. She and her buddies decided on a meat feast. All the families did a BYOM (bring your own meat) and we mixed it all together. Working together, I think we consumed at least a half a cow. It was fun but I feel a little beat. After the main party we had all the female teens spend the night at my house and the males at another persons house a long distance away! (That cured the get up in the night and go bother each other syndrome.) It was sort of a wild day ending in a wild night that went on until the last of the potato chips. What was cute was many of the kids owned dogs so the dogs all ended up spending the night as well.

After the kids left, I vacuumed up the potato chip crumbs and dog kibbles and gnawed on rib bones. (My living room was not a pretty site!). Then I went to a local garden shop. I kind of wandered around like a zombie looking at the pretty colors. Then I went home. I couldn’t even decide what kind of flowers to buy. Too tired to make decisions. I popped the last of the root beer, sat down on an ice chest and sort of ended up sitting there most of the evening. Now, I’ve made it up the stairs, checked the e-mail for disasters (one of my older daughter’s recent posts was “I was hit by a pizza delivery van today while riding my bike. I’m fine. It was interesting. The bike is fine too.) and I’m going to bed.

Procrastination I guess is my theme tonight. Jerry, you are right. It just plain suits my mood a lot better right now. I’ll write that shortie tomorrow, and maybe I’ll post it next week. Sorry Mary! Sometimes life dances so fast and I seem to be waltzing around right in the middle completely out of step. Yaaaaaawn. Good night everyone.


Viv 7-27-2001 9:41

---

*Mel*

Wow! From heatwaves to seeing your breath in the morning air - the cool streak feels great. Good Morning, Ever-Landers! :-)

JERRY: I do hope your weather settles soon - how unnerving! Hope the floodwaters stay clear of your humble homestead...

DEBRA: Um, how can you vehemently throw your appliances onto the driveway and forget to toss the jar of unsharpened, worn out pencils and pens?!!! You get my vote for the Procrastinators' Club secretary. Heh heh! :-)

TINA: TWO pages a day? YOU GO, GIRL! :-) I like hearing other people's progress reports. I wave them in the face of my muse, but she just sniffs, nose in the air, and returns to the laundry room. Hmm, maybe I'm being too hard on her for not producing...

ROSEMARY: Sorry. I generally use family-oriented language style (unless I get a finger pinched in a window or something!) :-)

RANDALL: Nothing fowl or foul about your little stories, my friend. They make people laugh and feel good. :-) YES! Start your own website and give us the addy. As for ancient quotes adopted to modern times, I like it! I like it! :-) You do them well. Now take your hopefully swollen head and go write us another amusing tale (can't get enuf of 'em!).

CHRISTI: Chicken Soup for the Chicken's Soul? YOU GO, GIRL! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Still laughing. :-)

RUTH: We could look at inspiration as an ever-running stream, a river of thoughts in which we each dabble a bit during our lifetime. We take a boat or a swim or wade a bit and then write what we can of the experience. There's no way any of us can write down all the thoughts running in that river in our own lifetime. We each are just a piece of the message flowing there...

(Uh, MARY, is it okay to tell Ruth about having more children than you can hold with each hand at the same time? Oh, okay, I'll be good.) :-) Ruth, I have five kids - ages 4,11,13,17,and 19 - um, one at a time is best (right, DEBRA?). But I don't write for my kids; they seem to prefer other interests to getting to know their parents. I write first for myself, next for reading fans of the genres I prefer to write (sf&f, romance). I look forward to some Italian visuals! :-) BTW, thanks for sharing the Bradbury poem - it was so beautiful it brought tears to my 46-year-old eyes. I remember too...

Y'all have a great writing day, I hope! :-)

Mel 7-27-2001 8:18

---

From Ruth

Hello Notebook People.

Farewell friends. If you want, do say a farewell to me this evening. That would be nice. I’ll look back at about 10.30pm, then pack this little machine away till I get back.

Mel. Re immortality: “I think what if something happens to me before I get all my story ideas in tangible form?” This worries a lot of writers, as I guess we all know. Not to do with immortality I think. I remember the same thing worried Wilfred Owen. He was tortured by a feeling he’d be die, be killed, before all his poetry was out of him. And the fear was justified. He was killed in action on just about the last day of WW1. But what he left us is fabulous, and he is of course immortal. Only four of his poems were published in his lifetime. Now we have everything. Not many people will achieve what he did in a full lifetime, that’s for sure, and that’s okay too. We’d all like to be great and be known world-wide maybe. What I think about is the family I may have. In the next ten years I’d like to have four children, and what I do - what I write - is in some measure at least for them, and whoever may come after. They are the ones I want to know who I am, who I was and what I stood for, as well as the warts. [Not that I have any, you understand boys, but you know what I mean!] That’s a kind of immortality. I would like that to happen. Glad you enjoyed Dressing Up, Mel. And if you want to stowaway, well, come aboard then and jump into the bunk with me! Italy: I’ll likely do some word-visuals when I get back. How’s that? That okay?

Viv. Thanks for your kind words on Dressing Up, and I’m very glad you liked it. Funny poem that, and not funny as well. And like you say, I don’t think I’ll change anything. I know what Mel means, though, although the language is what’s heard all over.

Teekay. You saucy sod. Get my bum pinched it Italy? I thought only blokes in Brompton-on-Swale pinched girls’ bums. Sounds like Italy might be a good place for a girl to be. I’ll let you know. I’m a pretty serious person really but I love flirting. Nothing too much. Winks and smiles and slightly daring words, is all. I’m a good girl see. I marry early next year. Then it’ll be babies and goodbye forever to all that. Isn’t that how it’ll be? Or will it always feel pretty good to know a lad thinks about me some? ;) BTW I like this: ‘In America only the successful writer is important, in France all writers are important, in England no writer is important, in Australia you have to explain what a writer is.’ Geoffrey Cotterell [Who he? As they say in Private Eye.] Especially I like the Aussie estimation. Right now the Australian cricket team is giving the English one a good hiding. Very unsporting. After all we did invent the bloody game. I hate all Australians. I love all Australians. Wonderful people who play very hard. Too hard for us anyway. Great sporting nation. Oh, and I’m glad you liked Dressing Up.

Mark. Job. Religiously I don’t know where I am, but The Book of Job is about as great as anything I’ve ever read. But I don’t think God has a bet there, Mark. This for me is what the great poet of the book is saying. There’s never any doubt Job will pass all tests. That’s what I think the book’s all about. He’ll question Him down to his toenails, but he will never reject God. It’s such beautiful story, and at the end, after all the suffering and misery, “And so God blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.” Wow. If there’s any discussion on this while I’m away in Italy, do let me know when I get back, in about a month’s time.

Jerry Ericsson. “As I type these words into my little old 486, it is raining harder than that cow pissing on a flat rock!” Nice sentence Jerry. You still have a 486SX? Is that what you’re saying? Lovely machines. I didn’t know they could be linked to the Internet though. I’ve still got some old floppies I used with mine, and this Compaq can’t open them? Any ideas what I can do? There may be something on them worth taking another look at. Do say if you know how - short of buying another 486SX!


Here’s the Bradbury poem I spoke about a while back. Great poem. Ciao.

REMEMBRANCE

by Ray Bradbury

And this is where we went, I thought,
Now here, now there, upon the grass
Some forty years ago.
I had returned and walked along the streets
And saw the house where I was born
And grown and had my endless days.
The days being short now, simply I had come
To gaze and look and stare upon
The thought of that once endless maze of afternoons.
But most of all I wished to find the places where I ran
As dogs do run before or after boys,
The paths put down by Indians or brothers wise and swift
Pretending at a tribe.
I came to the ravine.
I half slid down the path
A man with graying hair but seeming supple thoughts
And saw the place was empty.
Fools! I thought. O, boys of this new year,
Why don't you know the Abyss waits you here?
Ravines are special fine and lovely green
And secretive and wandering with apes and thugs
And bandit bees that steal from flowers to give to trees.
Caves echo here and creeks for wading after loot:
A water-strider, crayfish, precious stone
Or long-lost rubber boot --
It is a natural treasure-house, so why the silent place?
What's happened to our boys that they no longer race
And stand them still to contemplate Christ's handiwork:
His clear blood bled in syrups from the lovely wounded trees?
Why only bees and blackbird winds and bending grass?
No matter. Walk. Walk, look, and sweet recall.

I came upon an oak where once when I was twelve
I had climbed up and screamed for Skip to get me down.
It was a thousand miles to earth. I shut my eyes and yelled.
My brother, richly compelled to mirth, gave shouts of laughter
And scaled up to rescue me.
"What were you doing there?" he said.
I did not tell. Rather drop me dead.
But I was there to place a note within a squirrel nest
On which I'd written some old secret thing now long forgot.
Now in the green ravine of middle years I stood
Beneath that tree. Why, why, I thought, my God,
It's not so high. Why did I shriek?
It can't be more than fifteen feet above. I'll climb it handily.
And did.
And squatted like an aging ape alone and thanking God
That no one saw this ancient man at antics
Clutched grotesquely to the bole.
But then, ah God, what awe.
The squirrel's hole and long-lost nest were there.

I lay upon the limb a long while, thinking.
I drank in all the leaves and clouds and weathers
Going by as mindless
As the days.
What, what, what if? I thought. But no. Some forty years beyond!
The note I'd put? It's surely stolen off by now.
A boy or screech-owl's pilfered, read, and tattered it.
It's scattered to the lake like pollen, chestnut leaf
Or smoke of dandelion that breaks along the wind of time...

No. No.

I put my hand into the nest. I dug my fingers deep.
Nothing. And still more nothing. Yet digging further
I brought forth:
The note.
Like mothwings neatly powdered on themselves, and folded close
It had survived. No rains had touched, no sunlight bleached
Its stuff. It lay upon my palm. I knew its look:
Ruled paper from an old Sioux Indian Head scribble writing book.
What, what, oh, what had I put there in words
So many years ago?
I opened it. For now I had to know.
I opened it, and wept. I clung then to the tree
And let the tears flow out and down my chin.
Dear boy, strange child, who must have known the years
And reckoned time and smelled sweet death from flowers
In the far churchyard.
It was a message to the future, to myself.
Knowing one day I must arrive, come, seek, return.
From the young one to the old. From the me that was small
And fresh to the me that was large and no longer new.
What did it say that made me weep?

I remember you.
I remember you.




7-27-2001 6:39

---

Easy. Rosemary cares for the chickens.

Heather 7-27-2001 3:37

---

Wait a minute!

Don't you mean pretentious?

Portentious and pretentious are quite different in meaning.

One portends to... I mean pretends to... and the other, well,

never bloody mind!

It's too confusciousing.

Heather 7-27-2001 3:36

---

++Christi++

Thanks for the 'welcome's guys, or rather, gals! Yeah yeah, I know. You men were thinking about it and didn't want to state the obvious. But really now, a girl could begin to believe she wasn't loved. (lower lip quivering, eyes welling up with tears, morose expression on face, shoulders slumped to the ground) Waaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!

Good big stuff going on here at the NB I see, as usual. Is there a shortie theme tonight?

On the Chicken Soup books, how 'bout Chicken Soup for the Chicken's Soul? I mean what up wit dat? (Ugh. I promise never to utter those words again.) All these poor chickens being slaughtered for all this chicken soup ... WHO WILL CARE FOR THE CHICKENS????????

Oh Teekay, you slay me! I enjoyed your rant very much. Please sir, may I have some more??? (In my very best Oliver Twist impersonation)

Debra, There's only one thing for you to do. Each time you pick up one of those non-working pens immediately walk to the trash can and throw it in. Then try another. Repeat until you find a working pen, and after using said pen, put it back in the jar. I swear it can work for you because it worked for me, a fellow procrastinator. You can do it!

Stay dry, Jerry.

Smoochie woochies for all and fun dreams tonight. Bye ya!



Christi 7-27-2001 1:54

---

As I type these words into my little old 486, it is raining harder then that cow pissing on a flat rock! The third tornado warning of the night is in effect some thirty miles north of here, the storm dropping this rain stretches from nearly twenty miles south of here to over a hundred miles north east of here. I am so tired, I keep falling asleep in my recliner, but must stay awake, as a friend from up north is bringing her computer down to have me check the modem, she won't be here until ll:00 PM.

I have discovered, however, I can stay awake reading down the notebook, and guessing who is making which statement before I get to their names on the bottom of the post.

Viv I intend on writing something on procrastination, maybe next week, if I get the chance and we don't float down the highway. And the rain keeps falling, the boing boing boing on the TV with more storm warnings, keeps boinging. The little crawler at the top of the screen tells us where the storm is now, as if we can't hear the wind screaming through the trees, and the rain bouncing off the awning outside our front door.

Jerry Ericsson 7-26-2001 23:54

---

Hi folks.
On this week’s shorty theme: I was just joking when I suggested portentous. I was still thinking of that toilet when I did it. It was the height of ostentatious consumer behavior. Still, I think we may as well leave as our theme for this week. It sounded like we could use a little comedy writing. There are so many fun ways of showing someone or something so completely snobbish that it reaches a level of ridiculous.

Sorry about the word choice. My vocabulary tends to get a little portentous occasionally. Need to go into a thesaurus and pull out some better more understandable words. Back to the theme: there are portentous poodles…portentous portly people…and I think a lot of ducks waddle around looking quite portentous. I learned a lot of my favorite descriptive words from my grandfather. He’d get on a silly streak and he’d go down the street making these sly little comments like: “ Well there goes portly Patricia and her portentous poodles.” He’d get going and sound just like Mark Twain. If you could keep up with his vocabulary (which was always a real challenge) you’d be giggling so hard by the time you reached the end of the street you could barely walk. Sometimes I’d miss the joke until I came home and looked up a word in the dictionary. Then every time I’d see old Portly Patricia I’d giggle and think that word.

So maybe if you all want to experiment with a single portentous word….who knows. You are all creative. Let’s see what happens and if nothing happens we’ll yell for Mary.

Thanks Mary for the opportunity, but I know you are a lot better at this than I.


Viv 7-26-2001 23:09

---

RANDALL

Rosemary....Thanks for the suggestion about getting a little relief from Jerry. We have a high pressure area sitting right over central Texas and Lordy Lordy is it hot. The AC in my pickup died, compressor failure, yesterday afternoon and another is ordered. Wouldn't you know, a NAPA delivery pickup would have a compressor on back order...from a NAPA warehouse!!!! I have a 12 volt fan mounted on a board in the seat, but all it does is circulate hot hair. But as the immortal Bard once said, no doubt during a heat wave in London, "... a fan is a fan is a fan...." Or was that Macbeth who wandered through a Scottish castle, "Is this a fan which I see before me? Come let me feel thy wind?" "Alas poor Yorick, knew him well...died from heat prostration as the R-12 Freon line split and his compressor exploded...."

Maybe I should began my own web-site? Ancient quotes adopted to modern times?

I'm tempted to insert something here, but what the hell, let it go.

Mel....Randall's chicken soup? I've been called many things but never fowl. Okay, okay bad joke. I was involved in a funny thing today....Our office lady is attending a family reunion in south Texas this weekend. Her boy friend is attending his family reunion in Reudiso, New Mexico this weekend. She is committed to hers and won't beg off. He is committed to his and won't beg off. There is a significant difference in temps between the 2 places. They were fussing in the office this afternoon as I walked in from a steamy delivery. "Hell," I said to her. "I'll go with the SOB and you go to south Texas."

Well.....you had to be there I suppose....

Time to get my carcass in bed.

Randall

"Damn the torpedoes! Everybody go below and have a cold one."


Randall 7-26-2001 22:50

---

MEL,
In Texas it's "Dadburn Goose" Only usually it's stronger than that.

TEEKAY,
I forgot to thank you for the info. about email address and no email address. I never noticed the differences in name colors. So, "Thank You." :->

VISUAL
Mounds of puffy clouds, white tops and dark grey bottoms, scudding across the clear blue sky giving false promise of moisture to come.

Nite, Nite.

Rosemary 7-26-2001 22:30

---

Hi all again!

Busy day in here. Making up for last week, it seems.

Rosemary, your 'zoo' sounds quite wonderful. I have this concept, that one day I'll own a large piece of land (with my house in the middle; yes I'm anti-social) and have a few animals. A horse or two, maybe a couple llamas, many cats. Your duck descriptions make my think maybe ducks, too!

Laura, send me that material straight to my e-mail (below). I didn't copy it from the workbook, so I can't work on it right now. And if it's in my face, I can't procrastinate.

Putting out a couple pages a day right now, and I actually like what I'm writing a day later, not just at the moment. Good sign.

TTFN
Tina



who me? 7-26-2001 21:17

---

Procrastination:

I got another one. I have a pencil jar next to my phone. It has been there for years, years. It is stuffed full of pencils, not one of them sharpened. Every one of the pens no longer writes. I reach for it every day to get something to write with. I never find anything. Still it sits there, beckoning me to grab for something. Every day, I do.

Yes, I have a pen that writes. It is in another room next to my other place I write. It is no where near the phone. It would be so easy to go to the store and by new pens, and at least sharpen one pencil. Why don't I?

Procrastination that's why.

It's bad, bad I tell ya.

I don't think it would be chicken soup. I think it would be that green pea something soup.



Debra 7-26-2001 21:10

---

OK, now enough is enough, now they not only have us under a severe thunderstorm watch, but also a flash flood watch, they say we should expect 2 to 3 inches of rain in under an hour with these thunderstorms, what the hell did we ever do to bring this weather on?

Back to the fan plan in earnest.

Jerry 7-26-2001 20:37

---

Okay, okay, I'm answering all my own questions tonight. The American Heritage (NOT Webster's you'll note, though what that may portend I haven't a clue) says:

portentous (adj.)/ portentousness (n.):

ominous(ness), foreboding (ness), full of unspecifiable significance; exciting wonder and awe; marked by pompousness; pretentiously weighty.

Viv, I think you fulfilled this shorty theme already with your electric Japanese toilet! :-)

Now how the heck does one follow up THAT story?! (Oh no, little muse - get back to the laundry room! I'm still thinking writing thoughts!)...

Mel 7-26-2001 20:15

---

TEEKAY: Ah, I'm relieved to hear you're feeling as crazy as everyone else here today! :-) Keep up the good work!

Viv said the shorty theme for tonight is "portentousness." Drat. Now I have to go find my dictionary first.

Mel 7-26-2001 19:56

---

**Teekay**

Mornin’ all’y’all,

GARIESS: I had to take a small break after reading your post to get my self together and
re-establish my humility and get my head back to normal proportions.
Though why my cute factor isn’t at ten is anybody’s guess, perhaps you can shed some
light on that
:-D
Dosh is Moolah, green stuff (and no MEL, not somebody’s sick teeth :-)) buckaroos,
MONEY!!!!
Thanks for the run down on competition entries, I was racking my brain trying to
remember if my openings were attention grabbing and I think they might stand a
reasonable chance.
The reader may even get as far as half way before realizing they’ve been duped.

I noticed a post saying ‘writers?!’ - and I could sense the incredulous sarcasm in the tone
of it.
Who ever you are you are obviously of the opinion that writers?!, in order to be real
writers!, must don a pair of wireframed bifocals, slick our hair back with pomade, wear
plaid coats with leather elbows sewn in, have no sense of humour and bury ourselves
totally in our work.
I’m sorry, but you have been misinformed, it’s the ‘scientists! who do that.
You can find them at www.eggheaddiscoveries.gov.

I’m starting to regret telling you all about the submissions I’ve sent out, because now I’m
going to feel I have to inform you of the rejections I get back.
I’ve been doing that anyway, but of my own free will.
Now I feel obligated.
I can’t deal with the pressure.

On a more sombre note, those of you who don’t have cats and are looking at
microwaving your dogs instead, please don’t.
Not only does it carry a prison sentence, unless you’re intoxicated or driven insane by
fleas, in which case you may just end up with a hefty fine and a darn messy microwave,
BUT your doggy will never come when it’s called again. Just think of all the money you
spent at dog obedience school, up in smoke - so to speak.

Don’t get me wrong, I truly love animals and I am assuming that the people who frequent
this place are totally normal - please feel free to define that word to your own personal
taste, (anyone seen using a dictionary to do so will be disqualified)
and that my words, powerful, yet tasteless,though they may be *snigger* are just the musings of a sick mind and will not drive
anybody, sane or otherwise, to think that I condone that womans actions in following her
heart and cooking her cat.
Personally I would recommend one take up crochet or knitting, or perhaps even a dance
class of fishing.

In fact, said woman’s actions have weighed heavily on my mind and I find expressing my
emotions regarding her behaviour, here on the notebook is a darn site cheaper that
therapy.

Plans for today:
Get the rest of the (fanfare please) ‘NOVEL?!’ typed onto the computer, so I can
continue on with writing it.

I read this in the ‘chicken soup for the writers soul’ and thought I’d share it with you.

‘In America only the sucessful writer is important, in France all writers are important, in
England no writer is important, in Australia you have to explain what a writer is.’
Geoffrey Cotterell

Why thank you Geoffrey.

So do you reckon this is a good thing or a bad thing?
Personally I thought it was a pretty good thing, shows there might be an opening in the
market.

This was the little quote above Bryce Courtenays (Australian Author) little chicken soup
segment and after reading it I’m of the impression that by his article he’s trying to do to
writers, exactly what he was trying to do to the other fellow he was running with - and
that is to scare him off and get him out of the running.

Thanks Bryce for all your encouragement, love ya matey.

Teekay 7-26-2001 19:51

---

DEBRA: I dare not look when she thinks she's through!


BTW, ANYONE, what is shorty-nite them? VIV? MARY? Guess I'll have to go looking back...

Mel 7-26-2001 19:39

---

Mel:

A muse doing the laundry. Now that's an idea. After you make her do the laundry you should document all that happened.



Debra 7-26-2001 19:10

---

7-26-2001 18:04

---

**GS**

Teekay,

You are rating very high on the NB’s collective cute scale these days. I would guess your hugability factor is somewhere in the high eights or low nines. I am not up on my Australian, but from your context of the word, "dosh," I would guess you are referring to the pick of the crop, the sharpest crayons in the box, the sweetest peaches on the tree so to speak.

People who go through large numbers of entries in contests are normally chosen on the basis of their ability to quickly identify the non-contenders. I watched a video of some guys going through audio-tape entries for a rock group competition. None of the tapes they played got more than five seconds of attention, most got less. If there was dead space at the beginning of a tape, they jumped forward into the text of the song, not caring if they by-passed the downbeat.

Literary entries, it is my understanding, are handled in the same way. Non-contenders can usually be identified in the first few sentences. The longer an entry keeps the reader reading, the chances for that entry increase exponentially.

Contests are probably less likely to result in publication than submitting to publishers whose needs are suited to your work. I believe one is better off, if one’s objective is to get into print, to seek out the publications that print the kind of stuff one writes, rather than write the kind of stuff that one of them prints.

All the usual caveats apply—opinions, you know.

GS


gariess 7-26-2001 14:35

---

JERRY: Typo translation for "A;;" should be "All" :-/ Thirty-twelve lashes with a wet noodle for me. Can I still have a S'more, Dad?

Mel 7-26-2001 13:42

---

++Mel++

Oh my, you're all actin' a bit crazy today and it's contagious (JACK, it MUST be WORKBOOK WiTHDRAWAL...!)

Just today I counted at least 35 different CHICKEN SOUP titles on our library database! We should be collectin' anecdotes for our own version. How about CHICKEN SOUP from RANDALL's SOUL? Heh heh! Or CHICKEN SOUP For the Bug Lover's Soul (Go, Tina!) hee hee OH! How about CHICKEN SOUP for the TATTOOED SOUL? (Go, Heather!) hum de dum... Somebody shoot me before I get any further...

TINA, MARK: I don't think we'll have to start CHICKEN SOUP for the PROCRASTINATOR'S SOUL tomorrow; the pages will all be blank anyway...I guess it's ready for the publisher now. Who wants to send it off? :-)

DEBRA: Good for you! We're all "WHEN" people here - yippee! (Um, did anyone see my muse go skipping by? WHEN I catch her, SHE's gonna be tied to my shadow and I'll make her do MY laundry while I go write. Heh heh!!)

JERRY: Okay, have you seen MEN IN BLACK? Where someone's entire galaxy lives inside a pendant hanging from a cat's collar?? I think it makes perfect sense (um, purrfect sense?) and really fans the imagination at the same time. :-) And who's to say that the biblical creation couldn't have encompassed other worlds? A;; we have is the recounting in the Bible of OUR world's creation...hmm...I'm a Star Trek die-hard.

ROSEMARY: A lot of folks don't have any animals; hearing your stories about your animals is like a trip to an open country pet carnival. :-) (*The tour bus stops.*) "Yup. Teenage ducks are as hungry as our human teens (put the Doritos away now). See how the ducks go after Rosemary, their human mom, until she tires of their nagging and throws them a snack? Mm-hm. And on her way back to the house, you can see her now, she's helping that fat toady down from the birdbath. What a nice mom, that Rosemary. No wonder the animals all love her so. Yup. Hey! Hey! Watch out for that Doberman chasing that--YEOWCH! dabburn goose goosed me..."

Um, I think we're ALL a little crazy today (I love it!). :-) Carry on.

Mel 7-26-2001 13:37

---

Hop - Who me (grin wink).



The Racher ;o) 7-26-2001 13:25

---

Jack, PLEAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEE get the workbook going again, I have stuff to post. PS anybody who has crits of my novel in progress please send them to me at
the newer addy. If you send them to 'go' I may not get them. And I believe there is SOMEONE who knows who she is, who still owes me a crit on my new first chapters...


laura 7-26-2001 12:52

---

Hi there, Writers all,

MEL,
Thanks. I never think there is anything special about those little visuals and tales until you mention them.

TINA,
We have so many groups of ages of ducks (and chickens) right now. The adults that are two to 10 years old, the teenagers that hatched in the early spring and a batch of bright chartruse (some with black spots) fuzzy babies that hatched a couple of weeks ago.

That unusual wet spring this year caused everything to multiply and we need to get rid of the excess before we become bankrupt. If you have animals, you have to take care of them. We do it with less expense than most, but there are limits and someone forgot to tell them

CHRISTI,
Super glad to hear from you, drinking or not. We all miss you and wish you would drop in more often. :-)

HALLIE,
Hope your weather is more comfortable than ours. I don't think this heat goes East like the storms. JERRY is hording the rain storms but even if he let them go, they probably wouldn't come down here. The weather map on TV the other day showed the entire US with rain storms except for a big bare spot that was Texas.

RANDALL,
how about starting a group that gets the materials to Jerry for that giant weather blower. I'd join and your area probably needs it as much as mine.

Got to go. Bought a vacuum sealer on EBay and they want a money order.
Later,
R



Rosemary 7-26-2001 12:18

---

Mark:

I have one for you Mark. We should stop sitting at a chair after we have fallen asleep and go to bed.



Debra 7-26-2001 12:01

---

*~ Mark ~*

OK -- "Chicken Soup for the Procrastinator's Soul." We can write that you know. We have the talent here.

Waddya think?

Start tomorrow?



Mark 7-26-2001 11:57

---

On that God thing. Well I guess I believe in God, in fact when I was much younger, I thought I had it all figured out. I looked on God as a scientist, who in a pitri dish planted a seed of mould, and from that mould evolved the Universe. Now I stuck by that until I got to Nam, and sometime during that tour, I figured out that when the experiment was done, that being the examination of the results of his experiment, he tossed the petri dish aside and forgot about it. That is why bad things happen to good people.

Then I got to looking at photo's from the space capsules, those taken from deep space, and those illustrations of the sun and the planets, the Universe and how it appeared to be made up of other "solar systems." Then I looked at those depictions of the atom, and compared them to the solar system, guess what, they look the same. Ok now apply the nature of both. Since they look the same, what is to say that our solar system is just part of a larger object, much like an atom, and that once we have the power of interstellar travel, one day we may reach the end of the Universe, when that ship pop's out of the edge what will the pilot see? Well it might be that when he is on the outside looking in, he will see that it is all just one small piece of a large tree growing on a huge planet in it's own universe. Then to reverse that logic, could it be that there are actually micro people on those atoms looking out with their telescopes at their universe, and dreaming of their God?

Did that make any sense? Well if not, it would make a fairly interesting plot for a sci-fi book.

Oh, I have since abandoned that theory in favor of the biblical creation, but it was interesting to think about anyhow.

Jerry 7-26-2001 11:05

---

Mel:

You'll be happy to know that I did shed the if and I do say when. I don't do that here. I'm with other writers here and the people here I think of as my peers and equals. I like to talk like I'm the sameas everyone esle, as I am. We all are in a constant state of hope. I say (when) when I talk to my mom and dad. They believe me. That's a lot of pressure. I won't let that dream die. I won't. I also have one I'd like to implement with the social services in my area for free laundry services for these same women when they go to school. Laundry takes a lot of time and thought. To save time and worry is huge. Laundry sounds small, but when I talked to a women in that department and told her of the idea, she said it was the neatest thing she had ever heard. So!


MARK!

Marrrrkkkk!

Come over here. Sit down right here. Don't make me spank you. I'll do it. Teekay said you were being mean again. You have to make your bad boy ride in the trunk honey bun. It sounds like you are letting him drive again. Remember what we talked about about the bad boy? He's never quite gone, but he has to be gagged and stuffed into the trunk. Okay go ahead and get that done.

heeeeheeeeehheee!



Debra 7-26-2001 10:44

---

Hi all!

Good to see the Return of the Lurkers. Christi, hi! Hallee, have fun. Allein, enjoy, but don't work too hard. Rosemary, I love the idea of a 'teenage duck'.

Teekay, best of luck with those submissions.

Mel, Chicken Soup for the Procrastinators Soul? I'm still chuckling... I SO need that book! ;-)

My hubby found a sweet addition for microsoft word, called wordweb. It's a dictionary/thesaurus, instantly available while I'm typing. Maybe it's already common knowledge, but I didn't know about it. Lovin' it already!

Time to get busy. Be well!

Tina 7-26-2001 10:39

---

^^Mel^^

Howdy, gals and guys! :-) We got rain - good thing, the grass was getting brown. Now to dream of azure and 65-75 degree (Fahrenheit) days... 'always a lovely day somewhere' ('tain't here!)

ROSEMARY: Duck-goo...Eww! :-/ Your animals all sound so precious (in spite of goo). I think your little animal anecdotes and visuals would make great fillers (if not stories) in any inspirational magazine or even Readers' Digest. It gave me a lift just to imagine your teenage duck tugging on your pant-leg, begging for bread. How cute! :-) The world needs to hear (and read) more little fun things like that! Give everyone a smile for their day! :-)

DEBRA: No, no, no. You shouldn't say "if I ever get my series published." You must say "WHEN I get my series published." :-) Your dream for opening centers for single stay-at-home moms to learn is TOO good to let slip into some netherworld. Make it happen. You can do it! Write and publish your series - You can DO IT! :-) What a great goal...I think one of mine is merely to pay off the mortgage...

HEATHER: Ooh, "Legendary..." I like the sound of that! :-) (supports Ruth's question on our seeking immortality through writing, too).

ALLEIN: Congrats on the job! :-) I expect you meant money by "green stuff" and not some poor person's sick teeth (eww, that was gross! Must be the humor-meter is off-again...)

MARK: I want to tread lightly on Holy Ground discussions too. Everyone's entitled to their own beliefs and opinions... I just want to say (MY opinion), the O.T. is not irrelevant; it's vital to help us understand the foundations of our faith and beliefs, just as Jesus was born a Jew and grew up among them, learning their ways, before he could re-teach them (and everyone else) about God's true ways. Just a thought to ponder...

CHRISTI!! Stop wining and share some cheese, will ya? :-)

TEEKAY: Them CHICKEN SOUP book authors sure have a great thing going, don't they? I'm still waiting for "Chicken Soup For the Procrastinator's Soul" - I guess they haven't gotten to it yet...heh heh! BTW, my kitty's at home, prob'ly beggin' someone to turn on a faucet so he can get a fresh drink.

HALLEE: A safe and happy trip, Auntie! :-) I hope to have a present for ya when ya git back...

EVERYBODY: May the pages never stick in your thesauruses and may you write oodles of inspiring, thrilling, can't-put-it-down stories - and start right now, if you haven't already! I has spokened.

Mel 7-26-2001 8:50

---

Writers?!

7-26-2001 8:38

---

7-26-2001 8:33

---

HEATHER: "He knew every possibility, and still decided to go forth with the Grand Design. Obviously, that smacks of something far more positive than negative." You need to keep that -- so well said. One day, when you're a famous author and everyone clamors for your books, you can be cited in one of those famous people quote things. (haha - hug) - no, I still haven't read what you sent me - aren't I terrible? (sigh) I'm taking it with me on vacation next week.

MARK: Of course, you also have to bear in mind that God knew the outcome. (smile)

One more day and I leave for West Virginia! My sister had a contraction yesterday, so maybe baby Hal will be there when I get there!

~back to lurking - life is so nuts right now (but vacation is looming on the near horizon~

Hallee 7-26-2001 4:26

---

**Teekay**

Hi All,

RHODA: Pigs eh? Bet they're spewin'. :-D

RUTH: Arividerci, anda I hopa you enjoya your staya. :-D
Anda geta your buma pinched a plenty.
BTW I loved your dressing up poem.

MARK: I confess, pages ra - ri are missing. I had to improvise. :-D

DEBRA: MARK'S being me-e-an!

MARK: Now you're for it.

MEL: Thanks for the luck.
Perhaps if I just say, 'hey, don't worry about the free copy, you can have the story for nothing," they might be more inclined to publish it.
Actually, I'm not really hung up on it, I was reading 'chicken soup for the writers soul' last night, and I've still got a hell of a lot of rejections to get before I start getting to depressed about it all.

HEATHER: You have gotta gotta gotta read 'The Law of Love' by Laura Esquivel.
And here's a drink of water for your parched throat :-D
BTW: Are you happy for the woman who microwaved the cat?
Did the cat really choose to be microwaved?
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHA sorry, I can't seem to help myself.

ALLEIN: Congratulations on your new job.

CHRISTI: Well if you had to be drunk to come here I must say I hope you imbibe more often.

JERRY: I love a good thunderstorm. I'm really quite envious of what you are experiencing. (weatherwise I mean :-))
Remember those illegal immigrants I told you about?
Well they've bloody well gone and escaped again!!!
How do forty illegal immigrants hide? In a park? That'd be a tree each.

Well folks, I have to now get some competition entries out of the way.
D'you think they really read the entries? Or do they just collect all the dosh and just bin the rest?

Ciao
and
do you know where your kitties are?





Teekay 7-26-2001 2:36

---

**GS**

Personally, I don't know how the universe was created. What I do know is that nobody else knows either. People who say they do are making it up as they go along, or just taking it from somebody else. First they "believe" and then they build their theses to fit that belief. I assume the idea that it was once an idea, and then an ideal, presupposes that the idea was concieved by a supreme being. Of course that's based on the presumption that there was nobody else to get ideas before there was a universe. I find it easier to believe that the idea was concieved after the fact by the idealists. It makes a nice sounding guess, but a second guess at best.

Supreme being: "What if there was a universe, wouldn't that be cool? Hey, what am I saying? I'm the supreme being; if I want a universe, I can make one. So let's see, what if I try the big bang method? Well, better not be too hasty, maybe not."

I love it when we get all philosophical like this.

GS



gariess 7-26-2001 0:09

---

Well the fan plan is back on the table. Woke this morning to a clap of thunder that sounded like it was in the bedroom with me. It rained for a couple of hours, not those gentle spring rains, but a torrential rain, or as we used to say back on the farm, it rained like a cow pissing on a flat rock! Finally at about 9:00 AM it tapered off, and stayed cloudy and cool, I think the high for today was like 82, and muggy as hell. There was a second rain at about 2:00 PM, that added to the humidity. Now we sit here under a severe thunderstorm watch till 2:00 AM. Yep, the fan plan is back.

Now where can I get the material, I know, I will put in for a federal grant, that should work!

No wait, the fed would just keep the money saying I owed it to them, back to the drawing board. I see flashes in the North, must sign off and shut down the computers, maybe I will just go to bed, no TV, no Computer, and the lights usually go out when the lightning gets close.

Good night to all, I wish these storms would go south where they are needed! (Read the story of an elderly farm lady who lost her home to a flash flood just twenty miles south of here. Lot of that going around.)

Jerry 7-26-2001 0:08

---

++Christi++

I have no opinion. I have no opinion. Well, really I do have an opinion, but it's too belated to be of any interest so I'll just say HI EVERYBODEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! Missed you'se guys muy mucho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KISSES TO ALL!

I'll make my next appearance when I'm not drinking wine. The only words I'm capable of when I have even one drink are, "I love you, man!" :)



Christi 7-25-2001 23:58

---

Heather:

Worry about nothing. I figured that there was so much to read that you missed the way I meant it.

Besides that, I have my picture of you by your posts and I know you support women.



Debra 7-25-2001 23:30

---

** Mark **

Oh my oh my

This religious stuff. I kinda think I shouldn't tread there; but, I don't always follow my own good advice.

One of the more interesting aspects of the Job story is God's role in the affair. The writer of that story (we're all writers here, correct?), anyway, the writer of that story makes God almost human. I believe it's the biggest example in the Old Testament of God having human qualities. In that story He gambles, He makes a bet with the devil, and Job is afflicted in order to satisfy a peculiar craving that God has to get over.

But that's trivial stuff. The real point of it all is in the New Testament when Jesus says, "I bring you a New Testament. Love thy neighbor." That's it. No commandments. No God of retribution. No eye-for-an-eye. Love thy neighbor. At that point in religious history, the Old Testament became irrelevant.

Mark 7-25-2001 21:50

---

Hi people! :)
I'm still around, I read the notebook every day though and lurk around.
But, see, I just got off my duff and got a job. :D I enjoy it, I work at a dentist's office and soon I'll have some of that lovely green stuff. :)

Viv - That's ok, I hope Hana's feeling better.

Allein Allein's World 7-25-2001 21:08

---

Whoops! Just wanted to tell Debra: I must have misunderstood what you said, then. I, of course, am happy for any woman that does what she truly wants to do, and is successful at it - but I feel the same way towards a man.

Do you want to know why I thought 'Pay It Forward' was a good movie? Because of the concept. Helping other people, and passing it along. It may be an idealistic view of things, but if it weren't for ideals, what then? Not much on that horizon.
The Universe was once an IDEA. Now the situations we envision for ourselves and the rest of humanity (according to what the ideal is) are our ideals. The Universe was also once an IDEAL. The perfect vision. Then it became reality, so the IDEA behind the IDEAL was expressed. Made real. Voila. Concepts. Conception. Conceive.
All root words from idea. God Conceived the Universe. He thought it up, gestated it in the Great Mind, and then gave it birth.
God knows all, so He knew what we would do. He knew every possibility, and still decided to go forth with the Grand Design. Obviously, that smacks of something far more positive than negative.

Anyhow, I'm rambling on about things pertinent to me, but perhaps a little wander from what I had intended to gab on about.

Writing. This profession, this passion, this 'calling', as I call it, is one of the most wondrous things a person can be called to do. Imagine a thought-story-idea of ours becoming legendary. Possibility.
I like possibility. A whole slathering lot.

Blessings to HOWARD! I'll be thinking of you. May you rain dance with your beautiful wife again soon!



Heather 7-25-2001 20:43

---

Pressed something (guessing it was the TAB button) and automatically entered my post before I was finished...

Well, that probably means I should end there. Obviously my fingers thought it was time to pack it in.

Wait - fingers controlled by brain. Alright, then, mind,
I'll go. I'll sign off!

I do have a book to recommend before I leave off, however~!

'As A Man Thinketh' by James Allen.
(It's very old, but is now available as 'As A Woman Thinketh', still by James Allen...:o) This book is a very small, almost booklet type of publication. I highly, highly recommend it. It's very interesting, and enlightening. Which reminds me, where is my copy?
The book regales (not windily, I might add) how thought becomes word and action, and how to see for yourself this interesting process - and how you can change things with it. Simple. It also ties into Jesus' teachings.
INTERESTING.

Hugs and smooches to all, and to all
a GOOD NIGHT!

Teekay - by the way - (you are so cute!) I could not be mad at you. Differences!? Verve! Les espice de la vie!
(Uh, my french is rustier than my car)
Apologies.
(Excuse-moi!)

English burps.

Heather 7-25-2001 20:26

---

Rhoda: I like what you said. I think Job was a 'right thinker' and so when he was tested, his thinking stayed straight and true. Therefore, he stayed in God's favour.
When we think good, right thoughts, things go well - and if rotten circumstance should happen to visit, keeping right thoughts will help you(us) deal with the issues at hand in a very effective manner and will result in things working out. Some may think it's magic, or something esoteric, but really, what is one of the most sacred things God gave?
His WORD. Words come directly from thought.
There are references to this in the Bible in quite a number of places - think of Jesus, and Noah, for two shining examples. When Noah was being teased incessantly, did he begin to think angry thoughts, hateful thoughts about the tormentors? No. And things went smoothly for Noah - at least in comparison! And when we think of Jesus, being tempted in the desert, or confronted by people, he replied calmly, lovingly, with righteous thought in back of his words. Always. That's one of the principles he taught.
Also, when He talked about becoming 'like little children', most children speak their minds far more nobly than adults do. That honesty comes from right thought. Most of what children say (especially if they're not quoting) is kind, selfless, loving. At least if they haven't changed the positive thought patterns into negative.
I

Heather 7-25-2001 20:16

---

Ruth:
Loved the poem. I wouldn't change the language one bit. I had a beautiful book of Old Nursery Rhymes given to me when I had my second child. I put it on the shelf thinking that my children wouldn't like it because the language was too sophistocated. Wouldn't you know it, the 6 year old dragged it off the shelf and demanded I read it. The kids loved it for years. I was giving away books and no one would allow that one to go. They don't understand all the words but they create their own images. Anyway, maybe my kids are strange but they would've liked that one.

I'm joining you on this trip to Rome as well. The history of the Catholic religion is interesting and full of exciting characters. Good ideas for writing abound. So don't feel shy about looking into it all you want.

Allein: Sorry we are late. Hana's halfway through the translations but she's missed juku all week due to stomach flu.



Viv 7-25-2001 19:05

---

Heather:

I agree with everything.

Well all except one. I do think women should stick together. I would not agree with a woman if she were wrong and a man was right, that's not what I mean by that.

I just mean that as women we should support each other. I hear people putting down successful women just because they are blond and beautiful, I don't do that. I'm glad that a woman is out there running the show and making it work.
If I ever get my series published and have some money to help people with, my group would be single mothers and single mothers with special needs children. I dream of opening centers where they learn to transcribe medical documents so they can stay home and not need daycare.


That's all I meant.

I wish I could worry less. I am trying.

I'll keep you posted on that one.

Debra 7-25-2001 15:08

---

**Heather**

Debra: This might NOT surprise you, but how much you worry about someone is often interpreted as how much you care about them. Why are those two linked in many minds? I don't know. Trying to worry less will probably not solve the problem. Then you will be worrying about all your worrying. See what I mean?
I think it might help assuage this difficulty if we show people we care about them more often in other ways. Instead of calling everyone to make sure they're home in a snow storm, (or even just a few inches of powder) perhaps your loved ones might start carrying a cell phone. If they get into trouble, they can call you right after they've called a tow truck. I don't know if that will solve it or not for you.

Perhaps you are a person, Debra, who worries about the whole world? You will have to, sooner or later, draw a line in the sand. Just where will your worrying end? Does worrying solve anything, prevent anything, or make anything easier/better? Usually it only makes you feel worse, losing hours of sleep. Here's a badge to wear: Only worry when you absolutely have to.
There's no sense in practice worrying.
Still, I can say that and it won't stop you from practicing. I wish I knew the formula to help!

But again, this touches on the great long post I wrote last night. People will do what they will. They learn the lessons they need to, for their own reasons. You may worry forever and still find use in it.

Want to know why I got into a terrible relationship (my first actual relationship)? As I look back on it now, I was testing my strength, testing to see what love I had, (let's call it passion, actually. Love came later...). I was testing my ability to dredge myself from the most fallow pitfalls, testing to see how much I could give. How do we know the strength of character we all harbour unless we test it?
Hence the real reason for childhood and adolescence. We don't know ourselves until we test us out. Once we know who we are, we know our limitations, or lack thereof.

Like the old adage of the boy walking the top of a fence: He didn't realize he shouldn't be able to do it until someone came along and yelled at him, "You're going to fall and hurt yourself!" So he did.
But sometimes we don't fall. Sometimes we fly.

Suffering does make for a universal topic, one that everyone (I think) can identify with - that's why it makes something compelling to read about. The same with what Teekay said yesterday about greed and all the vices we humans try on for size. The thing is, I believe we can either evolve or devolve. Sure, we've got free will and we have the chance to come back as often as we want, to a planet in a physical body. So that means we could totally destroy a whole whack of people or things and still be able to reincarnate, right? Yes. Well, we are the Masters of our own 'destiny'. Take a line from 'Gladiator' for instance:
"What we do in life, echoes in Eternity!"
It also shows up either in this life or in our next life ( or one of the successors). We may devolve, because we knew better but did it anyway. There is justice in the Universe, but the timing of this justice doesn't always coincide with how we think it should be metered out.
But we cannot know what's in another's soul. We're not the Judge. How do we know that a man who seems so rotten on the outside, rolling in what we see as undeserved health/wealth and wellbeing, isn't pious and humble on the inside? That he doesn't have right thoughts?

We can put whatever we want to into the vase. But then we have to deal with the results. The thing is, why put suffering in the vase more than necessary?

Part of the reason I had so much trouble in the big city is because of wrong thoughts that I harboured. Had I changed my thought patterns a lot earlier, I wouldn't have spent two years in misery, wondering where I'd stay the night, or when I'd lose my next job due to a jerk boyfriend. If I had held myself as a worthwhile human being, I doubt I would have considered a need for abuse and all that suffering. But pain is primarily TEACHER.
In hindsight, the only reason I can see for staying with him was to learn that I did have worth and a heck of a lot of strength. I stayed so long because that's how long it took to figure it out, and to find my Self. Some people don't figure it out in one whole lifetime, so yes, I'm lucky. Or maybe I'm just faster than some.

Teekay: About starving children in Ethiopia: Only the individual knows why they chose it. Hey, want to know what life is like? Live one. But you won't experience EVERYTHING in just one lifetime. So try another. Hmmmm. What's it like to live in Egypt? Maybe I'll go there again sometime. You get the idea!
Here is another example - and you may be right about not eating the greens! (Or maybe they were gluttonous? Who knows)
A woman who turned a blind eye to suffering was in fact, in her next life, born blind. See what I'm getting at?
Now, if she chooses to surmount the difficulty of blindness, rounds her character out, is positive and helpful and wonderful to be around, well, what do you know! The next life she's Queen. But careful! When in the 'Queen' position, it's easy to take advantage of others... and so around and around we CAN go. But we don't have to if we choose not to. It all comes back to personal CHOICE.


Back to Debra: Why should we word our questions so it appears we 'women' are sticking together? What is the point in taking sides? Are we to assume that men are wrong?
Assumptions do not take us to any higher understanding.
I take it to the individual level. A man can be wrong, but so can a woman. Both can be right. We are not at war between the sexes unless we want to be. I don't. Women can be just as chauvenistic as anyone.

I'll end here and read more posts! This is getting far too windy...


Heather 7-25-2001 13:18

---

Morning,
Came in to lower my temperature to under 100 before going back out to finish mowing.

MEL,
Do you think she had been dreaming about ducks? :-))

Any one who has had to clean up a sidewalk after ducks have been spending time on it knows that they're mostly stuff. Really icky gooy stuff.

I feed bread to the birds (chickens and ducks and geese) in the evening that we get from the used-bread-store. (maybe s/b old instead of used, but used sounded better.) The ducks are the smartest of the bunch and they are getting way too tame. I was giving a slice of bread to one of the horses and felt something pull on the back of my cut-off's leg. I was busy so I just pulled away. Then a few minutes later, I felt it again, stronger. I looked around and there stood a teenage duck trying to look innocent. While I glared at him, he reached up and pulled at me again. How can you punish that sweet duckbill face? I gave him a piece of bread.

TINA,
I'm here, just not much going on. I'm staying inside most of the time--it's been too hot to go out and my knee has been gripeing anyway. Today is only suposed to get to 96 degrees so I went out this morning. A few areas had to be mowed or the weeds would get too tall to handle.
The dry heat is beginning to kill most of the growth but a few hardy weeds still thrive.

Jerry,
I don't appreciate you hogging all those wonderful storms. So wet and cool.

I think I'll just go climb into the freezer for a while,
bye

Rosemary 7-25-2001 13:09

---

Oh, ROSEMARY: Here's an AUDIAL (AUDIO?) for you. I woke up my four-year-old yesterday morning, and the first thing she said to me was not "good morning, mom" or anything like that. One moment she's sleeping, not moving in the bed. Next instant she says "Mom, what are ducks made of?" :-)
(I told her "fluff and stuff" and we went on from there to what little girls and little boys are made of. But her first question of the day "cracked" me up with giggles! I thought of your downy little friends and thought maybe I should ask you the same question as a sort of reference question, in case "fluff and stuff" wasn't properly specific enough??!!) :-)

Mel again 7-25-2001 12:23

---

For anyone interested, there is now available, a non-spy ware version of Hot Lingo Spell checker for the internet. I use it most of the time, and it works fine, if you pay attention to which words it uses to replace those misspelled. This is something I should watch a bit closer, as I am on my way to being the King of Typos, even using Hot Lingo. I just downloaded the latest version of AW Ad ware remover, and was shocked at the new common programs that are in fact spy ware. Now Hotbar is spy ware, I used this program on all my systems, just to liven up the top of the browser, but since learning it reports on your usage of the web, where you go, what you look at, and so forth, then reports back to a central data base for advertisers to target you with email for their products. I was wondering why all of a sudden I was getting spam in my protected email address, now I guess I know. None of those who send me SPAM at this address will tell me where they came up with it, but apparently it was Hotbar.

Rude awakening this morning, another thunderstorm, lots of thunder, very heavy rain, I have yet to hear how much, but it caused a bit of street flooding in front of our house. This weather pattern is very unusual for this area, we normally get one or two thunderstorms in July and August, not a string of them as we have this past few weeks. The only good thing about it is that it cools down nicely following the rain, only 63 degrees right now, and heavy overcast.

Jerry 7-25-2001 12:16

---

*Mel*

Hi Everyone! Still humid here in NYS but as Howard said, last evening's rain was WONDERFUL!!!

TEEKAY: Good luck with the short mss. (*crossed fingers, toes, and anything else that crosses!*) :-)

HEATHER: re: the vase thing and free will - WELL SAID! You must be a writer... :-)

RHODA: re: the Bible - WELL SAID! Hear! Hear! You must be a writer too. :-)

HOWARD: Prayers for your successful surgery and swift recovery... so you can dance in the rain with your wife again soon! :-)

VIV: How come all those techno-buttons exist and they don't have the automatic flush feature many places now have? (i.e. you stand up, toilet flushes itself)?! Techno-progress: one panel of buttons forward, two steps back in user-friendly abilities! Where's Candid Camera when you need 'em? Heh heh! :-)

RUTH: Okay ROME STOWAWAYS, gather up! Count me in too. :-) Hope you have a wonderful and safe trip. You have to return here with great pictures (photos or word-visuals) for us stay-at-homes. :-) re: immortality through writing? Maybe...sometimes when I have to go for a long spell with no time to write, I think what if something happens to me before I get all my story ideas in tangible form? I feel there will be a loss to someone somewhere if the unwritten story ideas just disappear...and the characters of the stories - if they really exist somewhere and are inspiring me from afar to write their tales, what will happen then, if I don't get the tales written?? Not crazy here, just questing, as are most writers, I think, for the reason behind the urgency to write...an urgency that is never satisfied until the words are down in tangible form for others to see (preferably polished somewhere along the way). Sigh. NEED TO WRITE!!!!! Gonna go write something now as I eat lunch!!! :-) BTW, I liked your "Dressing Up" poem - could be a neat poem-story for kids with a tiny bit of language modification. Or leave as it is for an adult poem anthology - for our more whimsical moments of need. :-)

Mel 7-25-2001 12:13

---

Mark Mark Mark:


There's no spell check in the NB and some people like speed. We all knew what she meant.

I would rather read more posts not spell checked then fewer perfect ones.



Debra 7-25-2001 11:30

---

~* Mark *~

TEEKAY : You wrote, "Web